#wanted it to feel like old school fairytale books

[crazymecjc]

ooooh you all wanna preorder @phantasiazine so so bad ooooh ✨✨

#persona 3 #phantasia zine #it’s literally just persona characters and fantasy what more could you want? #also I never draw my p3 blorbos and honestly it’s a Crime bc I adore them so this is making up for it lmao #minato arisato #ryoji mochizuki #yes this is based on snow white what about it #in my head she’s titled deaths kiss #wanted it to feel like old school fairytale books #oof my art i guess

[nochukoo97]

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) - teaser

pairing: childhoodfriend!jk x childhoodfriend!oc

summary: you and jungkook have been friends since birth, and as you both grow into teenagers, you can’t help but have some sorr of longing feeling towards him. but after a turn of events, you move away from your home town, growing apart from the boy you onced were close to. almost a decade later when you decide to move back, there’s someone familiar yet unfamiliar waiting for your arrival… was this the universe giving you a sign about him?

warnings/tags: story starts off when the both of them are children, but most of the plot is when they are adults :)), eventual: kissing, an emotional rollercoaster 🥲, they’re stuck in a ‘what are we’ moment, playing a waiting game of who confesses first, a little bit of angst, smut, but fluff too hehe

a/n: IM BACK 🥲 after being in writers block sighhh but i am back hehehe hope u r excited for this!! anyways this is just an intro for the actual fic, its more of what happened before the present which will be in the main part hehehe

TAGLIST OPEN!!

(this is the introduction, the main part is coming soon :)))

MASTERLIST

23 July 2007

You’re currently wedged between two bookshelves in the living room of your house, eyes trained on the words in your book, giggling to yourself when the plot takes a funny turn. Meanwhile in the background, Jungkook and your brother Taehyung, both a year older than you, the two ten year old boys play fighting in your parents backyard, their game was way too rough for you to even watch, you decided.

That’s always the way it’s been since you were young, Jungkook’s mum dropping him off at your parents place as he spent time with your brother, mostly roughhousing like they are now, and you, at nine years old, simply tucking yourself in another fairytale, which to you seemed like a much better way to past time.

You never truly spent a lot of time with the two of them when Jungkook would come over, besides the once-in-a-while moments where your parents would make you guys bond a little through board games or card games which the two elder boys would never take seriously, the games always ending in them either throwing the board game pieces at each other or stacking the cards into a pyramid.

When it came to school, you tried your best to stay away from bumping into your brother at school, but you’d always end up being teased in front of your friends by him and Jungkook, making fun of your two pigtails or your very glittery pink bag you had just gotten as a birthday gift, but you were used to it anyways, having grown up with a brother.

12 August 2011

Four years go by and now you’re finally completing your last year in middle school, Jungkook and your brother having moved on to high school, and as expected, they end up attending the same school, as they have done their whole life.

But since four years ago, a lot has changed. You’ve grown much closer to Jungkook, having gone on quite a few trips with his family, and you could even consider him a close friend. Most importantly, he’d grown from being a kid to a teenager, even though he was only a year older than you, the 14 year old boy suddenly became someone you always wanted to hang out with. To you, you saw him as someone cool. Instead of teasing you along with your brother, he now would defend you from your brother’s teasing, treat you to ice cream on the weekends and even teach you the video games he played with your brother.

“And then he let me get as many toppings as I wanted,” You tell your friends, clicking the buttons on your phone to show them the picture of your ice cream, filled to the brim with all sorts of toppings because Jungkook said you could.

“You’re so lucky, I wish I had a boyfriend like that,” Jiyeon sighs, pouting her lips as she sulks.

Your face turns red, tip of your ears warm as you quickly deny, “He isn’t my boyfriend! Just a friend… In fact he was my brother’s friend first,” No, you couldn’t even begin to try and imagine Jungkook as someone more than your friend!

“Well, but you should definitely confess to him on valentine’s day, it’s in like six months,” Yuji twirls her hair, nudging your leg slightly as she giggled.

To the three of you, as 13 year old girls, having a valentine was a big deal, especially since the whole idea of a crush and all was new to you guys as teenage girls.

“No! I don’t have feelings for him! He’s just nice to me I guess,” You frown at Yuji, just because she confessed to her crush and now apparently has a boyfriend, doesn’t mean you need to do it too, you decided.

You didn’t have a crush on Jungkook right?

You push away the thought quickly, this whole topic was so taboo to you, it made you feel squirmy thinking about it. No, you didn’t have any sort of feelings towards the older boy, never.

-

So that day when you arrived back at home, spotting Jungkook and Taehyung sitting at the table and doing their homework, you decide to take a seat away from the certain boy.

“Huh? Why are you sitting all the way there? Come back here,” Jungkook hums, pulling out his earphones in bewilderment, you had always sat next to him whilst the three of you would do homework together after school, nudging him here and there to ask for help with a math problem.

“I- okay,” You scooch towards the chair next to him, dragging your books along the table as you avoid eye contact. Your cheeks heating up again as you remember your conversation with your friends in school earlier, it made you feel all tingly inside, but why were you being so weird in front of him?

“You’ve been staring at that math problem for ages, need help?”

You jump up in surprise at Jungkook’s voice , letting out a small yelp as your brother snickers at you from across the table, you kick his shin in response, sending his hands flailing to the injury, mumbling some cuss word you don’t understand.

“Yeah,” You only muster out a whisper, handing over your pencil to the boy, who finds your behaviour a little off but nonetheless, doesn’t comment on it.

And while he explains the solution and working to find the value of X, you can only notice his eyes, his nose, the mole under his lips, the scar on his cheek from when he fought with your brother years ago, his lips.

And then you for yourself to snap out of your daydream when his eyes lock with yours in confusion as to why you’re staring at him instead of your workbook.

03 January 2012

But then five months later, opportunity for valentine’s day didn’t even come for you anyways, as you pack your bags to move miles away from the place you once called home, since your father had been posted to a new country for his work.

The whole idea of leaving your life behind and all the people you’ve ever known since young was such an overwhelming feeling that you didn’t even think once about your feelings for Jungkook anymore, or maybe you did once, but it didn’t matter.

So when you tugged your luggage and watch your brother sadly hug his best friend goodbye at the airport, reality struck, you wouldn’t ever get a chance to even properly assess your feelings for Jungkook anyways, so you simply wave him goodbye, not looking back so you don’t think further than a goodbye.

He did make sure to exchange his Instagram and Facebook with you, promising you and your brother to keep in touch, which you agreed to. Maybe there was a part of you that wanted to cling onto the idea of him, but you didn’t let yourself believe that anyways.

#jungkook fluff #jungkook #jungkook x reader #jungkook au #jungkook ff #jungkook smut #jungkook x oc #bts #jungkook x you #jungkook drabble #jungkook angst #jungkook imagine #jungkook imagines #jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenarios

[the---hermit]

How to get out of a reading slump

A while back posted a list of ten books to help you get out of a reading slump, but I also wanted to post a more general list of tips I personally think are useful when you find yourself in a reading slump. (I have also talked about this topic in this ask). So here's some of my tips:

Take a break. Sometimes you can get in reading slumps because you are burned out, maybe not just because of reading, but that can be affected as well. You have no obligations when reading (unless of course if you have to do it for school/uni, in which case I would still recommend trying to get some time off or at least slow down a bit in order to get some energies back). Sometimes accepting that you are in a non-reading place in life it's the best solution.

If you feel like it's a book you are reading that is putting you in a reading slump dnf it, or at least try to switch between that and another book. I personally tend to get stuck when I have only one book in my currently reading pile, because I need to vary often, so I like to have at the very least two books that I am currently reading. Realizing this about myself made me read much more, because I have avoided a lot of reading slumps. I'd also like to add that there's no shame in dnf-ing a book, if you are not enjoying your time with it there's no reason you should keep forcing yourself to read that. Maybe it's not the right time, and you'll enjoy it more in the future, or simply the book is not made for you, which is totally fine.

Graphic novels are a great compromise to get some reading done when you are in a reading slump, but you still want to something to read. This is specifically my solution for when I am in a reading slump caused by being burned out. Graphic novels tend to require less brain energy, and the illustrations usually help a lot with the flow of the story. I think this is the safest option when you are in the worse reading slumps.

Audiobooks are your best friends, whether you want to listen to it while doing other activities, or you want the narrator to help you while you follow the page, I feel like this is another great option. I personally love audiobooks, and I like to always have one on the go. This is again a great option if you are feeling burned out, in those cases I really like to listen to the audiobook as I take a walk, or even as I play some mindless games online like tetris, and similar things. These are also a great option to help when the book you are reading is putting you in a reading slump but you really have to read it. I have used audiobooks a lot in high school to help when I had to read poems or big classics.

Short story collections can be one of the best options to get back into reading. These take off the pressure of being consistent in order to remember things, because you can pick them up and leave them as you like, since most stories won't be over 25 pages usually. There's also some great options of collections that include multiple genres, which can be very helpful when you are stuck and don't really know what you want to read.

Fairytales and kid's books might not come to mind as soon as you think of what to read, but they can be very helpful to get you out of reading slumps. They are short and lighthearted which are two fundamental characteristics of good books to get you back into reading. And rivisiting some childhood favourites is always a great choice in my opinion.

Reread an old favourite or a comfort book. I know some people don't love revisiting old favourites, but I personally love them. You always get something new out of the story, and rereading a plot you know already can take off a lot of the pressure of reading, because you don't have to pay the same attention as with a story you know nothing about. This can be very helpful when getting back into the habit of reading.

Set up a cozy place to read. I am all about romanticizing the small things in life, and this is a very effortless way to put you into a good mindset to read. I personally like to light a few candles, make myself a nice cup of tea, maybe get a little treat to eat, cuddle up under a blanket and just read. Of course your set up might change depending on your preferences, just have a little fun with it, you could even try to read a bit while you are taking a bath.

Try to read outside. Similarly to the last tip, changing your enviroiment can be helpful sometimes. Some people like to read in a cafè, but you could also go in your garden if you have one or in a park.

Consume bookish content. This might seem stupid at first but sometimes seeing other people be excited about reading and books is very motivating. It has personally helped me several times.

Start a buddy read with a friend you feel comfortable with. Sharing your thoughts with someone as you read a book can keep the motivation up and a buddy read can be a great option to help with motivation, but be sure that you are comfortable with this person so that you don't feel too pressure upon you. Be clear from the beginning set a small goal and have fun with your buddy.

At the moment these are all the tips that came to my mind when thinking about getting out of a reading slump. Of course different people might have different methods, but changing things up can always be helpful. As I said at the beginning you shouldn't feel pressure when reading, and if it's a no reading moment in your life there's not shame in it, but I have also been stuck in reading slumps where I actually did want to read but I couldn't bring myself to do so, and many of these things helped me.

original posts/tips masterlist

#this has been in my drafts for months but i finally edited it #idk why it took me so long #how to get out of a reading slump #reading slump #reading slump tips #tips #reading #studyblr #bookblr #booklr #bookish #reading tips #og post #study tips #original post #books #mine #the---hermit

[sas-soulwriter]

What inspired you to start your writing journey?

First of all, I'd like to thank you for this question. Honestly, it's quite a funny story, and it all started with the first book I ever willingly read. The book was called 'School for Good and Evil,' and at least the first part was greatly liked by my mother. Because it was a very thick book, my mother and I made a bet that I wouldn't finish reading it. In the end, my nine-year-old self not only read the first part but also the second and subsequent third parts. At this point, my mother decided not to continue reading because she didn't enjoy it anymore.

