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bloopitynoot · 2 months ago

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Reading SVSSS: Bonus Chapter 26

For those who don't know, I am reading SVSSS for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag bloopitynoot reads SVSSS. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read.

This chapter took me two days to go through! It's SO LONG (120 pages). I wanted to post yesterday but I got 60 pages in and started fading. Winter is here and the sun keeps disappearing too quickly, your boy is feeling the SAD.

The tea photo is from today and not yesterday- I tried out a new one it's almond amaranth and rooibos.

let's get into this monster of a chapter!

Fuck yeah, we have an airplane POV! Though this chapter is BEEFY. I think I'm going to read half today and half tomorrow before posting it (present me: and I did! ^-^).

I love that we are getting all of these forum comments. This is so fun! One of my favourite brands of fics are fics that include elements of social media/forum/blog style au's and this is a vibe! pp140-147

This guy is not wrong "Even though this famous Lord Cucumber spewed criticism constantly and without end in 'Great Master' Airplane's comment section, his subscription payments and demands for updates never waned. Because of this 'Great Master Airplane had come to suspect that this person was a masochist". p148 I mean yeah lol

OMG what an awful way to die! Alone in your house, let's be real - likely in his underwear- via electrocution induced by his sad instant ramen noodle dinner. p149

and the fact that he transmigrated so young. He was there for a while before the plot plotted with SY. 17 years old! p150. I do wonder if there is a wiggly time thing. Like years in the transmigrated novel equal like hours in the world he came from or something. They died close together I think? anyways- any theories on this are welcome!

Same though- Airplane is so real for this. The way in which I would just want to spill all of the foreknowledge and secrets to people I held in my brain as the creator of this universe p153

The SASS [Tip Complete. We wish you the best of luck]. p155

Are you kidding! This man didn't even write the plot that led for his main spy character to becoming a spy...dang man. the potholes are real bad. p156

Okay but this would seriously be me af. I am such a wimp- and that is totally okay! In the face of most definitely death, I would submit myself to being the Little Bitch Boy and pledge myself, my body, my undying love, to my new demon overlord and master. Good for baby him ahaha. p158

"As Shang Qinghua overflowed with snot and tears, clinging on for dear life, begging to pledge fealty to Mobei-Jun - wholly without warning, the demon collapsed." p160 Again, same. I'm feeling seen with Airplane here XD Screaming, crying, throwing up.

Man. I really see how these two end up together (I'm assuming they do?). He had a solid chance to murder the guy and he just couldn't because the character is just his ideal man. p162

"This character had been created entirely to the author's own tastes" p163 MHMMM. Yeah he was.

ehehehe and here we have the only one bed trope at the inn he got to nurse his ideal man back to health. p165

This guy is so shameless. Straight up just watching Mobei-Jun strip while he sits there and snacks. p169

It is so unhinged that this man just has a string tied to his neck pp170-171

that congee- YARF "clear as water" sounds so unappealing p174

"When in doubt- just cry" - Airplane definitely p176

The security on this mountain is so shit. Demons just popping in all the time under the radar. Mobei-jun literally lived there for three days no one even knew XD p183

awww, Airplane tried to warn Liu Qingge about the upcoming Qi deviation. That was nice of him. p190

Yes! Thank you! The scene I have been waiting for; in which the other characters are all like "wtf is up with shen qingqiu? He really is 100% different overnight, but also, no one say anything to him because we like this him better" p192

Fair though, I too would think that SQQ was possessed p194

The way in which airplane is SHAKEN by the actions of SQQ right now is so funny. Him frozen expression, this is NOT the character I wrote what the fuck is happening. p206

Someone commented on an earlier chapter post I had about the theory that the system is the manifestation of airplane's actual wants for the story and like- I stand with this theory. It really checks out with this POV the man keep's fantasizing of a queer man story and like he sure does get it. p207

LOOOOL oh no. the fact that the man who created these characters - VERY different than this experience. Has to listen to Binghe "If you hold unique feelings for a certain person, how can you make them understand you intentions?" p208.

Not airplane giving LBH love advice just so cucumber bro can literally Get Fucked. pp212-213

AND THEN HIS ADVICE BACKFIRES WITH MOBEI-JUN LOL"So, if you want to be liked by a man, the best method is to act pathetic?" p214. Like he set this up for himself

Wait. Airplane had the option to return home! And he just didnt??? p217

Airplane really is weak for these villainous men. The way in which he describes Linguang-Jun is so simpy. p228

The drama. Airplane doing the MOST to save Mobei-jun. This man could have avoided all of this and just gone home. What a horrible torture! :( p235

Get it airplane! You yell at him ahaha p237-238

I AM SCREAMING. Airplane: I'm your daddy! p239 AND THEN him just leaving in a panic because he really thinks he's going to get murdered after that outburst LOL

I love SQQ sitting in domesticity with his man giving airplane love advice pp244-245

Awww, Mobei-Jun came back for his boyfriend! He's going to make him hand pulled noodles :'3 p255 I honestly think that Mobei-jun actually needed to be bossed around this entire time

BYE. LOL SGH deciding to continue writing in this world by basically writing slash fanfiction about LBH/SQQ + the other peak lords/famous cultivators LOL p256. Good for him ahaha.

We did it!

This chapter was such a ride ahaha. it was fun to see the POV for airplane but also him and the progression of his weird AF relationship with Mobei-jun. I honestly kind of love these two. They were such a mess in the beginning but it ended so soft :'3

#bloopitynoot reads svsss #svsss spoilers #mxtx svsss #svsss #scum villans self saving system #scum villain #airplane's POV #I love this guy so much #doing the most to save his demon boyfriend

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seangelfish · 10 months ago

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buster bros with a younger sister.. you,, SHAKES YOU !! sobbing it was so so cute !! i love how you interpretated it and how each bro had a different relationship w/ her !! it was very heartwarming aughhuhuuhhh

so,, im back to request more yippee !! could i request ichiro dating someone ? what would their relationship be like, how would his brothers react and most importantly would they approve,,

sorry if this is too much i just love buster bros a completely normal amount,,

A/N: I'm so glad you liked it as I had so much fun writing it! And of course, I'm loving the Ichiro requests from you haha~ I am SO sorry this took so long, but I hope you will also like this one too! (´꒳`)♡

Relationship headcanons

Ichiro Yamada x reader ♡ Genres/types: Fluff, headcanons, established relationship, she/her pronouns, not proofread! ♡ Word count: 854 ♡ Synopsis: Headcanons of what Ichiro is like in a relationship and how his brothers react to it.

– Ichiro would be the best lover you could ever ask for. He's so attentive and loving that it melts your heart. He knows every little thing about you that you were sure he wouldn't remember, so it would always be a sweet surprise when he'd gift you your favourite snack or drink.

– Despite how busy he is, you're always on his mind. Whenever he thinks about you, a smile never fails to creep up on his face. He's always hoping that your day goes the way you want it to, but if it doesn't, he'll always be there to cheer you up!

– His love language would definitely be acts of service. If you want something done, he'll do it in seconds. If you can't or don't have the motivation to run your usual errands, he'll do it for you instead. If you're an anxious and shy individual, he'll be your voice. He won't even mind it if you can't speak up for yourself because he'll do it for you.

– He'll be there to stand up for you if you aren't able to. He'll even be mad at your behalf if something or someone hurts you. Because of this, the person who has done you wrong will apologise immediately.

"Ichiro, you don't need to do that, it's fine..."

"No, it's not. They can't say that to you and get away with it!"

– Therefore, a relationship with Ichiro would be an ideal one. He's dependent and reliable, and is always emotionally and physically supportive. You don't need to tell him what to do because he just knows what you'd like for him to do. But of course, he'd like for you to communicate the things you like too.

– It's comfortable and safe with Ichiro. You know you can depend on him and he enjoys taking care of you too. It's probably because of his brotherly instincts, but his love for you is a lot different than his love for his brothers. He loves you with his whole heart and he isn't afraid to show it... only after getting comfortable in the relationship though.

– When he first had a crush on you, Ichiro was extremely bashful. He couldn't help it though. You were just so amazing and pretty. His eyes would light up every time he saw you. But he tried being subtle about it. His confession was kind of subtle too, but it was cute and romantic - just like the romance novels he reads.

He had brought you to a place where you could see the stars in the skies clearly, how beautiful they sparkled from where you stood.

You were in awe of how they looked. "Wow, the night sky is so pretty from up here!" you exclaim.

"Mhmm," Ichiro agrees. "This is how I see you too."

– The two of you would definitely watch anime together. You would give him recommendations of your favourite ones and he would immediately watch them. He loves all your suggestions and always asks for more.

– In addition, you would read manga with him too - sometimes together or just separately - but when you read together, he likes it when the two of you lay on your fronts as he holds the manga for you.

– You would cook together too. It feels like you're already married considering you take care of his younger brothers as well. After all, they're kids, so you treat them with love and care, cooking them meals and eating together like a family too.

– However, when you first met his brothers, they didn't seem to like you. You knew why as their reasons were obvious. They were so possessive of Ichiro, fully believing you were going to take him away from them. It was hilariously cute, but you had to reassure them with actions that wasn't your intention.

– You find their love for Ichiro really sweet, so you try befriending them. However, since they were so hard to get, Ichiro had to tell them to be nicer to you.

– Gradually, they start warming up to you. Jiro probably warms up to you first before Saburo does. They realise how much you care about their big bro and how much you care about them too. They always feel fluffy whenever they talk to you since you're so attentive and kind.

– Therefore, when they finally do approve of the relationship, they start wanting to hang out with you too. They think of you as their older sister or even a mother with the way you act. They love having you around, so it feels kind of empty whenever you're not there. When you were gone for almost two weeks due to work, they're the ones who miss you more than Ichiro does.

– Ultimately, being in a relationship with Ichiro is warm and loving. There's never a dull day being in the Yamada household either. It becomes a second home to you where you never want to leave as it's so comforting and full of life.

– And perhaps one day, this life will become a permanent one, where you get to stay with Ichiro forever alongside his brothers too.

Intro page | Hypnosis Mic masterlist | Requests rules

#ichiro yamada x reader #ichiro x reader #hypmic fanfic #hypmic x reader #hypnosis mic fanfic #hypmic #hypnosis mic #fanfic #ichiro yamada #buster bros #ichiro yamada headcanons #ichiro yamada x reader fluff

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tomorrowsdrama · 11 months ago

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I just finished Re-reading The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir and omg it’s just amazing the second time around. Technically, this would be my first time reading it completely. The first time I read it, I got distracted at around the 90% mark and didn’t finish.

But omg I love this web novel so much. The characters are so flawed and complex and human! Trash Man aka Ning Yuxuan probably had the best character arc out of all the characters. I loved hating him in the beginning when he truly was a trash man. And then I gleefully laughed when Ji Man threw him for a loop and didn’t make life easy for him. Then I relished in his suffering as he had to grovel and work his ass off to try to win Ji Man’s heart only to fail. After that, I felt bad for him as he desperately tried to get Ji Man to open up her heart a bit. Then that turned to rooting for him to get the girl and also wanting to shake some sense into Ji Man. And finally, I swooned and awwed seeing the lengths he went to to protect Ji Man and give her a peaceful life. If you’re going to get swept up in a fight for the throne and dangerous political intrigue, Trash Man is definitely the person you want to be with!

