#I remember that book having a couple of stories that stuck with me

[theshadowrealmitself]

I think the first story I read about time traveling that takes the earth’s movements into account, I read back when I was a kid, and who knows how long before that it was published

But it was an anthology of short horror stories, and if I remember correctly, it was these 2 kids who befriend this scientist (or the boy was the scientist?) and the scientist is like “I’m pretty sure my machine works but idk why nothing I send to the future shows up”

And then the girl is like “I’m going to go into the way future, where I belong” (cause she was like the “I was born in the wrong generation” kind of person) and she does it as the boy realizes what’s going on, that the machine does work, but it really does transport whatever/whoever goes into it in the exact same spot in space, instead of moving with the earth

And the last scene was the girl floating in space, having gone so far into the future that everything had moved away, and the sun and planets were long gone

[they-didnt-last]

anyone interested in talking about the iconic 2000's middle-grade-bordering-on-ya book series gallagher girls??

[lovingu43vr]

A GLIMPSE OF US

Jasper Hale x Reader

warnings: Bella, usual twilight warnings

Summary: Bella causes a stir when voicing her opinion on two vampires.

It was a quiet day in Forks. An even quieter one in the Cullen house. Rosalie and Emmett out shopping,Alice and Issy Painting, Esme and Carlisle quietly organising the book shelf. Then there was Jasper and Y/n lounging in the love seat in the garden, passively watching creatures scurry past.

“Do you remember when we met?” Y/n softly spoke as she looked up at her mate whose face broke into a wild smile. “I certainly do Darlin, 1940 I was staying with Peter and Charlotte after hearing about new ways. I was reading a news paper trying to control my thirst. Then along came the most angelic being i’d ever seen Y/n Marisol Cullen.” y/n laughed before her husband carried on. “You walked over to me, Said you could help with my situation. I felt this intense feeling of wholeness when you touched my arm. That’s when i knew.” Y/n began “I felt like i’d finally found the missing piece” Jasper held his wife tightly. “And long story short your stuck with me for all eternity Darlin” Y/n Relaxed into Jaspers chest. Relishing in the peace and quiet.

Suddenly Jasper tensed up causing Y/n to lift her body off his and follow hi u s gaze. That’s when the smell of Bella hit her. Rolling her eyes she sighed. “Here she is little miss Florida” Jasper half heartedly chuckled. He Began to open his mouth before a hand being slapped over it. Y/n motioning to shush.

“Are you sure they are actually in love?”

“Bella”

“I mean Jasper looks like he’s in so much pain”

“Jasper always looks like that”

“And Y/n she just looks so perfect and like everything she does is a calculated move”

“Bella”

“No Edward she’s always looking to check if someone’s watching”

“Bella can you hear yourself”

“I don’t think they love eachother Edward i really don’t”

“Bella drop it”

“No Edward, They don’t even seem to like being in eachothers presence. I never see them together”

“You never see them alone either”

Bella clearly forgetting about the heightened hearing the Vampires possessed. Began Slamming into her future In-laws.

Jaspers heart dropped. All he’d ever wanted was for people to know how much he loves his wife. Bella saying those things hurt the empath a lot. He quickly sped off with out saying a word.

“Jasper” Y/n shouted. “Jaz”

Y/n sighed deciding to give him his space before entering the house. She walked in seeing Alice and Issy. “I’m guessing you heard” Issy spoke first her English accent purring. “It’s not true” Alice reassured the vampire. “Alice i’m not stupid. I know but Jaspers took it hard he’s sped off somewhere” Y/n began to walk over to the two Vampires. “I told you Bella’s a jealous girl” Issy nudged her wife. “stop” Alice whispered.

“There you are” Edward smiled walking in with Bella. “I wanted to show Bella some of your paintings” he told the married couple. “Hey Alice,Issy,Y/n” Y/n didn’t respond instead she walked further into the room sitting on the sofa to ‘read’ a magazine.

“Why’d did you say those things?” Y/n closed her magazine. Bella froze. “I mean are you that unsatisfied by Yourself and Edward’s relationship that you start making troubling little fantasy’s about mine?” Y/n stared at the human.

“You wanna know what i found so funny about your little observations?” “hmm?” “You said i’m always looking over to check if someone’s watching, i am your right. But forgive me if this is left field but have you totally lost your mind and forgotten the fact we are literal blood sucking vampires? Oh and the fact that we could be exposed any second?” Edward began to intervene.

“Y/n come on you know she didn’t mean it”

“Really because she sounded pretty set”

“you have no idea what love is Bella, your 17 years old. You have no idea what lays await for you and love in the future” Y/n walked away.

“Jaspers left” Alice told Edward. “What?why?” Edward turned to his sister perplexed. “Edward, Jaspers trying really hard” Issy spoke. “He tries so hard everyday, He worships the ground Y/n walks on and what Bella said was abit of a kick in the teeth don’t you think?” Issy gave the human girl a small glare.

“Now i’ve got to go find my husband, Please refrain from upsetting anyone else Isabella” Y/n sped up the mountains searching for Jasper. She found him. Sitting on a Rock. Watching the horses a field away run around.

“Hey Jaz” Y/n said sitting next to him on the rock. “hi” he quietly spoke. “Wanna talk about it?” Jasper thought about refusing to but he couldn’t. “I don’t want you to think i don’t love you” Jasper sighed. “I love you so much it’s almost painful. You consume my mind, Your in everything i do. When i’m talking to other students at school i’m waiting for you to join because you would love the topic. When u go to the store and i see something i have to get it because it reminds me of you. I spent 80 years suffering until i met you and i can’t even show it” Y/n had never seen her husband so upset by a few words. “Jazzy” she played with bits of his hair “ i know you love me you idiot” Y/n let out a laugh. “So does everyone else, Just because Bella said some stupid things once again doesn’t mean anything” Jasper cracked a small smile. “She does have a habit of that huh?” Y/n grinned grabbing his hand. “Home?” Jasper nodded as they both sped off.

“Jasper im-“ Bella was cut off by Jasper stepping back. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t speak to me” Jasper said before moving up the stairs. “Someone’s rubbing off on him” Emmett chuckled. “He needed it” Y/n nudged the boy. “He’s defiantly whipped i’ll tell you that” Y/n rolled her eyes. “And your not?” Emmett held his hands up. “Hey how can i not be” Rosalie grinned. “Another reason to hate Bella Yay” Edward sent the three vampires a glare. “Don’t glare at me Edweirdo, Your the reason she even met us”

Esme and Carlisle listened to the whole altercation ‘Do you remember when they actually got along. Y/n and Edward?” Carlisle asks his beautiful wife. “No i don’t, i remember when Y/n and i quote ‘tolerated that street urchin” Carlisle sighed. “We were so young then” Esme laughed “it was this morning”.

[z3nwr1t3sf1cs]

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐜!𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐬 𝐱 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

If we have each other then it’s not that bad

⋆˚࿔ One shot, Hurt/comfort, Early relationship (romantic)

⋆˚࿔ Fem!reader, Reader is daughter of Polities, And it’s a couple months before Ody is back

⋆˚࿔ Description of anxiety, description of character death

⋆˚࿔ Written in second person

⋆˚࿔ Ao3

• ═ ━⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹━ ═ •

“They’ve been gone for what? 19 years now? 20?” A man scoffs, walking through the bustling town of Ithaca “About time the Queen does pick a suitor, eh?” The first man strikes a chuckle “It’s not like any of those men are coming back,” he rolls his eyes “Let’s face it, They’re all dead.”

You gulp after overhearing the conversation, quickly gathering what you need from the outdoor shops and heading back to the Palace. You walk back— “They’re all dead.” It echoed in your head dreadfully. Lost in thought, you run into Telemachus, holding scrolls in his arms. He looked like he was in a rush, “Hey Y/N! I was looking for you all over and I—“ He looks at her for another second, “What’s wrong?” You knew he could read you like a book, but he looked busy right now. “Oh, Telemachus—! I’m just— tired. I’m sorry, babe” You quickly spat and nodded as you helped gather a paper he’d dropped. Telemachus sucks his teeth, he shouldn’t push her. “Well— okay. Let me know if you need anything, anything at all!” He plants a soft kiss on your forehead and strides off again. You head in the opposite direction, after setting down the basket of groceries, walking to your room in the Palace.

As you sit on the bed, the realization hits you once again like a truck— You might never see your father, and everyone’s accepted that. The townspeople, suitors in the palace, your aunts— Gods, your mother! You rock softly, as hot tears roll down your face. “They’re all dead.” They’re all— dead. You’re just stuck with stories, Empty words— and… Well, It’s not like you knew him… But it still hurt. You sniffle and sob, curling up on the bed. Your thoughts swirled, and everything felt blurry and loud, you rocked softly, rubbing your eyes and that’s when— Click!

“Y/N, Are —“ Telemachus looked at your tear-stained face and red eyes, your panic was thick in the air. He rushes over to your side, keeping a bit of a distance. “C—Can I touch you?” You nod softly and his arms wrap around you from the side, gently rubbing your back. “Can you explain to me what happened?”

You sniffled and inhaled shakily, get— a word out! J—just talk to him! As much as you tried it felt like you would choke on the words, barely able to muster anything out. “Hey, hey… You don’t have to talk. I’m here, it’s okay” He reassures you, seeing you upset and sad is something he hates, but he understands how difficult it can be to handle emotions when overwhelmed. “I’ll be here.. Whenever you’re ready” He rubs your back softly, not minding the stain of your tears on his tunic. After a bit of time, his comfort helped calm you down. He turns you softly, sure to be gentle, You face him, eyes still watery, and your body trembles softly. Your boyfriend grabs your hands, shushing you comfortingly while thinking of.. what to say.

He remembers when he’d be upset after not being able to fight, or when he couldn’t write letters facing the right direction— His mom, Queen Penelope, would do an exercise with him. Maybe it could help Y/N, “Can we try something?” You look towards him intrigued, nodding softly “I—If you’re ready to talk. Can you tell me um— five things you can see?” You sniffled and looked at him puzzled “T—this is stupid,” you let out “Just try? For me, okay?” You sigh and look around, things aren’t as blurred now, “T—there’s a vase,” He nods towards you “Mhm, keep going!” He squeezes your hand reassuringly, “You, I can see you, the—window? A— um..the bed and the closet.” He smiles softly “Yeah, that’s good! Now what about four things you can… feel?” Your breathing has calmed now, and just Telemachus’ presence made you feel a bit better, “The... bedsheets, your hands, m-my clothes?” You sniffle again and then turn back to him “I-that’s all..” While it wasn’t four, Telemachus was content anyway, you seemed more calm and relaxed, which is all that mattered right now “Three things you can hear?” “Your voice—“ You fidget softly, trying to focus on listening to something “Wind… and footsteps.” You nod.

“Only a few more okay, love?” Telemachus holds your face softly, he can tell something is still in your eyes, there’s a cloudiness of thoughts and heavy emotions, “Now, two things you can smell?” he strokes your cheek softly, gentle words. You inhale “Fresh.. sheets and— the ocean.” You exhale. Telemachus’ expression remained calm.

His voice drops softly and he leans closer “And now, one thing you can taste..?” He leans closer, inches away from your lips, and with a playful smirk, he leans— And you swipe backward, dodging the kiss. “I—Um! A—Apples!” You exclaim, flushed a violet red “From lunch.” He purses his lips, mocking annoyance. “Don’t pout,” You say innocently. Telemachus scoffs and plops down backwards on the bed, holding your hands still, so you go down with him. His hand returns to your cheek softly, “Wanna talk now?” You nod slowly and sigh “I was thinking of the crew. Our father’s I mean. What if—“ They words can’t even flow out from between your lips now “They’re all dead” You shake the thought softly and inhale “I just— It’s hard to… Not have a dad.” He sighs in return, a feeling he also knew too well.

Telemachus nods in understanding. “Y/N, they’re comi—“ You turn to him quickly, “How do you know they’ll be back?!” You exclaim with a short gasp. Telemachus looks at you with a wavering expression, for his playful demeanor turned serious, “I—“ The man was speechless- “I don’t.” Not very reassuring. “We don’t know. If there’ll come a day we’ll see them. We…We just don’t.” He squeezes your hand once more, “All we can do is hope, pray.. and.. in the end” He lifts your chin, looking you directly in the eyes, “In the end— all we have is each other. I’ll be here, always. I’ll never leave you, I swear by it, Y/N.”

• ═ ━⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹━ ═ •

Descriptions are based on my own experience with anxiety and going non-verbal<33 Also— sorry this was a bit rushed! Been in art and writing block for a good while now, so I’m grateful I get even this out lmao 🦋🤍

Have an amazing day~

Req are open <33 (like pleaseee—)

[yazthebookish]

Maybe I'll spoil you guys and talk about Gwynriel and ACOTAR5 and anything related to it overall. I recently finished my HOFAS reread and have some fresh thoughts. I'll let my thoughts guide me and some of these points I've already addressed in my insta stories yesterday. I just rather share a lengthy post here since I'll only tag under #gwynriel.