To encourage her to keep reading, I wrote my first story about Cinderella and her siblings. A story where she doesn't need a man but instead, family is all that matters. Indirectly, this was, of course, a fanfiction of the 'School for Good and Evil' books mixed with a fairytale retelling. After that, I couldn't stop writing. The words wanted to come out of me more and more, and I discovered it was a good way to communicate my feelings. At first, I wrote a lot of fan fiction until I decided at thirteen to publish a book.

Since then, I've worked on different projects and tried out various genres until I got completely engrossed in a story: my upcoming debut novel, which I'm currently working on. By the way, despite my first story, my mother never continued reading the books.

To all the other writers, why did you start writing and how? Tell me your story!

#creative writing #writing #writers block #writing advice #writblr #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing community #writing tips #words #answer #books #bookworm #booklove #wattpad #ao3 #fanfiction #schoolforgoodandevil #fanfic #fantasy #fanart

[andichoseyou]

THE ERAS TOUR ASK GAME!

💗Miss Americana And The Heartbreak Prince: it's been a long time coming... what was your opinion on the Lover album when it first came out, and what are your opinions on it now?

💗Cruel Summer: fever dream high... can you remember the best or worst summer of your life? if yes, can you explain why it was the best/worst?

💗The Man: i'm so sick of running as fast as i can... can you name some songs, movies, poems, etc that make you feel powerful? like you could do anything?

💗You Need To Calm Down: we've all got crowns... name 5 female artists (besides Taylor!) that you love!

💗Lover: can i go where you go... what are, in your opinion, the most romantic songs of all time?

💗The Archer: you could stay... at the end of the day, who do you choose? who is your person? your other half?

💗THE LOVER ERA: if you could add one Lover song to the setlist, which one would it be?

🌟Fearless: i don't know how it gets better than this... what was something that you were afraid to do, but did anyway? how did doing that make you feel?

🌟You Belong With Me: been here all along... what are your go-to karaoke songs?

🌟Love Story: we were both young when i first saw you... what were your favorite books/fairytales when you were younger?

🌟THE FEARLESS ERA: if you could add one Fearless song to the setlist, which one would it be?

🍂'Tis The Damn Season: it always leads to you and my hometown... what is your favorite spot in the town you grew up in? was it a restaurant? your childhood friend's house? the school you went to? someplace else?

🍂Willow: i come back stronger than a 90s trend... favorite 90s song?

🍂Marjorie: you're alive in my head... if you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

🍂Champagne Problems: i dropped your hand while dancing... what was the last movie/show that made you cry?

🍂Tolerate It: tell me i've got it wrong somehow... rank every taylor swift track 5!

🍂THE EVERMORE ERA: if you could add one Evermore song to the setlist, which one would it be?

♟️...Ready For It?: in the middle of the night... what is the last dream that you can remember? what was it about?

♟️Delicate: isn't it?... what is your favorite taylor swift "question" lyric? (ex: "can i go where you go?" or "remember when you hit the brakes too soon?")

♟️Don't Blame Me: oh lord save me... all time favorite live taylor performance?

♟️Look What You Made Me Do: the old taylor can't come to the phone... what are your top 5 favorite taylor swift music videos?

♟️THE REPUTATION ERA: if you could add one Reputation song to the setlist, which one would it be?

💟Enchanted: this night is sparkling... favorite dress that taylor has worn? it can be on stage, on the red carpet, or just out and about... but it must be a dress!

💟Long Live: we will be remembered... what is your favorite Taylor related memory?

💟THE SPEAK NOW ERA: if you could add one Speak Now song to the setlist, which one would it be?

🧣22: it feels like one of those nights... when is your birthday? how old are you turning? what is something you want to do for it? do you have any birthday traditions?

🧣We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: like, ever... best way to get over a break up? (romantic or platonic)

🧣I Knew You Were Trouble: so shame on me now... name 5 songs to scream-sing in the car with the windows down

🧣All Too Well (Ten Minute Version): i know it's long gone... what song(s) by taylor would you want a ten minute version of?

🧣THE RED ERA: if you could add one Red song to the setlist, which one would it be?

☕️The 1: i guess you never know... do you prefer The 1 or Invisible String?

☕️Betty: i know i miss you... what taylor swift song do you feel like she wrote just for you? a song that you relate to so much that it feels like she got inside your brain?

☕️The Last Great American Dynasty: 50 years is a long time... if you could write an essay/book/song/etc about any historical figure, who would you choose and why?

☕️August: you were never mine... favorite month of the year? why is it your favorite?

☕️Illicit Affairs: don't call me kid, don't call me baby... top 3 favorite taylor swift bridges?

☕️My Tears Ricochet: why are you at the wake... what are your go-to songs for when you need a good cry? (doesn't just have to be taylor songs!)

☕️Cardigan: i knew you... what is your favorite piece of clothing that you own?

☕️THE FOLKLORE ERA: if you could add one Folklore song to the setlist, which one would it be?

🦋Style: take me home... if you could ask taylor to cover one song, which song would you choose?

🦋Blank Space: if the high was worth the pain... what was the first taylor song you ever heard?

🦋Shake It Off: it's gonna be alright... list ten things that make you happy!!!

🦋Wildest Dreams: i bet these memories follow you around... would you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist?

🦋Bad Blood: blood runs cold... all time favorite taylor collab? who do you want to see her collab with next?

🦋THE 1989 ERA: if you could add one 1989 song to the setlist, which one would it be?

🍀Surprise Songs: what are your two dream surprise songs that you want to see live?

🌌Lavender Haze: i just need this love spiral... what is the funniest/stupidest rumor about taylor swift that you have seen/heard?

🌌Anti-Hero: too big to hang out... are you a sexy baby or a monster on the hill?

🌌Midnight Rain: all of me changed... do you prefer sunshine or the rain?

🌌Vigilante Shit: don't get sad, get even... post your favorite taylor pictures from the eras tour!!

🌌Bejeweled: a diamond's gotta shine... out of the 4 music videos from midnights that we have, which one is your favorite? which one is your least favorite?

🌌Mastermind: none of it was accidental... what is your favorite "big word" that taylor has used in a song? (ex: Machiavellian, incandescent)

🌌Karma: sweet like honey... karma is cat for taylor, but what is karma to you?

🌌THE MIDNIGHTS ERA: if you could add one Midnights song to the setlist, which one would it be?

#guys this took a long time omg #reblog if u want some fun asks!!! #ask game #taylor swift #the eras tour #eras tour #midnights #folklore #1989 album #reputation #speak now #red (taylor’s version) #fearless (taylor's version) #evermore album #lover album #long post

[augustheads]

taylor swift asks!

i made this in lover era but adding a couple new ones/made adjustments for newer days. enjoy!

debut: when did you find out your life’s passion?

fearless: what is one thing you did that scared you but you did it anyway?

speak now: what is something you did by yourself that you are most proud of?

red: what life event put through through hell but you ended up better for it?

1989: what makes you feel most free/at ease?

reputation: have you ever had a bunch of people believe a lie about you? how did you deal with it?

lover: what type of love means the most to you right now?

folklore: have you ever shocked the people around you with a surprise project/life event?

evermore: what was your lockdown escapism?

taylor's version: which taylor's version do you like the most/are you looking forward to most?

i'd lie: if you know the unreleased songs, which do you hope taylor releases from the vault?

beautiful eyes: what cheesy/lame thing gives you joy?

the holiday collection: what is your favorite holiday?

meredith, olivia & benjamin: do you have a pet?

13: what superstition do you hold on to the most?

polaroids: what retro/vintage thing do you particularly enjoy?

hot glue gun scar: what is the funniest injury you ever got?

mean or shake it off: do you like to stand up for yourself to people who are rude to you or do you just move on from them?

b-stage: what acoustic/lowkey song gives you the most comfort?

sparkly dresses: what is your favorite unconventional clothing in your wardrobe?

baking: what is your favorite food to make? includes drinks, food, dessert, etc.

grammys: what is your biggest achievement?

tim mcgraw: what old work of yours are you still proud of to this day? it can be a poem, an edit, a painting, an essay, an award you won in elementary school!

love story: what classic tale would you want to change? fairytales, plays, movies, etc!

long live: do you have someone who has been your rock for many years? the answer can be your mom, your cat, your best friend, even you!

all too well: what do you remember like it was yesterday?

clean: have you struggled with letting something/someone go? how did you get out? or how do you plan on letting go?

i did something bad: what is something you did that people told you you shouldn’t have but you nonetheless enjoyed it?

a girl called girl: what did you create when you were young that you are surprised by today?

jersey shore: did you have any summer traditions with your family or friends growing up?

christmas tree farm: how did where you grew up shape you into who you are?

human-sized bird cage: do you have decor that is a little (or a lotta) out of the ordinary? what is it?

scrabble: favourite board game?

wonderstruck: what ~fancy~ word do you like the most?

wonderstruck enchanted: what is your go-to perfume?

taylor: how do you reference Taylor Swift to your friends/family? first-name basis? her full name?

secret messages: what does no one know about you? this can be lighthearted! 

F. Scott Fitzgerald: favourite author?

the story’s got dust on every page: what is your favourite book or short story?

red lipstick: what style choice does everyone know you for?

so overnight you look like a sixties' queen: which taylor album aesthetic do you like the most?

sharpie eyeliner: what beauty faux pas have you made?

candid: favourite candid?

superstar: favourite red carpet look?

old fashioned: (if you have had alcohol before) favourite cocktail? if not, favourite soda/carbonated beverage?

drinking beer out of plastic cups: (if you have had alcohol before) favourite beer? if not, favourite juice?

i'm spilling wine in the bathtub: (if you have had alcohol before) favourite wine? if not, tea or coffee?

chicken tenders: what could you eat everyday?

cheesecake: favourite food?

love actually: favourite movie?

little mermaid: childhood hero?

12/13/89: what is your birthday? bonus for telling us your astrological sign!

country accent: what old habit did you have makes you cringe now?

chai tea eggnog cookies: favorite dessert?

double jointed elbows: what is your “party trick” or just a weird thing you can do/your body does?

teffy: what weird nickname do you have/have you had?

got a long list starbucks lovers: what is your starbucks order?

track 5: favourite track 5?

f.r.i.e.n.d.s: favourite TV show?

#taylor swift #taylor swift asks #ask game #journal prompts #updated for 2022

[revelwrites]

The Wild Hunt Pt 1

The heavy thump of the bass was almost lost in the roar of the wind. Feeling it tearing at her hair, Sadie reached up to nervously check her braid. A wild, giddiness that was beginning to border on anxiety churned in her gut as the old convertible roared around a curve, heedless of the warning signs. They’d had to slow to ease between the two faded barricades just off the interstate, but Wren had stomped the gas as soon as they’d been clear.

Sadie wasn’t all that sure if the leaf litter covering the country road and kicking up in their wake was a good omen or not. Most sane people avoided Rift towns and this one was deep in the woods, far from the safety of humanity. Far from everything.

“I heard they use humans for the wild hunt.” She had to yell to be heard over the blaring rock music.

“Not anymore. It’s against the law,” Brooke said, arms flung over Sadie’s seat and her honey blond hair whipping against Sadie’s cheek with little stings. “We’re a protected species.”

