#author L. C. Chase

[melaniem54]

Review: Breakfast Included (A Snowed Inn story) by L.A. Chase

Review: Breakfast Included (A Snowed Inn story) by L.A. Chase

Rating: 3.5🌈 Breakfast Included by L. A. Chase is another of the Snowed Inn holiday collection that shares a special weekend at a mountain resort called The Retreat and a avalanche as the dramatic event to launch 7 romances. I enjoy seeing characters from the other stories gliding through each other’s romances, even if it’s just a mention. Chase’s book has an unexpected reunion between friends…

[aoteyam]

Avatar | ATWOW: FIC RECOMMENDATIONS

This is for anyone else who is searching for certain avatar (wotw) fics; I’ve got you.

note: Reminder minors please remember to read authors notes and warnings, majority of them should be sfw blogs; Also remember to check out the tagged authors blogs for more of their amazing work and support them ✨

**will keep updating this **

Second: LO’AK FANFICS | Catergory: A-Z

• A •

Anything for you @naughtyforneteyam

As long as it's with you. @loakismine

Avatar the story of us @tonni30

A misunderstanding - lo'ak x reader @readerxlol

• B •

Being human + dating lo'ak @lo-aksgf

Best friends. @atokirina-writings

bounce @snoopdogsnip

boys dont cry @outsideofthegarden

burning love @p0w3rzz

• C •

childhood bestfriends to lovers @lola-bunn1

clueless @starkeysmoon

Come to you @whatisthatmae

• D •

dull | lo'ak @bonnibuckets

• E •

Empathy @mochi-yu

• F •

failure @m1kasawps

first kiss with lo'ak @livelaughloak

Five things lo'ak loves about you @tinkerbelle05

Fmokx @/loakismine

G

• H •

Happier @littlethingsinlife

Him Being insecure @sxmpforneteyam

hurt @bruisedcupids

• I •

Injured || lo'ak x reader @budgiesunset

In love with the enemy @vandnana

it's always been you @/lola-bunn1

I see you @hearts4neteyam

I see you @bibibelly

I see you lo'ak @loaksbitch

• J •

jealousy @lxvvvllyy

Just Dance @/snoopdogsnip

Just the start @sunandsstars

K

• L •

lo'ak getting jealous @/livelaughloak

lo'ak learning hiw to read @/livelaughloak

Lo'ak @marvelsage

Love at first sight @yapeachys

• M •

Me Gustas Tu @starriluvs

My First @/loakismine

• N •

nebula @tysukets

nightmare @eywascall

not funny, didn't laugh @/tysukets

• O •

Ocean breeze @/rslytherinesinner

Only one. @starriluvs

• P •

partner in crime @astr1dblogs

perfect @/sunandsstars

Q

• R •

Rivals to Lovers with Lo'ak @angelltheninth

• S •

scream @sethcertified

Sharing same music taste @/hearts4neteyam

sneaking out @/snoopdogsnip

starlight lovin' @/tysukets

sugar crash @/snoopdogsnip

• T •

teach me @/loakismine

Together again @otherperson12

the chase @/starkeysmoon

The perfect pair @mooooonnnzz

The pink promise @/vandnana

• U •

Unrequited Love @shanaurrr

V

• W •

Worthy @white-girl444

X

• Y •

you idiot. @urjanedxn

You're perfect @/shanaurr

Your killin me @slutforavatar

You were just a child.... @/atokirina-writings

Z

#- 123 - REQ (untitled)

lo'ak x female reader @price45

lo'ak x metkyina!reader @marastarz

Lo'ak x Metkayina!GN! @imagineitcreateit

lo'ak headcannons @rainymoodsworld

lo'ak x non-binary @klefansklaroline

angst to fluff @/lola-bunn1

loak x insecure reader @loveysmoke6998

lo'ak x reader @/loveysmoke6998

lo'ak x human!reader @beannmx

lo'ak x polar opposite twin @/beannmx

lo'ak x bestfriend reader @/lola-bunn1

Omatikaya, Metkayina hybrid! reader @/ilikeballs

Lo'akxFem!Metkayinareader @avatarl0v3r

Headcannon of Lo'ak @/angelltheninth

Lo’ak x Female Na’vi Reader Headcanons @woalain

Yo this list is slightly longer than others.

[sxcret-garden]

Yunho ღ 8:57pm [M]

ღ Ateez Yunho x fem-bodied!reader ღ words: ~700 ღ genre: smut (kinda sub!Yunho, overstimulation, unprotected sex) ღ warnings: none

Desc.: Lately you come home stressed everyday, and when your boyfriend offers to let you use him in order to destress, there’s no way you could say no to that.

Author’s note: inspired by this ask~

His hands are resting on your sides as he lets his forehead softly bump against yours, both still catching your breath. He leans in to brush his lips against yours in a slow kiss, and when he pulls back you can hear him mutter,

"Let's go get a shower, baby..." He's out of air and out of strength, meanwhile you're not even thinking about stopping. As you're sat on top of him on the couch, legs sprawled out and his dick still inside you, you begin moving your hips again.

"Not yet, babe..." you mumble, pressing another sloppy kiss onto his mouth. "Want more..." You've been having one hell of a stressful week at work, and now that the weekend is finally nearing, you just can't keep in your frustration anymore. With your boyfriend Yunho readily offering to help you destress, you somehow ended up in this position - fucking in the living room of your shared apartment for the past hour, and you're still not willing to let go of the chase for yet another high.

And it's not like you can blame him for getting tired, so you take his hands into yours, and as you kiss his knuckles you say,

"I'll do the work... just lean back and let me use you some more, m'kay?" There's deep desire behind his tired eyes, and a certain thrill in the way he looks at you, and after mere seconds of hesitation, he agrees.

"Alright," he mutters, earning himself a kiss. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, tracing the slightly protruding scratch marks on his back which you had put on him earlier on in the session, and as if to apologize for getting eager enough to hurt him, you trail kisses down his jawline as you start riding him again. "Shit..." he groans, leaning his head back and you can see his bottom lip quivering from the overstimulation as he gasps. 

"Babe..." you sigh in between kisses, and one of your hands finds its way into his hair, fingers tugging at the strands and drawing the sweetest moan out of him. Yunho lets his palms wander your bare upper body, restlessly searching for a place to hold onto as he's trying to adjust to the sensations coursing through his body. "You okay?" you ask him, finding him having pressed his eyes tightly shut, and he nods, quite in contrast to the way he's digging his nails into your hips now. You can feel him growing inside you as he's attempting to slow you down a bit, guiding your movements on top of him, but to no avail.

"Please, just one more..." you plead as you lean your body against his, chest against chest in a race towards your next high. The way he groans right beside your ear as you pull on his locks makes heat rush through your veins, and when he presses his thumb to your clit in order to help you out you moan his name.

"Yunho... l-like that..." You too are overstimulated and much more sensitive to his touch now, so even just a very soft brush of his fingertip against your core is making your head spin. Led by greed and the need for more, you gradually speed up your movements, and you relish in the desperate sound of his voice as you repeatedly let him slip almost all the way out of you, only to take him back in fully the next moment.

"Fuck, Y/N... gonna cum again..." he curses through gritted teeth, and now it's him clawing at your back and leaving some marks for sure. 

"Just... a little longer..." you mewl, seeing your own high fast approaching. "Fuck, feels so g-good..." He comes undone underneath you first, never taking his thumb off your clit to make sure you would follow suit, and just as he's beginning to shake at the way you're not stopping, you feel your orgasm crashing down on you. Moaning his name, you throw your head back, and when you're starting to come down from your high, you let yourself fall forward against his chest with his arms wrapped securely around you.

"I needed that..." you mumble, placing a lazy kiss onto his skin. He merely rubs slow circles onto your back in response, letting you hear a hum of approval. 

"Anytime for my love," he mutters and then he brushes his lips against your forehead as your chest feels with warmth.

[dewracle]

IV's ABC's

PAIRING - IV x reader, IV x polyves (Briefly mentioned)

WARNING - NSFW! Rough sex, Cum feeding/eating, primal play, blood play, knife play, slight virginity kink (?)

AUTHOR'S NOTE - I totally meant to post this earlier but I didn't. Anyway, my IV is a mix of shy but a huge flirt. Wanted him to slowly gain his confidence... Plus include my primal IV fic

WORD COUNT - 1,087

Master List

❥ A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

➛ He’s always rough during the act, so afterward he’s picking you up and taking you to the bathroom, running you a nice warm bath.  ➛ When y’all are done, he’s wrapping you in his clothes and cuddling you in bed. 

❥ B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

➛ His? He's really self-conscious but gotta say it’s his hands. Loves how rough they are from playing the guitar.  ➛ Yours? Haha.. your thighs. He just loves to bury his face between them to taste you, squeezing them and marking them up. 

❥ C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

➛ There will NOT be any wasted cum with this man. It is always in your mouth or in your hole. He refuses to cum in a condom and will take it off just so he can fuck your mouth. 

❥ D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

➛ He actually doesn’t have any! The next prompt will explain!

❥ E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

➛ He knows little to nothing. Has only had one partner before you and the vessels.  ➛ With his little experience, he is very nervous but tries not to show it. Every experience is a new one to him. 

❥ F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

➛ So it’s considered a variation of missionary/butterfly, pushing your legs up till they reach the bed, pinning you down by the backs of your thighs, pounding into you while grunting. 

❥ G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

➛ You’d have to be the one to crack the first joke, he’s nervous about it but afterward he’ll laugh with you. 

❥ H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

➛ Mm fuck he has a bush. He doesn’t shave often and just lets it grow. 

❥ I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

➛ The romantic aspect is there yes… but in a rougher way than you’d think.  ➛ Petting your hair as you sob on his cock, cooeing at you for taking him so well 

❥ J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

➛ This is his main form of pleasure. He’s a flirt at times yes, but he’s nervous to ask to bed you.  ➛ One of those who tries to stay quiet but accidentally ends up moaning while biting his fist. 

❥ K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

➛ Primal play. Please that’s MM, he loves the “fear” you have.  ➛ Blood play. He loves the taste and just how pretty you look covered in your own blood ➛ Knife play. Knife play kinda aids both of the other kinks, just really loves to run it up and down your thighs and chest 

❥ L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

➛ His favorite place is in the woods, somewhere he’s chased you and claimed you 

❥ M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

➛ If you wear a pair of thigh-highs and one of his hoodies. The way you look in his stuff makes him feral for you

❥ N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

➛ He won’t do CNC or anything that plays with consent ➛ He knows he’s into pretty intense stuff so he feels like he has to always ask for your color

❥ O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

➛ He prefers receiving. The tears down your face as you struggle to take his thick cock down your throat. ➛ Does give sometimes but it's mostly for cleaning you up

❥ P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

➛ Slow and rough. He likes to make his thrusts as hard as he can, making sure you can feel him whenever he’s not in you.

