#Fairytales for kids in English

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @mimimar

Hi! I’m Michelle (Mimimar), an illustrator born and raised in Venezuela, currently based in Italy. I enjoy making colorful illustrations that reflect the things I love: fairy tales, fantasy, tenderness and queer (especially sapphic) stories. Occasionally, I also make paper dolls, comics and animatics. I have a lot of interest in book illustration and I’m currently developing my own stories that I hope to share as an author-illustrator someday!

Check out our interview with Michelle below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

I always enjoyed drawing when I was a kid, but it only became a hobby that I did almost every day when I was around 11. At first I only used traditional mediums, but I decided to make a serious effort to learn how to draw digitally when I was 15, and once I got the hang of it I never stopped!

I didn’t go to art school so all of my learning was done through studying the tutorials and resources that other artists generously share on the internet and lots of practice / trial and error.

How do you want to evolve as a creator?

I want to do many things but what I want to do the most right now is work on books! I want to make art for other authors’ stories and also my own stories as an author-illustrator. I want to grow as a storyteller and create art and stories that will really resonate with people emotionally. I’m always striving to improve my skills as well.

I also really love dolls, so working on doll box art or as a doll designer is something I would love to do someday. I actually have been designing paper dolls on my Patreon for the past few months, it’s been a fun project that is still ongoing right now!

What is one habit you find yourself doing a lot as an artist?

Probably using a lot of purple! It’s my favorite color so I find myself using it a lot. If I can find a way to sneak a little bit of purple into an illustration or a character design then I will.

Congratulations on finishing your Ivy Comic! Did the outcome turn out like how you expected or were there some unexpected bumps along the way?

Thank you! It’s a project that I worked on very slowly in between other art because I wanted to really take my time with every spread and make each of them a fully detailed illustration. I thumbnailed the full comic before starting but I kept changing the sketch for the final spread until the very end! Overall I’m really proud of the end result. I sprinkled a lot of hidden details in every page that I hope some of the readers will notice. For example: the meanings of the flowers in each page represent what the characters are feeling in that moment, and the colors of their wardrobe become gradually lighter as the story progresses to represent their emotions, as well as the changing of seasons.

We’ve noticed that you have created some amazing cover art for TGCF. Is there another series you would like to do something similar with? 

That was another passion project that took some time to complete. Initially, I didn’t intend for them to be specifically covers, it was just a series of illustrations based on the 5 books/main arcs of TGCF. But since they were well-received and I had people telling me they wish they could use them as covers for their books, I decided to rework them into dust jackets for the english translation of TGCF!

I haven’t thought of any other specific series but I love doing cover art so maybe I’ll do something similar again in the future!

What’s your favorite part of your style? Why?

I’ve heard from other people that there’s a delicate quality to my art, this is something that I like a lot! I like pretty things, fairytales and vibrant colors. I think all of these things probably reflect in the art I make as well.

If there is one thing you want your audience to remember about your work, what would it be?

I hope that they remember how it made them feel. Feelings and colors are the two things I give priority to in my work. Most of the time I like depicting tenderness, softness and emotional intimacy. If that could reach the viewer and stay with them it would make me very happy. 

I make a lot of art with queer (mainly sapphic) themes because they’re the kind of stories I personally like and want to see more of, so whenever people tell me that my art has helped them in their journey to discover and accept themselves, or that they see themselves and their partner in my art, it is always extremely meaningful to me. When art that I made to give myself comfort can provide comfort for others, no matter how small, it reminds me once again that despite any hardships art is genuinely worth pursuing.

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

So many artists! To name a few:  I love @sakizo’s amazing eye for fashion and detail,  @paneeps’ gorgeous style and striking colors,  the sweetness of @bevsi’s art,  @vickisigh’s pretty colors and concepts,  @idledee’s warm and heartfelt art,  @littlestpersimmon’s dreamy wonderful art,  and @loish has been an inspiration for as long as I can remember.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Michelle! Be sure to check out their Tumblr blog over at @mimimar.

[raeinyourdreams]

'call it what you want.' | l.h x reader

pairings: logan howlett x sway!reader

tags: fluff, no established relationship but.. there's something there, mutant!reader (they call her sway due to her mutation.. i love her i wanna talk ab her someone PLEASE ASK AB HER), AFAB reader, she/her pronouns used for reader, no specific petnames for reader (just bub and her hero name.. gets called kid like twice), no use of y/n, written with x1/x2 logan in mind... sigh... save me x2 logan.. anyway, he gives reader his dog tags before a mission in case he.. you know.. so maybe angst? but only til the very end.

wc: 2k!!

a/n: OKAY SO BOOM! this is my first actual work that's not a drabble and i'm so anxious to post AAHHH, i got the inspo from a post i saw a while ago while fried as fuck from someone requesting a fic ab logan giving reader his dog tags, pref fluffy and angsty so i hope i did ur vision justice OP!! tysm for inspo, my reqs are always open 🫶🏻 also i know this is a very burnt card but if something in the wording is off lmk PLEASEE english isn't my first language 😭 anyway enough yapping plz enjoy!! any type of interaction is appreciated

'just know these are yours now.'

you've never seen him without his dog tags, he never took them off, not ever since the first time he came into the mansion. you'd been there the first time, you were a teacher in the school, and you'd seen him occasionally roam the halls and stay by the door, listening in on your class, quietly. but very rarely interacted otherwise, just a simple nod or a 'good morning' that he'd return out of good manners, but he'd mostly keep to himself.

you're a teacher. you're the fun teacher. at least that's what your coworkers seemed to agree upon, seeing how your students appeared to leave your classroom more cheerful than they entered. you'd be lying if you said you didn't use your mutation as an advantage in this situation, being able to read your students' moods every day, how they were feeling and why came insanely handy, especially when it came to giving each student the type of care they needed. which is why you were also a student counselor.

on the days you didn't teach, you'd put that psych degree to work and counsel. in your classroom filled with drawings and fairy lights and stained glass that looked straight from a fairytale, and a door you'd lock for privacy as a student came to confide in you.

obviously despite your title, it wasn't only students who'd come to your office to let a feeling go, teachers too, needed a space to blow off some steam, cry a little sometimes, because they knew you'd soothe them in the end, touch your hand feel the pain dissipate, make it seem as if they'd never felt that way.

up until now, only teachers and students seemed to come to you for help. teachers. and students.

so it did surprise you when the wolverine started showing up in your office after coming back.

"must be tiring. to handle others' emotions like your own all day." he'd say, sitting down on a chair, to which you'd playfully roll your eyes and shake your head. "i don't treat them as my own, i just do what i have to do so they feel better." you'd reply, walking towards the door to lock it out of policy. figured that he was here for counseling as well.

"you treat everyone with so much care it seems like it." he said, which made you stop in your tracks, turning heel to face him, your hair cascading on your shoulders and moving ever so softly as you spun. before you could speak, stunned, he asked again.

"don't you get tired? i mean mentally. it must take a toll on you to be around so many emotions all the time." the way he seemed to read you stunned you, he seemed like a very gruff, cold person from the brief interactions you'd had with him before. truth be told, this was the closest you'd been to logan since he came back to the mansion. it's what other people thought of him, anyway.

but you weren't other people, you were different.

the feeling in your body when you perceive others emotions is strange. you could never put it into words. your mutation was mostly contact based, a small brush of the hand was enough to let you know that person's feelings, the reason behind them, what they needed to feel better and it made it easier to help everyone. you could, however, see and feel the emotions, sometimes even smell them if they were too strong, no need for contact necessary.

with logan, you almost didn't need to be in the same room as him to feel the amount of physical, mental, emotional strain he was constantly under, his superhuman body subconsciously tuning it out, making him oblivious to it. once, after a very dangerous mission, he isolated himself in his room for days, his expression cold and unfazed, but every time you'd walk past an area he was in, the emotions hit you like a truck. so strong you even cried over pain that wasn't yours, a life you hadn't lived.

you looked at him sympathetically, taking a deep breath to concentrate less on the seemingly invisible fog around you two as you sat on the chair, your expression calm and collected. "i'm okay, i promise. thank you, logan."

"like hell you are." "neither are you."

he stays quiet at your retaliation, a weak smile forming on his lips, letting you understand that you were right, not that you needed confirmation.

sometimes, when emotions overpower you, you feel compelled to speak, give words of reassurance, even if you didn't quite know if they'd help or not. "logan, you should let people into your heart, stop living in fear.." you blurted out, unsure of why you were telling him this, but you'd learned to not question it and just speak, because it helped to just hear the words sometimes. it certainly did get you a reaction from logan, as the overbearing feelings you were perceiving faded.. briefly, before they slowly crept back into vision.

it was the faintest of reactions, but a reaction at least.

he nodded, taking in the words silently, as if he were contemplating. you remained stoic, analyzing his demeanor out of pure habit. "did.. you come here for counseling?" you asked, suddenly aware that you were still working, and you weren't even sure if he was here for another reason, or if he did need your help. instead, he shook his head, looking at you as if he were conducting an analysis of his own.

