#& now i have a new bookmark for book club!!

[plusultraetc]

[letmerideitchris]

𝒯𝒽ℯ ℛℴℴ𝓉𝓈 ℴ𝒻 𝒪𝓊𝓇 ℒℴ𝓋ℯ ⚘

part 2

“Oh my god it’s matt” 

“he's so hot” 

“Can you believe he's single?”

Matt Sturniolo is the most popular and hottest guy in school and practically has girls falling at his feet. He is your typical popular guy, plays lacrosse, has lots of friends and looks really good. 

y/n is the complete opposite, although she is pretty and hardworking, no one seems to pay attention to her at all. She always shows up to school half an hour early, eats her lunch in the classroom and finishes all her assignments the quickest, she enjoys her solitude. Although from the outside Matt and y/n are different, at heart they are quite similar. Matt does enjoy his own time away from all the noise at school and he does do quite well academically. Although recently he’s been swapping his tests with his not so smart triplet brother; Chris, so he doesn’t seem like a nerd, but no one needs to know that. 

It all started at 8:am at Boston high school “yo Matt what’s good” his friends say as he daps up all the boys up whilst entering the school. y/n was already in their classroom with her nose in her new book from her local library. She gets distracted by the sound of everyone greeting Matt and gets up to look out the glass window of the classroom door. There he is, Matt Sturniolo, the only man you've ever had your eyes on since freshman year. You’re watching him approach his locker, looking at him laughing with several of his friends, but the only one you’re looking at is Matt. You’re about to turn back to your book but you see out the corner of your eye him glance into the classroom you quickly try and play off the fact that you were staring at him by adjusting your glasses on the bridge of your nose and you awkwardly sit back down. 

The bell sounds in the hallways, and everyone walks to their respective classrooms including Matt, which just so happens to be her classroom for history. She quickly fixes her hair and continues to read her book as if she wasn’t watching him walk towards the classroom. The sound of the door opening distracts her from the words in her book as she sees Matt walk in the room in the corner of her eye. It's just you and Matt in the classroom now and you can see him walking towards you. “Is that to kill a mockingbird by harper lee?” Matt says as he breaks the comfortable silence. Your heart is racing and suddenly you feel your palms start to sweat, you clear your throat “uh yeah it is... have you read it before?” 

“well not exactly...” he laughs “I just looked at the front cover when you were reading it...” Matt slightly lowers his head and smiles whilst approaching the desk next to her. “oh haha.. You really should read it, it's quite interesting....” your voice fades out quietly realizing you're talking to Matt Sturniolo, not someone in your book club. 

“I'm not really the reading type of guy, and plus, i uh don’t have a library membership…” Matt says sliding his bag off his shoulder and throws under his desk “oh yeah, right” you say whilst placing the bookmark onto your page. 

“you’re all dismissed, and don’t forget your paragraph on British Settlement is due in tomorrow's lesson.” Matt gets up from his seat and packs up his books. Whilst you're still seated, working up the confidence to say something to him. He pushes in his chair and starts to walk off. 

“Hey,Matt” he turns back around briefly smiling, “you can always uhm... borrow my book, I don't think you’re going to be getting a library membership any time soon” you say with a shy smirk.  He scoffs “you know what, I might just do that, because uhm... My mom has been trying to get me to read a book for a while now” He lies through his teeth “thanks uhh, y/n, right?”. You can feel your cheeks burning up at your name coming out of his mouth, sounding as smooth as honey. “yeah..” you both stop to look at each other, you break the silence “uh yeah heres the book, don't rush to get it back to me... Theres plenty more copies at the library.” you say handing him your book. “Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow y/n”. 

After school, you’re texting your best friend Taylor nonstop about everything that happened in history today whilst she was at home sick;  

credits to @bernardsbendystraws for the dividers!

[captainsophiestark]

Vigilante Book Club

Jason Todd x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist! - Part 2 Part 3

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: DC

Summary: After having an all-around terrible day, the only person who might be able to make it better is a certain book-loving vigilante.

Word Count: 1,562

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I sighed heavily as the tomato I'd set on the counter and turned my back on for two seconds rolled onto the floor and went splat. Some days were just meant to be shitty, apparently.

Today had started out perfectly nice and ordinary. The sun had even been shining, which was a miracle in itself sometimes in Gotham. But then, I'd left my bag unattended at the coffee shop while grabbing my order from the counter, before returning to my table. It didn't have anything legitimately valuable in it, in terms of what the thief got, but it did have my favorite copy of my favorite book, which I'd had for the better part of a decade. All my little notes, bookmarked favorite pages, and the first edition put into print before a few typos and errors were corrected on later runs; in other words, irreplacable. And now it was gone forever.

The rest of my day had likewise been terrible, although normally mundane events might've been colored a little by the loss of my book. Now, all I wanted to do was eat something I liked and then immediately go to bed. And even that wasn't going to plan.

I huffed, setting down the knife I'd grabbed when I turned my back on the tomato and intending to replace it with some paper towels. I froze mid-turn, however, at the sound of the window in my hallway sliding open. Because of course this day hadn't ended yet.

Slowly, as quietly as possible, I turned back to the counter and picked up the knife. I knew I'd locked that window, but apparently someone had managed to just quietly and easily slide it open. That wasn't a good sign.

I crept across the kitchen, tensed and ready to run at a moment's notice as I neared the corner to the hallway. I wanted to see who or what I might be dealing with, while also being prepared to run if I needed to.

I paused at the edge of the kitchen, taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. Finally, I mustered up the courage to slowly lean around the corner to peek into the hallway. When I did, I found someone standing much, much closer than I'd been expecting them to be.

"AH!" I screamed, jumping back while brandishing the knife out in front of me. I made it halfway across the room in one leap as the person in my house shifted backwards too.

"Shit," he swore, voice slightly distorted by the vocal modulator in his very recognizable helmet. The Red Hood. Standing in my apartment, apparently after having broken through my window.

I lowered my knife slightly and stopped in my living room, just a few steps from my kitchen. I wasn't completely relaxed, but in general, the Red Hood seemed to have a helpful, non-dangerous-if-you're-not-evil reputation. But he'd also just broken into my house.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded. Red Hood held up his hands to show he was unarmed, and apparently also to answer my question: he held a familiar bag I thought I'd never see again in his hand.

"Sorry for scaring you. I didn't think anyone was here, I was planning to just drop this off and go. But I busted some black market smugglers today, and one of their lower-ranking guys had this. Seemed like something you might want back."

I barely let him get through the end of his sentence before I dropped the knife on the nearest table and rushed across the room to grab my bag. I yanked it open while it was still in Red Hood's hands, peering inside with my heart hammering in my chest. I almost collapsed on the spot when I found my book inside, looking exactly the way I'd left it.

"Oh thank goodness!" I cried. I turned back to Red Hood, still clutching my book tight. "Thank you so much for bringing this back to me! I was heartbroken when it got taken."

Red Hood just shrugged. "Glad I could help."

He started shifting back towards the door, carefully setting my bag and the rest of its contents down on the counter, but I couldn't just let him leave like that. He'd quite literally saved my day; I wanted to do something for him in return.

"Wait! Can I... offer you dinner, or something?" I asked. "I was about to start making some tacos..."

Red Hood's gaze drifted to the kitchen as mine did, landing on the pitiful start I'd made on dinner and the tomato still on the floor. I couldn't be totally sure because of the helmet, but I thought I heard him snort.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but that doesn't look anything like dinner. Maybe next time I bust some criminals I'll find a cookbook I can bring you."

I scoffed in mock-indignation, but I couldn't quite hide a smile all the same.

"I know how to cook, alright? Today's just been... a little rough. Until you brought my book back, at least!"

Red Hood chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I could help. Makes my day a lot better, too."

We shared a smile (I assumed, since I couldn't technically see his face), then I lit up as a shock of inspiration hit me.

"Oh! What if I let you borrow this book!" I cried. "It's absolutley fantastic, I promise you won't forget it. Since you knew it was important, I'm assuming you're a reader?"

He stared at me, looking a bit taken aback.

"I'm a very big reader, but... you'd actually let me borrow this?"

He gestured to the book still clutched tightly in my hand, and I whipped it up to my chest again, holding it tight to me.

"Hell no! I won't let anyone borrow this copy, ever. But I have a loaner copy I've used to get my friends invested in the story that I'd be happy to share with you. And... maybe you could come back when you're done reading it, and we could talk about it? Maybe over dinner? I promise I'm a better cook than the current state of my kitchen would suggest."

He didn't respond right away, to the point that I started to get a little nervous. Maybe he'd really wanted to leave when he'd first started heading back to the window, and didn't want anything to do with me or this conversation. Just when I started crafting something to say to let him off the hook, he finally spoke up again.

"...As long as you're sure it wouldn't be an inconvenience for you."

"What? Of course I'm sure! If you're interested, I'd love someone else to talk to about my favorite book. And I'd still love to make you dinner as a thank you for bringing this back to me."

Red Hood nodded. "Okay. That'd be nice, thanks."

"Sure thing. Let me go and grab you my other copy of this book, one second."

I ducked into my bedroom, going straight to the bedside table and carefully setting down my copy of my favorite book. No way I wanted to take a single risk of anything happening to it again.

Once that book was safe, I turned to my brimming bookshelf to grab the copy for Red Hood. Only a fellow reader would understand the importance of returning the copy he brought back to me, and honestly, I couldn't wait to hear his thoughts on the story after his first read through.

I returned to the hallway and handed the book over with a smile. Red Hood took it, tucking it safely away in a deceptively large pocket in his hero suit.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll come back in... a week?"

My eyebrows shot up. "Is that enough time for you to read it?"

"Of course. I've gotta do something to fill the time I'm not running around catching book thieves."

I smiled, and I got the distinct impression that Red Hood was doing the same. After a moment, he cleared his throat, and started heading back towards the window again.

"Anyway... thanks for the book. I'll see you next week."

"See you next week! Bring your thoughts on the book, and maybe a different mask so you can actually eat dinner."

He chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning to try to force it under the hood."

"Good. And feel free to use the door instead of the window next time!"

He just waved, clearly making no commitment as he stepped out onto the fire escape. I smiled as I watched him go, waving back when he met my eyes and shut the window. I moved closer and watched him as long as I could before he disappeared over the rooftops, off into the night for whatever other vigilante stuff he had to do tonight.

I sighed, staying at the window for another moment to process the past ten minutes. Everything had started to feel like a hallicination, possibly brought on by my truly terrible day.

No matter what, though, I could reassure myself it was real with the newly-returned book on my bedside table, or the knife I'd left in my living room. Somehow, my precious copy of my favorite story had made its way back to me. And even better, I now had a date with a vigilante scheduled to address said book.

I just needed to figure out what dinner went with 'Red Hood comes over to discuss literature'.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

DC Taglist: @gaychaosgremlin

[cherubcameron]

Love Espresso

Chapter two: welcome back to Kildare island

MASTERLIST

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Synopsis: after her breakup with Rafe and him kicking her out. Her best friend offers her a new job and a place to stay. But when Rafe comes back from Morocco. He realizes he’d made a grave mistake. Will Sofia go back to him? Or will she decide that her new life means more to her than him?