I often see arguments about how Gwyn and Azriel can't move the plot forward because the series is centered on the Archeron sisters.

First, that's not true because Sarah is following what she called "a traditional romance route". She's following the same patterns of Nalini Singh, Kresley Cole, and Lisa Kleypas where they publish multiple books in the same series following different couples.

This is fitting for a series like ACOTAR because it's romance-centered. And Sarah have already said that each couple is getting one book and there will likely be more books beyond ACOTAR6.

Saying that doesn't dismiss the importance of the sisters to the story, Feyre already has a trilogy centered on her. The spin-off just follows different characters including the sisters.

I won't try hard to convince people on this because I've already posted almost everything Sarah said about the spin-off series and what's it's about. So if the next book is not centered on an Archeron sister, that's for Sarah to bamboozle the fandom with.

One thing that stuck out to me is when I compared the ending of ACOSF with the scene of Bryce giving Nesta Gwydion and seeming like she left Nesta with a new quest.

First, this is what the text says, and this is Chapter 80, the very last chapter in ACOSF:

Succeeding in the Blood Rite didn't mean the training stopped. No, after she and her friends told Cassian and Azriel most of the details of their ordeal, the two commanders had compiled a long list of mistakes that the three of them had made that needed to be corrected, and the others wanted to learn from them, too. So they would keep training, until they were all well and truly Valkyries. Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library.

1. The Valkyries are not yet a unit.

2. SJM only and specifically highlighted that Gwyn, despite the Rite, returned to living in the library. It was like "hey, remember all the talk Gwyn did about wanting to leave the library after two years? Yeah that's on hold a bit but keep that in mind". She didnt even add Emerie or the other priestesses to that sentence.

With Nesta being left with Gwydion to find out why the 8-pointed star was tattooed on her, I don't think the next book will start with "hey Elain take this sword and deal with it". Who are Nesta's main companions now? Gwyn and Emerie.

I'll be back to the Valkyries but let's just talk about Azriel for a bit.

It is so painfully obvious to me that Azriel is being handed the Illyrian plot on a golden platter. How big or small of a plot it is depends on SJM, but it's important based on the fact that she fleshed out the Illyrian's origins and tied them to the crossover AND making Truth-teller the knife of Enalius.

That is a big deal for an Illyrian like Azriel.

And I quote my friend Lacie on this, it is very poetic for Azriel to be the owner of the knife that originally belonged to the person who freed his own people from the Daglan's clutches, perhaps because he saw his people are more than just slaves to the Daglan—how powerful would it be for Azriel, who loathes his own people, to parallel Enalius.

And for years some people were against Azriel dealing with this plot because he shouldn't make peace with his "abusers", its true his own family and some Illyrians failed him but he is condemning an entire population. Good people like Emerie and Balthazar. Even Rhys's mother, who had valid reasons to hate her people especially as a female, still made sure to make Rhysand connect with his Illyrian heritage and he even goes on to say that his mother didn't forget what they did to her but still loved her people.

If both Cassian and Rhysand (and by extension the author) continue to flag Azriel's hatred of the Illyrians as an issue—then it is a damn big issue for it to be addressed repeatedly.

Okay so to address my final point about Gwyn and Azriel and how they can move the plot forward.

Now I didn't detail out much about what the next book will deal with because that's another post (and I already have a post on that).

All of our theories and predictions are based on information that is available to us. Saying Azriel and Gwyn cannot move the plot forward does not make any sense because the central plot is tied to multiple characters, Archeron or not.

If SJM wants to make a character move the next book's plot forward, she can do it because she's in control of the story. She's in control of the narrative. She's in control of the characters.

The characters are puppets and this is an unfinished story. If some characters would add more value and make for a more interesting story before the others, she can decide on that. If she wants to make Eris the protagonist of the next book, she can easily do that whether the fandom wants it or not.

Let me give you an example of minor characters that pushed the plot forward and became main characters: Yrene Towers and the Hind. These kind of arguments could've been used for them in HOEAB or HOSAB and Pre-TOD. Before HOSAB/HOFAS and TOD, could we have predicted that they would have played a crucial role before those books? Not likely because they had minimal appearances and were not part of the main cast. This is what I'm talking about.

You can't know how a character will contribute to a story until you see how it all unfolds. We can make guesses on the information we have which is why I believe three characters are likely to join the main cast: Gwyn, Emerie, and Eris.

Why is it so easy to accept that Emerie might be sharing a book with an original character like Mor but it's hard to comprehend the fact that Gwyn could also share a book with Azriel? Because Emerie showed up in ACOFAS? To me that's not really a strong argument based on Sarah's writing and what we have in the books, she doesn't really pick based on who showed up the earliest. Here's a good example: Hypaxia, who showed up earlier, didn't even get her own chapters but the Hind did.

And there's one argument I recall about how I need to rely on Nesta to have a plot focused on Gwyn or the Valkyries in the next book. Nesta's arc is clearly not over based on HOFAS, but does that mean she's getting a POV? Not necessarily. I don't think she is. Gwyn is the perfect candidate for us to see what's going on with Nesta post-HOFAS and how they all deal with the Valkyries and whatever Sarah will set up with them.

There is this whole Valkyrie/Illyrian conflict that could be triggered as a result of the Blood Rite, with Ramiel definitely being an important location to explore in the next book, we also have the Pegasi and the Prison and the implications of the crossover. It makes sense to have an Illyrian and a Valkyrie POV to deal with some plots in the next book.

"Gwyn contributes to nothing" we can't know until the book is out. How sure are we that maybe SJM won't connect her to the crossover by making her mysterious father a Worldwalker? Or Prince of Hel? Or an Asteri? Maybe I'm right maybe I'm wrong.

"But Koschei! And the Human Queens!" Koschei will always be a background player pulling on the strings until the final book as it's obvious he is the big bad in the series, unless someone even worse is revealed. But no one is dismissing Koschei or the Human Queens messing around.

Literally what's the point of the story or the fun elements of surprises or plot twists if you need Sarah to list down everything that the next books will deal with. That's not how a story develops to me. I don't need to know everything in advance to just know how it will go. That's like knowing spoilers early on and checking off with each book what happened and what didn't happen. I feel like it's close to how a lot of readers were disappointed with not having enough ACOTAR in HOFAS, because Sarah implied half of the book would be set in Prythian. So by the time the book came out and it wasn't that, people were vocal about it.

In my opinion, SJM set a good foundation for Gwyn's arc to build up on in ACOSF and her arc is not over. We won't get mentions of her still carrying the guilt of her sister's death or not leaving the library after she said she's sick of being there for two years without us seeing resolution for that. She wouldn't be in Azriel's bonus chapter if she is not involved with him.

To conclude, my reread still affirms to me that the next book with an Azriel/Gwyn book. Azriel is clearly being set in the forefront.

[ozzgin]

Hey ozz!!

Finally got around to doing the ask!

Hope you feel well currently!

This is my ask for the October event! Tho you can do whatever you want with this as I don't mind!

It's the ghost I was talking about the last couple weeks lol it's one of the most common one in my culture, there's another one in the works but I'll send it tmr, (hint: witch darling and bodyguard monster)

Langsir are ghosts/vampires that come from Malay folklore and are usually women that died in childbirth or while in the 40 days of uncleanliness of the pregnancy (tbh I'm not even sure) or a mother that had a heart attack and died at the news of the baby being a stillborn. They won't transform into the vampire until they're given proper burial rights to make sure they don't comeback for the dead

They feed on human blood and prefers blood from guys and male babies specifically

They look like pretty woman with ankle length hair, extremely long nails and wear a green robe. They have a scent of plumeria flowers and sometimes have the ability to transform into an owl in some legends

They have a hole in the back of their neck and if you stuck an iron nail into it, the vampire will turn into a normal beautiful human who will be a great wife! Because of this weakness, you can ward them off with sharp items (main reason why people tell you to hide knives into the baby's crib and stuff)

Anyways enough info and onto the prompt:

Darling is already married to the yandere and suddenly she died in childbirth. but alas, her dear yandere decided to get her back by not giving her the proper burial! Even then the yandere has already prepared with the nails to keep ghost darling trapped forever to his side!

Til ̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ death do us part lol!

That's all!!! It's nice to join the event and maybe later I'll do my own posts for it once I have the time!

(can I take 🌺 anon or 🪺 anon?)

Thank you for the lovely story, I had waited to pair it with my other ghost entry for a themed day haha. content: female reader, ghost reader, death, captivity

Yandere!Husband did not take the news of your death well. It was to be expected, of course, and everyone smiled pitifully at the grieving spouse. They didn't question it when he requested a private burial. They didn't doubt that it was for the best when he packed up and left without a warning.

At first, you thought this was some sort of purgatory. You knew you had died, yet you didn't think you'd find yourself back home. Then you found the sigils, the books, the cursed nails.

He trapped your soul here.

"You gave me the scare of my lifetime," your husband exclaims, entering the room with a joyful smile.

The tears have dried, and the eyes are narrowed in an eerie kind of happiness you don't recognize.

"I should be dead," you mumble hesitantly.

"According to whom?" he questions, tilting his head innocently. "You know, I'm a little hurt you don't remember our vows.

I promised I'd always be your husband, have I not?"

He kneels before you, taking a moment to observe your features.

"Did you think I'd allow anything to defile my meaning of 'always'? You're mine. And nothing will ever change that."

[notlhecxzsa]

Red Days, Purple Loves - A.H

Summary: You were having a particularly low day... accompanied with your red day. How will your centuries old wife handle her not-so-mortal-anymore younger girl? What will even happen when she's scared of the same girl who's several inches smaller than her?

Author's Note: Ahhhhh, my first ever Agatha fic! My red days are coming up, i was ugly crying earlier when my grandma scolded me ignoring them and again for no reason! Thankfully, she still bought me my fav drinks and grapes!

Warnings: periods, sad y/n, fightings, soft agatha? and did i already say softie agatha? should there also be a warning for a wifey material agatha? broken glass, yelling, blood

°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~

You can't remember clearly when the fight started—what it caused. As you sat on the couch, a heating pad on your lower tummy and the bear plushie that Agatha had won for you at the amusement park that you practically cried your way for her to go with you.

You clutch onto the cozy blanket bundled up on your lap as you anticipated when your wife will come back home. Staring at the television with the same glossy eyes you held earlier when she left you standing in the kitchen, choosing to leave than to yell back at you.

As you watch the movie that both of you are fond of—The Notebook, the same one that Agatha would make up stories and say if she's in Noah's position, she would also be doing all of that for you. It made you miss her, glossy eyes started becoming a river and a puddle of tears as guilt started creeping up on you. You just wanted to spend time with her!

As far as you remember, she was down in the basement for hours, you just wanted to spend time with her. You didn't do anything wrong, that's for sure—the 'water' you 'accidentally' pushed was not your fault, you tripped on her books that were stacked up. She shouldn't have those laying around everywhere.

As you sniffled with your puffy nose, you held on tightly on the plushie in your arms and wiped your tears with the other using Agatha's sweatshirt that you wore, which is too big on you. A small frown formed in your forehead as you remembered how she scolded you, almost yelling.

As you started wondering where she has been in the past 1 and a half hours the sound of a car pulling up on the front made its way to your ears, making you turn hastily, lips parted as you sighed in relief. Your eyes were stuck there for a moment, trying to catch a glimpse of your wife but failed when you heard the opening of the front door.

You turned back to watch the movie that is playing on the television, but your attention was elsewhere. The hold you have on the blanket and the plushie tightened as you waited for the pair of arms you woke up in this morning. You waited and waited and waited and wait-... The sound of her boots passed behind you until it disappeared inside the bathroom you had near the kitchen.

Suddenly, what she said earlier came rushing back in.

"God, can you just give me some space for a couple of minutes, Y/n? I'm almost done here! I told you I'll get back to you immediately, baby."

Yet, she left. Maybe, she was already getting tired of your attitude. Your sillyness. Your immaturity...

With lips trembling, you stood up, not caring about the remote, blanket, heating pad and the plushie getting in contact with the floor. Not even bothering to turn the TV off and picking up everything, you ran off up in the stairs, Senior Scratchy gazing at your form.

Agatha's ears alerted her at the sound of things clattering around the floor, it was a faint sound yet it still caught her auditory sense. Shaking her head as she washed her hands, she caught sight of something in the bin. Pads.

Her lips became a thin line as the realization hit her. Her eyes narrowing as she remembered the way you acted earlier.

"Aggie?..." There was a certain edge lacing through your voice, making her look up immediately, her hands dropping to the side and her eyes averting from the book to yours.

"Yes, my love?" With eyebrows raising, she looked at you with gentle eyes, seeing you clad in her sweatshirt that are almost covering you, stopping by your mid thighs, making your shorts invisible to the naked eye.

Your hair was in a messy updo, a visible frown on your face yet her heart jumped at the sight of you. Never did once falter, even after being with you for 10 years already.

