#the twig bookstore

[libertyreads]

Took a short trip to San Antonio and we stopped at The Twig Bookstore.

#the twig #the twig bookstore #purchases were made but this is only stop one of three for the day #bookstore #bookshop #shopping #book haul inbound #booklr #books #bookstagram #bookish #goodreads #goodreads challenge #book #bookblr

[softboo]

love me, ever so gently

pairing: austin butler x reader

summary: you recently moved to a new apartment, making new some eccentric friends along the way. but what you didn't expect was falling in love with a stranger. a stranger you somehow couldn't stop thinking about

words: 2.1k

warnings: depictions of domestic abuse, dark themes of relationships

author's note: i made this on an extremely impulsive whim and i have never been so terrified of posting this. my anxiety of trying to make this story went from writing this for three days straight to now suddenly having multiple parts. i'm literally almost done with part III so we'll see how far this goes. hopefully you like my very first fic... i haven't written in years... ehh... and thank you in advance for reading this :3

next part

part I

"you're either incredibly talented or horribly lousy."

george stated right before you tore down the stack of books from the pile. you groaned in frustration, ignoring that thing buried right under the surface of your heart. if bookstores and libraries could make something aesthetically pleasing, then so could you. just like you were able to do a year ago.

you huffed once more before starting the process over again.

george took your silence as a precautionary warning, tentatively placing a small cup of coffee next to you, hoping maybe a little space and some caffeine couldn't hurt your pride more than he did.

"as long as you don't make a mess, it makes my job a thousand times easier," he offered you a toothy, yet slightly lopsided grin before leaving you to your uncomplicated complicated endeavors.

george circled around the remaining tables that were also still being set up for the fair at the community center. you were a regular volunteer for these events, moreso because your neighbors invited you to them in the first place. one of your neighbors being george, who hobbled right back to where you were, smiling proudly at his empty tray.

"well, my services are done."

he flashed another innocent grin before leaving you be, "make sure you get that done before cass sees you!"

"george I'm going to throw this empty tray at you."

he let out a belly laugh, even though he was as thick as a twig. he pulled you over to him, wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

"there she is!"

you rolled your eyes at him, but couldn't help a smile. you still remember when you met him for the first time.

~ ~

your first week at the new apartment building was stressful enough, splitting your belongings in each individualized box and suitcase. and somehow through all that stress, someone as joyous as george just so happened to crash right into you with all of his groceries.

and he had this distinct smell, something between a book you haven't opened in years and an old worn out knitted sweater. at the time, he greeted you like you've been friends for years, something you deeply missed when you moved away from your hometown. from everyone.

"welcome to the neighborhood!!" he screamed in your ear, forgetting his hearing aids before he left for the store. you let out a polite, yet awkward, kind of laugh, thanking him for his very enthusiastic greeting. it's funny to look back on it now, a stranger you would've never imagined becoming friends with. including everyone else you met along the way.

~ ~

evelyn and cassandra peered from the hallway behind you, coming from the kitchen. cassandra with her big box of jewelry for her stand, while evelyn followed suit.

"did george call me cass again? i hate when he calls me cass. it sounds like ass."

"because you are an ass."

cassandra shot him a quick glaring look before he started laughing again, placing her boxes down. she pointed a shaky finger at him.

"you know one of these days, i really hope i end up dying before you. i can't stand that laugh of yours." she grumbled, which made you laugh.

"can't keep a happy man down cass. you're stuck with me forever," he bellowed, leaving a messy kiss on her cheek before she swatted him away. george dramatically saluted them before hobbling away again, wanting to mingle and socialize before the fair officially opens.

cassandra gathered her things once more as she eyed your table with a sense of pride.

"you never cease to amazing me sweetie. i always love how you decorate your books."

her words swelled in your heart and that thing that was buried right under the surface dissipated, only just for a moment. and you were completely and utterly okay with that.

"thanks cassie..." your voice drifting ever so softly. like she was going to catch it in the end like she always does.

~ ~

when you met cassandra last year, you heard her voice before you saw her. you were seated at the lobby of your apartment building, waiting for a blind date that never picked you up. it was about two hours before you decided to call it and when you looked up, you saw her.

she was a bright eyed woman, her grey hair tossed behind a small pink scarf, something you've only seen worn a few times or rather only in movies. she looked at you with a look of concern. you weren't crying of course, why waste tears on some stranger right?

but you got your hopes up immensely high and someone as experienced in her years as she was, she could tell a disappointed look when she saw one.

"oh my dear, what's the matter? are you hurt?"

you shook your head no, having no energy to formally respond with a voice.

"come here love, let's bring you back home. do you live here?"

you nodded.

she waddled her way towards you, keeping you close to her. she was a tiny woman, hunched over slightly as she led you to the elevator. once you were both inside, she asked what floor you were on and pressed the appropriate button for you. her floor being the one below yours.

"sorry we have to stop at mine first..." she began and you shook her head to stop her.

"don't be. it's okay... i was heading up anyway." you finally had strength to talk again, "i should be saying sorry for keeping you from getting home."

she scoffed at your response, displaying one of the warmest smiles you've ever seen.

"sweetie, you're doing me a favor."

the elevator dinged and opened to her floor, the woman turning to walk out.

"i am?" you asked her and she nodded, standing outside the elevator doors.

"yes. because no man deserves to make someone as lovely as you this sad."

your face went from feeling defeated to utter confusion as the woman smiled again. this time knowing exactly what you were going to ask.

"i know disappointment when i see it."

and just like that, the elevator door closed.

~ ~

"how are you feeling otherwise?" cassandra asked you, momentarily glancing over at your beautiful table.

"better. only sometimes," you responded, a lump suddenly appearing in your throat. feeling as if you were half lying somewhere.

"that's okay. just remember that someone who's broken you then doesn't deserve to break you now," she gently held your cheek, looking at you as if for the first time again.

"and besides, who knows who you'll might meet today."

~ ~

cassandra's words rung in your ears, weighing heavy on a hopelessly romantic heart. being alone was easy and you weren't lying if you admitted that to anyone because it was true. that was one of the perks of moving here, along with meeting all of your new friends.

but being lonely... that was difficult. especially when the fall season would blend into the holidays. one night after the other. because everyone seemed to find their someone by the times gifts were supposed to be given. which is why you wanted to put everything into the community fair this year.

and because heartbreak anniversaries were apparently a thing on your calendar.

you glanced over at your table, the last few books lingered for awhile. some people glancing over at them, while others would pick it up just to place it back down again. you didn't really know why seeing a book not being chosen hurt a small part of you. but it did.

or maybe you knew but didn't want to face it.

soon enough, you noticed someone hovering near the entrance, like he was contemplating whether or not to let his curiousity get the best of him. it may have been a little more than an hour or so when he actually approached your table.

you quickly stood up in response, as you noticed him eyeing a few of the older books. his hands lingered on each cover, not saying a word. his hair was blonde, wavy and messy, like he'd just woken up. the rest of him was covered by a black mask.

you did notice the way his hands moved though, hesitating to pick something. shaking a bit, a shadow crossed your peripheral and you could've sworn you saw a bruise somewhere on his knuckles.

"do you need help finding anything?" your voice coming out a lot softer than you had hoped. he looked up and you felt this entire weight lift off of you. like something encapsulating you just shattered into a million pieces and suddenly you could breathe again.

his eyes were so blue, like you were swimming in this endless ocean full of life and somehow you couldn't tell the difference between the stillness of the water or the blueness of the sky.

you could see a slight smiling forming on his face before he shook his head no.