Sofia was placing books by their respective shelves. She stared down at one that read “how to win his heart back,” then immediately shoving it back into one of the shelves. Even when she tried to not think of Rafe. Signs of him were everywhere. Like he was cursing her for what she did to him. And she couldn’t blame him for being angry. She would have been too. If it were her.

“Sofia! Do you know where I left the bookmarks?!” Liliana yelled. Sofia attention deviated from the books.

“Yeah! It’s in the back. Next to the printer!” Sofia yelled, she came out of the shelves. Finally finished with her tasks. Wheeling out the book cart with her, to place in the back.

“Okay, found them! Can you please start the coffee machine?!” Liliana yelled again, now in the back.

“Got it!” Sofia yells back, walking swiftly towards the coffee machine. She was glad that Liliana taught her how to use it properly. She knew how to make drinks thanks to the country club. So it wasn’t much different from that. She began to set it up, allowing the coffee machine to heat up.

She began to make sure that she had enough coffee beans, making sure it was cleaned, and making sure things were working smoothly. Before letting the machine do its thing on its own. It was ready for its first batch of coffee.

Liliana came out from the back finally. Carrying the box filled with bookmarks. A big grin on her face.

“I made these myself.” She said proudly, showcasing them to Sofia. Sofia looked at each other, her eyes roaming through them.

“Those are so pretty.” She said in awe. “You’ll definitely stand out with those. They’re not like the typical ones you see at the bookstores. It looks like you took some time with them.”

Liliana blushed, “It just took me three days to finalize. Oh! Also Hector is coming to help us with the shop. He’s going to be making all the little pastries.” She waved Sofia’s comment away. But Sofia could tell it meant a lot. Liliana loved anything creative. It made perfect sense that she made the bookmarks herself.

Sofia looked at her agaped, “Hector? Seriously? How?”

“I’m good at finding what makes people heart sing.” Liliana said, her eyes closing as she smiled. Sofia gave her an incredulous look.

When Liliana finally opened her eyes, she spotted the look Sofia gave her. Her smile dropping replaced with a scowl.

“He likes to bake. I helped him discover his dreams and to chase them.” Sofia raises an eyebrow at her, Liliana face drops once more.

“Rude. Anyway, he’s going to help us on that front. You and I can switch between doing the register and the floor. I’m still trying to hire more people.” Liliana explains, looking around. “They do say it takes a village.”

Sofia smiled up at her friend, she couldn’t help the way her heart swelled. She was so proud of her friend. Happy that she got to experience this with her.

Liliana goes to squeeze Sofias hand. “Thank you so much for helping me. I wouldn’t have done this without you.”

“Same here.” The words hold more weight, she hopes Liliana understands how much everything she’s done means to Sofia. She can only squeeze her hand back.

Rafe stared up at his house, apart of him hopeful. Maybe she hadn’t left. She hadn’t run off, this whole situation was messy. He hated not having the chance to talk to her. He wished he hadn’t let his anger get the best of him. She still betrayed him, so why did he feel like shit about it?

Once he managed to get himself to walk inside. He walked in slowly, trying to see if he could hear any noise. He didn’t hear any movements. He began to walk in quicker to the kitchen. He took a harsh intake of breath.

There lay the ring.

So she hadn’t taken it. She hadn’t left with it, to pawn it. She’d let him go, just like that. He didn’t know why he felt so upset. He’d told her to pack up her shit and leave. Of course, she listened. It was Sofia.

Rafe ran a hand through his buzz cut. This is not what he had anticipated. And now he had to admit to himself that he wished she had fought for their relationship.

“Hey Rafe?” Sarah says coming into the kitchen. She stops once she sees what he’s looking at. “That’s mom’s ring.”

Rafe nods, his eyes glued to it. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Sofia had just left it.

“You gave her mom’s ring?” Sarah asked, in shock. Rafe doesn’t speak at first, the regret building a home in his heart. Why didn’t he hear her out? He never found out the reason why Sofia did it.

“Rafe—

“I don’t want to talk about it, okay.” Rafe says quickly. He doesn’t want to be around anyone at the moment. He wants to be alone. This was all too much. He sees how spotless the house looks. Like Sofia had never even step foot in here since he’d proposed. Since he… broke up with her over the phone.

Sarah looks at him, but doesn’t say anything more. Rafe can feel her eyes on him and he tries to keep his face neutral. But he can’t help but let a scowl appear on his face.

“Rafe, she obviously meant a lot to you.” Sarah whispers. Rafe stares only at the ring. Tears start to film in his eyes and he wants to be alone. But doesn’t know how to say it gently. So he just shrugs.

“She betrayed me. Why am I the one who has to feel like shit for breaking up with her?” He asks bitterly, his voice is hoarse.

Sarah puts her head on his arm. A gesture that was very foreign for the Cameron siblings. But things had changed.

“You still loved her Rafe. That doesn’t change how you felt.”

Rafe finally managed to walk towards the kitchen counter. Picking up the ring in his hands. Letting the light glint against the diamond.

Sofia met up with Catalina. She still worked at the Pelican yacht club and she’d just gotten out of her shift for the day. Catalina took one good look at her and smiled.

“Mi amiguis!” Catalina squealed running towards Sofia. Sofia laughed, as Catalina wrapped her arms around Sofia. Sofia returning the hug.

“Hey cutie.” Sofia looked towards the country club. Seeing it again stirred emotions she didn’t think it would. Her smiles falters for a second before she turns her attention back to Catalina.

Catalina can see the conflicting look on sofias face. She sighs.

“He’s back.” She simply says, Sofia hearts drops.

“Oh.” She wasn’t expecting Catalina to tell her that. She lets a fake smile appear on her face.

“Good-good for him.”

“Sofia. I know you’re not happy about it.” Catalina says, unfortunately her friends could read her like a book. A quality that she both admired and hated at the same time.

“It’s fine. It’s— fine.” Sofia lies, she’s not ready. She can feel her heart sink. She doesn’t know how she’ll face him. She’s glad at least she’s no longer apart of the country club. She doesn’t have to deal with Rafe and his kook friends. Sofia lets out a sigh.

“Let’s go, okay. I’m hungry.” Sofia is glad that Catalina changes the subject. Sofia nods and takes Catalina to her car.

Song Sofia is listening to on her playlist

[antimony-medusa]

Ao3 Wrapped

I like numbers so here I am delving into my works again!

__

Overall stats for 2024!

User Subscriptions: 218

Kudos: 1,703

Comment Threads: 376

Bookmarks: 479

Subscriptions: 126

Word Count: 186,620

Hits: 186,620

That's a decrease on most metrics, but my word count is very comparable to last year, and I had no idea my subscription count had broken 200! Cool! Especially as I wrote some kind of out there fics this year, I'm very touched by that people want to stick around. I feel like I also do kind of absurdly well for comments, so thank you guys for that.

Fun Stats: 

Fics Published: 25, including one on anon, for 186,620. This is down from last year's 31, but my word count last year was 198,621, so we're pretty damn close!

Number of One-Shots: 22— It was another year of going hard on exchanges, and that encourages one-shots! Of those, 14 were under five thousand words, so I'm pretty pleased with my objective of learning to write short was actually enacted, when I was experiencing deadline pressure!

Number of Multi-Chapters: 3 total, and one still unfinished. I didn't start any new ongoings and leave them unfinished this year, but I still have multiple languishing from 2022, and I didn't finish the one of those I was working on this year, so— augh. I need to stop doing events and finish some of those ongoings! But events are so good...

Number of Inspired Works: 3, because I participated in recursive exchange, where you write fic inspired by other people's fic and art! One of those was inspired by an animation, which I'm very proud of.

Longest Fic: You Blew Me Into Stardust (42,846 words), my beloved mech au. I did two fics for the aufest reverse bang, I also wrote Trying Hard Not To Smile Though I Feel Bad (16,254 words) for Aufest, which is a college au! The minimum for that event was 5k so I— went overboard a bit.

Shortest Fic: I just posted it actually, that's How To Make The Secret City’s Speciality Dessert - Roasted Brown Sugar Oranges And Buttermilk Ice Cream  (912 words), that's a zine fic where we had a 1250 word maximum! I love this fic, and I'm so proud that I managed something short.

Most Kudosed Fic: Gonna Have It Out Like Fight Club, which is a bit unfair because that one has been acquiring kudos since 2022, and is now at 213 kudos. My poor neglected child the mafia fic I HAVE THE REST OF THE FIC OUTLINED I just keep writing things for events instead of writing you.

Most Viewed Fic: That's Gonna Have It Out Like Fight Club, with 2,220, but again a bunch of those are from last year, so probably my biggest fic is Trying Hard Not To Smile Though I Feel Bad, my 13-things-I-hate-about-you Niki & Ranboo au, at 1,457 hits. That one I honestly did not expect to get as big as it did, but I guess people like the comedy.

Most Subscribed Fic: Gonna Have It Out Like Fight Club, with 82 people wanting to know how that one ends. I"M SORRY. I"LL FINISH IT I PROMISE. I did notice my subscriptions to fics overall fell— people were still subscribing to one-shots last year, and this year I guess people realized that was not panning out.  

Most Bookmarked Fic: okay so it LOOKS like it's Gonna Have It Out Like Fight Club at 73 but I can count dates so I can tell that only 28 of those are from this year, wait I forgot about private bookmarks. Hm. Well anyways the one I'm sure was bookmarked this year was Things Could Be So Easy (If You Let Them), my first real intentional shot at writing QPR emduo with a proposal, and boy having THAT unlocked was a delight. That one has 52 bookmarks.

Most Used Fandom: Dream SMP with 13 fics, and SMPEarth in second place with 5. I wrote 9 different fandoms this year, technically.

Least Used Fandom: this is A MULTIWAY Tie as Internet & Social Media (Anthropomorphic), Murderbot Diaries, Books of the Raksura, Original Work, Origins SMP, and Parkour Civilization are all at 1 fic.

Most Used Rating: Teen, 18 fics. I wrote my first two explicit fics this year, both for exchanges!

Least Used Rating: Gen, 1 fic.

Most Written Relationship: Technoblade & Phil Watson | Philza, 10 times, UP FROM NINE LAST YEAR I'M DOING BETTER.

Most Used Additional Tag: hilariously, it's a tie between Comedy and Grief/Mourning, both with four times.

Most Frequently Used Characters: 

Philza (16)

Technoblade (15)

Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF) (6)

Niki | Nihachu (5)

Tommyinnit (3)

Ghostbur (Dream SMP) (2)

Tumblr (Anthropomorphic) (1)

Jade (Books of the Raksura) (1)

Moon (Books of the Raksura) (1)

Archive of our Own (Anthropomorphic) (1)

Last year I was really startled that Tommy didn't make the list and well. I am not immune to Tommyinnit. He's back again.

