#also most of this is from the first series bc I have yet to finish call down the hawk loool

[xiaowhore]

genshin men as shoujo tropes.

characters. neuvillette, wriothesley, & alhaitham.

note. in celebration of the shoujo renaissance (and also bc im having a hard time finishing the drafts i left half a year ago) i present to you the ideas i had while half-asleep this morning. i dunno if this will ever be a consistent series but here are the first 3! (heads up: female pronouns will be used in this fic!)

neuvilette ; the duke

it has to be said. he's the duke of the north.

you belong to an aristocratic family, but you're basically neglected due to being your father's illegitimate child with a maid and your younger sister is much better than you at every way there is. appearance, etiquette, and intellect—she is far more superior than you at these aspects. countless men ask for her hand in marriage, while none asks for yours.

but honestly, you didn't want to be wed to a noble. you dream of being a commoner, free from the clutches of your family who looks down on you and solely dotes on your sister. you could be a baker perhaps, since you've always had a hobby of making sweets.

yet your parents suddenly announce you're now engaged. and to the duke of the north, of all people! he has made a great contribution for the war against the monsters within the continent, but he is more known for his ruthlessness and harsh temperament. if you were to be his wife, what would happen to you? the duke holds a lot of power, but no one wants to marry him because they're all afraid of him, you included.

as you're being sent to his castle by carriage, you're already trying to comfort yourself. at least you're away from your family now. he couldn't possibly be worse than them. and as ruthless the rumors all say he is, duke neuvillette is not the type of man to beat a woman who has done no wrong.

your first dinner with him is completely silent. the clacking of cutlery pierces through the air, the only sound you can hear other than your heart rapidly pounding in your chest. your head is bowed, too fearful to meet him in the eye, but you can't help sneaking glances at him.

the duke doesn't appear in most events hosted by nobles, too busy defending his territory from monstrous creatures to attend. but you see now that those rumors about him being unsightly could not be any more false. his long hair drapes over his shoulders, not a strand out of place. his gaze is calculating, a fascinating blue you can't look away from, and his nose cuts a high angle—he'd look fetching if he wore glasses as he does paperwork. really... how could this man be your husband-to-be?

as you're busy worrying over how you shouldn't offend him and appreciating his appearance, neuvillette is trying his best to appear calm. the woman of his dreams is right in front of him, whose hand was promised to him if he won against the dragon slumbering in the northern mountains. the woman he had yearned for years on end, the woman who gave him strength as he was on the verge of death during the war, the woman who doesn't remember him anymore—

but he promised you long ago he'll make you the happiest woman in the world, and he's intent on keeping his vows.

neuvilette may appear stoic, but he's nothing but sweet to you. he accompanies you at every opportunity he isn't busy with work, spoils you rotten, and makes you want for nothing. word spread throughout the land that duke neuvillette couldn't be any more smitten with his wife, erasing all rumors that claimed he was heartless. you were intimidated by him at the start, but as you spent more time with him, you learned that there was no reason to be.

...however, that only applies to you. although you never said it outright, neuvillette can tell your family didn't care for you properly. he already had reservations with them, and now he has other reasons to be angry.

when your sister comes to his residence and claims there was a “mix-up” in the marriage, that she should be the one wed to him and not you, he is furious.

but there's really only one ending for this story—after all, his heart only belongs to you.

wriothesley ; the bodyguard

you're the only granddaughter of a yakuza leader and wriothesley is your bodyguard who will protect you no matter what. (not claiming ‘a girl and her guard dog’ energy; there are plenty of other mangas who have this trope too.)

you're just an ordinary girl with a very extraordinary family but you want to live a normal life free of violence and keep your family background a secret. you beg your grandfather to let you attend classes at a normal school, and he allows you in one condition: wriothesley must be with you at all times.

so yeah. this tall and absolutely ripped guy is behind you every time you walk to school, in the corridors, on the way to the cafeteria, and the only time he isn't following you is when you go to the restroom.

very protective. never lets his guard down when you're talking to boys. doesn't understand what you see in the handsome guy that everyone likes when his looks aren't all that great (he's just jealous).

“let's go home. it's about time for the car to arrive... what do you mean you still have something to do? ...there's someone waiting for you at the rooftop? you found a love letter in your locker? ...i'll wait for you at the door.”

he does wait for you at the door, but he also tries to hear the conversation you're having. and maybe he scoffs a little when he sees the guy who's trying to vye for your attention, because clearly wriothesley worried for nothing.

there will be a lot of dangerous events involved (i.e. kidnapping for ransom, attempts to kill you as revenge, wriothesley's enemies trying to harm you because you're the person he loves etc.) but wriothesley will save you each time.

“i'm right here,” he says as he cradles you in his arms, hugging your trembling body. “you don't have to fear anything now.”

it's nothing serious. just a pathetic attempt at kidnapping by a bunch of idiots who want ransom money. you're safe and sound in the car, waiting for him to finish his business with the delinquents, but that fact doesn't make his anger fade at all. “if i see a single scratch on her, i'll kill you.”

his head is bleeding, dripping crimson over his right eye, but all he sees is your bound wrists, the bruise on your cheek, the blood on your lip. he's out of bullets. you're both surrounded by henchmen. he has a single blade in his pocket. still, he roars with uncontrollable rage, “no one touches her!”

(very important detail: he calls you “my lady.”)

alhaitham ; the nonchalant male lead

he's definitely the cold guy who's (at first) rude and blunt to the female lead.

you've liked him since you were kids. your moms are best friends and you live next door to each other. both of your parents seem convinced you're going to end up together, but he rejects every single one of your advances—not that it discourages you from trying again next time.

you try to walk to school with him even though he always goes to the library too early and you're the furthest thing from a morning person. you offer him the best parts of the lunchbox you cook for yourself. you give him a cold drink after gym class. you invite him out to the mall during the weekends to hang out. you doll yourself up everyday with cosmetics and accessories in hopes that he'll think you're pretty.

but alhaitham always just looks... disinterested. especially during dinners where both of your families are present and his mother teases him about dating you for what seems like the nth time that night.

and you know he's not obligated to like you back or anything. but you still want to get his attention. you want to improve yourself to get him to like you.

alhaitham may come across as cold-hearted, but he buys you bread from the convenience store on the way to school because he knows you missed breakfast just to go with him. he keeps an eye out for any stray balls hitting you during gym class because for some reason you attract them like a magnet. he often declines your offer to go outside during weekends, but he's willing to tutor you for the test scheduled next week.

so you like to think of yourself as someone special. because surely, he doesn't do these things for anyone else, right? you must be one of the closest people to his heart, right?

but then the pretty girl from the class next door confesses to him, and you think you've lost your chance. she's tall and gorgeous, her clothes are always the latest fashion, and you're pretty sure she's around the same student rankings as alhaitham. they're talking by the cherry blossom tree, and no one can hear what they're saying behind the wall you're hiding from in your quest to eavesdrop on them.

but then alhaitham leaves first, not giving her a single glance after what you assume to be a swift rejection. the girl isn't crying, but she looks a bit shocked as she returns to school, not expecting the turn of events.

your classmates don't even pretend to be decent; all of them are asking her what happened. “he says he's not interested in dating, that's all.”

and at that, you sigh in relief. even if you're not special to him now, no one else is either.

you don't notice her looking at you, envy burning in her gaze. she didn't say any lies—but she did omit something important.

“i think... i like someone now. the most important person to me.”

[himbocoups]

˗ˋˏ Epistolary Yearning ˎˊ˗ | 18+ Only

synopsis: a series of letters, speckled with notes of budding romance and longing, exchanged between a newly married couple separated by seas and the ongoing war the emperor sent his commander to end.

pairing: duke!lsm x reader (gn afab)

genre: epistolary form, historical fantasy, romance | smut

tags: arranged marriage, mentions of a war, dk and yn accidentally invent the concept of planes, two people very much falling in love | degrading, fingering, guided play, honey play, marking, mirror play, pet names, praise, pussy slapping, riding, spitting, squirting…

wc: 5.13k

message from nu: fueled by my love for historical, fantasy, and isekai manhuas. big thank you to my beta readers (@heartkyeom, @aceofvernons, and @multi-kpop-fanfics) for reading when I was playing with the format of this fic + @junkissed with helping out with the syntax for this one very confusing line I wrote. also summoning @onlyseokmins bc I told her I'd tag her once duke!dk was finished <3

himbocoups's masterlist

Letter One - YN

My Lord, 

How are you? I hope your trip is going as smoothly as planned. 

It has been a while since I last heard from you. As Summer comes to a fading end, Autumn threatens to wash the foliage to hues of brown and auburn. And I sit at the library nook beside the window, taking quill to parchment against the cover of a heavily bound book and scratching against blank pages before I can muster the courage to write to you. I do sincerely apologize if this attempt seems strange. 

Though I pity our brief time together, the only things I familiarized myself with are your scintillant eyes. Maybe instead of feeling as dull as the color of nature, I’ll think about how the color is reminiscent of your eyes. Eyes, these beautiful jewels seem to reflect the light through your smile. I can’t help but imagine myself as the last person to see them every night as I lay beside you as we drift off into slumber. Would it be too forward of me to say that the thought of growing fond of you, not just your eyes, is slowly appealing more and more to me? 

However, I do have hesitations as I am left alone to roam these lonely halls in a place so unfamiliar to me. It would be a pity shall I reach familiarity with my surroundings before I become familiar with you. Or even worse, to have you forget your familiarity with me. 

Please be safe for me. Hurry home soon.

Letter Two - DK

My Jewel,

For someone who longs for familiarity, you need not create even more distance between us through formalities. And my love, you need not refer to me as your Lord. Love is all I ask for, as love is what you will always be to me. Albeit, I do find it disheartening to read that you think of me so lowly. I could never forget someone as precious as you, even if you do not believe in your preciousness. 

Nevertheless, I, too, pity the brevity of our time together. Marriage agreed upon through an exchanging of letters by our guardians, now our marriage follows suit in the epistolary form. Yet no descriptive access through penmanship could ever grant the feeling that blossomed inside me and continues to bloom since I first laid my eyes upon you. And on the eve of the third week of our matrimony, I was whisked away to end the war. I do sincerely apologize for my absence. 

On this rocking ship, all I can do is stare into the swirling sea in search of a passing merchant ship with letters to deliver. The birds that soar above me seem to provoke me with their independence, cawing in hearty guffaw at the fact that this poor man can never take flight at any moment back into his lover’s arms - where he feels most at home.

Maybe we should take giant birds instead of ships, soaring in the skies and reaching our destination in an instant. How wondrous that would be. 

But I am an equally lonesome Commander among his squadron, a man who keeps the first letter from his lover in the pocket against his breast and his wedding band around his neck. Just thinking about how you were thinking about me while writing that letter, still thinking about me, conciliates any disarray in my mind. And I promise you that I will make you feel loved for the rest of your life, even if our love is only budding. 

I will lead my men well. Then I will lead myself home. To you. 

Letter Three - YN

My Dokyeom (If it is fine to refer to you in this way),

I do have to admit to my shyness, how my face flushed with heat when you referred to me as your beloved. Your “love”…my goodness, our servants nearly called the doctor over when they saw my state of awe. Although, I do apologize if the language in my initial letter seemed blunt or made you feel even a hint of sadness that I accidentally made you for a man with a cold demeanor. 

You wrote: “Maybe we should take giant birds instead of ships, soaring in the skies and reaching our destination in an instant” in our last exchange. What a preposterous idea! But what a new discovery to find that you are as funny as you are charming. Shall we commission a local alchemist to create potions that magnify tiny sparrows to large ships? Or shall I ditch my archery lessons in exchange for nights in your magnificent library, scouring the archives with the hope to find a recipe to an enlarging potion hidden in a romance novel? 

Oh, how I wish everything could be as easy as depicted in romance novels or that one Opera we went to watch. Days consume me on end. Not in the way in which I consume much of my leisure time by staying in the places we frequented in our time together, but in the way in which time passes by so slowly it feels like the concept of time is consuming me instead. I wish it were you who were consuming me even though I do feel it through your love. Because I, too, keep your letter near me. And I trace over the areas your quill indented the parchment, so much that I sometimes end up smudging the dried ink with my hand. 

I do miss you...even more when everything around me reminds me of you. Because you, who makes silly promises about a budding romance, will also be the receiver of my elementary promise about my slowly collecting love for you. 

P.S. They are close to finishing our portraits. I have yet to decide where they are to be hung. 

Letter Four - DK

My Love,

My Seokmin. Seok. Min. Mine. Beloved. Love. Dearest. Husband. Equal. Anything but Duke, Lord, Commander, or Dokyeom is welcome. How I wish for the day I get to hear my name leave your lips through a soft murmur, laughter, greeting, whisper, and mayhaps even a whine. 

Honeymoon was cut short by my trip across the sea. We are finally on land. In front of me is a crackling campfire whose glow conceals the redness of my cheeks, dappled with jubilance from reading your last letter. 