You were a mortal, she met you since westview, having caught her eyes as soon as she saw you and since then, she never let you go. It was... hard at first, to say the least.

You were younger—so much younger, while she is older she seemed like she doesn't aged, but you do, so when she figured out how to make you don't age like her, so you can stay with her forever, you were both so happy. Getting married immediately after the spell was cast.

"When are you going to finish that?" She offered you a smile before her her attention averted to the things around her big table, her hands reaching out to seemingly gather what she needed for her next 'experiment'.

"Almost done, darling. I will just need to put all these in the cauldron and cast some spells, then voila..." She chuckled while your eyes gaze at how veiny her hands are as you slowly stalked forward.

Your eyes analyzed the table, realizing that she is not 'almost' done, the same phrase she would tell you but broken one too many times. You suddenly felt irritated.

"But, I'm hungry..." Agatha snapped her head and looked at you, her eyes narrowing and an unsure smile forming in her face.

"Then... cook something, baby...? I got you some fruits earlier, remember?" Going back to what she was doing, missing the way you frowned as your hands clenched into a fist. "Eat those for the meantime, yeah? I'll cook you something later." She dismissed, her hands working on whatever on the table.

"But... I don't want fruits..." You tried to reason out as you started getting frustrated. Usually, when you come down here, it's a sign for Agatha to finally take a break... you know it's still too early to take a break, but... you want her to do it now!

"Hmm, well what do you want, my love?" She asked, not bothering to look at you but if flashed a hope inside of you. A smile made its way to your face, your frown disappearing.

"Uhmmm, sandwich? And uhmm, some hasbrowns! And hotlinks! I could do just the hotlink with bread." You explained, waiting for her to clean up everything, but you slowly frowned when she started reading something on the book, her hands working on it painfully slow.

"Oh yeah?" You nodded, even though she couldn't see you. "Well, then why don't you cook those? I just restocked everything yesterday, baby, suit yourself and wait for me? Yeah?" Your breathing started to get uneven, you lips parted as you breathed heavily.

If you're inside a cartoon show, there would be smoke coming out of your ears.

"But, I want you to cook it!" Stomping your feet, Agatha's head snapped to meet your eyes, her eyebrows furrowing at the sudden attitude. "You've been here since forever!" You yelled out, your high pitched voice ringing in Agatha's ear before you punched both of your hands on the table—too hard, that the cauldron beside your hand that you didn't notice fell as the side of your hand landed on small table that it was sitting up on.

"Y/n!" Agatha screamed in concern, her hand immediately reaching out for yours to look for any injuries, ignoring the substance that she waited for days to be used flowing on the floor, wetting some of her books.

You pulled away immediately as soon as her hands came in contact with yours, the action making her frown more as the situation hit her like a bus. She was just trying to check on you! Right after you gave her an attitude!

"What the hell is happening to you?" She asked, not yelling, but sounding like a mother scolding her child.

She was overtowering you so you had to stand on your tippy toes as you screamed like a child, yet you still didn't meet her height. "I just want to spend time with you! You've been here for like ages! Am I even your wife?" You said, as if she did something so bad to you.

Frowning even more, she backed up, as if scared of you—a big bear in front of her. "W-what? Baby, it's just been two hours? Why are you acting this way-" She was cut off by your high pitched voice once again booming in the atmosphere.

She was so gentle. God, she was so so gentle, and somehow it made you so pissed even more. You wished she did something bad to you, like cursed you or something so you'll have a good reason to give her this treatment. The same actions she's been dealing with and also trying to make right.

"I'm acting this way because you don't wanna spend time with me!" At the feeling of wetness on her feet, frustration grew inside of her.

"God, can you just give me some space for a couple of minutes, Y/n? I'm almost done here! I told you I'll get back to you immediately, baby." She was scolding you, but god was she so gentle with it. It made your eyes gloss as guilt started to creep up, just as soon as it entered your system, it quickly left when she walked passed you.

"God, Y/n..." You heard her whispered under her breath. Your lips trembled as the floodgates opened, you were left the standing as Agatha left the house, deciding to cool her head off, not wanting to say mean things to you as she felt it resurfacing.

It had happened a couple of times and she was not proud of it, she gave no mercy to anyone whom will cross her, it happened to you once when you fought over something so stupid. She didn't like how she treated you, and even when she has the reason to say those words to you, she will never give herself any consideration for making you feel the way you felt.

You breaking face was enough for her walls crumble, after the last fight, she learned how to handle her anger issues, how to press a stop on her tounge before it can be sharpen towards you, and especially how to deal with bad situations before it can lead to a big fight.

She won't lie, you were immature, she slowly learned that especially when you first started dating, being an only child and getting everything you wanted, but she dealt with it oh so perfectly, helping you improved. Gladly, you did improved, you developed and she was more than proud of it.

She knew she had it in her plate the moment she decided to date someone younger... not just by a course of year, a hundred of years... plus, you were a mortal. A young mortal who still haven't experienced much and learned many. Agatha herself was even surprised with how understanding she had gotten, especially with you.

"Huh..." Realization hit her as she stared into nothingness. She should've known. Gosh, stupid. She was too caught up in making a new antidote for when you would get your allergies at night that she didn't managed to put pieces together.

Of course you had to be on your period to be acting that way.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, before standing up leaving the bathroom. As soon as she left the bathroom, her eyes went on the living room, frowning when she saw the things on the floor, immediately going there and picking it up one by one.

Looking at the television, her lips turned upward before shutting it off. Clutching the plushie in her arms after putting the rest on the couch, she turned and started walking towards the stairs, meeting Senior Scratchy along the way.

Bending down, she picked him up, cradling him in her chest. "Let's go get Mommy, hmm? Gotta make her happy even though she's mean earlier, yeah? But, Mama loves her so much so we gotta be the one to say sorry..." Chuckling as she baby talked the rabbit while making her way to your shared bedroom, where she knows you'll be—she could feel you, she can't be wrong.

Knocking three times softly, putting the plushie beneath her armpit, locking it between her side and biceps. "Mrs. Harkness?" Receiving no response, she opened the door, her eyes immediately dropping down to the human outline underneath the big blanket.

"Someone's got a delivery for you..." She said softly, her voice playful as her eyes raked over your hidden figure. Sitting down on the side of the bed, she put the plushie down and Senior Scratchy beside it. "Darling..." Reaching down, she tugged at the blanket, surprised when it easily went down and revealed your face.

With your hair all over, some covering your face while your cheeks was left with an evidence of tears, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Though, she knows she has no reason to, her heart is reserved to be the softest only for you, even her powers is no good when fighting it.

"Oww, my sweetness." She mumbled, her hands reaching out to gently put your hairs away from you closed eyes. You must've cried yourself to sleep, thinking of the worse and Agatha could only imagine, knowing you, she knows exactly what you thought.

She didn't approached you earlier immediately fearing that you're still mad and upset. She only went to the coffee shop you both loved and refreshen up, losing track of time as her mind wandered off to the things she would love to do with you on the upcoming winter. Even after a fight, her mind always wanders off to you and think of tha many things she'll doo with you and many more memories to make with you.

She always finds herself come running home to you.

"Sweetheart..." You mumbled something she couldn't understand, your head turning to face her unconsciously as you felt her touch. "Baby, I'm here now..." Turning her body so she's sitting on the bed with her feet on it so she could get a better look at you—to touch you better.

Pulling the blanket down even more she craed your face, coaxing you to wake up. Bending down, she left kisses on your face, and slowly you got a hold of your bearings.

"I'm sorry, my love..." She started, still kissing you soflt all over your face whil cradling it with one of her hands as the other went to the back of your head. "Why didn't you tell me you had your period, hmm? I would've come to you sooner, my love..." She continued.

Your lips trembled at the treatment your receiving, every bad thing you were feeling towards her was gone, left only was the guilt of your actions towards her and the longing that makes your heart ache.

"You have me all to yourself now, baby... I'm not leaving, okay?" Now looking straight in your eyes that are filled with tear, she frowned. "Hey, heyyy... come here..." She pulled you up to lay on top of her—more like sit as her back settled on the head board, Senior Scratchy avoiding your feet as he hopped on the other side of the bed.

"Hey, my love... don't cry... we're okay now, yeah? I'll cook you whatever you want for dinner, baby... are you hungry?" She felt you clutching her shirt with one hand as the other went behind beneath her armpit snaking upwards behind her neck.

You shook your head, small sobs and quiet whimpers coming out of you. "I'm sorry, Aggie..." It is so soft and oh so broken, Agatha's insides churn as she held on too tight on you, her lips pressing down on your forehead. "I was mean and I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry... I'm really sorry, Aggie..." You continued.

Agatha's hand caressed your hairs away that kept falling on the side of your face. "Shhh, baby, it's okay... I forgive you, yeah? You were not so kind earlier, but I understand that you were having one of those days. What I didn't like is the way you put your hand down on the table like that... you could've gotten hurt, my darling..." You thought she was going to scold you for acting like that in front of her and towards her, but no, she didn't like that because you could've gotten hurt.

She was worried, not for her but for you. It made tears burn up to your eyes even more as sobs racked through your body. "I'm sorry, Aggie... I won't do it again, I promise..." You felt so disappointed in yourself. She already talked to you about your temper and child-like attitude, having your parents tolerating you for everything is not easy, but she took her time in helping you overcome it.

Hiding your face on her neck, you held on tight on her like your life depends on it. "I'm really sorry, I love you so much..." You said in between of sobs and sniffles.

You felt Agatha's arms encaging you tightly as one of her hand pulls your head away from her neck gently so you could breathe properly. "Hey, hey, I know that, sweetness, and I love you more, right?" She felt you nod and she smiled down at you, finally catching your bloodshot eyes with a little snot escaping your nose. "Now, don't cry because me and Senior Scratchy gets sad when we see you cry..." She smiled so widely at you that it made you let out a small airy giggle.

She doesn't smile often in front of other people, only when it's sarcastic, but with you, it seems like her smile is stuck on her face. And it feels good to see her smile—especially knowing that it's only for you.

"There's my favorite smile..." She mumbled, bending to kiss your forehead as her hand rubbed your back up and down. "How about we go down and cook you something for your tummy, hmm? I'll cut those fuits for you and make you anything you want." She said, her voice almost lulling you to sleep with how soft it is.

"No..." You mumbled, closing your eyes as you take her in. "Just stay like this for 5 minutes..." You continued.

She smiled down at you, her hand continues caressing you head. "Okay, whatever my love wants." She replied back, her smile staying as she looked down at your face, wiping away your tears before bending down to kiss the skin near your eyes.

There's no fight so bloody that she'd back down on just so she could stay with you for forever, but she will gladly concede defeat if it means she get to hold you even for just a minute. There's no mountains so big and ocean so long she wouldn't cross just to get to you.

°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~°^~

Author's Note: Hope you like it! tell me about your thoughts in this one, my requests are open! if you would like me to do another one just tell me mweheheheh, i have so many ideas for Agatha.

[zigrethsnotebook]

Earworm

Ford x Reader

words: 1,946

tags: sfw, fluff, library time

a/n: todays story is brought to you by that stupid mothman song being stuck in my head again. also I refused to look up the lyrics to either song which makes this an accurate portayal of me being annoying when i have a song stuck in my head lmao. enjoy^^

The library was quiet when Ford visited it. He wanted to check whether or not the librarians had, in the 30 years he was gone, finally added some of the cryptozoology books he recommended. So far it wasn't looking very good.

At the very least, cryptozoology had not become its own category. With a sigh he walked over to the regular zoology section to take a closer look. Perhaps they'd only gotten a few and grouped them with other animals?

He looked through the shelves for a couple of minutes. Somehow he had the feeling that they simply hadn't added any of the books. Ford sighed again. He'd go ask one of the librarians, he decided.

There were only three or four other people, most likely students, at the library. Ford made sure to keep his step quiet as he looked around for the person in charge.

Ford turned around a corner and found himself in the science-fiction section. He couldn't see anyone but with it being so incredibly silent, he heard someone quietly hum and sing to themselves.

He followed the sound around another shelf of science-fiction books. With every step towards the sound the words became a little clearer.

"...The years start coming and they don't stop coming. Pack your shoes and then hit the ground running." A moment of silence as the person apparently tried to remember the lyrics, as if the ones they'd sung until now hadn't been wrong as well.

"uh... so much to do, so much to see. So much more than na na nana. You never know if you don't know. You never know if you don't try." By now Ford had turned around the final shelf to find the person he was looking for. He subconsciously rubbed the spot on his neck where the cartoon star sat.

It was the librarian. They were busy putting some returned books back onto the shelves. "Hey, now. You're an All Star. Get your game on. Get paid. Hey, now. You're a rock star. You're a-" "This is a library, you know?"

You jumped when you heard the unfamiliar voice break you out of your trance. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn’t notice you there." You said as you turned to face the man, one hand hovering over your chest to calm your heart rate again.

