#as a children’s librarian this makes me VERY happy

[tamayokny]

say what you want about the pjo show, but i love that it is bringing in so many new readers to the series. requests for the books have skyrocketed since kids watched the show and want more pjo!

[totaly-obsessed]

Rory

Leah Williamson x reader

-> A teenage squabble over a plant turns into a heartwarming symbol of family as two best friends prepare to embark on the journey of motherhood together.

-> Happy (a little late) Birthday @alotofpockets!

➳ Masterlist

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

“What the fuck is that?”

“Leah Williamson, Language! Or I will call Amanda!” Your mum’s voice was shrill as she scolded a thirteen-year-old Leah for her cursing. Leah just had a smug smirk on her face, she got her potty mouth from her mum, who always acted outraged when her eldest swore in front of other people.

“That is my favorite plant, Lee! My sister gave it to me.”

Your best friend didn’t even have the audacity to look guilty or lie. “Well that’s fucking hideous thing, I’ll tell you that.”

“Leah!” Oh shit. She just got first-named.

“W- Well you can’t tell me that’s a pretty plant! What is it even called? Tree Tumbo?

Now that she saw the tears brimming your eyes she knew she had fucked up. Her hand that had flown, trying to defend herself slowly sank.

“No, it’s called Dracaena. But I named it Rory, short for Aurora.”

Just last week Leah and you had talked about names for future children, or rather your future children. The blonde was already sure that she liked girls, so kids were out of sight for now. Aurora was a name that stuck with her though, and you had promised to name your first kid Aurora if your husband would agree.

“Oh… Darling, I’m so so-”

“I think you should go home now.” Your teary eyes nearly killed the teen, but with one last kiss on your forehead, she left the room, saying goodbye to your very confused mother.

—

“No way.”

“Yes, Leah! I am not leaving her behind!”

The blonde defender tried to barricade the door and deny you access, but with just a gentle nudge she moved, even picking up the heavy plant for you.

“I can’t believe you’re taking that fucking thing with you.”

After that eventful first day of having Rory, Leah had properly apologized with chocolate, flowers, and a hand-knitted little sweater for a plant pot. She obviously didn't make it herself. God, that would have been a disaster. Her Granny, Berny, had made it for her.

“Well she’s my daughter and as long as I am alive I will take her with me. Either deal with it or go.”

Leah was stunned standing in the hallways “OH! You wouldn’t dare, darling! What would you do without me? Who carries the grocery bags for you?”

“You haven’t carried anything yet!”

The two of you had just signed your first senior contract with Arsenal for a year - and to live closer to the facilities you were moving into a house with Emma Mitchell and Emma Byrne. Both of them were experienced players and filled with excitement they had agreed to take two young talents in.

But seeing you call a plant your daughter, and Leah hating it with such passion surely was a sight to see and just a teaser for the coming year.

—

“You can’t be serious?”

Leah had been busy over the day, doing media stuff. So with having the new house all to yourself, you brought Rory back in, much to your girlfriend's demise.

She had just re-signed her arsenal contract for the foreseeable future while you had signed with the London City Lionesses last year, working part-time as a librarian at your closest school - a dream of yours.

After multiple failed relationships with men, you had come to the realization that the real thing was right in front of you, in the form of your best friend.

Now you had moved out of the old, small apartment into your very own first home, and Leah apparently liked to ignore the time plans you had made. So now you stood there, Rory still in your hands as your girlfriend got out of the car.

“I thought we talked about this Darling!”

Quickly she had walked over, taking the now huge plant out of your hands, and carried it into the house.

“Where do you want it then?”

She already knew that you couldn’t leave Rory behind, you had looked so sad when you promised her not to take the Dracaena with you.

“Next to the couch please!”

“Of course darling…”

—

The nerves picked at you as you made a little sign with ‘big sister’ on it. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise to Leah that you are pregnant, the road here was long after all. But you would never know.

Rory would officially be a big sister in the making, in just a few more months, and then a little baby would share the place with your loved plant.

After leaning the sign next to the ultrasound and the pregnancy test you sat back down at the dining table, now you just needed to wait until your wife was home.

It was as if you were in a trance, looking at your book but not actually taking anything in from it when the blonde entered your home.

“I’m home darling!” Her first act of service once entering was greeting you with a kiss - but she was a little taken aback by your nervous expression. You had been home the entire day, what could have happened?

“I’m gonna shower, my love. I’ll leave the door open for ya!”

Hastily you stood up, pulling Leah back by her arm, ignoring the cocky smirk on her beautiful face. “Can you water Rory please?”

Her nose scrunched up in confusion. You, letting her near your beloved plant? unheard of, but she’d take it any day if it would make you happy.

“Yeah! Sure!"

Your wife nearly skipped through the living room, a half-full watering can in one hand, a müsli riegel in the other. 

“How much does she need?”

No answer.

“Darling, What’s up? You’ve been we- Oh.”

She saw it.

the watering can and food forgotten she picked up the hints you had positioned, looking at the positive test and the picture.

“It worked! We’re gonna be mothers!”

[rainydayz-nstuff]

First time posting, but I needed to write something about Finn from Adventure Time because… I just had to get obsessed again.

So here is a Finn x Librarian! Reader of how he fell for you! (And how it is with his feelings for you)

Starting off with how ya’ll met, it was… very hilarious.

You were caught by a swamp creature at the edge of the forest after walking home, and got tied up to a tree.

Finn, alone in the woods, assumed you needed to be saved, so he tried to bravely beat up the beast that held you captive. (Kind of like that one scene from Hercules)

Before he could even lay a hit, you escaped the rope and tackled the beast into a headlock right in front of him.

Your grip made the swamp guy scream uncle till you let go and he booked it out of there, calling you a maniac.

When you turned to face Finn, his eyes lit up in awe at how strong and brave you were for putting up with the guy.

Even though you glared at him, Finn’s smile never faltered. You waited for him to say a cheesy or bold line like “I could’ve done that.” Or “You could’ve waited for me to help.”

But no, his words made you flustered

“You’re so… mathmatical!”

“… what?”

You had no idea what that word was or meant, but it seemed to be a compliment so you took it.

He continued to ramble about how cool you looked and kept asking you questions about fighting and adventures.

“Ah, I’m not really an adventurer. I work at the library”

Cue his shocked expression. Especially since he had never seen you there before. He felt guilty about never noticing you, but after this night he’ll never leave you alone.

He’ll try to talk to you more and he even visits the library. (He’s forced to get a book each time since he can’t just show up almost every day trying to talk while you work)

One day, he shows up a little later than usual and catches you reading a book to a group of candy children.

You seemed so calm and happy while you told the tale. Your eyes had a glimmer that could rival any jewel he and his brother found in a dark cave.

His face heated up and his heart leapt into his throat. His mouth gaped open and shut like a fish in air. He’s felt like this before, but only around PB and Flame Princess…

… so he could possibly be in love. Or, that being too much for him to handle, he is in the current phase where he found a new crush.

After this realization, he starts asking you to hang out more outside of your job. To the point where if you step outside, there’s a chance he’ll be there asking you for advice or to hang out.

One of his favorite things to do with you is just sit or lay next to you while you read a book.

Your voice is calming to him, and the way you tell the tales makes it come alive.

He’ll get really close, basically leaning on you, while he smiles happily with his eyes closed so he can listen to you speak.

His feelings are very known, meaning everyone knows, but he thinks it’s a huge secret that no one knows about.

His feelings start off as a childish crush, but the more you are around him, the more he falls each and every time.

“Can… can you read that line again please?”

“Sure. Then, the beast rushed over to the knight and…”

Please let me know if you liked this or want anymore! And if anyone is interested, I have an Adventure Time fanfic posted on Wattpad and Quotev.

It’s called “Lost in Ice” and it’s relatively easy to find.

Thank you!!

[itskindofidontknow]

What dreams know about love?

Chapter 2

Dream of The Endless/Morpheus x Love!OFC

Summary: The Queen of Love has grown used to the absence of her husband, the Dream King. After banning her from the Dreaming, they only saw each other when Morpheus summoned her for social or marital duties. He would go decades without calling for her, enamorated by a variety of mistresses. It broke Love's heart. Not that her husband cared. However, after being imprisioned for a century, The Dream King wants to regain his Queen's love. She doesn't believe him, not after centuries of neglect. The question is: Can dreams repair a broken heart?

Tag: Established relationship, arranged marriage, regency romance, eventual happy ending, angst, morpheus is a dick prepare to hate, love is eoster from west germanic mythology, typos are to be expected

The Dreaming was very different from what Love remembered. Decading, fading. She couldn’t hear the dreamfolk. It was as if a war had taken place in the realm. She could not have known if it did, the last time she was in the Dreaming, her spouse banned her to the Garden. Otherwise, Love would never let her husband’s realm fall into such dismantle and abandonment. Even before her husband absence, Eoster had already set aside any dreams of making her husband's realm her home or seeing her children running through the palace room. However, she couldn't ignore the sadness in her heart of seeing all of the Dreaming destroyed.

“My lady Eoster”. The deep pink skirts of Love’s structured dress ruffled as she turned to face Lucienne. The Queen opened a sincere room-lightening smile, reaching to her husband’s librarian. “Blessing from the Garden, my darling friend. How are you? You seem…" Her voice died, it is impolite to say someone look tired, although there was no better way to put it. Lucienne looked exhausted. Deep purple circles under her eyes.

The librarian exitated for a moment seeing the woman turned. If the librarian didn’t see the King of Dreams summon his wife, she would never recognize her queen. Lucienne lightly shook her head, bowing respectfully. It was the Queen of Love, her sweet soothing voice was unmistakable, but she looked different.