"nah, just came to see you.. sway."

a knock on the door interrupted the brewing tension, a gloomy, childlike presence behind the door, to which you looked at logan apologetically. "i'm sorry logan, i have a student to attend.. but think about what i said." you spoke softly, your warm voice reverberating in his ears like a hug.. something he longed for but couldn't bring himself to ask.

you started seeing him around the classroom more, or rather, he started seeking you out more. in between breaks, before his training, during counseling. it got to a point where your children started greeting him hello and goodbye if he was in the classroom, interacting with him, playing with his hair, always styled like kitty ears. the way he just smiled and let them made something in you bloom, a feeling you couldn't recognize in yourself, but it was pink and warm and fuzzy all over. you couldn't help but wonder if he felt about you this way, too.

slowly, you noticed how, little by little, the gloomy cloud surrounding him would go away when he entered the classroom, how it would be replaced with a pink haze when he looked into your eyes, or made you laugh.. it would quickly fade away, but you'd notice, and noticed how much it resembled that feeling inside you: pink and warm and fuzzy all over.

as time went by, you got used to seeing him around, swinging by your classroom as if it was his haven, a small break from the world he knew, because you were in it. you'd be lying if you said he didn't make you day too, the gloomy atmosphere that once came along with him every time he entered your classroom slowly changing into a lilac haze.

one day, he showed up as the kids were leaving for the day, no colored cloud, but something seemed off. you invited him to sit down as he locked the door after getting in, his expression serene. before you could even speak his hands were on you, pulling you close to him in a hug, and you swore you could feel him shaking slightly. the realization hits you like a bucket of cold water and you just hold him tighter to you, since it feels like the only correct thing to do.

"you're scared."

"no one gets to see me like this, so feel special." said he, almost as if he was confiding a secret in you, which he was.

"oh, trust me, i feel quite special." you replied jokingly, which caused him to let out a chuckle, though it was dull and almost no feeling was tied to it.

you two let go and you asked him what was wrong, and he opened up like it was routine.

"i leave tomorrow. there's a mission out of state and they're asking me to go.. might be off the grid after that for a while." he explained, his voice remained calm but his eyes seemed to reveal to you more of how he was actually feeling.

"i dunno.. thought someone should've known in case.. things go south." your expression changed at that, and logan noticed. "ah, c'mon bub, change that frown, it's just reality. sure, i might be a piece of work to kill but it doesn't mean i can't die."

the silence that fell upon the classroom as you two finished speaking made the words fall with more weight into your heart, it did little to nothing to comfort you as you came to terms with what he said. it shouldn't have been hard - he was just stating a fact -, but it didn't mean that it didn't cut deep for you. you opened your mouth to speak, unsure of what you were even going to say, but he quickly cut you off.

"logan-" "listen, bub, you told me to start letting people into my heart.. i'm letting you in."

slowly, his hands went to unclasp the chain that always dangled on his neck, dog tags adorning his neck with his names, his identities. you looked in awe as he held them out to you. "gimme your hand, kid." and surprisingly, you did as you were told, holding your hand out as he placed the piece on your hand, feeling the cold metal clink softly as it fell and heat up under the temperature of your palm. you looked up at him, unsure of what it meant, of what this changed between you two, but it felt undeniable, even if unspoken.

“now, these.. they’re very special, bub. a reminder of everything that happened that led to here.. and it’s leading me to you right now.” he explained. “feels right for you to have them, i guess.. keep them safe, kid.”

the silence that fell between you two again was more comfortable, filled with a newfound tension that left much to question, but it didn’t feel right to interrupt with all that noise yet. the only sound filling the room was the breathing and a faint humming of the white noise machine you kept in your room, next by the door. you opened up your mouth again, your mind utterly blank and filled with thoughts and questions at the same time, unsure of which one was going to breach through your mind to materialize out in the cold, tense air.

“.. why me? trust me, i’m flattered, but i’m no one special, logan..” you questioned, and it made him frown.

“you are special. you're special to me.” your eyes widened at the confession and you watched as a soft smile settled on his face, one that made your heart flutter with the sheer tenderness he held in his gaze. “call it what you want.. just know these are yours now.” he said it so calmly, you wouldn't have tought he was handing you his heart, placing it in soft, tender hands and pleading you to not break it, not change it, and instead embrace it and accept it as it came, rough around the edges.

with that, he stood up from the chair, took your hand to squeeze it briefly, and walked out of the room, not before looking back at you one last time, the heaviness that he carried as he entered the room seemingly gone, all that you could perceive was a haze, all too familiar, one that left as quick as it came as his eyes met yours.

pink, warm, and fuzzy all over.

additional author's note: BOOM SHAKALAKA I POSTED FINALLY!! i think it's a little rushed BUT!! it's cause i have a (smutty) part 2 planned for this HEHEJEHE i don't like writing (or reading) series bcs i get sad when they end but i just might.... hehehe... anyway pls lmk what u think!! or i kill off logan 🥰🥰 your choice 🥰🥰

taglist: @allen-444

[owlyjules]

Hi! Sorry if you've been asked this before (or just don't want to say, because that's cool too), but I was wondering if you had any book or author recommendations you could give? :> Your art is always accompanied by such lyrical captions, and I was wondering what inspired them. Thank you for your time and all the gorgeous art you share! <3

Thank you so much!!

I just love creating little stories with each picture when i paint them! (Btw big thanks to my wife for helping me spellchecking and beta reading those since english is not my first language!)

For recs, a lot of the inspiration from fairytale books I read as a kid and some more recent influences but its really a little bit everywhere so its hard to pinpoint!

But heres a few of my favourites for this october mood!

The last Unicorn

Anything by emily caroll!

Tove Jansson

T kingfisher

The angels game by Carlos Ruiz Záfon

Hope you find one you like!:D

[zvezdacito]

Diasomnia sexuality (and some gender) headcanons I just wanted to yap about for no reason:

Malleus: Demiromantic Bisexual

-> There's that joke that he doesn't gaf about gender as long as it's Yuu, but (for the demiromantic part) I also like the idea that he's ride-or-die, sentimental and clingy for anyone he gets close to. So generally the only difference for how he cares about people is the type of attraction + specific boundaries (can be slightly possessive in a different way for a romantic interest? Idk)

-> Also not really sexuality but I see his gender as that "I'm probably nonbinary but I have a job so idrc about that rn" tweet but for being the next king In general I think being acespec & nonbinary would be extra perplexing for bro since he never stopped to think about personal identity stuff like that for too long (too duty-pilled🥀)

-> Being dense about regular emotional experiences + actual difference in the norms of attraction and gender add to the gap of understanding between him and others

Lilia: Bisexual (not really a sexuality but he's also polyamorous)

-> This isn't sexuality again but I also think transfeminine Lilia is cool, I genuinely believed that Lilia was just a woman with a really deep voice the first time I saw him (I was watching him vs Leona in Book 2 out of context). There's no way to easily explain this in English but by this the specific identity i see him as is basically 'bakla' in the Philippines. It is really its own gender identity in our culture and isn't a "direct equivalent" of any one anglophone label, but for the sake of non-filipinos i guess you can just understand this to mean i see Lilia as "nonbinary transfem in the Filipino way"👍

-> I think it would align with his story in a good way with how she's maligned by the senate and such, how even as a soldier Lilia was coloring her hair for style. It's also like that thing where a guy who was already considered obviously effeminate and "one of the girls" atp (I see Meleanor as kids playing with Lilia in typically "girly" ways and encouraging his cuteness/hair styling) comes out later on as actually a girl/fem nonbinary

-> General Lilia is this is that type of situation where a transfem person can't really go all out with their expression because current life-threatening circumstances require "masculinity" or their focus to be exclusively on external matters (in this case its Lilia being a lowly bat soldier in an active war. Similar to Malleus, an idea of patriotic obligation stops him from really questioning or exploring since the country needs "strength" and "unity" in these times, there was also just really little time to wonder when you're fighting for your life everyday). But after retiring Lilia is able to realize she likes being perceived as cute and begins going all out in her appearance👍

Lilia edit with the article this headcanon reminds me of:

Silver: Aroace

-> Thought it would be a kind of cool subversion of the usual fairytale prince archetype Silver is made to emulate, where romance is the greatest and purest love and marriage is THE happy end. I think it aligns with Silver wanting to spend his life "repaying" the kindness of Malleus and Lilia; if they asked him to think about gertting a family of his own in the future, I think he'd just say the true love he's found in life is already them. A knight who dedicates his lifetime devotion to familial love instead

Sebek: Gaylm

-> One of bro's most notable character gags is glazing another man at every opportunity so yeah /j. Also fsr I just can't see him as a man romantically with a woman no matter what lol

(THIS ISN'T OBJECTIVE THOUGH this is just how I personally sense his vibes. Go crazy fellow fem yumes and OC artists. You are the pillars of this earth)

⚠️ My only disclaimer is that I am cisgender so the gender headcanons are only me relating the characters to scholarly articles on transfem experiences/from personal accounts of transfem and nonbinary people online and irl.