"oh well if you want anything... i really recommend any of the classics."

his eyes glimmered a bit, letting his hand linger on one of the few books he was eyeing before.

"how much is it?" his deep tone caught you by surprise as you hesitated to respond. your own voice catching in your throat.

"oh um... everything is free."

"really?"

and just like that, you noticed something switch in him, a sense of curiosity filling those calm waters.

"which ones have you read so far?"

you didn't realize it, but your eyes lit up at the question. and he noticed. a small smile forming on his face.

"oh this one is my favorite... i haven't finished it, but it was really good from where i left off," you pointed at pride and prejudice.

you smiled at him, like your excitement was taking over and he could tell how much you loved talking about books. his gaze never wavering as you spoke about the stories that overwhelmed you and the others that never lasted a few pages before you decided to stop. he listened with such intent, such intrigue, it made you feel like you were someone he had known for years.

his aura was beautiful and a part of you wished that something would lead to something which would lead to something else. you didn't even feel anything in that regard, not yet anyway, but that same part. it was pulling... gently. ever so gently tugging at your heart.

"thank you for all of your recommendations," he began, holding on to ever single book you spoke about. you were about to protest that he didn't have to, but he was adament on keeping every single one.

"are you sure you want to get all of them?" your voice wavering on worry, but all he did was smile at you, letting out a soft laugh.

"i'm sure."

his voice was so reassuring, you almost forgot to offer him a bag. there was a slight pause before you realized, eyes widened in embarrassment.

you quickly apologized to him, running to the back to get a bag. you left the table feeling this overwhelming warmness flow through you as you noticed your heart beating against your chest. you tried to hide the excitement, but your heart was already getting your hopes too high.

but when you came back, your heart instantly dropped right into your stomach. a woman was now standing next to him, but something was different in his eyes. the oceans were no longer waves crashing against the seashore. they were climbing under thunderstorms. drowning in its own current.

her hair was dark red in color, flowing to accentuate the curves of her body. she was unbelievably gorgeous and your heart sank even more. but there was something about her that you couldn't figure out.

"here's your bag, i didn't mean to—"

"why your table is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it austin?"

he didn't glance at you or her or anyone. all he did was nod. you noticed the grip she had on his arm. it was tight. suffocating.

you offered the bag to them, but she shooed your hand away, like you were merely just a bug.

"no need sweetie, we were just on our way out. he was just looking anyway."

you tried your best to keep your composure, but you were fuming on the inside. only cassandra could call you that and at least when she did, it was endearing. not spiteful.

she flashed you the biggest smile that fueled your fire even more as she pulled austin away. you noticed him stiffen when they left the table. he couldn't even look at you.

and he couldn't even say goodbye.

#austin butler #austin butler fic #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler x reader #fic writing #austin butler x you #first fic #i want to cry #i actually hate him

[kvetchlandia]

Joe Rosenthal Allen Ginsberg at Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "City Lights" Bookstore, North Beach, San Francisco 1959

I walked on the banks of the tincan banana dock and sat down under the huge shade of a Southern Pacific locomotive to look for the sunset over the box house hills and cry.

Jack Kerouac sat beside me on a busted rusty iron pole, companion, we thought the same thoughts of the soul, bleak and blue and sad-eyed, surrounded by the gnarled steel roots of trees of machinery.

The only water on the river mirrored the red sky, sun sank on top of final Frisco peaks, no fish in that stream, no hermit in those mounts, just ourselves rheumy-eyed and hung-over like old bums on the riverbank, tired and wily.

Look at the Sunflower, he said, there was a dead gray shadow against the sky, big as a man, sitting dry on top of a pile of ancient sawdust--

--I rushed up enchanted--it was my first sunflower, memories of Blake--my visions--Harlem

and Hells of the Eastern rivers, bridges clanking Joes greasy Sandwiches, dead baby carriages, black treadless tires forgotten and unretreaded, the poem of the riverbank, condoms & pots, steel knives, nothing stainless, only the dank muck and the razor-sharp artifacts passing into the past--

and the gray Sunflower poised against the sunset, crackly bleak and dusty with the smut and smog and smoke of olden locomotives in its eye--

corolla of bleary spikes pushed down and broken like a battered crown, seeds fallen out of its face, soon-to-be-toothless mouth of sunny air, sunrays obliterated on its hairy head like a dried wire spiderweb,

leaves stuck out like arms out of the stem, gestures from the sawdust root, broke pieces of plaster fallen out of the black twigs, a dead fly in its ear,

Unholy battered old thing you were, my sunflower O my soul, I loved you then!

The grime was no man's grime but death and human locomotives,

all that dress of dust, that veil of darkened railroad skin, that smog of cheek, that eyelid of black mis'ry, that sooty hand or phallus or protuberance of artificial worse-than-dirt--industrial--modern--all that civilization spotting your crazy golden crown--

and those blear thoughts of death and dusty loveless eyes and ends and withered roots below, in the home-pile of sand and sawdust, rubber dollar bills, skin of machinery, the guts and innards of the weeping coughing car, the empty lonely tincans with their rusty tongues alack, what more could I name, the smoked ashes of some cock cigar, the cunts of wheelbarrows and the milky breasts of cars, wornout asses out of chairs & sphincters of dynamos--all these

entangled in your mummied roots--and you standing before me in the sunset, all your glory in your form!

A perfect beauty of a sunflower! a perfect excellent lovely sunflower existence! a sweet natural eye to the new hip moon, woke up alive and excited grasping in the sunset shadow sunrise golden monthly breeze!

How many flies buzzed round you innocent of your grime, while you cursed the heavens of your railroad and your flower soul?

Poor dead flower? when did you forget you were a flower? when did you look at your skin and decide you were an impotent dirty old locomotive? the ghost of a locomotive? the specter and shade of a once powerful mad American locomotive?

You were never no locomotive, Sunflower, you were a sunflower!

And you Locomotive, you are a locomotive, forget me not!

So I grabbed up the skeleton thick sunflower and stuck it at my side like a scepter,

and deliver my sermon to my soul, and Jack's soul too, and anyone who'll listen,

--We're not our skin of grime, we're not our dread bleak dusty imageless locomotive, we're all golden sunflowers inside, blessed by our own seed & hairy naked accomplishment-bodies growing into mad black formal sunflowers in the sunset, spied on by our eyes under the shadow of the mad locomotive riverbank sunset Frisco hilly tincan evening sitdown vision.

-- Allen Ginsberg, "Sunflower Sutra" 1955

[lurkingshan]

Love in the Big City: Book Club Schedule

Okay, besties, here we go! Turns out a lot of you are into this nerd project so we will in fact be doing a little tumblr book club for LITBC! Here's how it will work:

We will begin on Sunday, February 4, and discuss a different section of the book each week.

On Sundays, @bengiyo will post a list of discussion questions for whatever part we're reading that week. You can use these as prompts for thinking, actually write and post responses to them, or just ignore them and do your own thing.

We will all write or share whatever we like during the week, using the hashtag [#litbc book club]. Everything from simple reaction commentary to full on essays is welcome. It's also fine not to post anything yourself if that's not your thing, you can participate by reading and sharing other people's posts.

Each following Sunday, I will post a roundup of everything people wrote during the week so we'll have them all collated in one place, and Ben will then post the next round of discussion questions.

This means we are going to be on the following schedule for reading and discussing:

Part 1: Sun, February 4 to Sat, February 10

Part 2: Sun, February 11 to Sat, February 17

Part 3: Sun, February 18 to Sat, February 24

Part 4: Sun, February 25 to Sat, March 2

With the final round up posted on Sunday, March 3. Of course, this is Not That Serious and if you fall behind you should still join in whenever you can and I will add your posts in later! Also, please note for your own planning that Part 2 of the novel is the longest, nearly double the length of the other parts.