My dearest shy and humble lover whose metaphoric propositions of love are anything but reticent, I have annotated my favorite portions and circled words that I replay in my mind as a source of comfort. However, like what you did with your quotation of my imaginary bird ship, I must reference a few nuances in your letter that I find interesting. Particularly, I find that you must be careful in formatting your syntax, my beloved — for your way of language is enough to drive a sane man mad. Just think of me: a sane man before I had you and now a man slowly falling madly in love with you. 

Referring back to how time achingly consumes you, your “I wish it were you who were consuming me. Although I do feel it through your love” causes me to quiver in a way that is only shared between two lovers. I am a man whose honeymoon was interrupted by the king’s call, a man who is weeks without his lover, a man who has needs - desires. And your need for me to consume you? I can only pluck it out of context. 

If everything around you reminds you of me, then I must tell you that I hope your reminder does not make you suffer as how I suffer. My love, do you know how painful it was to lay in my bed while the ship continually rocked back and forth? It was reminiscent of our second week together when you decided to mount me in bed, your beautiful opalescent undergarment covering an action so lewd that it could never be named in public. Yet I was a man on a ship with his aching cock in his hand, imagining his newly beloved on top of him who squeezes him tightly as they ride his lap. 

No hand could ever replace the fervor of having you rock me, leaning forward to kiss me down my naked chest while sucking and licking the thin area of skin right above my collarbone. How warmly your walls enveloped my own, squeezing and contrasting with every glide you make. I couldn’t help but twitch in you, trying to hold in my selfishness by grabbing onto your thighs - kneading and feeling the skin fill the areas between my fingers. But you bounced on my lap like a bunny in heat, causing my hands to trail further upwards until they lay on your ass…I wanted to worship you by turning myself into a throne, a marble stand so others could be in awe of you for centuries to come. 

Mouth unable to talk, your kitten drooled onto my lap and coated the surface with liquid lust while you whimpered as I praised you for treating me so well. I scooped the syrup from the maple tap and brought it to my mouth to suck; even now I can still feel your sweet syrup rest on my tongue and swirl in my mouth. Yet there I was on that boat, losing my mind with my hand on my tap. Bed sheets soaked with my sweat, I could only imagine that it was your sweat-glistened skin that stuck against mine. It was but a shame, and still is but a shame, that the image of you collapsed against my chest with exhaustion when your thighs trembled with such a quake only exists as a memory. How long would it take for me to turn the memory of me looping my arms around your back and pushing your upper body against mine, feeling you build and crash through a scream, into our reality? 

The land is no better than the sea. Truly, it must be treason to think such impure thoughts while riding on my finest stallion to head to our base. I am a Commander, a Duke for God’s sake. But the bouncing, the clopping - oh, beloved, my skin pricked with heat so much that I thought bandits were ambushing us. The pain I felt while I waited for my swelling to go down - I am utterly embarrassed to admit I almost released while riding in front of my men. 

How I wish I could come running back home to you. Shall I single-handedly overturn the monarchy so we can be equal partners to the throne? So that we can be rulers who need not leave our estate? Just give me the word, and the empire will be yours. Then I would never need to leave your side. That I guarantee. 

P.S. Hang the portrait wherever you please. Perhaps the ballroom so I would always be with you during the night of the balls. 

Letter Five - YN

My King,

How mad of you to write such vulgarities, to suggest usurping the throne only if it means being able to stay with me. You are a Commander. You are a Duke. You are one of the King’s men. Do you not fear the inevitable consequences that you would face should your letter be opened by anybody other than myself? Do you not fear what would happen to you if your lust-driven joke was wrongly taken for treason? I must say that despite everything, I found myself dipping a finger into your words and listening to my juices sing your letter like lyrics. 

Your words comforted my ache at my core, skillfully fighting fire with fire to extinguish my burning forest. However, if you were to turn into a mere object – a chair, a throne, a stand – I would never be satisfied in your worship. ‘Tis true that I would like to be worshiped by you like the first time your palm cupped my face in private confinement under the shade of the gazebo in the garden. With nobody around us, your face softened to reveal the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. Earnest eyes flittered to and fro as you studied me in awe and whispered words of praise. Up until then, I never even knew you could worship a person such as me. Yet, you, a mere stranger I met a few hours ago, placed a kiss upon my lips as soft as the petals on the flowers that surrounded us. 

If worshipping me means an inanimate you, I don’t think there would be anybody who could worship me with such sincerity and reason as you do…and I quite like the animate you even if the animate you screamed at the bug upon your sleeve. I couldn’t stop laughing then. And when you looked back at me with those bashful eyes, I knew this would be a marriage filled with laughter.  

Laughter, as I have recently learned, doesn’t only exist jovially. No. Reading your comment about my syntax, I almost erupted in a peal of sinister laughter. My poor lover with his cock in his hand and his quill in his other and his attempt to warn someone with such an extensive educational background about their syntax…you are too pure for this world. Should it make you feel better in any way, I have also thought about you in ways such a person in my stature should never. 

The other day when I was particularly distracted by the particular “unease” that had been building inside me, I accidentally launched a practice arrow into the wind. Chasing it, I happened upon our agriculture stables where the young workers sit and milk our cows. I swear, I must have been in such a delusional state to feel such a rush just from watching the motion of our cows getting milked that I ran off to the kitchens without picking up my stray arrow. 

Can you believe it, my dear? Have you been thinking of me differently since I admitted to almost leaking when I saw the cows getting milked? Would you think of me even differently if I told you I thought of you while talking to our ice sculptors? If you can quench my thirst on my loneliest days, I can only imagine what taking you in paired with ice would feel like for both you and me. 

Mayhaps, we should convene in the kitchen at night after the bell strikes twelve when all of our kitchen staff have retired. I want to kiss you with cherry-stained lips, watching tint transfer onto yours as I play with the seed of the fruit in my mouth while I wait for our cups of tea to steep. Kissing, I hope, would act as an analgesic for your painfully sleepless nights. Still, I find it abstruse that a kind, gentle, and good man like you would live such a cathartic life as a commander. Enerverated in every way as I am, I can only offer a somnolent kiss in hopes of luring you to sleep before your tea can fully steep. 

“What is a man without his honey,” you would say. Then I would ask you to specify what type of honey you are referring to. 

You would reply with this cheekiness in your voice while your lips pull into a wide smile, “the syrup.” If I’m not wrong, you would peck the top of my head while you reach over me to grab the jar that the cook keeps at the counter for you to easily access. Because the man with a honeyed siren voice that often procures lullabies for me to fall asleep also has a taste for the pollinators’ syrup. 

As you can tell…we are not simple people. We are not a regular couple. We have exchanged letters for longer than we have physically been together. So when I tell you to close your eyes to try to find your honey, would you? If I blindfolded you with a kitchen towel and told you to search for the dab of honey I swatched on my body, could you do it? Would you go to the lengths just to search for the honey to your tea?

Would you use your nose and sniff along my skin, searching for the floral and fruity aroma? Gently picking up my arm and bringing it to your nose, would you gently guide your nose along the surface of my skin in a position so intimate that you feel my arm hairs tickle the tip of your nose? Would you guide your nose upwards along my arm until you arrive at my collarbone, sniffing and docilely licking areas you think to be as sweet as honey? 

Imploring you in your reconnoiter, I must keep quiet as I watch you blindly explore every groove of the topography of my body. I imagine myself tilting my head towards the side to allow you access to the side of my neck, sharply breathing in as you nose the area in which I am the most sensitive. I see you hesitate for a second before planting your supple lips against the skin as if to sample before making a decision. To your surprise, what coats your lips in a sticky and sweet amber gloss is the honey I placed on my neck slowly trailing towards my collarbone. And I watch you intently as you lick it off your lips, leaving a translucent liquid sheen. 

Affected by a magnetic lure, you would somehow find yourself in front of me, your head positioned right above the slowly trailing bead of honey. It starts with a lick, hot tongue against cold skin. I can’t help but feel how the bumpy texture of your tongue cleans and pulls its way up my neck. After the hot saliva hits cold air, you take off the kitchen towel and look at me like a puppy waiting for its owner. 

“Such a good boy,” I murmur as I take the towel from your hand and wrap it around the nape of your neck to pull you in closer. “How does it taste?” 

What is more, is that I hope that in that moment my heart is not the only one that is beating as fast as how a hummingbird flaps its wings. My greedy husband, you back me against the kitchen island until you are pressed firmly against me as I watch and feel you bite and suck a garden of flowers across my neck and chest. Your large hands find themselves around my thighs, kneading and squeezing them so much that the fabric of my night clothes bunch in the palm of your hands. So I maneuver your hands around my waist, and you spin me around and bend me against that counter so I can feel you push yourself against me. 

“Be good for me,” you would command while undressing me. 

Then I would feel it, hands spreading my legs and fingers prying my ass apart, and then your warm and flat tongue against my kitten. One single lick would make my knees buckle. But you eating me out from behind, the way you knead my ass while you take your time swirling your tongue against my lips and lapping up my juices would make me come in an instant. Your tongue presses against my nub while your nose digs itself into my opening almost to the point where you’re fucking me with the tip of your nose, yet it is me who begs for air. And you keep my liquid on your tongue as you rise from your knees to pull my head back until I’m looking at you and your swollen and burgundy lips with my head tilted backward. 

And you pry my mouth open with your hand and watch me catch that sweet honey on the tip of my tongue. 

My dear, I am much too hot to even think about what comes after you let go of my jaw. My tenses in this letter are all mixed up because I’m so caught up in my delusions that I mistake dreams for reality. I feel ashamed to revert to such elementary composition when I am clouded by lust. But in this sensory game of wits, who do you think would win — the explorer or the explored? 

P.S. I’ve had our painting temporarily hung in our dining room as I cannot even bring myself to think about the possibility of hosting a ball without you. The great ballroom has been collecting dust since the first month you left for the war. Besides, invitations to the first ball of the season have long been sent out. I attended and made some acquaintances. Are you proud of me? Are you missing me as much as I am missing you?

Letter Six - DK

My Sweet,

Loneliness is when you are trapped by your stillness while everything around you splits into two and crumbles. And you are stuck in the open space of where everything once was, you in your bubble of muteness as the world crashes and breaks in a cacophonous roar. The feeling that engulfed me during these past few months was beyond my description of loneliness. So with a happy heart, I am telling you that the war is over. I’m coming home soon to hold you in my arms, to show you what this world that surrounds you is truly like — delicate and with the warmth of a glowing morning Sun that promises juvenescent Springs until the end of time. 

Regarding your question about the potential winner of the sensory game you described in your last letter, whether I am the person exploring or explored, I know I would always be the victor as only a true victor can call you “his.” My sweet love, I hope to stick by your side as long as I prefer honey in my tea and you by my side when I sleep. 

However, with a slightly interruptive transition, I have a few requests regarding the contents of your postscript. That is:

One, I am wholly and with every fiber of my mind, soul, and body proud of you. You, my shyest lover who sought friendship in your moments of loneliness, I love you so. Yet I find myself utterly in distress that I cannot co-host our tea parties until later should you hold one in a few days. Our estate is boring, and it must be tiring seeing the same things and people every day for the past few months. I urge you to go out more and explore so I can come home to plentiful stories told in your voice. I want to fall asleep to your descriptions so I can dream of how you see the world around you. 

Two, of course, I am missing you. Even if I were a few yards away from you, I would still miss you. I am currently bothering our treasurer in regards to spending the rest of our budget on a winter wonderland in which we would freeze the entire world so I could easily and quickly sled back home like a seal off an iceberg. However, our treasurer is insistent on saving the budget for lodging, travel, and sustenance. I, for one, think I am right.

Three, I think this might be my last letter in a while as when this stack of parchments finally reaches you, I would almost be home. So I am struggling between keeping this short and straight to the point or long and thoroughly eloquent with everything that I want to write and say to you. Instead of coming to a conclusion by myself, I bid you farewell until we meet again with this set of instructions within my set of requests for you. I’m sorry if the format of my letter makes it very hard for you to read. Like how you described your delusions, I often find myself alone at night imagining you by my side so much that I feel your physical presence next to me. 

Four, as for our portrait in our dining room, I must ask you to perform a favor for me as I have not seen the finished painting myself. It is a test regarding the “likeness” of our portraits that can only be performed by yourself. When you wish to perform the test before I arrive, please excuse all our staff who stay by your side during dinner and ask to eat alone. Should they give you looks, please say that it was requested by me. 

When you are alone, I need you to get into a position in which you can look at yourself through the large mirror that is mounted above the low mantle towards the end of the dining room table. I assume our portrait is hung on the wall at the other side of the dining room table, am I right? If you move the plates and sit on the table, you should be able to look at both your entire body and our portrait through the mirror. Do not worry about making a mess my dear. 

Perhaps this test may be a little lewd for a dinner setting. But after your proposed rendezvous in the kitchen in your last letter, I suppose this test would be nothing to you. 

Look at yourself in the mirror. Can you imagine me behind you, slowly kissing down your neck as I undress you while the candlelights flicker beside us? Our shadows cast against the walls that surround us tell the story of two lovers slowly conjoining into one. And I sit you against the front of my naked body, bending your legs and positioning them so you can see all of you through the mirror.