"But I noticed you. For a library you were singing surprisingly loud." The man had an amused smile on his face while you blushed a deep crimson in embarrassment. "Oh, god. I'm so sorry. Sometimes I forget that I'm singing out loud." A nervous chuckle escaped you.

The man's smile stayed on his face. "Don't worry. Nobody can hear you past the science-fiction section." He pointed behind himself and you knew that he was right. You had worked in the library long enough to know that this corner of the room was the most secluded.

"So, what can I help you with?" You put on a smile yourself, trying to shake off the embarrassment. "Right. I was just wondering. Do you have any books on cryptozoology?" You thought for a moment, the topic not sounding familiar to you.

You shook your head lightly. "I'm sorry, I don't think we do. But I can look in the system for you if you'd like." The man looked slightly defeated as he shook his head as well. "Don't worry about it. I believe you." What a strange man.

"Were you looking for something specific? Maybe I can get you the book you want." You smiled at him, kind of curious yourself what he wanted to read about. His expression lit up just a little.

"That would be great. But I made the same request about thirty years ago and there still aren't any books on the topic." Your lips curled into a soft smirk. "That may be, but I didn’t work here thirty years ago. Just leave it to me."

You led him to the computer at the info counter, leaving the stack of books in the science-fiction section for later. You stepped around, sat in front of the computer and looked up at him expectantly.

"So. What book were you hoping to read?" The man scratched at the back of his neck, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips. "I was more hoping for a few books on the subject generally. I'd like the townsfolk to be able to read up on all, or at least some, of the cryptids that they might encounter."

You furrowed your brows lightly but kept the smile as you suppressed a laugh. "And what should I look out for? Any specific cryptids you had in mind?" You tried so hard to stay professional but the man seemed so serious and his eyes lit up with so much excitement when you asked that, that you were starting to worry for him.

He pulled a red notebook out of his coat pocket and put it on the counter between you two, opening it to a seemingly random page. It showed something that resembled a platypus but was titled 'plaidypus'. You hummed in thought, unsure what to say.

"Well, some of the ones I've seen around here are the Plaidypus, Fairies, Gnomes and Manotaurs." He opened his book to a fitting page for each creature he spoke of. "But again, I'd be happy about anything on the subject. Chances are that most of the creatures live in Gravity Falls anyway."

Another, a little less awkward, chuckle left the man. You nodded, scribbling some of the names on a sticky note for later. "I'll see what I can find. I should be able to get something within about two weeks."

You looked back up at him with a smile. "But I could also just call you once we get some of them in." The man seemed a little embarrassed when he told you that he didn’t have a phone himself. "But you could call the Mystery Shack and ask for Stanford. You should be able to reach me there."

The Mystery Shack, huh? Was this some kind of marketing ploy? You tried to keep your annoyance at the thought out of your interaction. He seemed to be genuine in his request, maybe you were just overthinking this.

Also, somehow the topic had piqued your own interest. You could just get one or two books on the subject and sort them under fiction.

You wrote his instructions down on another sticky note and nodded at him. "Will do! Until then, Stanford." Your smile turned into a little smirk again. Maybe he was lying to you or whatever, but he was also super cute.

You watched the man blush a little as he said his goodbyes and turned to leave. After he had left you let out the laugh you had been holding in, careful not to be too loud about it. This was a library after all.

For the next two hours or so you searched online for books that fit into Stanford's description. Eventually, you went back to what you had originally been doing when the man had interrupted you.

Just under three weeks later you called the Mystery Shack and asked for Stanford. A very gruff voice told you that he was currently out. "Oh, well that's no problem! Just tell him that the library called, he'll know why."

"Sure thing, toots." And with that the man hung up. A little rude, but whatever. You had done your part. After the call you went back to the box of books the library had received. You didn’t need to unpack it to know that his books were in there as well.

So you went ahead and did that now. Putting all the books on the supernatural and cryptids on one pile and everything else on another, much smaller pile. The smaller pile was labeled and put away quickly.

However, you were still unsure what to do with the other ones. Somehow you had forgotten to think of a place for them before they got here. After a few minutes of just staring at the pile you remembered the tiny shelves you kept for new arrivals and such.

You quickly grabbed one of those and printed out some labels with the genre that would be on that shelf. Cryptozoology. Unbelievable that you actually went through with this.

You decided to put the tiny shelf by the bigger ones on regular zoology and then carried the stack of books over there as well. The repetitive work of labeling and sorting the books once again left you not noticing your own quiet singing. Or that the man himself entered the library.

"Believe, believe. Yes, you can! Believe in the power of the Moth-man." Ford could hear your voice before he saw you. A smile immediately formed on his lips.

"Moth-man, Moth-man, I believe in ya. Flying 'round the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. With your bright red eyes and gigantic wings you make me, make me, make me, make me, make me wanna sing."

You only noticed the man standing next to you when Ford laughed at your song. "Wherever did you hear that?" He managed to say between his laughter. You felt once again embarrassed that he caught you singing.

"I just stumbled across the song when I was looking up some of these books. It's really catchy." You smiled up at him. "I can tell." Ford looked over the shelf. You were sitting criss-cross in front of it with the books scattered around you.

"Sorry, I didn’t expect you here so soon." The words barely registered to Ford as the realization hit him, that you actually followed through and got the books. And you even made a special place for them without just saying that's all a lie!

"Thank you." He said as he took one of the books and flipped through it, skimming the pages. It looked like a real book that wasn't making fun of the subject.

Ford was surprised how much of an effect this simple act of taking him seriously had on him. His eyes snapped to you, wide and with wonder. "I didn’t think you'd actually get any of these."

You chuckled, waving him off lightly. "Of course, that's my job. Plus! The way you talked about these creatures got me interested in the subject." You shrugged. "I will probably be the first to read all these books. Next to you, of course."

Stanford was silent for a moment, just staring at you. Just before the silence turned awkward he blurted out a question. "Do you want to eat dinner with me?" Another beat of silence passed and Ford noticed himself how out of the blue the question was.

"I-I mean. I could tell you more about cryptids. And all the creatures that live in Gravity Falls." He stared into your eyes, a slight panic entering his voice as the words tumbled out even faster.

"Because you said you're interested in the subject and I think you're pretty and I found so many of those creatures and could tell you about them and it would be like a date, unless you don't want it to be a date, then we could still just have dinner together and-"

You laughed, interrupting his rambling. Ford's cheeks turned red as you calmed down enough to speak. "I'm sorry for laughing," you said, still chuckling, "I'd love to go on a date with you."

Ford's face lit up and he looked at you with a big smile. "Tonight at 8, then? We could meet at Greasy's Diner?" You nodded, matching his smile. "I'll be there, Stanford."

[k-hotchoisan]

Almost Natural (jongho x fem!reader)

You didn’t know when or how it even started, but you knew how it ended—in the best way possible.

Genres/warnings: slight angst if you squint hard enough, fluff, smut, unprotected sex, it’s soft sex, orgasms, friends to lovers, cream pie

Word count: 3.3K

A/n: for my girl @yourlocaljonghoe who requested a friends to lovers fic w jongho ✨

I gotta be honest with you, I had so much fun writing this! Hope you all enjoy! 🩷

You don’t know when it started, or even how. But you definitely remember how it ended at least.

You and Jongho have been friends for a few solid years, through the thick and thin in college. While the both of your met under pretty eccentric circumstances, somehow the friendship blossomed and the both of you were joined at the hip for the most part—through shitty assignments and shitty dates.

“You know at this point, I think I’d rather die single”, you groan, letting the notebook drop onto your face.

You feel the male above your roll his eyes before he swipes the book off your face. “You’re being dramatic again.”

You shoot up. “No way. Not when half of the men on the dating apps are mid as fuck.”

Jongho scoffs playfully. He’s heard you talk about it at least a hundred times. He thinks the stories you tell him about your horrendous dates are entertaining to say the least.

You sit up, and stare at him intently, causing him to scrunch his eyebrows in confusion.

“What, do I have something on my face?”

“Maybe we should date each other”, you say, your gaze serious. You’re only inches away from his face as Jongho feels his breath stuck in this throat.

His eyes widen and his eyebrows push downwards even more in shock. That only causes you to crack a smile before you throw the pillow at his face, bursting into laughter.

“I’m kidding! Damn, don’t show me an expression like that, like it’s a death sentence to date me.”

“I guarantee it probably is”, Jongho says, dramatically wiping imaginary sweat from his eyebrow, with his eyes wide. He takes a beating from your pillow attacks for a good two minutes after that.

You lay under your sheets, staring up at the dark ceiling, thinking about the words you told Jongho. And you slap your face, giggling over his absurd reaction.

But then a strange thought flashes through your brain.

Have you seriously thought about dating Jongho? It swims in your mind for a spilt second before being drowned out by your screaming rationale. You shake your head, blinking a couple of times. No way. The both of you met under such eccentric circumstances that it turned more platonic than you thought, not that you were complaining. Jongho definitely drew some boundaries and you were fully aware of it.

You turn to your sides, thinking through the type of girl Jongho likes—someone who you weren’t at all, and it eases your mind.

At least, you think it does.

Jongho’s in your place by the afternoon, with a takeaway meal prepared for you. He’s dressed up a little better today.

“Date?” You ask, digging into the meal.

He shakes his head. “Some girl I met from the frat party like three years ago. You know her.”

Oh right, one of the really pretty cheerleader girls who always has her hair up in a bun. For a while now, she’s always been around Jongho, although you always see him draw the boundary. You wonder if she’s his type.

“You’d never know. You might end up kissing her by the night ends”, you tease, pointing the spoon at him.

Jongho rolls his eyes. “I don’t kiss friends.”

You purse your lips, rolling your eyes, not bothering to reply him. It is a definite reminder that that’s were you stood in his life.

And maybe it should stay that way.

“Y/n, you listening?” The male pulls your attention back to where you are. You snap back, with a blank stare, and then a dreaded feeling of guilt bleeds into you. You’ve been so out of it recently. It wasn’t as if the guy who asked you out tonight was a bad guy, which made you feel even more guilty.

You force a smile as you swallow these feelings, and nod. “Yeah, just had a lot on my mind recently.”

“I can tell”, he replies with a soft smile.

You were about to force another small talk, that is, until he cuts in.

“I can also tell when my date has someone else on her mind.”

You bite your lip, the guilt bubbling back up again. But the male before you only gives another reassuring smile. You part your lips to speak once more but he just shakes his head with a smile.

“Ah, I didn’t mean anything bad by that. It’s just you shouldn’t force yourself y’know,” he advises. “He’s obviously been on your mind for awhile. Wouldn’t hurt to confront it at least.”

No, it would probably hurt very much.

By then, your thoughts are flooded with Jongho for some reason. You rest at the ledge of the wooden flooring at stares out to the front yard of the traditional vacation home your friends rented out for a quick get away trip. You stare into the night sky, letting the cool air kiss your cheeks, soaking in the night ambience.

“You’re not joining the rest?” Jongho asks, joining your side, with a beer can in his hand. “Not feeling it for the night”, you reply, hugging your knees. Jongho lets his gaze linger on you for a little longer, before gesturing you to follow him. You get up, wondering what he was up to now.

He guides you around a couple of shrubs, and you only grow more confused.

That is, until you hear a soft mewing sound. Your eyebrows are raised as you follow the sound, and it leads you to a cat, nibbling on a couple of snacks. You squeal as you kneel down to pet it’s head as it continues to eat.

“We found this little guy when we were walking over to the common room just now,” Jongho smiles as he squats as well, letting his fingers brush through the cat’s fur. You giggle as the cat claws at your fingers playfully, then nudging it’s head against your leg.

“How was your date?” He suddenly asks, and you are taken aback by that answer. You blink for a second, trying to come up with an answer. “It went decent, I guess”, you reply curtly, darting back to the cat.

“Is he your type?”

You shake your head. “I don’t think that matters. If I like someone I just do. He was a nice guy though.”

“There is someone else”, you murmur to no one in particular.

The air was silent for awhile. You wonder what Jongho is thinking.

Suddenly the cat meows loudly before bolting away, snapping you out of your thoughts. You and Jongho turn to look at each other for a moment before a rain drop hits your cheek, and then a whole downpour.

The both of you stare at each other like idiots before bursting into laughter, not minding how the rain is soaking the both of you. But there was a unanimous agreement to quickly get the hell out of there, even though you were both enjoying the night shower.

“Gosh it’s so cold. Jongho, help get this off me will you?” You squeak, lifting your hands up. Your top shifts up in the direction of your sleeves, and the lace below is barely visible. Jongho pauses for a moment, he’s lost in thought, looking at the way the drops of water trickle down your spine, the way the hem of your bra is peeking out from your top. His brain is suddenly in a mess now.

“Jongho?” You call out, still with your hands out, slightly shivering from the cold breeze. “It’s getting cold. Could you get me out of this?”

