#maybe i should re-read the novels as well

[neil-gaiman]

Hello Mr Neil,

I want to share how I feel about Sherryl the supermodel from Good Omens. You've answered a question previously when someone felt that her representation was lacking empathy (re the visual effects note in the script book, although the scene was cut), and I want to offer my thoughts to help people who felt that way about Sherryl.

The book (Good Omens, not the scripts, which I haven't read) plays with dark topics and makes them absurd and fun, aiming the jabs at the systems that (mis)guide or harm people (there are Beliefs, the People who Believe them, and the odd ways of living that make sense to them). Famine's D-Plan sums up the diet industry and a culture of starvation: of course we don't laugh /at/ Sherryl, we understand (because of everything the novel sets up) that like every other human she does her best with the frameworks she's got. It's empathetic, because that's what Good Omens is. Understanding that let me reframe the knee-jerk reaction I had on my first read of the scene in the book.

[For the TV show, though, as you've explained in the past, certain things had to be adapted to the time. I wonder sometimes - because I know that you do these things well - how you felt about approaching Sherryl nearly 30 years later.]

I think the trouble for me was that the scene in the book felt cruel at first. Now, I think 'A skeleton in a Dior dress' beautifully sums up the sacrifice of her humanity to become New York's top model. It's death dressed up - that's how such extremely-ill supermodels *should* appear to us if only we were unblinkered. One should see plainly the actual violence in an emaciated person's appearance. Maybe growing up with early 2000s aggressive body-shaming British TV shows and an overweight mother of Sherryl's generation as well as personal experience of anorexia made the 'skeleton' image feel cruel, now-overdone and recognisable to the nastiest unhealed bits in my psyche.

I think the frightened human animal in me initially recoiled from the dehumanisation. The pit of me jerked at the descriptions of Sherryl that felt like real insults, pulled straight from mainstream body-shaming media of my formative years. Of course, Good Omens predates this - thin was in, religiously, and the scene was subversive then - but that was my initial bodily feeling, not a thoughtful response. I describe it to illustrate where the challenge was, after we've gone from skinny worship in the 90s, to domestic skinny enforcement, to skinny shame, to wherever we are now in the popular orthorexic fitness culture and clean-eating minefield etc etc. Starvation dehumanises, and Sherryl was sick to the point of being inhuman - the scene under a microscope might feel complicit in dehumanisation to the sensibilities of teens and young adults today (for the same reason that people in Trafalgar Square can't see England), but within the book it humanises Sherryl by showing you plainly what awful thing has happened to her.

What the book did for me was let me delight in a sense of humour that makes difficult things totally absurd and therefore perfectly understandable. It told me, everyone is doing their best (to the best of their understanding), and when the fun-poking poked at my own pressure points, it said, lovingly, yes, you too. Many things about the book are like laughing with a friend or receiving a warm hug - it makes the big things so silly, and shared, and okay.

Thanks :) x <3

I am glad that is how you saw her. That is how we saw her. (I'm reminded of the only time I was ever at a high fashion event, where I found myself profoundly shocked by the incredible thinness of the models, and how sorry for them I felt, and how I wanted to feed them soup and stew and sandwiches. And of a high fashion model I knew a little, when she went out with a friend of mine, who told me that some girls she knew used heroin to stop the hunger pains, injecting themselves between their toes, and later I learned that my friend broke up with her when he learned she was a heroin addict.)

[itslixtoyou]

Research purposes

Satoru Gojo x fem reader

Fic type - NSFW/smut (minors dni)❗️

Warnings - fingering, p in v sex, role play in a way I guess, I suck at warnings so lmk if I need to add more.

Summary - You’re a writer, struggling to figure out how to write an explicit scene for one of your romance novels and so your husband suggests “helping you out” by demonstrating how the sex scene in your book should go.

Word count - I didn’t count yet lol

Imagine being a writer and your curious husband, sensing your frustration, joins your side as you type away at your computer. His head tilting to skim across the pages of the latest romance book you’re currently writing.

“How’s this one coming along, babe?” He asks with genuine interest as he tries to follow along with you while your eyes re-read over the paragraphs you wrote a day ago. The same ones your agonizing burst of writer’s block was preventing you from adding on to.

“I’m stuck on how to write this scene.” You groan, letting out a frustrated sigh before quickly closing your laptop altogether and muttering an annoyed “forget it” as you stand up.

“Whoa hold on.” Satoru quickly places his hands in front of you to block you as you tried to walk away. “Don’t stress, it’s okay if it’s not done right away.”

“But every time I try to-“

Satoru quickly places his fingers to your lips and shushes you. “I said don’t stress. I can’t have that pretty face of yours looking so upset.” He says in a gently scolding tone before he smiles, urging you to sit down on the couch with him. “Just talk me through it babe. Tell me how the scene is supposed to go and I’ll try to help you figure it out.”

Imagine explaining to him the entire premise of the scene, one that, thankfully, happened to be a sex scene.

His lips formed into a smirk as he started to see where things were heading, his mouth opening to let out a teasing “So do they kiss?” Despite knowing they’d do much more than that.

“They definitely do a little more than kiss, Toru.” Your face scrunched into a gentle smile as you laughed, unaware of the way Satoru’s was forming into a smirk.

Imagine Satoru’s hand soon appearing against your thigh and his face leaning to whisper against your ear unexpectedly as he asked “Really now? And do they do this as well?” His hand soon trailed upwards, sneaking past the pair of lounge shorts you’d been wearing till he reached your clothed clit.

His fingers started to rub in a circular motion, causing your breath to hitch in your lungs at his sudden actions.

“Well a-actually, they really just-“ you tried to speak through heavy breaths, but a low voice interrupted you.

“No? What a shame. You should add this part then.” He says with a smirk as he applies more pressure, making you squirm gently.

“I’m only trying to help you, babe. So take notes, you’ll need this for your book.”

Imagine the way his fingers soon plunge into your cunt as he keeps you under him, occasionally whispering taunting sentences that consist of “do you think he’d make her moan like this too?” or “Would she like it if he added another finger?”

Silly sentences to which you answer, quiet breathlessly, “I don’t know, maybe you should try it… just so I know.”

His fingers thrust deeper at your words, pulling another desperate whine from you as he stretches you open. “You’re right, I have to, for the sake of your book, of course.”

Imagine the intensity rising as he asks more questions, giving himself a plethora of excuses to keep going.

“Do you think she’d look this pretty under him?”

“Would her back arch the way yours does?”

“Do you think she’d want him to go faster?”

Your whiny moans fill the air as your husband thrusts his cock relentlessly inside you, gripping your ass with both hands and using it as a guide to push himself deeper within you. “Babe please, just drop the act already.”

You try to speak between panted breaths, wanting your husband to focus simply on you, and not on the ridiculous book that caused this passionate lovemaking session in the first place; a novel in which you found yourself caring less and less about as your husband’s cock drilled pleasantly inside you again and again with each passing second.

“Hush sweetheart,” he interrupted you, “I’m trying to help you envision the scene better.”

Imagine the minutes that seem to turn into hours as he continues his hungry thrusts, his lips almost sucking the flesh off your neck as he kisses it repeatedly.

How his body sticks to yours through a layer of sweat and his hips seem to maintain their momentum far after you feel your legs go numb from the position he’s holding them in over his shoulders.

His eyebrows knit together as he groans deeply, feeling the clench of your tight walls around him as you climax for the third.. fourth… how many times has it happened now?

How long have you both been going at this?

The answer remains a mystery as you lose all capacity to even ponder an explanation, too focused on the sliding of your husband’s cock inside your needy pussy as he renders you useless underneath him.

“D-Do you think she’d… Ngh… do you think she’d last this long too?”

Satoru mumbles with a breathless moan, his self-control depleting as he recognizes the familiar drench of another one of your orgasms covering the entirety of his swollen tip.

Imagine the way he’d keep this silly act going just so he can continue pleasuring you by hiding behind an excuse.

When every time you questioned him about whether or not he’d be waiting for an opportunity like this, he immediately denies it, insisting throughout the entire session that this whole thing was simply for “research purposes” and nothing more.

How he’d urge you to keep going every time a whiny plea jerked out your lips because “the sake of your book depended on it.”

He takes his time, milking this excuse to the fullest as he satisfies the much needed urges he’d been keeping bottled up since earlier today. The same urges he quickly realized you had, coincidentally, been hiding the entire day too.

Imagine the grin that washed across your husband’s exhausted expression as he heard you playfully say “I think I know what to write now” soon after he’d already collapsed on your bare chest.

“Good.” He spoke as he leaned forward to kiss your forehead. “Now make sure you remember to add all the juicy details okay? My character won’t be happy if you leave anything out.”

You giggle breathlessly, still trying to catch your breath from the intense feeling that lingers between your legs. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I need you to refresh my memory.”

#satoru gojo smut #satorugojo #satoru gojo #gojo satoru #jjk smut #jjk satoru #satoru smut #satoru x reader #satoru x you #satoru x y/n #gojo satoru smut

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

Bookmark my Heart

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Reader

Description: You're not the audiobook type. You much prefer reading over listening to books. It would just be your luck that an audiobook got you into this predicament. His eyes are piercing as you fumble with your phone to mute the volume, his voice blaring from the device.

Warnings: None! (Though I do believe Flirty!Rooster is a warning I should call out.)

Themes: Meet-Cute, Flirting, Coffee, Books, Smut Books

Word Count: 3456

A/N: So, if you all aren't aware, today is the lovely @roosterforme's birthday! I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Em and all of the amazing things she does more than to write some Rooster for her. Happy Birthday! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are! So without further ado, I'm pleased to present you all with Bookmark my Heart, a fic where Bradley Bradshaw is an audiobook narrator and the reader, nicknamed Paper, runs right into him! All my thanks to @horseshoegirl and @desert-fern for beta-reading this fic and catching all of the places where I've missed commas as well as updating my phrasing!

My Masterlist

AO3: Cross-posted Here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted Here!

You’re not the audiobook type. Something about having someone read the pages, providing inflections and changes of tone to the otherwise inflectionless words tends to kill your imagination. So you much prefer reading over listening to the books you’re in the mood to peruse. It would just be your luck that an audiobook got you into this predicament. His eyes are piercing as you fumble with your phone to mute the volume, his voice blaring from the device. But maybe you should back up a little bit.

It all started, like it usually did for you, with a book. Unlike normally though, you aren’t talking about Keats, Byron, Shelley, or Austen. This time, the book that was your downfall was something you’d usually classify as chick-lit. Not that chick-lit is a bad thing. There are quite a few romance novels which are beautifully written and that you enjoy reading and re-reading. It’s just not normal that a romance novel, something smutty and provocative, would end up being talked about on podcasts and the news. That’s not considering how all of your female colleagues seem to be talking about the very same book. But that’s the other interesting thing. They’re not even discussing the book’s contents. More like they’re discussing the narrator’s voice in the audiobook edition - how deep and smooth and raspy it is.

It hadn’t even been a full day before the curiosity got the better of you and you purchased the book from Kindle Unlimited. It took you the better part of two weeks before you actually screwed up the courage to listen to it though. Maybe you shouldn’t have picked a Saturday morning when you were running errands to listen to the book. In your defense, there was no better time to listen to the book other than a day when you’d be spending quite a long time in the car with nothing else to do. You’d definitely miscalculated. Dear lord, this man’s voice?! It’s deep and raspy, something smooth and dark in how he voices the syllables. It’s the kind of voice you’ve once heard referred to as panty-wetting - an epithet you’ve never understood until now.