The level of scheming and many layers of planning this man did was truly frightening albeit highly effective.

This line especially stuck out to me:

““Right now, was this considered a meeting of villains that were colluding together?”

Because viewed from a different perspective, Trash Man and Ji Man could definitely be the antagonists in another story bahahaha. I loved that Trash Man had once considered taking the throne for himself but only turned down the idea because of some weird clan rule that said his clan’s descendants could never ascend to the throne. He certainly could have usurped the throne several times easily.

And Ji Man! What a great main character. Just like Trash Man, she is frighteningly competent and not someone you want to mess with. I like that she doesn’t go after people unless they harmed her first. Oh boy does she hold a grudge and will do anything to get her revenge. What’s great about her is that she’s not omnipotent and gets into trouble/makes mistakes/misreads situations. She has a bit of an advantage since she knows some of the story’s plot and has her knowledge from modern times, but that isn’t always enough to keep her safe or out of trouble. That’s so refreshing to see in a transmigrator story!

And the side characters! I don’t know how this author did it but they got me to care about the side characters. I even teared up while reading the death scene of the second prince and his wife Pengyue. This author really has a way with words because I could totally imagine how the second prince looked and sounded as he dragged his body over to his wife’s bed, not realizing that she’s already dead. And the whole time he’s “berating” her for seemingly betraying him, he’s also making excuses for her and already talking about how she’ll have to make it to him. We didn’t get too many details about their relationship, but the author easily conveyed how much he loved Pengyue in just that one scene. I would totally read a story or watch a drama just about those two.

I was invested throughout the entire novel even though it’s super long at over 500 chapters. It’s THAT good. That’s why it pains me to think about that abomination of an adaptation. I haven’t seen it, but just by the trailers alone, I could tell it would not do the story justice. There are too many plot lines in this story that would not pass censorship. I mean, Ning Yuxuan was responsible for raising up and then dethroning three different emperors one after the other. No way would the censors have allowed that. But even if we were to put that aside, there’s just too much stuff to fit into 38 episodes.

Anyway, read it, loved it, would absolutely recommend it you’re into transmigrator stories. Now I’m off to read the bonus chapters.

#the dreamer in the spring boudoir #cnovel

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yutarot · 3 months ago

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hi! i love the detail you put into the plots of ur smaus! u mentioned before that u read alot, what are ur favorite books? :)

thank u sm!! i’m so happy someone asked this i loveee talking about my favourite reads so im 100% gonna yap about it

i’ll put pictures of each of the covers at the end !!

sense and sensibility — jane austen

probably one of my favourite austen novels, i love how complex she makes the sisters despite them being completely defined by the title 😪😪😪😪

a winters promise — christelle dabos

this entire series is just soooo beautiful, definitely gave me howls movie castle vibes when i read it. it’s also originally written in french so the way it’s written is just so pretty but also easy to read

heaven — meiko kawakami

i cried SO MUCH at this book. that’s all i have to say.

the bell jar — sylvia plath

this being her only and last novel is just so intense, one of the most important stories ive ever read, especially in its context. one of the only books that i would definitely read over and over and still be in awe.

1984 — george orwell

MY MIND EXPLODED. started using orwell essays in all my assignments for a good few months after reading this. that man is a genius

things fall apart — chinua achebe

chose this as my college coursework analysis study, such an interesting story with sooo many levels to it

powerless — lauren roberts (a guilty pleasure 🙁🙁)

kai azer. next.

fourth wing — rebecca yarros (another guilty pleasure)

the how to train ur dragon lover inside of me can’t let this book go, need the paperback of the second book out now i’ve been waiting way too long 😪

there’s definitely more! but these are the notable few that i would fs class as my favs

#asks #booklr #book recs #nayu yaps #recs

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mermaidsirennikita · 5 months ago

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I'm finally getting into historical romance after avoiding it for too long. Weirdly, this is because of Bridgerton, even though the show is often boring and the books feel as old as they are. Can you help me find overtly feminist books with sex scenes that are meaningfully connected to the characters and/or the plot. I enjoy fic, but I want the exact opposite of it when I'm reading a novel. Thanks!

Sure!

Scarlett Peckham is a great starting point here. Her books are on the more creative side re: sex scenes (by which I mean mildly kinky lol but also INTENTIONALLY kinky, as in the characters know what kink is) but she's very interested in the movements around them and come from diverse backgrounds. Her recently-concluded Society of Sirens trilogy is about a group of friends who campaign for women's rights, etc; what makes it more interesting to me than say Evie Dunmore books (I'll be honest, not a big fan of those, and they WILL get recommended to anyone who asks for feminist historical romance) is that the heroines legitimately come from different walks of life. One of them is a "rakess" who's basically a high class lady gone rogue; one of them is a biracial heiress; one is a courtesan who actually doesn't hate sex work but also can acknowledge its pros and cons.

This series also has some of the more consistently... I don't wanna say "beta" heroes, but none of them are alpha males and they're also not straightforward "cinnamon rolls".

Sarah MacLean has a great ongoing series called Hell's Belles about a group of female friends who fuck shit up for the sake of helping women who need them. The most recent book hits on the subject of abortion rights especially, which I looove. All MacLean books are written with feminism in mind, but this series is probably the most explicitly feminist.

Joanna Shupe is another author I'd blanket recommend on that level. Her Uptown Girls trilogy has a heroine, for example, who wants to open a casino for women and hits on things like an "unconventional" happily ever after (i.e., one where being together and happy forever doesn't necessarily mean marriage and babies.... people HATED that Florence and Clay were like "oh we're just gonna fuck each other and not have kids for the rest of our lives" and I liiiived).

Her Fifth Avenue Rebels series is also quite feminist, both casually and more politically. Our first book has a tennis playing heroine, and the last focuses on a heroine who spends a lot of her free time providing birth control to poor women, while also being upfront about her sexuality, the fact that she's had an abortion and doesn't regret it, the damage the Comstock Act caused... Also, her hero is completely in awe of her. I WOULD recommend reading this series in order, as they're all good and that last book is at its best when you see the buildup of the leads beforehand.

Grace Callaway definitely has a lighter tone... while actually hitting on some pretty dark shit... But if you want something that's feminist, super sexy, and kinda campy, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels is literally Victorian Charlie's Angels with a female "Charlie". There is a lot of sex in these books, but I find it really fun and about getting the characters to bond. She also gets into subject matter that a lot of (white) authors don't... Like the Opium Wars.

Beverly Jenkins, of course, is one of the best out there. Her characters are more quietly feminist, but it's kind of an obvious part of the stories because she's not interested in white society at all. She also writes excellent female friendships and familial relationships. I'd recommend trying Forbidden (the Black heroine goes out west and becomes a cook, falls for a rich white man, thinks they can't be together, is unaware that he actually is NOT white and is the son of an an enslaved woman and a plantation owner who left the South and is now passing) or To Catch a Raven (really fun heist-y romance that involves the THEFT OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE) to start, though Indigo is my favorite of hers.

Diana Quincy writes really fun, feminist-streaked romance novels, some of which star Palestinian characters. Her most recent book is The Duke Gets Desperate and I fucking loved it. An American businesswoman inherits a castle and shows up like "Okay but we need to start hosting paid tours here because otherwise it's a money pit and I'm selling" while the duke who insists she did not actually inherit gasps in horror because you can't! Host! Tours! IN A CASTLE!!!!

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller is a great one. The heroine is the third generation to run this hotel in Vienna after her grandmother and mother did. They've also been consistently officially single (her grandmother actually has a female partner and her mother is a rich man's mistress) and illegitimate. The heroine is very independent, has no shame about her sex life, and is both funny and practical... Then people start trying to kill her and the strait-laced undercover American spy who's been at the hotel has to save her. Also he's a virgin. Fast-paced, funny, super romantic, and very unconventional.

Minerva Spencer has an entire trilogy about a group of women who perform in a circus—The Wild Women of Whitechapel. Very feminist, very fun, there's dueling and boxing and men who are very happy to be with women who could step on them.

Definitely get into Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series—it's about a group of friends who leave the (now) Dominican Republic for Paris. You get everything from birth control to Lesbian Paris discussed, as well as tons of romance, fingerbanging on the Eiffel Tower, and more.

#romance novel blogging #book recs #romance novels

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maplesamurai · 1 month ago

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More Wizard School Mysteries Fan Theories Now That Wicked Witchcraft is Out

So, that was an exciting third instalment, wasn't it? Anyway, literally the night before it released, I made a post compiling a few of my fan theories for @tyrantisterror's excellent Wizard School Mysteries series (if you're unfamiliar with this wonderful series, I gave a summary of the concept in said post linked above, so read that then go read the series if what I described sounds interesting, since everything under the cut is going to be complete nonsense to you otherwise), only to take so long typing it up I didn't finish till past midnight, meaning I had to go to bed and cut what I'd planned to write short. And of course, with Wicked Witchcraft having released over a month ago and me having time to read it twice over, once for myself (all in one day no less, because I'm kind of obsessed with this series) and once reading it to @shi-daisy over Discord as part of my evil plan to suck her into another awful fandom, I've had time to think over this newest instalment's plot points and what they might foreshadow about this series future. But first, in light of reading the very book I had theorized about, I have to ask...

So... Was I Right?

So let's start with the theory I made that's been definitively answered, where I proposed that Helseng was not a mortal wizard, but Azrael, the angel of death in Will's other novel No Sympathies... and I was kind of right? Because Helseng was revealed to be an angel of death, but not Azrael specifically, as when the Meddlesome Youths descended into the river to the underworld they'd discovered earlier in the book to save Gretchen from the clutches of Hell, Polybeus encountered the spirit of Gabriev Zelgad, his opponent in the titular tournament of the previous instalment who had died in his arms from the book's villains sabotaging the match. While the focus of the scene was the two sharing their tender goodbye, Gabriev also reveals that after he had died, it was Helseng that was there to greet him. It was this revelation that inspired James to call on Helseng as the defence in the trial for Gretchen's soul, where she shed her mortal guise and revealed herself as the grim reaper Helsengel (and just a side note... wow, great job coming up with that cover identity, Helseng, I'm sure no one would suspect a thing).

And speaking of said trial, that was another thing I was right about, since I'd guessed the book's climax would involve a Battle for Everyone's Souls trial for Gretchen's soul, thanks to the clips Will had posted for that chapter in his "out of context spoilers" post preceding the volume's release. Granted, I did also theorize some details about the trial that did not come to pass, thanks to me reading too much into the details of the Castlevania clip Will included in the same post when it really was just referring to a supporting character revealing themselves to be Death, but the whole premise of this segment was "I was mostly right but got some details wrong," so it's not that big a deal.

But Helseng's identity was not the only theory I made in my original post that this third instalment answered, because while we have yet to receive the future volumes and confirm which of the Youths they will centre around, I managed to come up with a more elaborate theory for what I believed to be Rodrigo's instalment, and I didn't even get one chapter in before I learned that I might be onto something.