Another reminder that these are all headcanons made by viewing canon in a specific way, not me saying they're definitively any of these identities. You can still have cis or male malleus and lilia if you prefer that😭

That is all. Thank you for reading👊🔥

[periludic]

" Distraction "

Qiu and Tamarack partners with the MC for a school project, they didn't get much done (It was the MCs fault)

📌 Pairing: Step 1 Qiu/Tamarack x GN!MC (Separate)

📌 Basically just Qiu and Tama admiring the MC

📌 OLNF brain rot, I'm making an AO3 fic of this next. (Thank you to whoever commented on my last post for this suggestion)

Qiu "Autumn" Lin:

Lets be real this kid needs a lot of help with school stuff, he'd probably be decently good in school if he tried but he doesn't

And to be extra real, he picks you every time to be his partner (he doesn't have a favorite he swears)

Mrs. Murray wouldn't allow that though, "give chance to others" she says. She deals with a lot of kids complaining that "Qiu always chooses (Name)!! Thats unfair" (god bless this woman) and Qiu frowns the saddest frown whenever this happens

But whenever Mrs. Murray does allow it, you bet that Qiu has the silliest, brightest, blinding smile ever stuck on his face

He likes you a normal amount (He lies to himself)

I don't think he'd be too serious about the project, but he does contribute and help you whenever he can

He doesn't pay much attention to it either, he's just happy to be there with you

But can you really blame him for spacing out mid-conversation when you tuck your hair prettily over your ear and how you look absolutely stunning when you're focused or when you have the cutest reaction ever at getting an answer right?

No. No you cant.

He pays more attention to you than your actual project, its cute but come on.

If you ask him why he's staring, he'll probably laugh it off and scold himself, thinking it was impolite of him to do so

But he's not afraid to admit the reason to why he was staring at you!

Its common sense, you're just too pretty. He can't help himself.

If you do start stressing out over the project however, he'll offer to do the rest for you

"I'll be more than happy to!!" he says, and you know. You just know that theres nothing inside that air head of his

It might take him a moment or two or three to understand the question but its worth it

He will do anything as long as its with you

Tamarack Baumann

No Mrs. Murray, she refuses to do the project if her very best friend isnt her partner

Tamarack would absolutely riot if Mrs. Murray got in the way of you being her partner for a project

She will be using her best puppy dog eyes and pleading voice thank you very much

Its against the law to object Tamarack, Mrs. Murray should've known better

Unlike a certain someone, Tamarack actually pays attention in class, and is good at memorizing without taking notes!

And unlike a certain someone, she's not as nice when it comes to not being your partner

Mrs. Murray allows it most of the time though, since you and Tamarack are new to the town and is still adjusting.

Most of the time.

Tamarack is very biased when it comes to you and everyone knows it (she has said so herself, in front of the entire class)

With Tamarack as your partner, you can rest easy!

She remembers your lessons well, and understands the questions fairly quickly

But sometimes she just can't help but to admire you. How can she not?

She's convinced that you came straight from a fairytale book, you're just so charming and adorable it's almost unfair!

Call her out on her behavior and she'll be more confused than a very confused person

Like. Yeah?? She's admiring you?? So what?? Its the logical thing to do? Its not her fault you're gorgeous?? Duh??

She'll give you a million reasons why you're so eye catching if you're not convinced

Please stop her.

I'm serious.

She'll go on and on for hours.

--

📌 sorry if my english grammar is off <3 english is not my first language

[strawberryshortcake1495]

You know Monster Falls? I just came up with a different version of the AU with Mullet Stan (mwahaha)

So there’s this old Gacha Life series called “My Pets” (just search it up on YouTube and you should find it). Anyways, I was rewatching the series and got struck with another one of my brilliant ideas.

The year is 1982, and Stan Pines has been kidnapped by Rico and his goons. Luckily, he manages to break free of his chains and sneak through the vents before anyone can notice he’s gone. As he’s crawling through the vents, he passes a room filled with these weird animals. That catches his eye. These animals are actually humanoid creatures that Stan had only seen in the old fairytale books at the New Jersey library. But that’s not what keeps him stuck there, hovering over the room. These creatures look like little kids. They’re so small, so fragile, and they all look beat up. Suddenly, the vent grid collapses underneath Stan and he falls into the room. All the kids freak out and the deer-hybrid runs in front of everyone. It screams something. Oh, great. The kids speak Spanish. Stan heard rumbling from outside and knew he only had at least 2 minutes to escape before the goons catch him and he’s back to square one. So he grabs a sheet of paper and a pencil on the floor and draws out an escape plan. If these kids have been here for a while, they know all the ins and outs of this place. The plan is: Stan lets the kids free and in return, they help Stan get out of here. They all seem to understand. Everyone goes ahead with the plan and they’re almost caught but manage to escape. Stan is glad to be free and turns around, expecting the creatures to just run off into the wild, when something tugs at his sleeve. He looks down and sees a little girl whose some fusion of a unicorn and a mermaid. The kids are speaking Spanish again. Stan tries to leave but the girl draws something in the soft mud. An picture of all the kids…staying with Stan. They want to stay with him? Oh no no, he can barely take care of himself. He can’t take care of 8 mystical creatures on his own.

Before he knows it, he’s spreading his jacket out in the backseat of the El Diablo to make a makeshift bed for half of the kids. The other half will have to sleep in the trunk, which he already cushioned with all his junk. “Gracias, senor.” The deer says. He tussles the kid’s hair and puts him to rest. Everyone sleeps peacefully for the first time in their lives while Stan stands outside the El Diablo to lookout for any threats. He takes a moment to think about the future. If these kids will be here for the long run, he’ll have to teach them English and valuable life lessons. Oh god…he’s such a screwup.

(edit is by the silly @luluquiq)

[dolliestfairy]

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 ๋ 𝆹 ׅ ✧୧

Ghost & Konig React to meeting a Chubby!fem!reader who is a Fawn Fairy 🧚🏻‍♀️

this 3 picture above is made by @fairydxlll on pinterest ᖫྀ 𔓘

୨. ⊹ quick explanation : the fem reader in here is explained having a fawn ears, a plus size body, and a fairy wings :) reader skin color is not announced. readers also located/found in some whimsical forest 🦋𔓘

୨. ⊹ Content Warning : fluff, tiny tiny tiiiny angst ( sad kidself konig) Isolate/gatekeep. a little spice in ghost part, (broken) germanic in konig part 💀 also a kinda broken english. just a silly little fanfic of mine. this fanfic is a fantasy sprinkle on a military genre. rushed fanfic. kidself konig obsessed with you<33 just two big buffy military men falling in love with a non-human female reader.

Enjoy ᖫྀ ‹𝟹

• Simon Ghost Riley

The first time he sees you flying with fairy wings and a fawn-like ears in the middle of the forest he thinks himself crazy, he thinks he have been hallucinating. maybe its the effect of War, theres no way this type of creature is real, he must be crazy. so the first time he sees you, the next day he tried to avoid you, trying to act like you're a Ghost, you're not exist. because you're a distraction. a distraction that keep him from focusing on his duty. yet, everytime he sees you, even if it was just an accident or coincidence, he cant keep his eyes off you, you're just so.. ethereal. you're too beautiful to be exist in this humiliating world. so then he tried to communicate.. with you. he try to give you something that maybe a fairy would love, a flower, a butterfly, even a poem or a love letter, and hell, he even buys a fairytale books for 2 or 3 just to know anything about what fairy like and dislike, and after a while, he manage to get close enough to you in face to face. the first thing he said to you after he manage to get close enough to talk to you was "You're the Most Breathtaking Creature i've ever laid my eyes on." he would try his best to keep anyone or everything that is harmful away from you, he knows you're a precious creature, if the world knows anything about you you'll be hunted across the nation for everything you had. so he's going to gatekeep you. i just hope you're not gonna be bored meeting him everyday and talk to him literally everyday until his last breath. and one of the features you had that ghost really love is your fawn ears and your chubby body!!. he thinks its an unique but also a very cute combination with your fairy wings and your chubby body. if he's feeling moody he's gonna play with your ears or your belly, and not to mention he's gonna humiliated those two in bed 😏.