The book has you squirming as you walk through the grocery store. There’s sweat dripping down your spine as he talks about something involving fighter jets and the men (and women - you always feel like you have to correct) who fly them. You’d never have thought that flaps and ailerons could ever be that alluring. You have to take a minute as you leave the grocery store, sitting in your car in silence practically heaving just at the way the word “Doll” had dripped off of his lips. Maybe you can buy into the hype a little bit. It’s not often that you find a romance book in the male perspective after all. As far as finding the pilots sexy goes, though, what can you say? You’ve seen Top Gun - both movies - those boys in their dress whites are awfully sexy.

You send a little prayer of thanks to Rooster Bradshaw, whoever he is, for narrating this book. Just his voice has already made your boring Saturday running errands a thousand times better. You don't even mind that you're melting in the San Diego heat without the air conditioning on as you collect yourself. At least there is only one thing you have left to do today. As a reward for finishing up your errands, including odious activities like going to the bank and post office and grocery shopping, you'd vowed to treat yourself with a romp through your favorite bookstore.

Like you mentioned earlier, it all started with a book. What can you say? You're nothing if not predictable. The Breezy Bean is your favorite coffee shop and bookstore. It's a small shop nestled right in the midst of cobblestone streets and overshadowed by apartment buildings on either side. It's always a zoo trying to get parking, but you can't regret the competition for parking when the books are as good as they are and the coffee is even better.

Lara's not at the counter, but her business partner and best friend, Emily is, and you wave at her absentmindedly as you tangle the cord of your headphones around your index finger. The entire shop smells like coffee beans, paper and ink. You could spend forever here, and you're sure you have, at the very least, spent the entire day in the shop before. The shelves tower over your head, creaking under the weight of everything they hold. You're not a woman on a mission today, content to just meander until a cover catches your fancy. The eyes eat first, after all, isn't that what they say? If only you knew how true that statement would be.

The whole time you're listening to the book, tasting the words on your tongue seconds after Rooster says them, teasing the syllables out like you're trying to snatch them from his lips. Is it any wonder that after about four hours of listening to his voice, you're starting to imagine what the main character of the book looks like based on how Rooster sounds? You're only human, after all. It's quiet and dim in the back of the store, the shelves lit only by the small lights shining from the wall sconces. This is your favorite section of the store. There's a squashy green armchair here with a small table, and this is where you usually sit and wile away the hours.

It's rare that anyone ever ventures into this corner of the store. So it's a surprise when you see a man standing right in front of your favorite chair. He's tall and ridiculously handsome, wearing an eye-wateringly bright Hawaiian shirt and slim-fitting jeans. Like everyone in California, he's got Ray-Bans flung into the neckline of his tank top. The truly unique part of his look is the mustache he's carefully cultivated on his upper lip. He’s holding a book in long-fingered hands, lips pursed as he scans the pages, leaning gently against one of the shelves.

You try your best to squeeze past him in the narrow aisle, wondering if Em and Lara have squeezed more shelves back here or if you've just gained weight when it happens — your headphone cord snags on the buttons on his open shirt. You try to untangle it, unsuccessfully, but then your phone falls out of your pocket and rips your headphones right out of the jack.

You were just getting to a good part, something filled with innuendo but not quite at the sex. That's your only silver lining. Because when your phone nosedives to the, thankfully, carpeted floor sans your headphones, the audio keeps playing way too loudly for the hushed environment. To add insult to injury, your phone is closer to him than it is to you, and well, you've embarrassed yourself enough. The last thing you need is to get eye-level with a stranger's dick while your phone is narrating smut in a bookstore.

“Good book?” There's a smile on his face, and you nod timidly as he hands you back your phone. You pause the app and turn the volume all the way down before his words, or well, you should say, the sound of his voice sinks in.

If you weren’t mortified before, you're even more so now. Obviously, your brain does not compute, so your brain-to-mouth filter isn't working as you blurt out, “You're Rooster Bradshaw.”

It doesn’t surprise you at all when he starts laughing - a full body, belly laugh which fills the stacks with the mellifluous sound. If you had any doubts before that you'd run into the Rooster Bradshaw at your favorite coffee shop before (which you didn’t - see your intimate knowledge of his voice from earlier), you wouldn’t have any now. His character had actually laughed not fifteen minutes ago in the book. Well, now what are you supposed to do? You feel hot, embarrassment crawling its way up your throat as you shift your weight back and forth. Rooster's smiling at you as he stands back, lounging against the shelf like he's waiting for you to get your shit together. You'd hate to break it to him, but you don't think that's possible.

“I'm sorry.” You try your best to hide your face because he does not need to see what your facial expressions are doing.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” You shrug a shoulder as you busy yourself by turning around and trying to force yourself to read the titles. “It's not every day I run into pretty girls in my favorite bookstore, listening to me narrate a book about US Naval Aviators.”

Flirting shouldn’t be the thing which puts you at ease in this situation. There really must be something wrong with you. You’ve never done anything like this before. What happened to the girl who would have run away the minute the phone fell? She might not be facing down the sexiest man she’s ever seen, but at least that version of her isn’t at risk of heart palpitations.

“I hate to break it to you, Rooster, but a lot of pretty women are listening to you right now. This book has made its way onto podcasts and PBS. The author herself has been interviewed gushing about your professionalism and how you say the word “aileron.” Despite your mortification, you find yourself mirroring his relaxed position against the shelves. “Though I do have to correct a part of your statement there. What about yoga pants, glasses, and a messy bun makes me pretty? Because I’d call myself a mess.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say you’re a mess, pretty girl.” Rooster grins as he tugs the shoulder of your cami up from where it is sliding down your arm. “Don’t you know exactly how devastating you look in those yoga pants?”

You’re left dumbstruck, reeling as he leans even closer to you. All of a sudden, you’re inundated with the scent of his cologne as he crowds into your space, and you’re forced to tip your head up to keep eye contact. Of course, the motion makes your glasses tip on your face, and you can’t lift a hand up to resettle them on your face without brushing up against every inch of the man, nearly squishing you into the shelf. There’s a scant few centimeters between you as you try to string words together.

“What makes you think I don’t know how good these pants make my ass look?” You smirk just a little, screwing up all of your courage to peer up at him. “But really, this outfit is comfortable.”

“Comfortable is not how you’re making me feel, honey.” There’s a heat in his gaze as his voice rasps out the words. “But maybe we can both get a little more comfortable and have a cup of coffee together?” 

Only two people will ever know if your hand strays right over the seam at the front of his jeans as you walk away. “I’d love to, but maybe you need to take a few minutes in seclusion, Mr. Chicken.”

You feel giddy as you walk away because things like this don’t just happen to girls like you. You don’t flirt with men you've just met. And you definitely do not brush over the dicks of men you've just met! The counter is nearly empty as you walk up, and you know Em has clocked onto the fact that your hands are surprisingly empty of books.

“Hiya, Paper!” You roll your eyes only a little. Buy a stack of paperbacks once a week from a bookstore for months, and this is exactly what you’ll be nicknamed. “No books today?”

“Hey, Em. Can I get a latte, please? And whatever the gentleman in the Hawaiian shirt orders is on me.” You grin at the sight of her eyebrows ticking up until they’re nearly in her hair.

“What has our sweet little Paper been doing today, huh?” You shrug just a little, grinning as she hands you your drink. “I’ve been reading, Em!”

“Of course you have!” You’re laughing as you make your way to a table for two in the corner.

You’re smiling outright when Rooster swaggers out of the shelves a few minutes later, and Em clocks the Hawaiian shirt on his broad frame. She’s half drooling when he orders an Americano. As she turns to make his drink, you get the messages in short order.

What the fuck, Paper!

This is the man you’re buying a coffee for?

Damn, girl! I’m going to need all of the details. STAT!

You put the device away only when the chair opposite yours slides out, and Rooster settles in. You'd promised a full detailing of the encounter to Em, and you wouldn't be surprised if Lara interrogates you the next time you see her as well.

“So, obviously, you come here often, then.” He’s smirking as he sips on his coffee.

“Yup!” You’re just as chipper as you blow over the surface of your own mug.

“You come here often enough that one of the owners just threatened me with the loss of my…” He pauses like he’s not sure if he should laugh or cry as he says the words, “...crown jewels…” and grimaces before continuing, “...if I hurt you.”

“She also called you Paper. Why’s that, Honey?”  

You lean forward, feeling just a little more confident as he mirrors your position. “Tit for tat, Bradshaw, if that even is your last name. You tell me something about yourself, I tell you something about myself.”

“Deal?” You stretch your hand out and gasp when he takes it and sets it down to the side of the mugs.

“Deal.”

“I’ll start.” Your faces are inches apart from each other. He's whispering, and you have to lean forward even further so you don't miss a single word. “My name’s Bradley Bradshaw. I didn’t want to use my real name while narrating those books.”

“And Rooster was what you decided on?” His chuckle and yours rise into the air in perfect harmony.

“It was a nickname I got in college. I was always the only guy in the dorm up before 9 A.M.”

You take turns sharing your life stories and quite a few secrets until your coffees are long gone. You find yourself telling him all about how you got your nickname and how you’ve been feeling stuck for the longest time. With Bradley, it doesn’t feel like another boring first date. If it weren’t for the faint hiss of the espresso machine and the clank of mugs and cutlery you wouldn't think there was another person in the room but the two of you. There are butterflies in your stomach, and your entire body shudders when he hooks his ankle around yours and tugs you closer. That point of contact has your blood turning into molten lava in your veins as his hand trails gentle patterns across your upturned palm.

“Hey, Paper?” It takes an inhuman effort to drag your eyes away from the magic Bradley Bradshaw is committing just with your hands in his own.

“Hey, Em.” As you say her name, you realize how dark it is. “The store’s closing, isn’t it?”

“Yup. It actually closed an hour ago. You looked so cute together that I called Lara, and we made an executive decision to let the two of you keep talking for just a bit longer.”

Your face feels extra hot because Em’s looking at you like she’s liable to start laughing at any moment. You don’t want to know what your hair looks like now, not after hours of running your fingers through it. It’s probably even more of a mess than it was when you literally ran into Bradley hours ago. A great first impression, right?

“Let me settle up then, Em.” If your voice is hushed and a little more subdued, it’s because reality and panic are settling in.

“No, sweetheart.” Bradley’s voice is even firmer as he stands up and places a hand on your arm. “Today is on me, I insist.”

You know exactly when Em puts it together, because her eyes widen to a comical degree. She was the biggest reason why you bought the book in the first place. “You’re Rooster Bradshaw!”

