#and he does enjoy befriending his suspects and knowing them

[detectiveposting]

my stages of watching columbo

1: hahah hes just a silly detective ;)

2: columbo is actually a cunning manipulative liar that hides his true persona behind the facade of a slow and clumsy middle class detective

3: hahah hes just a silly detective ;)

[norlaching]

Cliche but still stupidly accurate Maxley fanfic or oneshot idea

So basically Bradley (and maybe also Max) finally graduate College and now it’s up for the poor GAMMA leader to find get into a successful job as a Doctor (since that’s what he’s suspected to be studying for in College with how long he’s been there)

But then suddenly, his parents (depends on who you feel is more of a bad parent towards him) to tell Bradley that they’ve set him up for an arranged marriage with another wealthy family’s daughter — he hates it but can only agree and heads off to cry somewhere because his parent(s) didn’t rven acknowledge him for his achievements; just straight up pulled the “marriage card” and he guesses “grandkids card” would be pulled next after all of this.

So he storms off and decides to cry somewhere in the dark of the night, where Max is ironically close to, so Max spots him, tries to scoot his way into a conversation (which Bradley tried so hard to turn down), but eventually they get there and decide to talk for a bit (not getting to personal at the moment).

Max sort’ve unofficially befriends Bradley and they soon go their separate ways once the Goof gives him a tissue to blow on once he subtly sees the other is upset.

The two end up meeting each other in the same spot again because the universe (all of us) randomly just wanted them to be there again and again; and they grow to be close friends, and their little GIANT ASS crushes (from whatever the hell the “An Extremely Goofy Movie” was with all that tention) grows into a BEHEMOTH as time grows.

Eventually Bradley meets his “fiancé” and they don’t really get to know each other and instead sit in silence when they’re left by their parents to bond — which is just awkward until Max decides to call and asks to meet up.

And he goes, but when he seed the girl as quiet as a mouse, he decides to let her join so their parents don’t get suspicious (he tells a butler to tell them they’re going on a “date” or something). And blah blah blah, they all get to know each other along with Max’s other friends and they all learn neither Bradley nor the girl (or whatever name you can think of) doesn’t wanna get married.

A high and over his head Bobby randomly mutters a plan when Bradley and the girl and him are left alone while PJ and Barrette girl (does she even have a name?) dance while Max goes to get them some more food: and that was it.

So during the fake relationship with Uppercrust and his “new future wife” towards their parents and family members, they start to hatch plans behind their back.

Max and Bradley get closer and closer until one day, they both find themselves on the dance floor and kiss for the fucking first time, and take it backstage where they enjoy dancing in the rain instead of near a lot of eyes (where Bradley grows paranoid and conscious of due to his parents and reputation). Tada! They start to date.

The day of the wedding comes, and Bradley calls Max and his friends to come at [insert the damn time], and they agree. When “Bradley’s bride” starts to walk down the aisle, she makes a run and Bradley creates the illusion of he’s after her to bring her back to their new life, when really; he’s just following her towards their escape.

They makes it out of the door, and Max, PJ, Bobby and Barrette girl come in masked with a get away car, and the girl dives head in first (like that one video of where the bride runs away and the driver drives off while her legs are still up in the air) while Bradley takes shotgun and Max drives off quickly before anyone could catch them.

And then they crash the car, blow the car up to where not even the drivers plate is identifiable, and Bradley and Max are happy, with the girl (who somehow stole the expensive ass wedding rings from the ceremony) gives it to Bradley and Max and they basically propose.

So fast forward, Max and Bradley gets married, Bradley changes his name to “Bradley ‘Tennyson’ Goof” (Tennyson just fit in with the name, you can change it if you like), and they are happily living together with their kids (surrogate or maybe Max is trans).

Bradley continued with being a doctor so he can provide for his family, and Max is probably a tattoo artist or something (who knows?), PJ and his girlfriend are engaged, Bobby is still high as fuck, and the girl is a happy aunt/sister to Bradley.

And they live happily ever after or something! (That is if Goofy doesn’t screw up with how clumsy the poor old man is)

I’m probably gonna turn this into a fic, but you are still free to use the idea (with credit of course)

[radioactivesweet]

Request: Hi love your work could you do roland Fortis x shy vampire pls

YESSSS, finally I get to write about Roland <<<333 thanks for the request! Hope you like it^^

Opposites surely attract, you were certain of it after meeting and getting to know Roland Fortis, your own antithesis. He was sociable and an extrovert, where you were reservate and an introvert, he was a chasseur, you were a vampire, he enjoyed a life in the sunlight, you lurked in the shadows he was a golden retriever, you were a black cat.

The way your relationship developed could change depending on when he first met you. Assuming you two met after he had already befriended Noé, he is more than willing to communicate with you ina  non-threatening way, despite you being a vampire. He is open to dialogue and won’t attack you unless you attack him first. Roland immediately perceives you as a friend, the moment he realizes you aren’t dangerous. Since you are friends, he believes it’s his duty to protect you - though he knows you are more than capable of protecting yourself. What he actually does when you two are out together is talking to outsiders, since he knows you don’t seem to be too comfortable with that. 

If he had met you before Noé and Vanitas, though, he wouldn’t actually be that threatening. He is wary and you are pretty sure he is studying you, while deciding what’s the best move he could do. The moment he realizes that you aren’t offensive nor dangerous though, he becomes the nicest person you have ever met. At first, neither of you trust each other, but that’s fair. Under his smile and bright green eyes, you know he’s looking at you with suspect. You go over this stage quite quickly. He is curious about you - which is kinda alarming to you, since Roland isn’t good at respecting other people’s boundaries. You don’t understand whether or not he acts this way on purpose or is unaware of it - you have to accept that’s just part of who he is.

Roland is actually quite perceptive though! So if during social events, he notices you are overwhelmed or can’t stand up for yourself, he is more than willing to help and get you out of it. On the other hand, despite knowing it’s part of your personality, he also wants to be more independent instead of having to rely on others when you have to deal with people.

If any of the other chasseurs are bothering you, he is ready to fight them - as long as you aren’t the one starting the quarrel, which he finds quite impossible. It’s his duty to mantain the balance between humans and vampires and he hates the prejudices against the whole vampire race. Vampires and humans are different, but not that different. 

[britishassistant]

The Villainous Paranoiac is Suing for Character Defamation

Vil’s agent is a competent woman.

There’s no way she would have kept her position if she wasn’t. A minor he may’ve been, but even when he was starting out, Vil Schoenheit knew better than to allow someone slothful or greedy to manage his talent and performances.

His father helped him weed out those burdened by these vices, even trusting his son’s judgement on those who tried to play on the long relationships his father had built with them, until Vil’s current agent was the last one left standing.

She was a protege of Vil’s father’s manager, one who already had experience managing older talent, but also a rather scrupulous set of morals concerning children.

Vil has always suspected this may have something to do with all the younger siblings and cousins she sometimes mentions. He’s not going to risk their professional relationship to confirm it though.

She calls him every morning to give him the rundown on his projects for the day, as well as any news that could be pertinent to him.

This morning, like many other mornings before it, she says, “You’re being scouted for several roles by a number of notable studios. Warui Bros. and Reynard Studios are still keeping the roles of the rival open—“

“Pass.” Vil states as he finishes daubing on his primer. “As I’ve said the last two times.”

“Well,” There’s the sound of nails tap-tap-tapping away on her tablet. “Akareiju Studios has a role they’ve requested you specifically for a new movie—!“

“With everything I’ve got on my plate?” He says dismissively. “Hardly. Send my—“

“You’d be the male lead.” She says.

Vil pauses for a moment, sponge hovering over his skin.

“It’s a movie adaptation of a light novel that’s been popular online lately,” She rattles off with her usual efficiency. “Lost Princess: Entangled with my Graceful Family. The premise is simple—Karatsumori Megami, a middle schooler mourning the death of her mother, discovers she is actually the kidnapped youngest daughter of a powerful family, and is whisked away to a life of luxury. Along the way she must adapt to the pressures of her new lifestyle, open up the hearts of her long lost siblings, befriend others at her new elite school, and thwart the bullying of her twisted, cruel stepsister, proving that she is worthy of her place in the family. The author of the novel has agreed to personally work on the screenplay alongside the producers.”

Vil is careful not to pull a face as he sweeps the foundation brush over his cheeks. Trite, as plots went, but that was what audiences enjoyed. Something uncomplicated for them to leave feeling satisfied as though the accomplishments of the fictional characters were their own.

“The role of the male lead in this film is filled by the female lead’s eldest brother.” She continues. “Gracey Enji, heir to the Gracey Corporation. Described as a princely, serious high schooler, burdened with the expectations of inheriting his father’s role as CEO and pushing aside his feelings to better protect the interests of his younger siblings from afar. He’s the one with the most faith in the female lead and does his best to help her out overtly and covertly, but doesn’t actually let his guard down until she recognizes his efforts and vows to support him.”

Vil tilts his head to the side, considering his own face.

Not this look, certainly, it’s too glamorous, too Vil Schoenheit.

But some more subdued makeup colors, while still tinted to enhance his natural features, a severe, almost-too-finely-tailored cut to his clothes, maybe a pair of glasses to emphasize the image of a hard-working professional��

Yes, he could see himself donning the mantle of “Gracey Enji” well.

But there’s still one quibble that needs to be dealt with before he can get too invested.

“Who else will be part of the cast?” His attempts to make the question sound light and careless fall slightly flat. “Anyone I know?”

She hems and haws, the clicking of her fingers flying over her tablet screen audible through the phone.

“Neige LeBlanche has been approached,” His agent says. “For a brief cameo during the funeral scene as the heroine’s childhood friend.”

A slow smirk spreads over Vil’s face.

“Send me the script. I’ll have a read-through.”

***

Idia’s been over the hype about LoPri since before it even got off the ground.

He heard about it through one of the threads he frequents on Dreddit, a recommendation from a well-known user whose opinion he’s kind wishy-washy on.

He tried it, found the writing bland, the characterization muddy yet restrictive, and really couldn’t vibe with the undertones of “nuclear family by blood is the best and only real family, any kids born outside of a conventional marriage are inherently thieving irredeemable scumbags”.

What kind of message is that in this day and age?? Even the gods had more liberated family relations than that. Idia will be the first to burn the world down for Ortho, but this depiction of siblings kind of pisses him off, a tiny bit.

Unfortunately, even though he’s written it off as barely-above-garbage-tier, all the normies online have jumped on the hype train to sing its praises.

He’d usually just avoid the fandom, block and move on, but it’s like a fungus. It keeps popping up, even in places that should be safe! Places that should be sacred!

MrLeotaGracey: how can you not read LoPri

MrLeotaGracey: were you born in a barn???

cLoThO115: ???

MrLeotaGracey: smh

MrLeotaGracey: leota-chan and megami-chan are the most beautiful in existence

littollethegurl: no one was talking about lopri tho??

MrLeotaGracey: literally actual goddesses

MrLeotaGracey: if premo has any brains theyll do a tribute for LoPri

MrLeotaGracey: its just common sense for a dying idol group like this lol

PreMo5Evrr: dude wtf

Places like the message board for Precipice Moirai!!

Idia sighs despondently.

What is the world coming to, that stans like this can come into a nice chat like this and begin trash talking like they own the place? True, this guy is more virulent than the average fan, but the fact that he can’t read the atmosphere is just depressing.

And some users are getting triggered, which will lead to them getting banned unless someone does something.

Gloomurai: lol imagine god defending a ln thats the embodiment of mid

Gloomurai: imo cant relate

MrLeotaGracey: kys

MrLeotaGracey: fucking virgin whore

MrLeotaGracey: cringe loser cunts who cant understand how amazing LoPri is dont deserve rights

And any second now…

*MrLeotaGracey was banned by Mod Rougelike105*

“Another thread saved. Thank you for your services, Mod-sshi.” Sure they won’t be able to see the little salute he’s giving them, but he’s in his room! There’s no one to judge him here.

Idia stretches with a sigh. It’s not much, but whacking LoPri trolls is honest work.

Ah, Muscle Red’s signed on!

Idia eagerly turns his mind to much more welcome matters, like smashing mobs, defeating bosses, and collecting loot with his best friend online.

***

Bella DeNiâmerée is a tolerable enough writer, though her penchant for constant similes leaves something to be desired.

Vil’s just glad the other screenwriters have toned down the worst of her literary foibles.