Jongho barely snaps out of his little trance. His fingers are trembling slightly, and he’s so thankful that you’re not facing him to see it, and that it was dim enough. His fingers hook under your shirt, and he lifts it, tugging past your arms, swallowing hard at every inch your top leaves your body, your bra slowly coming into full view. You shiver from the cold, and a sound of a clothing article hits the floor. Before you could make sense of it, a pair of strong arms wrap around you, and your words are suddenly stuck in your throat.

You aren’t imagining this. Jongho’s hugging you? He doesn’t want to let go it seems, so you let him embrace you a little longer. He removes his arms from you, but his hands are on your shoulders as he gently turns you around. He swallows hard, taking in the full view of your chest, the way your lace bra hugs your tits teasingly.

His fingers are under your chin, as he tilts you to meet his gaze. His other arm is at the nape of your neck, the mix of warmth and cold sending shivers down your body.

“Stop me”, he says. And two seconds is all he gives before his lips press onto yours, enough to burn up your whole body solely from the sensation. Your mind is plunged into a realm you’ve never been as you completely melt into his kiss, parting your lips to taste more of him.

Oh god, he tastes so good, even after being drenched in the rain like you were. You swear that it’s enough to warm you up.

You swallow as he pulls back from what felt like forever. Your eyes meet his for a quick second, before darting away.

“I thought you don’t kiss friends”, you said, barely in a whisper.

“I don’t want to be friends”, he suddenly confesses. Your heart is racing and your head is spinning.

You look up to face him. A sudden strong resolve arises in you, and you challenge to take it on, wrapping your arms around his neck as you take him in his lips again. Jongho is stunned for a quick second but recovers instantly, his strength evidently overpowering you, not like it fucking mattered anyway, as he guides you to a deeper part of the house, his kisses slowly become more desperate.

He doesn’t want to soil the futons, so he asks you if the floor is okay. You nod, your gaze never leaving his as you try to catch your breath.

The way his wet shirt clings onto his chest is driving you nuts, with a combination of how he looks with his wet hair combed back. Your hands roam his body and they end up playfully under his shirt, and it makes Jongho jump slightly from the temperature difference but a small smile cracks from him before his gaze switches back to desire and lust. He sighs in pleasure as your fingers swipe his nipples before you lift the shirt over his head. He never liked being half naked around you, or at least anyone he knew, but his body is so beautifully shaped, and it only adds onto the wetness that’s accumulating at your core. You bite your lips as you take a deep breath.

“You look so good Jongho”, you say, your eyes finally tearing away from his abdomen. Jongho attacks your lips with his, and it’s then when you realise that he had unhooked your bra with his fingers, the piece of undergarment dropping onto the floor, now your tits in full view of the male before you. Now it’s Jongho’s turn to gasp softly before helping himself, diving right into them, squeezing, kissing, sucking. Soft moans only egg him on as he flicks your hard nipples, the sensations going right to your pussy.

Before you know it, the both of you are soon fully naked, you’re straddling him and your hands not leaving each other. The way he’s gently rubbing against your clit as you’re stroking his clothed erection. The moans gradually increasing in pitch and loudness.

His hands stop your movement.

“Let me fuck you y/n, please?” Jongho asks with the most prettiest look. You answer—by wrapping your arms around his neck once more, swiping his bottom lip as you before pulling away. You move away before tugging his boxers off—and his really girthy cock springs out, red, hard and leaking. You wonder if it’ll fit. But only one way to find out.

You go back to straddling him, letting your wet cunt slide against his cock with your wet slick and his precum. A gasp leaves his lips, his fingers are gripping your hips. Seeing him so hot and bothered actually amuses you—you like the way he’s trying to rut into your cunt while getting lost in the pleasure of his cock rubbing against your pussy. But he becomes impatient.

“Please, y/n. I’m fucking dying to be inside you right now”, Jongho whines, holding everything back as much as he could.

The mischievous smile that spreads across your face soon is replaced by an almost fucked out one the moment you let him enter your pussy. He stretches you out so fucking good. It hurts so fucking good. The way he’s planting kisses all over your chest to ease any discomfort only sent more butterflies in your stomach because he was so fucking gentle. He pushes in each inch, and at every inch, your mind hazes.

“Jjong…so good. Oh god you’re so big”, you almost cry as you sink right to the hilt. Jongho is dazed, feeling the way your warm walls hugging his cock so well. He swears he’s never getting used to this because he wants to feel it over and over again. His breathing is going ragged as he fights from just wanting to just fucking cum in your tight and warm cunt.

“So warm, so good”, he hums it like a mantra, kissing your neck, it feels like he’s leaving a trail blaze from how warm his lips feels. You start slowly lifting your hips, the feeling of his fat cock just dragging along your walls as you slowly pull out is enough to drive you up the walls. Jongho doesn’t wait to push you back down on his cock, and a broken cry leaves your lips, your cunt filled up by Jongho’s cock. It doesn’t take long for him to start making you bounce on his cock and it’s sending the both of you dancing on the tip of euphoria—alongside the moans and the wet sounds of skin slapping. Oh you were so glad no one else is back yet.

Jongho, for a moment gets mesmerised by the way your tits fucking bounce it turns him on so much that you whimper at the way he grows slightly bigger in you. Your eyes and mind were in the heavens, because the next moment you know it, he has you on the floor, staring right at him with glazed eyes and teary eyes.

Your hands tighten around his arms as he fucks into you so good, and he hikes your legs up onto his shoulder as he drills his cock deeper into you, sending you deeper into the realms of pleasure and just Jongho.

You’re only mumbling “so fucking good. feels so good”, decorated by louder whines and moans. Jongho is complete entranced by you—the way you look so beautiful when being fucked, the way you’re whining, head only filled with him, him, him. He has never felt this feeling of possession before, and it’s almost addicting, especially when he’s balls deep into you.

“I’m cumming”, Jongho announces softly as he folds you, leaning in to give you a deep kiss, eating ever single moan, cry and praise that leaves your lips as your cunt flutters around his cock, and he paints your sore hole deep with his cum, whispering “I like you so much, y/n. I like you, I like you”, over and over, overlaying his broken moans.

The both of you stay on the floor like that for a moment, before he removes himself off you, but he doesn’t pull out yet. He stabilises himself, trying not to move you too much, so his cum doesn’t leak out onto the floor board (it still does), and carries you into the shower with him, you’re still recovering from your high.

Once in the bathroom, he pulls out of you slowly, and your hands slowly release from his neck. Jongho helps to clean you out and the both of you take the shower together, albeit in silence, which was anything but awkward.

You’re huddled on his chest, snuggled under the warm futons. For a guy who never really liked physical intimacy, he sure doesn’t seem to mind having you in his arms like this.

“How long did you like me?” You suddenly ask. Jongho turns to you.

“I think I only realised it recently. Like it came to me almost naturally. I realised I don’t think I could imagine myself being with anyone else other than you”, he replies. “You?”

You giggle at his answer.

“Yeah. I think it really came naturally”, you reply. “I love you, Jongho”.

His eyes are closed, as exhaustion lures him into slumber. But he slips a couple of words out.

“I love you too.”

[bonus—first encounter]

Freshman year, you were at a party, laughing and giggling with your friends at a comfortable corner. One of them asked you, “anyone caught your eye yet?” You rolled you eyes and said no.

“It’s barely a month in college and you’re already asking me that?” You questioned, taking a sip of your drink. Your friend shrugged with a smirk as she downs her drink, before excusing herself to use the washroom. She left you by yourself, not that you didn’t mind because you distracted yourself with your phone,

That was, until someone distracted you.

You look up at the male before you, priding a letterman jacket already. You don’t even remember his face now if you tried because all he did imprint on you was that he was an absolute creep, asking you for your number and attempting to make shitty small talk. You were darting your eyes, too tired and too annoyed to entertain him, only looking up at him for 0.4 seconds to plaster a fake smile before flickering your gaze to somewhere else as he continued to run his mouth.

“Are you here with anyone, pretty?”

Your wandering gaze ended up landing on a male, who, despite him being in a group of his own friends, didn’t seem to be talking. What luck, he wasn’t too far away from you either. He definitely heard everything.

Another fake smile plastered to the unknown and forgotten male before you, and your arms link to the other male beside you, as you pull him close to you. His eyes are blown in shock as he darted his gaze to the other male’s face, then to yours.

You don’t give him a chance to speak as you haphazardly link your fingers with the stranger beside you and lifted the intertwined hands with a smile. “With my boyfriend.”

The male before you scoffed and rolled his eyes before leaving the both of you alone. You were about to let go of his hand and curtly explain but then-

“You lying ass bitch!” You friend cackled as she pointed to your linked fingers. “I saw that shit. I though you weren’t dating anyone y/n?”

You were about to open your mouth to talk until you noticed the male staring daggers right at you. You inhaled, before wrapping your arm around his. The poor male being dragged in hasn’t even said a damn thing. “Yeah I am. That’s why I said no!”

You noticed that his friends were beginning to echo whispers as they glanced over at their friend as well.

She turned to him, and eyed him up and down. “What’s his name?”

You eyes meet his, and your heart pounded in your ears. Please, just play along, random stranger. At least until he’s not looking at me like that anymore.

The male beside you is the one who eyed you this time, and he seemed to have read your expression, albeit the whirlwind of confusion you thrusted him in. The side parting of his soft, brown hair blew gently under the shitty air conditioning, and his brown eyes stared back at you—at first in disbelief and confusion, before the switch to a hint of mischief. As he spoke, his gaze never left yours.

“Jongho. Choi Jongho.”

[sehodreams]

sex money feelings die - first visit

the start ↬ first visit ↬ second visit

WC: 2.6k

TW and Tags (permanent for the story): rich client!Anton x stripper!reader, smut, fluff (?), a touch of angst for the moment, inexperienced reader, fingering, kissing, lots of silly conversations.

Summary: Working at a night club was difficult in many aspects, your sleep schedule was messed up for life, your feet were more used to high heels than sneakers and you had to lie about where you went to work those nights. Still, even with all those cons, you didn't hate your job, you had more than enough to pay your bills, feed your brother and save money for his college. However, what happens when your boss makes you do the one thing you asked to never do.

When you arrived to the dressing room your anxiety won over you and you practically inhaled the granola bar Sungchan had gifted you, thanking him in your mind because if you hadn’t tasted something sweet, you would’ve cried right there in front of all the girls that had just arrived.

Anton Lee, Anton Lee, Anton Lee.

Your mind kept repeating his name like a stuck cassette. You knew him, everyone knew him, he was the highest payer and religiously came every Friday. It was impossible to not recognize him in the crowd even between the numerous young guys and expensive suits.

He was one of the few customers the girls actually fought for, leaving big bills and sharing his expensive bottles with the people that kept him company through the whole night.

You’ve danced for him a couple times, and he was completely hot, sometimes leaving you all flustered with how his eyes inspected you when you moved, but you never maintained a decent conversation him, even less accepted one of his drinks, always rejecting him with a smile and calling the other girls with more experience to entertain him, like Shotaro had said to the group, he was important and the place would suffer if he left, because just like a guide, his posh friends would leave with him too, so everyone had to entertain him with the best.

‘’What’s going on in that little head?’’ Sungchan asked behind you, following you to the VIP room Anton booked every time he visited.

‘’Just that I should’ve choose a simpler set today, you know him, he likes the innocent type’’ you sighed. All the girls that spent the night beside him wore soft makeup and light lingerie, while you preferred the smokey look you had learned when you started and bought the darkest tones for your looks. You were wearing your typical black set when you remembered what he liked, but you didn’t feel like changing just for him, your dark image was part of you there, and you wouldn’t leave who you were behind just because he wanted you to be his personal company.

You played with the tie of with your black robe, still feeling a kind of shyness you knew was silly to have at that point, but that was always there, following you every time you stopped being you and became the confident girl collecting man hearts like cards your clients knew.

‘’You look as gorgeous as always, angel’’ Sungchan said trying to calm you down. You were sure he didn’t know what Shotaro had ordered you to do, he’d never smile and let you enter that room otherwise.

You chuckled. ‘’Why do all of you still call me angel?’’, you were curious, months had gone by and they all called you the same nickname, not that you minded, but it seemed to come so easy for them to say that word, and maybe when you were a waitress it made sense, you used to wear the uniform like a good girl, shirt covering you to the neck and light makeup that made you stand out in the dramatic place full of neon lights, loud music and drunk people, but now that you had the aura of belonging there under your heavy makeup and your provocative outfits, you didn’t understand why they continued calling you like that.

‘’Once an angel, always an angel, doesn’t matter how you look now, you’re still the same good girl walking around.’’

Your eyes almost got wet, how could he say that so easily? if only he knew what you were about to do inside that room, you were sure he’d never call you that again.

‘’Thank you Sungchan’’ you said when he opened the door for you, and after walking in and looking back he mouthed a silent I’ll be here to then close it behind you.

Anton was already there, and unlike other days, none of his friends were on his side.

You thanked God, at least he had the decency to do his business in private.