Okay, so when I was speculating on future volumes based on the titles Will had revealed for them, I proposed that Volume Six: Amour of the Rings might involve an arranged marriage plot for Rodrigo, as not only would it tie into his Tarot Arcana and cause conflict with his relationship with Ivan, but as the only noble among the Meddlesome Youths, he would be far more likely to become embroiled in such a plot than any of the others. Cue Wicked Witchcraft's first chapter, where Rodrigo has invited the now homeless Ivan into his family estate to spend the summer, and we learn that Rodrigo's parents wish for him to marry a noblewoman so that Rodrigo, being a seventh son, might produce seven children of his own and thus a luck child, further increasing the family's fortune and influence. In learning this, we also learn that Rodrigo has not told his parents of his and Ivan's relationship, or even that he is gay at all, with Rodrigo's mother even taking Ivan aside to request that he stop Rodrigo from courting any maidens during their studies.

As much as I would like to pat myself on the back for how seemingly right on the money I was for this prediction, that also got me thinking on what the exact specifics for Rodrigo hiding his sexuality from his parents might be, since from what we've seen in both this series and Will's other work set in this world, homophobia doesn't seem to be much of a thing in Midgaheim. We certainly how that transphobia is unfortunately alive and well, both implicitly from what James and Gretchen have said about their previous living situations, and explicitly from the Letharg coven insistently misgendering Gretchen up until a literal god calls them cringe for it. On the other hand, other than a gag about a sanitized translation of the Iliad recasting Achilles and his lover Patroclus as cousins, overt homophobia has yet to rear its ugly head, with Rodrigo and Ivan able to kiss in the middle of a public tavern in Calampen with nary a comment from passersby, and the occasional NPC in Will's Midgaheim campaigns casually displaying same sex attraction and courtship with no more mention from their respective peers.

So with that in mind, what would Rodrigo's parents think if they found out their son was gay? The answer could simply be that an old money family might the Cervantes could simply be old fashioned in that regard, but I think the true answer is less that such sexual preferences would be frowned upon and more that any nobles are simply expected to produce heirs to the family regardless of said preferences. I even envisioned something similar in my own WIP fantasy novel The Witch's Apprentice, as with my protagonist in that story being an openly bisexual man in his own medieval fantasy setting, I decided that LGBT+ people are generally accepted, but if one is set to inherit a family trade or property, the expectation would be for someone otherwise interested in the same sex to marry for the sake of producing an heir. So in Rodrigo's case, I imagine even if his parents knew he was gay their reaction would be less one of disowning him and more "okay son, you've had your fun, but now it's time you grew up and found a wife so you can start putting babies in her already."

...Wow, that was a lot of theorizing for what was supposed to just be addressing what from my previous theory had been confirmed true or false. So you know what, let's get these new theories started, starting with the least consequential one.

We Will Get Updated Character Art for Book Four

Look, not all of these are going to be about important plot details, all right? But in any case, as I was reading through the latest book, it occurred to me that a few of the Youths have updated their wardrobes since Will made their initial character art prior to Book One's release. Rodrigo has incorporated a cock hat bycocket into his usual getup, Margot gained a thunderbolt iron helm at the finale of book two to match her gauntlet, Ivan has swapped out his tattered old clothes for his late master Odolpho's old duds (likely the getup seen in the art above) after the gang... shall we say "liberated" them from Ross Weber's storefront, Serena learned to sustain her Dazzling Diamond form and the even frillier battle costume that comes with it, and most significant of all, Gretchen finally mastered James's Highly Refined Transformation spell and transitioned into her ideal body, giving away her face concealing garb to her new undead little brother Buddy. With that in mind, some new art for out heroes is probably warranted and besides, isn't the halfway point of the series the perfectly place to get our Naruto Shippuden/One Piece 3D2Y/Insert Anime Timeskip Here outfit redesigns?

The Plot of Creative Spellcraft Will Focus Around a Hocus "Infestation"

With the topic of homunculi personhood being brought to stark attention in the chapter following Maxeral's shattering at the hands of Buddy in the most recent instalment, it's become abundantly clear that that ongoing thread will be coming to a head in Book 4, which Will has since explicitly confirmed on his blog. So because I trust Will to approach this topic in a far more engaging way than just two characters screaming at each other about whether slavery is bad for half the book, that leaves the question of how it will figure into the plot. This is Wizard School Mysteries after all, and while our heroes are correct in thinking homunculi like Maxeral and Childe get a raw deal in life, it's no mystery, and it'll take a plot with more meat on it than that to make a story. So I believe that the main plot will not focus on gargoyles or mudmen or any of the other kinds of homunculi we've seen employed at the AAAM, but a different kind of homunculus entirely: hocuses.

Okay, this might need some explaining even to people who have read this books, since this kind of Midgaheim beastie hasn't been mentioned by name in this series yet and not everyone scours the internet for every scrap of lore Will's ever posted about this setting. Sometimes in Midgaheim, a wizard's magic will seep into their personal effects, usually their hats and cauldrons, creating a form of accidental homunculus, called hocuses in the former case and pocuses in the latter because who doesn't like wordplay? Will has at least confirmed that Ivan at least will have a hocus and a pocus in his roster of homunculi (the former of which I presume to be Odolpho's old hat as seen in the image for the above theory), but apart from that Will has capitalized on his penchant for designing a lot of his wizards' hats to resemble faces by drawing hocuses based on certain characters' hats, such as James's as seen above.

However, unlike intentionally created homunculi, hocuses are not seen as useful by wizards, from what Will has revealed about the critters. Quite the opposite in fact, as it's been stated that hocuses can leech off of their wizard's magic and even puppeteer their wearers to some extent. So if they started appearing at the AAAM in high numbers, they would be regarded as a pest to be exterminated by the wizards of the school. So I believe that something will cause the hats of the AAAM's staff and student to gain life as hocuses, and the Meddlesome Youths will be both investigating the cause of this event, and trying to convince their peers and teachers alike that the sentient hats are living beings as deserving of life as the wizards whose heads they sit upon. I imagine James in particular will have great reason to argue the hocuses' case, since we have already seen his hat act of its own accord to warn him of the curse placed on him in Book 2 to rig his match in the Ultimate Wizard Battle tournament, so of course upon learning that same hat is truly alive he will want to return that favour. I doubt the argument that convinces the AAAM to spare the animate headgear will just be one saving James's life, because "we should keep them around because they can be useful to us" is the exact kind of human-centric thinking that Will's writing tends to push back against, but I severely doubt his hat's kindness shall go forgotten, either.

Lornwig Kayjay Will Be a Minor Antagonist in Book Four

Okay, I should probably preface this by clarifying that I don't think this joke character Will made to both slag off both JK Rowling and that one kid in every college class will be in any way responsible for the wrongdoings the Youths will be solving in Book 4. After all, even divorced for the real world context behind this character's conception, at the end of the day Lornwig Kayjay is in universe just a classmate of our heroes who's just really racist against Midgaheim's fantastical peoples like fairies, ogres and the French. Someone that would be satisfying to see our heroes punch to be sure, but still quite the significant downgrade from fairy nobles, murderous wizard martial artists, and a satanic witch coven. So when I say this character will be an antagonist in the next instalment, I do not mean she will be the Big Bad, or even working on their behalf. In fact, I'm not even suggesting she will necessarily be a villain, as strictly speaking, an antagonist can be anyone who opposes the protagonist.

But why am I so insistent that this joke character who only gets a handful of scenes per book to her name at most is going to have an even remotely significant role in the coming volume? Well, as I was rereading Tournament of Death in the month leading up to Wicked Witchcraft's release, I'd gotten to the scene where Lornwig hits on Richard Rainsford (brief aside, but good thing her advances were unrequited; dude might be an unrepentant murderer, but he can do so much better), and she mentions that she enrolled at the AAAM two years prior. That would mean she was a third year student at the time, and is therefore in her fourth and final year as of Wicked Witchcraft, and with Creative Spellcraft taking place during the final semester of that same year, this will be the last book of the series she will likely appear in. And Will has even said that he plans to have this series move away from being a Harry Potter critique as it moves on, so having the expy of HP's author leaving the story at its halfway point make sense. So if Will ever planned to utilize this character in any significant manner, this next instalment is the last chance to do it.

So what antagonistic role do I think she'll be playing, then? Well, Will has made it very clear that this next volume will be where the question of homunculi autonomy comes to a head, and with our heroes being very much against the common consensus among wizards by considering the AAAM's homunculi to be people, there will of course be characters who voice that aforementioned consensus for them to push back against. We've already seen the AAAM's homunculi crafting teacher Castux Frey call Maxeral nothing more than a tool in need of repair, scoffing at the very idea of students and faculty paying respects to the recovering head of security. So it's fair to say that Professor Frey will likely be the main voice of this sentiment among the school faculty, but the Youths are likely to receive pushback on their progressive views from their peers as well, and I believe Lornwig Kayjay will be the primary voice of that.

Aside from the obvious meta joke of "ha ha, the JK Rowling expy's the one vouching for this world's version of her most yikes creative decision," what makes Lornwig especially suited to play such a role is that the ultimate root of Lornwig's particular brand of assholery has always been a human supremacist worldview. She spent the bulk of her Book 1 appearances insisting that fairies are uniformly evil and citing the multiple Goblin Wars as proof (an especially ghoulish thing to say when we've since learned that the First Goblin War was actually waged against a human wizard who just used goblins as his foot soldiers, and that at least the last two had the human side as the explicit aggressors, as seen in Will's Currents of War TTRPG campaign), and openly voicing that AAAM should be a humans only institution and other peoples should just "go to their own schools." Will this mean we'll see this character receive some form of comeuppance for her behaviour? I can't say for certain, but if so, we can at least be sure it won't involve implied sexual assault by centaurs unlike in other wizard school series I could mention. Will's got far more class than that.

Well, that was a lot of theorizing, so that should mean I'm done with these until Creative Spellcraft comes along and shows whether I was on the money, right? Well no, actually. Because my dumb hyperfixating brain just won't stop, there are actually still some theories I've formulated from what I believe to be Wicked Witchcraft's biggest revelations for future plot developments, as well as one I was going to include in that first post before I ran out of time, that concerns how this entire series might end. So tell you what, I'll split those into a post of their own, and just leave it this one here, because I've been chipping away at this post on and off in my drafts for weeks now, so I might as well just post this already. But in any case, see you next time!

#wizard school mysteries #midgaheim #fantasy #fan theory

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pretentious-librarian · 6 months ago

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ACOTAR Review

Unfortunately, I was not able to evade that cursed woman for as long as I had hoped. She got me, exploiting my greatest weakness in the way her own characters are exploited by that very same weakness throughout the book: fucking love. My best friend, the love of my life, has fallen victim to Sarah J. Maas and in her obsession she has forcibly dragged me down with her. Now that I think about it, my best friend is quite literally the only thing that could ever make me pick up a SJM book. So in the name of love, I subjected myself to booktok's finest (which isn't saying much given booktok's reputation) and here are my thoughts, namely the ones I couldn't bring myself to voice to my friend. After all, the whole point of even reading this in the first place was so that she could have someone to talk about it with. While I am not above pointing out it's flaws to her, I don't have it in me to spite the very thing she gets so much joy out of as deeply as I would've wanted to. Besides, who am I to talk as a Twilight enjoyer when I know damn well that series was a beloved dumpster fire just as much as ACOTAR is. And honestly, her love for the series and my love for her has dissolved some of my bias and frankly, distaste, for the book. And now on to the review.