For the second time today, you find yourself laughing along with Bradley, though the sounds of his laughter doesn’t put you at ease in quite the same way as it did earlier. Em’s laughing too, and she looks gorgeous in the golden light. At least she’s put together in a way you’re so obviously not. Maybe you should have taken your mother’s well-meant advice when you were younger - dress to impress, for you never know who you’re going to meet. But you haven’t taken that advice, choosing to dress simply and comfortably. It works when you can’t wear any makeup when you work in a laboratory and when all of your nice clothes would be at risk of chemical spills at worst and covered by a lab coat at best. So you walk through life in a swirl of well-worn jeans, tee-shirts, yoga pants, tank tops, camisoles, sneakers and sandals. There are a few dressier items in your closet, but they’re so far in the back that you haven’t worn them in probably a year and a half. Em’s cute outfit and wavy, non-greasy hair probably feel like a breath of fresh air to him. The same goes for the timber of her voice and how she sounds so elegant. 

If you didn't know any better (because you know Em, you do), you'd think that the words the two of them are sharing by the counter now are flirtier than settling up a bill. It doesn’t help the green, envious monster sitting on your shoulder, though. Nor does it help when you run to the restroom and take a look at yourself in the mirror. You look worse than you thought you did. Your face is wan and pale, the bags under your eyes have bags, and your hair is so greasy that it lays limp when you release it from your bun. Your lips are chapped, and fuck, how did you manage to drip coffee onto yourself?! You only drank one cup! What's left to show you that you've made a huge fool of yourself?

Your hands shake as you splash water on your face and put your hair back in its sad bun again. Just a little longer and you'll be home, wallowing in peace at yet another failed potential relationship. At least the water has brought a blush to your cheeks and cleaned the worst of the smudges off your glasses. Bradley probably has Em's phone number by now, right? It's probably best not to get your hopes up too high, else you find yourself falling from a prodigious height.

Instead, you're pleasantly surprised to see him still in the shop.

“Hey!” His face lights up when he sees you, and you're sure your earlier pep-talk about managing your expectations hasn’t worked at all. This is going to hurt. “So, I know talking to a stranger for hours at a coffee shop probably isn't the best first date. So would you maybe want to go on a real one sometime soon?”

“Y-you're serious?” He smiles and hands you his phone, unlocked.

“Put your number in there, Paper.” Your mind's not working at all as you type the ten digits in. 

“Why me?” 

His smile is warm and fond as he takes the phone back, types something and hits send. Your notification tone goes off soon after. 

“It's not every day I run into a pretty girl listening to me reading a romance novel who doesn't fawn all over me once they realize who I am. It's been nice talking to you. I feel like you're the first person in a long time to see Bradley, not Rooster.”

He holds the door open for you, a hand finding its way to the small of your back as he walks you out to your car. He even opens the door for you, a chivalrous action which has your heart flip-flopping in your chest. “Baby doll?”

“Yeah?” He takes advantage of the height difference between you to tip your face up as he feathers a kiss across the apple of your cheek.

“It helps that your ass looks damn good in those yoga pants!” 

You're laughing despite yourself as you drive away. Maybe audiobooks aren't as bad as you think? Or, well, at least their narrators aren't.

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR ON AO3 BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR AO3, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

Taglist:

@desert-fern @horseshoegirl @dakotakazansky @sarahsmi13s @teacupsandtopgun @footprintsinthesxnd @roosterforme @beyondthesefourwalls @mak-32 @thedroneranger @chaoticassidy @shanimallina87 @kmc1989

#star writes #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #top gun imagine #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster imagine #bradley rooster bradshaw imagine #bookmark my heart

[civilotterneer]

"Well, gotta refuel before I make my way to Prescott Valley. I didn't see this town on my map, but gas is gas." He doesn't realize he's about to enter just as the hysteria hits.

Decided to make a fun little art piece about Echo, my current reading material. However, I kinda have a lot of thoughts about it so far.

I'll keep my dialogue here spoiler-light, and will avoid giving anything important away.

Echo is one of those stories that, as much as I typically detest horror, has completely enthralled me. Not to get to philosophical, but its use of foreshadowing reminds me of a few strong mystery and sci-fi points:

The overall foreshadowing reminds me of solid Arthur Conan Doyle-style. ACD was known for his novels having given you everything you need to solve the mystery long before the characters can. While the mystery isn't solved in each ending, there is a heavy amount of this foreshadowing that is just like ACD. Things mentioned early on that feel like minor statements become important later. For example, swimming is heavily mentioned by Chase early on in TJ's route, and to those who have done the route, they realize why. With Leo, its the trainyard. These are the only routes I've completed so far, but I will be watching for these now when I do the rest.

Another neat note is how each story gives a bit of foreshadowing to each other. In Flynn's route, its mentioned that the railing by Lake Emma wouldn't stop a car from going in. Though I haven't finished Flynn's route yet to see if this is direct foreshadowing, I do remember the car doing exactly this in Leo's route, and it's never mentioned there.

Second is the push for "Man is the Monster", akin to Frankenstein. So far, TJ's route was heavily this (Chase you heathen), and Leo's was from Leo. The use of the monster physically in Leo's is almost unnecessary, as the monster's been with them the whole time. It's a great dive into man is the monster that reminds me of the common scifi tropes that aim to point that out instead of just putting a monster in the way (See Alien and how though the monster is a very real threat, the true monster is the company that keeps sacrificing people to study the alien).

This story is so well written and uses a lot of very-strong scifi writing traits, and I'm excited to continue and analyze these more. Props to The Echo Project for really having some great writers so far!

It feels really weird (and even moreso enthralling!) because I don't live that far from the approximate location Echo should be, not to far away from Prescott. I've even located Lake Alamo, which has a lot of similarities to Lake Emma, though there isn't a nearby settlement that matches Echo's description. I'm tempted to do a quick study of the area, take a weekend and hike around after doing like a week of local research to see what I could find that matches the descriptions of Echo. Maybe make some kind of literary analysis out of the photos and the story itself once I complete all the routes.

Note: I noticed a render error and re-uploaded the fixed version.

#fursona #3d render #furry #otter furry #echo project #echo vn #echovn #Civil

[misc-obeyme]

Forgetful MC

I wanted to try writing something in this style, as head canons with all the brothers. So here it is!

I am crazy forgetful, so I felt like writing how the bros would deal with an MC who is forgetful and/or absent minded. Maybe I'll do the dateables, too? Haven't decided yet.

GN!MC

Warnings: MC is forgetful. These are all things I personally struggle with, so it's pretty self indulgent. Tried to keep it gender neutral. Might be some ADHD symptoms too as I have that as well. Mentions of forgetting to eat. I think that's it though. Please let me know if I should add something here.

Lucifer

Gets annoyed with you at first. Why can’t you seem to keep track of things, MC? Important things are forgotten just as easily as unimportant ones and he doesn’t understand.

Eventually figures out that you can’t help it. It isn’t that you don’t care, it’s just that your brain doesn’t work that way.

Lucifer becomes your personal calendar. Starts sending you texts to remind you of important dates and upcoming meetings. Will send you a text the day before everyone’s birthday, even his and your own, just so you don’t forget.

Keeps a little basket that he puts all your forgotten items in when he finds them around the house. Gives them all back to you once a week. Secretly pleased at your delight when you find something in the pile you were looking for earlier.

Mammon

Figures out pretty quickly how absent minded you are. He’s always asking you if you’ve got your essentials - did you remember your D.D.D.? Got your textbooks, backpack/purse, etc? In the beginning, he complains about it a lot, but eventually it just becomes routine.

Brings extras of things to class and other places in case you do forget something. Need a pencil because you left yours on your desk back in the House of Lamentation? Left all your money sitting on your bed for some reason? He’s got you covered. You better be grateful, MC!

Reminds you of things you need when you go shopping. If you mentioned to him once that you need something, he’ll remember it even if it’s days later. You don’t need a shopping list, you’ve got Mammon.

Discovers that you will get lost easily because you can’t remember how to get places. He knows if you go somewhere new or somewhere you haven’t been to recently, chances are high that you’ll get lost. To prevent you from wandering aimlessly for hours, he won’t let you go anywhere alone.

Leviathan

Your forgetfulness becomes apparent to him when you can’t remember the plot of an anime you watched together a few weeks ago. It’s okay, MC, he’ll re-watch all the episodes with you to refresh your memory!

Anytime you spend hours in his room gaming or marathoning something, he checks to be sure you haven’t left anything behind when you finally leave. If you did, he will put the lost items in Lucifer’s basket.

Loves when you ask him a question about one of the items in his collection even if he’s already told you about it before. Levi is happy to tell you all about it as many times as you need!

Is a little baffled when you turn out to be really good at remembering specific things - like song lyrics, character relationships, and his personal opinions on different things. He finds it really endearing.

Satan

Realizes you have trouble remembering certain things right away. Figures out what you’re good at remembering and what you struggle with. He’s going to be your study buddy, MC. You need one to help make sure you remember the important things.

Due to studying with you, Satan knows that you’re not as forgetful as you seem. You actually retain information really well and have no problem with most tests.

Similar to how Levi figures out that you can’t remember anime plots, Satan discovers that you will forget the plots of novels, too. If you’re reading a series of novels together, he will give you summaries of the first books that you’ve already read. This way you don’t have to re-read the whole series when a new installment comes out.

He’s thrilled when you remember the name of every cat he’s ever introduced you to, whether it’s a Devildom stray or one that lives in a cat cafe.

Asmodeus

Of course Asmo is the one who realizes that you forget to take care of yourself. Takes the time to figure out your morning routine only to discover that there is no routine. Sometimes you remember to brush your hair, sometimes you don’t.

Things can’t go on like this, MC. He makes you a list of things you need to remember to do and tapes it to your bathroom mirror. There’s a morning and an evening edition. He’s lucky if you do a third of the list, but hey it’s better than the sporadic things you were doing before.

Will check your products to make sure you aren’t running low because you will forget to buy more before you run out. Will just buy the things you need for you while getting his own.

Regularly goes through your closet to rearrange your clothes. If you put clothes in the back of the closet, you forget they exist. He rotates them for you to keep your wardrobe fresh.

Beelzebub

And Beel is naturally the one who figures out that you sometimes forget to eat. He asks you regularly throughout the day if you’ve eaten anything recently. If you haven’t, he makes you come with him to find food.

Asks if you’ve eaten every morning before leaving the house because breakfast is the meal you seem to forget most often. Breakfast is important, MC.

Knows that sometimes you forget to do things like go outside or move around. Will make sure you go on a walk with him every day.

On days when you don’t have anything planned, Beel will take you out to eat because he knows that you’ll forget to eat at all if you don’t have a schedule of some kind. The instant he suggests it, you realize you’re starving and will agree immediately because wow you really need food this second you don’t care where he takes you.

Belphegor

Belphie doesn’t understand why all his brothers seem to think you’re forgetful. You always seem to know exactly where he left his pillow whenever he asks you. What are they even talking about, MC?

Reality is that your memory is incredibly selective and for some reason, you can never forget the location of a cow print pillow.

Pretty good at helping you to remember what you came into a random room for. If you pause after walking in and look confused, he'll ask you the right questions to get you to remember why you're there.

If Lucifer just put an item in your basket, he’ll take it out and leave it somewhere random. Has you hide in the room with him so you can giggle together when Lucifer finds the object and gets confused and/or irritated.

masterlist | part 2 with side characters | Thank you for reading!

#obey me headcanons #obey me shall we date #obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #it's my first time writing something like this #so I apologize for the lack of quality lol #misc writes

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hey, thanks so much again for being an invaluable resource!!

