#a bit of an apocalyptic vibe? hmm

[fingertipsmp3]

Should I just write my cowboy falls in love with a werewolf idea. I’m starting to think it’s the only fun idea I’ve had recently

[ariadne-mouse]

Tagged by @saturdaysky and @essektheylyss! If we cannot boop, we shall tag meme.

Last song/piece I listened to: Scavengers Reign soundtrack (ethereal, spooky, moving. watch itttttt)

Last book I read: I am in the middle of a comfort re-read of Joust by Mercedes Lackey. I didn't get into her whole set of extended universes but I liked the dragon jouster series as a kid. The sequels are (imo) of declining enjoyment quality vs the original, so that's the one I kept.

Last film I watched: Watched Howl’s Moving Castle with a friend a few days ago. :)

Last TV series: I'm partway through Station Eleven, a pre/mid/post-apocalyptic limited series on Max about - among other things - and a troupe of Shakespearean actors who keep the art of stagecraft alive after the world goes to shit due to a mutated flu (yes, I know). Gripping, emotional, earnest, and has made me weep real human tears in almost every episode. Some Scavengers Reign vibes in a meta sense (no literal scifi), bit of Walking Dead, some comedy in that "absurdism in the face of calamity" kind of way, very thoughtfully weaves together storylines at different points in time and reveals connections between rich, complicated characters. Delicious, beautiful, and full of anguish. Highly recommend.

Last thing I googled: “ionar” which is a piece of traditional Irish clothing a bit like a jacket

Last thing I ate: popcorn while watching Station Eleven last night

Sweet, Savory or Spicy: Agree with Sky re: all three! And I shan't pick one. My ideal flavor profile remains shrouded in mystery (the limit does not exist).

Amount of sleep:��less than I should! I am trying to be better about it, but lately even when I get in bed at a reasonable time I wake up multiple times having rotated like a rotisserie chicken

Currently reading: Hmm I already put Joust above, so instead I'm going to plug a fun set of geography guessing games

Tagging a handful of folks if you so desire! @fireryn @mllekurtz @the-kaedageist @kmackatie @tarydarrington

[brandycranby]

hihi brandy 💞! for the wip weather ask game:

❄️ Snow - Who is your coldest / most stoic character and how do they express themselves (if at all)?

🌨 Sleet - What's the most you've ever written in one sitting?

🪨 Landslide - Which WIP has the most worldbuilding?

🌊 Tsunami - When and where do you like to write?

speaking of wips, i started two this weekend hehe 👉🏻👈🏻 i haven't written a fic, and really anything beyond poems, in like 5 years 😶‍🌫️ i feel like i finally have inspiration again and it's all thanks to you my fren ❤️‍🔥 i love reading your thoughts + ideas and seeing you talk about your wips 🫂

hi bestie tt!! oh im so glad you're writing!!! ooo poems? 👀 sending u the best writing motivation and vibes ✨ pls talk about ur thoughts n wips, im always so so happy to see moots' big ideas!!

❄️ Snow - Who is your coldest / most stoic character and how do they express themselves (if at all)?

she's not necessarily cold but my most stoic reader is the mutant!reader in my steve secret dating fic (separate from my other steve secret dating fic). she's a bit of a tsundere but i see her giving wordless physical affection or physically showing her happiness instead of with words

🌨 Sleet - What's the most you've ever written in one sitting?

ooo that was the 1,000 ish words that is By Your Mouth. i wrote that in one sitting after having the first mango of the season. i think i must have been extremely depressed or whatever during 2021, quarantine finally got to me, and that first taste was absolutely magical. so it spawned my first fic

🪨 Landslide - Which WIP has the most worldbuilding?

uhhh, hmm, i feel like i really half-ass my worldbuilds. we're surviving on vibes alone baby!! my selkie reader AU with Curtis and my Duke!Ari arranged marriage are tied for the most thought put into lore, location, and background characters i supposed. as opposed to my au with the least worldbuilding, post-apocalyptic dark!Curtis. what happened? who knows. how did the compound start? as long as it's still standing 🤷🏻‍♀️

🌊 Tsunami - When and where do you like to write?

i haven't figured these out!! i bet if i did, i could write so much more 😀 i write at my desk, on my bed, at work, at the library. these are usually just thought snippets. i sometimes get super inspired in the morning when im still in bed so i write on my phone.

---

wip weather ask game

[moonlightreal]

Reconstructing Strange Fate

Y’all started reblogging my Strange Fate Blurbs post and it inspired me to try constructing my own Strange Fate plot out of them. Read on for olympic grade headcanoning!

So what does the end of the world look like? In Witchlight the end hasn’t even advanced far enough that humanity has noticed, so the entire apocalypse has to happen in Strange Fate. No wonder it was going to be extra long! Also I think Ms. Smith didn’t really want to write an apocalypse. High school romance is her jam so it’s not a surprise that she wouldn’t be keen to write a disaster movie. But because of this, we’re left with:

1. Shapeshifters revolt and kill people.

2. ???

3. post-apocalyptic setting where dragons rule!

We know that seven characters go on a mission to save the world, but we don’t know what that mission will be.

I’m going to guess there would have been a dragon big-bad, who isn’t awake yet but once he rises he’ll be able to… hmm… mentally take over the minds of much of humanity and make them shoot missiles at each other to reduce the human population and disrupt society enough that the Night People are safe to come out of the shadows and take over. There’s something like this in Night of the Solstice, Ms. Smith’s first book, the kids suggest getting the army to fight the villain and Morgana tells them that the villain has power over all things nasty and warlike so the army would just make things worse.

Or instead of a big boss dragon, maybe the ancient witches who enchanted the dragons to sleep left something behind. Maybe their bones, so their spirits could be called back to explain their magic spell. But the binding of the dragons certainly happened before America was settled– maybe they foresaw that and had their bones or whatever transported to America. Wasn’t Quinn from colonial times? Maybe he knows something about an order to move some artifact. The only ancient witches we have names for are Hecate Witch-queen and Hellewise, so maybe one of them will come back and advise our heroes, or maybe they just left instructions or a magical dragon-binding macguffin.

So Team Circle Daybreak has to take the four Wild Powers to the place where the big dragon is sleeping, and sneak past the evil Night Worlders who are there doing magic to wake him up. So the team must be Jez, Illiana, Delos and Kierlan as the wild powers, Sarah and Mal as the main characters of the book and… one other. You can pick any character for the last spot but I’m going to pick Keller because she’d volunteer, she’s a fighter so she could defend the wild powers, and I like her. Maggie is another possibility since she wouldn’t let Delos out of her sight, and Hannah is another one since she’s a Circle Daybreak leader and she will be reborn if she dies.

And who are we killing off? We have to kill off five! Kierlan is an obvious one for the chop, since Sarah has a backup soulmate, and Kierlan might turn into a good dragon to battle the evil one. But Sarah is giving me a little bit of Usagi vibe, so she might be the true and pure girl who sacrifices herself to save her friends. And if two of them die we might as well kill all three.

Illiana is also a pure sacrifice type and she has no soulmate, making her more likely to be killed by the plot, but she also has this “healing flames” thing so she would be great to help fix the world afterwards.

I think Keller is also likely to die, just because she’d be happy sacrificing herself. Actually, if Keller died then Illiana and Galen might find each other soulmates so that would be a good plot reason not to kill Illiana. I can also imagine Keller suddenly breaking through to a new level of shapeshifter power and becoming a giant glowing winged panther to have a physical battle with the evil dragon.