The rest of the cast and crew are pleasant, professional, and enjoyable to work with. There are a few roles that haven’t been filled yet—the kind elder sister, one or two of the heroine’s quirky friends, the villainess—but overall read-throughs have been productive and helped him gain a better understanding of the role he is to play.

And he is the male lead. Someone who will stand in the spotlight all the way to the end, a proud protector of this happy little family.

Great Seven, what an intoxicating feeling it is.

He’s read source material a few times by now, to understand the odd, tech-punk world that the story is based in.

It seems like it’s almost a carbon copy of Twisted Wonderland, but without the magic. Some of the terminology, like “Instagram”, “Siri”, or “motorcycle” is a little confusing, but overall it’s easy to understand his character’s motivations.

Maybe it’s because of however many times he’s been made to take up the role himself, but Vil seems incapable of not feeling…something for the villainess.

And yes, more often than not that something is exasperation or disappointment, but the point still stands.

A bastard child singled out from the others for her resemblance to her mother, the kidnapper who’d been raising the heroine as her own. Constantly striving to be recognized, to outdo the legitimate children through any means, returning their ire with blunt, cutting barbs.

And with the arrival of the heroine, the villainess seeks to oust the one aiming to usurp her place with a tenacity that is almost reminiscent of the Beautiful Queen’s own.

And yet she resorts to such ugly means to accomplish her end—bullying, cheating, even arranging for the heroine to be kidnapped! Of course, all this results in is her getting exposed at the heroine’s middle school graduation, rejecting her forgiveness and stomping off to disownment in defeat.

Vil despairs of her choices, even as he privately sympathizes with her motives.

Really, if Gracey “Yuu” Fuyuhime has just focused on proving her suitability over her uncultured sister rather than trying to drag her down out of fear, she would still be an uncontested member of the family. The levels she let herself sink to, those were her downfall.

Vil himself certainly would never fall to those depths.

Still, the new school year will start soon. Vil’s third year at Night Raven College, his last year as dorm head.

He’s going to do his upmost to ensure it’s one that everybody will remember and recognize him for.

***

There’s some commotion going on at the entrance ceremony.

Idia watches the feed from his tablet with some vague interest. One of the firsties has been outed by the mirror as having no magic in their soul, and now the familiar they brought along has set Kalim-sshi on fire.

Boy, is he glad he’s not there in person. Fs in chat for Kalim-sshi.

Still, he thinks as his fingers fly over his keyboard, his tablet taking a picture of the trouble-making first year and setting up an image search. It’d be troublesome if some magicless scrub tried to wrangle a monster to sneak in to orientation, hoping they could coast by to get in to NRC.

Still, a background check and confirmation of their status emailed to the headmaster should clean the situation up.

Though, isn’t it too much that he has to do all this for the headmaster? He really needs some kind of compensation. Perhaps an exemption from all of Vargus’ classes? Extra budget for Ignihyde? Maybe even some new specs for Ortho—!

A jingle erupts from Idia’s speakers. A match!

He chuckles to himself as he taps on the link his search has brought up. Honestly, if someone was going to break in to NRC, they should know better than to leave traces of themself all over the net, like some cheesy villain—

The image that has popped up is an illustration from a light novel. The closeup of a face filled with resentment and distrust, the kind of expression to send shivers down anyone’s spine. Overgrown bangs casting the eyes in shadow for that extra bit of menace.

The header at the top of the screen proclaims this image to be page 39 of Lost Princess. The introduction of the villainess.

Eh?

Eh??

***

The first year with the out of control familiar is shouting at Crowley.

“—and, as I’ve been trying to tell you, I do not want to be here. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know where I am. And honestly?! I’ve half a mind to press charges against you and your sham of an institution for abduction of a minor!!”

Crowley squawks some insulted response as Vil rolls his eyes. Honestly, who did this magicless potato think they were?

Even if they did have a vaguely familiar face, it’s disappointing to see they’re ignorant of the best school in Twisted Wonderland. Though, maybe this dearth of knowledge is why they thought bringing a familiar they couldn’t control to Night Raven College was a good idea.

“Pomefiore, this way.” He calls. “Rook, if you could take the lead?”

He needs to keep an eye on that poison apple who’s now going to be under his care. Make sure he doesn’t do anything foolish, like try to escape.

As he glances behind him, he can see the headmaster and the magicless potato asking something else of the Dark Mirror. The potato is growing more and more agitated.

Oh well. It’s hardly his concern. He turns to follow—

“Kyoto? Tokyo?! Japan?! Do those mean nothing to you?!”

Vil feels himself stop despite his every intention.

He stares at the teenager who’s thrown their hood back, desperation in every inch of their frame.

The teenager who is the spitting image of the villainess in the light novel he’s the lead in the movie of.

Who has just name dropped the fantasy land said light novel takes place in.

What the fuck.

[maidragoste]

By the way, if you want, anon, you can choose an emoji so I can identify and know which anon I'm talking to hahaha—👾 with thisss!

Also

She could have had any man, even the king but she chose you. And you pay her like that?You say you love your wife but you hurt her and now you have made her the entertainment of the court. There is no person who does not talk about her, the princess and you"

My heck—the reader chose love over duty—imagine..she's the first born and by law she can't inherit Driftmark because you know..misoginy then the queen dies and her father invites(forces her)her to be the future bride of the king( I want to believe she's 18 years old, not 14 or 12..it's an ick for me..) but Viserys notices the way she and Harwin are looking at each other so he gives them his blessing and choose Alicent.

Reader wants to be overjoyed because she's free but now she finds out with horror that the future queen is a 14 year old and worst, her cousin's best friend and she feels guilty and disgusted.

So by telling to her parents she will stay at KL to find a suitor, she befriends the queen and try to repair the relationship between Nyra and Alicent with no avail.

By the years KL's become a second home to reader, writing to her parents and sister;she's living in a fairytale until Jacaerys is born and his brothers.

A DECADE, SHE HAS LIVED IN MISERY AND HUMILATION FOR A DECADE and seems her strength are her twin boys that looked more Velaryon than Nyra and Laenor's children.

The relationship with Nyra?has grown cold and she dotes on the queen's children and NO ONE suspect that her twins are Larry's because they took after their mother's appearance but their eyes.

Then Driftmark happens and we know what will happen but the're is a new player: the reader that has taken under the wing Rhaena,like you said in the previous post, and she's securing a betrothal of his twins with Laena's daughters because she will be damned if she allows Daemon to trap her nieces and she needs to get back at Nyra for sleeping with her husband, and disrespect the memory of his younger siblings.

The Velaryons? Are by her side and they are awfully protective of her because if D&R have killed two of their children?what they would to their first born?

Let's not forget also two important allies: Larrys and Alicent—also Aegon, Helaena, Aemond and Daeron, Baela( who is a mini Daemon and loyal to reader, the Velaryons)and Rhaena because the reader is the step father who stepped up and with her Aegon may have learnt to take his duties seriously and be a good husband to Helaena;Aemond learns that he shouldn't carry his burdens alone, Helaena has someone who can understand her.

Okay okay; I'll stop you are the writer but it's good to share some ideas

👾👾👾👾

Hi Anon, I'm sorry it took so long to reply. I hope you're well 🥰

First, I think that in some post I said it too high up but for my Reader she is the younger sister of the Velaryon. Laena is the eldest, just like in the book, and Laenor is the middle brother. So Reader never had a chance to inherit Driftmark.

For your peace of mind Reader is not 12/14 when Corlys wants to make her queen and marry Viserys... But still she is a minor she is 16/17 😭🤡

I don't know if Viserys would realize that something is going on between Reader and Harwin (SORRY FOR ME THE MAN IS A DENSE. I STILL ANGRY THAT HE IS THE KING) but Reader definitely doesn't want to marry him so she confesses that she is in love with Harwin. Sure, as you say, Viserys gives them her blessing and chooses Alicent.

Of course Reader feels guilty and disgusted. Alicent is the same age as her and knows how uncomfortable she must be with the situation because she was there too. It saddens him to see how Alicent and Rhaenyra's friendship breaks down.

So Reader marries Harwin and sets out to be friends with Alicent to assuage her guilt but it doesn't take long for her to start enjoying her and appreciating her friendship with Alicent. Reader tries to patch things up between Alicent and Rhaenyra but she doesn't realize she's making it worse. Rhaenyra feels like she sided with Alicent, she feels like she lost them both, she feels out of place like she's left over. Now you spend all your time with Alicent and Aegon, you seem like you've forgotten about her. You are no longer going to fly together or invite her to go with you to Driftmark because your attention is always on Alicent. Always attached to her, always smiling at each other as if they knew a language Rhaenyra didn't.

Years pass and Jacaerys is born. Throughout Rhaenyra's pregnancy you had been by her side and pampered her. Rhaenyra felt like it was the two of you again. She felt horrible because she knew that the moment her baby was born you would never love her again. And she was not wrong. Your eyes of hers stopped being warm and you only looked at her coldly. Whenever you could, you avoided being in the same room as her. All the love that was between you two was once gone because of her.

Rhaenyra suffers as Reader raises Alicent's children as his own. Reader's upbringing definitely makes Aegon a better man, she teaches him why it's important that he fulfill his duties and how he always has to take care of his family. Helaena finds another mother in Reader, she never makes her feel uncomfortable by her dreams or her prophecies whenever she can, she accompanies her to look for new insects. Aemond knows that Reader is always there to help him with his burdens and Daeron knows that despite the distance Reader will never forget him... like his father.

[sdwolfpup]

For the Festive Fic prompts, I'd love to see what you do with 14 or 17!

14. family invites a rival/enemy/the boss to a Christmas party/vacation

"What is she doing here?" Jaime hisses to Tyrion as they stand in the receiving line at their father's annual Christmas party. It's always an overblown affair: everyone dressed up like they're about to meet the Queen, the abuse of gold-plated decorations, the persistent jazzy Christmas music soundtrack, and dear god the garlands. It's like a forest exploded all through the house.

Normally, Jaime finds the whole thing tedious and boring and he and Tyrion skip out halfway through to go get drunk on Tywin's most expensive liquor that gets trickier to find every year. The old man hasn't outwitted them on hiding places yet, but it was a near thing last year.

Jaime expects this year to be different, though, because there, large as life, is Brienne Tarth hovering at the end of the receiving line, her hulking shoulders hunched, the austere black of whatever dress she's wearing doing her no favors. She looks like she's at a funeral, not a Christmas party.

Which would suit the dour, frustratingly stubborn woman that is his primary rival in the world of high-end real estate.

"I can't see who you mean but based on the venom in your tone, I suspect you mean Ms. Tarth," Tyrion drawls. "She's here because Father invited her."

"What?" Jaime turns on his brother, completely ignoring the councilmember just holding his hand out to be shaken. "Why?"

Tyrion takes the councilman's empty hand and pumps it aggressively, wishing him a Merry Christmas before turning back to Jaime. "Because he wants to hire her," he says like Jaime's being especially obtuse.

Jaime stares at the woman creeping closer in the line. "But she works for the Starks. She hates us."

"She hates you," Tyrion says cheerfully, taking over for Jaime as he ignores two more people in line to glare at Brienne. "The rest of us she's neutral about."

Jaime scoffs. "That's only because she hasn't met you yet."

Tyrion kisses the hand of a woman and Jaime watches her laugh prettily. His brother lifts his brow smugly. "I'm very charming, Jaime. I'll bet you a case of that scotch we had last year that I can get her to be my friend before you."

The music dips for a moment and Jaime hears Brienne saying, "Merry Christmas" to one of the many Lannister Realty employees down the line from him. Her voice is soft and almost sweet--nothing like she sounds whenever he has the misfortune of talking with her.

"I'm not taking that bet. She'd befriend you just to spite me," he grouses. He shakes a few more hands without really seeing any of the people in front of him, too busy keeping an eye on Brienne's progress as she makes her way.

He can tell the moment she notices him in line, because all of the ease and shyness drains out of her and she straightens, lifting her head like a bear that's just spotted a threat.

Good, he thinks, meeting her gaze with a cool smile. Best she know what's waiting for her if she's considering this.

Jaime's flooded with anxious energy waiting for the line to hurry and deposit her before him and then it finally does. Up close, the black dress turns out to be shorter than he'd thought, and her very long legs stick out of it thick trunks. Her arms and shoulders--her best features, in his opinion--are covered, but an alarmingly broad swatch of her pale, freckled chest is bare except for a jeweled, golden sword hanging from a delicate necklace chain. It looks incongruous, the fragility of the links against the ropey tendons of her neck, like a trail of kisses against her skin.

