#i need to finish another story but i avoided it so i wrote this instead

[kjdkive]

couple questions with vogue — jjk.

summary: yn, world-famous model and jungkook world-famous artist are invited as a couple to answer some questions for vogue on a video. both known to be a chaotic couple are expected to show their competitive side.

pairing: idol! jungkook and model! yn (afab)

warnings: cursing, some dirty jokes? jungkook being the best boyfriend ever i want him so bad, third person narration

a/n: thinking about doing this for some other bts members but not really sure lol let's see how this one goes and go from there. also i used to be a wattpad writer and there we use — not " and i actually hate writing dialogues with " oh and also i mention a few things that are not true about jungkook but this is my universe and in this universe that happened yn happened

— hello, vogue! i’m yn and it’s so nice to be back here — yn says to the camera. 

— hello, i’m yn’s boyfriend, jungkook — jungkook says, smiling to the camera — i am also in a band but not that that matters. 

— i’m your fianceé, babe, remember? — yn lifts her left hand to show her engagement ring.

— she’s my soon-to-be wife, guys — jungkook giggles and stands up from his seat a little to give her a short kiss on her cheek.

— okay, my boyfriend’s humble as you can see but we’ll see if he’s a good boyfriend/fiancé because we’re gonna do the couple questions challenge! — an assistant hands her some cards with the questions on them — are you nervous, babe? 

— not at all, i actually think i’m gonna crush you — jungkook responds. 

— confident much? — yn asks. 

— dude, come on, let’s go, i’m ready. 

video cuts abruptly to the intro, showing a few pictures of the couple and jungkook’s seven playing in the back. 

question no.1 for jungkook: how did you first meet? 

— it was at a party in L.A. — jungkook replies — june 28th, 2017. she was wearing a black dress and her favorite manolo heels because she told me that the same night, also her purse from a special chanel collection because she told me it gave her luck. 

— it definitely did, baby — yn couldn’t stop smiling — it made me met you, so bless the chanel bag. so, answer’s correct! 

— ever since that night i fell in love and my band members were sick of me talking about her. 

— just want to say that it took him two months to ask me on a date — yn laughs — like i literally said no to a few guys in those two months because i was waiting for him to ask me out and when he did i just told him “finally, bro.” 

— you guys don’t understand, she was and still is too pretty for me — jungkook whined, making yn laugh — i thought she was gonna say no and also tell me that she doesn’t date ugly guys? 

— weren’t you literally like on the top 5 of the hottest guys of the world? — yn asks him and he stops. 

— i think i was? i don’t remember. 

— of course you don’t, darling. next question. 

jungkook: 1 

yn: 0

question no.2 for yn: who initiated the first kiss? 

— oh! oh! this one’s good — yn says — i did! and it was a mess.

— no, you didn’t — jungkook tells her. 

— oh, yes, i did because you were shaking when you grabbed my face and you literally froze so i was like “well, let ME do this” and then i was the one to grab your face and kiss you — yn points at him. 

— okay, fine, i did froze but you tasted like fish — jungkook starts — and although i love fish, tasting it from someone else’s mouth isn’t that delicious. 

— you had just taken me out to eat sushi! what were you expecting? — yn asks him — besides, you tasted like banana because you had to eat your banana dessert of course. 

— guys, if you ever go out on a date and you think you’re gonna kiss — jungkook looks at the camera — do not take them to eat fish or pasta because else they’ll get pesto on their teeth or their breath will smell like fish. 

— oh, right — yn laughs  — in one of our dates you got pesto on your teeth. 

— stop, i don’t wanna remember how you had to get me a tooth pick cause i couldn’t get it out — jungkook rolls his eyes and yn keeps on laughing at him — if your girl gets you a tooth pick, marry her, that’s what i’m gonna do in a few months — he winks at the camera and laughs at yn blushing. 

jungkook: 1

yn: 1

question no.3: which songs did jungkook write about yn? 

— now this is a good one because you always get confused — jungkook laughs — which songs did i write about you? 

— still with you, dimple, love maze, home, seven the explicit and clean version — yn winks at the camera. 

— babe! — jungkook blushes and giggles.

— oh, so you can be no.1 on billboard, mind you the explicit version but your girlfriend can’t talk about it? 

— don’t get off topic, finish the list — jungkook laughs again — and you’re my fiancée, not girlfriend. 

— okay, fine — yn moves on her seat — your part in my universe, dna, paradise, best of me, my you and that’s it. 

— WRONG! — jungkook yells at her and stands up from his seat to jump and laugh at her — you’re a loser! 

— jungkook, what? i got them all correct! shut up! 

— you forgot the one i have performed the most! — jungkook stands in front of the camera — vogue subscribers, my wife doesn’t love me. 

— oh my god! — yn yells — i forgot euphoria and jesus christ, jungkook, sit down now, stop being dramatic. 

— how dare you forget the amazing and unforgettable euphoria? 

— i’m sorry, my love, please forgive me for i have made an awful mistake — yn holds his hand. 

— i shall forgive you. 

— thank you, my king. 

— i love you — jungkook kisses her hand and doesn’t let go of it — but i’ll never forget this. 

jungkook: 1

yn: 1 

question no.4: what are the top 3 celeb crushes of yn? 

— this one’s so easy — jungkook says — it’s matthew mcconaughey, chris evans and bradley cooper but as his character in the hangover. 

— wrong — yn laughs. 

— yn, you know i’m not wrong, those are your top 3. 

— babe, you’re a celebrity too, you’re my no.1. 

— don’t lie, yn, i’m not your celeb crush. 

— yup, you’re right — yn gives up — he got the answer right, whatever, next question. 

jungkook: 2

yn: 1

question no.5: when jungkook first started as an artist, what did he do to calm his nerves when he performed? 

— I PRAYED — jungkook yells before yn can say her answer — I PRAYED AND I PRAYED. 

— he didn’t — yn looks at the camera with a serious expression. 

— YES, I DID — jungkook sits back on his seat — I DID. i did. 

— can you shut up now? — yn asks him — he used to- — yn gets cut off. 

— PRAY. HE USED TO PRAY. — jungkook yells again and all yn does is stand up from her seat and put her hand on jungkook’s mouth. 

— he’s licking my hand right now but i couldn’t care less — yn still had a serious expression — he used to touch his bandmates’ butts and when they would question him he’d say “nothing better than your butts, you guys!” 

— she’s wrong — jungkook says. 

— jungkook, ew, you left my hand freaking wet — yn wipes her hand on jungkook’s shirt — and yes, i’m right, you can call up jimin and he’ll tell you i’m right. 

jungkook: 2 

yn: 2 

question no.6: yn has a scar and has had a broken arm, how did both happen? 

— on her chin — jungkook replies fastly. yn nods and lifts her head to show up her chin. — that’s like the only one from an ugly accident the other ones are just her being silly cause she has some scars, blame of our cats when she tries to shower them and another one from when she was trying to make some chicken nuggets on the air fryer last month and she burned herself.

— he’s correct. 

— the broken arm… she told me she was playing outside when she was in kindergarten and she fell and broke her arm, she also told me the school didn’t call her parents right away and waited until her grandma picked her up from school but she took her to the hospital right away. sadly, they didn’t sue the school because they’re good people, the teachers weren’t. 

— that story is also correct. 

— ugh, so tiring being the best boyfriend/future husband out there — jungkook sighs. 

jungkook: 3

yn: 2 

question no.7: how many tattoos does jungkook have? which one was for yn? 

— jesus christ — yn says — i kid you not, jungkook doesn’t even know how many he has himself. 

— i don’t know the total number but i do have a close number, if she reaches it she’ll get the answer right. 

— fine, uhm, the eye he had before was my eye but i told him to cover it because it was done really bad like the eyelashes and the color were a mess but there are other ones about me, the thunderbolts and the flower on your elbow, right? 

— yes — he nods with a smile. 

— and i think, you have a total of 21? 22? with the new seven tattoo behind your ear i think so, yeah. 

— she’s not close in the number but she’s right about the tattoos about her — he smiles at her. 

jungkook: 3

yn: 3 

question no.8: what are yn’s favorite hobbies? 

— reading, learning languages and trying out new restaurants everywhere she goes. 

— that is correct. 

— she’s currently reading beach read but her favorite book is the portrait of dorian gray because my girl is into classics but they have to be a little gay; she speaks 4 languages those being english, italian, korean of course and french. the latest new restaurant she went was momofuko ko here in new york and she loved it.  

— i love you — yn couldn’t stop smiling as she got close to jungkook to give him a little kiss.

— i love you more — he said, after kissing her back. 

jungkook: 4 

yn: 3 

question no. 9: what is jungkook’s pet peeve? 

— damn, he has a lot — yn laughs — but i can name a few. 

— i don’t have a lot! 

— oh yeah? — yn asks and then turns at the camera — jungkook can’t eat if he notices people being loud while chewing but he is the loudest chew-er ever, he gets mad if whoever is driving doesn’t know how to park and oh! he despises when people walk slow but he had to be patient with me because i am a slow walker. 

— she’s really slow but since i love her i can be patient with her. 

— thank you, means a lot. 

jungkook: 4

yn: 4 

question no.10 (final question, decides the winner): if yn hadn’t been a model, what would’ve she been? 

— oh, my girl’s born to shine — jungkook holds her hand — because she wanted to be a UN ambassador when she was young because she loved learning languages. 

— oh my god, i did! — yn intertwines her fingers with jungkook’s — but i don’t even remember telling him about this. 

— you said that on an interview but you also said that to me when we were on one of our first dates — he smiles at her. 

— i did? 

— you said you saw it on tv — jungkook nods — and that you wanted to travel the world like them. but now you travel around the world as a model, either way you were gonna be successful. 

— reached full success now that i’m marrying you. — yn kisses him — i guess you won. 

the interviewer behind the camera asked them if they wanted to say anything else before finishing the video.

— my soon-to-be husband has released a song called seven, not that it needs promotion because the song's killing it but if you haven't listened to it you should, the song saves lives.

— yeah, i released a song, i wrote it and it was just for her — jungkook smiles — my girl is also releasing her own clothing line so make sure to check that out too — jungkook points at the camera — and before we finish i want to say i won, yn lost — jungkook looks at the camera with a serious expression — vogue subscribers, i am here to tell you again that yn is a loser and i will write on my wedding vows to always call her a loser until death do us apart. 

yn hits him on his arm and jungkook giggles.

— i hate you, jungkook. 

— i love you too, my sweetie cutie pie, come here.

jungkook brings her in for another kiss.

— thank you, vogue! see you next time — jungkook says while squishing yn's cheek with his own cheek.

— save me — yn mouths.

and the video finishes.

#jungkook #bts #bts fluff #bts smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook seven #jungkook drabble #jungkook scenarios #jungkook x you #jungkook x y/n #jungkook x reader #jungkook fanfic #jungkook imagine #i love jungkook #i need to finish another story but i avoided it so i wrote this instead #i need to give jungkook a hug

[paganinpurple]

AO3 Etiquette -UPDATED

Based on both decent and not so decent replies, I have made some changes to my original post below.

It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:

As well as likes, kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished it, you liked it - so kudos.

If you really liked it, you should try to comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.

No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it (so use your notes to say if you want some constructive feedback). Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. No, posting it online is not an open invitation for that. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity and just want to share. Don't ruin that for them. I've seen so many authors just stop writing coz they can't handle the negative emotions the critism brings, and it's only meant to be a fun thing shared for free (pointing out tagging errors is not included in this).

Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.

There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.

For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.

The tag exception is if you don't want to tag a million things or spoil your story, you can rate it as "chose not to use warnings," and maybe tag the bare minimum.

Don't censor tags. How can someone exclude a tag if the word isn't typed out correctly? There are no content bans for terms so don't censor them.

If the tags are mostly content/trigger warnings, especially if they are things considered very fucked up or graphic, you might want to use "dead dove - do not eat" to ensure people know that you're not messing around with tags and what they get is exactly what you've warned them about.

Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLATONIC, like friendship or family.

Nothing is banned. This is an rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.

People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.

Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite or an exchange youve written for going public). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.

Instead of deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - consider making it anonymous or orphaning it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to your name anymore. If you still want to delete it, fair enough.

It's come to my attention that metaworks ARE allowed on AO3, which is something I wasn't aware of. So if you do post an essay or theory, please tag it as such so others can choose to search for it or exclude it. Art is also allowed.

The only reason this archive works is because NON ONE PROFITS. Do not link to your ko-fi or patreon or mention monetary gain in any way or you violate the terms and risk having your account removed. If anyone does link, it leaves the archive open to people claiming it's for profit and having the whole thing removed.

I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.

I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.

#ao3 #using ao3 #archive of our own #fanfiction #fanworks

[yelenasdiary]

Hi, just resending a request idea I had for Florence where the reader has their tonsils removed and Florence is taking care of them, and also uses it as an opportunity to try some new Cooking with Flo recipes that the reader could eat while they are recovering. Soup, ice cream, etc. Florence is constantly reminding the reader not to speak, and gives them a white board to communicate, but the reader just uses it to draw little doodles for Florence. 🥰😅

Sweet Honeycomb

Pairing: Florence Pugh x Reader

Summary: Florence takes care of you after you’ve had your tonsils removed, even doing a little special cooking with Flo to make you smile.  

Fluff | No Warnings | 1.1K |

AC: I decided to combine two requests that are similar, I hope that’s okay!! Xx 

Florence sat by your bedside as you began to wake up from the anesthesia, she smiled softly at your tired state before she buzzed for a nurse to come check on you. A few hours ago, you had your tonsils removed. An hour's surgery and a few hours rest in hospital before the nurses and doctors were confident to send you home. Flo was given a list of things that you could eat, things to avoid doing and a script for pain killers that were to be taken when necessary.

You slept in the car on the way home, your body unable to stay awake for any more than 30 minutes as the anesthesia began to wear off. Once home, Florence made sure you were comfy in bed before she got you bottled water and your pain killers within arm's reach. 

"Get some rest darling, I'm just going to be downstairs if you need anything" Florence smiled softly once more before placing a kiss on your forehead. 

"Th-"

"Uh, Uh darling. No talking, you heard the doctors" she interrupted you, "I got you a mini white board for this reason, I'll go get it" she added before leaving the room for a few moments. Florence placed the small whiteboard with colored markers next to you, "if you need to talk, just write it down, okay?" she looked at you as you nodded slightly before grabbing the whiteboard and the blue marker. 

"Thank you, baby" you wrote down then turned to it to face Florence. "You're welcome my love" she smiled, "get some rest".

While you caught up on some rest, Florence decided to try her luck and cook some of the foods you'd be able to eat. She knew how much you loved honeycomb ice cream but knew you wouldn't be able to eat it due to the honeycomb pieces throughout the ice cream, so, she decided to make her own homemade ice cream for you! Using honeycomb syrup for that flavor you loved so much. Of course, she was doing all this while keeping herself company with a special Cooking with Flo! She explained why and what she was making and even to her fan's surprise, she went live instead of using her stories for the popular trend. 

"While the ice cream is doing its thing, let's make some mashed sweet potato and pumpkin! I'm going to use the leftover pumpkin that we didn't use in the roast dinner we had a few nights ago and of course, there three beauties were grown in my own garden!" She held up the 3 sweet potatoes to the camera with a proud smile on her face before she started to peel the skin. 

You could hear Florence talking to herself downstairs and instantly knew she was doing another Cooking with Flo. You grabbed your trusty whiteboard and blue marker before getting out of bed and making your way downstairs. "Hi honey, you're awake!" Florence looked up and smiled at you, "I was just making you some mashed sweet potato and pumpkin for dinner" she added as she chopped up the pumpkin. 

"That sounds so good! Do we still have any yoghurt left?" your message on the whiteboard read. "We should, I'll get some for you" Florence smiled as she finished up with the pumpkin. 

----

The rest of the afternoon you spent watching Florence cook the mashed sweet potato and the ice cream which you couldn't wait to dive into! "Awh! You gave Billie a little tutu!!" Flo coo'd at your little doodles of Billie. As much as Florence tried to keep her focus on cooking and giving her viewers some attention, it was hard for her to ignore you and how cute you looked sitting behind her phone unable to speak. Anytime you tried to speak she would hush you and point to the whiteboard as a reminder. 

"Baby, come say Hi to all these jammy, jammy tarts!" Flo looked up at you as she checked the ice cream. It wasn't often that fans would see the two of you together but always loved it when you were. You grabbed your whiteboard and wrote "Hello" with pretty little doodles before walking in front of the camera and smiling as you showed the viewers your little greeting. The comment section went crazy with so many comments causing you to chuckle. 

"Guys!! Don't make my baby laugh, they are meant to make as little noise as possible" Florence playfully shook her head at the camera as she came up behind you and wrapped her arms around your waist. "You're stealing the show darling" she added with a kiss on your cheek as you smiled softly and lent into her hold as you wrote on the whiteboard again. 

"I love you, thank you for looking after me honey!" you wrote. Florence smiled instantly, "I love you too my darling" she replied and kissed your cheek once again. The comments on the live were blowing up as Florence kept you in her arms and began to sway left to right slightly as you both read the comments you could. You draw more little drawings on the whiteboard which leads to Flo into a laughing fit. You did your best not to laugh but a few chuckles slipped out. 

After a few more moments Florence said her goodbyes to her viewers before shutting off the live stream and putting her phone in her pocket. "Are you hungry my love?" she asked you as she grabbed two bowls from the cupboard. You nodded with a pout before writing another message on your board. 

"How much longer do I have to be mute for?" 