So I’m rewriting my fic from scratch again (OTL) and the plot is going to be rather complex. After some major on-foot travel (with appropriate timeskips), three different types of climax will happen around the same time, all caused by two well-meaning villains and their ‘gangs’ as it were. The 3 main OCs will have 2 canon side characters be a lot of help, each group hopefully with about 50/50 importance.

With this, what are certain factors in general writing I can be more lax about versus those I should tackle more carefully?

(Hopefully I asked this well haha, hopefully not too specific.)

Fan-Fiction: Things to Keep in Mind While Rewriting

1 - What Type of Story You're Writing - Just as with original fiction, there are all different types of fan-fiction stories. As with original fiction, fan-fiction can be character-driven (centered around internal conflict), plot-driven (centered around external conflict), or a combination of both. The story you're describing is likely a combination of character-driven and plot-driven, so you may want to keep Basic Story Structure in mind while re-writing.

2 - Canon Format - While you certainly don't have to follow canon format when structuring your story, it may be worth considering. If the canon source is a TV show, you may want to structure your story like an episode, season arc, or mini-arc within a season. If the canon source is a movie, you may want to structure your story like a movie. And, if the canon source is a book, you may want to structure your story like a novel.

3 - Avoid Over Complication - You have a lot going on in your story... three main characters, two villains with their own gangs, and three separate climaxes. It's not that this can't work, it's just that it's going to take some effort (and maybe a little trial and error) to make it work well. Most stories have only one climax, though sometimes the "dark night of the soul" plot point is thought of as a pre-climax or false climax. But three different climaxes happening at the same time is a lot. The one way this might work is if they're all related/stemming from the same event. Otherwise, you're dividing the reader's attention so much that none of the climaxes can have much impact. You may want to consider combining two of the climaxes into the main climax and use the other one as the pre-climax/dark night of the soul beforehand.

4 - Consider Reader Expectation - If you're going to post this story and care about people reading it, you may want to think about what readers will expect from this story based on things like canon, popular fan-fiction, and stories you've written in the past. While you definitely want to surprise and wow the reader, it's also a good idea to do so while not straying too far from their expectations.

5 - Just Do Your Best - When you ask what factors in general writing you can be more lax about versus those I should tackle more carefully, my best answer is if you want this story to be good, you should tackle all aspects of writing carefully. Things like story structure, plot, character development, description, pacing, balance of dialogue/action/exposition, world building, etc. aren't things you pick and choose. They're all critical pieces of a well-told story. However, it's also important not to overthink any of it, because when you let yourself get too bogged down in worrying about plot, story structure, world building, etc., all it does is hinder your ability to write, which isn't helpful either. So, all can do is be aware of all these things and how they work, then do your best to deliver on them based on your current ability as a writer, the needs of the story, and the expectations of the reader. :)

Have fun with your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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#writing tips #writing help #writing advice #wqaadvice

[copperbadge]

If you wanted to write a pirate whaling sailor novel, there's always explaining what the Dychev was doing before they entered the field of education. Something gay, no doubt.

The Dychev definitely has had an adventurous past. I specifically designed it as a brigantine (which technically is a type of rigging but shh) because they were made for speed and aggression -- the Dychev is extremely large, so not exactly for espionage as some brigantines were, but probably did a lot of armed escort and similar. Not a whaling boat, but possibly a privateer.

Be awfully funny to send a Starbuck to Askazer-Shivadlakia. Maybe connect them up with one of the proliferating Welsh pirates of the golden age of piracy. Quite a few Jewish pirates, too; a Jewish, Welsh transplant sailing home to Fons-Askaz with a hold full of gold and a random Nantucker Quaker he picked up off the wreck of a whaler would be good fun. Sort of regency romance meets The Sea Wolf.

(I should re-read The Sea Wolf. I do about every five years and always find something new and weird to enjoy about it.)

I don't know how well I'd do at a period piece outside of my areas of specific interest, which are basically WWII Art Looting and Classical History, but there are plenty of resources for historical research these days.

#shivadhverse #famtucket

[knickynoo]

Back to the Future Part II, The Novel by Craig Shaw Gardner: Thoughts, commentary, and general ramblings

Part 1: An Interesting Start

About a year ago, I picked up a copy of the ridiculous, off-the-walls novelization of the first Back to the Future and had a thoroughly enjoyable time, which I documented in a series of posts (you can check out here).

Well, guess who got her hands on the Part II novel? And while it's not nearly as wild as the one written by George Gipe, the few chapters I've read have been fun, so I decided to make posts to go along as I read. Let's jump right in.

• The book begins with a recap of the major events of the first movie, then catches up with Marty on the morning he wakes up to find that his life is now very different. As Marty thinks about the changes in his parents, he recalls the versions of them he had grown up knowing. There’s description of what a pushover George was, followed by this: “And his mother had reacted to all of this by quietly stepping back from life. she had also started drinking more than she should. They had both been good parents, had raised Marty and his brother and sister the best they could, but still…”

Then the thoughts about his parents just end there. And there’s something so sad about the little reflection and the way it trails off and leaves things unsaid. Dysfunctional as they were, they had been good parents. They had tried their best. But still…

Still, it wasn’t the greatest environment to grow up in. Still, it was difficult. Still, there was brokenness. I cry.

• As Marty takes in all the new things in his life, he finds himself wishing that Doc had waited a bit before taking off into the future. “The way all these things had changed—Marty thought they were great and all, but still—if you looked at it a certain way, all this change could be a little scary.”

THANK YOU, BOOK. Yes! All these changes ARE scary, and there’s no way a kid could be expected to just shrug and carry on when the very foundation of his life has been altered so dramatically but he doesn’t remember any of it and now he’s a stranger in his own life with no memories of growing up with these significantly well-adjusted versions of his parents and even though things are technically better how can he not miss the way things used to be and the parents who raised him and honestly Doc could have waited a day or two before jetting off into the future ya know?

Just gonna drop this here

Eric Stoltz wasn't the right fit for Marty, but he was right about this. He Got It.

Yeah, so ANYWAY

• Marty is so happy to see Jennifer that he has to “keep himself from jumping up and down.” Marty’s so cute. Lil’ jumping bean guy. Golden Retriever of a boy.

• When Doc is rifling through the trash for stuff he can throw into the Mr. Fusion, it refers to the banana peel (twice!) as “banana skin.” Which is. An interesting choice.

• As Doc backs the car out into the road, it’s mentioned that Marty lives on a street with a dead end. Idk why this tiny little tidbit is intriguing to me but it is.  

• After they arrive in 2015 Doc responds to Marty’s questions of if he’s a rich rockstar by saying maybe this whole thing was a mistake and he should just take Marty right back home. Which, to me, is the equivalent of a flustered parent doing the whole, “If you don’t behave, I am going to turn this car around,” thing. Very funny. Marty scrambles to apologize because he Does Not want to go home.

• Little confused about the clothes Marty is described as wearing when he arrives in the future. I mean, since the opening scene to part II is just a re-shoot of the ending scene in the first movie, we know Book Marty is also wearing those same clothes: checkered shirt and red tee underneath, yes? Well, as Book Marty gets changed into his future clothes, he’s described as wearing a purple t-shirt. Purple??

I’m sorry, that is not purple. What happened here? Didn’t the guy writing this novel know that Marty’s character color is red? He wears so much red. How did this shirt being described as purple make it into the book?

• Also!

I feel like the entirety of the first two movies can be summed up with those two sentences.

• I’m glad the movie went with Marlene trying to break Jr. out of jail and ending up in prison instead of the horribly depressing route the book (and script its based on) mentions. Good move.

• Intrigued by a bit where Marty is thinking about skateboarding and it's mentioned that he skateboarded “once or twice during the week he had spent in the 1950s.” I’m sorry?  Once or twice?? Mr. Gardner, I don’t know about you, but we see Marty skateboard one whole time in 1955, which is not a difficult number to keep track of. Are you trying to plant a headcanon in my noggin’ in which Marty might have snuck in another round of skateboarding for funsies in 1955? Because if so, you’ve succeeded.

And that's it for now. Gonna go ponder the idea of Marty doing some Secret, Forbidden Skateboading during some downtime in 1955. Perhaps I'll even picture him wearing a purple t-shirt.

#back to the future #bttf #marty mcfly #bttf II: the novel

[alldaysarenights]

On Discworld…

…and the things I’ve learned so far.

I know, I’m late, but sometimes it’s fun to discover something on your own and in your time.

Recently, I’ve started reading the Discworld series, beginning with Rincewind. And there are so many tiny things I’ve discovered, I don’t even know where to start.

I’ll give D&D a go first. As a passionate player and also a I-once-ran-a-short-campaign DM, I couldn’t but notice all the references there to find, especially with Rincewind. Right now I’m 4 books into his story, barely at the beginning, yet I’ve laughed my a** off a few times. Always wondering what he took from a former campaign. Well, at first I wondered if Sir Pratchett actually played. The internet was quick to answer the question, yes, yes of course he did. Would have been more surprised, if he didn’t.

I discovered stuff about the gods playing dice and there are sorcerer, barbarians and the luggage, which slightly reminds me of a mimic. But I guess this beast came afterwards. I told the other players of my group, and they agreed on the resemblance. Now we definitely have the plan, to tame a mimic, lol.

I could quote you so much stuff, but I’d fancy you going on an adventure and see it for yourself. Read the books, assemble some good friends, and have some fun on a silly campaign. Not necessarily in this order.

Next thing that keeps popping up in my mind, while reading, is Good Omens. I came from the Neil Gaiman side, getting lured in by Morpheus, whom I met doing some research. My comic book dealer was happy to help. Naturally, there was a point where I did read Good Omens. And it was weird, this was Gaiman, but also not, and it was so funny. I knew one day I would have to read Discworld. Unfortunately, I was a bit discouraged by the massive amount of books. The problem sorted out itself, after a friend, I’ve talked to about it, enabled me to read them.

With it came a list in which order I should proceed, so I happily jumped in, secretly nurturing the idea of reading all the books within a year. If it works out, no idea, we’ll see. If so, I might write another article on the experience.

Anyway, the point is, knowing Good Omens well as for watching the series multiple times and doing the same to the book (reading actually), I couldn’t but notice some stuff that definitely came from Terry’s side. Like phrases, he kept using. I did read: “Not as such” as an answer more than once. No matter who said it, in my imagination it was Crowley for a split second.

The first book got me so confused, I completely forgot that this was Terry Pratchett. I caught myself thinking, I was reading Neil Gaiman. This set my brain on halt and the world stood for a second. Amazing what books can do to you.

I’ve realised Death and the horsemen and how they seem unable to start a proper apocalypse. Also, sometimes there were phrases sounding a lot like Agnes Nutter. As well as the tone it is written in, the tiny wordings you sometimes aren’t aware of as an author. And it led me to the conclusion, (of course there is no other evidence and I could be totally wrong), that Neil must have invested a lot of time in re-reading the Discworld or maybe already know them by heart. For some of the things I’ve realised definitely played a part in GO2.

It is amazing how much two people can morph into one, and yet there must be a lot of work behind the scenes. I for my part can only hope that my writing buddy and I can get to this point some day. At least I’ll have to convince him to write a full-grown novel together first.