For those who asked about where to acquire the book, the good news is it's very popular and generally easy to find translated in English. A lot of libraries carry it, and you can also find it at local bookstores, on Everand, on bookshop.org, and of course, Amazon.

For those who are seeing this for the first time and wondering what the heck I'm on about: go here for background on why we're doing this book club ahead of a couple upcoming drama and film adaptations. And if you want to be tagged into future posts please comment in tags or replies so we can add you to the list! We will also use the tag [#litbc book club] for all posts related to this going forward, so you can just track that tag if you prefer. [Note: if you want to be tagged please check your settings to see if other blogs are allowed to tag you. If you asked to be tagged on the first post and you're not in the list below, it's because tumblr wouldn't allow me to do it.]

Tagging here those who have signed up so far: @alwaysthepessimist @belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas @blalltheway @brifrischu @colourme-feral @dekaydk @dramacraycray @emotionallychargedtowel @fiction-is-queer @hakusupernova @hyeoni-comb @infinitelyprecious @littleragondin @literally-a-five-headed-dragon @loveable-sea-lemon @my-rose-tinted-glasses @neuroticbookworm @poetry-protest-pornography @profiterole-reads @serfergs @so-much-yet-to-learn @starryalpacasstuff @stuffnonsenseandotherthings @sunshinechay @thewayofsubtext @troubled-mind @twig-tea @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist

Excited to get started with y’all in a few weeks!

#litbc book club #love in the big city #korean bl

[trippy-thot]

Can you do yandere Vance please!🤍

Yandere Vance Hopper

(Of Age Reader & Vance)

(Tw: Killing, Implied abuse, possessive tendencies.)

You’d know Vance for as long as you can remember.

Your parents were close friends, so typically the two of you had play dates when you were younger.

As a child, he was nothing similar to the way he is now.

He used to be kind and sympathetic. Caring and honest.

Not a possessive, hostile, ‘boyfriend’.

You’d had a lot of friends including Vance. But despite being childhood ‘besties’, they all started to disappear one by one.

Either they A: left you alone because Vance threatened them. Whether it be with their lives, or yours.

Or B: They didn’t get the hint and thought he was joking. He’d never kill you! But them? They were just getting in the way between the two of you.

You found out about this one day when you were looking for your new boyfriend.

You’d put a bit of a barrier between Vance and yourself for a while now. Mainly because you wanted to keep this relationship, and you really enjoyed your current boyfriend . He’d stuck around.

The two of you had planned to meet at a local bookstore downtown. It further into the alleys since the store itself was so old.

As you were walking past the buildings, you froze when you heard your name. Although it wasn’t directed at you.

“Stay the fuck away from (Y/n). Or I’ll snap your neck like a twig.” Then the sound of laughter.

“You think I’m scared of you, Vance? I’m not. But you know who is? (Y/n). My girlfriend. She’s terrified of you. Thinks you’ll end up hurting her. So I suggest-“

You full on sprinted into the alley besides you, yelling and scolding your boyfriend for being so Careless.

You never got to finish, due to the fact you watched Vance murder him in broad daylight.

He did in fact, snap your boyfriends neck like a twig. A very small one at that.

You stood there, petrified. You knew vance was strong but not enough to just casually break someone’s neck.

Vance took notice of you and sighed. “Look what you made me do. Now I have to get clean this up and-“

You simply let out a scream of bloody Murder, surely alerting someone nearby.

Vance ran to you, grabbing you by the waist and pushing your back into his chest. His hand around your neck. The neck that fit oh so perfectly into his grasp.

“Make another noise and you’re next. Got it? Doll.” He asked, pressing his fingers into your jugular.

Apparently your scream wasn’t as Loud as you thought it was, considering no one came to your rescue.

After a few moments of you hyperventilating, he turned your body to face him.

Your eyes were filled to the brim with tears, your neck already beginning to bruise. Vance shook his head and ran a thumb over your lip.

“This wouldn’t have happened if- Well, it would have either way but the point is that you caught me. Again.”

“Do you remember what happened last time? Huh?” You shook your head. Not to say no to the question, but no because you knew he’d hurt you even more-

“Well, I’ll make you remember then.” His voice was coarse and harsh. The last thing you remember seeing was His sadistic smirk, looking down at you before everything went black.

#the black phone #vance hopper #tbp #yandere #hcs #Yandere Vance hopper #the black phone x reader #headcanons

[kirbyprompts]

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐏𝐓 𝟐

from critical role's the mighty nein episodes 34-71. feel free to change prompts as you see fit!

❝do they know you?❞

❝do they check weapons at the door, or anything like that?❞

❝i want to see how strong you’ve gotten.❞

❝well, how do i look?❞

❝i like myself just the way i am.❞

❝call this your home so long as you’d like to stay.❞

❝do you still love them?❞

❝love is a funny thing.❞

❝can you recommend any bookstores here?❞

❝hey, crime boss, are you my dad?❞

❝i don’t want people to know i’m still alive.❞

❝you’re asking a lot of questions for a person i just met.❞

❝i think you could snap me like a twig.❞

❝i think, perhaps, it’s destiny. do you believe in destiny?❞

❝i don’t have any dreams at night. is that worrisome?❞

❝it is funny how you keep showing up like a bad penny.❞

❝please don’t kill me.❞

❝i didn’t expect you to come in here and slaughter my contacts.❞

❝who were you supposed to deliver this to?❞

❝you’re not afraid of dying, are you?❞

❝is life always this directionless?❞

❝sometimes the things that are the most beautiful are the things that can hurt you the worst.❞

❝out of idle curiosity why have you been trying to butter me up?❞

❝i thought i had you figured out.❞

❝we’re about to be boarded by fucking pirates.❞

❝i am trying to process this as quickly as i can.❞

❝is there food in this bitch?❞

❝do you want to control the sea?❞

❝how many dudes you think you killed?❞

❝how many fingers am i holding up?❞

❝get out of there!❞

❝these days i’ve spent with you are the most exciting of my entire life.❞

❝this was the worst day of my life.❞

❝i’m getting used to the idea that this wouldn’t be a test if it was easy.❞

❝i think the world is shaping you into something important and i want to make sure that you get to wherever you need to be.❞

❝okay, i feel like shit, so i’m going to bed.❞

❝what was your first kiss like?❞

❝don’t fire on them unless they fire on us, you understand?❞

❝sometimes you can be nice to people too.❞

❝you better be sure this is something you want to die for.❞

❝if you’re lying to me, i’ll slit your throat.❞

❝pleasure to meet you. i have the feeling you’re having a really bad day.❞

❝just keep your mouth shut for like 30 damn seconds.❞

❝this is very dangerous to give to you, but you’re the perfect person to have it.❞

❝i was born to be a cannoneer.❞

❝have you ever sacrificed anything in order to achieve a greater goal?❞

❝i was alone for a long time and ran from everything.❞

❝i feel like a fool much of the time.❞

❝i could fill a book with what i don’t know.❞

❝what if we can never go home?❞

❝this is the best plan we’ve ever had!❞

❝i’m going to summon a demon.❞

❝no, really! she was a really bad person before we killed her and everyone on the boat!❞

❝i’m not an asshole. i’m asshole adjacent.❞

❝of course it’s minimalizing. have you met me? everything i do is minimizing.❞

❝do you ever feel like your relationship with your cat is hindering building stronger relationships with human people?❞

