#but out of all the more 'teenager/ya' marketed shows

[donutcats]

personally I think school spirits is one of the few shows recently that perfectly encapsulates amazing character dynamics. like, everyone seems so real and every interaction carries weight behind it, even if it's meant to be comedic. like everything just feels genuine and the characters themselves, ironically enough, feel very alive. every one has their own complicated thing going on and the way those complicated things interact with each other feels so perfect.

[wonkawinka]

we’ll meet again

“we’ll meet again… don’t know where, don’t know when…”

alastor x angel!daughter!reader

CHAPTER TWO: smile like you mean it!

— — CHAPTER THREE: weak ankles!

warnings/notes: EPISODE 6 SPOILERS! not proof read, no use of y/n, used she/her pronouns, reader is on the fem side, maybe vaggie x reader and maybe emily x reader if you squint but its all platonic

chère- french for dear

remercier dieu- french for thank god

court reporter- someone who transcribes everything said during a court meeting

wc: 2336

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

ROLLER skates. flashy lights. bursting colors. street jazz at every corner. twists and turns.

NEW ORLEANS had it all. all you could need in your heart. soft, live jazz rung through the tiny diner that everyone got their morning coffee from. skating through the diner, you tipped your hat from one couple to another. there was the occasional (and by occasional you mean somewhat often) jerk who flirts with you, a teenager, but you brush it off.

ever since the stock market crash of 1929, people have been living off the hook ‘round these parts. you were lucky enough to snag a job, let alone have a father that's able to put food on the table for you.

the bell of the door rings exactly at 9:01 am, you don’t even need to turn around to check who it is.

“good mornin’ ladies! fine morning today, isn’t it?” alastor’s voice rang through the diner, sound waves bouncing the walls and into your ears. his presence was certainly not something anyone would miss. your coworkers nodded in agreement, saying their tiny welcomes, the occasional giggle for one of them.

pouring out straight black coffee into a medium sized cup, you skated towards the counter and slipped your dad a napkin and his cup.

“mornin’ papa.” you said with a smile, taking his coins and filing it into the register.

“good morning, my dear!” he said with his chipper smile, one that made the men grumble and ladies swoon, but it just made you happy to see your father happy. “day treating you well, i hope.”

he took the coffee and took a sip. a sound of satisfaction left his lips “perfection! you know me so well, chère.”

“pa, you drink the blackest coffee on earth. it’s not hard to mess up, dontcha think?”

“ah, don’t sass me now, little miss. i’ll have you know this is the best coffee i’ve had since yesterday mornin’!”

“i made that coffee yesterday morning.”

“hmmm, did you now? seems i dont remember…” he grinned teasingly, pushing up his glasses in ‘thought’.

“yeah, course ya’ dont, ya old man.” teasing back, slipping him a slice of pie “i know you didnt eat, pops, cant have ya flopping dead during your morning show. who knows, maybe the cannibal will getcha. then i’ll have to take over the show.”

he smirked at her words, ha, if only she knew.

“well, aren’t you the sweetest little thing?” he said, taking the to-go box from her hands.

“well, you raised me, so you tell me.” you smiled brightly

his laughter rang through the diner, and soon yours as their vocals mixed together in a medley of sounds. they nearly mixed together perfectly. nearly.

some people looked at you weirdly, but you both never really minded. everyone in town knew you were his daughter and everyone in town knew he was your father. the talk of the town, especially when people found out your father of all people adopted you all those years ago.

he smiled at you wholeheartedly, something you only get to receive from him. “thats my girl.” his hand cupped your face, thumb brushing against the skin.

you placed your hand on top of his and smiled. “love ya’, pa.”

“love you more, my dear.”

you patted his hand, signing him to let go. “now shoo, before you’re actually late. you got an audience waiting for you all ‘round the area. can’t have them sitting for too long, hm?”

with a tip of his head, he bidded you and the ladies of the diner farewell, grabbing his coffee and pie, slipping out the door.

one of your coworkers called out your name “hunny, you better help a girl out! is your fatha’ up for grabs?” she giggled, winking at you.

“oh hush, lonnie! that's my dad..!”

��—————— PRESENT.

“OH, don’t worry, it’s really not that hard! you just flip the book and let them in! see? simple.” st. peter directed you to the golden podium of the pearly white gates.

“are you sure i’m even allowed to do this? look.. i’m happy to help. i just don’t wantcha to get in trouble with the Seraphims.” you floated down onto the podium, scanning the big book of entries.

“it wouldn’t be for long! thank you so much, by the way. you really are heaven’s little helper, huh?” he elbowed you and gave that big smile he had. it was almost blinding. literally.

“haha, yeahhh… if you say so.” you turned and flipped through the pages for what seemed to endlessly go on.

“who names their kid breakfast?”

“now, now, we dont go and judge what those humans name their offspring!” he placed his two hands on your shoulders in reassurance. you cock an eyebrow at his word choice, but next thing you know hes already flying off to do who knows what. ‘saintly duties.’

“huh.” you continued to flip through the pages to examine the very odd name choices, nodding at some and… skipping through others.

minutes, maybe even hours went by until sudden echoes from down the golden pathway filled your ears. they shoot up in reaction to the newfound sound.

“uhhh, heelloooo? helloooo!” the blonde hair girl called out

“hiya!,” you call out , “how may i help ya’? well, getting into heaven i guess, huh?” you laughed at yourself, watching the girl’s nerves calm down a bit. behind her was a recognizable individual. you know, it nearly looked like vagg—

“OH— uh, uh, uh— hello! my name is charlie morningstar. heh.”

“alright, lets see…” you flipped through the alphabetized record only to find every name known to man BUT a charlie morningstar.

panic fills your core when you cant find it, scanning the page over and over and over again to no avail.

“uhhhh, you see, slight problem, hun...” you start, throwing in a name to ease her name. “i, uhm, can’t find your name… but you know! the trek all the way to the uh, other place, is a long way. maybe i can like… sneak ya’ in—”

“OH, no, no, THAT won’t be necessary. uh— see, my dad got me this meeting, so maybe try lucifer… morningstar..”

THAT CERTAINLY RANG A BELL.

“OH, uh.. uhuh.” you nod “i see.” you nod quicker. your eyes darted to the gray haired girl who looked at you with the same tense expression.

“i think there may have been a, um..” you put your hands together “mishap… but i am SURE it is a just BIG misunderstanding, haha!”

a mighty voice called out to you, one that could shake all of heaven’s foundation.

“remercier dieu…” you say, quite literally.

“don’t worry, we can take it from here.” sera’s voice reassured, the normal call smile present on her face. you bowed your head in respect which she kindly returns.

behind her was an excited emily which shot you an ecstatic wave. her smile was about to explode with happiness which only grew more as she approached charlie, the princess of hell.

st. peter pops out of nowhere and of course, starts singing his welcome song.

see, you didnt think it was bad, it was quite good, but hearing it over and over again for the past century really takes a toll on your ears.

after his musical number, em is basically ready to explode into a pile of rainbows and sparkles. “oh, oh! i gotta show you! the zoo, the petting zoo, the aquarium, the- the EVERYTHING!”

her and charlie jump for joy as they start running off.

“oh come on, do we need to ru— yEUP okay.” you’re dragged along the crossfire, em tugging on your wrist.

you catch a glimpse of adam and lute. they did not seem… very ecstatic.

hm.

“em. emily. emmy. e.” you bring her to the stop. her happiness was contagious, a sickness, her happiness basically flooding into your veins.

“i know you’re excited, sugar,” you start, “but maybe, i show them their room first. how's that sound?”

with some reluctance, emily allows you to guide the two girls to their temporary room.

“here, let me get that—” with an easy spell you learned, you pick up their bags weightlessly.

“follow me, i’ll show ya your room.”

— — — — — — — — — — — —

on the way there, you’re bombarded with questions from the princess. not that you were complaining of course, you found it quite endearing.

“wow, your sprinkles have RAINBOWS in them?!”

“yup, those are just rainbow sprinkles,” you chuckle lightly at her innocent excitement, “so.. about this hazbin hotel you were talkin’ about, mrs. morningstar…”

“oh, please, call me charlie!”

“charlie,” you smiled ,”i really do love the idea. quite innovative! you have my support. do you already have people staying?”

“oh, we only have.. two residents. but we do have lovelt staff! we have a maid.. nifty, she’s harmless, most of the time.. and a bar-tender, husker, he’s great, grumpy, but great! vaggie, my lovely girlfriend keeps the hotel safe,” she smiles brightly at her partner, “oh, and our host, alastor! he’s uh.. the radio demon, BUT HE MEANS WELL! i think.”

the name rung in your mind, bouncing off the walls and causing them to shoot jolts through your head. it was like a migraine, but worse. radio demon. it was strikingly familiar resemblance to your father (father?), but who knows! there are probably many alastors that loved radio.

“i see,” you nod, “well i wish you luck on the growth of your hotel.” you opened the entrance of there room and landed their bags perfectly in the corner.

“wow, okay, i LOVE heaven! everythings so clean and nice! AHH, and emilys going to bring me to a zoo where everythings fluffy and soft!” you zone out the rest of their conversation before charlie bids her goodbye.

“safe travels, charlie.” you bow your head in respect, earning a giggle from the princess.

“thank you sososososo much for your help! heh, alright SEE YOU LATER!”

silence filled the room.

“vaggie.” you started, not bothering to around and fully face her. “knew that was you, cant hide from me under all that hair. looks good, though.”

“uhhhhhhhhhhh—” she says your name in a frantic manner, causing you to cock your eyebrow “ah, fuck, i can’t think of an excuse.”

“look, vaggie, i dont know.” you sigh “you disappear for your ‘yearly outing’ to god knows where then you go missing for years, now you come back to be dating lucifer’s daughter.”