From the back, Nina started laughing. The petite brunette had brought a small cooler along to pre-game and Sadie was certain she was well and truly drunk already. “They have magic, cookie. What do laws matter?”

Leaning forward to keep Brooke’s hair out of her mouth, Sadie turned an imploring look at Wren. The oldest of their group at nearly thirty-five, she grimaced and lifted her fingers off the wheel in a noncommittal wiggle. Stomach sinking, Sadie slumped back into her seat.

Another hard curve that made her butt slide on the cracked, leather seat and the Rift appeared on the horizon. The unreality sat on the town looking like a soap bubble, the surface crawling with the colors of the sunset. Wren reached forward to snap off the radio, the car slowing.

There were more barricades. One had been pushed off the road and was barely visible under a tangle of honeysuckle and kudzu. They drifted to a slow stop by the faded wooden sign on the side of the road. Welcome to Haven it declared in chipped blue paint, though someone had spray-painted Hell over Haven and another clever soul had tagged it with the phrase ‘here be monsters.’

And there were. Monsters. Even though it was nearly ninety outside and the sun was baking her skin in the tank top and shorts she’d pulled on, she couldn’t stop shivering.

“Are we really doing this?” Nina muttered, taking a long deliberate swig of whatever she had in her glittery black tumbler. “Cause I don’t think I’m drunk enough yet.”

“One last hurrah,” Wren said, fingers drumming against the steering wheel.  Putting the car into park, she twisted in the driver’s seat. “One hell of a last party.”

Even though the blue sky was clear and the day was warm, she shivered at the finality of the words. She almost felt like a baby for wanting to cry, but it really was the end. They’d all known each other since high school, but Brooke had a job offer in Chicago she couldn’t turn down. Brooke and her fascination with the Rifts and the science that had caused the worst global catastrophe in known history was the whole reason they’d piled up in the car and drove halfway across the country.

For the Wild Hunt.

It was a fairytale made real when the fabric of multiple worlds had been superimposed on their own. Sadie had done her research and Haven had supposedly been a peaceful transition as the humans who’d lived in the town had fled and abandoned the town to its new denizens. For whatever reason, the Rifts went one way. Humans could pass freely through the film of unreality, but whatever had been brought over from elsewhere was trapped.

And that hadn’t gone over well at all. Head tipping back, she tried to get a measure of how big it was. Bigger than some, but a lot smaller than the one that had engulfed Vegas.

“You guys remember the rules?” Brooke asked, trying to finger comb the knots out of her hair.

The rules had been Brooke subjecting them to book after book of fairytales. The old, bloody ones that didn’t often end well. Around them, the trees on either side of the road sighed and rustled their leaves. Sadie pressed her fingertips against the tops of her thighs to hide their trembling.

“Don’t thank them. Don’t eat their food. Be nice.” Nina sniffed disdainfully, checking her eyeliner in her compact.

“Or drink anything.” Brooke frowned meaningfully at Nina to get an eyeroll in return.

“Yes, mom.” Nina flashed her an utterly insincere smile, saluting with her tumbler.

Sadie’s fingers curled under, worrying with the hems of her shorts. They’d brought a cooler of nonperishable junk food and another of water and alcohol that they’d wedged in the trunk amid their bags. The game plan was to sample the local. Just not the food.

At least that was Nina’s intention. She’d been going on about hot elves for a week now, even though they had no idea what was actually inside the Rift. Tech wouldn’t work inside, so there were no photos from the inside.

It also meant they’d be walking in. She knew she was going to feel naked without her phone as a safety net. Not that anyone would come to the rescue even if they could call for help.

The Rifts were technically sovereign unto themselves. Anyone stepping foot inside did so at their own peril. Protected species or not.

“Let’s do this.” Wren turned off the engine and opened the door.

Staring at the shimmering, red haze crawling over the barrier, Sadie tried to see anything inside and failed. Her eyes slid to the sign again.

Here be monsters.

Nina was the first out, slamming the heavy door hard enough to rock the old car and earn her an indignant ‘hey’ from Wren. The latter smoothing her hand almost apologetically against the side of the old car.

While the rest of them had opted for sensible- shorts, tanks, and sneakers they could run in like their lives depended on it- Nina had gone for a slinky, crimson dress that flirted with the tops of her thighs and chunky black wedges. That was at least one thing in Sadie’s favor as far as she was concerned. If they had to run, she could definitely run faster than Nina. Shoes clunking loudly on the road top, Nina headed for the trunk and the coolers.

Nerves humming, Sadie blew out a breath and slid out of the car. The Rift thrummed with energy as she carefully approached. A shiver of almost static prickled over her as the magic reacted to her proximity and hummed through her to make her teeth ache. Squinting, she tried to decide if the shadows moving beyond the red haze were real or just her imagination.

“Pregame.” Nina announced at her elbow, sticking a cold, wet bottle against her arm to make her yelp.

She snatched the wine cooler out of self-defense. Grinning wickedly, Nina saluted her with her own. Annoyed, Sadie twisted off the top and threw back the syrupy alcohol to let the warmth spread through her. It wasn’t nearly enough to calm her nerves, though.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” She sighed as Wren joined her in staring at the Rift.

“Neither can I,” Wren said with a small smile. “This is a superbly bad idea, isn’t it?”

“Without a doubt.” Sadie huffed out a laugh.

“Still game?”

“I can’t leave you here.” She shrugged, bumping Wren’s elbow with her own. “Right? That’s not an option, right?”

Wren laughed. “You’re not covered on my insurance, sunshine.”

Brooke dragged one of the coolers over, her duffle bag across one shoulder. “You’re not chickening out, are you?”

“Nope. Just questioning my life choices.”

“We haven’t even made the bad life choices, yet,“ Nina said, the other cooler in tow and a worrying grin on her face. “Just wait.”

They lined up in front of the Rift, but no one made a move to cross that eerie threshold. Sadie’s eyes closed, listening to the birds singing from the woods alongside the road. Enjoying it like it might be the last time.

A distinct possibility.

“You think they can see out? I mean, can they see us out here gawking?” Nina asked, nursing her drink.

“The hell with it.” Wren muttered fingering tightening on the straps of her backpack before she stepped into the barrier.

And disappeared.

“Okay. That was cool,” Brooke whispered. She and Nina exchanged a grin before they both stepped through.

Leaving Sadie alone on the outside. Heart racing, she waited for one or all of them to come running back out screaming. When no one did, she groaned and stepped through. The fine hair at her nape and on her arms prickled, the magical energy of the barrier humming through her, alien and strange.

And then she was on the other side, staring up at a red sky scudded with dark clouds. The other three were standing just inside the Rift, close enough to the barrier that they could bail at a moment’s notice. As scared as she was despite their bravado.

Because of the things staring back at them. The Folk. The Fae. Sadie sucked in a sharp breath. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected- when Nina had rambled about hot elves, all she’d been able to think of was the old LOTR movies. The nearest creature-person?- was taller than even Wren’s lanky 5’ 9” and had horns.

Horns that curled back from his temple, the ends turning up in points that were tipped in gold. Curly black hair framed a handsome, tawny face. The man, because he had to be with those broad shoulders tapering to a trim waist, had small, sharply pointed ears and legs that ended in the padded feet of a lion. Eyes glittering like shards of citrine narrowed at them from under dark brows as he looked over their little group. To stop on her. That serious, handsome face creased with a frown.

She was so caught up in gawking at him, that it took her a moment to realize other Folk were gathering, their bodies taut and wary of the intruders. None of the Fae folk looked like she’d imagined. She’d managed to convince herself that they’d all look like lovely, blond elves or sparkly little pixies.

No two looked exactly the same. Some thin and frightening with long limbs and sharp teeth and others almost achingly beautiful. But none even remotely human.

It was almost reassuring that they looked as uncertain of the humans as she felt about them. A low murmur came up from the gathering crowd. One, a woman with skin the color of obsidian flecked with a constellation of golden freckles across her cheeks and arms, stepped forward. Her golden hair was braided into coils around a pair of dainty ribbon wrapped antlers. Eyes the deep purple of amethyst studied them.

The ivory dress she wore trailed behind her on the ground, though she didn’t seem to notice or care.

“Um, hi.” Wren’s voice snapped her out of the daze she hadn’t even realized she was in. Smile slightly strained, Wren lifted a hand. “We came for the wild hunt.”

The lovely Fey’s brows lifted with a flicker of surprise. “Indeed?”

Murmuring, the gathered Fae began whispering. A few grinning in a way that made Saide take an involuntary step back. Ignoring them, the woman swept closer. She was taller than Wren, willowy and somehow delicate looking.

Sadie forced herself to be still as the woman stalked closer, a smile toying at the corners of her red mouth. “And what do you know of the wild hunt, little rabbits?”

“To watch. We came to watch.” Brooke interjected, bumping into Nina. “And beg your hospitality.”

“Pity.” Smiling to reveal startlingly, sharp teeth, the Fae woman reached out to touch Brooke’s long hair. Sucking in a sharp breath, Brooke stiffened. “You can stay. Or leave. As for hospitality, I guarantee nothing.”

With that, she sauntered away. The woman’s words had been ominous, and Sadie shivered. A few of the Folk wandered away, but more lingered. Watching with predatory interest.

“This doesn’t seem like such a hot idea anymore.” Wren muttered.

“We just have to be polite. Careful.” Brooke wrapped her arms around herself. “You really don’t want to insult one of them.”

“Do bad pickup lines count as insults?” Nina dropped her duffle bag on top of one of the coolers, her attention fixated on a man with ash colored skin and dark, green-tinted hair pulled back in a queue. The man grinned openly back at her, flashing pronounced and very sharp canine teeth.

“You can’t be serious. He looks like wants to eat you.” Wren hissed, pinching Nina’s arm.

Expression wicked, Nina reached up to touch her hair. “God, I hope so,” she said.

“Oh, for crying out loud.” Wren groaned, grabbing her arm. “I am not calling your mom and explaining what happened if you get murdered.”

Nina just laughed, sauntering toward the Fae with an exaggerated sway to her hips that made the green-haired guy grin even wider. Wren turned and then swore.

“Where’d Brooke go?”

Sadie blinked, realizing that it was just her and Wren left. “Um.”

Wren raked a hand through her short hair to send it into disarray. “Just wait here while I find Brooke before she does something stupid.”

“But-“

And then she was alone. Even Nina and the green-haired Fae had disappeared somewhere. Skin crawling, she realized a few of the Fae were still eyeing her in open curiosity. This was how all the horror movies went, she thought as she edged closer to the rift and the promise of safety. Loyalty kept her from giving in to the urge to duck back out to the other side. Even though she really wanted to.

Pointedly ignoring them, she studied Haven. The town itself was bigger than she’d thought. The buildings were mostly rough stone, hand worked wood, and tiled roofs. All of it somehow rustic and far more ornate than what she was used to. Craftsmanship, she thought dimly. Floral arches and swags of colorful cloth hung from the buildings in preparation for the festival she assumed. Her eyes dropped to the cobblestone street, turning to see that it ended abruptly at the barrier. She suspected the buildings had come over with the rift and wondered queasily what had happened to the real Haven.

“Hello, little bird.”

The low, melodic voice startled her, and she dropped her bag. The Fae with the dark hair and the lion’s paws was standing not even a foot from her, his bright eyes amused. So close the mossy, green smell of him filled her head. Dressed in a dark green button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black pants, he cut an intimidating figure. He was a good head taller than her and those honey bright eyes were intense.