Disclaimers: Spoilers, ADHD ramblings and tangents, ungodly amounts of pretentiousness from someone who doesn't usually enjoy fantasy, and yes I know this book functions as a prequel and the second book is way better (I started the second book last night, wish me luck)

ACOTAR felt juvenile in nearly every aspect. To be fair, I had just finished reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstien mere days before picking up ACOTAR so I had to remind myself to go into it with a level of graciousness. Yet all the graciousness in the world cannot override the horrific editing of that damn book. Attempting to fall in love with a whole new world and characters was incredibly difficult when the writer in me was literally dying inside. To be completely honest, I always evaluate the writing of any book I read, especially in the beginning. I'm not even going to discuss how the majority of the book drug its feet or worse, was filled with inescapable, constant monologuing. I could rant and rave about "show don't tell" for hours, which is why I am choosing not to spend more than two sentences talking about the god awful fucking monologuing (to be fair, I'm aware that slow starts and monologuing are often necessary in fantasy books but definitely not to this extent). But holy shit, there were way too many instances in which I was flung from my daydreams and smacked square in the face by the sheer... fanfiction-ness of her writing. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE fanfiction and I am a huge advocate for its existence and protection, especially as a purely anti-capitalist labor of love without a single care about the skill level at which it was written. But when I pick up a viral #1 New York Times Best Selling Author's book, the last thing I am expecting to see is such elementary writing--that I firmly believe could've been rectified if she had hired an editor that was even half decent at their job. My qualifications for making such a claim? Even I have edited a full-length fantasy novel and unfortunately, it took many harsh reminders from my best friend to at least attempt to focus on the story rather than obsess over all the changes I would've personally made before I considered the book decent enough for publishing.

THAT SAID: One of the reasons I always gravitate towards fanfiction when I'm in a reading slump is because it's just so... digestible. ACOTAR was also digestable in a very similar way, which is sort of what made it possible for me to finish it in about four days. Honestly, (aside from my autistic ass struggling to connect with a brand new fantasy world and characters I feel fundamentally estranged from) the fanfiction-ness of the writing made me feel the same as when I'm watching reality TV: aware of the quality but choosing to have a good time with it anyways. Because my friend loved this book so much, I desperately wanted it to be good. But once I accepted that the writing was mid, as well as a good bit of the plot and the characters, I was able to enjoy myself enough to lose myself in the story, no matter how much the pretentious bitch inside kept trying to claw her way to the forefront of my thoughts. It was almost freeing to subject myself to such a juvenile piece of literature. Speaking of, there is one aspect of it's juvenility that I will not explore, but rather, let Robert Pattinson's reaction to reading the Twilight books to voice the principle of those thoughts instead:

"I was convinced Stephanie was convinced she was Bella, and it was like it was a book that wasn't supposed to be published. You're like, reading her sort of, like, sexual fantasy about some...really sexy guy and she just writes this book about it. And like, some things about Edward is [are] so specific, it was like I was just convinced that...this woman is mad! She's completely mad, and she's in love with her own fictional creation. And like, sometimes you...feel, like, uncomfortable reading this thing! And I think a lot of people feel that is...in the same way kind of voyeuristic and and it creates this...kind of like, a sick pleasure in a lot of ways".

Although this sentiment about ACOTAR may not be exceptionally widespread, personally, as a far-left rad-fem socialist who has spent years learning to decenter men, some of what Rob said resonated with me. Despite that this type of book is not particularly appealing to me personally, that doesn't mean it's inherently bad quality (but can easily bar it from being good quality), and this aspect definitely would've connected to my younger self before I became a chronically online femen@zi.

Moving on. The pretentious bitch inside me couldn't help but quietly take note of what was executed nicely and what was not, even as I was doing my best to go with the flow. I might as well go ahead and discuss what else I liked about it before I'm written off completely. I adored the imagery and sensory details--it's truly what made the experience good enough to keep reading. Her descriptions really draw the reader in and make them feel like they're right there with characters, in the good times and the bad ones too. I definitely don't have aphantasia and am a chronic day dreamer so I absolutely love descriptive books. Colors, sensations, emotions, all of it. I loved and hated the way I felt genuine emotions in all kinds of scenes (hated not because I'm a bitter hater, but hated because I can't help but feel everything any character I'm reading about is feeling--good, bad, or otherwise. And boy did Feyre go through some shit). Typically, books that can make me feel deeply are the best books but in this case, it acted more as a saving grace, especially because most of those feelings that were present in this book, though intense, lacked a certain type of depth I tend to gravitate towards.

Another thing I liked was Lucien! Lucien is by far my favorite character, not because he's particularly extraordinary, but because he feels...real? rather than being another one of SJM's romantic projections. (Sorry the writing style changed half way through, I was lowkey writing like SJM because I thought it was funny but I got tired of that real quick.) In the same vein, every now and then Feyre would get real as fuck, which was greatly appriciated when reading about such intense situations. Nightmares feel like a cheap excuse to avoid having to deal with your MC being traumatized because it's not uncommon for nightmares to be one of the only aspects of trauma focused by YA/new adult writers as well as a trojan horse a romantic scene. ACOTAR felt more believable (or maybe the word is genuine?) because Feyre dealt with real consequences from her trauma such as DSM-5 accurate depression, chronic low self esteem, mistrust, trauma bonding, etc. Lastly, I can't tell if I loved or hated the way SJM tied up all the loose ends (excluding some intentional cliffhangers). On one hand, it was satisfying as a reader to not have found any glaring plot holes yet I can't shake the feeling that she was making it up as she went. Source: trust me bro

As for Feyre's flaws, I feel that other readers have already explored in those depth and I don't feel the need to keep beating a dead horse. Same goes for Tamlin--I didn't find him all that interesting or charming even when Feyre was falling for him, so my already subpar opinion of him got worse and worse and will likely continue to do so as I continue reading the second book. He is so incredibly immature I can hardly stand it. Don't even get me started on how he always wants to fuck and thinks that suffices as an expression of love and care for Feyre. Even if that's technically not how it is, that is definitely how it read. To be clear, I'm pretty sure readers aren't meant to adore Tamlin; my issue is that Feyre goes through hell for someone so mid and we as readers are supposed to think her love and devotion are justified.

Now, let's get back to some hardcore griping! Amarantha's villain origin story makes sense until you actually meet her. Interacting with her felt like interacting with a cartoon villain from a shitty kids show. She was terrifyingly sadistic yet the justification for it was too weak to uphold her sadism. She felt like evil personified rather than a fleshed out person suffering the human condition (I know she's not human but you know what I mean). Good villains don't have to be redeemable, but they do have to be somewhat believable. These fae are all centuries old and have been through so much but somehow lack the emotional maturity I gained at the ripe age of seventeen?! I too have been a woman scorned enough to do make some interesting choices but jesus christ, Amarantha, it's really not that deep. Maybe it's the trauma that makes them like that, because I certainly have not endured what they have, nor have I ever held the amount of power they wield and I will never be able to fully comprehend what that does to a person. So who am I to talk. Anyways, I could ramble endlessly about Amarantha's shortcomings as a character but I think I've touched on her most glaring offenses.

Ugh. Now I'm gonna acknowledge that damn riddle and Tamlin's heart of stone concept that was executed so, so...let's just say, uniquely. When I read Amarantha's riddle, I came up with an answer so quickly that I was certain was it was incorrect. My personal belief system is centered around love (obviously not just the romantic kind) so I thought maybe I was biased since I try to see love in everything, not to mention the answer I had come up with seemed way too on the nose, given Feyre's circumstances and how much of the plot was driven by romance/love/attachment. But to my surprise and simultaneous disappointment, the answer to the riddle was love. I feel like even Feyre should've got that because of her Amarantha-enforced circumstances. And as for Tamlin's heart of stone--that Feyre figured out surprisingly easily even though she couldn't figure out that obvious riddle--it certainly wasn't something I was predicting, and the concept of it felt a little...elementary? Not because it was predictable or anything, but because of how squarely SJM looked that heart of stone metaphor in the face and decided to... well... do that....

I'm just glad she made Feyre grapple with her decision to kill the two innocents and let it haunt her afterwards, especially when her motives are called into question. She loves Tamlin (somehow. but maybe I'm just a manhater) which is what drives her to do what she does and what puts her in direct conflict with Amarantha but I'm just glad SJM bothered to create circumstances that let Feyre's selfishness (I'm not saying I would or wouldn't have done the same thing in her circumstance) also happen to benefit the entire kingdom-world thing. Basically I feel fundamentally estranged from Feyre because I see the value of all people and would like to think I'd do the right thing based on love and respect for all living things rather than for a whiny man child. I feel like I'm getting sidetracked somehow.

TW: SA

I'm hesitant to even talk about Rhysand because I'm not sure I fully understand him as a character yet. However, I love him as a character so far even if I don't love him/his personality that much. He felt developed in ways other characters didn't, similar to Lucien but I actually liked Lucien's personality from the start, even when he pisses me off sometimes. But on the topic of Rhysand, I was uncomfortable with how SJM wrote about SA in general. As a woman, I'm certainly not unfamiliar with the topic and have had my own share of experiences, although I will honestly admit that I haven't had any big T trauma in that area of my own life so this may not be my place to discuss this. That may also be why I can't quite put my finger on what about the way SJM wrote about SA bothered me. All I know is that something about it rubbed me the wrong way, almost as if it bordered on disrespect. But again, I'm not entirely sure.

In conclusion, my best friend just texted me not five seconds ago: "I think you just have a hard time comprehending that people write fun little fantasy stories simply because maybe they just like writing fun little fantasy stories". And she would be correct. I am too pretentious to truly love and appreciate this series the way it was meant to be. I've always felt the need to look deeper in anything that I enjoy, I've always felt the need to connect personally with each work of art I choose to dedicate my time to. I am first and foremost a Supernatural fan if that tells you anything, and even my love for Twilight grew from a specific, deep personal connection I had the concept and characters. I have just driven myself mad trying to figure out why this book was written, why I as a reader should care, and what exactly fueled SJM with so much passion that she felt the need to write an entire series (which is why I'm suspecting she wrote it as a self indulgent piece; that's the only logical explanation I can come up with, anyway). ACOTAR was not written for me and that is okay. It doesn't help that I tend to avoid fantasy as a genre anyways. Yet, I'm going to keep reading it. Because I still managed to have a good time with the story and characters, and of course, I'm going to thug it out no matter what because I love my best friend. Lastly, one thing SJM did a good job with was, in spite of it all, making me curious enough about what happens next to genuinely want to read the next book.

edit: it’s been a few days and ive gotten further into the second book. sjm really got her act together, that’s for sure. im beginning to understand why people obsess over this series. it’s a shame the first book is such a dumpster fire but im glad the story is redeemed in the rest of series (fingers crossed); the characters and world building had so much potential and im extremely happy to see sjm giving them the writing they deserve in the second book. with this new perspective i also realized that acotar was so genuinely awful that it literally made it impossible for me wrap my head around why she wrote it. thank god she get her shit together so that i can finally see the beauty of the series

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #book review #feyre #tamlin #rhysand #amarantha

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alfredojesta · 3 days ago

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candymaker headcanons but i cut out the freaky bits so it's just fluff

being as possessive as he is, Jason can't stand the idea of anyone else thinking Candy Pop is a potential suitor. he isn't OVERLY affectionate (because he has a reputation to uphold), but it comforts him when he can hold Candy Pop's hand, or even just be right next to him. he likes knowing Candy Pop belongs to him and there won't be anyone to get in the way!!! ^o^ Candy Pop, however, is so physically affectionate with everyone. he greets people with handshakes n hugs n twirls n anything really (not kisses tho). so once he's with Jason, Jason gets all of that and more!