My vibe is that Jez and Delos are least likely to die because they both have soulmates to come back to. But it also seems likely for there to be a sudden revelation that the Wild Powers have to spill ALL their blood and sacrifice themselves to release their full power and fix the world. Would make for a cool scene, blue fire spilling from their injuries and consuming all the evil Night Worlders while healing the non-evil ones.

So that’s the ending, some form of those options. But we have a main and secondary story to get there. For our secondary story we have two options: the post-apocalyptic story seen through Sarah’s dreams, which is Crispy’s story, Brionwy’s story, or both. For a long time I thought these two were the same character, with one real name and one cruel nickname, but they seem to be different characters. At least they are now; one of the blurbs has Sarah dreaming about Crispy but I feel like I’ve read other places that it’s Brionwy. Maybe Ms. Smith just wanted to write both forms of the post-apocalyptic story, with Brionwy in the vampire harem and Crispy in the ruins. So we get to write a post-apocalyptic story and it can be either kind! You could even include some characters from thye books. James and Poppy, Quinn, Ash, Thierry and Hannah, all might still be alive in the future. Other characters might have gone through hard choices. If the world was becoming very bad for humans and your vampire soulmate wanted to turn you to keep you safe, would you want to be turned?

Or we can have the secondary story of Ash Redfern visiting all the characters from the other books and protecting them from “ the enemies who, for unknown reasons, are targeting the youngest generation of Harmans and Redferns.” So, not protecting them from the collapse of society due to the apocalypse.

Some of the couples from past books are married and one couple is expecting a baby! This is another great option for a secondary story since you get to imagine a future for all the couples, where they ended up. Is Poppy back in touch with her human family? How are they handling it? Has Thea admitted she remembers being a witch? Are she and Blaise friends again? Has Rashel discovered she and Keller are twins and has she learned to shapeshift? And then at the end Ash has atoned for his evil ways and reunites with Mary-Lynette for the ending. That would be a blast to write!

And now, three pages into this post I wasn’t even planning to write today, we get to the main story. Sarah Strange, a character whose face we know but whose personality we only know from a description. She sounds like an “ordinary girl who is more than she appears” sort of character. She is the first one we have seen who has two soulmates. And they think she “must help establish harmony between humans and creatures of the Night World to stave off the apocalypse.”

Why do they think she can do this? Ms. Smith gave us no hints. Is Sarah something other than a human? Is she half-and-half like Jez? Like Ciri in the Witcher, who is somehow part elf and that makes her a special magical being who can be queen of both elves and humans. (displaying my Witcher ignorance here, love it, don’t understand it! But back to Sarah!) Is she secretlyb the fourth wild power not Kierlan? Is she a lost witch? But that was Illiana’s plotline. Is she an old soul? Is she Brionwy? That would explain their dream connection. Do Sarah’s dreams mean she’s a new creature, an oracle who can see the future?  Hang on, I read somewhere– LJ Smith originally meant Strange Fate to be two books, the first one tentatively titled Mystic.

Maybe she can become soulmates with everybody, join everybody in the world together. Didn’t Ms. Smith say something about how she’d like to give everyone in the world empathy so they would all help each other? Sarah’s two silver cords could be the beginning of that power showing itself. And that would let her be very special while also just being an ordinary human. But there hasn’t been any foreshadowing of that, no prophecies about anything other than the four wild powers.

So we meet Sarah as she’s having visions of the dark future. She tells her two cute boy best friends about it. They tell her about the Night World and the looming apocalypse. We just don’t know anything about Sarah’s journey beyond that. I assume she and the boys hook up with Thierry and Circle Daybreak and go along on the final mission. But does she survive? Does she end up with both boys, one, or neither?

In 1999 there was “Sarah Strange is a fragile human girl – happy in Circle Daybreak with her soulmate, Blade, a gentle Vampire. Then Kierlan comes to town. He is an arrogant witch and a Wild Power, and Sarah is strongly attracted to him. But who is her real soulmate? And is the answer waiting in the Night World?” and we could start there if we wanted! It’s interesting because this Sarah knows about the Night World, and may be older than the other heroines, with her soulmate already figured out. Then her family is asked to hide the witch Kierlan who is already known to be the wild power.

But the more recent incarnation of Sarah is 16 and in high school, with her best friends Kierlan Drache and Mal Harman. So what can we deduce about these boys? They are from important Night World families but have not been mentioned in previous books. Galen never mentioned his cousin/brother/whatever Kierlan is, and the Crone didn’t mention Mal as a Harman they looked at to see if he might be the Witch Child. That makes some sense; they probably just knew the Witch Child was a girl, but it’s a missed chance to foreshadow the final book’s characters and make the world feel more connected. Makes me wonder how far ahead the apocalypse arc was planned. I get a vibe that “not very” is the answer, the prophecy is vague enough that… well… what does “one from the twilight” even mean?

Mal is a Harman so he’s a witch. A male witch, which is rare.. Thea, Gillian and Illiana were all blondes, so Mal probably has light hair too. He and Sarah go to high school together and have been friends for some time so Mal has a home and a settled life of some sort.

Kierlan is now a Drache, from the first family of the shapeshifters. If he’s like Galen, he hasn’t chosen an animal form yet. I think he’s gotta go for “good dragon” in the end, it’s just the only thing that makes suitable apocalyptic sense. Kierlan is the fourth wild power. How does he know? How did Circle Daybreak find out? Is he a member of Circle Daybreak or still undecided? He has also been friends with Sarah for a while so he’s lived in the same town for some time.

If Mal is blond that would make Kierlan the dark haired one because in YA books there’s always one fair haired and one dark haired boy and the dark haired one is always the bad boy and always the one the girl chooses in the end, them’s the rules! Probably the “dark hair and golden eyes” that Ms. Smith likes. Maybe Kierlan is a rebel from his family, which would explain why good-boy Galen doesn’t mention him. Maybe Kierlan isn’t sure about Circle Daybreak. The shapeshifters joined the good side thanks to Illiana, but a lot of individual shapeshifters probably still think that going back to the old days of ruling humanity sounds like a good deal. Kierlan could be undecided but Sarah shows him the pure goodness of humanity and turns him to the side of good.

Do the two boys get along? Are they fighting over Sarah? Do they know that she has silver cords with both of them? Have there ever been multi-soulmate groups like this? Is threesomeing a thing in the Night World? It’s not a thing in teen literature of 1999 which makes me think that at the end of this Sarah can have no more than one soulmate remaining.

And… and… there is so much more! There are hints in the stories on the webpage, Ms. Smith gives so many Strange Fate clues in her blog which I am looking at right now on the wayback machine! This post was just written from the details that randomly stuck in my brain!

But this is enough for one day.

