#;; DANY FOCUSING EXTRA HARD ON CREATING A BEAUTIFUL SPACE FOR CHILDREN TO READ AND EXPLORE DIFFERENT WORLDS 🥹🥹🥹

[kaerinio]

i'm going to make the bookstore au an official thing on this blog because i'm obsessed with how adorable it is 🥹. here are some initial thoughts:

since dany was a little girl, moving from place-to-pace, bookstores and libraries have been a safe haven; they are where she went to learn when she wasn't enrolled in school; they are where she went to hide from viserys. surrounded by books, dany could escape and throw herself into stories filled with joy and love and adventure. opening a bookstore became her dream.

pretty similar to the flow of her main modern verse, except she does not go the route of becoming an international human rights attorney. dany attains a ged before going to university, where she studies literature, leaning into the thing that provided so much comfort for her when she was younger. she's deeply active in her community. dany marries young and is widowed young. she experiences the loss of her son, and following all of this loss, she dives into taking care of three abandoned rottweiler puppies. her husband left her a pretty good amount of money. with it, she purchases a large old house, renovates it . . . and begins the process of chasing her dream: opening a bookstore.

still haven't thought of a name (though, "the silver quill" is TEMPTING ME). but it's an homage to an older brother she never knew, who loved books (and she likes to think she loves them as much as he did). the bookstore has a very distinct red door, which was painted by dany herself. and there is a little outdoor area out back that's surrounded by lemon trees. there are plants everywhere inside, as well (they are tended to by missandei, who works at the bookstore).

there's a small cafe inside, where patrons can get coffee and tea and snacks and pastries from local vendors! you can find irri and jhiqui there! there are various rooms dedicated to different activities, like private study and community organizing and event hosting! the decor is incredibly cozy, like "i feel like i'm in someone's house" cozy. there are plush couches and armchairs, adorned with decorative pillows of various patterns, designs, and motifs! there are tables and chairs, which have obviously been sourced through antiquing and carefully sifting through different estate sales. the floors are hardwood, but they're covered with rugs, creating a bit of a patchwork situation in some of the spaces. the walls are covered in art from all across the world.

the children's area is a very dedicated and diligently curated space; in the center of it, stands a "reading tree" with a hollowed out center filled with cushions and beanbags and lamps (and ofc, it looks like a lemon tree). a rocking chair sways beside it, where one may read to the children, and little activity tables on the periphery. an imagination rug covers the floor, and the area itself is surrounded by tons of books lining the walls. when you approach the area, you're greeted by a little display filled with current favorites.

you can often find dany sitting at the counter on a stool (or propped up on the edge of the counter itself), working on various things which contribute to the management of the shop (including one of her favorite activities: searching for rare books to display in the glass cupboard beside the counter), focusing in on some of the work she does for various community organizations/social causes, or whispering with missandei. if she's not at the counter, she's probably shelving books, fluffing pillows, walking her dogs, or chatting it up in the cafe with irri and jhiqui.

every once in a while, a man with a gold tooth swaggers in and makes dany blush.