• Konig

Shocked. the first time he sees you flying??? oh my god he's on a wrecked emotion!! he doesnt know how to feel honestly, but its also brings the kidself out in him. he was just overwhelmed by the fact that he's just see a fairy with a fawn ears flying literally right in front of him!!, so after he sees you, you went run from him and so you dissapear. his kid self that was out before is feeling kinda sad and neglected by the fact that you're gone :( but his adult self is kinda not believing what he was just witness, like ghost, the adult self him kinda thinks that maybe he's just hallucinating. but unlike ghost, the next day, he's going to go to that place where he met you just because 1.) the adult him wants to be confirmed by your existence and 2.) His kidSelf is literally begging, screaming, and shouting at him to make him go and meet you again. so when he go to the place where it was at the middle of the forest, he look around and he sees you.. peeking through the woods tryna seeing him, and once he recognize where you are and what you were doing, again, his kidself is IMMEDIATELY out of his body, and this time, he wasnt gonna let you go. he's literally chasing you. and of course its scared you not to mention his big bear figure. so the second he start chasing towards you, you immediately flying forward him and start dissapearing again. this is making konig once again really sad, espesially, of course, the kid in him. the adult self on him is actually kinda happy because turns out you're truly exist and now he's gonna try everything to make him get close to you, and like ghost, he also buys a fairytale book to know anything about fairies like and dislike, but unlike ghost, he isnt buy 2 or 3 pieces of fairytale books, he buys like THOUSANDS OF THEM like its not even funny cus both his kid self and his adult self is both determinated to get close enough to you, and you witnessing everything they've been done to get closer to you and after you confirmed that they werent as harmful as they look like (well not towards you) you decided to give in. (yass our dainty konig princess is getting his own chubby fairy friend! <33) and it makes his kidself sooo happy like everytime he sees you, the one that talks to you was almost him, not the adult konig. and the first thing he said after he manage to get close enough to you was "I Promise no harm will come to you. I promise I will be your Soldier Just for you mein kleines Reh." [mein kleines Reh : my little fawn/deer] and you know he meant it. & if he doesnt have any duty or if he wasnt on the battlefield hes going to waste his time by talking to you, and let me tell you, he was sooo happy while doing so, and just like he promises, he kept you safe from everyone or everything that is harmful, and just like ghost, his favorite part of you was your fawn ears and your chubby body, his adult self love the curves on your body while the kidself on him LOOVE almost EVERYTHING parts of yours. your fawn ears, your beautiful curves and your beautiful fairy wings, your doe eyes, EVERYTHING. he loves you so much and he will try everything he had left to keep you safe and away from anything that is harmful.

[elllisaaa]

ateez as lana del rey songs - hyung line

-> pairing : ateez hyung line x fem!reader

-> words count : 3.7k words

-> genre : angst, toxic relationships, break-up stories

-> warnings : a loooot of angst under many forms, mentions of complicated childhood, self-depreciating thoughts

-> sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language.

-> reblogs and feedbacks are appreciated !

-> masterlist | ateez masterlist | 1k event masterlist

hyung line | maknae line

KIM HONGJOONG - HOPE IS A DANGEROUS THING FOR A WOMAN LIKE ME TO HAVE

Being the eldest of a big family that was always short on money taught you some sense of responsibility a little too early. You spend your whole childhood taking care of your siblings rather than going out to play with the few friends you managed to keep. And as you grew up, your parents relied on you more and more. Instead of hanging out with your friends when you were in high school, you had to pick up your younger siblings at school and bring them home, you had to do all the chores your parents supposedly couldn’t do. When you were still too naive to understand, you thought it was normal, that it was your duty as the eldest. But you later discovered that they spent their days getting drunk, that they quitted their jobs often, that they were the reason you had to cut your own hair and that you couldn’t have your bike repaired by a professional. 

The more you matured, the more you realized how unfair the situation was. The day when your youngest sister called you “mom”, it was like everything finally clicked, like the puzzle’s pieces finally came into place. You felt so much guilt for letting them down, but your brother was now old enough to take care of everyone for you while you studied and maybe have the chance to finally help them get out of the hell they were raised into. 

And you succeeded. You became an editor like you always dreamt about when you were a kid. But the feeling of not belonging anywhere was still there. You felt like an imposter, like you had no right to be where you were now. It all changed when you met Hongjoong at a party your company organized for the release of a new book from one of your star authors. He was charming, outgoing and he made you feel at ease, he made you feel like you belonged with all these people you usually felt so distant from. 

And it was always like that with him, even when he invited you to some fancy restaurant for your dates, he made you feel safe and accepted you just as you were. It was all a dream, you were living the life you wanted when you were a little girl. Hongjoong gave you everything you wanted, even when you didn’t ask for anything. You were showered with gifts, you were wearing brand clothes, had your nails and hair done all the time, and you felt like a princess. Hongjoong gave you everything you needed, and more. He loved you, and you thought that nothing could ever separate the two of you.

But just like when you were a child, the fairytale didn’t last. When you were with him, everything was right, but the second he left your side, it was like everything was back to normal, as if people saw you like you were : a girl who never had money, a girl who didn’t fit in this rich’s man world, a girl who smiled for miles in pink dresses and high heels on white yachts, but you were not. Most of the time, you just felt like a trophy wife, and everyone saw you as a gold digger. And you ended up believing all of that. Despite Hongjoong trying his best to reassure you, you couldn’t believe him. It was impossible when you were remembered of your status everywhere you went, when everyone made sure to remind you where you were coming from. 

“- I just… I can’t keep pretending Joong, it’s too hard for me.”

You had tears in your eyes as you tried not to look at him too much, afraid that your resolve would crumble as soon as you crossed his gaze. 

“- But it’s not pretending, baby. You have every right to be a part of their world, of my world. I don’t want to break up with you over some dumbass that can’t see how incredible you are.”

What you always loved about Hongjoong was also what you hated the most in this instant ; his ability to give you hope in every situation. But hope was a dangerous thing for a woman like you to have, a dangerous thing for a girl that never had anything to have. But you had it, he gave it to you and you had to force yourself to let it go to stay sane.

“- You know that they’ll never learn their lessons, they will always see me like some intruders that infiltrated their circle. And I just can’t take it anymore.”

Hongjoong took one step ahead, his hands finding yours and like a reflex, you intertwined your fingers with his. Everything with him felt so natural, but the rest of the world, of his world wasn’t ready to accept it, and you couldn’t put yourself through another mentally draining relationship. You were already seeing all the arguments, all the doubts, and the tragic end of it all. And you’d rather leave him with only good memories rather than after months of fights, tears and screams. 

“- I don’t understand where all this is coming from. You seemed so at ease. Weren’t you happy ?

- Don’t ask if I was happy, ‘cause you know that I was not. You understand me better than anybody else Joong, you knew it was a mask all along right ?”

And he only nodded. He tried to convince himself that you were sincerely alright, but he couldn’t deny the truth when you were telling him face to face.

“- But at best I can say I’m not sad. I’ve never been sad by your side. You deserve better than me.

- I don’t want anybody else, Y/N.”

And you didn’t want anybody other than him, your heart was yelling at you to stay in his arms forever, but your brain couldn’t accept it yet. Maybe that one day, you will be able to disregard all the critics. Maybe that one day, you will be able to face your problems and not run away from them. Maybe that one day, you will stop pushing away your happiness and the people that brought you joy only because you were scared. Maybe. But for now, you had to leave and hope that you made the best decision - even if right now, seeing Hongjoong begging you to stay with him, it felt like anything but a good choice.

PARK SEONGHWA - 13 BEACHES

Seonghwa had always been a part of your life. When you were in middle school, you would spend every break together even if you weren’t in the same class. When you were in high school, you spent all your weekends at each other’s house and skipped the classes you found boring together. When you went away to college, he became your roommate and your only focal point. So you weren’t surprised when you realized that you had fallen in love with him one day. It had been slow, but your affection for him only developed and bloomed with the years, growing from an innocent crush to a real attraction that you couldn’t ignore anymore. 

You tried to get past your feelings anyway, pushing back your revelation to the back of your mind, and acting like you usually did before this epiphany. You even tried to go on more dates with other guys in hopes it would be enough to tone down everything you felt for Seonghwa, but it obviously didn’t work. When you were only happy to have someone to hug a week before, the cuddle sessions had suddenly turned into something a lot more meaningful, a lot more intimate. And even if you didn’t want it, everything had in fact changed and there was only one thing you could do about it : confess.

You were afraid to break your ten years long friendship, of course, but you had to tell him for the sake of your mental health and because you didn’t want to lie to him. You still remembered every word your pronounced to this day, and you also remembered clearly the tears that fell down his cheeks as he held you tight, telling you that he was the happiest man on earth, that he couldn’t have asked for a better gift and that he was ready to do everything for you and your well-being. 

And it honestly all felt like a dream. Seonghwa was caring, treated you like a princess and he was your number one supporter. Your family loved him, and his loved you too. You thought that you were going to marry him, that you were going to grow old with him, that you were going to spend your whole life with him. And at that time, it was all you wanted, it was all you needed to be happy.

The downhill came in slowly, unexpectedly. One day, the sun was shining, birds were singing and Seonghwa loved you. And the next day, the sky was covered in gray clouds, rain was pouring and you were only able to communicate by screaming at each other’s faces. But you tried to make it work, you made up each and every time. And you believed everyone around you telling you that it took some arguments and efforts to make a couple stronger. So despite all the signs telling you to leave him, that it clearly wasn’t good for either of you anymore, you still stayed, and Seonghwa did the same. You didn’t want to waste all these years together, you didn’t want to simply let go of the most important person of your life. 

But in the end, you realized you had to, that it did more wrong than good to stay with someone you couldn’t live with anymore. Because the issue was not that you stopped loving him, on the contrary, it was that you weren’t compatible anymore. It hurt to love him, but you still loved him, it was just the way you felt and you couldn’t change it. And when you talked about it, Seonghwa felt the same way. It didn’t surprise you ; you’ve always been on the same page. But it still was difficult - so fucking difficult - to leave each other, to leave the person you had grown up with, to leave the person that literally knew all of you, to leave the person you had loved for you entire life and still didn’t stop loving. 

It was scary to suddenly be on your own, but it was even scarier to notice that everywhere you went, Seonghwa was always there too. Could you really let go and let his memories dance in the ballroom of your mind ? Every little thing reminded you of him. All the things he liked were engraved in your mind and you thought about him every time you saw one of them. You wanted to text him everyday, you wanted to call him and tell him about the silliest details of your life before having to remind yourself that he was not there anymore, that he was gone. 

“- But you still can find me if you ask nicely, bunny.”

You smiled at him, but the intensity of his gaze never failed to make your heart skip a beat, even still now.

“- You have a girlfriend Hwa. I don’t think she would like to know that you’re still seeing your ex, you know ? And you seem happy, I don’t want to ruin it all because I’m selfish and I can’t move on when you clearly did.”

Sometimes, you would crack and ask Seonghwa to meet up at the coffee shop where you used to study when you were still in college. Sometimes, it warmed your heart to be able to see him, to be reminded that despite everything that happened, nothing really changed. But sometimes, you walked away even more hurt than when you got there, because you saw everything that you lost and that you were never going to get back. It felt wrong to let him take your hands, but it made you feel alive again.

“- I don’t care about all that. You know what you mean to me, right ? I’m never letting you down, even if you’re my ex. Never. 

- Don’t do that, please…

- Do what ?

- Make me feel like you still love me.”

Tears were prickling your eyes, and you could see Seonghwa’s eyes shining more than usual, you could hear the shaking in his voice and the emotion behind his words when he talked again.

“- That’s because I still love you. I think I’ll love you forever. You’re my soulmate.”

And it was the problem. Soulmates were supposed to stay together forever, but all that he did was leaving. Leaving and leaving again. Maybe you should move on. Surely. But you couldn’t. After all, you loved him too. 

JEONG YUNHO - SUMMERTIME SADNESS

Family vacations had never been your cup of tea : you couldn’t do everything you wanted, you had to watch over all your little cousins and you couldn’t even go out at night. Too many people, too many family members you didn’t even like and not even the opportunity to make friends for the month you had to spend there.

That was your opinion before you met Yunho. You only played volleyball with him and his friends at the beach one day because they were missing one person for their team, and the two of you naturally clicked. It was like you had known him for years, when it only really had been a couple of days. But it didn’t matter because it was summer and that you wanted to have a good time and only that. 

So you started to ditch your family and the group activities to go spend time with Yunho instead. Sometimes his friends were there too, and sometimes you were alone with him. And even if you sincerely appreciated his friends’ company, you preferred when it was only the two of you. He was kind, caring, funny and attentive. He took you out at night, paid for your drinks and complimented you constantly. 

It all felt like a little bubble, far away from your responsibilities and the adult life, far away from all your worries, far away from everything that wasn’t Yunho. He honestly looked too good to be true but you decided to take what he had to give and not think too much about the moment it would have to stop. So when he drunkenly kissed you one night at the bar near the beach, you kissed him back. And when he asked you to spend the night with him, you agreed in the blink of an eye. 

No one had ever made you feel as alive as him, and you knew if you went away, you'd die happy that night - all the memories of your adventures engraved in your mind forever. But when the time came to say goodbye, it felt way more heartbreaking than it should’ve been. Yunho was only supposed to be a fun pass time during your holidays, he was supposed to stay the guy you had met this summer that you would tell your friends about, but he was so much more than that. Yunho was the guy you told your whole life to because you simply felt so at ease, so comfortable with him. Yunho was the guy who healed all the wounds everybody had left on your body. Yunho was the guy who made you believe in love again. 

“- I’m going back home tomorrow.”

It was too hard saying that and looking him straight in the eyes at the same timeç, so you directed your gaze to the waves crashing on the sand instead. The moon was shining in the sky, and you could see a ton of stars illuminating the darkness of the night. 

“- I don’t want you to.

- Me neither.”

And you finally crossed his eyes ; they were glistening with the same sadness, the same melancholy, the same gut wrenching feeling as yours. You just wanted to throw yourself in his arms and never let go. But you couldn’t. 

“- At least, give me your number, please. I can’t let you walk away without even trying.

- We’re literally living in different countries, Yunho. It’s impossible.”

And he knew it too. He knew it from the start but he couldn’t resist you, he couldn’t help being attracted to you. He had to try, he had to show you that you changed the course of his life forever.

“- Then kiss me hard before you go.”

This time, you accepted his request. You cradled his face in your hands, and you let yourself taste him one last time. You’ll probably miss him forever, like the sun misses the stars in the morning sky. And he would miss you forever too. So you were going to hold on to the memory of this night when he told you he loved you, with the sound of the ocean serving as a background noise and the moon casting shadows over his perfect face that you could have recognized even if you were blind. Yunho was the kind of person you could never forget, and it hurt more than what you could’ve imagined. 

KANG YEOSANG - BORN TO DIE

You never planned anything in your life, you loved when things were unexpected and you loved to be surprised. But you never meant to fall in love with Yeosang, and maybe it would’ve been better if you didn’t. It had nothing to do with him, it had to do with his life, with yours, with the timing. When you met him, he was already very busy with his job, and you knew it was gonna be hard but you were willing to support him through whatever it would take. 

These three words were never pronounced, you never had the nerves to actually put a label on what the two of you were because the lines were blurry from the start, and you were too afraid to clear them out. But it was implied : you knew it and he knew it too - or at least you thought. You were not in the best mental state when you first met him, and you knew it was complicated for him too. Usually, you would have never got involved with someone like that, but there was just something about Yeosang that you didn’t understand but that attracted you like crazy. 

So you ignored all the red flags ; you ignored the time he was taking to answer your texts because when you actually talked, it was incredible and it felt like you had known him for years, you ignored all the signs your friends pointed out about his behavior because he made you feel heard during a time when you felt so alone. You ignored everything that went wrong because you didn’t want to lose him, because you didn’t want to let him go despite how distant he became after some time. 

And you let him have that space, you let him go away for a bit because you truly loved him, because you truly wanted to help him. The thing was that Yeosang wouldn’t let you do that. To him, everything was alright, he was doing good - even if everyone around him could tell that he was clearly not. And you couldn’t help someone that didn’t want your help, right ? But you still tried, you still insisted. You kissed him hard in the pouring rain, because he told you that he liked his girls insane. You took an interest in all the things he liked because you wanted to feel closer to him. You did everything you could to be by his side but it never seemed to be enough - you never seemed to be enough. 

But you always tried to find a way to defend him ; he was not in the right mental place, he was only putting on a mask with other people but with you he was different. Deep down, he was a good guy. Because you weren’t the best to be around at that time either ; you were always insecure, always needed reassurance, you couldn’t be left alone or you would sink down the rabbit hole of your thoughts, you needed a reason to wake up in the morning and it was hard to find one most days. But he had became a good reason. Except that it wasn’t the right time. None of you were doing well, none of you were ready to be in a relationship, and it all went down. 

“- I don’t even understand you anymore, Y/N ! What do you want from me ?

- The only thing I’ve ever wanted was you, for fuck’s sake ! Is that too much to ask ?

- Maybe.”

You felt a pang in your chest when you crossed his cold gaze. You knew it was all an act, as always, you knew that he was lying because he wasn’t ready to open his heart to anyone, but it hurt nonetheless. 