Jason isn't used to this. Overbearing Amount of Affection. and it can be overwhelming, but Candy Pop has a both comforting and loving presence, so Jason doesn't want to push him away.

when they're in a more secluded area, they're almost always holding each other—and when they have to pull away, they're both equally as "You can stay for a bit longer..." because there's like no doubt in my mind they'd be clinging to one another. DEFINITELY IN THE MORNINGS BEFORE JASON GOES TO WORK, OR WHEN CANDY POP HAS TO LEAVE FOR HIS HUNTS.

Jason sleeps way later than Candy Pop—really because he doesn't NEED to sleep. but there's something so peaceful about their nights and mornings together, snuggled up like they have all the time in the world to do so. Candy Pop is either the type to fall asleep immediately, or he rambles on and on. both of them are laughing and chatting until Jason shushes him so they can finally sleep. even then there's little giggles and whispering before they do fall asleep.

Candy Pop is really averse to touch in cases of panic attacks. Jason provides him the space n time he needs to recover, and will comfort him from afar. it's kind of funny to imagine cus i see them on complete opposite sides of the room, just chatting. eventually Candy Pop builds up courage so he crawls right over to Jason and hugs him! also reassures Jason that no it's not because he hates him and wants him to die.

they use pet names all the time. they're British so it's always, "darling" "my love" "beloved". but Jason also adds in "doll" and "my sweet" while Candy Pop uses "dearest" and "toyboy" (joke). they interchange it with compliments! :3

Candy Pop's compliments, the more dramatic ones, have so much meaning to them it leaves Jason in awe for a few seconds. he blushes so hard, just impressed by how eloquently Candy Pop can speak. Jason surprises Candy Pop by learning different Shakespearean quotes and reciting it to him. and, when he can, writes out a sonnet dedicated to Candy Pop. Candy Pop loses his mind, telling Jason his writing is so so so SOOO GORGEOUS and he wants to read it forever and ever. Jason is incentivised to write more.

Candy Pop also writes silly love poems. quill and ink type beat. they can be sweet, or horny as fuck. either way, the writing will be beautiful. poetic, flowery language that melts Jason's heart. oh, how lovely is it to date a writer. Candy Pop also signs off the letters with a lipstick kiss. teehee. he can write senseless smut too. like novels of smut because he reads so many. i mean half his bookshelves at the mansion are fairytales and old timey literature, and the other half is porn. Jason was a little freaked out when Candy Pop had multiple boxes of erotica to move in, but tbh he should've known from the London days.

anyway idk if this is suggestive but i love talking about aftercare w them. it's a few minutes of lying in bed, and then straight to the bath! Jason wants to light candles so it's atmospheric; Candy Pop makes the water pink or blue with bath–bombs. they have a bunch of bubbles. Jason makes rubber ducks and boats to float on the water.

they just chill out. Candy Pop sitting between Jason's legs—his hair swept over the front so it isn't irritating to Jason's skin. alternatively, he'll turn around to face Jason. probably splashes him with water, or blows bubbles into his face. Jason then drowns him.

they'll get dressed together!!! in the mornings, Jason will button up Candy Pop's blouse. help tie the belt and his jester collar! he'll brush out Candy Pop's hair, assist him in tying the bells to his ponytails. Candy Pop makes sure Jason has his top–hat perfectly aligned. he frames the bangs on Jason's face, and gives him a kiss for good luck before they go on with their day. at night, Candy Pop will throw on Jason's shirt and Jason wears. well. his clothes. they "sleep" (cuddle for hours while talking).

sometimes, after the bath, they go to the living room instead. make something to eat and put on a movie (Willy Wonka). honestly Jason does anything Candy Pop wants for aftercare. like if Candy Pop wants a fruit salad then he'll get a fruit salad. if Candy Pop wants to go on a city walk, then they go on a walk. it's just that they always wants to bathe first. the stickiness is yucky!

#a little suggestive at the end?#ill tag it just incase...#tw suggestive #KJ yapping #candymaker #jason the toymaker #candy pop #creepypasta headcanons #jason the toymaker x candy pop #UAGHAGHUAHGAU THEY MAKE ME SERIOUSLY ILL #jason the toymaker headcanons #candy pop headcanons

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dove-caverne · 9 months ago

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Chapter 2 is out!

The Black Sheep and the Silver Rabby My Stardew Valley Fanfin novel is underway! I appreicate any reads and support! Official link: https://www.wattpad.com/1437425257-the-black-sheep-and-the-silver-rabbit-chapter-2 Sebastian x Reader Romance

Elliott x Reader Romance

Love triangle ?? Sortaish Warning: Swearing (A lot) and steamy 18+ content to come.

Other fluffy and spicy stuff to come

12k words released so far ! Chapter 2 - Salt Water

My eyes open slowly, they feel insanely heavy, as I sit up I feel an awful rush to my head. "Ugh, what the actual fuck." I mumble to myself. "Abby really can hold her alcohol, unfortunately, I cannot." you giggle. You reach for your phone realizing you didn't get anyone's number last night. Wait 10:05 AM??? You completely slept in and even with all that extra sleep you still have a massive hangover. "Today is going to suck," you think to yourself.

As you get dressed and out the door, you notice you have some mail. It's from a man named Willy who wants to meet you down on the beach... "Well that's a bit weird, some stranger wants me to just meet him at the beach...I guess maybe that's not totally considered creepy in a small town like this." You head over to your nicely planted turnips and give them a sprinkle of water from your rusty old watering can. "There you guys go, now hurry up and grow already." you scoff to the turnips as it took almost all your energy just to water the 15 measly crops.

You walk through town, doing your best to smile at a few townsfolk despite your raging headache. "Let's just get to the beach and get this over with, I seriously need a coffee." you groan under your breath.

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At the beach

The smell of seawater fills your nose as you walk across the sand you spot a variety of pretty shells getting you distracted from your mission. It's so quiet, although it's almost 11:00 AM there is nobody around. "Probably because it's still a bit chilly out", you surmise. "Hey Farmer!" you hear someone calling suddenly. You look ahead on the pier and see someone waving to you from afar. "C'mon over I've got a little something for you," he says. You walk to the peer to meet this strangely dressed (and strangely smelling) man. "I'm Willy, the local fisherman, just got back from a little fishing trip and wanted to greet ya with a little welcome gift! Not every day a newcomer makes their way to our little valley." He says as he passes you a pretty basic-looking fishing rod. "It's been used well, but it's still got a few good reels in it! All yours farmer! I've gotta go open up my fish shop but stop by sometime to update your rod!" He walks off to the little shop on the peer. "Strange...but very nice of him, glad that was quick." you think to yourself.

You walk back across the beach focusing on the sand in hopes of finding some more shells. You're about to reach for a really beautiful one, and as you go to grab it you see another hand reaching down for it. You look up and are in literal awe. An actual angel of a man stands before you, with shimmering ginger hair, and emerald green eyes he also happens to be extremely well dressed... but maybe overdressed for the beach. He smiles at you and you feel your knees get weak. "I'm sorry beautiful you can have the shell, it just caught my eye, I have plenty, it's all yours." He picks up the shell, grabs your wrist and places it gently into your hand. You feel your face get flushed at the feeling of his strong manly hands touching yours. "Are you new here?" he adds on, breaking you from your utter shock at this man's existence. "Uh... yes, sorry hi I'm (Y/N) I just moved into the farm outside of town." You look down, as his gaze is just too much for you to handle and he will definitely see you blushing. "Ah, well I am honoured to meet such a lovely lady, I'm Elliott, local writer and beach enthusiast." He says with a chuckle. You can feel your heart starting to race as you stand in awkward silence for a moment. "Well I hope to see you around (Y/N) I am usually here on the beach, I live in that cabin over there. It's small but at least I get to wake up to this view every morning." he smiles at you. "I hope to see you around too Elliott. Thank you for the shell," you say softly as you put it into your pocket now feeling like it's some sort of treasure of you meeting this radiant man. You can't take your eyes off him as he walks back towards his cabin his long ginger hair flowing in the breeze and his tall well built body filling out his collared jacket. "Wowza," you say as you take a sigh of relief that the close contact is now over.

________

You make your way back through town planning to stop by Pierre's shop to buy some more seeds for your garden. You walk in and see a variety of things for sale. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch some violet hair and remember that Abigail works here at her dad's shop. "Omg that's right, should I go talk to her and ask for her number? I was way too wasted last night to actually ask." you think to yourself. You sigh, wondering if you embarrassed yourself, hoping she will still want to be friends. "Hi Abby" you say in almost a whisper. "Oh (Y/N)! how are you? I hope you had a good time last night! It's been so long since I had a girl to hang out with I'm pretty much always stuck with just Sam and Sebastian." she smiles at you. "They don't seem that bad though! I had fun with all of you, although... I did drink way more than I should have, I am definitely feeling it today." you giggle. "Oh shit, I'm so used to out drinking the boys I totally didn't consider that I'm so sorry," she says seeming worried. "It's alright it was worth it, so glad got to hang out with some new friends...I actually came over to ask if maybe I could get your number?" you say mumbling nervously. "Yes! Omg! Let me put it in your phone and I'll put in the boy's numbers too I can't believe we didn't think of that last night." she says taking your phone from your hand and inputting the numbers. "Just text them and say I gave their numbers to you." "Thanks Abby, I will text you later then maybe we can hang out and you can show me your favourite video games!" You say smiling as you walk up to the counter and purchase several new seeds from Pierre.

You hurry home to plant the vast variety of spring seeds Pierre convinced you to buy, "the sooner I am done the sooner I can lay in fucking bed." you think to yourself. Your garden is looking great you now have over 40 seeds planted, in a variety of spring crops. "Things are looking up mom, I hope you are seeing this, I am actually doing it, taking over your dad's farm. I feel so happy, being here I feel close to you again somehow." you smile to yourself reminiscing on your memories of Mom and you.

It's now 1:30 PM and you decide to go inside for a much-needed break. You lay on your bed and play on your phone for a bit. An hour or so goes by and you start to get a bit bored of looking at social media, it's mostly just filled with pics of the preppy "friends" you used to have in Zuzu City. Feels so ridiculous now that you were trying too hard to be "friends" with them, "they are so stuck up," you mutter as you close your tab...Your mind wanders and you remember that Abby had told you to give her and everyone a text. "She wants me to text the boys too." You feel a bit nervous just texting them out of nowhere without having asked for their number, "but maybe it's a good thing I didn't have to ask for their number, doubt I coulda actually asked that out loud, well to Sam maybe cause he's so damn friendly, but Sebastian is another world completely."