Jaime blinks and jerks back. "Tarth," he greets her, folding his hands behind his back. "Did you get lost on the way to the Stark holiday party? Or are you hoping to actually enjoy expensive food at a work function for once?"

She grimaces, a familiar look on her wide face. "Lannister." She shoves her hand out at him as though a parent is standing behind her and forcing her to do so. He looks down at it, the wide span of her palm, the mountainous knuckles, and marvels again this woman is as successful a realtor as he is when he looks like he does and she looks like this.

Her hand hangs between them for a long moment before he finally takes it, feels the sting as she squeezes more than is polite. He hides a grunt and squeezes back, enjoys the way her eyes narrow and she puts even more strength into it, a vise slowly crushing the bones of his hand. He returns it, the two of them locked in an escalating battle of pain until Tyrion clears his throat.

"If you two are done trying to rip each others hands off, you're holding up the line." He sounds richly amused and Jaime realizes that the line has bunched up behind Brienne and there's a large space between her and the people ahead of her now.

She yanks her hand away and Jaime is oddly delighted by the stripes of red that flood over her cheeks like fingerpaint. He's less delighted by the way his hand is throbbing. He sees her flex her hand at her side and hopes he gave as good as he got, because he's convinced he'll have bruises in the morning.

"Enjoy the party, Tarth," Jaime tells her as she hurriedly shakes Tyrion's hand and mumbles Christmas wishes. "I don't expect you'll be invited back next year."

Her eyes skate back to him, blue and cold as the ice in the middle of a glacier. "That's because I'll be in the receiving line ahead of you."

Tyrion hoots with laughter because the best realtor gets the dubious honor of being here at the end of the line nearest Tywin and the leadership team.

Brienne's already hurried too far to make a comeback worth it, or even audible, and Jaime swears he won't have a single drink tonight until he's driven Brienne Tarth from the grounds, or at least from his father's perspective employment.

(Festive prompts here)

[pierrotguru]

Panic Room

The unwelcome visitors wouldn't go away.

----

Everything was dark now. A pure liquid darkness that he could literally swim in. Crowley poured himself some scotch to accompany it and waited. Waited for what would eventually happen.

The voices would bother again. In all truth, he didn't even know if they were real, but were actually probably were. They could be. Who fucking knew in this world anymore. Oh well, perhaps they would leave him alone...

One thing was certain is they did not approve of him and his fraternity with Aziraphrale.

In fact, losing Aziraphale's friendship was one of his worst fears. Simply the thought of losing him and his company was enough to make him feel empty inside. The stark realization was a bit surprising and quite frankly a bit embarrassing.

He didn't even know why they would even bother. It was common knowledge anyway that they were together, and they had carried on together for millennia.

He just wanted some peace and quiet tonight. Maybe would just fuck off just a little bit.

"Will you return to the angel?" the familiar voice was asking. "Well, let me warn you. One day, he won't want you anyway. He'll come to his senses."

Well, clearly Crowley wasn't going to get his wish tonight.

"Apparently he still hasn't come to his senses yet," another voice surmised. "Neither of them have."

"The pure Aziraphale still has his heavenly host. Why does he want a pathetic detestable like you? You hold him back"

"It's just so asinine, ain't it?" a new female voice groused.

Fuck, where did all these assholes come from?

"You fell, demon. You're a sinner. You should stay with your own kind, lad." This new voice was so hot could easily breathe fire.

"Thank you for your opinion," Crowley said conversationally

He had to maintain control over the situation so he took another sip of liquor. In this circumstance, it was the best he could do.

He didn't want to react just yet. Crowley told himself that he had time to relax. For just a little bit longer.

"You are so fucking pathetic," a voice literally growled.

That did it.

It was if he had just been struck against his face.

Him? Pathetic?

Crowley really didn't agree with that accusation

"Pathetic, am I?" he snarled.

What swept through him right then was just like a clap of thunder. And without a doubt the lightning would appear soon.

He finished what remained of his scotch in one gulp and slammed the shot glass down on the table so hard he knew that he had left a crack in the glass.

"What's it to you if I want to be friends with an angel?" his voice boomed.

To their credit, the voices instantly shut up.

In that particular moment, everyone in that room knew that the most terrifying thing was to see him angry so it was more than reasonable to be quiet.

"I am Anthony J. Crowley and I will do exactly as I fucking please!"

He slapped his chest with every word.

But he wasn't finished yet. These undesirables probably wanted a confession of some sort. So, he decided to put on a bit of a show

"I mean, don't you think that I have a plan? Maybe that there is a reason that I want to befriend an angel...and we do enjoy have a rather close bond."

He began to laugh softly.

"I mean, he doesn't suspect a thing."

Crowley knew that there wasn't a damned thing to confess. They were in reality we just friends and he of course would do his damndest not to betray him. But, these assholes didn't know that, They didn't know anything about anything least of all about them.

The voices stopped just for a moment.

All Crowley could hear was the pounding of his heart and his ragged breath as he waited for their response. If there was any response forthcoming.

"I am powerful. I have free will." Crowley splayed his hand over his chest. "A far greater being than you. So, fuck off, would ya?"

The voices then disappeared and it was quiet once again. Fucking finally.

They had fled just like that. The fucking cowards

He just felt so gleeful and triumphant that he just started laughing and at he didn't know when he would stop or even if he could.

Perhaps he was finally insane or perhaps it was merely a release of tension he was maybe it had been his own brain cracking up. Oh well it had been a rough couple of decades. Centuries even.

Still knew that Aziraphale would still waiting for him. He knew that he wouldn't abandon him. He couldn't.

They had a deep friendship and that was the end of it. It was near eternal by now

No wonder other beings wanted to destroy it. There had been enough symptoms of that. And, noticed getting more aggressive and desperate that they were getting stronger

But, the most important thing was not to let them stay in his life. It was miserable enough as it was.

However, Crowley had won the battle. Saucily, he sauntered across the floor.

He was a master of his own universe, and his rules were ultimate And, no one should ever forget it.

The demon regarded the broken shot glass and walked away. What he should be doing instead of drinking alone was to leave and find his best friend.

But, he wondered if perhaps it was too late. The angel was most likely under his quilts and probably sound asleep.

He well knew that Aziraphale was an early riser.

Oh, but he was sure that he could wait in his kitchen until he woke up. Crowley really didn't sleep much anyway

But, to Crowley's surprise, when he arrived in Aziraphale's kitchen, the angel himself was sitting at the old table with a half a mug of cooling tea in front of him.

At his approach, the angel looked up and instantly though rather clumsily got to his feet.

"You're here!" he exclaimed

"Yup. It's odd that you're still up," Crowley said blandly

Merely a simple observation to gain more information.

"I had bad dreams," Aziraphale confessed.

"About what?" the demon asked.

The angel pointed in his general direction.

"I was worried something had happened to you, and I...jut couldn't get back to sleep. So, I made some tea to steady my nerves."

The tea cup was slightly shaking in his hand. Crowley could noticed a slight wobble

In reality, Crowley was relieved that Aziraphale wasn't hurt. He never would would want him to endanger himself over his messes.

"Oh, your poor thing," said softly

In truth, Crowley just wanted to hug him.

And that definitely wasn't a lie.

[celeste-hiro]

Big Celestia/Chihiro/Celeshiro headcanon post:

Wanted to compile a bunch of my headcanons here:

Celeste:

Starts off cold towards the class as in canon, but warms up to them. Becomes fiercly protective of them since they'rw her only friends

If she catches people bullying Toko, Chihiro, Taka, Hifumi, Makoto, etc she will retaliate

Is trying to come off super cool but is actually incredibly awkward. Most of the class still think she is cool after bedriending her

Extremely eager to show off her knowledge about her interests. Will just infodump on whoever is willing to listen.

Cries a lot in secret

Very insecure about her body and appearance

Also insecure about her interests that aren't gambling and European culture. Only Chihiro, Hifumi, Makoto, and Kyoko know she's into things like manga and video games. The rest suspect she's secretly a nerd.

Speaking of also prone to gamer rage and she's very thankful the dorms are sound proof

Secretly a My Little Pony fan. Only Chihiro knows because they made a joke while they were hanging out once about her name and noticed her panic. She took her first name from Princess Celestia. Also why she calls the others darling after befriending them.

If Byakuya's not around she'll be one of the first to offer to pay. She is bad at showing how much she values the others so she compensates with paying for meals or tickets to places

Basically kind of a bitchy Rarity once she has gotten over herself and connected with everyone.

Sews her own clothes, and eventually starts making clothes for the others with a discount on comissions

Gets roped into the obligatory D&D episode by Hifumi

Comes from a family that lived in poverty, got bullied as a kid as a result

Part of the bullying was being called a loser over and over again

Why she ends up being one of the first to stick up for the others

Has learned some self-defense to protect herself since she spends a lot of time illegally gambling

While she does drop more and more of her persona as time goes on, and is more authentic with everyone she still prefers the Celestia name and fancy clothing. They help her feel comfortable in her own skin.

She's only really comfortable using Taeko with the rest of Class 78, and even then not when they're out in public

Absolutely unable to cook well

Will start arguments with Byakuya, Leon, and/or Mondo for the fun of it.

Her and Makoto kinda confide in each other about how they feel like fakes next to everyone else.

She has read every single one of Toko"s books multiple times.

Ocassionally she will correct Hifumi when he gets something wrong about an anime and whistle innocently when people are stunned she knew that.

Makes the time to go to events the others are doing like Sayaka's concerts or Hina's swim meets.

Once she went with Hifumi to help sell his doujins. Ended up with Hifumi punching a guy in the face for creeping on her.

Sakura and Mondo also worry about her going to seedy parts of town to gamble and have discreetly followed her to make sure she's safe

She enjoys challenging Kyoko to various cars games

She also ends up enjoying discussing history with Taka

While at first she really hated Yasuhiro she did end up finding he could have surprisingly good advice from time to time.

Chihiro:

Trans girl. I accept any hcs on their gender. For me personally I just see them as a trans girl who compensated by trying to fit into a mold of manliness before realizing and accepting her identity.

She still likes to work out and try to get stronger.

Into making mods for video games

Has been into just about every embarassing fandom at one point or another. Superwholock, Homestuck, Undeetale, MLP, Steven Universe. She was overjoyed when she found out Celeste was too.

She will also haplily offer to pay for the others when Byakuya's not around. Her programming skills have made her a good amount of money, placing her just behind Celeste's wealth and 3rd highest overall

Also can not cook at all

Has a terrible sleep schedule, will need coffee as soon as she wakes up

While she identifies she/her she still doesn't have many feminine typical interests beyond the clothing.

Bottles up frustrations and anger, lets it out online in arguments.

Genuinely admires all of her classmates

Besides Makoto she is the most popular person in her class

Cries a lot too, but openly

She has written a program for each classmate that helps with their talent in some way

Celeshiro:

They kept it a secret for a long time

While keeping it a secret everyone thought they were just crushing on each other and kept trying to get them together

They kept playing it off pretending not to get it

Kyoko knew from the start

When they finally let the others know it was after they had an argument that was their first big argument.

They like spending a lot of time together in their dorms watching movies/tv, playing games together, being affectionate, and talking a lot

Because they both have a lot of hang ups they end up comforting one another a lot.

Said this before but Celeste ended up trauma dumping on the first date.

Celeste also had a panic attack prior to the date

In general even though it seems like Celeste is the cool mature one, Chihiro is the one that's more mature

Chihiro is drawn to Celeste because she thinks she is cool, that she is protective, and admires her willpower

Celeste is drawn to Chihiro because she loves her optimisim and friendliness. That she is not judgmental, and is always willing to listen to her ramblings

After they reveal their relationship they get a lot more affectionate in public

Chihiro also basically moves into Celeste's room.

