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kaesaaurelia · 4 years ago

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books and reading in 2021

Overall I’d like to read at least 65 books for 2021 and I’d like for most of those to be new-to-me and things I either already own or have listed as to-read on Goodreads.

So far I have read 11/65 books and 4 fanworks.

Themed reading challenge checklists and brief book reviews are under the cut. I may or may not finish any of these challenges; again, my goal is to cut down my to-be-read list and unread books I own, and themes and deadlines help me pick a book rather than hemming and hawing.

Book reviews answer the questions “Did I like it? Was it good? Would I recommend it?” (please note these are very different questions) and how many stars I rated it.

I may put fanfiction, webfiction, and other things that are very much not traditional books down on here as well, depending on how booklike I’ve decided they are.

The FFA reading challenge, 2021 (2/12 books)

JANUARY - The Pandemic Year - a medical thriller, or a book about medicine The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum Did I like it? Yeah! Was it good? I think so. Sometimes the prose meandered in such a way that I felt the author was kind of saying dun dun dun! under her breath at me, and I was like “idk, is that significant?” but usually it was good. Would I recommend it? Do you have a strong stomach? Then sure. 4 stars

FEBRUARY - Macavity/Ratigan - a genre you wouldn't normally read Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone, book 1 in the Jane Doe series Did I like it? Yes! Very much! The power fantasy of being able to take vengeance against people who hurts your loved ones, without feeling bad about it, was really appealing to me, a person who feels guilt over a frankly ridiculous number of things. It was also genuinely funny. Was it good? I thought so. The narrator had a really strong voice that struck the right balance between creepy cold indifference and endearing little moments of self-discovery. Would I recommend it? Yes, but with the caveat that there’s some pretty serious emotional abuse of the protagonist’s false persona (which she encourages and privately gloats about), and she also gets close to committing serious violence, including fantasizing at length about it. 5 stars

MARCH – 100+ Comments of Terror - a book set in the arctic, or a book about an expedition In the Land of White Death: An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic by Valerian Albanov (ordered)

APRIL - Sexy John Oliver Rat – a book about animals, or a book with a character called Oliver or Olivia A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling (hardcover)

MAY - A Feud in Wolf-Kink Erotica - a book involving wolves, the legal system, or ripped from the headlines Song of the Summer King by Jess Owen (ebook)

JUNE - Showerhead Wank - a comedy of manners, an etiquette manual, or a book where someone wanks or has sex

JULY – My Shithead Is What You Are! - a book with profanity in it, or a book about themes of censorship

AUGUST - Yep, Still Indoors - a book involving travel, or being stuck in one place

SEPTEMBER - Socktopus, Maybe? - a book where someone has a secret identity, or a book about aquatic animals

OCTOBER - Politics is Sequestered – a book involving politics or politicians Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago by Mike Royko (owned in DRM’d ebook)

NOVEMBER - It's Canon in Spanish - read a book originally written in Spanish, or set in Latin America

DECEMBER - Apple Is a One Syllable Word - a book about language/linguistics/etc., or a book with a two syllable title.

Around the Year in 52 Books (8/52 books)

A book related to “In the Beginning...”: (Using the subprompt a book set in the ancient world) The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson Did I like it? Yes; it was definitely a less comfortable read than prior translations I have read, but a more interesting one, I think. A lot of details leapt out at me that I had either forgotten or that had been overlooked in the 3ish literature classes I have read the Odyssey for. Was it good? Yes! Would I recommend it? Probably, with the caveat that if you are just in it for a cool mythology story you would probably prefer an adaptation rather than a translation. 5 stars

A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis Did I like it? I really read this for the worldbuilding of Hell, so I liked that; to some extent I did also like some of the musings on how a lot of human foibles that people like to think of as virtues can actually be kind of shitty. On the other hand, Lewis and I disagree about a lot of things -- mostly that whole Christianity thing. So I liked it with caveats. Was it good? It was okay! Again, I was not really there for the Christianity stuff. I am never there for the Christianity stuff. I am either precisely the wrong audience for all of C.S. Lewis’ stuff, or, if you look at it a certain way, precisely the right audience, but even if you look at it that way, he is never going to convince me; I wrote furious postcanon fanfiction about the dwarfs when I reread the Narnia books as a teenager and realized they were meant to represent people like me. Would I recommend it? Probably not? Unless you frequently write demons or other evil creatures trying to figure out how humans work, which I guess I am. 4 stars but only because that reveal at the end is great

A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (The cover depicts a rose with raindrops or dewdrops on it.) Ensnared by Rita Stradling Did I like it? In a sense. In a sense, I enjoyed this book. It was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I like Beauty and the Beast. There were robots, and I like robots. And it certainly gave me something fun to talk about. However, it also inspired me to try and figure out when and why I acquired this book, and while I still don’t know why I bought it, I was relieved to find that I only paid 99 cents for it. For a more thorough description of the plot, please see my Goodreads review. It was a weird book to start with, and then it really, really didn’t age well. Was it good? IT SURE WASN’T. Would I recommend it? No. However, if you decide to read it I’d love to hear what you think. Please. Please talk to me about this book. 2 stars

A book with a monochromatic cover The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson Did I like it? Yes, very much! Also it accidentally became fic research. I genuinely was just thinking “where do I slip Leonard into this narrative so he can try and fail to sabotage the Ferris Wheel?” and then I began to think about how much Leonard would admire and envy H. H. Holmes’ ladykilling ways. But in general it was a really good read and had a lot of... Chicagoness, which I of course am fond of. Was it good? I thought so! Obviously a lot of the narratives of Holmes’ murders were mostly the author’s speculation, but there were a lot of great research tidbits in there, and the picture the author paints of the World’s Fair was vivid and wonderful. Would I recommend it? Yes, with the warning that this is true crime and there is vivid narration of several murders, including the murders of several children. 5 stars

A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, book 1 of the Patternmaster series Did I like it? Yes, but it was intense. It takes a lot of skill to keep me reading and invested through so many horrors; the protagonist’s children and loved ones die on-page multiple times, in horrible accidents or senselessly murdered, and it hurts every time, but I kept reading. Admittedly I am (predictably) extremely here for immortal enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies angst, so that was probably part of it. Was it good? Yes! I am kind of sad that I’m not just moving on to the next in the series (there are 3 more books), but also, god, I’m not sure I could handle it. Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely, with the caveat that it is very dark and very sad. 5 stars