You decide to text Abby and Sam first and see how it goes. They both respond fairly quickly and are already discussing plans for another night at the saloon or a jam session. You find yourself smiling that you were actually able to meet some friends in the first week here...You look over at your table and see Sebastian's sweater leaning over the chair. You feel your face get red as you recall how close the two of you were last night when he essentially saved you from collapsing drunk in the middle of the town centre. "I guess returning his hoodie is a good reason to text him..." You open your phone to his contact that Abby added, you're actually a bit surprised she was so willing to just give out his number considering they are dating. Well, you're still figuring that one out...you think back to last night when you spotted Abby staring in awe at Sebastian. "They must have something going on right?" you wonder. You continue to stare at his contact number not wanting to type something totally awkward, he already gives you a strange feeling when he's around. He's so mysterious and standoffish yet he helped you without thinking twice making you see that he has a very kind heart under all that doom and gloom.

Welp here you go: "Hey Sebastian, It's (Y/N), Abby gave me your number, I think she was trying to get a group message going to plan another hangout."

Send

________________________

Sebastians POV

Buzzbuzz

"Ugh... Abby stop texting me a million times I am trying to work" he mutters to himself.

Glances at phone

"Hold up, it's from (Y/N)? And of course, Abby gave her my number without asking first, typical." he sits back in his chair in a bit of shock and a flashback of you giggling on the couch with Abby pops into his head, he starts to feel butterflies in his stomach realizing he will actually be talking to you again. He's confused and slightly uncomfortable, "Why do I feel like this? She's just a girl, c'mon Seb you barely know her." he can't focus on his work at all now, he's never really thought about a girl that way before. Not surprising considering there isn't much selection in this tiny ass town. "Ugh what do I even say." he sighs, he seriously has no idea how to talk to a girl.(**See's Abby as one of the boys)

"I need a smoke break before I reply to this", he thinks getting up from his desk placing his phone back down leaving it behind.

He walks outside the air is cool as the evening approaches and it feels nice on his warm face. He sees Demetrius doing who knows what over by the bushes. "Science freak," he mutters under his breath almost hoping Demetrius hears him. Everyone knows they both tolerate each other for the sake of Robin. Sebastian walks faster hoping he won't try and converse with him considering it's usually a lecture about his smoking habits or a comparison to how much more accomplished Maru is. Sebastian knows he's essentially an outcast in the family coming from a different dad who wasn't known for being a good role model or caring father figure. Essentially, he has never been loved by anyone but his mom and she is the only person in the world he cares about more than anything. "Hmm maybe I could ask my mom about what to say to the new girl, I mean she grills me all the time about being sad and lonely in my "basement dungeon" and how she expects me to give her grandkids." He thinks to himself as he lights his cigarette looking out at the lake. "Would that be too awkward? Ugh. But if I ask Sam then he's never gonna drop it and will probably make it super awkward when we're hanging out and if I ask Abby she's gonna think it's her that I am interested in... Fuck, guess I have no choice...ill talk to mom."

___________________

Walks into the kitchen

"Oh hi Sebby, do you want to have dinner with me? Demetrius and Maru are busy with a project this evening." She stares at him seeing he's a bit distressed. "Sebby you really need to get out of that basement dungeon of yours you are looking pale and honestly just like complete shit." "Thanks, Mom, I get my looks from you." he snaps back, they both let out a giggle, that's just their relationship, savage and loving. Robin puts both their plates on the table and they sit down together chatting about her work and ongoing projects. Sebastian is being pretty quiet just listening, watching his mom light up at her love for her job. He can't figure out how to ask her about you without it totally being awkward. "You alright Sebby, you're unusually quiet?" He stares down at his plate and feels his face getting red. "I...think" he sighs, "I THINK THE NEW GIRL is pretty and cool and I feel weird when she's around and she texted me out of nowhere and I don't know what to fucking do," he says at lightning speed stumbling over his words just wanting to get it off his chest. There is a moment of silence as Robin is shocked that he actually might not be forever alone. He finally looks up from his plate and sees his mom smiling. "Finally, Jesus I was beginning to think you and Sam were going to become lovers with how much you guys hang out." they both let out a laugh and her comment lightened the anxiety in the room. "Pretty sure I would choose Abby before Sam mom," he replies sternly. "I mean you never know, whatever makes you happiest Sebbybear." "Mom, stop, just please what do I do, I want her to not see me as a massive loser." "Sebby, you want my advice, it's simple, be yourself. Don't be fake, don't be someone you're not, you've got a sweetheart under all that bullshit you give me and everyone else, I know any girl would be lucky to have you by their side. Just...don't block her out like you block the rest of the world out." She lifts his chin "Yep my son is handsome, she'd be silly not to be interested." "Fuck off" he scoffs "Thanks though Mom...don't block her out got it" he quickly sneaks in before running down to the basement. Several hours after receiving your text he finally musters up a short reply.

Sebastian: Hey (Y/N), that's no problem, sounds like a good time let me know what's up and I'll be there.

Send

...

BuzzBuzz

"What she replied already?" he says utterly surprised

(Y/N): Great! Think they want to do Sam's place for a jam session sometime soon.

BuzzBuzz

(Y/N): Oh, I meant to ask if you would like me to stop by your place tomorrow to return the sweater you lent me the other night. Thank you so much again."

Oh right, he had completely forgotten to grab his sweater after helping you home. He feels flustered at the thought of his hoodie on you, now he can't stop picturing you in it.

"Ah fuck, hmm... I think I better just go get it...if she comes over I bet mom will say something awkward after the conversation we had earlier."

_________________________

Farmer's POV

BuzzBuzz

Sebastian: It's cool I will come by and grab it sometime soon, probably in the morning before I start work. Pretty sure you owe me a farm tour anyway."

"Wait? He wants to come here? He wants a farm tour? Did I offer to show him around, I honestly don't remember. Wait he's really going to come here?" You think to yourself feeling your heart rate increase with excitement. "Stop it (Y/N), he is with Abby...yes he's gorgeous and his dark hair and light eyes made you melt...IT'S not like that get a grip."

(Y/N): Sure stop by whenever, I am usually here. Have a good night, Seb.

________________________

almost 2 weeks later

Your garden is blooming, you were able to harvest and sell several crops and more will be ready in the next few days. You are running pretty low on cash having been essentially haggled to buy 50 packs of seeds from Pierre. You have cleared out many more sticks and weeds and are making a new space hoping to add a chicken coop as soon as the next crops are ready to harvest. You even started to build a fence and fix up the pathways around your house. You're starting to think you can actually manage being a farmer after all.

You've been so busy getting things started you haven't had much time to hang out with your friends. Luckily your trips through town have allowed you to introduce yourself to almost everyone, a few people your age stood out to you as potential friends. You met a cute sporty boy named Alex, who seemed eager to meet you and show off his workout routine. You met two sisters Haley and Emily... they were actually total opposites how funny. You met the local teacher who actually teaches Sam's little brother Vincent, her name was Penny and she was actually adorable and sweet and good with kids, a total catch in my opinion, really hoping to be friends with her. You also bumped into another guy but he seemed in a bad mood and kinda looked hungover so you didn't catch his name but he wasn't too much older than you? And of course, you also made time to try out your fishing rod...at the beach.... specifically at the beach... and yes you did catch a glimpse, or more like a good 10-minute stare at the ginger angel who lives in your mind rent-free. You were lucky enough to have several nice chats with him and he invited you to coffee to help him with a chapter of his book. Not sure if he was implying it was a date or not but either way you will take any additional time to stare at that gorgeous beast of a man with long flowing hair and perfect teeth. He's so handsome and such a gentleman sometimes it feels like Elliot fell through time.

Anyway...you've also seen Abby a couple of times and texted both Sam and Seb but are looking forward to tonight as you haven't gotten all together since the saloon.

_____________

Later that evening

You look down at your phone and it's 6:30 PM, you are just cleaning up from a later supper as you were working on the farm longer than expected. Everyone is meeting at Sam's place in an hour so you should probably start getting ready. You decide to take a walk down to the baths to freshen up. On the walk back you wonder to yourself. "How do I dress for a jam session?" Your long clean hair is blowing in the wind, the weather has been really nice lately, and you can tell summer is around the corner.

Hmm...you end up going with a navy baby tee, black baggy jeans, and chunky sneakers. You put two small braids in your hair, fix up your makeup and by the time you're finally feeling put together after your sweaty day of farming it's already 7:30 PM and time to make your way over to Sam's.

On your walk there you spot Abby leaving her house. "Thank god, now I don't have to walk into his house for the first time alone." She waves you down and joins you for the rest of the short walk to his house. She opens the door and walks in like she essentially lives there. "SAMM, you can start the party now the hottest girls in town have arrived." (big competition here in the valley) She yells out. "Hey, ladies," he says poking his head out of his room with a smirk. "C'mon in!" "Wait we're hanging out in his room?" you're a bit surprised but as you walk in and see how huge his room is and all the instruments set up, now it makes more sense. "Hey (Y/N), I know it's more of just a show for you tonight so why don't you take a seat on my bed? Seb will be here any minute and we will get started." "Sure", you reply, you take a seat on his soft comfy bed, it smells like his cologne, and it's kinda nice. Sam and Abby start to get the instruments set up, Abby plays the drums, Sam the guitar... so I guess Seb plays the keyboard... it's really cool they have a band together." you think to yourself, butyou also feel a bit sad at the same time as you aren't very musical at all and will be more of just the audience at these jam sessions. "Hopefully they will still invite me." you think feeling a bit anxious and out of place. Not even 5 minutes go by and you hear Sebastian entering the house. He opens the door to Sam's room slowly. It's been nearly two weeks since you've seen him, you almost forgot how handsome he is. His dark hair hangs down the side of his face constrasting intensely against his pale skin. His eyes look especially blue in the lighting of Sam's room, you hadn't noticed before. He's wearing his usual all-black hoodie, tight skinny jeans and black Converse. He notices your eyes on him and gives you a slight smile. "Hey Seb, I missed you, you've been ignoring my text again," Abby says coming over and wrapping her arms around him into a hug. He rolls his eyes and brushes off her comment by changing the topic. "Let's get this jam going Sam," he says as he lifts up a pack of beers he brought to share with everyone. Abby passes you a drink smiling "Don't go too hard this time Starlight." "Starlight?" you say confused at why she called you that. "Yeah, Starlight, cause your hair shines like the stars and because you're a lightweight who can't even handle a couple of drinks without almost blacking out." She teases you giving you an exaggerated wink. "Shut up Abby. at least I'm not an alcoholic" you snap back, getting a giggle from her. She goes over and joins the boys.

"We're finally set up, enjoy the show (Y/N), we don't play for free for just anyone," Sam says giving you a smirk.

A couple of hours go by, and you find yourself and the gang laughing, enjoying some drinks and listening to some interesting music. They actually were including you and getting a city girl's advice on what kind of music to play to have more chances of landing an actual gig. This was so nice, you felt really happy around these new friends. "Hey Seb, thanks for bringing the drinks... unfortunately you didn't bring enough," Abby whines. "Let's just stop by the saloon and get some more quick Abbs, we need a break from the music anyway," Sam suggests.

They walk out the door together.