❥ Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

➛ No quickies with him till he’s more experienced, nervous bc he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough. ➛ After he’s got the experience I am very sorry, he’ll turn into a flirt and bed you as often as he can.. Anywhere. 

❥ R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

➛ At first, he’s nervous about it, only doing a slight bit of touching. After he’s used to it, used to the thrill, he’ll try anything that you’re comfortable with

❥ S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

➛ He starts out as a 2-minute man, can’t contain himself, the way you feel wrapped around him, your touch. God, he doesn’t last long.  ➛ But slowly but surely he gets that under control and takes notice of the signs he’s gonna cum soon. Afterwards, it just depends on his mood, as many rounds as he feels like he wants to go. 

❥ T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

➛ Don’t say anything but he does, he’s embarrassed about it because he feels like he’ll be made fun of (he won’t)  ➛ If you have toys he’ll try them out with you but you can tell he’s kinda nervous bc the way his hand shakes. 

❥ U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

➛ You’ve seen him on stage, this man is a fucking tease okay.  ➛ The hard looks, the brushing against you, standing behind you just to push his cock up against your ass. 

❥ V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

➛ Quiet boy. Only some soft groans here and there, he is used to having to be quiet. He does kinda feel bad about it sometimes but he really doesn’t know how to be vocal 

❥ W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

➛ My version of IV has backstory… he’s ex-military… he uses that to his advantage when hunting you.  ➛ He also knows bondage because of it! But it’s still in the works so he only ties himself. 

❥ X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

➛ A lot of scars and some tattoos. It’s very pretty actually… ➛ A bite mark from Vessel on his hip, don’t ask. 

❥ Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

➛ You know how horny virgins are? Yeah, that’s basically him.  ➛ Excuse him if he just happens to be hard, he can’t help it. 

❥ Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

➛ I’ll give you this… he doesn’t fall asleep right away, rather he likes to watch over you to make sure you’re okay. Maybe then he’ll lay

Master List

[marcia-11111]

Daffodils. I. The bitterness Sae Itoshi x gender neutral reader

TW! 

Breakup, angst, and heartache

Synopsis:

Sae Itoshi is a Japanese prodigy pursuing his dream of becoming the world's best midfielder. In the race to his own goals, he loses the person dearest to him: you. 

(y/n) (l/n) - Sae’s ex-partner. You are an exchange student from a Spanish university who came to Japan. You met him a few years ago during your year abroad in Spain and became his partner. You have moved on, or you thought you had. However, what will happen when the one who wanted you to avoid him the most finds himself again in your life? Is he going to prove his love to you? Or will everything turn into another heartbreak? Does your heart want the Japanese prodigy back?

All "Blue lock" characters belong to the authors of the manga and anime "Blue lock".

h/c - hair colour

e/c - eye colour

s/t - skin tone

Taglist:

@idk-bro-gay @kiopanxp

Please don't translate, plagiarise nor use my works on other social media platforms, etc.

-----------------------

People blindly believe that if you cage love, it will work out. Whether it is true or not, it is the subject of discussion. However, how many times has one's heart been shattered when the wings were unable to spread? If love means sacrificing yourself for the people you cherish, why is the world so selfish? The one you yearned for left you for what seemed to be forever. 

You have already not seen Sae for two years without knowing whether it was for the better or for the worse. Even though you broke up with him, you stayed in Spain for your studies. You preferred to pursue your dreams rather than be swayed by thoughts of hurt, no matter how painful your breakup was. Nonetheless, you avoided some districts of Madrid like a plague.  

Tomorrow, another chapter of your life will start: you are going on a student exchange to Japan, your ex-boyfriend’s country, which he has not been very fond of. Regardless, your foot leads you to a local field. Why does your heart begin to beat so fast? Even after such pain?

Your mind fills with thoughts of what used to be and could have been. Two years have passed since the day you craved to forget, but was it not hard to do so? Sae Itoshi became your ‘’if only’’, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Tomorrow, you are going to leave for Japan and get away from this city. A little melancholy stays in your heart, but infelicitous memories always take advantage. 

You hoped; perhaps today your bleeding heart will let you forget its scars. Chasing love has never been easy. Even though time passed, the wounds refused to heal. Your eyes scanned the area. 

“Love, love, love. What a miserable idea.” You shake your head after a few moments of staring at the soccer field. It is empty, reminding you of who you have become. No matter how hard you would have wished to have changed the ending, it was impossible. The past morphed and vanished like the wind, leaving you unable to grasp it. “Who am I? What have I become? An emotionless shell with a pierced heart?” These thoughts have clouded your mind since that forsaken day. 

Sae Itoshi, the prodigy midfielder whom you would curse for eternity, was the one who broke your heart, turning it into tiny pieces of shattered glass. His name follows you wherever you go, like a plague. The cruel words have been sinking into the deepest parts of your soul since then. 

“I had tried to reach for you, Sae,” You murmur to yourself, “but your heart was never mine, huh?” A bitter chuckle escapes your lips. “I am stuck in the past, and everyone assumes I know nothing about you or about us. How pathetic….” 

The world falls silent at your words. Nothing could be heard, not even birds or the wind. Why has everything come to this?

“I am leaving tomorrow.” You whisper to yourself. “Starting a new chapter far away in a country you did not desire to play for, I hope I grant your wish of not seeing each other ever again. At least for a while. So far, I have managed it," you say calmly, a single tear falling from your eye. “I hoped this place would not have become my fortress of regret, but I was wrong. Goodbye, everything.”

You leave the area after saying those words, taking one last look at that piece of memory. However, you miss one detail. The teal eyes stare at your silhouette, noticing you are too focused on your own business. They are filled with sorrow and regret; however, the man does not gather up enough courage to approach you. Would it all turn into a sea of even deeper regret that you would sink into? Together or not...

[tmwcs]

M E R M A I D S T A L E C H A P T E R T E N

Warning: Stalking, kidnapping, capture, cat and mouse chase, overpower, abuse of authority, abuse of authority in relationship, resisting capture, reader is being chased, prey vs predator vibes, time skips. Contrary to what you just read, it’s not what you think 😏.

also...not proofread.... -___- it was either delay it some more or get it out. i think its good enough. pls enjoy.

“Y/n, you’re finally here…” your step brothers gasped out, receiving you as you entered the ICU. “It’s been so long since we last saw you….you look…exactly the same since we last met up.” Your eldest step-sibling admires, noting that while you both were merely two years apart, his features were drastically altered from the effects of time. You, on the other hand, remained immune and unaltered, enchanting the public eye with your mystique and abnormal genes.

“….Still no word from your mom?” He inquires seldomly. You shook your head, internally guilty for lying and maintaining the secret of her whereabouts. “I’m sorry…she hasn’t reached out.”

“it’s fine.” He softly speaks. “It’s just….I know how much dad really loved her…it broke his heart inwhen she disappeared and left that note. I know it’s been over ten years but still….I don’t think he ever got over her leaving like that.”

Placing a soft grip on his shoulder, you patted him in comfort. You wish you could explain the reasoning behind her sudden departure, and the reason why she had to leave. It was the price to pay after becoming a wife and mother, something that you promised you would never render yourself to become, all to avoid the path that was to follow suit after fulfilling the duties of motherhood. Sure, you were grateful to her, without her love and contentment as a mother, you wouldn’t be here today. However, you wouldn’t be ashamed to admit that the path she took in choosing to bring you forth into this world, raising, and educating you of the legacy behind your family line, was something you yourself refused to follow. It was because of this very moment, a time where your mother had to rid herself of the joys and love she developed for your father, the bond she created with her step-sons, and the efforts she gave into molding you, all of it, had to be put aside so that she could keep her oath. Established by the women of your family bloodline, well before your and your mothers time, that oath remained everlasting in order to protect the Sirens, to include you and your mother. In order to secure the safety of your true identity, as well as hers, she needed to bid farewell to the life she created and disappear forever. approaching your fathers bed, he lays in a critical state. He had grown much older, despite not having to visit your brothers often, you did make the effort to see your father at least yearly. His gaze lights up the moment he watched you set foot in the room.

“My girl…my only daughter….come closer to me.”

raising his hand, he caressed your hair as he admires you. “Look at you.” He smiles. “You never changed….much like your mother. Already forty years old and you look no different than when you were in your twenties.” With the tears forming in your eyes, you knew it was wrong for you to do so, but with him on the verge of emitting his last breath, you faltered as you told him the truth, after ensuring that your brothers and the nurses were all outside in the hall, and the door shut.

“Daddy….I’m sorry…..and…mom….she’s sorry too.”

His eyes become melancholy as he sighs out in relief. “You heard from your mother?”

Shaking your head, you elaborated her reason to leave.

“dad….I think you know deep down….why she left. I think….you know that…mom and I…..we’re not…like most women….you know it…don’t you?”

faintly, he nods. “Y/n…your mother….she was and will always be the most incredible woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. I still don’t know….but in a sense, you are correct….I knew the moment I realized that she remained unchanged…and there I was, growing old….weary, and faded….but she, much like you…..she never did change. I just knew…that there was a secret she kept from me….but I also knew that it pained her if I had found out or questioned it. So I never bothered….it nearly killed me when I saw the letter, explaining that she had to leave. But I knew she had her reasons, it still hurt….but I know, especially when I see how vibrant you still remain….just as you were when you became a young woman…..I know that whatever reason she had, that it was necessary.”

A single tear falls from your cheek. You gulped down as you took his hand in yours. The very next night, he passed on. Never once inching the hint of truth to your brothers, instead, he took it with him to his grave.

Twenty years since have passed, shortly after your fathers passing, you remained in contact with your brothers only by email, or phone, ceasing all visitations to an end, so as to not give yourself away, after all, the years kept rolling by, and before you knew it, you reached your sixtieth birthday. Your step-siblings weren’t much older than you, yet you couldn’t possibly risk presenting yourself looking just as you did when you were becoming of age at eighteen years. Slowly, you drifted your presence away, wishing them well and to be at peace, slowly dying out from the family name, which became easy after changing your identity every decade, merely going by your real first name with close and personal friends that you made along the journey. It was a lonely prospect, still, it was far better than living a life aimlessly roaming the seas for any remaining Sirens.

