#blue is the theme specifically royal blue

[simgerale]

✨ Coming Soon… ✨

Sequel to Regal

[silverspectre51]

Summoning the Boy King

Darkseid was rampaging through Metropolis, Superman was injured, and the Justice League was desperate. As the League hid between fallen skyscrapers, John Constantine prepared a last-ditch effort to save the Earth.

The Hellblazer drew an intricate sigil on the ground; its circular design stretching over six feet in diameter. Most of the symbols within were space-related, while the others were themed to royalty. Batman, one of the few heroes in-the-know, grunted.

"Are you sure this king ghost can help?"

Constantine sighed and pinched his nose.

"He's the High King of the Infinite Realms, Bats, an' he's bloody powerful. He'll stop Darkseid, alright, but what he does afterward is anyone's guess. Believe me, I wouldn't be doin' this if we had a choice."

Batman sighed and glanced at the smoke-filled horizon.

"Alright, get on with it, then. We're running out of time."

Constantine nodded and placed a single offering in the center of the sigil: a squishmallow of Disney's iconic blue alien, Stitch.

"I beg your finest pardon," Batman sputtered, "What on Earth is that?"

Constantine sighed again as he took his position at the edge of the sigil.

"Mate, the book was very specific. Unlike his predecessor, the new king requires a single offering of space or alien theme that is suitable for children. It's bloody strange, but beggars can't be choosers."

Batman just shook his head and looked on. Constantine raised his hands and started the summoning chant. An eerie, green glow spread across the sigil, and light fog gathered above it. Little white orbs floated up from the ground and spiraled together, forming the slowly spinning visage of a spiral galaxy.

"Incredible..." Zatanna gasped, "This summoning is on a level all its own. This king of yours is on the level of Gods."

Finally, something began to form over the small galaxy. Batman's expression quickly softened, much to the surprise of his teammates. It was mere seconds before they understood, as a black blob full of white stars formed into the shape of a boy. The blob had spiky 'bangs' if you could call them that and eerie, glowing green eyes.

The squishmallow floated into the boy's arms and he squeezed it excitedly. At the same time, he took on a far more human form, with pale skin and snowy white hair. His eyes had whites now but still glowed green. He was dressed in black and white, royal attire with green accents, a black crown floating in a green aurora, and a black ring with a green stone. A black cape flowed down his back, its underside looking as if it were cut from a clear night sky.

"Awesome offering, dude! What can I do for ya?"

The voice was a reedy tenor in the throes of puberty, and its owner was more than a little geeky. The boy's smile was infectious, or it would have been were it not for the specific circumstance.

"How old are you?" Batman asked, his tone soft, "We weren't expecting a child."

The boy waved him off like it was nothing.

"No one ever does. And, um... technically I'm fifteen. I know, I don't look it."

Constantine cut in, clearly out of patience.

"Look, this monster Darkseid is destroying our world. We need you to stop him."

The boy turned in the air and took in the destruction around him. Somehow, he seemed to understand the situation immediately.

"Okay, but I gotta get permission first. This'll take a lot of power." He paused, taking a breath, and then yelled in a strange language. "Mom!"

Constantine paled and the other heroes shrank back as a green portal tore into existence. A young woman, barely an adult herself, floated out. She had waist-length blue hair and the same glowing, green eyes. She wore a royal outfit in white and maroon, complete with a glittering, silver tiara studded with rubies.

"What's the matter, Danny? Are you okay?"

Danny nodded.

"Mhmm! These guys need me to take out this Darkseid guy, though. Can I use my full power?"

Constantine snuck a drink from his flask. He did not sign up to deal with the fucking Queen Mother of the Infinite Realms, nor had he known she existed. God, he needed a smoke...

The Queen Mother smiled softly and pressed a kiss to her son's forehead. She spoke whilst taking his new plush.

"Yes, Danny, you may. Let me hold onto this for you so it doesn't get dirty."

Danny nodded and turned away.

"Okay, thanks mom!"

The Queen Mother vanished through and with the portal she had created. Moments later, Danny shot off into the city, with the remaining able-bodied heroes hot on his trail. The young king reached Darkseid rather quickly, engaging him while the Leaguers looked on from cover. Darkseid was foolishly amused.

"A child dares oppose me? Flee, whelp."

Batman tensed as Darkseid unleashed his Omega Effect. Two red beams shot from his eyes, and yet the young king floated firm. Two eerie, green beams shot from his own eyes and, to the shock of everyone, overpowered his foe's. Darkseid shattered into many tiny pieces which then vanished into thin air.

"Man, he really wasn't smart!" Danny grinned, "Who fires a death beam at the king of the dead?"

He received no response, as the heroes were too stunned to speak. Smiling, he saluted the group before tearing open another portal.

"Oh well; villain gone, carry on. Later guys!"

Batman glared at Constantine, but the Brit had already absconded. Heaving a sigh, he resigned himself to this new reality. Darkseid was gone, but there was an incredible new power to worry about.

(Note: My only source of information is DP canon, DP fanon, and the Justice League cartoons from the early '00s. I apologize for any inaccuracies with Batman's or Constantine's behavior.)

[powdermelonkeg]

Archwizard Gale lore???

Okay, SO! My personal headcanons for Gale's powers, both as archwizard and Chosen of Mystra, are based upon the following:

D&D makes a distinction between "archmage" and "archwizard," with the former being a spellcaster dedicated to the arcane arts and either: the counsel of royalty, a lich tyrant, or a reclusive hermit, all with multiple apprentices, and the latter being "an arcane spellcaster of extremely high power who successfully claimed a floating enclave," that specification coming from the time of Netheril.

Gale is NOT royal counsel, NOT pursuing lichdom, NOT a hermit (willingly), does NOT have apprentices when he first makes the claim, and does NOT have a floating enclave.

Despite these, he still claims "archwizard" as a title. This is significant, especially from Waterdeep, where the most powerful wizards in the world gather, including Laeral Silverhand (another of Mystra's Chosen, immortal to a degree, and Open Lord of Waterdeep) and Vajra Safahr (current Blackstaff and Archmage of Waterdeep).

Bonus points for his significance, he is Gale of Waterdeep. His personally chosen moniker marks him as outstanding among Waterdhavians. There might be a handful of people named Gale in Waterdeep, but there is only one Gale of Waterdeep. This is further backed up by Lorroakan recognizing him, with his only reason for Gale being lesser than someone who supposedly figured out immortality being that Gale was Mystra's discarded lapdog.

Gale is skilled in all manner of magic. This is confirmed directly in his epilogue, where you can question him about his choice teaching the School of Illusion, and he says that he wanted to teach ALL the classes there, but the staff told him no. That includes schools you wouldn't normally associate with him, like Divination and Necromancy.

Based on all of that, I've decided that "archwizard," as Gale means it, is a term referring to a wizard who's multiclassed into all their subclasses.

Does this make him overpowered? Yes. But he's an archwizard, prodigy, and Chosen, he's MEANT to be within the bounds of his own lore.

In addition, I also believe him to be an untrained Storm Sorcerer, based upon the following:

Sorcerers and wizards differ in that sorcerers know magic intrinsically, while wizards study it to use it.

When talking to Halsin as Origin Gale, you can tell him that as a baby, you summoned a whole pack of rabbits. Presumably, baby Gale was NOT reading and comprehending arcane textbooks.

Gale has an intrinsic understanding of the Weave, by his own admission, saying he could compose it rather than just control it. He was also casting third level spells like Fireball at eight years old.

Gale's theme is all about storms: his name is Gale, he occasionally says "A rough tempest I will raise" in combat, almost all his official art has him controlling lightning, and his robe is thunder purple. This continues into God!Gale's design, where he has literal glowing lightning bolts framing his eyes, and his outfit is lightning blue.

K'ha'ssji'trach'ash: On his own, the mephit is pretty self-contained; it's a magma mephit capable of revealing the true form of a True Ressurection scroll. However, the key to getting him to do this is to respond to the question "what is my name" in Ignan with the correct answer. After which, K'ha'ssji'trach'ash says "T'i n'uthrantha m'ahthra Gale." We don't know what this means, but it's clear that he's talking to us, about Gale, possibly thanking us or asking us to pass a message along. This implies that he doesn't speak Common, or else he would, because we answered correctly. Why do I bring this up? Storm Sorcerers have an innate ability called Wind Speaker, which allows them to speak Primordial (including Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran). Thus, Gale can speak to/understand K'ha'ssji'trach'ash, despite his known/studied languages being Common, Celestial, Giant, and Draconic.

Because he's untrained, and rather than Storm Sorcery being just a Lv1 flavor bit that does little, I've decided that Gale has access to the class features of Storm Sorcery without access to its spell slots or Metamagic, that way it's reflective of his power without training.

With both of these conclusions, both archwizard and sorcerer, I've decided to pick and choose which class features are from which iteration of both classes, because BG3 and official D&D have a few key differences that were mostly changed for gameplay reasons. I've then taken those and added more flavor to them, based on the already-given flavor of D&D and effects of BG3, doing away with the mechanical side of things for storytelling reasons.

On top of this, because the maximum level you can reach in BG3 is Lv12, and we know that the Orb consumes "the greatest of [his] talents," I've decided that the Orb consumes any ability beyond Lv12 until its removal.