My love, can you see your lips unfold into a beautiful bloom, leaking with its sweet nectar for your man to taste? The sweet nectar, the glistening substitute to the honey our staff brought alongside our dinner rolls, rolls off the flower and soaks the tablecloth beneath you. Tonight I am not doing anything except revel in your beauty like a man awestruck by something so exquisite that he cannot do anything but stare. 

I want you to imagine that the same me in the portrait is the me you imagine to be behind you, the very me who writes this letter and instructs you on how to pleasure yourself for the night. Suck on your own fingers, my darling. Bring your fingers to your lips, and let me see the way you ready yourself before the pleasure comes. Because what I want is for you to fuck yourself well for me so that after you’ve squirted all over the dining table your pussy continues to throb so much that you confuse it for your beating heart. 

Don’t be shy. Bring your soaked fingers to your folds, and trace along the lines of the petals. Look at how they seemingly open and close as your stomach jerks in reaction. Slowly rub yourself up and down, coaxing that beautiful sigh that I know too well out of your mouth. Feel the pads of your finger mix with your juices, slipping easily and making your hand glide smoother. 

Are you looking at me through the mirror? Are you begging me to instruct you in other ways to satisfy your lust? Do you want to rub your pearl and flick it with your finger in a way that makes you clench and collapse? 

What is it, honey? Are you whining for me to make you feel good? But this is your guided session. Don’t you see yourself through the mirror, so pathetic looking that you would do anything that I tell you to do? Then take that same hand you used to tease yourself and slap your pussy for me. Bring the hand back and bring it down on your pussy quickly and with so much might that the sound of palm against tender skin echoes throughout the empty dining room. 

Don’t you feel pathetic? Getting off from you slapping your own pussy? Doesn’t it please you and make feel so dirty at the same time? When you’re striking your palm against your pussy over and over as your other hand unconsciously reaches upwards to knead your sore nipple, are you looking at yourself through the mirror? Are you still imagining me sitting behind you on our dining table, whispering and taunting you as you attempt to come undone? If your head is not completely clouded with lust, when that pussy is throbbing with such pain and pleasure, you will take your finger to your entrance and insert it slowly so you feel your warm and wet insides slowly swallow your finger the further in it goes. 

Let your mouth hang open as you plug yourself with another finger. Fill the lonely dining room with your sweet moans for me. Listen to your kitten squelch and leak the more you pump yourself so that a warm and hot feeling grows in your stomach, making you clench your body tighter and tighter. Scissor your fingers, and fill up that empty space where my cock usually rests. When you release, pull out your fingers as you come on the tablecloth and look at the cream I miss the most. 

You’re so perfect, you know that? You’d look even more perfect when you’re on your knees with your fingers underneath you and inside of you. Bounce for me my sweet, ride your own fingers as if you’re riding me. Massage yourself with your other hand, grabbing and kneading your breasts and your nipples as I do for you. Can you see yourself through the mirror more clearly when you’re in this position? Do you see how messy and needy you look while you’re pathetically riding your own fingers? Do you wish they were mine? Do you wish they were my thighs? 

Open your eyes for me as you reach another wave of ecstasy. Look at me in the eyes, the man painted next to your glowing figure as you reach your last high. I know you can do it. Scream my name if you love me, and squirt as if your pussy was crying for the man you love. 

Turn your head around when you’ve caught your breath. Look at our portrait. Do you see how I’m smiling at you? 

I’m proud of you, my love. Thank you for holding on for so long. I’ll be home soon. 

P.S. I love you.

Copyright © 2023 Himbocoups. All rights reserved.

[kitskiis]

I think the saddest part about secret life Joel is just how futile all of his actions are in that season. On a surface level i mean stuff like all of his more careful gameplay being cancelled out by a singular failed tnt trap but on a deeper level i specifically mean how that character contrasts with last life Joel. Joel is undoubtedly at his lowest point in the life series in Last Life. He goes down to red in session 2 and spends the majority of the rest of the season alone (and when he does have allies it’s only bc of a shared bloodlust). The red bloodlust completely takes over and this festers for nearly *8 sessions*. Not only that but the one time he is given a chance to restart and go back to yellow his old alliance member goes to red, leaving him alone again, and he is made boogeyman the next session. This, overall, has lasting consequences (he actually wanted to be fairly friendly at the beginning of LL, a stark contrast to how bloodthirsty he was at the beginning of DL or Lim L), and gained him a reputation that has never fully gone away. This is especially bad bc most people agree that LL was the most violent season (despite the lower kill counts in comparison to LimL) and was generally the worst and most traumatizing experience in the games for most people involved. Compare this to secret life, which everyone agrees was definitely the happiest season for Joel (or at least the most normal. His life is a tragedy no matter the season.) he has allies that (for the most part rip mumbo) stick with him until the end, he is friendlier with a larger group of people, and when he initially has to deal with the loss of some of them he has people who can ground him (bc as much as I adore the bad boys, grian was not qualified to do that). He was so hopeful that season, and was generally in a much healthier place mentally. And yet, despite how much he seemed to have grown, those 2 seasons ended so similarly for him it was almost comical. Joel engaged in a fight at the end, watched his ally get killed by scott, and is then forced into a 2v1 against Scott and another player that results in Scott taking his final life and him finishing 5th overall. I was describing both of those seasons here. After everything he did to grow, after all the improvements he had made, everything ended *exactly the same*

Making this about the bad boys for a second (because I’m me) they kinda suffer similar fates. Grian learned in the most tragic way possible that his allies were doomed to fail as long as he was with them no matter what, that this was not something that he could control by simply avoiding killing them himself. Even when he actively tries to save them (“let Tim do it he needs the time” “Joel you can kill me!”) he’ll still lose them in the end. I think this realization is also what made him stop trying to fight it, which resulted in him killing or almost killing his allies from previous seasons immediately afterwards (stabbing scar in the back and that one scene where grian kinda ominously jumps with a sword like he was about to crit and kill bigb after finding out he had 50 seconds left on his timer). It’s sorta like a way of telling the universe “fine. You win”

Similarly Jimmy. Well. I don’t think I need to explain that one. Even when he was given hope that things could be different, that he could break the curse, he died only a few minutes later. I still hold on to the narrative that the watchers only allowed that to happen to give Jimmy false hope that things can be different only to rip the rug out from under him and drive home the point that he is in a losing battle because by the time of secret life Jimmy was one of the only few people who genuinely still believed he had a chance. Obviously this is not something that can fully be a reality until he goes out first next season so if he doesn’t that’s a little awkward but just work with me here

TLDR; here is reason number 672 on why I believe the bad boys are the most doomed motherfuckers on this server and their alliance is a modern tragedy

[wrongcaitlyn]

okay fuck so i got an anon ask for solangelo fic recs and then i made a draft on my phone but then deleted it bc i wanted to type it out on my computer but then that deleted the ask too so!! hopefully this reaches the anon i apologize deeply for losing your ask😭

but anyway. SOLANGELO FIC RECS. ALWAYS. ANYTIME. I HAVE SO MANY

so first of all if you wanna check out my ao3 i have a bunch of recs in my bookmarks (57 solangelo ones im pretty sure)

but here are some of my favs

i'm put in awe (of something so flawed and free) by CordeliaRose (@cordelia---rose)

archaeologist!Nico & trauma surgeon!Will AU. this fic is. ohmgyod. nico's internal dialogue is just absolutely perfect in this fic and i laughed so hard and god it was just so beautifully written?? but also solangelo are literally so cute. like. ahglskdf. i gotta reread this actually but anyway (also anything by this author, absolutely hilarious, such good writing)

dumb, dumb love by thegoldenappleofdiscord

five times nico and will are dumb and in love, and the one time they are totally 100% dead serious. i love a good outsider's pov, and this fic is just gorgeous. it's a bunch of different perspectives into solangelo, and it's pure fluff, and it's got some of my favorite solangelo quotes (like, when i read fanfic i screenshot parts i rlly like and i practically screenshotted this entire fic), and their characterization is just so so accurate they're so so in love

paris by ethannku (@ethannku)

Nico has a travel YouTube channel. And a crush on one Will Solace. i'm such a sucker for socmed au's and this one is done SO so well. my all time favorite. and it's sequel too!! the formatting i am in awe of, but other than that, it's just a really good time and i just love all the little details. i've reread this too many times to count and was SO excited when a sequel was published, and i can only hope that there's more to the au in the future!! (also this author writes incredible solangelo fics and even more valgrace fics which i recently just bingeread and are soo good)

Perfect Places by buoyantsaturn (@buoyantsaturn)

“My name’s Will,” he started - so far so good - but then continued, “and I guess my favorite food to cook would be, um, frozen pizza.” Was Nico only attracted to idiots? this one's fucking hilarious. i can't even put it to words like their dynamic in this fic is so funny and yet so cute and nico is honestly just like. shocked that will is somehow still alive?? will's a safety hazard. but also piper and jason in this fic are so funny too, it's honestly just such a good, fun read (and, once again, this author's incredible. read everything by them)

I Can't Help It If You Look Like an Angel by the_oncoming_stormaggedon (@lordstormageddidnt)

Will Solace is a pre-med student whose friends run a true crime podcast called "Nothing to See Here". Nico di Angelo, despite not realizing he's a missing person, is the subject of one of the episodes. They meet by chance in a random bar, and shenanigans ensue. i mean, if it's got a taylor swift title, i'm already sold. and then it's part of a series called "Hey Stephen is a solangelo song and i will die on that hill" which is the realest thing ever?? but ASIDE from that, i could honestly rec this entire series (+ the other series it's a part of, "Nothing to See Here" which is all part of the same au) and also everything by this author - it's hilarious, i just love the premise, and the writing is so good!! and hey stephen is a solangelo song, thereby reinforcing my "fearless is will's favorite album ever of all time and i will die on this hill" argument

Even When the Music's Gone by the_oncoming_stormaggedon

It's the 74th Annual Hunger Games, and Nico and Will are the last two tributes alive. haha this is pure angst. just gutwrenching angst. love a good hunger games au and some MCD!

can i handle the seasons of my life? by buoyantsaturn

“I think that most people your age finished high school, and whether they knew what they wanted to do with the rest of their life or not, they went to college. That was their version of ditching everything they knew in order to find themselves. Maybe it’s time for you to stop taking advice from other kids who grew up the same way you did, and take it from someone who used to be normal.”  FAME AU FAME AU FAME AU FAME AU i mean, not REALLY about the fame aspect of it, but i still love it so so much. will's essentially a nepo baby turned not-nepo-baby turned college student and nico's naomi's driver, and there's even... there's EVEN A VERY BRIEFLY IMPLIED POLLEN. yeah they're relationship is just so cute in this and i love the au and i love how it's written and ugh i need more fame au's in my life

so it turns out teachers don't live at school by RegretfullyRegretful (@marbleheavy)

Nico's TA and students are determined to figure out something, anything about him. Of course, it would all just be a lot easier if they asked. Either way, Professor di Angelo is decidedly a lonely hermit. (Someone should really tell his husband and baby that) this was one of the first solangelo fics i ever read, and it's just. so. funny. another outsider's pov bc i love it, and just... the assumptions abt nico, the fluff of solangelo, and then their story of how they got together is so...ahhsdlkjs this author is just a master at tooth-rotting fluff go read everything they write

my lover's the sunlight by demigodbeautiies

Figure Skater Nico di Angelo has a run in with Ice Hockey Player Will Solace. It doesn't go too smoothly, but then again - when does it ever? OLYMPICS AU. FAME(ISH) AU. IM OBSESSED THIS IS WRITTEN SO WELL and like... the very brief part where it feels a lot like a fame au like i just i'm obsessed can you tell. the writing is just beautiful in this, i love nico's internal dialogue, and... i mean, it's an olympics au. ofc its perfect

The Stolen God by TsarinaTorment (@tsarinatorment)

Python is defeated. The prophecies are restored, and Nero has fallen. Apollo has not been seen since. His trials are over; why isn’t he back on Olympus? okay so. this is a bit of a longer fic. and it's a post-toa, pjoxmcga crossover, and it's not *entirely* focused on solangelo - but when i tell you that this fic, if i weren't reading it on ao3, i would truly and full-heartedly believe was a real life published novel - i am NOT LYING. i rec'd this to my friend right after i read it bc i was just like so so obsessed with it and it's literally just. the plot?? is insane. i'm in awe of the author, bc this isn't even the only novel-length fic that they've written with an insane plot too (their fic Eclipse is also phenomenal, but it's more focused on apollo and hades so i didn't rec it here) there's some fierrochase here, lester being lester, and some very very very cute solangelo! and meg! i think sometimes you read a fic and you're like "oh, shit, that could be a novel, and i would think it's better than some actual novels i've read" and this is one of them

(Please Don't Let Me) Fade Alone by TsarinaTorment

Please. Don't let me. the summary's really short here so it's basically that will gets very very very injured and then apollo saves him (rip, i'm sorry, i suck at summaries) once again this isn't necessarily nico focused... it's much more will & apollo. this author writes the absolute best stuff for the apollo cabin, genuinely, if you love will/cabin 7/apollo PLEASE read everything they've ever written but this is just so angsty and the hurt/comfort is so real and goddd it's so good

he was seen on occasion (pacing the rocks, staring out at the midnight sea) by stargirltv