“- You don’t mean that, Yeo…

- I do, stop assuming that you know me better than myself.”

You tried to stop the tears from falling down your cheeks, but Yeosang was on the verge of crying too. Despite everything he said, he was perfectly aware that you knew him better than himself, and it broke his heart to let you go but he had to. You were right for him, but it was the wrong time. And you knew it too, so you had to choose your last words - this was the last time, because you and him, you were born to die. 

“- Don’t make me sad, please, don’t make me cry. You know that sometimes love is not enough.”

And that, Yeosang knew for sure. Because if love had been enough, he would’ve never let you go. If love had been enough, he would’ve spent forever by your side. But it was impossible. Right now, he couldn’t stay with you without destroying both of you, but he had some hope that when he would be in a better place, he could find you again and love you like you deserved to be loved, treat you like the queen you were. Yeosang never believed in fate, but you came into his life for a reason, you came to make him realize everything that he ever did wrong. But he did you wrong in the process too. One day, he’ll make this right. Hopefully.

-> i don't allow any copies, reposts or translations of my work.

ateez taglist (fill in this to be added) :

@sharonxdevi @hann1bee @lil-kpopstan @snouvllvg @lichyuu @foxinnie8 @lovelyuyu

1k event taglist (fill in this to be added) :

@emmaluvsjisung

[enchantedstorybook27]

The Dragon Librarian

Unlock the magic! Enter enchanted forests, ride with magical creatures, and uncover hidden spells in magical worlds where anything is possible. Our stories bring the wonder of fantasy to life!

[waywardcrow]

Koala hugs.

Pairing: Biker!Bucky x Librarian!Reader.

Part of the Sweeter than fiction series.

(This is the first post about it so don’t think you miss something, I got inspiration and here we are)

Summary: After a long day, the only thing she needed is to be in the arms of Bucky.

TW: Stress and a little bit of anger but nothing too explicit, an homophobic asshole (just mentioned), books being mistreated (idk, it gave me anxiety), fluff, Bucky as a human pillow, mention of past insecurities, a petty girl, established relationship, as always: English is not my first language so please let me know if I make a mistake.

Picture from pinterest and graphic by the amazing @ firefly-graphics so all credits to the creators.

The bag hit the floor as soon as she walked in her house, too tired to cared about it this time or about the shoes she left in the middle of the hall the girl made her way to her destiny.

She had one goal in mind, there was one thing that helped her to don’t yell at the little shits who decided to throw books for fun at the back of the library, the thing that made her don’t smack the Karen who went to her desk to complain about the queer books they had in the shelves, the librarian’s head ached from faking a smile while telling that asshole she could file a complain in the city hall if she wanted to. That was her job, not to start a fight before the fairytales reading she had scheduled for that afternoon could begin.

And to make her day more shitty, she found Dolores in the store before going home, the redhead didn’t miss the chance to try to make her react remembering out loud her “time” with Bucky in the cashier’s line before Bobby told her to behave or his wife will kick her out of their business. Dolores will had haunt her forever with her past with Bucky but that was before, Bucky and her didn’t went through hell fighting their ghosts to let that bitch win.

That knowledge didn’t cured her bad mood, her remedy was sleeping in the couch hugging one of her pillows agains his muscular chest. Bucky wasn’t one to take naps in the late afternoon but the last days babysitting Sam and Rose’s kid left him exhausted.

Peach smiled at the sight of him, it was impossible not to, a 6’4 tattooed biker beefy Bucky Barnes cuddling a pink puffy pillow with such a peaceful expression in his handsome face was just so beautiful.

The girl took out her coat and left her in the floor with the grocery bag, not caring about anything else but her boyfriend, Peach pulled Bucky’s pillow from his arms to leave them ready for her.

The once calm expression on her boyfriend changed to a sleepy and cute one when he saw her.

“Hey Peach” his voice raspy and deeper than usual made her pout “what’s the matter?” Bucky started to get up but with one hand she stopped him.

“I want koala hugs”

His eyebrows relaxed before taking her by the hand and pulling her against him, barely awake but loving how far his girlfriend came through, she was still doubtful sometimes but it was getting easier for her to voice her needs.

“Love you so much sweets” he whispered in her skin when she wrapped her thighs around his waist and her arms found their way around his neck, that was their favorite place.

“Love you too Bucky” she sighed, feeling all her stress melt away in his scent, breathing him in as she closed her eyes, letting sleep take them both away.

[hangukkie]

한국 전래동화에 나오는 어회와 문법 ! - Vocabulary and grammar in traditional Korean fairytales !

English Translation:

———————————————————

Vocabulary:

옛날 - Olden days

옛날에 - Once upon a time

어머니/엄마 - Mum

그녀 - She/Her

돈 - Money

아들 - Son

딸 - Daughter

함께 - Together

숲 - Forest

어느 - Which

날 - Day

호랑이 - Tiger

떡 - Rice cake

더욱 더 - More and more

많이/많은 - Many/A lot

그 - He/Him

아이 - Kid/Child

아이들 - Kids/Children

옷 - Clothes

집 - House

꼬리 - Tail

밖 - Outside

나무 - Tree

꼭대기 - The top

하늘 - Sky

줄 - Rope

바닥 - Floor

오늘 - Today

해 - Sun

달 - Moon

Grammar - Verbs:

있다 - To exist

없다 - To not exist

살다 - To live

나타나다 - To appear

달다 - To ask/To request (In this context)

주다 - To give

원하다 - To want/To wish/To desire

먹다 - To eat

가다 - To go

가리다 - To cover

보다 - To see

도망가다 - To run away

올라가다 - To go up

자르다 - To cut

기도를 하다 - To pray

내리다 - To get off

떨어지다 - To fall

된다 - To become

Grammar - Sentence Forms:

라고 하다 - For indirect quotations

지다 - To become

도 - Too/Also/As well as

고 싶다 - To want

지 않다 - Is not

려고 - To intend to

시도하다 - To attempt to

Grammar - Connectives:

과 - And/With (With 받침)

하지만 - But

그래서 - So

그러나 - But/However

하고 (고) - And/With

Grammar - Markers/Particles:

에 - To/At (Location and time marker)

가 - Subject particle

는 - Topic particle

이 - Subject particle (With 받침)

에서 - At/In/On/From (Location marker)

에게 - To/For

을 - Object particle (With 받침)

를 - Object particle

들 - Plural marker

의 - Possessive marker

으로 - By/As/For/To/Towards/With (Directional marker)

로 - By/As/For/To/With (Directional marker - with 받침)

부터 - From/Since (Location and time marker)

은 - Topic particle (With 받침)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Quinque gazump linkdump

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

It's Saturday and any fule kno that this is the day for a linkdump, in which the links that couldn't be squeezed into the week's newsletter editions get their own showcase. Here's the previous 23 linkdumps:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

Start your weekend with some child's play! Ada & Zangemann is a picture book by Matthias Kirschner and Sandra Brandstätter of Free Software Foundation Europe, telling the story of a greedy inventor who ensnares a town with his proprietary, remote-brickable gadgets, and Ada, his nemesis, a young girl who reverse engineers them and lets their users seize the means of computation:

https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann/index.en.html

Ada & Zangemann is open access – you can share it, adapt it, and sell it as you see fit – and has been translated into several languages. Now, there's a cartoon version, an animated adaptation that is likewise open access, with digital assets for your remixing pleasure:

https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann//movie

Figuring out how to talk to kids about important subjects is a clarifying exercise. Back in the glory days of SNL, Eddie Murphy lampooned Fred "Mr" Rogers style of talking to kids, and it was indeed very funny:

https://snl.fandom.com/wiki/Mr._Robinson

But Mr Rogers' rhetorical style wasn't as simple as "talk slowly and use small words" – the "Fredish" dialect that Mr Rogers created was thoughtful, empathic, inclusive, and very effective:

https://memex.craphound.com/2019/07/09/the-nine-rules-of-freddish-the-positive-inclusive-empathic-language-of-mr-rogers/

Lots of writers have used the sing-songy fairytale style of children's stories to make serious political points (see, e.g. Animal Farm). My own attempt at this was my 2011 short story "The Brave Little Toaster," for MIT Tech Review's annual sf series. If the title sounds familiar, that's because I nicked it from Tom Disch's tale of the same name, as part of my series of stolen title stories:

https://locusmag.com/2012/05/cory-doctorow-a-prose-by-any-other-name/

My Toaster story is a tale of IoT gone wild, in which the nightmare of a world of "smart" devices that exert control over their owners is shown to be a nightmare. A work colleague sent me this adaptation of the story as part of an English textbook, with lots of worksheet-style exercises. I'd never seen this before, and it's very fun:

http://ourenglishclass.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/bravetoaster.pdf

If you like my "Brave Little Toaster," you'll likely enjoy my novella "Unauthorized Bread," which appears in my 2019 collection Radicalized and is currently being adapted as a middle-grades graphic novel by Blue Delliquanti for Firstsecond:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/

Childlike parables have their place, but just because something fits in a "just so" story, that doesn't make it true. Cryptocurrency weirdos desperately need to learn this lesson. The foundation of cryptocurrency is a fairytale about the origin of money, a mythological marketplace in which freely trading individuals who struggled to find a "confluence of needs." If you wanted to trade one third of your cow for two and a half of my chickens, how could we complete the transaction?

In the "money story" fairy tale, we spontaneously decided that we would use gold, for a bunch of nonsensical reasons that don't bear even cursory scrutiny. And so coin money sprang into existence, and we all merrily traded our gold with one another until a wicked government came and stole our gold with (cue scary voice) taaaaaaxes.

There is zero evidence for this. It's literally a fairy tale. There is a rich history of where money came from, and the answer, in short is, governments created it through taxes, and money doesn't exist without taxation:

https://locusmag.com/2022/09/cory-doctorow-moneylike/

The money story is a lie, and it's a consequential one. The belief that money arises spontaneously out of the needs of freely trading people who voluntarily accept an arbitrary token as a store of value, unit of account, and unit of exchange (coupled with a childish, reactionary aversion to taxation) inspired cryptocurrency, and with it, the scams that allowed unscrupulous huxters to steal billions from everyday people who trusted Matt Damon, Spike Lee and Larry David when they told them that cryptocurrency was a sure path to financial security:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/15/your-new-first-name/#that-dagger-tho

It turns out that private money, far from being a tool of liberation, is rather just a dismal tool for ripping off the unsuspecting, and that goes double for crypto, where complexity can be weaponized by swindlers:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/13/the-byzantine-premium/

We don't hear nearly as much about crypto these days – many of the pump-and-dump set have moved on to pitching AI stock – but there's still billions tied up in the scam, and new shitcoins are still being minted at speed. The FBI actually created a sting operation to expose the dirtiness of the crypto "ecosystem":

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/10/24267098/fbi-coin-crypto-token-nexgenai-sec-doj-fraud-investigation

They found that the exchanges, "market makers" and other seemingly rock-ribbed institutions where suckers are enticed to buy, sell, track and price cryptos are classic Big Store cons:

http://www.amyreading.com/the-9-stages-of-the-big-con.html

When you, the unsuspecting retail investor, enter one of these mirror-palaces, you are the only audience member in a play that everyone else is in on. Those vigorous trades that see the shitcoin you're being hustled with skyrocketing in value? They're "wash trades," where insiders buy and sell the same asset to one another, without real money ever changing hands, just to create the appearance of a rapidly appreciating asset that you had best get in on before you are priced out of the market.

This scam is as old as con games themselves and, as with other scams- S&Ls, Enron, subprime – the con artists have parlayed their winnings into social respectability and are now flushing them into the political system, to punish lawmakers who threaten their ability to rip off you and your neighbors. A massive, terrifying investigative story in The New Yorker shows how crypto billionaires stole the Democratic nomination from Katie Porter, one of the most effective anti-scam lawmakers in recent history:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/14/silicon-valley-the-new-lobbying-monster

Big Tech – like every corrupt cartel in history – is desperate to conjure a kleptocracy into existence, whose officials they can corrupt in order to keep the machine going until they've maximized their gains and achieved escape velocity from consequences.

No surprise, then, that tech companies have adopted the same spin tactics that sowed doubt about the tobacco-cancer link, in order to keep the US from updating its anemic privacy laws. The last time Congress gave us a new consumer privacy law was 1988, when they banned video store clerks from disclosing our VHS rental history to newspapers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Privacy_Protection_Act

By preventing confining privacy law to the VCR era, Big Tech has been able to plunder our data with impunity – aided by cops and spies who love the fact that there's a source of cheap, off-the-books, warrantless surveillance data that would be illegal for them to collect.

Writing for Tech Policy Press, the Norcal ACLU's Jake Snow connects the tobacco industry fight over "pre-emption" to the modern fight over privacy laws:

https://www.techpolicy.press/big-tech-is-trying-to-burn-privacy-to-the-ground-and-theyre-using-big-tobaccos-strategy-to-do-it/

In the 1990s, Big Tobacco went to war against state anti-smoking laws, arguing that the federal government had the right – nay, the duty – to create a "harmonized" national system of smoking laws that would preempt state laws. Strangely, politicians who love "states' rights" when it comes to banning abortion, tax-base erosion and "right to work" anti-union laws suddenly discovered federal religion when their campaign donors from the Cancer-Industrial Complex decided that states shouldn't use those rights to limit smoking.

This is exactly the tack that Big Tech has taken on privacy, arguing that any update to federal privacy law should abolish muscular state-level laws, like Illinois's best-in-class biometric privacy rules, or California's CPPA.

Like Big Tobacco, Big Tech has "funded front groups, hired an armada of lobbyists, donated millions to campaigns, and opened a firehose of lobbying money," with the goal of replacing "real privacy laws with fake industry alternatives as ineffective as non-smoking sections."

Whether it's understanding the origin of money or the Big Tobacco playbook, knowing history can protect you from all kinds of predatory behavior. But history isn't merely a sword and shield, it's also just a delight. Internet pioneer Ethan Zuckerman is road-tripping around America, and in August, he got to Columbus, IN, home to some of the country's most beautiful and important architectural treasures:

https://ethanzuckerman.com/2024/08/29/road-trip-the-company-town-and-the-corn-fields/

The buildings – clustered in within a few, walkable blocks – are the legacy of the diesel engine manufacturing titan Cummins, whose postwar president J Irwin Miller used the company's wartime profits to commission a string of gorgeous structures from starchitects like the Saarinens, IM Pei, Kevin Roche, Richard Meier, Harry Weese, César Pelli, Gunnar Birkerts, and Skidmore. I had no idea about any of this, and now I want to visit Columbus!

I'm planning a book tour right now (for my next novel, Picks and Shovels, which is out in February) and there's a little wiggle-room in the midwestern part of the tour. There's a possibility that I'll end up in the vicinity, and if that happens, I'm definitely gonna find time for a little detour!

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 255

okay i'll still finish this one too i prommy but i just had time for one today and i picked this one because it's just a liiiiittle more compelling to me for aradia to be the rose bride figure

disorganized rambling and mild utena spoilers under the cut

so there are these visual parallels that won't leave my brain, between the thousands of swords bearing down on anthy at the end of rgu/the thousands of aradiabots being wiped out by jack right before they enter the kids' universe, AND ALSO anthy in her coffin/aradia in the crypt at the core of derse's moon.

aradia does want to protect (or like, Avenge) the people she cares about. i mean that's kind of the whole impetus for her being killed initially. and she gets put in that crypt for it and then she dies a million times, across a million different doomed timelines. of course all her friends ALSO die in those timelines, but yknow. she could've just hung around until she quietly ceased to exist. INSTEAD though, she goes back in time and suffers a predestined violent death at jack's hands in order to make it all mean something, and to protect her friends in the alpha timeline from becoming doomed themselves.

and it all leaves her as the kind of person who is prepared to just watch with mild curiosity as reality literally disintegrates around her (which.... like anthy, is, to a certain extent, a façade. i mean i don't think aradia's curiosity about the end of reality is fake, but also she SAYS she's not going to participate in the Lord English fight and just let whatever happens happen, but then he kicks Tavros and she immediately jumps on his back and chokes him out so like. do we REALLY think she is 100% free of emotions about all of it?)

anyway aradia megido has suffered more than jesus.

there's also the whole. like. having this dude who really does not indicate that he sees her as a person At All try to trick/force her into a romantic relationship with him?? and her status on alternia at the absolute bottom of the hemospectrum. the little crisis we see her have about just being used as a tool by the whims of fate and the alpha timeline. anthycore af

and then there's jade! jade is incredibly incredibly brave and she wants to do right by her friends. she is EXTREMELY fucking powerful and she is not willing to take bullshit from anyone. she could absolutely open that fuckin coffin.

and she also has a lot of fairytale imagery that i think goes very much hand in hand with utena's whole prince deal. she has her whole sleeping beauty, princess trapped in a tower on a deserted island theme going, and she just... never really leans into it. other characters around her seem to expect her to lean into it sometimes! and utena is constantly bombarded by other characters telling her it would JUST be easier if she was a princess and let herself be saved by a prince. but ultimately jade and utena are just out here living their lives without all that because it doesn't actually resonate with them.

ALL THAT SAID i wanna reiterate this isn't like a full-on AU it's just like. some character comparisons that i think are Neat. I don't have like, a whole thing thought out beyond this drawing or anything lol

[buffyfan145]

Just watched the Netflix movie adaption of "The Tearsmith" and it was great!!! 😀 It's based off a popular Italian YA novel by Erin Doom that finally was translated to English and came out in multiple countries over the past year and done by Netflix Italy, which also makes the show I love too "The Law According to Lidia Poet", telling the story of two teens and their dark love story after they're both taken out of an orphanage they and the other kids were abused at. It is very heavy but also beautiful as Nika and Rigel find love, safety, hope, friendship, and redemption for themselves and each other. They relate their lives to the fairytale of The Tearsmith, a smith that could create crystal tears for those who can't express their emotions. The kids are led to believe Rigel is The Tearsmith but they've been lied to and hurt so much that it takes them working together to realize what really happened to them and all the lies told. I loved the imagery too of light and darkness intertwining together, Nika being a butterfly/moth drawn to Rigel's star/flames, the meanings of the color of roses and having thorns, how the princess shouldn't be attracted to the wolf but they're supposed to be together, and her necklace. Just so well done.

Also reccing both the movie and book for my fellow Haladriel shippers as this fully felt like a YA AU of them for all the reasons listed above and especially the ending. Being part Italian too I also felt connected with it for that as well.

[theshippirate22]

somehow all my old hyperfixations are fighting for dominance in my brain which is probably like a way to fight off seasonal depression but regardless i’m thinking about Stranger Things and a fic I wrote twenty five pages of and then abandoned and I feel the need to share it with you

The premise was like? witch trials and scarlet letter based kind of but it was really lore deep so i feel the need to give you some highlights of it:

-Hawkins is like this Evil Wonderland/Upside down fairytale kingdom that’s like super religious because the place was so cursed

-They have a religious text called The Guidebook which prophecied the coming of anti-christ known as Kaz the Destroyer that would seek evil to prepare the world for the evil reign of Lord Vecna

-it also foretold of signs of this coming all of which are beginning to come true in the story

-there are rabid demodogs living in the forests that surround Hawkins so it’s really hard to get in and out and everyone knows not to go to the woods (i also thing the dogs couldn’t be in the light? so they stayed in the woods all the time and became more dangerous when the sun was down)

-Steve is the new king because his father had just recently died and its revealed that before the story starts, he keeps having “fits” and they diagnose him with nerves (he had anxiety lmao) so he had to go away to live on a merchant ship to get the sea air to fix his brain for two years and the story starts with him coming back to Hawkins after this time

-While away on the ship, he makes friends with another sailor named Robert and they suffer through the labor together until it’s revealed right before he returns to Hawkins that it’s actually Robin and she’s been a woman this whole time. Since her cover is blown she comes back to Hawkins with him

-Nancy is like a head advisor and one of the high priests and everyone expects Steve to marry her because they were together before his mental breakdown but neither of them are into it

-Dustin is like legally Steve’s brother because Steve’s dad and Dustin’s dad fought in the war together and when Dustin’s dad died Steve’s dad promised to look after him and Claudia so he’s the next heir and the prince of Hawkins

-Hopper is the head of guards and Joyce owns the best five and dime/bar establishment and their relationship is exactly the way it is in the show like will they won’t they but they will lol

-Alexei works the counter at the store and can’t speak very good English and has very strong silly opinions on things and the boys love him

-The party is as it always is- Lucas and Mike are sons of nobles so they’re allowed to hang out with Dustin and Will gets specially privileges for being awesome and Joyce and Hoppers kid.

-Byler is happening but like season 2 type Byler where they’re just silly and cute

-El is a genuine witch with powers and Joyce, Hopper, Will, and Jonathan are the only ones that know and they just don’t mention it like ever

-Will is meant to be the next prophet (but no one knows that) so he’s plagued by visions and it’s really complicated and exhausting for him

-There’s a side plot where Billy and Max belong to a caravan of traveling performers that always come to Hawkins for Steve’s birthday and Billy has this whole plan to become one of Steve’s concubines so he can pay for Max to go to school

-Max wants to stay with the caravan but she knows she doesn’t really have a choice so she’s annoyed at Steve constantly even though it’s not his fault. She also has a sixth sense like fortune teller premonition style and when things start to get funky in Hawkins she seizes and falls into a trance with the power of it and Billy is fucked up about it and will do anything to bring her back

-Eddie, of course, is just the local charlatan that’s kind of known for being a menace but is relatively harmless besides some vandalism here and there

-Eddie also continually kidnaps Robin because then Steve comes after her and it’s funny to him plus he has a crush on Steve and how else are they going to see each other and they have this funny little back and forth thing.

-Chrissy is killed the way The Guidebook described would happen and suddenly the catalyst to put the return of Kaz in motion has now happened

-Jason, the priest, is convinced that Eddie is the one chosen to be the reincarnation of Kaz and that there is evil in him and this total witch hunt for Eddie starts

-In the hysteria, Joyce keeps Will and El locked in the shops attack because she thinks the witchcraft+visions will get them killed so for a good chunk of it they’re just. up there

-This is when Max goes out and Billy goes to Steve to beg him to help her but like. he doesn’t know what to do

-A series of tortures are forced in Eddie like in Salem to prove that he is Kaz (even though he’s not) including one moment where they chain him to the floor of the church and cut his hair with rusty shears and it’s really humiliating and dehumanizing

-Steve has realized he’s also in love with him at this point but they have this like crisis relationship because the kingdom is in shambles and when Eddie gets dragged back to the castle bald with his head all sliced up Steve almost goes batshit insane but then Jason spins the narrative that Kaz has seduced Steve and he can’t be trusted and the manic mob of townspeople believe him

-They’re going to start testing Steve too so Eddie makes an under the table deal with Jason that they can burn him at the stake if they just leave Steve alone

-He doesn’t want Steve to know what’s going on because he’ll try to stop him but he also doesn’t want Steve to blame himself when it’s done, so he tries to convince Steve that he actually is Kaz so he’ll hate him, which features a tragic moment where Eddie is sobbing and Steve is sobbing too and he just keeps saying “no you’re not evil you couldn’t be evil they’ve gotten in your head but i’m gonna fix it i’m gonna make you feel better”

-Steve doesn’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late and Eddie is too gone to save so he really stupidly prays and begs for something to save Eddie literally anything and when he gets to the pyre, Eddie is there and he’s alive!

-Except he’s not because it’s not him, Kaz the Destroyer just heard Steve’s plea and because Eddie would’ve done anything Steve wanted, he now had the consent to reanimate Eddie’s body. so now Eddie really is Kaz lmao

-Because Eddie’s body “belongs” to Steve through technicality because they’re in love with each other, Kaz is forced to submit to Steve until Vecna returns. Which is coming quickly

-So then everybody gets together with this coming of Vecna situation because they’re gonna have to defeat him but they have Kaz and because Eddie was so in love with Steve, Kaz is also a little bit in love with Steve and is like fiercely protective of him

-When i wrote it i initially imagined a really awesome fencing montage where Kaz has to teach all of them individually how to fence

-They get together a group to travel beyond the Hawkins woods to find the reclusive current prophet (Murray) and he very quickly can tell everything that’s going on with everybody in true Murray fashion and they manage to convince him to come back to Hawkins to help.

-Will’s visions get more and more intense and Max begins to convulse and enter sort of possessed periods where she seems to be awake and speaks prophecies and it’s uber creepy before falling back into bed as lifeless as before. the demodogs start acting insane and begin venturing from their woods and into the town so nowhere is safe

-Vecna ultimately does end up coming back and Kaz’s loyalty shifts to him and Steve is devastated and the gang has to do a canon-typical attack to get defeat Vecna but there’s a moment where they are almost beat and Vecna has Steve by the throat and tells Kaz that it’s time to kill him

-He plays on the fact that Kaz should want to kill him because he was his servant for so long even though Steve is nothing but a mortal and this is his chance to get revenge

-Kaz steps up, holding Steve there off one of the balconies of the castle ready to strike and Steve realizes he’s going to die in this moment and then he sees it

-Kaz is standing there looking at him and his eyes (which turned blood red as soon as Kaz entered the body) flash for a moment back to Eddie’s brown eyes but it’s just a moment and Steve is sure he imagined it

-Then Kaz throws Steve down off the balcony, whips around and cuts Vecna’s head clean off, before leaping down after Steve to catch him before he hits the ground.

-I don’t remember exactly how it ended but I’m pretty sure Kaz ends up leaving Eddie’s body and taking over Jason’s instead and Eddie is able to come back to life because Kaz’s power healed the body and then him and Steve get married

-And Kaz is just like. around still because he’s better than Jason lmaoooo

Anyway sorry that was long I just thought it was worth sharing!