“i know, i’m so—“

“no no, don’t apologize. i get it. im happy for ya, vags, but damn, years. i dont know what you do on that one day, but adam and lute didnt seem very happy when they saw ya today.” pinching the bridge of your nose, you turned to her.

“look, adam tried recruiting me to god knows what when you went missing. said i got good aim or something. im just telling ya to be smart. i got no idea what he was trying to do with me, so im telling ya’ to not give in to that prick. i’ll be at todays meeting; i work as the court reporter.”

she pondered your statement for a bit, snapping out of her thoughts once you handed her the room key. you offered her a smile, which she hesitantly returned.

“ah, come on, smile like you mean it! though a smile may not mean everything, you’re never fully dressed without one.” that phrase rang in vaggie’s ears. that was oddly familiar.

a little too familiar.

it was your time to bid farewell, but before you did, she called out to you.

“thank you.”

“ah, don’t mention it. we’re friends, arent we?”

and with that you shut the door.

— — — — — — — — — — —

SCRIBBLING. writing. swirls of ink as you titled the paper in preparation. COURT ISSUE 36789127. it made you think, whos counting all these issues?

“WHAT’S UUUP, BA-BY!” the annoying ring of adam’s voice filled the court room. he was like a toddler, ironic as he is the oldest human soul known to mankind. he was mankind. a sick joke for it too.

every little thing he said you were required to write down, even if it was a dumb, immature response.

“we are gathered here today to determine whether or not a soul in Hell, can be redeemed into heavenly realm by the means of this Hazbin Hotel… Princess Morningstar?”

the blonde takes a stand and clears her throat,

“Webster’s Dictionary defined redemption as—”

you scribbled that down.

“..incredible progress..”

scribble.

“… the porn demon …!”

scribble.

“well, if you know so much, what do you think it takes to get into Heaven?”

that puts a halt in the discussion, causing you to lift your head and wait for an answer. she had a point. how did you get here in the first place?

a copy of adam’s terms were presented to your table: act selfless, don’t steal, stick it to the man.

well damn, if those were the terms, even your father (father?) would be in heaven, right now.

evidence was presented, words have been thrown, objections were made. the endless back and forth of right and wrong being thrown around the courtroom. not even the written word could convey the thick tension lathering the walls of the heavenly court.

all the evidence weights to charlie’s side, and yet, the judges say otherwise.

“wait, none of you know what gets someone into Heaven?”

this sparks a musical entrance from emily which you would say was surprising, but you would be lying to yourself.

good thing i took band and choir you thought. perfect pitch came in handy as you noted every chord and pitch in your work.

at this point, you were ready to combust. it was clear who won but the rulers of heaven seemed adamant to keep it from happening. it was suspicious, ironic even.

“..don’t you care, sera…”

scribble.

“..just because someone was dead..”

scribble.

“he blew the shot like the cocks in his…”

scribble.

“..come down and exterminate you..”

your quill snaps in half as you look up from your paper. extermination.

murder.

genocide.

from heaven itself.

[xixovart]

assigning my favorite pjo characters songs based on vibes :))

ignore the lyrics in these. it’s vibes. all vibes. rythm, melody, motifs, instruments

this somehow (unsurprisingly, because it’s me) ended up becoming a psychoanalysis of certain characters but the motif is essentially the same so enjoy!!

NICO DI ANGELO

my all time fav. love him so much.

there’s somehing so gentle but real about the melody in this. the way it feels like early winter at dusk. the way it feels like gentle solo dancing in the kitchen to a melody stuck in your head. the way it feels like braiding a loved one’s hair and talking.

WILL SOLACE

my beloved underrated child

now this one feels like a summer in the suburbs. like puzzles and cheap juice from the market. like the sun blazing on your skin and you’re laughinh and running. like playing that game on the road with chalk. it feels like nostalgia, like longing for an infantile giddiness that is long gone.

ANNABETH CHASE

the woman you are 💗💗💗💥💥😍😍

there are probably better options, but this one can be interpreted as either calm and nostalgic or melancholy and painful. “everything reminds me of you” but do the memories hurt or heal?

HAZEL LEVESQUE

please show this woman some love. she really deserves it

i have no idea why. maybe it’s the way it’s so upbeat? not saying that hazel is a “sunshine character” as the fandom usually puts it, cause she isn’t, it just reminds me of how much she overcame and how much happier she is now than before. she got her happy ending despite literally every single odd. ugh i love her so much.

JASON GRACE

stupid little amnesiac. gotta love him.

again, i dont know why??? maybe it’s the instruments. it’s probabl6 the instruments. but jason is just such a beautiful and kindhearted soul and i think this song embodies that. this song reminds me of every time jason told leo he was important. every time he somehow made reyna laugh before everything happened. makes me think of how he was the first person to unconditionally support nico and the first to make him feel like he’s not the person he’s made out to be. makes me think of how he and leo were the first to actually see and recognize piper. how he made temples for every minor god(dess) he could think of because he understood what it’s like to be forgotten. im not sorry that this turned into a jason grace appreciation post btw.

KAYLA KNOWLES

pls talk about her more plsplsplsplspls

you know im right. you know im right. i dont think i even have to elaborate. this song was written for her. the beat? the instruments??all her

REYNA RAMIREZ-ARELLANO

she. 😍

the feeling of letting something—maybe a person, an era, maybe your whole life in her case it’s all—pass you by because you took it for granted. a melancholy and quiet regret and longing something that is burned and can never be rebuilt, no matter how much you try. it won’t feel the same.

ALEX FIERRO

el mapache humanizado

i have no idea why i said that in spanish but alex is latino so it stays

it’s so? alex?? pls tell me i make sense. becuase like some parts of the song are like just pure teenage dirtbag shenanigans and the prime of your life, but others feel like screaming underwater and pleading for help. ykwim?

anyways yes i never shut up and i love all these songs and i really should go to sleep now because it’s 12:15 but i’m gonna continue reading the odyssey because time is an illusion. see ya losers. love ya.

[age-of-greta]

The Sun

The Sun presents a feeling of optimism and fulfillment. It represents the dawn which follows the darkest of nights.

Author’s note: hi!!! Welcome back to The Sun :) no posting schedule for this one, just as soon as I can crank it out. Please ignore my typos. I hope you enjoy this little chapter!

Pairing: Josh x reader & Jake x reader

Warnings: cursing, angst, adult content

Word count: 4.3k

PART 2:

It had been a few weeks since the show and things were going better than you had anticipated. You steered clear of Jake and he didn’t try to reach out to you either. But to your surprise you had been spending a lot more time with Josh than you thought you would. It was as if things were slowly getting back to how they used to be. Before… everything else. Typically, after work most days you would meet Josh for pizza, drinks, a movie, shopping. Really any excuse you two could find to hang out together. On the weekends he would accompany you to farmers markets and come over to cook dinner. Last weekend he had even stayed the night, both of you making a pallet full of blankets and pillows in your living room. You were elated with your newly rekindled friendship. Even Jake couldn’t put a damper on the happiness that Josh had brought into your life in just a few short weeks. But you were betting he would still try. Tonight you were all going to a local fair that was in town. Originally it was just you and Josh planning on going, but then Sam and Danny caught wind of it. Of course they wanted to go and you couldn’t exclude Jake. So it was a group night you had supposed. Josh was still coming to pick you up so you two could sneak in a few shooters to mix with your slushees. A silly notion that made you feel like a teenager again, but somehow Josh made it fun.

You grabbed a pair of light washed jean shorts with frayed edges and paired it with a cropped ribbed white tank top with an image of a western pin up girl in red. Under the pin up it read “save a horse.” You snickered at how Josh would get a kick out of it. You threw on your black high top converse and a few small gold necklaces, hoops, and rings. Finally you did a messy half up half down hairdo, coated your lashes in mascara, added some bronzer and lipgloss, then sprayed yourself down before admiring how cute you looked in the mirror. Tonight would be fun.

**

Josh sat at the kitchen island sending a quick text to you that he would be on his way shortly.

Jake bounced around the corner and rolled his eyes at the small smile on his twin’s face. “Going to spend time with my ex-girl friend again?” There was a hint of annoyance in Jake’s tone as he opened the refrigerator scanning for a beer to peak his interest.

“She was my friend first.” Josh says, letting out a sigh.

Jake cracks his beer and scoffs. “Right.”

“Okay, then. See ya tonight.” Josh mutters, grabbing his keys and heading for his Jeep.

**

“Malibu? Really Josh?”

“What? Would you rather have had Fireball?”

You make a face. “Bleh, no. That has always been your drink.”

He smiles at you. “See? Then Malibu will do. It goes well with the flavor blue anyway.”

You let out a laugh. “Mhm yes. The flavor blue! My favorite. So complex… so blue.”

He nudges your shoulder. “Smart ass. I know they says it’s blue raspberry or cotton candy. But it all tastes the same. It’s like-“

“Blue?” You cut him off.

He huffs a laugh. “Exactly. Thank you for admitting it.”

You smile at him appreciating how his antics compliment yours. “Okay okay. The sun is starting to set, we need to go get in line before it backs us up all the way to Michigan.”

Your attempts to get there early were feeble. The line was massive. You and Josh made small talk, but you barely shuffled in. Almost an hour had passed and you could finally see the gate. You thought about downing your Malibu shooters that you had stuffed in your bra many times while in line, but decided against it. Josh’s phone began to ring and he answered, but you didn’t pay too much attention. Still daydreaming of what it would be like to be in the front of the line.

“Ah fuck okay. Yeah we are near the front. You better hurry, I'm not waiting on you.”

That had gotten your attention. You turn to look at Josh who was shaking his head. “Sam. They just got here and saw this line.”