“Oh.” She managed, feeling a flush creep up her neck. “Hi.”

He huffed out a soft sound suspiciously like a laugh, head tipping. “All alone?”

“No.” Her chin lifted. “Just watching the stuff.”

Which sounded silly even to her. His eyes dipped to the coolers and bags before sliding back up. Shaking his head, he slouched against the barrier, the red whorls humming angrily at the contact, but somehow staying solid. They couldn’t pass through, but it was still weird to see. His arms folded across his chest, and she noted that his forearms and hands looked like they’d been stained with ink, his fingertips ending in wicked looking claws. A thin whiplike tail she hadn’t noticed before flicked as though annoyed with her scrutiny.

His eyelids drooped like he was drowsing while standing up. “It’s rude to stare, little bird.”

She flinched guiltily. “Sadie,” she said, unsure how she felt about being called a little bird by him. In that low, rasping voice.

One eye opened, the iris almost golden now in the sun, to stare at her.

“What’s your name?” She prompted, feeling lost.

He stiffened and she bit the inside of her cheek. The rules! She could have kicked herself. Names had power over them.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” She managed, face heating.

His expression was guarded as he sighed, attention drifting away from her. “You might call me Ruslan. Why are you here?”

Shoulders lifting in a helpless shrug, she scuffed the toe of her sneaker on the ground. “We came for the wild hunt.”

Interest sparked in his eyes, as he straightened some. “The hunt is no place for sweet, little birds.”

His words held a curious mix of warning and amusement that she didn’t understand. “We’re not allowed to watch?” She asked.

Something that might have been disappointment flitted across his face too fast for her to be sure. “Watch.” He echoed, the word flat.

“We’re not hunters and honestly, I’ve never ridden a horse.”

That strange, predatory interest was back in his eyes. The amusement too. “No, you’re certainly no hunter.”

The low words combined with the heat in his golden eyes coaxed a shiver from her. She looked away, and finally began to take note of the other Fae. To really look. The men wore leather, furs, or some nothing at all and the ladies wore filmy, sheer dresses that didn’t really hide all that much. As she watched, a small woman with silvery wings darted up to one of the men and offered him a rose. When he bent to take it, she buried her fingers in his hair and arched into him, mouth crashing against his. Hoots and jeers split the air from the watching Folk.

“The hares will run from the hunters tonight. They’ll make them work for it, only allowing themselves to be caught by the hunter they choose,” he said, head bending close so that his warm breath fanned her cheek. “Lovely little birds should fly back home where it’s safe.”

“Oh,” she breathed, understanding making her tremble. Her shocked eyes flicked to his as she stumbled back a step. She flushed at the amused curve of his lips. Surely Brooke hadn’t known it was that sort of hunt. Had she?

Part Two

#fantasy #paranormal romance #terato #Faerie #monster x human

[pinespittinink]

Hi! I'm a novice writer who is looking to improve. I recently saw your post about how writers need to read published books to hone their writing skills, and I was just wondering if you had any recommendations for books/authors that are very strong in their craftsmanship to read and study? 

I know I should be reading books similar to the stories I want to write, but I haven't finished a published book in years because of work and school. I'm not even sure I know what I like anymore, and I think that's evident in my writing because I can't commit to a single story idea. At this point, I don't know where to start but I know I want to get back into reading by starting with a book I can learn from.

Sorry if this seems like a silly ask, please don't feel obligated to respond. Have a good day!

Hi there! Welcome, this isn’t a silly question at all. If anything I was musing on it because everyone has different taste, so I wasn’t sure how to answer exactly, but I’ll just list some examples I can think of that I’ve really enjoyed! These all fall under the sff genre for the most part, as that’s my jam. Though I will say, for a craft perspective, Stephen King’s On Writing is really excellent.

Insofar as authors i can think of immediately who really have their craft and voice down pat, ones who come to mind are Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Madeline Miller, Erin Morgenstern, Tamsyn Muir, and RF Kuang. All of these authors really decidedly know what they’re doing with the craft, at least in my opinion, and the results are extraordinary. I’m currently reading The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden’s most recent adult book since the Winternight Trilogy, and the research she put into the setting of WW1 is so evident throughout it, especially in the voice and colloquialisms. She also did a ton of research for the Winternight books, which is historical fantasy at its finest, while creating an authentic old fairytale feeling

Madeline Miller is another with excellent command of voice, the queen of Greek retellings with Circe and The Song of Achilles, which are really tremendous character studies. Ava Reid I personally adore for the nuance of her characters—Juniper & Thorn and The Wolf & the Woodsman feature tremendously human and flawed protagonists—their language seeps through their settings, their metaphors are divine, and A Study in Drowning, her YA debut, is thoroughly saturated with all its core themes.

Erin Morgenstern, of The Night Circus and The Starless Sea, is known for her prose and atmosphere, a prime Vibes™️ writer. The Starless Sea is a more experimental novel, though both of her books play with disjointed timelines and perspectives, which is fascinating; The Starless Sea concerning itself with storytelling specifically.

Tamsyn Muir, the author of The Locked Tomb series, has such a handle on her characters and plot that it’s actually insane. Talk about a masterclass in writing a large cast with defined personalities. The difference in voice between Gideon, Harrow, and Nona, is unbelievably fascinating, just for how starkly different the headspaces of these characters are compared to each other. The layering and reread value is immense.

RF Kuang is a chameleon writer, who changes her style to match the genre she’s writing (grimdark historical fantasy, dark academia historical fantasy, contemporary satire-turned-thriller). Babel feels like her magnum opus, a modern day classic that I cannot praise highly enough. A slow start, but halfway through shit hits the fan, and it does not stop from there.

Shout outs also to: Simon Jimenez with The Spear Cuts Through Water, epic fantasy that uses first, second, and third person, and is a miracle for it. A masterclass of storytelling. Roshani Chokshi with The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, which might as well be evil toxic sapphic adult Bridge to Terebithia, dripping with decadence. Emily Habeck with Shark Heart, a contemporary spec fic novel that studies grief and caring for loved ones through a lens of terminal illness in the guise of a genetic disorder that turns people into animals; it plays around with script structure sometimes, and made me sob. Cormac McCarthy with The Road; bleak and dismal and post-apocalyptic, and nameless man and boy, nearly poetic. Camilla Andrew @aninkwellofnectar with When the Stars Alight, a romantic fantasy that positively teems with lush intentional language and is also a fascinating look at third person omniscient.

For classics: A Wrinkle in Time, the Lord of the Rings, Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, Lolita.

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these books or authors, though at the end of the day, there’s something to be learned from any book you read, whether it’s a good lesson or something to be avoided. I’m also down to try to give other recs, if you’re looking for anything specific!

#ithinkimauggie #asks #I hope this helps some!

[mikuni14]

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

Wow, just wow. I liked everything in this drama. First of all, the main character YiYong, a punk boy with bad grades and a heart of gold, very much like NamSoon from School 2013 (my beloved). Plus, he's incredibly beautiful. Great story, very interesting plot, innovative approach to folklore, local fairytales and tradition, surprising plot twists that are actually made to surprise and shock the viewers, not just some stupid shit done for the sake of shocking, insulting the viewers’ inteligence.  Genuinely funny scenes. I mean, I LOLed. A lot.  WONDERFULLY written relationships between the characters, both as family and as friends. All these old and new human/supernatural connections ✨ WONDERFUL and most importantly RELIABLE portrying of human emotions, such as the maine theme of obsession, but also love, devotion, sacrifice, GRIEF, guilt, longing, desperation.

What I always, ALWAYS expect from any story, whether in book form or on screen, is credibility and logic. Doesn’t matter if the action takes place in space, school or in ancient Rome :) I want to understand and buy the characters behaviour. And ONHCT delivered. Despite the often lightly funny tone of the series and the crime-supernatural theme, the constatnt presence of MOURNING and LOSS in YiYong's life recurs throughout the season. As a viewer, I feel that the suffering is still just under his skin, as well as under his mother's, and only sometimes it comes out in a grimace of the mouth, sometimes in crying. They both keep their emotions under control most of the time, but they're still there. I can see them. And that's great. And the whole series is about that, about the bad things that happen to people and the trauma, the memory that still lingers and affects their lives. I don't know how many series and movies I've seen, where characters go through traumatic experiences, which then have zero or negligible impact on the plot and the characters. I can clearly see then that the traumatic experience was only done to shock the viewer. But not here. YiYong's mourning can be seen in what he says, in his face and behavior, in his conversations with his mother, in their gestures, tenderness, tone of voice. This is so beautiful and moving.

I am absolutely blown away by how drama like this can be created, that has a place for fantastic main characters AND fantastic side characters. In which there will be an amazing main story and equally important side stories, and which at the end can still surprise the viewer. Which will have a complete ending, but which still gives a chance to the second season. Where there will be plenty of room for a honest laughter and equally sincere tears. In which trauma is not trivialized, and suffering victims get their voice and are treated with dignity and tenderness (similar to Beyond Evil and The Glory). In which KINDNESS finally wins.

I love this drama so much 🥺 I love YiYong and his himboism and his beautiful face and his cool haircut and his permanent scowl so much. 💖

#oh no! here comes trouble #taiwanese drama

[olderthannetfic]

Could you shout out a couple of your favourite m/m authors or books, please? (nw if you don’t like reccing things tho, I find it stressful myself.)

I also find the one ship per book in a series not my cup of tea tbh. I find it too jarring to switch over to other characters I’m not as emotionally invested in within a world.

--

I don't mind side stories that wrap up supporting characters' romances, but I tend to like a main series that's about the same characters/ship most of the time.

I recced a few in response to another ask. That should be posting... some time. (You can tell how well I keep track of my queue.)

Who haven't I mentioned... let's see... Jenn Burke's Not Dead Yet series is pretty interesting, though it eventually angered me with a side character death.

E.J. Russell has a lot of books with different ships but that are all in the same universe. They work better for me than most such books because there's an urban fantasy arc plot about missing fae running through them. Some are a bit too ultra-fluff for my taste. Many are pretty funny. A lot of them feature things like supernatural dating agencies or event planners.

Integrate by Thea Hayworth is only available on Smashwords and is a one-off, but I can't say no to an alien-human buddy cop duo. Both the case and the romance are reasonably fleshed out for this short length, and the worldbuilding is fascinating. I want more! Come back usually-fic-author and write original!

I enjoyed AJ Sherwood's Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case and sequels/stuff in the same universe.

I've only checked out Beth Bolden a little bit. I met her at a conference, and she seems cool. (Definitely a recent fic fandom person, like many of us writing original m/m.) I read part of a boy band romance of hers that she admitted was 1D with the serial numbers filed. Filed well, I might add: the original version is sufficiently SoCal that I wasn't positive which boy band it was riffing off of. But what I really enjoyed was her fairytale-ish fantasy novel Yours, Forever After.

Meghan Maslow's Starfig Investigations was an instant favorite for me. I'm not sure if younger people will even be familiar with the genre of fantasy it is. It didn't click for me until I heard her talking about it, but the series is basically a take off of Robert Asprin's Myth series: oldschool secondary world fantasy full of dumb puns and jokes that only make sense in relation to the real world. Like that series, Maslow's features portals between realms and a lot of magic tech in advanced cities even if the trappings are Ren Faire-ish. The sense of humor style was pretty common in early 90s sff publishing and turns up in old games like Monkey Island, but it's not something I see all that much in m/m fantasy novels.