Because Celeste forgets to lock her door a lot, they have been walked in on by every single one of their classmates at least once

They get married pretty quickly after graduating

While they don't really want to have kids the old fashioned way, they do get very adoption happy and they tend to spoil the kids. They might even run a foster home

Among them is Kokichi who Celeste likes to playfully have compete against Kyoko's protege Shuichi

Kyoko nor Chihiro even realize there's supposed to be a rivalry going on

Chihiro and Celeste are very cuddly. They find it difficult to get to sleep without touching the other in some way

Celeste makes Chihiro clothes for free

Because neither of them can cook they order take out a lot.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Hugo (2011)

Martin Scorsese is not known for his family films. You associate the name with gritty crime stories. So what drew him to Hugo? Perhaps he wanted to try something different? On top of being suitable for the whole family, the picture makes impressive use of 3D and special effects. If you’ve seen Hugo the whole way through, you’ll know why. I suspect Scorsese connected to this story on a deeply personal level.

In 1931 Paris, 12-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) maintains the clocks at Gare Montparnasse railway station. His alcoholic uncle Claude officially does the work but he’s been gone for months and as long as the machines keep the time, Station Inspector Gustave Dasté (Sacha Baron Cohen) won't ask any questions. This means Hugo is free to focus on the automaton he and his father were repairing before he became orphaned. Hugo keeps to himself, occasionally stealing parts from a toy store owner, Georges (Ben Kingsley). After he is caught and his book on the automaton is confiscated, Hugo befriends the toy maker’s goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz). He hopes she can help him get his book back.

There’s no way you can guess where this movie is going. The surprises along the way are a big part of the fun and the screenplay by John Logan (based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick) is in no hurry to get to its big reveals. As Hugo goes about his day, we meet all the characters who frequent the station. Richard Griffiths plays a man pining for a dog owner (played by Frances de la Tour) whose pooch can’t stand him. Shy Inspector Dasté wants to approach a beautiful flower saleslady (Emily Mortimer) but is embarrassed by an old war injury. Christopher Lee plays the owner of a book store who probably knows more than he lets on, Papa Georges is hiding something from Isabelle. And then there’s the automaton Hugo is repairing. How is it tied to his father? There’s enough going on with these characters that it doesn't matter if you don't know where the plot is going. You’re having a great time simply getting to know them, admiring the performances (Moretz does a flawless accent) and enjoying Scorsese's direction. Check out the way the camera moves down chutes, through crowds and then into the secret openings into Hugo’s home or the breathtaking shots of a long-gone Paris.

Ultimately, this is a small, personal story. The world’s fate does not rest in the hands of Hugo. The secrets we uncover deal with very human tragedies but it’s shot like all of reality hinges on the lonely boy finding a friend. After Hugo is over, you remember specific shots, specific characters and the emotions you felt while watching them. These would attract any director but I suspect Scorsese wanted this project specifically because the film contains numerous references to specific events in the history of cinema. We see a clip of Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! and the film’s most iconic shot is re-imagined later on. The Montparnasse derailment of 1895 is reimagined and Scorsese gives us to opportunity to relive the shocked reaction audiences would’ve had while viewing “L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat” - that famous shot of a train coming towards the camera that supposedly had audiences falling out of their seats in terror - by shooting it in 3D - literally having the train come right towards the screen and frighten us. There are many other references to the history of cinema throughout. If you love movies, you’ll get an extra kick out of these scenes.

Hugo is moving, warm, romantic, tragic and exciting. It goes in unexpected directions and the surprises make the movie feel big while also keeping it small and intimate. The performances are excellent, the characters fully realized. The only mark against it comes from the presentation. This movie is meant to be seen on the big screen and in 3D. Few people will be able to see it that way now. If that’s the only flaw you can find in a movie, it's doing a lot of things right. (On Blu-ray, September 25, 2020)

[yeehawbvby]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 45

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: Time for that cute date with Magnus! :^)

Author’s Note: I was gonna release this chapter either tomorrow or next Wednesday, but here it is early, as a little Halloween Spirit's Eve present!! (Totally beating myself up rn for not lining up the Spirit's Eve chapter to come out today.. ough)

Anyway, there's a lotta RomRas referenced in the first half of this one! It’s pure, cavity-inducing fluff >:3 And some sillies, because of course there is.

I hope y’all enjoy it, take care, and happy Halloween! x

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

After freshening up in Magnus’ restroom, I jog back downstairs to the main floor, where he’s patiently waiting for me to head out.

After I slip on my shoes, he takes both of my hands in his, calmly stroking my knuckles with his thumbs. “Ready?” 

I hum my affirmation, nodding and smiling at the handsome wizard in front of me. As per usual when I’m being teleported, I close my eyes, saving myself from any potential freak-outs. I’m curious to know what it looks like to teleport, but today isn’t that day… Or tomorrow. Baby steps, (y/n).

I realize we must be at our destination when I feel a soft breeze against my cheeks and hear the sounds of nature.

The air smells fresh and crisp, and as Magnus steps aside and I open my lids, I’m met with a beautiful, serene forest, like something out of a fairytale. The pine trees directly ahead of us are coated in green moss and beige fungi, and as my eyes scan upward, I notice that there’s a vast cliff behind them, with more woodland up top.

As my gaze pans right, I see a waterfall that drops onto a small, elevated piece of land before creating a new and thicker cascade just below it. There’s a pale rainbow forming around the foam at the bottom, making every straying droplet look like glitter bouncing through the air. The crystal-clear water of the river it flows into shines iridescently under the sunlight, and as I turn around to follow its path, I realize it’s all gathering into a vast lake full of fish I’d never known existed. Some are purple, with pointy pink fins; others teal, with what looks like small rubies and emeralds and sapphires embedded into their scales. 

Completing my full circle, I peek behind Magnus, noticing a similar pattern to what I’d already seen: a long and wavy river, waterfalls, and trees galore. When I finally look back up to him, he’s peering down at me. His cheeks are pink but his eyes stay maroon, and he has that cozy, lovestruck gaze he usually does when looking my way. 

“Where are we?“ My voice comes out quiet, as if speaking any louder would somehow disrupt the peace.

“Grenville Falls,” he answers. “A forest of magical origin that lies far from civilization, and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever come across in my travels.” I guess that explains why it’s so serene here. Humans haven’t been around to taint it yet. “Until now, most of the magic we’ve discussed has been almost purely pragmatic.”

“Almost.” I give him a shit-eating smirk.

My brother in Yoba is seriously trying to pull the “Magic must be used responsibly!!!” bullshit after casting spells on me for his own horny entertainment on several occasions. Magnus laughs before looking around at the grove we're standing in.

“Buuut,” he pointedly continues, “we’ve only barely touched on the simpler joys that magic can bring.” He turns back to me and laces our fingers together, a soft grin slightly plumping the warm apples of his cheeks. “I realize that, spiritual interference or not, it must have been hard to befriend me – let alone begin seeing me romantically – given how suspect our first interactions must have made me seem, alongside how out of touch I am in current social practices.”

Oh. So he really had almost no idea that I was unwillingly swooning right off the bat? I thought he’d read my mind plenty back then… maybe it was less than I’d assumed. 

I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. Maybe he knows now, if anything – and if not, I could always just tell him when he’s not, like, pouring his entire heart out to me.

Magnus continues, “And yet you took the trouble to give me a chance, my dear, in spite of all that stood in our way. You’re so incredibly precious to me, and I wanted to give you even a sliver of the joy that you’ve brought into my life. So,” he sighs, reaching into his shirt pocket, “Although I don’t have a bouquet, as per tradition with the humans of the Valley, I thought you deserved to be properly and officially courted.” Magnus pulls out a fucking ring, and upon seeing the whites of my eyes, he chuckles. “I promise, this is not a marriage proposal.”

“Oh thank god.” I breathe out a nervous laugh, my right palm resting over my heart.

“But I am asking if you’d do me the honors of being my… girlfriend?” Magnus looks off to the side briefly, tilting his head as his eyes pinken. “I’ve always preferred the term ‘partner,’ but I’m not sure how common of a label that is in these times.” He shrugs, bringing his gaze back to mine, and beaming with again-maroon eyes upon seeing me enthusiastically and vigorously nodding my head. 

“‘Partner’ is fine, I like ‘partner,’“ I squeak out. My cheeks are on fire, I can’t tell if it’s more from the thick blush coating them or from smiling so wide. 

I jump to koala myself onto Magnus, unable to resist pecking his cheek and burying my face into his neck before accepting his gift. As always with physical contact, he barely needs time to think as he wraps his arms around me for support, one hand resting on my lower spine and the other against the back of my hair.

“I honestly didn’t think you were gonna ask,” my mumbles muffle into his collar. “I just assumed it was some sorta elemental tradition for sex to solidify a relationship, or something.”

“That is true in many cases, actually,” he confirms, setting me back on my feet. “Luckily, we more mindful beings have a say in the matter.” 

Now that I’m not frazzled by what seemed like an engagement waiting to happen, I can actually look at the ring – which Magnus had looped onto his pinky for safe keeping during our embrace – up close. It’s fucking gorgeous, oh my god. A small moss agate is clasped against a gold band, and the bits holding the stone in place look like thin vines. Seems almost too delicate to wear.

Holding the ring between his left thumb and forefinger, he says, “That necklace Lady Welwick gifted you is an artifact imbued with her clairvoyant magic to aid your clairvoyant magic, generally speaking. But artifacts can be made to assist you in any aspect of magic, or of life itself, really.” Bringing his right hand up to his right earring – with his usual long, red ones adorning both ears – he explains, “These are similar, in that they provide a defense I don’t normally have. Although young for my kind, I’m still… er. I am an old man.” 

My lips twitch as I attempt to hide a smirk. Magnus notices and chuckles.

He shushes me teasingly before continuing, “I don’t have the same oomph in me that I used to, so I wear these to keep myself safer in case anything should go awry. The rings I often wear serve a similar purpose — but those, I change to accommodate what is on my schedule each day.”

I nod in understanding, eyes wide with intrigue as Magnus brings his hand down to match his left. 

“I conjured this with the same purpose as my earrings. I’ve yet to teach you defensive or combat magic, and while you may hopefully never be put in such a way that someone or something could threaten your well-being, this will offer a veil of protection, as well as invigorate you once you’re able to arcanely fend for yourself.”

“That’s so cool,” I mutter. “Thank you, Magnus,” I smile up at him. Swooning completely. “I love it, it’s perfect.”

“It’s the least I could do for you, my love,” he offers, his expression mirroring mine. He then asks, presenting an upturned palm to me. “May I?”

I nod, opting to place my right hand in his. Rather than looking down at our hands, I keep observing him:

The way he mutters something about hoping it fits under his breath.

The soft squint in his eyes.

The way his bottom lip rests subtly beneath his top teeth.

How his almost nervous expression turns into a bright grin as the ring is slipped on in a flawless fit. That familiar spark I experienced when putting on my necklace for the first time buzzes through my newly-accessorized digit, but I ignore it in favor of watching Magnus for just a bit longer.

Happy, dense crows feet form at the corners of his eyes as he pans them up to mine, before they widen slightly, his irises turning rosy as he notices that I’m staring. I simply smile up at him. The crinkles next to his eyes come back and he chuckles, taking my cheeks in his hands before leaning way down to softly plant a kiss on my forehead, and then my lips.

I giggle out of our smooch.

“What?”

“This feels like an actual proposal, honestly.”

His brows furrow. “Did I do too much?”

I get back on my tippy toes and pull him back down to me before he’s out of reach, whispering, “No way,” before stealing his lips again.

_______________

After all the cheesy stuff, Magnus summoned us a picnic! It took him a bit, and I needed to lend him some mana as he had to teleport it all from storage at home, but he managed. The blanket he brought for us to sit on has a purple gingham pattern, and the food and drinks were rested within a stereotypically tan, woven picnic basket. 

Encased within the basket was a large bottle of cherry wine, a few empty cups, and some snacks. Mostly charcuterie-type things, like cheeses, fruits, and sliced meats, but he included some raw veggies and a few dips for ‘em as well. When I asked about the extra cups, Magnus said that the water here is perfectly safe for drinking, and that he added those so we wouldn’t need to mix the water and wine at all.

As soon as he told me that, I grabbed a cup and rushed over to the river. I’ve never had fresh water like this before – and holy fuck, it was so nice. Never tasted anything like it.

Fast-forwarding to right now, we’re laying side-by-side, lazily snacking on the few crackers and apple slices that are left. Both feeling all silly and happy and wine-drunk. About halfway through the bottle’s contents, we abandoned our cups in favor of occasionally passing the glass vessel back and forth to each other.

Speaking of which, now seems like a good time to top myself up!