[khodorkovskaya]

10.04.23

the plan for today was to go to the cat's place and study for the whole day. and mission accomplished! i finally understood some parts of quantum mechanics i was struggling with during the semester. and the kitty was adorable as always. should i tell her about schrödinger's cat lol?

and since i was there i was like you know what i might as well go to the frog pond. because hey i can't live like this anymore, i can't let B define what i can and can't do! so what the frog pond was our place? i want to see how the frogs are doing so im going by myself!

so i took my dinosaur tupperware and headed to the pond to eat lunch there. and it was a mistake... or maybe not idk.

the smell of lilacs blooming takes me back to drinking rosé and eating raspberries with my london bestie by her pool when we were 16, certain songs remind me of middle school and the sound of the birds singing... well... i wrote about it on here numerous times already. yesterday me and my stepdad were making banana bread and i broke down crying in the middle of it bc the birds won't shut the fuck up. it's so bad.

but anyway, i was on my way to the frog pond. and it's funny because they started demolishing some of the houses around it, so the place had a bit of an apocalyptic vibe about it. and then i got there and sat on the bench we'd often have breakfast at. and ate my wrap.

and then i started craving dessert and i remembered the little portuguese pastries we'd get for breakfast. and i was like you know what maybe i could go to that shop and get myself a pastry. i figured they'd probably be closed for easter but i decided to check on google maps anyway and then i lost it...

you know that feeling of déjà vu you often get in dreams? i don't know how to describe it. but you know when you're in a dream and you're at a certain place, but it's not really like the place bc you're in a dream so everything's a bit off. and you start thinking, hey, i could go to X place. because in dreams you can literally walk to a different country and everything feels so close. so you're there like hmm let's go to X place and then you teleport. and there's this feeling of déjà vu bc it's not really the irl X place. you know what i mean?

so there i was finishing my wrap, looking at google maps to see if the portuguese place was open. and then i was like what if i go see B's old place. has it been demolished yet? and then i started following the road we'd take on google maps.

we'd cross the road here and then walk by the playground. and then we'd turn and then...

omg yes, here! we'd walk by the very nice house that had a huge garden and goats and then - YES! - the farm! we'd cross the farm. B told me his friend got married there. and then we'd cross the farm and go down, pass by the pigs awww they were so cute

and then there there... cross the bridge...

field number 1. i wonder what they planted here this year. wheat? maybe colza?

and then turn. sometimes there'd be cows there lol.

and then walk some more, turn, pass by the hospital/old people's home. and then omg yes! there was this new age community thing with llamas lol, they were funnn!!! B would sing the llama song ahaha

then the crossing, i remember B told me about his time in the military when we were there. and then we'd continue or maybe we'd be like "let's go back" cos we'd be tired.

and then we'd turn around and walk back. new-age llamas => old people's home => fields => bridge => up up up to the farm => nice house => cross the road and yeah this time we'd walk by the petrol station to get food for dinner, pasta probably and then run across the road and here we are! dinner, movie night and sleep!

ahh, i could go there, could i? im supposed to be studying but what if. i mean i could go there, right? would be nice, right?

i felt awful. idk, it was the dream feeling i described earlier of being so close to something and yet everything feeling slightly off. i felt like a crazy person. and when the mania of imagining going for a walk with B wore off, i wanted to die. and the birds wouldn't fucking shut up.

so i finished my wrap and left without going to the portuguese place. and got myself a branche cailler from the corner store for desert and ate it while studying at the cat's place.

i don't know why i do this to myself. i could just not think, and yet i do. im obsessed and i keep fueling my obsession. it's like picking my skin, like i can probably control it but i don't want to and so i pick and pick and pick until i start bleeding. and with B it's the same shit. im so tired. i need to be more disciplined but it's like i want to be obsessed.

[ofmermaidstories]

hiiii my fave 💓 would it be okay for me to ask what kind of reader you see sero with? i genuinely love the way you write anything, especially sero!!! his smile? the things he says??? i’m in love and am so curious who your genius brain sees him with 👁

Hello MY fave. 😭💕 But hmm, lemme think. Sero, eh?

I will argue myself into a grave that canonically, he’s a smartass. A jokester!!! Smooth, lowkey class-clown kinda vibes. He also seems mostly unbothered by the more extreme temperments of his classmates, beyond making snippy lil asides, behind their backs:

(shout out to my King Explosion Bulldozer there, eloquent as ever bb <3)

So with those basics, I could see Sero being good foil for someone who’s a little more anxious!!!

Like: our Reader’s a lil bit of a mousey mouse, keeps to themselves, prefers knowing everything about a situation before subjecting themselves to it and even then needs like, at least three different escape routes available lmao. And then you’d have Sero Hanta who just cruises along like, “yup, ‘sup”.

I think Sero would be good at ferreting out personalities that might otherwise be too shy to approach him!!!! and he’d be especially great at just dropping in, mid-convo, like you’re old friends.

(He snorts at something your coworker says, and before you know it you are shoulder to shoulder with Cellophane, Pro Hero, who winks down at you like you’re in on the joke.

“Nah man,” he says, grinning. “You’re delusional if you think series five was any better—”)

Like with all personality traits, I think being an easy-going quipper can backfire on someone—like, even as adult, I could picture Sero at his worst being kinda… self-absorbed? LOL. I feel like that prolly sounds like it’s coming out of left-field but!!!!! Listen!!!!!!! he’s grown up with some very intense people, some very forceful personalities—he’s known nothing but interesting people!!! so when he’s bored i reckon he can just come of super disinterested/disrespectfully flippant—a trait he’d have to learn how to temper, considering most people aren’t… you know, the greatest heroes of their age lmfaooo. Someone who’s a little more reserved, at first, would be a good reminder for him that people don’t have to be constant performers, that there’s value in sharing quiet moments with someone you like. Which would suit him, I reckon, because away from his mates he seems like he appreciates a more zen environment, like so:

I like imagining his space, as an adult, is just as impeccable. And when you’re finally in his inner circle—idk, I think it’d be good. Sitting with him at a low, balsam wood table, some sweet, woodsy incense burning in the background as you’re both reading.

(Hanta’s got a manga out—a volume Todoroki gave him for his birthday. It looks apocalyptic, something graphic about being the last surviving humans in a world without Quirks. Hanta glances up and catches you looking.

“Get over here,” he says, shuffling over and you move, automatically—setting your book down to curl up with him on his side of the table, his long arms wrapping around you and holding the manga aloft so you can read it, too.)

[fantastic-nonsense]

i'm working on a gothic horror mostly focused on jason & bruce but i want to include babs too, i mostly pull from the 80s comics for my characterization. Are there any good barbara gordon comics that have a gothic horror vibe and/or would be a good jumping off point for writing a gothic horror barbara? (ie, i'm mostly pulling from "The Cult" for my portrayal of Jason) Or, do you think steph or cass would be fun in the gothic horror genre? i haven't read much past the 80s comics, so I haven't read much of the girl's stuff (or even Tim's, lol)

Cass is objectively the easiest of the Batgirls to pull gothic horror vibes from because her entire character is tailor made for it. She's cultivated the 'fast, scary, and silent shadow wraith' vibe for 20 years and counting, and we love her for it. There's also a lot of magical surrealism in Cass's stories (from post-apocalyptic hallucinations to 'magically re-learning how to fight') and of the three Batgirls, she's the only one who's ever died and been properly resurrected (via Lazarus Pit). So if you want a good jumping off point, I would recommend reading Cass's Batgirl solo.

That being said, Steph had a fun issue once (co-starring Kara) where they went to the movies and fought a bunch of Draculas:

Batgirl (2009) #15

Probably not the story vibes you're looking for (it was a rather light-hearted 'girl's night out' issue), but still fun to consider.