"Wait where are they going?" "Wait they're leaving me alone here with Sebastian." you feel anxious as you look over at him, he's lying on Sam's bed holding his beer and looking at his phone. His eyes glow in the light of the screen. You find yourself captivated by him, you're eyes look over him hopefully you're not making it too obvious. You notice his hoodie is pulled up a little stuck under his back, revealing his pale skin, he looks thin under that hoodie. You peek up again from your phone and realize you can totally see his boxers peeking out of his jeans. Ugh, why does he look so good effortlessly this is driving you crazy. Fuck. he suddenly looks up and notices your eyes on him. He sits up and fixes his sweater and you're worried your gaze has made him uncomfortable. "You wanna try the keyboard out?" he says noticing you are sitting on the bench. To be honest you just sat here cause he was on the bed but how can you turn him down when he's looking at you like that? "Ugh... sure," you reply nervously. He gets up from the bed and shakes out his hair, you notice he has a cartilage piercing on the ear that's usually covered by his hair. "hot" you think to yourself, trying desperately to stay focused as he gets closer to you. "Here," he says as he presses the power button on the keyboard. "Start with just the normal piano setting." You look at him nervously as he leans over you. "well..." he nods for you to try. You press on some keys, probably looking like an extremely unmusically talented idiot. "Hmm... here try this." He suddenly stands over you leaning forward to reach the keys, his chest and stomach pressing on your back and head. You feel your face getting redder by the second. He plays a couple of cords together, to be honest, your heart is beating so loud you couldn't even hear the piano. You place your hands back on the keyboard and try to replicate what he just showed you unsuccessfully, you really couldn't pay attention. "I guess it is hard when you first learn...here," he says he grabs your hands and places them on the keyboard, he grabs each finger and softly moves them to the correct key. His hands are cold against yours, he's so gentle it's like he is worried your fingers will break with too much force. "Now try." You press down on the keys and hear the same chord he played before. You smile and look at him "I did it!" He lets out a little laugh. There is a soft moment of silence and his eyes are on you. "Will you play some more for me Seb?" you say to break the silence worried it will become awkward or maybe he will hear your heart beating profusely. "I suppose I could play a little, scoot over." You move over a bit and he squeezes in beside you rolling up his sleeves. Your eyes are glued to him as he plays a recognizable tune so effortlessly. You look down at his long fingers moving from key to key and are in awe at how even his hands are handsome. You are so close to him that you can feel his warmth as his hip is pressed against yours squished on the tiny bench. As his arms move you catch a smell of his cologne. "You smell nice." you blurt out without even realizing what you just said. He stops playing and looks at you, you see his face turning red, and he fixes his hair nervously. "Do I?" he finally replies. "Yeah, you do, sorry I didn't mean t-" You are suddenly cut off by the sound of the front door opening, you quickly stand up from the bench and greet them. Suddenly you are feeling embarrassed and think you want to head out for some air before you actually passout. "Hey, sorry guys I think I am going to head home your music was really great, have fun practising though! I hope I can come again!" you say as you excuse yourself. You rush home feeling so embarrassed how could you just blurt that out? You crawl into bed immediately burying your face into your pillow in shame.

_______________

Seb's POV

"Wait she's leaving? Fuck, did I fuck up." he thinks to himself feeling defeated and confused. "What was that about?" Sam asks after you left so prematurely. "I might have pissed her off." Seb replies. "I should probably go apologize." He says walking out the door in a hurry.

Abby and Sam both look at each other in confusion. "Alright well i guess the party is over, let's save these drinks for next time."

"Fuck, Fuck, I thought it was going so well, she's literally so sweet, and adorable, I can't believe she thinks I smell nice," he says under his breath as he looks around to see you're already long gone.

"I guess I will just have to text her." He spends the entire walk up the mountain contemplating what to say as he smokes his cigarette. DripDripDripRumbleRumble

"Fuck those clouds look bad I should hurry back home. Hopefully (Y/N) made it home safe" he says picking up the pace.

Just before he goes to sleep he quickly sends you a message.

Sebastian: Hey (Y/N), sorry if I upset you tonight, I want to make it up to you. If it's okay I will stop by early tomorrow to get my sweater back and I'll bring you a coffee."

___________________________

Farmers POV

RumbleRumbleBangBang

The slight daylight and the loud noises from the storm outside wake you up. You look over to your phone and see Sebastian sent you a message. Just thinking about last night makes your tummy turn, and you decide not to read it as it's still early only 5:50 AM. As you lay in bed you hear the storm roar on. "I should probably get up soon" you sigh. You're slow to get up knowing it's going to be muddy out there today not realizing how bad of a storm it was. You eat your breakfast and it's almost 7:00 AM and you figure it's time to go out and check on your garden now that the rain has stopped.

You walk out and look ahead to see your beautiful field of crops completely destroyed. It looks essentially barren, with rocks, branches and sticks blown all over. The crops flooded away with the amount of water and wind that rushed through the valley. Your fences are all torn apart with barely any still standing. Your heart sinks into your chest.

You drop to your knees not giving two fucks about the mud you're kneeling. You feel your eyes fill with tears, as all the hard work you put in, your heart and soul, for your mom, for your grandfather, for yourself. It was all gone, you had to essentially start all over. "Why" you mumble through tears as you sit and kneel in the mud sobbing. Your sobs are suddenly interrupted by a soft familiar voice. "(Y/N)?" You look over and see Sebastian looking as perfect as ever, holding coffee, he's just standing there staring at you as you cry. You feel embarrassed and try whipping away your tears with your sleeve. "What... what are you doing here," you muttered trying to get yourself together unsuccessfully. "You didn't get my text?" he says sounding surprised. "I guess I did send it quite late last night sorry," he says as he places the coffee on the edge of your porch and walks over to you. "Ugh.. please don't look at me." you say covering your teary face in embarrassment." You suddenly feel his hand grab yours pulling you up from the ground and into his arms. He is so warm, it feels so comforting, it's been so long since anyone has hugged you so closely. You can't help but let the tears roll down your face as you feel like you've failed your mom, and failed this farm, you feel so defeated. He says nothing and just lets you cry into his chest. After a few minutes, you pull away from him, "thank..you" you mumble still feeling your face get flushed. He looks down at you and brushes your hair away from your face with his soft hands. "Your hair is really beautiful you know, I swear it shines silver in the sunlight," he says hoping the compliment cheers you up even somewhat. You're shocked at his words and look up at him meeting his gaze. "(Y/N )let me help you," "Oh.. you don't have to Sebastian, I'm sorry, this probably ruined your morning, oh.. and sorry about last night too." you look back down at the ground feeling like you've done nothing but mess up lately. "No, (Y/N) you don't understand, I want to help you, I want to see you more, not just over text. Please let me." he persists. How can you say no when he's essentially begging you with those intense blue eyes inches away from yours? "You would do that for me?" you say almost in a whisper as a few more tears roll down your cheek. "Yes I would, my mom will probably insist on helping too please don't give up yet, I'm really sorry about your fields and please don't apologize for last night." Suddenly his hand grabs your face softly and tilts it up to look at him once again. "The tears have to stop though, he says, as he wipes away one tear with his thumb. He's staring into your eyes so intensely, you have not known each other long but you can't help but feel like he is actually starting to open up to you, even though everyone says he's insanely anti-social and doesn't like newcomers. Out of nowhere, almost as an impulse he suddenly leans in and presses his lips on your cheek, kissing away your last tear. "I don't like the tears, we can fix this, it will be okay." Your face turns beat red as you are in literal shock from his soft warm lips against your cheek. You had not idea that such a quiet, mysterious boy with a reputation like his was capable of such sweet action. "Did... you just kiss my cheek?" you say embarrassed. "Sorry I couldn't resist, your eyes get so blue when you cry, and your tear...it was salty," he says with a small chuckle. "But what about Abby?" you blurt out not wanting to cause any trouble for your only close friend in town. "What about Abby?" he says seriously confused. "Are you two not dating? She is seriously crazy about you it's obvious?" "...Oh, ya I know that, she's had a crush on me since we were kids. I mean she doesn't give up that's for sure. Pretty sure at this point she realizes that it's not going to happen. She's nice and all but... I am happy with her as a friend and have always felt that way." he says firmly, finally settling your uncertainty around that topic.

#stardewvalley #sdv elliott #video games #sdv fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #sdv sebastian #stardew fanfic

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art-blogge · 1 year ago

Text

Dante P1, Dante P2, Dante Red Coat, Dante Blue Coat

["It's impossible! I quit!"] shouted one of the Managers, throwing their hands up in frustration. Behind them, the other Manager suppressed laughter.

<"It's not that bad, P2!"> giggled the red Dante, not at all helping.

["It's awful!"] the blue Dante honked, nearly throwing the entire laptop as they swung around to face the other. ["It makes me want to give up and never look back!"]

<"You say that, but you'll be back next week.">

["Ugh."]

This was a normal debate between the two Managers and the Sinners were used to it. Sometimes the positions swapped, but the stream of complaints were normal.

Not even Faust was sure why there were two of them. There was only meant to be one Dante. One red, one blue, both with their own preferences, tactics, and "voices". Who they listened to, who they spoke to, who they preferred, who bullied them- It was different between them both. Only one person was capable of controlling them both at once.

"Will you two keep it down?"

<"Sorry Vergie!"> P1 ticked, bowing their head to the Color Fixer while definitely not hiding a heating up faceplate.

["Hehe, Vergil talked to us.."] P2 quietly tocked before they both fist-bumped. Disasters, the both of them. Vergil, for what it was worth, understood none of this and left before his being there could be more of a distraction. If he Knew or not was beyond the Sinners, not that P1 or P2 had ever been subtle.

--------

<"BULLSHIT!"> P1 blared as P2 directed their own fight against pallid LCCB Agents. P2 waited until Twinhooks Gregor had finished off their last enemy to check on their twin, and it was a good thing they did. Most of P1's team had been massacred by a rampaging N-Sinclair because his Sanity had dropped just a tiny bit too much.

<"Let me borrow Gregor!!">

Twinhooks Gregor, for what it was worth, didn't need to be requested and gladly crossed into P1's fight to finish the job.

["I'm grounding you until you consider your actions!"] P2 irritably tick-tocked at Sinclair, even after he dropped out of the Identity.

<"Leave Sinclair alone!"> P1 blared back, stomping on the ground, <"He doesn't control how clashes go!">

["It's not that! It's him souping all over the place!"] P2 car-honked, holding up some of their very-soup-covered jacket, ["It's not my fault Nclair is a loser!!"]

<"Sorry, Sinclair,"> P1 apologized, hugging Sinclair despite their also-soup-covered coat, <"It was my fault your Sanity got so low. We'll try a different ID tomorrow.">

Sinclair thankfully knew neither of them blamed him for this and was only marginally bothered by the aforementioned Souping Everywhere.

<"Anyway last one to the bus has to revive everyone!!!"> P1 suddenly dinged before taking off like a shot, completely ditching P2 and the mostly-dead Sinners. The only thing stopping them from dumping their entire job on P2 was the annoyed Vergilius grabbing them by the collar as they attempted to pass. P1 recognized defeat instantly and slumped in his grip.

Reviving the Sinners was a Both-Managers effort and neither was ever spared from the pain.

--------

<"I know you love Hong Lu, so look at this!"> P1 announced after returning from a dungeon. They handed P2- Who had been playing a game by themselves until this point- A battle damage calculation they'd printed out just to show off. In the top three? Hook Hong Lu, having done 6068 damage, landing him in the top three for Damage. Beating him were Reindeer Ishmael with 7713 and Spice Yi Sang with 7869.