I lean up onto my elbows and grab the bottle by its neck, chugging a few gulps back. Magnus, who’s peacefully lying still with red cheeks and closed eyes, startles a bit when I tap his arm with the bottle. I smile down at him. 

“Sorry,” I giggle, “want more?”

He nods, then shuts his eyes again. “Feed it to me.”

My giggle turns into an ugly snort-laugh. “Why?” 

“I’m sooo comfortable, (y/n)…”

“Too bad! It’s dangerous t’drink laying down.”

Magnus rebuttals, “I love danger.”

“Why are you lying?” 

“Who, me?” He opens just one eye, smugly smiling up at me. 

“Don’t play dumb.”

“To think my beloved partner would accuse me of such a horrible thing…” he trails off, sighing dramatically while closing his eye again.

I know Magnus is only teasing, but I still pout with furrowed brows. What a little shit! It’s at least nice to learn that he’s a coherent drunk, instead of the bumbling mess I am.

“Y’know what? Fine!” 

I take a little wine in my mouth, then lean down, meeting Magnus with my lips against his. A surprised hum escapes him, but he melts into the kiss regardless. I stay still, so as to not blow my own cover (this would totally blow it easily in most cases, but right now, he doesn’t seem to notice). Finally, the moment Magnus’ lips part, I let the wine trickle onto his tongue. It’s barely even half of a sip, so it should be safe enough.

Another startled noise emits from the wizard’s throat, but he quickly adapts, swallowing the wine before bringing a large palm to the back of my head. Kissing me harder and deeper. Catching me off-guard. Oh boy.

I put a palm against his chest to steady myself, feeling my already-toasty cheeks heating up some more when he adds tongue. Noticing that my lower half is heating up too, I pull away, rolling over to lay on Magnus’ belly. It would feel wrong to do The Sex in such a seemingly sacred place. 

My head jostles as Magnus sighs contentedly, and I turn onto my side to look at him. 

“You’re s’handsome…” I murmur, reaching over to trace his jaw.

He raises his head a smidge to meet my gaze. The little bit of a double-chin this gives him is adorable. Makes me laugh. After a lazy smile, he lies flat again. As he moves, he reaches a hand to my hair and begins running his fingers through it, occasionally soothing my scalp with some light scratches. I hum, thoroughly enjoying how it feels.

Magnus sighs again, then dreamily murmurs, “It’s truly remarkable how lucky I’ve gotten meeting you.”

Smiling, I shake my head. “It’s more—“ I swallow back a small hiccup, “S’more fate than luck, no?”

“I suppose, but it feels lucky, nonetheless.”

I pop the last bit of apple into my mouth before letting myself relax into his touch. After a few moments of thought, I wonder out loud, “What kinda hobbies do y’have other than magic?”

Magnus doesn’t respond right away, but knowing how little time he has for things not magicky, I don’t rush him. 

“I’m not so sure, honestly…” he eventually answers. It comes out quiet, almost whispered. “Gardening, I suppose, although that is often tied to my magic in some way.” 

I frown, then suggest, “So let’s figure something out together.”

He peers down at me. “Anime,” he announces determinedly.

“Wh-“ I cut myself off to laugh, “What?!”

“I would like t’watch anime.”

Maybe it’s the booze, but I hug my tummy as I roll to lay on my side, curling in on myself with giggles. I almost knock the wine over, and Magnus quietly tuts at my clumsiness.

“Why don’t we start you off with manga instead?,” I suggest once I’ve relaxed. “Might like it better.”

“Manga?”

“Anime, but in book form.”

“Oh, that sounds splendid!”

“You read it backwards, just so you know. It’s usually published in Gotoroan, an’ translated for distribution elsewhere.” I emphasize the last two words with a vague wave of my hand.

“I can do that.”

I close my eyes for a few moments, the conversation coming to an abrupt end by my spinning head. “Is there a spell t’cure drunkenness?”

“I don’t believe so.”

I groan, rolling some more to nuzzle my face into Magnus’ chest. 

“Although,” he adds, “a cheeky dip over there might help us sober up.”

“What about the fish?”

He snorts. “Why would they care?”

…Y’know. I was worried, at first, about the potential danger of swimming with these funky lookin’ fish. But something about how candidly Magnus responded convinced me that I should’ve been more worried about the critters’ opinions. 

And you know what? He’s sooo right! Why would they care? Why should I care?!

I flop off of Magnus, laying flat against the blanket for a moment. He stumbles onto his feet, then assists me in doing the same, before beginning to strip. 

My mouth falls open, a little bewildered. For some reason I thought he’d conjure up swimsuits, or that we’d swim in our underwear, or something like that. Promptly, I begin lifting my sweater over my head. 

I observe, “We’re raw dogging this lake, huh?” The chilly air gives my skin goose bumps, but I don’t mind, given how much alcohol raises my temp.

“What are we ‘dogging?’”

I snort. “Oh. Slang.”

“For what?” he asks, stepping out of his boxers. He stumbles a bit and I hold his arms to stabilize him. Shamelessly give him a once-over, too. 

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

“I’m very old, (y/n).”

“Not old enough!” 

Seeing me struggle out of my skirt, Magnus offers the same assistance I gave him. Then, he glares at me. Silently, but not even telepathically, telling me he’s gotta know. Sighing and remembering his yearn to be hip and cool, I give in.

“Fine. Sex. But like, without protection or whatever.”

“Ah… we are indeed raw dogging this lake!” 

I chuckle at his enthusiasm. “Hell yeah we are!”

He holds his hand out to me, and practically drags me with him upon contact. I stumble a bit, then jog, wanting to match his pace. Don’t have the time or coordination at the moment to hold my boobs in place, which has me feeling a little self-conscious…

The water shocks me out of any negative thoughts though.

“Holy shit, s’freezing!” I strengthen my hold on Magnus as if it’ll steady my shivers. 

“It’s not that bad.” His teeth are chattering. 

“Liar.” I splash him with my free hand. He lets out a tiny yelp and tries to pull away, but I keep my grip firm, attempting to hit him with a few more watery snipes. 

“Oh, if it’s a war you want, so be it!” 

“What?”

“Hold your breath,” he warns before promptly yanking me down.

I scream out bubbles, laughing in delirium due to both the sudden change in temperature and Magnus’ own distorted under-water laughter. After a short moment of observing how ethereal he looks — his purple hair floating around him, the sparkle of his pale gray skin being tinted blue, the otherworldly fish circling around us — I shake my hand free and promptly bring myself back up to the surface. He follows my lead. 

“Damn it,” I continue to giggle, repositioning my wet hair out of my face. Swiping some water from my eyelashes, I once again mentally thank Yoba for waterproof makeup. “So cold…”

“This seems to be doing the trick though, wouldn’t you agree?”

Unfortunately, he’s right. I feel surprisingly more level-headed now than when I was laying on him in a wine-driven stupor. “Yeah, yeah…” 

I look around, admiring the beauty of our surroundings again, now from a different angle. I don’t notice anything new, but it’s still just as pretty, nonetheless. 

Feeling something tickling my ankle, I look down into the water, watching as a sparkly blue fish swims around me. I giggle. 

“Hey buddy,” I murmur, reaching down to try and stroke its scales. The movement scares it away, though. “Aw, man.”

“‘Twas a good effort.”

I meet Magnus’ fond gaze and furrow my eyebrows. “Not good enough.”

“Maybe someday.”

I sigh. “What are these fish, anyway?”

My partner shrugs. “Many are your typical river fish, such as carp or bass, whose forms have been altered due to the magical properties of the area.”

“Huh,” I grin, returning my gaze to the fish that swim a mere few feet away from us. “That’s sick.” I look back up at Magnus, quickly diverting my attention again when I notice the dreamy stare he’s still boring into me. My cheeks heat up, warming my whole body a little, as if I’m not skinny dipping in an almost freezing-cold river.

Then, my mind ruins the moment — as it typically does — suddenly drifting to my fish friend’s scales, then back to the weird note I received earlier. 

“Can these fish’s scales be made into ink, or something?”

“Perhaps.” With a brow furrow and head tilt, he asks, “Why do you ask?”

“Um…” I think for a moment.

Do I tell him? Well, I suppose there’s no backing out now, really. He’s looking at me so expectantly, and he could read my mind if I were to lie too poorly. 

“I got this letter earlier,” I go on, “and the ink looked really similar to that blue fella that was here before, right down to the way it shimmers. Never seen anything like it.”

Magnus frowns. “I hope it hasn’t come from one of them.” 

A particularly small fish swims closely by the old wizard, this one a vibrant purple. It almost matches his hair. He reaches a gentle hand towards it, and it doesn’t back away, unlike the blue fish who graced me a moment ago. Lucky… 

“It’s been a mutual decision between the Ministry and First Slash that places such as this remain unscathed.” He peers back up at me, letting the guppy move on. “Who was its sender?”

I shrug. “Didn’t have a name or return address. I didn’t feel any energy from it, either.”

He hums in thought. “I’ll take a look, if you don’t mind the intrusion. Maybe I can discern who or what it’s from.”

I offer a small salute. “You got it, boss.” Then, I sniffle. It’s super boogery. I better not be getting sick from this…

“Let’s get you out of here,” my partner prompts, noticing my… goopy state.

Magnus wades over to me, reaching out a hand. I’m surprised it’s so warm as I clasp mine into it, and take advantage of his body heat, looping my arm through his and pressing my bare body closer as he guides us to the shore.

“We’ll head back once you're warm and dry, alright?”

I grin up at him. “Sounds good to me.”

[ablatheringblatherskite]

okay but Tyler is definitely a Disney princess actually. Like I bet he befriends animals all the time, even when he isn't trying to, and they're just DRAWN to him (Hyde meanwhile is the complete opposite when animals see him they RUN)

(maybe Donovan once suspected Tyler was a summoner like Eugene but eventually realized no he's just normal weird when it comes to that)

Literally I'm just imaging Tyler chilling in Jericho with Wednesday, Enid and Ajax and stray cats just come up to him. And he doesn't know why. He feeds them a little of his sandwich but they are drawn to HIM and Enid very much enjoying the spectacle he's making.

Or he's trying to get rid of some raccoons invading the trash cans and they LIKE HIM TOO MUCH

he'd also totally befriend like. deers. and cows. or something. and I just know that he has a very close relationship with Elvis. And ofc Kitty Kat the lion and Aristotle the octopus and even Morticia's plants won't be immune to his Disney princess charms. And he doesn't even mean to do it, it just HAPPENS. Because ofc it does.

[villain-in-love]

Messy headcanon collection for Jamil/Prefect relationship

⬩ It’s calculated genius x chaotic genius duo. In other words, classic INTJ X INTP couple.

⬩ Katarina is absolutely smitten, and Jamil doesn’t know how to deal with it.

⬩ At this point it’s hard to tell which one of them is the bad influence. The correct answer is both – they are full of spite and only enable each other.

⬩ Both Jamil and Katarina are lowkey two-faced, putting up a friendly façade for their own benefit when in reality they are much meaner. When left alone together, though, they can be as honest and sassy as they want, complaining about the shared struggle of being surrounded by idiots.

⬩ The relationship that started with scheming, deception, and double-crossing, but I guess that’s just how life in the Night Raven College is…

⬩ Apparently, plotting against each other really brings people together.

⬩ Jamil was rightfully baffled when after all the trouble he put her through during winter holidays Katarina not only didn’t start hating him, but instead started to actively express interest in him, as if he wasn’t a traitor and a villain in this situation.

⬩ He asked her about this bizarre reaction, to which Katarina replied that she was only mad about him dragging her into his scheme without her consent and locking her up in Scarabia, but she already avenged herself by demolishing his plan, putting the trio from Octavinelle against him, and beating him up in his overblot. She couldn’t care less about him betraying Kalim’s and everyone else’s trust, along with using mind control on people.

⬩ Jamil started to suspect that she might have a few screws loose.

⬩ In any case, he’s in conflicted feelings – Katarina is one of the very few people whose company he actually enjoys, and he started respecting her more after she managed to destroy his plans and defeat him. On the other hand… she managed to destroy his plans and defeat him, and you can imagine what kind of damage it did to his ego. Not to mention, now that he knows that Katarina can be almost as cunning as he is, Jamil couldn’t help but trust her less. Plus being a direct target of her attention makes him anxious.

⬩ Being the only girl in all boy school is awkward enough, but can you guess what’s even more awkward? Being the guy with whom the only girl in school is in love with.