Last Year’s Stats

And here's my stats! Tag me if you do this too, I like to see numbers!

[storm-angel989]

Outside The Office Part Fourteen

Hi All,

I have been WAITING to write this chapter, almost as much as I think some might have been waiting for it! Again, without giving away spoilers, this post deserves a trigger warning for graphic content.

Enjoy- and as always, I appreciate any and all feedback!!

One uneventful limo ride home, and a well understood request for a few moments by myself, I stood in my own shower, allowing the hot water to wash away the events of the night. I tried to process what had happened over the past few hours and wondered, not for the first time, if my perception of heaven and hell had truly been wrong this whole time. Although I couldn’t necessarily get behind the idea of soul ownership, I saw the value in an Overlord stepping in before the Sins did, and offering them a safer landing than the one that inevitably waited for them when they crossed. Even more so now, I understood the point Vox said made before our interview,  and could even see myself someday stepping in, solely to help a soul in need. Even though ownership of a soul made me uncomfortable at best, I had to admit after knowing what I know now, it was absolutely the kinder of the two options. 

I dried my hair as best I could and braided it back before slipping into clean pajamas. I flopped down on my own bed and snuggled under the covers, willing myself to sleep, but it just didn’t feel right without Valentino’s presence. After tossing and turning for a half hour, I gave up andI made my way into his bedroom. I pushed open his unlocked door and he was sitting upright against the pillows, a book open in his hand. 

“Mi Amore, I didn’t think I would see you tonight,”” he said as he placed a bookmark in his novel and closed the cover. 

I walked over to him and climbed into bed wordlessly, snuggling into him. 

He ran the back of his hand down my cheek, concern coloring his features.  “Are you alright? There is no shame in needing time to yourself, little love. I would not be offended.” 

“I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t,” I replied softly. “Is it okay if I stay with you?” 

“More than okay, Princessa.” He planted a kiss on the top of my head and adjusted himself so that I was comfortably laying on top of him. 

I allowed the weight of my body to relax against his, his heartbeat steady in my ears. I closed my eyes and under his touch, the feelings of love, safety and security wrapped around me like a blanket. Finally, I allowed the exhaustion to wash over me. The last thing I heard was his soft voice, whispering to me. 

“Goodnight, my princessa.” 

The next few weeks passed in a blur as I readjusted to my pre-injury routine. Every night except for our usual Wednesday, the four of us went out- dinner, and then one of Valentino’s clubs. Although the protestors remained, with each passing day there seemed to be less and less- and not once did they do anything more than shout angrily. 

Although I now made it a point to notice when they left the table, neither Vox or Valentino invited me to join them when they went out to gather a new contract. Velvette, on the other hand, brought me with her several more times. With each scene I encountered, it solidified my initial feeling that presenting a soul with a choice between the lesser of two evils was a kindness I could accept, at least partially. 

At home, Valentino and I fell into our own routine of nighttime kisses and snuggles. Although I occasionally slept in my own bed, for the most part I fell asleep to the steady beating of his heart and his arms wrapped around me. And some nights, we took it just a little further beyond our usual cuddles, though he carefully sidestepped my desire for more. 

“I know you’re healed physically, but Princessa, please- put some time between what happened and your commitment to me,” he told me gently when I expressed my frustration to him. “There is no rush, and I want to be sure, without a doubt, that you are ready for this.” 

I grumbled but leaned in and kissed him. “Fine. But I expect chocolate covered strawberries and champagne when you finally decide to get it together.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me as we fell into bed once more. 

Two weeks after that conversation, I was running on the treadmill when my phone pinged. I slowed down and hit the open text button, scanning the words within. 

Princessa, I have a surprise for you. Valentino’s text read. Tell Velvette I told you to wear something pretty. She’ll know what it means. 

I stared at the message, and inside, my heart soared. Could it mean what I hoped?

I jumped off the treadmill and took a long hot shower, making sure I scrubbed every inch of my body. Downstairs, Velvette’s team took their time, and did a more than thorough job as they ensured every inch of me was groomed to perfection. 

The dress Velvette put me in was a short, red number. I spun in front of the mirror, looking at both our reflections in awe and disbelief. Gorgeous wasn’t the word. 

“You look stunning, Reader.” She winked at me and checked the clock. “You can head upstairs now. Valentino should be waiting.” 

I thanked her with the briefest of hugs. I took my spot on the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. I could barely contain my excitement as the butterflies fluttered, encouraged by both my eagerness and my nerves.

I stepped off the elevator and looked to where Valentino sat at the table, his eyes moving from his laptop to me as I walked across the room. 

“Princessa.” Valentino greeted me. His smile grew, and eyes seemed to sparkle as he slowly took in my outfit. “You look fantastic, as usual.” 

“Velvette. She outdid herself again.” I said softly, looking away from his eyes as a sense of uncharacteristic shyness flowed over me. 

“Mm, no, Princessa. She only designs the outfit. It is you who is beautiful.” He stood up and strode over to me, pulled me into his arms and planted a kiss on my lips as he scooped me up, carrying me to the bedroom. 

I wrapped my arms around his neck as our kiss continued. Behind us, the bedroom door slammed shut. Inside, the lights were set to dim, and several lit white candles overcast the room in a romantic glow. Valentino set me down next to the bed and with the quick snap of his finger, my dress fell to the ground, leaving me totally and completely exposed to him. 

He pushed me to the bed, his own clothing joining mine in a heap on the floor as his skin pressed against mine, the kisses becoming more frantic with each passing second before he pulled away and pressed his lips slowly down my neck. He paused at my chest for the briefest of moments. 

“V-Valentino.” I moaned as my body made it known just how good his kisses felt. “V-Valentino!” 

His kisses lowered again and he paused as his lips hovered above my belly. “Princessa. Are you ready?” 

I groaned in eagerness and frustration. “Yes, Valentino goddamn it yes!” 

With my words his tongue plunged deep into me, his fingers falling against me as I exploded into an orgasm. Slowly, he pulled away and planted a kiss on my clit before he stood up. 

“V-Val..” I whispered. I reached my arms up towards him. 

He shook his head, but took one hand gently, giving it a squeeze before he reached for a bottle on the nightstand. He leaned down and hovered his lips above mine.  “Not yet, Princessa. This was just to make sure you are nice and wet for me.”

I felt his hands slowly separate my legs, and his cock pressed against me. I reached around him and dug my fingernails into his back as I bucked my hips impatiently. 

“I need to know if something hurts. You need to tell me,” he said softly as he held himself in place. “Do you understand, Princessa? Use your words, so I know you hear me.”

“Y-yes Valentino.” I moaned and looked up at him.

The sight of him standing there just about pushed me over the edge on visualization alone. Every inch of him was perfectly muscular, a body built to attract and keep a mate. This man, who was harsh to everyone else in his life except for those he held dearest. Who treated me with a softness I had never once felt before. Every single part of me yearned for him, and the love he gave to me freely. My breath caught as I caught sight of his entire length right before it slipped inside of me, and I wondered for the briefest of moment what the glint of silver on the very tip of his cock was for. 

Before I could ask, I felt the weight of his body press into mine, the very tip of him making its way inside of me. An indescribable euphoria overtook every thought I had and the only thing I could focus on was the feeling of his body joined into mine. Somewhere inside me, I felt a flash of pain and dull ache form as he began to thrust slowly and steadily. 

“Relax for me, Princessa,” he said gently. “You need to tell me if it’s too much.” 

I felt his cock grow harder inside of me and his pace quickened. I let out a gasp and my body responded and exploded around him.  The intense feeling of pleasure overwashed any pain I felt. Unable to handle the feeling, I dug my nails deeper into him.

“Valentino!” I cried loudly. “Valentino!!” 

He grunted at the sound of his name. Deep inside of me, I felt his cock spasm as he came, a fast, foreign movement. I gasped at the sharpness of the feeling and around him, I orgasmed again. Unable to move, unable to breathe, I laid under him. I could feel the expansion somewhere deep inside of me, feel his cum shifting as it settled in my lower belly. He slowly pulled out, and from where I laid, I could see the silver glint in the light. His hand slowly fell against my clit, and another finger slid inside. I let out a gasp as the room flashed black. 

“That’s right my love. You’re mine.” He growled softly as he pressed his lips to my neck, his fingers quickening their pace. 

An unfamiliar fire burned in my belly and I couldn’t tell if it was pain or an overabundance of pleasure I felt. 

“V-Val, it hurts!” 

The words were barely out of my mouth before his fingers were out. My entire body felt like jello and I was covered in a sheen of sweat. I gasped as I tried desperately to catch my breath. He carefully pulled me against his chest and he ran his hand down my back. Under me, his heart thundered, a vibration I could feel simply by laying against his bare chest. 

“What hurts, Princessa?” He asked, concern in his voice.

I couldn’t catch my breath to tell him. He seemed to understand, and he took my hand gently.

“Breathe, my love. Just show me. Put my hand where it hurts.” 

I placed his hand on my belly, and then lower, gasping as his finger brushed my clit, and my back involuntarily arched. 

He tried to hide a smile and cradled me to his chest as he laid us both down on the bed. “My princessa. Are you sure it’s pain you feel?” He laid his hand just below my belly button. “If you relax, the overstimulation will settle itself.” He pressed my abdomen lightly, a calmness in his tone. “In. Out. Deep breaths. All the way into your belly, and out,” he instructed. “Move my hand with each breath you take.” 

I did as he commanded, and concentrated on watching the rise and fall of his hand on my stomach. Slowly, the fire began to fade, leaving behind nothing but the dull ache. I cuddled into him and settled my body against his as my breathing slowly returned to normal. 

“That’s my good princessa,” he muttered. He relaxed the pressure and instead wrapped his arms around me in a protective embrace. His gaze fell down towards the sheets and he moved as if to push them away. “How about a shower, mi amor? Let me take care of you.”

With the shuffling of the blankets, even in the low light, I could see the bright crimson splashed against the whiteness of his bedsheets. Fear flooded through me, and I looked down at my bloodstained thighs. 

“Princessa. Look at me.” He cupped my chin and forced me to look into his eyes, his voice growing deeper. “Listen to my voice. You are not hurt- this is what happens your first time. Maybe even the first few times. I promise you, it’s okay.  I’ve got you, and I’m going to take care of you.” 

He pushed aside the bedding, lifted me up and carried me into the bathroom. With one hand, he kept me against him, with the other,  he opened the shower door and turned on the water.

“Listen to me, princessa. You are alright, I promise. The bleeding may have stopped, or it may not have, I’ll know when I put you down and you stand up. Either way, I promise you it won’t hurt, and you’re okay.” He continued as he held me to him. 

Even with his reassurance, the fear exacerbated the ache deep inside of me. I laid my head against him, unable and unsure what to say or do. I watched in silence as the steam started to rise above the shower. He reopened the door and stepped us both inside. Carefully, he adjusted me so when set me down I stood upright, his arms still wrapped around me. I looked down before he could force me not to. A bright puddle of crimson formed on the floor of the shower, the water whisking it down the drain. 