That being said, beyond whatever spells and slots you care to give him, the powers I think Gale has pre-tadpole are:

Abjuration

Arcane Ward: When Gale casts Abjuration spells, residual magic shields him from the worst of incoming hits

Projected Ward: Gale can extend Arcane Ward to someone nearby instead of himself

Improved Abjuration: On short rest, Gale can strengthen Arcane Ward to sustain itself beyond a single hit

Evocation

Sculpt Spells: Gale can control his Evocation spells and keep them from harming allies

Potent Cantrip: Gale can force enemies that resist his cantrips to take half damage from them anyways

Empowered Evocation: Gale's Evocation spells are particularly deadly (based on +INT modifier to damage rolls)

Necromancy

Grim Harvest: Gale can harness the power released when a spell kills a creature to heal himself, UNLESS it's undead or a construct

Undead Thralls: Animate Dead: Gale can reanimate a corpse

UT: Additional Undead: Gale can efficiently harness the power it would take to reanimate one corpse to reanimate two corpses with Animate Dead

UT: Better Summons: Gale's reanimated dead can take more of a beating than others' dead

Inured to Undeath: Gale's been exposed to necromancy enough that he's resistant to necrotic damage, and his life force capacity can't be reduced (this one in particular helps with the "Netherese bile" flowing through his veins)

Conjuration

Create Water: Gale can call forth rain at will (BG3's feature over D&D's to align more with storm sorcery)

Benign Transposition: Teleport: Gale can teleport up to 30ft, and can use that to swap places with an ally

Focused Conjuration: Gale's concentration on conjuration spells can't break due to pain

Enchantment

Hypnotic Gaze: So long as Gale holds eye contact with someone, he can charm them into stopping everything they're doing and staring at him in a daze

Instinctive Charm: Reflexively, Gale can make a split-second charm attempt to redirect an attack at someone directly nearby

Split Enchantment: Gale can efficiently harness the power it would take to enchant one person and instead enchant two targets at once

Divination

Portent: Gale can focus and gain split-second glimpses into the immediate future (such as the next blow about to be thrown in a fight)

Expert Divination: Casting divination comes naturally enough to Gale that he can cast divination spells using a lower spell slot

Third Eye: Gale can increase his powers of perception and gain a very limited Darkvision/Ethereal vision at will, as well as read any language

Illusion

Improved Minor Illusion: Gale can cast illusory effects with incredible ease

See Invisibility: Gale's experience with illusions lets him detect invisibility spells at work, focus on them, and see through them

Illusory Self: Gale can create an identical double of himself reflexively to confuse opponents

Transmutation

Experimental Alchemy: Using transmutation magic, Gale can more efficiently refine potion ingredients, occasionally enough to create a second potion

Transmuter's Stone: Gale can lock some of his transmutation magic into a stone, granting whoever holds it an effect of his choice from the following: Constitution proficiency, Darkvision, extra speed, resistance to acid/cold/fire/lightning/thunder damage

Shapechanger: Gale can polymorph himself once a day without consuming a spell slot (only into beasts with a CR of 1 or less)

Storm Sorcery

Wind Speaker: Gale can speak, read, and write Primordial (Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran)

Tempestuous Magic: Gale can summon gusts of wind around him immediately after casting a spell greater than a cantrip. These winds are strong enough to propel him in flight for ten feet

Heart of the Storm: Gale has resistance to lightning and thunder damage. In addition, whenever he casts a spell that deals lightning or thunder damage, the magic that erupts is stormy and more powerful than other kinds of magic at equal level

Storm Guide: Gale can subtly control the weather around him, causing rain to stop falling in a 20 foot sphere centered on him, or wind to blow in a different direction in a 100 foot sphere centered on him

Feats

These are based on what I, personally, think make the most sense for him pre-tadpole:

Ability Increase: +2 to INT score

Elemental Adept: Thunder: Spells/attacks ignore resistance to thunder, and when a spell he casts causes thunder damage, it can't critically fail

Elemental Adept: Lightning: Spells/attacks ignore resistance to lightning, and when a spell he casts causes lightning damage, it can't critically fail

Okay, so Gale's crazy powerful, right? What could he have possibly lost that's greater than all this?

Well...

Abjuration: Spell Resistance: Gale was in tune enough with the Weave that he could resist spells (as well as gaining advantage on saving throws against them)

Evocation: Overchannel: Gale could deal maximum damage on a 1-5 level spell without ill effect on first cast, but suffered unresisted necrotic damage when using it again

Necromancy: Command Undead: Gale could bring undead made by other wizards under his control

Conjuration: Durable Summons: Gale could give anything he summoned a temporary shield against damage (30 temp HP)

Enchantment: Alter Memories: Gale could make someone unaware they were charmed by him, as well as make them forget something that happened during that charmed period

Divination: Greater Portent: Gale used to be able to predict more split second decisions ahead with ease

Illusion: Illusory Reality: Gale used to be able to pull shadow magic together into illusions and make them, temporarily, real. He can still do a limited version of this, but only via concentration to keep the threads together (hence the "anatomically correct" illusory wizard in the Drow twins scene; shadow magic is NOT the same as the Shadow Weave)

Transmutation: Master Transmuter: Gale could consume magic stored in his transmuter's stone in one go, using it to transmute one object into another, remove curses, diseases, and poisons, raise the dead, or reduce a creature's apparent age by up to 30 years

Storm Sorcery: Storm's Fury: Gale could react with lightning damage when struck physically Wind Soul: Gale was immune to lightning and thunder damage, could fly at a speed of 60 feet, and could reduce his flying speed to 30 feet for 1 hour to make four additional people fly

Yeah. Ouch. And that's not even including his former Chosen abilities.

Gale's Chosen abilities

Silver Fire: Gale could command pure energy of the Weave in the form of silver-white flame, which, at his command, could destroy anything in its path, banish dead magic areas, restore torn Weave, purge external magic and psionic effects from his own body, teleport without error to the last location he used the ability at, or cast spells without verbal, somatic, or material components

Mantle: Gale could cast the dangerous Mantle spell without suffering any ill effects, while other wizards casting the spell would suffer a drain of life force as long as it persisted

Weave Detection: Gale could detect magic's presence without the use of a spell

Weave Tapping: Gale could cast high level spells repeatedly without losing a spell slot, although this was discouraged by Mystra

On the page for Mystra's Chosen abilities, it says that sometimes her Chosen gained an immunity to magic, as well as disease and poison. I don't think Gale was so lucky, however; in the House of Healing, he mentions that he once turned himself in to a hospice in Waterdeep for a "bout of ruddy pox." Him having turned himself in implies he was an adult at the time, and should, therefore, already be Mystra's Chosen.

All that to say: behold, Gale of Waterdeep, in his original splendor. How the mighty have fallen.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

A question!

Besides Black Butler and Twisted Wonderland what else do you like? Like do you also like other anime/game out there?

If so I would like to know your few favorites that might sharing similar to mine.

… I actually stopped following Black Butler sometime in the middle of the Blue Cult arc 🙂‍↕️ But besides Twisted Wonderland, here’s some things I like (couldn’t list them all because there’s also a lot of smaller niche manga I like):

Manga/Anime:

Kaguya-sama: Love is War (love the mind games)

Spy x Family (wholesome!!)

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun! (also wholesome!!)

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (wholesome too…!!)

The Royal Tutor (… I think you see the pattern here by now… wholesome…)

Princess Tutu (anime only for this one! DO NOT READ THE MANGA, it is very bad!!! Slow-paced but lovely story about fate vs free will; huge inspiration for my Twst OC)

The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious (self-aware parody of isekai and their OP protags)

cooking and/or baking manga and anime in general (Kitchen Princess, Restaurant to Another World, Yakitate!! Japan, Food Wars, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, revisiting Delicious in Dungeon recently)

Kill la Kill (not for the fanservice; I like how they cram in a lot of themes at once and explore how the human body is exploited + deconstruct clothing and sexuality… I unironically cried over a piece of clothing by the end of this show 😭)

Games:

Cookie Run

Ace Attorney

Granblue Fantasy

various dating sims

Pokémon fan games; Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (specifically Explorers), Pokémon Black/White and Black 2/White 2 (these have the best stories out of the mainline games I’ve played!)

Needy Streamer Overload (kawaiicore aesthetic + worrying social media dependency and addiction 💦)

Farming Sim games (Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Stardew Valley, Little Witch in the Woods, Fields of Mistria, etc.)

Monster Prom

Other media:

Alien Stage

Nevermore

SCP Foundation

Magnus Archives

Royal Scandal

Vocaloid

Ever After High

Monster High

MILGRAM Project (just started getting into this!)

Shrek + Puss in Boots universe

Rotten Mango

[salty-ironstrange-shipper]

Hi. I saw this post asking for a fic that changed one's brain chemistry. Now there are a lot of fics I like; over 2000 bookmarked on ao3. And a lot of fics I love; I have 400+ of those fics tagged 'fave'. Of those 400, there are only around two dozen I would say legitimately changed me as a person. 1% changed the way I saw relationships and the world, changed the way I read and write. And I couldn't narrow it down to one - or ten - and didn't want to dump in OP's tags. So have this list of fics that permanently changed who I am as a person.

Warning: I love long fics, and some of these are the same specific tropes that I love or that really affect me personally (ex. arranged marriage). Expect angst, and especially angst with a happy ending. That said these fics are all objectively amazing.

(sorry to people who don't like long fics, but we are simply not the same. and that's OK.)

listed in order of fandom, then length.

Banshee In A Well - 43k, complete, DC, Tim Drake. Childhood trauma, childhood trauma, came back wrong/can't stop coming back! Tim is a little FREAK and I luv him.

straight on 'til morning - 102k, complete, DC, timkon/Kon-El. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly.

variations on a theme - 5k, complete, MCU, ironstrange. This is one of the fics that made me truly love ironstrange. Stephen sees through millions of possibilities and in doing so, falls in love with Tony. Evocative, beautiful, succinct.

The Art of Losing - 33k, complete, Red White and Royal Blue, firstprince. This fic made me cry. This fic BROKE MY HEART. And I WENT BACK TO IT. Multiple times! This is a breakup fic that breaks you down then puts you back together. You will come out different, and only you can say if it's for the worse or the better.

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) - 65k, complete, Red White and Royal Blue, firstprince. There are so many firstprince fics that essentially translate the events of the book into a different setting. And I love all of them. (My own fic, then fucking have me, also does this, self plug self plug self plug). I had to narrow this selection down to just one, and this is probably my absolute favorite.

You Don't Have To (Say Yes) - 192k, complete, Star Trek, spirk/Jim Kirk. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly (yeah, again).

THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS - 262k, complete, Star Trek, spirk. Star Trek arranged marriage epistolary fic. I read this 4 years ago, and I STILL think of a line from this fic constantly (we're aligned, we're aligned, we're aligned). If you don't read anything else for the rest of your life, read this.

DON'T THE WAVES PULL THE SAND? DON'T THE MOON PULL THE TIDES? - 58k, complete, Star Wars, finnpoe. I don't even go here. And yet. And yet. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly (yeah, AGAIN).

Not Part of the Plan - SERIES, 8 works, 337k, complete. Supernatural, destiel. This is an arranged marriage fic au series, that started with a oneshot pwp, and somehow grew into a sprawling, world and character building EPIC. And that to me is always a marker of quality. You KNOW it's good if the author couldn't stop themselves.

wander your own land - 379k, incomplete, Yellowjackets, shaunajackie and others. I told you I like long fics. Girl survival situationships, cannibalism, jealousy, cabin fever, hallucinations, trying to keep a fucking baby alive in some of the worst possible circumstances.

Infinite Variations of a Summer Day - 76k, complete, X-Men, Pietro Maximoff. I love Pietro, he is one of my favorite characters of all time, and this is such a great character fic. See Pietro slowly driven insane in a time loop that examines his relationships with himself, his team, his family, and his powers.

drop your own recs in the notes. and if you have any suggestions for griddlehark/the locked tomb, pLEA- *gunshots*

[gengor]

I think my most unpopular takes among people who have a more sympathetic view on Edelgard, but enjoy the blue lions characters, is that I don’t think it’s very likely any of them would defect.

While it might be in some of their best interest to defy the kingdom, the blue lions were specifically written as the characters who are inclined to uphold the system.

I just think that a person who chooses to serve an institution that they know is flawed or is actively hurting them is a very real type of person, and is, in fact, the average person irl. I think I’m gonna start doing breakdowns of all the blue lions one by one to explain what I mean by this. I’m gonna go ahead and start with one of my favorite examples— Ingrid.

Part 1: chivalry

“Knights, I suppose. I do what I can to live like one. And I hope to die like one too…when the time comes.” - one of Ingrid’s expedition quotes

Chivalry and Knighthood are very important themes to the azure moon route. And their politics are woven into the fabric of the monarchy. It’s no mistake that Felix is to Dimitri what Ferdinand is to Edelgard, and Lorenz is to Claude.

But while Felix serves as the oppositional character to chivalry, Ingrid foils this by being an embodiment of it.

Ingrid is a character who is hurt by the system as a woman whose family values her solely for her ability to have a richer man’s child. She understands that her life is made worse by her place as a woman, and although she wants to break free of that, she can’t envision anything that isn’t just subjugating herself to a different set of rules. Ingrid strives to be disposable in a male gender role rather than a female one.

She reveres knighthood and the code of honor in death—which is often propped up as an ideal for non royal men. So while her endings where she conforms to gendered expectations are tragic, I would argue that any ending that sees her knighted is also far from a feminist tale.

And I think what a lot of people miss about this aspiration of hers is how glued it is to her grief for Glenn and the subsequent romanticization of Dimitri.

Ingrid is one of the few characters who cannot engage with criticism of Dimitri’s excessive violence. If you seek her during the exploration time within the heights of Dimitri’s recklessness she will never once acknowledge the sinking ship they are all on. For many characters, it’s common that they only retroactively acknowledge Dimitri’s instability after he apologizes and says he wants to do better. Most of the army will give you some sort of acknowledgment that Dimitri hasn’t been a perfect leader during the “kings triumphant return” chapter.

Yet Ingrid never does.

And while she does argue with Dimitri within their supports, it is only because Dimitri expresses discomfort at the rationale that places him on this pedestal to begin with. It is the only thing he can say that she cannot affirm. And toward the end of the support chain, she’s rationalized his aversion to knight codes to fit a more digestible narrative for herself. If Glenn’s death for Dimitri was the gold standard, then it means Dimitri has to be the perfect heir worth protecting with her life. She *has* to figure out how his disagreements with her can fit neatly into the narrative of Glenn’s heroic death. If she doesn’t do this, she would be forced to grapple with the possibility that someone she cared for died tragically without meaning.

I would argue Ingrid is an unreliable narrator to herself here when she claims she has moved on. If her requirements to process death involve retroactively deeming death to be good, then she is still rationalizing a random tragedy.

And this is something we see her do in her last support with Felix. I think there’s a subtle kind of horror in the conclusion of her Felix supports. She could be very well justified in lashing out at him over his repeated misogyny, but what she sees as the most important issue to correct is his aversion to chivalry.

She positions herself in a way that’s hard to combat because she is simultaneously arguing that she is *not* falling in line with any propaganda while also pushing the idea that Glenn died honorably in a way that’s worth imitating. Instead of framing this as a lesson in obedience to authority, she gives more a ‘friendship is magic’ vibe.

But the thing is, Glenn likely *was* influenced by the culture surrounding chivalry. The only characterization we have of him is that he adhered deeply to the ideals of chivalry (Dimitri claims Glenn and she are ‘very alike’ in that regard and Felix tells us that Glenn used to read him knight tales) Glenn was also child soldier, specified to have been around 15 at the time of his death. The man who raised Glenn will also state outright that he would have held his son responsible had he survived.

And it doesn’t appear to just be an isolated instance with Ingrid and Rodrigue. This kind of rhetoric is very common in the kingdom, popping up within npcs as well.

All that’s to say that Ingrid’s desire to become a knight is steeped in her baggage surrounding Glenn and cannot be copy pasted to another country so easily without breaking her character.

Being a knight under a different banner wouldn’t be the same because Ingrid doesn’t want to do many of the questionable things military personal are ordered to do on a regular basis, in fact she has an active aversion to it.

But she views her inclinations to disobey Faerghus authority as the wrong choice, a weakness she ought to instruct out of herself in order to be an ideal knight.

Part 2: Gender

So I see a some criticisms leveled at Ingrid’s character in relation to Glenn that I want to acknowledge.

I think it’s very fair to criticize the idea that she is defined through her grief for a boy she was in an arranged engagement to. I can see why some would write off her character as being just another misogynistic portrayal of a woman and move on.

But I think what saves this plot line (to me) is the implication that she idealized Glenn as someone she wanted to *be* more than marry. I really appreciate that when asked directly about whether she would have married him, she implied that she wouldn’t have.

I think there’s something to be said about the interpretation that Ingrid is an incredibly repressed sapphic or possible aromantic.

The only man she expresses romantic interest in is Dimitri, which is likely an extension of her reverence for him as a royal ideal, more so than it is a genuine interest in him. To me, her expressed interest in him undermines her claim that she has let go of her past idealization of being his knight. She is still prioritizing him first and foremost before herself, which is the heart of the issue.

I think Ingrid as a person is just very susceptible to the idea that she should fulfill some kind of established roll within the existing system instead of breaking free from all of it. This is why she only sees her life as only having two paths forward— knighthood or motherhood.

And even within the latter, which is more widely understood to be regressive, Ingrid will still make excuses for the people who attempt to reduce her to her ability to bear a nobleman’s child.

There’s a lot to be said about her hesitation to condemn her father for putting her within an arranged marriage. And within Houses, I think her Byleth supports, combined with her paralogue, communicate this well. But I think the most blunt example of this can be found in her Mercedes Hope's support

In response to Mercedes asserting that Ingrid’s family loved her unconditionally Ingrid says, “I wouldn’t go that far.”

I think it’s important to assume Ingrid’s perspective on her family is the most reliable account of them. If she says they didn’t love her. They didn’t love her.

She is a woman enduring objectification at the hands of her father. And even if she herself hesitates to name it as abuse that is textually what this was. Mercedes is projecting her own love for her brother onto these men who she has never met before.

Yet even still, her conclusions within many support chains end with her reaffirming a gendered status quo on herself. The same is true of support chains that end in her performing an expectation of femininity.

Part 3: Xenophobia/Racism

So I think Ingrid's racism is not an isolated, uncomfortable trait of hers. It is an extension of her patriotism.

When Glenn died, racism was just one of the multiple propaganda pieces that Ingrid fed herself to create a more digestible narrative.

Within her Dedue supports Ingrid seems to be grappling with the possibility that she was wrong to buy into this narrative. I think it's notable that the only thing that pushes her to reconsider her bigotry against Dedue is that he shares an unhealthy reverence for Dimitri. And within this flawed start-up, she is still expecting a victim to engage with her in an open discussion on whether or not he is a person.

Ingrid seeks to hold him somewhat responsible for not educating her on racism enough. And yeah, I don't have a lot to say on this, it just sucks.

I don't think Ingrid ever fully moves past this bigotry, which is in part due to the creators not actually knowing what an anti racist narrative would look like.

I've said this before, but it's worth stating here too.

Ingrid is far from the only racist person in Fe3h. Most of the narratives around racism end up with the characters reaffirming racism.

But within Ingrid's case, I think it makes narrative sense that she would still show signs of bigotry. Because within all aspects of her life, she doesn't escape the system.

And I know that within her gender, this is the writers themselves doing misogyny. I don't think they intended Ingrid's arc to be a tragic one. And I wouldn't fault anyone for disregarding the narrative value of this on the basis that it's not meant to be tragic. I've personally just come to love the blue lions as accidental tragedies because, regardless of intent, it just feels real. I think Ingrid is one of the few that I could see potentially realizing the flaw in her thinking someday, but it does her writing a disservice to imply that this could be a quick and seamless transition for her.

[goldenfigtree]

Tick Tick Boom

Summary: A tiny glimpse of what it's like to be in a relationship with Leon. More specifically, when Leon gets jealous...

Pairing: Leon Kennedy x Fem Reader (no use of y/n)

Warnings: Fluff

“One more day” you murmur to yourself, drawing a red X with a dry erase marker on the calendar hanging on the fridge door. For a normal person, the fact that there was one more day left until their significant other came back from work would be exciting. Yet, your impatience seemed to overpower optimism at the moment. It was killing you on the inside to wake up to, not him but the lonely indent of his side of the bed instead.