Soon enough you could see them all heading your way, including Devan? She had herself tucked by Jake. She was dressed somewhat less business casual with her hair in a loose ponytail and gray romper with black flats. You turned towards Josh when they all finally made their way to your spot, still trying to avoid his twin.

“Hell of a line huh? Maybe don’t record this part of the tik toks.” Danny jokes, nudging Devan.

That’s why she was here. To film content for social media. For whatever reason that made you feel happier inside.

Once you finally all made it through the gates you were a bit mesmerized by all of the lights and aromas. You felt like a kid again and you were ready to let loose and have fun.

“Tilt a whirl first?” Josh turns to you with a big smile.

You nod. “You read my mind.”

As you two head off towards that direction you're halted by a voice. “Josh! Wait! I need to get a shot of you by the lights!”

“Oh yeah sure. We're just going to head over to the tilt a whirl ride really quickly. Maybe after?” He offers.

Devan claps her hands. “Oh good idea! We’ll come with you to get some filming in.”

You cringe a bit at the thought of everyone now doing everything together.

The line for the first ride wasn’t too long. It took maybe 10 minutes to get to the front. Devan was filming Danny and Sam almost the whole time. The gates opened and you and Josh headed off to find a suitable cart for you two. You sat down and debated ways to spin faster.

“It’s definitely left and then right!” He shouted animatedly trying to prove his point.

“No no Joshy it’s right then left!”

Both of you laughed as you tried to latch the bar down.

“Hold up. Sorry we have to put three in each cart.” The ride operator says, coming by and unlatching the bar.

You frown at the thought of a stranger coming and squeezing in next to you or Josh. But it’s not a stranger who comes. It’s Jake.

“Funny seeing you two here. Dev is filming Sam and Daniel for this one. Mind if I squeeze in Sug?”

You give him a flat smile as he climbs in, ridiculously close to you.

The operator comes by and latches the bar, squeezing you all even closer to one another.

“You know we spin this left to right to go faster.” Jake states matter of factly.

“Thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying!” Josh exclaims.

The ride begins and Jake and Josh both begin working on spinning the wheel. Immediately the cart begins to spin and pushes you closer into Jake. You begin to giggle like a schoolgirl at the adrenaline rush as all of you work together to spin.

“Try my way now!”

You put your hands on the spinner, accidentally grabbing Jake’s hand. You briefly glance up at him and see him smiling at you in pure adoration. That made a lump sit in your throat. You hadn’t seen that look from him in forever. You all begin to spin the way you had suggested and you know it’s faster as your body now smashes into Josh’s.

“Okay I think you were right!” Josh says through laughter.

“Nope.” Jake says as he grabs the wheel and starts to whisk it the other way.

“Jake!” You giggle as your body presses back into his.

“I’ve got you Sugar.” Jake replies, rather valiantly.

You aren’t sure exactly what you saw due to all of the commotion, but you swear out of your peripheral you saw Josh cut his eyes at his brother.

You couldn’t be sure so you chalked it up to your imagination. The ride began to slow down and you knew you were going to be dizzy. All three of you were left panting and smiling ear to ear when the ride fully stopped.

“Can we at least all admit I was right?” You asked, trying to tame your hair.

“Never.” Jake replied with a smirk.

**

The next ride you had gotten on was the Himalaya. The ride that slung you to one side and went fast to various songs. It was your favorite and you were so happy to be on it with Josh, although you were sure you had crushed him just a little bit. Jake had ridden directly behind you with Devan, while Sam and Danny were in front of you. You loved the ride, but you and Josh were more entertained by Danny crushing Sam.

“Can we get a funnel cake or something? I’m starving.” Sam whines while stretching after the torture of the ride.

“Oh that would be a good tik tok!” Devan yells, furiously tapping on her phone.

“Is everything for social media?” You whisper to Josh.

He grins at you. “Apparently.”

“Let’s take the chair lift to the other end of the fair and we can get funnel cakes there. Okay?” Danny offers.

“Deal.” Sam says.

You all make your way to a rather short line to get on the lift.

“Your shoe’s untied.” Josh says, pointing down to your unlaced Converse.

“Good catch.” You say, starting to bend down.

Josh throws his hand up. “I got it.”

He kneels down and starts intertwining the laces.

“And they say chivalry is dead.” You joke.

“Josh!” You two swivel your heads to see Devan waving wildly. “Josh! Come up here! I need more shots of you!”

Josh glances at you with an annoyed look.

“Come on, I barely have any footage of you!” She continues.

Josh flashes a disappointed face at you before shuffling his way up front to catch the next lift with Devan. You watch as they quickly get seated and take off. Then you watch Sam and Danny pair up for the next one leaving just you and Jake.

“I guess we’re chopped liver huh?” Jake pokes.

You glance over at him. He’s leaned up on the railing looking incredibly handsome with his navy shirt hardly buttoned. His silver pendants dangle on his chest, dancing on his tanned skin.

“Apparently.” You reply coolly.

“You know,”He starts, walking up to the front of the line with you. “I really like your shirt. I believe I have a cowboy hat somewhere at home.”

You roll your eyes at him, but still crack a smile. He’s pleased with himself as a smirk overtakes his face.

“Next!” The operator yells.

You and Jake walk over to the footprints and get ready to sit. He glances over and gives you a wink before you both plop down and are off.

“Wow what a view huh?” Jake states, glancing around at all of the lights.

“Oh yeah. Look at all of those porta potties.” You retort.

Jake laughs. “Grandiose I suppose.”

You laugh back at him.

His eyes catch yours. “I miss that laugh you know. Hearing it so carefree on that spinning ride… It brought me back. Made me think of the good ole days I guess.”

You offer him a small smile. “I don’t know how you even remembered it. All we ever did was fight Jake.”

He furrows his brows slightly. “Oh come on. I don’t remember it that way. In fact, I remember a date just like this. That random mall had the half set up carnival. I won you a teddy bear.”

You smile at the memory. “Yeah, but we left mad at each other. Arguing like always.”

Jake sighed and paused. “We fixed it when we got home if I recall correctly. We always fixed our problems Sugar.” Jake says in a suggestive tone.

“I wouldn’t say they were fixed. We both know there was only one thing we were ever good at.” You say, giving him the side eye.

A smile creeps across his face. “Were? Let’s not talk in the past tense, Sugar. I bet we would still be good today. Hell, better even.”

A dust of pink spreads across your face.

“Jake! Y/n!”

You take yourself out of your trance and see Danny turned around pointing a camera at you two.

“Smile!”

Jake slides closer to you and throws his arm around your shoulder. Resting his head on yours. You give a meek smile, suddenly aware of how this photograph will look.

“Aw so cute.” Danny laughs before turning around.

“So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the night Sugs?”

Jake asks, nonchalantly.

You click your tongue. “Hm probably going to get pizza and go home. I need to send a few emails. Exciting things.”

“Care for some company?” He asked, with a small smile.

“Oh tempting.” You say, unamused. “But I have an early pilates class.”

“Smoothie after?” Jake smiles and raises his eyebrows at you in question. “I’m just kidding Sug. Don’t look so uptight.”

You flash him a smile and shake your head.

He extends his hand out to you. “Truce? I mean we can be friends right?”

You scan his face, looking for a reason to say no. You falter finally and shake his hand. You feel the calluses and let your mind wander for a half of a second. “Truce.”

He smiles, pleased with himself. “We could be more than friends in certain ways even.”

Yoh groan at him. “Jake.”

He holds his hands up in defense. “Okay okay. Friends it is Sug.”

**

After you had finally gotten off of the chair lift you had tucked yourself back by Josh. Everyone had split off to grab their own food. Danny and Sam had made it back first with beer and pretzels, snagging a table for everyone.

“Josh oh my god! They have dill pickle pizza!” You say, lightly slapping his arm in excitement.

“What? No way.” He whips his head around.

“Yes! We have tried to find some forever. Remember that night we stayed up high out of our minds trying to make one with homemade garlic pesto?”

Josh fake grimaces. “Don’t remind me. Ya know I’m fairly certain that apartment still smells like garlic.”

“Good thing you don’t live there anymore. Come on!” You link arms with him and hurriedly shuffle towards the pizza truck to get your coveted dinner.

Josh put an order in for your pizza while you went off to get your slushees. You had both reconvened at the table.

“Okay, watch my six.” You said to Josh as you started to attempt to grab the shooters from your bra.

Josh understood the mission and got up, making himself bigger to cover you. Both of you sneakily emptied two little bottles into your slushees.

“Okay I will say Malibu does go great with blue.”

Josh cracks a smile at you. “I’ll never steer you wrong kid.”

Eventually everyone else joints you guys back at the table, munching down on the various high caloric fair food.

“Is that pickle pizza?” Sam asks, nodding in your direction making a face.

“Yes Sam it is. And it’s the greatest thing I have ever put in my mouth.” You say, biting off a piece.

“Mhm.” Jake says, catching your eyes with a knowing smirk.

You don’t acknowledge that.

“It’s actually fantastic Sam. You want to try some?” Josh offers.

Sam turns his nose up. “Ew pass. I doubt it’s even vegan friendly.”

“I’ll try some.” Devan says.

You had almost forgotten she was there. She had been unusually quiet.

“Here you go.” You say, handing a piece to her.

“Oh wow.” She says taking a bite. “That is a lot of garlic. I can only imagine how bad that’s going to make your breath for days!” Devan laughs.

You make a face at her.

“I happen to just love your garlic breath.” Josh says, poking your arm trying to ease the tension.

You let out a small half laugh. “Guess we’ll have to quarantine ourselves together since we have the garlic plague.”

Josh licks his fingers and smiles brightly at you. “I could think of worse fates. At least the vampires won’t get us.”

You giggle at him and Devan rolls her eyes.

“Sooooo what’s next?” Danny asks, slurping up his dark beer.

“Oh let’s ride the fireball coaster and then the skull crusher!” Sam exclaims.

“Yes to the rollercoaster, absolutely not to the skull crusher.” You say through a sigh.

“Oh how come Sug? Don’t tell me you’re chicken?” Jake antagonizes.

You shake your head. “Not a chicken. I just use common sense. A ride called a skull crusher doesn’t entice me. You guys do know that they assemble these rides in like 2 days and that one flips and goes upside down. No thank you.”

“Bock bock bock bock bock!” Sam mocks.

Josh laughs. “Hey come on, give her a break.”

Devan giggles. “Yeah! Besides that will be better anyway so I can get footage of just you four on the ride.”

Josh makes eye contact with you and snickers as you return the favor.

**

The coaster was a lot of fun and you were a little surprised that you had felt the effects of the two little shooters. You and Devan watched as the boys all waited patiently in line to get on their ride. She was fidgeting with her camera. Not really speaking to you, but finally she broke the silence.

“You know.” She began, clicking through settings. “Next time we are trying to film, it might be a good idea for you to stay behind. You’re sort of a… distraction for Jake and Josh.”

You furrow your brows at her. “Except Josh and I had been planning to come here. Like by ourselves. Before any of this was hijacked with social media bullshit.”

She doesn’t look up at you and just shrugs. “Here, backstage at shows, meetings at smoothie places.”

You scoff at her. “What is your problem?”

She looks entirely bored of this conversation. “It’s nothing personal, I just don’t think you understand how their lives are now. Everything is for their careers. Millions of people would kill to have what they do. So this social media bullshit is very necessary to continue building their futures. That’s why they hired me. I’ve been meeting with them for over six months now and ever since you came along those two have been different. So it might be best if you keep your distance.”

You feel the sting of her words. Was she right? You blink rapidly. “You don’t even know them.”

She cocks her head at you. “And you do?”

You feel a fire begin to flame. “Yeah I do. I really do. I especially know Jake. He and I are very familiar with each other. Does that bother you? Is that what all of this is about?”

Her face turns bright red.

You hadn’t even noticed the ride had stopped and they were getting off. You saw Josh approaching you and quickly wiped the scowl off of your face.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulder as you two started to walk around. “Did you see that- Woah you okay?”

You nod your head. “Yeah, I’m good.”

He raises his eyebrows at you. “Are you sure? What happened?”

You clear your throat. “It’s nothing. Just creative differences I suppose.”

He looks over at Devan, who has attached herself right back to Jake. “What did she say?”

“It’s nothing. We’ll talk later.” You say dismissively.

Josh gives you a long look before nodding. “You wanna get out of here?”

You suck in your cheeks and nod.

“Okay boys I think we’re going to head out. I’m beat.” Josh says, stretching his arms out.

“Aw boo. We haven’t even played any games yet!” Sam says, sticking his tongue out.

“That would be a really good clip. If I could get you all on camera throwing darts or something.” Devan adds.

Josh looks at you, as if asking for permission. You lightly nod your head, not wanting to give Devan any more ammunition.

“Fine.” Josh pinches the bridge of his nose. “One game.”

One game turned into three. All of them played a round of balloon darts, in which Sam won a whoopee cushion. Then they played a water spraying game, which Danny had won. Lastly they decided on the horse race game determined by ball rolling. It was a close race, but Jake took the win.

“Okay you can choose your prize young man.” The lady said.

Jake turned around and smiled at you. “Whadda think Sug? Anything catch your eye?”

You wrack your brain, thinking of how to play this in front of everyone. “I think you need to get what you want Jake. Something to sit in your room and remind you of your immense victory.”

He huffs a laugh. “So no friend for teddy then. Yeah, just hand me that little guy.”

The lady gives Jake some tie-dyed frog. He smiles at it in his hands. “Here ya go Dev. For all your hard work.”

She giggles and takes it. “Oh, thank you!”

It takes all of your willpower not to groan.

“Okay! Well then, I think we are all set. We will catch you guys later.” Josh says, throwing his arm around your shoulders and giving you a squeeze.

Jake gives you a weird look, you just throw up your hand to wave and follow Josh.

It’s a rather silent walk back to the car, but when you finally make it Josh lets out a huge sigh.

“Tell me about it.” You say with a small smile.

He pats your hand and starts the engine. “So you gonna tell me about what all that was about?”

You huff. “Devan. I don’t know, she just hates me. She said I’m a distraction and I’m hindering your futures essentially.”

Josh makes a face at you. “What?”

You nod. “Mhm. Says my arrival has disoriented you and Jake.”

Josh takes in a breath and shakes his head.

You swallow thickly. “Which I guess… maybe you. I have been taking a lot of your time lately. But Jake? No, I don't even speak to him.”

Josh presses his lips into a line. “I guess we need to talk about it.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “What? Should we spend less time together? Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take away-“

“No, no. Not that at all. You don’t take up my time. In fact, I’m more than happy to spend my time with you.” Josh says clears his throat. “I mean you and Jake.”

You felt relief at the beginning of his words, but confusion at the next. “What do you mean?”

He sucks in his cheeks. “You know what I mean.”

You let out a small laugh. “Josh, I assure you I don’t.”

He taps his fingers on the wheel. “The tension between you two, the glances, the flirting.”

You scoff. “There is none of that. Jake can be a jackass, you know that. But there is none of that happening. I will not go there again.”

He’s quiet for a minute. “I just don’t want you getting hurt again.”

You shake your head. “Won’t happen.” You grab his arm slightly. “I promise.”

Josh gives you a glance before nodding. He offers you a small smile that you return. It starts to rain now as you’re driving back to your place. The warm streets, being cooled by droplets falling from the heavens. Josh has something soft and pretty playing through the car and you begin to feel melancholy. Much like the rain, soft tears began to roll down your cheeks. You quickly wiped them away, not even sure why they were there. Was it Jake? After everything you can’t deny that spark that he ignites. Was it Josh? The way he cared for you so deeply even after you had discarded him. Was it both? You had no idea, you pushed those thoughts all the way to the back of your mind.

Josh had walked you inside holding a coat from his backseat over your head to shield you from the rain. You giggled as you both tried to make small maneuvers up to your porch without losing the coverage of the coat.

“Whew thanks Joshy.” You said, flicking water off of your arms as you fumbled around for your keys.

“My pleasure. I had fun tonight.” He says with a bright smile.

“Me too. Would you like to come inside for some ice cream? I think maybe we could make sundaes and watch that Stanley Kubrick documentary that we never finished?”

He beamed at you. “I would love nothing more.”

**

The next morning you woke up happy. Josh always puts you in a good mood. You two had stayed up for hours just enjoying each other’s company.

“Hey! Yeah I’m grabbing my smoothie now and I’ll head your way after.” You said, holding your phone up to your ear while wiping sweat from your forehead.

“Great. Drive safe, see you soon.” Josh replied on the other line.

You threw your bag into your car and waltzed over to the smoothie place from your pilates gym. You were so excited to spend another day with Josh. He was taking you rock climbing, a brain child that was born from your conversation last night. When you opened the door you swiveled your head around. Nothing. Just a few hipsters in expensive athletic gear sipping on over priced smoothies. A twinge of guilt stabbed you in the gut when you realized you were disappointed that Jake wasn’t there.

****

• thank you for reading :)

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (December 3-9, 2023)

I made a frame from this shot Wikizilla's Image of the Week. No regrets. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, I love ya. When I was a teenager, explicit queerness was anathema to most big-name franchises. Those dominoes have been slowly falling, often in lower-profile tie-ins first, and to me this is a huge one: 69 years without a queer live-action Godzilla character are over. And Cate's the main protagonist of the show! I'm not under the delusion that media representation will cure all society's ills, but it sure doesn't hurt. Now, the non-Tumblr parts of the fandom are being completely normal about this, right? Right? Whatever, that's why you'll never get rid of me here. Cate had a couple more sweet moments with May in this episode, and Mariko Tamaki wrote episode 7, so don't expect her to stop kissing girls. Hopefully she's learned a valuable lesson about cheating though.

"The Way Out" is also another gift to those of us who have always wanted to see more of the ramifications of a world where Godzilla exists, from underground towns for the super-rich to ruined cities where federal troops shoot looters and harass people experiencing homelessness. And the show continues to find ways to use kaiju to talk about COVID, from Cate and Kentaro's exchange about San Francisco truthers ("It's easier than waking up every day and thinking, at any moment, the same could happen to you") to the blink-of-an-eye speed at which the threat went from on the news to her front door in the flashbacks.

As I foretold, we got a Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire trailer, an amusing contrast to the weighty Toho flick and Apple show already fore of mind. It's Adam Wingard unbound, that's for sure. The human cast seems pared back, a longstanding Monsterverse problem, and the kaiju fights were far and away the best part of Godzilla vs. Kong, so hopefully this approach will play to his strengths. But that movie also had excellent VFX, and some of the shots in here are rough. There's time to fix them, at least... which probably can't be said of Godzilla's design. I like that he's pink (did some Warner Bros. executive take the wrong message away from Barbie?) and sporting a thagomizer on his tail, but his proportions are uncanny. And I see Kong found the Infinity Gauntlet; good for him.

I am, of course, not done talking about Godzilla Minus One. It added over 200 screens and made $8.3 million in its second weekend in the U.S., a minuscule drop considering that its $11.4 million opening "weekend" spanned five days. Almost a third of all tickets sold this weekend were for Godzilla or Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron, remarkable in a market so allergic to foreign imports. That brings its total to $25.3 million (more by the time you read this). With an avalanche of Christmas blockbusters on the way, its grip on premium-format screens is about to slip. Still, I see it hanging around theaters for a while. I have never seen the fandom so united in praise for a film before, and it's making plenty of new fans.

Some of those fans are in high places. Variety leaked that it's on the 20-film shortlist for Best Visual Effects at the Oscars (to be narrowed to five nominees), something I, again, never expected to read about a Toho Godzilla film. Alas, it's locked out of this year's Best International Film category due to the quirky nomination period.

Much has been made of how great the film looks on a $15 million budget. I have two caveats, one in each direction. No one is quite sure where the $15 million figure came from; Yamazaki said at a recent con appearance that he only wished he had that much to play with. (He has yet to divulge the actual budget, just that it was above ¥1 billion.) Now, unions in the Japanese film industry are much weaker than in Hollywood, so a given production budget goes a lot further in Japan. All the same, I doubt that alone explains Minus One looking better than most superhero movies made for twenty times the cost. I'll offer a couple more reasons: Yamazaki has extensive visual effects experience (he's been the VFX supervisor of all but one of the live-action films he's directed), and the film's big effects scenes aren't as busy or lengthy as many of the Hollywood counterparts. I don't know if Disney will ask Yamazaki to direct the next Star Wars movie (that would require there to be a next Star Wars movie), but the studios here should be taking notes.

the sphinx, a blog with a ton of American Godzilla rarities to share, has outdone itself—behold a continuity and dialogue script for the U.S. version of King Kong vs. Godzilla! Included in the download is a detailed comparison with the film. No huge differences, apart from the script giving the secretary added to the U.S. version a name, but a fascinating piece of history all the same.

The Minus One incarnation of Godzilla (MaiGoji?) has joined Godzilla Battle Line, accompanied by [SPOILER]. To be honest, my enthusiasm for this game has been flagging, and I'm not caught up on the strategies developing around these two, so I'll just refer you to Sir Melee's channel as usual. This Godzilla's also doing a collaboration with the Japanese mobile game Fleet of Blue Flame.

Tiffany Grant, Asuka's original voice actress, will narrate the audiobooks for the Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA light novels which explore an Instrumentality-free path for the show. Seven Seas Entertainment published them in English from 2019 to 2021, which, to be honest, was also news to me.

This one's for my fellow library workers: the obscenely popular Who HQ nonfiction series for children is publishing a book about Godzilla next June. I don't know if this will have quite the same impact on today's young Godzilla fans as the Ian Thorne tome had on Gen Xers and Millennials, what with the Internet and all, but it's certain to be more factual. Expect illustrations instead of licensed photos, and not just because of Toho.

I can finally talk more about the Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers mobile game without fearing a DMCA. Not that there's much to talk about; it's freemium through and through and I'm not sure I know a single person who's excited for it. Interesting to see some critters from the comics break into another medium, at least. Here's the trailer.

[coolbeanzeaglbones]

Aquabats one shot I thought about while watching a training video at my work because *cough cough* I got the job!

Ricky had a ten dollar bill in his hand, walking into the Weis Markets to get something. What something? Why some cough medicine because everyone else was sick.

Yeah, it was good to get it out of the way before tour, but it was almost so bad that they nearly had to push back the schedule because everyone was so sick.

Jimmy and Ricky were the only ones who were unaffected by whatever was going through the tram. Everyone was so out of it and they had a little bit of cough syrup left, which eaglebones had taken before realizing it was expired. 

Ricky was looking through the aisle, “Hmm.” He grabbed one off the shelf and went to a register. One thing about Ricky, he was sixteen, therefore a minor, therefore when the cashier rang up his order and asked for ID, Ricky handed her his license and she scanned it.

The register beeped, “Sorry, you’re not old enough to buy this, do you have a parent or something with you?” She asked in a bitchy tone of voice. 

Ricky gave an awkward side smile, “Uh, hang on.” The cashier waited because it was nighttime and there wasn’t that many people there who wanted to go to a person.

Ricky dialed Jimmy’s number on video call, “Hey Ricky.” Jimmy greeted, “Jimmy, do you have an ID?” Ricky asked, looking back at the cashier, “No, I’m a robot, I don’t have an ID. I can put the commander on the phone and he can show his ID.” Jimmy put his phone down as he walked over to the commander, “Hey, Ricky needs you to show your ID.” The commander looked at Jimmy blearily, “Why?” He groaned, sitting up straighter on the couch, still wrapped in his blankets, “Cuz you need ID to buy cough syrup.” Ricky said, exasperated. 

The commander groaned again, but grabbed his wallet off the table and rifled through the random coupons and receipts until he found his drivers license, “Here ya go.” He held it up to the camera of the phone, “That’s ID.” He said.

Ricky showed it to the cashier, who was already shaking her head, “No, I need a physical form of ID.” She said, frowning and clearly annoyed.

Ricky rolled his eyes, “Fuuuuckkk.” He elongated the words in exasperation.

“Language.” The commander said, “and it’s fine, um,” he looked around, “Ah, come back to the car, eaglebones has an ID, just bring him with you.”

“Isn’t he sleeping?” Ricky questioned. The commander kicked out, “Not anymore.” He said. Ricky heard a weak “ow” from off camera, “Alright. Bye.” He hung up the phone and looked back at the cashier, “I will be right back, okay?” The cashier nodded and Ricky left outside to the battletram.

Everyone was hanging out in the living room, as everyone does when they’re sick, just all in the living room. Bones was asleep again, “I guess that being expired made sleep aid a bit more potent than usual.” Ricky said, poking eaglebones to wake him up, “Nah, he’s a lightweight, I don’t think we did the dosage right.” Jimmy said. Ricky was still trying to wake bones into some semblance of consciousness, “Hey, I need you to come in the store with me so I can get the cough medicine. I need your ID.” 

Eaglebones was out of it, so he was just so confused, so Ricky just put his hand out to help him up. As soon as he was up, he couldn’t even stand he was so sick, “I’ll put you on my back, just hold on.” He grabbed Bones’ license out of his wallet and pulled him onto his back, “I’m starting to get real pissed off at this point.” Ricky said, letting his Latino side slip into Spanish. 

This must’ve looked so weird for a teenager to be having a pale, blanket wrapped, pajama clad, semiconscious adult on his back. Ricky walked back up to the still empty cash register line, “There’s a form of ID.” Ricky said, trying to hide his pissed off-ness. Bones was conscious enough to drop his license onto the metal plate by the register.

The lady scanned it and it went through, “Your total will be $7.56, how will you be paying sir?” She directed that at eaglebones as she handed him his license back, “Ricky just give her the ten dollar bill so we can leave.” His voice was cracky before coughing into his sleeve. Ricky nodded to the lady, “We’re paying in cash.”

Ricky paid the lady and got his change, “Have a nice night.” Ricky said with a smile, hiking eaglebones further up his back so he wouldn’t fall. The lady gave the most stank face ever, “Yeah whatever.” 

Back on the battletram, Ricky carefully put the now sleeping Bones back on the couch and covered him up with a blanket before grabbing his handigel and disinfecting his hands, “Guys, can we just make sure we have medicine and stuff stocked up until I turn eighteen? I don’t wanna do that again, eaglebones is surprisingly uncomfortable to wear cuz of the random hard bone sticking out and he drools in his sleep.” 

Jimmy nodded, “Yeah, I guess.” He said before saying, “You’re a good friend, you completed the task and that shows a lot about your teamwork. Proud of you.” He patted Ricky on the shoulder before leaving to his lab.

That for some reason made Ricky very happy and he sat down against the couch and put on a show to watch while keeping his sleeping friends company. 

Yes, he was a good friend. 

[neoyi-backstreetback]

for Prima: 1, 11, 25; Propeller: 27, 38, 43; Catalina: 12; Aephorul and Resh'an: 37

PRIMA:

1. What’s the lie your character says most often?

"I'll find her. I'll see her again. She's not dead. She's waiting for me."

Who he is referring to is a spoiler, but it's a lie that only increases his denial more and more, even though he knows, internally, what the real answer is.

11. If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

Probably the biggest from Marine would be the lack of nickname calling. Prima tends to give nicknames to the people he meet (either as a sign of affection or derision.) Prima calls Marine "Fish Bot" and "Lily Pad." Someone impersonating them, unless they know Prima, and failing to nickname people on a constant basis might alert Marine that he's a faker.

Prima's friend, Anastasia, might be able to deduce Prima is a fake based on certain memories of their time together only the two shared (specific alley where they smoked as teenagers for the first time, how much money Prima won when he first gambled, who their First Time was respectively, etc.) She would also be able to spot a fake if the impersonator was being too happy; Prima is either pretty chill or sullen.

25. What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

Probably all the little things he's learned on the street. Ya know, how to haggle, how to point out shady characters, how to determine what the best fruit is for the cheapest price, how to talk to people so he can go to the nearby bar where the bartender tells him to ask the old lady by the alley who in turn points to the bookstore where the shopkeeper lures him to the illegally banned books so he can grab the hottest porn, etc etc.

He's been a traveler for a long time, and it's these skill sets that ups his chances of survival once he starts wandering off-planet and straight into unfamiliar alien territory. Which, according to Prima, hardly is unfamiliar. Anyone is capable of cheating people in a game of cards or selling cheap booze or falling in love or finding good food at the busy street market.

...Okay, his skill set would be useful to the direct plot since he's helping Marine, but technically, it's useless to the direct plot.

...All right, fine. Prima is probably a smorgasbord of useless trivia and stories from traveling a lot. He's heard about the little town that claims to carry the best pie. He knows this one statue in a small village is thirty years old and erected by the town''s founder of prostitutes. He knows what the chief religious of a city he's visited and why he doesn't like it. He knows about the fossils being dugged by archeologists in a wide stretch of canyon he walked past one day. He knows the best spots where the sunset looks like heaven parted between sky and earth.

Shit like that.

Propeller Knight:

27. What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

He was given his own crown for his 16th birthday. Not the crown, of course, as his grandmother still ruled over Victoire (read: fantasy France.) No, it was a symbol, a coming of age ritual that all future heir be gifted their own princely headgear.

And he despised it. If he be burdened by the hat he wore, then let it be a knightly helmet that will give him wings.

38. What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

How dare anyone insinuate that the Propeller Knight (most handsome and charismatic) wouldn't be good at anything if he wants to show off to others? How dare? HOW DARE? HOW DAR-

He's probably better making food when it's either for himself (since he really only learned to make his favorites) or for his lover(s), but he never really bothered too much to learn how to make for a general public (he'll help in the ship's kitchen because he believes a captain should be familiar with every role/his crew, but dude prefers hosting to cooking.)

43. What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

A lot of his youth was a complicated, political mess because his mother, a former sky pirate, ended up falling in love with someone she and her grandmother (a legendary pirate feared and respected by many) kidnapped as a political statement: his father, the then prince of Victoire.

So he's caught between one grandmother who taught him of the injustices of the world and why people like her are fight for those who cannot versus his other grandmother (from his dad's side) who is a literal Queen and, well, has the opposite view.

He spent his youth raised as royalty, so there was always a conflicting divide on how he was forced to believe (he is absolutely a child of two worlds) before he eventually sided on the path of "Screw royalty, I'm gonna become a pirate and bring about justice."

...But his first sixteen years of living as a prince meant he still has specific standards and luxury he is far too accustomed to that he just simply can't give up on. So there were moments at the start of his piracy where his privilege really did contrast heavily with other pirates who mostly came from low class backgrounds. He gets better as time passes, though that sense of luxury never really leaves him (really, that man would marry his perfectly coifed hair if he could.)

CATALINA

12. What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

Think of the kind of cheesy joke only your parents would love. We're talking the comic strips that would be pinned to your office cubicle. Like this one I just found online:

"I told my computer I needed a break, and now it won’t stop sending me Kit-Kat ads. Talk about taking things literally!"

This. THIS kind of joke. Catalina would think this shit is unironically funny.

AEPHORUL AND RESH'AN

37. What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

Resh'an: I wish I could leave you.

Aephorul: ...It wasn't that stray who took the last of your mother's falafel, it was me. If I had known you'd never eat her cooking again, I wouldn't have done it. ...It was really, really delicious though.

[veerbles]

thoughts about dream thieves (and some predictions!)

After probably almost a decade of thinking to myself, I’m an adult who’d like to read more and also enjoys YA, I should finally pick up TRC, I finally picked up TRC. I finished Raven Boys and immediately started Dream Thieves, so I didn’t pause to gather my thoughts on the first one, but here I am now. Ready to unleash several K’s of words by using my limited information to analyze characters and make some predictions that may or may not come true.

• I really enjoy the whole magical-realism, bordering-on-alternate-dimensions theme, but I’m SO SORRY Cabeswater gives me the creeps. I can read context clues and infer from the fact that Blue and Gansey both love it that it’s not meant to be sinister? Probably? But like, talking forests and time loops and magical possessions have, in the history of literature, revealed ulterior motives. I’m mostly side-eyeing the way Adam’s sacrifice to Cabeswater immediately derailed his life and mental stability. It might just be an Adam thing. It’s probably an Adam thing. But like, if I were these kids I’d be a biiiit more wary of the scary time-defying magical land I stumbled upon.

• The sudden emphasis on how time is circular kind of came out of nowhere. There was definitely a point made in the first book about how time doesn’t flow the same way inside Cabeswater, but mid-second book the nonlinearity of time was suddenly a huge thing and all the Sargent seers made a point of how every prophecy is something that both happened already and hasn’t happened yet. I’m totally down with some time-fuckery, but I would’ve liked some more build-up. Also, is this meant to play into Blue’s prophecy? Adam’s visions? Gansey’s fate? Glendower’s fate?

• I was preparing myself for a long, drawn-out love triangle B-plot, and I’m glad it didn’t happen. I couldn’t tell if I missed some subtext and Blue’s intense attraction to Adam faded before their fight at his room, or if it was a direct result of it, but I like that their thing (he called her his girlfriend and I was kind of like… is she? Who established that?) was short and not too well-developed. I think it mostly served as a lesson that Blue can influence her fate, but she can’t run from it (“Why couldn’t it be Adam?”). 

• Also, I think the marketing of the first book did it a HUGE disservice. I have nothing against romance as a main plot and maybe I would have enjoyed that as well, but adventure and the found family trope have a much stronger pull. Was really glad the romantic relationships aren’t really the main focus (at least yet?).

• On the same note, these books are so far really good with show not tell. The numerous unspoken hints about the Blue/Gansey attraction did such a good job making me root for them. The slow progression from Gansey caring an inordinate amount about how Blue views him, to Blue dedicating large chunks of her time analyzing him and trying to figure out all of his layers, to Gansey definitely growing aware of his feelings but not doing anything explicit because of Adam… The boat scene with Orla was pure comedy, lmao. Tell me you’re 16/17 years old without telling me you’re 16/17 years old.

• The Blue/Adam “break up” scene was so good because it evoked true emotions in me. I think a reasonable percentage of teenage girls were once The One Girl in a group of guys, and Blue’s feelings of being treated differently because she’s a girl really hit right where it hurt. I think Adam’s inability to understand that she wants to be his friend first and a love interest later was so real. I also do think that this scene brought up multiple points and maybe Blue’s character would have benefitted from addressing each of them separately, even just in her own head. She feels left out because she’s a girl, and she feels he only views her as a Girl and not as a friend; she’s wary of his anger issues and feels she doesn’t know him; she has feelings for Gansey; she has an ominous prophecy hanging over her head. Ultimately, her saying he’s not “the one” is what hurt him most, because she hit him directly in the insecurities, but it wasn’t really the most interesting or impactful point. Who is Blue Sargent and what does she really want in a relationship (or in general?)

• I have a hot take, but don’t kill me for this. …Adam gives off real Peter Pettigrew vibes. I’M SO SORRY. I really hope he gets more character development later on, because right now he’s straight on the path to evil villain. Or, okay, maybe he veered off that path after his talk with Persephone and their quest to fix the ley line, but for a minute there I was like… My guy, I get where you’re coming from, but you’re slowly gnawing on the leg that you used to stand on. It’s okay to be mad at the world because you were handed a worse hand of cards, and it’s okay to want to climb your way up to prove your own worth. But a minute ago your whole point was that you HAD worth, and now you’re acting out because you feel worthless? Adam’s getting eaten away by his insecurities and thinking/saying/doing really uncool things to his friends, and it’s just Not It. At this point of time, I personally would not have made him Secret-Keeper of the house I’m hiding in.

• Direct follow up: Honestly? Gansey should punch someone. As a treat. Gansey certainly has flaws, but he’s also certainly the most self-aware of the whole bunch. He is continuously harder on himself than anyone else is hard on him, and trying to make things right, and he’s kind of getting stepped on by his best friends. Adam stole his most prized possession and sneaked away to do exactly what Gansey didn’t want to do on GANSEY’S search quest, and then took the offer of networking but spit it back in Gansey’s face, and admitted he’s going to fight Gansey for Glendower’s favor because he thinks he deserves it more. Ronan ALSO stole his most prized possession after letting Gansey clean up his messes, and didn’t even really apologize? Like, it’s somehow okay because after he stole it he wrecked it and then dreamed it back? Nah dude. It wasn’t okay you took it to begin with! Now, I definitely think it’s not a black-and-white situation; Adam brings up plenty of good points in his arguments, and Ronan, to the best of my recollection, never asked to be cleaned up after. They’re both super traumatized and Gansey chose to stick by their sides through that. But everybody else gets to lash out and make stupid decisions and I, personally, think Richard C. Gansey III should pull a teenage boy move and punch one of his best friends. Which one is up to him. The punch can be metaphorical.

• This book focused mainly on Ronan and Adam’s journeys, and I have to say I loved the night terrors as a symbol of self-loathing. But I remain unsure about Ronan himself. Unlike Adam I don’t think he’s doing villain-y things, but he’s definitely doing very normal teenaged self-destructive things. And that’s fine. It's expected. But it’s also not really productive to self-acceptance? Which he somehow reached at least partially by the end of this book anyway? My point being, Ronan kind of lost it when Gansey was gone and went on a weird dreamer-bender and took all kinds of suspicious drugs and made all kinds of bad decisions, and I expected that to have ramifications. He didn’t really face any of his self-hatred or made efforts to be a better friend. He did kind of face (literally) his grief over his father, which is obviously huge, but I would have liked him to take down some of those walls, be vulnerable, apologize? Face some of his obvious inner homophobia? Anything before that wholesome ending. I guess I just stay hopeful that it’d happen in the next two books.

• On that note, the whole goddamn Lynch family needs therapy. What the fuck. Hated Declan significantly less than the last book, but all three of them should get some professional help for their asses. Their mother is a dream? Ronan’s new friend’s mother is dating his father’s murderer?? Ronan’s dad kicked him out of his home on the heels of his tragic death to teach him some lesson about… dreaming??? So much shit happened in this book. However: loved the idea of Ronan having an actual parent and functioning sibling relationship now. Hopefully, that would do some good for everybody involved.

• Very happy at the subtle queer themes and foreshadowing that led up to Ronan’s very understated sexuality revelation. I could smell it coming from a mile away without it being spelled out for me, which is good: it means it was written into his character really well. I was both thrilled and kind of confused by some of the Adam/Ronan hints in this book, though. Ronan… slept on the floor by Adam’s bed…? ("Surely he would wake up soon and find himself [...] lying on the floor beside Adam’s bed at St. Agnes.") This was literally mentioned in one line and then never again. And he doesn’t spend too much time thinking of Adam, but somehow the epilogue still explicitly states that his secret is Adam and not his sexuality as a whole. I’m rooting for them, but I’ll need more convincing in later books that this apparent crush didn’t spring out of nowhere. 

• On the subject of themes I didn’t see coming, the redemption arc for The Gray Man with the gray morality surprised me. It’s not that I’ve never read or enjoyed books where this subject was explored, I just didn’t expect it to happen in this book series. It seems to me like so far every character we’re supposed to root for is very clearly that, and evil characters give off hints in advance. Gray Man definitely did some dubious things in this book, even if you disregard the killing itself, so I expected his ending to line up with that. I guess it still might? Truthfully I find the subject of responses to trauma and how it affects your moral compass very interesting, and I’m definitely into characters’ redemption arcs, but I just don’t know if romantic entanglement with a known dissociative killer is a smart thing for a mother of a sixteen-year-old. If the Gray Man drove away at the end and started a new, less-violent life, I’d be far less conflicted. But he very clearly stated his attachment to Henrietta, which just… leaves me mostly confused. 

• Speaking of, I love how a major theme of this odd little magical book is how different people handle childhood trauma (Adam, Ronan, Gray Man). No further notes, just love it.

• I also really like that adults are directly involved in this story, instead of being intentionally kept out of the loop like in most YA stories. In the majority of the YA books I’ve read I really felt like 70% of the problems could be solved by a whole ass grown up swooping in instead of letting a bunch of kids handle real life-endangering shit all by themselves. The 300 Fox Way women are certainly a specific breed of adults, but they are adults, and they do intervene when needed and are kept mostly informed. It’s a nice change of pace. 

• Going to quickly mention my only real point of criticism and then move on. The dialogue in this book isn’t very realistic, and the clear preference for dramatic chapter endings is a little excessive. I can forgive the dialogue issue, because it does help create the atmosphere that this isn’t a real place in the real world but a magical and intriguing town in some mystery land, but I don’t know if this is what the author actually intended. In every other way, the kids are all pretty well fleshed-out and realistic depictions of teenagers. But every time they open their mouths I think: this is not how a natural conversation sounds. And the dramatic chapter cliffhangers isn’t terrible, because it does keep my interest, but I think it’s fine to have a few chapters not ending with a dramatic one-liner, lol.

Predictions! 

Gansey is a reincarnation of Glendower’s. This is not a certain one, but if it’s not true I feel like it’s a missed opportunity. Gansey is constantly described as “both very old and very young”. He died, but mysteriously didn’t die. He has this connection to Glendower and for some reason connects his sense of self to him. It would tie in to the theme of nonlinear time. I think it could be a good ending for this journey, a la “the thing you were looking for was in yourself all along”.

Gansey answering with “That’s all there is” will have more meaning later on. It could be that dialogue thing again, but I found it to be a weird response in the context of that scene. Since I am of the firm belief that this is all heading to a Blue/Gansey kiss, Gansey dying and then undying, and Blue somehow walking him back down that corpse road, I feel like that quote could maybe tie in to that future scene.

Is Adam’s vision really “gone”? In the scene where Adam makes peace with his powers and returns to Cabeswater he remembers the vision from the dreaming tree and thinks: "That wasn’t going to happen now. He’d changed his future. He’d chosen a different way." And I simply can't help but think that that's just... too easy. Why mention the vision so many times if it's not going to happen now? On the one hand, it would be far more interesting if it did happen, but it had a whole different connotation to it than Adam can currently imagine (he specifically says Gansey is dying, not dead.) On the other hand, it does seem like that vision fits in the reality where Gansey dies back in the first book on Neeve's pentagon, if Adam hadn't rushed in and made the sacrifice. I just feel like it's going to make a comeback.

Noah should not be a ghost. There was not once a good explanation for why this happened. Because he died on the ley line? Presumably, if the ley line runs through the US, many people die on the ley line. Gansey’s backstory is that he came back to life from those hornet stings because someone else who should not have died has died. But Noah is like. Not exactly dead? I’m assuming this will need to be addressed later on and serve as some sort of plot resolution.

Persephone has a connection to Cabeswater. She essentially told Adam that she was in his place once (“They won’t understand,” Persephone said. “They didn’t when I came back.”). That lady has something weird going on with her and this tell me it will have some sort of connection to Cabeswater. She kind of gives off the vibes of someone who will get forever lost in a magical forest. Also I feel like maybe one of the psychics won’t make it out alive, and I dread it’d be her or Maura.

Artemus is definitely a Cabeswater creature. I think this was almost explicitly stated? He appeared suddenly and disappeared suddenly? Almost like the surges and outages the ley line causes? Also, I don't remember the specifics from the first book but I think Maura needed Neeve's help to find him because he was in that "place where they can't see", or something like that - presumably Cabeswater. Also, his story does not give human.

[multi-fandom-lunatic]

Thank you for answering my ask! I also want to add that some protagonists in YA are now made to be characters who are 20, rather than teenagers - which confuses me, because YA really should be aimed at teenagers. Books can be for all ages, but I find it odd that so many adults hold onto/are obsessed with YA/teen media to the point authors are now pushing teenagers out of a space that's literally meant to be for them. As you said, it's a form of escapism sure, but it's strange to force YA to become more gritty and explicit when you can just write adult lit and use that age group as a way to explore things instead.

I think a nostalgia factor plays into it, plus an immaturity factor. Adults cling onto their teenage self because they feel that mentally, they cannot move on. This means that YA becomes darker to acomodate the adults who read the books (authors do this for profit and to become viral).

Also, about the why YA?, it's because the whole YA genre, I think, is the most flexible genre. YA is 13-18 YOs, and there's a world of difference between what kind of books people read between those ages. I personally think that YA authors are trying to write fiction for the late teens (17-18 YOs) and make their work darker, so much that it bleeds into the explicit-ness of Adult Lit, but they keep the tropes similar to typical YA, so they can still market it as YA. And, since YA as a whole genre is teens, even early teens are shown (through Booktok and similar) what the latest popular read is, and this, as a whole, compromises the integrity and teen-ness of te YA genre. In short: YA is the most marketable, and Adult Lit is collateral damage. I suspect middle-grade is next. I certainly hope not, though. I'd cry if Booktok ruined my favourite genre.

Have you noticed that similar things are happening with TV shows and other media? Odd how dark and gory stuff are being shown to teens (and younger) more now than ever. Think about Stranger Things and similar. Casual horror is becoming far more prevalent. YA becoming darker isn't just a phenomenon in Booktok, it's across other media.

But Booktok is kind of perfect to make darker, and this makes it the clearest example. Now, more than ever, books are hugely bought instead of borrowed at a library. Social media feeds into consumerism, so now, authors are writing these hugely dark YA books to keep up with what's trending.

In doing some minor research, I've found that people who defend Booktok in its current state argue to "let people read what they want". I'd like to say to this that that's what anti-Booktokers have been saying the whole time. Compromising the core and integrity of the YA genre is policing people's reading more than anti-Booktokers. Ugh. Things don't exist in a vacuum, and while we can pretend that Booktok only exists for sharing books and thoughts, the reality is that it's become a target to boost consumerism and is more of an industry (buying-selling-supply-demand kind of stuff) than we'd like to admit.

I guess the best way to go about this problem is to make noise about books you like - and not via Booktok. Check out your local library and request a book if they offer those services. Support authors who's books have to brave the upcoming year without being trope-y bullshit.

Thanks for the ask, again! They completely make my day, and I love answering them.

NOTE: I've finished writing all this and just found out that YA is actually 12-18. But my point still stands.

[novlr]

As someone who just finished writing their first original novel and wants to know more about the American publishing process, where should I start? Any advice? Blogs? Articles? Twitter users?

A Writer’s Guide to Navigating the Publishing Industry

There’s something undeniably enchanting about seeing your words come to life on the printed page and connecting with readers from around the globe. The allure of sharing your ideas, stories, or even your expertise with the world is the dream for many writers.

While the idea of publishing a book may seem exciting, navigating the publishing process can be a labyrinth. It requires a blend of passion, persistence, and a solid understanding of how to wade through the murky waters.

So, let’s take a look at the ins and outs of the publishing process and what you need before you start sending your manuscript out to the world.

Identify your genre and target audience

Before you start thinking about publishing, it is essential to identify your genre and target audience.

Knowing your genre will help you determine relevant publishers and agents who specialize in that genre. Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your writing to meet their expectations. For example, if you write young adult fiction, you will want to write in a style and tone that appeals to teenagers and young adults.

Publishers and agents are all about work that sells. If you can show that you know firmly where your book sits in the market and that you know the people your book will appeal to, you will have given yourself a head start. When you publish, your work ceases to be just about you and starts being about your readers.

Get feedback on your work from editors or beta readers

Feedback is crucial for any writer. You want to make sure your work is the best it can be before submitting it to publishers or agents.

If you can afford it, consider hiring an editor to review your work. If you can’t, then try joining a writing critique group or finding beta readers who can offer suggestions and feedback.

When you receive feedback, take it seriously and use it to improve your work. Don’t be afraid to ask your readers for specific feedback, and most importantly, never take their criticism personally.

Betas are your first readers, so try to choose people who read in your chosen genre. Don’t get friends and family to beta read for you, as they’re often not the audience you’re writing for and will find it hard to give you objective opinions. Also, avoid using only other writers as your beta readers, as they’ll often approach your work from a technical view, and not from a reader’s view.

You can learn more about how to get the most out of your beta readers in this post.

How to Get The Most From Your Beta Readers

Research Publishers and Agents

Researching publishers and agents is an essential step in the publishing process. Agents often have specialisations or work closely with specific publishers, so knowing that in advance can help you avoid a lot of wasted time, and save you from unnecessary rejections.

Not only will agencies have specific types of books they look for, but each individual agent within those agencies will also have specific genres they represent. For instance, a children’s book agency might have one agent who deals only in picture books, while another represents only YA. If you pick the right agency, but the wrong agent, you’ll get a rejection, so be sure to be diligent.