“Fuck!” I cursed. I felt my cheeks turn pink as I watched the blood pour down my legs. I didn’t even consider that this would happen, and I knew I shouldn’t care. Even less so with Valentino. In his line of work, he probably dealt with this all the time. But even that thought couldn’t keep the feelings of shame and embarrassment away. 

“Hey, sweetheart, it’s alright,” he pulled me to his chest. “It will stop, I promise.” He cupped my chin again and leaned down. He pressed his lips against mine before he pulled away gently. With one hand on my shoulder, he grabbed the bottle of body wash and ran the soap all over my body. He paused for just a moment as his hands ran down the inside of my legs, washing away the orange-red mess. “Speak, mi amore. I can’t read your mind, as much as I wish I could.”

“I’m so embarrassed,” I finally answered. I looked away 

“What, Princessa, could you ever be embarrassed about?” He asked as he guided me back under the water. “You were- you are perfect.” 

He pulled me out of the water and into him. With a gentle force, he pushed me against the shower wall. Carefully let go, leaving my body pinned between the warm tiles and him. 

“I would take you again right this very moment if I didn’t think that it would cause you pain tomorrow. Get any notion of insecurity out of your pretty little head this instant because you, babydoll, are mine.” He pressed his lips against my neck. “Do you understand, mi amore?” His voice dropped into a low demand, “use your words.”

“Yes, Valentino.” I let out an involuntary shiver. 

“Good. Let’s get cleaned up then, shall we?” He pulled away and positioned me back under the water. 

Peppered with kisses as we washed each other, our shower ended sooner than I wanted it to. He turned the water off and wrapped me in a towel before he perched me on the counter top. He handed me a second towel and I wrapped my hair up, giving it the best towel dry I could. The dull ache inside me hadn’t left yet, and while it wasn’t the worst feeling in the world, it was definitely uncomfortable.

“Are you okay, Princessa?” You’re quiet. What's bothering you?” Valentino asked as he pulled on his bathrobe. He walked over to me, my robe over his arm. “Princessa? Communicate.” 

“My belly hurts, but not like my stomach. Lower. Like down here.” I pointed to just below my belly button. 

His hand fell to the small of my back and he helped me down off the counter. He answered after a moment, and removed my towel before he wrapped me in my bathroom, speaking as he did so. “That feeling isn’t uncommon. The first time you have sex- the first time you take that step, it’s almost like a trauma. The bleeding that comes with it is normal, natural. I did my best to be gentle, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that your body has experienced something breaking. That’s part of the reason I wanted you to wait until I knew you were back to your normal self.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I have dinner waiting for us in the kitchen. Let’s get some food in you and a heating pad on your tummy and see if you feel any better.” 

Dressed in our pajamas, we walked hand in hand out to the living room. To my suprise, it was empty, save for the steaming platters on the table. 

“Vox and Velvette took this opportunity to go out on their own,” Valentino explained when he saw my expression. “It’s been awhile since they’ve spent time together, just the two of them.” He bent down and kissed my cheek. “I would have cooked for us, but I didn’t want to make you wait any longer for dinner than you had to, so I ordered your favorite. I hope that’s okay?”

“It’s perfect.” I said as I gave him another kiss. 

I wrapped my arms around him and he spun me around, leaned me back and kissed me again. 

“I love you,” he said with a softness reserved solely for me. His eyes met mine and he gave me a smile and another kiss.  “I love every single inch of you.” 

“I love you too.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up to give him yet another kiss.

He accepted my show of affection and with a final press against my lips, he released me from his hold. He tugged me to the table and loaded up a plate, and then he handed it to me.

“Couch or table?” I asked, unsure as I held the steaming hot dish.

“Couch would be more comfortable, I would think. We can put something on, a movie or a show or whatever you want,” he answered. He filled his own plate and turned around to where I stood, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “Tonight is about us, and what we want. Nothing else.” He set his plate down and poured two glasses of wine before he settled himself on the couch. 

Love and joy spread through me, and I kissed his cheek as I took my usual place next to him. He pulled the heating pad from the back of the couch and placed it against my belly. He kissed my cheek again, and then picked up the remote. After a few moments of flipping through the channels,  and playfully discussing our options, we settled on one of our usual mutually agreed upon. Side by side, we enjoyed dinner, occasionally sharing bites with each other between comments and giggles about the events on the screen. Love. This is what love was, I was sure of it. 

“You know, I did get dessert if you want it,” Valentino said after we had both finished eating. He shifted himself and stood up as he stretched. “I’ll be right back. Close your eyes.”

I did as he instructed, leaning back against the couch. The dull ache had disappeared, and I felt completely and totally normal again. A few seconds passed and I felt something press against my lips.

“Open up, my Princessa,” he said softly. 

I did as he instructed and the sweet taste of chocolate touched my tongue. I opened my eyes and took a bite. The tartness of the strawberry combined with the sweetness of the chocolate was divine. He pressed a champagne flute into my hand. 

“I told you I always keep my promises.” He clicked his glass against mine. “To us.”

“To us,” I echoed. 

We both took a sip and he settled himself back on the couch, placing the box of chocolate covered strawberries between us. The TV forgotten, we spent the next half an hour or so sipping our champagne and feeding each other bites of dessert. I snuggled against him once both our glasses and the box was empty and tried to suppress a yawn. 

“Sleepy?” He pressed his lips to my forehead and lifted me up into his arms. He carried me to the bedroom. The bed, now freshly made and the sheets were back to their crisp, clean color.

“How did you..”

He laughed and kissed me, pulling back the covers and settling both of us under the coolness of the clean sheets. “I don’t employ housekeepers who aren't discrete, mi amor.” 

I snuggled into him, “more souls you’ve saved?”

“Something like that,” he responded lightly. “It’s nice to hear you’re starting to see our side of the story.”  He kissed me again and guided my head to his chest. “Now close those pretty blue eyes and go to sleep.” His voice softened ever so slightly, “I’ll be right here when you wake up, I promise.” 

I snuggled against him and allowed the exhaustion to wash over me. A final thought washed over me before sleep overtook me.

Valentino always kept his promises.

[see-arcane]

Happy Friday the 13th!

Time for some updates.

Plushies

I promise I have not forgotten the little guys-in-potentia. I’ve just been going through many circles of Hell trying to find a decent manufacturer that isn’t operating on some secret ‘Sorry, We Only Work with Brands ™ and Influencers ©, Enjoy Sending Half a Dozen Queries to Our Inbox-Void, You Little Nobody~ <3’ rule. So that was fun. But, finally, I think I’ve found a prospective maker. The issue?

The smallest bulk order is a 50-count. $30 each, roughly. Just for one. 30 x 50 = at least $1,500. If I try to do Mina and Jonathan (DO NOT SEPARATE), that’s 100 plushies. $3,000.

And that’s without dealing with the logistics of storing all the dang things, figuring out shipping costs depending on where I’d be mailing them (not including the packaging), and figuring out how to fairly price them without also gutting everyone’s wallets while we’re all broke.

Fundraising options like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Backerkit all look like the only solid way to go here, but they come with their own caveats.

I need some kind of prototype to have on display, not just the concept. The manufacturer I have in mind does provide a physical prototype prior to going to work on bulk orders, but I’d need to talk with them about the what-ifs involved if a fundraiser fails to drop enough cash to afford the full order.

I still need to figure out what a fair funding target would be that would cover cost of manufacturing/shipping/etc and I do not know that magic number.

Tiers? Do I do tiers with this? If so, how do I portion those out dollar-wise? What goodies can I throw in that would sweeten the deal? At the moment all I have is my writing.

Argh.

Really, 4) kind of sums up the whole thing at the moment. I really, really want to make all my assorted little guys come to cuddly life, but the numbers involved are looking more complicated than pi, especially when I—(frankly, all of us)—have Zero Money to gamble away. If I’m off by one (1) digit that means the difference between ‘Yes, I can pay for manufacturing and shipping and et ceteras no problem!’ and ‘WHOOPS SURPRISE YOU’RE PAYING AN EXTRA FEE OUT OF POCKET NOW BECAUSE YOU DID NUMBER WRONG, HA HA.’ Add that to the fact that I really don’t have anything tangible to pin to hypothetical tiers just now?

I’m afraid the plush Harkers (along with Quinn Morse and his new accessory) have to go on a back shelf for the time being.

But, for a more positive note…

October Scares and Scribbles

I plan to have a Substack in place sometime within October. It will include not just Harker’s current helping of chapters, but…

A new Harker teaser

Backups of some older stuff

[REDACTED] as a little Halloween treat

A generally tidier domain to keep my scattered scrawling in order

As it stands, I don’t feel comfortable turning it into a paid subscription Substack. I won’t be doing clockwork updates and what I will have up won’t be worth a routine fee. I’ll likely have a Ko-Fi link up as a sort of tip jar, but that’ll be that.

Speaking of money…

Maybe Making Merch?

Turns out the options for making less complicated bric-a-brac than stuffed animals are…less complicated. Imagine that. I’ve also been poking around looking at possibilities for stationery, bookmarks, cups, assorted bits and bobs. You know the Dracula Cast(ula) was made for journals and coffee mugs. However, I need to know what kind of designs folks would want to see. So:

The prospects here are much less stressful as far as puzzling out details goes, so I feel a little better about chewing on this. Still need to settle on Official Designs, but I’d wave those around for folks to see first.

All that said?

Argh

Because it bears repeating.

You’ll notice I haven’t laid out exact dates or timeframes for any of this stuff. That’s because I’m still neck-deep in the job hunt, along with grappling with the possibility of having to burn more money on new courses to enter a field I hate, but looks to be one of few career paths that will actually pay me more than pocket change. Said positions not even being guaranteed to still be in the same shape once I’m out of class. Same as my last job.

In four months, I’ll have been applying for a solid year. Every day. All to positions that either send copy-paste rejections, ghost outright, turn out to be thin veils for scams, or, most fun prospect, aren’t even real, because companies keep putting up false job openings to look like they’re expanding. My time has alternated between this and writing and trying not to look at my bank account. Between that and anxiety bordering on nausea concerning the upcoming election, my Halloween vibes are pretty bruised too.

It has. Not been the best time.

But the best part of it is still going on. Because that part is you guys. The people who’ve enjoyed my nonsense. The people who’ve actually dropped some bucks my way on Ko-Fi or bought my book! The people who’ve encouraged me for ages and have turned out to be some of the coolest folks a fellow bookworm could hope for. Thank you.

I hope you’ll cross your fingers for me going forward.

Postscript

I’m also working on the rough draft for this thing. Whether I can get it up on the platform I’d like or not, it will see daylight even if I have to drag it outside myself.

Living’s not cheap, but complaining is free. >:}

[amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet]

Mark of a Hero | Post-Part 1 Q&A

First of all, thank y'all so much for the support on Mark of a Hero! This is the first fic I've actively been posting to AO3, I was/am previously on Wattpad when I was originally writing Goddess of Secrecy and MoaH, and the welcome here has been fantastic getting back into MoaH. Y'all are amazing. And here we are! Post part 1! So let's get into it.