When Love was in the Dreaming for the first time, her thick long brown curls were always in a loose braid or run freely in her back, she often wore delicate flower crowns, as the fashion in the Garden, along with flowy lovely almost see-through draped dresses with low necklines, enough to entice her husband imagination, but respectful enough to a Queen. Delicate as renaissance painting. A very different from the thick long curls now secured in a very elaborate hairdo, a golden embroidered crown and a deep-pink colored structured silk gown, with a tight corset accentuating her breasts, and long sleeves that touched the floor. More mature, womanly, confident, like a baroque painting. She was not the naive princess that moved to the Dreaming centuries ago.

“What in gods' name happened? If you are in need of help, Lucienne, please you must come to me” Lucienne’s eyes brightened, Love may not look the same but her nature was still kind, her generosity still abundant. “Thank you, my Queen. It is a blessing to have you back. We sure miss your springs. I hope you can stay” Love squeezed the librarian’s hand. The only time The Dreaming had a shining sun, and blooming flowers was when Eoster was around. ‘I hope you can stay’. Although she kept a polite smile, Eoster didn’t want to stay in the place responsible for her suffering any longer than necessary. Especially with her husband's return.

The queen could feel the king's eyes on her, his dark looming presence on the throne, the only sit in place, since he never made one for his wife. A clear reminder that she was a Queen only in paper. Love chose to ignore him. It was not defiance, he couldn't accuse her of that. Not if he did not made himself present.

“Are you married, boss?” Love looked around, trying to see whose voice it belonged to. The sound of little feet hopping made her look down, seeing a raven unknown to her, hopping near her feet and tilting its head. An unknown raven. This was odd, Morpheus' ravens were one of the few things close to him, he let her get to know “I don’t know this little one. Do you have a name, raven?” She smiled, leaning to him. “Matthew, my…er...” He looked from Eoster to Lucienne, and the librarian probably whispered the answer because he did what Love thought was the cutest bow a raven could do "My Queen".

It didn’t go unnoticed that Matthew was not familiarized with the ideia of Dream being married. Morpheus, once again, making a fool of his Queen. She should not be surprised. “Blessings from the Garden, Matthew. Are you a new raven to my husband? How is Jessamy taking the competition?” Matthew looked from to Lucienne to his queen “ Er- Oh boy, that is a hard one, well you see, Jessamy is-”

“Enough”. A shiver ran through Love’s spine. There he is. His voice. Always the same: Demanding. Impatient. Her husband. Love turns her heels, not quite facing him, as she is facing the floor, making a small courtesy. “Lord husband”. Emotionless and polite. After decades of euphoric running to her husband’s arms, sweet kisses, and being greeted with a cold shoulder, she gave up trying, and mirrored him with the same coldness he offered her. “Lady wife”. Something in his tone made Love look at him, she never heard it before, but if she would guess, it sounded like he was almost…tired.

Her King definitely wasn't the same, paler than usual, fragile, weak, she could see and sense his weakness. Something did happen. Love opened her mouth but no words came of it. Something deep in her heart wanted to embrace him, ask what happened, to care for him, mend his pains, but she didn't. He did not deserve it. Her soft heart might do good to remember it. If the opposite had happened, do you think he would care? It was a waste of care to pity Morpheus. After all, why ask if he is just going to mock her for caring? Or be furious for Love to think that someone could weaken him? Or even tell her to stop meddling in his affairs. No, she knew better.

Love intertwined her fingers in front of her corset, trying not to look fazed by her husband's current state “Our realms shall now rejoice for your return, my king” Morpheus frowed. He expected something…different from her. She gave him a neutral answer, a political welcome, not a crack in her voice, her face was as if she was talking about the weather, not to her husband who was gone by 100 years. He remembered his wife's kisses, always saying the most gentle and caring words, empathic to all creatures, even nightmares and demons. He also remembers that she was a passionate fighter, whenever they were quarreling she was always very emotional and constantly nagging. Neither those memories seem similar to how Love was behaving. He knew that he was neglectful but isn't he worthy of her empathy? Or her anger? He didn't needed it. But she was his wife, wasn't she?

She kept a stiff posture even if her body trembled a little. Without knowing she was holding her breath. She long stopped being angry at Morpheus, as it showed to be useless. In the beginning she used to scream and cry, locking herself in her bedroom for weeks, wishing for death or for her king to come and ask for forgiveness, she dreamed of him on his knees begging for a chance to gain her favors once again. He never did. As the years went by, Eoster gave up, in expecting anything else than nothing from Morpheus. But seeing him again, she couldn't help but to feel angry. All those intense negative emotions taking over her senses. She wanted to slap him across his face, scream, break everything dear to him in the palace.

It would be easier if he would just make a fuss for her not acknowledging his missing. She actually wished for it, giving her grounds to let out her frustrations. But that was not like her husband, his fury was a silent one, not one with screams and physical violence. He was an Endless, after all.

Morpheus stared deep into her eyes, making Eoster almost step back. There was hurt and fury in his calm voice. "A hundred years gone. Did you even wondered where your husband was?" Love knew that tantrums did nothing but annoy her lord husband. She wanted him to feel forgotten. Like he made her feel for centuries. So instead of indulging in intense reactions, she responded calmly and sensible after an uncomfortable silence "A hundred years is but a glimpse of time for an Endless"

The silence took over the throne room, even Lucienne and Matthew felt the tension, the couple disguising their true feelings through polite words, followed by long games of silence. It was until the Queen broke it, annoyed by the prolonged time this reunion was taking, trying to appear calm, signing, turning herself to assess the destroyed room. ” I assumed you had taken another mistress.” Once, she would have been mortified by even thinking about other women, but now? There was no reason for it. The whole realm knew it anyway. “I assumed you were courting her.”

“Oh fuck, a mistress?”

Lucienne sushed Matthew, but not quick enough so Morpheus wouldn’t notice "Leave", he turned his gaze to the librarian, the king didn’t need to say more, they were quickly and happily gone . Lucienne did not want to see the end of this quarrel, Matthew didn't know, because he wasn't yet around when they quarreled. The librarian knew how it would end. Lady Love would hold her tears until back in the Garden and Lord Morpheus would take out his frustrations out in any subject, wherever guilty or not.

Love forgot that they had an audience present. Good, that might set the mood for Morpheus. He hated being exposed, especially to his subjects. Everyone in the Dreaming knew the couple was not a happy one, but they politely pretended not to know, as Eoster and Morpheus pretended not to be aware that their failed marriage was of public knowledge.

He got up from his throne, Love kept her face straight, as he stared deep into her eyes and she stared right back, not looking away, as he walked towards her. “May I remind you, my Queen, that you are Queen of the Garden as you are Queen of The Dreaming? Mistress! Was that it? The reason you let your subjects to their own luck? Jealousy? Has the Lady of Love no commitment to her duties? Is she incline to such cruelty?"

The air around them thickened, she breathed heavy, chest burning in anger. How dare he? How dare he guilting her about his realm destruction! Usually she would turn her back and walk away, not giving herself the trouble of explaining to her husband his own duties. However, accusing her of not caring for the dreamfolk, she would not have it. Not when it was his fault. With a deep breath, biting her tongue to hold the curses she wished to scream to him, squeezing her fingers to not squeeze his neck “May I remind you, my lord husband, that in our last quarrel, you banned me from the Dreaming.”

Love grinded her teeth. By the look on his face, taken aback by her. he had forgotten about that. “ In your words, I was only allowed here, through your calling.” Words like thorns, cultivated from years of neglect. “ So no, lord husband, I did not forget about the Dreaming nor I neglected it. For I do not let my personal matters interfere with my duties toward my realms." 'Unlike you', she thought. Love shook her head in disbelief, how could he accuse her of being selfish?! She sacrificed her own happiness to live a miserable marriage, she chose to never take lovers and she never even condemned him for his love affairs! She knew more than she wished to know about tolerance and permissiveness, he had no right to accuse her of cruelty. Not him. “And Jealousy! How can I have jealousy of something I never had? Spare both of us, I beg you this. Don't blame me for your sins for you know they are yours and yours only." The anger takes over her body in a way, she has to walk away from her husband or she would slapped him. "You forget yourself, wife" He warned, but she didn’t care. She didn’t even realize when tears start staining her cheeks " No, you forget yourself, husband." She angrily turns back dropping her hands “How dare you question my commitment to my duties?! When did I ever, pray tell me, neglect my responsibilities? Can you, husband, say the same? Wherever were your responsibilities with your wife? " He stayed silent. "Why, should I go after my husband? Only to see him bed another woman? Please another whore? Father a bastard? To watch you being so infatuated that even mortals dream of her?" As it has happened before, for her shame. "What was it this time? Another mortal? Another muse? A fallen star? It must've been a good one for letting your kingdom in-”

"I WAS CAPTURED" The King roar echoed through the room. She coied herself away,bracing for the worse. Morpheus never raised a hand towards her, but she never showed such insubordination to him. He warned, and she pushed. He may not hit her, but he would ban her for the millenia, maybe even send her to hell. She could almost see the grin in Morningstar’s face. "There was no mistress". He said the word with such spite that one might think he never indulged in such behaviors. Knowing Morpheus he would probably punish mortals to never dream of love again.

She looked at him confused. An Endless captured? Impossible. Could it be a trap set by Desire or Despair? There was no other possibility. He could see the question in her eyes ``A mortal. He wanted my sister, Death, but captured me. I was imprisoned for all these years. Unable to return. And Jessamy? She-” His voice cracked. Dead. Jessamy was dead.

Love didn’t understand. An Endless, her husband of all of them, one of the most powerful beings in the universe, at the mercy of a mere mortal. The idea of it was absurd, more than that, it was impossible. Even before their marriage, between all the beings it was a well known truth that marrying an Endless was to marry security, protection, to never be challenged, except by other Endless, and even then, family could not spill blood of family, and by marriage, this also extends to her.