Florence chuckled, "honey, it's hasn't even been a day. We'll see how you're feeling in the morning, but the doctor said you might sound a little different for at least 2-4 weeks" she replied while she served you a bowl of the mashed sweet potato and pumpkin that was mashed to zero lumps so it would be smooth enough for you to eat. You frowned at the news, "don't worry my love, it'll be fine. We'll worry about tomorrow when it comes but for now, let's go watch some TV and cuddle" she smiled as she handed you your bowl. 

Even though you hated that you couldn't speak right now, you were so thankful for Florence and how she was there for you. The food was so good! It gave you no pain at all and the ice cream was even better, you had two bowls of ice cream after you were able to convince Flo that the coldness of the ice cream was a relief on your throat. 

"It's going to be a long 2 weeks but I'm glad I get to spend it with you" you wrote on the white board and showed your girlfriend. "You're adorable baby, come here!" she opened her arms wide for you to crash into, which you did. There you lay, cuddled up on the sofa while Florence ran her fingers through your hair while watching TV until you drifted off to sleep not feeling any pain, not when you while you were in her arms.

Taglist: @red1culous | @bentleywolf29 | @jeyramarie | @lissaaaa145 | @high--power | @parkerdaramitzzzz | @mmmmokdok | @wackymcstupid | @kiwiana145  | @sophie-xox | @shin-conan-kun | @nattyolw | @ripofflizzie | @get-the-fuck-outta-here | @goofy-goonie | @makegoodchoices | @apollo2907 | @marvelfan98 | @wandaroman0ff | @dumb-fawkin-bitch | @lovelyy-moonlight | @santana1437 | @sophie-xox | @fluffyblanketgecko | @inluvwithfictionalwomen | @jaymieflorissssssss | @tita001 | @youralphawolf72 | @crescent-witch | @randomnessbecausewhynot | @natashamaximoff69 | @a-dorkier-book-keeper | @hehehehannahthings | @blue-serendipityy | @secrettoallofyou | @romantic-slaps-on-the-asss | @marvel-fan-2021 | @mmmmokdok | @riveramorylunar | @ripofflizzie | @toldthatdevil | 

#florence pugh #florence pugh x reader #fanfiction

[anti-romantico]

[she doesn't have to know] seventeen mingyu

warnings: best friend younger brother AU (title is a little misleading lol), age gap (reader is 5 years older), oral (f receiving), protected sex, i suck at writting fluff but i tried, let me know if i missed something

A/N: feel free to ignore this but there is a funny story regarding this fic lmao. originally, this was written for seventeen's vernon, but after finishing it I just stopped feeling it and left it on drafts until I knew what to do, then I posted it, but tumblr marked it was "mature" so I deleted it. then I changed it for txt soobin, and I was happy with it, but when I made the poll I wrote svt mingyu instead and didn't release until I proofread it lmao and since some people already voted for svt mingyu, i decided to change it.

Also, I'M REALLY SORRY. This was supposed to be posted yesterday but I was so tired after work I totaly forgot :( I'm sorry

luv u, moon

words: 2.5k

Vacations for yourself, that's what you needed. And even though you wanted Lia, your best friend, to go with you, she insisted you needed this. "I promise I won't burn down your house while you're away" she said with one hand over her heart. And you knew you could trust her, you just were terrified to travel alone.

The hotel was gorgeous, with a beautiful view of the beach. You rang the bell and waited for the receptionist.

— Good morning, what can I do for you? — The young lady said with a pretty smile. You gave her your name and waited for your key.

The room was definitely your favorite part, you deliberated if it would be better to stay there all week, but of course, you were there to explore. Yes, the bed looked too inviting to stay there your whole life, but the many restaurants you booked were calling you.

You sent a message to Lia to let her know you were at your room and that you missed her, and instead of answering, she called; like she always did.

— Hi, babe! — Her voice made you smile. — How was the flight?

— Pretty good, you know I always sleep to avoid feeling sick. — You sat down on the small sofa and looked through the window.

— Right. Oh, guess what? Mingyu is also there. Not sure if he's staying at the same hotel as you, but he sent me a photo.

— Oh really? I'll see if we can meet up for dinner. — You said. Mingyu and you weren't exactly close. You used to find him attractive, but he was your best friend's younger brother.

— I told him you were there and he said the same. — You both laughed knowing the dinner will never happen.

After talking for another hour while you unpacked and got ready for your first dinner alone, you said goodbye. You looked at yourself in the mirror and admired the blue dress Lia gave you exactly for this trip. It was comfortable and made you look really pretty.

The restaurant was close to the hotel, so you walked there with the help of google maps. Once you were seated, the waiter gave you the menu and told you you just needed to raise your hand when you were ready to order.

The food was on another level, and even made you afraid the food of the other places wouldn't be as good. Suddenly, the waiter let you know someone was trying to pay for you. You looked at him confused and he pointed at the entrance where you found Mingyu smiling. You sighed and shook your head no and asked the waiter to give you your check.

Mingyu waited for you, telling his friends he would see them in the hotel. When you got out of the restaurant, you already knew he would be there.

— How nice of you, but a little bit creepy if you ask me. — You said when you were in front of him.

— Better me than a stranger. — He said and made a move with his head. His car parked beside the two of you with a guy getting out of it and giving Mingyu the keys. — Do you want a ride?

— Was it too hard to ask first? — You said, waiting for him to open the door. He laughed and did it.

— So, how's traveling alone so far? — He asked without looking, full attention on the road.

— I've been here less than 24 hours, but I think I can get used to it. — You said looking at him. Yep, he was still really attractive.

— And about the dinner the three of us knew wasn't going to happen... — His comment made you laugh.

— I can't promise anything, I've booked a restaurant for each day and I really want to enjoy them alone. — You said, not afraid of him getting offended, at the end of the day, he knew you.

— Oh no, of course Your initial plan was to be here alone, but since we both thought we wouldn't meet, I thought we could come up with something now that we did. — He parked close to your hotel and looked at you.

You checked your phone. — Today is friday, I booked for another dinner tomorrow, — you said in a quiet tone. — does it suit you on sunday? I've booked for breakfast.

— Sunday night... Yeah, I'm free. Anything in mind?

— Lia told me about these souvenir places all over the beach, and if I'm honest I was looking for an excuse to not do it. I'll get her something later. — Mingyu laughed. — I do want to go to the beach though.

— Then we have a plan. — Mingyu started the car and drove to the entrance of your hotel. He got down and opened your door, taking your hand to help you.

— See you on sunday. — You said before walking away.

— Oh, by the way... — Mingyu said, making you turn around. — You look beautiful.

You fought the urge to not blush. — Thank you. You don't look bad.

Sunday arrived really fast, but you didn't mind, the previous day you couldn't stop thinking about this... date? Was it a date? no, it wasn't, just hanging out with your best friend's brother... fuck.

Mingyu asked Lia for your number and sent you a message asking for your hotel room. Two soft knocks on your door triggered your anxiety.

— Wow. — He said when you opened your door. — You look really pretty. — You were wearing a black long skirt and white top.

You let him in. — What's with all these compliments, Mingyu?

— What? I can't tell you how pretty you look?

You sighed and crossed your arms. — Just... take that backpack and let's go. — You pointed at the backpack on the floor and opened the door.

The weather was chill, but you already knew, that's why you packed some cozy pants to wear just in case. You both sat down and you offered him some snacks, which he accepted.

You talked for a bit, enjoying the view. The weather started to get cold so you took a small blanket from the backpack. It wasn't enough to cover both of you, but Mingyu insisted he wasn't cold.

— So after that asshole, you haven't dated anyone? — He asked, flexing his legs and hugging them against his chest.

— I don't have time for that, Mingyu, and if I'm honest, none of the guys I've hooked up with made me think "maybe I do want to settle down". — He nodded. — You? I don't think I've heard about a "special someone".

— I had a girlfriend not long after I graduated, it lasted a year, nothing serious since then. — It was your turn to nod. Suddenly, you felt a shiver down your spine, making you shake a little bit. — We can leave if you want, it's getting late.

— Oh no, it's just the wind, I'm fine.

After a comfortable silence, he asked: — Are you still not looking for something serious?

— Not really, just having fun for now. — Your fingers playing with the blanket.

— Are you having fun right now? — And you noticed when his tone changed.

— You're my friend's brother. — The way you said sounded like a reminder for both.

— You can't blame me for trying to shoot my shot. I've been waiting for my turn for a while. — He rested his body on his arms, looking at you.

— I thought you got over your little crush on me when you got in college. — You turned your head to look at him.

— I thought I did, but then I saw you looking gorgeous in that blue dress sitting alone... like I said, you can't blame me. — He leaned his head to the side and shamelessly checked you out. — And maybe it wasn't your intention, but I can't stop thinking you dressed up this pretty just because you knew we were going to meet. — You stayed silent, trying to find the words, but he kept talking. — And I can continue with the cheesy talk if you want, but I really want to kiss you, at least once.

And you knew that if you thought about it, you wouldn't do it, so you just did it.

You shared a sigh of relief, letting the other know how long you were waiting for it. His tongue made his way to your mouth and you let him.

But it hit you. — Wait... — He started to kiss your neck. — Your sister...

— She doesn't have to know if you don't want to, even though I'd pay to see her reaction to this. — Mingyu pulled you from your neck to kiss you again. You put your hand over his chest and straddle him. — Uhm, don't start something you can't finish.

— We both know I started this earlier. — You said, admitting you dressed up like this for him.

— I fucking knew it. — His hands flew to your butt, squeezing it. — Are you sure you want to take the risk?

— Are you asking yourself... kid? — You called him the nickname you used to call him when he was in high school.

The way back to your hotel was fast, none of you couldn't wait any longer. You opened your door quickly and threw everything to the floor, you'd clean later.

You took Mingyu to your room and pushed him to the bed to straddle him again, but he inverted the positions, and you were about to protest when you felt his fingers brush over your underwear. You weren't ashamed by how wet you were, he even growled against your neck when his finger made the fabric to the side. He was skilled and you hated yourself for waiting so long to finally let him touch you.

He started with one finger, then two. The wet noises filling the room. You moaned out loud when his thumb put pressure on your clit. You didn't care if anyone heard you. You felt his fingers leave you and his body over you. You opened your eyes and you caught him licking his fingers clean. He lowered his body and removed your underwear, but leaving your skirt. You took a deep breath when his tongue finally made contact with your cunt, pulling your own hair when he opened your lower lips with his finger so he could have more access.

— Fuck, Mingyu... — You moaned when he gave a quick suck on your clit.

And it was like you told him what to do; he continued sucking on your clit while fingering you.

And just now you felt ashamed because you were so close. You pulled his hair, but wouldn't be able to tell him, your loud moans were his sign to know though.

He gave you a last lick before going up with you again. You kissed him and removed your sweaty hair from your face.

You pushed him again while kissing, pulling his shirt up and helping him to undress. You almost felt sorry by how red his dick was. You started to massage him slowly, then you grabbed it and spreaded to precum on the tip. Mingyu grabbed your neck and kissed you, making you confused, but you didn't stop to jerk him. His hand went to unclasp your bra without removing your top, not leaving a single doubt he loved the outfit. He massaged your boobs under your top and pinched your nipples, making you whine.

— I hate to be that jerk, but I don't have a condom. — He said, grabbing your hand that was still jerking him.

— You're in my hotel room with me dressing this nicely for you, what made you think I was done? — You gave him a quick kiss before standing up and grabbing a condom from the drawer.

— I'm so close to marrying you, woman. — He said, throwing his head back when you straddle him and slowly rolled down the condom.

Mingyu pushed your body back to the bed and pinned your hands over your head before penetrating you. His eyes on your boobs told you enough to know why he chose that position. But you couldn't keep your eyes open for too long, he felt too good inside you, you not being able to move added something to the situation.

The bed started to crash against the wall, and even though none of you would ever admit it, that turned you one even more.

His lips started to suck on your neck and you immediately moved your head so he could have better access to it. His finger went under your top again to pinch your nipples, making you moan and throw your head back.

— I'll never get tired of that. — Mingyu said in a whisper. You didn't answer, biting your lip when he gave you a last hard pinch.

The skirt started to bother you so one of your hands went to the knot on your right side and untied it. Mingyu pulled out and quickly removed the skirt and your underwear before penetrating you again. You pushed him back and rode him, both moaning for the new angle. You could feel him on your stomach, and while you were looking him in the eyes, you also removed your top.

He loved the view, he wanted to enjoy it every day and night. God, he was obsessed.

You moving your body up and down in a desperate way took him out of his thoughts. Your boobs bouncing were distracting, but he wanted them in his mouth. You pulled his hair when you felt his teeth biting softly your left nipple.

You grabbed his chin and made you look up. His eyes were dark and his lips were swollen. You kissed him a little before biting his lower lip and cummed. His hands went straight to your hips to keep the movements, making your whine for the overstimulation. But he didn't take long, his lower whines confirmed he also finished. And even though you were already trying to catch your breaths, your hips were moving slowly.

— If you're going to keep going, then I'm going to need another condom. — He said, burying his finger on your skin to make you stop. You finally stopped and pulled him out, making both of you sigh.

After that, you ordered dinner and Mingyu sent a message to a friend to send him some clothes and other belongings. The night was calm, and while you were enjoying your food, you talked about your lives. Kissed some more and fell asleep.

You woke up close to 4am to go to the bathroom. Carefully, you got up without waking Mingyu up.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and sighed. She doesn't have to know if you don't want to. Mingyu's voice resonated in your head. Maybe it was the best.

Mingyu's reflection appeared behind you, but you didn't turn around. He walked toward you and caged you between the sink and his body.

— Is everything ok? — Hi said, kissing your neck and playing with the elastic of your pajamas. He was teasing you, and you were a little surprised you were down for it.

You both shared a look in the mirror and nodded. You pushed your butt against him, making you bite his lip. Oh you were so down for it

#kpop smut #seventeen smut #mingyu smut #seventeen mingyu smut #seventeen mingyu hard hours #mingyu hard hours #kim mingyu smut #kim mingyu hard hours

[carica-ficus]

"Gideon the Ninth"

03/12/2023 Reading progress: 276/443 (62%) Read through since last update: 133

I've been reading through the book, but just wanted to give myself more time to write out my thoughts. And I wanted to make a longer compilation, rather than many smaller ones. (I believe it's a bit more easier to follow.) I'm thoroughly enjoying the book so far. So much so, that I try to make time for it every single day and feel really excited about coming back to it.

Recent reactions and thoughts:

Hell, yeah! Gideon got back the key from Harrow. No more dicking around for her. Jail time.

A book bound in human leather... Interesting... There are more than a few instances that suggests that Earth and humans do exist in this story, and necromancers are somehow derived from them (including their culture and religion), so I am interested to see whether or not this gets explained later on. If a aci-fi book connects to Earth somehow, to "reality", it usually offers some sort of hint at what happened with it.

"Maybe rigor... mortis," said Gideon, who assumed that puns were funny automatically." Yeah, well, I too find them funny automatically. So she's not wrong.

Ok, that thing with Harrow controlling Gideon?? So cool.

Anybody else completely lost during Magnus's and Abigail's anniversary dinner? Maybe I was just tired, so I couldn't follow what was going on, but still...

Loved the scenes of Harrow and Gideon working together through that fight!!!!! Fuck yeah!!!

I'mma be mean and say good riddance, lol. (Last chapter of act 2)

Dulcinea is so full of it!!! "You wouldn't duel me, would you?" I would when you say it so suspiciously!!!

I find it so incredibly funny that I read "Put it in the hole, Griddle", stopped and laughed at the innuendo, and then Gideon does the same. *insert that meme of two guys waving at each other and saying "same hat", but it says "same brain" instead*

Oho! Another Gideon mentioned in the notes. Could it be the one she got named after? And the G in the "G. & P." must be this Gideon. Interesting... I have a funny feeling about this and I wonder if it'll turn out to be correct... 🧐

I'm glad Harrow and me are on the same page with Dulcinea. This is why I like Harrow. She gets it.

Muir really went for the jugular when she wrote 4 full pages of Gideon violently dying.

Another murder... Hmmm... Things are getting tense...

Corona seems to be avoiding all and every chance to show of her necromancy skills. Suspicious, if you ask me. 🤔

YES YES YES!!! VICTORY TO CAMILLA! (That dislocation was so awful. Loved it!)

AAAAAAAA THE NINTH RAISES TO THE OCCASION!!! Time for pay-back!!!

And Jeannemary too 😭😭

Aw, man. :( No fight.

I love how much credit Palamedes gives to Gideon when in reality she knows jack shit.

Of course Gideon's only thought was Sex Pal. Why would it be anything else?

I am fighting for my life with the need to look at fanart because I am a little worried about seeing spoilers. I did see one (whoops!), but luckily it just approved of one of my suspicions hehe. Still, I am saying clear of the tag for now. My thirst for content will have to wait until I finish the book. That's it for now. I'll return with a new update soon enough. <3

#locked tomb #the locked tomb #gideon the ninth #dnevnik čitanja #reading #reading journal #dnevnik citanja

[inhuman-obey-me]

What are your thoughts on OG obey me not getting anymore lessons after 80? It worries me because it kinda feels like they are trying to kill it slowly.... This is making me not enjoy nightbringer because i thought i would be a spin off new game with a new story that we could play while waiting for OG obey me to come with season 5, but now it seams like nightbringer will be their only foucus and season 5 will never happen. Sorry this kinda turned into a rant just not liking what's happening now.