No sound came out of your mouth when you saw him. He was gifting you his typical sweet smile, confident and elegant, his lips pushing a delicate curve on the end of his smile, cat like and a touch mischievous. You couldn’t give him the same smile, and maybe he waited for you to talk first, because when he saw you wouldn’t his smile flattered a little.

‘’Good afternoon’’ he finally said. His voice was soft, sure he never had to be loud before, you thought about it before, how he and his friends had that gentle tone when they asked for things until they got drunk, getting to the conclusion that they never had to demand loudly anything since their wishes were constantly being heard by the people around them, people that served them.

Now you were one of them too and that realization made you uncomfortable.

The warm and mature fragrance of his cologne filled your lung, not helping your nerves calm at all, and when the room started to feel hotter, you opened your robe with the hope of gaining some of the imaginary confidence you always had on stage. Your eyes never left his while you did it, slowly letting it slide under your arms until it fell to your feet, and when you saw his throat gulp and his eyes flutter, you wished you hadn’t wasted your favorite black lacy set with little gold details on him, because he seemed to enjoy it a bit too much.

Shotaro had asked you to wear something more comfortable since you weren’t supposed to dance, so you grabbed the old stilettos you used to wear while serving drinks, and since they were less high than usual you thought it would be less tempting, but the combination of them with your black stocking made your legs look a lot more seductive and less intimidating to him, having the contrary effect without you noticing.

You advanced to him and he uncrossed his legs to welcome you over his lap with much pleasure.

Before going in you had decided you’d give him the most boring and bland sex of his life so he never felt the need to call you alone, and if it was fast, it wouldn’t hurt that much, right? You wanted to end it as fast as you could and go home to shower again, having for complete the night, with the hope of forgetting him, and he forgetting you, for your next shift.

Your hips timidly moved over him and his hands found your waist almost immediately, letting them rest over the naked skin between the pieces of cloth with a lot more confidence than you, watching you move over him with apparent knowledge. To be honest, your experience was completely amateur, having fucked only one guy one time, you tried to think in the many choreographies you had practiced and the numerous adult videos you watched, with the goal of getting him aroused and quickly finishing the job.

‘’So beautiful’’ he appreciated, making you press your nails in your palms. The granola bar you pushed in your throat minutes ago to calm your anxiety started to revolve inside your stomach, making your forehead sweat of nervousness. You should’ve remembered to not eat before that because every time you felt that kind of tension you felt yourself about to puke, but now it was too late, and he could easily see your discomfort all over your face. ‘’Are you okay?’’ he asked preoccupied, hands not pressing as hard as before and stopping you instead.

‘’Yes, sorry, let’s continue’’ you apologized, trying to go back to the activity you had started of moving your hips to lure him.

It didn’t work, soon you really felt yourself about to gag and jumped away from his body to not puke over his designer shirt, sitting next to him in the large velvet couch.

He grabbed one of the water bottles that were neatly arranged over the little table next to him and opened it for you, putting in your hand to then pat your back just like mothers did to their kids.

You drank half the bottle and he laughed.

‘’You’re so funny.’’

Your eyebrows frowned, what did he mean with funny? He was supposed to find you ravaging, fuck you and leave you after getting what he wanted, not to see you as his comedy relief when disgust bashed you. Well, wasn’t that supposed to happen? But he was there, next to you, laughing and patting your back to stop your nauseas.

‘’I didn’t think you would want your company tonight to be funny’’ you said almost angry.

He stopped laughing and, feeling the indignation coming out of your mouth, agreed with you to not offend you anymore.

‘’Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, I just wanted to know you better in privacy’’. He seemed to understand you, but how could he? He was the one who put you in that situation, and just as fast as you felt bad for using a rude tone with him, you felt yourself getting heated again.

Suddenly a song started playing and the neon lights reflected lines around you two. They blinded him for a second, not used to them as much as you, while you felt a sense of comfort finally cooling your angriness.

Exhaling a long second your frown fell and, even with the sexy song sounding through the speakers, the provocative energy of the place couldn’t reach you anymore, making the silence between you two too torturous to start again.

‘’My name is Anton, Anton Lee’’ he said, trying to break it.

‘’You know how to call me’’ You never used your real name inside the local, every girl had a stage name that used with the clients and yours had been assigned by Shotaro.

He wanted to call you angel at first, just like everyone did, but you didn’t want to have such a pretty and innocent name when you were about to take your clothes off.

‘’I see’’ he wanted to hear your real name, but he knew you wouldn’t give it to him so easily. The expectations for tonight were more about hearing you talk about what you liked and what you did like you did with your regulars, he had concluded from all your rejections that you would never give him what he wanted just like that, that’s why he got surprised when you walked to him so decided, not that he hadn’t liked to see such a pretty girl open her robe and walk to him with such intense eyes, it was one of the hottest things he had ever seen in his life, but not what he intended for his first night with you. ‘’I think angel fits you more, if you don’t mind me calling you that, I’ve heard how the others do it.’’

Working there you had received all kind of requests from men, to asphyxiate them with your tits, to spit on their faces, one even asked you to kick him in the balls, but somehow, they were a lot easier to answer than this one.

To accept or not, you didn’t know what to do. It was just a nickname, not even your real name, and still fell it too personal to say yes.

‘’It’s okay if you don’t want to, but I would like to hear your thoughts about it at least, I really want to know you better.’’

‘’I don’t get it, what do you mean with know me better?’’ He smiled, happy to finally hear you talking with him without being angry or cutting.

‘’I’ve heard you talking with your regulars, and it seemed like you have many things to say.’’

You frowned. ‘’Do you mean how I talk with them about what food and music I like?’’

‘’Yes, exactly that, I just want to hear about you, what you like, what you hate, what you care about, what you don’t care about, anything.’’

‘’That’s really vague, I don’t know what about me could be interesting to you.’’

His eyes searched around the room trying to find anything to talk about without you sounding desperate to escape from.

‘’Maybe, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you about to throw up over me?’’

You glared at him, ‘’I do mind, no thank you.’’

Baffled with your answer but still amused he shook his head with a smile, ‘’I see, well, thank you for telling me.’’

For the first time since you entered that room, you laughed and felt relaxed beside him.

You didn’t mean to, but even you found funny how he accepted everything you said when it was supposed to be the other way around, you should be the one saying yes to everything he said, but here you were, bitterness filling your mouth with every sentence that came out of it, and his answering with honeyed words.

The way your eyes closed, and your lips pressed to not show your teeth was the most adorable thing he had seen from you directed to him. He had always been envious of your regular clients and how they always got to see you giving them your attention while dancing for them.

He hated to go out of the VIP room, the place reeked like cheap perfume and national cigarettes, odors he wasn’t used to in his little perfect world, and you preferred that space to the room full of bottles that costed more taxes than the whole drink menu. How did he end in that place? Even he can’t remember it exactly, he just recalls one of his friends telling him he had found really pretty girls coming here, and even if the clients weren’t as exclusive as him, your coworkers were all gorgeous enough to work in any other place they wanted, except that, just like he had discovered not long ago, not many places offered as much security like this one.

He had seen other clubs a lot more upscaled than this corner, but none of them watched their girls as much as this place, and most of them were brothels too, so he kind of guessed why all those pretty girls, including you, preferred this place to those snob clubs.

With his happy grin he exhaled after making you laugh, proud of himself.

The pleasant harmony didn’t last long, soon one of the security guys that always followed you opened the door, interrupting the moment that had just started to become enjoyable for you too.

‘’Time’s up’’ Sungchan said with the serious and strong face he showed to all the clients, so they didn’t mess with him.

The neon lights were replaced by the yellowish warm one of the chandelier above you two, music over thanks to the button outside he pressed when the time finished, to signal that you had to leave for your next client or show. He did it so the clients didn’t force you to stay, and you usually followed him immediately, but this time you didn’t know what to say or do, you weren’t sure if to tell him that you hadn’t started yet or how to tell him that Anton had paid for your company the whole night without sounding suspicious.

At the end you didn’t need to.

‘’Time’s up’’ Anton repeated.

‘’But we haven’t…’’ before you continued, he smiled at you and nodded.

‘’Until next time’’

Shotaro gave you that night what you usually did in an entire week.

the start ↬ first visit ↬ second visit

[whentherewerebicycles]

2024: a year in books

FIRST, some general reflections on reading this year.

my original goodreads goal for the year was 70 (increased to 80 sometime in the late summer) and my total books read for the year was 87! i did count four or five fics early on in the year towards that total, but my rule of thumb is that they have to be 70k+ and they have to "feel like" a novel (a seemingly arbitrary designation but one that makes sense to me lol. not every long fic feels like a novel!). every year i go back and forth on whether i should only count published fiction towards my goodreads goal, but idk, if i am reading hundreds of pages of a single work i feel like it should count.

during the pandemic and just after i skewed heavily towards nonfiction, for whatever reason. in the last couple years, but especially this year, i've really swung back to reading novels and it has been GLORIOUS. god i love STORIES!!!!! i stayed up way past my bedtime reading many times this past year and often felt like i was recapturing that breathless exhilaration i associate with reading in childhood. what a wonderful way to feel!!

I gave in, fully, to reading on my kindle this year. this was initially out of necessity (first i couldn't hold a physical book because of my carpal tunnel syndrome, and then i couldn't hold a physical book while feeding a baby). but i also have to admit that it is easier to replace a phone addiction with another screen, and the kindle at least is a screen free from notifications that allows me to read with total focus for many hours. i also find it easier to quickly acquire ebooks (through [mumble mumble] means) which means i can start reading a book mere minutes after someone recommends it to me. it's also way easier to have a bunch of stuff queued up so that i know that the next thing is waiting for me. i also like that with ebooks i don't know how long they are, so i have sometimes ended up reading books that were much longer than i expected (which sometimes i avoid doing if i'm not sure a super long book will be "worth it" in the end). so idk. lots of things to like about ebooks and i think this was the year i finally saw the light on that front.

HOWEVER i do worry about my turn towards ebooks a little bit because i want my kid to see me reading voraciously, and i worry that seeing your mom staring at a screen all the time is not going to have quite the same effect as seeing her read books all the time. i mean all you have to do is ride the bus or stand in line at the grocery store or sit in a doctor's office if you want to see every single adult around you staring at a screen lol. so that's something i want to think about in 2025. maybe i can deliberately try to mix it up a bit, like trying to ensure that a certain percentage of books read are physical books or something. and i can think about other ways to incorporate lots of conversations about reading into our daily lives as he gets older. i will have to think about that some more!

reading is just so good.... it's so so so so so much better than scrolling on my phone... but even though i was reading at a rapid clip this year and regularly experiencing the AAAAA NOVELS ARE SO GOOD high, i still had weeks and months where i'd get out of the habit and then it would be really, really challenging for me to get back into it. so the solution is to just never stop, lol. but like for real. i think the solution is to just make nightly + weekend reading so integral to my routine that i don't even have to make a decision to pick up a book. i also found that in moments where i was stuck this year, it was really helpful to reread old favorites to get myself restarted. reading something i already knew i was going to love helped me get back into the saddle and gave me some time to start looking for my next new book. so yeah just want to remember that!

i really discovered the pleasures of rereading this year... i used to very rarely reread except for my All-Time Faves because there are so many books out there and i didn't want to waste time on stuff i had already experienced. but that is silly. it is an immense pleasure to reread books, even ones that you just thought were Quite Good the first time around and not All-Time Faves. there is always something new there, and there is a particular kind of pleasure in reading a book already knowing how things are going to unfold. so! i might also reread more next year. we'll see.

next up: my faves from the year.

[cripplecharacters]

Feel free not to answer this question as it's more a research-type question, I'm just not sure how to go about finding what I need: do you happen to know any fiction books with portrayals of medium to high support autistic people that are considered realistic and positive? All I can find is rep of low support autistic ppl (unless it's in semi-educational children's books) and it's making it harder to figure out how to write medium to high support autistic ppl myself.

Hello!

When I was diagnosed, it was before the levels were used (Or at least before they were used where I lived). I suspect that I would be considered 'level one autistic' today but would likely have been 'level two', bridging into 'level three' as a child. This is all just to explain my perspective with this.