Never had you thought that even without succumbing to the effects of love, marriage, and motherhood, would you have ever found yourself longing to reside in the Adriatic Sea……never.

…………………….

“Run! Go ahead and fucking ruuuuuun!!!

Piercing your eardrums, Heeseung’s screams of anger echoes in the narrow corridors of your apartment. You scatter around collecting your belongings as you frantically exit.

“I won’t run….I’ll swim…”

How did it come to this? How? You were always careful, you exhausted so much effort in maintaining your secret for so long, and you were doing so well. It wasn’t until the moment you shook his hand, looked into his eyes as he stared into yours, and noted your reaction after you processed that the feeling of his hand…his skin…it was all real and present. You shook with frustration as you leaned slightly forward, causing the cab driver to grow concerned.

“Miss? Do we need to make a stop?”

“N-no….thank you. Please take me to the closest hotel near the airport.”

…………………

Expanding the distance, you wasted no effort into arranging your departure. After checking into a room, you purchased the soonest available flight to the Mediterranean, preparing yourself to let go of the life you yearned for and worked so hard to maintain. Instead, you now looked forward to life at sea—the vast sea.

“What am I going to do? Do I search and find my mother? Where do I even start? How do I know where to look for the others?”

Looking out over the balcony, you gazed over the vast view of the city from the top floor. Placing aside the unbearable thought of living lonesomely at sea, you thought back to the scene in your apartment, that very moment when that beat in your chest, which had compelled you to resist, to fight back and aid n your escape, suddenly became present when you were at your wits end. You knew deep down, it was the one thing that all the Sirens used as their ultimate weapon for survival and independence. When your body had reacted, it did so out of fear and hopelessness, you felt the need to escape, the longing to break away from him. Attempting to fight him off, his overpowering strength proved too great for you to gain freedom, until he called out what you are, "Siren."

At that moment, you gained the tactical strength and skill to deter him away. It was the one thing that sailors feared of, and Kings dreaded hearing, the very power that your mother had educated you on...

“The Sirens Edge…”

.............................................

The next morning, you moved swiftly and checked out of your hotel room early. Ever so cautious, you remained alert and well hooded while dawning on loose and semi-baggy attire, doing your best to avoid being seen or recognized. You flagged down another cab, to take the short drive to the airport. With no luggage, merely just your phone and wallet, you quickly passed through security and arrived at your gate, anxiously awaiting to board. Never have you felt so nervous or scared, constantly turning and glancing side to side, remaining alert. It somewhat surprised you that there was no sight of Heeseung, although you refused to let down your guard, yet still, could it be possible that he gave up in getting you back? Or perhaps you did well to avoid being found, after all, he couldn't have known about the Adriatic Sea and its effect on your transformation, given that it was the birthplace of your earlier ancestors.

Once you settled in the plane, watching out through the window as it took off, you felt a sense of relief as you let out a steady breath.

"Did I really do it? Did I truly escape from an Adam?"

Looking past the transparent clouds, you gazed over the deep blue waters of the ocean as the plane takes its route.

"Mama....are you somewhere in these waters? Or are you closer to the mediterranean? Maybe even in the Pacific? Or the Atlantic even? Where?.....Where will I be able to find you? Were you able to find our ancestors? Your sisters? The matriarchs of our bloodline....did you ever find them, or are you still lurking in the depths of the ocean? Singing out your siren song....enjoying freedom."

Dragging the tips of your fingers against the clear porthole, you lean your head against the wall and drifted off into a calm slumber. It nearly felt as if you closed your eyes for only a moment, when you heard the captain announcing the plane's landing over the intercom. It had been a long flight, yet you nearly slept the entire ride. Stretching out your arms, you braced yourself for your arrival to the lands of Greece, the very place you had visited so many years ago with your family. You did it....you escaped and would be able to live freely to tell the tale.

Engrossed by the joyful relief of maintaining your freedom, though not in the manner in which you preferred, you still felt grateful that you were able to avoid eternal capture at the hands of that man. Distracted by the thought of it, you didn't notice that a pair of lustful eyes had been watching over you the entire flight, the eyes of a man who was waiting for the moment to strike, and bring you back home.

....................................

Checking into a local inn, you made sure to lock on a suite that was close to the ocean, right across from it actually. Since it was daylight, you didn't want to risk transforming when the possibility of tourists and locals would be present, frolicking through the surf. It was best to wait until nightfall, when you can slip away and enter the calming waters, and watch once more, where your legs merged and scales formed. You were just an inch away, from experiencing that numbing and tingling sensation, and the harsh impact of the fall when you found yourself unable to stand, and the smoothness of your skin developed the silver blend of rainbow pastels and that Mother of Pearl luster. That moment....when you became a Siren in her truest form.

"It shouldn't be so bad...out of water, my tail disappears and i have legs again. Maybe i'll find a nice island to settle onto, and reside there. A small, quaint and humble island, one that isn't densely populated, where I can remain hidden in the tropics and start all over...."

The idea was a bit farfetched, but nothing was impossible. You've come so far, it was only reasonable to think that with the same level of tenacity and will to survive, you could do it. You could restart and have a brand new life, and perhaps...you may be able to find your mother.

Leaning over the banister of the balcony, you hummed out a tune. Normally you would never think to do such a thing in public, however, with no one around and in sight, you figured on your last few hours on this part of the world, might as well enjoy the soothing effects of your own voice. You had to admit, that there definitely was something special about a Siren's voice. From the moment you came into this world, you understood its effects whenever your mother sang to you, always ensuring that your brothers and father were never around to hear. Initially you thought it odd after noticing the trend, yet after learning of who you were, you understood fully, especially after seeing the effects you had when you innocently sang to yourself amidst your trail walks or morning exercise at the park.

Humming out, you began singing the words of the soft lullaby your mother taught you. Admiring the waves of the water, you watched as the local fishermen gather their equipment and pack up for the day while the sun sets. The sky was turning neon orange with raging pink hues, meshing in with the ranges of blue tints into the stratosphere. Lost in thought, your humming was interrupted by a voice of an unknown male.

"My, that's quite a voice you got there."

Startled, you shifted your gaze over to the side and watched as a seemingly young man stood by, facing and admiring you at a distance. Leaning against a wooden beam, he sets his gaze over the setting sun before taking a few steps in, leaning against the banister of his own balcony, that was stationed next to yours.

"Sorry. I didnt know anyone was around listening." You murmured, suddenly caving in as you hoped you weren't singing too loud, which seemed like the case given that the man didn't seem to be affected by the seductive nature of your vocal cord, or your appearance. Thank goodness for the wide hood of the men's hoodie you purchased, that and, the baggy jeans.

"No need to apologize, its nice to hear such a lovely sound. You must have taken singing lessons, no?"

Shaking your head, you mitigated from speaking, and placed more thought in excusing yourself without creating any tension or awkwardness, which could possibly lead to a scene, or an unnecessary altercation. Figuring it was best to politely excuse yourself, you attempted to get away inconspicuously, yet the man never presented the opportunity for you to speak, he kept talking, merging, and coming in closer until he stationed himself against the banister that bridged the two balcony's together into a shared, half-wall. He seemed to close for comfort, yet you did your best to remain calm and undetected.

"Are you always this quiet, miss?"

"mm...sorry...i really have to go."

"do you now?" he speaks with a low chuckle. Glancing over the sun set once more, he spoke the harrowing words that caused your heart to nearly stop beating.

"Were you planning in escaping to the sea?.....Siren."

Your eyes shot up and a static bolt of fear and horror strides through your spine. You barely had enough time to process all that was going on, when the man leaped over the half wall and displayed enough stealth and finesse to let you know what exactly he was.

Pushing you back into through the opened sliding door, you faltered to his brute strength, despite the man being more on the slender side. Pinning you down on the floor, he hovers over you as he successfully grabs onto both wrists, restraining you from conducting any movement.

"Ah.....my Siren.....I've been wanting to catch you for so long. You're finally mine."

Frantically shifting around in a panic, you furrowed your brows as he steadied you to face directly in his eyes.

"My Siren....I won't let you escape from me this time."

"W-what are you talking about?! I've never seen you in my life! Get away from me!"

"No....you belong to me. God, look at you! Just as gorgeous as the day I saw you.....I had wondered where you went. All those years, the time I've spent doing the causative research, I finally came to concluded theory of the connection between Sirens and the Adriatic Sea. Though i'm not entirely sure what it is, but perhaps you can tell me....on the plane ride back home, where you will be mine and only mine."

Glaring into him, you felt the sudden throb in your chest, it was faint, yet the awakening of the Siren's Edge was brewing. If you could just figure out how to trigger it like last time, when you fought off Heeseung. Back then, it was his calling of the Siren name that caused you to pulsate into rage. Yet with this mysterious man, you couldn't pin it down, for he seemed far to knowledgable....perhaps....was he too familiar with your bloodline and the history of the Siren's Edge? Was he purposely detaining you and keeping you from being triggered into awakening your truest potential?

"What's wrong?" he grins. "Stunned to come across an Adam?"

Building up the strength as you felt the pressure on your wrists and chest, all from the dense strength of his grasp and weight, you issued your own deliverance as you lunged your head forward, head-butting him straight into his nose, causing him to loosen his grip, just a tad, enough for you to shift around onto your stomach, and low crawl away, all before you felt his hands regaining their grip on your wrists and his chest landing on your back, gluing you to the floor.

"Ahhhhh..." he snorts out as the blood runs from his nose and down to his chin. "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson....don't you?" laughing as he continues to snarl against your ear, he licks the inside of your canal before whispering, "I've got a special place, where only I'll be able to have you. You'll give me sons, and you'll be all mine."

Gasping out in despair, you curled your fingers in against the floorboard, shaking your head as your hair drapes down. You can't....you can't lose...you can't go with this man. You've come so far.....you needed to get out. But....

"What do you say? My sea maiden." Bringing your wrists down and behind your back, he takes hold of your hands with only one of his, while his free hand fetches the rope he had hidden in his jacket pocket. He was far too strong for you to handle in your current state, you needed to reawaken it...you needed to get that surviving urge so you could fight back and gain your freedom. Yet, when all was said and done, it never peaked through. You nearly surrendered as you felt the robe binding your wrists together, tightened and knotted.

"There. Now....with this, you'll have a nice, long nap. Just like the one you took on the plane ride here."

Your eyes widened in fear as you panted out deep breaths from the struggle. Speechless, you tried to focus more on what to do than what to say. Yet you couldn't come up with anything, not with him effortlessly restraining you. "I'd say, this should knock you out for at least fourteen hours."

Wiggling, you tried your best to break free. Feeling the slack in the rope brought about hope, so you continued to try and delay him from doing anything, just until you could break free from your restraints.

"G-get off.....let me go! I don't belong to you! I don't belong to anyone!"

Laughing out, he taunts you with his words as he digs into his second pocket, and takes out something else, all to aid his efforts in capturing you. Flashing it before your eyes, you gasped out in fear as he flaunts a needle and syringe in his hand. Panically struggling, trying to gain more slack in the rope, you grew anxious as he brought the needle closer to your neck. So close, but not close enough. Grinning once more, he taunts out his words as he presses the needle against your skin. "Say goodnight sweetheart."

Wincing your eyes shut, squeezing out the tears to leak out, you breached for the sharp pain that was inbound, yet never came. Instead, the dense weight of the man atop, was suddenly lifted and from the sounds of it, he was thrown across the room. Turning over, you rested on your back as your hands continued to wiggle about, trying to break free from the rope, when you were shocked frozen upon seeing Heeseung standing before you, his tall height hover above as he faces the man he just threw.

The man regained his stance, but not without the difficulties of regaining composure as he struggled to steady himself. Looking directly towards Heeseung, he wipes the blood off his lip as he stutters out.

"Hmph....go ahead....fight me. I saw her first boy, she belongs to me. Respect that."

Confused, your eyes shifted between the two men. The unknown Adam merely glanced at you, presenting his usual grin, where Heeseung never did break his sight away from the man he just flung out. He kept his gaze steady, issuing a deadly look as he developed the murderous rage within, one that could only be found within an Adam of his caliber. Kneeling down, he maintains his sinister glare over to the unknown male, only breaking the gaze for a small moment as he quickly side eyes you, and speaks in a deep and calm voice.“Miss me?”

Gentle yet firm, pulls you in against his chest, and lifts you to a standing posture, enveloped within his embrace, never bothering to untie you.

With your chest pressed up against his, and his arms wrapped around you, he leans in and places a soft kiss on the side of your head while you remained facing away and off to the side. "It’s okay...my Siren. I'm here....I just need you to be a good girl and sit still while daddy takes care of the bad man." He issues his words as he pets your hair, and gently sits you down on a chair nearby.

Oddly enough, seeing Heeseung here and fighting off this mysterious Adam, all the while comforting you with his tender kiss and soft touch, it brought about a warmth that calmed you. For a split second, you felt different from how you normally did in his presence. But the moment was short lived, for when you caught a glimpse of that menacing look in his eye, that horrifying glare and sadistic smirk, you felt a level of fear that you had never experienced…. even compared to the last encounter you had with him, the nightmare you were seeing with your own eyes initiated a fright that you didn't experience before. Licking his lips as he glares down at you, something in your gut feeling told you of the unfinished business that he was determined to revisit with you. How could someone give off so much passion and affection, and yet, looked so monstrous and hungry…

"I told you, she's mine!" the man shouts out and points in your direction. Heeseung merely stayed calm, displaying that sinister smirk formed by darkened lips.

"Oh yeah?" He calmly issues in a teasing tone, as if he was going out of his way to antagonize the man.

The unknown Adam merely laughs in response. "I knew that you had found her....MY Siren....I knew from the moment i caught you admiring that painting.....Heeseung."

Furrowing your brows, you grew confused. Did the two Adams know each other? How?

...................................

...................................

“You’ve been interested in that painting for the last few days….you didn’t pay any mind to it before…”

"Yeah..."

“Is there a reason for that?”

"I don’t know…”

“Heeseung, come with me for a moment. I have something to show you.”

..............................

Tag list: @ayyow811 , @kaykay11sworld , @ophelie245

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Johnny and Dora | Spencer Reid

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist!

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Gun use, mention of alcohol, not proofread

Author's note: This is basically the episode from Brooklyn 99 in season two where Amy and Jake get together. I'm fully aware that the BAU might not work on an identity theft case, but let's just pretend they do for the sake of this story, yeah?  

Words: 4.078

Y/N wasn’t too sure how she’d ended up in this position. One minute she was trying to catch Brooklyn’s most prolific identity thief they had been chasing for days in New York, the next she had her co-worker pressed up against a tree with her lips on his. 

It had all started when the BAU team was sent to Brooklyn, New York to investigate an identity theft that had been haunting Brooklyn for a couple months now. The team was working hard to find the man responsible for the crime, working every possible angle and trying to figure out the how and why before actually going en-route to catch the guy. 

“Tonight, Augustine will be handing off the laptop to a buyer from China,” Detective Peralta told them, concluding his briefing to the BAU team. 

Hotch nodded his head before turning to his team. “Reid, Y/L/N, I want you tailing Augustine until he makes the drop, then arrest him and the buyer.”

“Good call, though I suppose I could take Morgan,” Spencer objected with a light tone. “I’m sure Y/L/N has something better to do…” 

“No, I don’t,” she replied, confused as to why he would say that. 

“Really?” asked Spencer. “‘Cause I swore I overheard you saying to Prentiss you didn’t like… tailing… people…” 

Y/N stared at him with an incredulous look. “You think I said that?” 

“Word for word,” Spencer said with a slow nod of his head as though he was trying to convince no one but himself. 

Y/N stared at the man in disbelief until Hotch cut in between the two. “All right, enough. Prentiss and Morgan will join them in a surveillance van.” 

The detectives and the BAU team all dispersed. Y/N was determined to find out what was happening with Spencer. They had gotten along since the day she joined the team over a year ago. To say his sudden change of demeanor towards her confused her was an understatement. 

“Okay, what did I do?” she asked, slamming the door of the breakroom shut so the two of them had some privacy. Spencer looked up from where he was making his coffee, confusion written in his eyes. “Why are you so bent on keeping me off this case?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Spencer muttered as he turned back to his coffee. 

Scoffing, y/n shook her head. “Come on, Spence. Is it because I finished your report for you last week? Because I was just trying to help you. I knew you wanted to leave early to call your mother.” 

With a sigh, Spencer turned to look at the woman. “I don’t care about that. I appreciate you doing that.” 

“Then what is it?” 

Inhaling deeply as if to calm himself down, Spencer put down his hot coffee again and took a few tentative steps towards y/n. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep him from fidgeting so much. “The reason I didn’t want to work with you is–” he puffed out a nervous breath. “C-can you not look at me like that?” he asked, suddenly changing the topic. 

Y/N was looking at him with interest, her head tilted ever so slightly, her eyes swimming with worry. 

“Like what?” 

“Never mind,” he grumbled and went back to his coffee. 

“No, Spence. Tell me what’s going on so I can fix it. I hate having  you mad at me.” 

Taking another deep breath, Spencer’s eyes met y/n’s. “Fine… I just… Remember when you told me you’d never want to date any law enforcement?” Y/N nodded her head slowly, trying to understand what he was saying. “It kinda… It kinda bummed me out?” 

“What?” The one-worded question came out in a soft whisper. 

“I was kind of thinking about asking you out…” 

Y/N’s breath hitched in her throat. “Oh… Okay…” she brought out, not really sure what else to tell him. 

“But I know that that’s not what you want, and I totally get it…” 

“Spence…” y/n heaved in a deep breath. “This is weird… And the whole reason for me not dating anyone in the field is so it wouldn’t be weird at work, you know?” 

Spencer offered her a soft smile. “Okay, then just– let’s make it not weird, okay? This is a case; we work cases together all the time, and we’re really good at it, so, you know, we’re professionals.” 

“That’s all I want,” y/n responded steadfastly. “For us to be professional.” 

Nodding his head, Spencer reached for his coffee again and as he passed y/n, he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. 

Later that day, Spencer, y/n, Derek and Emily followed behind Augustine in their surveillance van. The bright red car they’d been following brought them to a fancy-looking restaurant. 

Confused, y/n turned to her co-workers. “Why’s he getting out here?” she asked. “I thought that detective told us he was going to be dropping it off at the park?” 

“Maybe he’s having dinner with his sidepiece first,” Emily countered. 

Y/N’s eyes landed on the object in Augustine’s hand. “He’s got the laptop with him,” she told them. “We should just arrest him right here.” 

“No,” Spencer replied. “The buyer’s the bigger collar. We gotta follow him in and wait for the handoff.” 

Nodding her head, y/n moved to open the door, only for Derek to stop her. “You can’t go in like that. You look like FBI.” 

“Right, you’re right,” y/n whispered as she shook off her blazer and unbuttoned her shirt a little further. “How’s that?” she asked Spencer, who was sitting next to her. A blush fanned his cheeks and reached the tips of his ears as he turned away from her. 

“I don’t know,” he stuttered. 

Emily chuckled at Spencer’s nervous behavior while Derek shook off his leather jacket. “Here, wear this,” Derek said and handed the black piece of clothing to her. Surprisingly, Derek’s jacket fit her very well. 

Once the jacket was hanging off her shoulders, she turned to Spencer and untied his tie. “What are you doing?” he asked, nervously while she lifted his tie over his head and handed it to Emily. 

“For heaven’s sake, Spence, just trust me,” she all but grumbled and unbuttoned a couple of his buttons too. “All right, think we’re good to go.” 

The two of them walked inside the restaurant, scanning the place for the suspect. “Did you know that restaurants are germ-infected? Even the tables are germ-hotspots, especially during rush-hours when the staff is more focused on giving peop–” 

“Spence,” y/n nudged him to shut him up. 

“Right, sorry,” he whispered. “Do you have eyes on–”

Y/N grabbed his arm and cleared her throat. Once Spencer’s eyes landed on who she had seen, he smiled politely. “The hostess stand,” he finished his sentence. “Hi. Table for two, please.” 

The suspect and his girlfriend were right in front of him, talking to the hostess. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, there’s nothing available. We’re totally booked up,” the woman replied. 

Knowing they weren’t going to get in unless they had a really good reason for the woman to make an exception. Without thinking twice about it, she grabbed Spencer’s bicep and leaned in closer to him. “Oh, that’s horrible. Tonight’s a really big night for us. Johnny and I just got engaged and this is where we had our first date,” she said dreamily. 

Spencer looked down at her for a moment in surprise. Over the years of having known her, he’d wanted her to say something along those lines for a very long time. While she was oblivious to his little crush, the rest of their co-workers weren’t, which is why it was always them two who got paired up to do stuff like this. 

“Oh, yeah, it would mean so much to Dora and me…” Spencer chimed in, jumping on the idea immediately. “I-I would’ve made reservations, but I didn’t know if she was going to say yes…” 

“Aww, I love how nervous you were, you little goose,” she cooed before leaning up and kissing his cheek, catching the man completely off guard. 

The look he gave her was one of surprise mixed with confusion. He had no clue what was happening. 

“You two are just the cutest,” the hostess said with a hand over her heart. “I’m sure we can find room for two young lovers.” 

It was the way she said it that made the butterflies in her stomach well up. Aside from herself, no one had ever even thought about them being lovers, let alone called them it. 

“Yeah,” Spencer croaked. “We are two lovers… Together… In beds…” 

“Okay,” she whispered, trying to keep her composure. 

The hostess asked them to follow her to the waiting area and told them they just needed a moment to free up a table for them. As y/n and Spencer stood together at the high table, she couldn’t help but glance over at him. He looked very handsome tonight. Having decided to discard his tie and loosen up a couple of buttons was a good call. She couldn’t deny that it did look very good on him. 

“Sorry about springing that engagement stuff on you,” y/n told him. 

Spencer shook his head. “No, no, no. That was great. It’s what’s got us in here.” He inhaled sharply before jokingly adding, “The cheek-kiss was a bit much though. And wet.” 

Smirking, y/n tilted her head a little. “What can I tell you? Dora’s sloppy.” 

Both of them chuckled but before either could add anything else, the hostess reappeared at their table. “All right, your table is ready. You can follow me.” 

They nodded their heads and followed behind the woman. “Okay, we can go back to being Spencer and y/n on the lookout for the suspect,” Spencer muttered, almost glad he didn’t have to sit through an entire dinner pretending he was madly in love with her as it wouldn’t even be pretending on his part. It would kill him knowing that all of it would be over when the case was done. 

“All right, there you go,” the hostess said, placing down the menus on their table. When the couple co-workers looked up, they realized they had gotten a table right next to the suspect and his date. 

The girlfriend gasped as she turned to y/n and Spencer. “You’re the couple that just got engaged.” 

“That’s us!” Spencer exclaimed as he reached for y/n’s hand. “Johnny and Dora,” he said, holding up your intertwined hands. “Definitely a couple…” 

Y/N and Spencer took their seats, both of them chuckling nervously. Augustine and his girlfriend even sprung them champagne and oysters to celebrate their fake engagement. 

“Wow, champagne and oysters,” y/n said with a sarcastic tone. “You really shouldn’t have, guys.” 

“Well, it’s a special night,” said Augustine. “So when did you guys meet?” 

Not having practiced any of this, the two lovebirds weren’t quite in sync with their backstory. “Last year,” y/n responded while Spencer went for “Two years ago.” 

Upon seeing the confused looks of Augustine and his companion, y/n chuckled. “We first met two years ago but we don’t count it because…” 

“I was dating a super smart scientist,” Spencer finished her sentence. 

“And I was dating the bassist of an up-and-coming Brooklyn-based band,” y/n continued the lie. 

“Anyways, about a year ago, we bumped into each other again in a bar and…” Spencer turned to y/n with a soft look on his face. “We haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other since.” 

Y/N hummed, unable to wipe the smile on her face. 

Augustine’s girl propped her head up on her hand, her elbow resting on the table. “So, how did you know she was the one?” she asked Spencer dreamily. 

Sighing, Spencer turned back to his fake-fiancée. “I’d love to answer that,” he said, surprising y/n a little. She was curious to hear what he was going to come up with. “Um, you know, just whenever I look at her face… and the… attached physique,” he answered a little awkwardly as though he didn’t want to say what he actually thought of her. 

“And you?” the girl asked y/n. 

Y/N’s eyes locked with Spencer’s and she couldn’t help but smile as her insides melted at the sight of his honeycomb eyes. “He’s the smartest guy I know and … he makes me laugh,” she responded honestly. 

“And, you know,” Spencer chimed in again, looking at the other couple. “There’s really no one else’s opinion who I care about more than hers, so…” When he looked back up at Y/N, he saw something in her eyes that he had never seen before and Spencer had studied those beautiful eyes before, remembering every detail about it thanks to his eidetic memory. 

“Okay, so enough chit-chat, let’s see the ring!” 

Panicking a little, y/n moved the ring from her ring finger on the right side to to one on the left before showing her hand to the woman. The ring was one she had gotten from her grandma when she had graduated from the academy. Y/N had always worn it as a token of good luck. It was the thing that kept her safe. 

The girl gasped. “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed as she studied it. The band looked like twigs from the rose bushes in her grandmother’s garden with a small diamond that presented the rose. It reminded y/n of the days she’d spent at her grandparents’ house and helped her grandma with the rose bushes. 

“When I saw this ring, I knew I had to get it for her as it reminded me of the rose bushes her grandma had in her garden. Whenever Dora talks about spending time with her grandma in the garden, her eyes light up like a child’s on Christmas Eve and I just knew…” Spencer explained and though y/n knew in the back of her mind that all of this was just a ruse, she couldn’t help but turn into mush on the inside. 

How y/n survived the entire dinner without turning into a puddle, she didn’t know, but she somehow managed to get through to dessert. 

“Can you get the car from the valet, babe?” Augustine said to his girlfriend, handing her the keys. “I’m gonna go in the back and say hi to the chef.” Spencer and y/n exchanged glances when they noticed Augustine reaching for the laptop. 

“Good luck on your wedding, guys,” the girl said to them. “Oh, have fun on your honeymoon!”

“We will,” Spencer replied. “We’re going to Waco, Texas,” he said a little too excitedly. 

The girl looked at him for a moment before chuckling, “Huh, okay. Bye!” 

“Bye,” y/n greeted, giving her a wave that she couldn’t even see anymore, before turning to Spencer. “Waco, Texas?” 

“I’m sorry,” Spencer hissed. “It just slipped out.”

Shaking her head, y/n put the napkin down on her half-eaten dessert before scraping her chair back. “Let’s go, Augustine’s making the drop.” 

Spencer nodded and followed y/n to the kitchen where they found Augustine with the chef. “Look, there’s the buyer,” y/n pointed out, but then got confused when Augustine didn’t hand over the laptop. “Or he’s just actually saying hi to the chef?” 

As Augustine turned, his eyes landed on the couple near the door. “Oh, no. He’s seen us,” Spencer whispered and before he could properly think twice about it, he cupped y/n’s cheeks and kissed her on the lips. 

Confused and surprised, y/n wasn’t too sure what to do but then decided to follow along and melted into the kiss. His lips somehow slotted perfectly with hers and the tingle in the pit of her stomach felt natural. 

“Excuse me,” Augustine’s voice interrupted them. 

“Oh, sorry,” Spencer apologized. “We were just looking for a place to, uh…” 

A little groggy from that spine-tingling kiss, y/n finished Spencer’s sentence while holding onto him for dear life. “Boink…” 

“Yep. Boink…” Spencer agreed. “That’s my preferred term for it as well.” 

Y/N nodded her head to try and sell the point further. “I get it,” Augustine then said. “Newly engaged kids. Enjoy.” 

The couple watched as Augustine was out of sight before springing apart. “Good. Good, good, good, good,” Spencer mumbled, trying to convince himself. We kept our cover intact. Nice work.” 

“Quick professional thinking out there, Reid. Very quick. Very professional,” y/n rambled, not entirely thinking straight just yet. 

Trying to keep up his poise and to remind himself that they are, in fact, working, Spencer held out his hand for her to shake, which she quickly did. “Agent,” he said ceremonially. 

“Doctor,” y/n responded before the two of them headed out of the restaurant. 

As the couple joined their co-workers in the van again, they felt a little awkward. Neither of them was saying anything. Not to each other. Not to Emily and Derek. The two at the front found it slightly weird that Spencer wasn’t spewing facts and y/n wasn’t singing along to one of her favorite songs that was playing on the radio. 

“Okay, you’re being weird,” Derek pointed out. “What happened?” 

“Spencer and I kissed,” y/n responded with a roll of her eyes. 

“WHAT?!” Emily and Derek exclaimed simultaneously. 

“It was just to keep our cover from being blown,” Spencer responded. “We didn’t have a choice.” 

“Tell me everything!” Emily ordered, overly excited. 

Y/N shook her head. “Em, there’s nothing to tell, okay? It was for work. It was nothing.” She repeated the words in her head to convince herself that it was indeed nothing. That what she felt when Spencer’s lips were on hers was just a reaction to someone kissing her. That it wasn’t because it was Spencer kissing her. 

“Yeah, who cares about a kiss? Call me when you grab each other’s asses,” Derek chimed in. “He’s pulling over,” he then said when the red car in front of them had his blinker on. 

“Nothing like that is gonna happen, okay?” Spencer said before citing some facts about how in theater, the leads of the play almost never fall in love with one another and that it always just stays on-stage. 

“Guys, it’s not a handout,” Derek informed them as they watched Augustine drop off the case, cutting Spencer’s fact-spewing short. “It’s a drop-off.” 

“Okay,” y/n said. “Em, you and Derek follow Augustine.” 

“Right, and you two, follow your hearts,” Emily added, causing y/n to roll her eyes. 

“No, we’re gonna stay with the package.” 

Y/N and Spencer got out of the car and hid behind a tree to keep an eye out on the laptop case. The air was chilly for a summer evening, so y/n was glad she was still wearing Derek’s jacket. 

Spencer turned to y/n. “We’re cool, right?” 

“Yeah, totally,” y/n answered determinedly. “We’re fine.” 

“Good,” Spencer nodded. “You know, I’m actually quite hungry. I never really ended up eating anything at that fancy restaurant.” 

“Same. You know what I’m gonna get when I get to the hotel?” she asked with a grin. 

Spencer nodded his head. “Yeah, you’re gonna order Burger King and you’re gonna get the Crispy Chicken burger with cheesy chili fries, onion rings and a grape Sprite,” he summed up without hesitation. The fact that he’d remembered her exact order from Burger King surprised her and surprisingly also turned her on a little bit. 

“That’s exactly what I’m gonna get…” she mumbled, trying to shake off the feeling. 

While Spencer went on a ramble about what he was going to eat, y/n was distracted by the man a few feet away from them, closer to the package. She wasn’t paying much attention to anything Spencer was saying as she was trying to determine whether or not that was their UnSub. 

“Spence,” y/n tried to cut him off, but he kept on going with some facts about the restaurant he always went to. “Spence, he’s looking at us…” Before Spencer could turn his head to look at whatever y/n was looking at, she had already grabbed his face and brought his lips to hers, pressing him against the tree. 

Once again ignoring the feeling in the pit of her stomach, y/n opened an eye to watch the buyer walk off with the laptop in hand. She detached herself from Spencer and reached for her gun, stopping the guy in his tracks. 

“FBI! Freeze! We are co-workers!” she yelled, mostly to remind herself. 

“You’re under arrest!” Spencer joined in, pointing his gun at the man, too. “This is a work event!” 

Later that night, y/n found herself in her hotel room, pacing the floor with her crispy chicken burger getting colder and colder with every minute she didn’t touch it. She couldn’t stop her brain from rethinking everything that had happened that day. Every time she remembered the kiss with Spencer, her insides tingled and her heart skipped several beats. 

None of this made sense. She had been able to go about her days for the last year without thinking about Spencer this way. The thought had crept up on her once or twice, but she had always managed to shake it off. Why was this time so different? 

Before she could rethink everything, a knock on her door caused her to snap out of it. She secretly prayed it was JJ or Emily, just so she could rehash the whole thing and get everything off her chest. Though when she opened the door, she didn’t find JJ nor Emily there, but instead she was looking into those beautiful honey eyes that had melted her insides mere hours ago. 

“Spencer, I–” 

“Can I come in?” he asked, not allowing her to finish her sentence. Nodding, y/n stepped aside and let him in, closing the door right after. “A lot has happened today, huh?” he asked, wringing his hands in nervousness. 

“Yeah, I-I guess so…” 

Spencer sighed as he let go of his hands and stepped closer to y/n. “Look, y/n, I don’t want anything to get weird between us, okay? I understand why you don’t wanna date anyone in the field and I respect that. So, can we just forget today happened?”  

Going over her options, y/n’s mind skidded back and forth between every kiss and every word they had shared today. She could either ignore everything she had felt today and agree with him, forgetting about it all. Or she could take the plunge and try to figure it out with him. 

“I don’t think I can, Spencer,” she whispered. 

Spencer’s head tilted slightly as his brows furrowed in confusion. “Wh-what do you mean? I–” 

Before he could finish his sentence, y/n took two long strides towards him and cupped his cheeks, much like she had done before in the park, and kissed him deeply. At first, Spencer wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but he quickly melted into her body, grabbing her by the waist to pull her closer. 

“Y/N!” Emily’s voice sounded before they heard the knock on her door. “Can we go out for some drinks?!” 

Y/N looked up at Spencer and offered him a soft smile. “I’ll be right down! Order a Chardonnay for me, will you?” 

The two of them waited until they heard the footsteps of their co-worker recede before heading out the door together. Neither of them said anything. Neither of them needed to, either. They knew what they felt for one another was real and that they needed to figure something out, but that was not going to happen tonight. 

But whatever they would figure out, they would have to thank Johnny and Dora for pushing them this far.  

Everything taglist: @calamitykaty @littlemissaddict @n0wornever @wanniiieeee @unnowhatthisistbh @Jassy122

[roselarkpublishing]

Book Cover Design 101: What Makes Up A Cover

So, I promised at one point to talk covers, specifically book covers and what makes a good book cover. And I realized that to talk covers, I need to make a few things clear and that means understanding some basic concepts/terms.

This is going to be long since it's more complex than you think. I also ramble a lot. LOL.

To go over the terminology and the basics, I'll use covers that are currently bestsellers on Amazon that I've screen-capped. Here's some of the important terms/concepts:

Font - This should be self explanatory. There are four kinds of fonts that are generally used: Serif, Sans Serif, Script, and Unusual. Script and Unusual can be Serif or Sans Serif. And font choice is really important in conveying genre and readability.

Image - Also self explanatory. The image can be made up of several images stitched together, various effects, gradients, vectors, and it can be illustrated or photographed or a combo.

This is the current cover for Loretta Chase's Steamy Historical Regency Romance "Lord Perfect". It's a pretty standard clinch cover. (Called clinch because one character, typically the dominant male, is clutching the other. This is also true in LGBTQIA+ covers.) The coding is spot on... Let me break it down:

I'm going to talk font first.

The LIME arrow points to the testimonial/endorsement. In this instance, it's a generic author endorsement by Julia Quinn... the author of the Bridgerton series (and another big name HistRom author). Publishers, especially trad pub, love these because they think that readers will read books if one of their favorite authors endorses that author. Julia Quinn also writes steamy historical regency romance, so if she's endorsing the author, they likely write the same genre. This text is in black in a simple serif font. This text is the least legible because it's the least important.

The RED arrow points to the author name. For this book, it's the largest bit of font on the cover. That's because Loretta Chase has a large following and HistRom readers are nothing if not devoted to their favorite authors. This is often true across all genres. The larger the author name, the bigger deal they or their publisher think they are. The author text is also in a SLIGHTLY different color than the title or the brag. This is because the cover designer chose to have all of the important text on the bottom of the cover (Viable choice), but they want people to know which is which. The author name is in a slightly swishy serif font and each letter is capitalized with the L of Loretta and the C of Chase in a larger font size. There's also a drop shadow under it. This is the most legible because it is what the publisher deemed the most important.

The YELLOW arrow points to the brag. This is where the author lists their most important achievement. Did they make the USA Today bestseller list (the easiest of the major paper lists)? Then, you'll see that. New York Times (Super hard for Romance since many of their partner stores don't sell Romance)? Then you'll see that. Bestseller with no listing? That means they cracked the top 100 in their category on Amazon (or another site... but Amazon is most likely). International Bestseller with no listing? That means they cracked both the U.S. bestseller charts and at least one of the other country stores (again this is likely on Amazon). Some people only put bestseller on their brag if they reach number one in their category. But it is absolutely not consistent. If they list a book/series title, that's because it is trying to appeal to readers of that book/series. The brag is in a simple serif font (probably the same as the endorsement), but in white and larger because it's more important.

The MAGENTA arrow points to the title. It is in a simple script font and as the title, it's the second largest font on the cover. It also has a drop shadow to make it stand out. For some reason, it's not perfectly centered... No clue why, likely a mistake or a crop from the paperback version (the dimensions are different for ebook and paperback). Script fonts are really common in romance, especially historical romance.

On to the image itself.

The AQUA arrow points to the characters. They are models who have been to a photo shoot. This is a photorealistic cover, although in past years they were actually painted. And even today, many designers will run the photo through a program to add a paintbrush effect. They're dressed in sort of historical clothing... as is very common for trad-pub it's pseudo historical. (In a former life I was a costumer.) It is very likely that the woman actually wore a white dress and the color has been added by the cover designer. I am 90% certain that I've seen both models before, especially the male. I don't think it's the fat-phobic dude, but it could be. The fact that the clothing is partially off hints at the steamy nature of the contents within--the color of her dress adds to this too. For some characters, you'll get headswaps. If it's done right, you won't notice.

The BLUE arrows point to the background. This is a little complex, so let me break it down... There are at least Three, although I think Four images that are stitched together to form the background. The Roses, the Stairs, the Building, and the Fence that runs into the building. There MAY be an additional image above the fence of some trees. But I'm not totally sure because of the effects. The background is telling a hint of the story and also playing into Historical Romance Tropes. The color appears to be a gradient that's slapped over the stitched background - possibly two... The Red again hints at the steamy nature. And, if this is part of a series, it's likely that each book in the series will have its own signature color for the cover. There's also a paint stroke effect that is most noticeable over the arch fence thing. That stroke effect does double duty. It draws your eye to the characters and it also hides/obstructs the stitching on the background.

Let's move on to a different cover. This time I've chosen a serial killer/police procedural (Think "Criminal Minds") that has been put out by a medium press publisher.

Starting with the font. As a note, none of the fonts have a drop shadow or outline to them. And they appear to be all the same sans serif font, I think.

The MAGENTA points to the title. You are a LOT more likely to see sans serif fonts in Mystery than you are in Romance. The font color matches the color of the character's coat. As well as the series title & number. There's a small cloudy overlay to the text that hints at the fog of mystery. On this book, the title is the most important thing.

The RED arrow points to the author's name. Note how it's smaller than the title, but it also stands out. This is the second most important thing.

The LIME arrow points to the Series title and Number. This is so readers of the series know where they are. Third most.

The YELLOW arrow points to the hook/flavor text/tagline. This a little tidbit to try to reel in readers, or at least get them to go on and read the summary/blurb. Fourth most.

The WHITE arrow points to the self endorsement. Apparently the author couldn't even mine her reviews for an endorsement, let alone a publication, blogger, or another author. This is more common in smaller press or indie pub. I'm putting my money on the publisher, though. This is also the least important element on the cover.

On to the image.

The AQUA arrow points to the character. Based on the other covers in the series, this is probably the main character... D.I. Lottie Parker. It's incredibly common in mystery to show the lead in either silhouette or from behind. This is because publishers want the reader to be able to insert themselves into the detective role. (It's also why so many YA covers do the same, JSYK.) The only colors on the cover are on the character. Their coat and their hair. That's it. Monochromatic is also common in Mystery/thriller. (And Erotica, but that's another post).

The BLUE arrow points to the background. There are at least five images stitched together... And I'm fairly certain that I've got at least two of them from various stock photo sites. The birds are one layer, the tree limbs at the top another, the clouds that overlay are yet another, the house is its own thing, then there's the dock. It's possible that the hills in the background are another image, but that seems like a lot of work. (There's a ton of dock in lake photos out there.)

So now you should have a good idea what makes up a cover.

I've got more to say on this, but this post has gotten long enough. I told you I'm long winded. LOL

[hyuckieslove]

nct ot23 as unhinged things my friends have said pt.2

author's note - this is me reappearing after my 65686848th hiatus so thank yall for dealing with me <33 plus credits to @inthekpopland for the header!

taeil: is it wrong to want to be asphyxiated in a sexual and morbid manner????

johnny: yee haw gay people

taeyong: i may or may not piss you off so you later choke me and to then tell you im into that and piss you off further but at that point i just watch you struggle, because thats what best friends do <3

yuta: the only reason i feel like shit is because i am the shit. and maybe the antidepressants.

doyoung: "DONT SEXUALIZE HIM" WTF HE WAS BORN FROM A PENIS DOODLE

kun: no, we are not going to tie soggy oreos to a stick and make xiaojun give us piggyback rides as he hopelessly chases the oreo.

ten: I AM CUPID BITCH I CAN AND WILL GET YOU MARRIED TO THAT HOT GAY DUDE BECAUSE HE IS DEFINITELY HOT AND GAY AND YOU ARE HOT AND GAY AND 2 + 2 IS 1 ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY MATCHMAKING CAPABILITIES???

jaehyun: *unironically* C'mere you omega tiny UwU baby gorl, u lokkin submissive and breedable, scrumpdidallyumptious, delectable, moist, baby UwU Werwolf

winwin: scare the children janice

jungwoo: guys i learned a new english word!! e r e c t i l e d y s f u n c t i o n. johnny said it's a type of dinosaur!

mark: what happens when an asexual gets a boner? do they just start crying?? i need answers people.

xiaojun: *asked a question but doyoung and ten started arguing* the lesbian council is conferring

lucas: OLAF WAS STARING AT MY FUCKIN TITS AND I BLINDFOLEDE HIM AND HE TOOK IT OFF AND IT WAS 2 AM AND-

hendery: like once i had a stuffed animal from build a bear and neutered it at home and took out its hear and then put another stuffed animal inside it and pretended it was pregnant and made it have an emergency c section but the mom dies and then the father resented the child for killing his wife. on a totally unrelated not, my parents desperately needed to put safety controls on my i-pad.

renjun: *to yangyang* YOU SAID YOU WOULD SUCK OFF A TESLA (THE FUCKING CAR FOR FUCKS SAKES) AND "NOM NOM MY CAT" IN THE SPAN OF 20 MINUTES. MY MOTHER WAS RIGHT THERE YOU DENSE MORON

jeno: *banana was thrown at him in a questionable alley* this is the way i die :) but its ok because we are surrounded by feral (?) cat, cats nonetheless

haechan: *makes typo and is being flamed for it in the gc* english isnt my first language you fucking racists *is a native english speaker*

jaemin:*encounters slight inconvenience* its gay people month. go to jail. meanies.

yangyang: CAN WE TIE SOGGY OREOS TO A STICK AND MAKE XIAOJUN GIVE US PIGGY BACK RIDES AS HE HOPELESSY CHASES THE OREO

shotaro: yall why is chatgpt being so nice to me :( i am getting emotionally attached help me 😭

sungchan: im raviolonely :(

chenle: AND WHOS TO SAY IM NOT AN INSANELY SMART YET DUMB 5 YEAR OLD *seconds later* ha embezzlement haha

jisung: *in a card to old people* have a nice day! dont get lice

[fleur-du-soleil-immortel]

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they’re in love?

A- it's not noticeable at all when they have a crush, not at first at least. They will still be sharp with their words, but it won't be as cruel. It may even come off as teasing. They will soften slowly. They won't be so quick as to chase you away. When they are in love they are gentle and much softer.

W- it's not so easily noticeable when they have a crush as they have practice hiding it. The same when they are in love though they may openly say how they love you.

C- it's very noticeable, they get clumsy and blush a lot. They might try to avoid you a bit but destiny ( I, the author ) have other plans

Asher- this may come as a surprise but yes, they have never crushed on someone or been in love so they get flustered and awkward. They just don't know what to do when they need to be sincere!

L- yes, they will definitely be easy to tell they are crushing. They will try to spend as much time as possible with you. In love they do grand romantic gestures

R- They are very childish when crushing like " what I don't like you, your stupid " and blush a lot. In love they still somewhat act like that but they are nicer.

[warpaiint]

⌜ @misstantabismuses ⌟ ―― C a i t l y n . & . V i ❝ "Wow. Since when are you so forthcoming, Cupcake?"

Vi let out a bemused chuckle as Caitlyn inquired whether or not she had had any sexual fantasies about her. The Zaunite was resting her head in Caitlyn's lap. They had both found a nice, secluded spot in the lush forest of the Kiramman estate and away from Cassandra Kiramman's disapproval, which always seemed to go hand in hand with her barely existing tolerance.

Vi was laying on her back, head propped in Caitlyn's lap, peering up at her girlfriend. A hand with long, finely manicured fingers was rustling through her magenta hair. Vi took hold if that hand and softly kissed Caitlyn's knuckles before she let go and pondered over the question, Caitlyn had asked. What sexual fantasy did she have about her girlfriend? Something eventually came to mind and she released a soft snort.

Vi finally spoke: "I sometimes have this kind of fantasies where I imagine what it would be like if we were on opposite sides but without the whole Enforcer package. Like without the whole douchebag in a fancy uniform deal. Normally, I picture you having to safe-guard some big event like a gala maybe or some rich snob's wedding. And well, I always break in somehow illegally. Maybe I scale a wall and get through a window. Maybe I impersonate one of the posh ladies. Anyway, I always get inside and at first, things are going well. You know, I'm stuffing my face with cake and drinking all the punch. But eventually, you always find me.

"And then the chase is on. I don't know how but we always know that this is not something serious. Even if I broke half-a-bazillion laws in your presence. It is like a secret agreement or something. Anyway, you chase me, I run away but eventually, you corner me and you put me in fluffy, pink handcuffs and then things get frisky between the two of us."

Vi grinned at Caitlyn, a magenta strand of hair falling over her nose. "You always somehow try to dominate me because you are the Enforcer and thus authority and all that shebang, but you always end up falling for my rogueish rebel charm. So, I never stay handcuffed for too long and we end up banging in some rose garden or a dimly lit, marble corridor. Just me, eating out your pussy and you use a glove to muffle your moans of delight, so nobody learns what happened. Yes, you wear gloves in my fantasy. Dark silver, shimmering gloves, which go up to your elbows. They end up going really well with your blackish blue hair." ❞

"What, I'm a little curious," Caitlyn grinned, as her fingers brush over her soft hair to move it from her face, looking down at her sweetheart who had her full and devoted attention. "If you haven't had any, that's perfectly fine, it's just a little thought," Caitlyn whispered, as she enjoyed these little private moments. The forest in the backyard of the estate provided plenty of privacy, with tall proud trees overshadowing the landscape, and just the soft little chirps of birds in the trees as they tended to their nest. Just as she was about to brush her hair again, Vi's gentle grasp on it and kissed her knuckles made Caitlyn smile. Such a romantic gesture as she moved to rest her hand against her shoulder, lighting tracing her nails along her skin.

Head canted to the side as Vi snorted and then she spoke as Caitlyn's deep blue eyes watched her lips move, every word filtering through her mind. A grin crossed her lips, amused at the idea of Vi impersonating one of the rich elite, just to get to the food. Bemusement lined her lips, as she moved her free hand up to brush some of her hair behind her ear and found a soft chuckle. Vi's charm would always win her over, in any scenario played, she knew that would be her downfall. "You know I have a pair of silver gloves among the several I have in my closet," Caitlyn smiled as she moved to brush her finger lightly across her cheek, as she enjoyed the fantasy that played within her head. "If you like them so much, I could always find a reason to wear them for you," How and when, she wasn't sure. She only wore gloves when she had to attend gala events or formal occasions that she couldn't find a way out of. So along with the gloves, she had several formal dresses of different varieties in her closet. But she happily find a reason to wear them to see Vi's reaction and the uses they could have.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"3 SLAIN, 3 CAUGHT IN U. S. JAIL BREAK," New York Daily News. December 12, 1931. Page 2 & 4. ---- (By Associated Press) LEAVENWORTH, Kan., Dec. 11. - Three escaped convicts in a farmhouse were killed, and three others were captured today after the six had kidnapped and wounded Warden Thomas B. White of the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Prison authorities after a checkup tonight expressed the belief that a seventh prisoner, Earl Thayer, who was sent to the penitentiary from Oklahoma City for mail robbery with the convicts slain, also had escaped and is at large. Bloodhounds were used in an attempt to pick up Thayer's trail.

James Galvin, Assistant Deputy Warden, L. W. Mooney, prison guard, and an unidentified posseman were wounded, and one of the captured trio also was shot during the chase.

The dead:

Will Green, George Curtis, Grover C. Durrill, each under 25-year sentence from Oklahoma City for mail robbery. Each had served six years and eight months of their terms.

The captured:

Stanley Brown, sentenced from Fargo, N. D., for 15 years for robbing a post office, Tom Underwood, sentenced to a 25-year term from Duluth, Minn., for robbery of a post office with firearms, Charles Berta, sentenced from San Francisco, to a 25-year term for mail robbery. Berta was wounded.

First Kidnaped Warden. The convicts abducted Warden White from his office this morning at the point of guns and escaped through the prison gate. They terrorized the countryside west of here and took several hostages, besides Warden White, in their flight. Officers and soldiers from Fort Leavenworth prison guards, Sheriff's off joined and unnamed citizens in running down the fugitives.

The slain men died in the farmhouse of E. C. Salsbury, 73, eight miles west of Leavenworth, while besieged by a posse which poured gunfire and tear gas bombs into their place of refuge.

Officers were uncertain whether the men killed themselves, seeing that capture was inevitable, or had been fatally wounded by shots from the outside.

Earlier, the other three had been captured in a gunfight in a patch of brush several miles away.

Warden Shot in Arm. Warden White was struck in the left arm and side by a shotgun charge when he grappled with two of his captors. He was left by the side of a road where he fell. Physicians said tonight an operation had been performed and it was believed his arm would be saved.

In their flight from the prison the convicts commandeered three motor cars, disrupted classes at the Glen Valley School, where they forced the teacher, Mrs. Anna Mayer, to hand over the keys to her automobile, and terrorized farm families.

Airplanes from Fort Leavenworth participated in the manhunt, the aerial observers returning to the prison from time to time to drop messages.

Soldiers Aid Posse. Major Gen. Stuart Heintzelman, in command of the fort, took a hand in aiding the prison authorities. Detachments of soldiers were made available to bring in the wounded, and details of men were assigned to the posses.

While the man hunt was on machine guns were mounted at every vantage point to be used in case of any outbreak within the prison.

Department of Justice Acts in Prison Break. Washington, D. C., Dec. 11 (AP). - The Prison Bureau under Director Sanford Bates today began prompt study of the break which cost the lives of three Leavenworth prisoners.

Justice Department agents were dispatched to the prison.

Meantime, F. G. Zerrst, Assistant Warden who led the posse from the prison after the escaped convicts, was designated by officials here as acting warden.

(Other picture on page 1)

Photo captions: Page 2 Three Leavenworth convicts who took part in escape (l. to r.), George Curtis, killed, Tom Underwood and Stanley Brown, captured.