Harper Fox's Tyack & Frayne series is about a cop and a psychic in small town Cornwall. Lots of pagan vibes in this one, and some of the supernatural stuff picks up as the series goes along, but the basic structure is contemporary British mysteries.

The Plumber's Mate series by J.L. Merrow is a much more comedic take on UK village mysteries. I'm not usually into stories where people end up with their bully from school, but I liked how it was handled here. The side characters are a hoot, especially the camp best friend and the dwarf porn star turned vegetable salesman.

Morgan Brice I'm not as fond of, but she has a bunch of series including one that feels like early seasons Supernatural.

I don't think I ever read the sequels to My Zombie Boyfriend by T. Strange. It's... well... about a dude who finds a hot corpse and decides to revive him as a zombie. The lead is a weird little perv with an ex who's a goth mortician, a horrible undead pet cat, and an obsession for his new zombie project. I found this one while looking for creepy books after reading one too many bits of ultra-fluff with barely any plot.

I was enjoying the Hours of the Night series by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt, but it seems like they stopped writing it without resolving anything? A lot of the books I've read are good but would have been better with more sequels, so they don't spring to mind here.

There are seriously a shitton of writers working in this space. I just found a few authors and started trying books and seeing what else was on the same goodreads lists and so on. You need to have a tolerance for hideous cover art, but plenty of the actual books are fine.

[ifihadtopickadad]

Whoops! You Were Just Adopted!

10 points to whoever figures out what fairy tale Nessa's reading. Nessa's birthday is October 13th 2002. Bonus points to whoever figures out Greg's birthdate. Also, who's the old guy.

Nessa hummed as she feigned reading her mom's diary. Taylor Swift's 1989 album played on shuffle, the current song Wonderland blasting at full volume. She didn't have the 1989 album, at least not a physical copy, but she did have Spotify, so there's that. 

The place where Nessa was meeting her half-brother and his mom was a peaceful little place that doubled as a cat cafe and a bookshop. Nessa set the diary down, eyeing the bookshelves. So far, she hadn't seen anyone pick up one of the books to read, so she didn't know if she could read them. Were you expected to buy a book if you picked it up and read it? Or was it okay to read one while you were here so long as you didn't leave with it?

"You can read them while you're here." Nessa jerked, eyes locking onto the person who spoke to her. She softened. He was an old man, in his 70s. He was stout but lean and hunched over on a cane with burn scars.

"What?" Nessa asked.

The man smiled, "I saw you eyeing the books." He was sporting an old, dull, yellow plaid shirt with overalls. "You seemed apprehensive about reading the books. I've been here before, and I felt it would make you feel better to know you could read them while you're here. You don't have to buy one. As long as you're not leaving with it."

"Oh", Nessa smiled. "Thanks." The man nodded, then went to sit in a quieter, more out-the-way spot. 

*⋆*❀❁❀*⋆*❀❁❀*⋆*❀❁❀*⋆*❀❁❀

But what did she see when she went in? A great bloody basin stood in the middle of the room, and therein lay human beings, dead and hewn to pieces, and hard by was a block of wood, and a gleaming axe lay upon it.

Nessa hummed as she read. The fairytale in question would likely be her favorite for a good long while. "Vanessa, right?" Nessa looked up and was suddenly very glad that she'd chosen to take off her headphones while she read. Susan Miller was striking in appearance, more so than in photos. Her hair was long, lustrous, and snow white. Her skin was ghostly, and her eyes blue. She was smiling softly. Next to her, holding one of the kittens taken in by the cafe, was a little boy Nessa could only assume was Gregory.

He was a lot more miniature than his age would indicate. She would have thought he was 5 or 6 rather than 8. He didn't look underfed, and Susan did seem short, so maybe it was genetics. 

"Yeah, that's me," Nessa forced a grin. "I prefer Nessa, though."

Susan slid into the seat across from her, "It's lovely to meet you, Nessa. I'm Susan."

"I know," Nessa said, then panicked. "Uh- I mean-"

Susan held up a hand, "It's alright, I know what you mean. Now, why don't we spend time getting to know each other?"

"Okay," Nessa quieted, setting her book down.

*⋆*❀❁❀*⋆*❀❁❀*⋆*❀❁❀*⋆*❀❁❀

"I want to be you-" 

The music shut off as Nessa smacked her hand on her phone. She raised her head to check the time. 5:30. What the fuck was she thinking!? Screw beta-testing the VR game!!! Who cares if it's a paying job and the credits go on her school papers?! This is bullshit!!!

20 minutes and a quick shower later, Nessa was sitting at the dining room table as her mom made Eggs Benedict for breakfast. She lifted the coffee to her mouth. The beverage might as well be liquid gold for how tenderly she did. Nessa would've made her own breakfast. But after the three times she nearly burned the house down, it was determined that she wasn't allowed to cook in the mornings.

"Nessa?" her mom said. "Could you wake Gregory?"

Nessa looked up, "I'll endeavor to wake the demon. If I die, have the bridge to Taylor Swift's 'This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things' inscribed on my monument."

Her mom snorted, "Will do, Ness."

The walk to Gregory's room was short and sweet. Short because the hallway was short, and sweet because Gregory was already exiting his room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Morning, Half-pint. Mom's got breakfast cooking. We're having Eggs Benedict."

Gregory jabbed her in the side on the way past her, "Morning to you too, Savage. Why does it feel like the universe is laughing at us for eating Eggs Benedict for breakfast?"

"It isn't, you're just delusional."

#fnaf security breach #fazbear entertainment #fnaf au #fnaf gregory #fnaf sb #fnaf vanessa #gregory afton #heir and a spare au #michael afton #vanessa afton #gregory's mom #fnaf oc #susan miller

[dahliavr]

biography / connections / pinterest / statistics

ABOUT

Full Name: Stevie Leticia Nelson

Nickname: Nelly (by Jay)

Age/DOB: December 5, 1989 (34)

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Gender: Cis Female

Place of Birth: Covington, GA

Neighborhood: Orchird Park

Sexual/Romantic Orientations: Bisexual / Biromantic

Religion: Agnostic

Occupation: Owner of The Sipping Cup 

PERSONALITY

Goals/Desires: to get back on the horse- literally (while she’s been able to do slow trail rides, she hasn’t been able to get past a trot), get her business degree, buy a place with some land, learn how to knit so she can make her own scarf, finally make macarons that turn out, stop eating out so much

Fears: getting bucked off a horse again, her parents getting old and dying (aka just having to live life without them), spiders, free falling

Hobbies: going for long walks, sitting out on her porch swing at night and watching the stars, trying new things- ie baking macarons or learning to knit, taking her horses for trail rides, reading (always has her Kindle on her), rearranging her furniture, going thrifting,  doing the crossword puzzle in the local daily paper, yoga

Likes & Dislikes: the smell of coffee, text messages, brushing out a horse, cowboy boots, satin pajamas, the smell of fresh flowers, freshly popped popcorn, cool summer nights, bonfires, trying to find constellations, long drives listening to music, pretzel bites, chocolate filled croissants, listening to jack explain anything // light pollution, the sound of car horns, dry wine, tomatoes on a sandwich, feeling out of control, high heels, summer humidity, hat hair, soggy french fries, impatience, prejudice, someone telling her she “can’t”, failure, people being rude to her staff, voicemails

QUICK FACTS (quick is subjective tho bc idk how to tldr anything)

Trigger Warnings: injury, panic attacks

The result of a scandal turned fairytale love story, Stevie Nelson grew up wanting for nothing

Her parents, a prosecutor and defense attorney who faced off in court and fell in love in the process, made sure their house wasn’t filled with arguments and paperwork- no, their home in Riveroak Farms was filled with love and laughter

Stevie was always supported, told she could be whatever she wanted to be, do whatever she put her mind to

And for the first decade of her life, Stevie was convinced she was going to be a veterinarian. She loved animals and wanted to help them when they didn’t feel well- which her parents fully supported. They bought her books, barbies, anything child friendly but educational for their aspiring ‘doggy doctor’ as Stevie called it

But then, on her 11th birthday, her favorite aunt gifted her a book that would change the trajectory of her entire life- a young adult novel by Lauren Brooke called Coming Home, a book that detailed the life of Amy Fleming on her family’s ranch called Heartland. A book that would kickstart a love of horses that led Stevie to the local stables, to riding lessons, to her first rodeo, and to her new dream

Having never been an incredibly athletic girl outside of family tennis matches with her father, Stevie found herself taking to horseback riding like she’d been born for it. Her skills quickly progressed and after she’d all but begged her parents to take her to her first rodeo when she was 13, the teenager fell head over heels in love with the sport of barrel racing. To the point where the usually introverted teen took it upon herself to meet the barrel racers and ask them all kinds of questions

She left the rodeo that night with bright eyes and a plan in her head- she was going to become a champion barrel racer and nothing was going to stop her

And truly, it didn’t- at least, not for years. She trained hard, spent nearly every free moment between school and family time at the stables, honing her skills and loving every single second of it, and when she was 16 she got to compete in her first local rodeo. While she didn’t place, she thrived in the atmosphere, the competition, and the thrill. Not so suddenly the shy girl everyone had come to know wasn’t so shy anymore- she knew her dream was a possibility and that seemed to unlock a part of herself that’d been caged for the first part of her life

For the next two years she worked hard and trained harder, and after she graduated high school at 18 she chose to defer college and instead move to Texas. She’d won her last five races and wanted to pursue the sport full time, to go pro. And as much as it pained her to leave her parents and her cousin behind in Georgia, she needed to give herself the best chance- and that was at Saddleback Ranch

Stevie spent the next decade living in Texas but traveling all over the country for competitions, winning championships, finding a passion for working with troubled horses, and falling in love for the first time

She met the man who would become her ex husband when she was 23 years old in the most mundane way. Speed dating. Stevie spent nearly all of her time on the ranch, which didn’t allow her much time to date, and she’d been dragged to the event by a friend. What turned into an exchange of numbers grew into a few dates, then a relationship, and a year later- a marriage. During this time Stevie was still traveling and training, their time spent together was brief but always electric.

It wasn’t until five years later, when Stevie’s entire life was turned upside down- quite literally- that the pair found they had nothing in common. The spark in their relationship had gone out years before, and as Stevie faced a new chapter, one fraught with trauma and uncertainty for the first time in her life- she found she was going to be facing it alone

Her relationship fell apart on the heels of an accident that put Stevie in the hospital for a night. She’d been thrown from a horse before, it was a hazard of the job, but she’d never hit her head like that. She’d never been unable to remember the incident. She’d never broken a bone. Yet all of that was suddenly her reality. And once she was cleared by her doctors, who all told her how lucky she was to not have had the situation turn out worse, she couldn’t get back on a horse. Not her horse, not the rescues she’d trained, not any horse. Any time she got near one her heart would start to race, she’d begin trembling, sweating, and at times she’d get so dizzy she’d nearly pass out

She tried for weeks to get back on the horse, literally, and when that didn’t work she packed up her horses, Cricket and Firefly, and came home to Covington. Moving back into her childhood bedroom for the first six months was just what she needed while she worked through her disappointment in her marriage ending, but the grief that consumed her wasn’t about the loss of her marriage, but the loss of her dream

She spent most of those first six months in bed, sulking and avoiding anyone but her parents and her cousin, Harlow. It was with their support that Stevie was able to pull herself out of the deep well of grief she’d found herself in, and while she now had no direction, no idea of how she was going to proceed with her life, at least she was up. She was moving.