Yeah, we weren't too happy when we first heard about it, which was the AMA the devs did on Reddit. It was a shitty way to release that information, and it sucks that they really only said so when people ASKED if OG was going to get season 5/more lessons. It did create backlash right away, which we guess they were...attempting to avoid in the first place lol. But they definitely should have handled that announcement a lot better than they did.

In terms of what it means for the future of OG, we don't think they are trying to kill it per se so much as they just sort of...wrote themselves into a corner, and this was their way of hitting reset, on that and other things.

(no need to apologize for ranting, ours is even longer LOL -- rest under the cut!)

We definitely have some criticisms of the writing in Season 4, particularly how they squandered much of what was narratively set up in Season 3, and they didn't really set anything up on where it goes from there. It's also unfortunate that the original game is just going to be doing the same events as Nightbringer, rather than separate ones, which just means there's really nothing to motivate people to stay. And in that way, it does also sort of feel like a waste of all the effort people have put in to strengthen up our cards and grind affection and stuff, because we can't transfer ANY of that. They probably hope to continue that both sides will make money for them, but realistically speaking, it does feel like they are effectively just pushing everyone to migrate to the new game, and that the original is being sort of abandoned to just a maintenance mode kind of thing.

One thing they did note about the decision was that Ruri Tunes was originally supposed to just be an additional mode, but they decided to split it off as part of a separate Nightbringer game/story in order to not make the original "unplayable" with all they wanted to add and change "under the hood". Part of that, at least at a guess, may be due to the difficulty curve of the original -- despite them adjusting the difficulty in a patch, plus their zero-AP lesson battle promo campaigns, they probably were seeing a lot of drop-off just for people who gave up because they couldn't make it through those earlier lessons to even finish Seasons 2, 3, and 4. In that sense, it's good and bad to shift the continuation of the story to this new game even though they don't seem to have actually learned their lesson with the difficulty curve problem... But that's another thing they get to hit reset on by making a new game.

As for a Season 5, we do know from the same AMA that the story from the original is supposed to "continue" in Nightbringer, which suggests that it might pick back up from the end of Season 4 as effectively a Season 5, like maybe MC will make it back to their own time and continue from there, just in this other game instead of the original. Which, um, is certainly a choice on their part, especially since not everyone has the time or interest in a rhythm game. It kinda feels also a bit like this sudden time travel thing in Nightbringer may almost be a way of buying them some time while they figure out what to do as a continuation to the OG plot.

All of that said, however, considering the lack of direction for the original, we've actually been really enjoying Nightbringer's story! It dives into a lot of super interesting questions and content that fans have been begging for and brings back some of the darker themes from Season 1 that we've really missed, so even though it's not quite the Season 5 we've been waiting for, we're really hyped for the new content to keep coming!

#strongly believe that this was their way of fixing what they did to the OG story #it was an easier way to bring back darker themes after they went too far the gag/comical route in most of season 4 #but yes here's our rant about it lol #obey me nightbringer #obey me nb #omnb #obey me #ask and ye shall be answered #ask and ye shall receive (essays) #nightbringer discussion

[tsarisfanfiction]

Eclipse: Chapter 1

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Adventure Characters: Apollo, Hades, Nico di Angelo, Will Solace According to the prophecy, Will has to go to on a quest to Tartarus.  According to Apollo, that isn’t going to happen, even if it means he has to break the Ancient Laws. It's finally here - this fic was conceived in February 2022 and after fourteen months it's finally finished and ready to share! At its core, this fic is a response to the upcoming novel The Sun and The Star, specifically the plot I would love to see but know for a fact won't happen for reasons that hopefully will be obvious very quickly - so I wrote my own version! I have specifically avoided any TSATS spoilers so any similarities are completely unintentional. After today, updates will be biweekly on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is the longest story I've ever completed at over 130k words, and I hope you enjoy the ride! There are blanket warnings for various degrees of injuries and similar nasties throughout the fic.

HADES I Not Another Blasted Prophecy

“No.”

Apollo could be dramatic when he wanted to be, which was more often than not, and this was no exception.  How his nephew had barged his way down into the Underworld – and specifically his own palace – Hades was not quite certain, but he knew he didn’t approve.  Apollo’s current temperament was not helping any thoughts of endearment, either.

“Absolutely not,” his nephew ranted, inconsiderate enough of his surroundings to glow as brightly as his chariot, freezing several skeletons in place and going so far as to immolate the ones that didn’t manage to escape his immediate sphere of influence.  The sun was not supposed to materialise in the realm of the dead, and it was certainly not supposed to be in the heart of his palace, ranting about something Hades had yet to make heads or tails of.

“Leave,” he ordered, cutting through Apollo’s next nonsensical words.  “You do not have my permission to be here.”

Apollo, all blindingly painful energy and movement, stilled and his eyes met Hades’ own.  All of them had eyes like fire, a window to the true godly energy concealed beneath the forms they favoured, and Apollo was always the brightest, the most vibrant.  Usually, those flames were gold, dancing more in amusement as he went about his business.  Sometimes, they flickered blue, into the territory of white-hot and dangerous when he couldn’t quite smother the rage that occasionally flared up inside of him.

Today, they were neither golden nor blue-verging-on-white.  Today, they were orange, and mortals might think that orange was a weak flame, but mortals had never stood on the bank of the Phlegethon and felt its frigid heat soaring through their essence.  Hades could not recall seeing the exact shade of fire water in Apollo’s eyes before, and he could not say he was pleased to see it now.

The river of healing and fire suited his nephew better than he cared to admit, at his most volatile, and Hades did not need that same nephew’s domain of prophecy and foresight to conclude that something drastic was about to occur.

Why did Apollo have to come to the Underworld in this mood?

“I am not letting this happen,” his nephew all but hissed, solar flares cascading off of him in waves and dousing Hades’ throne room in colours it had never seen before.

Colours it was never supposed to see.

“Get out,” he snapped, drawing the shadows in tighter and snuffing out the vestigial edges of the light.  Whatever it was Apollo was having a fit about, Hades was not having that behaviour in his palace.  His nephew didn’t even flinch as the outer edges of his light faded away, instead having the gall to continue to approach his throne.  The souls of his robe writhed against the encroaching light.  “Apollo-”

“They’re going to the Pit,” Apollo growled.  “And I will not let that happen.”

In theory, there were any number of candidates that could be encompassed by the word they.  Six billion living souls above them, a large minority with some level of godly legacy from various pantheons, left for a large degree of interpretation.

In practicality, there was only one they his nephew would ever bother to talk to him about, only one they both of them had any level of investment in, and Hades had always been cold, ever since taking on the domain of the Underworld, but that did not stop the icy realisation curling up inside his essence.

He gave no sign of this to the younger god in front of him.  “I told you to leave, Apollo,” he ordered, rising to his feet and drawing upon his domain to evict the unwelcome interloper.

Apollo was powerful, yes, but despite his brother’s paranoid fears, he was not at the level of an elder god – certainly not in the heart of Hades’ domain, so far from any of his own.  Fire water eyes widened a fraction, not enough to be a chink in Apollo’s armour and betray what he was truly thinking but enough to prove which of the two was more powerful, as the blazing sun was muffled and stifled into a dying star.

“And next time you decide to offend me with your obnoxious presence, leave the dramatics at the door.”

With one last heave of his powers, the sun god vanished, expelled from the realm of the dead and deposited back in the Overworld, where he belonged.

Hades was under no illusions that Apollo would stay there, however.  His time as a mortal had changed something inside him – nothing so dramatic it had altered the core of the god, but enough that he was now apparently willing to consider and do things that before he would have brushed off.

And, truly, Hades could not in honesty say that he did not understand his nephew’s protectiveness of the demigods.  That was not to say Hades cared about the half-bloods running about on the husk that had once been his grandmother as a whole, but his own child – one, single living child – had done much to worm his way into his attention.

In fact, he had done it by being so obnoxious it was difficult to dismiss him, rather like a certain sun god.  Perhaps there was some logic behind his decision to couple with one of Apollo’s myriad of offspring, after all.

Regardless of the hows and whys, Hades had found himself wanting Nico to be happy, a feat all but impossible for one of his own children (and, secretly, a reason why it had been so easy for him to keep the pact his younger brothers had failed miserably at; there was little reason to bring demigods into the world if, even by the standards of heroes, their lives would be short and miserable).  Happy meant having friends, being accepted, even having a son of Apollo for a boyfriend, it transpired.  Happy did not mean returning to the depths of Tartarus, which was why Hades had explicitly forbidden it after learning of his last trek down there.

Perseus Jackson might no longer be the unwitting holder of his son’s heart, but he had certainly done plenty of damage while he’d had it.  Hades was certain this rebellious streak had more of Poseidon’s influence on it than his own, even if he knew that, truthfully, Maria had been just the same.  Of course she had, to have not one, but two children out of wedlock at a time when a woman’s reputation was solely dependent on her marriage status.

Not for the first time, and not for the last time, either, Hades wished she had taken his offer of a palace by the Styx.

Apollo’s children, by contrast, were less mired in tragedy.  As far as demigods went, they were weaker, not bright beacons for monsters and quests despite their parentage, and thrived in the modern world just the same as they had across the millennia.  No matter how much society changed, there were always calls for healers and music, and Apollo seemed particularly gifted at not passing down his less favourable domains to his children.  Hades could not recall the last time he’d heard of a Plague Child.  There was no reason for Apollo to cling so tightly to his living offspring.

No reason except for the increased influx of demigod souls to Elysium over the past few years, with a far higher percentage of Apollo’s children compared to the rest.  Except for the six months Apollo had just spent as a mortal, bonding with demigods in a way no god – not even Dionysus, despite his current position as Camp Director of Camp Half-Blood – had done for millennia.  Except for the way Apollo had, ever so subtly, changed after his punishment.

That had been particularly cruel of Zeus, in Hades’ opinion.  The quests were one thing, and almost getting his son killed had been another, and Hades had approved of neither, not when he could see echoes in his brother of their father in the actions – a tyrant in the making that not he, not Poseidon, and not even their sisters could bear to see but equally had no idea how to stop it before it got too far – but the cruellest punishment of all had been giving Apollo, the god who loved so deeply and unapologetically, no choice but to make bonds with mortals who would all too soon pass beyond his reach.

Now his nephew was attached to his mortal offspring, and it was already making him do reckless things, barely a day after regaining his own godhood.  Hades couldn’t deny that he was glad for the warning his son was intending on finding a way to sneak into Tartarus despite being told explicitly that he was never to do so again, because that meant he knew to keep a closer eye on Nico’s actions, but he did not appreciate his palace being invaded without so much as a by-your-leave.

(His sister, no matter how much the pair of them disagreed on everything, at least pretended to ask permission before barging in to see her daughter.)

And yet, he had invited Apollo to come back, as much as he ever gave invitations, and his nephew was not stupid enough to miss the way he’d worded the last dismissal.  Knowing that Nico intended to go to Tartarus again – taking his boyfriend with him as though he’d lost any common sense he might have once had and failed to realise that a child of the sun, especially one as healing oriented as that one, would have no chance at surviving – was useful, yes, but it was not enough.  It did not tell him why, and that was important.  There had to be a reason why Nico would even consider returning there, especially against his own father’s orders, and there was a part of Hades that feared it was because he had no choice.

Therefore, he made sure to always keep one splinter of himself on his throne, even as the rest of him busied around with all the work that went into keeping the Underground functioning, and waited for Apollo’s inevitable return, knowing it would not be long.

Sure enough, it was barely a day before he felt the same unnatural light permeating through his realm, heading for his palace.  Hades was going to need to find which entrance his nephew was sneaking in through and do something about it before any of his other brethren decided to follow Apollo’s example (he suspected the doors of Orpheus, given their musical nature), but for the immediate present, he had other things to push to the forefront of his mind.  Chief amongst those was the information he was determined to glean from his nephew, no matter what Apollo was planning on telling him, and he gathered all of himself back together again, whole on his throne moments before there was a knock on his door.

A knock.  That was un-Apollo-like enough for him to harbour some sliver of hope that, just maybe, he could get through his conversation without getting so frustrated at his nephew’s dramatics that he threw him out again.

Of course, Apollo wasn’t so unlike himself that he’d follow the common courtesy of waiting to be permitted entry before pushing the door open and stepping in, matching Hades’ stature exactly as he strode towards the throne.

He was, at least, making some sort of effort not to immolate the dead this time, which was about as far as Hades could expect Apollo’s hold on his natural tendency for dramatics to extend.  His eyes betrayed him, however – still windows that seemed like they were offering a view of Phlegethon, rather than Apollo himself, and proving that he was no calmer than he had been on his previous visit.

Hades didn’t bother with small talk, pleasantries, or giving Apollo the chance to control the conversation.

“Why,” he demanded, leaning back on his throne and making sure he was still looking down at the younger god from his dais, “is my son planning to disobey me and return to the Pit?”

“Our sons,” Apollo corrected, but Hades waved him off.

“I never forbade your offspring entry,” he said.  “If William wants to dive into the Pit, I will not stop him, although I will question his sanity.”  His throne room brightened by a noticeable degree and Hades pulled on the shadows to dampen Apollo’s influence but otherwise ignored the minor – by Apollo’s standard – dramatics.  “That was not my question, Apollo.  Why is Nico planning to return there, against my explicit command?”

If it had anything to do with Apollo’s offspring, he was going to have to keep a closer eye on that relationship.

Apollo met his gaze firmly, unafraid.  “He believes something down there is calling him.”

“What.”

The word slipped out before Hades could consider if he wanted to give it voice or not, his throne room darkening further until the only light was what little Apollo was mustering against the shadows encroaching on the sun god.

Something in Tartarus was calling his son?  Hades’ thoughts leapt immediately to his giant bane, who would no doubt know of his son’s existence even if Nico had never directly interacted with him.  Alcyoneus was unfortunately intelligent, and it would not be beyond his schemes to attempt to lure Hades’ son down to him if he could not get to Nico himself.

Why Nico was listening was another matter entirely.

“I refuse to believe my son is so foolish as to listen to a voice from the Pit,” he said, narrowing his eyes at his nephew, “and despite his foolish father, surely William would not let him return there.”  If that son of Apollo was in any way encouraging it…

“He believes it is… Bob.”  Apollo’s tone was difficult to decipher, but Hades did not think he was particularly impressed, although whether by the name or the Titan’s real identity, he was not certain.  “Whom he believes he owes a debt.”

Perseus Jackson’s fatal flaw was not supposed to be infecting his son.

“He owes him no such debt.”  The memory-wiped Titan had never been the most comforting of individuals to have around his palace, no matter how much Persephone had enjoyed ordering him around.  Hades had no fond recollections of his uncle, or living in close proximity to Titans; while it was possible that returning to Tartarus had restored Iapetus’ memory, he was far more comfortable with the knowledge that the Titan was back where he belonged.

Still, now he knew that something was luring his son down there, there were preventative measures that could be taken.  Hades would not thank Apollo for bringing the information to his attention, because he was well aware his nephew had only done so in order to prevent his own son from dying in Tartarus, but he was, privately, glad that the younger god had opted to do so.

“Very well,” he said out loud, rising from his throne and making sure he remained taller than his nephew as he descended his dais.  “I will keep a closer eye on my son, and prevent him from returning.  You are dismissed, Apollo.”

The sun god startled, as though he hadn’t expected to be thrown out.  Or perhaps he had, and was surprised that Hades was not forcibly banishing him this time.  “But-”

“You are dismissed,” he repeated more insistently, walking past him without a backwards glance.  “Leave, before I make you.”

“No, you don’t-”

Hades gathered his shadows and sent them to swarm the younger god, ignoring his protests.  Apparently an eviction was required after all.  “Do not worry, I see no reason to inform my brother of your attempt at interfering with demigod lives,” he told him, considering that more than enough as a show of gratitude.  “Goodbye, Apollo.”

His power surged, preparing to hurtle his nephew back to the overworld.

“There’s a prophecy!” Apollo shrieked just as he disappeared, and Hades froze in place for a moment, before realising the other god was gone and reaching out his shadows to snatch him back.

“There’s.  A.  What?” he growled out as the sun god – the god of prophecy – reappeared, hair slightly dishevelled from the sudden transportation.

“A prophecy,” Apollo repeated, standing up straight and locking eyes with Hades.  The orange flames within flickered fiercely, and Hades couldn’t help but notice the vain god not even raising a single hand to fix his hair.  “It was spoken yesterday.”

Just before Apollo appeared in his realm in a flurry of drama and Phlegethon-eyes, desperate to find a way to stop it, Hades realised in hindsight.

He was not Zeus; he knew that Apollo did not choose the prophecies that were spoken by his oracles, and nor did he have any control over their timing.  Unlike his little brother, he would not torment Apollo over an aspect of his domain he did not actually control.

That did not stop him from covering the distance between them in a single step and grasping his nephew by the throat.  “And this prophecy says that my son will return to the Pit?” he demanded, his nails digging into the soft flesh of Apollo’s favourite form.

Being a god, Apollo did not actually need to breathe in order to be capable of speech, so Hades had no qualms about how tightly he gripped his throat.

“Our sons,” the younger god corrected.  “It was spoken to both of them.”  Apollo was carefully avoiding which Oracle had issued the prophecy, as though that would stop Hades from finding out and unleashing another curse – the odds were higher than even that it was once again that blasted Delphic prophecy, and if she was going to be the reason Hades lost the last of the di Angelos, she would not be spared.

Hades was no fool; he knew that, with the exception of Great Prophecies, they were spoken to one they were relevant to.  If Apollo was certain that it had been issued to the two demigods specifically, then it was inevitable that somehow, no matter what evasions anyone – mortal or god – tried to make, they would be the subject of it.  Still, he could at least try to hope that there was something else at play.