An imprisonment explained her husband's more than normal pale skin, and how weak he seemed. Love couldn't help herself but to feel sorry for her king, sorry to think the worst of him. Yes, he did take mistress after mistress, and the gossip around all the entities was how infatuated he was for his lovers, so it only seemed obvious to Eoster that he was pursuing a new passion. She was so bitter and angry at him that she forgot how he was also one of the most devoted among all his siblings to his realm. He might had a mistress, but would never leave it to be destroyed. Love fiddled with her fingers, her cheeks red with embarrassment, lowering her eyes to the ground. "Forgive me, I…" She whispered ashamedly. It was true he cheated before, constantly, she had grounds to accuse him, but she was the Lady of Love, and love is always forgiving, it is always patient, it doesn’t hold grudges, so what was she doing? Not listening to him, not being empathic to her husband, has she become so cold after all these years? Has she become like Morpheus?

If only the Dream King had been a better husband, if only he had shown her kindness and companionship. Their reunion would not have been like this. In truth, if he had been a better husband, she would never let him leave.

Since she couldn’t make words for it, at least not in meaningful words, she falled in her knees. Eoster defied him, she knew the rules "Forgive me, please, I…I shall take whatever punish you seem fit." Love was certain he would send her back to the Garden, maybe never wanting to see her again, maybe this time for eternity. The weight of her words weighed her. Did she actually scream at her husband? Did she actually do it? What reckless behavior. It wasn’t like her, not of late. Eoster was always contempt, always submissive. Why was she furious with someone she concluded long ago would not be able to love her?

"I have no intention of punish you, my lady" she frowned her brows, looking at him puzzly as he signed, tired "I…" In his imprisonment maybe he forgot about punishments? Maybe he had grown mercy on him? "My Lord, I embarrass myself and you, accusing you of sins you did not commit. I shall retreat to the Garden and think about my behavior". Love suggested what seemed like something her husband would impose. He stayed silent, looking at her, offering his hand to help his Queen get up.

"I wished you back in the Dreaming." His words were uncertain, if she didn't know better, she would say that Morpheus was nervous and maybe a little shy in asking her that.

Eoster tilted her head, not daring to get up. She wasn’t sure if he wasn’t toying with her, even if it was very unlike him. She looked into his deep blue eyes, trying to read his face to figure out where this was going. Love could kind of understand why he would show mercy at her, after all, he might need her powers to restore his destroyed realm. But to ask her back to the Dreaming? No. That was…It couldn't been. Not after this disaster of reunion. She needed to appeal to reason, without appearing shocked. "My Lord, forgive me, I am sure you remember, but I do have a court".

One of their biggest quarrels. The Garden had a full court, very different from the Dreaming. Her husband's palace was quiet and ethereal, very different from Love's palace at the Garden, with constant music, talking, laughs, ladies and lords running through the halls. Balls, concerts, feasts, festivities happening almost on a daily basis. Eoster was always followed around by her closest cupids, her creations, and ladies and lords in waiting, entities from other realms learning the ways of the heart.

When they got married, she wanted to bring them to the Dreaming. Morpheus instantly denied her. They quarreled for days. It only stopped because he went to the mortal’s realm. He didn't want to be disturbed by gigglings and mindless conversations that he was certain Eoster court would be full of. And she just wanted to feel less lonely, to be around some familiar faces, that didn’t treat her so distant as the dreamfolk treated Morpheus, and by extent, her.

It would take decades to dreams and nightmares to learn that Eoster was very different from her husband. That she wanted to be close, to actually know them and have them around. In the end, to not have his wife moping in the corners and pouting, he allowed her to go to the Garden, to attend her realm’s affairs and socials.

" I do remember it." He said, more certain. Standing in front of her, she could feel his gaze. Love upheld her head. Did this awful mortal that captured him, torture him in a way he lost all his senses? What could possibly make Morpheus change his mind? That was one of the main reasons Love and Dream fight: His stubbornness to change. He didn’t want a wife, a court, a new realm to take care of. He didn’t even accept her purest devotion. "I have new ladies and lords in training, I cannot leave them without guidance" She mentioned politely, to avoid another confrontation by saying that he couldn’t expect her to drop everything at his command. (She once would have done it. But that was the past). She took his hand, getting up, as he unfazed by her appeals he concluded "Bring them."

Eoster dropped her mouth open, and almost fell back on the ground. She was too stunted to speak. She couldn't answer, the truth was she didn't wanted to come back, this wasn't her home. Love thought that if she reminded him why she couldn't be back, he would drop the subject. The Dreaming was never her home. Morpheus never allowed her to make it her home. The Garden was. She liked Lucienne and her subjects, but long ago her husband made it clear that this was his kingdom, and she was its queen but her role was not to actively rule, but to be more of an accessory, to decorate Morpheus arms whenever needed, to fulfill the role of devoted and beautiful wife.

Eoster raised an eyebrow. If this was a game or a trap, she would soon discover, as she pushes him for conditions he would not in eons accept. That she was certain of, imprisonment or not, he was still the Dream King. "As you wish, I will ask Lucienne to see Elijah to make arrangements for my court". The lady got up, dropping his hand as soon as she was on her feet, entangling her fingers against her corset, taking a few steps away from Morpheus, testing the Dream King's newfound goodwill. "Since you are in such high spirits, my lord husband, may I speak freely?” He slowly nodded in agreement, holding his tongue not to say that she did more than speak freely a few moments ago, but decided to avoid another fight, since he truly intended his wife to be back at his side. And fighting her, would not aid his cause.

Years of imprisonment gave him time to think, at first he did not think of Eoster at all, but after the loneliness and mistreatment, he started to long for his wife. He never expected to miss her talking, the gentle kisses, the eagerness to be close, the longing to be part of his realm, how she welcomed him to bed even if he did nothing to deserve the touch of her delicate naked skin. He realized that he didn’t actually know her, even after centuries married, he never had any interest in getting to know her. That pained him, thinking if he would get the chance to know her. Eoster could have dealt with the Corinthian. They were fond of each other. And she had a way of understanding and embracing troublesome nightmares, better than him. Although Morpheus would never admit it.

After examining her through their reunion, he could perceive the differences between the Eoster he once married. She grew cold, distant, avoiding his gaze, avoiding him, staying at a safe distance at all times. He cursed himself and his heart felt heavy for knowing that in most part, if not for all, he was to blame.

When they got tricked into marriage, Dream spent years holding a grudge against Eoster, thinking she had much part in Desire’s trap as his sibling. Maybe she was infatuated by him, and Desire offered a quick way to make him hers. He never directly asked her, but they were close, one may say they were even friends, if his sibling ever had those. After all, Love and Desire were, for mortals, two sides of the same coin. They worked too close.

He thought all her devotion was a farse. A plan to make him fall for her, to make a fool of him, to destroy him. Desire knew how infatuated he was for his lovers, and they were not the mistress of love. Imagine how would he be if he was devoted to the Queen of Love? Desire would have him completely annihilated.

“The solstice ball is to be held in a week in the Garden, but since you insist in my company, I assume you won’t mind it to be held here, in the Dreaming? After all, as you kindly remember I am Queen of the Dreaming as you are King of the Garden.” She wandered away from Morpheus, walking in the throne room langley, avoiding his gaze, afraid he would realize what she was doing. This would definitely make him exile her again. Back to the confort melancholy that she accepted as a dear friend over the years. “And thinking of the politics of all, It is the most appropriate time. It will show renewed strength to our subjects and especially to your siblings.” Who she was certain had something to do with his imprison. This has Desire written all over it. “They, of course, shall all be invited, and you, lord husband shall show them that you are not beaten down by some mortal, that you are stronger than ever."

She knew Morpheus. He hated festivals, balls, parties, all events that the Garden was full of. And inviting his siblings? Morpheus would be dead before Desire or Despair step foot in the Dreaming. She was pushing him through the edge. To the king of dreams to accept such terms, it was a true act of desperation. No, Love knew her husband, she knew his temperament. He would deny her proposition, and send her back to the Garden to even dare propose such an idea. Maybe not now, after all, he was imprisoned, alone, starved of touch. Morpheus probably would want a private visit of his wife in his chambers. He had no mistress over these years, Love knew by coming that their meeting would most likely end with her covered in sheets crossing a hall.

It took a few moments of silence, Eoster pretending to be assessing the damages, touching the decaying columms that seem once so strong, so fragile now. She could almost hear the engines in his head turning, considering whateve or no- " Fine. Give me a few days to restore my possessions and rebuild my realm. You can bring your court, and prepare the festivities." Morpheus offered her a semi-smile. She could feel her cheeks starting to grow red, immediatly turning away from his gaze. After all these years, all the mistreatment, a single smile ( not even that!) made her into a blushing maid. She lightly shook her head, focusing on the madness she was listening to. Di-did her husband just agree with her court and the solstice festival AND to his siblings all in The Dreaming? No. What? No. " I-I'll return to the Garden and inform my court of our new arrangement, my king" She gave a small courtesy, her skirts dancing through the floor as she walked away from her husband, still not sure this was actually happening. Feeling light on her feet. She needed to get out of here fast, or she would faint.

Her husband. Dream of the Endless. Lord of Nightmares and Dreams. He was, it sounded like madness to even think about it, but he was, wasn't he?

He was longing for his wife.

No

Love did not believe this. It was a need of power, a need for companionship, starvation of touch. He would come to his senses.

[marygih]

The idea that Abaton was a place of death and a place of birth is so magnificent.

Librarians and Ymbrynes took care of the dying old people and comforted them before they died that they would help the next generations and took into the world and took care of newborn children, giving them a special feature if they were born ordinary.

It's so wonderful! Your mind makes me tremble with admiration!