❝i understand when i’m being condescended to! even when i’m drunk!❞

❝hey. sorry for being a dick. bye.❞

❝i go where the wind goes.❞

❝yeah, i’m not a happy guy.❞

❝that’s what we do, we seek out active doom.❞

❝to be perfectly honest, yes, there were quite a few people chasing me.❞

❝best not to call attention.❞

❝i will so gladly introduce you to my cat because i’m very fond of him and love for people to meet him.❞

❝we’re running! it’s bad!❞

❝it was nice to meet you and nearly die next to you.❞

❝i’ve always heard that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but i feel pretty fucking weak right now.❞

❝i think i oddly feel the most comfortable when things are a fraction away from going terribly wrong.❞

❝my mother was a big believer in the buddy system.❞

❝got to be careful with what risks you take, but without risks, you’re never going to get what you want.❞

❝in my loneliness i just turned to anger.❞

❝sometimes you’re running towards something so fast that you can’t remember why you’re running in the first place.❞

❝i get nervous to get close to people because i feel like i lose them.❞

❝i’m either very unlucky or cursed, and i don’t believe in luck.❞

❝don’t forget me. i won’t forget you.❞

❝if you hear the signal, run. you remember the signal? it’s ‘AHHHHHHH'❞

❝don’t turn evil, okay? but if you do, i’ll still be your friend. i mean, it’s okay. you know, some people are evil. it’s okay. just don’t turn evil to me.❞

❝sometimes it sounds like you don’t have much love for home.❞

❝we need to know the ones we love.❞

❝i guess it’s easier to pretend like you don’t care.❞

❝you would do anything for love.❞

❝i would protect you.❞

❝do we look like tourists?❞

❝that could have gone much worse.❞

❝why does it feel like everyone here is hitting on me, but also insulting me at the same time?❞

❝what? why are you looking at me like that?❞

❝i operate alone. that’s how i survived this long.❞

❝i’m a danger to you by proximity, as much as you are a danger to me.❞

❝how was i supposed to get better? you fucking left!❞

❝now, i see great possibility in you. you have potential. but you need to listen to me and think before you act.❞

❝your rash, intense behavior will be your downfall.❞

❝no one has to see what you’re doing is good, as long as it is good.❞

❝i do not do this for accolades. i do this because i serve the purpose to provide a better world for those who. cannot defend themselves.❞

❝i can’t tell your morning voice apart from your just-almost-died voice.❞

❝if you ask, the worst they can do is say no, and throw you in prison, and you’ll never see your family again.❞

❝we are exiles in every sense of the word.❞

❝you made the right call. i’m very proud of you.❞

❝what would you have done differently?❞

❝for the first time in a really long time, i feel hopeful.❞

❝now that i’m with you, i don’t know how i could be apart from you.❞

❝oh boy, i don’t understand anything that’s going on.❞

❝i trust your heart. it’s in a good place.❞

❝i think you might be wrong. i can’t say it with 100% certainty, but you might be.❞

❝i had a very bad dream.❞

❝i think i’ve done something very bad and i don’t remember.❞

❝have i done something terrible?❞

❝i am talking to you as one accomplished liar to another.❞

❝this is our family now and we are looking out for eachother.❞

❝we can remake ourselves into something better.❞

❝those things were fucking scary as fuck!❞

❝it’s a tomb with an exit. that’s the worst kind.❞

❝maybe we shouldn’t go in. let’s just go back.❞

❝i know you lost your family. we can be your new one.❞

❝i’m just doing my best.❞

❝i’ve never seen you get scared.❞

❝are you feeling scared? you should. this is terrifying.❞

❝try what you want. you won’t break me.❞

❝your life hangs by a thread. what have you to lose?❞

❝some of us get tired of macabre fairytales. so you enjoy your mouthful of lies when they choke it out of you.❞

❝we’re being sneaky! stop talking so loud!❞

❝i’m confused. do you want me to stay or not?❞

❝is this conversation appropriate to have in a hot tub?❞

❝it’s been really hard trying to figure out who’s just a traitor and who’s an actual demon.❞

❝all i can give you is my loyalty.❞

#sentence starters #rp memes #rp sentence starters #rp prompts #rp meme #roleplay memes #roleplay prompts

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Considered myself tagged by the lovely @thisonelikesaliens

hardcover or paperback // bookstore or library // bookmark or receipt // standalone or series // nonfiction or fiction // thriller or fantasy // under 300 pages or over 300 pages (it depends on the book) // children's or ya // friends to lovers or enemies to lovers (although I very rarely read romance) // read in bed or read on the couch // read at night or read in the morning // keep pristine or markup // cracked spine or dog ear

Currently reading: Kaleidoscope of Death. I've watched the show so of course I need to read the uncensored version and also the ending seriously pissed me off so that can't be the last time I see those characters.

Not sure who to tag because not sure who reads so only tagging a couple of people but of course no pressure @lurkingshan @colourme-feral @twig-tea

#rose rambles #tag game

[neuroticbookworm]

Tagged by bestie @lurkingshan here, may your next read give you everything you want from it and more

hardcover or paperback // bookstore or library (any place that has a lot of books is my personal heaven) // bookmark or receipt // standalone or series (my standalone brainrots are different from my series brainrots, but they are brainrots nonetheless) // nonfiction or fiction // thriller or fantasy (I have my thriller and fantasy phases but I enjoy both equally) // under 300 pages or over 300 pages // children's or ya // friends to lovers or enemies to lovers // read in bed or read on the couch // read at night or read in the morning // keep pristine or markup // cracked spine or dog ear (cracked spine hurts my soul to a truly indescribable level)

Currently reading: Normal People by Sally Rooney. I was going through a pretty serious depressive media burnout in 2020 so I fully missed the Normal People train when it was running on full steam. I am only a couple chapters in, but the dynamic between Connell and Marianne is already shaping up and I am very intrigued to see how it is gonna grow and shift over the course of the book.

Tagging @telomeke, @hyeoni-comb, @twig-tea, @solitaryandwandering, @colourme-feral

#tag game #this or that

[thesleepysphinx]

Summer on the Horizon

Telltale's The Walking Dead Luke x Fem!Reader

Chapter Content Warnings: mention of violence/murder, some soft feels

*Please refer to the masterlist for a disclaimer on the AU this takes place in*

Series Masterlist ◈ Previous Chapter ◈ Next Chapter

Chapter 6: When We Have Hope

Word Count: 2615

They sit around the fire, eating a helping of beef jerky as the sun sets in the west. Laughter floats around, lifting their spirits.

“You can’t be serious,” Y/N questions. “The two of you went broke in just six months? That’s gotta be a record.”

“Hey!” Luke holds his hands up in surrender. “I never said it was gonna be a profitable business!”

“I’m pretty sure businesses are intended to be profitable no matter what, but whatever makes you feel better about yourself!”

Luke rolls his eyes and throws a twig in her direction. “At least I gave it a try.” He sits for a second, reminiscing on his time before the world went to shit. “What would y’all have done if you coulda started a business.”

Y/N answers without a second thought. “A bookstore.”

“What, like Borders?”

She shakes her head. “Naw, definitely just a small town bookstore. Maybe one with a little cafe.” She hugs her knees up to her chest and looks up at the sky. “The place would have been like a second home, I’m sure.” She looks down towards Clementine, who’s still chewing on some jerky. “What about you, Clem?”

She takes a moment to think before she swallows her food. “I’ve always really liked drawing, so maybe an art store?”

Y/N chuckles at her response. “I can definitely see that. Our stores could be neighbors.”

Clementine smiles at that idea. “That would be really nice.” She then smiles at Y/N mischievously. “But I’d steal too many of your books.”