⬩ That’s one of the reasons why Jamil later insisted on their relationship being if not secret, then at least not as obvious to public.

⬩ But seriously, Chapter 4 turned out to be kinda hilarious in a way that when Katarina got stuck in Scarabia as a part of Jamil’s scheme, her thought process was like “I like spending time with Jamil, but why do I have the feeling that he’s screwing with me in some way?”. And when she escapes just to come back with Octatrio and their counterplan, this feeling starts to become reciprocated, because now it’s Jamil’s turn to think that, on the one hand, he likes spending time with her, but it feels like something is clearly wrong and the situation is rapidly getting out of his control.

⬩ Katarina befriended Kalim solely for the purpose of having more excuses to hang out with Jamil (Also because having a kind and dumb friend who is ridiculously rich is very convenient).

⬩ Only by the end of the first year Jamil finally admitted that he sees Katarina as a friend, which is a great achievement in itself, because Jamil barely considers anyone at Night Raven College to be his friend. In any case, he decided that he does not want to think of it as anything more at that moment.

⬩ The romantic tension between them was obvious for a while and watching them beat around the bush for two years was lowkey insufferable. It wouldn’t have happened any other way – even if they had feelings for each other, Katarina and Jamil are the type of people who prefer to form a proper friendship and trust first, instead of acting on emotions and getting into relationship with someone they don’t fully know.

⬩ Fun fact: while she’s not at fault for what happened and nobody knows about it, but Katarina actually personally added fuel to the fire by commenting one time that she sees Jamil as much better candidate to the Scarabia's housewarden position than Kalim. Which only served to convince Jamil further that what he’s doing was a good idea.

⬩ Because Jamil is perceptive, and Katarina isn’t actively trying to hide her feelings anyway, he quickly realised just what kind of influence he holds, and so he became the most insufferable (affectionately) tease on earth. He enjoys the indescribable look on Prefect’s face when he casually compliments her in some way or gets too close. Good job, Viper, Katarina.exe stopped working and we’re not even sure she’s breathing… And Jamil is terribly proud of himself. Yes, he started doing this even before they became an “official” couple because it’s fun.

⬩ Truth be told, it stopped working like it used to after the confession. Not that he can’t get her stunned or flustered anymore, but this reaction had a lot to do with the fact that Katarina just didn’t know what would be an appropriate response to what Jamil's actions. Now, when she knows for sure that he loves her, she just outright pounces on him whenever he shows her affection (because such thing causes her to become affectionate in response). Jamil might give her a soft kiss on the cheek, and a few moments later he’s pinned against the wall with Katarina showing her tongue down his throat. Now Jamil is the one who is dazed and flustered. Whatever shallow complains he has about it – they are not genuine.

⬩ Jamil gets embarrassed and might play a tsundere when Katarina is being affectionate towards him, but really, Jamil is very needy for her love and attention, he needs it to function properly. However, this couple generally dislikes pda or overall making their relationship too obvious in public, mostly preferring to keep it all behind closed doors.

⬩ When meeting in public they usually greet each other by casually bumping into each other, shoulder to shoulder, as if letting the other know “Hey, I’m here, I’m with you”.

⬩ From time to time, Jamil comes to the Ramshackle when he gets too tired of Kalim and the liveliness of Scarabia dorm. But more often than not Katarina and Jamil prefer to hang out in Scarabia and in Jamil’s room, as it’s generally cosier there.

⬩ While another of Kalim's parties is raging in Scarabia’s dorm, Jamil and Katarina can often be found aside from the crowd and the noise, drinking tea with sweets and talking somewhere by the window. That’s their definition of fun, so please, don’t interrupt.

⬩ Seriously, interrupt their alone time and they will be ready to kill you.

⬩ Who kills a bug in this relationship? Fucking no one, they both scramble away from the damn thing to hide on top of the cupboard, throwing shoes at it. If it doesn’t work and the bug is still alive, then someone would have to stop Jamil from setting the room on fire.

⬩ Spiders are the exception, though, at least for Katarina. When Jamil and the others were staying at her dorm in preparation to VDC, Katarina and Jamil argued a lot over spiders that live everywhere in the Ramshackle. Katarina insists that spiders are "friends" and can stay, while Jamil wants these hell spawns out of the damn house, the fact that they are not technically insects means nothing, he doesn't buy the idea that another pair of legs makes them better in some way.

⬩ Jamil: Do you even eat anything besides chocolate and apples?

   Katarina: *awkwardly looks away*

   Jamil: …now, I really don’t like this response.

   Later:

   Jamil, opening Katarina’s fridge: WHAT KIND OF BARCELOR’S FRIDGE IS THAT?! HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE WITH THIS DIET?

⬩ She didn’t want to tell him about not eating properly because he already works too much, but now Jamil knows and he’s lowkey horrified. They just agreed that whatever he’s cooking for himself or Kalim for lunch, he can just make an extra portion for her.

⬩ They are each other’s consultants when it comes to scheming and strategies. More often than not it’s Jamil who ends up helping Katarina, usually with predictions of all possible obstacles and outcomes, while Jamil himself is generally more secretive, especially when it comes to his schemes, but as he grows to trust Katarina more he also starts to ask her for critique of his plans.

⬩ If she has time for that, Katarina might join Jamil when he’s tutoring Kalim on some subject, out of curiosity and convenience (they are still a grade above her). Usually Katarina understands the theme first and then helps Jamil explaining it to Kalim.

⬩ As funny as it sounds, Jamil often holds Katarina’s grudges for her, if that makes sense. Because Katarina is terribly apathetic and hard to offend, while Jamil is… much pettier and vindictive. So if anyone wronged her and her reply is “lol, okay”, then Jamil might take the role of karma and get back at them himself.

⬩ While not exactly identical, their music tastes overlap a lot – generally speaking, they both prefer something dark and intense. It’s kind of their thing to share new songs that they found and think that the other might like, and they often listen to music together, sometimes by sharing earphones.

⬩ It took some time (and some manipulation because she refused at first) to teach Katarina how to dance, but now they can steal the show at every dancefloor. Jamil is lowkey proud of himself for being able to teach her how to dance, and proud of Katarina herself, of course.

⬩ Most of the time they won’t dance in public. If they end up at any sort of event Jamil and Katarina most likely going to stand apart from the crowd and just talk, maybe commenting on what is going on (and judging everyone). But if they see some couple of a prince and a princess, who obviously think that they are the main characters tonight, Jamil and Katarina will be strongly inclined to go on a dancefloor to completely steal the spotlight and make it obvious for everyone how much cooler they are. It’s a villain thing.

[handelplayssims]

You know who forgot about NAPs and it’s Monday? MEEEEE! At this point, I don’t really know what NAPs I want to go with. Pierce and Curtis are all about the social life and Supriya has her active fullfillment. Votes are leaning towards Water Conservation but ehhhhhh. I mean, it’s not as bad as how power conservation would be for this household but we’re still near 30 dollars every day for our water bill. Out of all of the green things to add on, I’m more of a fan of the one that simply encourages everyone to own some solar panels, wind turbines and dew collectors. Mostly because you can just stick them on the roof and be done with them.

And I suddenly realize that Supriya has a day off! I could get work done on her aspiration again! After she enjoys her tunes. Which thankfully, I have an excuse to leave the household thanks to Lazerwolf actually wanting to go on a walk. Nice!

...it is also here that I realize I probably should figure out a cat cafe somewhere because there isn’t any other places for cats to hang out at other than the bar, and I reconfigured that so that the layout doesn’t strike me as one that’s too friendly for cats. But never mind that, we’re off to the dog park! If anywhere would have more dogs for Supriya to befriend, it would be there! After the walk, of course.

I just had Supriya introduce herself and try to get to know any dog that dropped into the park. Any bit will help with being friends with 12 pets at the same time! I did actually find the owner of the dog that Supriya befriended the most, a self-assured mixologist named Ana Cormier. She works at the fancy nightclub in Windenburg at 10 to 6, aka the most hopping time to be there.

Return home, check on Curtis, his want is to bring happiness to others, aka being social but damn it! It’s two hours before bedtime! His other whim is to gain handiness so we could work on that! And so we did. With a knife block sold, we head to bed and thus-

Neighborhood Watch!

Del Sol Valley: The Geiger household has moved in.

Good luck in ultra rich house!

Becket Melvin in the Melvin household has died. Beckett got on the bad side of a rabbit.

Scapula Knogle in the Knogle household has died. Scapula thought she could conquer a mountian, but the mountian conquered her.

...I recognize that name for that is a name you see in passing and go, “yeah that’s a name.” RIP!

This is a bit short so let’s add another day! Pierce is still gloomy from the pressures of capitalism, haven’t cleared off that fear yet. I also set Curtis to at least make some eggs for breakfast for himself. (Mostly because Pierce and Evie had already queued to eat. And Supriya woke up and it’s a work-from-home day for her. And by home, I mean head out to a uni class and then spend a LOT of time writing up an opinion piece on a computer. And so we do the uni class thing, and research on the research machine to take some time up.

Kids have returned from school! Pierce has three hours to chill after his part time job starts up. And of course Evie stays outside long enough for her fear to kick in. Sigh. You know what I say it’s time to pick up? Meditation! Mindfulness! So I set her to do that.

Curits has also returned from work. Whims are to chat with Pierce and to flirt with Roxana, another sim of mine. ...yeah no. Just take your shower and make some dinner and I’ll figure out what to do with you. Pierce returned from his jog I sent to try to pick up his mood all uncomfortable. The outside has TRASH out there! Aka, a very uncomfortable moodlet of something being trashed when he was jogging around. I suspect it’s the overly stinky leaf piles from it being autumn. It immedately went away as soon as he settled in at home so I’m just going to continue with fitness being just an activity he does but not something he dislikes. But! Before he gets sent off to his part-time job, I have a small window of opportunity for him to regain his passion. It didn’t take. He just got a tense moodlet. Alas!

Oh hey! I actually get to see Evie in her fitness outfit since she meditated! I think I only see those on kids when they play basketball so this is nice! Anyway going to set Evie to do her usual thing when scared. Hang around some of the household pets!

But I did rotate control over to Supriya. Still need to find pets to befriend! Oooh, there is her disliked enemy’s pet dog Lady. I could go over to their house and give cuddles and affection to them.

And what do you ya know! They have another...dog?! Foxes can generate when you adopt a pet and I saw one and was immediately like, yes please! She’s Kayla’s specific dog. Anyway, I spotted Lady chewing on a ball so I set Supriya up to train her to train her to play fetch. She picked it up very quick at least! And then it was a matter of getting a few more socials in order to feel the love with this very loyal dog. And then we sent her back home for a munch and then sleep. At least she had no work tomorrow, this staying out until 1:30am just befriending dogs. And everyone else in this household as well...as soon as they do the needs fullfillment tango.

Neighborhood Watch!

Miley Ricks in the Ricks household has died.

Miley went to sleep with the fishes.

Fiorella Navarro in the Navarro household retired from her job as a Cat Video Creator in the Internet Personality career.

[ninjagirlstar5]

YEAH, when you put it like that, it's sad to see that some of the ideas put in Chapter 3 aren't really...followed through on. Like, I enjoyed it for what it is for how silly everyone was in just sharing information with Yuki without thinking, but if you were expecting it to go in a different direction, it's still disappointing to see that it didn't go the way you wanted. That being said, I think you nailed it with the different dynamics in this and how, in the end, this didn't help anyone in the long run. ALSO, YEAH, I SAW TERUYA'S MEMORIZATION SKILLS IN THE TRIAL, I LOVE IT, I LOVE HIM, HE'S SO!!! GOD, I just wish these kinds of skills would be given more highlights like this (something that I do a little bit in my own fics that have Teruya as the one of the main focuses). And the way you write Kizuna is so...SO good. I love her so much.

Anyways, here's my livetweeting, haha. ^^

Ngl, I was completely unaware that Kizuna was RIGHT NEXT TO KINJO in the trial room and when the story made that clear, I went, "Oh God, this is gonna be horrible." It's like how Teruya is seated next to the masterminds in BOTH games and it's like, damn boy, you got some shitty luck right there to be right next to Akane and Mikado. That being said, I always feel like that if DR was in any other format, the characters would physically interact with each other a LOT more due to the lack of limitations that is the sprite work. It's always fun to see them interact with those closest to them in the trial...even if in this case, it's fuckin' Kinjo.