When will MoaH continue?

Part 2 - Farona will start releasing February 4th with a full release week to get y'all started. I'll leave you with the new MoaH blurb at the bottom of this post as a teaser.

So you really mean it's 9 books long?

Yes, I really mean it's 9 books long. Plus a possible prequel, but I can't talk about that until book 3 is starting to release. You'll understand.

What are the odds you finish a 9 book series?

Considering that, as this is going out, I have just begun book 4 having written everything post the first 23 chapters as of coming back in May '24, pretty good. I will say support goes a long way to boosting those odds. Kudos, hits, bookmarks, visible support that people are enjoying my work enough to recommend it to other people/let me know. A big part I'm writing this for me, but I do also like to watch numbers go up and it gives me a lot of motivation when I hit milestones. And I'm a storyteller! I like to know people are listening, you know?

If you're looking for an easy comment thread I'm always interested in reading, I love people diving into theorycrafting and I've left a number of threads for y'all to explore. Easy one here, you all obviously know Farona is book 2 now, but what do you think the order of adventure the rest of the series will be and why? Let me know in the comments and reblogs of this post, or drop it in my ask box!

Will the release schedule stay the same/two chapters a week?

Very likely it will remain 2 chapters a week with the occasional week long release. Right now, the upload schedule gives me a good buffer to get ahead on MoaH without a lot of pressure to write on a "schedule." If I need to take a break, I have a backlog to fall back on. Staying ahead of it serves as its own kind of motivation. It may eventually speed up, but for now, I don't want to get ahead of myself and then fall behind on that backlog. And when I eventually get around to going back to do beta reading/second round edits, it means less chapters will be released having not had that pass. You can see more about my editing process below.

Is Ambrose really a normal old man?

Yes, of course, he's a normal old man.

What do you think of fanworks of MoaH?

Give.

No, but seriously, it's the biggest compliment to hear MoaH has inspired people. That I've already gotten fanart and fanfics of my fanfic is crazy to me. I have resources for most of the cast, and I will absolutely answer any questions y'all have (barring future spoilers). I'm happy to keep it in my folder too if you don't want to post it and cherish it forever on my own.

But to resupport the "how likely am I to finish the book" one of my early readers sent me fanart just like a week ago of the main cast and I cracked out 50k in three days for them because I was so motivated after to finish the arc and book 3 after. Food for thought.

What does your editing process look like?

So my editing process has three general stages: my pass, early readers, and then heavy edits/beta readers. Let's break that down.

First, my pass. This is my writing and editing MoaH on my own. Heavy edits can be a huge momentum killer for me and fic writing for me is primarily a hobby, so this is a pass of light edits for most typos, grammar, and easy worldbuilding catches. All chapters of MoaH get this.

Next is early readers/early book club. This is a process I have open on the Expanding Hyrule Discord if folks are interested (though probably not very many more folks), but it is a slightly more extensive version of the first pass: questions about overall story structure, pacing, and any glaring plot holes, but not really heavy edits. My early readers (shout outs again to @doubtfulloser and @the--voided) get the arcs as I finish writing them, and then give me feedback while I press on with the next arc. And I call it early book club because in big part it's getting to talk to someone about what's actively being written while chapters are so far ahead from what's releasing. They're wrapping up with book 3 right now!

Last, is heavy edits/beta readers. I would like to, eventually, go back through MoaH as I plan to with GoS with a fine tooth comb and really iron it out. But, like I said, heavy edits kill my momentum and I need to get this series drafted first as a whole before I can go back to refine. And a half decent first draft with the chance of support to finish the rest is better than squirreling this story away to myself while I get lost in perfectionism to make it the best thing ever. Right? This process will begin when all of MoaH is written, at current pace, probably when book 3 is releasing. This is also part of why I want the buffer, few chapters that will release without all three passes.

What can I expect from the rest of MoaH?

More adventure, more magic, more monsters! Part 1 ends with the massive quest of traveling seven new nations and tackling their dungeons. But much like entry into the Temple of Inverted Time, this will not be such a simple task. New friends and foes await on the path ahead!

There is also, rest assured, a long-term relationship left to build between our recently proclaimed love birds. More Zelink straight ahead as these two learn to balance their romance between the distance and the responsibility of their new titles. Along with exploring the mysteries of Link's already established party members as the quest tests their friendships! Saddiqah and Ambrose are along for the ride as well.

What would you recommend to tide me over to read while I wait on MoaH?

Oh man, first, big recommendation to anything in @expanding-hyrule if you're looking for more original legend stories like MoaH. I have read a lot of the lists or been recommended on the rest, and I guarantee you'll find something you like in there. Currently something like 50 works on AO3 already, plus some FFN works and some great comics and art projects to check out linked in the art archive on the blog too. And we're looking for more!

If you're looking for more from me, might I recommend diving into the story of the Hero of the Convergence and this Link's Shade with Goddess of Secrecy? This work is complete and being imported over from Wattpad in small bursts every week. While you don't need to read it to understand MoaH, they do share some connected lore, largely in minor nods and references but also in some worldbuilding notes, like the Horned Goddess. Kind of a OoT to TP/WW kind of connection. And maybe some hints on our favorite normal old man buried in there. It also happens to be sitting in Wattpad's top 20 or so most read LoZ fics, so I'm a little proud of it even if it's due some revisions.

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Mark of a Hero (Updates on Tuesdays & Fridays, 2 of 9)

A new champion draws the Master Sword, and the legend begins anew. But the door beneath the Temple of Time remains sealed, lest the Hero can open it once more. Link Sayre, Saddiqah El Amin, and Ambrose head west to Hyrule's forested neighbor, Farona, to seek out the first of the Sealing Stones. But perhaps their quest is not as secret as they'd like to believe.

[wisteria-cherry]

in which the marauders don't take kindly to you being asked out and no one tells you anything

you were not unattractive, you knew that much, but there was a very specific reason as to why you so often found yourself single: the marauders. the first time you found out about this was under rather unfortunate circumstances.

"would you fancy a date?" a sweet hufflepuff boy named adrian, who was a reluctant member of the slug club and quite enjoyed muggle photography, had asked you on a date. he was cute enough, and he seemed nice enough, so you had no reason to say no; you'd love the chance to get to know him better.

"why not?" you remember smiling back at him. "let's talk about a time and place later."

however, when later approached, you got a response that you hadn't expected. adrian was soaked from head to toe, and had a small bit of kelp in his hair.

"i think i ought to call the date off." adrian stated, his demeanor sour.

"how come?" you ask, startled, and you glance him up and down. "what happened?"

"i stepped in a puddle thinking it would hardly get my shoes wet, but it was as deep as a pond!" adrian snapped. "they can keep you! no wonder you're single..." adrian stormed off, leaving you dumbfounded and confused. the confusion, however, lasted only a moment, diminishing upon the realization of just who "they" were.

"you pranked my date?" you demand, nearly tripping into the gryffindor common room. "how could you?" four boys looked up from their respective seats.

"what do you mean?" james grinned boyishly, not bothering to even try to hide his glee.

"i mean my date is soaked from head to toe, with kelp in his hair!" you exclaimed, throwing your hands up in exasperation.

"it's eelgrass, technically," remus chimed in (insufferably).

"you know what i meant."

"he was just so boring, love!" sirius whined, flopping back on the couch. "you couldn't possibly have thought that a date with him would go well. he's a wet blanket, the prank was fitting."

"i could've found that out for myself, sirius." you snap. "what was going through your head when you decided to sabotage my date? how long has this been going on?" suddenly, everything made sense. the way no one ever seemed to stick around, even when you knew you'd clicked. the boys exchanged looks, before looking back at you and shrugging.

the gall! you thought to yourself.

"we've just got to make sure you're dating someone worthy!" james said finally. "can't have you dating a complete washout, now can we?"

"james," you groan, but you really couldn't argue. you didn't want to date a washout, either, but that didn't justify their means.

"you dodged a bullet with adrian." remus slid a bookmark in his book, shutting it quietly. "he can hardly take a joke, either, pranks aside."

"i can't believe you're on their side." you exhale. "well, if i can't date who i'd like, who can i date?"

"you can date sirius!" james said loudly, and grinned widely, a gesture that soon spread to sirius as well.

"oh, shut up." you snort.

"i'll have lily, and you'll have sirius, it'll be perfect!" james insisted.

"what about remus and peter?" you raise an eyebrow.

“peter hasn’t got the guts to ask a girl out, and the way moony’s going, doing nothing but studying, he’ll be a bachelor forever.” james sent a pointed look at the two of them.

“i do too!” peter insisted. sirius snickered. “in fact, there’s a girl i’m seeing right now!” sirius’ snicker turned to choking.

“you? who on earth is seeing you?” sirius demanded.

“you’ve got a girl, peter?” you ask, startled by the sudden news. he’d never brought up a girl before.

“a very nice hufflepuff named olivia.” peter beamed smugly.

“a hufflepuff.” james groaned.

“that explains it.” sirius rolled his eyes.

“she’s quite nice!” peter said.

“at least he’s got a girl.” remus rolled his eyes at james and sirius. “you lot haven’t been able to convince the people you fancy to go on a date, and it’s been much longer that it has for peter.”

“yeah, at least i’ve got a girl!” peter gloated.

“listen, it’s only a matter of time before lily realizes she likes me.” james insisted.

“sirius, you fancy someone?” you look over to the gray-eyed boy. “who?”

“it’s a secret, love.” sirius grinned boyishly. “no girls allowed.”

“no fair!” you protest indignantly. “sirius, i want to know too! i deserve to know! i can help!”

“i don’t need help, i quite know what i’m doing.” sirius said calmly, nearly infuriating you more. james snickered.

“yeah, she’s practically swooning over him every time he speaks to her,” james teases.

“she does? but i thought—“

“not now, wormtail,” james interrupted. “she can’t know, it’ll ruin the fun.”

“remus!” you turned to your friend for support, but remus glanced at sirius (who, behind your back, was shaking his head ‘no’ madly) before shaking his head sympathetically.

“sorry. afraid i can’t.”

“you lot are the worst, no wonder peter’s the only one with a lady.” you groan, immediately causing an uproar from james and sirius.

“alright, now—“

“hey!”

hopeless.

[basic-cable]

Favorite Fics of 2024

I've been seeing everyone post on other sites about the books they read in 2024 and which were their favorites and the total word count of what they've read, so I figured I'd make one about the fic I consumed, instead, because I read a whole lot of it.

In 2024, I read/listened to 422 works of fanfiction, for a total word count of 23,429,338. I read A LOT of really good fic, but these are the ones I marked as my absolute favorites. If you end up having similar taste in fic to me, I save all the fics I think are really good in my Ao3 bookmarks. (Most of it will be MCU, Harry Potter, and Sherlock, but there will also be some Bandom, Stranger Things, Anne with an E, and maybe a sprinkling of other things.)