Luke butts into the conversation. “Don’t be givin’ away your strategy already! Now she won’t ever let you in!” He laughs as he finishes his sentence.

Y/N holds a finger up, silencing Luke. “Well wait just a second. How about, you can take books, as long as you make some drawings for my store? It could definitely do with some art to offset the plain walls.”

Clem is now beaming as she laughs between her words. “You’ve got a deal.” She holds her hand out towards Y/N, who takes it and shakes it firmly. 

“Now I feel like I’m bein’ left out on purpose…” Luke complains, feigning disappointment. 

“Well maybe you should think up some better business models!” Y/N teases. “You’re just too high risk to make deals with, what with your track record and all.”

Luke rolls his eyes for the umpteenth time today. “Yeah, yeah… I’ll show you, just you wait. You’ll be clambering to make business deals with me in no time.” At that he lays back with his hands behind his head to look up at the constellations forming in the night sky. He traces them with his eyes, losing count of the stars almost instantly. “Y’know the one good thing that came out of all of this? No matter where you are, the stars are always bright. No city lights or smog to drown them out.”

Y/N and Clementine lay down too to look at the stars. They lay in silence for a while, just the three of them and the stars looking back at them. But like all good things, it comes to an end when they hear a rustling in the bushes. All three survivors sit up instantly and reach for their weapons. Silhouetted in the last rays of the sun, they make out a singular walker. Y/N sighs as she stands up and whispers, “I got this.”

She walks a bit closer to the walker and whistles at it in a quick tune to gain its attention. Once it’s lumbering towards her, she assumes a low stance, waiting for just the right moment. And when that moment comes, she shoves the walker up against a tree, holding it back with her forearm against its chest, while she sinks her knife into the side of its skull. The body instantly goes limp and crumbles to the forest floor. Y/N bends down to wipe her blade on the grass then starts the short walk back to the fire. As she sits back down, she sighs again. “It’s getting late. I can take our first watch.”

“I think I’ll keep ya company a little while longer,” Luke offers, though it sounds more like a fact of a matter than an offer. “You can head off to bed if you feel like it, Clem.”

The girl yawns as she trudges towards the tent. Luke must have seen her exhaustion already. “Just don’t talk too loud, okay?”

Luke chuckles a bit and mutters out, “You got it, kiddo,” as Clementine passes by and disappears into the tent. He looks back towards Y/N to find her face more stoic now. “Well, that lurker sure brought down the mood, didn’t it?”

Y/N scoffs, her face unchanging. “Yeah, they have a tendency to do that.”

The two are sitting a few feet apart, a campfire between them. Luke stands to grab another piece of wood to add to the fire to keep it going, and finds a seat much closer to Y/N than his previous one, but still leaves a gap. He keeps his voice low like he promised Clem he would. “I’m missing that bed already, that sleeping bag won’t even come close.” 

Y/N chuckles under her breath. “I swear, you don’t think of anything else except a comfy bed. You’re just gonna keep disappointing yourself.”

Luke mimics her chuckle. “I guess I’m just a hopeful person. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.”

“You’re talking about hope so much, it’s gonna start rubbing off on me.”

“Well I would hope so!” He catches himself before he starts talking too loud and returns to a whisper. “We become better people when we have hope. Just like I hope we find a bed again soon.”

“See, you’re just proving my point! All you think about is finding a bed. There are better things to hope for, y’know?”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

She’s silent for a moment as she pulls a knee up to her chest. “Safety. I hope we find a place where we feel safe. Yeah, we’ve survived this long. But, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. I’m getting tired.” She casts her gaze down at the fire. “But, I guess I’m doing better now than I was last week.” The corners of her lips lifted in a pained smile. For a second time today, her eyes gloss over with tears. But she blinks it away and takes a deep breath. And as she calms down, she feels a hand rest on her shoulder. She just slightly lifts her gaze from the fire to come face to face with Luke.

His charming smile immediately speeds up Y/N’s heart rate, so much so that she hopes he can’t hear it over the crackling of the fire. And it speeds up even more as he says, “I’m doin’ a lot better now, too.” Y/N stares at him for a moment, trying to process the implication of his words. But then Luke backtracks as he pulls his hand away and rubs the back of his neck, “And, uh, so is Clem. I think she likes having another girl around again.”

Y/N recovers quickly, pushing the feeling of a blush to the back of her mind. “You miss having another guy around, then?”

Luke winces internally. Another guy would mean competition, but I can’t tell her that! Think, Luke, think! “Not particularly. When there’s a lot of men around, it leads to a sort of… power struggle. It’s happened quite a few times in my groups.”

Y/N leans towards him a bit in jest. “And let me guess. You were always one of the guys fighting for power.”

Luke almost looks offended as he puts his hands up in defense. “Hey now! It’s not ‘cause I’m greedy or anything. Other people just… don’t do what’s right sometimes.” He stops for a moment, but continues when she looks at him expectedly, waiting for more explanation. “It’s a good thing, knowing that Carver is dead and can’t hurt people anymore. He killed Alvin in cold blood. And Reggie. And a lot of other people. And even before all that, I knew he had evil in him. I can’t just stand back and let someone like that lead people.” Pain passes through his face as he lets out a heavy sigh.

This time, Y/N puts a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Luke. And you do good by people. Please, don’t ever doubt that.” As she moves closer to him, she sees a tear fall from his chin. And then, she acts without another thought and pulls him into her, as he did for her just a few hours before. Time grinds to a halt as she holds him and as he grips her shoulders in return. He doesn’t sob, and he doesn’t shake, but she can feel every ounce of emotion as it crashes down on her in waves. With every breath he exhales, she holds him tighter, refusing to let him feel alone. And it’s true. They aren’t alone.

-

“We’re heading East, right?” Clem questions as she looks up towards the sun, shielding her eyes with her hat and hands. 

Y/N smiles to herself, feeling a bit of pride that Clem picked up on using the sun for directions so quickly. “Yup, long as it’s still morning and you’re looking towards the sun, that’s East.” She keeps her eyes on the trail ahead. Well, trail is an overstatement. It’s more just a narrow area between the trees that seems to grow less brush. “Lots of fallen branches here, watch your step,” she calls out as she carefully places one foot in front of the other. Clem follows close behind with Luke a few strides back. 

Luke winces and clutches his leg where he’d been shot a few months before. “A storm’s gonna be rolling in soon, we need to find somewhere safe before it hits.”

Y/N chuckles up ahead. “And how do you know that? Is the farm boy a weather boy now?”

“Haha, very funny,” he says dryly, though his lips curl up at the edges. “Old wound is acting up is how I know.”

“What, your ribs?”

“Naw, gunshot to the leg.”

Her eyes widen for just a second. “And how’d that one happen?”

“Some angry Russian.”

Now Y/N turns around in disbelief, still walking backwards. “How many people have you pissed off, exactly?”

Luke exhales a small laugh. “More than I’d like, I’m sure.” 

She keeps walking backwards, maintaining eye contact with him. “Wow, I thought you were such a nice guy, Luke! But with all these stories you’re telling me, I’m starting to doubt my own judgment.”

He smirks at that comment. “Well, that’s not what you were saying last night…” He trails off as he realizes what it just sounded like he said. “I mean- you seemed to think I was pretty good… I mean as a person, I’m a good person. I’m gonna go ahead and shut up now.” He feels a blush spreading across his chest and up his neck. 

Y/N laughs at Luke’s expense as she says, “No, please keep going. I want to see how deep you dig your own–” She’s cut off as she falls backwards onto the forest floor, bushes rustling from the impact.