I will say, the format of how you write dialogue can be a bit confusing sometimes, especially when it comes to whose speaking. Unless they have a distinct accent like Teruya's, it can be a little hard to piece together who's saying what unless the reaction feels very obvious and in-character for someone. It doesn't help that sometimes, whenever someone continues to speak with a new sentence, you put it into a new paragraph, which my brain automatically assumes is a new person speaking when that's not the case.

Ah, Teruya...I love you, my silly, stupid boy, but man. Knowing that Kizuna is NOT Kanata's killer while everyone else is more than ready to jump on her due to her past behavior HURTS. It's not as if I don't blame them for coming to that conclusion as Kizuna just barely got started on her redemption arc and her past actions and behavior doesn't give them reason to trust her to NOT do this either, but it's because we know that she is genuinely trying her best and actually befriended Kanata makes this hurt. Kizuna DIDN'T do it and is genuinely GRIEVING over Kanata's death, but it's not as if everyone doesn't have a reason to suspect her at the very least. She did take advantage of their kindness and backstabbed them in the past by trying to use Akane's trust, plotted a murder days after the first trial, and then suddenly switching targets when Akane said no to being an accomplice. It's just another consequence of her own actions coming back to bite her in the worst way possible, and the killer, Kinji, most definitely knew this too, hence why he took the opportunity to frame her for the crime. She was simply the easiest target, not JUST to kill, but to frame as well (which becomes especially important later). And as the readers, we know she's innocent. But most of the characters in-story do not, and that makes for some juicy writing.

That being said, I love how confident Ayame was in defending Kizuna, especially when she was shooting down Haru and Satsuki's reasoning. It feels like something a DR protag would do and I love it. Yuki is also reasonable but the way Teruya starts listing off his reasoning on why it would pretty likely for it to be Kizuna also makes sense from the majority of the class's perspective. Again, it's just Kizuna's actions coming back to bite her again, and Teruya remembers it pretty clearly, emphasizing his intelligence in memorization. Not to mention that, while Ayame does remind him that they told him that she was attacked, he still has a good point that no one saw Kizuna get attacked either. Because no one witnessed it, all they can do is rely on Kizuna's word, and unfortunately for her, because she's deemed untrustworthy, they can't believe her on her word alone. So his reasoning still holds until proven otherwise. It's like he has the receipts and is willing to show it. You know, like a merchant.

Thank God for Ayame, Yuki, and Akane trying to keep things on track. As much as I understand the groups' reasoning for jumping to conclusions and pointing to Kizuna as the culprit, if they all voted right now like this, they'd be dead in a heartbeat. Cause the whole point of a class trial is to discuss their investigation and debate amongst themselves on who the killer is based off of their findings. If nobody bothered to do that much, then this killing game would've been over very, VERY quickly with the culprit getting away with it. Akane using her experience with cleaning products to show the dangers of chloroform is, once again, using their talents to good use. Of course, Kinjo is Kinjo and is the definition of, "Never letting go of grudges," especially when it comes to criminal acts. It felt good whenever Kizuna would snap at him but man, he's acting the way I expected him to, and I just wanna smack him down with a fly swatter.

Okay, but Ayame apparently raising her hand as she yelled out her answer is kinda funny. It's like a student realizing an answer and blurting it out loud in the middle of a lesson, lol. That being said, it seems like Ayame is the only one considering the idea that Kizuna might have been framed (which she is 100% right on). After all, everyone is too blinded with their perception of Kizuna being an irredeemable person that they ignore every other possibility, ESPECIALLY Kinjo. Which is exactly what the killer is weaponizing to try and get away with their murder. And Mikako, my beloved, is supportive of Kizuna's efforts, even though she's kept her distance for the most part. She's aware of how dangerous it is to jump to conclusions, and even though she believes in Kizuna, she knows that they can't prove that based off of her character alone so it's better to go back and look through the evidence first in order to figure out the true culprit.

Meanwhile, Teruya, Haru, and Satsuki are struggling to share a braincell and they decide to just go with the flow, lmao. Rei is just ready to move onto another topic and is being difficult with her own photos, like usual. And of course, it's Yuki that actually gets her to cooperate, even just a little bit by making a bet of sorts. Also, also, more of Teruya's memorization skills, yay! My boy gets to be useful!! Also, Haru and Satsuki's dynamic is funny, like always. I will say, though, I feel bad that it took quite a while for Kakeru to be talked about. Poor guy didn't have a big role before his own death, as most of the focus from this story is from Ayame and Kizuna's perspectives, who interacted very little with him and Kanata ends up having more importance due to her friendship with Kizuna. I suppose sometimes, that's just how the cookie crumbles while trying to write a double murder: one character just ends up feeling more important than the other, despite the attempts to even out the focus.

"Teruya's hair spiked up as he took a step back with a horrified look on his face." I love it when a character's hair acts as if it's able to emote, it's such a fun detail. (I do the same thing whenever I draw Teruya's mom and how she expresses herself.) Also, Rei's reaction to Yuki's deduction was...genuinely so sweet? Like a tough professor that's genuinely proud of how far a student has come. Which is exactly what her talent is so it really suits her.

Yes, Kizuna! Snap back at Kinjo, Kizuna! And Kinjo's surprise at Yuki choosing to side with Kizuna is sooo...human but also, what did you expect, man? Yuki may care for you, but he's here to find the truth, not support your black and white morality. AND THE WAY SATSUKI TRIED TO INVESTIGATE THE FOOTPRINTS IS SO FUNNY. Girl, just ask them first instead of just grabbing their legs and trying to lift them, lmao. And of course she makes the assumption that Kakeru was his and Kanata's killer while Ayame is like "?? No?? That's not what I mean..." I love Satsuki so much. Anyways, Kinjo struggling to disprove this piece of evidence is so funny, get fucked, Kinjo.

Also, that one little decision that could've spared Kakeru's life just...augh. He could've been spared if he just checked on Kizuna but because he assumed she was dead, he followed the trail of blood first and that's what got him killed cause he was a witness...pain. Suffering, even. And of course, Kinjo does end up finding a way to turn it around back onto Kizuna and the way Ayame snaps at him to the point that it actually scares her...Hoooo, boy. Even if Kizuna doesn't realize it, the way Ayame is acting is probably similar to how she reacted to seeing Kizuna struggling to survive after getting stabbed, it's just that she chose not to act on her impulse to kill her. It's sad that Yuki can't come up with anything, but THANKFULLY, WE HAVE REI. And the way she tears at Kinjo just makes so much sense when you remember her backstory. Like, she may be cynical, but despite her own hatred for her birth parents for abandoning her (which is a misunderstanding if we believe Utsuro's words), she knows that none of the BS she'd gone through would have happened if the system actually worked the way it intended. She knows first hand what it's like to have a system fail you HARD, hence why she's constantly butting heads with Kinjo just as much as everyone else. (It could also explain why she gets so much joy at seeing him struggle. For her, it's probably a form of catharsis, lmao.) Anyways, I love Rei tossing a bone to Yuki. He did, after all, win their "bet" of sorts so it's only natural for her to repay him back. Which also results in Kizuna's excitement upon realizing that the BDA went off with her around plus two other people, which is pretty funny in the moment. It was finally the end for those accusations and a good thing, too. If Kinjo kept going, the trial really would have come to a standstill.

Also, Teruya, while convinced that Kizuna isn't the culprit anymore, is still confused as he brings up a pretty good point: Why would the killer go through ALL of this trouble? In any normal circumstances, Kizuna would be a primary victim in her current state. Like, her fears weren't completely wrong and Teruya brings up that point because he's trying to understand how this had all happened. Which Rei backs up on as she had long put together that the killer's plan had gone off the rails. And Kinji's reaction...he knew the moment she brought that up, the likelihood of him getting away with his murders has gone further down the drain, clinging to his cross necklace for comfort...it's really sad to witness.

Kizuna admitting her biggest fear out in the open is also really nice to see. It shows that she's willing to show a bit more vulnerability to everyone, despite how scared she is with how everyone would react. And her realizing that she was the initial target and telling that to everyone was able to help the trial progress, which she is so proud of. She's just happy to help solve Kanata's murder. Haru is trying his best but he's constantly getting shot down by either Rei or Yuki...poor guy. And the realization that Kanata was the one in the locker and that SHE was the one that tried to stop the culprit from killing her...And Kizuna's denial of everythiiiing, aaauuuugh.

Kanata would do everything and anything for her patients, and her friends. </3

I wasn't expecting you to keep Kinji's outburst and break down, but I do find it entertaining just a tiny bit. So I'm not complaining. But oooh Kinji, shame on you for using Kizuna's situation as if it were the same as yours. She ain't having NONE of that, and the way she's described as a ghost...she is FURIOUS. Honestly, I'm surprised with how close everyone physically is, it's a miracle no one tried physically fighting each other in any of these trials before (as far as I'm aware in fanon anyways). Although I wasn't expecting Kinjo to speak out and tell Tomori to stop alongside Ayame, I felt as though he wouldn't really care about her physically fighting someone. But that's just me.

And with that final reasoning from Yuki, Kinji was caught, and with a little help from Haru, surprisingly. In the end, I wasn't right about Kanata being killed in her sleep but I was right that Kakeru walking in on Kinji at the worse time and trying to fight him, it's just that he protecting himself this time around. So I'll just take that as a win for figuring that much out. And Kizuna's reaction is just...so real.

Kinji, from her perspective of her lack of memories of their time together pre-Tragedy, is not her friend. Hasn't been friend. And even if there was a chance that they could've been friends, he killed someone she cared about and it's understandable why she'd be so...tired, upset, and just so done. And unfortunately for her, it's not over cause grief just doesn't disappear like that. It's gonna follow her for the rest of her life. Only time will tell if she'll be able to accept it and move on.

Anyways, I loved this chapter so much. It's so, so good. And I can't wait for the next one, haha... *sweats as I remember why Kinji did what he did*

Dude did you know/read -2+2 before i started interacting with your posts here or did you heard of it from seing me ramble about it? Also PLEASE get your work done first! This chapter is enormous and i wouldn't want it to ruin someone's schedule.

Also I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, not necessarily just the trial it could be of the story in general, if you feel like rambling that is ^^'

Don't worry, I spent my entire morning finishing my textbook chapter and completing a video question that I could finish in like, five minutes tops. I even shut off Discord to focus. It took four hours of my day to complete cause that's college for ya, haha. :']

Yeah, I read -2+2 before we ever interacted on Tumblr! Ngl, I didn't realize the author was you until I scrolled through your Kizuna tag on your blog and went, "hey, wait a minute, I read this fic-!" As for my thoughts on it so far, I loooove it! I love how Kizuna is forced to face the consequences of her actions while Ayame is grappling with the fact that she was this close to choosing to kill someone to save another and that her motivations weren't as pure and good that everyone makes it out to be for saving Kizuna. I love seeing how different the group dynamics have become thanks to how everyone is split up: the majority of the students sticking together, Yuki being forced out of that group due to his secret note but ultimately forming a little trio with Akane and Ayame (and I think Kizuna and Kanata, too, but they're more focused on each other atm when it comes to her recovery), and the lone wolves of Rei, Tsurugi, and Kinji. It really shows how fractured the group has become and that everyone's opinions are pretty complex and different from each other's, even when they stick to one side. I have yet to read the trial as of writing this, but Kanata's death hurts to witness, especially with how...simple it was. I believe she didn't even struggle, she was just sleeping and now, she can never wake up because someone (Kinji) took advantage of that vulnerability and killed her. I'm thinking that Kakeru, at some point, seemed to have walked in and saw what happened, whether it's his attack on Kizuna or Kanata, and tried to attack Kinji or stop him or something but I'm not sure. But her death definitely hits harder due to how simple it is and we can focus on the tragedy that Kizuna will never be able to fulfill the promises she gave to Kanata, her first friend. And how her grief quickly transforms into anger...ooooough, that's so good and in character for her, especially with how hard she's trying to improve herself now. Also, can I just say, I love how socially smart Kizuna is with her words and how she was able to bypass the third motive just by being clever with how she says things. There are many different ways for being intelligence, so seeing that play out with a character that is trying to redeem themselves is great. Ayame is also just...doing her best while grappling with herself and the thought of almost actually murdering someone, but is trying to be supportive of the others. At least being able to confide in Akane allows her to keep going, and she gets to befriend Yuki! It's so sweet...until you remember the twists with these two, haha, gotta love that dramatic irony. Oh, if (or when) we actually get there, that angst is going to huuurt. </3

Anyways, I do love rambling. And I love this fic! (Totally off-topic, but I hope my boy Teruya is gonna be okay from the whole near death experience of guns and stuff. He's gonna be okay, right? Right? I hope he's okay. I don't want anything bad to happen to him even though I know that's gonna be impossible in a killing game genre although I know his survival is pretty much guaranteed since you mentioned that you don't plan to change the death order. Doesn't mean I don't worry for his mental health though.)