Nico di Angelo is a completely normal eighteen year old. He attends high school, has a socially acceptable amount of friends for a social outcast and has been in a relationship for the past four years with the guy he’s pretty sure he’s going to marry. He also happens to be the world's biggest bedroom pop artist, ‘Hell’s Angel’, with a fan base that will stop at nothing to uncover his true identity and a Father that continually pushes him to be better. His boyfriend freaking out under every single one of his tweets is making it a bit easier for them to figure it out. so. fame au. y'all already know the premise of this is just absolutely hilarious and the interview?? the posts?? will just being will and i absolutely love his characterization?? and the friend group?? this is one of the funniest things ever but also just written so well anddddd yes yes yes it's a fame au POPSTAR NICO RIGHTS except he's not *really* a popstar in this one but like close enough oh AND it's a taylor swift title??? like this fic was made for me basically

okay that was MUCH longer than intended but i hope you enjoy some of the fics on here!! pls let me know if y'all ever want more recs i read literally so many fics - and if you guys ever want to give me any recs, feel free to do so! as of today, i have read *checks fic tracker bc i'm obsessive and need to keep track of everything* about 7.3 million words of fanfic this year. and that's actually less than normal (for me)

also if anyone reads patrochilles please read this fic it's literally been in my head nonstop for the past few weeks since i've read it and it's one of the best things i've ever read and like holyshit if you read patrochilles read it read it read it

[kiwinatorwaffles]

I found This is About a Stuffed Bird bc of you and its one of my favorite fics ever. Do you by chance have more suggestions?

hermitcraft/mcyt fic recs? :0 let's go!!

i get a lot of my fic recs from other friends since i don't really go out and search on my own all too much for this fandom. but there are lots of great works out here! i will be listing out some of my favorites :3 mostly hc but a couple general mcyt ones that i think are an excellent read no matter what. all of the fics i'm listing will be genfic without ships!

also i just realized a lot of my bookmarks are grian-centric which is funny i guess because i am admittedly quite picky about content of my other favorites and grian just tends to have the most content in the fanbase. hope that'll be alright

(i hope some of my friends and mutuals don't mind me tagging them for their works)

hermitcraft longfics:

the last days of the free angel of carrows by @theminecraftbee - loved stuffed bird? here's another great longfic by second! this one is about joe and cleo in an urban fantasy mystery setting. again, second writes our beloved hermits into an captivating au!

leaping and hopping on a moonshadow by @lunarblazes - a fantasy au by luna my beloved! pearl suddenly gains magical powers and goes on a quest to find her long-lost friend grian who might know what's happening to her. she meets a lot of familiar faces along the way!

Recall by @redwinterroses - hey, i was the artist for this one! :D mumbo goes missing, so grian and scar search for him. they find that grumbot has been up to some... things along the way. the fic isn't finished but i think the chapters red put out is worth a read if you don't mind leaving off on a cliffhanger because it really is super interesting

dramaturgy by wormcity - a universe where gem and pearl join in a season 7 that was never finished. mumbo became the mayor, but the turf war went so very wrong afterwards. admittedly i have not finished reading this yet because ummm short on time xD but it's super interesting with a lot of layers of drama(turgy hahaha)!

hermitcraft short fics/oneshots:

for trying. by @autistic-evil-xisuma - a stuffed bird universe oneshot of x and xisuma during their lab days. great if you want to be sad over the doomed brothers again :D

the wheels on the bus by sparxwrites - a hilarious post-s8 oneshot about grian being a little shit towards the watchers. one of the first fics i've read from this fandom and i still love it

a body is an object by ruffboi - grian is a mimic, and pearl's arrival in s8 shakes him up. she hasn't seen him in a while and is quite upset to learn that the grian she knew died a long time ago. a great read for familial connections and conflict of friendships!

Goatman and the Rift by TheDepressedCanary - doc's eldritch powers start acting up when the rift appears. what shenanigans will ensue?

other mcyt fics/crossovers:

late at night, when the stars don't look quite right by @lunarblazes - an excellent empires s1 and hermitcraft crossover longfic, where grian lands into the server and is discovered by pearl! very great worldbuilding and relationships, i especially love the dynamic between gri and pearl and pearl and gem :D

every new discovery is just a reminder by amaranthinecanicular - grian begins pulling alternate versions of the hermits from the life series into the server. he does save a lot of them, but at what cost? it does end on a cliffhanger but this is genuinely one of the most captivating oneshots i've ever read... argghhh

The Fair and the Brave and the Good by @slashmagpie - an afterlife smp longfic centered around the shelby, scott, and sausage. i have never watched afterlife smp before in my LIFE and this is still one of my favorite pieces of literature ever. the characters and worldbuilding is impeccable and perfect if you like something dark with themes of hope and renewal.

Two Can Keep a Secret (If One of Them is Red) by anonymous secretmcblog - a 3L oneshot! ren suspects grian has stockholm syndrome with his pact to stay with scar, but his expectations are wrong. a truly excellent read and one of them first fics i've read! i still go back to reread it from time to time

dog at the door by fluffy_papaya & iamsolarflare - a longfic where doc and ren take a trip on a van on their way to s8. ren, however, is not quite himself, and doc has to learn to befriend the red king.

devil town is colder in the summertime by @bananasofthorns - a oneshot from a 100hsmp/life series d&d au! team BEST ventures into a cursed evil fucked up forest. uh oh.

Interview with the Aftermath by @ranchersrevenge (wanderlasts) - the last life contestants are invited for an interview. the responses vary greatly.

stars, smoke, and stolen car keys by wormcity - a 100hsmp modern au oneshot where grian, scar, and joel go on a hike. it doesn't go quite as they expected.

the beehive state by amaranthinecanicular - a dsmp oneshot after wilbur moves to utah. tommy visits him, and the two reconnect. i have to say i stopped following dsmp a long time ago but this fic made me BAWL. i don't even think you need to know any of the characters that well to really enjoy just how amazing the writing itself is

Can't Go Back (This Time) by @duckmumbo (musicaltvbooks) - soup group goes end raiding and accientally finds themselves in afterlife smp. nothing goes wrong, surely! also admittedly i havent finished reading this either but roy i swear i will. this is a great read nevertheless and the soup group dynamic is impeccable!

TommyInnit's unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii - on the train of dsmp fics, this is the superhero au longfic that inspired my own hc superhero au, vdhau. it's a lot of funny shenanigans with tommy and his friends. the fic does take a dark turn at the end, but that can be skipped entirely (as said by eneli herself) if you just want the wholesome aspects.

if you don't mind a little self promo, here are some of my fics!

it takes two to play (the game of mutual secrecy) - the aforementioned hermitcraft hero au. this installment is centered around xisuma and evil x as brothers resolving their issues through hero work and solving the mystery of welsknight's disappearance :D there are other works that are set in the same universe if you're interested for more!

how to form the ultimate besties dynamic: an unreliable tutorial by hypnotizd - a oneshot! hypno is a warlock who goes treasure hunting under the sea. he meets a guardian who later becomes his unlikely friend.

smoke and mirrors, the hunt perseveres - grian's arrival in empires s2 unwittingly brings the watchers' suspicions with him. cue jimmy freaking out and a lot of shenanigans.

ballad of etho’s lab - my newest installment! a oneshot about etho's storied life as the redstone god.

i'm also currently working on the sequel to the game of mutual secrecy and a new (well not exactly new since i made concept art for it) au called private detective gem tasey! these will likely be released sometime late january or february. have fun with these fic recs! i haven't been reading as much lately but i hope ill be able to find more if anyone else asks in the future. cheers!

edit: the fics are out! here they are!

hiding in plain sight (the meaning of trust) - sequel to the hermitcraft hero au! it follows an escaped lab rat trying to acquaint themselves with human society while avoiding suspicion and making friends with familiar faces from tgms ;D

private detective gem tasey: a rotten mystery in london - a hermitcraft detective au where gem gets hired for a case that spirals completely into drama and politics!

[kassuthehero]

my favorite riordan characters (just my opinion, don’t come at me)

Magnus Chase

I read MCGoA first (dont judge), so I have sentimental value over this series. I think magnus is literally so hilarious in a tired and confused way. It’s also so funny how Percy was so lost still like after 5 books but Magnus knows so much about the mythology already. Even after reading pjo i thought Magnus was way funnier and better main character than Percy. I think that was because Magnus is 16 in his series and Percy is just 12 in the lightning thief and I was already like 14-15 and liked more mature characters (Magnus is still a child and a dumbass). Magnus is also a very sad character if you think about it. He is basically an orphan bc his father wasn’t there and he witnessed his mothers death. Then he lived in the streets and was probably hungry, cold and scared almost every day. And then BOOM. Suddenly weird shit happens and he dies a gruesome death. Like seriously, a ball of melted asphalt burns through his body… He also never really had time to cope with the being dead thing bc suddenly he's supposed to save the world. Like wtf. Also I get the biggest gender envy ever (don’t ask why, he’s kinda pathetic xd). Best thing is that he’s fruity like I am. Magnus is also the healer so it is really interesting to get the healer's pov, a guy who isn’t your usual hero. Magnus also defeated LOKI, A GOD, with the power of friendship, which is hilarious. Magnus starts the show as a cynical boy who has lost everyone but by the end he has found a new family and moved on and I think that’s beautiful.

2. Will Solace

The absolute sass master. Of course Percy is still the sassiest ever but oh boy does Will come the next second. Will seriously takes no shit. I haven’t read his and Nico’s book yet but just from BoO and tHO I can say he has some balls. Like, one of the first things he does is calling Octavian, one of the biggest bad guys, an anemic loser. WHILE standing nose to nose with him. Like even Nico thought that Octavian was kinda scary but Will just marches right up to him and starts throwing insults. And then he proceeds to stubbornly make Nico rest and heal. He is so stubborn and bossy and I love him for it. Will also has a sadder side. He always puts everyone else before him bc he is the healer so it’s his job. He also was forced to be a leader way too young after he lost his older siblings. Still, he manages to walk around with a smile on his face. Will is so strong and his past is way overlooked. All the fans focus on Nico’s traumas and how Will helped him but never the other way around. Give Will some love, people.

3.Apollon (Lester Papadopoulos)

The most dramatic god ever, like omg. Apollo/Apollon has always been my favorite Greek god and Rick's version is just perfect. He is so annoyingly self centered and arrogant but at the same time he is so sad and vulnerable. I have never cried bc of Riordan's books but the hidden oracle made me sod like a baby. All the regret and pain in the stories about his lovers was heartbreaking. How his heart is stone bc he doesn’t believe in love anymore and how he takes responsibility for all the death he has caused. He is still an asshole but at least he notices it. I relate to him on such a deep level. He masks all his pain with humor and overconfidence just like I do. I haven't finished the trials of the Apollon yet but I can’t wait to read more of him and learn even more sad, funny and interesting things about him as a character.

4.Percy

Of course I have to include our best boy. During the HoO I just kept waiting for Percy’s POV just bc his thought process is the most entertaining in my opinion. He is so unhinged most of the time. Like, everyone is scared of Nico, no, you guys should be absolutely terrified by Percy. Like bro is so close to losing it. Few more inconveniences and he will kill everyone. but at the same time he likes eating blue food and doesn’t know half of the myths the others do. He just does what he feels like doing. My favorite moment was when he and Annabeth were in Tartarus and Percy was about to kill Akhlys by drowning her in her own poison. Like bro is insane. It’s also so sad that he and Annabeth have been in the front lines of war since they were like 12. It’s always them. Like there had to be other heroes right? Or like why couldn’t some minor god handle the situations? I have always loved characters who insult the enemy while fighting and Percy is just like that. At first, I didn't think he was any special but as he grew older, I started to like him more. Probably bc I could relate to him better when he was closer to my age. He also got more serious as he got older. I’m kinda pissed that he gets again a new series even tho Riordan has other characters that have potential. (I MEAN MAGNUS! LIKE PLEASE RICK! PLEASE!)

[raspberrydraws]

pls pls tell me about your hcs for the first members of the crew fitting the elements of harmony, i very much wanna hear 👀👀👀

Thanks for asking I love u very much allow me to bring a chair so you can sit down and read all my rambling 🪑

some notes about this absolute madness:

I feel like they fit the element but also some traits of the mlp characters too so I will add that when it's necessary

When I talk about the mugiwara's dreams I assume they've already reached them bc the story is not finished yet like mlp and I KNOW THEY WILL ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS anyways

Please don't have high expectations ahhh I don't wanna end up feeling like I thought something cool and it ended up being lame, I'm not used to writing or explaining stuff this way (and in english tho oof double brain work)

I'll put a everything under a read more bc it ended up being long and also uhh CW: spoilers for both series yeah

✦ Magic: First of all and obvious reason, main character lol.

Character who gathered the group in the first place

Royalty !!! King of the Pirates!!! Princess of Friendship!!! besides the fact that Luffy's dream is becoming the king and Twilight just had to do it etc etc

Very powerful mentor who's far away but encouraged them to start their journey and find their friends

They're not similar in personality at all I get it lmao

✦ Kindness: oof do I need to say anything

Sanji is kind, that's like one of the traits that made him one of my fav characters (more than his totally badass habilities).

and of course that's one of his most important traits

His mother sacrificed everything and celebrated everytime he showed his kindness, he was a sweet child, he's soft with children and helps anyone who's in need.