Even with all the self-restraint in the world, Luke can’t help the snort that he lets out at Y/N’s misfortune. Eventually, that snort turns into a full blown laugh as he finds himself clutching his stomach, laughing through the pain of his previously broken rib. Even Clementine is having a hard time controlling her laugh, covering her mouth as her chuckles slip through.

“Oh yeah, ha ha, very funny!” Y/N calls out as she sits up. “Laugh at the fallen person, how original.” As her companions continue to laugh, she lays back down with her arms spread out, soaking in the sun that sneaks through the leaves. But her relaxation is interrupted as Luke stands over her, offering a hand. It takes all her willpower to hide a mischievous grin as she takes it and instead of using it to stand, uses all her strength to bring him down with her. The bushes rustle once again, giving way to his weight.

Luke raises his head from the bush, twigs and leaves caught in his hair. He takes a moment to spit out a twig that found its way into his mouth. He gets his own mischievous grin as he says, “Well, now you’re askin’ for it!” 

Y/N tries her best to scramble out of the bushes, barely gaining some footing before Luke pulls her back by the wrist. This time, as she falls, she falls right into Luke, elbow slamming into his abdomen, just barely grazing the poorly healing rib. Luke grinds his teeth at the pain and squeezes his eyes shut, feeling the instant regret. Upon hearing a snicker above him, he peeks an eye open and comes face to face with Y/N. And it’s really face to face. If he had to guess, he’d say 4 inches away nose to nose. Luke’s words get caught in his throat when he tries to say something, not even really knowing what he was gonna say in the first place. Before he can figure it out, Y/N is rolling off of him onto the forest floor.

As she stands, Y/N turns to face Luke, making a point to laugh at him still laying in the bush. “Wow, it’s much more fun to be the one laughing.” Luke rubs at his neck as a blush spreads across his cheeks, an action that feels way too common now. This time, Y/N holds out her hand. “Don’t get any ideas now, I think we’ve had enough bush to skin contact for the day.” 

Luke chuckles at her nonchalance and takes her hand, pulling himself up with a small ache in his rib. When he’s finally back on solid ground, he clutches his rib and groans. “Damn, you got me good.”

Clementine peeps up as she continues their walk. “I think you did that to yourself, Luke.”

“Hey now, don’t go picking sides, it ain’t fair!” Luke calls after her, readjusting his backpack before following.

“Well I think it’s plenty fair,” Y/N offers before saying more quietly to Luke, “But I am sorry… Is it hurting bad?”

Her concern has Luke’s lips curling up into a smile. “Naw, just a little irritated, it’ll pass.” He glances at her to see the concern clear in her eyes. Before his gaze can linger too long, he’s nudging her along after Clem. “Well let’s get a move on, don’t wanna get caught in that stor–” 

Crack.

All three of them hit the forest floor immediately, as if their bodies realized it was a distant gunshot before their minds did. 

Crack. Crack.

Y/N is the first to speak among them. “Fuck, how close was that?”

“Not too close,” Luke answers, “But definitely too close for comfort. Sounds like they’re the way we came from, so let’s keep moving.” He’s the first to stand, the other two following soon after. “Let’s move quick, and let’s move quiet.” “Don’t have to tell me twice,” Y/N whispers. Before she follows on the path, she looks back towards the way they came, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It’ll be okay, she soothes herself. Or at least, I hope it will be.

Next Chapter: TBD

A/N: HI YES HELLO I DID IT, I POSTED THE NEXT CHAPTER! Only took me *checks watch* 6 months? I mean... it's not the worst lol. I'll try to be more consistent, but there are no promises cause of how my schedule for this next semester is looking. But don't give up on me! Cause I'm not giving up on this fic :)

P.S: totally lost the document where I was keeping track of the names that wanted to be added to a tag list (oopsies) so just let me know if you do, I promise I won't be a hot mess this time *sobs*

#twdg #twdg s2 #telltale the walking dead #the walking dead #twd #luke x reader #twdg luke #twdg luke x reader #clementine #twdg clementine #twdg season 2 #summer on the horizon

[belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas]

15 people, 15 questions

I was tagged by the lovely @dribs-and-drabbles. Thank you!

Are you named after anyone?

Yes, I'm named after two of my great-grandmothers.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I cry at the drop of a hat haha. Last time I teared up was yesterday morning. I was properly sobbing on Christmas when I wrote letters to my family. The last show that made me cry was Last Twilight Episode 7.

3. Do you have kids?

No.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Ummmm.... I am very athletically challenged haha. The last time I played a sport involving a ball I got a concussion... I did JKD when I was a pre-teen, and Krav and yoga for a couple of years as an adult. Do those count?

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Outside of my job, all the time.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I haven't really thought about this before. I guess general physical appearance.

7. What's your eye colour?

Green, although they used to be more hazel.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I'm not a fan of scary movies, and although I enjoy a well executed tragedy, I'm definitely a happy ending girlie.

9. Any talents?

I can bake really well, I'm a good driver, and I have an excellent sense of direction.

10. Where were you born?

South Africa

11. What are your hobbies?

I read a lot and find doodling/sketching really relaxing. When I'm in a walkable location, I also really love going for walks - to the park or just around the neighbourhood. When my brain and the cats let me, I also enjoy cross-stitch.

12. Do you have any pets?

Yes, a cat. She's a tiny, grumpy lady. I have also at various times had dogs, hamsters, snails, a chicken, and, for one memorable weekend, a terrapin.

13. How tall are you?

I'm 5'9"

14. What was your favourite subject in school?

I really loved biology and English.

15. What is your dream job?

I've been lucky enough to have had three different jobs, all of which have been amazing in completely different ways. If I had to give up my current career, I would love to work in a library or bookstore.

There you have it! I shall tag 15 people - if you've already answered or don't want to participate, no pressure 😊 and if you haven't been tagged and want tot do it, consider this your invitation!

@fatgumsurpremacy-remastered, @chalkrevelations, @maxescheibechlinichacheli, @theflagscene, @airenyah, @petrichoraline, @foralleternityidiot, @callipigio, @sorry-bonebag, @zimmbzon, @colourme-feral, @telomeke, @bunnakit, @twig-tea, and @vera9

#tag game #15 questions

[justanotherstarlightmonger]

Piece of peace ch 8

The garden in the woods.

Summary: Park Jimin and Min Yoongi had forgone the city life months ago, opting to settle into their dream cottage in the woods born of dreams and furnished with love. And it was always going to be them. Until the biggest thunderstorm of the year carried an unexpected guest to their door smack dab in the middle of them living their isolated dream

Pairing: Yoongi x Jimin, Yoongi x Jimin x reader

Word count ~500 words.

Warning: None.

Taglist: @themochiverse & my Yoonmin anon.