So you might ask yourself, and I know because so did I, what’s the whole point of this article? Fair enough. I came to the conclusion, that fun expands with knowledge. And I know, my sense of fun probably differs from that of others a lot. But if you are able to grasp those tiny hints and hidden pleasures, it can make a story twice as joyful.

So go out there and consume all those stories. Not just by reading. Listen to people telling their stories, watch movies, series, anime. Maybe go to the opera or watch a play. Memorise a poem or play a game. Find the medium which suits you well but keep on searching, you’ll never know what you might learn from it and what pleasures and magic are hidden in those stories. Because our world is built, or maybe better, powered by storytelling.

#discworld #terry pratchett #neil gaiman #good omens #dnd #stories #storytelling

[xxbrightshadowxx]

How the hell did I learn about the 9th Amulet book through two brothers arguing in the backseat behind on a two hour plane trip from Arizona? I thought they were joking at first till I searched it up and it’s real and it’s coming out very soon. So after I learned that I decided to re-read the Amulet series up till 8 and decided to tell whoever is willing to read this my thoughts!

Clarification beforehand though, I do enjoy Amulet. It was one of my favorite pieces of media for a few years and even inspired me to create my own story similar to it. While I may come off a bit hatful and aggressive, I do like this series but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my fair share of problems with it

Books 1

So I’m going off the same rating scale that I use for movies so go check out my Trolls Band Together review to know what each rating means and just replace movie/film to with book. Anyways I give this book, 6/10. I enjoyed this book. This was the first graphic novels series I read and I was excited to know what happened next. I also loved how the robots and the robot house looked. I don’t have any problems with the first book. Primarily because it’s way too early to have any problems.

The reason why I rate it low though, is because while I enjoy it, it’s not my favorite. It didn’t do much to really impress me nor draw my attention. It did just enough to make me wanna see what happens next.

Book 2

With the second book I give it a 6.8/10 right between 6.5 and 7. Why? Well for starters I enjoyed the Elf plot line. To me, when I first read the series was much more interesting then the main one for some reason. This is the book where we meet Leon. Leon, for the most part was an interesting character. Not to mention we get some world building through him about the elf king and being a stone keeper.

Navin’s plotline, while useful to some degree, wasn’t my favorite. Of course it’s important but I was less invested than I should’ve. That might just have been a personal problem I have with Navin later in the series but we’ll get to that later.

My only problem with this is Luger. Now, Luger is a good villain and I found him intimidating when I first read the second book. I think my problem really stems from the fact that this is the only book where Luger gets to be a villain. This should be a book 3 problem but book 2 is where he is defeated.

Book 3

Book 3 was my favorite when I was younger and it still holds the place as one of my favorite amulet books in the series to this day. I give it a good 7.5/10. This book does a lot of things right in my opinion. I like the action sequences and the new information about Trellis backstory proving again that he is the most interesting character. I also found Rico and Enzo funny believe it or not. They are a fun addition to the party.

However, my problem was the robots. Miskit and Cogsly were just there most of the time. They didn’t really guide Emily like they were set up to be. I didn’t feel anything when they got captured. Which is not something you want your readers to feel when something bad happens. I also found Luger’s personality change strange. I expected him to be a bit more hostile and condescending after being defeated. Granted, you could argue it was the stone but still, it was odd.

Book 4

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is where certain problems that I have with Kazu start to show. First of all, I give this one a 7.5/10 as well. I was never sure if I should trust Max until the very end. I never understood Max. He was suspicious and I thought he had bad intentions some times and other times I thought for a moment maybe he did have good intentions for Emily.

I also like Alyson mostly because she felt much more real. She was fun and I liked her character. Leon, Rico, and Enzo have their moment, the prison break which I enjoyed reading. I also like the Elf racism while Trellis and Luger are at the prison. Granted, it’s brief but it’s to be expected and it does give some insight on what other people think about Elves. I also liked Vigo. I was glad to see another stone keeper on the good and he also came with more world building which I’m always glad to see.

However, Miskit and Cloglsy were both weak parts and I was confused about how everyone was dead and stone and Max’s agenda for a while. I had to re-read certain parts to fully grasp what was happening.

Book 5

Book 5 was a 7/10. I don’t have many thoughts. For one I am mad they split up the original party. Karen, Miskit, Cloglsy, and Leon felt like they were meant for more before they got shoved in the brook closet. Sure, Cloglsy is here with Navin but it isn’t much. I do enjoy seeing Navin and Alyson hanging out, that’s fun. Max’s backstory is sad..he tried helping his friend and her family from prison. Only for it to backfire horribly in his face and be thrown into prison for trying to be a good person. His hatred and need to revenge for his dead friend is such an interesting concept for a villain and he poses such a genuine threat and I love it.

Then there is the about the voice. I am not gonna lie, not a big fan of it. The reveal that the voice is the elf king felt odd and sort of out of place. I don’t know. I have mixed feelings about it.

Book 6

Max. Max, max, max. All I got to say is f-ck you, Kazu Kibuishi for screwing over such an interesting character. This book gets a 5.1/10. The utter and total whiplash I got when Max wanted to work with Trellis, Emily, and Vigo gave me migraines. There was no build up and it was so random. And his death, are the FUCKING kidding me. This just felt like a lazy way to write out a character. Max knew that Layra wouldn’t approve of his actions and that’s why he asked for forgiveness. Then he tried to justify with her and it’s such horse crap! No to mention, it was so fricking anticlimactic and just lazy!

I also wasn’t a big fan of Navin’s side plot. Also something reoccurring is that Emily is just there. She doesn’t push the narrative because she has no goals. She just does heroic stuff because she feels she has to. Not because she wants to. It makes her feel flat. Which is disappointing since she had potential to be great.

The reason why I don’t put this as a three is because the scene where they save the elves and Trellis announces himself to be the real king, is cool. Not to mention I liked Riva. She’s a character that had great potential. However this is not enough to save this book.

Book 7

Oh, firelight. You are the embarrassing sibling in the Amulet series. I give you 3/10. First off, one good thing I’ll say is I am glad we are continuing the theme of lost. Even if it feels weird, pacing wise. That’s it. That’s the only thing I really enjoy about this book.

First off I didn’t like Pil, Alyson, and Navin’s storyline. It was just there and it took up too much page time. Second, Gabilan. Oh, Gabilan. He was also just there. We get his backstory, he does some stuff and then he dies. He’s a plot device and while if you really think about it, everyone is a plot device, Kazu didn’t try to hide the fact that he is a plot device. Also the ending. TRELLIS. YOU ARE TELLING YOU DID EVERYTHING TO TRY AND STOP HER FROM BECOMING A BIRD! WHAT THE F—

Book 8

Where do I begin. First off, this book was a 0/10.

And now my problems. First off the si fi outer space plot like win Navin was so boring. Oh my god. I felt nothing. But that. That part was least of my concerns. My concerns was everything else. First of all, Trellis and Vigo got nerfed so easily that it annoys me. They stop the army and that’s fine, though they did it without trying. And that’s it for them. In the entire book. I have several issues with them shoving Riva, Trellis, and Vigo in the closet.

But my biggest issue is Emily and the void. First of all how the hell did she get out so easily. Was this even an issue if she just left without any problems any help. WHY DID SHE NEED NO HELP! If it was that easy to leave the void, why did it take people years to get out. What the fuck. Also what the fuck is with the future Emily bullshit?! TIME PARADOX ARE A THING KAZU. THERE IS A REASON NOT MANY PEOPLE DESL WITH TIME TRAVEL. Also who the hell is Moze’s dad?! Why does he have to her son?! Kazu, why?! You missed the mark by a landslide.

Also the elf king. WHAT. THE. FUCK. IT WAS SO FRICKING EASY TO DEFEAT HIM. JUST HAD TO TAKE OFF HIS DAMN MASK. TELL ME THIS. IF THE ELF KING WAS THAT EASY TO DEFEAT, WAS HE EVER A REAL THREAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! NO! WE HAVE BEEN BUILDING UP TO THE ELF KING AS THR BIG BOSS SINCE BOOK 2 AND WE DEFEAT HIM IN THE MOST ANTICLIMACTIC WAS POSSIBLE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! NOW THE MAIN THREAT IS A BUNCH OF SHADOWS?! WHY?! WHY! AND IF YOU TELL ME THAT THAT ISNT WHAT BOOK 9 IS ABOUT IT STATES IN THE AMZON DESCRIPTION: “Emily finally understands the stone's power and what she must do to defend Alledia from the shadows.”

ALSO THE FACT THAT EMILY IS ALIVE SEEMS LIKE A NO BIG DEAL TO VIGO AND TRELLIS ALSO THEY JUDT LER HER LEAVE TO GO KILL A BUNCH OF SHADOWS ALONE?! ALSO OLD EMILY WAS THERE TO GIVE EMILY HER STAFF AT THE END. AGAIN, TIME PARADOXS ARE A THING KAZU.

Overall thoughts:

It’s obvious that Kazu Kibuishi wrote this story without a proper outline. What does that mean? It means Kazu didn’t know how he was going to end the story or the middle. He knew the beginning and instead of trying to figure out and plan the entire story, he wrote what he thought of right on the spot. When waverider comes out I will buy it and read it. I will also most likely rate it and write down my thoughts. Till next time though, if you actually took the time read this post and indulge in my thought process and ideas.

#amulet books #amulet #kazu kibuishi #emily hayes #Navin Hayes #prince trellis #Vigo Light #book review #this is a long post #when I’m passionate about something I talk a lot about it #max #ikol #waverider #ranty rant

[putjesusinfrontofya]

Romance novels

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x OC Emalyn Holloway

Word count: 3,3k

Warnings: Pure smut 18+, Unprotected sex, fingering, oral m&f receving, rough sex, slapping, teasing, edging.

A MAN, A MAN, A MA-E-A-A-N!!

The days in the mansion passed by in a blur(great band if you ask me) each day containing the exact same activities and the exact same schedule, sleep, eat, read, eat, talk to Coryo, read, eat, read and sleep, on and on it went, a never ending cycle. After one week I had managed to read five romance novels and one ‘A History of Panem’. The latter had been suggested by Coryo himself, he felt that the first lady of Panem should have at least a basic knowledge of the country’s history and I could not but agree with him, though it had been a thorough bore.

Per usual I sat in the sofa in the grand library reading my seventh book that I had just started when Coryo graced me with his presence. He did this once in awhile when he had some extra time on his hands. “What are you reading today?” He asked trying to read the title of the book I held in my hand. I turned the book around to be able to see the title “It is called, Dearest, you said. I have just started reading it so I have no idea what its about.” I said truthfully, granted I had peeked on the back before starting to read. It is supposed to be a enemies to lovers’ novel about two historical enemies turned lovers, just what I like in a book. “Hm, another romance?” He asks knowing full well what your answer is going to be. “So, what if it is, we all have our preferences.” I say as I close the book and put it down on the coffee table in front of me. Before I can react Coryo snatches the book, opens up a random page, and starts to read aloud. “’All this for me sweet girl?’ Hearing such a pet name coming from his mouth was enough on its own to warrant an orgasm. His fingers explored further’ My, my Emalyn, is this the sort of thing you read all the time?” An intense warmth spread over my face and ears as he kept on going. “’He used his hands on your hips to pull you back on him as he thrusted into you, hitting your cervix hard on every re-entry. Each time you let a moan out, letting him know he was doing a good job.’  Really princess, this is what you are into?” He asked as he finally put the book back down.