As for Barbara, hmm....well I wouldn't necessarily consider it gothic horror, but there WAS that one Birds of Prey arc where Babs became a technopath for a hot minute because Brainiac left her with a sentient tumor virus after possessing her:

"We're alone now. I thought I could handle you. Control you. Because you made me think that. But if there's anything I've learned lately, it's that no one can control everything. I thought, when I got rid of Brainiac, that the dangerous part of you was gone. But we just threw away the gun and left the bullet inside." -Birds of Prey (1999) #84

"I think you're trying to make my body fail. It's scary to be alone, I know. Brainiac planted a virus in me. But the smartest creature in the galaxy forgot...I'm a hacker. And I placed a bit of myself in you. You can't kill me now. And I can't save you." -Birds of Prey #85

It's more body/medical horror than anything, if I'm honest, but it was kind of a cool idea while it lasted.

Other than that well...*shrug* there's always DC Bombshells' Vampire!Babs to work with:

[evolsinner]

⊱┊7

with the moment past {definitely not mentally}, i make my way to the lounge.

“hey, rosé?”

i see him seated on a 3 seat sofa.

a, i hope he didn’t see the way i shaved my hair down there into a love heart... b, he def saw my boobies!!

“y~yes, mr killian?”

“you hungry or something? i can order you some pizza.”

hell, i’m famished, can’t remember the last time i ate.

“no, aha…”

“you sure?”

“actually, yeah, i am, a little... sorry if that’s an inconvenience.”

“no, not at all! don’t be silly. i’m starving.”

i restrict a smile.

“here,” he shifts to the side, patting the middle seat, “make yourself comfortable. i’ll order some now.”

i place his hoody on the armrest and sit on the other end instead; don’t have it in me to sit right next to him. we would be like idk touching and whatnot. amongst the remote and his wallet, he grabs his phone from the middle seat, dialling a number.

“pineapple on pizza?” he faces me, holding the phone to his ear.

i fucking love pineapple on pizza.

“100%,” i reply confidently.

he grins.

i have just found my soulmate.

i admire how laid back he looks: his white untucked dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal thick veins and a dark tan, tie tossed on the table. is this how every male teacher looks after work?

‘cause, yummy!

“takeaway. one large vegetarian and one large hawaiian...with extra pineapple, please,” sir glances at me adorably. “cheers, sweetheart,” he hangs up after giving his number and address for the order. “should be here in 40 mins,” he informs me, “catch,” and tosses the remote at me. “pick a movie. make it a good one. i’m gonna go freshen up quickly.”

can i come?

-ˋˏ ༻🍷༺ ˎˊ-

i struggle to find a goddamn movie!

sir’s phone vibrates and i look across at it. why does that thing be buzzing and ringing all the time? i mean... hmm… i lean all the way back, peeping down the hallway. i listen to see if the shower is still on.

🚿pshhshhshhshhshhshh

oh good, it’s still on. i sneakily pick up his orange google pixel 4 xl mobile phone. okay, let’s see, what’s his passcode? says his pin contains at least four digits. hmm...

1 2 3 4

incorrect pin entered

4 3 2 1

incorrect pin entered

6 9 6 9

incorrect pin entered

his birth year, maybe?

1 9 8 1

incorrect pin entered

it’s definitely mine, then.

2 0 0 0

try again in 30 seconds

fuck, what is it?!

now i’m adamant.

a while later, i listen for the shower again. no sound. fuck me! i also haven’t even picked a movie yet! i grasp the remote and quickly flip through the movies. in ‘newly added’ a film that goes by the name ‘barefoot’ {2014} appears. this’ll do. i haphazardly click on it, put his phone back in the middle seat and swiftly bring my knees up on the sofa.

bathroom door opens and mr killian returns, setting himself down.

and ohhhh boy, oh jesus h. christ, he is wearing grey sweatpants. grey. sweatpants. oh my goddddddd!!!!

🎵dun da daaaaa! dunda dunda da dun dadada oo oo oooooo dun da da

i cringe, really should have skipped the first 10 mins or something.

sir looks at me with an amused expression, “just started?”

i nod, embarrassed.

then he cracks up a little, “how long did it take for you to pick a film?”

“i paused it, was waiting for you.”

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

“alrighty then,” he slumps down, letting me get away with the white lie. “this better be good or else you’re held accountable.”

the professional teacher’s vibe is disappearing and transforming into a perky one.

he’s wearing a loose t~shirt with long sleeves and it’s even rolled up. his hair is damp and floppy, making him so much more attractive. he runs his hands through it, flipping it back as the stray droplets of water roll down his neck. i would gladly lick them off for him if he doesn’t mind...

“why’s my phone locked for 60 minutes?”

“huh?” i snap out of my daydream.

“my phone, why’s it locked?”

*ding dong.*

“maybe...you put the wrong password in?”

“pretty sure i didn’t, and you’re the only other person in this house, no?”

*ding dong!*

“aha..ha,” i giggle nervously.

“does it look like i’m laughing?” he asks me condescendingly.

my smile disappears.

*ding dong! ding dong! ding dong! ding dong!*

“ight, i’m coming!!” sir shouts, grabbing his wallet. “..jesus christ, break my damn doorbell, will you..” he mutters under his breath angrily.

bit hot...

-ˋˏ ༻🍷༺ ˎˊ-

i only ate 2 slices of pizza so i wouldn’t look like a fat bitch in front of sir. he, however, didn’t even eat any. so much for being ‘starving’. he was just casually watching me eat. i could feel his eyes on me each time i took a bite and the odd olive or pineapple went rolling down into my lap. it was so awkward!

we’re halfway through the movie and i felt the need to say something because jay, the character, was such a jerk.

“i mean, it’s actually rather heartbreaking. daisy was locked away for most of, if not, her whole life. and now she is finally free, finally able to experience the pleasures of the real world. she put all of her trust in him and he abandoned her. that’s so not cool.”

as i’m analysing the film, i feel his eyes analysing me.

“well, you can’t blame him,” sir counterattacks. “jay had his own life, his own problems to deal with. she was just another added problem to that.”

“then he should’ve led her back to the hospital again instead of taking her on this joyride purely for his own greed.”

“remember, she chose to take part.”

“he was being selfish.”

“he was lending her a hand.”

“which is what ultimately made her fall in love with him in the first place,” i state like a full stop.

sir’s whole face just speaks wow. “so why didn’t you do my analysis homework then, huh?”

“because it’s boring,” i look him boldly in the eyes, his slicked back hair has me feelin’ oozy and woozy.

“oh, it’s boring?” he emphasises, raising his eyebrows. “is that so?”

“yup,” i purse my lips.

“what was it again?” he grabs my arm, pulling me into his lap. “‘boring’, did you say?”

i’m trying to escape and he’s trying to hold me still. gradually, our laughter dies out and we become aware, so much more aware.

“got some on your mouth,” he says in the heat of the moment, running his thumb over my bottom lip.

there was definitely no pizza sauce or whatever on my mouth, but i play my part. somehow, his thumb finds its way inside my mouth and i instinctively wrap my tongue around it. his green eyes glimmer like shiny marbles as he watches me

suck

on his

thumb.

i feel pressure underneath me, something building up in stiffness. i shift his hand away, glancing down and then back up again. his marble eyes, they just look at me. look through me.

no way in hell did i imagine this moment to actually happen. i mean, most of us girls had these insane crushes on teachers, but never did i think it’d unravel like this.

he firmly places his hand on my lower backside and pushes me closer to himself. “what, you scared now?” he whispers, dominance combined with confidence, topped off with lust.

i gulp, trying to sound brave, “and why would i be scared?”

“you should be,” he replies.

i am lost for words. this kind of intimidation is seductive. all i wanna do is kiss him! though i won’t make the same mistake of glancing at his lips twice.

he speaks in a soft tone, “has anyone ever told you how captivating your~”

“my eyes are?” i finish his cliché line off for him.