A love story Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha, book 1 of the Mercenary Librarians series Did I like it? It was good! I gather both of the authors who are Kit Rocha were (are still?) in fandom, and it shows in the right ways; it doesn’t shy away from depicting sex pretty explicitly but there’s a lot of emotion in it, and the main couple is a m/f couple without the book being unpleasantly heteronormative. Like, yeah, it’s about a big butch macho dude who’s broken inside and a woman who’s very caring, but the big butch macho dude is genuinely kind and not like, violent for the hell of it or overprotectively jealous, and the woman doesn’t drop everything to Heal His Pain. (Also I think most of the characters, including the romantic leads, are established to have had same-gender lovers at one point or another without that being considered unusual or wrong in the setting, so that’s nice.) It’s also a cheerful and optimistic post-apocalyptic book about two found families coming together to make the world a better place, despite the very grim backstories of pretty much everyone in the story, which is really nice. Was it good? It was okay. It was good popcorny reading; it’s not winning any literature prizes, but it sets out to be fun and readable and exciting, and it is all of those things. Also, as noted above, the prose has a lot of the strengths of fanfic (not being afraid to mix genres, not being afraid of writing sex earnestly and emotionally but also explicitly, strong emotional focus) without the much-derided stereotypical weaknesses of fanfic. Would I recommend it? Probably? This isn’t a must-read; it’s happy to be idfic so if it sounds like it’d scratch your id I would recommend it, but it might not be Your Thing and that’s okay too. 4 stars

A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list (Using the subprompt a book related to a local industry or small business) The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld by Herbert Asbury Did I like it? NO. NO I DID NOT. It made me genuinely angry. It was a useful read for fic research and unfortunately I’ve got it in my little fic-writing reference material corner in my office but I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK IT WAS VERY BAD. Many questionable or outright incorrect assertions and implications, and extremely racist and sexist. For details, see my review on Goodreads. Was it good? It was actively bad. Would I recommend it? Not unless you are interested in it historiographically, or on the off chance that you are trying to find some fiddly details about a particular bit of Chicago crime history, but also have no responsibility to make sure those fiddly details are correct when you use them in the project. 1 star

A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager Did I like it? It was okay. It was definitely interesting but not amazingly life-changing. Was it good? It was fine! I did think the underlying rape case was handled surprisingly sensitively given that this was a male author writing about 20 years ago about a medieval rape accusation and trial, but there is a chapter that is basically just the victim’s account of her rape, and it’s very brutal. Would I recommend it? Do you want to understand more about trial by combat in the Middle Ages, and/or learn about how medieval people treated rape victims? You should definitely read this book. But if that doesn’t particularly interest you, probably not. 3 stars

A book you associate with a specific season or time of year Summers at Castle Auburn (ebook borrowed from CPL)

A book with a female villain or criminal Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott (owned in paperback)

A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum The Oasis by Pauline Gedge (ebook)

A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (on hold at CPL; est. 3 week wait)

A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020 The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (on hold at CPL; est. 10 week wait???)

A book set in a made-up place Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (paperback)

A book that features siblings as the main characters Sisters One, Two, Three by Nancy Star (ebook)

A book with a building in the title

A book with a Muslim character or author

3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 1

3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 2

3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3

A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u"

A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads

A cross genre novel

A book about racism or race relations

A book set on an island

A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author

A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards

A book connected to ice

A book that you consider comfort reading

A long book

A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years

A book whose cover shows more than 2 people

A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry

A book with a travel theme

A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer

A book with six or more words in the title

A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list

A book related to a word given by a random word generator

A book involving an immigrant

A book with flowers or greenery on the cover

A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author

A mystery or thriller

A book with elements of magic

A book whose title contains a negative

A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards

A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir

A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?” Missing 411: Eastern United States by David Paulides (terrible pdf copy I’m not paying $100 for a book about extradimensional bigfoot)

A book with an ensemble cast

A book published in 2021

A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name

A book related to "the end"

There’s No Business Like Snow Business February Reading Challenge (8/8)

Snow is precipitation in the form of small white ice crystals formed directly from the water vapor of the air at a temperature of less than 0°C (32°F).

Read a book that has snow on the cover or snow in the title. Killing Dragons: The Conquest of the Alps by Fergus Fleming Did I like it? It was okay. There was more about the personalities involved in early mountaineering than I did about actual mountain-climbing, which was fine, but didn’t get really exciting until those personalities got really dysfunctional. Was it good? Again, it was okay. The prose wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t gripping, and there was some odd (lack of) translation on occasion. The research seemed thorough and solid, though. Would I recommend it? Not really, unless you are specifically looking to research the Alps or early European mountain-climbing enthusiasts for a writing project or something, in which case, of course. 3 stars

Precipitation: Read a book that has any weather related term in the title. Trail of Lightning, book 1 of The Sixth World, by Rebecca Roanhorse Did I like it? Yes! This took me back to my first forays into urban fantasy as a preteen/young teen. I loved the Diana Tregarde books and also Harry Turtledove’s The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, and whenever I want urban fantasy that’s kind of the pattern I’m looking for? An unfriendly world full of myths that are real and living and breathing and otherworldly but also they are probably trying to bum a cigarette off you. I haven’t reread my favorite childhood urban fantasy because I think it probably won’t hold up, and later urban fantasy has mostly been not quite what I wanted, but this book was like being that kid all over again. I’m not super familiar with Dine folklore/mythology so it was neat to learn a little bit about that, too, although obviously to learn those stories maybe don’t go to an urban fantasy novel. Was it good? It was pretty good! The prose wasn’t like, stylistically exciting, but it conveyed the plot well, and I did like the narrative voice, and the characterization was good, I thought. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Content warning for violence (as per urban fantasy) and a child dies violently early on in the book, but if you were the kind of kid I was but you’re not really into paranormal romance or Harry Dresden, give it a try. 4 stars

Small: Read a book that has less than 200 pages. A Butt in the Mist: Stirred to the Core of My Bodice by the Duchess Triceratops of Helena by Chuck Tingle Did I like it? I mostly did, but it wasn’t super exciting. I liked the free book afterwards better. It was funny, but Chuck’s been funnier. Was it good? This 4,000 word book was written with all the quality and attention to detail that I have come to expect from beloved author Chuck Tingle. Would I recommend it? Not really? It was funny, but I think I like his more metafictional stuff better, and I think he gets a lot weirder with his m/m stuff; if I’m reading Chuck Tingle, I want it to be weird. 3 stars