The embarrassment became too much to manage and all I could hear was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. “And now she is suddenly too posh to speak. Since this book brings you nothing but embarrassment, maybe it would be okay if I were to borrow this from you?” He asked. I simply shook my head. “Great, it shouldn’t take too long for me to read, I will give it back to you in a day or two.” He said as he turned away, book in hand. When the door closed behind him, I let out a breath I did not know I was holding.

After this incident I took a break from romance books and instead focused on classics. The next couple of days that followed it seemed that Coryo had really picked up a reading habit, he did not put down his book for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. That was until dinner on day two, he read the last page, closed the book, and put it on the table diverting his attention to you. It caught you of guard as you were in the middle of dessert shovelling chocolate pudding into your mouth. “I might have to start reading your books more often, that sure was a wild ride.” He said leaning back in his chair arms crossed over his chest.” If you say so. I would not know; I did not really get the chance to finish it.” I said, putting down my spoon. At this Coryos face shifted into a smug grin. “I could show you what it was about princess.” My breath hitched at the statement, really, I should have known it was coming. I didn’t get a chance to respond before Coryo stood right in front of me, he gripped my chin with his thumb and pointer and angled my face to meet his own. I could almost feel his lips brush softly over mine as he stared into my eyes searching for any sign of protest, he found none because I had nothing to protest against.

His lips smashed into mine steeling my breath away in an instant. He gently pulled my bottom lip between his teeth earning a small moan from me. Without breaking the kiss, he grabbed hold of my thighs and lifted me from my chair without any struggle. I clung onto him, legs wrapped around his waist and arms draped around his neck. He effortlessly carried me to the library only pulling away from the kiss to open the library door. He thrusted me against one of the bookcases hard enough for the books to come tumbling down narrowly hitting us. He set me down only to realise my legs would cave, he held me steady both hands around my waist and his left leg placed between my legs, giving me just enough support to stand and also some much-needed friction.

His kiss impossibly deepened, I could feel his tongue exploring every inch of my mouth, at the same time his hands were getting familiar with every curve of my body until he settled for my breasts, his hands teased my hardened nipples trough the thin silk fabric that covered them, this earned him a moan that he immediately swallowed before finally pulling away from the kiss only to explore my neck with his perfect plump lips and warm tongue. Nothing could stop the gruesome moans cascading out of my mouth at the stimulation. Coryo thoroughly enjoyed every last sound I made, he worshipped the way my body reacted to his touch and knew in his mind that no one but him could make me feel this way. He moved his kisses down to my collarbones and shoulders. He was interrupted by the spaghetti straps of my slip and solved the issue by taking one strap at a time between his teeth as he tenderly slid them down my arms making my slip hit the ground in a soundless whisper. The sudden gust of frigid air hit my body making me shiver.

Coryo took a step back to enjoy the image of me stood entirely naked before him. My legs shook under my weight and threatened to cave. “So very beautiful.” He pulled out his camera from his pocket, did he always carry that thing? He snapped a picture waved it around and put it beside his rose before he picked me up and carried me towards the desk stood in the middle of the library. He propped me down and resumed kissing me. “You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that.” He says in between kisses. “We have all the time in the world now.” I breath encouraging his actions. I was desperate for something more. He deepened the kiss, more then likely feeling the same thing. Without warning he flipped me over, bent me over the desk and tapped my thigh letting me know that he wanted me to spread my legs for him. I did as he wanted despite feeling a bit self-conscious being so bare right before him. “Seeing you like this is way better than anything I have imagined before” he whispered, lips trailing all over my back and ass. “So, you have imagined me like this before?” I say shooting for confidence but instead coming of as desperate. “Every goddammed day, I have imagined fucking you on every surface in this entire mansion but especially in this library.”

I moan at his words encouraging him to continue talking. “You see that bookshelf over there? That’s where I imagined you down on your knees gladly sucking me off. That sofa over there where you always sit that is where I will let you ride me.” He pauses for a bit as reaches around you to toy with your breasts making you moan his name. “Mm Coryo”. “And this desk my love. This desk is where I will eat you out until all you can see is stars and all you can do is scream my name, over and over again.” At this he lets go of my breasts and he grabs a hold of my hip with one hand as the other moves between my legs, fingers slowly running through my wetness. “All this for me, sweet girl?” I immediately recognised the quote from the book. “You must have- been a big fan if you- even- memorised the- quotes.” I pant out in between moans. His fingers explored further almost immediately landing on my clit. He knew he had hit the right spot when a loud moan fell from my mouth. He circled it a couple of times. “You want me so bad princess, don’t you?” I hummed a response, but he pulled his hand away from me completely. “Use your words.” He ordered. “Y-yes Coryo, please.” I stutter. “That’s what I thought.”

He flipped me onto my back and swiftly placed my legs over his shoulder positioning himself right at my entrance. I could not help but look down at him and the sight alone could have made me come undone. His slightly ruffled blond curls draped onto his forehead that shone with a light sheen of sweat. He made direct eye contact as he dove in making laps around my entrance. Without warning I felt his finger threaten to enter and so it did. The added penetration had you a moaning mess as he moved his finger in and out of you in a steady pace lapping at your clit at the same time, every now and then he would suck on your clit taking you off guard and sending a spasm of pleasure through you.

 “Coryo- im- i- im go- gonna cum!” Coryo pushed me to the edge and right as I was about to cum, he drew away completely, leaving me clenching around nothing. I let out a whine, in pain at the loss of contact. I was panting, legs shaking as they dangled over the edge of the desk. “You do not cum unless I tell you to.” He said, lifting me of the table and carrying me to the aforementioned bookshelf. “You know what to do.” He said as he put me down, I scrambled down to my knees, legs still shaking. I look up at him waiting for instructions of some kind. “So pretty” He coos, thumb brushing my kiss swollen lips. He slides his thumb inside my mouth, and I open just enough to let my tongue slip over his finger. He groans at the softness of my tongue. I’m gazing up at him with wide eyes as I wonder what he will do next.

He slips his thumb out of my mouth, and I watch as he undoes his belt. He pulls his pants down with one swift tug, his boxers’ strain from his bulge, my eyes goes wide at the sight, something that pleased Coryo. He gestured for me to take his boxers off, I obliged slowly sliding them down to the floor. “Open your mouth” I do as I am told. He slides the tip past my lips and then lets me set the pace. I take in as much of him as I can manage, tears well from my eyes as I can feel my throat stretching for him. My drool drips onto the floor as I gag and gasp for air. I pull back only to take him back in, this time doing it in a faster motion. Coryo didn’t let me take control for too long before he grabbed a hold of a chunk of my hair to steady my head so he could thrust into me. My core ached and desperately searched for any kind of relief and found it in the form of the cold floorboards. I sat down grinding my heat on the library floor the friction giving me just enough pleasure not to go insane. “Fuck” He cups my chin giving my cheek a soft stroke, wiping away my tears. “You are so good, taking me in your mouth.” He bucks his hips drawing out a low grunt from my throat. The humiliation washed over me as I realised what I was doing. He had single handedly made a moaning weeping mess out of me, though he did not seem to mind. I pull back taking a much-needed breath before pressing him back against my lips, I drew circles around his tip as I wrapped my hand around his shaft. I bobbed my head taking as much of him as I could, the gesture was much appreciated as I heard Coryos muffled groan as his head tilted back, I revelled at the sight of his sharp jawline and his Addams apple bobbing up and down in tune with his groans. Just as I thought he was nearing the edge he pulled away. Once again leaving me feeling empty.

He pulled me onto my feet, my knees ached from the previous position, I could feel bruises starting to form but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Coryo pulled me into a passionate kiss, making sure to explore every part of my mouth, his tongue wandered over my teeth, I couldn’t help but bite as it did. The action earned me a slap on my ass making me jump in surprise. The stinging surprisingly turned me on even more. A slight smirk danced on his lips as he pulled away. “You liked that. Didn’t you princess?” He lead me to the next surface on his list, the sofa. He pushed me onto my stomach, he started back at the top of my body, lips brushing over my shoulders, making their way down to the dip of my back. His large hands became quite familiar with my ass, fingers squeezing it ever so slightly. He pulled back, just long enough to deliver another sharp slap to the spot his hand had been only moments before, I gasped. He leaned down and placed a small kiss where he had left the stinging red mark.

“I’m sorry princess, I can’t wait any longer.” He ripped off his red blazer leaving him dressed in nothing but his white button up. He grabbed my hips moving them up from the sofa and positioned himself right by my entrance before pushing into me, letting out a sigh of relief at the feeling. He used his hands on my hips to pull me back on him as he thrusted into me, hitting my cervix hard on every re-entry. Each time I let a moan out, letting him know he was doing a good job. His fingers were digging into me more with every movement, and I was certain there would be perfect finger shaped bruises to remind me of him. One of his hands slipped up to my hair, balling it in his fist and pulling my head back. He leaned down, moving my head to the side so he could kiss me as he fucked me. I whimpered in his mouth, which in turn caused him to grip my hair even tighter. “Being such a good little princess for me.” He muttered as he pulled away. The praise began to form a knot in my belly, desperate for release. He removed his hand from my hair, slipping it under me, reaching down to my bundle of nerves. The combination of him inside me and the stimulation on my clit was making my head spin. The burning in the pit of my stomach was growing by the second. It didn’t take him long to catch on, my ragged breathing and string of moans served as a strong indication of my impending orgasm. “Coryo, I’m gonna- ““No, you are not.” He cut me off. “I-I can’t- “

“Don’t.” He warned. “Not yet.” He didn’t slow down making it even harder for me to control myself. My noises of pleasure became more erratic, informing him that I could not stop it. He pulled out immediately, moving his finger too. I let out a whine, once again in pain at the sudden loss of contact. “I told you no, princess.” He was taunting me, hoping id beg for him. Little did he know he wouldn’t have to ask for that, I was past the line of no return at this point. “Please Coryo. I need you so bad.” My head was still resting on the soft cushions, not willing to move and look him in the eye. A gentle hand ran down my ass, fingertips trailing down the back of my thighs. I was bracing myself for yet another slap. “How bad, princess?” He breathed. His voice was low, dripping with hunger. “I can’t wait any longer, please, please, fuck me.” He grabbed my hair again, pulling my head up to look at him. “You sound so pretty when you beg for me.”

He took my face in his hands, making me keep the eye contact with him, his blue eyes almost made me combust. He leaned down placing a kiss on my lips. I made a move to sit up, only for Coryo to swiftly turn us around. He guided me back down his body, stopping me when I was positioned right above his hips. He didn’t give a warning whatsoever before he grabbed his cock and brought me down on him. The feeling of him inside me again was blissful, the feeling of him beneath me was too. I started slowly, wanting to savour the moment, he allowed it for a few seconds before he used a hand to pull me down to kiss him. He took the opportunity to fuck me at his own speed, hips raising from the sofa and slamming into me. I moaned into his mouth which only made him fuck me harder. His tip was hitting my cervix causing a pleasurable pain to shoot through me. I sat up again, riding him as he fucked into me. He had a hand on my hip and reached his other one up to cup my tit, grabbing my nipple and pinching it. He was watching me carefully, desperately trying to remember every expression. To aid him remembering this moment he found his camera, took a picture, placed it onto of his clothes pile, and returned all his attention to me.