He's so full of emotion and can go from the softest to the meanest in a second if he needs to (flashbacks to fluttershy literally confronting a bigass dragon, making him cry and leave bc he was mean to her friends)

Also both characters are certified Friends of the Little Critters ™ and can't fly very well

Special mention to Pinkie Pie here, since she shares the "Third child who stands out like a sore thumb from his other siblings because she's weird to her family standards" backstory with Sanji

✦ Loyalty: That's like one of Zoro's main character traits right? He's in the air before Luffy says jump

Cool, they're just cool and probably the most liked characters + the ones who sell more merch for sure lol

Both have a childhood dream, becoming the best swordsman/wonderbolt, but that doesn't push them to leave their friends to achieve it alone + having friends actually helps them reach their goals

hot headed kids + dumbass sometimes

✦ Honesty: The group's voice of reason

Character that pretends to be okay but hell naw she's not ok (AJ harvesting sweet apple acres and almost dying / Nami Pretending to be Arlong's little trustworthy human so she can save her village) until their friends help them to be honest and ask for help

Also they have similar lifes cultivating apples/tangerines with their families and I thought that was cute hehe

✦ Generosity: SCREAMS Chopper my little chop chop I love u my sweet child

The way that Rarity shows her element is usually by giving away something important to her (her time, her talent with fashion, HER FRIGGIN' TAIL) so she can help other people (creatures?) feel better, and there's no signs of repentance after that, she does it with her heart (and sometimes to show that she can make things fabulous)

This brings me to Chopper looking for the mushroom to cure Dr. Hiriluk's illness and showing up at his door all hurt but he's like heyy I got the thing. I understand that's another kind of "sacrifice" The way he showed his thankfulness to his mentor by risking his life looking for the mushroom and trying to prove that he's a good doctor too (even tho uhh we know how that ended)

This was a little bit more difficult to connect with his element and that's why I was in between choosing kindness and generosity for him, but

kindness had to be sanji's element for suree

Dr Kureha specifically told him that "kindness wasn't enough to save lives" and I won't contradict her she scares me so much

AND I feel like Chopper's generosity it's shown all along the show just by treating all those injured pirates over and over again for free lmao

My overall feeling when giving him the element was "He's a little doctor, of course he's generous, doctors are generous enough to learn how to save lives! so we don't like.. die! next question"

✦ Laughter:

This one was pretty simple too, I love Usopp bc he makes me laugh a lot, he's such a comedic relief for the story and also: my best friend in the whole wide world, yes *gives him a lil kiss*

Of course he's not just a comedic relief, he tries to make things easier trying to solve conflicts (sometimes) or joining the sillyness (most of times)

Also they like to tell stories! I feel like that's a cute trait that makes both characters more interesting, even when someone's stories are lies *eyes emoji* I like storyteller characters a lot !!

they're good with kids + tell them stories too !!

also the whole.. alter ego thing, yeah

AND THE PUFFY HAIR ♥

AIGHT

Hope you enjoyed my TED talk, thaks for giving me the strenght to be a little unhinged, I don't talk too much here but this whole mlp au has people coming and encouraging me to talk/write and I have a problem, once I start talking about something I like I can't shut up

And I like MLP since I was 12 years old, i started drawing because of it and I'm currently rewatching the whole series with my bf so if I see anything else I'll come back and add stuff for sure ♥

[bloody-wonder]

mid-year book tag

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2024? i have read so many good ones this year but no particular one stands out to me as The Best so i'll name top 5 instead (in the order i read them in): a thousand stitches, doctrine of labyrinths, in other lands, big swiss, my brilliant friend - so, quite a range of genres and tones, as usual :)

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2024? the virtu is definitely my favorite part of doctrine of labyrinths and the tropic of serpents, the second book in the memoirs of lady trent, was just a perfect historical fantasy adventure novel - it's like if jane austen wrote indiana jones except it's also a nature documentary about dragons. last but not least, empire of the damned which came out in march solidified jay kristoff's empire of the vampire as my favorite vampire book series. you might have heard me screaming about it from the rooftops. all three of these sequels, i find, are even better than the previous book in their respective series.

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To? i'm saving kj charles' death in the spires for the fall since it's a spooky campus murder mystery (i think?) and i also want to read apostles of mercy and so finish lindsay ellis' sci fi series (which i have lost interest in somewhat tbh but i'm nothing if not a completionist lol). i was curious about the familiar but the reviews i've seen don't look too promising so i'm probably not going to prioritize it.

4. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2024? i'm looking forward to kj charles' new romance book, the duke at hazard, as well as the new evander mills mystery, rough pages, but the piece of fiction i'm anticipating the most is actually the radioapple southern gothic au by my favorite fanfic author reminiscentbells. she's going to write the whole thing this summer and start posting in september - i'm so excitedddd😱

5. Biggest Disappointment? emily wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries is the book equivalent of a ghoul wearing the skin of your beloved. i wasn't a fan of a deadly education either😒 was very excited to read gaywyck but the expectations of "jane eyre but gay" which the cover of that book gave me were unfortunately not met🤷‍♀️

6. Biggest Surprise? i didn't think i might be into extreme horror and neither did i fancy myself a sally rooney girlie so i was quite surprised that i liked her conversations with friends as well as the sluts by dennis cooper. will definitely read more from both authors next year. an even bigger surprise however was solitaire which i picked up on a whim after tori came out as ace in the last heartstopper volume. i have a complicated relationship with alice oseman's books mostly due to the fact that i'm years past the target demographic age but still feel compelled to read them bc it seems they're the only mainstream books with prominent aro/ace rep out there. so i didn't expect much and was astonished to discover that tori spring is like looking at a mirror reflection of my 18yo self - uncanny in a fun way. ig i shouldn't be so surprised this turned out to be my favorite oseman book since it's the one with the most mixed reviews lol people like to hate a depressed teenage girl😬

7. Favorite New Author? i have devoured doctrine of labyrinths and the cemeteries of amalo in february so now i can safely say sarah monette aka katherine addison is one of my favorite authors. each of her series has a different tone but there are consistent themes of real or magical disability and non amatonormative relationships which are explored in creative ways throughout her stories. i also like her worldbuilding quite a bit, especially the naming systems and fantasy terminology. i read more books by celeste ng as well as by vale aida - both are likely to become favorite authors too. in the latter's case - provided she writes a sequel to hostis. if not, i shall never forgive her😅

8. Newest Favorite Character? okay this is just impossible to narrow down! first of all, liathe from empire of the damned bc i want her Gender: wearing a porcelain mask and a splendid crimson coat, formally bowing to her adversaries before she beats the shit out of them with her blood sword, referring to herself by the royal we and hissing every time she speaks - character of all time material right there. behold my beautiful girl who has done nothing wrong!🥰

(official illustrations by bon orthwick)

secondly, elliot schafer bc he's the most obnoxious prickly boy in other lands and yet everyone wants him carnally lol. i adore his internal monologue - probably the best i've read in ya. his dialogue too tbh - his cutting repartee game is off the charts. honestly, he's just my favorite type of character: a mean bisexual gremlin who scolds people so creatively that they fall in love with him on the spot. what more can you ask.

finally, i have to mention that to my great surprise i liked mildmay more than felix harrowgate🤯 idk felix is this cunty traumatized savant which is a character archetype i'm used to liking so it was a safe bet. the opposites attract sidekick or love interest of such a character is usually not my cup of tea but mildmay is the exception that proves the rule ig. mostly it's bc of his unusual manner of speaking with those funny slang turns of phrase and just generally the contrast between his expressive internal monologue and his reserved demeanor. as a result, he easily rivals felix as the most interesting guy in the book. such excellent character work! taking my hat off to monette🎩

9. Newest Fictional Crush? i reserve this question for that special kind of obsession only a very particular character can inspire and this year it's alastor from hazbin hotel. which, i know, is not a book but i have read so much alastor fanfic in the last few months that he's basically like a book character to me at this point lol

💕Best Ship💕 elliot schafer and luke sunborn are very cute. i don't usually go for cute but here we are. especially after reading that short story from luke's pov i realized i just need more of these two together😌 felix and mildmay with their unholy magic bdsm union - need i say more? forbidden ship that watered my crops. last but not least, i'm currently trudging through the realm of the elderings bc of fitz and the fool and as of assassin's quest it finally started paying off: i'm being queerbaited and asking for more🥲

10. Book That Made You Cry? a thousand stitches is such a wholesome cozy book and it made me cry multiple times the way that a nostalgic movie from childhood can make you cry sometimes. especially the pug scene😭 the scenes of thara celehar walking the corn maze in the cemeteries of amalo made me cry a lot too. the symbolic depths addison is able to achieve with the labyrinth motif, the exploration of grief and forgiveness and letting go - unparalleled🤌

11. Book That Made You Happy? a thousand stitches made me happy! especially the pug scene!!😅 honestly it was like watching a disney movie back when they were good except also more relatable bc atwater's characters read neurodivergent and aspec-coded to me. love how she maintains that the kiss of true love that breaks the faerie curse doesn't have to be romantic. re-reading the three musketeers made me very happy too - it's one of my top 10 favorite books of all time and i was kinda nervous i might not like it as much as an adult. well the joke's on me bc now i can confirm it's one of the best books ever written😊 reading in other lands and big swiss cheered me up a lot too bc they're just so damn funney😄

12. Favorite Book Adaptation You Saw This Year? haven't seen a lot of adaptations so ig dune part two wins by default. twas a fine movie. the wheel of time is also a nice show in my opinion but i didn't read the source material so idk how good it is adaptation-wise🤷‍♀️

13. Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year? my favorite ones are probably the ones i wrote about the three musketeers and in other lands but i think i also wrote some good critical/negative reviews of the mask of mirrors and of the vorkosigan books i read this year (1 2 3)

14. Most Beautiful Cover? behold the cover of the voyage of the basilisk!🤩 i want to frame it and hang it on my wall so that i can gaze at it adoringly and connect with my inner ishmael

(art by todd lockwood)

i also like this vintage romance cover of gaywyck and the uk covers of the farseer trilogy. it's a shame that the books are not as good as the covers led me to believe. especially in the case of gaywyck - this cover is Such A Vibe! but alas

15. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year? in terms of series i want to finish the memoirs of lady trent, read one more witcher book, at least a couple vampire chronicles and then reread swordspoint and hopefully complete that series too. other fantasy i want to get to at last is fire & blood and the hands of the emperor - both are big and intimidating tho. for my classics challenge i need to finish a couple of tomes i'm reading slowly throughout the year and then also read the name of the rose. american psycho and mona awad's bunny have been on my tbr for ages - maybe i'll finally read them this fall. and i also want to finish reading kj charles' backlist bc the completionism drive is stronger than the fear of having no kj charles to read lol

i never do things a normal amount - every time i take up new media i go all in. so i had a musicals phase, a movies phase, a tv show phase - each lasting a few years and then i barely watched any of these once the phase ended. which is why i've been wondering if my current Book Phase is about to wrap up soon but, given how many books i managed to read since january, it sure doesn't seem that way. instead, it feels like the more i read the better i am at finding books that i'm likely to enjoy - which leads to more reading. and i cannot complain about that tbh😁📚

tagging @magpiefngrl @doh-rae-me @oliviermiraarmstrongs @fugitoidkry @pinkasrenzo @counterwiddershins @figuringthengsout @sugarbabywenkexing @fandomreferencepending @venndaai @weirdsociology @sixappleseeds @theodoradove

please tell me what you've been reading this year (if you want)! one can't have too many book recs👀

goodreads │ old mid year tags 2020 2021 2022 2023

[autisticlancemcclain]

thank u @zenstrike for the tag <333333333 i see ur mic and i'm elated about it

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

185! but i haven't updated in like a week and a half so we're probably closer to 190

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

556,104. i am very excited to watch it jump up when i finally finish my longfic teehee

3. what fandoms do you write for?

literally just voltron lol. well not counting baby me's wattpad lol. i started writing almost two years ago and just went ham basically. i've been intentionally avoiding things that i know i will get hyperfixated on bc i don't want to stop my writing obsession lol

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

ooooou i'm excited to check. i know it's changed quite a bit over time. i usually sort them by hits!

i will grind you to sand (beneath my louboutin heels) [voltron, 2573 words]: bamf lance fic where i give him a revolver and let him go ham basically

mr. snuggles [voltron, 1656 words]: one of my very earliest fics! lance, lover of weirdo animals, finds a demonic cat-sized spider and adopts it despite his friend's freakouts

he might not look like he gets bitches (but honey that dick was eleven inches) [voltron, 1136 words]: this one is so dorky lol but it's just secret relationship klance coming to light in the most embarrassing possible way

does anyone know where the love of god goes (when the waves turn the minutes to hours) [voltron, 4283]: a canon divergence au where lance is a seer and convinces the skeptics on his team of his abilities by ending the war

this is the part of me that you're never gonna ever get away) [voltron, 3262 words]: a lance & shiro hurt/comfort with a small autistic lance character study! i'm very proud of this one

5. do you respond to comments?

i definitely do on tumblr! it's one of the first things i do when i wake up actually. on ao3, though...i'm pretty sure i have about eight hundred unanswered comments sitting in my inbox 💀 it's an ongoing issue

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i'm almost sure it's this post-game show lance leaving fic, because i got comments and asks for weeks begging me to write a happy ending lol. but this fic from the hana universe, from when keith is little and shiro is fighting for custody and they haven't figured things out yet. that one is sad. this dream pov adashi fic is also sad and has no happy ending bc, you know. shiro is in space and adam thinks he's dead and everything. my loneliest series is also still in progress and as such there is no happy ending. and this is my earliest angsty-ending fic with MCD

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

oh god pretty much everything i write has a happy ending?? if i’m being serious?? frankly i don’t do a lot of linear plot. i just write Scenes that are vaguely connected. BUT my h2o fic had a plot that ended happily, as did my cowboy fic, but truly i’m more of a slice of life kinda gal. all my active wips are plot-driven, though, and i plan for all of them to end happily.