Shortly afterwards, Stevie decided her childhood bedroom, with reminders of her barrel racing career posted up all over the walls, wasn’t a suitable place for her anymore but she wasn’t ready to commit to buying a place. Instead, she found a used airstream trailer and bought that- parking it in her parents side yard and fixing it up to her liking as she did her best to move forward in her life- and even though the progression was slow, it was moving, which was all Stevie could ask for

It wasn’t until a threat to her daily coffee run routine was threatened that Stevie found her purpose again. She’d walked into The Sipping Cup to find a sign that read ‘Closing Sale - 75% Off!’ by the handcrafted mugs the coffee shop had always had for sale that Stevie was seemingly brought back to life. After speaking with the current owner and finding out there was a good possibility her beloved Sipping Cup would be turning into a Starbucks if no other offers came in, Stevie left with her favorite steaming cup of coffee and an idea. Returning the next morning right at open to give the owner a check, Stevie Nelson, former barrel racing champion who could barely look at a horse these days, was now a business owner at 29

It was a tumultuous turnover since Stevie had never so much as worked in a coffee shop before, but just like with barrel racing- once Stevie put her mind to it she not only succeeded, but excelled. She took business classes, learned from the previous owner and others in the business community, and in the four years that have passed since she’s turned The Sipping Cup into the premier coffee shop in not only Covington, but the surrounding towns

HEADCANONS

Her parents, throughout her mom’s entire pregnancy, were told they were having a boy and picked out the name Stevie in honor of her late uncle; and when Stevie was actually born and they found out they were having a girl, they decided to stick with the name, as they’d already grown attached to it and had been referring to their unborn child by it. Stevie absolutely loves her name and is glad they didn’t go with their second option- Kaitlyn

Bought the four bedroom house she currently lives in in Orchird Park three years ago solely for the large wraparound porch

Drives up to Atlanta at least once a month specifically to go to Burger King and get a large order of their onion rings- which are her favorite fast food item in existence

Throughout the years she has been working on her panic attacks and fear of horses, getting to the point where she can not only be around her horses and others, but she can ride up to a trot. While she still dreams of one day getting her skill set back to what it used to be, she’s proud of how far she’s come on her own

Still plays weekly tennis matches with her dad

Couldn’t bring herself to sell her air stream so it’s still parked on her parents’ property and she rents it out on Airbnb periodically. She’s also been known to allow friends who need it to crash there rent free

Has an 8 year old tripod tortie named Frank who she showers with the most love and affection ever, that cat is so spoiled

Speaking of- she also has a stray cat she takes care of at The Sipping Cup that comes and goes as it pleases- they’ve named her Mocha

Lives with her best friend, Jay, and sometimes his son, Jack

Her parents both quit their jobs a few years after they met and formed their own practice, Nelson & Associates, which is still active and thriving today

#covingtonintro #about. #intro. #panic attack tw #injury tw

[aquaetsanguine]

Summer went away Still, the yearning stays

Elsie MacFadden is a woman who’s obsessed with love. She eats it, sleeps it, hell, she’s even made a living off of celebrating it— but no matter how hard she tries, Elsie simply can’t find it. You see, Elsie has a peculiar problem: any time she loses her temper, she makes the world see red. Despite every attempt to control it, her unique “gifts” mean that she’s forever doomed to bring out some of the worst, most volatile qualities in others. From screaming matches, to barroom brawls, Elsie has a nasty habit of turning perfectly nice people into raging brutes… a real curse, for a girl who just wants to fall in love.

01. BASICS

NAME: Elspeth Blake MacFadden ALIAS: Elsie, Elle BIRTHDATE: October 24th, 1993 AGE: 30 BIRTHPLACE: Ottertail, Minnesota, USA GENDER: Cis Female SEXUALITY: Heteroflexible OCCUPATION: Wedding planner

02. LOOKS

HEIGHT: 5'1 HAIR COLOR: Blonde EYE COLOR: Blue FACE CLAIM: Nicola Coughlan

03. DEMIGOD DETAILS

PARENTAGE: Aries ABILITIES: Odikinesis, slightly enhanced speed and strength, advanced weapons training WORSHIPS: Aphrodite, Eros, Hera MAGICAL ITEM(S): None yet

'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned

Chapter 1 - Never Grow Up

By most accounts, Elsie’s childhood was picture perfect. As the eldest of three girls in a quintessential nuclear family, her parents—a former pageant queen and a local grade school teacher—gave her the kind of idealized middle-class life that most Americans only dream of. It was a simple existence; summers spent lounging on the lake, winters playing in the endless snow, princess dress up games, and fairytales at bedtime. Really, Elsie’s girlhood was like a dream— well, it was for the first few years, anyway. See, for Elsie, puberty started young— in fact, she was only ten years old when her “monthly visitor” decided to make an appearance one day on the schoolyard. But the acne, and the boobs, and the stained jeans weren’t the worst of it… because for Elsie, there were flying pigs. Literal pigs. Flying. Very mean, very scary, very hungry pigs. And somehow, no one seemed to care. That meant poor Elsie, who’d never thrown a punch in her whole life, had to beat the snot out of the little porkers herself. As if all of that weren’t enough, when it was all said and done, it was Elsie who was in trouble. Fighting on the schoolyard, they’d said— she was a brute, a bully, a bad girl who hit second graders. Needless to say, Elsie was flabbergasted by the entire experience… A feeling that would only go on to be exasperated when a big, scary man rolled up on a harley to pick her up from the principal’s office. Under normal circumstances, Elsie never would’ve broken a rule and talked to a stranger, let alone let him give her a ride. But this stranger brought her a change of clothes and scared her principal so badly that he pissed himself, and quite frankly, Elsie didn’t have a lot of options at the time.

Chapter 2 - Seven

Three weeks and a few very illuminating (and slightly frightening) conversations later, Elsie left the midwest behind and arrived in Camp Halblood for her first summer. A sweet, idealistic child, she walked in with bright eyes and silly little fantasies of magic and myth filling her head. When she got there, she wasn’t disappointed — it was the kind of place she’d only heard about in story books. Pegasi flitting through the air, sword fights, super-powers: it had it all. 

However, there was one thing Elsie had failed to consider upon her arrival: the trouble with family. Whereas back home, she’d always gotten along with her sisters, her new “family” proved to be a different story. They didn’t bully her like they did the other kids— in fact, some of them were even downright nice to her. However, it was clear to just about every camper, herself included, that Elsie seemed to have missed the plot on the whole Ares thing. 

See, no matter how hard she tried, Elsie just never seemed to fit in with her brothers and sisters. Sure, she was capable enough with a sword and shield, but she had no passion for war. Fighting, arguing, training, competing against one another — such things brought her little joy. All Elsie really wanted to do was spend her summers braiding her friends hair and reading her silly little books by the lake. Needless to say, this made her the odd man out with the rest of her cabin.

Thankfully, Elsie found a home in other places: namely, Cabin 10. A giggly and feminine young girl, with a sweet disposition and a remarkable imagination that was fueled by all manner of romantic stories and outlandish novels, she easily found a home for herself amongst the beautiful and charming sons and daughters of Aphrodite. 

Chapter 3 - Forever and Always

The older Elsie grew, the greater and more varied her interests became: music, literature, fashion, beauty, pegasus riding, cooking, swimming, dancing, and all manner of arts and crafts. However, there was nothing that interested Elsie more than love. This most horrid of obsession filled Elsie’s every waking thought — the desire for it, the pursuit of it, the endless possibilities of how it might unfold or where she might finally discover it. Fueled by her wild imagination and the influences of her friends, it was all she ever thought about.

The summer of her sixteenth year, she finally thought she’d discovered it in the form of a handsome young demigod with striking eyes. Unsurprisingly, Elsie became utterly infatuated by him, and before midsummer’s eve, Elsie had won her very first boyfriend. 

Only, love is not often an easy thing for a teenage girl, let alone a child of war… One fateful night, Elsie discovered her little boyfriend snuggled up with another girl by the campfire. In that moment, everything went up in smoke. Elsie saw red and the next thing she knew, every camper gathered around that fire was at eachother’s throats. It was a brawl so outrageous, four people ended up in the camp infirmary overnight.

It was then that Elsie discovered a terrible and horrifying gift: the power to strike fear, hate, rage, and the horrific emotions of war onto others. A gift so tragic, it felt like a curse.

Chapter 4 - New Romantics

Elsie’s life took a dramatic turn when she came to Haydes eight years ago. Fresh out of college and more hopelessly romantic than ever, she dove headfirst into the world of wedding planning, turning her passion for love into a thriving business. Today, she stands as the town's premier wedding planner, orchestrating dreams into reality for the lovers of Hyades. While professionally successful, Elsie grapples with her own loneliness and personal failures. Her dating life has been a series of constant attempts to find love, yet her relationships seldom surpass the six-month mark. It seems that no matter how nice a guy seems, they never can withstand that inevitable first argument.

Now in her thirties, Elsie finds herself in a state of panic. The self-inflicted pressure to achieve her perfect life—a love-filled existence with a white picket fence—weighs heavily on her very soul. The fear of never attaining this idyllic vision leaves her feeling like the world is closing in, and uncertainty looms over her future. The once enchanting dreams of a fairy tale existence now face the harsh reality of adulthood, and Elsie is left wondering if her idealized vision will ever manifest.

#silk & rosewater: elsie-isms #hyades.intro

[microwaveexplosion]

#20 Something I have read

The sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird. Idk why this book got such a bad rep, I liked it. I feel like the reason people didn't like this was that it was realistic instead of catering to the idealism they were left with after the first book. Atticus had defended a black man in court, and Scout was certain her daddy was the best man in the world.

The second book shows Scout as an adult, and shows that Atticus is trying to work with people who are racist - Scout finds out and freaks out. Everyone is bumming on this book bc it's not fairytale.

Her brother has died years ago so we don't get any Jem updates - realistic: people die suddenly all the time and we're left with a hole in the family.

Atticus' reasons for cavorting with racists is that he can't stop them so he's around to slow them down - realistic: one court case from 20 years ago did not stop the racism of an entire southern town. No kidding.

Scout freaks out about what he's doing and overreacts, and overreacts to many things throughout the book, making people displeased: realistic - she is 26 and has moved to NYC for work, and is struggling with a visit back to somewhere that she is looked at funny for wearing pants, where her brother died in the street, where she sees her long distance bf who wants to marry but she doesn't really want to, and then learns secrets about her dad. Of course she's freaking out. 26 is grown but it's not GROWN grown, and she's trying to live in 2 worlds at once, without moral support from a mom, or sibling, barely sees her own bf. She's on her own, the last thing she wanted to discover was that her dad wasn't who she thought he was. She's also watching her remaining family members grow old and must be hyper aware after Jems death that she will be fully alone once they die.

Lack of idealism - realistic: Scout grew up. The first book was written from the perspective of an elementary school child; they are unreliable narrators. Atticus was likely NEVER perfect, that was just how she viewed him. Things look different to an adult. People missed that is the *point* of this book, her coming to terms (sometimes poorly) with the reality of the world. This is watching her reshape how she views the world and people in it, of course everyone isn't perfect anymore.