“...your lips,” he corrects, casting his gaze down at them.

i bite my bottom lip, flustered for acting like a smartass.

“you know, on some occasions, i’ve noticed that you bite your lip when you’re nervous. it’s cute,” he grins, “i like it more than i should,” and waits patiently for me to fall into his devilish trap.

believe me when i say i’m trying goddamn hard to not sink my teeth into my flesh! which is why i replace it with a mere innocent gulp.

“but on most occasions, you gulp,” he says as i’m gulping.

he removes the hair from my neck.

i get hella anxious, hella aroused so i..

“nuh~uh,” he shakes his head and pulls my bottom lip down with the pad of his thumb. “‘nough biting from you, sweetheart. those are mine to bite now.”

am i dreaming right now?

i try to reposition myself by moving a little back so that i’m not directly on him. as i do this, his erection rubs further into me and i slightly moan kinda too evidently. my eyes open super wide and i instantly shut my mouth. it surprises me that it doesn’t faze him one bit.

“your t~t~thing is p~poking me..” i gesture with my eyes to his manhood.

his orbs shine like someone has stabbed an apocalyptic emerald sunset multiple times. it’s glorifying. magical. the stuff dreams are made from. and instead, he pushes me further down onto his sculpture. he leans his head in, his mouth millimetres away from mine.

“and do you like it?” he questions seriously.

our noses touch, our lips brush...

“answer the question.”

“yes,” i squeak. “i like it.”

i try to remain as calm as possible, but it’s impossible due to the nerves causing havoc inside me, particularly the nerves between my thighs. i don’t know what to focus on. that mouth? his eyes? or down below...

“may i let something be known, luv?” sir requests politely.

i nod.

“i can see your tits...through that shirt...” he whispers sexily.

my breath hitches up.

kiss me! why won’t he kiss me? just fucking kiss me! shit, it’s impossible not to look. i give in and look at his lips. the corners curve slightly into a wayward grin. i see... he wants me to initiate it.

welp, sorry, no can do, mister.

he literally places my bottom lip between his teeth and lightly tugs at it, his breaths hitting my mouth like rose petals. this act is enormously enticing, but i know he’s teasing me.

my turn.

i purposely grind in his lap and he suppresses a hoarse groan. then he scoffs. very conceited. he’s so gonna lose. i keep my lips impossibly close to his for when he forfeits which should be right about...now.

he shakes his head smugly.

i frown, pouting.

he half~smiles adorably.

fine, i have a better idea. one he doesn’t see cumming coming.

i lift away the waistband of my borrowed sweatpants and grip his hand. his body automatically tenses up. i can feel him getting harder from just the thoughts i’m giving him. i bring his hand closer to me. he’s losing and it’s hella entertaining to watch.

unexpectedly, a phone goes off and i jump in fright. i rapidly get off him and he returns to his usual, rigid ways. he aggressively clears his throat before answering that stupid device.

whilst pacing up and down and holding his forehead, he stares at me intently like i’m that fucking maths problem again!

[ukyou-kuonji]

Hmm I thought this might be fun, so here’s a list of my top ten favorite books I read in 2019! They are mostly in order but some were really close. 

10. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

This is a LGBTQ romance novel, and a super easy read. I read it quickly, and it was a fun book. The main character, Joanna, is a girl who has been out in her community for years, but is moving to a small town in Georgia and has to go back into the closet. It makes the book relatable for queer youth both in and out of the closet, as well as an interesting read for anyone who enjoys romance novels.

9. The Star Scroll by Melanie Rawn

The Star Scroll is the second book in the Dragon Prince series by Melanie Rawn. It’s a fantasy series, mainly set in the desert, in a world with magic and dragons. The series mainly follows Rohan and his family, but this book focuses on his son Pol. It had amazing female characters, as well as an incredible magic system that was complex, yet had structure, and never failed to amaze me. 

8. The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

This is the prequel to Maas’ Throne of Glass series. I am most certainly not up to date, and was a bit lost, but I loved it so much I resolved to reread all the books in the series as well as the new ones in the future. It’s a high action fantasy novel about the origins of assassin Celaena Sardothien, and explains a lot about her due to her earlier experiences. 

7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

This is a post-apocalyptic novel, set about fifteen years after a disease has killed off most of humanity. To be honest I haven’t really read much of this genre before, but it was really good! The resulting society feels real, and it makes you think about your everyday reliance on technology as well as other people without ever berating individuals for relying on these things. Following a traveling group of performers keeping the arts alive through Shakespearian plays even after almost complete destruction it explores the role of art in human life, and the interconnectedness of supposed strangers.

6. The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin

Yet another fantasy novel (Can you guess my favorite genre?) this is the sequel to A Wizard of Earthsea. Similarly to the Dragon Prince series I read other books in LeGuin’s series, yet this was my favorite I read this year. It follows a Kargish girl, Tenar, who was raised from a young age to be a nameless priestess, and her defiance of senseless hatred and bloodshed as she escapes the life she was born into with the help of Ged, a wizard. It is relatively short, but the bleak setting had just enough detail to make you feel as if you were part of the story.

5. Educated by Tara Westover

This book is very different than the others on this list. It may be the only nonfiction book. It is an autobiography of a Mormon woman, chronicling her secluded upbringing and complete lack of any sort of formal education and her ensuing search for knowledge which eventually led her to college and even overseas. It also focuses on the author’s conflict between remaining close with her family and forming her own opposing opinions. It was wildly interesting! I will warn readers though it does deal with abuse.

4. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

A classic, and my favorite of the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy I read this year. I thought both the sections about Sam and Frodo’s journey were interesting, as well as the much more typically grand adventures of Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn. The Ents were some of my favorite creatures in all the books. All in all it had more of a adventure vibe than a war vibe, and I loved how creative and elaborate some of the new characters and experiences were. 

3. The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin by Vladimir Voinovich

This book is a fictional satire of the Russian communist government set in the 1940s. It follows the inept Private Chonkin, who is assigned to guard an airplane which crash landed in a far off kolkhoz. He gets involved with many of the crazy residents in town. While being a clever satire it is also funny even if you don’t know much about the Russian government at that time. 

2. A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

Ok I couldn’t just pick one! I read both of these this year and both were INCREDIBLE. The whole Wicked series is utterly breathtaking, and Maguire is one of my favorite authors of all time. I love both books SO much!! Enough said.

1. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

This book is probably my most favorite book I’ve ever read. Set in a fantasy world based off of Moorish Spain, it features many diverse characters and a beautifully thought out and realistic setting, and focuses on political, social and religious tensions. The three main characters all have different skills, ways of life, and faiths. Jehane is a Jewish doctor, Rodrigo is a Christian soldier, and Ammar is a Muslim poet. The chemistry and interactions between all three characters really make the novel, and a poly romance is alluded to by the end. It’s one of those rare books that totally makes you as the reader rethink your views on society, love and war.

[anja-mittags]

ALBUM RECS: THE SECOND

Astronautalis/You and Yer Good Ideas

1. oh fuck i vibe with this a lot. the crackle, the guitar. off to a good start.  As they say, there’s demons in this record and i fucking love it. very fitting for post-apocalyptic vibes. OH the lady voice, unexpected cameo, nice.

2. what is that. what is that sound. it’s like tv static fuzz but a strange pitch. oh we flowing, fast talking. oh oh!! and everyone held their breath because i was working without a net. like that tightrope dude that walked between skyscrapers. oh wow this was a short song but good.