So much so, you didn’t get a blink of sleep since he left. Dark shadows of puffiness circled your eyes, contorting as you impatiently rubbed them in hopes that when you stopped, you would be in tomorrow. But no, life didn’t work like that unfortunately. With a groan vibrating in your throat, you plop onto the couch, propping your feet on the coffee table and point the remote at the tv.

Maybe some tv static would drown out the repeated disappointment of experiencing another boyfriend-less day. It wasn’t guaranteed but you’d do anything at this point to try and ease your anticipation. The Gilmore Girls theme song played as per usual, you bobbing your head along with it, the evidence of some strands of your hair defying gravity exposed by the sunlight projecting through the windows of your apartment. Your eyelids began to slowly slide down, luring you to sleep before quickly snapping up. You keep trying to fight off your body’s need for sleep until your vision immediately goes black.

Back to back the episodes played, but you didn’t notice. Head leaned back on the couch’s head rest, your mouth falls agape from the angle. You were out like a light. So deep in slumber, the jingling of keys and the creaking of the front door left you un phased. Kicking off his boots, Leon drops his luggage at the door and follows the sounds of your snoring. A warm smile forming on his lips as he eventually takes in the sight of you fast asleep on the couch, snoring loudly. An amused chuckle leaves his lips,

Stealthily sitting next to you on the couch, he pulls out his phone and takes a photo. Surely this is what you meant when you asked Leon to take candid photos of you right? Either way, he was keeping it, every picture he had of you, unflattering or not, was adorable to him. Not realizing the flash was on his phone, he blinks in surprise when your snoring abruptly stops. Slowly, you drowsily blink your eyes open and shoot your head back up as you smacked your lips. Squinting your tired eyes to adjust to the sunlight and to figure out who was sitting next to you, you’re met with Leon’s royal blue eyes. A sleepy grin creeps onto your lips as you lean forward to pull him in for a hug,

“You’re home” you say sweetly in a rasp residue of your nap. With a deep chuckle of intrigue, he pulls you into his lap by your waist while you instinctively drape your arms around his neck.

“Sorry I woke you” he murmurs as you sleepily drag your lips along his. He could feel the smirk curling along your lips as the two of you kissed,

“No you’re not” you bluntly retort pulling away to give him a knowing look. He merely smirks back, letting a puff of air exhale through his nose in amusement,

“You’re right, I’m not” his arms tighten around you body as he leans in to feel your soft lips against his. His smirk failing to fade away as he feels and hears you giggle mischievously against his lips. Subconsciously, he inhales deeply and releases in a sigh. Feeling that he can finally relax.

“You’re early” you eventually say after pulling away,

“They let me go for good behavior” he jokes with a grin, clearly proud of his dad joke. Unamused you raise an eyebrow,

“Ha-ha” you deadpan, “I missed you”

“Missed you more” Finding that saying it just wasn’t enough, he proves it by squeezing you tighter with his biceps, earning a strained panic noise from you as you tried to wriggle free,

“Okay, okay I get it” you squeal, patting his biceps, “uncle!  Uncle!”

Letting go, he smirks as he watches you pant for air and weakly punch his chest as punishment, “sorry did I take your breath away?” He proudly flirts. You can’t help but snort at his cheesy attempts,

“Jesus Christ you’re on a roll today” you say breathlessly, a smile you fail to control appearing. You can’t help but giggle at this rare sight of cheesy, happy Leon. The rarity of it wasn’t this side of himself in itself but it was coming home from a mission and being this way. Usually, when he walked through the door, he was either exhausted, grumpy, or very very clingy.

Can you blame the man?

This side of Leon that you were currently enjoying was usually cocooned until the next day or two when he recovered from the work that often drained him mentally and physically.

“Yeah I am” he triumphantly agrees, “hey, let’s go do something”

“You’re not tired?” You ask, tilting your head to the side,

“Of course I am, but I hardly get to come home early, we should celebrate” he suggests with a shrug, trying to play it off cool. But, you saw right through his nonchalant act. The excitement that danced in those blue irises was a dead giveaway. Combing his bangs back, you kiss his forehead lovingly.

“Yeah we should” patting his pecks over his t shirt, you hop off him and head to the bedroom to get ready.

—

After a nice dinner at your favorite place downtown, the two of you stroll along the paved streets, and with little convincing, some shopping,

“Thanks for this babe” you coo happily hooking your arm through his and resting your face on his bicep as the two of you walked out of a store with a large paper tote bag in your grasp swinging with every step,

“Any time” Leon modestly responds, a shy smile on his lips as he looks down at you. He felt a twinge of pride that he was able to get this reaction out of you and it only compelled him to want to spend more on you. Before he could continue his mission of spoiling you, however, a voice calls after you causing the two of you to halt and turn around. A man that perfectly resembled the description tall, dark and handsome came running up to the two of you. It was none other than your ex boyfriend,

“Hey! Small World” He greets heartily, seamlessly pulling you into a hug, “Wow you look great!”

“Declan! It’s been a minute” You greet being the first to pull away from the hug and make your way to stand alongside Leon, a sweet smile on your lips. Since the two of you ended on good terms, you didn’t think twice before greeting him happily.

Leon on the other hand, wiped the grin from his face and replaced it with a stoic expression. He took a good look at him, remembering you mentioning his name once. Something along the lines of Declan agreeing with you that you were better off as friends. Yet, Leon had an inkling that was far from the truth. Narrowing his eyes he watches Declan like a hawk as you and him catch up,

“Oh! Declan, this is my boyfriend, Leon” You cheerily introduce, gesturing towards him with a hand. You blink a bit in surprise by the sudden firm grasp of your hand in Leon’s and look up to see Leon with a polite, closed mouth smile. Leon doesn’t say anything and only nods to Declan in greeting.

Don’t show weakness

he thought to himself. Even though he would like to tell this guy to back off his girlfriend, the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass you by making a scene. He didn’t wan’t to show Declan that he was threatened by him either. Even though he was. Just a tiny bit.

“You’re a lucky guy, my friend” Declan charmingly says with a toothy grin,

Friend? We are not friends

His disgruntled thoughts circled around in his brain, yet the polite smile remained. He had some good practice with it, constantly working along side the president. Letting go of your hand, his hand instead travels to your lowerback and pulls you subtley to his side,

“I know” He responds, his tone friendly, mismatched with the triumphant smirk on his face. Declan’s pearly white smile remained, yet his eyes were boring into Leon’s skull like laser beams.

“Well, it was good to see you” Declan eventually bids his goodbyes, “It was nice to meet you, Leon” with a polite yet somehow sour goodbye, Declan leaves the two of you to enjoy the rest of the evening. Leon didn’t mention the encounter for the rest of the night, which would be puzzling to some. However, after all the years you two have been together, you sort of knew how he ticked. It was only a matter of time that he would bring it up and do so abruptly,

“He’s definitely still into you” Leon blurts out, raising his coffee mug to his lips. It was the very next morning, where you two often shared a cup of coffee, hair in disarray from the night before, and you magically wearing the shirt he was wearing last night; a tradition that you two stuck to religiously.

Tick Tick Boom. There it was.

His blue eyes stared at you as he gulps down the remnants of his coffee, nervously. You stifle a giggle at his sudden burst of nerves that he was so desperately trying to hide. You merely shrug and smile at him reassuringly,

“Doesn’t matter, I’m taken”

Eyebrows scrunched together as if processing her response he murmurs softly, almost to himself, “Right” quickly he clears his throat and repeats it more confidently before tilting the mug to sip the rest of his coffee, “Right”

Chuckling and shaking your head, you take his mug from his grasp and place it on the kitchen counter, “Someone’s jealous” you tease in a sing-song voice, wrapping your arms around torso,

“Busted” Leon bashfully admits planting a kiss on the tip of your nose, hugging your shoulders, “I just love you too much to give you away”

“You couldn’t give me away even if you tried” his eyes avert, almost as if he wasn’t sure if he believed it. So, you cup his face with a hand, soften your voice and look into those eyes that captivated you at first sight, “hey, I’m not going anywhere alright?”

Leaning his face into your hand, he turns to kiss your palm, and smiles, this time more securely, “alright”.

[soulanine]

I love it so much when creators are happy to infodump about their stuff! The way you say the soulmate au works is so fascinating to me because i usually dont get into the genre with how many that are purely romantic. Im assuming each color represents a different soulmate? I wonder what sabo would think about his soul marks with his amnesia. Would they trigger any memories for him? Or does he just think about who his soulmates could be? Also, like you mentioned, ace and luffy noticing the random new navy blue marks that could only come from sabo. They're reactions would be interesting to see :)

Semi-dark side note: if a dead body were to somehow get cut or bruised, would that leave a soul mark on their soulmate(s)? Adding onto that (if its the case): would ace and luffy assume thats why they're getting new soul marks from their 'dead' brother?

(Geez this is a long ask, i just love rambling with people about aus lol)

-Death Anon

YES IT IS MY FAVORITE THING !!!!

yes all the colors represent them !! if they don’t have a specific theme/motif/whatever, like robin + flowers and nami + oranges, then i resort to shapes and lines and textures i think would match them.

for example, to me luffy’s marks (mostly red for Captain, streaks of yellow for Brother) appear similar to oil pastels; they stain your fingers and stick to you stubbornly, just like the boy himself (at least in my experience). sabo is different shades of blue but mostly royal and navy, and i see his mark being precise lines that curve into each other, similar to an ink pen. ace has his flames, and so his marks are bursts of oranges and reds that vary in intensity depending on the size. they could also look like they’re drawn from chalk instead of just stylized flame but i haven’t decided if i wanna keep that yet

it could trigger some memories, especially luffy’s scar since it’s such a distinctive mark. while it doesn’t return his memories, it makes him curious about who this monkey d. luffy is if he appears to be his soulmate. and when will i see the orange one ?

hmm, good question. i could see it happening if the body wasn’t preserved or anything, like in the middle of a battlefield, but i also think the pain-sharing might end there. with the death of their soulmate, they no longer have the other piece of their self. it’s like calling out and only receiving an echo in response—there’s no one there for them to bond to.

ace and luffy might not know that, so they could possibly think of what you mentioned for a while ! then as time goes on they’re like, wait, if he’s been at the bottom of the sea all this time, why can we still feel things so clearly ?

do not worry about length i love thinking !!!

