#HONORABLE MENTION OF ANOTHER SITUATION IN THIS GENRE: my friend is a dancer

[transxfiles]

one of my top 10 hobbies has to be getting added to a large group chat and then people forgetting i am there.

[m-yien]

DREAM PART ONE // THE FIRST DANCE

PAIRING: Mark Tuan x Female reader GENRE: fluff, romance, s2l RATING: none SUMMARY: Scenarios of boyfriend things with Mark Tuan. From how your relationship started, continued and blossomed into something you thought you would only catch a glimpse of in dreams. WORD COUNT: 1862 (oops i swear this is just a drabble)

masterlist | next

AUTHOR’S NOTE: it’s finally here!! first part which is a bit prologue-ish. i hope you enjoy it! pls tell me what you think :’)

“I’m getting married!”

Those were one of the first few words your older brother, Lawrence, exclaimed the moment his eyes landed on you at the arrival area of Incheon airport. It was confusing and amusing all at the same time while he animatedly talked about it from the parking lot to his apartment. Well, for one, you never imagined him having a girlfriend here. And second, he seems to be well adjusted and accustomed after living here for six years. You never thought he’d be able to do it gracefully.

You’re not that much aware of how your brother’s life is here in South Korea. You talked from time to time back home, but it was only about his restaurant business and nothing more. You’re not holding anything against him though. Definitely not. You actually like that he’s like this. Happy and contented. That’s why in spite of his incessant talking, your smile never faded away up to his apartment.

“I’m so happy you’re here!” Lawrence screams for the fifth time with a little bit of a struggle as he heaves out your luggage from the trunk. He’s out of breath, but you appreciate the effort nonetheless. “You know what makes me happier?”

You blink in question. “You’re getting… married?”

He rolls his eyes as he leads you to the elevator. “Well duh. Aside from that, I’m happier that you’re living here.”

It was your turn to roll your eyes, but he could care less. “I’m going to look for a place of my own. I won’t stay at your place that long.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he just shrugs you off, hopping on the elevator once its doors opened.

“By the way, how long have you been engaged for?” You ask, suddenly remembering your curiosity over his mystery girl.

“A year,” he answers casually while swaying to the elevator music. He didn’t even notice your dumbfounded face.

“What?”

“A year,” he repeats. “We are close to the wedding date. Two months from now.”

“The hell, Lawrence. How come you never told me?” You complain and punch his arm, hard. “And what about mom and dad? Will they even get to attend their only son’s wedding?”

“Ow! That hurt!” He whines while rubbing his arm. “Stop being dramatic. They won’t be able to make it, but we’ll stop by home for a few weeks and have another small ceremony there.”

He’s unbelievable. He might as well be eloping. You just shake your head in disbelief and trudged along to his walking. You’re in no place to question his relationship and wedding over a petty reason, after all.

Once he punched the security code, the doors opened and lo and behold, your brother’s luxurious pad. Business must be doing great as you examine his drop-dead gorgeous space. You have to say, you’re impressed with his home décor. One good thing about him.

“Plus, the guest list is not what matters right now. What matters is your arrival is just right on time.”

You scoff. “Yeah, right. Right on time to be awkward around my future sister-in-law.”

“No, no, no,” your idiot of a brother wags his finger with eyes closed. And yet he calls you dramatic. “You’re just right on time because you are going to be part of the program.”

You should have punched his face.

***

About a week later, you found yourself out of place inside a huge ballroom dance floor. Just great. Maybe, giving a speech as a sister would have been more bearable. It didn’t cross your mind that your brother would want you to dance cotillion as part of the program.

“Hey,” a sweet voice suddenly stopped you from having violent thoughts against your brother. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Jina, the best angel your brother could ever ask for, greets you with a smile. The first time you met her, you were awestruck. She was the kindest and sweetest. Treated you like a real younger sister during dinner at her house (she’s a chef like your brother, but better). Your brother is lucky.

“No, this is nothing,” the least you could do is not let a stressed bride feel guilty. “I’m honored, in fact. It has only been a week since we met and here we are.”

Her giggle makes your smile widen. “It’s just a short dance. More or less than two minutes before our own first dance as husband and wife follows. So, really nothing to be pressured about.”

“Thank you,” you say in return.

“Come on,” she takes a hold of your hand, “it’s time to meet your partner.”