Calpurnia and her family don't adore Scout when she goes to visit them - realistic: another part of the story that was part of the point of the novel that people missed. Scout zoomed out to the black neighborhood to go talk to Cal about trouble someone Cals family had gotten into, and Cal is formal with her, making Scout sad. There are things here you were supposed to notice - Scout is still naive, she is learning (whole point of the character is this is a rough coming of age, blindfold off her eyes story). She didn't understand that when she, the white daughter of one of the most important men in town, rolled into their neighborhood she made them NERVOUS. If she should even stumble off their porch, they're in trouble. She also made them uncomfortable in their own home - the only place they have to go to get away and relax. They immediately have to drop everything they're doing to park her car for her, call her Miss, etc. They have to do acts of service just bc she's there, and she showed up unexpectedly. That would piss me off too. She has barely visited Cal bc she's been in NYC, but expects Cal to have a hugely loving reaction to her (after just unsettling the woman's whole family by showing up at random and making everyone jump to attention). Scout acts like she's one of them, ignoring all the cultural reality taking place. Cal knows Scout doesn't understand any of this, and then Scout cops an attitude about it. It wasn't bad writing that Cal didn't act like Scouts mother, it was part of the point of the story.

Scout is yelling at people and generally unpleasant - realistic: that is her personality and where she is at mentally during this period. I think people were going to see her and Jem both married to people, with tiny Finch's running around. Jem dead and Scout pissed off and living a NYC life isn't what they wanted to see. That's life folks. That's what happens. We don't get what we want, we get what actually happens. The whole book is showing that Scout having no mom and being allowed to do as she pleases growing up bc everyone felt sorry for her and liked her father gave her a false view of the world, and a bit of a snotty personality, and now she is gaining reasoning skills and does NOT like what she sees. Also the reader is meant to understand a point Scout has to have laid out for her, and still doesn't really get - people do not agree with her, don't like the lifestyle she's chosen, and think she's a little nuts. They are nice to her bc they watched her grow up and her father is respected, not bc she's right. She prefers NYC and isn't ever going to enjoy visiting home, she just flat out isn't one of them and doesn't believe what they believe, and they know it. They aren't blind or missing a point, they just don't care what she's saying. Also since she's been gone, she's missed the intricacies of what's been happening in town while she's gone and expects everything to pause until she gets back. That's not going to happen, you can't pick up right where everyone left off, you're going to be out of the loop. They aren't going to reset reality for her, and that's something she's struggling with. And in a way she's mourning - not only has she lost her mother and brother, she feels (and states this) that she's losing Cal and losing her father (who is visibly aging/ailing right in front of her), and she's losing the stability of her hometown bc she is so different from them now. She's afraid and doesn't know how to cope with it.

The complaints I see about this book are usually, like Scout, missing the entire point and themes of the novel. The biggest thing, I think, is that everyone wanted Scout to be inherently likeable but she's kind of foolish and annoying. But it shows how that fits into her character, how her personality is based off the experiences she's had and things she has missed out on, and leniency she's been given. Her personality may not always be delightful but it's realistic for how her life has gone, rather than catering to the audience. That, in my opinion, is good writing. Writing people to cater to the reader is for fantasy books. Writing people as they would be is *harder* and it's a good job to anyone who can do it. The narrator isn't always your best friend, sometimes that's just how a story goes.

#10.09.23 #go set a watchman #book review #to kill a mockingbird

[katriniac]

OMG you are in folk fairytales and legend Please can you tell me some of the cuteer ones you found even better if involving bears ? I loved interact with your OC too thanks fir joining and pls relax too from time to time and do not rush in answering me either 🙏🙏 I wish you a wonderful day 🤗🤗😘😘

Yesssss, I love them! Since a very young age I have been an avid reader/student of folklore, fairy tales, myths, and legends. 

Below I talk more about my personal history/feelings on the topic, and end with my three favorite fairy tales. I hope they are “cute” enough for you!

But first I wanted to answer your question about stories featuring bears.

I tried to think of one in my memory where a bear played a prominent part, but turned up empty. I mean, yes, there is the standard “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, but I assumed you wanted to hear about something off the beaten path. 

So I dug around and found this one for you:

"The Bear in the Forest Hut". 

It is a Slavic folk tale about a prince who was cursed to take the shape of a bear, and the brave and kind woman who helped him out of that curse. She had the typical misfortune to have a stupid father and an ‘evil stepmother’ who tries to stop anything good from happening to the heroine. 

I liked this one because there is plenty of detail about the trials and tests the girl goes through in order to earn the bear’s trust and break his curse. Even more unique is how the story doesn’t just end right when the curse is broken (like so many folk tales). Instead, it goes on at length about how the two get married, travel over his kingdom, and what happens to the stepmother and stepsister.

@queengiuliettafirstlady What are some of your favorite fairy tales and myths?

How did I come to love fairy tales so much?

I think I can trace it back to my godmother, who was an amazing storyteller. She was Irish, so most of the tales she told me came from the British Isles and dated back to the 12th Century or earlier. The stories I most vividly remember her telling me were about the 3rd Century charismatic (but slightly foolish) folk hero Finn MacCool (or Fionn mac Cumhaill) and his very very clever wife Sadhbh. 

As I entered my preteen years (1990s, pre-internet era) a library was built within a 15 minute drive from our rural town. I had never had such a frequent exposure to books before that, except our small school library. My mom would take me to the new public library often and I devoured every book they had on fairy tales and legends.

When I started college, the trend of turning ancient folktales into modern, dark retelling had begun to rise in popularity. Not only was my backpack full of those every week, but now I also had access to scholarly papers through our inter-collegiate online system! I could read published research on people all over the world, those who retraced Charles Perrault’s steps, or compared similar narratives, or discovered a new translation of an old work. It was also during my college years that I discovered The Aaarne-Thompson-Uther index, which categorizes the plots and themes of fairy tales. 

When I learned about Perrault and the ATU Index, it changed my self-image.

Of course kids like fairy tales, but we are expected to grow out of those stories as we mature. I still had a deep love of folklore and myths well into my 20s and that made me feel a little silly and childish. But when I discovered that Charles Perreault (a historian in the 17th Century) believed the stories being shared in the oral tradition were important enough to be written down for posterity, that boosted my spirits. And when I stumbled across the ATU Index (begun in 1910, and continues to be updated annually still to this day), which took fairy tales seriously as anthropological artifacts, I was vindicated even more. 

These historical efforts were proof that folk lore, legends, and fairy tales weren't just for children. 

This short article is a MUST-READ for anyone who wants to have their love for storytelling rekindled and get pumped up to talk about fairy tales. It’s all about hope and courage.  I especially appreciated the excerpt from Katherine Rundell when she talks about “the hope that is sharper than teeth”

As I studied more and more obscure stories from around the world, I soon had a list of my top 4 favorites that I came back to:

Katie Crackernuts

The Twelve Dancing Princesses 

Beauty and the Beast 

The Myth of the Selkie

The middle two I have owned a few printed copies of. They are quite common and have many retellings/variations. But Katie Crackernuts was a story I could only read online; I had never seen it in print. 

There are actually similarities between parts of all three stories, which is probably why I love them so much.

I know you asked for ‘cute’ ones, but I don’t know if these really are that adorable. They all have happy endings for the heroines. Does that count? LOL

Katie Crackernuts (collected by Andrew Lange, first printed 1889)

This is a Scottish story about two sisters, one plain but clever (Katie) and one beautiful but simple (Anne). Despite this difference, they loved and supported one another as much as two sisters could. Through no fault of her own, Anne was cursed (you guessed it, by an evil stepmother) with the head of a sheep (or sometimes a donkey or goat, depending on the version) because the stepmother was jealous of her beauty. Katie put a hood over Anne to disguise her and left the house together, never to return.

They eventually came to the kingdom where there was a sick prince. His parents offered rich rewards for anyone who could heal his mysterious disease. Katie knew there had to be a reason normal medicine wasn’t working. She thought perhaps he was under a curse, too. Yep, he was going out at night in a trance to go under a hill to dance with fairies. So she watched and listened and investigated until she discovered the cure and how to administer it. Turns out the way to lift her sister’s curse was under that hill, as well!

She out-smarted the fairies, collected the items from them, and followed the instructions precisely. He grew well and discovered he loved her during all their time together while she was patiently investigating. When she used the cure on her sister, Anne’s sheep head turned back into a human one and the prince’s brother fell in love with her on the spot (of course he did). It was a lovely double-wedding. 

The Twelve Dancing Princesses (collected by the Brothers Grimm, first printed 1812)

This is about twelve sisters who are constantly tired and ruining their expensive shoes every night, and no one can find out why. The king has offered rich rewards and even marriage to the most beautiful of his daughters, but any man who steps up to the challenge either dies, fails the task, or is never seen again. Until one clever man (who has been watching this happen over and over) decides to try solving the mystery. The eldest sister (the most intelligent and haughty of the siblings) tries to stop him each time, but he outsmarts her as he follows the princesses into a fairy forest where they dance all night until their shoes fall apart and they drop from exhaustion.

Just like Katie in the story before, he is observant and waits until he has all the information and proof he needs to confront the princesses. He convinces the king, who is angry that his daughters were escaping every night. The man explains they were under a spell that compelled them to sneak out. The king offers him the most beautiful daughter (who is also the youngest and the most silly), but the man opts to marry the eldest because she was the only one who came close to matching wits.

Katie Crackernuts has much in common with The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Both have very strict rules for entering into the world of fairies, and the “wasting sickness” that comes upon a human who spends too much time in that world (which is also a metaphor for other maladies that were rampant during those centuries, such as tuberculosis). I enjoy that theme of “Good luck if you’re beautiful because your looks won’t save you. You need to be wise, patient, and clever in this world.”

Beauty and the Beast

This was one of my favorites long before Disney made their movie. Almost everyone knows how the story goes, so I won’t make this long post even longer by summarizing it here. The bravery and selflessness of the heroine was very inspiring to me, and I loved the idea of being surrounded by talking furniture and not a single human! I was a very introverted kid. And I guess I loved the idea of a sad prince in an unloveable disguise who needed to feel loved.

Another thing I think is neat about that story is there is an actual author: Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, published the story in 1740. Most folklore and fairy tales have a shared origin and no single creator. Not so for Beauty and the Beast. This one has a bonafide author, which makes it unique. Not only that, but the author was a woman! 

What Beauty and the Beast has in common with Katie Crackernuts is charity, mercy, humility, and selflessness.

The heroine not only saves herself, but she saves those who are entrusted to her. Who needs a prince, right?? Katie didn’t have to leave home to take care of her cursed sister, but she did. She didn’t have to agree to help the sick prince, but she did. Belle didn’t have to sacrifice herself in her father’s place in that unreasonable pact, but she did. She could have been disagreeable, rude, and throwing herself a pity party the entire time she was captive in the Beast’s castle, but instead she did her best to keep her spirits up and not hate her captor. (Readers: don’t come at me with the whole “Stockholm Syndrome” comment trying to be witty; it’s an old joke that was never funny in the first place.) Katie also tried hard to make the best of an awful situation, and she was never resentful to Anne or put her on a guilt trip. I was inspired by the important values and virtues portrayed by these two heroines.