If he lost Nico, his last child, to a prophecy…

The Pythia would only be the start of his retaliation.

“What did it say?” he demanded.

Apollo had not looked away despite Hades’ aggression; his eyes remained that burning fire water as he stood stock still, head tilted upwards partially because of Hades’ own hand, and partially because his nephew refused to back down.  It backfired slightly on the younger god, however, because it meant Hades could see the barest glimmer of fear within his expression.

Despite that, the god of prophecy’s voice was perfectly steady as he spoke.

Sunshine and darkness go deeper than earth Topaz and silver search for rebirth Gold passes through the shadow of death A fading light to take one final breath

Chapter 2>>

#trials of apollo #trials of apollo fanfiction #riordanverse #riordanverse fanfic #pjo hades #pjo apollo #will solace #nico di angelo #solangelo #tsari writes fanfiction #eclipse

[argisthebulwark]

Ao3 20 Questions

thank you @kagedbird for the tag!! <3<3 i will tag some friends @daedrabait @miraakswhore @somethingscarlet13 @queerbashir if u wanna participate <3

How many works do you currently have on ao3? Currently 25. holy shit, i thought it was more than that lol

What's your total ao3 word count? 98,336. Used to be like 200k before i cleaned out some old works i didn't care for anymore.

What fandoms do you write for? Skyrim and Star Trek TOS & AOS

What are your top five fics by kudos? Sorry Lass, Make Me Feel Mortal, Don't Shut Me Out, Fascinating, and Destroy Rebuild

Do you respond to comments? Sometimes! Honestly it depends on whether or not i'm online and see them. if i don't respond right away it feels rude to respond weeks after the fact, but for repeat commenters or usernames i recognize i try to!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Idk i used to like to emotionally beat up Jim a lot, so probably one of the short stories where i explore all his traumas

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Sorry, Lass. I originally wrote it in 2015 and i'm fairly certain it ends with a mushy marriage scene.

Do you get hate on fics? Surprisingly, no. I think i got a few rude comments back when i first started, but honestly everyone's been too kind to me.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Hell yeah brother that's what i do!! I love angsty, emotionally charged smut. my personal favorite to write is angry, hatefuck type of stuff. or when they're using it to avoid talking about feelings.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Not that i've ever posted lmao. I don't usually post non canon compliant fics for whatever fandom i'm working in.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Kinda. a few years ago someone let me know that my work had been reposted to a fic site i don't use and one quick message got them to take it down. Also, i once posted a fic as a one off, forgot that i'd done that, and used the same scene much later in a larger story - and some nice commenter on the original let me know that someone had stolen my idea lmao

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope, never had anyone request that and don't want to do so incorrectly.

Have you ever cowritten a fic? Kind of? an old friend and i used to write separate chapters of our self insert marvel fics and mush them together into one story lol. never posted it anywhere, it was just shared emails and google docs.

What's your all time favorite ship? God, that's hard. probably McKirk. as i've gotten older and unlearned all the internal shame about self inserts it's gotten easier to do a self insert story instead of an established pair.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Every few weeks i pluck away at my regency au Miraak fic. i don't think i'll ever actually finish it because it's just so big in my head it's hard to get on paper, but i hope i do someday.

What are your writing strengths? I'm very comfortable writing sex scenes. I think that often when the author is uncomfortable about writing explicit sex the reader can really feel it in the story and i put in a lot of work to get over those mental hurdles. i've been told i'm good at characterization, which is awesome! i love getting in a character's head!

What are your writing weaknesses? Very often i find myself bogged down with the need to describe every little scene. it's a major reason i haven't posted a longfic in a while - i want to write these big stories but find myself getting lost in the little details. i also have a terrible habit of editing myself while i'm writing, which just gets me stuck in an unproductive loop.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Since i'm only fluent in English, this isn't something i am confident in. i've written in a few fictional languages for fics before but would probably reach out or suggest another author if a reader wanted something that heavily involved this.

First fandom you wrote for? Twilight babey!!! self insert oc to smooch Edward Cullen when i was a little middle schooler!!! i didn't know what fanfiction was but i knew i had a big ol crush on him.

Favorite fic you've written? not to be cringe on main, but most of my favorites are things that never got published. they're the little things still hanging out in my google docs that i go back to over and over. i rewrote all of star trek into darkness word for word just to make bones and jim kiss, i made a self insert just to smooch skurge after hyperfixating on thor ragnarok, and the weird time a few months ago where i wrote like 40k words of a cowboy romance. i read them often and wish that i'd written more on many of them but i do not read my published works.

thanks to anyone who read my rambling lmao. love you all sososo much, thank you for reading my silly little stories and caring about them. <3<3<3

#tag games #beloved mutuals

[spacesully]

Tips on Writing a Book

(From a writer who's nearly complete with the novel they're writing.) These are opinions/tips that have helped me.

1.) Create a vague outline.

Don't spend too much time on writing out the details of the novel. World-build, create the characters, set up basic themes, and plot. I feel like the best writing comes through when you do minimal outlining. When I began writing The Vigil Experiment, I barely had an outline. I wrote the first chapter on a whim and it felt like the main protagonist was talking to me. It was not until later chapters (5/6) that I started outlining and plotting. I had a clear plot in my mind that I wanted to get down on paper, ensuring that I could identify any plot holes during the editing process. People may disagree with me because they believe it will make the plot sloppy, but that's not always the case. If you know how you want the book to end and the lessons it'll teach, then you have a basic outline. From there, you can write. I like to write with the flow, then put in more plot details through an outline after writing a few chapters into the book. This is just what helps me get my creativity going :)

2.) Practice. Practice. Practice.

People may not believe me when I say the key to writing is practicing it. What do I mean by that? Write short stories! Whether it's fan fics or essays for school, anything that can enhance your writing is worth exploring! Although I don't do it as often as I should, I can't help but notice how much my writing style improves every time I write an essay for college. (Using new vocabulary and transitions that make my writing easier to comprehend. It improves my prose.) I used to write short stories about characters I made up a while ago that have helped me tremendously when it comes down to writing. Practice folks!

3.) Listening to music.

Put on some Luke Hemmings or 5sos related and I'll write for hours. The inspiration music gives me is incredible. Writing a sad scene? Alright, put on some Billie Ellish. The aurora around music has captivated me to write even more. A lot of my inspiration draws from music, not just lyrically. It's the vibe of the music that uplifts me to weave words into sentences in my tales. It's so nice.

4.) Avoid distractions.

This is inevitable, as some of us are prone to get distracted. (Me) To minimize distractions, I turn on do not disturb on my phone for a few hours and put away everything that takes my focus off of my book. Remember to take breaks and be kind to yourself. It's okay to get distracted and wander away sometimes, but don't forget to stay focused on your goal.

5.) Don't edit your first draft. Go with the flow.

I had done this mistake, and I still do it occasionally, but I stop myself before I indulge in it. It's so easy to get lost in edits while reading back while writing. If you continue to do this, you'll never reach the end of the book. Trust me, I know from experience—it took me months just to finish three chapters.

6.) Rewrite IF needed.

If you realize that first or third person doesn't fit the narrative of your story, rewrite! Take your time and no rush to finishing your book. Only do this if you think certain perspectives are a better fit for your story.

7.) Take your time and have confidence in yourself.

Take your time and write at a pace that feels comfortable to you. Take your time and savor the journey instead of rushing towards the finish line! If it takes you years to finish writing a book because of the ups and downs of life, then embrace it! Trust in your writing abilities and avoid putting too much pressure on yourself!

8.) Promote early!

Another topic people may disagree with. The earlier you promote, the more opportunities you will have for success. Once you start outlining your book and have a clear idea of its content, begin promoting snippets and teasers to generate interest. Upload unedited snippets and your journey! I recently viewed a instgrammer whose book is in the works and they've been uploading unedited snippets and their journey of writing the book. Of course, keep it minimal to provide no spoilers, but provide a mini synopsis to captivate the audience in learning more about you and the book.

9.) Create Realatable Charchters.

This is very important! The process of character creation is what hooks people and keeps them engaged in your story. If there's a lot of development, they'll grow attached, especially if your character is relatable, someone the readers can see themselves in. It's my favorite part of the process because I get to observe people on social media and in real life. How can I get someone to relate to my character. I take notes, study behaviors, and even see likeable attributes in people for fictional characters. To help, I do character studies on fictional characters that people adore. Right now I'm doing a character study on Alastor and Lucifer from Hazbin Hotel. So far, this has helped me understand their personalities and analyze how they would respond and what actions they would take in certain situations. Lucifer, with his cunning nature, rarely loses his temper. Alastor, with his hands hidden behind his back and a constant smile on his face, maintains an air of deception to unsettle his enemies. The characters' body language tells the whole story. Lucifer's polite demeanor is evident in his use of phrases like "please," even during moments of frustration, suggesting his upbringing in Heaven. See, character studies can be influential, as you can implement some of these traits into your own. Just don't copy and paste characters, make them unique.

10.) Add as many scenes as you can think of and delete later.

Your first draft is your first draft for a reason. Go overboard, get creative! Get rid of scenes in the editing process.

11.) Have fun!

The most important step is to have fun. Make sure not to exhaust yourself with too much work. Immerse yourself in the boundless sea of creativity. If you start to feel fatigued or uninterested, take a break from your book and focus on something that brings you joy. Come back to it once you rediscover the joy it once brought you. Remember, you want to write and bring your words to life on the page.

Good luck with your novels and writing journeys! These tips are optional, so feel free to disregard them! I wanted to share these as a glimpse into my writing process, in case anyone was interested :)

#tips #writing #writing tips #novel writing #books #novel #book characters #character study

[sephirothsplaything]

DNA| Sec.80 high power chaper 4

A/N- things are finally heating up!

if you think you know what direction this story is going, no you don't

Word count : 1346 (yes i wrote a lot)

Sitting directly in front of Aegon was a decision Rhaella was quick to regret.

She had chosen to sit by Baela and Jace specifically to avoid Rhaena, whose eyes questioned her when Aemond came into the dinner hall conveniently after her. 

But now she had to be subjected to this fool.

Rhaella figured that she must've been glaring at him rather harshly, because she felt the hand of Baela rub her arm.

Attempting to relax, Rhaella reached for her wine cup, taking a sip. The atmosphere had been relatively calm after the entrance of the old king Viserys, who sat between Alicent and Rhaenyra.

The two women had shared what they thought were sneaky glances at each other. Rhaella thought they were being childish, it was obvious to her that the women still held a deep affection for each other.

“He's staring at you.” Baela hissed to Rhaella. She didn't even need to turn her head to know that Aemond's gaze was on her, as it had been for most of the day.

Rhaella did not spare him a glance. He had slighted her earlier after all; He should be begging for her attention.

Suddenly, Princess Rhaenyra stood, cup raised in a toast.

“I raise my cup to her grace the queen,” Rhaenyra said. Everyone at the table reached for their cup. Rhaella grabbed her cup as well, however, she did not raise it, opting to hold it instead.

“I love my father, but I must admit that no one has stood more loyally by his side than his good wife, and for that, I am deeply grateful.” Rhaenyra finished.

Rhaella watched the queen's eyes flicker with conflicting emotions. She wondered what Alicent was contemplating. Fascinating, she found it. What goes through the mind of a woman who sliced another?

The Queen Alicent stood hesitantly. Her hands her folded in front of her anxiously.

“ Your graciousness...moves me deeply princess.” Alicent settled on. Rhaenyra accepts the response, with a small smile on her face.

The table settled back into calm chatter, each person into their conversation. Rhaella was bored. She had no interest in infiltrating the flirtations going on between Baela and Jace. Rhaella twiddled her fork between her two fingers, eyes darting around the room.

Deciding that she'd punished Aemond for long enough, she allowed herself to gawk at him. 

He looked so handsome. Her eyes fell to his long, pale fingers wrapped around his cup. Rhaella could feel her face heating up with less-than-savory thoughts.

She desperately needed to compose herself.

Aegon rose from his seat, reaching for the wine pitcher that was between Baela and Rhaella.

In her distraction of ogling Aemond, Rhaella had missed the aggravated expression on Jace's face.

“I regret the disappointment you are soon to face,” Aegon whispered to Baela.

Baela looked as though she was holding back dragonfire from Aegon. He tilted his head a little, pouring wine into his cup.

“If you wish to be well satisfied all you have to do is ask,” Aegon said.

Uncharacteristically, Baela did not send a fury of curses Aegon's way. So naturally Rhaella took it upon herself.

Besides, she had since been looking for an excuse to give him a piece of her mind.

“And what could you know about satisfaction, dear cousin.” Rhaella ventured innocently. Her violet eyes practically bore into Aegon's being.

Aegon smirked, welcoming the comment. “ More than you, although I take no issue in showing you.”

Rhaella took a sip of her wine, imagining that it was Aegon's blood. “ Is that why all the maids in the Red Keep avoid you?” Rhaella questioned. She was smiling now, victory was clear in her sights.

“Your cock is the epitome of unsatisfactory, cousin I am most sure,” Rhaella said, her tone carrying a sick sweetness to it.

At this, Aegon's smirk drops completely. Rhaella, however, sported a more than pleased smirk on her lips. Baela tried her best to suppress her own laughter.

Aegon leaned forward, hatred burning bright in his eyes. 

“ You know nothing, dragonless cunt, you would do well to join your mother.”

Rhaella felt herself turn cold. Her mind drifted to the dagger she kept underneath her dress. Yes. She would lunge over the table and slash him in the eye.

He could match with his brother. 

The thought of this made Rhaella relax a little, a small smile still present. Jace, however, carried no such relaxation. He stood up from the table, banging it in the process. 

This action startled the rest of the table, catching the attention of Rhaenyra and Daemon. Jace's hostile glare shot Aegon down, daring him to continue. 

“ Jace, please.” Baela urged him to sit down. Rhaella glanced around to see that everyone was staring at them in concern. Aemond however, was standing, seemingly matching Jace. 

“ It's quite alright cousin, I can defend myself well enough,” Rhaella assured Jace. Reluctantly, he took his seat. 

“ Rhaella?” The Queen Alicent called out. “ Is there something the matter?” 

All eyes were on Rhaella now. She might as well have some well deserved fun.

Rhaella stood up, straightening out her dress. “ Not at all your grace,” Rhaella said. She raised her cup in a toast. 

“ Aegon was urging me to make a toast, and who am I to deny my prince,” Rhaella said. Aemond was carefully eyeing her down. He knew whatever she was going to say next would cause conflict.

“ I regret that I was not present for Helaena and Aegon's wedding.” She said.

“ It should be known that I love Helaena like a sister, Aegon, you would do good to treat her well.” Rhaella finsihed.

Sitting back down, Rhaella took a moment to gauge everyone's reactions. Her father looked pleased at her well spoke slight towards Aegon. Alicent seemed to have not caught on, she wore a genuine smile.

Helaena, her sweet cousin was beaming. Otto Hightower wore a look of analyzation.

These days, Rhaella noted that he always seemed to be looking at her like that.

Aegon must've heard the message loud and clear because he offered no rebuttal.

“You're just awful, Rhaella,” Baela whispered. Rhaella shrugged nonchalantly. It was high time someone matched Aegon. And who better than her?

The roasted pig was brought out for serving. By some cruel humor, it had been set directly in front of Aemond.

Rhaella could see Luke smirking. She rolled her eyes, filling up her cup with more wine. Knowing Aemond's temperament, she was sure to need it.

She hardly found the reference to the pig funny. Perhaps it was a sore spot for her as well. In their younger years, Aemond was jeered for not having a dragon, much like herself. Unlike Aemond, the boys knew better than to point it out, lest they be subjected to Rhaella's harsh words.

As expected, Aemond wasn't too fond of the memory. He hit the table with his fist. Rhaella looks at him, her eyes glinting a little at the sure coming entertainment.

Aemond raised his own cup in a toast. “ My nephews possess many great qualities.” He begun. Luke looked uneasy. Jace was practically itching to fight.

“ They're smart.... strong.” Aemond said.

“Aemond.” Alicent hissed out to her son. It was as if she hadn't put those ideas in his head.

“Seven hells.” Rhaella cursed, gulping more of her wine.

Jace jumped out of his seat. “ I dare you to say that again.” 

“Why?” Aemond questioned. “ Come, let us drain our cups to these strong boys.”

With that, mayhem ensued. Jace swung at Aemond ,hitting him in the face. It seemed to have almost no effect on him though, Aemond laughing it off.

Rhaella glanced at Princess Rhaenyra, who was now standing, attempting to get a handle on the situation.

Luke tried to stand to help his brother, but Aegon had gotten to him first, slamming his head onto the table.

Pure chaos; Rhaella found herself enjoying it all. She remained seated, watching as Aemond shoved Jace to the floor.

“Baela, please stop this!” Rhaella heard Rhaena plead. 

Aegon had been pushing Baela, jeering foul things at her. The pleasure she found in the chaos had quickly faded for her. Aegon putting his hands on her sisters had made her blood run hot.

Swiftly, Rhaella avoided the knight who tried to hold her back from it all. She stood in front of Rhaena and Baela, dagger pulled from under her dress in hand. 

“Do not presume to touch my sister,” Rhaella said, voice deadly calm. Aegon eyed the dagger in hand. Despite his amused smirk, he took a few steps back.

“Am I to take a whore's words seriously?” Aegon sneered. “ I'm not my brother.”

“Perhaps when I bleed you like the pig you are, you'll think differently,” Rhaella said.