***

The practice sessions lasted three weeks. You were able to attend those while juggling finding your own apartment and working as a full-time director at a fashion company. It was difficult every once in a while, but then again, Jina is an angel; she didn’t mind your sometimes conflicting schedule. Even offered to go apartment hopping with you.

Those weeks went by quickly, you really didn’t have the chance to get to know the people you were dancing with. All of them were your brother and Jina’s closest friends and most of them were already official couples themselves. Your partner was not single either, it just so happened that his real partner is out of the country at the moment, she couldn’t participate. But, he’s nice. A bit stiff, but he can manage.

Finally, the countdown is over. It’s the wedding of the year. As your brother shamelessly declared and you can’t wait until all of this is over. Your partner is supposed to be here at the venue any minute now, but he’s still nowhere to be seen. You’re not worried though. You can most definitely manage with or without him. What you’re worried about is their wedding planner. She can get a bit antsy at times.

“Y/N!” And here she is. “I’m so sorry. We called him and he said, he’s going to be a bit late.”

Her effort to cater to you makes you smile. “It’s okay. I’m cool with it.”

She finally releases a breath of relief. “Alright cool. In the meantime, Mark will accompany you,” she rambles on and pull out her phone from her tiny bag, probably announcing something on their group chat. “It seems like his partner will be late as well. What’s with these people. Of all times to be late.”

“I know right,” you try to appease her, but you suddenly remember the unfamiliar name she just mentioned, “Who’s Mark again?”

“That would be me.”

The deep voice startles you making your head turn in a flash to see where and most importantly, who it came from. How do you even describe this situation? Like, how do you describe in the best eloquent way this fine and handsome man that is suddenly your temporary partner?

There is no answer.

None at all.

“Mark! Thank goodness. Please accompany her for the time being,” she grabs his arm and push him towards you. You startle, but remain composed. “You’ve met, right? Okay. See you later!”

She dashes off just like that without even hearing your answers.

“Hi!” He greets you with a smile, showing off his canines. “I’m your brother’s friend. We’ve met briefly during practice. I hope you don’t mind the me being your partner for now?”

Your eyes didn’t move an inch away from his face and you wish you could slap your face. You sure did meet. You’re just a tad bit ignorant to forget. You didn’t even realize you were staring at him until he made a soft hum to get your attention to him.

You’re quick to snap yourself back to reality and return his smile. “No, of course not.”

“Then, you wouldn’t mind if ask for your arm around mine?”

No, of course not.

The wedding ceremony begins.

***

The wedding has been amazing and even now at the reception, it’s still magical. Your brother and Jina looked so happy. Their wedding planner did an amazing job.

But it seems like she’s going to have a tiny bit of a problem all because of the untimely absence of your dance partner. He’s seriously nowhere to be found. You guess you won’t be dancing tonight. A missing pair won’t do much harm.

Or maybe not.

“You’re still good to go, Y/N,” she whisper shouts in excitement and position you to your spot in line. “Mark’s partner couldn’t make it either because apparently, she’s sick. So now, you two will be partners. Problem solved.”

You panic.

“Do you think we’ll be fine? I mean our positions from practice were different,” you state as matter of fact despite not being a well-versed dancer.

She nods and sends the master of the ceremony a quick thumbs up. Did she just ignore your concern? You gulp. When you said you’d manage without your partner, you are regretting it now.

It’s not that you have a problem with Mark. In fact, he has been sweet and kind back during the wedding ceremony as you sat together. Your problem is yourself, because you are more than sure you’re going to make an embarrassment of yourself in front of this perfect man.

You could just make an excuse and run away? No, that’s stupid. Your lips are getting bruised from how hard your biting it. Maybe hide under the table? Right! No, again, stupid.

You didn’t even notice the music playing and how out of practice, you started walking to the dance floor.

It was warm when you felt Mark’s hands holding your hand and waist. That woke you up from your trance immediately. He meets your confused eyes with a smiling one. His nod was your only assurance the he’s got you. He sure does as he guided you for the whole duration of the dance.

There’s something inside you that’s been tugging or maybe flicking. Like, someone’s tugging at your heart all the while your eyes drank every feature of Mark’s face. Your stomach swirled. But, not in a sick-I’m-going-to-vomit kind of swirl. It was a swirl that felt fantastic.

You’re starting to wonder that maybe you are attracted to Mark. Is that even allowed? Well, he’s handsome. You’re sure every single (maybe even taken) woman of this bunch had a crush on him. Your mind was running a hundred miles per hour and your heart was banging against your chest as if it wants to make itself obvious.