The Legend of the Selkie

You asked for ‘cute’ stories, but this last one is anything but cute. The Celtic legend of the Selkie is heartbreaking, and there is hardly ever a happy ending. I heard briefly about it as a kid, but never found a published story to read. The oral tradition of the tale goes back to the 13th Century, but it didn’t make it into many books. Then the movie The Secret of Roan Inish came out in 1995. I was 15 at the time and didn’t have my driver’s license yet, so I begged a family member to bring me to the only theater in the entire state that was showing this independent film, over an hour away. It was magical. I bought the DVD as soon as it was available. It was the only thing I could find at that time (remember, the internet wasn’t really used for entertainment in 1995 like it is now) that displayed the Selkie myth, which is:

There are some special seals in the sea who can shed their seal-skin and turn themselves into human women. They are beautiful, quiet, and hard-working. And therefore they are much sought-after as wives by the lonely fishermen of the islands. The legend says that if you find a Selkie in her human form and take her seal-skin away from her, she is yours for the rest of your life. You can imagine the life of servitude that awaits the poor woman! She is usually desperate to turn the house inside out looking for her seal skin and return to the sea, or if she doesn’t find it she will murder her husband.

Fascinating!

Oof, okay. That post went on really long. Sorry. When I start to talk about fairy tales and folklore, I have a difficult time keeping it short, lol. And I didn't even get into the Greek myths! Yikes.

#fairy tales #storytelling #folklore #legends #myths #folktales #Katie Crackernuts #Kate Crackernuts #Selkie #Beauty and the Beast #The Twelve Dancing Princesses #Twelve Dancing Princesses #The Bear in the Forest Hut #Irish legend #Slavic stories #Finn MacCool #Fionn mac Cumhaill #Charles Perrault #Aaarne-Thompson-Uther index #ATU Index #Andrew Lange #Brothers Grimm #Grimms Fairy Tales #Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve #my asks #Celtic folklore

[seikyoko]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Thanks....

Choosing a top 10 was so painful you should have asked for my top 20 or something

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3

Himemiya Anthy (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

I love Anthy, she's weird, she does stuff like giggling to herself in public while watching those slide-paper animation things. She keeps snails in her pencil case, a literal mongoose in her desk drawer and a giant octopus balloon in her closet. She's only capable of making snacks, she does stuff like adressing people via adressing Chu-Chu

She's bitter, unpredictable, venomous, petty, passive-agressive, cynical. She was a kind little girl who sacrified herself for her older brother, yet there's never the question of "who is the real Anthy" because whether it's the buried loving, kind, caring side, or the anger and resentment, bitterness and disillusionment she now feels, those are all relevant parts of the whole

She wants to believe in Utena and see herself in her and Nanami. She's downright disdainful of their naivete and innocence and she clearly take out her self-hatred and disillusionment of her prince on them.

And god, despite being the literal target of all the world's hatred and being eternally empaled by million of swords, with the only person who "care" about her (or so he says) is some gross abusive bastard who only think of her as an object to use and scapegoat as a convenient way of avoiding the world's hatred originally directed at him and a tool to try to reach his fantasies of his past glory, and no signs od anyong being close to able and willing of getting her out of that situation.

Despite how she's probably had to give up to despair on some level if not totally, because having hope in such circumstances just make it hurt all the more and it lasted for decades/centuries

Despite how she stopped caring about what happened anymore and became utterly numb to her own suffering (best displayed in ep 39, with how blank/expressionless/resigned she is when stabbed by all those swords)

She

When Utena reached out to her in that coffin, she still found the strength within herself to try again, to hope again, and to reach back despite how terrifying it all was.

Just, how courageous that was, to hope again and reach for Utena's hand despite having fallen into despair long ago, she's so strong.

Also in the ending. I loved the ending, how she just casually drop a retirement letter and casually leave the school grounds. You'd have thoughts that there would be a literal fight against him or her tearfully/angrily confronting him, yet. He's irrelevant, he's just some pathetic old man still raving about fairytales and dellusions of his grandeur, yet he's irrelevant. He doesn't matter enough to have a place in Anthy's closure or life decisions, she just get up one day, decide he doesn't matter, and leave him in her dust. God do I love that finale for many many reasons

Historia Reiss (Attack on Titan)

(In here I pretend that pretty much anything after Uprising/the battle of Shiganshina doesn't exist because I don't respect those part)

I love her, she's kind, compassionate, courageous, she's angry, stubborn, self-serving and selfish. She doesn't do things by halves, and by that I mean the moment she decided to fulfill her promise to Ymir and tell her her name she went running into a swarm of titans and told one to wait before eating her because she didn't do that yet. She glares at Eren and decide to kill him at one of his most depressed states when it's convenient for her, as a way to get her sister back and try to get her father's affection. She's the kind, caring girl who is the ally of all those who aren't needed

SHE'S AN UTTER MESS

ghostmartyr has amazing meta about her and this post summarize well what is so lovable about Historia.

Uzune Hitori (Hatoful Boyfriend)

Yes I chose that particular moment as a defining picture. This was a hard battle between him and Nageki.

There's so many reasons I love him, he shot Shuu, he's an ambush predator, he should have commited more murders, he's an incredibly caring and loving person. His bond with Nageki and the rest of his family is one I'm obsessed by. He tries to strangle Yuuya and says "oopsie you noticed" when caught in the act. He serves tea and snacks to the mad scientist who took him hostage and chat with him to trash-talk his coworker. He likes salmiakki. He's unstable, he tries to gut a teenager to retrieve his dead brother's remains from him, he wears a magical girl outfit and use his magical girl powers to repel a mad scientist alongside his students. I like how in the epilogue after deciding to make peace, he declares that he doesn’t intend to take revenge on Shuu anymore, then tack on a “probably” while Sakuya is appalled.

Pink and Blue (Charlie The Unicorn)

They're having such fun being their chaotic selves, each of their appearances is extremely entertaining. They are such little shits, they're clearly having the time of their lives, good for them.

Brunhilde (Shuumatsu no Valkyrie)

She strolled into the god's meetings and made them agree themselves to the rebellion she was planning on them. She say hella vulgar words while using extremely polite speech. When Zeus makes his "I caught on to your bullshit" speech in that meeting and says she's the representative of the human side and implying she'd go down with them she smoothly agree by saying she's gonna choose representants from all 7 million years of manking including the dead ones. She looks at Zeus dead in the eye when he figure out the weapons are valkyries and catch on to her rebellion. She makes the most ridiculous of expressions sometimes, she likes hella untasty salmiakki pies. She has nerves of steel, she's shameless, she has excellent taste in the candidates she choose. and I'm so looking forward to learning more about her.

Sumire (Toilet Bound Hanako-kun)

I don't really know how to describe my feelings about Sumire, she's just so damn fascinating ? Compelling ? I have a thing for the human sacrifice/scapegoat/were-always-going-to-die characters. I think the actual chapters she appears in/every second of her screentime would sum up why I love her better than paragraphs of text ever could so I'm just gonna make an aimless ramble about my Sumire thoughts

Sumire know from day one that she's gonna be an human sacrifice. Nobody give a damn about her, everyone feels so damn entitled about her death/sacrifice they actively blame her/take out their anger on her that she's still breathing despite it being before her planned death date. They're going to actively celebrate and take joy in her death while choosing her next replacement and she's perfectly aware of that. The only people she interact with are No 06 who is her jailer to protect her till her planned slaughter date, like how one keep cattle, and the villagers bullying her. She's seething in rage and bottle it all up to make an attempt of pretending to look happy because what can she do ? It was game over from day one for her, she can throw a tanthrum all she likes, she could make some pointless attempt at rebellion and get her legs cut off and eyes blinded for all her troubles, and for what ? It won't change a thing and it won't move anyone a bit, she has already lost from the day she was born.

So she keeps those animals to heal because of the degree of control it makes her feel, she makes up that lovey-dovey de-facto husband dynamic with n 06 to pass time/on the off-chance he might give a damn about her dying. The "I hope they go to hell" moment. Her interactions with "Gon", Nene, n06. I'm just.. so obsessed with her.

Roxanna Agriche (The way to protect the female lead's older brother)

This is gonna feels like a total cop-out but this post sums it up better than I ever could

Todo Aoi (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I love him, he's smart yet an incredible dumbass. He goes around asking people for their type and Itadori having a similar taste in women awakened in him memories where they're long lost buddies/brothers and this prompts him to go against his own team. He has incredible wisdom, when in high stress situations like battling special grade curses he peppers his observations/epiphanies by making daydreams where his idol crush deduct this. Maki specifically aims for his face in baseball and everyone (his own team included) cheers to that. He's a dumbass, he's incredibly reliable, I love him. I love his friendship/bro-ship with Yuuji, I just love him.

Tsurumi Tokushirou (Golden Kamuy)

He likes to spin on a sob story about how the 7th division was wronged because of Hanazawa's suicide. He actually was the one behind Hanazawa's death well aware of the consequences it could actually causes, he's manipulative, ruthless, perceptive and cunning as hell . He's representated in a chapter cover as the devil, he likes to trick and "seduce" people to bring them on his side. He wears a shirt made of human skin on him, he's so damn cunning. That moment where he makes Edogai fall for him by making him shoot the corpse of his mother, that fashion defilee of Edogai's creations where Tsurumi is clapping and cheering him on. The sheer loyalty he inspire in his men, his backstory episode where you see the rare moment of Tsurumi's unfiltered humanity, and how numb/devastated he is by his wife and child's death, and his reaction make it clear how much of a performance most of his current-day behavior usually is ? God. I also like how he does batshit stuff like suddenly biting off a finger to play up his unhinged image and to disturb people around him. I love how he cut off Nikaidou’s ear, then adress him by saying something into the severed ear. I love that I can’t tell when he is genuine and when isn’t

Vincent Nightray (Pandora Hearts)

I like the way he uses his "brother complex" excuse that everyone in-universe unironically believe in in all contexts as an excuse when he doesn't want to honestly answer a question/explain why he did something. I love all the complicated feelings he has about being a child of ill omen and the anger he feels about that. I love his desperate desire to prove to himself that he was not a blight into the world/an aberration causing the tragedy of sablier and doing the opposite of what he set out to do and how his will to live crumble after that, and how he can't look at himself in the mirror because of the crushing guilt and self-hatred he feels on the matter. So much, that when Elliot care about him and he care about Elliot in return, he can't really proccess why he's so enraged about his death and why he cared so much without falling into the usual excuses he generally say outloud ("oh yeah that makes Gil happy"), that basically being confirmed when they travel to the past when Gil says he loves him, and Vincent not being thrilled one bit because his attachment and devotion to Gil are more atonement for the trouble his existence caused Gil as children and self-hatred, which is why, even as Gil tell him he loves him and wants him alive, Vincent is unmoved as long as the tragedy of Sablier is playing around them. And why Ada is the one to reach him.

I love that he commit violent parricide on-screen. I love how his crush on Break manifest on doing stuff like poisoning his food and coming up with ways to enrage Break/make him hate him because people he care about being disgusted with his existence is a dynamic he's comfortable with. I love how after he's forgiven and get closure, he gather himself up and make actual successful efforts to salvage the utter mess that is his self after decades of self-hatred and self-flagelling and figure out what he wants to do/what he wants his identity to be.

#sei.txt #Himemiya Anthy #Historia Reiss #Uzune Hitori #Blue and Pink #Brunhilde snv #Sumire #Todo Aoi #Roxanna Agriche #Tsurumi Tokushirou #Vincent Nightray #asks #Elaine2895