And here is my little headcannon based on this thought - Jake [and Abe was] great at getting along with young children, namely small children, newborn babies and children under 5 years old, since librarians were also considered patrons of young children.

By the way, I saw your photos. You are really very beautiful and you have great hair :)

Thanks! The idea of ​​births happening in Abaton also comes from a statement by Ransom, he says that the only way for a human to enter a loop without having their mind destroyed by it, is if this human is born within the loop. So the only way to safely get a human to borrow a soul in Abaton is if that human is born within the Abaton loop. This is cool because it takes away the morbidity of the place, Abaton wasn't just a symbol of death, it was a symbol of life too.

I would like to think about it, the library of souls is huge, all the peculiars who donated their souls had a peaceful end and died knowing that they would help future generations. They would give their unfortunate normal descendants the chance to have a peculiar life and all the privileges that came with it, since peculiars were living gods back then. In the same way that normal parents want their children to be normal, peculiar parents wanted their children to be peculiar, it was their right to be peculiar. They loved their children so much that they wanted them to have the best. Being quirky was a blessing

Your headcanon is really cute! I completely agree with him. In all the books the librarians are very good with children, see how Olive loves Jacob, and since Abe perfectly passed off as a social worker, little Noor adored V. and liked Abe.

Thank you very much for the compliments 💜 you are very kind, it made me very happy 🥰

[roselyn-writing]

🌼💚Layla Buyunni OC lore 🍀🌳

Name meaning: ‘Night’ in Arabic. ‘Buyuuni’ means ‘The Keeper’ in the old Virginian language

Date of birth: 3rd of September 1440 (in Virginian time and year)

Age: 23 (Youngest Oc so far).

Zodiac sign: Virgo.

Hair: Long straight blonde hair.

Eyes: Green.

Skin tone: Porcelain.

Favourite food: roasted veggies, veggies, broth veggies, omelettes, Chickpea sandwiches, peas quinoa salad.

Least favourite food: Beef, Chicken, Jelly.

Aesthetics: Gardener, librarian, flowers, nature, forests, green aesthetics, plants, cottagecore, greencore.

Favourite colours: Green shades, white, Turquoise, Brown, Gold.

Job: Florist, Librarian.

Likes: Nature, learning new things, animals, quietness, cleanliness, reading books, writing poetry, likes to take care of her plants/flowers, Pixies and fairies, green clothes, green jewels, etc.

Powers: Plant-based powers, psychic abilities. Plant manipulation, Chlorokinesis, slight sound manipulation, Immortality, and Complete control of plant life. Healing magic, Her eyes glow green when she uses her powers, self resurrection, immortality, Hair manipulation (only in Verdant Seraph form)

Items: Eternal Verdant core (Its shape is similar to the heart of Tefiti from Moana, but it is bigger and has a heart-like shape with plant-based runic, etc.) Later, it infused with her soul making her a god-like being.

Hate/dislike: sexism, plant abusers, animal abusers, bigots, racist people, liars, criminals, parents who abuse their children, rude people, people who hate other people for being different, etc, nature abusers, etc.

Pet(s): Layla has a plant-like creature that she made out of her powers and pure essence it is similar to “Bellossom” from Pokemon, She named it ‘Marigold’

Faceclaim: Meghan Ory.

voice claim: Stephanie Sheh (Usagi Tsukino English VA)

Personality: Layla is very shy when she sees new people, but when she gets to know them very well, she won’t be shy with them at all, she talks and interacts freely with them.

"I feel the verdant energy coursing through me, surging like vines in search of life and sustenance. I harness its power and focus my will. The plants around me respond by swaying in rhythm, weaving a thick, green tapestry of life, And I swear by the holiness of nature I will use it for good!" ______ Layla Buyunni’s quote

Her lore is inspired by Anne Jefferies and the fairies but I decided to make it darker and bloodier hehe 😝.

[The Lore] CW: Blood, Death.

Across the north where the wind from the south meets the northern sea of Ma’chilga town as if they were lovers from different parts of the world, There, was a happy little girl called Layla Buyunni, She works as a florist and a caregiver to an old lady called ‘Granny Mira’

Layla is known among the people as a happy and carefree girl, let alone a very beautiful and popular girl in the town too. Every day, she finishes her morning chores in Granny Mira's house then she goes to the market to buy groceries so she can cook and prepare a meal for herself and Granny Mira.

This was her daily routine for years until one day, she was cleaning the backyard with a broom, when she heard a rustling in the bushes, at first she didn’t care at all, she continued to clean the backyard until the rusting became more frequent and annoying, she decided to go and see what is hiding behind the bushes and she saw nothing at all, confused, she decided to head back to the yard and continue cleaning it.

This time, she heard a lot of voices and more rustling in many bushes near her, she was beginning to freak out. She clenched her hands onto the broom as if it were a weapon, she gasped with utter shock when she saw 6 dwarves dressed in green and white garbs coming towards her way. They stopped when they came face-to-face with Layla. They looked at her and smiled.

“Hello, Fair Maiden,” The leader of the dwarves greeted her.

Layla was so shocked that she didn’t reply, she kept looking at them and said nothing, at first, she thought she was dreaming or something. Until one of the dwarves climbed on her feet and she yelped in shock as she backed away from them.

“Worry not, fair maiden,” Their leader said, his tone genuine and soothing, Then six dwarves dressed in green and white outfits came to meet her. They all stood in a row in front of Layla and smiled up at her.

“A-a-a-are you r-real?” Layla finally spoke, she was stuttering and her tone was scared and shy. She was in disbelief, still not believing what she was seeing, she rubbed her eyes with her hands and looked at them and they were still there.

The dwarves laughed at her; They nodded their heads while doing so.

“Of course, we are, fair maiden,” said their leader, It is a dwarf who wore a white hat while the other green ones.

Terrified, she fiercely swung her broom at the dwarves, They dodged her attack and looked at her in complete confusion, Their leader, Mattan, raised her hand at her in indifference so that he could explain the situation to her.

“Layla, stop it!” Mattan declared with a firm tone.

In complete bewilderment, Layla dropped her broom, she lifted a surprised eyebrow “How did you know my name?”

“We know you, but you don’t know us,” came his vague reply.

Layla only blinked twice or thrice at this, she didn’t know what to do or say; Dwarves appearing in your garden isn’t something you see every day or something you can barely process. Layla swallowed hard, trying her hardest to understand the situation she was in.

“Okay? And what do you want?” Layla inquired.

Mattan stepped closer, he gently raised his hand and touched the hem of her dress. He didn’t say anything in the least, He only did some hand gestures. A thick white fog like a cloud in a clear sky enveloped them and in fear, Layla covered her eyes.

It didn’t take long for Layla to take her hands from her eyes and see what happened. She is in a different place now – a jungle — a forest, She is in a forest-like place, full of thick trees and green grass. As if she is in a perfect forest in some fairytale.

The dwarves started to walk and Layla trotted behind them. Mattan was talking about the history of this glorious forest while Layla was eagerly looking around the place. She smiled as he mentioned something about ‘willow trees’ she loves them so much.

In a flash, Mattan and his dwarves came to a halt, Mattan looked directly into Layla’s eyes as he pointed a finger at her.

“Layla, You are the daughter of the mother forest,” Mattan announced suddenly.

Layla, bewildered at his claim, she calmly shook her head. “No sir, I’m no such thing,” She replied.

Mattan, still determined to prove himself right. “You are!” He said determinedly.

Layla shook her head. “No, Sir.”

“You are!”

“No, Sir.”

Mattan breathed to calm himself. Layla is as stubborn as a mule to accept the truth.

Mattan sat on a big rock. “Haven’t you asked yourself, where are your parents?” Mattan asked.

Layla’s eyes fixed on him. “I have, many times to count,” She said in a quiet tone.

“Both of your parents are gone, sadly,” Mattan told her, his tone is soft and mild. He paused then after long moments. “But, You must know your heritage, You are a verdant, a being of the forest and we need to protect you until you grow up into a powerful Sylvan!”

The dwarves nodded as they looked at Layla.

Layla was still in disbelief and she refused to believe any of this. “No, I’m no such thing.”

Suddenly, five dark creatures rushed towards Layla but Mattan easily blocked their path from Layla.

Layla gasped in utter shock and horror. From the look of them, they are dark dwarves, evil beings of chaos and evil. They are dressed in black and red clothes and they carry axes with them.

Mattan looked at Layla, He used his abilities to transported her back to her home. Layla was thankful to him for saving her life.

After days of this event, Layla discovered that she has some abilities, she can grow plants, flowers and everything that is plant-based. She told Granny Mira and the latter was shocked and scared.

“Please, Do not let the king know of this!” Granny Mira begged.

“Why?” Layla asked innocently.

Granny Mira breathed. “He hates magic, Because ‘magic’ is the reason for his wife's death,” She answered then she paused as if to remember what she was going to say. “Also, He will punish anyone that is doing magic or complicit in it!”

Layla was shocked, she didn’t know about this at all. No one in town said such a thing about magic.

“Okay, I got it,” Layla muttered as her head hunged down.

She was so happy about her gift, she wanted to help everyone and make their life easier, but now? She has to keep her gift a secret or everyone she knows will suffer.

Layla decided to look at the bright side. Granny Mira is right, she needed to keep this secret. Because if not: everyone she cares about is threatened with death. She decided to use her gift in secret and she won’t tell anyone about it except for Granny Mira, she already knows.

Days go by, and the dwarves finally come again to see Layla and to talk with her. They brought with them food and bread.

They sat in Layla’s room and surprised her. Layla smiled at them, it was the first time she smiled at them and she greeted them.

“Hello, Friends,” she greeted them happily.

The dwarves smiled and greeted her too, both were happy about their friendship. They decided to celebrate at little and the food they brought.