POP navigation.

~~~~

The forest was beautiful. In the morning light, with no worries biting at your heels and a happily chatty Min Yoongi at your side, the canopy of all shades of green seemed to welcome you with open arms.

It was hard to believe the last time you had been in here, there was paranoia eating you and every gust of wind and cracking of twigs felt like a declaration of doom. But maybe it was the faint sun, or maybe it was the immeasurable warmth coming from Yoongi as he helped you navigate through puddles, it seemed that the forest was alive. A giant, mighty creature that seemed to be friends with the man you were with. 

You found a smile easily slotting onto your face. 

You came upon a clearing in the dense trees then, and here you realized that the sun had actually gotten stronger, the rays were warm on your skin and there was more floral shrubbery here. Yoongi pointed at a bush, "That's where I found your sunflowers" 

You blushed. The sunflowers sat proudly on the hearth above the fireplace in the living room where you slept every night. They were one thing you'd take with you when you left. Proof of the fact that someone in this wide world cared about you. 

"What about the other plants? Are they all wild?" You asked.

Yoongi looked around proudly, "I'm gonna admit, I tried to grow a secret garden in here once to surprise Jimin, but I don't think I have that green of a thumb, so the forest took over. "

You looked around in awe. It was true, not all the flowers and bushes you saw were wild, some were ornamental but were overgrown with weeds. If you squinted hard enough, you'd be able to see just where Yoongi had made his flowerbeds. 

The honeybees were also busy around the plants, probably making up for the time they lost in the storm. 

Things seemed to be falling into their rhythm of life. And it was oh so peaceful. 

Wordlessly, you moved closer to a big boulder that was warm with the sun. 

Leaning against it, you watched Yoongi as he pulled out a few weeds here are there, then took a whole round of the clearing, stopping now and then to take lungfuls of the clean, crisp air, a content smile on his face. 

When he finally came and jumped into the boulder, next to you, he seemed to be in an even better mood that he was in, in the morning. 

"Yoongi?" 

"Hmm?"

"How did you and Jimin meet?" 

Yoongi smiled into the distance. "It was very fateful. And it might sound very co incidental to you, but me and Jimin met in a violent storm too. 

It was raining cats and dogs, and he ran into the bookstore I had a book signing event in. It was warm in there, so Jiminie just stayed in till the rain slowed down. I was done by that time, and I had already noticed the hot guy who wasn't approaching me." A giggle, the most wonderful of sounds, left Yoongi. "Call me narcissistic, but I wanted him to come talk to me, not just browse through the shelves. I also didn't like the idea that he didn't know who I was. So I made my way into the aisle he was in, pretending to look for something, and started up a conversation." 

"Oh?" You were surprised. For some reason you had thought Jimin would have been the one to approach Yoongi. "So you liked what you saw and decided you wanted him? "

"I liked what I saw and thought I'd give it a try. It went well for me. " A fond smile was fixed on his face. 

" I could never," you mumbled, eyes fixed on your twiddling thumbs in your lap. The very thought of being brave enough to start up a conversation with someone you found attractive, randomly, gave you butterflies. 

Yoongi thought you were cute like that, and let you restart the conversation when you wanted to. 

After a few moments, you said, "Did he ask you about your books then?"

"Yeah. We ended up going for coffee the very same day. We talked for hours. It felt like I had met someone I'd lost in some other life." Yoongi's voice softened towards the end. 

"What a poetic thing to say" you sighed. 

Yoongi laughed happily at that and you joined in. 

"Jiminie wasn't an avid reader back then, but he reads alot now." He told you proudly. 

Later, when Jimin came home and suggested you three should go out to dinner tonight, and that he had even bought you a dress, while you waited for Yoongi to shower, you asked Jimin, "Who's your favorite author?" 

"The one I married." Jimin said proudly, a fond boop to your nose. 

You realized that Yoongi might have fallen first but Jimin fell harder. 

#yoonmin smut #yoongi x jimin #yoonmin fanfic #yoongi x reader #jimin x reader #bts poly #yoonmin fluff #yoonmin fic #yoonmin x reader

[hellpenis900]

listened new lemon twink album. a good bit of it is a little too bubblegum for me — but that's not a major complaint because complaining about the twigs sounding pop is kind of like complaining about there being too many books at a bookstore. the other bit of it? ohh boy.

#peppermint roses would've made a much much better single than how can i love her more. genuinely #MY ONE REAL COMPLAINT is that almost all of the songs are like 2 minutes long. i know this is 60s influenced but that's not healthy #sweet vibrations getting described as 'baroque pocket prog' on the bandcamp review.. why not baroque full prog. with 22 minute tracks. #posting for my exactly 4 other twig mutuals

[lurkingshan]

Tagged by @my-rose-tinted-glasses thanks bestie!

hardcover or paperback // bookstore or library // bookmark or receipt (neither I turn the page corners down)// standalone or series (I love a long ass continuous story over multiple books but often when the series is romances with multi couples who each get a book I only like the first couple) // nonfiction or fiction (I spend all my working hours reading and writing my leisure time is for escapism)// thriller or fantasy // under 300 pages or over 300 pages // children's or ya // friends to lovers or enemies to lovers // read in bed or read on the couch // read at night or read in the morning // keep pristine or markup // cracked spine or dog ear

Currently reading: A Marvellous Light. It's the first in a fantasy romance series. It's very well written and the magic universe is really interesting, but the main characters are posh white men who mostly spend a lot of time whinging about rich people problems so it's not exactly my bag. I also quickly read the Kare no iru seikatsu manga last night because I wanted to understand how the live action fucked up a simple story so badly (answer: they tried to stretch an incredibly thin story to double its length by stalling and adding random shit that messed up the character arcs, for shame).

Tagging @neuroticbookworm @bengiyo @twig-tea @wen-kexing-apologist @sorry-bonebag @hyeoni-comb @starryalpacasstuff

#tag game

[abellinthecupboard]

At the Bookstore Cafe

After a long browse for some other story to make of our lives, we sit in uneasy truce over what she will or will not eat. We drink our chamomile tea and pretend I’m the good mother, she the good daughter. Three more patients from the ward drop themselves in chairs nearby, tripping the rictus scale as she calls it. She looks at them like mirrors. She baits me — “World-class starvation artists, Mummy” — waving her empty cup toward them. “You can’t quite say we ‘egg’ each other on, can you? Not even that would pass our lips.” I say nothing. My arm half lifts and falls. Hunched in her ladderback chair, she would flinch, scald, if touched, this flesh once safe, once perfect, that grew inside me. So, we drink our tea. A Starbuck’s barista in a bearsuit brings them their rosehip and waddles away to welcoming squeals from the Children’s Hour. Once upon a time, I would have said, “O children, frisk and play, be good and stay away. The poison’s sweet. Beware the forest’s paths and what they give to eat.” Now, I don’t know. Her fingers like twigs tap, tap at her cup. She looks past the tykes running down the aisles, faces paint-whiskered as mice, then slowly tears her napkin into confetti. My hands lie in my lap like stones. Chairs scrape, the sisterhood rises. I look at her, at me; Witch or Gretel makes no difference, we are ourselves our own ovens.

— Robert Bolick (source)

#At the Bookstore Cafe #Robert Bolick #autumnskypoetrydaily #poetry #writing #literature #motherhood #persona poem #poets on tumblr

[corpuscristiano]

WAIT IS THAT...CRISTIANO? i forgot about that guy.

FULL NAME: Cristiano Martin Van Allen NICKNAMES: Cris, Van Allen AGE + DATE OF BIRTH: Twenty /// April 5th, 1965 ( i think???) JOB: Bartender @ The Pit MAJOR: Art Education

TRAITS: Worldly, Smart-Mouthed, Family-Oriented, Hypercritical, Confident, Flirtatious, Loud, Obtuse, Overdramatic INSPO: Katie Morosky (The Way We Were), Lito (Sense8), Odd Della Robia (Code Lyoko), Elliot (Euphoria)

SILLY LITTLE BIO FOR A SILLY LITTLE BOY🎊

Cristiano is by no means an outcast. He's been in the gang's orbit since before he could remember. But even so...Cris likes to think of himself as a lone wolf. A jaded artist staring down life's barrel with a smug grin.