[emmajh97-mumaji]

I just hecking realized something...

The new theme song they created for Persona 5 Royal is 'Colors Flying High', right?

"So choose a COLOR to live by Your goal, your faith, your virtue Give it all, Be the best 'cause nothing less will do can rule the world with colors flying high You'll know that if you stay true Green or blue, Red or white You can't lose With your COLORS flying high"

...and the new antagonist they created specifically for Royal is Dr. Takuto Maruki

Maruki, who wears an all-white suit devoid of color-- in contrast to the Phantom Thieve's black-with-colorful-accents color schemes. Maruki, whose predominantly white Palace has a multi-choice puzzle that judges your principles via brightly colored rooms. Maruki, whose palace has a LITERAL color-mixing puzzle in the upper floors. Maruki, whose persona powers create a chromatic rainbow effect whenever he uses them.

COLORS FLYING HIGH, YOU SAY???

[bagsbyler]

i must admit that when i first heard of the blue and yellow theory i thought it was kind of too much, and, as you might’ve guessed, delusional. i was one of the twitter bylers who thought they were so sane, superior to and hated tumblr bylers. and yet here we are.

blue and yellow gate (or colorgate, whatever) started to make sense to me when i watched a few other shows with CANON mlm ships that used the same colors/theme. it made me think of byler but then i was like it’s probably just a coincidence, right? and then s4 came out.

i’m sure most if not all of you have already seen several posts and proofs of why and how blue and yellow is associated with mike and will but i’m inserting some photos here just to prove my point

starting with their outfits, of course:

the fuckass lighting:

and their rooms:

what exactly does this prove? nothing new, i know. i mainly just added these images for reference

now onto the main point of this post. i mentioned seeing tv shows with mlm ships using blue and yellow, right? well here they are.

starting with heartstopper:

young royals (haven't watched this one but i wanted to include):

2gether the series (thai bl):

hello stranger (filipino bl; haven't watched this one as well)

again, what does this prove? nothing i just wasted your precious time thank you.

no but all i'm saying is that the duffers / st writers doing this whole blue and yellow thing and heavily associating these very specific colors with byler so much that it's too fucking obvious along with other mlm shows can't be a coincidence. there's definitely some sort of discussion between the writers of these shows and why they agreed upon the usage of blue and yellow as the theme of mlm couples. i don't know what those discussions are but it's there!!!!

i can't explain it but this alone already serves as byler proof for me. no need to include that whole blue meets yellow in the west jazz, even though that's the whole point of colorgate lmfao

[ksadvent]

✨ K/S Advent Masterlist! ✨2/2

Day 21: ForFucksSakeJim: Heaven Had Come So Near (fic, TOS) Day 21: ForFucksSakeJim: that’s when I love you (fic (short), AOS) Day 21: Phoenix_Rose: A Winter's Break (fic, TOS)

Day 22: ForFucksSakeJim: A Phase Change (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 22: ForFucksSakeJim: When Guards Are Lowered Free (poetry, AOS) Day 22: remylebae: Curation and Creation (fic, TOS)

Day 23: ForFucksSakeJim: devotions such as yours (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 23: ForFucksSakeJim: This Simple Feeling (fic, TOS) Day 23: IvanW: Uncle Jim's Makeover (or Joanna McCoy's Holiday Miracle) (fic, AOS)

Day 24: ForFucksSakeJim: All I want For Christmas Is You (fic, AOS) Day 24: ForFucksSakeJim: Winter’s Bounty (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 24: kayson: Duality Concordia (fic, TOS) Day 24: lorvee: Care for a room tour, Mr. Spock? (art, SNW)

Day 25: deliciousblizzardshark: Observance (fic (short), AOS) Day 25: ForFucksSakeJim: All My Flaws and All (poetry, AOS) Day 25: ForFucksSakeJim: I Just Want You For My Own (fic, AOS) Day 25: T'Lara: [manip] Happy Hanukkah! (art, TOS)

Day 26: ForFucksSakeJim: Of Gold and Blue (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 26: ForFucksSakeJim: To That Which We Exchange (fic, AOS) Day 26: Orabla: An Evening Cuddle (fic, TOS) Day 26: T'Lara: Bitter Cold (drabble, TOS)

Day 27: deliciousblizzardshark: This is not a tragedy (fic, AOS) Day 27: ForFucksSakeJim: luck nor fate (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 27: ForFucksSakeJim: Steeping Starlight (fic, AOS) Day 27: SButler: KS and McCoy By the Fireplace (art, TOS)

Day 28: ForFucksSakeJim: The Holiday on the Edge of Forever (fic, AOS) Day 28: ForFucksSakeJim: To Love and Be Loved (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 28: indeedcaptain: The Royal We (fic, AOS)

Day 29: ForFucksSakeJim: Early Spring Snow (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 29: ForFucksSakeJim: Our Minds Aglow (art, TOS) Day 29: ForFucksSakeJim: These Private Stars (fic, AOS) Day 29: ForFucksSakeJim: What We Orbit (fic, AOS) Day 29: mazarinememories: A Romantic Meal (fic, TOS)

Day 30: ForFucksSakeJim: Familiar Stars (fic (short), AOS) Day 30: ForFucksSakeJim: Frost and Found (fic, AOS) Day 30: ForFucksSakeJim: it might just have been you (fic, AOS) Day 30: ForFucksSakeJim: logic blind (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 30: ForFucksSakeJim: Revelry (poetry, SNW) Day 30: T'Lara: Of Gourds and Peaches, Sumptuous and Ripe (fic, TOS)

Day 31: ForFucksSakeJim: Delta-Snowflakes (crafts, TOS or AOS or SNW) Day 31: ForFucksSakeJim: Keeping Count (fic (short), AOS) Day 31: ForFucksSakeJim: melt me like snow (poetry, TOS or AOS) Day 31: ForFucksSakeJim: No Troubles as Tribbles (fic (short), TOS or AOS) Day 31: ForFucksSakeJim: T'hy'la: Friend, Brother, Lover (crafts, TOS or AOS or SNW) Day 31: ForFucksSakeJim: Trouble With Tribbles (fic (short), TOS) Day 31: lesbobaggins: Starburned and unkissed (fic, TOS) Day 31: Lupo (LupoLight): Happy Mew Year (fic, AOS) Day 31: spacedogfromspace: Better Than Drinking Alone (fic, AOS)

The 2024 collection is now closed for posting. The K/S Advent Calendar will return next year for a new round. If your prompt(s) did not get filled, you can submit them as new requests for Advent 2025, if you wish to. If you do not want to wait that long, you can also submit them to our sister event @ksspringfever which will go live in March 2025, a fest without any specific theme as long as the work is focused on Kirk and Spock, be it slash or gen/friendship. Sign-up has opened a few days ago!

If you are sure you submitted something to the collection, but don't see it in the collection or on the masterlist above, please do get in touch with the mod asap so that we can investigate what went wrong with the submission: kirkspockmod+ksadvent@gmail.com

We are also happy to hear your feedback: How did you experience this K/S Advent? Any wishes, suggestions, complaints? Anything you wish would've been different? Anything that was unclear or confusing and needs better explanation in our rules/FAQs?

You can submit feedback via email (kirkspockmod+ksadvent@gmail.com), message to kirkspockmod on Dreamwidth, comment on the DW masterlist post, or Ask/message here on Tumblr. Part 1 of the masterlist is here.

[finleycannotdraw]

can u recommend some bands? i think i like ur music taste and i am terrible at finding music

ty :)

of COURSE I can <3 you’ve probably heard of some of these, but maybe there’ll be some you haven’t! I don’t know what you already like, so… here we go :)

Hozier. Yeah this was always going to be first on the list I’m currently listening to basically nothing else! He’s an Irish folk/soul/blues/etc idk musician who uses a lot of religious and mythological themes in his lyrics and has a lot of songs that include social justice commentary.

The Amazing Devil is a folk rock band with an incredibly unique sound. Their songs are incredibly emotional and have an awesome fantasy vibe going on—plus there’s two singers, and they often sing independently from each other, which is something you don’t see often!

Good Morning Bedlam is a bluegrass band that I’ve gotten into recently! They’re sort of like… a mix of the amazing devil and the crane wives?

The Crane Wives, while we’re at it, and

The Oh Hellos. they’re fairly similar and I don’t have a ton to say about their stylistic differences, but they’re all definitely worth checking out!

Florence & The Machine. Most people have heard of them but I always like to recommend them anyway

Alec Benjamin, if you’re into softer indie music! He has a lot of different styles of lyrics, but his voice is consistent, so he’s great to listen to if you’re looking for that sort of variety.

Chxrlotte doesn’t have a lot of music out, but I’m a big fan of the music she has released, including the ones about Good Omens! The others are more angsty which I love too.

The Family Crest is an orchestral indie pop rock band, which blows my mind. I can’t believe orchestra isn’t a more utilized tool in popular lyrical music, because they do it so well.

Good Kid is actually my brother’s favorite band, and I love them too. They’re also indie rock, but they have a very distinctive style and are easy to get into! Plus they haven’t released a shit ton of songs like some other artists, so it isn’t overwhelming to explore their discography.

Jonatha Brooke is an artist I only know about because my mom liked her music a lot in the 90s, but she’s got a super nice voice and has some awesomely relatable lyrics. I especially recommend her album Ten Cent Wings!

Midlake is a super melodic folk rock band. I’m obsessed with their album The Courage of Others, which has a melancholy vibe that’s super easy to get lost in.