Snow is formed of crystals and is a slang term for diamonds. Read a book in which a gem or other mineral can be found in the plot, title, or cover art. Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip Did I like it? Mostly! I love the lush visuals of McKillip’s prose; they more than live up to the also gorgeous covers. Dreamy fairytale stuff but with solid emotions and a good sense of place. Was it good? I think so, although the dreamlike quality of the prose does mean you’re liable to miss something if your attention drifts. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think so. 5 stars

Snow is a dessert made of stiffly beaten whites of eggs, sugar, and fruit pulp. Read a book with a dessert on the cover, or read a book in which a dessert is made. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke, book 1 of the Hannah Swensen series Did I like it? I enjoyed parts of it, but I thought it really suffered at the beginning, when our introduction to the detective was “not like other girls, not interested in DATING and MEN” and our introduction to her older sister is “she was a DITZY CHEERLEADER and now she’s married with a kid but she’s a HORRIBLE CAREER HARPY who WORKS ALL DAY and puts her child in DAYCARE and CAN’T COOK” and that was all just very tiresome. The sister does turn out to have redeeming qualities and useful interests, but the way these two and their mother interact is all like, if you were asking yourself whether there’s such a thing as toxic femininity and what that would look like, it’s these women. Aside from that, it was fine; it was a cozy mystery novel about a bakery specializing in cookies. I will say, I did appreciate the Midwesternness of the small town Midwest setting. Was it good? Not really. I did kind of have to handwave a lot to let the detective get away with all the HIPAA violations and crime scene disturbing that she does, but it is a cozy mystery. Would I recommend it? Probably not; I’ve heard this series gets better so if you’re interested in the series and/or like the idea of cookie-themed cozies, maybe start with a different book, unless you’re a completist like I am. 3 stars

Snow is slang for cocaine. Read a book about drugs or drug addiction. The Man With the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren Did I like it? It was not a fun read, by any means, but Algren’s prose is fantastic and it was such a novelty to see such a familiar accent represented by eye dialect. (Which I know has fallen out of fashion and is considered the mark of a bad writer, but I really don’t mind it if it’s done well.) It’s one of those books where nobody has a fair shake and everybody is doomed, but it doesn’t feel gratuitous. All the characters are horrible to each other, but in fairness they are also horrible to themselves; it’s all they’ve ever known. Was it good? Yes. It was extremely good and I’m considering buying a physical copy so I can write things in the margins. This is actually really weird for me to do; in high school we occasionally had to turn our books in so our teacher could be sure we were writing in them Correctly, and I found it a little painful, but I did want to do it with this book. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you’re up for a really depressing story about heroin addiction and poverty. 5 stars

White is the color of snow. Read a book that contains white in the cover. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin Did I like it? I definitely did. I haven’t read much Le Guin yet for some reason, and while this did initially start off feeling exactly like just another ‘70s SF story where in the future we’ve solved all of psychology and it’s super mechanistic, it was really fascinating and surprisingly, unpleasantly prescient. Was it good? I thought so! There were some parts of it that were pretty awkward about race, from a 2021 perspective, but it does actually deal with race in a way that made me think “yes, that’s exactly what would happen as a consequence of this plot, and it would be horrible, oh no, oh shit,” and it is horrible. Would I recommend it? I am not sure I would! I would recommend it in like five years, assuming those five years are not much like the last five years. Hoping and praying that those five years are not much like the last five, really. The premise of the book -- which I haven’t explained, I realize -- is that in this near-future environmental dystopia, the main character can change things in real life by dreaming about them, and he would like to not do that, only he is put under the care of a psychiatric researcher who tries to play God. So this poor man literally wakes up every day to a brand new dystopia and it felt... familiar. 4 stars

To snow someone is to deceive, persuade, or charm glibly. Read a book about a con artist, or read a book about deception. Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation by Dean Jobb Did I like it? I did. I have joked that my own personal reading challenge this year is to fill up the Chicago shelf/tag on my Goodreads account, and this book was recommended to me in that spirit, and I always like hearing about a. Chicago; b. the 1920s; and c. con men conning people. Was it good? The prose was fine; it was fun but I think the thing I appreciated most was all the punny newspaper headlines. Would I recommend it? If you are someone who perks up at the sound of at least 2 out of 3 of the themes of “Chicago,” “1920s,” and “con men,” yes. 4 stars

2021 Q1 challenge: Changes (3/20)

Read a book that features:

The word "change" (Changes, Changing, or other variations) in its title. Weeds: How Vagabond Plants Gatecrashed Civilisation and Changed the Way We Think About Nature by Richard Mabey Did I like it? It was all right. I like hearing about plant history, and the chapter on plants unexpectedly surviving/thriving on battlefields and bombing sites was particularly interesting to me. Was it good? It was okay, but kind of poorly-organized; there were chapter themes but it felt awfully stream-of-consciousness sometimes. Would I recommend it? Maybe not unless you’re really into botany and Western anthropology. (As in, the study of Western cultures; this book does not do much with other cultures.) 3 stars

The theme of money or money on its cover (loose change). Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Did I like it? I really, really liked it to the point that I feel kind of silly about it, gotta say. I’m really, really hit or miss on the author’s work (both fanfic and profic) but the themes of this were perfect for me; Russian fairytales, a cynical but earnest sort of Judaism, creepy fairy abductions, interesting worldbuilding, and women coming together to help each other. (Also some interesting enemies-to-lovers stuff that wasn’t really developed on the “lovers” side, which I would have dug. Like its precursor, this book has a lot of f/f friends-to-lovers subtext and hostile canon het.) Was it good? I don’t know? I liked it enough that I genuinely don’t know if it was well-written. Would I recommend it? I would, but I’m not sure you should trust me on this??? Again, this book really, really hit me in the id. 5 stars

An adaptation of its original format (book-to-manga, translation, etc.) Murder on the Rockport Limited! by Clint McElroy et al Did I like it? It was okay, but not nearly as good as the original podcast’s murder train arc. The art was good and all, but, eh. Was it good? It was fine. I’m not sure how into the DM/character conversations I am, and I found myself having to pause and reimagine the dialogue in the various McElroys’ voices, which wasn’t good because it meant I wasn’t automatically reading them in those voices in my head, which is a major litmus test I use when I’m deciding whether I want to keep reading a fanfic. Would I recommend it? Definitely not as a standalone thing. 3 stars

The author's initials found in the word "change" Helen of Sparta by Amalia Carosella (in progress)

Separate book sections or part of a series of three or more books (make change) The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig (in progress)

An author or character writing under a pseudonym The Maker’s Mask by Ankaret Wells (in progress)

A topic or character about which you feel differently now than in the past. La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman

Changing one's mind about a life decision. A Tapestry of Magics by Brian Daley

Switching careers/jobs. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Relocating to a different city, state/province, or country. Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors

Cultivating new daily habits. How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

A character who shifts shapes or identities. The Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing & Coming Out by William Dameron

Life changes due to age Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival by Velma Wallis

A medical transformation Specials by Westerfield, Scott

A life-changing experience. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

A changing household The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Volume 1 by Nagabe

An action or phenomenon that transforms society or the world. Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel

Replacing one thing with another (change out) In Vino Duplicitas: The Rise and Fall of a Wine Forger Extraordinaire by Peter Hellman & Charles Constant

Technological innovation Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet by Andrew Blum

A game-changer. The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark

Fanfic Reading Challenge recs (1)

I have a private checklist with the fanfic reading challenge data, but will not be sharing all of the fics; fanfiction is generally an amateur endeavor, and many people do not enjoy receiving (or stumbling across) criticism of their work. Bad reviews are normal and accepted as part of commercial publishing, and professional authors (hopefully!) get paid for their work, so I’m comfortable criticizing published novels. I would prefer not to publicly criticize someone’s writing when they are just writing for the joy of it, especially since some of the tasks require me to read first-time authors’ fics, fics with relatively low kudos counts, fics for ships I don’t like, etc. So I’m only putting the recs here.

Romancing the Tome by Anti_kate Good Omens; Aziraphale/Crowley; ~40k words; rated Explicit Romance novelist Aziraphale Wilder is pulled from his carefully ordered life when his sister is kidnapped and held to ransom. With the help of antiquities forger Anthony J Crowley, he braves the wilds of Scotland to rescue her and keep a priceless book from falling into the hands of dangerous book thieves. Did I like it? Yes! It was cheesy and cute and basically what I want out of this kind of romcom AU fic. I’m not normally into human AUs and this one wasn’t like, super deep or anything, but it was very fun. Was it good? I thought so! The dialogue was great, I enjoyed the characterization, the sex was good. I do think the Crowley in this fic is pretty self-loathing in a way that I don’t see canon Crowley being at all, but I have a weakness for that and I also think self-loathing works for a human version of Crowley. One thing it doesn’t shy away from is Crowley doing genuinely awful stuff (instead of being a misunderstood woobie) and yet the resolution is sweet and lovely anyway. Would I rec it? Yes! Go read this fic. It’s fast-paced but long enough to be worth settling in to read, it’s funny, and it’s sweet. 5 stars

In Holy Matrimony by Myracuulous Good Omens; Aziraphale/Crowley; ~6.7k words; rated General From the private journal of Alisha Jones, wedding planner, concerning the nuptials of Anthony J Crowley and Aziraphale and the planning process thereof, containing an account of chosen decor, guest list construction, and the holy war against the Antichrist that nearly ruined six months of professional organization and a very nice dinner. Did I like it? Yes! It was extremely cute, and I always really like outsider POV. I did appreciate the fact that poor Alisha definitely knew something was definitely weird, but kept telling herself not to question it because a gorgeous wedding with an unlimited budget and zero issues with scheduling, catering, guest limits, etc. is a great problem to have. Was it good? It was pretty good! The climax and wrap-up felt a bit rushed, mostly due to the limits of outsider POV, but I did enjoy Aziraphale unexpectedly embracing his inner groomzilla while also being unfailingly sweet about it. Would I rec it? Yup, especially if you want wedding comedy/fluff and outsider POV

Wrong Turn by anticyclone Good Omens; Aziraphale/Crowley; ~38k words; rated Teen And Up Lots and lots of somethings are wrong. First, Crowley's nearly hit by a car. Then he almost brains himself tripping over new and excessive piles of books at the bookshop. To add insult to near-injury, Aziraphale starts throwing knives at him. Safe to say his day could be going better.

The thing that's the most wrong of all is the universe, of course. In this one there was never an Arrangement. Aziraphale and Anthony (they can't both be 'Crowley') aren't friends and they certainly never agreed to prep for Armageddon. Unfortunately, the end of the world is two days away.

So that's something Crowley really has to fix before they can figure out how to get him home. Did I like it? Oh yes. I had read bits of this on ffa previously, and also anticyclone is a good writer (and a friend) so like, I was expecting it to be good; I was not disappointed. Was it good? Yes! I was particularly impressed at how much alternate backstory is set up in little hints here and there, and then explained more thoroughly in ways that take the AU Aziraphale and Crowley by surprise when they do finally get to talking. Would I rec it? Yes! Especially if you like a nice dose of enemies-to-lovers along with your friends-to-lovers, and also the awkwardness of meeting your alternate universe self.

Finished in January, not for reading challenges (3 books):

The Way of Kings, book 1 of The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson Did I like it? It was fine. Was it good? I think so. I am maybe not the best audience for epic fantasy at this point, partly because I’ve read a lot of it and partly because I habitually read 3-7 books at once at any given time. Would I recommend it? Maybe, but I feel like most of the people who would enjoy it have probably heard of it already. 3 stars

Get a Wiggle On, a Good Omens fanzine Did I like it? Yup! Was it good? Mostly, although as usual with zines and anthologies, quality varies piece by piece. Of the fics I particularly liked “A Head Above Water,” “The Grapes of Mild Irritation,” and “Concerning the Great Serpent Glykon and the Angel Clothed With the Sun,” all of which are now available on AO3. Would I recommend it? If you like snakey Crowley, yes. 4 stars

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Did I like it? Yes, very much! A very silly thing I particularly liked (which unfortunately you cannot really replicate) is that the edition I have is an illustrated hardcover book from 1926 which I picked up cheap at a used bookstore, knowing I would like it because Jules Verne. I didn’t think much about that specific date when I bought it, but I am now writing a fic set in 1926, with a character who has a habit of reading adventure novels and who I have specifically mentioned enjoyed Jules Verne in his childhood, so when I discovered the date the coincidence made me very happy. The book itself smells very nice, it’s nice to hold, and as I was reading it I kept thinking about what Danny would think of the book, and whether he would try reading it aloud to Crowley, and wondering if the book smelled as nice in 1926 as it does now. Maybe I will have Aziraphale give this book to him as a very small thank-you for all he has done to keep Crowley alive and well. Was it good? For the most part. Jules Verne is prone to wandering off on tangents where he shows you his research, but I’m sympathetic to that, and there’s some really cool and atmospheric scenes in this book. My favorite character was definitely Captain Nemo, who we don’t really learn much about. Could have done without Conseil, the bland servant character who could be a naturalist in his own right, if he had any opinions of his own, or the period racism/imperialism, which unfortunately is so built into this kind of adventure novel. But the environmentalism was a nice surprise, and you can definitely read some critiques of certain aspects of (Western?) culture at the time into Captain Nemo’s behavior; I have not yet read The Mysterious Island where Captain Nemo also appears, but I do get the impression a lot of people read him as being disgusted with imperialism. Would I recommend it? Probably! With the caveats above. It was a good adventure story with some awesome visuals, and I kept thinking about what a pretty movie it would make with modern SFX, and how sad I would be that they would inevitably not spend just 3 solid hours on cool fish and interiors of the Nautilus and scenes of the lost city of Atlantis and Captain Nemo being very mysterious and dreamy scary, because they’d probably shoehorn an awkward romance into it. 4 stars