8. do you get hate on fics?

oh god yeah. i get it on brown eyed lance, autistic lance, adhd keith, allura just in general (are you sensing a pattern), my refusal to use readmores, and lately just some demands for me to write differently/more?? most of it is just funny so i post it to goof on it lol, but some of it i just delete and pout about until i forget about it 💀

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

yes and it’s nasty and i will literally never ever post it. although i guess i’ve written some softer stuff that’s more allusion than anything, like in my loneliest series.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

not anymore, but i did when i was a kid?? i think i wrote a pjo/hoo/divergent/the mortal instruments/homestuck/a bunch of other shit fic when i was 13. i’ve successfully blocked that era out of my mind tho so i’m not sure. i do a lot of insane aus, tho. i wrote a fic based off a country song written in the sixties. so.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

i’ve had people write continuations of my wips?? which i didn’t rly like. i just ignored it.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

someone has asked me about translating a fic before! haven’t heard anything since tho.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

i have tried. i’m not very good at it. i have very Specific ideas about things and can be very controlling, so it’s honestly better that i don’t lol.

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

klance, easy. been in the trenches of this goddamn fandom since i was 13 years of age. it’s been a Journey.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

god, the butterfly effect. i get people asking me to update all the time and i genuinely feel bad, because i have absolutely no ideas or plans for it. i might try to come up with an ending of some kind?? but i wrote that like two years ago, so i have changed a LOT about my writing since then.

16. what are your writing strengths?

dialogue and humour, i think. and sometimes writing lack of emotional communication (if that makes sense — i like to try and write around an emotion).

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i over explain a lot. and i overuse dialog ur tags sometimes. i have a Very Specific scene playing out in my head and i want everyone else to see it like i’m seeing it, which is my downfall a lot. i’ve been trying to work on implicit stage directions.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i think sometimes it’s necessary? it can be a good tool for humour, like with cussing that can’t be achieved in english. but while i understand and read several languages i have always always struggled to speak or write in them. it’s very frustrating so i often avoid the subject entirely lol.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

i’ve been writing fanfic in my head since before i knew what it was, but i started typing things at around 11 when i used to homestuck roleplay with my friends lol. messy messy times.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

oh i am my own target audience. i have several.

i need a man (who’s patient and kind): keith-centric post canon (divergence) fic where lance takes him to his family and keith is good with kids and just keith being loved is the whole point. always.

what if i lose it all: an alternate universe where lance, as a baby, loses both his parents, and then is raised by his oldest siblings. in luis’ pov.

when does a ripple become a tidal wave (when does the reason become the flame): brogane fight & angst canon divergence post season 6; covering shiro’s guilt complex and keith’s unwavering loyalty

he’s into superstitions (black cats and voodoo dolls): halloween verse with witch lance and vampire keith! i have barely spoken about this au on here but rest assured i’m thinking about it all the fucking time

the applebee’s universe: modern au with young keith and lance learning how to love each other

ceilings (plaster): non-linear dream-like fic that’s just so trippy and strange i’m obsessed with it

if the sky comes falling down (for you) there’s nothing in this world i wouldn’t do: a keith character study about how the biggest bleeding heart in the universe loves

the hana universe: brogane-centric universe as their family starts rocky and grows

thank u again for the tag zen <33 open offer for anyone else who would like to hop on!!

[emberglowfox]

okay a few people have asked now abt steelheart redux so i will do my best to give an overview the maelstrom of vague thoughts it consists of at the moment

basically, steelheart is the oc story i've been posting a shitton of on and off for the past while. steelheart redux refers specifically to its latest iteration, which is completely (mostly) sci-fi and mech driven as opposed to the standard dragon rider story it was before.

it focuses primarily on these guys!

arthur is a human, while zarian is a DRACO, specifically a v1, which i will elaborate on below the readmore bc this is a little long haha

the setup for the story is essentially this:

the DRACOs (version 1, aka v1s) are big draconic mechs that are basically the equivalent of a super high-tech fighter jet with some other bells and whistles, the most notable being that they're pretty much human powered. but to be efficiently powered long-term, they have to be (or have part of them, really) permanently fused to a human host (or any living creature, technically, but humans are what they're like. made for).

despite all that, stuff surrounding their creation goes pretty well for a while, until the v1s mysteriously 'wake up'-- as in, suddenly attain self-aware consciousness, and start talking to their hosts (known as pilots) who understandably take this pretty badly. it's like if the fighter jet you've been flying around and are also kind of biologically fused to suddenly grew a brain and started asking about your day. things get even worse when the company producing the v1s attempts to like. undo this by forcing out an update patch, which has the unintended effect of corrupting the (previously entirely benevolent, just curious) v1s and turning them into crazed murder machines. stuff is bad for a while.

the ACTUAL story takes place 15 years after this, when stuff still isn't amazing but has mostly evened out. the company responsible for the v1s collapsed in the initial chaos, but from its ashes came a new company, Defenex, which has been producing DRACO v2s. they're the sleeker, badder cousins to the v1, made for the sole purpose of protecting towns from and hunting down remaining v1s. they're also, very critically, Not Mysteriously Self-Aware like the v1s are (or. were?) which is good.

the plot follows arthur steele, a fifteen year old boy living in one of the surviving cities, who through a series of accidents comes to be permanently fused to a (mysteriously un-murderous but distinctly unhappy) v1 calling himself Zarian. at first, his goal is to get Zarian removed from his back so they can go their separate ways and he can go back to his unremarkable, relatively safe life. unfortunately, this does not go according to plan. at all. but in the process, they start learning more about the mysterious origins of the DRACO incident and asking questions some people REALLY don't want answered. along the way, they make a few friends, come to actually like each other, and accidentally develop a reputation as Public Enemy #1, Definitely Evil, Kill On Sight. oops.

and that's the gist! i know... a lot of what happens, within that window, but most stuff isn't like nailed down clearly or in order yet, because i've discovered that while i am good with coming up with originally story ideas, actually plotting one from start to finish, coherently and satisfactorily, does NOT come naturally to me at all.

but, at the very least, it has become a fun brain playground and happiness generator, because i am veeery attached to these guys. moreso than i ever have gotten about my own ocs in my whole life tbh

:)

[allthefujoshiunite]

Entryway to heavens, a.k. the BL genre!

As requested by @weiying-tododeku-2023 , who wanted to dip their toes into the genre, I, Nora, am once again here to compile a recommendation list that you can take a peek. Most titles here won't be any news to my seasoned fujin frens, but it's always interesting to think of which manga or anime would be the best for a newcomer!

BL ANIME

We don't have many options to choose from when it comes to anime, so I might as well start from here.

Stranger by the Shore: This 1-hour, gorgeous movie is an adaptation from Kii Kanna's manga of the same name. Since it's short, I think it's better to focus on what the plot has to offer instead of expecting a deeper dive into the characters individually.

Sasaki and Miyano: Another manga adaptation, but this time it's 12-episode series (with a +1 OVA). Very sweet and emotionally rich coming-of-age story with a fudanshi as its MC. A must see!

NO.6: Less like a BL and more of a sci-fi anime with queer MCs, NO.6 is not exactly suitable for a newcomer, but I still wanted to include it because of its tender story and the companionship between Shion and Nezumi. So you shouldn't expect a big emphasis on romance.

Bonus: This Boy is a Professional Wizard: This is a 4-episode short anime. It's honestly gorgeous and cute, but not very "deep" as every episode is around 8 minutes. You can finish it in one sitting!

There are so many other popular (and great) BLs or action/sports series that have queer characters out there: Given, Banana Fish, Yuuri!! on ICE, Doukyuusei, Case Study of Vanitas, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Antique Bakery, Yes No or Maybe? etc. They are already popular so with a quick search you can find more about them as you finish the ones you've started!

BL MANGA

Now, this... is a challenge. There are SO MANY good stuff that it's hard to pick, so I decided to go with my gut xD

I Didn't Mean To Fall In Love (Suzumaru Minta): There's something in this series that just.. UGH! It hits me. I have reviewed it before so you can head over there to find more information, synopsis, and my thoughts.

Love Tractor (Hmmyongyong & Angrymonster): I started reading it for the sake of the challenge I mentioned above but what a joy this one turned out to be!! Has great balance of fun and drama, gorgeous to boot. The main story is finished but there'll be a continuation! Here's my review.

Here and There and Us (Thanat): This is a very interesting work (as any other Thanat work, I'm a huge fan of the artist) and it's less focused on the romance and more on the main characters and their friend circle navigating their high school life and the the ever-changing relationship between them. If you're looking for something that's more slow burn, this should be your go-to BL.

Under My Skin (Usui Iroha): People tend to stay away from spicy recommendations for newcomers but I say, why not give it a go! Usui Iroha has a way of drawing sultry gazes that'll make your heart skip a beat! I'm taking a break now, but I normally review a new BL title every Friday, and I've also reviewed Under My Skin before because it's THAT good.

Dream Away (Hana Lee): If you like a sprinkle of supernatural on your plate, then this is for you. The art style is simple yet eye catching, it's short and completed, the characters are wholesome; what more you could ask for!

Bonus - Swing Baby (Mudan): This manhwa, again, is a bit different. It does feel like it has supernatural elements at first and is a bit confusing (bc there's an interesting stylistic choice in narration) but it'll feel worth sticking to! Here's another Friday BL review if you'd like to check some screenshots out and read the synopsis.

And that's it! Welcome aboard and hopefully, at least one of these titles will be to your liking. Thank you for sending an ask, see you around!

[yonemurishiroku]

Hi there! Not sure if you did this before, but how about some really angst Nico fics?

You have come to right place.

Actually no I don't think so. I mean. Literally 90% of my blog is just angst. What type of angst are we talking about here bc I have many from all ratings and pairings you're not making this easy---

I guess I'd just put some general thing here...?

Spare the Rod by GwendolynStacy: Nico-centric, Demeter curses Nico, forcing him to obey whatever the others say and also rendering him helpless to ask for help. It's straight-up a bunch of angst. Gods Nico needs a hug. This hurts me physically. Oh boy.

and the fierce reluctance of disastrous stars by nottesilhouette: Nico encoutering Luke's ghost in Tartarus.

Healing the Dark series by anxiousastronaut18 (Solangelo, TW: Self-harm, Physical Assault, Suicidal thoughts... the whole bunch)

Not Yet Living, But Not Quite Dead by altar_boy (Jasico, trans ftm Nico, Unexpected Pregnancy): This focuses largely on Body Dysphoria and let me tell you this fic is heavy. Like. It took me a while to finish it bc the topic, the writing... it makes me have to put down my phone and breathe for a while bc otherwise I'd just keep crying. Nico goes through so much. It feels like a dead-end sometimes. Proceed with caution, but overall I'd say it's a good fic!

The first time, the last time by Joana789 (hints of Jasico): Nico dies.

Your Life in Reverse series by wewhofightmonsters (One-sided Percico, later reciprocated). My fav is actually Fire Bringer which takes Prometheus' POV telling Percico's story. I cried.

The Most Beautiful Sound I've Ever Heard by ewtp (Solangelo): A bunch of angst. Will's trying to help.

Dreams by Phelpsgirlxxx: Nico's in pain and Apollo wants to help.

Dream a Little Dream of Me by LacyFairgold: Again, angst. But at least they're trying.

playin' peek-a-boo with the devil these days by antlsepticeye: Nico finds out Jesus is really and that he was abandoned all this time. Catholic!Nico I think?

I'm so sorry if this feels like a jumble but srsly I have a lot bookmarked and it's hard to dig all up without a clear instruction on what to find. 😭😂😂 And I mean like the PJOverse itself is pretty much a Hurt/Comfort work for Nico anw, as if House of Hades isn't painful enough----

Nevertheless, hope you have a good time reading!!!

[kaminocasey]

In the Moonlight

Summary: You accidentally let it slip you "Used to" have feelings for Niner. Your partner Fi doesn't seem so bothered by it.