Palaye Royale is harder rock than anyone else on the list so far, but they’ve got an awesome style. Unique voice and definitely darker themes in their lyrics.

Tears for Fears is a pop rock band that I love because my dad does. (My parents are musicians—I trust their music taste).

Toad the Wet Sprocket got their name from Monty Python, but PLEASE go listen to the Architect of the Ruin EP. You will not regret it. Also the song Something’s Always Wrong is like… entrenched in my very being.

Elbow is a band that I never see in fandom circles, but they’re definitely not obscure. Check out their album Little Fictions! They’re kind of like Midlake.

Will Wood ranges from chaotic and fun (The Normal Album) to absolutely soul-crushing (in case I make it)! Sometimes even both at the same time!

(I would’ve also put Paramore, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and other rock/pop punk bands I like on there, but I assumed you already know them.) (If you were looking for harder rock or metal, let me know, because this list is not that.)

If you want more genre-specific recs or even album/song recs, don’t hesitate to ask!! Music is the fuel of my soul.

[orionsangel86]

My friend just linked me to this article in light of my rage at all the stupid bullshit comments to that dumb post that Neil Gaiman answered attacking any Good Omens meta that may suggest AziraCrow may want sex in the future.

This article focuses on Heartstopper and Red, White, and Royal Blue, but its relevant. Purity culture is insidious and a current plague infecting our fandom spaces. Don't let puritanicals use asexuality as a disguise and shield for their shitty views either. This has nothing to do with asexuality and everything to do with an infestation of conservative christian fundamentalist viewpoints within fandom spaces specifically aimed at attacking canon mlm media.

The fact that apparently in Good Omens fandom fans arent even allowed to make their own posts discussing potential themes and subtext within the show that dares to imply AziraCrow could have a sexual relationship without puritanicals going to Neil Gaimans inbox to complain that such discussions are offending their delicate puritanical sensibilities is horrifying to me. Its not an attack on your sexuality if fans claim that an intense ox eating scene is oddly sexually charged in their opinion.

We really must keep up the discussion against purity culture and stamp down on sex shaming within fandom.

Anyway it's an excellent article. Please read it.

[rhaeverie]

Gleam and Glitter — hhj

‣ pairing: hwang hyunjin x reader

‣ genre: fluff, implied friends-to-lovers, rich-kid!au

‣ wc: 3.4k

‣ summary: You’ve quickly established that no one at this damn charity gala cares about the event’s purpose. They were just there to party. And you wanted nothing else but to leave; alternatively, in which Hyunjin saves you from your misery to see the city’s Christmas lights.

‣ warnings: lots of being annoyed at the rich (even though reader and hyunjin are rich), 1st world problems, reader’s wearing a dress and heels but no specific pronouns are used (I’m pretty sure), the pair eat some desserts

‣ an: 2nd part for my True Love Gave to Me Series! It's a little slow at first but the parts near the end are cute! Just like the Mark one, I wish I could write more for these two, I srsly think I could've done more but still,,, ENJOY!

Series Masterlist

The venue was beautiful. 

The ballroom was transformed into the party’s theme, Winter Wonderland, adorned with white, silver, and royal blue decorations. From the ceiling hung giant snowflakes, lit up with twinkling lights that glowed softly within the dim room. 

The dance floor, placed in the middle of the room, was surrounded by tables draped in pearly white table cloths, giving it all a sleek, clean look. You can tell how much planning had gone into the centrepieces—delicate ice-looking glass sculptures of various animals. Within each of them were more lights, drawing out the details of the sculptures.

At the other corner of the room, the live band had already begun their setlist. They were dressed in blue or white, or both, as it was the theme of the party. You couldn’t quite tell what song they were playing, but it sounded nice and classy. 

And guests were trickling in, entering the room hand in hand with their plus ones. You can tell that they were all in awe from the scene. I mean you don’t blame them—the scene looked like something straight from a movie. Whoever had planned and decorated the venue knew what they were doing. 

The venue was beautiful… Too bad most of the people attending were snobby rich bitches who really don’t deserve anything good (respectfully).

The main purpose of the event was to raise money for charities involving children for god’s sake—sure it was okay to go all out and grab the attention of the wealthy, but it was so painfully obvious that two-thirds of the guests didn’t give a single fuck about the charities. They were just there for the publicity, hoping to look good in front of the press and it pained you. 

It pained you because, although you barely had the capacity to have passions for anything, you did know that you wanted to use your money for good. And heavy on the good for children.

The party was now in full swing, guests mingling in practically every corner of the room. The live band had just been replaced with a DJ, party songs blasting through the speakers. A small part of you does want to join in, but you wouldn’t say that you associated yourself with any of the people here. 

There was one person who you did love being around—your best friend, Hyunjin—but you simply weren’t sure where he had disappeared off to since you had greeted him at the start of the party. 

“Shit.”

You’re not sure how you hear Hyunjin groan as he slumps in the seat next to you. He stretches his back over the chair before falling limp. 

You can’t help but laugh, “What’s up with you?” You shift in your own chair to look at him, your blue evening gown getting twisted underneath your ass.

“My parents introduced me to like—I don’t know—six old business owners?” Hyunjin mutters, “I don’t even remember a single one of them.” 

“Well, you gotta start working on that future CEO,” you joke, slapping his back, “Don’t wanna be the boss who calls his employees by the wrong name, do you?” You know Hyunjin hates when you call him future CEO, because, well, he doesn’t actually want to take over his father’s company once he retires. But being the only child in his family, it’s a responsibility that he couldn’t really get out of.

“No,” he pouts, lips jutting out. 

You let out another laugh, this time rubbing his back to provide some kind of comfort. From a nearby group of people, you hear people laughing, though it didn’t seem genuine. You echo them. 

“Y/N, they’re gonna hear you!” Hyunjin nudges your arm. “No they won’t. They’re all just caught up in their own world,” You roll your eyes. Then you dramatically say, “Oh how I wish to leave this place.”

There’s a few beats of silence between the two of you. Just by watching Hyunjin, you can tell he’s thinking, eyes darting back and forth as if he were reading a page of a newspaper. 

“Would it be crazy if I asked you to run away with me?”

Your heart misses a beat, “What?”

“Run away with me,” Hyunjin repeats. He’s almost expressionless, staring back at you as he waits for a reply. 

You blink at your best friend, utterly confused by the nonsense coming out of his mouth, “Hyunjin, you really need to be more specific with your words.”

Hyunjin brings a corner of his mouth up towards one side of his face, trying to word what he was asking of you. It wasn’t that difficult to explain, yet Hyunjin’s short on words right now because of all the introductions he’s just had. 

“Do you know what an Irish goodbye is?” 

You shake your head, “No? Is that even a thing?” 

“It’s when you just leave without telling anyone,” Hyunjin explains, “So… let’s leave without telling anyone.” There’s a youthful glint in his eye and you just know that Hyunjin’s ready to take off. He’s excited, even, just thinking about leaving and getting away from this place. You like the idea, too. 

“And do what?” Hyunjin shrugs and your face contorts, laughing, “You’re the one who’s suggesting to leave and you don’t have a plan?” 

The smile Hyunjin flashes is one that shows off his bottom teeth, brows raised and eyes widened, “Sorry, I didn’t actually think you’d consider it.” 

“Do you even know me?” you scoff, “Of course I wanna leave. Anything to get away from these people.” You scoot forward in anticipation to go, but you still really want to hear what Hyunjin’s plan is. 

Hyunjin searches the room as if it were going to hand him the answer. Then he hums and looks back at you, “Do you want to go downtown?” 

Without any hesitation you nod, “Yes.” 

Hyunijn watches as you scan the room, eyes trying to weed out your parents and his. You could guess they were speaking with people you’ve grown familiar with, so you try to pick them out, too. When you couldn’t spot any of your parents, your eyes darted in Hyunjin’s direction, eyes wide and round. “It’s clear.”

You don’t warn Hyunjin before you shoot up onto your feet, trying your best to keep discrete from any wandering eyes. The heels under your feet almost fail to support your pace, but you pay no mind, eyes dead set on the doorway furthest away from anyone’s attention. Hyunjin’s close at your tail, turning back every few steps to make sure that there was absolutely no one watching you both leave. 

The adrenaline’s causing your heart to pump above the average, and you can’t help but let out a laugh the moment you reach the door, soon finding yourself in an empty corridor of the venue (save for the doorman at the front and the woman attending coat check).

Hyunjin stumbles out after you, breathing heavily, “You didn’t even tell me you were going to take off like that!” 

Ignoring Hyunjin’s exclamations, you start making your way toward coat check, heels clicking against the marble floor. Hyunjin is unsure how you’re moving so quickly in heels, but he chooses not to question you.

“Y/N~” Hyunjin whines, “Slow down!”

“If we’re not quick we’re going to get caught,” you shoot a reply over your shoulder. You kindly ask for your coats, retrieving them within seconds before you toss Hyunjin his jacket. “Yeah, but we need to wait for Mr. Jang to come pick us up!” 

By the time Hyunjin finishes his sentence, you both find yourselves outside of the venue, cold air instantly nipping at your exposed skin. There were cars whizzing past, all probably on their way to your desired destination. Right at the bottom of the steps was a sleek black car, similar to what your family owned, and a man who you recognized as Mr. Jang, the Hwang’s driver. 

“So you did plan this!” you look over at Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin shakes his head, “No, but Mr. Jang will jump at any chance to actually do something.” The boy leads you down the steps and reaches the vehicle before you do. He greets Mr. Jang with a bow and then tugs on the door’s handle, opening it for you to hop in. You can’t help but giggle at the gesture, giving Hyunjin a look before sliding in. He shuffles in after you, smiling out of excitement.

“Where to, son?”

“Downtown, please.”

⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆

It’s when you both get to downtown that you realize that neither of you knew where to go. 

Sure, the plan was downtown but the city was a big place. Hyunjin should have been more specific, because right now, you were both standing in the middle of a busy street trying to decide which direction to go.

“Close your eyes, spin, and then stop when I tell you,” you suggest to Hyunjin, who’s trying to search his phone for any places you both could visit. 

“How about you do it!” Hyunjin’s brows furrow and he pouts, “It sounds like you’re going to ditch me.” 

“Now why the hell would I ditch you,” you sigh, “Just do it. I would do it, but I’m in heels.” 

You gesture for him to go on with the action, but not before he mutters a ‘the heels didn’t seem like a problem earlier’, earning him a thwack on his shoulder. 

Squeezing his eyes shut, Hyunjin sticks an arm out, using his index finger to point. Then, he begins to spin clockwise. From an outsider’s glance, this man probably looked ridiculous—he was dressed in formal attire and spinning like a top, almost taking out a few passerbyers in the process. 

You were finding this so amusing that you almost forgot that you had to tell him to stop. 

And when you tell Hyunjin to stop, he somehow ends up with his finger just inches away from your nose. You burst out laughing, your hands coming up to clutch your stomach because, for one, Hyunjin took the challenge seriously, and two, he looked absolutely ridiculous just standing there eyes closed and pointing. 

You don’t notice how Hyunjin’s eyes finally flutter open to see what was going on and how his taut expression relaxes the second they land on your bright figure just laughing, even if it is at his expense. His arm drops to his side, making a muted whap against his jacket. This catches your attention.

“I’m sorry,” you say, wiping a tear that has managed to slip out of the corner of your eye. And when Hyunjin doesn’t answer immediately, you take a step closer to him, “Hello?” 

“O-okay, so, that way!” Hyunjin’s brought back from space, head shaking. He side steps and walks around you, leading the way down the street while making sure you were following him. 

Hyunjin has no idea what just happened. It wasn’t like it was the first time he's seen you happy. In fact, you’ve always been happy around him. So, why did he suddenly freeze seeing you happy this time? 

Hyunjin shakes the thought out of his head, dismissing it as the remnants of wine from the party still in his system, and continues walking down the street, just a few paces in front of you.

You and Hyunjin weave through the people walking down the street against you, hands full with shopping bags or stuffed deep into their pockets. The pace Hyunjin had taken began to speed up, as if he had spotted something over the crowd that you couldn’t quite see even with heels. 

Glancing back, Hyunjin gently latches onto your wrist, afraid that you’d get lost in the sea of people, pulling you closer before he continues to step through the occasional gaps between bodies. 

“Where are we going?” you say out of curiosity. Hyunjin’s too occupied to answer you, still keeping his grasp firm around your wrist. He tugs you along for one more block, and by then you can tell that he did have an idea of where you were. Hyunjin knew where to go.

You feel like you’re able to breathe again when Hyunjin leads you into a plaza, and you let out a breath that you didn’t even know you were holding in. There was more space for people to walk around, buskers at each corner of the opening, and restaurants decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. Some places were blasting Christmas tunes out of outdoor speakers and, from afar, you can see Santa Claus taking pictures with children. You feel your heart fill with warmth in the atmosphere, excited to wander around and kill time with Hyunjin. 

“Do you want to eat something?” Hyunjin questions. The boy halts in front of a food truck, head falling back to scan the menu. The food truck was a dessert truck—candied fruit, ice cream, cake pops, and more. You can see that they also sold drinks. 

You nod, “What are you getting?” 

“I’m thinking a cake pop… you?” The line shifts forward and you both take a step forward to follow. 

You hum and try to decide on your own treat, “Can you get me candied strawberries, please?” 

It takes a little bit to reach the front of the line and finally receive your food. When the man on the truck hands Hyunjin the food, you go to grab it but Hyunjin refuses to let you take it, pulling the treats back to his own body. “Huh?” you frown, “Do you want me to pay you back or something?” Your mouth was practically watering at the sight of the tanghulu. It was almost unrealistically red, like strawberries you’d find in cartoons. 

“It’s cold,” Hyunjin shakes his head, “You can keep your hands in your pockets… I’ll hold it for you.” Then he holds the stick up to your lips, “Here.” 

Your brows furrow and you groan, “Hyunjin, I’m capable of holding it myself, you know.” You’re quick to grab the stick from Hyunjin and give him a look, “But thanks anyway.” 

Hyunjin grins, "Alright, suit yourself." He takes a bite of his cake pop as you enjoy the sweetness of the candied strawberries. The plaza is filled with a festive atmosphere, and you decide to stroll the rest of the area while munching on the treats. 

By the time you were halfway finished with your food, you had been able to properly take in the scene of the plaza. It was actually much larger than it was at first sight, the area stretching down another block or two of buildings. It extended into a wide pedestrian mall, with shops busy on either side of the broad walkway. 

Everyone there looked happy, like characters in the background of a movie. They minded their own business, stopping to watch the street performers entertain the passerbyers, or taking impromptu stops at the local shops lined up along the mall.

And though it did seem like such a first world problem for you to want to experience this without the stress that your parents constantly impose onto you to run a company, you like to think that your feelings still count. Even just a little.

“Look over there,” Hyunjin speaks up. He’s pointing further down the road and into a smaller plaza. There were people skating on a small, man-made, ice rink. 

A gasp leaves your mouth as you when you take notice of the gigantic Christmas tree sitting off to the side of the rink. It had been strung from top to bottom in lights that occasionally changed colours. Ornaments decorated the tree with large ornaments, accented with ribbons and garland. 

It was beautiful. 

It was beautiful and you wanted to go get a better look at it. 

Leaving Hyunjin’s side, you begin walking ahead of him, long forgetting the tanghulu in your hand. And just like earlier, Hyunjin calls for you to slow down, mainly because you were charging through the crowd with a pointy skewer, but also because he cannot catch up. You paid no mind to his attempts to slow you down. You were already dead set on catching a closer glimpse of that tree.

Hyunjin reaches you when you finally choose to stop. Your head falls back to look at the tree from its topper to its base, mouth falling open in awe, “Tell me why I’ve never seen this before.” Then you turn to look at Hyunjin, who’s looking at the tree himself, “How do you think they decorated it?”

Hyunjin lets out a laugh in the form of air shooting out his nose, “Cause all we know is work and school and business. I guess we never really have the time to enjoy these things, do we?” Then he thinks up a clever answer for your second question, but fails, “And honestly, I don’t know. Maybe one of those man lifts?” 

“You’re right,” you laugh, “We need to Irish Goodbye more often if it means we get to see more things like this.” You glance around the area and find a bench nearby. Wordlessly, you grab onto Hyunjin’s sleeve and tug him along to sit. 

You can feel how cool the metal bench is through your dress, but you lean back anyways, continuing to admire the Christmas tree. It was weird because you were feeling this sort of delight growing in your chest just at the sight of the decorated tree, though if you were asked what you were feeling you wouldn’t be able to put words to it. It was like the cherry on top of the sundae, perfectly fitting the ambience of everything that you and Hyunjin have seen tonight. 

And for Hyunjin, sure the tree and the lights strung up all over the plaza were beautiful, but he was having a hard time keeping his attention on them, and instead kept taking glances your way. It was probably the fact that this happiness was different than the ones he’s seen before. It was like your inner child had jumped out, eyes filled with all the galaxies the universe held. 

The corners of his lips had stretched at the slightest, eyes following in pursuit. 

Hyunjin realizes now that if you were happy, he was happy. And he’d do anything to make it happen. 

But he wouldn’t admit that to you just yet. 

Or anyone. 

It was enough for now that he had admitted it to himself.

Feeling eyes on you, you catch Hyunjin looking at you, expression soft. "What's up with that look?" you tease, your eyes narrowing. You lean over and nudge his arm with your shoulder. 

Hyunjin feels heat rush to the apples of his cheeks and the tips of ears. He hopes that you don’t notice, “It’s nothing… just thinking about how we should actually do this more often.” Hyunjin pries his eyes away from you and forces himself to look at the tree which, frankly, wasn’t as pretty as you. 

“We should…” you nod, “This is way better than the gala.” 

Hyunjin agrees silently. 

The two of you sit there in a comfortable silence, just taking in the environment. It wasn’t everyday that you both got freedom like this and it was nice. And you can tell that Hyunjin felt the same. 

Before you finally go to speak up after a while, your phone rings. Glancing at the caller ID, your heart rate shoots up when you see it's your parents at the other end of the line. You quickly answer it to not cause suspicion, already sensing the concern in their voices.

“Hello?”

"Y/N, sweetheart, where are you?" your mom asks. You could hear your father’s voice saying something in the background, followed by another man’s voice. 

"I’m still at the venue," you lie, "I just needed to get air. Why?"

“We found the owner of—” You roll your eyes. Of course. 

“I’ll be right there, mom,” you say flatly, “Bye.” And you hang up. 

“So?” Hyunjin questions. You notice that he had shifted in his seat to look at you, “What did she say?” He didn’t want to get you in trouble. 

“She was talking about the owner of some company,” you shrug, “But that means we have to go.” 

You stand up and take one last look at the tree before you have to drag yourself back into your own reality. It was good while it lasted. 

Hyunjin frowns at your expression and gently takes your hand in his, “I’ll take you back here soon.”

You smile, eyes lighting up at the thought of coming back here again (and in much more comfortable clothes, too). “Promise?”

Hyunjin’s glad to see the joy instantly return to your previously deflating figure and nods.

“Promise.”

an: Thank you soso much for reading! Pls stay tuned for the upcoming members!

[azialways]

my official review of “Go Luck Yourself” by the lovely Sara Raasch @sararaasch (SPOILERS AHEAD, DO NOT READ IF YOU INTEND ON READING THIS BOOK)

Oh my GOD! this book had me going through every stage of grief, then every positive emotion conceivable, and then killing me AGAIN! This silly little rom-com had me in a chokehold since EVEN BEFORE ITS RELEASE. I learned about the works of Sara Raasch from a friend of mine who responded on my instagram story asking for book recs. She said “it’s totally up your alley” and I trusted her, BOY DO I NOT REGRET IT. I loved Kissmas so so much, and when Sara Raasch announced GLY I was SO HYPED! I marked it on my calendar and bolted to Barnes and Noble. NOW ONTO THE REVIEW!

General Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Emotional Rating: 😭😭😭/5 (you cry sadness or you cry happiness, no in between.)

SPOILERS AHEAD ‼️⚠️

Thoughts: GLY is apart of the Royal and Romance series, which had me HOOKED since TNBK. This book focuses primarily on Kris Claus, the older, anxiety ridden brother of Coal, who we meet in Kissmas. I loved their first interaction with the “study room war” because it honestly was a moment of Kris’ nerdy, school focused and slightly awkward persona. We also get to see Loch’s more bold and outwards persona that heavily contrasted Kris’. I also loved Kris’ “oh shit” moment when he figured out the guy he called hot and tinsel bombed was also a holiday prince, and frankly not one with the best reputation. I loved the little side interactions that Kris and Hex had, showing their relationship and how much more comfortable they are with each other and their intimacy. One concept I especially adored were the Finn and Siobhán, and how different they were to Kris, as well as Loch’s initial approach to their publicity stunt. In a way, this book reminded me of Red, White and Royal Blue, which I love because you know how much of a sucker I am for political forced proximity. Each of Loch and Kris’ tender moments had me giggling and kicking my feet without hesitation, from their first moment in the studio, where Loch helps Kris paint, to when Kris comes back for Loch’s coronation. Each of the sexual scenes they had were so well written, because it wasn’t just a sex and done; however it was intimate, gentle and intentional (even in their desperate “I need you” moments…) When Uncle Douchebag revealed the proper intent and their plans, the way Kris took it HIT DEEP. The way he couldn’t even be angry, the way he defended Loch when he didn’t deserve it, it all really adds to his character and speaks VOLUMES to who he is.

THE FAMILY MOMENTS! The interactions with Kris and Coal about their parents, more specifically their mom, SO TENDER. One of the things I love about Kris is that he’s so loyal, to the point where he’d throw himself into a volcano for his loved ones, no matter how wrong they’ve been to him. The moment when him and Loch had a mommy (or lack thereof) issues moment was so cute, and the way Loch counseled him and reminded him that he didn’t deserve mistreatment from his family had me going awww. Kris is our mommy issues king and I love him for that. The whole theme of family here is so PROMINENT, in both families every time. Be it with Santa going away and renewing his vows to his ex wife, or with King Malicious Bastard trying to control everyone and getting absolutely destroyed at the end, it’s deep. Another huge aw moment was when Hex reminded Kris of the decision he had to make between his holiday or loving Coal, and how he’d choose that love any day, which ended up with Kris and Loch making amends (thank you Hex we say in unison!)

Anyways. This book was such a great day-read, finished it in 12 hours because I read FAST. Every little detail was so thought out, so tender, so loving…this book is a MUST for my rom com enjoyers, and it’ll tug at your heartstrings like a fucking harp. ESPECIALLY FOR YOU MOMMY ISSUE HAVING READERS (cough me cough) It really captures the idea that life is MESSY y’all. it’s not a perfect fairytale, shit don’t always go your way, but that’s okay, because one day, everything will fall into place. It’s all about how you approach it. YALL WILL LOVE THIS MASTERPIECE, AND THANK YOU SARA FOR DOING AN AMAZING JOB YET AGAIN. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT RELEASE (few days after my bday >:) )

-signed, Aster <3

[strawberryfairi]

Synopsis🌹: After discovering a strange yet alluring red book in a boutique bookstore, you find yourself sucked into a strange world, where all of your inner most desires exist…

Pairings: Wakasa Imaushi X Musician! Black Fem 🤎 Reader (ANYONE CAN READ🧚🏾‍♀️)  Content: Author AU, scifi, Musician! reader, reader is a talented nerd, smutty romance, tiny doses of angst, adventure, futuristic city, magic?, !!sexual tension!!, etc (just find out the rest, lol)

w.c: 1.2k💠 Released: October 2

Previous | Next | Chapters Masterlist

A/N🧚🏾‍♀️: Stop it's chapter freaking 1 on October 2nd! I'm beyond excited about this story so I really hope you guys enjoy it too! I'm getting heavy in my world building bag with this one y'all💅🏾👩🏾‍🍳

C.W:  None

𝟏 || 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤

(Red Book of Desires Theme: Victory - Lost Traveler )

It's not often you come into a bookstore, but when you do, it's usually when you're on a mission for a specific book you'd like to purchase.

Not today though.

It's a sunny day, the weekend, and everyone's out to enjoy the summer breeze during the early afternoon. You'd just taken yourself out for brunch, and it seemed like a sin to go and head straight back home when the day looks like something out of a movie.

Not a cloud in sight, the sky a vibrant blue, summer flowers are fully in bloom, and friends and families are all walking around perusing through shops or utilizing a restaurant's outside seating.

So voila, you decide to stroll through this quaint, old style looking bookstore. It's a boutique, nestled right inbetween Tony's Brick Oven Pizza Place and a vinyl record store. It's such a cute atmosphere.

The door chimes as you walk in, and the smell of books instantly greets your nose. Shiny, dark wood shelves hold a plethora of vintage stories from Dostoyevsky to Baltasar Gracián, along with newer selections as well. Each section labeled by the genre.

With a slender finger you graze it gingerly along the hard spines of each book, waltzing through the isles pretending to be a princess in her grandiose atheneaum.

"What's this...?" You whisper to yourself, pausing as your finger rests on a bright red book.

It's particularly vibrant compared to the other books on this shelf; and seemingly newer looking.

"There's no title on the spine..." You notice, your brow raising curiously.

With a low "Hmph..." and a tilt of your head, you pluck the book from its home on the shelf, and run your hand across the blank cover.

As your fingers brush the book, royal purple cursive lettering begins to appear like magic, revealing the title. But there's no author.

"The book of desires; by no one." You mumble, and for a moment you look both ways down the isle, hoping this wasn't some kind of wild sex positions book or something.

Biting your lower lip you can't help but look and see what it's about, turning over the cover and searching for a hopefully interesting synopsis.

Instantly your brows furrow. Each page is completely blank. Just pure white paper with a red cover and purple titling. "This book ain't 'bout shit. Is this a journal..?" You question out loud.

"Careful with that." A male voice says from behind, making you nearly jump out of your skin.

"Oh! You scared me." You chuckle awkwardly, abruptly closing the book as you turn to see the face that matches the voice. You figure they must mean for you to be careful since it's potentially an old book, and could probably fall apart at any moment.

"I didn't mean to touch—" You start, but the man waves you off with a knowing smile.

"No one ever does..." He steps closer, his eyes never leaving the book. "That one's been waiting a long time for someone to pick it up again. Looks like today's it's lucky day." He adds with an inviting smile.

You glance back at the book. It's strange how drawn you seem to feel towards it. "Do you know what it's about?" You ask, voice quiet, as though speaking too loudly might somehow break the connection.

The man shrugs. "It's different for everyone. It shows you exactly what you desire most; even if you don't know what that is." Then his smile widens just a fraction as he says,

"It's not always what you expect, though."

You frown, unsure if the man is messing with you or not. To be honest, wether it's true or not, this man is doing a damn good job at selling you this book though, that's for sure. You look down at the mysterious book, watching the title reappear as your fingers slide over the red cover. A strange warmth spreads through you, and you feel a sudden rush of excitement, or maybe it's more of a curiosity, and something else... It's like a deep, unspoken yearning.

"How much is it?" You ask softly.

The man chuckles softly. "For you? It's free. Consider it a friendly gift."

Your eyes widen as you hesitate, but then, before you can begin to protest, you decide to just thank him.  "Oh, that's so kind of you! You didn't have to-

You cut yourself off as a sudden, abrupt shiver runs down your spine, and for a brief second, the world around you seems to flicker. You blink reflexively, but everything is already normal again before you could even process what you actually saw. The bookstore, the red book that is now yours, the dark wood shelves. Everything's still there.

"Enjoy." The man says from behind you. Yet as you whip around, he's nowhere to be seen.

Back in your little apartment, you sit on your cozy bed, staring at the new book. The sun has long set, and the LED lights you have lining the upper part of your ceiling glow a soft orange-yellow hue, the perfect ambience.

You flip the book open to the first page. There are no author's notes, no table of contents, no nothing. Just a single line that slowly appears, written in elegant, looping script:

"𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉?"

You furrow your brows, feeling a strange, intensely magnetic pull. It's silly, really. You don't believe in magic or anything like that, but the question the book asks you lingers deep in your mind. As if it's engraving itself there.

What do I desire most?

Success, obviously. You've been working so hard to make it in the music industry, writing songs, performing at small venues, sending out demo after demo, reaching out to producers and other artists further than you in the industry, and getting nothing but rejections in return. You want to be heard, to have people love your music, to finally feel like all your hard work has paid off. Has been worth something.

But there's something else, too. Something deeper. A part of you that's always been restless, yearning for something more since childhood. The excitement of a true adventure, probably. Or love. Things like the movies that've shaped you into the starry eyed, hopeless romantic dreamer you always have been. Peter Pan, The Goonies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit to name a few. Then with romance...

You've never really had the time for romance after graduating college. Not with everything you've been focusing on. Then honestly, when you think about it, you just aren't in the mood. Not for another mediocre experience people nowadays love to call "romance" and "a relationship". But sometimes you do dream of it—of passion, of something wild and exciting, of a life that's more than just struggling to get by and toughing and "thugging" it out one disappointment after the other. Telling yourself one day it'll all work out when in the moment you couldn't be any more lost and unsatisfied.

That's the word right there, unsatisfied.

You shake your head, letting out a small "tch" at the way this one sentence had really gone and thrown you into an abyss of depressing introspection. It's stupid, but still, you want to read more.

With a dramatic sigh, bracing yourself for the next simple yet wildly cryptic question, you flip to the next page. And then—

Darkness.