Finished in February, not for reading challenges (2 books):

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig, book 3 of the Pink Carnation series Did I like it? I did. It was a silly Regency romance novel with espionage elements, it is the third of a series I have enjoyed, and it contained an accidental/forced marriage to preserve a lady’s honor despite neither party to the marriage particularly liking or wanting to have anything to do with each other, and some misunderstandings about that. Also spies. Was it good? Not really. It was fun and I liked the characters, but I don’t think the writing was of particularly high quality. The handling of certain elements of English imperialism was not great, and bothered me enough to note it in my review on Goodreads. Would I recommend it? I’d recommend the series if it sounds like something you’d like; I might not recommend this specific book. 3 stars

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley Did I like it? No. It was very dark, and I did not enjoy most of the book. A lot of it was because it was very gritty and grim, and because I frequently don’t enjoy military fiction; a lot of it was because many of the dystopian aspects of our present reality that came to a head in 2020 were magnified in the book. Part of it was also that the protagonist’s entire reality and memory was being denied for much of the book, and I think it reminded me of being gaslit. (This is not a criticism of the book, or some kind of weird accusation that the book or its author was somehow abusing me, I just have this personal history. In fact, it turns out the main character is being gaslit to some extent, and the author writes it very well.) It was a minor relief when she finally decided the stuff she was going through was real, and a huge relief when she was able to talk to someone who believed her. Was it good? Yes, I think so. Would I recommend it? Not right now, but I think this would be a good book to read at a time when the world feels more stable. I don’t say this because I want you to wait until everything’s fine to read it; I say this because it feels like a good anti-complacency read. 4 stars (3 for not being an enjoyable read, 5 for the actual plot; it averages out.)

In progress, not for reading challenges (1 book):

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by 墨香铜臭

#kaesa op

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darkfairy-tales · 4 years ago

Text

Inception - Chapter Three

Description: As an omega, Hongjoong was always treated wrongly in his pack. So when he is forced to be with an alpha who wasn't his mate he runs away. With little to no idea on where to go. With a small hope of finding his mate.

Character: ATEEZ, EXO, THEBOYZ, etc

Pairing: Ateez x Hongjoong, Hongjoong centric

Warning: Mentions of blood, violence, etc

One hour later all the omegas and betas were there. Hongjoong had never met so many omegas all at once. He was happy to meet everyone. He met the betas Eric, Hwall and Hyunjae from TheBoyz pack house and Hoseok from BTS. And the omegas Jacob, Chanhee and Haknyeon from TheBoyz and Jin and Jimin from BTS. Hongjoong also learned that everyone already have mates and that Kyungsoo, Lay, Minseok, Jin and Jimin was very much pregnant. There were 14 of them in total. "What are we going to do first?" Chanhee asked. "Well first of all we all are going to go shopping." Baekhyun says wiggling his butt showing his excitement causing Kyungsoo to throw a slipper at him making everyone laugh when it hits right on Baekhyun's butt. "But yes we are going to go shopping. Especially for Hongjoong here! New addition of our pack." Minseok says. "But I wanna go eat." Seokjin groans. "This is giving me a headache." Hoseok mumbles as he sat down on the floor. "How about we go shopping first. And then we go eat?" Lay suggests. "That sounds great." Eric says clapping his hand. "How many cars are we going to take?" Jacob asks. "Five. It will be enough for 14 of us." Minseok says. "So that means five of the alphas are coming? Who?" Jimin asks. Just then the door opened. Namjoon, Suho, Sangyeon, Jungkook and Seonghwa walks in. "Ready to go? We are going to be the drivers for today." Namjoon says.

Everyone cheers. They all got down and out of the large park house to where five cars were parked. Ready to go. Everyone slid inside the cars. Hongjoong along with Chanhee, Jacob and Hakyeon sat in the car Seonghwa was going to drive. "Remember. Be careful of your surrounding." Seonghwa reminds them. They all reached to a large shopping mall after a thirty minute drive. "Finally! I haven't had a shopping spree for six months." Baekhyun exclaimed smiling contently. "Baek you had a shopping spree a month ago. And you brought the most useless things." Kyungsoo sassed making the other omega pout. "Oh hush." Baekhyun said.

"Okay we are going to choose some cool dress for Hongjoong here. So me, Jimin, Hwall and Eric will be with Hongjoong and help him choose clothes." Baekhyun says making a group of his own. "Jungkook is going with us for protection. My baby feel very very uneasy when Jungkook is not around." Jimin says with a pout caressing his baby bump. Everyone agreed. Others also formed their own group with one alpha for each one group for protection measure. Even if humans and werewolves were at peace it was still possible for a hunter to be around. Many humans still hated on werewolves.

Hongjoong along with his group goes towards the clothing section. Baekhyun got him lots of cute sweaters, shirts, etc etc making him try out one by one to see which suits him and which doesn't. After 2 long hours they were finally done buying the clothes. Jimin had got maternal clothes. Hwall being the fashionista he was got various stylish clothes. Baekhyun did the same. While Eric got some comfortable shirt and hoodies. Jungkook was already whining at the end complaining how he was already tired and wanted to eat. "Big strong alpha can't handle a small shopping spree." Baekhyun tsked teasingly. "I would rather fight seven wolves all by myself than go on a long ass shopping spree hyung. This is boring." Jungkook says with a scowl. "Honey stop whining. You are going to do a lot more than just shopping spree when this pup pops out of me." Jimin says glaring at his alpha effectively shutting the alpha up causing otherd to laugh.