Pairing: Niner x Reader x Fi (Clones from Omega Squad in the Republic Commando Series)

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; SMUT, Angst, drinking, threesome (mfm) (no clonecest), unprotected p in v (wrap it up, friends), oral (f and m receiving)

WC: 3.8K

A/N: My love for Omega Squad is unreal. Seriously. These books are incredible. Listened to the song "Moonlight" by Kali Uchis while writing it. ALSO: I HAVEN'T FINISHED BOOK 3 TRUE COLORS YET, so no spoilers lmao. I've just been working on this since I read Hard Contact lmao. I realize that not a lot of people aren’t gonna know the Republic Commando boys and that's okay, I just strongly urge you to read them bc they're literally SO good.

“Cyar’ika… Please come back.” Niner’s deep voice is behind you, following you out of 79s.

Your chest tightens at the term of endearment, but you ignore him, knowing that if you look at him… at those big brown eyes… you’ll end up cracking… and breaking… You should’ve known better than to get drunk with Niner… that’s on you.

“Get back here now.” He practically commands you.

“Or what?” You spit back, continuing to walk away. 

You definitely weren’t expecting his fingers around your wrist. And you definitely weren’t expecting him to spin you around and pull you against his chest, only to gently grab your chin to look up at him. It’s too close… It’s too intimate… It’s too much. The flutter in your stomach is too much.

“You really don’t like to listen, do you?” He muses.

You shrug, jerking your chin away from his strong fingers. “Let go of me.”

It’s a warning. With a sigh, he releases you. 

“I wish you’d just talk to me…” He murmurs. 

You couldn’t talk to him… Not when you felt like this. Not when he feels like this. You start to walk away again, not wanting to stick around to talk. 

“You need to tell Fi.” He calls out. 

Like hell you did. “Kiss my ass, sarge.” 

When you get in the cab, you head back to the barracks, knowing you’re definitely not going to be able to sleep now. 

You’d drunkenly, and stupidly you might add, told Niner that you’d wanted him first… when you first became a pilot. He was who you wanted. But he was distant and weary of you, so you eventually just let it go. You let him go. Or so you thought…

Fi had taken an instant interest in you, always flirting and teasing. How could you say no? You fell pretty quick for Fi. But there was always that little tiny part in the back of your head that just couldn’t let Niner go. 

“You’re back.” Fi looks up from his bunk, delighted, the blue glow of his datapad lighting up his handsome face. “Did you and Sarge have a good time?”

You wordlessly crawl over him in between him and the wall, snuggling into his side. “Too tired…”

He chuckles, placing a soft, sweet kiss to your forehead. “Well, we can talk about it in the morning.”

“Don’t want to.” You accidentally let slip out. 

You dummy… Why couldn’t you have just said goodnight?

“What? Why?” He tosses his datapad to the end of the bunk and looks down at you. “Did something happen?”

You hear the door open and Fi turns his head, finding Niner strolling in. He must’ve gotten a cab right after you. You try to look away, but Fi catches on.

You’re grateful right then that Darman and Atin are gone, doing who knows what for the night.

“What happened?” Fi asks Niner.

“Did you tell him?” Niner asks, thinking that the answer is going to be yes.

“No.” You groan, hiding your face behind your hands.

“I used to like you, you know.” You chuckle.

Niner’s eyebrows raise up. “Did you?”

“I did.” You nod. 

“But Fi-”

“Before Fi… it was you.” You murmur, taking a sip of your drink. 

“I had an inkling.” He apologizes in a way.

“Oh. Great.” You shrug.

“Why didn’t you say-”

“Because I thought you didn’t approve of me… I was a pilot and not a clone and you weren’t the most warm person…”

“Fi was.”

You nod. Fi was the most warm. Still is.

“I’m sorry… if I could-” He murmurs.

“Don’t…” You whisper, shaking your head, unable to look at him. 

“If I could, I would do something about it.” He continues anyway.

You look at him now. “Like get rid of me?”

He smiles, softly. “Like tell you that I love you, too.” 

You nearly drop your drink, confused. Love? Why would he say this now, knowing that your heart lies with Fi… with his vode? 

Angrily, you get up and start toward the door, leaving the bar. Walking away from him… 

Fi looks between you and Niner, eyes begging for someone to tell him what’s going on. How are you supposed to tell the love of your life that you were in love with his brother before him? What if he thinks that you only chose him as a backup when that’s not what happened at all? What if he doesn’t look at you the same way again? Are you prepared to lose Fi? The answer is no. But the look on his face is so heartbreaking that you know that you just can’t lie to him.

“I…” You start, quietly, sitting up on the edge of the bunk, looking up at Fi. 

Why would Niner do this to you? Why would he put you in this position?

Because he loves you and he knows that you still love him… 

Fi kneels down beside you, looking at you, softly. “Cyar’ika… you know you can tell me anything.” 

“I know…” You nod, trying to breathe. 

Fi hands you a canteen with water in it and you take a sip and then a large gulp, just trying to figure out what to say. Honestly, the moment is incredibly sobering.

You sit the canteen down on the floor and look at Niner, who’s sitting in his bunk across from Fi’s. “Before I fell in love with you… I was in love with Niner…”

Fi lets a chuckle slip and you look up at him with furrowed brows. “I already know this. The whole squad knows this.” 

Well, that’s embarrassing.

“A part of me… still does.” You murmur. “Love him, that is… And he loves me too…”

“Is that what this is about? You scared me… I thought something serious happened.” Fi kisses you on the forehead and sits next to you. 

“You’re not angry?” You ask him, confused.

“Of course not.” He rests an arm around your shoulders, pulling you to him and then looking up at Niner. “I’m honestly surprised it took you this long to tell her, Sarge.”

“I don’t understand…” You pull away to look at him. 

“You still love me, right?” Fi smiles.

“Of course.” You nod. “More than anything.”

“And you love Sarge, here, too.” Fi’s smile doesn’t falter even a little bit.

This is the most confusing night of your life. 

“Right…” You murmur, looking over at Niner and find that he’s actually smiling at you.

Your chest tightens at the sight.

“So… we share you…?” Fi suggests, looking between you and Niner.

Your eyes return to your partner. 

“You’d really be okay with that?” You ask him.

“We’re vode… we’ve probably shared worse.” Fi chuckles.

That’s both somehow endearing and gross. 

“There’s no probably about it. We definitely have.” Niner chuckles.

Fi smirks and then looks at you again. “If that’s something you want, then I’m alright with it. All I want is for you to be happy, cyar’ika.” 

Fi would do anything for you. There’s no question about it. He’s absolutely the love of your life. Your whole world. But it still felt like something was missing. 

You suppose that something is Niner.

Squeezing Fi’s hand, you lean over and kiss him. He smiles sweetly when you pull away and then looks over at Niner. 

“Well, what do you say, Sarge?” He asks.

“I’m grateful to even be in your presence.” Niner smiles brightly at you and your chest tightens again. 

Fi nods for Niner to go to you and when your sergeant slides off his bunk, settling between your legs, your breath hitches in your throat. 

“Is… this okay?” Niner murmurs.

When you nod, he slides his warm calloused hands over your bare thighs, your dress sliding up slightly. Niner takes notice and looks like he’s really holding back. Looking over at Fi one more time for a confirmation that he’s truly okay with this, you hold yourself back from touching the man on his knees in front of you.

“Go on, cyare. It’s alright.” He lets you go and leans against the bunk post to watch you with nonjudgmental eyes. 

You turn back toward your sergeant and smile down at him as you slowly cup his face, memorizing each detail and scar to memory. The way that his eyes follow yours until they settle on your lips. He waits for you to lean in, something completely unlike Niner, who usually is a first move kind of guy. 

His hands never leave your thighs as you lean in slowly, brushing your lips against his, making his eyes flutter shut. He lets out the softest sigh, and it’s clear to you that he really and truly wants this. He wants you. 

Your hands slide into his hair, tugging ever so slightly, enough to make him moan. Unable to help but smirk against his lips, you tug again and his grip on your thighs tightens. 

“Careful, mesh’la.” Niner warns you, opening his eyes to slide his hands up to your hips. 

Letting out a soft laugh, you look back over at Fi who’s smiling kindly at you. There really is no jealousy inside of him, is there? How could one person be so kind and loving? 

You reach over for Fi’s black shirt, grabbing the fabric and pulling him to you so that he crushes his lips against, his hands automatically finding your hair and pulling your face closer. 

When you feel Niner’s lips on your neck, you melt instantly, groaning against Fi’s mouth. How is this real? How could you be this lucky? 

Niner’s mouth travels down quickly to your lap. “Lay back, sweetheart.” 

Fi guides you down to the bed but you can’t help but want to watch what Niner’s about to do to you, so you prop yourself up on your elbows, making eye contact with you. He grins immediately, taking his shirt off. 

“Truly not good at listening.” Niner playfully shakes his head.

You guide him back to you with your foot. “You already knew this, Sarge.”

“You have no fucking idea what it does to me when you call me ‘sarge’.” He groans.

“Ew. I call you ‘sarge’.” Fi teases.

Niner shoots Fi a silencing look and then pulls your underwear down, tossing them to the floor and then pushes your dress up. You’re eternally grateful that Darman is with Etain and Atin is with Laseema right then.  

“Take her dress off, Fi.” Niner commands him. 

Fi listens and helps you out of your dress, slipping it over your body and then dropping it to the floor. Niner groans softly at the sight of you and an instant boost of confidence washes over you so you sit up and pull Niner in for a kiss. 

“Pretty girl.” Niner whispers against your lips. 

With a soft whimper against his lips, you run your hands through his hair, pulling him as close as possible. 

“Already fucking addicted to your taste.” He groans.

“Wait til you taste her pussy.” You could hear Fi’s smirk as he talks. 

You look back at him and laugh. Fi sits up to kiss you again and Niner palms your breasts, squeezing and groping you in all the right places, making you whine with need. 

“I think I will.” Niner pulls your lower half down to his mouth and kisses your inner thigh, making you gasp into Fi’s mouth. 

You feel Niner’s warm breath flutter over your already wet warmth, knowing that this man could only be perfect at eating pussy. You still can’t fully comprehend how you got here, in between the two men you love. 

“You alright, cyar’ika?” Niner checks in before going further. 

“Perfect.” You pull away from Fi to promise him, smiling. 

He licks a warm wet stripe up your folds and your hand automatically flies to Niner’s hair again as you groan loudly. He chuckles softly and you glance down at him. 

“Don’t you laugh at me.” You huff, breathlessly.

“Not laughing at you, sweetheart. I’m laughing because Fi was right.” He squeezes your thighs on either side of his head. “You taste fucking incredible.”

“I’m always right, actually.” Fi grins widely at you and you grip his shirt as Niner licks into your desperate cunt, building up your orgasm, already threatening to send you over the edge. 

You’ve waited so long for this. You need it to last longer.

“Niner… stop. I’m gonna cum…” You whimper, trying to pull away.

Niner looks up at Fi, confused. “She normally want you to stop so she doesn’t cum?” 

Fi shakes his head, just as confused as Niner is. 

“What’s wrong, cyare?” Fi, brushes his lips against your bare shoulder.

You’re shaking slightly from the nerves of it all. “Nothing… I just… I want to cum a certain way with you, Niner…” 

“Oh, sweetheart.” Niner brushes his fingers gently across your cheek, smiling up at you. “Lead the way.”

You pull him up on the bed with you and Fi and Fi moves to the end of the bed to give you and Niner a little space, clearly happy to watch. You guide Niner down onto his back, his head hitting your pillow. His eyes flutter shut as he breathes in.

“I guess now it’s my turn to ask if you’re okay?” You tease, straddling his lap and running your fingers down his bare chest. 

His hands find your bare hips, digging into your soft flesh. “I’m great. Your pillow just smells like you and it really hit me.” 

Maker, he’s so sweet when he wants to be. You lean down and kiss him again, both of you moaning softly against each other. He reaches around you and pulls his hardened length out of his pants, and you can’t help but sneak a look, raising your eyebrows at the sheer girth of him. You’d expect nothing less from Niner. 

“Fuck…” You whisper and then look back at his face.

“You sure you wanna be on top, baby?” He teases.

“I’m already here.” You shrug, making him and Fi laugh. 

“My girl doesn’t back down from a challenge.” Fi grins proudly at you.

You lift up slightly and then start to line your entrance up with Niner’s cock. You spit in your hand and then give his large cock a few pumps, getting his length wet enough. He groans loudly, gripping your hips so roughly you’re sure you’re gonna bruise. But you can’t bring yourself to care, you want to be reminded of tonight. What if they wake up tomorrow and realize that they don’t want to share? What if this is just in the heat of a horny moment? 

You attempt to get out of your head by sinking down on Niner’s cock, and both of you gasp so sharply that you can only look at each other. Niner closes the distance and pulls you down onto him and you can’t help but clench around him already. 

“Fuck…” You both murmur. 

“Fi…” You whisper, holding your hand out for him to come back. 

“I’m right here, baby.” Fi smiles, coming back and kissing your neck. “You good?” 

You can only nod your head, words failing. How do you explain just how good your partner’s brother’s cock feels? You just can’t. 

“Words, cyar’ika. Use ‘em.” Niner grits. 

“I’m good…” You whisper. “I’m good.”