3. this feels like how an atypical brain hold thoughts, from the step counting between different places overlaid with like a story overlaid with another voice chiming in. secrets explode whether you mean it or not. love the chorus or i guess its the refrain now. but this is a very legit. gives me some sort of 90s vibe.

4. we getting a little DEVO here. with the tones. rub my halo upon my sleeve and my apple on the other. oh shit haha. oh some nice repetiton of like consonants i dont remember what its called but yes i approve. fuck okay this like interlude bit. ive definitely heard something like this in my mathrock days. sick tho sick. something about the lyrics makes me think of like american beauty meets like idk fatal attraction. it was slightly unsettling but also compelling.

5. can i just say he’s really good at like keeping on beat and freestyling. i would trip over my damn tongue. donuts are communism. i asked him why. theyre better in theory. IM HOWLING. this is like cute, the chorus is kinda simple and it didnt grab me like the other songs so far but like that could also be because i didnt catch a lot of the lyrics just from the pace.

6. oh we using some pedals hmm this feels like a downer. but a relatable downer. like im never right but i hope ill be okay you know?. i can feel a storm coming heres the first sign next generation of first born.....something about the last bit reminds me of fort minor or you know that sort of meld of spoken feelings versus aggressive harmonizing. i feel like i have to listen to it again just to catch all the nuance.

7. this one is very...hmm seductive like its got a backbeat that reminds me of early RnB? like it wouldnt be amiss with like early 90s rappers. hope for your sake you’re hearing this song in a bar coupled with i want to make good music that you can sing along is slightly menacing and i kind of love it. yeah actually it is very last call youre a little too drunk and too aware of your faults.] but fuck it you dont want to be alone with yourself.

8. i think theres some sampling here, i dont really know from where. but this is okay. it feels more like an interlude or bridge between songs. i like the tune its just not ??? as striking as the rest

9. See i like this one already. Like it’s a very chill beat. oh god the vocals having like a fade echo effect is wild. but i belive the dreams of my father its the only dream that ive got. oof. oh this is just like...like that sort of longing in the back of your head of making your life your own. really good track.

10. oh okay this reminds me of...something. it was just this very specific part i have no idea what tho. today’s the day things happen. today’s the day we turn it backwards. like it like it. the whispered parts would probably sound better through headphones. as the last song i feel like i want more! but it’s a good song.

8/10, i would put it on to make some art, i would absolutely buy it and keep playing it. I didn’t expect to like it so dang much but i do. my gut mustve known to pick it for today! thanks @strikerbacks

send me an album rec for these isolation hours

[felassanis]

Gems that I have found on Netflix: PT 1

Shirkers: A dream-esque documentary telling the true story of how a group of girls from Singapore accomplished their dream of creating their very own quirky film. Only for it to vanish along with the sudden disappearance of an older man the girls had been good friends with. I cannot recommend this documentary enough, the visuals are stunning, the people are interesting and they really delve into this story (well why wouldn’t they? it was their film that disappeared) and the entire story just leaves chills running along your spine. The documentary is told by the director of the movie as she goes back to Singapore to interview the friends that helped her work on the movie. They talk about their childhood and the series of events that led to their film being taken and their friend going missing.

Snow Piercer: I’m not really sure how popular this movie was but I had never heard of it! Despite that, it is a GREAT FILM. This film is grizzly, gruesome and haunting. If you're a fan of post-apocalyptic movies then you’ll love this, plus it stars Chris Evans if you just want to get your daily dose of the Evans-man. Set in a class divided Train that propels itself around the globe containing the last survivors on Earth, the higher class consists of vindictive dictators who abuse their power to put down those in the lower class. Until they rebel that is....I also recommend the Snow Piercer and Willy Wonka connection video on youtube after you watch this...your mind will be blown...

The Alienist: Instead of studying the body like most doctors, an alienist strive to deduct the mind, and what alienates people from behaving ‘normally’. This series is a Netflix original and needs waaaay more attention. It is a little slow to start but it is honestly really good! The people behind the camera are masters of angles and shot, the visuals are stunning and whoever was in charge in making the sets feel like Victorian America did a GODLY job. You also have a cast of wonderful actors and actresses and you have a strong female character who does more than stay on the sidelines, despite being in an age where she is constantly belittled. The show touches on some heavy, disturbing and dark subjects and reveals a multitude of gory scenes but hey, some people are into dark things. What I like most about it is the sticking to historical truth and not cutting corners when it comes to certain topics that occurred back in those days and the characters are incredibly flawed leaving the audience sympathising and even relating to them!

Midnight Dinner; Tokyo Stories: People HOP ONTO THIS SHOW! Midnight diner is about the plethora of stories told by people who arrive at a diner that is only ever open from 12:00pm to 7:00am. They are all short stories that leave you in tears, laughing fits and feeling warm inside. The vibe this show gives is unlike anything I have ever seen before and you get really intriguing characters who feel like real people, and they all come together over some food at this mysterious small diner. The chef is this wise old man who intently listens to these people and the food he makes leaves your mouth watering, makes me wish a place like this existed in England! The show is Japanese and I think it was based off a manga, but that shouldn’t be a reason not to go and watch it, you will not regret it!

IO: This isn’t a film that entails a lot of action or drama, but I did like it because the acting in it is fooking gOoD and it’s almost...spooky in a way because it’s set in a world where humans have left earth due to the overbearing pollution (it’s kinda a glimpse into our future if we don’t get our shit together) but some people have stayed to try and save their home. Namely two people as far as we know, a young woman named Sam who has pet bees and journeys into the world trying to salvage life because of her inspiring hope that Earth isn’t lost. I don’t usually like characters with their romantic obsessions of pure and heroic goals and desire; but Sam is different, I actually love her for her stubbornness that Earth can be saved, it really drives her character and everything she does is for Earth. The other geezer is Micah, a man who literally dropped in after hearing a radio signal and is clearly...well he’s one of those with a tragic past making him all mysterious and broody. Nontheless, he and Sam form a bond as they try to come up with a plan about what to do, he wants to leave and she wants to stay. WHAT WILL HAPPEN!? Go watch it duh! the ending is rather...hmm...just watch it.

 Also Micah played by sweet SWEET Anthony Mackie an actor I personally adore

Some Like It Hot: Marilyn Monroe? Yes! Black and white movie? YES! Hilarious? Fucking A! This is a personal guilty pleasure of mine, the film is completely wack but if you just need a good laugh, a bit of nostalgia for a time you never even knew and the absolutely beautiful Marilyn Monroe gracing your screen then this film is your true love. I have to admit, some of the humour is a but outdated, but the majority of it is completely hilarious and all in good fun. The acting is rather good and the two male protagonists remind me of Miguel and Tulio from The road to El Dorado and that really ought to sell you on this movie. Marilyn also sings in this movie, and her voice is <3

[yunxies]

do you know any lesser known medias (such as ina11, transformers, what u usually like) as u have lots of great interests when it comes to shows, etc and im interested in hearing more? im trying to get into more things and its kind of hard finding more media.

oh i’m flattered to hear that! hmm i don’t consume very much media and tend to just get into one thing and hyperfixate on that for months at a time but let’s see...