"Disgusting." a voice said. Baekhyun and others turned around. Their gaze falling on a woman who had a kid beside her. "What did you say?" Baekhyun narrowed his eyes. "I said you creatures are disgusting. You all are a freak." The woman hisses. "What makes us a freak?" Hwall speaks up challengingly. "Because you guy are no human. Men don't get pregnant like your creatures do. Truly disgusting. Poor kid is going to be born a freak. Show some mercy and kill it before it comes out." The woman said referring to Jimin's baby bump. Her words causing Jungkook to growl at her but Baekhyun stopped him.

"If we are freaks then what are you? A disgusting woman who has no idea on how to speak to others. A mannerless woman who is insensitive. We might not be human. But we don't go around cursing other and telling a pregnant person or a couple to kill their unborn children. You are more of a monster than we ever will be. It's sad the poor kid seem to have a mother like you." Baekhyun said his eyes trailing down to the kid who was standing beside the woman. The woman glares at Baekhyun but doesn't say anything as she quickly walks away with her kid from the spot. "Some people are so ridiculous." Eric scoffed. Hongjoong looked at Jimin who had tears in his eyes. "Stupid woman making people cry." He mumbled to himself.

"Jungkook call others and tell them to meet us at the Moonlight Restaurant. We should eat there." Baekhyun suggest. Jungkook did as Baekhyun asked him to do. Later they all had gathered inside the restaurant sitting sround the largest family table where all of them thankfully fits. Baekhyun told everyone about what happened which made everyone angry at the woman. "I should have brought my kitchen knife. Might as well throw it at her." Seokjin hissed with Kyungsoo agreeing. "Let's just calm down and enjoy our day. We shouldn't let some unknown woman's words being the mood down." Lay said. "She is irrelevant to us anyway." Hyunjae snorts. They all laughed at his words. After a while the waiter came and took their orders. The food arriving to them one by one as they all ate happily.

It was already late when everyone was done so they decided to go back home. "Welcome back!! Baekkie I missed you." Chanyeol said running out when they reached. Everyone greeted their mates. And it was the same for Hongjoong. All his seven alphas hugging him one by one. "We missed you so much." San said almost whinning. "Are you alright? Nothing happened out there right?" Yeosang asked. Hongjoong shooked his head. "Can we go back?" Hongjoong asks tugging on Yunho's sleeves. He enjoyed hanging out with others. But this was something new to him. And it was a bit mentally exhausting. "Yes if you want to. Others won't mind." Yunho says. "I will tell them then we will leave." Jongho says as he walks away.

[Time Skip]

When they all were back to their own house Hongjoong was already asleep. Yunho carrying him upstairs. "I am sleeping with our Joongie." Wooyoung said as he went after Yunho. "Should we all just sleep in one room?" Mingi asked. "That is a good idea. But we have to prepare a room for that." Seonghwa says. "For today he should just sleep with Yunho." Yeosang says. "I wanted to sleep with him." Jongho sighs. "Don't we all?" San asked with a raised eyebrow, all of them snickering afterwards.

They all went to their own rooms to change and freshen up. While Yunho was in his room with Wooyoung and Hongjoong on his bed. "I am sleeping here. The bed is big enough for all three of us to fit." Wooyoung says with a pout. Yunho sighs looking at him. "Fine fine. You are such a kid." Yunho gives in. It was how Yunho and Wooyoung ended up in one bed aka Yunho's bed along with Hongjoong between them. "Do you think the Dark Rose pack members will come for him?" Wooyoung asked. "I don't know. But if they do then we will fight them off." Yunho said his hand holding one of Hongjoong's. Wooyoung sighs as a comfortable silence fall over them as they also fell asleep. They will protect hongjoong no matter what.

[Dark Rose Pack]

"You all promised me his hand. But you all let him escape?" A man growls. "Seungwoo I swear. We tried hard to get him but his mates stopped us. Namsoon hasn't even recovered from how the alphas of that little shit had beaten him up." Hongjoong's uncles says. "We are getting him. One way or another." Seungkwan says. "Why do you want Hongjoong so much? You can find a greater mate than Hongjoong?" Hongjoong's uncle asked. Seungwoo smirks. "He is special. That's why." He answered vaguely as he walked out. 'I will get you back Hongjoong. Just wait.' He thought to himself smirking as he walked away leaving Hongjoong's uncle frowning in confusion.

What was so special about Hongjoong?

[Inception Masterlist]

Hello guys! I know this is not that great. But I still hope it was a bit enjoyable. Stay tuned for the next chapter. It is going to be real fun because lots of things are gonna happen. And lots of secrets are going to be revealed.

Don't forget to drop a like and reblog this! You can also check out the whole Inception masterlist and the main masterlist for other stories. Especially Yunho x Hongjoong fanfic "100 Degrees"

Love you all! Buii~ ♪ ♬ ヾ(´︶`♡)ﾉ ♬ ♪

#ateez wooyoung #ateez san #ateez yeosang #ateez mingi #ateez jongho #ateez seonghwa #ateez hongjoong #ateez yunho #ateez imagines #ateez werewolf au #ateez fanfic #ateez fantasy au #ateez fic #ateez fluff

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imagineseclipse · 6 years ago

Text

Your Character Development Imagine

Season 1 Part 2

You really were not planning on waking up super early the next morning, even though you had school you intended on staying in bed for the entire day.

But apparently mother nature had different plans for you.

You awoke abruptly to what sounded like stones being thrown at your window, at first you buried yourself further into your covers mumbling to yourself inaudibly not even being able to understand your own words. You felt really out of place, something felt weird and it was lowkey starting to freak you out.

The noise got louder and louder until it was too much to bear. Once again you threw the warm duvet from your body, exposing your body to the cold air almost instantly. Leaving you with terrible goosebumps as you trudged over to your window, peering out of it curiously.

Turning back to face your bed you noticed a white shimmering dust, scattered all over your bed sheets.

The events from the night before had been forgotten up until that moment unfortunately, it was like you were having a really bad hangover, when you watched out of your window the banging stopped.

Rolling your eyes as you suddenly turned your back to the glass. That’s when it started again. Quickly you rushed back to the window ledge eager to see what causing such a racket at 6am.

As you pulled your curtains apart you came face to face with a small robin bird. Tapping it’s beak against the double sided frame. You continued to gaze as the bird for a minute wondering how such a small animal could make so much noise.

To your surprise one more small robin joined the first, tapping persistently at your big window. Your eyebrows furrowed together with confusion as yet another bird flew to the outside of your bedroom. Mimicking the actions of its fellow friends.

You took a step back from your window growing increasingly worried while a number of birds appeared, all knocking at the same time making the sound almost deafening.

You threw your curtains back together backing away from the assemble of feathered creatures. Your heart was beating so hard in your chest you thought you were going to have a heart attack.

Retreating into your bathroom you slammed the door closed behind you, shutting out the commotion that continued to make your ears bleed.

You let out a sigh relief, reaching for the bottom of your t-shirt so that you could finally assess the scratches.

Your heart finally stopped when you checked the area that you had previously bandaged. The deep wound had vanished it had disappeared leaving no trace that it actually existed.

To say that you were confused would be an understatement, inside you honestly believed that you were going insane. There was no sign of blood, no grazed skin, no scratches.

You could have sworn it happened.

Letting your t-shirt fall back down by your sides you turned on the cold tap reaching down and splashing water over your face. Waking you up properly.

When you brought your head back up you reached for your towel attempting to dry your face. You froze suddenly noticing that your skin was so pale, you looked different. You felt abnormal. It had taken you a minute or two to notice that your eyes had gone from y/e/c to a bright silver.

How was that even possible?!

You stared for what seemed like forever, it had to be a dream it had to be. You stood looking dumbfounded at your reflection. your new grey eyes never leaving your own face as you continued to inspect the change.

The consistent tapping making your mind warped. It was as if it was echoing throughout your brain, suddenly causing you to break down.

“Please just stop, i want it to stop”you cried as you slumped down on your cold bathroom tiles.

A second later and the persistent drumming in your mind had come to a halt as if the birds had listened to your wishes.

You waited for a moment before deciding that it was safe for you to leave your bathroom. When you entered back into your room everything was hushed, and there was no sign of the small dainty animals.

Maybe you were finally going crazy stuck in that room, maybe you were seeing things. You’d come to the conclusion that you needed fresh air so going to school was your only option.

You carelessly threw the first hoodie in sight, making your way down the kitchen. You were pleased to see a note from your mother taped to the fridge explaining that she had gone to work already and that there was money on the counter for your lunch.

You didn’t know how you were going to explain the silver eyes. It then occurred to you that you hadn’t used your phone since the night before. In fact you didnt even know where your phone was.

The realisation then hit you, you’d left it behind in the woods.

Swiping your car keys angrily from the table you made your way out to your car, speeding away from your house with only one objective.

As you approach Beacon Hills High you searched the crowd for your victims, ready to unleashed your newly found anger. Once you had safely parked your car you stomped towards Scott and Stiles.

Scott could hear your heart racing from miles away, he didn’t know how but he could. He could also feel the anger radiating from your body.

Stiles noticed you after Scott had, his eyebrows raising at you a smile forming on his face. It was if he was happy to see you.

“Y/n, you’re alive i couldn’t find you yesterday in the woo-

“Yeah i am alive, but you won’t be for much longer”you growled, cutting stiles off as you approached the two boys, dragging each of them by their bags to an area where nobody hung out. Nobody would be able to hear their screams.

“Oh! My god, wow”Stiles yelped as you pushed Scott into him with some force backing them both into a corner folding your arms and tapping your foot impatiently.

“Woah y/n, nice contact lenses your eyes look so cool”Stiles complimented you unaware of the consequences.

You lunged forwards picking him up by the scruff of his shirt.

“They aren’t contact lenses dumbass, you think this is funny?!”you started to raise your voice.

Stiles gawped at you “I don’t know what you’re talking ab-

You scoffed, letting Stiles go a little too quickly making him stumble backwards into Scott. A look of hurt flashed across his face before you opened your mouth to rant again.

“You two nerds did this to me, what you wanted me to come into the woods so that you could put some weird chemicals into my body for your stupid little experiments don’t think for one second that your weird projects go unnoticed i see you two sneaking around all the time!”you exclaimed not really making any sense.

Scott and Stiles exchanged confused glances.

“Whatever you did to me, change it back before i ruin your lives”you hissed.

“We didn’t do anything to you y/n”Scott explained quickly.

“Look i really don’t need this right now, last night when you left me alone i was attacked”Scott added, his head dropping so he was looking at the floor.

“What?”you grimaced. You’d been having brief flashbacks to when you were knocked to the ground by the unseeable force in the forest.

“He thinks a werewolf bit him”Stiles continued the story.

You let out a menacing laugh.

“Don’t be stupid, werewolves don’t exist”you shook your head as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Show her Scott, show her the bite”Stiles nudged his best friend. Scott hesitated before lifting up his shirt showing you a white gauze covered with tape that resembled your own.

There were small spots of blood covering the bandage as he peeled the tape from his skin to reveal nothing.

“What i could have sworn there was something there”Scott mumbled to himself, the same thing had happened to you and you were one hundred percent baffled by it all.

Narrowing your eyes at Scott, you found yourself unintentionally reaching up to rub the area of your own wound, only to feel discomfort. Stiles watched you shuffle around for a few seconds he watched closely as you rubbed the side of your body nervously. Stilinski frowned slightly, cocking his head to the side deep in thought.

You could feel Stiles’ eyes on you, raising your head in his direction immediately making eye contact. Your eyes bored into his wondering if he had seen your previous actions.

“What makes you think it was a werewolf”you asked turning to Scott, trying to change the atmosphere.

“I heard a wolf howling in the woods after i was attacked”Scott answered.

“Impossible, there have been no sightings of wolves in California for like 60 years”Stiles shook his head.

“Well i found the body aswell” Scott announced.

The conversation had started to bore you so you found yourself walking away not wanting to talk to them anymore than you had to, you obviously weren’t getting the answers you needed from them so there was no point in hanging around. You decided that you would catch them out later so that they could fix you eyes because you were convinced that they did something to you.

You were only a few footsteps away from the teens when you were barged to the side by the queen bee herself Lydia Martin. She carried on strutting past as if nothing had happened whereas you turned around ready to confront her about her attitude.

She may have gotten away with walking over everyone else but you were not ‘everyone’. You were just about to give her a piece of your mind when you were cut short by the sound of Stiles Stilinski shrieking about the dead body Scott had come across the night before.

“Oh god that is freaking awesome. I mean this is seriously gonna be the best thing that’s happened to this town since-

Stiles’ eyes landed on Lydia mid conversation, and suddenly he was in a trance. You rolled your eyes dramatically before listening in on the conversation, entertained by the fact that Lydia didn’t even know that Stiles existed.

“Since the birth of Lydia Martin. Hey Lydia, you look...like you’re gonna ignore me”

You watched the one sided exchange with a uninterested expression on your face.

“Pathetic”you whispered, tutting to yourself as you hugged your hoodie tighter around your body. The winds were picking up rapidly and you were regretting your life decisions. You were better off staying in your bed.

Luckily for the boys, they didn’t see you for the rest of the school day. You figured that after lessons had finished you would go back to the woods to try and locate your phone.

It was comforting that you were visiting during the day time, you really didn’t want to run into whatever had attacked you the previous night.

A small part of you wondered if the creature that had attacked Scott was the same animal that had attacked you, however you shook away the thought.

You kicked the leaves from your shoes, scanning the ground for your phone. You cursed under your breath remembering that your battery had been quite low the night before so it was most probably dead. You’d never find it.

Whilst you were roaming the woods on your phone search and rescue you noticed that you felt at peace, as if you were meant to be there. You could breath and you didn’t feel pressure on your chest like you normally would. You weren’t suffocating. Then the thought of returning back to reality hit you like a brick.

Just when you thought that your day couldn’t get any worse you heard two male voices approaching you.

“Y/N? Is that you?”Stiles jogged over to you.

“No, it isn’t”you deadpanned.

“What are you doing here?”Scott asked.

“Not that it’s any of your business but i lost my phone here last night”you spoke out, not even attempting to make eye contact. You were terrified that Stiles was going to become suspicious.

“I’m trying to look for my inhaler”Scott stated.

“I didn’t ask”you replied expressionless.

“We could help eachother”Scott offered.

You let out a deep audible breath before turning to face the two. Yet another burst of anger made it’s way out of your mouth.

“If it wasn’t for you and that stupid animal thing attacking me then i wouldn’t have lost my phone in the first place!”you shouted as you pressed your hands into Scott’s chest accusingly.

“What did you just say?!”Stiles edged closer to you. Of course he had perfect hearing, you had realised that you had basically told them everything unintentionally and you decided that muting yourself and controlling your anger would be best in the future.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. Inhaling sharply. If you didn’t tell them now they really wouldn’t leave you alone.

“I said i wouldn’t have lost my phone in the first place if it wasn’t for Scott”you repeated yourself quietly.

“No about the animal”Stiles said folding his arms.

This time an aggressive groan of frustration left your lips.

“After i left Scott last night, i dropped my phone and i was trying to find it and something tried to attack me. It kind of did and kind of didn’t now don’t come up with any of those bullshit theories about how i’m a freaking werewolf”you warned.

Stiles looked as though he was conflicted for a couple of seconds before turning to Scott who was sniffing the air like a dog.

“What is that smell?”Scott asked as he continued to stick his nose in the air.

“It smells like mint, like an old mint and it stinks”you shook your head in disgust as it wafted towards you.

“Guys i can’t smell it”Stiles frowned.

“See this is what i mean, like earlier i had all the time in the world to catch the balled during lacrosse and that’s not the only weird thing. I can hear stuff i should not be able to hear. Smell things”Scott explained, growing increasingly stressed.

You really didn’t want to explain that you were going through the same thing, especially to two strangers.

“Smell things? Like what?”Stiles questioned.

“Like that damned Mint Mojito gum in your pocket, please it reeks throw it away”you pinched your nose.

“Y/N you can smell it aswell?!”Scott asked, his eyes assessing you. He had noticed your appearance had changed drastically overnight. Stiles had noticed aswell.

“I guess”you mumbled taking your attention away from the conversation once again, searching for your phone.

“What actually happened to you last night?”Stiles asked as he watched you.

“Nothing”you lied.

“Y/n please-

“I’ve already told you i got attacked okay? i don’t know what it was but it scratched me really badly”you raised your voice, losing all sanity.

“Show me the scratch”Scott and Stiles yelped in unison.

“No point, it’s not there anymore”you mumbled walking ahead humming to yourself.

Stiles’ mouth dropped open, and he threw his arms around in the air behind you when you had your back to him, frustrated that you didn’t mention it earlier in the day. You spun around as Scott started to speak, Stiles’ arms falling back down to his side quickly.

“Y/n, what if it’s like an infection that had different effects on us i mean look at you suddenly you have grey eyes and your skin has gone so pale it’s almost like it’s glittering”Scott’s head cocked to the side.

“Stop with all these theories seriously, the scratch must’ve just healed overnight maybe it wasn’t as deep as i thought, and as for my pale skin wow thankyou for the insult loser”you exclaimed.

“What about your eyes, how can you explain that?”Stiles interrupted you. You would have come back with something witty but you just didn’t know what to say. You just couldn’t explain it.

“Do you know what, i’m perfectly fine without my phone”you hissed before spinning on your heel, walking away.

Again you didn’t get too far before a hand on your shoulder pulled you backwards gently.

“Y/n, wait stop”Stiles said quietly.

You shrugged his hand from your body before looking up to see an older male, he stood staring at the three of you. His green eyes piercing through your bodies.

“What are you doing here? Huh? This is private property”The handsome man approached you all.

Scott and Stiles stood closer together, frightened but you remained still. Your head tilted to get a closer look at the man, you could’ve sworn you recognised him from somewhere.

Stiles stepped forward, ready to grab your hand and pull you back away from the stranger.

“Uh sorry man, we didn’t know”Stiles explained.

“Yeah we were just looking for something but uh forget it. Uhm. Alright come on i gotta get to work”Scott ran his hands through his hair awkwardly.

Derek’s gaze fell onto you, it was as if you couldn’t move, he was fixated on you the only one who hadn’t said a word. You were stuck. Your lips pressed into a thin line.

Stiles watched the two of you in confusion.

The Hale’s hand lifted from his side, tossing Scott his inhaler, he then proceeded to throw your phone towards you.

But you didn’t move to catch it, in fact you let it drop into the leaves in front of you as you continued staring at Derek. Stiles rushed forwards to pick up your phone for you.

Finally you managed to snap out of the trance, sending Derek a glare before walking off in the opposite direction. Scott and Stiles started to job so they could catch up with you.

There was no way you were going to get rid of them.

“Guys that was Derek Hale, you remember right? He’s only a few years older than us?”Stiles spoke out before yelping as you plucked your phone from his grasp.

“Remember what?”Scott asked.

“His family, they all burned to death in a fire, like ten years ago”

Your heart dropped, you were very familiar with the hale fire... In fact you had witnessed it, you must’ve been 7 when you were playing in the woods not too far from the Hale residents.

You had seen the whole thing so that where you had recognised Derek from.

“I wonder what he’s doing back”Scott noted, continuing to walk towards the car park.

A/N:Part two is finally out, i’m sorry for the layout and the dodgy paragraphs but tumblr is hating on me because i have been away for a while, i’m still editing it to make it better but for now here is part two:) x

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