“Permission to fuck you now?” Niner asks, looking up at you. 

“Since when… do you… ask for things?” You tease him.

You can see the look in his eyes darken and you gulp. “Move Fi.” 

Fi chuckles. “Oh, cyare. You’re in for it now.” 

“Huh?” You don’t have time to even finish the word because Niner has you flipped over on your back and somehow is able to push even further into you, causing all the air to momentarily leave your lungs. 

“Fuck you feel so good.” Niner buries his face in your neck, breathing you in as he finds your hands, pinning them to the bed by your head.

You wrap your legs around his waist. “Please… Sarge… I need you.” 

“I know, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I’m gonna give it to you.” He pulls away from your neck to look you in the face.

You know he’s just checking on you again but you need him to move or you feel like you may combust. 

“Maker, baby… you’re soaking the sheets.” Fi notices. 

And that’s when Niner starts to pull out, just to push back in and your eyes roll back in your head. You’re absolutely sure you see stars just from that one thrust. 

“Fi, come look at this.” Niner chuckles darkly, thrusting again and again. “Got her to shut up finally. All she needed was her sargeant’s cock. Isn’t that right, baby?” 

You whimper, unable to form a coherent word. Niner and Fi both chuckle again as Niner starts to pick up his thrusting, angling you perfectly so that his cock goes as far as possible into you. You’re not so sure anyone has ever been able to reach as deep into you like this. Not even Fi, as much as you love him. 

“Maker, you are soaked.” Niner pulls your face to look up at him, meeting his eyes. “All for me and Fi, huh?” 

You nod, weakly. 

“That’s right sweetheart. Doing so fucking good.” Niner leans down and kisses you quickly. “Alright, Fi. It’s time for her to cum.” 

Your eyes quickly meet your partner’s eyes and he smiles down at you, proudly. 

“Aye, sarge.” Fi’s fingers find your clit and you gasp and whine, writhing against Niner, making him groan again as you clench tightly around him. 

“You wanna cum on my cock, baby?” Niner kisses your neck as he releases your hands so he can pull back to sit up on his knees, still fully sheathed inside of you. 

“Please…” You murmur, looking at both men with equal need. “Fi- want your cock too… Please.”

“Since you asked so nicely, cyare.” Fi leans down to kiss you before situating himself on his knees near your head so that he can start to press his cock to your lips. 

You relax your jaw and eagerly take his cock as far as he’ll allow you. Fi’s been so gracious this whole time, he deserves more attention. 

“Maker, I love you.” Fi caresses your hair, praising you sweetly. “So perfect for us.”

You hum around his length as you bob your head over his length in time with Niner’s thrusts, which are starting to speed up a bit as Fi continues to rub your clit so perfectly. The warm feeling starts to pool low in your stomach and you can’t help but clench again for Niner. 

“That’s it. She’s so fucking close.” Niner grins down at you. 

“Oh, sweet girl. Are you gonna finish all over our sergeant's cock?” Fi teases you.

You nod around his cock as Niner decides to pick you up slightly so he can slam into you at a more unforgiving pace, the slapping sounds filling the barracks so perfectly, it’s almost deafening, besides both men’s moans and soft grunts.

“Sorry, Fi.” Niner grunts as he pulls you away from Fi’s cock so that he can pull you up into his arms, picking you and slamming you down on his cock so that all you can do is go limp in his arms as he fucks up into you. 

All you can do is whimper and moan, no words able to form, as Niner buries his face in your neck as he unforgivingly pounds into you. 

“Come on, baby. I know you wanna cum like this. Then I can fill this perfect cunt up with my own cum.” Niner grits through his teeth, very clearly trying to hold back so he doesn’t finish before you. “Do you want my cum?” 

You nod with pathetic whines, trying to beg for him. 

“She makes the prettiest sounds, doesn’t she?” Fi’s behind you now, pulling your face toward his so he can swallow your sounds with his kiss and his other arm wraps around you so that his fingers can bring you closer to your finish line.  

“Fuck yeah, she does.” Niner agrees. 

The way they talk about you and Fi rubbing your clit so fucking perfectly is what does it, sending you over your edge, making you throw your head back against Fi’s shoulder. You make eye contact with Niner as you cum all over his cock, coating him with your essence that he finally lets go and fills you up with himself. He groans roughly as he grips your hips tightly and you start to feel the soreness in them as you come down from the absolute sex high. 

When you feel Fi pull away, you feel something trailing down your back and realize that Fi finished when you and Niner did, except it’s all over your bare back and you can’t help but laugh. 

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Fi murmurs with a chuckle as he cleans you with a wet towel. 

“Don’t be.” You pant slightly, pulling him in for a kiss. 

Niner is still buried inside of you and you’re not really ready to pull away just yet. You think he understands because as soon as Fi runs to the fresher, Niner pulls you in for another passionate kiss and you find yourself just as addicted to his taste as he thinks he is to yours. Resting your foreheads together, you close your eyes. Until he starts to  pull away slightly.

“Don’t pull out.” You whisper. “Please.”

“Alright, I won’t.” Niner promises you as he pulls you down to the bed, still inside of you.

He lays against the wall with you in his arms, making room for Fi to join when he’s done. You suspect that Fi’s giving you a moment of privacy with Niner to talk. 

“So, what now?” You murmur. 

“Well, for what it’s worth, I think we’ve wasted enough time not being together and as long as you’ll have me, I’m not going anywhere.” He murmurs, kissing you again.

You smile against his lips, believing him. “Until your next mission.” 

“Yeah, but you’ll be right there waiting, right?” His calloused fingers brush across your soft cheek.

“Until you come back to me.” You smile.

“Which I promise to keep doing.” He smiles right back.

“Both of us will.” Fi’s soft voice is behind you as he climbs into the bunk with you, resting his hand on your hip and squeezing gently before placing a kiss to your shoulder blade. You kiss both of them once more before drifting off into sleep, thinking about how lucky you are to get to experience this life with both of them. You just hope that their Kal’buir can make good on his promise and find Ko Sai in time so that you can experience a full life with them.

TAGS: @twistedstitcher27 @misogirl828 @rebel-finn @rexandechosandwich @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @brynhildrmimi @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @agenteliix @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @idlenesses @redheadgirl @themcuwriter @ashotofspotchka @sunshinesdaydream @crosshairsimp73 @ariadnes-red-thread @rosmariner @heyitsaloy @starstofillmydream @high-ct5555 @echos-girlfriend @sleepywych @nekotaetae @justanothersadperson93 @brownstalebread @aconstructofamind @book-of-baba-fett @chopper-base @palliateclaw @501st-rexster @dead-poolz @nahoney22 @where-is-my-mind-tho @jediknightjana @erishimoon @witching3 @queen-of-many-fandoms @patchmates-ad

[colemckenzies]

Mid-Year Book Freakout

tagged by my queen @asalesbian

Number of books read so far in 2024: 56

Best book read so far in 2024: Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata. Which could honestly go in biggest surprise bc full 5* for a short story collection is CRAZY but it was just so so good

Best sequel: thank GOD i just finished the golden enclaves or I would not be able to answer this question lmao I haven't read any other series. this wasn't even technically a sequel its the final book of the scholomance trilogy. It Was Fine.

New release you haven't read yet but want to: the only book on my tbr with a 2024 release date is GENDER THEORY by madeline docherty which. does genuinely look good but also the description was like 'a story of love, friendship, and endometriosis'. yeah <3

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: LET'S GO WITCHLINGS 3 LET'S GOOOOOOOO

Biggest surprise: Next Year For Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson i rly thought this was gonna be Mum Fiction's First Polyamory but it was so genuinely compelling and moving and thoughtful i LOVED it

Favourite new (debut or to you) author: I don't really notice authors but I have been working my way through my gf's Mieko Kawakami collection and it's been pretty strong

Newest fictional crush: not something I really read for but I will say. not to repeat books but katherine from next year for sure genuinely one of the strongest fictional characters I've read in years. love her.

Book that made you cry: according to my storygraph there have been FOUR books I have cried at this year but most notably my first book of the year, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. that fucked me up!

Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received): I'm working through my physical tbr atm so not acquiring that many books but I did buy a nice locally published edition of What's Eating Gilbert Grape? in bath the other day which had a cool vintage 50s illustration cover. similarly on the same trip got a hardback of Levitation For Beginners w a 70s aesthetic and wrapped in plastic. this is justified bc I have already finished reading that one.

Book that made you happy: She Loves To Cook She Loves To Eat vol 1 :) food lesbians!!

What books do you need to read by the end of the year: I have a single small bookcase of my physical tbr atm and I'd like to clear the top row at least. most notably finishing middlemarch, my lotr reread, and how to be both by ali smith (the favourite book of one of my best friends)

I'm gonna tag @hawkeyefrommash since they're a legit bookstagrammer, also book club besties @keclan and @dykemarcille AND ALSO @yellowjckets, but anyone else who wants to do it pls tag me as your tagger so I can read!!

[theinquisitxor]

June 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I read six (6) books in June, and was able to get through most of what I wanted to read. I ended up reading several books that all take place in Britain, in a similar time-frame, which was completely coincidental. I read 4 fantasy, 1 historical fiction, and 1 nonfiction.

1.The Magician's Daughter by HG Parry (5 stars) This was a delightful standalone novel that is a coming of age story set in Edwardian era in England. When I first read the blurb about this novel, I thought it was going to be a retelling of The Tempest. It is not-- but it is an original story yet classic in its own way. While I would consider this a 'cozy fantasy' it does have its darker moments. I also really enjoyed the lack of romance in this book.

2 & 3. The Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh (4/5 stars) This was my Random TBR Pick for the month of June, which I was very happy about since this duology has been on my tbr since 2020. This was exactly what I was expecting- folkloric, woodsy, queer novellas following fairy lore and mythology. I'm glad I finally picked this up!

4.1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline: this was my nonfiction book for the month, and this book takes a look at how an ancient civilization collapsed, and ushered in the first 'dark age'.

5. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (4/5 stars) I found this to be a very atmospheric period novel set in Essex in the 1890s. This is the type of novel where you can tell the author did a lot of research on the time period, and I felt transported right into the time period. Each character was very distinct and different from each other, and I enjoyed the hint of the fantastic in the novel surrounding the Essex Serpent.

6.The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie (3/5 stars) My brother got me the series for my birthday, after he read the books and enjoyed them. I will admit, that this type of fantasy is not necessarily my favorite, but I wanted to give this series a chance. I thought it was fine overall, but I can tell it's not my cup of tea. I have seen things about the second and third books being better than book 1, so I am hoping to continue. Glokta is my favorite and I would start book 2 just for him.

I have also been reading River Horse: A Voyage Across America this month too, but I've only been reading a few chapters at a time. This is a travel narrative about a man who traveled across the US by river. I'm enjoying it so far!

Those are the books I finished this month!

Books I'm hoping to read in July:

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Thief Mage, Beggar Mage by Cat Hellison

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

second First Law book by Joe Abercrombie

finish River Horse by William Least Heat-Moon

Most of these I have access to the audiobooks, so I'm hoping to read at least one via audio. I kinda fell off reading audiobook lately, so I want to get back into it.

[caeli0306]

A new one shot, 'Did Someone Say Vacation?', a sequel to 'Did Someone Say Shots?', is now posted!

Now up on AO3: READ HERE

IT'S FINALLY DONE! Also surprise it's spicy too. And longer than DSSS? at a grand total of 12.7k words, bc I'm apparently very good at outdoing my self. Pls enjoy an emotionally vulnerable Xaden and an emotionally intelligent Violet :)

Summary:

A year after Xaden graduated from Basgiath University, he's struggling. Even with his cushy job at his father's company in Aretia keeping him busy, all he can think about is his girlfriend, who is back at Basgiath University finishing her final year of school. When a work emergency causes him to miss her graduation after the rest of Violet's family couldn't come, Xaden's self-doubts cause him to spiral.

or

Xaden still doesn't understand why Violet chose him, and a vulnerable moment leads to a vulnerable conversation. A sequel of sorts to 'Did Someone Say Shots?'

===

After soaking our suite's massive tub - and loudly exclaiming how she would do anything to have a tub of that size in her own home someday - it doesn't take long for Violet to climb under the covers and fall into a deep sleep. Despite slipping into bed with her, I'm still wide awake, my head propped on top of hers where she's wrapped in my arms, her back against my bare chest.

I can't get the image of Violet, alone, sitting on those stairs in the pouring rain. She never should have been there. The logical part of me, the part of me that I desperately want to believe, reminds me that I couldn't have known what would happen when I decided to go to the office this morning. It was a series of unfortunate events, completely unforeseen and therefore devoid of responsibility. It tells me that if Violet doesn't blame me for what happened, why should I blame myself?

But there's also the darker, less heard voice in the back of my mind that laughs at me and says I should have known. It questions how I could ever be enough for Violet when I don't deserve her in the first place - after all, didn't she only start dating me after Dain Aetos cheated on her? She could have left him at anytime, yet despite their constant breakups and makeups she never came my way. The voice taunts me, saying that if I wasn't Violet's first choice, why would she stay with me when I've managed to ruin one of the most important days of her life?