The dance finally ends and once you have made your exit, you let go of Mark’s hand in spite of your reluctance. It was a cue as well that it’s time to go back to your table. You should thank him though, you remember. But it seems to be too late as you already started walking away from him.

You contemplated. One more glance. Just one more. After this night, you probably won’t ever see him again. That’s why you slowed down your steps and gradually turned your head to see him again.

Maybe there was nothing more. Maybe he didn’t feel the same way you did.

Yet there he is, sparkling eyes looking right back at you.

DO NOT REPOST. M-YIEN, 2020.

[hoshalicious]

masquerade ↬ bambam

thai prince!au; bambam’s family holds a masquerade ball and invites the whole country. he finds a woman that peeks his interest but she won't tell him her name. once she leaves, he searches her to marry her.

genre: fluff warnings: none, lowercase intended word count: 1,798

@cutekitty145 asked: I would like to request an AU imagine for Thai Prince!BamBamxPrincess!Reader. His family holds a masquerade ball that happens during late winter to early spring. While the party goes on Bam finds a girl that peeks his interest but she won't tell him, her name. They spent almost the whole night together til the party ends and Bam still doesn't know her name. But when she has to leave he finally learns her name and she has him interested so much that he goes looking for her. So he can marry her.

the 7th annual masquerade ball begins tonight, and every single person in the area are all invited to something more formal than anything else in their whole lives. the young women knew who would be hosting the ball, making them find the most elegant and most beautiful dresses they could ever find in their local area. 

the bhuwakul family are very eager for this very day as well. the main reason why such a huge event like this is being held in their very own home is for nothing more but bambam himself. it was planned by his family, mostly for finding for a significant other for him to marry. but of course, nobody knows about that.

you can say that bambam is thailand’s heartthrob according to most of the women of his age group. he would visit towns usually a couple of times a month, and would give and treat every single citizen with kindness and respect. a lot of teen boys would usually tell stories about how he has the greatest sense of humor or how he would do the stupidest things around them. but even when he does any antics, everyone loves him, and anyone in the country would literally do anything to have a conversation with the prince for just a few minutes. 

but here’s a problem.

for the seven years of the ball events that bambam has been in, he honestly did not like that idea. don’t get the wrong idea, he loved talking to everyone in the ball, but he hated how they were planned so he could find someone to who he could marry. he always felt so forced, he just wanted to find a significant other for himself whenever he really felt like it. but he understood that he came from a family of royalty, and there really is nothing he could do about it. 

everything is decorated nicely, and all doors are locked. this includes the bedrooms, guest rooms, kitchen, the garden, etc. and only left the bathrooms unlocked. some people decided to come early outside of the gate, so the kunpimook family decided for the guests to come in and enjoy their stay.

it was optional if you wanted to bring a mask, so you really didn’t have to bring one. bambam however, decided to not wear one. he was so certain that everyone would love to see his face present at the ball anyway. everyone loves him so much.

another year, and bambam and his mother started to argue about the purpose of the ball. his mother kept explaining that he will find someone eventually, and she is sure of it. she didn’t sound forceful, she just thinks that he will find someone and plan a ball for her own son. no matter how much he kept complaining, his mother didn’t listen to him and kept leaving him. 

it’s now evening and bambam is now dressed to his formal attire. his mother suggested to bring a professional makeup artist for him to look really nice, and he actually liked that idea. it was something that keeps his confidence really high.

pretty much almost the whole village arrives at the scene, and bambam introduces the ball to everyone. not a single person looks away from him, and all of the women are absorbed into his presence. as he ended the introduction with a genuine smile, everyone cheers and proceeds to begin the ball. classical music starts to play, and bambam heads back to his room. he sits down on the bed, rethinking if he really wants to join in with the guests tonight. 

his mother knocks on the door, and asks him politely, “hey honey. are you there?”

“yes. come in.” his mother opens the door and closes it from behind.

“you look so bummed. are you still angry about what we argued about earlier?” his mother uttered as she began to walk to sit on the bed next to her beloved son. he didn’t answer, as he was still looking below him, on the floor. 