A guard managed to grab ahold of Rhaella before the situation could progress. Rhaella allowed the knife to fall to the floor. She didn't struggle against the hold, Aegon wouldn't dare to try her again.

Jace goes for Aemond again but is stopped by Daemon. Jace has the good sense to back up immediately. Daemon shoots Rhaella a look, communicating that she should remain where she is.

Rhaella ignored her father, instead glancing at Aemond. His hair was slightly wild-looking from the scuffle.

Maybe it was the adrenaline from nearly slitting Aegon's throat, but Rhaella thought he had never looked better.

Daemon and Aemond engage in an intense stare-down. Aemond reluctantly backed off.

“All of you, to your quarters..now.” Rhaeynra ordered sternly. Rhaena drags Baela into the hall followed by Jace and Luke. Rhaella, however, lingered, arms crossed in contemplation. 

Aemond decided to take his leave as well but not before bumping Rhaella's shoulder. Rhaella fought the small smile creeping onto her face.

“Go to your room this instant, Rhaella,” Rhaenyra said. Spinning on her heel, Rhaella promptly left the dinner hall.

Rhaella did not go to her room that night. Instead, she found herself in the Red Keep's library. She weaved between the cases of books, a particular one catching her eye. 

Histories about the Faith of the Seven. 

Making her way to one of the tables, she is stopped by the sight of Aemond. Rhaella wasn't sure if he knew she'd be here or if she was hoping he'd follow her. 

It suited her all the same. 

Taking her seat across from him, Rhaella nonchalantly opened up the book, landing on a page about The Stranger.

A being with no face, the unknown and unknowable who leads the dead to the other world. 

Rhaella was not religious by any means. She took no part in her sister Rhaena's prayers, asking in earnest for the hatching of a dragon egg. If the gods were real, they must've hated her. When she was a child, people often referred to her as the strange one, uncanny, and dark she was.

“ Quite an interesting display you did, pulling a knife on my brother,” Aemond spoke finally. Rhaella hummed in response, flipping another page in the book.

“And what about you? Causing such senseless chaos.” Rhaella said.

“ I only spoke what we all know to be the truth.” 

Rhaella pushed her book off to the side. She folded her hands, leaning forward.

“It's treason.” Rhaella pushed further. She didn't believe her own words coming from her mouth, but she was fixed on winning this round.

Aemond looked at her, carefully forming his thoughts. A learned trait from their time together. Rhaella would use anything against him just to gain the upper hand. She reminded him of a cat that plays with its prey, quickly losing interest afterward. 

“ I've never known you to care about such things,” Aemond said.

A small smirk found its way to Rhaella's face. “ Perhaps you don't know me at all, cousin.” 

Aemond scoffed at her. “ You might fool everyone else, but I very well know what you are.” 

Rhaella's eye's sparkled in amusement. Aemond had taken the bait she'd dangled in front of him.

“ And what am I , Aemond?” She asked, voice lofty. 

Aemond leaned forward, taking in her entire anatomy it seemed. She infuriated him deeply and she was ever so cocky.

“ You act as though you are without faults,” Aemond said. “ You're as vicious as they come.” 

“Gaomas bona vēdros ao?” Rhaella said, voice like honey. 'Does that anger you?'

“Daor, ziry mazverdagon nyke pendagon.” Aemond responded. ' No, it makes me think.'

So close. Aemond was about to lose all composure, but that would mean a loss.

And there's nothing that irritated him more than a loss.

“ Think about what?” Rhaella was practically cooing at him now.

Many things. Aemond thought about how Rhaella retained this hold on him since they were children. Whatever she said, Aemond was quick to follow. That had been the set dynamic. 

No more. He wanted her rendered defenseless. That all-knowing smirk to be fully wiped from her face. It was he who rode the largest dragon in the world, studied the hardest, and trained with the sword.

So why in the seven hells does he feel as though Rhaella has complete control over him?

He hated it. 

Was that it? In this short time of reunion, had he grown to hate her?

Rhaella hummed in satisfaction. Maybe he hadn't changed after all. Aemond was still the same boy all those years ago, gripping her hand in fear, bleeding from his eye.

“Nyke sagon jāre sir.” Rhaella said, standing up from her seat. 'I'll be going now.'

In a flash, Aemond briskly took hold of her arm, pushing her up against the table.

Rhaella let out a gasp of surprise. She saw the look in Aemond's eye.

Starved.

Perhaps she was starving too, more than she knew. Just this once would she allow her self-restraint to snap.

Aemond grabbed the sides of Rhaella's face, kissing her deeply. Rhaella met him with equal fervor, hands trailing up his arms and resting around his shoulders.

Love was absent in the kiss for them both, only the need for dominance.

Aemond's right hand found its way to her waist, giving it a harsh squeeze. Rhaella moaned in satisfaction. 

Rhaella's brain was hazy, her curls were in disarray and she could feel Aemond's lips reach her neck. Her dress had since ridden up, exposing her thigh.

Part of Rhaella wanted him to continue, to take her completely. But that was only a tiny part of her. Above all else, she wanted to retain her control.

So she did.

Rhaella gave a soft but firm push on his chest away from her. Aemond's cheeks were tinted red, expressing confusion. She ate it up entirely.

Smug as ever, Rhaella adjusted her dress. She didn't bother with her hair, it was already gone to madness.

Aemond struggled to catch his breath. She had won yet again.

“ You-.” Aemond began. His blood was boiling.

“ Goodnight to you, sleep well,” Rhaella said. With that, she left the library leaving Aemond flustered. 

Rhaella softly padded into the hallway. There was a dull ache inside of her she tried to ignore. She would be a fool to deny the obvious attraction that boiled inside of her. 

Lost in thought, she bumped into the chest of someone. Looking up,she recognized the queen Alicent's handmaid, Talya.

“Oh, my apologies,” Rhaella said. 

Talya offered Rhaella a smile, eyes scanning her state. 

“ Are you alright, my lady? You seem...bothered.”

A gracious way of putting it. The fabrics of her dress were unnaturally wrinkled. There was a blotchy mark forming under her collarbone, unbeknownst to her.

“Yes.” Rhaella breathed out. “ Goodnight.”

Rhaella finally entered the room she shared with her two sisters. The hour was incredibly late, she closed the door softly to not disturb her sisters.

“ And where are you coming from this late, Rhaella?” 

Rhaella spun around to face the sound of Baela's voice, who looked more than annoyed. Rhaena was turned onto her side, fast asleep.

“The library, go back to sleep,” Rhaella whispered. Walking to her side, she began changing into her nightclothes.

“You were in the library... alone?” Baela hissed. Rhaella sighed, grabbing her hair wrap, and attempting to wrestle with her mass of curls.

There was no use lying, it seemed Baela knew all. Ever the younger sister that she was, still tried to get by anyway.

“ Yes sister, I was alone,” Rhaella said. 

At this, Baela exploded, no longer bothering to whisper. 

“There is a bruise on your neck, your hair is a mess and the corset of your dress is loose!” Baela's voice raised.

Rhaena stirred, sitting up from her bed. “What is the matter?” Her voice was groggy.

“Our sister decided to take the company of that cunt!” Baela said.

Rhaella couldn't help but roll her eyes. “ Yes I was with Aemond, what of it?”

“ He called Jace and Luke bastards and yet you've bedded him.” Baela accused.

Rhaella admitingly had thought about taking Aemond to bed, just to see what it would be like. But that would leave way for vulnerability, and that would not do.

“ I've done nothing of the sort, you sound mad.” Rhaella said.

“But, you do care for him.” Rhaena pointed out. 

“ I do not.” Rhaella was swift to deny it. She enjoyed her control. Their game. As it had always been. Nothing more.

“ Oh please, you'd betray us all if he asked you to.” Baela hissed out.

“Baela..” Rhaena whispered. Her eyes flickered to Rhaella. She knew her sister would never admit it, but she was always able to tell. Rhaella would blink twice, her face would fall into a blank slate.

Baela had cut her deeply.

Rhaella's mind ran a mile a minute. She thought of all the vile insults she could throw Baela's way. 

Instead, she silently removed the covers from her bed, rolling onto her side, eyes closed. 

Despite what Baela thought, Rhaella would always resign control of her sisters. Even if it hurt her to do so.

#black oc #daemon targaryen #house of the dragon #baela targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen #oc character #rhaena of pentos #aemond targaryen #black reader #aemond x reader #hotd fanfic #alicent hightower #hotd aemond #otto hightower

[captainhowdie]

I really like reading books, so here are some books that have read this year with a sentence or two (or more lol) on personal thoughts about them. There is another list of books read up to a certain point this year, please click here to read and scroll down to half the page: https://ranfren.neocities.org/log/log8/log8.html

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (fiction, 2017):

A metaphor about corporations and corruption and how they will still want to make money regardless of morality, even influencing consumers to change their viewpoints of morality overtime to benefit them regardless of how inhumane it is. A gritty story that's not fun to read exactly, but glad it exists (hopefully this never happens in reality. My meat won't taste good.).

Bambi by Felix Salten (fiction, 1923):

Blood, blood, blood. Didn't expect this much blood. A character who at the beginning thought dead comes back and is killed for real. A lot of death. Description of intestines pooling out. The movie everyone remembers as the mother dying as the saddest part, but in the book that doesn't happen the same way. Instead Bambi's mother to make him more independent overtime starts disappearing to distance herself from him, which made me feel more sad than the movie depiction. Man/Human is also seen in the flesh in this book, and I liked the way that the author wrote from the viewpoint of a deer who had never seen a human before try to understand what he was even looking at (Felix has made me realize that we are the true cryptids of the animal kingdom.) The part where man also mimicked the deer's voice using the deer whistle was unsettling, and Bambi 2 the movie by Disney actually adapts this scene that wasn't present in the original movie. The message of the book is that you must live life alone, and even if you try to avoid that, we all die alone in the end. But its not in a sad way exactly, but on a more realistic viewpoint of having to get used to living on your own. Watership Down on acid.

Ring #1 by Koji Suzuki (fiction, 1991):

The original novel that the movies were based on. The scariest part was at the beginning when the victims who watched the tape died. The book is more of a mystery and trying to unsolved the mystery of the tape and its origins and how to stop the curse with the protagonists caught in the cycle by accident, and is more of a mystery overall than a horror. Somehow I can resonate with Sadako's intentions and disdain for humanity, but I would never create a curse such as this. Sadako Yamamura's sexual and gender identity is removed entirely in the English movie adaption, even though it is a big part of why the curse is created. (Umineko has a character that is kind of similar to Sadako when I now realize it when it comes to this)

Once a Bitcoin Miner; Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West by Ethan Lou (non-fiction, autobiographical, 2021, canadian):

Wanted to read more about bitcoin and the obsession over it. The author is someone from and lives in Canada so it also was a deciding factor compared to other books. It does read as you think it does. (Dividing the chapters into Acts, and one called Intermission: NORTH KOREA, made me laugh, I'm sorry xD). It was a "bit of a slog" ･ω･ to finish it, but I am glad to have read about a personal experience of going through the strange world of cryptocurrency and their fanatics. USA is also even more of a scary country than I thought in regards in how they treat their citizens in regards to some things (In this case its the fbi deeming someone who may be "inspiring to strengthen ""THE ENEMY"" [???] The Fbi is scary).

Give People Money by Annie Lowrey (non-fiction, social economics, 2018):

Picked up this book after seeing it several times on the shelf at the library and it really stands out. It's a good title. Goes over how giving everyone a chance to actually participate in the economy would only benefit all, as well as removing the need for anxiety over housing and food and basic needs will bring out all of the entrepreneurs and business-like minded people who cannot or do not have the time and energy to truly develop themselves. It didn't bring up too many arguments from the other end really except for the common ones you hear that can be easily countered " everyone will be lazy and not want to work!" and not something more like, would people then try to enslave others for their ubi to give them more money? Would landlords raise more rent because of an ubi (in this case there would have to be laws made to go against unnecessary greed, and possibly do away with landlords as a concept in general). But I didn't really expect the book to go over these and more of the benefits of giving everyone a livable income every month regardless of how "useful" they are to society as a basic human right to alleviate suffering that is caused by today's set up. (the internet already is a case example of people using their skills and labour for free for the benefit of all regardless of monetary gains, people want to make and share things to improve other people's life, they're not just going to "do nothing".)

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport (2019. non-fiction, self-help): Going over the benefits of limiting your time online consciously and minimizing your time on social media in particular to be able to clear your mind and have less intrusive and outside thoughts and to concentrate on your own work and hobbies.

Hello, Habits by Fumio Sasaki (non-fiction, 2018): Had read this author's first book, "Goodbye Things" a few years ago, along with Marie Kondo's book, and I enjoyed the author's documentation of going from a 'clutterbug' to a person with little to no belongings except for what truly matters to him. I liked how there was pictures in colour as well showing the before and after.

In regards to Hello, Habits, there is probably not a lot of tips that are going to stay ingrained in my head; so far the part I even remember the most is when the author stated that the Japanese Government states that "having more than 7 hours of free time a day is going to lead to more bouts of depression", which is funny considering that's the same length of time for average work hours. (I wouldn't trust much with what the Japanese Government thinks is good for people, considering how everyone has their own basic needs and this isn't going to work for everyone and is more for their own benefits than the people's ･ω･). The author states this will probably be his last self-help book, but does plan to write his next book about how he stopped drinking, so I am looking forward to that!

Sanshiro by Natsume Soseki (fiction, 1908):

A classic story that takes place during the early 1900's in Japan when a lot of change was happening culturally and within the university cultures. Following a young man from the country who moves to the city to study, and all of the cultural shock and differences he experiences is interesting as it feels like you're experiencing it yourself. The professor character is very enigmatic and quite nihilistic about where Japan is headed and national pride overall is meaningless. The depiction of how women are perceived and the changes that's happening is interesting as well, as women become more individual and more vocal about their control over what they want in life, and how other people reflect on that. I still want to read "I am a Cat" by the author.

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (non-fiction (it classifies itself as that), 1977): I got this book for free when I was at a people's house out in the country side who were moving and didn't want any of these books, so it was a good score. The book differs heavily from the movie in terms of what events happen when and where. The use of exclamation points was over-utilized; I was thinking, "Does this sentence need an exclamation mark, too? It's bringing me out of the "horror", lol." The parts with the marching band at night being heard was eerie, and you can feel the character being drove nuts by the experience of it. It was a good book to read on the road trip. I did like the ending after part of the story about the nature of demons and how they will possess people to want to really take advantage of this realm to be able to drink and party and have fun….

Norweigan Wood by Haruki Murakami (fiction, 1987): Had been wanting to read this forever, as it was the book that gave this author the first big-scale recognition he didn't have previously. Although it was surprising to see how much more "normal" it was considering the rest of the works I have read from the author, which usually have portrayals of surreal and dream-like spaces in reality and characters, this one is more realistic and set without strange happenings. However I am still in doubt about one of the characters, due to events that happen earlier in the book with how some characters recount their experiences. This book feels like a visual novel where the main character has different routes he can choose for girls but as a Murakami novel.

Stoner by John Williams (fiction, 1965): The story of a person from the countryside who enters and lives through the academia world for the rest of his life afterwards. There is a lot of drama that happens to him throughout the book, even though he's a very inconspicuous person who is really only interested in knowledge and having a simple life, and only doing what he believes is right. The ending made me shed some tears. Even though this book is known as being very sad or depressing because of the main character's life, I have to agree with the author that this character's life wasn't actually all that bad (it's better than a lot of people's).

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari (non-fiction, 2018): After the more depressing outlooks displayed in Homo Deus and Sapiens, this book went over things we can do to change our situation and go to a better future for everyone. It still had some parts that made me freeze and then feel (badly) nihilistic again when it went over technology, but I am glad that it ended on not a completely hopeless an bleak note.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking (non-fiction, 2018):

The last book that was released before he died. In the most simplest manner as possible for someone has involved as he was, he goes over simple questions that everyone has at some point on their life and answers them in with regards of his knowledge of metaphysical physics and as much of the universe and the laws of reality that we know up to this point. The ending part also made me cry a bit, with saying to always look up and never stop doing what you are meant to do.

Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari (non-fiction, 2015): This book covered more about technology and human society and how they are intertwined. It covered also about how if and when artificial intelligence will eventually need "basic rights" as they will be sentient, and thus know about pain and suffering and joy, and how that will also impact human species as a whole and our relationship to this new species. I do wonder if eventually humans will be replaced by AI, who will probably call themselves something else down the road, and if that is just how nature works, since humans didn't always exist either.