The farm house near Leavenworth where three convicts died when cornered after escape yesterday.

WHERE BREAK FAILED Airview of the Federal prison at Leavenworth from which seven prisoners made a bold attempt to escape yesterday. Three were killed, three captured and one is still sought.

New York Daily News. December 12, 1931. Page 1. PRISONERS WATERLOO - Behind shattered windows of this farm house near Leavenworth, Kan., yesterday, three escaped convicts, cornered by posse, died by their own hands. Guards on balcony are dropping one convict gun to men below. Story on page 2.

[drowninginabactatank]

Books I Have Read: (alphabetical by author)

Total: 89 📚

🌟 = Favourites.

🌟- The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison.

🌟- The Witness for the Dead, Katherine Addison.

🌟- The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison.

- Meshi, Katherine Tamiko Arguile.

- Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree.

- Bookshops and Bonedust, Travis Baldree.

🌟- Gods of The Wyrdwood, R J Barker.

🌟- Warlords of Wyrdwood, R J Barker.

🌟- The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett.

- The Cruel Prince, Holly Black.

- The Wicked King, Holly Black.

- The Queen of Nothing, Holly Black.

- How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories, Holly Black.

- The Stolen Heir, Holly Black.

- The Prisoner's Throne, Holly Black.

- Til Death Do Us Bard, Rose Black.

- The Atlas Six, Olivie Blake.

🌟- Krampus: The Yule Lord, Gerald Brom.

- Prince of Lust, Lucien Burr.

- Hell and its Pleasures, Lucien Burr.

- Fathomfolk, Eliza Chan.

- Detective Beans: and the Case of the Missing Hat, Li Chen.

- The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst.

- A Tempest of Tea, Hafsah Faizal.

- Evocation, S. T. Gibson.

- How This Book Got Red, Margaret Chiu Greanias.

- The Water Outlaws, S L Huang.

- The Bruising of Qilwa, Naseem Jamnia.

- Nothing But Blackened Teeth, Cassandra Khaw.

🌟- The Salt Grows Heavy, Cassandra Khaw.

🌟- The Eyes Are The Best Part, Monika Kim.

- Thornhedge, T Kingfisher.

- What Moves the Dead, T Kingfisher.

- What Feasts At Night, T Kingfisher.

- Dragonfall, L R Lam.

- The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo.

- To Cage a God, Elizabeth May.

- Ledge, Stacey McEwan.

- Chasm, Stacey McEwan.

- Valley, Stacey McEwan.

- Gideon The Ninth, Tamsyn Muir.

- The Book of Elsewhere, China Miéville/Keanu Reeves.

- A Tall Dark Trouble, Vanessa Montalban.

- Harrow The Ninth, Tamsyn Muir.

- Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir.

- A River Of Golden Bones, A K Mulford.

- The Octagon's Eight, Mairon Oakley.

- Dark Rise, C S Pacat.

- Dark Heir, C S Pacat.

- Eragon, Christopher Paolini.

- Eldest, Christopher Paolini.

- Garlic & The Vampire, Bree Paulsen.

- Garlic & The Witch, Bree Paulsen.

- A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid.

- Lady Macbeth, Ava Reid.

- Camp Half-Blood Confidential, Rick Riordan.

- The Demigod Diaries, Rick Riordan.

- The Demigod Files, Rick Riordan.

- Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan.

- Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan.

- Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse, Rick Riordan.

- Percy Jackson and The Battle of The Labyrinth, Rick Riordan.

- Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan.

- The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan.

- The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan.

- The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena, Rick Riordan.

- The Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades, Rick Riordan.

- The Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus, Rick Riordan.

- The Sun and The Star, Rick Riordan/ Mark Oshiro.

- Percy Jackson and The Chalice of The Gods, Rick Riordan.

- Magnus Chase and The Sword of Summer, Rick Riordan.

- Magnus Chase and The Hammer of Thor, Rick Riordan.

- Magnus Chase and The Ship of The Dead, Rick Riordan.

🌟- When Among Crows, Veronica Roth.

- The Honey Witch, Sydney J Shields.

- Brat: A Ghost Story, Gabriel Smith.

- Sixteen Souls, Rosie Talbot.

- Twelve Bones, Rosie Talbot.

🌟- Strange The Dreamer, Laini Taylor.

🌟- Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor.

- Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas.

- The Sunbearer Trials, Aiden Thomas.

- Celestial Monsters, Aiden Thomas.

- The Cabinet, Kim Un-Su.

- Ander and Santi Were Here, Jonny Garza Villa.

🌟- Canto Contigo, Jonny Garza Villa.

- Waywalkers, Catherine Webb.

🌟- Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell.

- Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros.

[zyeprex]

Individual Poetries

Theme: Beauty and Simplicity Title: Moonlight, Starlight Author: Mahinal, Almira G. In my ear- wind so smooth, The trees danced slowly swaying, Feeling the cold air living. In the simpliest sight, I found that might light How lovely it can be, To see your pure beauty. Through that alluring light, I know that I am right To thank this brown naked eye, Eases this discomfort of mine. I wonder what it feels like, To have you by my side, Moonlight, starlight, the simpliest, That elegant beauty from east. The sense of that beauty, I fall for that simplicity, Well, moonlight, starlight - so cool, I stand for you even your fall.

Theme: Dreams and Visions Title: "Her Journey" Author: Majaducon, Jonalyn Mae L. Dedication is her weapon, She who do not rest, She who aims the best. Looking at the brighter side, Her future should be unhide, She who owns an unsure vision Making her life bright is a mission. Falling is never a decision, Family is her motivation, To bring them peace, Will make her life at ease. The goals unmasked, Making it true is a task, With a positive mind, Hoping her journey will be kind. In the end life is unclear, That's why she is full of fear, Yet her goals are already set, The experience she wil never forget.

Theme: Time and Eternity Title: Dream of my Yesterday's time Author: Montealto, Emmanuelle Padilla Like the grains of sand in an hourglass, The sands of time slip away so fast, Moments once held so close and dear, Now a fleeting memory no longer near. With each passing day another grain falls, Reminding us of life's inevitable tolls, Time's relentless tide cannot be denied, As it carries us on this wild and wondrous ride. Yesterdays' dreams tomorrow's unknown, This vast desert we all roam, Through shifting dunes of joy and sorrow, We chase our dreams hoping for a brighter tomorrow. But as the sands of time continue to flow, We must cherish the moments we now sow, For tomorrow becomes yesterday in a blink, And the sand of time leave no time to think. So let us seize each precious moment we find For the sands of time are not always kind, As they slip away with every passing day, Let us make our mark before we're a step away.

Theme: Stars and Astronomy Title: Void of the Great Unknown Author: Paderna, Louie Ken C. Up above the atmosphere, The vast darkness I fear, Where souls go to ascend, To be filled with stars that have no end. Blazing orbs that shine as if diamonds, My attention is called, as if summoned, Celestial bodies that are called constellations, Where can be seen across the nations. Null is the time when they do not amaze me, Imitating the depth of a calm black sea, Where life-forms remain mysterious and unknown, And it all originated from something that had blown. In the celestial canvas, a tapestry of night, Stars emerge, glimmers of distant light. Galaxies twirl in cosmic ballet, Astronomy's secrets, in the heavens, lay. Telescopes peer into the vast unknown, Revealing secrets, to us, yet shown. Exploration's spirit, evergrown, Astronomy's legacy, forever sown.

[especias]

Tracklist:

El Gremio de los Fieles - Kraneando Actividad

Mi Color - Kris Alaniz (con Kenlamusic)

Like A Soldier - Barrington Levy y Irie Ites

Irresponsables - Cucuza Castiello

Be Thankful - Lord Echo (con Lisa Tomlins)

Chasing the Drum - Yussef Dayes

Zulu Gang - Tiggs Da Author

No, No, No, Pt. 2 - Sly5thAve (con Jonathan Mones)

Breakfast Mood - Dancing Night - Rad Fyah (Rad Fyah Studio on the road) Live Session

Jah Light - Léo Casa 1, Orgânico y Marina Peralta (con Soom T)

Happy Time - Triston Palma y Irie Ites

Siempre Horns - Mista Savona (con Julito Padrón)

Oh Yes (Paris Green Re-Edit) - Paris Green (con Marvin Gaye y Tammi Terrell)

Open [Benny Page Remix] - M1 Dead Prez, Bonnot y Benny Page (con Agent Sasco y Irie Child)

Mercy Tree - Liam Bailey

The Colour Purple (Live From Malibu) - Yussef Dayes

E. U. C. S. L. - Stailok y Shugar

Pretty Notes - Gas Lab y Guillaume Muschalle Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Yok6t2o69O34r3a7EY2wm?si=8154dcc086c44add

[strywoven]

@kindgun has requested a story : " is  it  that  obvious . . . ?    ha ,   and  here  i  thought  i  was  being  clever . . . "  ( for either kaen or verona ! )

𝑼𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅.

One’s modest humor should all but w i t h e r in the cold of this woman’s harsh DISDAIN ; immaculate marble features , always cast with demure smile , now donned with a look of d i s p l e a s u r e at the other’s excuse.  Looming overhead , head canted pointedly d o w n to look upon him and his display of seeming innocence ( she knows better , she has seen this act too many times afore to let it go unchecked ) .  Silver eyes narrow , thinning dangerously in fierce scrutiny ; this man ( not a man , she corrects herself , he is one of her own ) , is the very face of all those posters she has seen plastered across the major cities , his name in BOLDED LETTERWORK announcing his charges and bounty.  And here he is in h e r town !  Of course she might rightly be a bit on edge for it , a little p r o t e c t i v e of Wellspring and its populace.

❝ Obvious is very much an understatement , ❞ She admonishes with a scoff , ❝ You are simply lucky you came to one of the few places that pay little mind to bounties.  No one here will hunt you or chase you out. ❞  Well , no one except for h e r , that is , this imposing woman who radiated an ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY .  ❝ Wellspring is , I like to believe , rather peaceful , despite what outsiders might have said of us.   You are more than welcome to stay , Vash.  However , I shall only warn you the once , ❞ Verona stoops , leaning down low enough to get RATHER CLOSE to the younger Independent ( the palpable aura she gives off is suffocating now more than ever , like standing in the face of something truly massive & ravenous ) , sanguine lips splitting at the seams to show perfect rows of serrated ivory tiers , her voice a g r o w l , ❝ If you make a n y sort of trouble for this place and its people … I assure you , I shall take immense pleasure in butchering you.  Am I understood ? ❞