That being said, here are some of my recommendations:

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern

I just finished this book earlier today and while it isn't specifically about autistic characters, it does feature several autistic characters with high support needs as well as other disabled characters. The book is written from the perspective of two characters, one of which is developmentally disabled (Belinda). Although her disability is never specified, I do see a lot of autistic traits in Belinda. The premise of this book is a bit heavy. It's about two characters (Who are not disabled) who end up volunteering at a centre for adults with developmental disabilities. One of the things I appreciated about this book was how well rounded the characters are. Each of them has their own stories, interests, and ideas. I also like how it discussed sex and relationships in the context of people with developmental disabilities. Something to note is that this does have some sensitive topics such as ableism, sexual assault, and bullying. It is also written by a parent of an autistic child but, as far as I'm aware, the author herself is abled. I did have some conflicted feelings about specific parts of it but I'll leave that for you to make your own decisions about. Target Audience: Young Adult

How to Speak Dolphin by Ginny Rorby

I also read this book recently and I personally really disliked it. There were several scenes that made me feel very gross and I found that the autistic character was dehumanized very often. One line that stuck with me was another character about a blind character, essentially saying, "I thought she was going to drown herself. If I was blind, that's what I would do." Although the character does get to know the blind character and changes her mind, it really felt awful to read and seemed so unnecessary -- especially given the target audience. The way it talks about blindness in general bugs me. That being said, I have seen several autistic people recommending the book (Which was why I read it in the first place) so I'll include it here anyways since my opinion seems to be in the minority around this book. Target Audience: Elementary/Middle Schoolers This is a brief review from another autistic person. [Link]

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

This book centers around Nova, a young autistic girl with high support needs. Nova is a foster child who is missing her older sister and the story is told through a mix of narrative, letters to Nova's sister, and flashbacks. It's been a while since I've read this book but I remember really enjoying it (And maybe crying a little bit too). The author is autistic herself and also consulted many other autistic people with a variety of experiences, which I appreciated. Target Audience: Middle Schoolers This is a more in-depth review on the book from a reader who (I believe) is also autistic. [Link]

These are also a couple books that I've seen recommended but can't personally recommend as I haven't read them myself yet:

Real by Carol Cujec

Remember Dippy by Shirley Reva Vernick

I know it's not very much but hopefully it's enough to get you started! If anyone has any recommendations for anon, feel free to mention them in the notes.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[ceilidho]

Do you have any advice for a novice writer who can’t for the life of them figure out how to begin a story and/or scene? I’ve been slowly working on a novel in my free time for the last couple of years, and I feel like I have a decently solid plot and outline, but every time I go to start the actual process of putting words on paper I always get stuck. I’ve gone back and read the first few pages/chapters of other fantasy books to see how published authors do it, but I can never seem to find the right words or starting point that feels authentic and fitting to my own work. It always feels so clunky and out of place, and although I try to follow the ‘rule’ of starting the story in the middle of the action/a moment of change so that it doesn’t feel boring, nothing I come up with seems to help things flow into the beginning of the plot :/

ugh that's hard because actually forcing yourself to write is truly the hardest part. a lot of it is just nerves. like genuinely you're just experiencing stage fright.

that's why i love using tumblr as a micro-writing platform. when i make stupid little posts here, it feels low effort and i don't attach any anxiety to it, and actually that helps a lot when later on i take bits and pieces of stuff i've written here and add it to larger works (if you were following me when I was actively writing "landscape with honey" or "superstore" you'll remember i took a lot of asks that i'd already answered and just shoved them into the fic).

i highly recommend making a word cloud or vocabulary list for yourself if you're trying to cultivate a specific atmosphere as well. i have one on my phone for random words that i want to use.

then i think it might be helpful for you to try and break it down piece by piece. like if you have a scene where a character is packing a suitcase in order to catch a train, just focus on the first part where they're packing their belongings. there isn't a 'right' way to start a story or write something, so don't beat yourself up because the paragraph/sentence doesn't match perfectly what's in your head. the first draft is always going to be rough as well.

try to think of it like when an artist starts a piece. usually they start with simple shapes that they slowly add on to. you can think of your first draft kind of like this:

(image source)

[my-stories-vault]

Part 2 ~ Love and War.

Pairing: Dean Winchester X Y/N Singer; American Dean Winchester X English Y/N L/N; American Dean Winchester X American Y/N L/N; English Dean Winchester X English Y/N L/N

Blurb: You must've read a lot of enemies-to-lovers, let me show how someone can be your lover and enemy . . .

Warnings/Trigger Warnings (18+): language, gore, major and minor character deaths, break up, major angst, surprise ending, the Supernatural Wars (TSW) spoilers.

Song Inspiration: Love and War by Fleurie.

Challenge: This chapter is a surprise ending and a connecter to my three series, the Supernatural Wars, Purgatory Series, and another one that's in the works right now (find those stories from the links below)! The first chapter can be read as a standalone one-shot, but this chapter will have to be read as part of the series. Hope you enjoy 🥰❤️!

{ Series Masterlist ; Main Masterlist }

Love and War: Purgatory Bonus.

Sitting in the library, my ass felt like it had been stuck with a superglue to the chair; it almost hurt to sit in now.

I could've gotten up, fetched a good whiskey, and paced around a little; probably hit the training center or the garage or the gun range - anything that would prove soothing after the long day this was turning out to be - anything that could get me out of this goddamn research, out of wallowing in my misery.

See, we had a couple of teensy-weensy problems on our hands.

Firstly, we had been thrown into another frying pan that kids liked to call the apocalypse these days.

Secondly, monsters seemed to be turning up all over our radars these past few days, and almost all the hunters in America were running on back-to-back cases to save people. Something that even Sam and I had been doing when we found her.

Which makes my third point: Y/N.

So, she was basically this girl we found on the roadside, lying unconscious in the middle of nowhere; wearing ripped clothes, her skin smattered with bruises and scratches that made me think that she had gone ten rounds with a wild cat - whose personality she seemed to match. But here's what got our panties in a twist: she didn't remember anything sans her name.

She shouldn't have been a clinch in our plans to take up the Rugaru case up in the north, but here came the clinch.

I've seen her before. In Purgatory.

Hell, I've done more than "seen" her before. I've loved her. I've gotten my heart ripped out by her. And here she stands - without any recollection of what she did, or how she got here. Without realizing that she's the Brit who saved my life.

She had come adorning my amulet - a replica of what I had years ago. We didn't how she got it, she didn't know how she got it.

But, frankly, it didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that she has been messing with my goddamn mind since the first fucking moment she met me.

Now that I've finally found her again, I've promised myself that I wouldn't go through that again - I wouldn't let her go. There was something inside me that told me that if I lost her today, I would have to grieve her.

And I can't do that. Not again.

I was brought out of my reverie when a storming and determined Y/N rushed out with Sammy on her heels.

'Whoa, whoa, easy there,' I stood up with my hands raised.

She stopped dead in her tracks as if caught doing something illegal.

'What's going on?'

'She wants to go after Rowena,' Sam explained from behind her, towering over her.

'What, why?'

'I want to know what happened to them, Dean,' her accent bled into her voice, too strong - unlike the accent she had phased out or rather tried to, over the years when she lived in Purgatory but coming back here seemed to have brought it back full force.

'You lost me.'

She sighed as if speaking to an insolent kid. 'The book Rowena gave me. It contained a story of—of a far-away kingdom, two lovers, and seven regions. And . . . I just need know what happened to them! The pages where the end should be are missing!'

The gears in my mind turned. We had called Rowena after Castiel mentioned how her memories weren't gone by fluke - but it had been devised that way by someone. The only creatures powerful enough to do that were the witches, hence, the call to a certain redhead.

She handed Y/N the book to keep her entertained while she investigated the "subject" (in Rowena's words, even though I told her not to call Y/N that). A book that Y/N refused to return when Rowena left - the witch just waved it off by saying that she'd collect it when she came back with a solution for Y/N's amnesia.

Before I could formulate a response, Y/N was already rushing up the stairs.

'Hold on, you're not going anywhere!' I demanded, wondering how the hell she was even going to find the damn witch.

Moreover, it had been years since I last saw her, and yet, she seemed to be the only woman who seemed to put a smile on my face and ease on my heart. I can't see letting her go without, at least, some fucking explanation.

'Y/N, you don't have your memories yet. We don't know what dangers lie ahead of you if you leave this place.'

'I know, Sam,' she exclaimed, standing a few steps higher from where Sam and I were at the bottom of the metal staircase that led us outdoors. 'But I can't shake this feeling out of my head. I feel like I lived this story. I can't sleep until I've found out the climax of this book!' Not waiting for us to recover, she turned toe and climbed up the steps two at a time.

We followed suit, my annoyance with her stubborn recklessness burgeoning - why was she always like this?

'Whoa, I'm not ready to play "Finding Dory"! You're not walking out of here - end of discussion.'

My hand reached out to her elbow, brushing against the scar her shirt's sleeves weren't long enough to cover.

And what happened next was too fast that it almost didn't register with me.

She gasped, all the air rushed out of her; her eyes misting over and fading under the white sheet that seemed to draw over her outstanding e/c irises; and then her head lolled forward, her body free-falling - almost hitting the ground but my reflexes made me hold her.

Her head hit my chest over my heart with a soft thud, and her limbs lost all their energy as she went limp in my arms. Her eyes closed just as my voice called her name out in panic.

Oh, this cannot be happening to me right now!

Y/N bolted on the bed, seemingly overwhelmed with the events that had unfolded. I knew this was a bad idea as soon as it had been suggested.

My fingers automatically found hers, latching on as if my life depended on her (it did).

'Darlin', you okay?' the depths of my concern were endless, and my heart threatened to burst past my ribcage like in the cartoons - but just slightly more fatal to my health.

'Dean,' she breathed out shakily, her eyelids fluttered open and her shoulders slouched as she leaned forward to rest in my arms.

I held her gratefully, breathing out through my nose in relief; my lips brushed on her forehead.

'Dean, darling, oh, my God.'

'What is it?' I pulled back, trying not to let the panic cloud my thinking. 'How can I help?'

She shook her head, gazing in my eyes with so much hurt.

Suddenly, she jutted forward, landing her lips on mine in a shocking yet I-will-die-if-I-do-not-do-this manner. My eyes widened before they closed in submission, letting her take the lead as my hands found purchase on either side of her waist.

Sebastian cleared his throat awkwardly, 'Still here, you know.'

Y/N pulled away gasping like a fish out of water, gulping as red flooded her face. 'I'm sorry, Mr. Slay.'

He chuckled, 'No worries, Y/N. Did you get it?'

She nodded, her haphazard hands producing two necklaces she went to the alternate universe for.

One necklace was a sign of the secret relationship and love, given by a Dean to a Y/N, and the other necklace was an amulet.

There was only one another universe where Y/N and I's namesakes and lookalikes were royalty - there were more royal couple like ours, but some had different names, or different birthmarks, or something or the other that differed.

There was only one other royal couple like ours, and we needed their symbols of love for this case.

Something that required Y/N to bend through space and time with the assistance of a redheaded witch, an angel I could not find myself trusting, and a few more odds and ends.

I would have been against it had it not been Y/N's only chance of surviving against Michael, the archangel whose vessel I was supposed to be, but Y/N won't let me say "yes".

As grateful as I am to her for protecting me, I don't like the fact that this involves teaming with other factions.

'Can I?' Seb stepped forward with a tentative hand extended.

She handed it over, 'Please, be careful . . . I can't go through that again.'

He smiled softly, exchanging a look with me, 'I will be. You should sleep the jet-lag off, Y/N.'

The room vacated and I finally turned to her, her breathing just now starting to even out. Brushing a strand out of her face, I smiled softly at the love of my life.

'Are you okay?' I repeated.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she swallowed the mythic lump gathered in her throat. 'Do you . . . do you know what happened?'

I pursed my lips, 'Rowena gave me a rundown.' I grimaced, 'I heard the other Royal couple died - I can't imagine it might have been fun for you, my love.'

'It wasn't,' she pouted, looking really upset. She sniffled, 'It wasn't . . . It wasn't that I just went there, I hitched a ride in the Y/N's of the other Universes.'

'Universes? Plural?'

She nodded, pulling my hand till she had maneuvered me around her body - up and out of my chair and lounging behind her on the bed; my legs tangled with hers, arms tightening around what I now understood was a shivering frame, and she settled against my chest with her head laid down over my heart. She took a few moments as my fingers carded through her open locks.

She kissed my chest, making my heart skip a beat despite so many times she'd done it.

'Well, first, I went to that Royal Universe like we planned - I-I-I didn't even remember myself or who I was when I was there,' she shuddered. 'It was only until that other woman died because of that arrow . . . did I come alive in her body, until then I was trapped in the back of her mind like some damn demon possession gone right?' She shook her head, 'I don't even know.'

'Did it hurt? Dying?'

'A bit,' she sniffled, 'didn't feel most of it - but what was worst was seeing you dead - died in my fucking arms!'

'I'm not going anywhere,' I whispered into her hair, my arms constricting further like shrinking steel bands.

She made herself smaller, slinging her legs over my thighs till she was sitting on my lap and burying her face into the crook of my neck, breathing my scent in till she had calmed down more.

'Anyway,' she cleared her throat when she had found her voice again, her words muffled against my neck and tickling me a bit - but I closed my eyes and relished the feeling.

'I had asked Rowena for a failsafe. Told her to keep an eye on me - whichever world I went into. So, she protected me as much as could there, protected me from some damn Phantoms, or something. I killed Gordon, I think - everything's so hazy like I'm missing a key detail. Then . . . when I could have probably died with how weary and bled out that vessel had grown, she transported me to another universe.

'I don't know why this one in particular. But it was one where there was this American hunter - you, and Sam - and you looked at me like I had done something to you! Like you missed me or something . . . Obviously, my brain had been fried to the point where I couldn't even remember my own last name!