“...you know we had to do this for bank and beer, right? on the first 5 years we held a ball for the citizens?. this is where they met their significant others. we’re really not forcing you, honey. we just want you to find someone for you to be with for the rest of your lives, but everyone must not know why they’re held. this is for you. you are loved by everyone. but..who will you choose?” she continues. as soon as she mentioned his brothers, he looked up at his mother’s eyes as she kept explaining. 

he had never thought about it that way. he had always thought it was forced. but he was absolutely wrong about it. he understood completely now, and it somewhat made his mood a whole lot better. 

“i’m sorry, mom. i wished you told me this earlier..” the prince whispered. the queen smiled, assuring that it’s okay and accepts his apology. “it’s not your fault, i shouldn’t have overreacted. have fun, dear. let me know when you find someone.” she then gives him a wink, and bambam rolled his eyes as he smiled. he began to sit up and head out of his room to where all of his fellow citizens were slow dancing to the music. 

as he slowly proceeds to go downstairs to the dance floor, he eyes a woman who’s watching the dancers from a table. her beautiful smile distracted him for a good while, as he’s just standing there on the stairs. he gave himself a huge sigh, before he began to approach her due to being very nervous.

the woman then sees the prince of thailand approach to her and she was getting extremely nervous as she stares at him. her heart starts to accelerate in a fast pace, and she felt like she couldn’t take a single breath. dancing with the prince would have have been a huge honor, and she wishes that she could take this chance to do so.

bambam loved how she reacted to this situation. he expected to feel this way, and successfully did it. he decided to smile at her wholeheartedly, and she returned one back at him. 

“saao.” he says to the young girl. “may i have this dance?”

the girl nodded, and slowly started to get up. bambam took her dominant hand and started to take her to the dance floor, as they proceed to slow dance. he realizes that she has a huge dress like a princess, and her upper body was shining brightly from the rhinestones on her dress and the glitter applied to her chest and collarbones.

he admired her physical features and stared at her as they started dancing. the woman on the other hand was internally freaking out that the prince himself decided to dance with her out of every single person on this ball. she was uncontrollably shaking as she tries to dance with bambam.

about an hour pass, she has already calmed down as bambam stares at her and looks around to see everyone surrounding them. she could see his makeup, his side profile, and could smell the fragrance of his cologne, and she could never be happier. 

the more bambam danced with the woman, the more he had started to fall in love with her. he wanted to get to know her more, but he was starting to feel so nervous to even ask her. but he knew he needed to. he has never felt like that before. 

after a little while, he finally had the courage to do so, so he quietly spoke to her as they were still dancing.  

“may i ask what your name is? you are such a lovely lady.” the woman looks directly at the prince for a few seconds, following with a smile that’s so sweet, he began to do the same thing before she tried to answer his question. one glance, and she sees her friends recording her with bambam. slightly embarrassed, she quickly covered her face as she almost cursed to herself in front of the boy in front of her.

bambam chuckled as he witnesses her friends and grabs her hand she tried to cover herself with, and they began to spin in circles. they both quietly laughed, as they stayed on the same spot, and they proceed to keep dancing. 

the moment bambam heard her laugh, that’s when he realizes, he has deeply fallen in love with her. it was like love at first sight, and he could never keep his eyes off of her. even when he has to look away to check his surroundings, he would always try to take quick glances at her. 

“ah, i’m so sorry, but, my name is--” the woman tries to answer him once again, but was unfortunately interrupted by one of her friends. she had a worried expression on her face and took her arm from where she was holding bambam.

“hey, we have to go, your parents came in and are looking for you, and they seem pissed. i think they know where they went. come on, we have to go!!” 

“oh my god--i really have to go, my name is y/n, by the way!! it was nice to dance with you, your highness. thank you for making this night memorable.” you then proceeded to leave without even looking back as you leave the masquerade by using the back door of the palace. 

“y/n..i’ll remember that name. foreign, yet so beautiful.”

many other women came up to him to dance with, and his kindness gladly accepted their offers. but he hated how none of them made him feel the same way he did when he danced with you. 

--

“mother.”

“yes, dear? what seems to trouble you?”

“you were right. i found someone, and i want to ask you to send a search party to find the woman i have become enamored with at the masquerade. her name is y/n..”

“that is marvelous, my beloved son! i remembered her face clearly, she is the daughter of one of my ex-friends, she is the most delightful girl i have ever met! oh, how i hate how her family treats the poor girl, her parents are bad drug users and she ran away from home!”

“you know who she is??”