My favorites from this year will be under the cut. 🙂

Title: Basilisks, Boggarts, and Boyfriends (oh my) Author: OptimisticDinosaur Fandom: Harry Potter Word Count: 8,718 Summary: Things that are not covered in the absolutely USELESS parenting books that Sirius Black, recently freed from Azkaban and new guardian of Harry James Potter, bought in a recent panic:

How to balance parenting and wooing the hot Dark Magic Exterminator from Lupin & Co that you hired to clear out your parents’ creepy townhouse

How to convince your five-year-old that the basilisk, boggart and ghoul you planted in the house so said hot exterminator would have to keep coming back are not, in fact, his new best friends

How to walk your child’s pet basilisk (when you inevitably fail).

My thoughts: Harry is adorable, Remus is competent, and Sirius is just trying to figure shit out. I loved this.

Title: morgan stark's murder class Author: tempestaurora Fandom: MCU Word Count: 7,315 Summary: Sam frowned. “What the hell are you teaching her, dude?”

“Life lessons,” Bucky replied simply.

“He’s teaching me how to maim people!” Morgan cried.

Sam choked. “Bucky?”

“Well, I’m not gonna teach her to kill a person, am I?”

She frowned up at him. “You promised you would.”

“Shh,” he whispered. “Not in front of the narc.”

OR Post-Snap, Morgan runs a budget fight club at school and Bucky is recruited to teach her how to defend herself. He also petitions to feature on the now-cancelled game show "Wipeout", because he has nothing else to do with his time

My thoughts: This was adorable and delightful and fun and I laughed out loud multiple times.

Title: Between the Lines Authors: A_LoveUnlaced & emmy_award Fandom: Harry Potter Word Count: 44,495 Summary: When Hermione received her Hogwarts letter, she wanted to cry, but didn’t.

My thoughts: The draw between Harry and Hermione is so heavy it's palpable, and it's a slow burn. This Harry is different because he was raised by Sirius from the beginning, so he's more confident, but not an asshole. This Hermione is different; she's a Ravenclaw with self esteem issues, but she's amazing.

Title: You Watched Me Grow Author: ironfamjam Fandom: MCU Word Count: 68,302 Summary: Tony looked at him, bold and true and utterly sincere, “Kid, I’m on your side, no matter what.”

Like most good things, it started with an accident.

Well, kinda.

This is a story about how a snarky, emotionally stunted genius became more than a mentor and how a just-trying-to-figure-it-out, doing his best superkid became the son he never had. No matter how empty our hearts are, love can always fill the gaps.

My thoughts: This was wonderful. It's mostly fluff, and there's a career day thing that is just as good as any field trip fic. I love them so much. All of the feels. My heart.

Title: Insane Mistakes Everybody Makes Author: Fluencca Fandom: MCU Word Count: 33,402 Summary: The Avengers' kids are kidnapped for leverage and ransom. Tony tries to find them, while Peter--who somehow is part of this mess--tries to keep the kids safe.

My thoughts: The author said that this is kind of a loose prequel to Everybody's Fine, but that they can be read separately, and they're right on both counts. It works great as a prequel but they're both great as standalones. They're so good at writing badass, unassuming Peter, and their Natasha is also awesome, and I am just really enjoying their writing. Peter is so good. I adore him.

Title: Lies of omission Author: Bergen Fandom: MCU Word Count: 48,264 Summary: “Your parents have been grooming you to take over the company, correct? You’ve been working closely alongside them, alongside their best scientists and technicians. I’m sure you’ve learned a fair deal. We could use that expertise at Stark Industries.” “Essentially,” Parker says, “you want to pay me to reveal my parents’ company secrets.” “Yes,” Tony says, cheerfully. “Thank you for catching on so quickly.” — Tony’s week just turned a lot more promising: Rich kid Peter Parker has apparently dropped out of college and provoked the ire of his parents. A delicious scandal for the tabloids. And an opportunity too good to waste, even if it means putting up with a snooty, preppy college kid as his new intern.

My thoughts: It's honestly so good. Peter's parents are awful and Tony and Pepper end up taking over, and the little ways they try to subvert the harm done to him by his parents is so heartwarming. The way Tony is constantly handing people his baby is my favorite thing.

Title: firepower Author: cassiopeia721 Fandom: Harry Potter Word Count: 31,697 Summary: Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Chosen One, etc. is a squib with no knowledge of the magical world. By general consensus, he is most useful as potions ingredients.

General consensus being unanimous agreement by everyone except one Harry James Potter. But who cares about his opinion anyway?

(aka: Harry is having a good day, until the part where he gets teleported into a creepy graveyard with some even creepier… cult members?)

My thoughts: I loved this. That's it. I just loved it.

Title: Peter Parker's home for wayward people and animals Author: Bergen Fandom: MCU Word Count: 28,845 Summary: Peter Parker. 16 years old. Recently emancipated from the foster system and moved into the dingy villa his deceased parents left him. Which apparently means he has to deal with various stray animals and human beings who keep choosing his house as their refuge. He is so unprepared for this shit. And then stupid Tony Stark randomly decides to insert himself into Peter’s life, with his dad-sweaters and his boo-boo fixing and his casseroles. He thinks Peter’s parents are just out of town on a business trip. Peter is in no mood to correct him.

My thoughts: This Peter felt very similar to like, if my brain became a fictional character, so needless to say, I related to him a lot. Tony also often reminded me of myself. I love all the quirky characters, and obviously Tony and Peter and Morgan and Pepper, and everything about this was just so good.

Title: Thin Air Author: FerretShark Fandom: MCU Word Count: 6,052 Summary: When Peter and Tony have a serious disagreement, Peter withdraws. But when something unexpected happens to Tony's private jet Peter will stop at nothing to try to save him.

My thoughts: This was so good, and Peter is a total BAMF.

Title: ever upward Author: stranglerfig Fandom: Harry Potter Word Count: 406,524 Summary: The centaur tilted his head. “And what is a human boy doing riding a thestral into the Forest?” “I’m going to visit a friend. Well, a friend of a friend. Sort of. It’s a snake in the castle.”

In which Harry meets a garden snake, discovers magic, and sets off for a better life.

My thoughts: This series is excellent. It is impossible not to adore Harry, and actually a lot of the other characters are way better than their canon counterparts. There are a lot of characters, and I think all of them are queer; it's like the opposite of real life media, where there's always the one gay character. Anyway, the story is charming as fuck.

Title: C'est La Vie Author: cywscross Fandom: Harry Potter Word Count: 102,274 Summary: The war ends on Harry's twenty-first Halloween, and, one year later, with nothing truly holding him in that world, Fate takes this opportunity to toss her favourite hero into a different dimension to repay her debt. A new, stress-free life in exchange for having fulfilled her prophecy. A life where Neville is the Boy-Who-Lived instead, James and Lily are still alive, and that Harry Potter is relatively normal but a downright arse. Dimension-travelling Harry just wants to know why he has no say in the matter. And why he's fourteen again. And why Fate thinks, in all her infinite wisdom, that his hero complex won't eventually kick in. Then again, that might be exactly why Fate dumped him there.

My thoughts: This story is not finished; I pretty much never read unfinished fic on purpose, because it drives my brain crazy, but my best friend made me do it. And I'm glad she did, because it ended up being one of my favorites; the story is wonderful and I'll probably even reread it later because it's just that good.

Title: Play Author: losingmymindtonight Fandom: MCU Word Count: 33,275 Summary: Once Peter's relationship with Tony gets out, the public can't get enough of their new favorite father-son duo. So, naturally, they monopolize. (Or: Tony and Peter's relationship, as seen through videos.)

My thoughts: This is basically the best thing ever; funny and fluffy with feels all over, but it's part of an unfinished series, and the last chapter is a lead-up to the much-more-serious sequel, which is about Peter getting kidnapped; the second story is finished, but it's super emotional and fraught, and the third story is not finished. I am subscribed, but won't be reading more until/unless it's completed. So if you are anything like me and prefer to wait for things to be finished, it's best to skip the final chapter of Play until the series itself is complete, because it's really good as a standalone without it.

Title: Peitho's Curse Author: SpideyFics Fandom: MCU Word Count: 85,825 Summary: Peter and MJ are just settling into their post-college lives when Peter is hit by an ancient, little-known curse that makes them swap bodies. With no way of immediately swapping back, they have no choice but to let the curse run its course, testing their relationship and learning new things about each other along the way.

My thoughts: I thought this story was excellent. I had a hard time putting it down. But it was also right up my alley, because there's a great deal in it about being pregnant, and I love pregnancy fics, and it's so hard to find ones that aren't omegaverse and are also worth reading. All other relationships take a backseat to Peter's relationship with MJ in this story. It's about how good they are, together and separately, and how they build each other up and make each other stronger, and I love them so much.

Title: Everyday Superhero Verse Author: stoneage_woman Fandom: MCU Word Count: 78,544 Summary: When a field trip to Stark Industries ends in disaster, Roger Harrington finds himself faced with an impossible choice. Suddenly, Tony Stark is shoving an NDA in his face while Peter Parker stares at him with terrified, desperate eyes. Nothing in his 13-year teaching career could have prepared Harrington for this, but he knows one thing for sure: ten years ago, he'd stared down into the sightless eyes of a seventeen-year-old girl, and he'd sworn to himself that he would never again lose another student. He's going to do everything in his power to keep that promise now…even if it costs him everything.

Set during and post Spider-Man Homecoming. A realistic field trip story that also explores the long-term consequences of trauma and responsibility, written by a real-life teacher.

My thoughts: My heart. I loved this so much. All of the feels. I cried. A lot.

Title: @ironman follows you Author: malyin_roza Fandom: MCU Word Count: 27,156 Summary: “Eighteen detentions last month alone, disgraceful amount of absent hours – often odd classes mid-day or half a day. I won’t mention the after-class clubs, or nerd groups, or whatever it is you do for ‘fun’ that actually counts in to your records anyway.”

Peter sat frozen on the spot, his face growing hot and red after rapidly paling when Tony began talking.

“I – I – look, I, let me explain – “

“That’s,” Tony pointed at him, silencing with one look, “that’s where we might start.”

“Start?” the teen repeated uneasily.

Sweet Jesus, what did he have on him?

“I solved it all, you’re welcome.”

A beat of silence as Peter blinked at him.

Or all your favorite tropes thrown into one happy bundle of fluff. Twitter, sick!Peter, dad!Tony, dickhead!Flash - you name it, I write (scratch that, probably have written) it. Because I'm a slut for iron dad like y'all, domestic hoes.

My thoughts: I listened to this while I was like, vacuuming and stuff, which was a mistake because there's a lot of Twitter happening in this story, but. It's so good. It's so cute and wholesome, and after it was over I sat myself down and reread it with my actual eyeballs, because I didn't want it to be over, and then when I finished it again I almost cried because I was just so happy that it exists and so sorry that it was over, you know? Idk, maybe I just came across it at the right moment, you know how that happens sometimes, but I'm just really happy that I found it. This is one of those stories about the transition between "we're not there yet" and Irondad, with Peter getting really comfortable, really quickly, and Tony enjoying the hell out of it.