“You look so good riding me” He mumbled, rolling my nipple between his fingers. My breath caught in my throat as I felt my orgasm building again, he was pushing me closer with ever thrust. His jaw clenched, eyes rolling back in his head. “That’s it, princess.” He was throbbing, painfully close to his climax. “Are you gonna cum for me, princess?” He asked, voice trembling. I nodded my head, but he wanted an answer. His hand on my hip moved, snaking behind me, and landing a sharp slap on my ass. “Y- yes, Coryo.” I moaned. With another thrust I came hard, palm planted on his chest so I wouldn’t fall over. “Fuck” I cried. He wasn’t long finishing, pulling me down on his cock and staying buried in me. “Oh fuck, Emalyn.” His eyes screwed shut, head falling back on the cushions as he spilled into me.

I collapsed on top of him, both sweaty and panting. His fingers danced over my back, tracing small patterns into my exposed skin. I melted into him, wishing we could stay like this forever. “Is this really what happened in the book? Or did you improvise?” I asked gazing up at his perfectly relaxed face. ”Fifty fifty, I would say. Give or take.”

#coriolanus snow #the hunger games #smut #fanfic #coryo x reader #coryo snow #coriolanus snow smut #coriolanus #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #president snow #snow #oneshot

[not-poignant]

Jesus H Christopher, Pia. Your writing load is insane.

Maybe you should cut back on how many chapters you release for certain stories? Like Stain and Palma (since these stories dont equal income) until UtB the other Underline stories are almost done. Just a thought

Because I feel burnt out just by thinking of writing that much, so I can only imagine how you feel. Please take care of yourself

Hi anon,

TL;DR: My brain is stupid, which is why I can't do this, even though it makes sense and is logical.

Unfortunately the fanfiction is what often makes the original fiction possible, or more enjoyable.

If I lock myself down into too much schedule and rigidity, or if I only focus on writing for money, I actually start to hate writing, even if I love the stories. There is nothing like 'will this earn money, do people like this, would people pay, what if they all decide to stop paying for this, why would they pay for this, would I pay for this, how much would people pay for this, is there any incentive for them to pay for this, actually if I wrote a ton of different tropes maybe I'd make more for this, but that's depressing, but I need the money, shit what do I do, what if I lose my income, what if it all stops tomorrow, I need to write more, I need to write more, I need to write more' that is actually very exhausting and makes writing not much fun at all.

And to deliberately break out of that headspace as much as possible, I write fanfiction. Because that headspace (the one I wrote about above), on its own, even if I'm only writing two stories, can and has led to burnout and depressive episodes. I don't recommend it.

In a way, one of the reasons I can write so many stories right now (ADHD meds aside) is that I am letting myself break out and just have fun with fanfiction, and remember that my original writing is meant to be fun too. But without fanfiction, I lose sight of that very quickly.

Fanfiction means that when an original story chapter does super badly, generally there are still excited comments elsewhere that keep me going. That's how I survived The Ice Plague, and that story would never have been completed without fanfiction, because that was my worst performer of any story I've ever written. It also means if a lot of subscribers leave at once, I don't feel like The Worst Writer In The World. So having fanfiction behind me was like...a literal safety net or my security blanket.

If I have to discard my security blankets or use them less often in order to keep writing the original stuff, I might as well just stop entirely, because my longest hiatuses from Patreon (i.e. one lasted 1.5 years, many have lasted 4-6 months) have been when I'm mostly just writing original fiction, and am not writing much fanfiction, or not deliberately finding time for it, and finally get so stressed out re: money I literally have to stop. I'm on a (partial) Disability Pension.

A long time ago some professional people told me I probably shouldn't be working at all because of my mental illnesses and then paid me money because of the severity of those mental illnesses. My dumbass brain be pretty fragile, actually, and keeps chugging away because I make bad business decisions and write stuff I enjoy instead of writing to market, or doing rapid release, or releasing more novels (or novels). Writing does ironically help when I'm stressed, but not when I'm stressed about making money because of writing.

I will cut at my income before I cut at my love of this job, and unfortunately fanfiction keeps me going in this job, which means I can't really cut at that first.

(Also from a business perspective, it's actually a very good funnel to the original stuff and then subscription. Most of you wouldn't be here if you hadn't read one of my fanfics first and then gave the original stuff a try - I try not to think about that too much because I need fanfic to not be about money, but the fact is, I would not have this career without fanfic).

I do have plans to take two weeks off in January from posting chapters (I can still post rewards in the second half of January) and that's not too far away.

And the reality is that I probably would have kept going okay if real life hadn't imploded on top of everything like the world's worst bukkake party.

#asks and answers #personal #pia on writing #i am not a smart business owner #i'm an emotional fragile mentally ill one #who has to make decisions that keep me wanting to do this job #because at the end of the day #my severe treatment-resistant mental illnesses #do not do well with the pressure of making money #and feeling like a failure #so i need to actually do things that aren't about money at all #to remind myself that i don't need to have a breakdown #over never making a minimum wage #(i'm getting closer though which is probably why this burnout came on) #(i've been pushing a lot harder than normal because... well... i'd like to make #an average income one day) #(i may not be smart enough or well enough to do that) #(but i will keep trying) #i just have to keep trying as someone with a very broken mind #who copes with that brokenness through working hard #breaks are stressful and i have to think hard about what's best

[toomuchracket]

re: kieran culkin emmy speech — i 100% agree and like the long list for women’s prize for fiction is coming out soon i feel like girlie deserves a place on it honestly (side note: i’m so excited to read the shortlist, one of mg fav times of the year)

yes! (i am also excited) maybe this is your first full-length novel since you had amy, and it's the fiction piece you're most excited about in a long time, maybe ever. matty's like "this book is a huge deal to you, so you need a present that's a huge deal when you win the women's prize for it-", and you're like "you mean if?"; he blinks at you and says "anyway, when you win... is there anything i could give you that you particularly want?", and you just smirk and trail two fingers up his chest like "weeeeeeeeell... perhaps, maybe, we could have another kid? i miss when amy was teeny tiny". your husband grins and says "that's really what you want if you win?", and you just nod, and he kisses you and says "alright then, darling. i'm sure i could oblige". you make the longlist, then the shortlist - and in the process also several jokes to matty like "maybe you should think about getting the crib out of the garage, babe" - and the two of you get all dressed up and drop amy at uncle ross's for the night so you can attend the ceremony. it's a lovely night as is, getting to dress up and celebrate women's writing and see some of your friends, made even better by the fact you do actually win the award lmao - matty laughs as he kisses you in celebration, and again when you end your speech by saying "and finally, thank you to my husband, my other half, the love of my life, father to my daughter and ken to my barbie, matthew. not only is he extremely loving and supportive of me and my work, he also very sweetly said that if i won this award we could give amy a sibling. well, darling... your wife's a winner. best look out the baby name book when we get home, yeah? thanks again to everyone who played a part in me getting this award, it truly means the world. have a lovely night, everyone!" lol. but matty's a man of his word, so after you get some celebratory pictures taken and head back to see him, he kisses you and murmurs against your lips like "make sure you have an espresso martini or two at the afterparty, darling - can't promise either of us will get much sleep when we get back to the hotel. need to give my winner her congratulations gift, yeah?"; you're like "mmm i love you", and he's like "i love you too. and in all seriousness, babe, congratulations. m'so fucking proud of you" <3

#mads answers asks #matty asks #fluff asks #into the birthday partyverse #birthday baby #moots <3

[kazisgirlfriend]

Viren, TDP, and Narcissism

The Dragon Prince has never shied away from depicting mental health issues.

First we had trauma as manifested by magic.

Then we had anxiety as manifested by magic.

Then we had a look at PTSD and depression in Through the Moon.

Which got me thinking, what sort of other mental health issues has TDP been portraying all this time?

Then it sorta hit me, after re-reading one of the show's novels and @jelzorz's rather brilliant fic here (seriously, go check it out), that the show had been exploring a mental disorder that is extremely popular as a character trait, but rarely discussed in fiction - narcissism.

Narcissism (or Narcissistic Personality Disorder) is one of the more common personality disorders, so it's kind of surprising that it is so widely misunderstood. Usually, people don't seem to have a lot of interest in narcissists outside of demonizing them, and in shows they often make great antagonists (or even fun protagonists) without exploring this inner psyche much more beyond that. So it's natural that narcissism is also explored in TDP as well.

If the title wasn't a dead giveaway, what I'm trying to say is Lord Viren is a narcissist.

I should probably preface this with a couple things. First, I'm not saying that Viren is a psychopath. Psychopaths don't really care what other people think of them, while narcissists are constantly preoccupied with how other people see them. Narcissists deeply crave validation and respect from others to feed their egos and self-worth. Narcissists also don't have a problem telling right from wrong; quite the opposite, in some ways narcissists are not only able to tell right from wrong, they for the most part want to do right because of their desire to be liked or at least as seen as important.

Viren doesn't qualify as a psychopath, but in re-reading his POV and rewatching key scenes from the show, Viren quite easily meets the official definition of a narcissist. His desire for recognition, even and especially in high-stress situations, reaches alarming levels. His love for his children is genuine but it's clear he sees them mainly as an extension of himself.

More importantly, of the nine signs of narcissistic personality disorder, Viren meets a,uh, breathtaking number of them. Namely all of them.

A grandiose sense of self-importance

Viren kept his gaze steady. It seemed the other rulers had not doubted his lie. They accepted at face value not only that Ezran was alive, but that Viren had been made regent. And why wouldn’t they accept it? In a more rational world, it would be true, and the council would have entrusted me with the leadership of Katolis.

Book 2: Sky - Chapter 17 "Summit at the Pentarchy"

Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited power, influence, or success 

For once, can't these imbeciles treat me appropriately? Maybe when I save them all from Xadia I'll be greeted with greater respect. "I suppose 'Welcome Lord Viren' would have been too much to ask," Viren said.

Book 2: Sky - Chapter 17 "Summit at the Pentarchy"

A belief that they are special and can only be around people who are important or special

They all want to meet with you. They think of you as the leader of Katolis. Viren could barely wait for the meeting. These leaders had only seen him on the sidelines. But he knew all about them.

Book 2: Sky - Chapter 17 "Summit at the Pentarchy"

A need for excessive admiration

Was he really ready to give his life for thousands of regular citizens? People he didn't know and would never meet? But on the other hand, he would be remembered forever as a hero. "I can help," Viren said to Harrow.

Book 2: Sky - Chapter 19 "Heart of the Titan"

A sense of entitlement

Viren’s face went white with rage. He’d come here with the best of intentions, prepared to give his life, and the king was too stubborn to even listen. He curled one lip up. “Oh, are you sure you wouldn’t prefer ‘Your Royal Highness’? Or ‘Your Esteemed Inimitable Majesty’ perhaps?” Harrow didn’t deserve the loyalty Viren had been prepared to offer.

Book 2: Sky - Chapter 9 "Viren's sacrifice"

Taking advantage of others to achieve their own ends

A lack of empathy

“Ohhhh. Yes, who wouldn’t have a problem with dark magic?” Viren sneered. “It’s clever, it’s brilliant, it’s practical. You are too stubborn to make use of the tools that are available to you. It will save your life, just as it has saved the lives of countless others.” “It’s a shortcut,” King Harrow snapped back. “We may not pay now, but we will pay the blood price eventually.” “Now you’re starting to sound like her,” Viren said with a smirk.

Book 1: Sky - Chapter 5 "The Letter and the Serpent"

Envious of others or believe that others are envious of them

Arrogance of otherwise haughty behavior

Viren laughed derisively. Such a question could only come from an ignoramus. He looked at the other council members and shook his head, trying to bring them into his confidence.

Book 2: Sky - Chapter 2 "The Breach"

Viren's narcissism drives his central flaws. His hunger for personal recognition eclipses his concern for collective welfare, even when Katolis faces catastrophe. His children become conduits projecting his ambitious legacy rather than cherished loves unto themselves.

However, unlike most shows, TDP doesn't use Viren's narcissism to demonize him. Instead, the show threads the needle by making Viren both villainous and sympathetic as a result of narcissism, since it's both the reason he does awful things but also his shield from the perception of vulnerability and worthlessness.

It's important to remember that narcissists are not only capable of self-loathing, it is often a key part of their condition. That grandiose sense of important mentioned earlier is often a thin veneer hiding feelings of shame, self-doubt, and self-hatred. Obsessive self-loathing is a form of narcissism.

But the show lays bare these vulnerabilities, letting us see his internal struggles to do right constantly brush against his emotional needs that never seem to be met. He walks right up to the line of doing something noble...

...and then shirks at the last minute.

However, just because Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a chronic, lifelong condition doesn't mean that narcissists are incapable of change. And indeed, Viren hits a breakthrough in the most recent season.

One element of narcissism is that they love extremely conditionally, and see their loved ones (particularly their children) as an extension of themselves. Indeed, Viren does "love" his children in this way, particularly Claudia, who he sees as people he can mold into his own image. Unfortunately, for Claudia, this seems to have Gone Horribly Right.

But in the end, Viren recognizes his own behavior and breaks out of it. He sees how pushing Claudia to be like him - to be an extension of himself - has brought her to ruin.

While it's fun to watch characters who are blind to their own faults and lack of self awareness, it is equally rewarding watching Viren reach this moment of clarity. Most narcissists are oblivious to the harm they cause others (since hurtful behavior is just collateral damage to having their emotional needs met), but Viren now realizes the harm he has caused Claudia. Witnessing Claudia’s self-destruction, his conscience awakens to recognize his culpability for exploiting her for his own ego.

Treating her downfall as his personal failing is a real breakthrough for him. Which is why it makes sense that, once Viren reaches this level of awareness, taking a principled, noble stance against his own personal interests quickly follows.

Anyway, those are just my takes on this deep, complex character. If you made it this far, thank you for reading!

#tdp #viren #claudia #soren #callum #ezran #dark magic #aaravos

[carrymelikeimcute]

Stop Stealing from Authors

As an author, please please PLEASE do not download 'free' ebooks or listen to 'free audiobooks' on YouTube etc.

Books take work to research and write, and author advances are already incredibly low, without us having to PAY THEM BACK to the publisher because the book isn't earning enough. Authors are already earning far far below the minimum wage per hour of work we put in.

Many ebooks are incredibly cheap already and have regular price drops down to 99p/$0.99, and are FREE using a library app.

Audiobooks likewise can be accessed digitally for FREE via the library.

Authors in countries like my own receive a small amount of money when you access our content via the library. Money which means we can keep writing books. Using the library also gives them visitor numbers and incentivises funding, preventing library closures.

Funding piracy makes the already very hard job of writing as a career even harder and endangers library resources.

'Well then maybe you should get a real job' I have a job, and that job is being an author. It is very entitled to tell authors that we need to essentially have a full time job AND still produce content for you to enjoy for free, at a speed/quality which makes writing also a fulltime job.

As a fulltime author I wrote 3 novels last year, each with 4-5 rounds of edits at different stages in the process. I also edited the two books I wrote the previous year during that time. Hundreds of hours of work. And I have since seen piracy websites making money off of that work.

Saying that piracy 'expands the reach of our books' is as insulting as being 'paid in exposure'. If you want something that someone made, you have to pay them for it. It is not doing someone a favour, to steal from them. And let's be real - how many people are you telling about each book you steal? Are you recommending the piracy site to others in the same breath? Are you just rating on goodreads and counting that as 'payment' for what you stole?

If you want to get a free book and 'expand the reach' - sign up to Netgalley and get free books in exchange for posting reviews.

'But then I can't read all the books I want to read' - Why should you get everything you want? Genuine question. I don't have all the make-up I want, or all the decor I want, but I'm not shoving stuff in my pockets because it's not fair that I don't get to have everything my magpie brain desires. You don't have enough time in your life to read every book anyway. You have to choose.

I bet you also have more than one unread book in your possession, right now. Probably a TBR pile. Why do you need another one for free, when you have books to read? And if you don't want to read those books, you can access every book, via the library.

Authors would even prefer that you buy our books second hand, because at least that 1. is good for the environment as it keeps books out of landfill and 2. benefits charity if you purchase for a charity bookshop/ doesn't benefit pirates. And 3. unlike a stolen ebook, you can donate it again and it will be visible on a shop shelf, attracting new readers.

'You should write because you love it, not for money' I do write because I love it, that's why I spent years learning my craft and working to get published. So I could do this as a job. I even write fanfic on the side as a hobby, and that is VERY different to writing publishable novels for my editor - I get to do all the fun stuff with none of the WORK that my writing job requires.

I don't love being told what setting/theme is 'hot right now' and needs to be in my next novel. Or re-reading my book for the 15th time to look for typos, or spending 4-5 hours every morning writing to meet a crunch deadline and the rest of the day brainstorming the new idea which is due in a week, answering emails and editing. It's my job, not a hobby, and it's not all fun, all the time. No one page edits for the LOVE of it.

'If buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing' - Unlike films/tv, books are still available as physical media you can own forever. They're also less likely to vanish from your ereader because they aren't licenced like a tv show.

'I don't want to support a horrible person but I still want the book' - so...you agree that pirating does nothing for the author? Good. Because that 'spreading awareness stuff' we already covered, is bullshit. But if they're so terrible...why do you want to read something that was invented in their brain, and is likely full of their terrible values/dog whistles? Why not find new authors to support instead of hate reading/continuing to absorb content from people you fundamentally dislike?

Lastly, the argument I routinely see is that 'it's just the same as lending a copy to a friend'. It is not. Firstly because you're putting money into the pockets of those who stole our work, via ad-rev on their sites, whereas lending a book to a friend doesn't result in you making money off of someone else's work. But also, lending the book to ONE person is not the same as making it available to EVERYONE. I just filed a copyright takedown on one of my new books which already had 200+ hits. Unless you plan to lend a physical book to 200+ people, you will not do that same amount of damage as piracy.

#writing #books and reading #books #reading #book lover #bookworm #piracy #pirating

[jeannereames]

Based on the tactics vs strategy component of your most recent ask (on how ATG should or should not be depicted on TV)—do you think, if he hadn’t died so soon and lived a little longer, he might’ve been able to improve his strategic mindset? I think that’s how Philip became good at it, right? After experiencing some failures. I think perhaps that’s one of the tragedies of Philip not being around longer—he might’ve been able to show his son how to handle mistakes and move on from them.

Oh, I think Alexander was definitely improving as a strategist. He was never bad, he just wasn’t Philip… who was exceptional. But Philip had to learn very early, just to survive. I doubt the man had much of a childhood.

A quick review of Philip’s early life, for those reading who may not already know. We think he may have been sent to the Illyrian court of Bardylis at some point in his childhood; for how long is unclear. (If I ever get around to a Philip novel, that’s where I’m starting it, too.) Then he must have come home, only to be sent down to Thebes as a hostage when he was in his early teens. He returned to Macedonia once Perdikkas was no longer a minor himself and could kill his erstwhile regent. Some years later, Perdikkas made him archon of a canton (maybe Amphaxitis?), probably when he was c.18-20 years of age, where he had his own little militia to train. Perdikkas was dead on a battlefield, fighting Illyria, before Philip was 24.

So, he came to the throne a bit later than Alexander but suffered a MUCH more uncertain childhood. It makes Alexander’s look like the “poor little rich boy,” tbh. This is why I respect Philip so much. No, I don’t think he was “greater than Alexander” (as per Richard Gabriel), but I do think he earned his place as, per Diodoros, “the greatest of the kings of Europe.”

I will also add that I suspect Philip benefited a lot from his mother Eurydike’s advice, as did his brother Perdikkas. There was a woman to be in awe of! I also think it’s why Philip was so damn determined to see that Alexander got a “proper” education. Yes, it owed the influence of Thebes’ upper-crust circles…but also residue from his own “school of hard knocks” upbringing.

It also explains why he was a master chess player. He’d had to be, just to stay alive.

Alexander learned quickly, but he didn’t have to exercise it quite as young; Daddy was there to take care of things. Mostly masterfully (outside his private life). Then Philip got himself killed, and Alexander was on his own at just 20. No surprise if he made mistakes, but being king already, they were on full display for posterity in a way Philip’s weren’t. (In fact, we know almost nothing of Philip’s childhood, as evinced by the brevity of my summary above.)

To my mind, one of the tragedies for both men was Philip’s sudden death. While it’s possible they might have clashed even more as Alexander aged, their friction may also have eased. Alexander was right on the cusp of that age when teenaged boys transform back into somewhat sane human beings. Ha. My own seemed to change virtually overnight between about 22 and 23. Philip had been dead two years by then, and Alexander invaded Persia at 22.

Many years ago, I wrote an alternate history short story for Gene Borza’s birthday, wherein Philip died at Chaironeia, and Alexander was taken captive, then had to escape and re-do everything Daddy had done. It was fun to imagine what might have happened, in part to underscore how singular/important Chaironeia was for not only Philip, but Alexander too.

Yet an equally interesting “What if?” would be that Philip wasn’t assassinated in 336 and did invade Persia that autumn. But let’s say he didn’t survive “Granikos” or “Issos” (or whatever those would have been for him*), while Alexander did. What might that have looked like, giving Alexander another 2-3 years under Philip, only becoming king himself around the same age his father had? (23-24?)

I love alternate history scenarios when well-done. (Maybe why I’m a big fan of Melissa Scott’s A Choice of Destinies.)

So in short, yes, I agree that it was a tragedy that Philip didn’t live at least a few years more. And somebody needs to write that alternate history. Then send me the link. Ha.

——

* I think, if it HAD been Philip at the head of the army, Darius would have taken him much more seriously, probably moving up the timeframe of a serious clash (such as Issos). I suspect Philip, like Alexander, would plan to take the Asia Minor coast the same way, to cut off the navy. Darius might have come after him with a bigger army somewhere in Asia Minor. But I also think Asia Minor would have gone over to Philip more easily, as he was proven material and that area had already rebelled against Artaxerxes only about a decade or so prior.

#asks #Philip of Macedon #Philip II of Macedon #Alexander the Great #Alexander as strategist #Philip of Macedon as strategist #alternate history #Alexander vs Philip #classics #tagamemnon #ancient macedonia #ancient greece