“she currently lives with her friends, but unfortunately, i do not where in thailand she lives in. would you like to visit her?”

bambam’s expression could never been happier. he could have never guessed that he already found the girl he has already fell in love with. “yes, mother!”

“then, we’ll send knights around thailand to search for the woman! bambam currently has found someone he desires to marry!”

abi; october 22nd, 2019

[chaoticneutralwriter]

Fic Recs/Writers *updated 09/12/2019

THE LIBRARY IS OPEN DARLING....for some actual reading.

A list of fics/writers I’ve come across that got some of that pretty sweet stuff. And also because I’ve read around too much and can’t remember names or fics to save my life. THE UPDATES MAN!

Warning: Some fics (as will be indicated) are +18/rated M for Mature/take me to church kinda deal

@versigny

I’d say almost all of their stuff is worth a read (whoever your bias may be, they got stories on them), but my personal faves are their vampire au series, some +18 stuff there but majority of the stories are oneshots and drabbles

@honeyedhoseok (I think now @tawnytaehyung)

I’m sure everything they wrote is worth a read from what I’ve read thus far but because of that, I can really only recommend the three fics I actually read.

Series: Besitos (ta!Jimin) rated M for recent developments hoho~

Bruh why is this not reality? Why don’t we get really hot TAs to crush on? It would’ve made my school life hella easier and I’d get that perfect attendance. Jimin is your hottie creative writing TA who you can’t help but crush on (but can anyone blame you) and envious to all, he likes you back too. College au shenanigans, teacher/student dynamic, and dorky wingman ta!Taehyung friend.

Oneshot/drabbles (Crossroad demon!Jimin): Crossroads + Hunted + Captured Part One *NEW + Captured Part Two *NEW

I’d sell my soul to satan if he looks like bs&t!Jimin. You basically make a deal with crossroad demon!Jimin and can’t help but actually grow fond of the supposed devious, soul eating creature of hell.

Series: The Black Book (CEO!Hoseok) rated M

My heart can’t take the drama but it’s still a really good read. CEO!Hoseok may be young and rich but he definitely has some questionable methods of relieving stress, one that you’re all too aware of which makes things super awkward cuz you in love with the man. Does CEO!Hoseok eventually change thanks to you or do old habits die hard and just leave you in a world of hurt? Again if it’s Hoseok he can be the biggest jerkface and I’d still be charmed.

@dovechim

Shorts/Drabbles: the ocean (mermaid!Jimin) + drabble

Because goddammit mermaid!Jimin is cute okay??! (and I love me a good supernatural au of any sort) You’re a ballet dancer going to Busan Arts and stumble upon Jimin chillin’ in the water by the beach. You mistake him as fellow peer but hey he shows up to your class anyways (totally rocks the dance thing) but then as time passes, you find that something is quite...fishy about him.

Series: It’s okay, that’s love (splitpersonality!Jimin)

No not the drama. Okay so a shrink is still involved and that’s played by you and you’ve got water polo player!Jimin who has split personality disorder (he’s scary when he’s angry...) as your patient, except he doesn’t know about this ‘other self’ of his. As if feelings aren’t already making things complicated, imagine accidentally finding yourself rooming with him (along with your other favourite boys).

@hobibliophile

Okay so I might’ve read all of their Jimin stuff and yes. All yes (warning: they’re +18 stuff soooo)

The only other fic I’ve read from them is Ambrosia (M) starring Fallen Angel!Hoseok....I like supernatural au fics alright. Fallen angel or not, Hobi is still super sweet and since this is a series, we don’t know what the reason was and MAJOR CLIFFHANGER!

@jimlingss

Series: Beyond Reach (ghost!Hoseok) ft. Reaper!Namjoon and other ghosties

This shit made me nearly cry five times....FIVE TIMES. I say nearly because I don’t like crying so it took literally all my willpower to not (ended up with a runny nose though). ANGST AS SHIT. Has some triggering stuff involving death so be warned. It’s a good read though....BUT SAD AS HELL (at least it’s completed :’))

One Shot: Head Over Heels to Hell (reverse soulmate!AU, Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers! Hoseok x reader)

Oh yes, this was a WILD RIDE. Goddamn it’s like you hate the man but then in the end that shit got me emotional for some reason like djgskh good shit good shit (you have gone through multiple different lives meeting Hoseok, all of which he screws you over somehow but in the end of it all... perhaps things could still work out??)