Title: dear mr. fantasy Author: iron_spider Fandom: MCU Word Count: 46,300 Summary: Tony worries his brain is misfiring, transporting him across time and space in one final insane journey. He swallows hard, and he hears those garbled voices again. He can’t make out words, or tone, or who the hell is talking, but somebody definitely is, and it sounds strangely like they’re underwater. Or he is.

He grits his teeth and turns around, and before he can even begin to trudge over towards Peter’s room, he’s stopped in his tracks.

By a door. In the middle. Of the living room. Straight up and down like a monolith, just beside the glass coffee table.

Tony chews on his lower lip and stares at it. “Well that’s new,” he says, still rooted to the spot.

My thoughts: Oh my GOD. After Tony snaps, his consciousness ends up TRAPPED IN PETER'S MINDSCAPE while his body lies in a coma. It's SO good.

Title: I love you more than anything (bio dad au) Author: iron_spider Fandom: MCU Word Count: 185,711 Summary: The highs and lows of Tony unexpectedly becoming a single dad at 31– from Peter’s early baby years, all the way past the defeat of Thanos

My thoughts: This is really more of ongoing favorite; it's an unfinished series, and new chapters are posted as additional stories. I actually began reading it last year, but with the new additions, I did read 38,732 words of it this year, so I feel like it still counts. Peter is the best, most adorable, most charming thing ever, and adoring, devoted, dad!Tony is maybe the most attractive character ever written. Really, all the characters are great (except Obie, obviously), and it's impossible not to become incredibly fond. But the series isn't finished, so if you're like me, you may just want to subscribe, though you probably won't regret just going ahead and reading it.

[gillianthecat]

Books Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @littleragondin! I've actually been reading books again these past few weeks so I have answers now lol

hardcover or *paperback* (i am but a weak little woman and those hardcovers are heavy) // bookstore or *library* (probably I would usually say bookstore but I was going to many different libraries to study at towards the end of the semester) // standalone or *series* (really depends on my mood, but the most recent books were a series) // nonfiction or *fiction* (fiction is an indulgence, and while I'm interested in a lot of non-fiction, reading it usually feels more like work) // thriller or *fantasy* (I've never been into scary stuff) // under 300 pages or *over 300 pages* (otherwise it goes by too quickly!) // children's or *ya* (i have not connected with the YA I've read in recent years but at times I have devoured it) // friends to lovers or *enemies to lovers* (there are some amazing friends-to-lovers I adore, but I'm compelled by even mediocre enemies-to-lovers) // *read in bed* or read on the couch (either but recently it's been all in bed) // *read at night* or read in the morning (through the night and into the next morning) // *keep pristine* or markup (I don't try to actually keep books pristine, but I also never bother to mark up anything but textbooks) // *cracked spine* or dog ear (historically I read most books on one sitting, but if not I'd just search for the page again/use a random receipt as a bookmark)

Currently Reading:

I'm not in the middle of anything, but I've read more in recent weeks than I have in a long time. (Well, technically I'm in the middle of Solomon's Ransom by Corey Kerr, because I read the sample and now am waiting for the book to be released in a few weeks.)

Several months ago I got from the (physical!) library a (physical!) copy of She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan, and I finally finished after the semester ended, and then found an ebook of the sequel, He Who Drowned the World. (Compelling, though I think the ambitiousness of the project inevitably meant that parts of it didn't quite work.)

Then I read a bunch of romance ebooks, and even found a m/f one that I liked! Jodi McAlister's Not Here To Make Friends. (It was also the reality dating show romance I had been low-key hoping would exist.)

I also read RF Kuang's Babel: An Arcane History (which I appreciated and was provoked by, but didn't exactly love), and then read that she was inspired by/responding to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, so I reread that. (When I read it years ago my reaction was, I'm too old for this. It felt like a book you need to read in your teens or early twenties to get swept up into. My thoughts this go around were pretty much the same.) Then Kuang's Yellowface, which was also compelling.

Speaking of enemies to lovers, quite enjoyed The Sorcerer's Omega, also by Corey Kerr, which is why I'm awaiting her latest release. (The other two books in that world are also good, just not catnip for my tastes in the same way.)

And your post reminded me—I too read Love in the Big City, which was good and also unsettling in that way of most autobiographical novels about the authors fucked up twenties. Now I can go and unblock the tag and see all the fascinating discussions y'all had in your book club.

I have no idea how they'll manage to turn it into a BL (which is what I think I read is happening?). Although it's about relationships it's very much not a romance. Are they just pulling out some random plot points and building a whole new story around them? I hope they don't try to smush it into BL shape at all, and just tell the narrator's melancholy story as written.

(Oh, technically I'm in the middle of Mari Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but I'm not sure if I'll read any more. Other people's advice can be counterproductive at times.)

(Most most recently was a bunch of Untamed and Drarry fanfic, but I'm not counting that.)

I'm not sure who's done this already, but I'll tag @lelephantsnail, @petrichoraline and @tungtung-thanawat.

[libraryleopard]

for the book asks: 4, 6, 14!

4. Did you discover any new authors you love this year?

A few! I read several novellas and novels by romance author Anita Kelly and overall liked their work, so I now count them as an author whose work I enjoy. I also read two novellas by fantasy/horror/science fiction author Premee Mohamed and have a third checked out right now and I look forward to diving more into her backlist in the future!

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but didn't get to?

Oh, this is a VERY pointed question coming from you, I see…

I meant to reread She Who Became the Sun and read the sequel, He Who Drowned the World, and didn't get around to that yet. Hopefully in 2025! Long Live Evil is also seething in neglect on my beside table stack of books, as you know. Oops.

14. What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

I'm almost finished with Metal From Heaven by august clarke, which I am loving but had to put on pause to read some book club books, so hopefully I can finish that soon! I also just started The Threshold of Dissent: A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism by Marjorie Feld, which isn't super long so I'm hoping to finish is before the end of the month. My bookmark is also in Young Hag and the Witch's Quest by Isabel Greenberg, which I am looking forward to starting.

[eyreguide]

Storytime for Grownups - a podcast reading of Jane Eyre

I recently received an email from Faith Moore, creator and podcaster of Storytime for Grownups, who is releasing a free podcast audiobook version of Jane Eyre - with commentary to help readers understand some of the out-dated references and words. I just started listening to the show and love Faith's voice for Jane - it's very welcoming and serene. And this seems like something all readers and Jane Eyre fans can enjoy - for the fans it's nice to hear someone read the story with background information, and for any new or young readers this might be a great way to understand the story better as they listen. I asked Faith some questions about her experience reading Jane Eyre and her podcast. Please enjoy the mini-interview below, and listen to her show wherever you find podcasts!

1. What is your "Jane Eyre" origin story?  When/Why did you first read the novel and what were your first impressions?

I think I was around twelve years old when I first read Jane Eyre. It wasn’t at all the kind of book that I normally read at that age. I loved to read, but I struggled with “old fashioned” books. The language always felt inaccessible to me and I could never really get into the classics—I was much more comfortable with The Babysitter’s Club or Matilda. But my family took me to see a stage production of Jane Eyre and I absolutely loved it. I fell immediately in love with Mr. Rochester and could tell—at a visceral level—that this was a great story. So I found a copy of the book on my parents’ bookshelf, pulled it down, and began to read. The things we do for love—love of Mr. Rochester I mean! The language was still really hard for me to understand, the bits of the plot that didn’t involve Mr. Rochester dragged, but it was all worth it for those Jane and Rochester scenes. I read the whole thing and I’ve never looked back. And, over time—and many re-readings—I’ve come to love the book in its entirety. To my mind, it’s a work of genius. 

2. Favorite quote from Jane Eyre (you can pick just the first one that pops into your mind!)

I return to the proposal scene again and again. The ribbon bookmark in my favorite copy of the book (I own four copies) always marks it. 

“Are you in earnest? Do you truly love me? Do you sincerely wish me to be your wife?”

“I do; and if an oath is necessary to satisfy you, I swear it.”

“Then, sir, I will marry you.”

“Edward—my little wife!”

“Dear Edward!”

“Come to me—come to me entirely now,” said he; and added, in his deepest tone, speaking in my ear as his cheek was laid on mine, “Make my happiness—I will make yours.”

3. What made you decide to start Storytime for Grownups and have you podcasted before?

This is my first podcast! The idea for the show came to me because of my own struggles with reading the classics. You’re always being told you ought to read the classics—and you should!—but what if you literally can’t? My first idea was to somehow “translate” the old-fashioned language of classic books into modern English. But I came to feel that too much would be lost—the atmosphere and the characters are built through the language as it’s written. But then I realized that when I was an elementary school teacher, one of my favorite times in the day was storytime. When you read aloud to your students, you pause from time to time to make sure they’re still with you. You define a word, you summarize, you comment on the action. And I thought: I could do that for grownups with the classics! Each season of Storytime for Grownups, I read a book aloud, one chapter per episode. As I read, I pause from time to time to give brief explanations that make it easier to follow along. It’s like an audio book with built-in notes. Season 1 is Jane Eyre!

4. What is the most interesting thing you've learned so far while digging into the background or literary composition of Jane Eyre?

One of my favorite parts of the show is that listeners write in to ask questions about each chapter and I feature one or two questions at the start of each episode. The questions have been amazing and they’ve prompted me to delve really deeply into the text—even more deeply than I ever have before! One really interesting aspect that I’d never really delved very deeply into before is the notion of the supernatural and fairy tales/fairy stories. It’s a huge theme within Jane and Rochester’s relationship and I think it relates in a really fascinating way to Brontë’s exploration of religion and spirituality which flows throughout the entire book. 

Storytime for Grownups - Listen now!

[trekkiehood]

For the fanfic/author ask game, please answer questions 5, 9, 14, 17, and 34.

5. What’s something you learned while researching a fic?

I've learned so much while researching! I watched hours of footage for my 9/11 fic and was looking at building schematics to make sure I had things right.

I've learned things about military ranks and different procedures.

I've researched so but about TBIs and brain surgery lol. Other medical things too much so much info on brain injuries 😂

I'm sure there's more, I've learned more researching fanfics than probably in the entirety of school 😅

9. How did you get into writing fanfiction?

Lol okay so this is kind of a fun story. So I grew up in the days of Nickelodeon message boards. We would write dialog fanfics on message boards and they were so bad and so cringe lol. Well the website changed and lost the club/message boards aspect so I wrote a little on my own but didn't do much with it.

Then my freshman year of highschool I fell in love with Bonanza. When I googled episodes with my beloved Adam Cartwright I kept getting fanfics instead. So after I'd watched his six seasons I turened to fanfic. I started on a bonanza specific fanfic site. Then I started writing my own and published them on fanficnet then I stumbled on Wattpad and loved there for awhile. Then came AO3 and Tumblr and that's where I've parked for now.