Layla took a bite of the bread, it was delicious and sweet, It was as if angels were singing in her mouth, she never tasted something as delicious as this. She thanked them for the food, she ate slowly and with manners, savouring every taste of it.

“This, this is delicious!” Layla spoke after she swallowed the bread.

“Glad you like it, It is called fairy bread,” Mattan exclaimed happily.

Then, The dwarves left, they brought with them so much food that Layla decided to put it on the hall table.

Later that day, Granny Mira invited her other friends, who were all older women just like her, she offered them the food that the dwarves brought to Layla. They took a bite of it and they were happy, they were praising Granny Mira for the delicious food she offered to them.

“This is delicious!”

“I have never ever tasted something like this!”

“This is out of this world!”

Granny Mira's smile flickered with a hint of bewilderment as she listened to their enthusiastic claims about the bread. Doubt crept into her mind, but curiosity got the better of her, with a determined nod, she reached for a piece and brought it to her lips. The moment she took a bite, her eyes widened in astonishment. The flavours exploded on her tongue, sending waves of delight through her senses. In a frenzy of hunger, she devoured the rest of the bread, savouring every delectable morsel as if she were a ravenous beast.

All her friends nodded. “See?” They chuckled at her display of hunger.

Granny Mira chuckled in agreement. She was embarrassed by her own inability to control herself. She is a well-mannered lady and she must show it.

When Granny Mira's friends left. She told Layla about the delicious bread and the food that was on the table, she laughed at how her friends, devoured it all, as if they were starving for days.

Layla smiled at this, she was happy but she was a little concerned since Granny Mira mentioned they ate the food that the dwarves gave her, and she was terrified that her caregiver friends would ask more of that food.

“Wellness, Granny,” Layla chuckled, trying her hardest to push her nervousness and concern away.

“You made it right? You always make delicious food,” Granny

Layla sighed. “No, I didn’t make it,” she confessed.

Granny blinked her eyes in pure confusion. “Y-you didn’t make it? Then who?”

Layla sat on the sofa. She looked at Granny and smiled “The fairies, or the dwarves, whatever they were,” she shrugged her shoulders. She was nonchalant and she didn’t know why.

“Layla, Tell me the truth,” Granny said as she sat beside her on the sofa.

“I told you the truth, It was the dwarves who made it for me.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“It is the truth!”

Granny crossed her arms. “Layla! There are no such things as ‘fairies’ or ‘dwarves’”

“Fine! You want me to prove it to you?” Layla stated as she got to her feet and went to a different spot in the room and she started to move her hands as if to summon a paranormal creature.

It didn’t take long as a green glow sparkled in the room and six figures emerged from it. They were short and dwarves-like, unlike dwarves who were known for their green skin and ugly features, these dwarves had fair skin tones and good-looking facial features.

Granny placed her hands on her lips in pure astonishment. “Oh my! You are right! They are real.”

“See?” Layla grinned at her.

Granny Mira nodded and smiled. “Of course, But you must not tell the people about them Let alone the King,” Granny declared.

Layla nodded at her. “Of course, Granny.”

Times go by, and The dwarves continue to visit Layla and bring food for her, Granny’s guests enjoy the food and tell Granny how talented her daughter is for making the food, They were unaware of the dwarves or the fairies or even of Layla’s new gifts.

Unfortunately, One day, one of the King’s advisors heard some voices in the house of Layla and her Granny, They weren’t human and they didn’t belong to Layla or Granny, He heard of local stories of witches and glowing creatures, etc; he decided to take a permit to investigate the house.

He took a permit and he is heading to investigate Layla’s house. He saw things, He didn’t wish to make accusations without evidence.

Layla and Granny welcomed the King’s advisor. At first, He didn’t find anything regarding the ‘witches’ or ‘the glowing creatures’ that he heard or saw.

Unbeknownst to Layla or Granny, The King’s guards were awaiting the advisor's word so they could enter and capture Layla and Granny. but he didn’t give his signal at all.

The King’s advisor still didn’t see anything out of the ordinary in the house. He is still looking for clues and he sees glowing green spots on the floor. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Layla and her Granny.

“Oh, that? That is some rare herbs I found deep in the forest!” Layla lied. She smiled as she looked him in the eye.

The King's advisor nodded. He didn’t know that it was a lie, her tone was genuine and sincere. and her body language didn’t show nervousness or lack of expression.

But the unexpected happened and one of the dwarves blew his cover as he fell from one of the top drawers of the kitchen.

The King’s advisor looked at Layla and Granny, He immediately lifted his finger and gave a signal towards the King’s guards. They came by kicking the door open and arrested Granny and Layla.

“Please! Please let us go!” Layla begged. “It is not what you think!”

His reply was a slap to her left cheek as he looked at her with disgust. “Silence! You witch!”

The guards took Layla and Granny to the King’s Yard for judgment.

At this moment, Hadi and Arouj were walking around the town, They heard people talking about a girl named Layla and her Granny, and that they were accused of witchcraft and magic.

Hadi’s interest was piqued by this. He knew there was more than meet the eye, He decided to do a rescue mission for Layla and her Granny, So, He pulled Arouj’s hand and they were running towards the King’s yard.

By the time Hadi and Arouj reached the place, the judge had said his final verdict and he saw Layla and her Granny were tied and ready to be executed.

His hand already glowed with green magic, With a snap of his fingers, the ropes on Layla and her Granny loosened, Layla quickly saw her chance and used her chlorokinesis, she shot out her palms, Thick hard vines curled themselves around the guards’ ankles and they were thrown away as if they were stones thrown by a catapult.

People gasped with horror and shock. They were scared of Layla’s powers, They ran at the sight of it. The King ordered his guards to kill Layla and The Granny.

So far, The King’s guards couldn’t get closer to Layla at all, until the King himself took Granny by surprise and killed her by decapitating her head with his sword. Layla gasped in shock and anger. The King’s sword is coated with blood, her Granny’s blood, She used her Chlorokinesis once again, she killed all the guards as her ravenous and scary monster plants killed the complicit in her Granny’s death.

Hadi magically pushed the guards away while Arouj used his lashers to kill them quickly, He didn’t want to but they forced his hands.

Layla growled with anger as she shot her palm against the king and his remaining guards. She commanded the ravenous vines to attack the evil King and his guards.

The King fought for his life till the end, But Layla decided to finish him quickly, One of Layla’s plant vines pierced him his heart, He yelled and gurgled as he placed his hand on his heart as if he was trying to lessen the pain but he couldn’t and died.

Hadi decided to intervene now. He slowly and carefully walked towards Layla. “We need to go,” He said urgently.

She smiled at him and nodded. “Let us go.”

Layla, Hadi and Arouj left the town, Hadi’s hands wreathed in a green glow as he conjured a portal to his home. Layla, Arouj and Hadi entered the portal before they were followed by the King’s guards.

Layla thanked Hadi for saving her and offering her a new place to stay, one where she could freely express herself and be herself.

She knew that she had fallen in love with Hadi Because he was the only guy who didn’t look at her as the guys would. He saw her as a friend and a great one. Layla fell in love with him and she likes him.

Aliyaa, Hadi and Arouj welcomed Layla and thus she stayed with them, as her new family. Layla also decided to look for answers about who she is and what happend to her parents.

[growing-yet-into-magic]

Circle Round: raising children in Goddess traditions, by Starhawk, Diane Baker, Anne Hill

If you are curious, no, I haven't read the other, more famous Starhawk book yet. It's on my shelf. I am putting it off because the library is yelling at me to give this one back much more urgently 😅

I have read many "how to witchcraft" books, and a few "how to witchcraft (with kids)!" books as well, but this book is a gentle, loving book on how to raise your children in magically rich household, the reading experience made even richer by having multiple contributors to provide crafts, songs, rituals, and grounding for a world that isn't exactly built around Neopagan sensibilities. There are several stances the book takes right off the bat, all which I was very grateful to see:

1) Do not force your kid into anything. Force is counter productive to your endgoal: having a happy, loved family where children feel comfortable with your craft and their place in it. If you would like your child to be interested in participating, leave them as many invites and openings as there are rituals taking place, or encourage them to make something that will be part of the ritual at another point. You can do this without trying to strongarm them into it.

Yes. Absolutely. This is a great point to make up front. Especially when children can be embarrassed that their parents believe in magic, or are part of a coven that partakes in rituals. 2) Cultural appropriation is not tolerated. However. If you only expose your children to European stories, mythologies, and traditions, they are only going to see the world through a lens of eurocentrism. Diversity in materials is the key to a well-rounded view— in life, in magic, everywhere.

When I got to this part of the book, I about stood up in my chair at work. Yes. We can appreciate, value, and learn from multiple cultures by engaging with them respectfully. It is important to be exposed to as much as possible in life, lest we become too used to only one perspective. I use the same philosophies towards diversity and global representation as I work to stock the kids' section at our library. 

I loved that the book had songs (and sheet music!) in it; I loved how the book was only as feminine as you would like to engage with, even as it centers in a Goddess tradition; I loved the crafts, the recipes, and the realistic day-to-day tips, all aimed at a level where younger children could engage with the material without missing out; I loved how the collaborators rounded each other out as they went, so there was hardly a section that felt too heavy with one person and ignored the others, and everyone contributed something different to the book.

As a kids librarian, reading this book smacked me in the face with the realization that kid rituals are largely just Goddess-themed storytime sessions. If you're a children's educator in any capacity at all, ever, and the chance to read this book comes up, take it, if only for the weird feelings blending your day job with theology! 🤣

If you're very sensitive to something that "feels Wiccan", well, this does smack of it, but if your actual problem is with cultural appropriation, misogyny/misandry, transphobia, or homophobia, I am happy to say that, on my first reading, none of the issues people tend to cite as their problem with Wicca made an overt appearance. That being said, I was reading this book at a desk with many distractions. 