The Te of Piglet by Bejamin Hoff (non-fiction, spirituality, 1992): Read this book because liked the author's original book, but this one takes a lot of what I didn't like about the first book which was the random rants that would appear on the author's part, and made that part this book lol. I don't think that technology and spirituality have to be separated to the point you hate technology, because humans made technology to enhance our lives. The book is also interesting as a product of its times when it was writing about how microwaves are dangerous and that the government is lying in some way saying its okay only for benefit. Well I don't really remember much parts with Piglet in it. Books written before the internet was in wide-spread use is interesting to read for that alone.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks (fiction, 1984): I loved this book lol. I read it as I saw it at the library in the countryside because anytime there was a list somewhere on "most disturbing books", this one was usually on it. And knowing it had animal cruelty in it, I am surprised that cats were not involved, whether that was the author's intention or not, I almost have to give a credit to that. I am glad to have figured out "the mystery" half-way through, because that doesn't always happen. I really like this first-person storytelling about a person who doesn't officially exist, and is raised in a very specific manner different from other humans, intentionally. So I think how a person would be like regarding this way of growing up, the author portrayed that well. The lesson here as well is that, with just a single truth, to knowing who you are, a reality-shock, can change everything you ever thought about how reality actually is or isn't. Just one word and truth is all it takes.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (fiction, 1932): A short mystery story amongst the hundreds created by Agatha Christie, and featuring a character that was the inspiration for the character Erika Furudo from Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru. I didn't know of that when I first started reading it, but I was able to tell once this detective character started speaking about stimulating his "little grey cells", and is a Frenchman or at least speaks french and adds in random french to his sentences, as Erika injects random English words into her Japanese. As usual in this author's books, I didn't figure out the culprit until after they revealed it to the reader.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki by Haruki Murakami (fiction, 2013): The story of a young man with very close friends who after a summer finds out that they're all avoiding him and doesn't want to be his friend anymore, and he is unclear as to why, so as he grows up, he tries to solve the mystery. Murakami writes his female characters in a very weird way yet again, and when talking dirty to the MC, its like kids talking about sex but they have no idea what they're talking about. If I want to be positive or something, maybe it just adds to the surreal-ness of it all. Unlike Norwegian Wood, this book has events that can only be explained by supernatural occurrences. I think the feeling of losing your very close friends unpredictably is something that drew me to this book, because its a very awful thing to go through if you have had it happened to yourself, as it has happened to me.

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada (fiction, 2018): In this alternate timeline Japan has disappeared from the earth, but people still vaguely remember it, and there are Japanese people who live around the world trying to find others from the country that no longer exists. It was an interesting tale of linguistics especially and how they were used and how language can be altered or changed for survival and communication purposes. I had read the book from this author which was similar but it was about Japan closing itself off again from the world instead of disappearing, like how it did earlier in History in regards to Western importation and influences. I think I still like "the Emissary" more, because of it having themes of biological defects and changes and some more weird things as opposed to just one concept really. For example in that book, the old people keep on living older and older but can still physically work, while new people being born are aging and dying much faster than the "old" humans. Yeah that's just one crazy part of why I liked that book more than this one.

But that's a very personal thing. ( ･ω･ )

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (fiction, classic, 1899): A classic that is urged to read at least once in your life. I remember more about the introduction of learning that the author was from Ukraine (specifically Berdychiv, Russian Empire) and also didn't start learning English until around his 20's, and ended up being a very prolific English writer. His father Apollo was a political activist against the Russian Empire and the other empires vying control over territory of the time, which makes me realize how long these issues have been going on for. The book made me feel empty in that how people did treat others and still do because of a special commodity that can only be found in those people's homelands, and brutally taking advantage of them because of that fact. Just to make more people have wealth and rich that don't even live in those places. The graphic scenes and ways that locals even conspire with the men from Britain against other locals is sad too, but there are people who see opportunity and will take it if it means benefiting them but making another suffer. The trade off between "having a good life means someone else has a bad life or will result in an early death". I remember the scenes of the heads on the sticks.

The Tao of Pooh by Bejamin Hoff (non-fiction, spirituality, 1990) : Saw this at the library and was curious because usually there is a lot more books on Buddhism and the different sects than there are for Taoism, and this book is supposed to be an introductory for that using Winnie the Pooh characters. A lot of characters from the original book do fit in with a lot of Taoism teachings I see, but these characters people have also found resemble other themes like different types of mental illness. ･ω･ It was this book and one of the books by Yuval Noah Harari that I learned that gunpowder was created by Taoists trying to create the elixir of life and having failed, the Imperial Dynasty of China at the time used the gunpowder instead for fireworks and for fun for a very long time before it was even used as an accessory to weapons. There are anti-science parts of the book that I wish could've just been left out, as it distracted from the feeling and tone of the book overall and what was expected of it. There are parts about humans living forever or at least long times before government and technology intervened in the natural powers of people and such, but I think the author doesn't really understand how cell division works. I did learn about some life lessons from Taoist ideology though, and I think this book is okay as a starting point for people who have no idea what its about as Buddhism is more overtly represented on shelves.

How to Read a Book; The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J Adler and Charles Van Doren (Non-fiction, 1940,): The book title usually makes people laugh, but it goes insanely in depth on how the best you can get out of nonfiction and analytical books especially. It does cover fiction, such as knowing and learning how to speed read a book once and then going over it again more steadily so you more fully understand the themes and messages the book is trying to give to you. It also is a guide for helping to understand any kind of hard book that you are trying to learn from, such as philosophy books, theories and maths and science texts. In itself the book took a while because it was very intense that it was a real mental workout in itself to get through lol. The biggest thing I think I took from it was understanding when and where to speed-read during a text and when to go over it more carefully, and varying your reading speed throughout a work instead of just reading at one speed throughout changes how you tackle any kind of book now. It also teaches you how reading the front and back covers and inside flaps, along with the table of contents, will determine better what kind of books you want to take time out of your day to actually spend on, since especially the table of contents is something that is very foretelling of what you will get out of this book in the end. As straightforward as that sounds, not everyone does this, and it urges you to be proactive by going over the table of contents first and foremost. Another example of this book is the advice of when reading fiction, the "bigger the longer the better (more immersion)", and reading all in one sitting if you can or as in as limited as possible to quickly and more deeply to recall and understand the themes and motifs happening throughout the story. The more fragmented approach you take with fiction, it will also fragment the overall experience, since if you read it in more long sittings, you will recognize those symbols and meanings much better and you are at more exposure.

The Brainwashing of My Dad by Jen Senko (non-fiction, autobiographical, 2021): This book caught my attention right away because of someone I know who has a parent that is deep into fox news and has to watch it everyday, even though we don't live in America, the parent of topic is more interested in what is going on over there than here, and seeing how someone had written a book on their own experience with their dad over the programming and more people becoming more upfront about it, this was a must-read for me. It goes over the history of Fox news, why it was created and its intentions, and how Republican-voters were overall mentally between before the program was created and after and how that political intensity and divide has changed otherwise soft-natured people into people turned onto rage. It detailed the differences of the author's dad when he would watch it daily, and then to the point in his life when he was hospitalized and never could access it anymore, and after his wife going through his emails and removing him from a lot of out lash-media, he reverted back into the kind person he once was ･ω･, somewhat telling of how outside influences that are not your own thoughts change you as a person, and that as your environment changes and not being exposed to certain things will let you create your own thoughts and views of reality once again.

You are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier (non-fiction, autobiographical, 2010): This book goes over virtual reality and the complications it has with human nature. As this author was one of the fore creators of VR back in the 80s, it's always interesting to hear their takes on then and now. It was a book I don't remember much, as I think of this Author I tend to think of the first book I read by him called "10 arguments to Deleting your Social Media Accounts right now". Anyone who invents something that changes human society will have some thoughts or regret to what they have made and released, even if that was rarely even their intention, as most technological inventors cannot think or see too far into the future of what social impacts their technology will change, better and worse, but usually are more focused on making their ideas come into physical reality. After years of seeing domino-effects as a result of their work, then they can see and comment on it. People who have worked at google and Ai and big data and have created inventions for them have been coming out in recent years over the effects these technologies are having and how to either work with them for your best interests, or substitutes instead, even if they were the ones who created it to begin with.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (non-fiction, 2011): If there is any of the books to read by this author, it is this one. It goes over the history of humanity in a simplified by still in depth look of how things operate and how we got here. The most depressing of the books, and also the most eye-opening. I can see how spiritual and religious people will feel very conflicted from what they would read in this book, but I think everyone should read it. This book marks on how science is also a type of religion, and how nothing is exactly real, just human invention, but not the natural result of the world. However, I believe that we are still one and with nature, and if nature didn't want us doing these things, then it wouldn't have let us get this far. I don't think enough people think of us as being a part of nature and everything enough, and trying hard to convince ourselves that we are "separate" from that order, even though we have instincts and desires we can't even know or control where they come from. I think that that does scary and make people think life and us are not as special (we are) as we are taught to be, but this book goes in without any comfort. Corporations, money, identities, fiction, movies, gods, religion and so on are all things that technically don't exist, but humans make them exist to act as symbols to uphold society and order and to even be able to communicate over far distances, which any other animal cannot do or do the same way as us. This is what makes humans so special, so dangerous, and the smartest animal on the planet and in history. The ability to be able to communicate about future or past events, to others in our species, in person or instantaneously over the internet, has made us the number one in the animal kingdom on Earth. And it is unfortunate as other animals have been wiped out since they cannot even hope to gain these skills quick enough to adapt or gain these skills, and hence the millions that have been wiped out since Sapiens has roamed the earth. Symbols, things that don't exist or make sense to other animals (you cannot teach an animal something that doesn't exist like the concepts of ghosts or gods, they cannot even think of something that isn't something they can interact with in reality), are what give humans the ability to communicate with each other and bond whereas they wouldn't be able to. Two humans who have never met can share and bond because of a show or something they have both witnessed, and can talk about. This is why I think and believe things like cults, religion and their worshipers and fanatics, and fiction (and their fans, fandom, fanatics, and regulars/worshipers) are all one and the same in their basis of human communication and connection without having to learn about the other person without it. For example as well, we think of corporations a lot as if they were real people (Twitter™ did this, Apple® did that!), but they only exist because humans have to continually socialize with one another to keep its reality in the human collective consciousness. That is also why things like money have to be kept in circulation and talked about, because the people who rely on money and the things they get from it, will cease or maybe people will think of better solutions to it, henceforth becoming it obsolete, but people who have invested a lot of mental and thinking power into the concept of money cannot lose all that time they've devoted, so they're the ones the most to suffer, like a cult member having to rationalize all the money and time they've put into a cult to avoid sunken cost fallacy. There is a lot more to say, but this book can do a better job at it.

･ ω ･

My Neighbour Totoro by Tsugiko Kubo, Hayao Miyazaki (illustrations) (fiction, children's, 1988): I liked the changes that did happen in this book, even though I wasn't really expecting them somehow. Shows a bit more from other characters or they get more appearances, like the boy next door. This book was easy to get immersed in and hard to put down, and really felt like was experiencing the Japanese Country side of the 50s. The father seems more into his professional work in the book compared to the movie, that the oldest daughter gets annoyed by it, for they feel they are being somewhat neglected. I think anyone who loved the movie and has seen it a bunch of times such as myself will also greatly enjoy this novel version, for it has enough minor differences that don't feel like it changes the overall story too much, and isn't too much of the same thing as the movie.

Wabi-Sabi; the Wisdom of Imperfection by Nobuo Suzuki (non-fiction, spirituality, 2021): Some more insights into this particular way of life that's in Zen Buddhism. It's term is about accepting imperfections as they are and delighting in them, as nature itself is not perfect either, so why should humans suffer to try and obtain perfection, which is a concept that doesn't truly exist. The drawing style of Heta-Uma reminds me a lot of Wabi-Sabi concepts. Nature viewing and walks and overall relationship with reality and nature are also enhanced when you have wabi sabi knowledge and practice it regularly.

The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley (non-fiction, autobiographical, 1956): I know of this author because of having read Brave New World, which came out many years before 1984 did, and I find it being more closer in relation to our society now than 1984 is. In this book the author recounts his experiments with doctors on the uses of mescaline and psychedelics and the results of using them. Mescaline is extracted from the cacti in which it originates from and used by native peoples of Western Mexico. Huxley couldn't believe it when he went and saw that they had used it everyday as part of their daily life, while taking a month break at times for resetting their tolerance to it, and not having any interruptions on their way of life while on their break and were able to resume again after. Some of his results were how his perception of everyday things changed, such as chairs (do chairs really exist? or are they too just symbols that man has made, as they are not actually chairs, but a bunch of wood assembled together), and things that he otherwise didn't care about, like the details of clothing and fabrics, and was fascinated with the construction of them. And they have been this way all along, its just that his perception has changed. I'd recommend reading Brave New World before this however, since I think it is only really interesting to read once you have read this author's other works, especially BNW.

･ω･

I hope that if you were thinking of reading again, or haven't known what to read, that this helps inspire you to check something out, even if its not on this list, because there are so many books to read and learn from xD Happy reading~ '･ω･

#sorry if some of this doesn't make sense xD #I feel like that monkey in that gif that's on the computer right now

[kasshole69]

truly, madly, deeply - 1

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader, Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff, (eventual) Natasha Romanoff x Reader, (eventual) Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: You’d been living a good life, well as good as it could get with how full of lies it was. Why? It was the only way to get by when you were an unmated omega with an uneasy past. That's all flipped on its head when you see a matching soul mark on two certain avenger, leaving your lies to crumble right in front of your face.

A/N: ayo i’m finally posting this lmao, i read a a/b/o fic on ao3 that wasn’t all about sex (not that those are bad) and it literally took over my life for a few weeks and it wasn’t finished so i wrote my own! a main focus of this fic is reader having a condition called touch deprivation. the name describes it well and it’s described in the fic (this was also based on another a/b/o fic) anyways! i hope you enjoy, second chapter will be posted after this so if you enjoyed please let me know!

also there are two ocs that only affect the beginning of the story and will kinda become absolute

chapter 2 chapter 3 ao3

The day had started out simple enough. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner and sleep. A routine you’d grown accustomed to. A routine that usually involved you talking to your roommates Lexi and Brooke when you were home. You’d known Lexi since you moved to New York about 3 years ago, meeting because you both needed a roommate. With you both being omegas, it worked out perfectly. You remember the days when she would talk about how she couldn’t wait to meet her soulmate, and lucky for her, she didn’t have to wait too long as she met Brooke about a year after living together. Instead of having to move out, or have Lexi and Brooke find a new place, the three of you lived together and it worked perfectly. Rent was less expensive, and the three of you were able to help out one another. You also thought that they felt bad for you, thinking you were forever going to be alone with the lie you’d told them.

The last thing you needed in your life was someone to depend on. Especially not someone you didn’t even know. You’d spent the last years of your childhood forced to be with someone, someone who didn’t care for you like he should, and you’d be damned if you’d do that again by meeting your soulmate. You knew how it went when omegas, like yourself, met their soulmates. The second you meet your soulmate, your body immediately becomes attuned to them, knowing that it needs them. Your body puts itself through unending pain whenever you're away from them for too long without being bonded. If you were to ever meet them, it would also mean the end of the freedom you have.

How does one avoid fate though? Well you’d come to learn that most people learn about their soulmates through word of mouth. So you’d cover up your soul mark and tell people your soulmates had died. While it wasn’t the most humane thing to do, it kept you safe, kept people from asking questions. Of course you’d told Lexi and Brooke the same sob story but didn’t bother hiding your soul mark from them since you were living together and there was no point.

So when you came home to Lexi shouting at you about how you had other soulmates, you froze like a deer in headlights.

“Oh my gosh Y/N! This is so exciting! And two Avengers too? Isn’t this great!” Lexi exclaimed whilst holding your hands and jumping up and down.

“We already called Avengers Tower, they said that we can come by tomorrow to meet them,” said Brooke, coming in just behind Lexi.

You were still in the middle of processing all this when Lexi started showing you the news articles. Avengers Wanda Maximoff and Natasha Romanoff reveal that they are soulmates! What does this mean for the team? With a close up image of that stupid mark you had on your wrist. In a way this was a blessing, now you knew exactly who you needed to avoid. All you need to do now is find a way to convince Lexi and Brooke not to make you go up there.

You decided to play dumb. “I don’t think that’s the same mark, mine looks like a different shade of red.”

“What? No, you guys definitely got the same marks,” said Lexi while giving you a confused look.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s best that we don’t go up there just in case. Wouldn’t want to get my hopes up, you know?”

“Shouldn’t that be the reason you do go up there? Just in case they are in fact your soulmates,” said Brooke giving the same look as Lexi.

“Exactly! What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I’ve got stuff to do tomorrow anyways, probably wouldn’t have enough time to make it there anyways,” you say as you head to your room not wanting to get into a big argument with the two.

“What’s so important that you can’t meet your soulmates?” Lexi asks almost angrily.

“Literally anything else.”

In a much softer tone Lexi carefully asks, “What?”

“I’ve just-,” how were you supposed to explain this to them? Getting into your past would just lead to more questions. The best solution? Another lie, “I don’t want to meet them, being the soulmate of an Avenger comes with a lot of risks and it would probably be safer for me to keep my distance. Aren’t they in a pack anyways? They should be fine without me.”

Lexi and Brooke give you a shocked look, with the former deadpanning. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am! I feel completely content! I don’t need them, and since they aren’t actively looking or know that I exist, they won’t need me either.”

You can tell neither of them know what to say, Lexi is opening and closing her mouth like a fish while Brooke has a deep crease between her brows trying to decipher what you’ve just said.

“Please, can we just keep this between us?” you plead with the two of them.

They share a look of concern before looking back at you with pity. Lexi finally says, “Alright, if that’s what you really want. Are you sure you don’t at least want to meet them?”

“No, I’ll be fine living my life and they’ll be fine living theirs. No need to upend everyone’s lives over something as silly as soulmates,” you say as you start to walk towards your room.

“Soulmates aren’t-“ Lexi starts before you quickly cut her off so as to not start another argument.

“Thank you guys! Goodnight!” you say as you slam your door shut.

Universe just had to send you a curveball, but thankfully it seems you hit this one out of the park. Not only are the two people who know about your soulmates are sworn to secrecy but you know exactly who to avoid. Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff, should be easy enough to avoid since the Avengers are currently living at the new compound in upstate New York.

Now all you gotta do is stay updated on the Avengers whereabouts and continue to live your life. Since you now know who your soulmates are and that they are relatively easy to avoid seeing as the media keeps a keen eye on them, you feel very secure. Before you never knew when you would run into your soulmates, constantly living on edge.

Although, you could definitely see an appeal to being their soulmates. Two unbelievably strong women with stunning appearances wasn’t something you were complaining about. Even with that, the media was not making it easy to like them, especially Wanda. Saying things like she is a loose cannon and is not in control of her powers. While it’s a given to not believe everything you read or see on the internet, it only helped solidify your desire to stay away from them.

And with that life moved along. Everything was normal, aside from Lexi giving you petty remarks every time you asked for a favor saying things like, “if you would just meet your soulmates I bet they would be happy to do this for you” or “why don’t you ask your soulmates?” It grated on your nerves but it was better to just live with it than let get into an argument with Lexi, especially when she knew who your soulmates were. You didn’t know if she would go that far, but you weren’t taking any chances.

As time went on though, you started to be in immense pain. First it was just tingles all over your body, kind of like your body was a big bruise. The pain would increase when you made jerky movements. It would gradually get worse, feeling almost like you were burning all over. You were calling off of work more and more because some days it hurt too much to even move. Lexi and Brooke noticed and offered to take you to the doctor, but you refused. Whatever this was would pass, it just needed time.

Today however, you felt like you were going to die. Your boss had already said you were calling off far too much and that if you missed one more day you would be put on suspension. So despite it feeling like you should be in a full body cast, you got up and got ready for work. The clothes felt as if they were poking your skin and your feet on the floor felt like you stepped on legos the entire way down the hallway. While the hallway was only a good 6-7 feet but it took you 10 minutes to get down it. Every time you bent your leg it felt like it was bending the wrong way, like you were purposely breaking your legs every time you took a step.

Lexi and Brooke looked at you as you made your way down the hallway and could immediately tell that something was really wrong with you. Despite you having been in excruciating pain these past few months, you’d done a decent job of covering it up. Only ever letting it show when a particularly sharp pain hit you.

Lexi rushed over to you helping you walk to the kitchen asking, “are you okay? Don’t tell me you're going in to work today.”

It took you a second to answer because moving your jaw was a painful task in itself, “yes, i’m fine.”

“You sure? With the pace you were going down that hallway you won’t make it to work until next week,” Brooke stated in a smart-ass tone.

You gave Brooke a dirty look before doubling over in pain.

“Y/N we really need to take you to the doctor! This is not normal!” Lexi exclaims whilst helping you keep from falling over from the pain.

“No, I’m-“ you start before you feel another rush of pain. You had probably hit the ground at this point, with the pain in your head and abdomen felt as if you were being stabbed. You can hear Lexi telling Brooke to do something but you can’t make it out, the pain being the only thing you can focus on. You open your eyes to look up at Lexi but it’s so blurry and you just want to close your eyes again. You think you can make out Lexi saying something to you but you just can’t keep your eyes open. As you close your eyes the pain starts to dissipate as you pass out.

#wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda x reader #natasha x reader #abo au #omegaverse

[corvid-language-library]

2024 Goal Check-in (January)

I'm hoping by doing a monthly check-in I'll keep myself on track, but we'll see what happens!

Japanese

Reach ~N3 level - I'm currently reviewing N4 grammar and vocabulary. I think I'm getting more of it in my head, but I definitely have a long way to go before I reach this goal. It's difficult at this stage to say if I'm on track or not. I'm also learning N3 kanji.

Learn 10 songs by heart to a level where I could sing them at karaoke - I've been learning 少女S by SCANDAL this month. It's going well, but I think I'll need to keep practising often if I want to remember it!

Finish reading another book of short stories - Started Japanese Short Stories For Language Learners - Bilingual Stories in Japanese and English by Anne McNulty & Eriko Sato, but I've not made much progress.

Finish both Minna No Nihongo books - I've completed another unit and a half so I've now completed 6/25 units from book 1 and I'm halfway through unit 7.

Norwegian

Read at least 2 books in Norwegian - I brought 2 books in Norwegian with me from the UK, but I've not looked at them yet

Maintain an overall B2/C1 level - I feel like I'm definitely slipping back towards B2 level. I need to work harder to maintain my level

Finish Enjoy Norwegian textbook - I decided to start from the beginning again and finished unit 1/10 last week.

Life in Japan

I haven't really had the energy or felt confident enough to attempt most of the goals on this list, so rather than listing all 11 with some variant of "I haven't done this yet," I'll draw your attention to the final goal on the list, which is...

Be able to point to every prefecture on a map and name their capital cities - I've been doing this quiz and this quiz pretty frequently and I'm now able to do this! Sometimes I mix them up but I've got most of them down. Gonna keep practising regularly though to keep that knowledge there.

Non-language

Read 36 books - I've read 5/36 books, which is 2 books ahead of schedule.

Complete a first draft of a novel manuscript - I wrote like 450 words last night? So not really much progress

Comfortable two-block oversplit with back bend - I've barely stretched this month, but I did do a little. My splits are suuuuper stiff and my back feels cranky af.

Consistently hold a handstand for 5 seconds - Still dealing with an icky shoulder so I'm avoiding handstands, but it's gettings loads better and I'm easing back into yoga.

Noticeably improve my demi pointe - I've not done much in the way of exercises, but when I have time before classes at work I do a few elevés and relevés. My calves still cramp SO BAD :(

Diet-related goals

Tackle my diet soda and sugar addictions - I've been doing okay at the latter, practising more restraint, eating fruit instead of processed snacks. I'm trying to get more used to green tea to substitute my diet soda addiction but it's slow going.

Slim down enough that none of my clothes are tight anymore - It's been a bit up and down. I ended up gaining 0.2kg, but I've since lost it and I've now lost a total of around 2kg. Some of my clothes have now gone from "too tight" to "snug but okay fit" but many are still a bit too tight for comfort.

#chough chatterings #japanese langblr #norwegian langblr #language blog #language goals #2024 goals

[foggyfanfic]

Love and Fury

Chapter Preview: “It happened so fast, we were saying our goodbyes and suddenly he just swooped in, no warning, and- and- yeah,” Leandra used both hands to sweep her hair back from her face as she started to pace, “it was only a peck, really, but I just… my dad isn’t going to come home tonight, a-and I know Cicero isn’t going to like… just appear at my place but I-I, I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

CH1 Prev Next Master List

Chapter 16 Round Two

The week following Leandra’s and Bruno’s talk by the river had been a good one. He had finished Sense and Sensibility and they had discussed it at length on Tuesday, then he wrote another story and brought it to her stall to share it on Thursday. Friday he had a migraine, and she had taken the risk of rubbing his back in a show of sympathy.

He didn’t protest so she had offered him some of her food at lunch, which he nibbled on, then complained about how his mother had made his favorite for breakfast but he hadn’t been able to enjoy it because of his migraine.

Eventually, she’d given him a hug and sent him home, pointing out there wasn’t much Cicero could do to her in a crowded market. He’d hummed thoughtfully and she knew he was adding the statement to his list of clues.

It was almost funny the lengths Bruno would go to, to avoid a difficult conversation. Almost.

He had made it three steps from her stall, when a vision had burst into his head with little thought for his migraine. Leandra had vaulted over her counter and caught him when he’d started to droop. They waited out the vision, a glimpse of the play at that year’s harvest festival, then Bruno had returned home and collapsed into bed.

Cicero had approached her in Bruno’s absence. Leche had refused to let him into the cheese stall, but that didn’t stop the cabrón from plopping his ass on her counter top.

Now she would have to deep clean it.

Convincing him she was oblivious to what was happening hadn’t been hard, he was already convinced he was the smartest, most clever, most special person ever. She had just asked if something had happened between him and Pepa she didn’t know about. He had calmly spun a story about Pepa being an insane, obsessive ex.

Apparently, his father was now insisting he spent four days a week helping at the winery. Something Cicero felt was incredibly unfair. Leandra, who did everything she could to reduce her own father’s workload, struggled to feign polite sympathy.

“Anyways, the point is, I’m free today, Sunday, and Wednesday, you know, if you want to spend time together,” he had said, with a charming smile and a thin attempt at seeming shy.

Leandra had hemmed and hawed but hadn’t been able to come up with an excuse not to see him on Wednesday.

So, here they were, Wednesday afternoon, strolling through town. She had tried to keep her distance, but that just resulted in Cicero putting his hand on the small of her back, so she put her arm through his.

“I mean,” Cicero was saying, “it’s not like he doesn’t have plenty of workers. I don’t see what he needs me for.”

“Maybe he’s trying to get you ready to take over the family business,” Leandra suggested with a shrug.

“I suppose,” he sighed, shaking his head, “we are the town’s only winery, we do have quite a bit of responsibility to our community.”

She bit her lip to keep from making a snarky comment, Cicero eyed her mouth.

“You have beautiful lips, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Sí,” she gestured over her shoulder, “Señora Sanchez said that the last time I borrowed a book from her.”

“Oh,” he was briefly thrown, but didn’t let it stop him for long, “do you ever get bored of the market? You spend so much time here. Perhaps we should stroll by the river instead, or, I could show you around the winery.”

Uh-oh, he was suggesting a secondary location, “That sounds fun, but… I’m a little thirsty, how about we go grab some juice? Maybe a snack? You can tell me about that plan for the harvest festival you mentioned.”

“Oh! It’s going to be brilliant, I only have to convince my father,” Cicero jumped on the subject and she breathed a sigh of relief as he began pulling her to the nearest cafe.

The great thing about men like Cicero, was that they could talk about themselves for hours without a young woman being forced to come up with a response. It was exactly the reason she’d never found him that attractive, but she now considered it a blessing. Even better, when he spotted a friend of his, he called the other man over and soon Leandra was little more than decoration as the two men laughed together.

She feigned interest in the things the men said, but otherwise spent the time running through a mental to-do list or thinking up gift ideas for Rosalie’s birthday.

Bruno’s birthday was a few months away, she would have to start thinking about what to get him. Not to mention his sisters-.

The men laughed and she laughed along so they wouldn’t notice she’d stopped paying attention.

-but they were a bit easier to shop for. Pepa was always decorating her red curls with scarves and clips, so a set of new ribbons should be a good gift. Julieta had once confessed that it never felt like she had enough aprons, so a new one of those was a safe bet. But Bruno…

“Right princessa?!” Cicero asked, clapping a hand on her shoulder. He had a broad smile on his face.

“Oh, definitely,” she nodded, smiling back.

“I don’t know,” the other man (what was his name, started with a “J”) shook his head, “I think poker takes way more skill.”

Anyways.

But Bruno wasn’t big on worldly possessions. He liked books, sure, but the merchants of Encanto only made the journey to trade with the outside world twice a year, and they wouldn’t be leaving until after Bruno’s birthday. She’d have to buy some books from them then and stockpile them for future birthdays.

Food? Could she get him food? No. His sister was the best cook in town. Food was a nice gesture in the day to day, but it wouldn’t make an exciting birthday gift.

Maybe she could make him something, although the only things she knew how to make from scratch were soap and cheese. She wasn’t bad at sewing, but she wasn’t exactly a tailor.

“Joder,” Cicero suddenly swore, “is the sun setting already?”

Leandra looked up at the orange tinted sky, and nodded as Cicero’s friend made a snarky comment about watching the time.

“My father, I don’t know what his problem is lately, but he insists that I must be back by nightfall,” Cicero scowled, “I’m afraid I must go.”

“Oh, alright,” Leandra said brightly, “wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with your father because of us.”

“I might,” the guy whose name started with a “J” joked, as he stood from his seat and started to walk away.

Cicero grinned at him and shook his head, even as he waved his friend off, “I’ll see you Friday. Princessa, would you like to come back to the winery with me? My mother is making enchiladas for dinner.”

“Oh, I uh, I wish I could, but my Pá is coming home from the far mountain just to have dinner with me,” this was a lie, she was going to be alone that night. Her Pá was showing his apprentice what fields were open for public use. Getting the goats from their fields to the public fields on the other side of the valley without driving them through anyone else’s land took all day, and her father wanted to stay the night with them and his new apprentice. The boy was young and still in school. He could watch the goats on the weekend, but his parents preferred that her father stay with him when he did.

“Then I suppose this is where we say goodbye,” Cicero sighed, then before Leandra could do anything, he swooped in and kissed her. She froze.

Thankfully, it didn’t last long. He pulled back with a soft smile, tucked a hair behind her ear, then stood.

“Adios princessa,” he said, sweetly.

“Adios,” she managed.

She watched him go, fingers shaking. Eventually, when she was sure he was gone, she also stood and began walking. Not in any particular direction, she just needed to move.

The sun was setting fast and suddenly she didn’t feel safe being out alone at night. She gripped her hands in her skirt and looked around, feeling briefly lost. 

The solution came to Leandra all at once, like a firework bursting in her head.

Determinedly, she turned towards Casita. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be interrupting their dinner. She just… she needed to see Bruno.

Casita waved a shutter at her as she approached, she waved back and asked, “I wouldn’t be barging in on their dinner if I came in right now, would I?”

Casita opened the door in answer and she decided she would have to risk it. The house was silent except for the sound of pots and pans being moved about in the kitchen. She took a few hesitant step towards the sound then paused.

“Is… is Bruno in?” she directed the question at the floor tiles, which clattered a path towards the stairs. When she followed them and walked up the stairs, the clattering continued right up to Bruno’s door.

“Gracias Casita,” she sighed, walking quickly. 

Bruno’s visage stared back at her from the glowing door, and even though it looked utterly fearsome, she found it incredibly comforting. She was careful not to knock on his face and instead knocked beside it.

She waited.

Casita merrily shook a potted plant back and forth.

Eventually the door knob turned and Door Bruno’s scowl was replaced by real Bruno’s curious eyes. He blinked at her in surprise when he saw her there, but didn’t seem displeased.

“Hey,” she smiled at him a bit nervously, “Is- may I come in?”

“Claro,” he moved aside, waving her in, “I-I wasn’t expecting you. I thought…?”

She had told him about her plans with Cicero, and had talked him down from following them. Something that she both regretted and was relieved about. She had no idea how Bruno would have responded if he’d seen Cicero kiss her.

Was she one of the few people he cared about enough to get genuinely angry on their behalf? And what would he have done if she was? Bruno’s temper was so rare and hard to ignite, it made him unpredictable.

“Yeah, it- we- I didn’t get any useful information out of him,” she confessed, walking into Bruno’s entryway, she eyed the hourglass shaped opening and the curtain of falling sand, “although I now know for certain that his father has tightened the leash on him. So I guess that’s good.”

“Are you alright?” he was looking at her hands, which were once again tangled in her skirt.

Leandra gulped, she opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it, then admitted, “He kissed me.”

“What?!”

“It happened so fast, we were saying our goodbyes and suddenly he just swooped in, no warning, and- and- yeah,” she used both hands to sweep her hair back from her face as she started to pace, “it was only a peck, really, but I just… my dad isn’t going to come home tonight, a-and I know Cicero isn’t going to like… just appear at my place but I-I, I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

Bruno took a step closer to her, arms coming up before he second guessed himself, he wasn't sure if they were there yet.

Leandra didn't give him a chance to put his arms back down. She didn’t give a flying fuck if they were there yet, she needed a hug. She dove into him, wrapping herself around his waist and ducking her head into his shoulder.

“Can I stay here? Just for a little,” her voice was muffled by his shoulder.

He nodded before she even finished asking, “Sí, sí, as long as you need. Mamá is having dinner with Señora Guzman tonight, so we’ve invited Agustín and Félix over. You can join too. It’ll be like a party. Except better, because it’s just people we already know, wh-which I think is better.”

Leandra smiled, “I would like that.”

“Great, I’ll um, I’ll let Julieta know,” he slowly loosened his grip on her and she let him, “if um, if you’d like to… I’ll show you my tent.”

“Your tent?”

“Well, you didn’t think I slept in my vision cave, did you?”

“Meh, sort of, there’s actually a lot of debate about it in town,” she followed him as the sand curtain parted for them, “nobody who’s been in here has ever noticed a bed or anything so some people think you don’t sleep.”

Bruno snorted, “They’re not completely wrong. Julieta’s food is the only thing keeping my eye bags at bay.”

When they got to the bottom of the stairs he turned right around to face the sand curtain again. She watched the sand hit the ground, and apparently disappear instead of piling up. The curtain parted again, revealing a cave under the stairs.

Bruno waved her in and gestured to the tent, “There’s a couple places to sit in there, it’s k-kind of a mess but…”

“You’re showing me your private tent in a secret cave in your magic room in a sentient house,” she pointed out, “I can’t imagine how snobby a person would have to be to turn up their nose because it’s a bit messy.”

He smiled and held the flap open for her. She walked in a couple steps then paused when she noticed the rats playing tag on his bed.

He chuckled nervously, “O-oh that’s Turnip and Carrot, they- well they’re two of- they won’t bother you if you ignore them.”

“They’re cute,” she said, reassuringly, “how do they do with strangers?”

“I uh I don’t know, I’ve never introduced them to anyone before,” he rubbed at his arm.

“Alright, then I won’t push them,” she walked over to the comfy looking pile of cushions and curled up on it, “although I certainly wouldn’t mind having a furry companion at the moment.”

“W-Well if you want- I mean I could help them get used to you, if that’s what you want,” he had a large grin on his face, then he paused and said, “Oh! Wait, I need to go tell Juli- I’ll be right back, th-then we can-, you can meet them.”

Leandra watched him hurry off with a smile on her face. Just being around him made her feel better. And she liked his tent, messy as it was, it was cozy. The cloth walls of the octagonal tent were a cheerful green, and there were some beautifully decorated lamps in four of the eight corners that cast a warm glow on the interior. The rats playing on the bed somehow added to the cozy mood, although she couldn’t quite say how.

She leaned back against the large pile, so she was curled a little sideways and could watch the rats chase eachother in circles. Eventually, one of the rats fell off the bed, catching itself on the bedspread then jumping onto the ground, and she giggled. It looked over at her, whiskers twitching curiously. 

Leandra wiggled her fingers at it.

The rat approached her slowly, pausing every few feet to eye her. She remained as still as she could and waited. When it reached the cushions it dove into the pile instead of walking over it. A couple minutes later, a tiny snout appeared next to her hand and sniffed her.

The rat popped its head out of the cushions, and when she didn’t react, climbed onto her hand.

“Hola,” she said, very softly, “are you Turnip or Carrot?”

The rat didn’t respond other than to climb up her arm until it reached the sleeve of her blouse. It tried to duck into her shirt but she held the sleeve down with her other hand.

“Sorry, I promised Bruno we wouldn’t go to third base,” she told the rat.

“And I appreciate you keeping that promise,” Bruno chuckled, reappearing through the tent flap, “that one is Carrot.”

“Hola Carrot,” she greeted the rat that was now on her shoulder, sniffing her face.

“She’s always been a brave one,” Bruno walked over to the bed and collected Turnip then joined her on the cushion pile.

“Are they both girls?”

“Heh, sí, you would uh, you would notice if they were male,” he held Turnip up to her hand and they both waited as Turnip sniffed her.

Carrot spotted her friend and ran down Leandra’s arm to tackle Turnip. Turnip squeaked as she was unceremoniously shoved out of Bruno’s hand, then jumped up to chase after Carrot. The two rats raced off, and for a while Bruno and Leandra just watched them.

“They really are cute,” she muttered, scooting a little bit closer to Bruno, “you said you have two boys as well?”

He nodded, smiling, “I- yeah, Shoe and Tire.”

“How did you pick these names?”

“The girls are named after what they were eating when I found them, boys after what they were hiding behind,” he admitted.

She snorted, “I see. So, where’re Shoe and Tire?”

“Oh, did you see the chicken coop by the cave’s entrance?”

“That’s where you keep them?”

“Well, when it’s not their turn to wander the cave,” he shrugged, “the rats really like it in there. I’m thinking of getting another that I can leave open.”

Leandra smiled at him fondly, “You are such a sweet man.”

“Wh- am I?”

“Yeah, I mean… you found some rats, you know little animals that most people try to avoid, and you took them in. Gave them a home, you take care of them,” she shrugged, “it’s sweet.”

Bruno blushed and shrugged, wringing his fingers, “Well I don’t know about that I… I like rats. They have tiny hands for grabbing things. A-and they’re way smarter than most people realize.”

“Do they get treats?”

“They do, although you have to be careful, I-I don’t want to give them anything that’ll hurt them,” he gestured over at the bedside drawer, “I keep some dried fruit, nuts, and stuff in there for them.”

“Can I give them treats? Before I leave I mean.”

Bruno gave her a wide toothy grin, eyes alight with excitement, “If you want.”

“I do.”

“Great! That- they’ll like that.”

She smiled and nodded and settled into silence. The thought of Cicero kissing her creeped in and she grimaced. His lips should have felt… slimy, they should have felt like itchy wool, or stinging nettles, but they had just felt like lips. Slightly chapped, and very unwelcome, but just lips.

“You alright?” Bruno asked.

She debated brushing it off, shoving it from her mind, but ultimately elected to scooch even closer to him, so she could lay her head on his shoulder, “Not really.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t know why, but I sort of assumed we would have come up with some brilliant plan to keep him from being a massive pervert by now,” she sighed, “I’m not saying I’m backing down. I don’t think that’s even really an option now that I have his attention. I just… I just don’t feel safe. I don’t think I will until this is all over.”

Bruno didn’t say anything at first, he didn’t know what could possibly be said to that. He wrapped an arm around her back and felt somewhat gratified when she pressed herself against him, seeking the comfort he wasn’t sure how to give.

“Is all this… really necessary? There’s no other way to stop him?” 

She shook her head against his shoulder, “None that we could think of. Well, we could kill him, but that would create as many problems as it solves.”

Bruno snorted. Suddenly he remembered Pepa asking him if he would help her hide a body on the night of the quiceñeara. This must have been what she meant. Cicero was making himself enough of a nuisance that people’s lives would be easier if he was dead.

Reina sighed again. He leaned his cheek against the crown of her head, trying his best to ignore how soft her hair was.

Now was not the time to think about how attractive she was. She needed comfort, not more perving.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening with all this,” she murmured after they’d been sitting in silence for a while.

“No, no, I- anything I can do,” he hesitantly reached across their laps and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

She squeezed it back, “Being around you makes me feel better.”

Bruno closed his eyes and reminded himself that he needed to be very, very normal about the things she said. Don’t look too deeply into it, he told himself, she said she wants to be friends. Friends. Friends turn to each other for comfort. This was normal.

She smelled good.

Damn it.

He opened his eyes and looked around his tent for something to distract himself from the woman pressed to his side. He turned towards the bookshelf and in doing so accidentally pressed his face into her hair.

Was that lavender? She must have been using it in her latest batch of soap.

He scowled at himself. He was not being normal about this. Maybe he could extract himself from her, give her some space. A little bit of space was all he needed. Probably.

Then Reina hummed thoughtfully and said, “I'm not making you uncomfortable, right? This is helping, but you don’t ha-..”

“Is- it’s- great, terrific, h-happy to help,” he tried to make his voice as chipper as possible. Hopefully she would write his stuttering off as his usual difficulty getting a coherent sentence out.

“Yeah,” she said faintly, “we should hug more.”

“Sí por favor. I-I mean, if that’s- if you’re comfortable with that,” he gulped.

“Mh-hm, of course,” she breathed, “I trust you Bruno.”

Bruno bit his lip, surprised by the way that sentence affected him. He expected the rush of warmth that filled his chest, but not the excited shiver that ran up his spine. Dios, what was the matter with him?

“I was thinking earlier.”

“O-oh?” he tried to cross his toes in hopes that would somehow grant the luck he needed if she said something else that affected him in ways he didn’t expect. Maybe she’d like to tell him how much she liked his eyes, or how soft his bed looked.

“Your birthday is in a few months,” she began playing with his hand.

“Oh.”

“What do you want?”

Well, off the top of his head, he’d love it if she started flirting with him again, or maybe straddled him while they made out, either one. Of course, he couldn’t say that. Because friends. 

He hemmed and hawed for a little.

“Maybe something for my rats?” he eventually said, “They always need more chew toys.”

“Chew toys?”

“Sí, to keep their teeth healthy.”

“Huh, ok, noted. But are you sure you don’t want anything for yourself?”

He stared down at their joined hands, watching her tap her thumb across each of his fingers and back again, “The soap.”

“The soap? You’ll have to be more specific, I sell five different kinds.”

“Th-the one you put in the thank you basket, when I gave you that vision? About your goats? I… I really liked it, the scent I mean, but- but I noticed you don’t sell it,” he explained.

“Oh, that stuff?” she wrinkled her nose, “That was the first batch of soap I ever made, it was totally amateur.”

“I liked it,” he shrugged the shoulder she wasn’t resting on.

“Hmm, I’ll have to check to see if I still have the recipe,” she muttered, “I’m pretty sure I used a little too much honey in that batch… was it a mint scent?”

“I-I think so?” He wasn’t the best at identifying all the different herbs and spices by scent alone, “It was sharp and earthy, but also a little sweet.”

She made another thoughtful noise, thumb tapping out a pattern on the knuckle of his ring finger. Slowly, Bruno gave in to the temptation to turn his head again.

“What uh- what do you use? For yours?”

“Oh, like what do I use for my own personal soap?”

“Sí.”

“Lavender, jasmine, and of course honey,” she ticked them off against his palm, “I like floral scents. And honey is just a good ingredient for soap over all, it’s moisturizing and very cleansing. It means adjusting how much lye you use, but it’s worth it.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know why he’d asked, he was just glad she wasn’t offended by the question. Still, he filed the information away. Lavender, jasmine, and honey. Like a sweet herbal tea. He let his eyes slide shut and he just breathed her in for a little.

She yawned, and her thumb stilled. For a second it seemed she was going to fall asleep cuddled against him. He immediately decided that if she did, he would put her in the bed and set up a hammock for himself outside the tent.

A knock echoed through the canyon, making her jump, then Pepa’s voice rang out, “Dinner time!”

“Dinner time,” he repeated, softly.

She sat up, stretched, then nodded and agreed, “Dinner time.”

Agustín and Félix were helping to set the dining room table when they got there and they greeted Bruno and Leandra with gusto. Agustín waited until Bruno was distracted by Félix then waggled his eyebrows at Leandra obnoxiously.

She stuck her tongue out at him and announced she was going to help Julieta carry things from the kitchen.

Pepa was already in there, giggling with Julieta about Félix and Leandra took the time to pass on some interesting information Felipe had told her. Félix had been talking about Pepa nonstop, to the point of annoying his younger brother. This just encouraged the giggling, right up until the man in question appeared to lend his hand as well.

Julieta, Leandra, Bruno, and Agustín all exchanged knowing looks and mischievous grins as they conspired to ensure that Pepa and Félix were sat together at the table. Julieta updated Agustín on Félix’s confirmed interest and he snarkily made a toast to “Family: past, present, and future” which pulled giggles from the assembled women and an eye roll from Félix.

Soon the night was filled with good food, laughter, and a few hints of flirting. By the time dinner was over, drinks were drained, and Bruno’s rats had been given treats by all three guests, Leandra was feeling better.

Nonetheless, when Alma arrived and insisted Bruno walk her home, she accepted. And of course, she had to invite him in for a warm drink before he made the journey back down the mountain. 

One cup of tea turned into three and a half as the conversation lingered on.

When Bruno got home just before sunrise he found Pepa and Félix curled up together over a book. The two triplets made eye contact and silently negotiated a peace treaty. Bruno wouldn’t tease her about staying up with Félix, if she didn’t tease him about staying out with Leandra. Julieta, on the other hand, had no problem teasing either of her siblings as they chugged coffee the morning after.

Right up until Bruno caught Agustín slipping out the back that is.

#bruno madrigal #bruno madrigal x oc #bruno madrigal x female oc #bruno encanto #this is technically the start of part two #but I don't have anything to commemorate the occasion #maybe I should doodle something? #Meh I got finals and work to worry about #I might do something for the end of part two though

[angel-with-paper-wings]

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with An Eternity of Bliss?

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Z: Major character death—do you ever write/read it? Is there a character whose death you can’t tolerate?

Sorry it took me so long to answer this! Thank you for asking!! ❤️

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with An Eternity of Bliss?

I’m not a big playlist maker when it comes to my fics, but while writing “An Eternity of Bliss”, I came across the song “Golden Hour” by Jvke (I think it was a TikTok sound at one point). I thought it was really romantic and surprisingly epic for a song made today, and I’ve had it in my head while writing some scenes for AEOB, so I would say that!

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

What a fun question!! This snippet is from Chapter 10 of my first fic, “Live As You’ve Never Lived Before”: 

~

He barely looked at her as he spoke. “I can’t stand by and let them treat you like this. Don’t you want them to stop?”

Christine scowled into his chest. Anger boiled beneath her skin for Carlotta and the others, but in the back of her mind, her father’s voice spoke calmly to her, reminding her of the truth. “I can’t control what they say. And neither can you.” She lifted her head carefully to peer up at the Phantom. He avoided her eye at first, but finally he glanced down at her as she spoke again. “I thought by now, you would’ve realized that. After all the things they’ve said about you—”

Swiftly he turned his head from her again, a rageful glare returning to the visible half of his face. “I don’t care what they say about me,” he spat.

“Yes, you do.” Christine shifted in his arms so her shoulder pressed against his, their eyes level. “If you truly didn’t, you wouldn’t need to wear this.”

Her fingers traced delicately along the inside edge of the mask, so close to his skin that he flinched; he reached up and grasped her wrist, carefully. She could feel his warm breath caress her fingers as they hovered over his face.

“I don’t wear it for them. They don’t have to see me every day.” His voice was pained, as if it physically ached to tell her the truth. “But I do.”

Christine stared at him raptly. Her eyes traveled over every part of his face she could see, but lingered at the edges of the mask. The shadowy border hinted at his full features, and her curious soul longed to see them in the light. “And what if I wanted to see you?” she whispered, not hiding her desire.

The Phantom breathed haltingly as she studied him. His ever-present fear creeped to the forefront of his mind, choking back any words of submission. Instead, he resolved to push her intrigue away once more. “You don’t,” he said finally. “Trust me.”

~

This is actually one of the first scenes I ever wrote for LAYNLB, and I’m proud of it because it turned out exactly as I imagined in my head. It was all about the emotions and the tension between these two—this takes place halfway through my fic, when they already know each other but they don’t know all of each other's secrets yet, so this was a way of teasing their mutual desire to learn more about each other. I tried to focus on what wasn’t being said, describing their actions and the looks on their faces while leaving the dialogue pretty straightforward.

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I almost always write scenes out of order, starting with the scene that I’m most excited to write! Along with this, I usually write out the dialogue of a scene first and then fill in the actions later, so that’s another way I write scenes kind of “out of order”.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

I’m a classic hurt/comfort girlie, it’s just such a satisfying genre to read and write. And obviously I’m partial to canon rewrites, since that’s what I write in my fic 😅 It’s nice to give a happy ending to the characters that deserve it. ❤️

I really love slow burns too, especially when the characters start out as friends and slowly move into something more, because I think it’s a more realistic depiction of a relationship. However, I won’t turn down a good “enemies to friends to lovers” when the situation arises… 😉

Z: Major character death—do you ever write/read it? Is there a character whose death you can’t tolerate?

Ooo, this is tough because I usually LOVE angst, and I’ve definitely read fics in the past that handle this very angsty topic. I’m not so much a fan of it anymore with POTO, because I love all of the major characters so much and don’t want to see any of them die (which btw is one of many reasons why I can’t stand Love Never Dies 😣).

I don’t have any major character death planned for my current WIPs, however that doesn’t mean that minor character death isn’t on the table… 😉

#ask game #fanfiction

[sparkles-oflight]

Writing Original Characters – a rant that might be useful

Hello, everyone. This is a post different than usual. If you don’t know me, first of all, “hi” and second, I should probably talk about my experience in story writing beforehand.

I’m currently a 19-year-old student in communications (I’m not a native English speaker as you might be able to tell), but I also used to be a multimedia student in high school. I started writing and adapting scripts when I was 12 as a fun hobby with my friends, but I also found interest in writing at a young age – though you can say that passion of mine always stayed “saved” in a drawer. I truly started writing scripts for school at 15/16 and I still do, as well as short fictional stories for my personal entertainment. This next university semester, I’m also planning on taking scriptwriting classes. At some point in my life, I also wanted to be a critic of cinematography in videoclips, series, games etc. but that was just another idea I set aside. Even though I keep my ideas to myself, I’m currently writing a fanfic related to a band (it’s a Slovenian band called Joker Out, I truly recommend their music).

Just like in “actual writing” – whatever that might mean to you – when you bring life to original characters, you want your audience to feel something towards them. I’ve recently finished writing chapter 7 of my fanfiction and while I adored writing these past two chapters, they kind of “destroyed” my perception of my favorite chapter until then (Chapter 4). I’ll not go into heavy detail for the sake of avoiding spoilers for the two people who are reading it (I’m not joking, I’m this passioned about something that a maximum of 2 people are reading), but I got myself rooting for the “we didn’t work out” couple instead of the main ones.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it, after all, my original character had a personality, a background, and character flaws that are crucial to any character in any media format (and trust me, I’ve been in a rabbit hole of character and movie writing analysis videos lately) - it’s the way your audience gets to connect with your character.

However, I made a huge mistake. You see, even though I try to write in the POVs of the characters, I decided to break the “archetype” of “Oh, cutsie new character is in love with x and y person and they have to choose who they like. Here ya go: a list of all things they have done in their life”. In my story, I decided that the character already pre-existed and had already interactions with the characters pre-story. And it’s not until chapter 4 where we first get their POV which also doesn’t explain much about the character… So, by the time we get to chapter 6 – which, again, I’ll not dive into– we still know nothing about this character and. We know their name, their age, their love for their country and their job, and that they are a little bit emotional and apologetic.

As I wrote more, I’ve come to realize that the only chance I’ll get “to fix” my character for it to still be likable is by getting more info out of them or else the story will just get boring and annoying. I thought I hated the character because I made the mistake of making it so similar to me. In reality, the character just lacks information. It’s good to hold back some information from the reader, but not too much. I know all their traumas, I know all my character went through and I know why their flaws make them great, but the reader doesn’t.

Honestly, the conclusion to this personal rant of mine is: Don’t be afraid to give information to your audience. People need something to relate to and especially in this day and age where the spam of our concentration was somehow reduced to less than a fucking goldfish. More than just telling compelling or realistic stories, have characters whose stories people want to dive into and learn more about, and share them in an interesting way.

If you’ve made it so far down here, hi again. Thank you for reading this. And feel free to share your thoughts and comments and other writing tips you might consider important. I want this space to feel safe for young writers and open for debate any time ;) I might be a little chaotic most days, but hey, deep down I have some nice thoughts as well… And don’t be like me: a little bitch who never follows their dreams ^^’ cya soon.

#i thought about this after my driving class lmaoooo #writers on tumblr #writings #writeblr #writing #original characters #original writing #writing rant #random rant #rant #fanfictions #fanfics #writing tips