kaitou joker - a really fun manga turned anime (i haven’t read the manga but i’ve heard people say the anime is better) about flashy bright-colored phantom thieves. wacky, super entertaining concepts, coupled with a surprising amount of depth and emotion. it’s zany and childlike and EVERYONE has a tragic backstory. in any case it’s really fun and engaging, i don’t post about it much here bc it’s not super on my radar but it’s an absolutely underrated gem of a show (and probably less popular than other stuff i’m going to post about)

elsword - i’m only into this one secondhand and mostly just piggyback off my friends’ posts but this one is a korean mmo, i don’t know much about how the actual game goes but the characters are all super compelling from what i hear about them from my friends. the character designs are all really good as well

lobotomy corporation - again, only into this one secondhand. it’s a game inspired by scp stuff where you work for a corporation in a post-apocalyptic world that extracts energy from monsters, and you have to allocate resources, appease the monsters, contain them when they rampage, choose how many of your employees to sacrifice, etc. it sounds really good and fun and i love the characters. i really wanna play it but i don’t have the time ;_;

megaman x - okay so this isn’t exactly unknown but like transformers it’s not, like, in the mainstream fandom spotlight so i guess it counts. really good video game series about robots at war that you can analyze for all sorts of deep themes about morality, pacifism, etc, etc. also x and zero are gay. stan axl

gundam build fighters - the gundam franchise is really famous but this installment less so, it takes place in a world where the rest of the gundam franchise is fictional and people do battles with their little gundam plastic model merch. obviously it’s very, exists to sell toys, but like yugioh it has a really fun uplifting vibe of people just being passionate about their hobbies and having fun with that, it’s really sweet

kamen rider - again mostly secondhand hbfdgj can you tell i’m reeeeally bad at getting around to watching/playing things but i like this one. japanese live-action superhero show that’s been ongoing since like the 60s, every year there’s a new series with a new plot and main character. it seems really fun a lot of people are into it. i like ooo and w because i love ankh and philip. insanely popular in japan so idk if it counts as lesser known but yknow

danball senki - by the same company and director as inazuma eleven and it’s a lot like inazuma eleven except with tiny remote-controlled fighting robots instead of soccer. i’m not very far in but already they’ve used these tiny remote-controlled robots to stop an assassination attempt on the prime minister sfhgldg akihiro hino at it again. i only know like three people who have seen it but everyone says it’s super good so i’d check it out

yugioh spinoffs - idk what you followed me for so maybe you know these already but while the original yugioh is super popular the spinoffs are less known, there’s still a huge fanbase but they aren’t really in the collective nerd consciousness as much, anyway they’re all really good. i recommend gx, 5ds and zexal (OH GOD ZEXAL) the most, arc v is universally panned as a disappointment, have heard mixed reviews on vrains but i’m not very big on it. but gx 5ds and ZEXAL!!! are really really good (gx has a loooot of filler in the first half though and zexal also kind of does)

princess tutu - I KEEP FORGETTING PRINCESS TUTU because it’s not really an Interest in that i get the urge to create fanworks for it but it is one of my favorite shows of all time, it’s about fairytale characters who are trapped in a story made by an author who loves tragic endings, and need to escape the tragic ending and forge a new one. it’s also about ballet, and ducks. i admit a lot of me liking it is because it hits on a whole bunch of my personal favorite tropes/aesthetics but it’s also really good in general 

animorphs - OH MY GOD I FORGOT ANIMORPHS. please read animorphs. i know it’s a meme to make fun of the covers but it’s genuinely one of the best ya series of all time it gets soooo deep into exploring and deconstructing all the realistic implications of the whole “plucky teens fight an alien invasion” setup, fair warning it gets BRUTAL and there is an entire genre of tumblr posts that are just people who only know the covers discovering how brutal it is but it’s sooo good. you can read it legally for free online

vsinger - i guess this counts? a line of vocaloids made by shanghai henian that have more lore and background to them than the other vocaloids who are kind of just a design, a name and an age. like for instance tianyi is an alien who can detect peoples emotions using music and can only communicate in song. so you have a bit more character stuff to play around with. i’m mostly just there for longya he’s sexy. gatling is a good song

also i’m really interested in this webtoon called ga dam hang seol it looks so good and interesting but the translation team consists entirely of one friend of mine who is always really busy and so the translation is only 5 chapters and updates very sporadically cries but just in case you’re interested you can read the comic here and the translation is here

well i think that’s about it that’s the accumulation of the past few years’ interests! also in a few years be on the lookout for a very cool and interesting novel whose title i haven’t decided on yet appearing on tapas (poses)

[priyaele]

ten questions xx

tagged by @astralysis thank you so much!!

1. Who has the darker backstory, your protagonist or your antagonist?

Hmm, in The Girl of Crimson, both of them had dark backstories. Salem, my antagonist, had the darkest though it is not revealed in book one. They both cope very differently, to the point that if India, my protagonist, had continued coping as she had in the beginning of the book, she could have ended up in a far worse place. 

2. What creeps out your main character?

India: Salem.

Hero (untitled fantasy:) Terrorists.

Elody (The Summer of Dead Roses:) Monsters.

3. How long have you been working on your latest WIP?

The Girl of Crimson: about 3 years 

Untitled Fantasy: I drafted it last year but it’s been on a standstill for a while (even though I want to return to it so bad aaa)

The Summer all the Roses Died: been drafting since August

4. Which character is most like you and why?

Elody! I’ve been drafting the project with her through some rocky points in my life and I’ve subconsciously found myself channeling everything through her. Also, socially, she’s in a similar situation as me, being in high school and all, not that I’m doing any monster hunting or anything.

5. What genre is your latest WIP?

The Summer of Dead Roses is a young adult fiction novel with bits of fantasy.

6. What’s your main character’s idea of a perfect date?

India: doing anything without having to worry about getting attacked

Hero: a day in a big city 

Elody: going out to brunch or something probably

7. If your main character was an animal, what would it be and why?

India: probably a black cat or a peacock or something she gives off those sort of vibes.

Hero: a golden retriever puppy, just because. or maybe a dove.

Elody: a fawn. there’s lots of spotted deer in her hometown and i just feel like it’s fitting.

8. What books/films/songs have influenced your WIP, if any?

In no particular order:

1. The Harry Potter Series

2. Lady Bird dir. Greta Gerwig

3. A bunch of different Ghibli movies

4. Avatar the Last Airbender

9. What annoying writing habit do you have? (ie, too many commas, too many looong sentences etc).

flowery language and lots of internal monologue

10. Describe your WIP in one sentence.

the girl of crimson: group of teenagers finding family in each other, making dumb decisions, and plotting to end a war in a post-apocalyptic world

the summer of dead roses: party girl turns monster hunter during the most eventful summer her small town will ever have

untitled fantasy (which actually has a title i’m too lazy to announce right now): the nicest character i’ve ever written is tormented by a traumatic past as she attends a school for magic, unearths secrets from her family, and plots to take down a terrorist organization.

Tagging @gloriawriting @ava-burton-writing @ekinsellaauthor and @1kwordsand10littlecandies

[tastelevelfailtacular]

Road to the Runway

Project Runway Season 16

Last Thursday we got to meet the sixteen designers that will compete on the 16th season of Project Runway, which starts this week! In case you missed it, here’s a re-cap along with our first impressions of each designer. Plus, just for fun, we’re going to rate everyone to get a favorites ranking right out of the gate!