I liked this book, I appreciate this book in its role and its content, and now that it's returned to the library, I'll likely try to purchase myself a copy. 

Blessings!

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fics Not Rated (2) Masterlist

part one

a teenage beauty queen of sorts (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: dan gets into the world of being a beauty guru, and phil’s just the cute admirer

Advent Calendar 2019 (ao3) - Phantje

Summary: Dan and Phil are best friends. Also, Dan loves Phil, but Phil doesn't need to know that, especially as it could unredeemably change their relationship. Also, Dan loves being part of Phil's daughter Ashley's life. As long as he can stay close to them and see them be happy, he should be fine.

When Phil asks him for a favour, Dan agrees without hesitating, unaware of how much a taste of his dream life would affect him.

Cold, Empty Mattresses and Falling Stars (ao3) - conshellation

Summary: 2009 au where phil and his family own a campground/cabins in an area that is known for stargazing and phil has lived his entire life there, therefore knowing a lot about stars. dan and his family come from the city to said campground because dan is a nerd and asked to come there for his birthday.

Dan’s Plants (ao3) - amazingdalien

Summary: Dan owns a plant store. Phil keeps bringing back his dead plants.

DreamCasts Presents (ao3) - SummerFlingsAndThings (QueenJunoTheGreat)

Summary: Phil's son is obsessed with the faceless man who narrates audiobooks.

Dan's daughter is obsessed with the brightly dressed librarian in charge of the children's department.

And Dan and Phil? Well, they're a little obsessed with one another.

endings, endings, beginnings. (ao3) - commonemergency

Summary: A lot can happen in eleven years, he said, finishing his cup of coffee. Dan and Phil had lived a full life. It wasn’t always happy, but nothing can ever truly be happy, but it was finding the happiness and the light in those dark places.

Exposed (ao3) - breatherepeat

Summary: The video is posted and the truth is out to the world. Dan continues on his journey to self-acceptance and love.

Friends won't treat me like you do (ao3) - Mangomelions (orphan_account)

Summary: Phil pretends to be Dan's boyfriend to stop a creepy guy hitting on Dan. The lie escalates and they decide to keep it up for a while. How long can they keep pretending?

HOT TO GO! (ao3) - ae121

Summary: Dan loves his roller skating job where he gets to sing and be silly.

He loves his boyfriend Phil, even more.

I Dare You To Stay (ao3) - realityfallsapart

Summary: Dan Howell is a barista working a shitty job, frequenting his shitty apartment, and living a shitty existence, hiding his asexuality and going for a PHD in self-depreciation and depression. Phil Lester is a part-time intern, part-time employee at a local weather station, trying to get experience in his field and make a name for himself, while juggling a second job at the nearby Tesco's to give him some financial breathing room. Their paths were never supposed to meet, but what happens when they do anyways, one rainy day in Manchester?

I Don’t Wanna Think of Anything Else (Now That I’ve Thought of You) (ao3) - danscardigan

Summary: Dan and Phil meet and fall in love, all in one night.

I Don't Want the World to See Me (ao3) - Mysticallykai

Summary: Dan and Phil's first meeting, based off of Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Dan hasn't really accepted that he likes men, and Phil is incredibly patient with him. Smut, angst and fluff.

ilomilo (ao3) - oliblu

Summary: Dan's childhood best friend unexpectedly passes away, after returning home from the funeral, everything seems different. Is it just Dan's mind playing a devious trick on him or is his world truly falling apart?

Inheriting love (ao3) - Fictropes

Summary: Dan lives and works in a small village where everyone knows everyone. A place where everything is typical, until Phil comes along.

instructions unclear (ao3) - danisnotreadingfanfic

Summary: this came to me in a dream. i am sorry.

Kaleidoscope (ao3) - danisnotinteresting

Summary: A fan makes up a rumour about Dan which turns out to be true, he assumes Phil must of leaked this and becomes very distraught.

Knock Out (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: Dan and Phil receive a boxing-related challenge while filming PINOF 10, and it inspires the couple to explore their kinks and have incredible sex.

Missing you (ao3) - roman (orphan_account)

Summary: Phil watched as the Skype call went through and Dan's beautiful, pixelated face showed up on his laptop. His smile was wide and he looked really happy, Phil missed seeing this side of Dan; he just missed Dan in general.

-

Phil is in Florida, Dan is not. Phil misses him

(more than just a) summer fling (ao3) - zsunsetz

Summary: dan howell absolutely despises the beach. but maybe a model called phil lester can help him out with that.

Naughty! Do Not Eat (ao3) - talentisntgenius

Summary: Why Dan Had To Call an Ambulance but it's parent!DnP

oh no (not now) (ao3) - kishere

Summary: It's the year 2013 and Phil, an omega, has an okay enough life. He's recently moved to London to pursue an opportunity to work for BBC Radio 1, he has a new flat, and his YouTube channel has been on an upswing. Sure, his heats are so inconsistent he finally had to ask his fiancé of five years, Dan, to help him through them so he could try and live a normal life. Which wouldn't be such an issue if Dan wasn't in love with Phil's hotter, tattooed twin, Dillon...

Somewhere Only We Know (ao3) - raisedufromperdition

Summary: The bench overlooking the lake in Central Park was the place Dan would go to lose himself in his thoughts and be alone. That is, until Phil Lester joins him one day, and suddenly Dan is no longer going to the bench to be alone. Suddenly the bench is where he gains a best friend, and where he falls in love.

SPI: A Dan and Phil Paranormal Investigator AU (ao3) - trancelover99

Summary: So I made a TikTok where Dan and Phil were Paranormal Investigators, and I decided to make an AU based on it.

The Cherry Blossom Secret (ao3) - BlueFox1319

Summary: A secret lies in this hideaway, for when an almost mad artist and a grief ridden photographer meet.

Their worlds could either wilt or bloom with unknowing enchantment.

To Live and Let Go (ao3) - raisedufromperdition

Summary: Upon his diagnosis of a terminal illness, Dan vows to spend the rest of his short life with Phil by his side, completing his bucket list while learning what it really means to live and love.

without saying a word (you had all of me) (ao3) - rainbowroshenpower

Summary: I trace it all back, three-thirty AM

That night, something turned in my heart

While you were sleeping, I fell in love

[solarpirates]

Stray thoughts on Dead Boy Detectives

So, five years after getting Gay Married, I am getting Gay Divorced. I'll be moving out in about a month but until then, my spouse/soon-to-be-ex and I still live together.

One of the things we can still do together is watch TV. We are overall rather different from one another in the way that we enjoy watching TV; my spouse largely prefers shows that are easy to digest and don't require reading subtitles, while I like to get totally absorbed by TV shows and don't mind subtitles. However, there are a couple of types of shows that we both love. Aside from Swedish gardening shows, we both like watching British crime stories and camp/kitschy supernatural stories.

So, right now, we are watching Dead Boy Detectives. We love it. One episode left, which we will watch later.

Something I am thinking about as I watch: Sometimes I like very realistic shows. And sometimes I love it when a TV show is like an anime, or a comic book. My spouse and I have several times commented upon how much the cinematography - the angles, the colours - remind us of the imagery in The Sandman, and that era of comics overall. I haven't read all of the original Dead Boy Detective stories, but I did read the Sandman parts of them, and I really enjoy the call of making them older teenagers and find a different death for Charles. It's a whole other story and I like it.

Various thoughts (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD):

I find it funny that Edwin has so many boys fawning over him, but it seems like he has a lot of fans on Tumblr and a lot of people love him and how many boys want him so I will take it as fan service. Not a bad thing, I just... I know he is supposed to be a character that rubs others the wrong way but is likeable for the audience but I find him hard to like. Not hard to feel for, he has clearly suffered, he is not a bad person, but I just can't really like him. Sorry.

Charles, on the other hand... he is so lovely??? Can't tell if I want to be him or if my inner teenager wants him. The best acting in the show, too, so maybe that's part of why he steals all the scenes. He kind of reminds me of this boy from my gymnasiet Spanish class. I had a huge crush on him but he liked... real girls I guess.

Charles' reaction to Edwin's confession was so, so good. Couldn't have been better. I honestly hope their relationship stays platonic. Just for once, I want to see someone fall for his friend and then get over it and find someone else to be in love with all while maintaining a healthy friendship. I am generally for The Gay but I would genuinely be disappointed if they get together in a later season lol

The librarian looked so straight. The only character in the show to do so. She was styled 100 % like a heterosexual Swedish HR dept employee with one OR three children (not two) and a husband that works with... I don't know, industrial economy or something. They go on trips to go skiing in the Alps together in the winters and they used to go on a sailing trip every year together when they were younger but now the husband is the only one that goes. I was really annoyed by this at first but when she turned out to be a crazy stalker I was happy about it.

When I was younger I used to wear my hair similarly to Jenny's and Niko's and I also used to colour coordinate a lot more and now I miss it so much??? It is extremely impractical how I both want to cut my hair short like Charles again and let it grow out to Niko hair again. Maybe this is my queue to start wearing wigs.

I want a whole mini-series about just Jenny and her emotional life.

Not sure how I feel about Niko as a character. I've seen some people appreciate her as a Japanese-American character and as an autistic-coded character. Personally I don't know what to think. I don't really like how pretty her weirdness is. She feels like a cute Goodnight Moon ASMR character [edited for tempering] and not necessarily in a good way. Still, she’s kind of relatable [edited] and I suspect that I would have been obsessed with her if I’d been a teenager.

Oh god wait I struggle w Niko and I struggle a lot with Edwin and now I realise they’re probably the two characters that are the most similar to teen me????? Help?????

My spouse was so moved that they cried during the scene where Crystal meets her ancestors. I really liked the scene, but the one of her scenes that I enjoyed the most was when she and her ancestors pushed David into the ground. Loved the juxtaposition of the serene beauty of the tree and the physical brutality of their entrapment. It made the tree - she and her powers - scary and powerful. In a good way.