["STRONG!"] was P2's entire reply, seemingly stunned by one of their favs being that valuable.

<"He is so fucking good,"> P1 agreed, wiping who-knew-what off of their coat.

<"Anyway, have fun with that dungeon. I'll help you from here, but I'm not going in there again. It should be easier for you than it was for me. I hope you like reading.">

Before P1 could vanish into the Corridors, P2 yelled back ["I hate reading! I shouldn't have to read a novel!"]

<"Sucks, dude!,"> P1 chimed, <"Get positively fucked! If I could do it so can you! I hope you like Faust's EGOs!">

P2 proceeded to put off dealing with their own dungeon run by doing literally anything else. P1 would have sighed if they could, but they understood it. Of course they did. They were both Dante(s) scared of difficult combat.

--------

<"This sucks major ass!"> P1 radio'd over to P2, ten seconds from quitting a Railway exploration. <"How are you doing that? I'm giving up on Cycle 3. Turn counts aren't real.">

["If I get the Sinner order right and Spice Yi Sang has his blue, I can three turn this fight. I just need to get the Poise right after and the right set of effects on turn one."]

As far as P1 cared, P2 was speaking in Enchantment Table or Latin or Faustese or Bullshit. They understood all of it on it's own, but together? Incoherent.

P2 was attempting to get a "record" run of the Railway, getting five Cycles under a specific amount of "turns". P1 never even tried to accomplish it. They just wanted the prizes and then they were leaving.

About thirty minutes later, P1 radio'd P2 again.

<"The Flowers boss is easy. It sucks, but it's easy. I'm out. I'm done. I get to have Vergil to myself! Sending my Sinners over to your track!">

["Hey wait!"] P2 complained, but too late.

Twenty hours later, P2 finally made it back to the Mephistopheles, where P1 had planted themselves next to Vergilius and were clearly not moving away.

P1 made heart hands at P2. P2 fumed. Vergilius just shook his head and wondered when he'd get out of this hell.

#writing tag #limbus company #dante lcb #this is a joke fic i wrote in half an hour based on real shit we've said

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fictionaltrvlr · 1 year ago

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What's your opinion of President Snow as a character in THG trilogy? Was he a great villain?

* Spoiler for TBOSAS *

After reading the novel, what's your opinion about Coriolanus Snow 'transformation' in the end?

Was it his nature or the way he was nurtured that led him to become the character we know?

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

Thank you for the ask, I love talking about this series!! (Sorry this took me a while, it got way too long and confusing and I had to I break it up, so hopefully this makes sense 😆)

Trilogy

Since the trilogy is Katniss’ first-person account and we don’t see much of Snow, I didn’t really think about him that much. He is definitely a good villain, evil and terrifying.

For me, Snow was just this big imposing embodiment of evil in the trilogy. I didn’t take in a lot of his personality or care about his story. Rereading it now, I find him much more interesting.

The recurring theme of roses in the original trilogy was definitely one of my favourite things about Snow as a villain; the physiological terror of the genetically engineered scent and how that was weaponized was just horrible in the best way.

So I don’t think he was a boring villain by any means, I just didn’t humanise him at all.

Prequel

I love this book so much! I think it was the perfect choice for a prequel.

I know a lot of people want Haymitch, Finnick, and Joana’s Games. And while I do really like those characters and want to know more about them, I think it would kind of go against the message of the books. It would just be Games for Games sake, and wouldn’t really serve any purpose narratively.

Snow’s origin story, on the other hand, added so much for me! It furthers the messages.

The nature vs nurture debate can be kind of confusing for me; I can never seem to pick one over the other. I guess I agree with Lucy Gray, that we are all born with the choice and ability to choose our own path, and it’s our responsibility to stay on the right side.

I think we can be inclined one way or another, and that our experiences affect us, but ultimately we are moulded by our own choices. So I apply that to Snow as well.

Watching his transformation at the end was very interesting. It was both expected and made sense, while also feeling a bit abrupt. I was getting a little confused as I neared the end and had fewer and fewer pages left and Snow wasn’t just absolutely and completely revolting yet.

He was awful, yes, in the ways he spoke about people, his casual disregard for the lives of people from the Districts, his jealousy and ownership of Lucy Gray, the criticism of her and Tigris’ choices and what they had to do to survive. But he really crossed a lot of lines in those last few chapters.

I think Dean Highbottom and Dr Gaul shaped him, for sure. He was treated unfairly, and that angered him. The Capitol also taught him that he was intrinsically more valuable than people in the Districts and that the Snow legacy was important.

I find this paragraph interesting because it gives insight into how he thinks and how he sees himself. This is in twelve when he is having a conversation with Sejanus about Dr Gaul:

“I don't know," said Coriolanus. "It's like ... you know how she's always torturing that rabbit or melting the flesh off something?" “Like she enjoys it?" asked Sejanus. "Exactly. I think that's how she thinks we all are. Natural-born killers, Inherently violent," Coriolanus said. "The Hunger Games are a reminder of what monsters we are and how we need the Capitol to keep us from chaos." "So, not only is the world a brutal place, but people enjoy its brutality? Like the essay on everything we loved about the war" said Sejanus.

It reminds me of Mockingjay when he’s talking about the bombs that took out Prim, and he says that he’s not wasteful. I think he has himself convinced that he doesn’t enjoy pain and death, but that he uses them strategically and that somehow that makes him a better person than the teachers of his childhood.

Ultimately, Snow hungered for power and felt he was owed it, so he would take any path necessary to achieve it. He was heavily influenced by his upbringing and finally chose to follow that path as far as it can take him.

In short, I thought the prequel was done really well and fits perfectly with the trilogy. It helped me to understand Snow better and make him a more three dimensional character.

#i hope this was what you were looking for! thank you for the ask!!#tbosas spoilers #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #coriolanus snow #asks and replies #tbosbas #thg #curiousnonny #thoughts on things

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vampkitty66 · 2 years ago

Text

2023 Spring Anime Season: My Thoughts Thus Far

Yamada-kun at Lv999

Disclaimer!! These are just my opinions

Status: Currently Ongoing

Starting off we have Yamada-kun at Lv999. I will say after watching the first two episodes I immediately picked up the manga. It currently only has five episodes, and the final episode will be the thirteenth. This follows Akane, a college student who recently got dumped by her boyfriend for a girl he met in a online game they both used to play together. Wanting to make him jealous, she attends an event for the online game knowing that he’ll be there and meets a boy named Yamada. Yamada helps Akane out after she tripped and her ex boyfriend spots them together. Turns out her ex is a big fan of Yamada’s, and in an attempt to make her ex jealous she bribes Yamada to say that they are dating each other. Since I am a shoujo lover myself, I felt super drawn to this series because it feels nostalgic. I think the characters are likeable and despite their age gap ( although I don’t find it a big deal as its only two years apart ) their relationship is healthy. Really enjoying it so far, I think its refreshing to see a romance anime nowadays with little to no fan service. If you haven't, I highly suggest picking up the manga.

Hells Paradise

Status: Currently Ongoing

Completing the “Dark trio” we have Hells Paradise, I preface that I have not read the manga. With only five episodes so far, I've got to say that this might be one of the best watches for me this season. Mappa has really outdone themselves in my opinion, the animation is crazy. The story follows Gabimaru the Hollow who was captured and sentenced to death. With him practically being invincible, Sagiri, his executioner, gave him an opportunity to be pardoned. To be able to be pardoned he and other death row convicts have to find the elixir of life. I think the story is fantastic and the characters are all interesting. I’m really excited to see what comes next as the series continues, and we’ve already seen some development in some of the characters, as well as some of the backstories. Waiting for my girl Sagiri to be an absolute badass and prove everyone who doubts her wrong. Also just got to say that the opening song is fire and its been on repeat for me.

Skip And Loafer

Status: Currently Ongoing

Skip And Loafer, another romance anime with only five episodes so far (its very exciting to have so many wholesome animes come out this year) This one also feels like a very nostalgic shoujo, but its in fact a sienen. This one is based in high school and it follows Mitsumi Iwakura, a girl who lived on the countryside her whole life. Iwakura attends high school in Tokyo and even though she thinks everything will go smoothly, it turns out to be quite the opposite. Watching this made me cringe so hard not even going to lie, its awkward and goofy but that’s also what I like about it. Despite having to throw my phone to the other side of the bed because of the awful secondhand embarrassment I got, I'm definitely going to continue watching it.

Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Dukes Mansion

Status: Currently Ongoing

This was originally a manhwa that got adapted into an anime. I have not read the manhwa so I can’t base anything off of it, but so far I'm enjoying it. It follows Raeliana who was originally Park Eunha who had died in the real world and woke up to be Raeliana. The world that she is in as Raeliana is based off a novel she had read in her previous life, so lucky for her, she knows what's to come. There were a lot of isekai animes this season and to be honest, this is the only one I've watched. This seemed like an interesting concept, I don’t watch or read too many isekai series because a lot of them feel the same and I find some of them boring but maybe I should give it more of a chance? I digress, I like most of the main characters so far and if I were her, I’d totally jump on the duke bandwagon. The animation is a little iffy but I can look past it, overall I don’t have that many complaints about it.

Honorable Mention

Oshi No Ko

Contains spoilers!!

Status: Ongoing

Note: This is an absolute mess of a review oops

Okay so I’ve only watched the first episode so far (I think there's two or three now??) The first episode was like an hour long and it was a lot. We start off meeting the two main characters in the hospital, the little girl and the doctor. We see Ai on tv and to be honest does no one else find it weird that the doctor is like obsessed with a teen idol? Yes I know its because of the little girl, she was his patient and she died blah blah blah. I just find it a little odd... I don't know, it’s fine, moving on. Ai is pregnant and the doctor gets assigned to her, turns out shes having twins and on the night that she is supposed to deliver, the doctor gets pushed and dies. The doctor and his little girl patient gets reincarnated as her twins but they are fully aware of their previous lives. So now a 12 year old girl and a 20 something year old man are Ai’s twins. Also forgot to mention, didn’t the doctor say something sus to the little girl before she died because didn’t she want to marry him??? Honestly I forget, anyways, fast forward the twins, Aqua and Ruby, get older throughout the episode. Ai has been doing her idol shit and what not and Aqua also dabbles into acting a bit. Ruby is dancing or something and all is swell until it all turned to shit. Ai is I think 20 years old now? There's someone who comes to the door and she opens it, he then stabs her and she dies. Oh and she finally tells her kids that she loves them. The episode is almost over at this point, Aqua asks this one guy to raise him or something and Aqua pretty much figures out that his dad hired someone to kill his mom so he’s in his revenge era now. This was a whole mess but its fine. I liked the characters designs a lot, I thought they were really pretty. I have some problems with this anime but I think I might continue to watch it and then do a whole review on it. Still baffled on how people claimed that this was the best first episode they've seen ( even topped aot ) I think it was a good episode don’t get me wrong and I liked the animation style and there were cute moments but I don’t think it was the best first episode I've seen. Ai’s song was fire though, I will say that.

#anime #anime review #anime recommendation #manhwa #2023 anime #spring anime 2023 #yamada kun to lv999 no koi wo suru #hells paradise #skip and loafer #why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion #oshi no ko #isekai #shoujo #sienen #shounen #the dark trio #romance anime

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