'So, I didn't know what that look was for back there. I was just this girl they picked on the side of the road, I guess. With these necklaces.'

'Did you hijack that Universe's Y/N, too? The American version?'

'I think so, yeah, yeah, I think I did. But in our struggle for control, we both ended up cancelling out each other's memories, and I kinda won? Um, I guess, yeah. So, it was my personality with no memories while the original host sat on the back burner . . . Talking to me? Screaming, maybe, I don't remember.'

'How did you get out?'

'Rowena,' she raised her hand to rub her face tiredly.

'Do you want to sleep first, darling?' I asked her gently.

'Just let me finish the story,' she insisted, even though her eyes were already half-closed. 'So, the Rowena of the second universe gave me a book of the exact same story I had experienced in the first Universe - her way of trying to give me "my memories" back. But the pages in the end were ripped, and I panicked, because my own memories were like, behind a wall or something, and they were begging me to come back, and—' I breathed in deeply, 'No, wait, I think I fought with—No, I don't - I don't know! It just didn't work, so I panicked more. I really wanted my memories to come back . . . I really wanted to come back and—' She cut herself off, 'Why don't I remember?'

'You're okay, Y/N. It's okay,' I whispered into her hair. 'You don't have to think about it now. You got what you went for.'

A pregnant pause.

'I thought I'd never see you again,' her bottom lip trembled, twisting my heartstrings.

'As long as I'm here, no one can get you. You hear me? I would have found you wherever you ended up,' I said with all my conviction.

She relaxed further in my arms, and the pride over eliciting that reaction from such a strong woman boosted my low self-esteem.

'Long story short, the American version of you touched this scar,' her index finger absent-mindedly dragged along the scar she had gotten when she fell from a tree while we were on a hunt - a scar that only one other Royal couple replicated, who were now dead. 'And my memories rushed back to me, and I got pulled into reality. Our reality.'

'Now you're here,' I promised quickly. 'You're not going anywhere.' After a beat and a frown of realisation, 'I thought . . . I thought you could only hijack people who were similar to us. How did you hack that American?'

'Well,' she licked her lips, eyes sealed shut by now, breathing getting shallower by the minute, and I knew this would be the last question she answered for now. 'The second universe . . . I think she was a dream-walker or something. Technically, she can live my life - if she scouts my noggin and all, lives vicariously through me. Plus, I don't know . . . there must be some kind of connection between her and I, right? Plus, she had this scar - the one that triggered my return - I'm sure there's an explanation.'

'Probably,' I murmured.

When I look down, Y/N has slipped into the bottomless recesses of her brain, sleeping soundly, finally calm against me.

The way this woman rules on my heart - I swear I could die for her.

A/N: Can I just say I love plot twists?

Tag List.

@stoneyggirl2 @hobby27 @globetrotter28 @aylacavebear @emma1998sblog

@stanzie

[stephofromcabin12]

I didn’t know that canonically Dionysus sometimes gets loose and presumably that’s when he has his kids. I always read it as his exile to camp was relatively “recent” in terms of him probably having been grounded in the like. Last few years before the story picks up. I had always assumed his current kids were born before that and so that also helps account for their low numbers (before Rick specified his stance on two being the best number of children or whatever that quote was from TOA)

Well, like most things we learn about Mr D in the books, it’s pretty subtle and mentioned like twice (bc Rick loves to torture me by adding lore and then not developing it further)

Before we look at that, we have to establish that, yes, his punishment seems to be recent. He’s given 100 years to be at camp, and in TLO he explains to Percy that Zeus cut his probation in half, leaving him with 50 years. Which would mean he had just begun his sentence in The Lightning Thief.

“[…] Zeus has cut my probation at that miserable camp in half. I now have only fifty years left instead of one hundred.” (The Last Olympian, p. 343)

But even so, there are a couple of ways he could have snuck out and had some kids.

Firstly, there’s the fact that the gods can be in multiple places at once, as explained by the wine dude himself in The Last Olympian:

“Your concern is touching. I did crash-land. Very painfully. {note: The gods feel pain…Interesting} In fact, part of me is still buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine. It will be several more hours before I have the strength to mend. But in the meantime, part of my conciousness is here […] Wherever there is a party, my prescence is invoked. Because of this, I can exist in many different places at once […]”

(The last Olympian, p. 266)

If we assume that gods at their full strength can exist more physically in multiple places, by dividing their “essence” or whatever, we can assume Dionysus would be able to sneak out by being present— seemingly automatically— wherever a party is happening.

It’s pretty much assumed (by me, I don’t think anyone else thinks about his exact whereabouts as much as I do lol) that he does this, or something else, because he is not gone very long in BOTL and TLO, and yet, in The Blood of Olympus, Dakota is seen talking to multiple Dionysus kids, which shouldn’t be possible, since yk. Pollux is the only camper (and should be in college by now but whatever, maybe he came back anyway or took a gap year, who knows) and even if he did take advantage of being away from camp in BOTL and TLO, his kids would be like, 2-3 at most and therefore not old enough to fight (I would certainly hope, although toddlers turning their enemies frantic and crazed is kinda metal ngl) So he must have had more kids before that….Or Rick forgot he killed Castor, which is hilariously possible.

“[…] Dakota shared Kool-Aid with the kids from the Dionysus cabin […]” (The Blood Of Olympus, p. 474)

(Stephanie Olive Overbaum canon confirmed. Its the only possible explanation lmao. If you have a Dio kid OC, you can’t prove they weren’t there. Huge win for the cabin 12 kids lmao)

So, he probably didn’t take advantage of his time away, if he did we wouldn’t know for another couple books, and Rick seems to have lost interest in ever elaborating on his character so we’ll probably never know.

Besides the splitting himself up theory, we have the possibility of him simply leaving lol.

He’s stuck at camp, yes, but the interesting thing is that he seems to be barred from entering Olympus, not so much that he’s barred from going anywhere else. He does leave camp in The Titan’s curse, seemingly without issues. Again, he could have split himself up, but since he’s able to make vines grow and all that, I’m assuming he was physically present. And he mentions paperwork in The Lightning Thief, if I remember correctly, so we can assume he has to file a report everytime he leaves his station to make sure he had a good enough reason to leave (Like a camper sneaking out, for example)

I don’t know how he would get around that one, but he’s sneaky, so I wouldn’t put it past him to sneak out and pretend to be doing something more important.

Of course, there are lines here and there suggesting he does leave every so often.

Ahem:

“As for Seymour, Mr D liberated him from a long island garage sale […]” (The Lost Hero, p. 88)

He couldn’t really have gone to a garage sale without leaving, again, yes he could have split himself up but that’s so easy and boring so I prefer to think he just fucks off and takes a day off here and there. It is a Long Island garage sale, so it’s not like he went far. Even funnier, we can imagine the camp went on another field trip and he came along, finding the garage sale along the way.

“[…] Our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled […]” (The Lost Hero, p. 20)

Ah yes, the recalled era. In HOO Mr D is not present, having been recalled to Olympus.

Technically, we don’t know where Mr D went in the time he was recalled, since we don’t know how exactly that period of time worked for the gods. We know they had no means of communicating, and that Zeus forbid the gods from seeking out their kids.

Even so, Aphrodite sneaks out and meets up with Piper. Athena/Minerva is out and about. Lots of the gods don’t hang around on Olympus the entire time. We’ve established Mr D is A. Sneaky (sneaks up on Percy more than once) and B. Doesn’t give any fucks that Zeus has told him to stay at camp (Garage sale) so I don’t think it’s unfair to assume he dipped and shrugged to Zeus like “I can’t help that I go where parties to🤷🏻‍♂️”

“Yeah but the gods had the headache thing going on, so he probably didn’t want to go anywhere”

I hear you say and you’re right BUT!

In between The Blood Of Olympus and The Tower Of Nero, we have zero clue where Dionysus is, and what he’s up to. Like nothing. We don’t even talk about it. He’s just GONE.

“After the fight with Gaea, I thought Mr. D might return to camp, but he never did. I hope he’s alright.” (The Hidden Oracle, p. 129)

And then in The Tower Of Nero he shows up and nobody discusses where he went.

Can you tell I’m peeved? I’m peeved. Where the fuck was he, Rick?

I don’t even have a quote to show you because no one mentions it.

Hmpf. Anyway. Then we have the interesting tidbit that Dionysus thinks two is the perfect number of children, although it’s important to keep in mind that he thinks this after staying with the twins, which would’ve had to have happened before The Lightning Thief, when he’s already at camp.

So, perhaps in the time of him staying at camp, he simply doesn’t have any more kids, since he doesn’t want to be further outnumbered. (*In canon, in fanfiction anything is possible)

I can imagine a lot of the gods deciding to cut down on their amount of kids if they had to help raise them for a bit lol so that’s actually fair.

Anywho….I forget what we were talking about.

He probably just sneaks out or splits himself up lol

[nosferatini]

AO3 Ask Game

Thanks to @addledmongoose for the tag and @cheeseplants for the game!

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens. Although I have some Good Omens crossovers with other fandoms. One of my works was a multiverse one-shot with characters from GO, Doctor Who, OFMD, Buffy and Batman.

How many words have you published in 2024?

According to AO3 (which I just learned does statistics by year? lol) I published 435,127 words.

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Well...

I could either talk about fics or podfics here. But if I'm going with fic I'll talk about how far I've come with The Season of Nightingales, my main longfic, which has only two chapters to go.

But I've made some major strides with voice acting and making podfics for some of the wonderful folks in the Good Omens fandom, and I think that's more of an "achievement" than simply something I'm proud of, like progressing my longfic :) I'm especially proud of finishing both my Factory Settings Podfic and Someone is Calling Him Shorewards earlier this year.

What are your top three fics you’ve written this year?

The Season of Nightingales (Good Omens Post S2 Plot-with-Fluff Fix-it, currently at 168k with two weekly chapter updates to wrap it up)

Reversed Veil of Worlds - A Little History (Good Omens Angst, 2/5 chapters published based on @daneecastle's Reversed Veil of Worlds comic series, which if you haven't read you should totally go check out! [Starts HERE!])

Unhallowed Providence (Reverse Omens Gothic AU based on @theonevoice's GORGEOUS demon Aziraphale and angel Crowley art—I've published one chapter and have the story pretty well plotted for the rest, just need to finish Season of Nightingales first!)

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

There was no one moment... not related to writing or Podficcing. Just the slow and steady realization that I was booking myself for too much stuff and in no way have time to keep up with it all lol.

What have you learned?

....I have a really bad case of FOMO.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

I have a little side fic started about Crowley saving the runaway unicorn, and a Coney Island (excuse the period typical term "freakshow") human AU that I have a plot for and no time to write, especially not now that I've signed up for two wonderful artist collabs that are going to be my priority once I finish Nightingales.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

Yes! I've beta'd for @dbacklot99, @wingsofopal, and more short one-off projects for various GOAD Writers Guild writers than I could remember at gunpoint lol.

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

If I have to pick three, I'll name the longfics, because there's no possible way I could choose between them and all the incredible one shots and short series that I've read this year. I would recommend anything that I've podficced (which is the vast majority of my AO3 Profile right now) but I'll shout out these three longies in particular:

Someone is Calling Him Shorewards by @harlotofupdog (podfic)

2. A Little Life by @gaiaseyes451 (beware the angst tags... but damn it's good)

3. Friday I'm in Love by NooRose93 (podfic - wip)

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Fics in my queue:

I gotta finish Unhallowed Providence and A Little History first. Someday maybe I'll get to the Coney Island AU...

Podfics in my queue:

Stuck on You by @zin-lynn-c

Mon Horrible Chéri by @mrghostrat

And the Podfic for The Season of Nightingales

there might be a chance of me looking into doing Or Be Nice and maybe a couple of others that I was recced and haven't read yet, but I haven't actually asked the author(s) so don't quote me on that lol.

Who do you want to thank?

@paperclipninja for the absolute knockout musical compositions she has created for some of my podfics!

My beta readers: @addledmongoose, @dbacklot99, @wingsofopal @demonsandpieohmy and NooRose93 (aka blackjeans93)!

My beta listeners: @theonewiththeshippinggoogles and @firstvisittoearth @wingsofopal and others from the various chats who have added their comments after listening!

@daneecastle and the @theonevoice for inspiring me with their comic and/or art and for being wonderful friends to collaborate with!

@elenthyaolyenths for making me pretty logos!

@outrageousring5655 for making prolific podfics so I can absorb more fanfiction than I ever could on my own!

All of my amazing friends from the @goodomensafterdark Writers Guild and @whickberstreetwriters

All of the people who have taken the time to leave lovely, encouraging comments on my fics and podfics. I keep the best comments in my inbox even after replying, because some of the things you've said have warmed my heart, inspired me, or are just generally something to treasure.

A fond, no pressure tag to @gaiaseyes451, @wingsofopal @lemon-tart-221, @adverbian @paperclipninja and @dbacklot99 if you would like to play :)