Batani Khalfani

Age: 32, Home: Inglewood, California Tondy: This lady is not only beautiful, I love her African-inspired designs! The prints are gorgeous, and the styles are really interesting. I particularly loved what she had on, and the long dark-grey dress with the split in the front! Score: 4.0

Bolo: Batani had some really lovely looks, and it looks to me like she’s very talented with mixing colors, prints, textures, and various design elements to create unique but wearable designs. Can’t wait to see more! Score: 4.5

Amy Bond 

Age: 46, Home: Los Angeles, California

Tondy: I liked her designs a lot, but I wish they weren’t all the same dark grey and black! She seems to really excel in draping, but I do want to see more color. Score: 3.5

Bolo: Very clean, professional-but-fashionable looks with a masculine edge. Lots of dark fabrics, though, but draping skills are a nice bonus. Score: 3.5

Ayana Ife 

Age: 27, Home: Salt Lake City, Utah

Tondy: My favorite design was the long flowy pants with the spaghetti straps in the back.  I also liked the versatility of the boyfriend shirt. Score: 3.5

Bolo: Ayana had some really cute looks and I absolutely loved her color palette. I even love the colors she’s wearing in this picture, even if whichever one of the judges that was (Mondo?) didn’t like the color of her hijab. I love it! Score: 4.5

Margarita Alvarez

Age: 30, Home: San Juan, Puerto Rico Tondy: I adored the purple and pink skirt that she showed first. I didn’t think that anything she showed was in the least matronly! (One of judges thought it might be) Score: 3.75

Bolo: Margarita had some gorgeous Dior-inspired looks, and I didn’t think they were matronly at all. At one point she was wearing this cute short-sleeved tunic dress with a plantain print, and it was adorable! Score: 4.25

Samantha Rei

Age: 36, Home: Minneapolis, Minnesota Tondy: I like what she said about not having to apologize for the size you are! There was a black dress in one of her photos with a little black top hat that may be the cutest dress I have ever seen!  I also thought the purple print dress she was wearing was adorable!! I think she will do well. Score: 3.75

Bolo: Samantha’s looks are vibrant and fun, some looks on the lolita spectrum and others that had that had an anime quality to them. Some a bit costumey but still very lovely. Excited to see her challenge work. Score: 4.25

Deyonte Weather 

Age: 36, Home: Chicago, Illinois

Tondy: I loved the dress on the model and the first print dress was beautiful  I would buy whatever that was that he was pinning pleats on on the mannequin because it is going to turn out gorgeous! Score: 3.5

Bolo: I really liked the architectural quality to some of his looks. Since he’s a fan of architecture, it’ll be interesting to see how that influences his looks. The cityscape dress was nice and different from others I’ve seen. Score: 3.5

Kenya Freeman

Age: 37, Home: Atlanta, Georgia

Tondy: She is too cute for words. I think she will keep things lively and fun on the show! I love peplums, and she had a pic of an adorable black dress that I think could be a best-seller! Score: 3.75

Bolo: I wish I could remember what she said, but it was something about designing for a working class girl or something along those lines. I liked that idea of cute, fashionable clothes for an everyday girl. Score: 4.0

Shawn Buitendorp

Age: 27, Home: Grand Ledge, Michigan Tondy: Shawn makes amazing leather jackets. I can see rock stars wearing these. The lion one and the one that looked like mosaics were particularly awesome! Score: 3.5

Bolo: Shawn’s cobra mosaic jacket was unbelievable. I hope she’ll be able to show off more of that mosaic work and the jacket designing skills. Score: 3.75

Claire Buitendorp

Age: 27, Home: Grand Ledge, Michigan

Tondy: Claire’s designs are not quite as edgy as Shawn’s. I like her first little black dress a lot, and I liked her aesthetic of making classic silhouettes embellished into a statement piece. Score: 3.5

Bolo: She had a black lolita dress that I thought was really nice, and she had some mosaic work and nice jackets as well. She also seems to like incorporating words into her looks, which I’m on the fence about. Score: 3.5

Aaron Myers

 Age 23. Home: Ridgewood, New York

Tondy: Hmm... I’m not sure how I feel about these clothes if they are for men. That said, I thought some of them were really cute and would look good on women too. I worry a little bit that he is trying too hard to be different! Score: 3.0

Bolo: This guy had some unique ideas. In my notes are the actual words “wank pocket” and “penis but not...” I think he said something about gender neutral, but I really got more of a “dresses for guys” vibe out of him. Could be very interesting or not so much. Score: 3.0

Brandon Kee

Age: 24, Home: San Francisco, California

Tondy: I love his fabrics and that jacket with the laces was amazing! I’m with the judges as I want to see more of his designs as well. I hope we get to see him make the fabric! Score: 3.5

Bolo: Brandon’s looks were a lot of oversize/baggy menswear in neutral colors. Some of the textiles he showed looked nice. Score: 3.25

Michael Brambila

Age: 25, Home: Oakland, California

Tondy: His clothes are different, but I liked the orange blouse. I would have liked to see more of the iridescent jacket that was hanging on the rack. It’s going to be exciting to see what he comes up with. Score: 3.25

Bolo: Michael was into what he called “fetish undertones,” which were things that tie up, rings, straps, etc. He likes to play with gender identity and looks with feminine undertones. Strikes me as more art than fashion. Score: 3.25

Sentell McDonald

Age: 33, Home: New York, New York

Tondy: He had such a sad story. I hope he does well on the show. His clothes are quite different, but I sure could see a lot of them showing up on the Red Carpet at the Grammys! Score: 3.25

Bolo: LOVED this guy! I think he said something about “global warming inspired,” and I can totally see that. There’s a very futuristic quality to his work. Lots of straight lines, metallic and shiny fabrics, zippers, etc. Score: 4.75

Kentaro Kameyama

Age: 38, Home: Lost Angeles, California Tondy: These designs were just gorgeous. The orange and black dress he had was amazing! I also loved the simplicity of the white dress with the black ribbons. Score: 3.75

Bolo: Kentaro is very inspired by music and likes to turn “sad things into beautiful things.” His angel dress, which was a tribute to a friend who passed away, was really lovely. I also loved that orange and black dress. Score: 4.0

Kudzanai Karidza 

Age: 32, Home: Atlanta, Georgia

Tondy: I liked him and I liked his dog, but sadly his designs did not impress me. I see where he is coming from, but I just didn’t get it. Score: 3.0

Bolo: Kudzanai uses a lot of color, texture, and African-inspired style. Some of his looks had a shabby chic/post-apocalyptic look to them, and others were more tribal avant-garde. Score: 3.75

Vincent “ChaCha” Yu

Age: 24, Home: Taipei, Taiwan

Tondy: Well, these designs were just a little too childish or costumey for me, and I am surprised that he got through, honestly.  He is as cute as a button, but maybe he would be better off doing children’s wear? Score: 3.0

Bolo: TBH, I didn’t think this guy was for real, so I was shocked as hell that he’s an actual contestant. I am using not a drop of hyperbole when I say all of his designs looked like unconventional challenge looks. Unusual fabric choices; strange mixes of colors, textures, and prints; odd embellishments--I’ve never seen anything like it. That good be good or really really bad. Score: 3.25

{ The Results }

The Five Designers We’re Most Excited About:

Batani Ayana Margarita Sentell Samantha

The Five Designers We’re Least Excited About:

Brandon   Kudzanai  Michael   ChaCha   Aaron  

{ Afterthoughts }

Tondy: Well, Bolo, the roller-coaster ride begins next week and I am beyond excited!!!!

Bolo: Me too, Tondy! It’s going to be a fantastic season!

Until next week,