[ot-hoe-me]

OC: Yang Yifei

For IF: @xianxia-if​

Name: 楊亦菲 | Yang Yifei

Characters and Meaning: 楊 is a character for the surname Yang meaning ‘willow’ and 亦菲 are the characters for the given name Yifei that together mean ‘sweet fragrance’ or more literally ‘already fragrant’ 亦/Yi meaning ‘already, also’ and 菲/Fei meaning ‘fragrant’.

Species: Moon Rabbit

Gender and Pronouns: Female (She/Her)

Appearance: Yifei is fair skinned with straight waist length black hair, pale gold eyes with a 5′7″ and slightly curvy frame. Perceived as highly attractive in a sweet/innocent way. She has pure white fur in her rabbit form.

Face Claim: Li Yitong

Cultivation Peak: Sun and Moon Recesses (Spiritual Cultivation, specializes in Lightning, Air, and Metal but that may change)

Training Focus: Species Powers over Cultivation Powers

Personality Type(s): Primarily Type 1 aka soft-spoken, diplomatic and sweet 

LI: Chenxing aka The Protagonist or The Unicorn

General Goals and Disposition: After she regains her memories and is taken to her sect, Yifei wants to break free from being her Shizun’s tool, not wanting any part of his plans and in fact eagerly works to end them. Her second goal is to befriend The Unicorn and become strong enough to protect him from becoming a Black Lotus. Her third goal, or rather hope, is to win The Unicorn’s heart since she had a crush on his character in her old life, and after meeting him and interacting with him for real those feelings grow into love.

Relationships:

Feiyu | The Shizun - Yifei’s relationship with Shizun is actually less complicated than you might expect. While she’s grateful to him for giving her an out from being a courtesan (she has nothing against sex work and sex workers, and has nothing but respect for them. She just does not want to do it herself at all once her memories come back. She would’ve enjoyed the arts/entertainment side of it but yeah, getting off track.) However, she notes that the attraction that he has for the original MC is still present towards her and is not comfortable with that since she doesn’t reciprocate at all. That with his evil plans that will harm many, and it’s safe to say that inwardly they do not have a good relationship and she does not like him at all. I’d also like to mention that though she chose a different peak than his (it was mostly motivated by the fact she felt drawn to spiritual cultivation, though getting away from under his constant watch was a small part of it) she doesn’t actually have anything against demonic cultivation as a style/practice.

Xuesong | The Rival - She’s going to have to be soooo careful around this one since they suspect that she’s going to betray Shizun and they’re right. Yifei is afraid of how cruel they can be and tries to mitigate whatever harm/damage they cause whenever she can without arousing too much suspicion. She’ll stand up to them fully when the time is right. 

Chenxing | The Protagonist - Okay, so I’ve said it briefly above but The Unicorn was Yifei’s favourite character from the drama she was watching, and she had a crush on the character. So after remembering everything and realizing that she isekai’d into the drama’s world she was determined to protect and befriend Chenxing so he doesn’t become a Black Lotus and potentially even more evil than her Shizun. And once she meets him and gets to know him he is no longer just ‘blorbo from my shows’ but a person and the crush blossoms into love. Which of course makes her want to cherish him and make him feel special even more. (What if this opens the opportunity for HER to become the Black Lotus instead? DUNDUNDUN!!!!) One of her favourite things to do before they confess and get together is to find him in bunny form and give him cuddles and to comfort or encourage him that way. Afterwards, she is very happy to be in his arms as herself and not as an unusually intelligent rabbit but will also change into that form if he asks.

Mingyu | The 12th Prince - The 12th Prince gets rejected by her immediately as soon as she hears about the arranged marriage proposition. It’s very obvious that Yifei is very unhappy with Mingyu’s approach to courtship which is, well, skipping the actual courtship phase and pushing for an engagement straight away without even knowing her. So she will let him have it, politely, and wish him luck in future romantic endeavours while also giving him some advice that might make him more successful. She’d also be worried about Chenxing hoping that he doesn’t really think that she wants to marry anyone else, knowing she’ll have to reassure him that she doesn’t want anyone but him.

Ruoxuan | The Best Friend - Now, this relationship is more complicated than you might think. They are friends, but Ruoxuan think they’re close friends - even best friends but Yifei knows that's not the case because there’s so much that they don’t know about her. The shady things that she has to do for Shizun while she’s gathering evidence and waiting for the right time to expose him. The fact that she’s reincarnated. And she feels guilty about keeping those things from them and letting them think that their friendship is on equal footing when it’s not. You can be sure that once everything (except that she first knew them as a character from a TV show) comes out she is going to beg for their forgiveness. A lighthearted facet of their relationship though is that they act as her wingman with Chenxing because they need it. And I mean REALLY need it since both him and Yifei either are naturally (Chenxing) or get (Yifei) shy and blushy when it comes to flirting and romance sooooo some outside interference is warranted lol, at least at first.

Dongmei | The Demon Assassin - Well, all I can really say right now is that when Yifei feels like Dongmei won’t turn around and kill her if she has nothing holding her back, she’ll release the demon from the spell binding her of her own free will and hope that they can move forward as friends. 

Haoyu | The Hermit - I can’t say much about their relationship yet since I don’t know what the hermit’s larger role will be within the plot, but Yifei will be curious, but respectful to him.

I also have a Pinterest Board for her here.

[stonedregulus]

September Reads

(Yes, I am very behind. My apologies.)

I read 12 books this month and 0 fics... Apparently I was in an Original Fiction mood. Oops! These are in the order I read them.

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen

Summary:

Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.” Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy��he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand. Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.

Page Count: 352 Genre: YA My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

Okay, I had to work for this one. The plot was a bit slow—I feel like it didn’t start to pick up until around Chapter 20. I am also confused by and why the author decided to introduce new characters and start adding on a deeper plot with only a third of the book left. Those loose ends were not tied up at all so I’m hoping the author wraps it all up and answers questions in the 2nd and 3rd books. I think the story line was fine, and the it was written well. I related far too deeply to Adam. I love him and I just want to protect him from the world. LGBTQ+ rep, yay! TW: self-harm, depression, anxiety, homophobia, homophobic slur

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Summary:

While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control. But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.

Page Count: 432 Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance, Space Opera My Rating: ★★★★/5 My Review:

Court politics, galactic treaties, murder, & slow-burn romance. Its like RWRB meets Star Wars. I’ve actually never read a space opera before but I really enjoyed this! Also hello arranged marriage trope?! Yes gimme gimme.

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Summary:

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus. Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Page Count: 336 Genre: YA My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

This was really cute. I felt like every character was relatable at some point which was nice but I had a hard time grabbing on to one specific character to make my blorbo. Idk if that makes sense but I normally like to kind of latch onto one character and instead I felt like I was just kind of floating between a few. The MC is a bit whiney but it’s a cute story! I just felt a bit disappointed with the ending. It kind of felt like ‘idk how to end this sooooo uhm, the end?’

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Summary:

Two boys, alone in space. After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship.

Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister. In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.

Page Count: 416 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian My Rating: ★★★★★/5 My Review:

This… This is going to be the book that I judge all books on for the rest of my life. Holy shit. No, really, holy shit. I don’t want to over-hype this but I cannot stress enough how good this was. You have got to read this. At first I was laughing because the humor was on point and then suddenly it turned into “Oh fucking shit, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?!” This book gave me an existential crisis. I just… wow. Okay? Just wow.

The Temperature of Me and You by Brian Zepka

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle. Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers. Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.

Page Count: 416 Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

This was good but… I dunno. It lacked a bit. Like the story line was fine but it just kind of felt like… Idk I felt like there could’ve been more. I wanted moreeeee.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Summary:

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Page Count: 352 Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy My Rating: ★★★★★/5 My Review:

If you’re going to read only one book from this list, let it be this one. HOLY WOW. FANTASTIC TRANS REP!!! I felt so seen. I loved all of the characters and ughhhhh *feral cat noises clawing off own skin* It is SO GOOD. The story line is incredible. There’s just so much. I didn’t feel like there were any loose ends, everything made sense. I love Yadriel so much I would literally kill for him.

The Extraordinaries, Flash Fire, & Heat Wave by TJ Klune

Summary:

1) Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life). 2) Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic. 3) Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz are back in action bringing justice, protection, and disaster energy to the people of Nova City. An unexpected hero returns to Nova City and crash lands into Nick's home, upturning his life, his family, and his understanding of what it means to be a hero in the explosive finale of the thrilling and hilarious Extraordinaries trilogy by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune. 

Page Count: 400, 384, 384 Genre: YA, Fantasy My Rating: ★★★★/5 My Review:

The relationship between Nick and his dad is just *chef's kiss*. They're fucking hilarious. I laughed so hard through all three of these. Like constant laughter. I cannot even, so fucking FUNNNNNYYY. I love that the second two books really address the sort of weird cop hero worship of the first book and talked about the BLM movement in a great way. Overall a really cute superhero series with great LGBTQ rep.

What If It’s Us, & Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Summary:

1) Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them? Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited. But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough? What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play? But what if it is? 2) Ben has spent his first year of college working on his fantasy manuscript with his writing partner Mario, who is a great Spanish tutor, and an even better kisser. So why can’t he stop thinking about the fact that Arthur’s back in town two years after they called it quits? Arthur is in New York for a dream internship on Broadway, with a boyfriend back at home that he couldn't be happier with. But when he comes upon Ben cuddled up with a mystery boy, he starts to wonder if his feelings for Ben ever truly went away. Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can't seem to help running into each other in the present. Is the universe forcing them to question if they’re actually meant to be? Possibly not. After all, things didn’t work the first time around. Possibly yes. After all, the sparks are still flying. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and raise a glass. Here’s to celebrating old friends! Here’s to embracing new beginnings! Here’s to believing in second chances!

Page Count: 480, 448 Genre: YA, Romantic Comedy My Rating: ★★★/5 My Review:

These are cute rom coms. The first one had A LOT of Harry Potter and JKR mentions but it was published right before she was outed as a TERF and the second one doesn’t mention HP at all so that’s good. Over all an easy read if you need something chill.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Summary:

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game... 

Page Count: 432 Genre: YA, Thriller, Mystery My Rating: ★★★★/5 My Review:

This is horrifying but depressingly plausible. I’ve seen so many reviews about how heavy handed this book is and how they didn’t like the “all white people are racist” theme. Guess what? All white people are racist. We have inherent racism, it’s been built into our minds for centuries and it’s our jobs to break down our internalized racism and work on being anti racist. Being anti racist is not a destination. It’s not enough to do a few anti racist things and mark off check boxes to say “I’m not racist.” It’s a journey that we will be on for as long as we live to continue breaking down all of the racist bullshit we’ve been fed throughout our lives. Two quotes from this book really stuck with me: “Growing up, I realized quite quickly that people hate being called racist more than they hate racism itself.” “I don’t trust white people like you do. I obviously don’t think they are all murderers, but I think they are all racist... racism is a spectrum and they all participate in it in some way. They don’t all have white hoods or call us mean things; I know that. But racism isn’t just about that—it’s not about being nice or mean. Or good versus bad. It’s bigger than that.” Most of the white people who are reviewing this book and giving it a bad rating will rant about how unfair and ridiculous it is to call all white people racist. Those reviewers are racist. Full stop. They’re so incredibly mad about being called racist instead of taking the time to evaluate themselves it’s insane, and sad, and they prove the book, which they’re so adamant about being wrong, right. Alright so now that I’m done ranting about stupid people: this book was excellent. So many twists, ones I saw coming and others I didn’t. It’s like Gossip Girl meets Get Out. Some moments are truly terrifying. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were just a few things that didn’t get answered that I really wish the author would have addressed by the end of the book because I’m left questioning what happened. I let’s set up nicely for a sequel, I assume it’s getting one, but I doubt my questions will be answered by one.

DNF:

A Marvelous Light, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe