#anyways i love imani

[corvid-gae]

fuckin creeture time

[imeminemp3]

wasim wearing a "trust black women" shirt while questioning bisma for wanting to figure out what she wants, who she wants to be, outside of what she's already made herself..... dude if you're gonna wear that then u need to practice it

[overwhlcmed]

status : closed / ( @foxtcils​​ ) location : we have not moved <3

☁️ ⠀  ⠀ ⠀  ⠀ ─────────────  imani tried to formulate a natural crossing of paths the moment she realized akira was at the party too. she thought it would be easy to casually bump into him while getting another drink, or confidently say hello as she just so happened to pass by him as if she was noticing his presence for the first time. as a journalist, one would think strategizing was her strong suit but it of course fell flat when her only strategy she had was going unnoticed; sitting silently in diner booths, or at bus stops to eavesdrop. she was only so good at what she does because she was good at being unremarkable enough to go unnoticed, but she wanted akira to notice. when she recognized him that nagging thought of whether he had recognized her too attached itself to her heart and hadn’t let go. the grip it had was like a needle piercing into sensitive skin when it became clear that he didn’t.

she almost talked herself out of approaching him; her feet bringing her two steps closer before she turned around and would walk the same two steps in the opposite direction. in the end she left it down to flipping a coin and uttering a soft “ oh my ” to herself when it decided she would speak to him after all. not wanting to disobey divine intervention ( or so she convinced herself ), she ended up making the walk to his side, her finger coming up to give his shoulder a quick tap before she could psych herself out of it and spoke before she could give him a chance to. “ i love your costume ! ” it was the first thing she could think of, and felt like a well enough conversation starter. so naturally, she ruined it. “ milo thatch was one of my first childhood costumes, and, what i consider to be, the best disney prince out there. it definitely suits you. ” she decided with a nod before realizing the implication of her words. “ because of the researcher, explorer part ! y’know, excited for to discover something new, connoisseur of oddities, not the uh...─── other stuff. not that you’re not prince like or could have prince qualities, what do i know ? really ? ” a gulp and a quick aversion of her eyes later she was ready to change the topic. “ are you having fun ? ”

[ninisplanet]

SIM DUMP #2 + 6K FOLLOWER GIFT! ♡

Thank you guys so much for 6K followers on Patreon! I haven't been as active on there as I would like to be because truly life has been lifing. For my supporters who have decided to stick around and support me anyway, I truly love you guys ♡ *sobs* SOOO- as a welcome back gift from me to you, here are four pretty ass sims for you guys to download FOR FREE! Of course, credits to all cc creators used!

୨୧ Jasani Milton

୨୧ Heaven Garza

୨୧ Imani Harp

୨୧ Kayisha Good

DOWNLOAD ♡ | (Join as a Free Member to Unlock Post)

[kalifornia1025]

The Red Circle Pt. 1 (SPOILERS)

First part is up, let’s see what we’re dealing with!

Oof John’s already voicing his frustration over the tech issues; wonder how bad it could be

I both love and hate the sounds of John cleaning the mic, it sounds like he’s digging deep into my brain

Okay, we’re just at the end of a case?

Oh yeah, the mic is definitely bugging out

“My dear companion Doctor Watson” UGH HOW SWEET

What is happening?? WHAT IS GOING ON??

“This is going to be an 8 or 10 parter” OH REALLY John??

NONE OF THE ‘CASE’ RECORDED, that’s actually hilarious

“But was the best adventure yet” how great was it that it makes SHERLOCK say that??

Not them all reenacting the ‘case’ HAHA

Yeah John, Sherlock needs to get back to hanging upside down-WHAT

Oof Sherlock really said “you waffle so much that sometimes your random words help me solve the case” (he’s not wrong tho)

THEY DO MOVIE NIGHTS!!!

Awww Mariana’s meeting up with a friend from Hudson’s, how nice!

God, the irony of voice actors being bad at acting is incredible

Sherlock WOULD be the person asking questions during movies (and pointing out inconsistencies)

I love how you can still hear the ‘movie’ going on even when Sherlock & John are talking

This little exchange

John: “Door knock”

Sherlock: “Very observant”

John: “Is that sarcasm there?”

Sherlock: “Exceptionally observant”

John: “Well done”

Sherlock: “Thank you”

Ah!! Chipmunk voice jump scare!

Sherlock: “Is that right, John?”, John: “It’s right big guy” JOHN CALLED SHERLOCK BIG GUY

I feel John’s pain, I HATE having to explain movies to people

OH GOD NOT A REAL-HOUSEWIVES-ESQUE REALITY TV SHOW

“Good God, put the gangster film back on” SAME SHERLOCK

Awesome how Mariana and Imani are already fans of the reality show

“Why do women like that kind of stuff? It’s cruel, it’s vicious, destructive-KILL HIM, SHOOT HIM IN THE EYE”—I will never get tired of this ongoing joke with John starting a point and immediately contradicting it at the end

The ‘bullets through the bum and balls’ exchange shouldn’t be as hilarious as it is, yet here we are

Oooooh, so THIS is how we get the Red Circle case (hopefully it’ll make up for the ‘unrecorded case’)

THE MUSIC?! HELLO??

“The game is afoot” YES MARIANA WE GET TO HEAR YOU SAY IT

Oof John that mic is REALLY messed up

And that’s it for part 1! I was NOT expecting a hilarious start for this one. I can only imagine what ‘case’ we missed (lol), but Red Circle sounds interesting enough! Also, it’s cute hearing more domestic moments with the main trio. I mean they have MOVIE NIGHTS!! The fanfics were TRUE! Anyway, this is a fun start and it’s just the beginning of our 4-part adventure, so stay tuned….

[specialagentartemis]

hey Artemis can you say a little more about Best Sci-Fi Book Of 2020 The Vanished Birds because that sure is a compelling pitch 👀

Yeah!!

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez is a book about Nia Imani, a spaceship pilot who travels at relativistic speeds through the "pocket" dimension across space; years pass on the outside during month-long travels on her ship. She's running from her past and in the process has left people and places and home behind, as time moves on outside without her as she makes her cargo runs across space.

During one of these, she accidentally discovers a teen boy, who fell from the sky out of nowhere, who doesn't talk and seems nervous about everything. She takes him on to bring him back to the galactic hub station... but is unwilling to leave him behind. She ends up adopting him into her crew-as-family.

It's also about Fumiko Nakajima, the brilliant engineer who designed the space stations for (a select subset of) humanity to leave a dying Earth. It's a thousand years since then, which Fumiko mostly spends in cryo-stasis, but she gets pulled out of it every time people discover something interesting that she wants to see herself. And this boy is interesting.

It's a beautiful, beautiful book, and the prose has such lyricism and character. It's also a tragedy. It is not a happy book. Fumiko is a tragic character, trying to recapture something she left behind on Earth and has regretted ever since; Nia's crew-as-family aren't perpetual, and her crew comes and goes on different runs, and when someone leaves that's pretty much it, they will age and Nia won't the next time they're in the same place, if ever. It's about the people who are important in our lives even if those relationships don't last forever. Sometimes you never see somebody again, and you have to keep living and forming new relationships anyway. It's about knowing that someone is more important to you than you are to them. It's about how time doesn't stand still when you're gone - other people move on without you. It's about everyone having their own life and interiority apart from yours, and it never feels trite about it. It's about trying to find a place in the universe you can belong, even as the universe keeps changing and you don't belong where you used to anymore. It's very much about found family, in the most bittersweet of ways. It's slow and meandering, and you have to be along for the ride.

It's REALLY good and I loved it. It hits for a very specific mood, though.

[moody4world]

ICE BOUND❄️

A/N: finally managed to finish this fic and i personally love it so i hope you guys do to!!

BEFORE READING: look up what a one handed biellman is. Personally for Michael i envisioned Michael B jordan but feel free to envision whoever you’d like🫶🏾

DISCLAIMER: apologies in advance for the angst

Jeremy x Plus size! figure skater! reader

Being an ice skater was always a big dream of yours from a very young age. It wasn’t always easy especially being a bigger size compared to the average ice skater but you worked hard everyday to be where you are now. You had met Imani in high school and the two of you have been like sisters ever since. You were there when she first met Kamal and that unfortunately means you know his obnoxious friends Renzo and Speedy too. You were there when she had her son aka your favorite and only nephew. Which means you spoiled him absolutely rotten whenever you could, especially on his birthday. You had organized a major birthday party for him in the park with large bouncy houses and barbecue.

You noticed Kamal and Imani talking to a tall white guy you had never seen before while you were fixing up the gift table and they walked over with a new one. “Yo y/n this is Jeremy, Jeremy this is y/n, Imani’s best friend” Before Imani and Kamal could say anything else, they were called over by another family member.

“It’s nice to meet you” “It’s very nice to meet you too, you look very pretty.”

“Thank you, how come i’ve never met you before Jeremy” “Oh Kamal and I met recently, we I mean I play basketball with Renzo and Speedy and he’s been giving me some advice and stuff on that” Jeremy was completely overexplaining himself but he couldn’t help it. He was very nervous because of how pretty he thought you were.

“So you’ve met dumb and dumber” You joked, referring to Renzo and Speedy. The two of you laughed together until Renzo came over to annoy you like he always does. “Look who it is, Chubby bunny and Justin Bieber” “Renzo can you shut the fuck up” You said while rolling your eyes at his childishness. “Yo white boy, you tell her you a G-league reject yet?” “I’m not a G-League reject. I’m an athlete on hiatus due to health reasons.” Renzo patted Jeremy’s chest and sarcastically said “Yeah right” You rolled your eyes at him again but luckily this time he left. Or so you thought, he wasn’t next to Jeremy anymore but he was behind you and you had no idea.

Ignoring Renzo’s unnecessary comments towards him you decided to bring up the only part that seemed relevant based off of Jeremy’s reply. “So you’re an athlete?” “Something like that, yeah” He suddenly became bashful and it was one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen.

“Well that’s great, I'm actually an athlete myself!”

*Cough*”Sure don't look like one” *cough* Renzo mumbles VERY indiscreetly behind you. You turned aggressively and glared at him, scaring him enough to finally walk away and leave you and Jeremy alone. Jeremy kisses his teeth in annoyance. “Don’t listen to him, he's always an asshole” he says, trying to comfort you at Renzo’s offensive comment. But unknowingly to him, you were already used to not just Renzo’s but other people’s rude and unnecessary comments. Especially being a plus sized girl in a sport where skinny is the norm.

Shaking your head you tell him “No it’s fine, most people have their own idea of what an athlete is supposed to look like anyway.” you shrug it off.

“Plus i’ve known Renzo for way too long. I’m used to it.”

“Why don’t I come to one of your games? What team do you play for?”

You looked at him super confused until it hit you that Jeremy must’ve thought you played basketball. Quickly correcting him you reply “Oh no no I don't play basketball..or any kind of ball actually..” as you laugh awkwardly.

“So you…..” “Skate…i’m a figure skater”

Jeremy’s eyes go wide with excitement “No way, that’s cool as fuck.” “You do those crazy spins and stuff then. That’s super impressive.”

“I mean I suppose it is..” “Don’t be humble about it, that takes a lot of talent y/n”

“Thanks Jeremy” “I’d love to come watch you perform some day actually” He suggested and took a step closer to you. At first you were hesitant but I mean…he’s cute and he seems nice so far, what harm could it cause? Plus those bright blue eyes were very mesmerizing in the sunlight, how could you possibly say no?

“Yeah sure we’ll make that happen then.” You shrugged calmly but on the inside you were freaking out.

As agreed, Jeremy showed up to your next competition and the next…and the next and now he’d even show up to your practices. He found it mesmerizing how smooth you’d glide and how graceful you’d twirl. He was still getting over his fear of the big leaps and the jumps but he loved watching you do what you did best. After the second competition he attended he asked you out to dinner which led to the two of you laughing and conversing all night.

After the third competition you two shared your first kiss right outside your mom’s bakery. And yes your mom caught you two and she could not hide the excitement of finally meeting the boy you wouldn’t shut up about. Texts became daily and non stop between the two of you and so did casual drives and hangouts. Like right now you two were laying in his bed talking about his parents.

“So you’ve been living here since then all by your self?” “Uhm…not exactly. My ex, Tatiana lived with me for a while till we broke up.”

“Oh….you used to date Tati…..the ballerina?”

“The dancer, yeah. You know her?”

“Uhm no, not really.”

Now that was a lie. You and Tatiana went to the same elementary and dance classes when you were little. You even liked her a lot as a friend until she crushed your dreams of wanting to be an ice skater when you were 8. She even went as far as comparing you to a Chubby bunny, causing the nickname to stick around even after she switched schools.

You never saw Tatiana in person again but you definitely remember her.

“Are you guys still in touch?” “I mean we work at the same gym but we’re just civil now. Why?”

“Just wondering, Jer”

“Hmm. What about you then?” He asked you.

“What about me?”

“Who’s your ex? Is he some crazy ice skating olympian i gotta watch out for?” He said jokingly, making you both laugh.

“Not far off, he’s actually a crazy football player.”

Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut. “Please don’t tell me he’s in the NFL y/n.” You rolled your eyes playfully at his dramatics.

“Even if he was, I wouldn’t know Jer. He broke up with me a year before we graduated college and completely ghosted me so I have no idea.”

“Well that’s an asshole move.”

“Tell me about it.”

The mood in the room suddenly got sad and Jeremy wasn’t having it.

“Want me to order pizza? We can get your favorite toppings.”

If one thing made you happy aside from being on the ice it was food.

And just like that the mood was restored and the night went on perfectly.

It had been a couple days since youd seen Jeremy in person due to long practices while also helping your mom with her deliveries. Today you finished said deliveries a bit early and had a special batch that your mom had made specially for Jeremy. You knew these were the hours he was usually at the gym so you drove straight to there.

Walking into the gym with the tupperware and a big smile on your face excited to see your favorite basketball playing hippie. Your excitement decreased the moment you spotted him though. There he was, being a bit more than just civil with you guessed it, Tatiana. Her hand was on his arm and they were both laughing very amicably. A million thoughts started racing through your brain but before you could escape, Tati noticed you standing at the door and pointed you out to Jeremy.

Once he turned around to see you standing there his smile somehow grew even bigger than it already was. Jeremy started making his way towards you but felt like walking was taking too long so he did a little awkward jog.

“Hey pretty, I didn’t know you were coming” He wrapped his long arms around you in a crushing hug only to realize you weren’t squeezing him back like you normally would.

Pulling away he noticed the tupperware box in your hand. “I just wanted to bring you these vegan cookies my mom made, she wanted you to try them before she adds them to her inventory at the bakery” Is what you said as simple as possible while trying to hide your true feelings of what you saw when you walked in but your bluntness and lack of usual excitement was suspicious to Jeremy.

Regardless, he took the tupperware from your hands when you handed it to him but couldn’t help and double check on you.

“That’s so sweet of her, are you sure you’re okay?” “Yeah im totally cool but I gotta get going”

Rushing out of the gym you hear him yell “I’ll text you after your practice!!” without looking back so he wouldn’t see your teary eyes you yell back saying “No need, its gonna be a late one!”

It wasn’t a total lie, you did go to practice but it wasn’t a scheduled one. You just wanted to get your mind off of your own insecurities for a bit while also practicing a certain move you just couldn’t get down. Staying true to the distracting yourself part, hours had gone by and you didn’t even notice.

After trying the one-handed biellman for what felt like the thousandth time and failing, you frustratedly sat on the floor angrily. “Don’t beat yourself up too bad, you almost had it” You jumped a little because you were not expecting to see anyone else at the rink and you were also in your own world until he spoke. It was none other than your once skating partner, Michael. “I’m embarrassed you even saw that, how long have you been standing there?” You still didn’t even bother standing up from your slumped position on the cold ground. “I forgot my charger in the locker room so I came back to get it and then I saw you getting frustrated.” “Want some advice?” “I’ll take all the help I can get Mike” “Say less, c’mon get up” He put his ice skates on and joined you on the ice.

After four consistent tries with Michael’s advice you were finally able to do the spin successfully. Out of pure joy and excitement you both hugged each other with laughs of relief and pride.

“Ahem” The sudden sound made you both turn to the direction of its source to find Jeremy standing there looking quite upset. “So this is why you left in such a hurry and didn’t wanna text me back?” He had his arms spread out to really show you that he was angry. Michael immediately got the message and decided it was time for him to leave. Once Michael was finally away from both of you’s vicinity he repeated his question since you had yet to answer. “So this is what you’re doing now?” At this point you had skated closer to him and you were eye to..almos eye. “What are you even talking about?” Was all you could ask, what did he mean by ‘this’? “You get all weird from me talking to Tati but you’re allowed to be in a rink alone with some buff ass dude?” his voice was slowly raising and he was visibly turning pink.

How did he figure out it was about Tatiana, did she tell him that she knew me?

“Hello?” “That is not the same Jeremy” “HOW IS IT NOT THE SAME Y/N?” Him raising his voice was your final straw, the tears you had been holding back came flooding down along with your insecure thoughts.

“UNLIKE YOU, NOT ALL MEN THAT TRY TO TALK TO ME WANT ME JEREMY.” Jeremy the oh so clueless was oblivious to everything that you have noticed during the few months of you two being together.

“That’s not true” He shook his head in disagreement.

“YES IT IS TRUE, YOURE JUST TOO OBLIVIOUS TO NOTICE IT, EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU GO OUT WITH ME SOME GIRL BLATANTLY FLIRTS WITH YOU AS IF IM NOT THERE”

“PEOPLE DONT APPROACH ME THE WAY THEY DO YOU OKAY SO ITS NOT THE SAME”

“YOU COULD LEAVE ME FOR SOME BETTER LOOKING GIRL ANY MOMENT LIKE EVERY OTHER GUY HAS, SO FORGIVE ME FOR TRYING TO PROTECT MY OWN FEELINGS”

Even after months of knowing you and being with you Jeremy had never seen you this hurt and angry before. You are the most soft spoken and calmest person he had ever been close to so to say he was shocked was an understatement. Along with his shock came speechlessness. All he could do was stare at you apologetically, full of regret for not putting himself in your shoes. He thought that he could think of the right words to fix things and get your relationship back to where it was a few days ago but the next words that came out of your mouth felt like a knife being twisted into his chest. The tears in his eyes mirrored yours. “I think what we had was fun but I don’t think we should continue whatever this was” “y/n don’t say that” “I’m sorry Jeremy”

Without even giving him a chance to defend his case, you skated off to the locker rooms leaving him to sulk in his heartbreak.

While you cried in the locker room, Jeremy decided to leave and give you some space. Deciding against driving all the way home with how much he was crying, he went to the person he knew could help him get you back. After three knocks on the door Kamal opened it to find Jeremy. He was surprised at his sudden visit only to become worried once Jeremy looked up and he noticed the sniffling, red nose and face covered in tears. “Yo what are you doing here? wait are you crying?” Jeremy was already so exhausted from crying that he only felt like saying the minimum. “Can I please talk to Imani? y/n just broke up with me and I don’t even know how to fix this”

Noting Jeremy’s distress Kamal decided that he’d leave his curiosity for another time. “Yeah..yeah sure, come in, I'll get her.” After offering Jeremy a seat at the dinner table Imani decided it was best to help him calm down first. “Would you like some tea Jeremy?” “Uh yeah some tea would be nice” He replied. “Okay what kind of tea would you like?”

Jeremy thought about it then simply said “I’ll just take the hottest one”

To which Imani just stared blankly in confusion. She still questioned why you were so fascinated by this goofy white boy. “….Okay” shaking her head Imani left to make him some tea.

Once Jeremy took a couple sips of the tea and had calmed down quite a bit, Imani decided to initiate the conversation that Jeremy suddenly seemed to be avoiding.

“Okay so what’s up with you and y/n? I thought everything was cool with you two”

“i don't know what went wrong so fast, she saw me with Tati at work and started acting all reserved. She wouldn't text me back for hours so I went to the rink and that's when I found her with some buff ass guy” “You mean Michael?” “I don’t know his name” Jeremy shrugged “Was he fine as hell?”At Jeremy’s offended stare Imani confirmed that it indeed, was Michael. “Sorry, go on” “As I was saying, I saw her with some buff ass guy and I may or may not have shown some jealousy”

Knowing you,Imani had more than an inkling that there was more to the story. “And?” “And that's when she lost it. I mean I had no idea she felt that way Imani. I would've done anything to reassure her from those thoughts if I knew” Jeremy’s voice had gotten more trembly the more he thought about how hurt you were during the argument. He decided to end his story there, not wanting to cry his eyes out in front of your best friend at her dinner table.

Imani could see that you meant a lot to Jeremy. She may not understand your attraction to the guy but you meant a lot to her too and that is something that her and the curly headed white boy had in common. She couldn’t believe that she was about to help him get back in your good graces but here goes nothing. She took a deep sigh and repositioned herself. “Listen Jeremy it’s not your fault, y/n has a lot of insecurities she’s still working on that have nothing to do with you. However, I haven’t seen her this confident and happy in a minute so you must've been doing something right.” She encouraged him. But Jeremy was already wallowing in guilt. “Yeah well that didn’t last very long did it” “Look, what i'm saying is…you gotta be honest and straight up with y/n about your feelings. Tell her how you really feel and what you really think. Never leave anything up for assumption with y/n, that’s one advice i'll give you. You didn’t hear this from me but that girl loves your pale ass. So go get your girl NSYNC” “ I actually prefer Justin Timberlake” “Jeremy..” “Yes?” “Get the fuck out of my house and go get y/n back” “Yes ma’am”

[nerdieforpedro]

WIP Thursday

The smut is still ever present. And has leaked into many a fic. The word leak may have been used in some of them, or not. Nerdie is unsure and quite unwell. Like I’m physically fine but you, the mind is swirling.

Anyway… 👀 The docket for this week: One Tim, One Marcus, Two Dieters and a trickle of Din.

I was tagged by @syd-djarin 😎 Thanks for the reminder and all your fics look awesome! 😘

First up, Tim (he’s got plot to get through thank you!):

Doc and Rockford are seated outside of the diner. The cool air feels excellent on her skin. She feels like she’s burning up. Tim likely understood what his brother meant by her satisfaction or lack thereof and that’s before even mentioning him putting your lab coat on her, complimenting her or touching her stomach. Doc still has to process that. So much has happened. “You wanna talk about why you were out with my brother, the outfit, or me getting you in the car Esme? Which elephant do you want to tackle first?” Rockford would have phrased it differently, but he’s tired from the late night paperwork, being worried about her and now trying to think about how he’s going to react to whatever she has to say. 

Second, Marcus Pike (because he's adorable):

“Hey beautiful! You ready for to go? I’m just going to put away some files and we’ll be ready to go.” Marcus doesn’t miss a beat in giving a swift kiss to Imani’s forehead then heading over to his desk and fiddling with drawers. He’s shuffling papers while stealing glances at the woman seated in his office. “Between the shade of orange, your smiling face and those luscious legs tempting me from across the room, we might be late for our reservation.” The good agent Pike wiggled his eyebrows which had his lady friend holding her stomach in laughter.

Lastly, I wrote some Din (because we don't appreciate Din's early armor enough):

Still holding the knife, she lowered it and nodded, “Yes thanks to you. May I know your name to thank you? I can’t see you very well there, could you step forward?” Taking two steps toward him, she stopped three feet before the shadows from the building obscured him. Heavy boots and what sounded to be metal clinked with his steps. His armor was the answer, he wouldn’t need to really tell her. Silver that reflected the moonlight with a t-visor helmet and a modulated voice. None of his skin was exposed, covered in a mix of brown metal and durable cloth and a black cape at his back. Hints of silver dotted his armor from different pieces and from his weapons. Those are a major tenant of their culture - their beliefs.

The graphic above is for the pending Din fic. 😀

And I have one for a pending Dieter fic ( @angelofsmalldeath-codeine this is 30% your fault - thank you. 😊)

Technically, she’d met one of her best friends at a table read for ‘Graceland’ but it didn’t register who he was until there was an entire season making him more central to the plot on the second show. Aisha appreciated that he was serious about getting the character right, adding in changes to better express what the writer’s room was trying to convey. He didn’t do it so much for the slick escapist show on the USA show but she really saw him shine on the screen as Agent Marcus Pike in ‘The Mentalist.’ One thing that the writer’s room voted to write out for his character was all the eating. “No agent is gonna be eating like that,” they always said. Once Dieter Bravo ate the takeout in the scene while dolling out his lines, the director loved it so they quickly pivoted on that creative choice.

And I can’t leave Dieter and Maya out you know! I haven’t been chipping away at them slowly, there’s a lot to figure out. I’m don’t have much on them unfortunately. 😭

No pressure tags: @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @connectioneverywhere @boliv-jenta @mysterious-moonstruck-musings

@pedroshotwifey @perotovar @julesonrecord @chaithetics @avastrasposts

@slippinninque @rosecentaur1916 @westside-rot @inept-the-magnificent @tinytinymenace

@jessthebaker @sin-djarin @morallyinept @604to647 @djarins-cyare

@djarinmuse @pedroshotwifey

[angelicniah]

Euphoric

pairing | Daemon Targaryen x Black F!Reader

Warnings: Nudity

summary: You catch the eye of Daemon Targaryen.

word count: 1.4k

A/n: This is my first series I have every done. Also is the second thing I gave written in a long time so please try to be patient with me. I will take any feedback you can give me. Anyone can read. Other than that, enjoy :). Divders by @firefly-graphics

If someone told you three years ago that you would be working at a strip club to get through college, you would've laughed in their face. But sometimes life has a way of putting you in situations you would have never thought you'll end up in.

 You worked at one of the most popular strip clubs in all of King's Landing and was one of the top dancers there.

The Pink Paradise.

The club was owned by Jacqueline and Anthony Carter. Anthony handle the money and Jacqueline keep the girls in check. And together they ran the club as one big happy family. You started working there after one of your college friends that worked there told you about it. Even through things can get out of hand sometimes, you loved it there and plus the pay was good...most days.

"Alright ladies." Jacqueline announced to everyone in the dressing room, "We got some important people coming tonight, so I need you guys to do your best out there. Don’t fuck this up."

Before she leaves out, she turns to you and points a manicured finger at you, "You're on in 10."

As you are trying to finish putting yourself together, your friend Imani, who goes by Jinx on stage, comes over and leans against you vanity.

"Did you hear who is coming tonight?" She questions as she look at herself in the mirror checking her lip gloss.

"Don't know and don't care." You said, making sure your hair was good.

"Cmon. You're telling me, that you're not a little bit curious." She nudges your shoulder.

You look up at her, " I just came to get my money and go home, that's it." You told her.

She rolls her eyes, "Well I'm going to tell you anyway." She says, "It's Daemon Targaryen."

Even through the name sounded familiar, you couldn’t place as to why. Before you could as her who he was, your name is called fo you to go on stage.

"Alright, alright settle down everyone." You heard the Dj say, " Next coming to the stage is a crowd fav. Welcome to the stage Miss Luna!"

The crowd starts cheering and you take one final deep breathe before walking out.

Don't walk in here with the bullshit look up on your face. Mad about some argument from yesterday, yeah Cause tonight, no need to fight, I can ease your mind

As the song starts playing, you strut towards the pole in the middle of the stage. You grab ahold of the pole and wrapped your legs around it, twirling and pulling your body around it. You moved your body to the beat of the music.

Everyone's attention was on you.

When I put this cake in your face I got that shit that you're cravin' (ah, ah) Boy, come here Eyes rollin' back of my face And I got you feelin' the same, yeah 'Cause I want it

Your eyes scanned the crowd and locked on a pair of eyes in the VIP area. You twirled around the pole and swung your legs around it. You blocked out the sound of the crowd and kept eye with the man. It was you was dancing for only him.

Got you curling your toes While you're deep in my throat

I want it I'll be the six and you'll be nine I want it

As the song comes to an end, you put your legs out in the air into a split, doing one final spin before dropping down onto the stage still in the same position. You leaned back from the pole a little and let the money fall on you and on the floor around you.

" Everyone gives it up for Miss Luna!" The Dj says.

As you grab the money from the floor, you could hear the disappointing groans from the crowd because you had to leave.

After putting your money up, you walked out the dressing room and you changed into a different outfit.

You put the bag of money into your locker and went to grab a drink from the bar. You could see Imani sitting on one of the stools flirting with Xavier, the bartender. Once she sees you, she smiles at you.

"Girl you did that. Had they asses on the edge of their seats." She tells you and gives you a high five.

You chuckle “I mean… I try.” You said an gave a little shrug and took the drink Xavier hands you. You thank him and down it, before you hear someone calling your name and looked behind you to see Jacqueline waving you over to her. Wanting to see what she wanted, you got up and went over to her.

"You need something boss lady?" You questioned her.

"I need you to go to one of the private rooms. One of our special guest paid for a dance." She says and tells you the room number.

You had never really been to one of the private rooms, always choosing the safe option to dance out in the open. Even through you were nervous, you were also curious as to who was behind the door.

You stood in front of the door of the room you were told to go to before knocking on it and heard a male's voice behind the door.

"Come in." The voice says.

When you walk in, you see the man that was making eye contact with you sitting on the couch with a drink in his hand. He beacons you into farther into the room with the flick of his hand. Nervously, you look around the room to see a pole in the center of it and a stereo in the corner of the room.

The man clears his throat and your eyes snaps to his figure. Your eyes scan up his body as he does the same to you. You could tell just by looking at him, he was someone important. When your eyes got to his face, you see that he is already looking at you. There was something about the way he was looking at you though. The look in his eyes was intense but it also did something to you.

You went over to the stereo in the corner of the room and grabbed the remote and turned it on. As you walk over to the pole, the music comes on and fills the room. The liquor in your system gave you a little courage to be a little less anxious. You listened to the lyrics of the song, letting your body move to the beat of it on the pole.

Drip too hard, stand too close Fuck around and drown off this wave This go hard, it's the most You ever make sounds, girl, behave

The man leans forward to sit his glass on the table in front of him. He pulls his hand back and places his arms on the back of the couch, spreading his legs wide. You twisted and turned your body in different positions on the pole.

There's no limit, yeah I'm a master with the P Once you in it, yeah Disaster with the D You won't last in it

Getting down from the pole and onto the floor, you seductively crawled over to him with your ass high in the air. You leaned up and slide your hands up his legs. He stares down at you with those intensive eyes of his. Standing up, you leaned forward, putting your breast in his face. You felt him let out a breath against you and it sends a shiver up your body. You straddle him and sit down in his lap, reaching behind to unhook your bra. The both of you held eye contact with each other as you threw it somewhere behind you.

Moving your hips to the beat of the song, you felt him harden underneath you. He lets out a groan and tries his best to not touch you without your permission. He tipped his head back on the couch, giving a full view of his neck. You licked your lips and bit on your bottom lip.

He puts his head back up when you turned your body in his lap, putting you back to his front. You laid your head back on his shoulder next to his and grinded your ass back against his crotch.

"You're so beautiful." He whispers in your ear.

Hearing him says that makes you squirm in his lap. You grabbed one of his hands and laid it on one of your breasts. He squeezed it, making you let out a whimper as his thumb brushed over your nipple.

As the song comes to an end, you slowly get up out of his lap and bend down to grab your bra from off the floor. He says something as you are walking out of the room.

"See you around." He shouts over the music of the club as you open the door.

You looked over your shoulder to see he has a smirk on his face. Without saying anything, you continued out the door.

Taglist | @avalyaaa, @simbaaas-stuff, @thirteenth-fangirl

[letitiaslabyrinth]

DIDN'T DESERVE

A/N: this did not turn out the way i expected it too at all. anyways ignore all mistakes cause this aint proof read word count: 1.7k+

“Shuri, how come you ain’t tell me where you was last night?” Shuri's girlfriend, Imani said, irritation in her voice.

Shuri shrugs. “I was with Riri-”

Imani rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Of course you was with her. The two of yall might as well date with the amount of times yall see each other.”

“Baby, what are you talking about?”

“You spend more time with your,” She makes air quotes, “‘best friend’ than you do your girlfriend, Shuri. You don’t see an issue with that?”

Shuri was confused. Yeah, her and Riri spent time together but they didn’t spend that much time together, right? Whether the answer was yes or not, Shuri loved Imani and would choose her over anyone and everyone.

“I’m sorry, Ima. I’ll spend more time with you, I promise. How about we go on a date tonight?”

Imani brushed her off, still annoyed. “I don’t wanna go out, Shuri, I want you to stop hanging out with Riri. Period.”

“Okay,” Shuri says with no hesitation. She wants to make her girlfriend happy and if that means she and Riri can’t hang out anymore then so be it.

“Good.” Imani kisses Shuri on the forehead and goes to the bathroom.

Shuri’s phone goes off twice. They’re messages from Riri. Shuri doesn’t bother reading them when she types: “We can’t hang out anymore.” and blocks Riri’s number. It stung her heart a little bit but what else could Shuri do? Imani’s her first girlfriend and she just wants to keep her happy.

Shuri gets up from the couch and goes to the kitchen. She opens the pantry, taking out a bag of Doritos and opens the fridge, taking out a carton of juice. She pours some in a cup before putting it back and making her way to the living room. She sets her snack and drink down and turns on the T.V. She falls asleep waiting for Imani to come out the bathroom.

When Shuri wakes up, she can feel a hand running through her hair. She looks up and it’s Imani.

“You sleep good?” She asks.

Shuri hums, stretching slightly. “What time is it?”

Imani checks her phone, “6:32, why?”

“I have a meeting with the council at 7.” Shuri groans and gets up slowly. She finishes her juice from earlier and kisses Imani on the forehead. “I’ma go get ready. I’ll see you later tonight?”

“I made plans so prolly not,” Imani says and goes back on her phone.

Shuri’s the first one in the throne room, as usual, but Riri was close behind her.

“Shuri, can we talk?” She says, pulling Shuri to the side.

“No. Didn’t you get my text?”

“No, I did, I’m just wondering why I got it. And so outta the blue, too. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened, Riri. I just don’t want any kind of relationship with you that isn’t strictly professional. Aren’t we only supposed to be colleagues, anyway?”

“Seriously? Shuri, you can't be serious right now! Are you at least gonna tell me what I did?”

Shuri notices some of the Elders coming in. “Leave it alone, Williams. I’ve said what I’ve said.” She walks away and sits on the throne, waiting for the other Elders to come in. 

They discussed the safety of Wakanda, the Panther and Ironheart suits, and the new buildings that were being constructed in Wakanda. Then Shuri went to the lab to work for hours.

It was around 11pm when Shuri made it back to her and Imani’s place and she was tired. She was expecting to find Imani in bed but she had forgotten that she said she’d made plans. The apartment was dark and lonely without another person there. Shuri didn’t like it. She turned on all the lights and put on a random show for some background noise while she took a shower. It was 11:30 when she was done. She was so exhausted from today that she didn’t even bother changing into clothes. Once her body touched that bed, that was it, lights out. 

“Shuri!” Shuri wakes up to Imani shaking her. “The bed is wet because of you! How am I supposed to sleep!?”

“The couch,” Shuri deadpans. Imani waited for Shuri to say she was joking but she wasn’t. It’s not like there was anywhere else for her to sleep other than on the couch.

“Why don’t you sleep on the couch?” Imani says, rolling her eyes.

Shuri groans and sits up on her elbows. She looks at the clock on her bedside table then back at Imani. “It’s 2 in the morning right now, Ima. I am tired. There’s no point in me moving when you’re the one complaining. You said the ‘whole bed’ is wet so go sleep on the couch.” And with that, she turns her back to Imani and goes back to sleep, ignoring the angry muttering from her girlfriend.

It had been about a week and a half since Shuri told Imani to sleep on the couch that night but Imani took it personally and has been sleeping on the couch ever since. Shuri didn’t even remember what she said since she was so tired but she assumed it was bad since her and Imani have barely even been talking unless they absolutely have to.

“Are you hungry?” Shuri asked Imani from the kitchen. No response. Shuri rolled her eyes and went over to her girlfriend, standing in front of her. “Can you just tell me why you’re ignoring me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you should remember. It’s not my fault your memory is shit.”

“And it’s not my fault that you’re having this one-sided ass fight over something I don’t even fucking remember, Imani. We're dating, aren’t we? We’re supposed to be able to talk to one another when we have issues but instead you're pushing me away and ignoring me.”

“You were rude and inconsiderate, Shuri. You slept in the middle of the bed, with your towel on, making the bed wet, and then you told me to sleep on the couch.”

Shuri sat down, rubbing her eyebrow. “So, where exactly were you planning on sleeping, again?”

“What?”

“I mean, I’m just saying. From what you just told me, the entire bed was wet, somehow, so where did you actually plan on sleeping?”

“It’s not what you said, Shuri, it’s how you fucking said it. You didn’t even care about me enough to sleep on your side of the damn bed.”

“I was in a meeting from 7 to 11 pm, Imani. I was tired and you woke me up to complain so my bad for my tone?”

“Oh, please, what’s oh, so, tiring about sitting down and talking about things that need to be fixed or done in Wakanda?”

“It wasn’t just the meeting, Imani. I also had to go to the lap and fix some things on my and Riri’s suit-”

“Oh, really?” Imani scoffed, “So, what? Riri can’t fix her own damn suit now?”

“She doesn’t live here, Imani. She came here for one week for personal reasons, not to work.”

“She could’ve carried the suit behind her and worked on it from that scrappy lil garage of hers in Chicago.”

“I told her months ago that her suit cannot leave Wakanda, which you would know if you actually listened to me when I talked.”

“I listen when you talk, Shuri. It’s you who never listens to me and what I say. The fact that you’re still doing ‘favors’ for Riri proves that.”

“Excuse me? Me fixing the very creation that I helped her make isn’t me helping her. Me and Riri haven't even spoken since I told we can’t hang out anymore, so you can go somewhere else with that misinformation.”

“I don’t appreciate this tone of yours.”

“And I don’t appreciate how you’ve treated me like shit our entire fucking relationship,” Shuri starts, “Everything you ask of me, I do, and I mean everything, Imani. But it’s like, no matter what I do for you it’s never enough. You told me to stop hanging out Riri and I did but you just have to find a reason to get pissed off about something that barely even fucking concerns her and it’s irritating. You might as well be obsessed with the girl with the way you know so much shit about her and me.”

Imani stands up. “Shuri, if you keep talking to me like I’m one of your little fan girls, you gon lose me as a girlfriend, I promise.”

“Nobodys stopping you from leaving,” Shuri shrugs. She’s been through too much bullshit from this woman to even care anymore. “Leave.”

Imani scoffs and goes to pack her things.

“Leave your key on the way out, too,” Shuri says, getting up and leaving.

Today was the last day Riri was in Wakanda and Shuri had to make things right before she lost the best friend she’s ever had in her life. 

Shuri knocks on Riri’s door, thankful that she hadn’t left yet when she heard her say, “One minute!” Riri opens the door a few seconds later, her face dropping immediately when she realizes it was Shuri. 

“What do you want?” Riri says, folding her arms across her chest.

“I wanted to apologize.” Riri’s face softens slightly. “I shouldn’t have chosen Imani over you, especially when I’ve known you longer than I have her. I know what I did was stupid, Ri, and I’m sorry. Imani was my first girlfriend and I was willing to do anything for her love and her approval, even if that meant cutting out the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You didn’t deserve to be ghosted by me like that and I should’ve explained things weeks ago at the meeting but I was scared Imani would find out and break up with me and I know that’s no excuse but I really am sorry, Riri.”

Just as Riri was about to speak, another voice came from inside her room. “Ri, who is it?” They yell.

“No one, Aniyah!” She yells back. Riri turns back to Shuri, “I appreciate the apology, Shuri, I really do, but you’re a week too late. I don’t want anything to do with you after what you did.” And with that, she closes the door, leaving Shuri rethinking her entire life choices.

[possibilistfanfiction]

Wn prompt: 'please'

[anyway we love switzerland era panic; lil bit from girls against god part 4 for @unicyclehippo]

it's not that you meant to see anything; you had just been taking out the trash because hans was busy at the bar and ava was on her fifteen minute break. but then you're in the alleyway and ava is pressed up against the dirty brick wall, imani — one of your regulars, and one of your favorites — leaning into kiss her again.

your pulse pounds in your ears and you inexplicably feel like you're about to burst into tears: but ava is not yours, and it's her break, and, while it may be irresponsible and is certainly not preparing her to save the world in any way, you don't feel like you can say anything, or stop her in any way.

she opens her eyes at the noise of the door opening, and then she's pushing imani back after she catches sight of you.

'sorry imani,' she says, casual and with an unapologetic but kind smile, 'my break is almost over. great time, though.'

you go back inside as imani is laughing, happy, and nothing is serious even though you feel like you're going to stop breathing any second. you go to the supply closet just so you can gather yourself, and your whole body feels like it's about to explode out of your skin.

eventually, you manage to calm down, just a little, and it's the end of your shift anyway. ava is, blessedly, busy, and so you wave to hans and scurry away; perhaps a little cowardly, but you might throw up, and it's all too revelatory for you to bear calmly.

you eat dinner in silence, not even turning on the tv or a podcast on your phone or opening a book, making your way through the leftover pasta ava had left in the fridge, cold, dutifully. you get ready for bed — wash your face, brush your teeth, change into pajamas — and curl up under the blanket. you lie there, go over everything in your mind: ava had been kissing someone; ava had been kissing a girl.

the front door opens eventually, as it was bound to do: ava always comes home. you hear her drink a glass of water and then stumble around the bathroom, trying and not succeeding at all in being quiet. she changes in the dark; of course, you don't look. you might be able to admit to yourself, shaky, that you want to, that you long to, but you've made your vows and you are here to protect her, to train her, and nothing more.

she lies down next to you in bed, softly, and after a few seconds she rolls over.

'bea?'

you stay silent.

'i know you're not asleep.'

you sigh, turn over so you can face her. her features are softer in the relief in the moonlight; she looks, you can admit, angelic.

'please talk to me.'

'i'm not mad.' you find, inexplicably, this is the most important place to start.

'oooookay,' she says, 'but you seem kinda mad.'

'i'm not,' you say.

'you don't — it didn't mean anything,' she says, a little desperate, unexpected. 'i've just never kissed a girl before.'

'you — you're interested in women?'

ava smiles, lighter again, and laughs a little. 'yeah,' she says, shrugs. 'who wouldn't be? women are... soft and kind and smell good and beautiful.'

you don't have anything to say; all you want, in your whole heart, is to press your lips to hers. you think, a little tired and a little sad and full of years of pent up longing, you would die for it. you would die for her.

'is that... a problem?'

'oh,' you say, 'of course not, ava. i'm just... i'm a little surprised, is all.'

'i mean, i cut my hair and have been wearing this stupid little cap backward for all its worth. i'd sure hope girls would notice me, at least sometimes.'

it hangs in the air for a second — you notice her; you always have — before she pinches your side and you laugh, just once, reluctantly but a blessing nonetheless.

'ava, please.'

it comes out a little strangled and she snorts a laugh and then shrugs.

'i won't do it again.'

'you — you could, as long as it doesn't distract you from training or jeopardize our cover.'

she shrugs. 'nah. imani isn't the girl i want to kiss.'

you feel like all the breath has been sucked out of your lungs, kind of like when you'd gotten hit in the stomach with a bow staff at 17 and had spent minutes gasping for air.

'i — it would be — you know what,' she says, 'never mind.'

'ava.'

'nah, it's cool.' she wiggles her way nearer to you, pushes on your hip until you turn over and she can wrap her arms around you. you tried to fight it for weeks but this is the most consistent way you can both sleep through the night, the halo facing the door just in case, her knees tucked safely behind yours. 'you're a nun, and all that.'

you're too tired to ask what that means, although you're pretty sure you know. you would die to kiss her; you would give up every vow you'd made to any god.

but not now. tonight, you think of the way imani's hands had flitted gentle and greedy over ava's hips, the way you had heard the hitch of ava's breath. desire is no stranger to you, despite your reticence and discipline.

'sleep well, ava,' you say, and she snores softly in response, lips gently pressed against your spine.

[shinyhappysims]

Sunday, 2:14 PM, Saelim household, Tomarang

Aaliyah: Thank you for the milk tea, Jamilah. It’s delicious.

Jamilah: Of course, sis. Oh, and congratulations on losing weight! You were starting to look a little stout. Glad you got that under control.

Aaliyah: I’ve lost weight? Er… thanks… I guess?

Jamilah: You’re welcome! You know, you’re the first in the family to come see the church down here, other than Mom, Dad and Aunt Nnadi.

Aaliyah: Oh really? I’ll be sure to bring Imani with me next time. I’m not sure if Cousin Ebenezer’s style of preaching is Rahim or Malik’s speed.

Jamilah: *scoffs* Not everyone can handle the true word of God.

Aaliyah: Um, yeah! Anyways, Cousin Ebenezer sure did preach a good word today. Trusting in God’s timing. I really needed to hear that. I haven’t really told many people but I’ve been struggling with secondary infertility and had a miscarriage recently. I’d love for God to bless Colby and I with more children but I guess God will let us know when we’re ready.

Jamilah: Wow Aaliyah, that… sucks. Like, really sucks. I guess I’m lucky that I haven’t gone through anything like that.

Aaliyah: It’s been hard, but it’ll be okay. I trust God. Just keep me in your prayers.

Jamilah: You always are, sister. Out of respect for your situation, I won’t tell you that I’m pregnant with number 3 right now.

Aaliyah: You… you just did.

Jamilah: Huh? *gasps* Oops! I totally didn’t realize. But yeah, I’ll be praying for you sister.

[richincolor]

Welcome to our group discussion of Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

Please note that this is a full spoiler discussion! You will be spoiled if you continue reading.

Valentina Tran was named after Valentine’s Day, which used to be her favorite holiday. But when Val learns the truth behind what happened with her parents and why she’s being raised by a single father, she realizes true love is a lie. This is reinforced when she meets the spirit of Saint Valentine, who tells her she and her family are cursed to always be unlucky in love. Val is ready to give into her fate, until one Lunar New Year festival, where a mysterious lion dancer hands her a paper heart, and ZING. Val becomes determined to change her destiny, prove Saint Valentine wrong, and give her heart to the right person. Meanwhile, lion dancing is the only thing that has given Jae peace after his dad passed away. It’s also what keeps him connected to his father’s side of the family. Both Jae and his cousin Leslie notice Val at the Lunar New Year festival, and for some inexplicable reason, Jae hands Val a paper heart. But it’s Leslie, with his K-Pop good looks, who starts to date Val. Jae still feels this connection with Val and feels it’s somehow tied to how he feels about losing his father. Both Val and Jae struggle with the spirits who haunt them as they are inextricably brought together in a love story that is satisfying, sweet, and moving.

Audrey: I had so much fun reading LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY. It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to really dig into a graphic novel, and this was a great one. Gene Luen Yang’s story was compelling, and LeUyen Pham did such a great job illustrating characters’ expressions and conveying movement. I really loved how the lion dances were illustrated. What did you think?

K. Imani: I agree Audrey, I had so much fun reading this novel as well. There were so many moments where I had a huge grin on my face and moments where I laughed out loud. The storytelling was so on point with a number of twists that I did not see coming. I love when a story keeps me on my toes. I had an ARC so the paper quality of my book was not that great, but the art was still beautiful so I can only imagine what the final product looked like.

Jessica: I’m a huge fan of Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novels so I knew I would be in for a treat! And I was not wrong. I’d just attended the Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown the prior weekend to reading this, so it felt very fitting to read this. I just adore stories about lion dancing – Audrey, I also loved how the lion dances were illustrated.

Crystal: I really loved the whole experience. The lion dancing was super interesting. It was great to see them, but also to learn about the how and why of the dancing. The artwork was gorgeous and like you said Audrey, LeUyen Pham was able to show so much movement. The color palette was beautiful and rich and followed the feng shui color wheel that is connected to the elements of nature. You can read more about Pham’s illustrations and her very deliberate choices with the colors in this BookPage interview.

Audrey: Let’s start with Valentina! What did you like about her? I have a soft spot for characters who get disillusioned about something but then forge onward anyway. I appreciated her determination to break her family’s romantic love curse, but I also really liked her journeys with familial love and friendship, too.

Jessica: She was a really interesting character! I didn’t expect to get a window into her childhood first thing, and the change from her childhood to when she is a teen in the present day was fascinating and really served to give us a full picture of who she is — it made me feel for her, too! Yet, at the same time, the way she throws herself into whatever she does – whether that’s making valentines or learning lion dancing – makes you really want to root for her.

K. Imani: I found Valentina so compelling. She had such a caring heart at the beginning of the book and to have it broken in such a way made me really feel for her. I really enjoyed traveling with her on her journey as she learned the difference between fantasy love and what real love is. Like Jessica said Ioved that she was so open to trying new things and when she put her mind to something, she went all in.

Crystal: I too appreciated seeing her relationships over time. It was good to see some of her childhood and to see her keep moving forward even when things were difficult. She picked herself up many times and kept on going. She was scared, but did the hard things.

Audrey: We can’t forget about Jae! He and Val didn’t have a great start, so I appreciated the slow burn of their friendship and eventual romance. He was quieter compared to Val, but he clearly was observant and thoughtful, and I appreciated how the two of them complemented each other.

Jessica: Jae! I love Jae so much. I love how much they complemented each other, and how Jae had his own struggles and his own story running parallel to Val. When they performed the lion dance together at the end – I loved that scene. And I cannot say enough about how fabulous the lion dancing illustrations in particular were. I went around showing it to people like, “hey, you should really read this – LOOK AT THESE ILLUSTRATIONS.” Another of my favorite scenes was when Jae’s uncle showed them Korean lion dancing and talked about eum and yang, and how the lion is 100% yang. That was so much fun. It makes me curious about the different kinds of lion dancing in the world beyond the style I’m familiar with.

K. Imani: Yes, we cannot forget about Jae. He was such a perfect balance for Valentina because he was the quiet to her loud.  I liked that he was surrounded by so much love so he was able to recognize that Val wouldn’t be ready for a real relationship and that she had to find her own way. I loved that they both had the same reasons, somewhat, for doing the lion dance and when they danced together it was a powerful experience. I loved those scenes and the happiness that came across through the illustrations just brought a smile to my face.

Crystal: I really adored Jae. He paid close attention to others and really tried to be respectful in his choices. Like Jessica, I totally loved the lion dance with Jae and Val at the end. It visually reminded us how much they complemented each other.

Audrey: Family and grief/loss were huge parts of this book as both Val and Jae were dealing with the loss of a parent and complications in their relationships with other family members and friends. What was most memorable for you? I really loved Val’s grandmother—she was great as a comedic character, but she also had some great moments with Val that showcased her depth and her love for her family.

Jessica: I found the different ways people processed loss so compelling – how Val coped versus how Val’s father went into full denial mode and lied to Val about her mother versus Val’s grandmother. Val’s grandmother bursting into their lives was a breath of fresh air. And both Jae and Val finding solace in lion dancing, something that brings good luck and joy to others, was such a powerful image. It makes me really appreciate the local organizations in my community that keep these traditions alive and provide this outlet for teens in my area.

K. Imani: What stood out to me with the theme of love & grief were tied together in the novel. I like how Val had to learn to love her father again after her hurt, how she was beginning to love her mother in a new way, and the relationship with her grandmother. On the other hand what motivated Jae to dance was his love for his father. This subtle theme was a lovely contrast to Val’s search for true love as it made her realize the difference between a fantasy type of love and what real, true, actual love is.

Crystal: With their losses, what stands out to me is how avoiding things compounds the problems. The lies and the silence only makes the grief and pain stretch out. As Jae’s uncle encouraged, being straightforward and direct can bring healing in a relationship.

Audrey: To wrap up, what YA graphic novels, romances, or contemporary fantasies are on your radar this year? I think The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp and illustrated by Gabrielle Kari looks fun! It just came out last week, and I’m a sucker for arranged/political marriages, and this one is set in a fantasy world with a sapphic main couple. Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar also sounds delightful.

Jessica: I’m really, really excited for Bunt! by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert (which Crystal has reviewed here). I’m a huge fan of the webcomic OMG, Check Please by Ngozi Ukazu, so of course I’m on board for Bunt! as well. And since we’re on the topic of lion dancing in this discussion, I’m going to shout out these two short stories (read them here and here) about lion dancing by Zen Cho, which I adore.

Crystal: I really enjoyed A Magic Steeped in Poison and its sequel by Judy I. Lin, so I’m excited to get my hands on her romantic fantasy Song of the Six Realms. I’m also looking forward to the contemporary romance True Love and Other Impossible Odds by Christine Li. The supernatural romance Hearts of Fire and Snow by David Bowles and Guadalupe Garcia McCall is also on my list. As for graphic novels, I’m eager to read The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. So many books!

K. Imani: There are a number of fantasy trilogies that I’m looking forward to reading when I finally have some free time. All the Twisted Glory, the 3rd book  in the This Woven Kingdom series by Tahereh Mafi,and The Merciless Ones, the last of the Gilded Ones series by Namina Forna, is on my TBR list so far.

[chimchiri]

have there been any polls that have gone differently than you hoped?

Oh yeah! Quite a few actually. I only put in answers I'm ok with and like but obviously I still had my faves that didn't get picked lmao.

For Randy: I actually wanted Randy to have medium length hair and I really wanted to give her scar (though she will probably get them anyway now since Imani became an apothecary/alchemist/healer lmao). I also initially wanted her to have straight hair but the locks (like every feature that was chosen) really grew on me. I also wanted her to be taller than Imani. Otherwise I was either truly indifferent or had the same vote as the final win.

For Imani: I really, REALLY wanted her to have green eyes lmao. As well as black hair. I really liked how it looked, though I still love her end result. I think I would have loved very short or no hair for her the most as well (going back even further in polls). And finally, my last vote would have been to make her the first lady of bedchamber (as explained by the last ask by @fate-magical-girls instead of just handmaiden).

Also in general: I really, really, reeeeeally wanted two butches which were kinda annoyed of each other or hated each other- just having complicated romantic feelings for each other. Didn't expect that need to arise.

So yeah, lots of polls went against what I would have chosen. Though tbh, that's also kinda the beauty of it I think. It's interesting to go with options you wouldn't usually choose.

[sweetestofchaos]

I'm so glad you allow anon asks, I'm way too shy to directly interact with people. Anyway.

I love your stories! 😍 Seriously, I'm so glad I found your page. Your work is so interesting and well written. My most favorite ones are the posts including kids 🥺🥺 They're too freaking precious! I'm rereading the "Take on the World" series for a third time. I'm looking forward to any and all updates you have on ongoing stories or ones you haven't started yet.

Have a lovely day! 🙋‍♀️🤗

Best friend 🥹🥹

It is currently 7am where I’m at. I was minding my business (as usual) doing my daily morning tumblr check when I saw this beautiful and sweet message 😭

Thank you so much for reading and enjoying my work. I love writing about members with children ‘cause they are all so sweet with their younger fans.

Take on the World is one of my ultimate comfort fic. I love writing it and the Min pack is everything to me. Imani is my favorite child character to date if I’m being honest. I currently have a little over 4k written for the next chapter and I’m working on it slowly.

There are a bunch of reactions that I want to write as well but with how shitty the gif selection is now since the update I have lost interest in them 😪 You know how much I like to be able to add gifs 😂

There are things in the works, I can promise you that. I always have ideas coming to mind and I jot them down in my phone asap. I’m trying to find/make the time to write but work is draining me. I was not made to work full time🤦🏽‍♀️

This is such a wonderful way to start my day! Thank you best friend and I hope you have a good day/night!

I love you,

Chell

[sagexwilliams]

👀 fuck, marry, kill anyone in this town

Fuck Imani. Is that bad because she's my ex?

Marry Sully... wait, is that bad because he's my ex too?

Kill Aiden. Sorry but I wanna kill you when we work together anyway. Love you buddy.

Ask anything to: Wes || Darcy || Sterling || Soren || Sage || Noelle || Roxy

@xoimani @sullivanxshaw @aiden-stevens