Speaking of brutality, I love the witch so much. I love how she is full on a hag - strong and violent, beautiful and disgusting, funny and horrific. It's not hard to imagine her eating babies.

I am not saying that this is badly casted, because it's not - but I notice how hard I find it to actually see these teenage characters as teenagers and not as being in their mid-twenties, like the actors actually are and look like. However, this is a common trouble I have with shows of this type.

I would have fucked the Cat King.

[booksandwords]

The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Deer by Ember White. Illustrated by Marta Maszkiewicz

Age Recommendation: Pre-School Topic/ Theme: Integrity/ Authenticity (it's all about being true to yourself so...) Setting: Unspecified, America at a guess

Rating: 4/5

I never would have found this or read it without stumbling across the author on social media showing some of their... weirder reviews, and tbh asking for Aussies to balance out the crazy. I saw at least one review calling The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer grooming and to be honest, if you want to see it that way, that's how you will see it. Though why you would choose to see it like that I don't know. That's just weird. To look at this absolutely beautiful book as something with a malicious message is beyond me. I'm glad I did read this though. Not so much for Ember White's story as lovely as it is but for Marta Maszkiewicz's stunning illustrations.

I will make some comments on Ember White's story first. Let me start by sharing a quote from one of Ember White's tumblr posts. "I wanted to tell that story of anyone's who ever felt that they didn't belong anywhere. Whether you are a nerd, autistic, queer, trans, a furry, or some combination of the above, it makes for a sad and difficult life. This isn't just my story, and this is your story as well." Ember's story is quite unlike anything I've read in a while. Their story is well thought out well, and you can see that all their heart is in their book. You can see that their book is the book that they wish they could of had as a child. Embre gives us Tommy a young boy with a secret. In his case it is a pair of deer antlers that he keeps in a box and a want to be something else. The message of The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer is to just be you. It shows the pain of repression, the pain that happens when you try to be someone you aren't. The phrasing is beautiful and enjoyable. I can see how this could be a very good read-to, it has the right message and easily memorable writing. The choice of a deer as the animal the boy wants to be is a good one. It's one of the animals with the most diverse symbolism some of the basics are harmony, happiness and innocence (phrased as being in touch with your inner child).

I would love to know who paired illustrator, Marta Maszkiewicz and Ember White. Marta's a perfect match style-wise for Ember's script. I adore her beautiful style it feels young and playful when it needs to and adds that moment of darkness when it is necessary. Her dark stormy moments with the purples and blues have the perfect depressing tone for Tommy's sadness. Storms have a rainbow-like background a nice touch. There is a scene where Tommy is looking at potential future careers (doctor, accountant, engineer), I love the choice Marta makes to give Tommy oversized clothes, a child playing dress up. Not just playing dress up but uncomfortable and awkward more than expected. Marta has done a fantastic job of aging Tommy up from his child self to his adult self to his true self. His true self is kinda in the middle in appearance, like he has shed the weight that he was carrying around as an adult that he has now shed. The dance/performance element is executed particularly well. I can sense the movement coming off the page and that outfit is lovely. The final illustration is just beautiful it is light and hopeful and innocent. Honestly, I can't praise the illustrations enough. I really want to find more of Marta Maszkiewicz's illustrations.

This is highly controversial and will remain so. It does what Ember wanted it to, it challenges the status quo and some people aren't ready for that. But some of us, librarians, parents and those outside the neurotypical, cishet sociocultural norms that are ready for it. The ending is unexpected but I really like that The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer chooses to break the conventions that the children's publishing by giving the reader an unexpected ending of fulfilled dreams. I'm happy I read this and I think many others willing to look beyond the judgemental reviews probably will too.

Ember White is @emberwhite on here.

[broughtandborn]

Cute thing in the "getting to know people is good for many reasons" category: I go to my little local library a lot. The CSA site I coordinate is at the same building, plus my kids and I are big readers, so over the years we've gotten pretty familiar with the librarians. Today I went in and said I was going to check the kids' new shelf because there's a new Diary of A Wimpy Kid book my kids want to read. The children's librarian heard me and was like "oh that JUST came in, hang on" and went and found it in the mail that had just been delivered and had the front desk librarians log it in and give it a bar code so I could check it out. A tiny thing in the overall scheme of things, but it was friendly and nice and will make my kids very happy.

[coeluvr]

Hey, thank you for answering my previous very long question!

And don't worry, even if you didn't give the precise answer, I get the gist of what I wanted to know!

THIS makes me laugh though: "Since the lover would be equally unimportant as the now ex-Consort, they can marry and do what their heart desires. For MC though, they can marry but never have children because their eyes would be passed down and we can't have peasant-but-royal-eyes kids running around town."

Me, a Heliosmancer: "yeeeeeah... equally unimportant. Suuuure." (and the "not to mention the never have children in case the MC can actually bear children physically, though that wouldn't be an issue in my playthrough).

I'm here to answer questions so don't worry about it! 🫶

OH if you wanted to know what would happen if the "ex-Consort who essentially had an affair and not really lover" married someone of importance, in this case RO, then I'd say they will definitely face backlash and people would be like "booooo peasant!!" like what Luceris and Farah faced lol.

The backlash is far worse for Heliosmancers and Soarinemancers, it essentially depends on their status. The higher the worse! In case of Heliosmancers, if Luceris approves of the union then the backlash is toned down.

And no, having an affair with them beforehand does not help.

So yeah I basically ruined MC's life when I made the important people ROs lol, maybe if there was a random regular librarian RO the MC could be happy and live a normal life after they got rid of Luceris.

[titoist]

childhood memories

the librarian reads us a story about how you shouldn't feed a bear because it will come back & expect more food. i find it fairly upsetting. i want to be kind to animals. i feel sort of intensely personally upset with the librarian

i discover cracked.com & open dozens upon dozens of tabs, reading the junk food voraciously. once i see a scary picture on one & have to huddle in the corner of the couch for hours staring at the hallway so i know it's not coming out of the hallway until someone gets home. hours crying

when i'm home alone, i am always so deeply powerfully intensely petrified by the idea of going past my room. there's too many doorways. i'm afraid of mirrors. i'm petrified by the mental image of a ghoulish woman sprinting out of a doorway, towards me, screaming

i go on omegle when i'm about nine & use manycam to show people a picture of a mutilated penis. i'm sorry

i go on omegle when i'm about ten & meet someone who claims to be a girl named jade. to make a long story short, it turns into this weird... knifeplay, rape, forced sex change, roleplay, thing. where if you read the chatlog i am very obviously using the mannerisms & emoticons of a ten year old & "jade" seems unconcerned by this. i saw, said, & did a lot of gross things on the internet but this seems to come back to my memory the most often, like it's emblematic of the rest i save the chatlog. some time later, days? weeks? months? years? i don't know. i walk into the living room & glance at the laptop on the counter connecting it with the kitchen. my father has somehow discovered the chatlog & is reading through it. i don't react or say anything. i don't know how much he reads. he never says or does anything

my father is friends with a happy married couple who live in a big house. one day while visiting them i ask the husband if he wants to see something frickin' messed up!!! he watches me play happy wheels for awhile out of obligation. he just keeps going "… hhhhuh."

in second or third grade, a girl - i don't remember her name, retainers & glasses, blonde - has a crush on me. i never hear this from her personally, but she was bad at concealing her mannerisms. & after awhile, i was openly solicited by the other kids in my grade to help them torture & mock her about it. the way i understand it, she was deserving of ostracization for having a crush on an overweight child, while i had skirted by on account of never being seen as part of the ingroup in the first place. the mocking would have no stakes.

my mother works for a theatre company. this means she has to go up the stairs in that concrete behemoth & beyond the byzantine hallways to practice her roles in productions for hours at a time. she takes me along, & doesn't restrict me to the lobby or supervise me. this means i have the fantastic opportunity to run around various storage room with miscellaneous props, CDs, &, by god, puppets, for hours on end, unrestrained. i spend a lot of time there, alone, & i think it is the contributing factor in me developing a low-intensity interest in puppetry later on in life. once i start talking with one of her colleagues & spend a while parroting nationalist conspiracy theories from my father. my mother comes over eventually & he tells her i'm one of the most articulate & perceptive children he's ever met. it's absurd. i know this is absurd

once, in fifth grade english class, our teacher has us write all sorts of verbs on the whiteboard, trying to guess what a character in a story is about to do. someone intends to write "wrapped," but writes "raped." i watch the teacher notice this & quietly fix it. i saw, i knew

in my bedroom one night i realize a bunch of existential dread stuff for the first time & cry hysterically

early in fifth grade, i miss my bus stop. i tell the driver i missed my stop. an older girl comes up from the back of the bus & starts heavily involving herself in the situation really unnecessarily. then she takes a brief look at me & concludes that i'm autistic. she says her brother is autistic, so she can recognize it. she talks to me like a dumb puppy dog. i get home & tell my mother about this, then go "i'm not autistic!" while going into my room & crying

when i was around seven (?) years old, i went & looked at my birthday on wikipedia. later, i believe my father & i were talking about stuff that had happened on our birthdays in various years, & i clearly remember going up to him & saying, "Gerard died on my birthday" Gerard was a medieval Count of Auvergne who married one of the daughters of Louis the Pious, who was himself son of Charlemagne & Co-Emperor of the HRE. i expected my father to know who i was talking about because at that age i had no grasp of what bodies of knowledge i could expect to be commonplace among people. i figured that maybe everyone knew whatever was on wikipedia, generally.