Cristiano is by no means an outcast. He's been in the gang's orbit since before he could remember. But even so...Cris likes to think of himself as a lone wolf. A jaded artist staring down life's barrel with a smug grin.

This is mostly an act. Cris is a nerd first and foremost, and a budding community leader in his own right. He's read books by every activist known to man. He spends his free time in front of canvases and hodgepodge statues. He's the kinda guy who reminds all his friends about their Miranda rights...repeatedly.

His obsession with bridging art and activism started pretty young. It's kinda inevitable when your mom runs a boundary-pushing bookstore. Twigs was known as a cheap place to get used college textbooks and get psychic readings by the one and only Astrid Van Allen. He was a consumer first and foremost. An inquisitor. Yeah, that sounds right. Astrid Van Allen was more than happy to provide her son with the resources and the answers. She was gonna do this single mom thing right.

Maybe subconsciously, Cristiano wanted to be worldly for her. He saw the other kids in Cherry. Most of them had dads...and if they didn't there was an explanation. Astrid shut down any conversation revolving Cristiano's father...often in a tone that Cris could only define as "nice-nasty". When Cris won an art competition or got straight A's, those pesterings were replaced with backhanded compliments.

"He is shockingly well-behaved!"

"Do you think he gets that art stuff it from his dad?"

His love for him mom and for intersectional feminism (Thanks Maya Angelou!) made him very bitter about comments like these. Really...as he got older, the olden day mindsets in Cherry began to make him more and more angry. Cris started to vocalize this bitterness in school. Vandalizing bathroom stalls with Malcom X quotes. Interrupting teacher's lessons with counter-points and anecdotes about injustice.

Needless to say, this behavior landed Cristiano in detention quite often. The inevitability of the smart-mouthed activist constantly finding himself in trouble with "the establishment" fueled his artistic fire. By high school he was pretty well known by his loud mouth and louder art pieces. But things started to get weird in around that time. Well weirder than being raised by a woman who claimed to see spirits and auras. He and his friends were suddenly privy to stabbings, masked figures, drama queens, & cheating scandals. All great inspiration for Cris's artistic endeavors...but ironically deeply distracting for a kid just trying to get into fucking art school and flee Cherry with his mom in tow.

Graduation didn't help calm things down. Right before Cristiano could start classes at CCU (a very sizeable downgrade from his dream pick of UCLA), the news struck. The Van Allens could no longer afford to run Twigs. Maybe it was a drop in sales...maybe it was a mismanagement of money (Astrid was never the most responsible when it came to that kind of thing), but what was done was done.

Those times were a haze for Cris. His second home had seemingly gone up in smoke. He suddenly felt a responsibility to show up for his friends as they got pulled tighter and tighter into the mystery of the LDB. He became a ball of stress to put it lightly. And even as things began to resolve (If you could call Lux Lewis revealing to be a domestic terrorist and hightailing it outta there a resolution)…Cris felt like a changed kid. No…a changed man! He’s shaved his head, garnered a few stick & poke tattoos, and unfortunately…sold half of his art portfolio. He is the breadwinner of the Van Allen household nowadays after all.

These days Cris is a survivor first, artist/activist second. He spends his evenings slinging drinks and pretending to be a Russell brother at The Pit. He spends his days perusing his Art Education degree. If he's stuck in Cherry for the rest of his life, he might as well spend it empowering the young minds that inhabit it. Occasionally you might find him at the boardwalk selling caricatures and groaning about the imminent gentrification of Cherry. He's a good time! I swear!

#the cristiano you know and love! now with non-hargrove related tramua! #AND HE'S BALD! #FOR NOW! #intro

[fruti2flutie]

pls do tell more about pacrim au, royalty au, volleyball au!! ( the way my brain defaulted to haikyuu bc that was my last obsession before kpop ( read: skz ) pulled me back ).

ALSO BC PACRIM AU WHEN CHAN WAS TALKING ABOUT watching edits in puppy interview about how synchronized they are my brain too was like pacrim… drift compatible…

welcome to the Likely Never Going to Write in Full Idea Bank (SKZ edition) by ao3 user fruti2flutie!!! here goes:

pacrim au (ot8, established minsung, past chanlix)

chan-centric!!! i was also inspired by those in-sync ot8 vids, and then more sadly by the daebak show ep where chan said he got real dark during his trainee years bc everyone was leaving him :( the background: chan gave up piloting bc he lost his closest companion during a mission, coupled with never properly coping while his friends dropping out of the training program as well. after the accident he wasn't drift compatible with anyone & his heart was heavier than every mech in the hangar. he returned to his hometown, quietly followed news of kaiju, prayed for every fallen pilot as he stayed in retirement. the story: he gets a visit from high school sweetheart felix who has enlisted in the pilot program & wants chan to accompany him to the training grounds. chan never stopped loving him but had bigger things to worry about: the kaiju, saving the world, etc. felix tells him he doesn't have to join the program again, but he knows chan loves humanity & can't stay away from a jaegar. chan, against his better judgment, follows felix & becomes a mechanic. some ppl remember him but most don't; it's been too long, almost a decade. so he goes about his things, meets other aspiring pilots in felix's program: seungmin, jeongin, and hyunjin; gets along well with changbin, another mechanic. but then the revered soulmate pilots have an incident, putting minho in an incapacited state while the next kaiju attack approaches. being the only person with experience in a jaegar it forces chan to attempt drifting with han jisung, someone he barely even knows. and when it works -- holy shit, what does that mean for chan? eventually this leads to skz finding out ot8 is drift compatible BUT YEAHHHHHhhhhhhh

royalty au (seungbin, minor hyunsung)

the princess & the pauper/secret identity inspired fic bc this is my DREAM!!!! MY DREAM AU I WILL NEVER WRITE!!! prince changbin just coasts along life cuz his first princess sister is going to take over the kingdom. he sneaks out of the castle one day avoiding punishment from minho, his guard, and encounters a bookstore owner's son. it's a meet-messy, where changbin ruins a shipment of books & seungmin wants to bring him to court for it. flustered, changbin lies & says he's a tradesman's son, but he can work off what he owes for however long seungmin needs. seungmin doesn't trust him, but the store could use help with manual labor; seungmin is a twig. they grow closer along the way, and eventually there's a ball hosted at the castle that seungmin shows interest in, which is where he ultimately discovers changbin's true identity. chan is seungmin's childhood friend who works as a royal guard & jisung is currently seungmin's bff who sells produce from his parents' farm. hyunjin is an artisan's apprentice, felix is in the king's kitchen, and jeongin is a maid's son & patters around breaking things in the castle. i've never written a long fic in this type of AU but seriously would love to some day :(

volleyball au (minchan, minor seungbin)

I LOVE VOLLEYBALL!! I LOVE HAIKYUU I LOVE!!! AHHHHHHHH this would be a high school au where chan's the vball team captain in his last year of high school. the team itself is extremely unpopular & only has seven players. he wants his team to win something before he graduates; these are his boys, and he wants them to remember him before he goes off to his Non-Volleyball future. enter: ambidextrous transfer student lee minho, who doesn't give a fuck about team competition but thinks chan's dream is kinda cute. the boys lack discipline, but they can put in the work to reach success. also, seungmin is the team's setter, changbin is the libero, and they're secretly dating bc they don't wanna mess up team dynamics even tho they mess them up anyway bc seungmin overly nitpicks on how changbin passes him the ball when they have lovers quarrels 😳 i've strayed away from hs au but the potential of an ambidextrous vball player........ lives in my brain.............

#anon #reply #idea brain #these thoughts were treats for myself bc i made it to 40k on prostitution au orz #currently trudging thru ch4 & ch5 aka the most difficult scenes in the story 🥲 #i gotta make it to eight!! i do not wanna give up!!!!!!!!! #IF i say IF i ever attempt to write these it would be royalty au cuz i already have an ending vv #but i am constantly thinking abt vball au. Constantly