Series: The Deli Diaries (produce! Jimin x Deli worker!you) fluff, slow-burn

Holy shit this is cute af. It’s so mundane (guess that’s a fair warning??) but just reading the way the relationship develops is just....ahh!!! I want my own cute Jimin who pines after my dumbass TAT

Series: Jungle Park (Workplace Romance AU, Lawyer! Hoseok x New HR Manager!Reader) fluff, slow-burn, slice of life, a little angst **NEW

A long series for those of you who love to read chapter fics! Oh my God this was a thrilling ride of emotions! The pacing is amazing, each chapter you’re hooked on wanting to see more development on the history between these two so it’s worth a read! I love how Hoseok is portrayed here; it’s like a piece of how he would be in real life is put into just another scenario (Also hate how reader is like... relatable in a way where I also majored in HR so...WHERE’S THE OFFICE ROMANCE LIFE TRAIN GONNA HIT ME WITH THAT??)

Three Shot: Magic & Mysteries (Familiar/Hybrid!Jimin x Witch! Reader) fluff, a little angsty, comedy, romance **NEW

A three shot series involving what the title says! Magic! It’s a little adventure tale of our reader who’s a witch struggling to find her place in terms of specialty and overcoming some fears and insecurities with the help of sassy (but secretly cares a lot) Jimin who’s a wizard cursed to be a dog (that looks like Chimmy!) It’s cute and pretty wholesome in my opinion :)

Also an honorable mention from them is the Service Series (it’s fluffier dw) and honestly their other fics are definitely worth a read :D

@7cypher

Oneshot: Devil’s Advocate (devil/demon!Jimin)

Ironic how despite being a devil Jimin is still the sweetest being to exist. Devil!Jimin walks into your life abruptly and worms his way into your heart with his devilishly good looks and sweet charms. It’s hella cute, a slightly angsty ‘defining’ moment that actually had me tearing up a bit??? (I’m a sap for sweet, tender affection like the ones that happened in here okay??) but it all ends well :)

@seokkbuns

I’ve read most of their Hoseok and Jimin stuff but I think all of their fics are worth a read!

@boymeetsweevil

Oneshot: Cover You In Constellations (Hoseok x reader fic)

I’ve read this a while ago but keep coming back to it because oh god this was cute, so domestic and so fluffy like this is the kinda shit I would pull if I had a boyfriend like Hoseok like skdjfskgha. I like the way writer portrays Hoseok because it feels so like what I imagine he would react. Hoseok deserves all the love ;_;

@kittentaegu

Series: My Boss, The Vampire (Vamp!Jimin x reader fic)

Two parts are out so far and I’m loving the premise! New office worker with notoriously hot CEO Park Jimin who has a secret to hide (guess what it is). One day, you find out what it is and so now what?? Things get steamy ;D Also, the title of it is so K-dramaesque and I don’t know! I like the charm it adds to it!

@readyplayerhobi **NEW

Honestly all of their fics are worth a read because they flawlessly combine story building with any kind of genre you can think of. Some are smutty, some of fluffy and some are just downright angsty but you just want to read them all regardless!

@yminie **NEW

Series: Nine-One-One (Detective!Jimin x First Responder! Reader) fluff, angst, romance, old flame au, future smut, and other mature themes!

This is thrilling! In both romantic and story aspects! The base story line is that there’s a serial murderer on the loose who’s been stalking reader and Jimin and his team are on the case about it. They’ve both got romantic history with each other and as old feelings resurfaces, so does the situation as things hit a little too close to home. Obviously with serial murderers involved, there is mentions of death, suicide and well...the warnings there!

A03 Fics

*will be pretty rare on this list; am I the only one who finds it super hard to find good fics on there?

Author: kimtrain

I swear they had a tumblr before since that’s the only reason why I remember them and their fics. Thankfully they’re all there still and all of them are 👌👌👌 Mermaid!Hoseok AU and the Hybrid!AU are my faves.

Fic: Warm Blood by ARMY_BRAT

The one instance where my weakness for supernatural AUs + wanting to read something paid off. MC is an ARMY but also a grim reaper so what happens when BTS shows up on her list, destined to die? Well, she says NOT TODAY but that just throws EVERYTHING out of the loop, leaving her to fix it.

Went into it with a grain of salt (ngl description was...ehh) BUT was pleasantly surprised! Digging the writing style which made MC really likeable so far and the AU strongly reminds me of Goblin: The Lonely God but focusing more on the grim reaper side of things which, personally, I was WAY more interested in even with the drama so yay! :D Glad someone took inspiration from it. Still ongoing and fairly new so dsfajdkas

Fic: Three Pints Full by Valkook **NEW

Woah it’s a vampire/supernatural fic! A little on the mature side because there’s well...blood...a little bit of death mentioned...and smut... BUT a really compelling story! Set mainly as a Cop/Detective! Reader who’s been assigned to solving some mysterious deaths/murders happening in the wild parts Montana joined in with appearances by Hunter/Tracker!Yoongi, Partner!Hoseok and Vampire!Jimin, Jungkook and more!

[bookspoils]

This month I went back to rediscover some more favorites in the nonfiction genre. From feminist collections to essays and short stories, I tried my hand at a handful of them. In total I read 19 books in April:

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/review-bad-girls-throughout-history-by-ann-shen/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/review-note-to-self-by-connor-franta/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/review-the-best-we-could-do-by-thi-bui/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/review-ivy-and-the-lonely-raincloud-by-katie-harnett/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/review-the-beauty-queen-of-jerusalem-by-sarit-yishai-levi/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/review-the-sound-of-the-world-by-heart-by-giacomo-bevilacqua/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/review-the-good-immigrant-by-nikesh-shukla/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/review-this-is-really-happening-by-erin-chack/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/review-giant-days-vol-5-by-john-allison/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/review-does-my-head-look-big-in-thisby-randa-abdel-fattah/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/review-america-2-by-gabby-rivera/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/22/review-good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls-by-elena-favilli-francesca-cavallo/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/review-the-moth-presents-all-these-wonders-by-catherine-burns/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/review-leaf-by-sandra-dieckmann/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/review-the-refugees-by-viet-thanh-nguyen/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/review-stolen-words-by-melanie-florence/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/review-what-it-means-when-a-man-falls-from-the-sky-by-lesley-nneka-arimah/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/review-dancers-among-us-by-jordan-matter/

Favorite current listen:I’d been looking for the perfect podcast for awhile now when I gratefully stumbled upon Rookie’s announcement of launching their first ever podcast at the start of this month. It premiered on April 4th, and I’ve been hooked and tuning in every week since.

Description: On the Rookie Podcast, hosted by Tavi Gevinson, we’ll interview people we admire: artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, activists. We’ll also have teenagers ask semi-qualified grownups for advice, feature work by our readers and listeners, share some life skills and pop culture recommendations, and discuss the human experience through the teenage lens. Then, we’ll all know how to be people! Or at least not know, together.

Not only is Gevinson’s voice eerily soothing and relaxing, the wide range of evergreen issues and topics discussed ring true than ever for me. I also cherished the addition of the interviews in here. We get to hear people from all walks of life talk about those aforementioned subjects and add in their own point of views. From Lorde and Hilton Als to Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton of Another Round, Rowan Blanchard, Winona Ryder, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, and so many more influential individuals that graciously imparted their wisdom.

New episodes release on Tuesdays via iTunes and the Panoply platform. You can subscribe to the podcast and listen to it here!

Honorable Mention: The one thing I’ve been anticipating for months and months has come back into my life: Skam with its brand new season.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159520073773/skamdaily-401-squads

This newly released (and sadly last) season revolves around one of my all-time favorites: Sana Bakkoush. And I truly couldn’t have been more grateful and joyful. I hold a special place in my heart just for her, because she was the one that made me initially interested in watching this phenomenal series, as I mentioned in my December Wrap Up.

To give you some context on the atmosphere and themes being explored in this new season I’d like to voice this on-point post: up until now, sana has been painted as this incredibly fierce, strong, unapologetic girl who doesn’t tolerate any kind of ignorance. she’s consistently portrayed as confident and outspoken throughout the past three seasons. then BAM. s4 airs, we’re seeing things from her perspective, and there’s this dramatic shift, almost instantly. 

she’s still the same sana. she stares down the woman on the bus. she snaps at vilde when vilde won’t shut up about how much sex she’s having and corrects her when vilde says “you can’t have sex”. she tells the girls that she thinks it’s their responsibility to tell noora about william’s new girlfriend considering william won’t tell her himself. these are all very sana-like traits. 

but now, we see just how much she has to put up with, too. it’s the more subtle things. the rushing to silence her phone when she was on the bus because shit shit shit, it’ll freak some people out. the fact that yes, her friends ordered another pizza without any pork on it, but the meat was still haram. but it was a kind gesture of them to think of it in the first place, right? so she doesn’t complain, she just silently picks the meat off, not wanting to seem ungrateful despite the fact that really, don’t they know by now?

…

and it’s so subtle. things that we would only get from seeing life through her eyes. but it’s chipping away at her, bit by bit, these little instances of being excluded, of her friends not quite getting it. and it’s so heartbreaking to see, but so, so clever, too. because suddenly i just feel like we – like the characters on the show – have misjudged sana completely. she’s still strong, she’s still fierce. but she swallows a lot down, too. she’s hurting more than we originally thought. she feels more misunderstood than we originally thought. and i am so impressed that in a clip that was less than 8 minutes long, we have already seen a completely different side to sana than we got throughout the last 3 seasons.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159637343273/aminyard-insp-x

Getting to see things from Sana’s perspective profoundly changed my outlook on so many things. I started to become aware of all the cracks and the constant little hurts that she has to put up with almost daily, especially those from the girl squad. Also, now that I got to see it all play out from Sana’s pov, I quickly started picking up on how inconsiderate and at times even ignorant people – strangers, classmates, etc.- came to be around her. Sana Bakkoush deserves the whole wide world, so it continually crushed my heart to see her being under appreciated.

But I was interested to see how the show – a known barrier breaker – would handle said situation with the utmost care and expertise, as it has done with significant topics in the past three seasons.

Which leads me to the next point that I want to talk about: Skam portraying their Muslim main lead. Religion is such a crucial part of my everyday life as a practicing Jew, so I was beyond ecstatic to have a young Muslim woman of colour represented in this season. And it defied my exceptions in all aspects, to say the least. The utter respect and admiration I have for Sana Bakkoush – played by the effervescent Iman Meskini – is difficult to articulate, so I think it’s best if I let this next post sum it up:

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159590440178/imansmeskinis-because-this-right-here-needs

It made my heart soar to see this on television.

And just a few more things I’d like to vent about:

I adore the fact that I became smitten with Sana and Yousef before they’d even spoken more than one sentence to each other. Their eye contact alone was reason enough to give me butterflies.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159883830118/aleolightwood-i-dont-want-to-be-rude-now-but

So you can only imagine how utterly alive I felt when those two finally had some dialogue. I was living vicariously through them, to be quite frank.

I also feel compelled to share this next gifset because there’s no going back with my love for Sana and Yousef:

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159966591298/yousanas-sanas-crush-on-yousef-is

thumbs up while choking back tears This is how I like my flirting.

Also, Sana’s season had barely even started and it was already the most iconic Skam season for me. That first episode alone covered so many vitally important topics, which consequently reminded me exactly why this remains to be my favorite tv series. Nothing quite compares to it.

The soundtrack is as always eerily on point with the characters.

An uplifting and healthy mother-daughter relationship represented between Sana and her mom had me all that more enraptured.

Sana Bakkoush is an incredible positive influence in my life. Just seeing her be herself genuinely inspires me. And if I am half the person she is, I’ll consider myself to be fortunate.

The balloon squad (called by that name because the first time we saw them was in a behind the scenes photo and they were holding a bundle of balloons) are the ultimate #squadgoals.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159590843938/skamedits-fy-faen-fy-fy-faen

They come off like a bunch of funny, loving, handsome, wholesome, complex characters. And I was won over one line at a time. Also, I high-key cherish the fact that they have a Youtube channel where they post videos throughout the week.

I love the intricate attention paid to details in Skam. Absolutely everything is there for a reason; things are never as simple as they first seem. But then this also leads to me overanalyzing each episode. Oh, and the fact that this was the first season where I kept up with the release of each clip and episode only added to the immense thrill and excitement.

Honestly, I could go on and on about how season four has quite quickly become my favorite Skam season, but I think you get my point. Plus, I’m still in denial that it’s the last one… I can’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that they’re ending it on such a good season.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/160053775603/nalle-cishet-drama-bonus

P.S. since we’re less than a handful episodes into season four, I wasn’t anticipating to write so much but hey, what can I say? I love this show with all my heart. And I imagine I’ll have a lot more to say about the remaining episodes left, so if you’re interested in keeping up with my fangirling you’re more than welcome to follow my Tumblr here or my Twitter here.

That was my April wrap-up, thank you for reading!

April 2017 Reading Wrap Up