[safeashousespdf]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

thank you @reyesstrand for tagging me! <3

are you named after anyone? — no

when was the last time you cried? — probably last week at some point? i’ve had a very exhausting/frustrating few months, but things are looking up as far as i can tell!

do you have kids? — no, but i think i want them.

what sports do you play/have you played? — i tried a few different sports as a kid because i wanted to be a cool tomboy, but i am so unathletic that nothing ever lasted.

do you use sarcasm? — honestly i think i only use it around my mom, because we love to give each other shit. but other than that not really.

what’s the first thing you notice about people? — the way they dress. i know it sounds shallow but i think clothes can tell you a lot about a person and their values. also i’m terrified of eye contact.

what’s your eye color? — green

scary movies or happy endings? — i don’t think these things are necessarily opposites? but i really enjoy scary movies, and i think an unhappy or open ending (when done well) can be much more impactful than a happy one.

any talents? — i was a theatre kid in high school but i don’t think that translates into a real talent for acting. so maybe just being loud. i’m also a slightly-above-average singer.

where were you born? — toronto, canada. i’m only telling you this because i don’t live there anymore and have no plans to return.

what are your hobbies? — writing, reading, singing, playing guitar, making cursed edits, cooking, self-flagellation, random research binges

any pets? — my beloved cat pretzel!! also my mom has a dog named nelly who i may or may not consider my pet depending on the last time she’s attempted to kill me.

how tall are you? — 5’4” and a half

favorite subject in school? — english, drama, and history

dream job? — author/stay at home mother to the children i share with a woman over 5’9”. if that fails i’m either going to be an english teacher or a librarian. and if i drop out then i’ll just be a sexy mysterious bartender until i die.

tagging: @tailoredshirt @mooshkat @truelovewaitsmp3 @saintflint @brutalistarchitecture2 @lucydonato @gayarthur @paperstorm @carlos-in-glasses @lovecorerichie @astudyinsubtext yes i know this is not 15 people and also sorry if you’ve done this already!

[risetherivermoon]

i like ranting about my own works, so have a bunch of little details about the universe of how to not die young, basically just some small little canon things i like (some may be written & some i might not get to adding,) (psa, some are silly & happy and some are very much not,) (another psa, there is no major spoilers in these,)

middle school James had a baby mustache that he insisted he'd grow out but he eventually shaved it off because he hated the sensory of it

Sirius and Mary used to date, but they split up when they both realized how gay they are (now theyre just very good friends)

Lily and Remus met because Lily used to be the librarian's assistant and he kept hiding in there, (he also had a shit ton of overdue books)

Remus' mom has a degree in english literature, but right now she works for tech support at an old person's home

Remus has never gone trick or treating

Regulus was a biter as a child, Sirius has a scar to prove it

Marlene tries really hard to impress Dorcas but fucks it up everytime by either tripping over her own feet or saying the wrong thing, (Dorcas thinks its cute)

Barty has eaten a bar of soap before

Evan knows Monty because he works as the secretary at his doctors office,

Barty has never met any of his grandparents because his parents never bothered introducing him,

Remus can handle any other kind of 'after fight reactions' besides the silent treatment/being ignored, it makes him severely anxious (*cough* trauma *cough*)

Barty has never watched spongebob,

alternatively, Evan was a spongebob lover as a child

Pandora once tried to see how many crayons she could stick up Evan's nose while he was sleeping, he didn't wake for like twenty minutes, the answer is 17

James absolutely loves children

Dorcas and Barty have spa nights

Regulus is observant as fuck, and knows things before people tells him all the time, it freaks people out

Regulus steals things from Sirius constantly because it's funny,

Barty almost died as a kid because he choked on a coin (he was 13)

Remus is a shit chef, he only knows boxed mac and cheese and ramen

Sirius fucking loves baking,

all of the marauders signed Sirius' arm cast with their nicknames,

James has dyslexia

and Remus has dyscalculia (hes me fr)

Remus is very expressive, like you always know what he's thinking,

Regulus burned one of his bras in a trash can after Sirius let him smoke one time

Peter ate an entire block of cheese on a dare

Mary practices her makeup on Peter

Sybil does palm readings for Peter, he's a very supportive bf

Remus bites Sirius a lot

Marlene punched a teacher in the face on accident before,

Minnie & Poppy are married <3

Barty only has Remus' number to send him the most atrocious takes he has at like three in the morning - Remus leaves him on read frequently

Sybil and Pandora are fairly good friends

Pandora and Evan had a Wii U as kids and Evan was the fucking best at Wii bowling, you have no idea, (he has his own technique, he calls it 'the Evan Method')

Pandora likes eating pomegranates and then going up to Evan and smiling at him with red stained teeth, he screams like a little girl everytime

James has always wanted a little sibling

James' parents don't know he has anxiety problems because he just stuffs it down so much

Sirius eats dandelions, for some fucking reason, he's just weird

Regulus used to have dinner alone some nights because he'd skip dinner with the family to avoid the constant loudness and bickering, sometimes he'd make something for himself, sometimes Kreacher would make something for him and sit with him

Regulus tells Sirius whenever his boobs hurt because it makes Sirius gag

James and Remus are the ultimate people pleasers

anyways, thats all, maybe ill make more, i have sm brainrot for this fic, theyre all my children

[astridthevalkyrie]

do you actually agree that fics depicting child r*pe should be allowed? do you not think that having media as that so accessible can de damaging? like i’m actually seriously asking not trying to give attitude

sorry i just pulled an all nighter so if this sounds incoherent it's because i haven't slept for the past 22 hours. thank you for seriously asking and not giving attitude lol

it's not about what i think should or shouldn't be allowed. fics depicting that aren't exactly my cup of tea. i don't read them, i don't write them. but authors are going to write dark content, whether that be fanfic authors or published ones. i've written dark stuff that might be totally fine with one person, but not fine with another. your local library might have stuff that makes the worst of ao3 look tame. dark content has existed and will always exist. the problem is, as that post put it, is saying authors can't or aren't allowed to write disgusting things means that now anything anyone dislikes can be labeled a disgusting thing. the slippery slope of authoritarianism.

there are published books that i would never ever want a child to accidentally happen upon, but it is the job of their parents to monitor what their kids are getting access to, the job of the librarians or booksellers to organize things in a way where it's not just open and easy for kids to read. the same thing applies with fics, it's parents' jobs to monitor their child's internet activity, and saying that children can access something is not a good enough reason to say that it means that the writer should never have brought it into existence.

fic writers have a responsibility to tag their fics and if you see someone incorrectly tagging (if you're on ao3 PLEASE be aware that "no archive warnings apply" is very very different from "author chose not to use archive warnings") or it's purposely misleading to get people to click and be traumatized, then yeah, in that case, it's absolutely the author's fault. send in a report!

but if a person as an adult sees warnings, registers them, reads the fic that has exactly those warnings, and then proceeds to say the author shouldn't have written it....it's just so much effort for a mistake on the reader's part. fic is about making yourself happy. why are you reading things that make you upset?

i was 13 or 14 when i joined tumblr. i was 10 or 11 when i started reading fanfic. at that time i barely saw minors dni stuff. i read smut, including dark fics and art that absolutely left me scared to sleep at night. not once did i ever tell the author they were at fault for writing it. i knew what i was about to read. i knew what i was consuming. it was on me and me alone (and i suppose my parents for not monitoring my internet activity). i have two younger sisters who both read and write fic. they weren't online for ff.net and they don't go on wattpad. their fanfic experience is almost entirely ao3 and the first thing they do when they go into a character or fandom tag is take out tags they don't like.

and i'm not naive. they have both most certainly read fics that they shouldn't have read. teenagers always do. i obviously did. very few teens see a minors dni and actually just stop reading the fic. but again—if the author has done their due diligence, on sites that are not meant for kids (tumblr and ao3 both), sites where freaks were promised to be allowed to be freaks, they are not responsible for minors who come into their space.

so that's one part of the argument. the other is the debate over whether writing fictional dark content makes someone as bad as actually participating in that dark content. this is an age old debate. the first time it got really big after i joined tumblr was around the time voltron 2016 came out, when people were being called pedos for shipping shiro and keith. it's gotten much worse since tiktok has become a thing. there are other people who have talked about this and explained it better than me, you can delve into the tags for "anti" or "anti anti" or "proship/antiship" or whatever it's called now.

but calling someone who ships, say, eren and levi in aot, a pedophile, is absolutely off the walls insane. first off, a loooot of people shipping age gap or adult/minor relationships are very likely to be minors themselves. secondly, it absolutely diminishes the meaning of the word. it's the same thing with incest. i've seen people say that shipping characters who are best friends is the same as incest. it's.......not. and you might think, well, yeah, that one's ridiculous, but the stuff that i'm arguing against are legitimate. and i get it. but like i said before, slippery slope. people equating someone's fictional interests to them as a person spells a very bad future for fandom.

i think a lot of this started when people were like "oh your ship is just the character you relate to and the character you have a crush on." and i'm begging people to realize that is not the case at all. a ship can be that, but it can also be "their color palettes compliment each other." it can be "they never interacted but i think they'd be interesting to see together." it can be "oh that makes a hot pair." it can be "oh this would make both characters miserable and i love it muwahahaha."

so just. please reserve the word pedophile for real-life-harming-children-and-minors pedophiles. not for people who write about fictional characters engaging in morally dubious or criminal acts. they are not the same level of crime. i think people need a reminder about why pedophilia is bad—it's because it harms children and minors, not because it disgusts us. and incest is an even more tricky subject when it comes to fiction so i'm not going to delve into it, but in the same vein, fictional incest ≠ actual incest.

i wish i had blogs to recommend that could explain this better, but you're better off just going through the tags (and anything you can find on fandom and specifically fanfic history) because my brain is super fried. and since i am not an expert i'd like to not answer more questions about this, i'm a bit too old and tired for the anti vs anti anti debate, thanks. i hope this helped 👍🏽