But anyway fanfic is a huge part of my life and I'm so glad I stumbled upon it!

14. What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?

Comments

Tumblr asks

Bookmarks

Kudos

User subscribers

Story subscribers

Not that they aren't allowed GREATLY appreciated! But if I were to rank them that's how lol. Tumblr asks about my fics are probably equal to comments tbh. I love my fics and I want to TALK ABOUT THEM (plz come ask me questions about tm fics 😭)

Bookmarks are special to me because it says that you found my book and decided to add it to your librsry. That's so special!

Kudos are of course so special and I'm thankful for them but I don't even fully look at them anymore 😅 I get the email and go "glad ppl still like me" and move on

Subscribers either way or EPIC I just have to go looking for that Info so don't notice it right away. It's greatly appreciated tho! But plz drop a comment so I know 😅

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?

I'm really not sure... I've been trying to write more action based and less expositonal. I think my most recent fic and the MotA WIP I'm current playing with do that which I'm glad about.

My proudest moments when writing is when I get people very reactionary lol. Counter Weight got my friend really into it (prob bc we had also just finished episode 4 lol) so I'm very proud of that.

34. What is your favorite fic to get comments/messages on?

My most recent one. Whatever I most recently posted I want to be interacted with. Currently any of my MotA or Outsiders fics because those are the fandoms I'm currently active in. I LOVE getting comments on my other fandoms too, but I feel bad because ppl are typically asking for more when I'm not actively writing for them 😅

Thank you so much!!! I love talking about fanfics lol. Really appreciate the ask!!!

[13eyond13]

Do you read paper books or do you prefer to read on screens?

Hmm, it kinda depends! My preferences and methods for this have sort of changed over the years. I normally do love to own and read a physical copy of a book, but lately I've mostly been reading books on my phone.

I'll just lay this all out very methodically (I'm sure you probably already know about many of these sites and methods of gathering books and such, but just in case you don't, here you go):

What I used to do back when I didn't read a whole lot (up until my mid-twenties I'd probably normally be reading less than 10 books a year): I'd just go to the local big chain bookstore in my town and buy my books brand new/order them online. My local library didn't have that great a selection, and I was also bad at returning my borrowed library books on time, so I'd usually just pick something out that looked interesting at the store instead and buy it brand new and hope that I liked it.

I very rarely do that anymore, mainly because I am constantly reading now, and it quickly gets expensive to buy that many new books. I also own quite a few books already, and books can get pretty annoying to lug around from place-to-place when you move, so I'm trying not to hoard as many of them anymore.

Here is what I do instead nowadays (I am in two book clubs now, so constantly reading something new, and have averaged reading 50-100 new books a year for the past half a decade or so)

FOR NOVELS: -I keep a list of all the books I want to read on GoodReads and also track all the ones I've already read there -I download a free sample of a new book I'm interested in on my phone, either by searching for it on Kindle/Amazon, or just by downloading the entire book as a pdf/epub file on my phone (here is an excellent site for finding pretty much any book as a pdf/epub for free, btw: [oceanofpdf]) -I read the first few pages of the downloaded book to see if it's something that I'd actually like (I can normally tell after about 5-10 minutes of reading if I'm gonna vibe with the writing style and the premise of the book) If it's something that I'm still interested in reading after previewing it, then I'll either:

(1) try to find a physical copy of the book at a local used bookstore or a thrift store (I don't mind paying a few bucks for a used paperback, even if I might not keep it forever or ever want to read it again) or: (2) search for the ebook on the Libby/Overdrive app on my phone that is synced up with my local library. (You can link your Libby account up with multiple library cards on the app, btw. I have a friend from a much bigger city with a much better library who shares their card with me, so I have access to all the books from their city's library as well... if your local library sucks then I def recommend sharing library cards with a friend from another city, if they're down with doing that) or: (3) just continue reading the book as the pdf/epub I already downloaded on my phone, if it was one that I downloaded from that site

FOR MANGA SERIES: I always either read them online by googling until I find a good quality scan on a site to read them on, or I check out the manga volumes electronically from my library. When it comes to these super lengthy comic series I definitely prefer not to buy the entire series to read it, unless it's something that is not overly long and also is a huge fave for me that I want to own (like Death Note, for example). I also find reading manga on my computer much more enjoyable than reading it on my phone because I can see the art better that way, so I keep a folder of bookmarks on my browser of the manga series that I am currently wanting to read, like so:

I will also usually open any manga I borrow from the library in Libby on my pc's browser instead of my phone so I can read it on a bigger screen, too. ONCE I'M FINISHED READING A BOOK: I will either keep it if I really liked it and think I'll want to re-read it someday, or I'll get rid of it! If it's one I read on my phone as a pdf/epub that I end up loving and wanting to add to my personal collection, then I will keep an eye out for it in the used bookstores and thrift stores, or I'll just buy it new! But nowadays I only add a book to my permanent collection after I have already read it and already know that it's something I will someday want to read again.

I get rid of the books I bought and read and don't want to hold onto anymore in those mini free libraries that people put on my local neighborhood street corners, or else I just donate them back to a thrift store for somebody else to enjoy. AN EXCEPTION TO THIS:

I will often also preemptively buy books that I know have been sitting on my "to be read" list forever whenever I come across them at a good price in a used bookstore, even if I'm not planning on immediately reading them. This is the stuff like the classics that everybody hears about growing up, but that I have not read for myself yet, and am curious to see what all the hype is about. Once I finally read them I'll either add them to my permanent collection or get rid of them if they really weren't my taste. Here's a picture of my bookshelf that's mostly the books I've accumulated second-hand over the years but haven't fully read yet. They're the ones that haven't quite made it to my permanent collection yet (not including the stuff in the picture like the box sets and the graphic novels/manga, which I already read and then bought new). I have another couple of full bookshelves' worth of books that I've already read and liked enough to keep, but they're all packed away in storage atm:

[watchoutforthefanfics]

hey, new follower here, can you recommend some reddie fanfiction? :) thank youuu

Hi, thank you so much for following <333.

I totally got you :))).

So I literally just went through my bookmarks on AO3 (they are going to be AO3 links).

Here we go:

all love ever does (begin again) by agustplz

[Post It Chapter Two]

It only takes three rings for Richie to pick up the phone. This is pretty standard for Richie. He’d told Eddie once that the first time his phone rings, he usually has to find it somewhere in the room. The second time it rings is when Richie sees the Caller ID, and if he picks up on the third ring, that means Richie likes whoever is at the other end. He’d found that infuriating when Richie first told him, and vividly remembers how he’d bitched about missing important opportunities if he was answering phone calls based on his mood. Right now, however, knowing that Richie is answering the phone because he wants to talk to Eddie brings nothing but total relief.

or: a moment of insecurity, a phone call, and a revelation

I don't need a plan if I've got your hand by iittaliia

[Teenagers]

”Okay, here goes”, Eddie says, takes a final deep breath before looking at Richie straight on and saying ”Richie, I’m gay.”

Richie feels his eyes widen and his breath get caught in his throat, while his heart misses a beat and million butterflies take flight in his stomach.

”You’re… gay?” he asks, like a fucking dumbass.

Or, Richie doesn't know what's the appropriate way to receive and share news.

one touch (but you felt enough) by zach_stone

[Post It Chapter Two]

“Should we do something for Valentine’s Day?”

Eddie’s been wanting to ask for weeks now, the thought simmering as the holiday drew closer, but he had planned to work it in a bit more smoothly than just blurting it out mid-Facetime call.

Or, Eddie and Richie have been dating for two months. Eddie wants to make their first Valentine's together perfect.

A Light Shove by Bewitching Notes

[Modern College!AU]

Eddie let out a huff of irritation when the man ignored him for the third time. "Would you move, you asshole!?" He shouted probably louder than he should've in the library, and practically shoved the guy aside with his hip.

The man stumbled and looked at Eddie with wide eyes full of alarm, mouth agape in shock, as if Eddie hadn't asked him to move at least three times in the last minute.

Eddie opened his mouth to yell at him again, only to pause when he saw the hearing aids resting in the man's ears.

Ah, shit.

OR: Eddie just wanted to grab some reference books for his class, and deaf Richie Tozier just happened to be standing exactly in front of the books he needed.

In Eddie's defense, he wouldn't have yelled or shoved the guy if he'd known he was deaf.

Honest.

Subpoenaed by Padmedala

[Post It Chapter Two]

“So,” Eddie starts. “Myra’s lawyers are probably going to subpoena you.”

“What? Why?”

Eddie is quiet for another long moment, then he blurts out. “They think we’re having an affair.”

Richie forces out a laugh. “Why would they think that?”

(In which the Losers' Club has to convince a divorce lawyer that Richie and Eddie aren't having an affair, which is a little difficult because they are in love with each other.)

But I Finally Made My Way Home by cortexikid

[Post It Chapter Two]

“Oh Richard really, I wasn’t born yesterday. You and Eddie are hardly subtle. You never were.”

Richie blinked at his mom.

“What?”

Maggie rolled her eyes.

"There’s no need to hide it from me, sweetheart. I’ve known you two would end up together since you were ten years old. You can tell me."

His heart leaped into his throat.

“Tell you...what?”

“That you’re dating.”

Richie short-circuited.

“Ma, me and Eddie are not dating.”

could it be you by eddiespaghetti

[Post It Chapter Two]

“I hate you so much,” Eddie mumbles, turning onto his back with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Well I sure hope not, Eds, because that would make this wedding we’ve got today real awkward.”

Richie and Eddie get married.

Coffee Shop Mix-Up by Hakoneecchi

[Modern College!AU]

Eddie pulls an all-nighter and is rudely awakened by his best friend, Beverly to get coffee. What follows is a mix up and attempts at getting free drinks. Maybe even a date along the way. Clearly nothing Eddie ever expected to happen on a Monday morning.

Or, Eddie is half asleep and holds hands with two strangers for a coffee fix and ends up getting himself a date.

diners, drive-ins, and dives by anemicaxolotl

[Post It Chapter Two]

Trashmouth: did u know ur only like 40 min from the sopranos diner

Spaghetti Man: Hi did you know you’re about ten years too late to find that cool?

Or: Richie takes Eddie to all the best diners, drive-ins, and dives he knows. It turns out it's surprisingly easy to share confessions in these kinds of places.

I see you in a different way by seeingrightly

[Post It Chapter Two]

“What do they tell you?” Eddie asks, his voice rising in pitch and volume, his eyebrows rising, too, like he’s offended.

Richie aches with how that makes him feel. He hopes it isn’t showing on his face, although… it might not matter anymore. Maybe it could be okay if it did.

“All kinds of shit,” Richie says. “Some of it is just the normal stuff you say to break up with someone you weren’t really dating in the first place. Like, you know, ‘This has been fun!’”

Richie affects the least honest tone he can manage, pasting on a fake smile.

“You’re fun,” Eddie says, crossing his arms.

And I do have a considerable amount I've written, if you want to check it out. No pressure though!!!