Research is also important because you want to find publishers and agents who work in your who are reputable. Not all agencies are created equal, so you want to make sure you’re vetting your agents. See who they represent, and also make sure they actually manage to sell books to publishers; there are, unfortunately, a number of scam agencies out there, so it doesn’t hurt to be diligent. Check online reviews, and ask for referrals from other writers.

Want a little more help on how to vet literary agents? We got you!

How to Vet a Literary Agent

Start Querying Agents

Once you have identified a list of agents and publishers you’d like to submit to, it’s time to start querying!

Agents, and publishers if you decide to submit directly, have very strict submission guidelines, so be sure to read them carefully in the research stage. And incorrectly submitted query will be an instant rejection.

It is essential to be patient during this process as it can take time to hear back from agents and publishers. If you’d like to learn more about querying agents, we’ve got a detailed outline in the Reading Room!

How to Pitch Your Novel to Agents Like a Pro

Don’t Stop Writing

While you’re waiting for responses from agents and publishers, it’s crucial to keep writing. Do not stop writing, even if the rejections come in. This might not be the book that makes it, but you’ll learn so much from the process that it’ll be even easier to navigate the next time.

Rejections will be part of the process, so be mentally prepared for that. But throwing yourself right back into the thing you love takes away a lot of the sting.

If you love to write, keep writing, and then keep trying. There are no quick wins when it comes to publishing. It’s hard work, and it’s not always joyful. So keep your eye on the prize, and make sure you stay on that horse. The world deserves to read your words.

Resources

Twitter is a great place to find information from agents. Agents will often post threads on what they’re looking for and will announce when they’re open for submissions. There are also fantastic Twitter pitch events that can help authors find agents. You can learn more about them here.

The Writers’ and Artists Yearbook is an annual publication from Bloomsbury that covers most of the big agents and publishers, going through their genre specialisation and submission guidelines. While the majority of the book is specific to UK agents, there is a useful section on US and overseas agents, too, that will list the biggest ones.

Before querying, try to keep up to date with industry news sites like Publisher’s Weekly or The Bookseller. That way, you’ll know what kind of books are trending and get a feel for where your book sits in the market.

[olderthannetfic]

YA/G-D anon back for some clarifications:

YA as a demographic wasn't really "a thing" until the early 2000s. There were books that were published with the intention of being read by teenagers and young children, but the strict distinction we have now (Middle grade, YA, Adult) wasn't necessarily in existence yet in publishing, mostly because it wasn't viewed as being a viable investment for publishers to make money. Purchasing and publishing novels, after all, is expensive and time consuming. So, while there were some novels well-known to be made for or accessible to teens and kids, publishers didn't make much of a distinction between the two: what we would now consider MG and YA. YA as being a useful space for teen books was encouraged by everyone but publishers, however. Educators wanted it. Librarians wanted it. Booksellers, as well. Publishers were slow on the uptake. These books for teens and kids were usually published to sell to libraries and schools with little hope for huge profits. If YA books were shelved separately, it was likely because of choices made by specific booksellers, librarians, teachers, and parents. Authors like Sarah Dessen published books in the 90s that were unquestionably YA and sold to teenagers, but these publications are now considered due to the successes in books we now call MG, most notably Harry Potter. Rowling's books sold so well publishers were beginning to embrace children, and later teens, as actual demographics to market to.

Remember: historically, books intended/appropriate for young readers have always existed but were not actually marketed as such from ground zero (the publisher, again). This is why things like Anne of Green Gables in any store with direct publisher influence, like B&N, is shelved along with adult books and other classics. Others like Judy Blume's Are You There God? are now considered MG, and some like Speak (1999) are considered YA. Upon publication, they were marked as being intended for a young readership, so they were also recommended for teens to read, but it couldn't be called YA--because it wasn't an established demographic for publishers. The sweet spot publishers were looking for was something that was read by teens and adults. Teenagers aren't a large enough demographic to rely on for sales even though things like Harry Potter showed that it's possible for certain books. When Twilight was published in 2005, this was a turning point. Teens and adults were reading the same things. YA finally proved to be profitable to make into a proper demographic from publishers. This is why, even today, YA novels arguably have more stylistic similarities with books like Twilight (2005), The Uglies (2005), City of Bones (2007), The Vampire Academy (2007), and Looking For Alaska (2005). By 2008 when The Hunger Games came out, YA was in full swing, so it was profitable for publishers to acquire more YA titles.

It's not that books for teens and kids never existed, of course not. However, there are now clear distinctions and cut-offs based on age and theme that publishers strategically employ because they actually can now. YA is profitable now in a way it never was in the past because adults read it, too (resulting in current publishers' refusal to abandon the adult readers of YA despite the G-D not being for them, technically.) YA books today were just lumped together with children's books. Now, we can divide them as MG or YA. In fact, many books casually referred to as YA are now categorized as MG.

YA didn't exist prior to the early 2000s in the way we understand YA today: books with a clear demographic of teenagers or 12-18, shelved separately from MG and adult fiction, with an ISBN telling booksellers it should specifically go in the section clearly labeled YA that is reported directly from publishers, and authors receiving large advances for said YA books (think Children of Blood and Bone). If someone noticed books in a library, school, or bookstore being labeled YA prior to this, it was likely a push by individuals to make sales or convince people to read them. It usually had little to do with publishers, so when people say YA started in the early 2000s, it's technically true because publishers didn't acknowledge it as a genre-demographic that could make money. Children's books (now MG and YA) prior to this were often grouped together and published as something to sell to libraries and schools, not something that would have a huge return on investment, like today. It's not really ahistorical in the context of the publishing industry, unless you're speaking about YA as a general term meaning books intended for teens. Those have always existed, but when people talk about YA, today, we're talking about the specific genre-demographic that has series like Shatter Me, The Fault In Our Stars, The Hate U Give, Six of Crows, An Ember in the Ashes, etc. This is important to note because there are clear publishing definitions that divide YA and MG, and if you look, many of the books colloquially called YA before the 2000s, will likely be labeled as MG today with some being formally considered YA, as well (think The Outsiders). I recall the Harry Potter books being called "YA" when I went to bookstores at one point. Now they're MG. Things have changed in how we categorize books with time. In another fifty years, maybe Ne Adult as a demographic will actually take off, and books currently categorized for adults that are just campus novels will have a new place (categorically) to call home. Who knows.

Tldr: No, it's not really ahistorical to say YA didn't exist prior to the 2000s in the sense of how we currently define YA. If you define YA books as vaguely anything that's intended for kids and teens, yes, YA has always existed, but that muddies the waters because for those books today, many are currently labeled as MG, and many as YA.

--

Yeah, seriously.

I read the shit out of Christopher Pike in the 90s, but that's when I was like 12-13, and a lot of the other fans I knew were also that age (yes, despite the constant sex and violence). Despite how "adult" it is, it really wasn't being pushed for older teenagers but for the edgy end of that tween market that ate up Goosebumps and V.C. Andrews.

I think some bookstores just stuck Pike in the horror section, though Goosebumps was definitely in the children's section a lot of places. I don't think the children's sections usually even had a sign saying 'teen', though the shelves were roughly divided by age. (Obviously, it depended on the store/library/etc. in charge. Some had better curation and labeling than others.)

It's not that I didn't want More Like Pike, but there wasn't some obvious category to go to to find such things. He was kind of his own brand and section given that he had like 994872942794629 books.

[laurendfulter]

I wrote a book series...!

Apparently, I have readers on this site! So hello tumblr! My (pen)name is Lauren D. Fulter, but you can call me LDF.

I started publishing a YA science-fantasy series at the age of 16. It's follows The Council, a legendary group that comes together in the time of need every century----but in the year 2400, that just so happens to be a bunch of teenagers...who aren't exactly keen about this whole thing.

Inspired by the love of shows like Ninjago and Voltron, and books like Heroes of Olympus and Six of Crows, this book series thrives off of the found family trope (like the real deal thing. Not just for funsies marketing tropes. These kids have cried and died for each other).

Currently, there are four books out. They are multi-POV with all the Council Members, though some books focus on more characters than others (think Ninjago, where they'd have seasons focused more on one character).

I might make separate posts about each character, depending on interest! Enjoy my own little doodle below! On my website, there is also official art of them done by the amazing Yenthe Joline.

The story is continuous. The lore is a little insane. It's totally written by an angsty teenager. But if you want something to sink your teeth into and talk about, go right ahead!

[auburneyez1990]

Eddie Munson x Reader Series Chapter one The beginning of forever

You stand in the shower as the hot water runs over your shoulders & back relaxing as the steam in the bathroom starts to consume you fully. Washing your hair with your favorite cherry blossom 🌸 shampoo thinking of what kind of date night Eddie has up his sleeve beings you've both been busy working to help Wayne with the bills plus you guys started a savings for your own place. You both can't stay with Wayne forever as much as you both love him to pieces. Both you & Eddie had pretty rough childhoods his dad being in jail most of his life and his mom passed away when he was 10 years old. Your father was a drunk who loved not get violent once he's had one too many hurting you and your mom both. You were at the end of your rope feeling like giving up until the one night it got way too out of control. You showed up at Eddie's with a busted lip and a gash under your eye Wayne was the only one home Eddie was at his hellfire campaign. Wayne never seen you in such a state before his heart shattered when he lead you inside you couldn't keep it a secret anymore. You & Wayne were always pretty close he was the dad you'd wished you had. Opening up laying it all out on the table as he made you a coffee to calm your shaking hands. He couldn't believe it he wanted to go & kick your father's ass right there & then but he knew he had to be strong for you & to keep Eddie as calm as possible. He knew a thing or two about abuse & neglect & didn't want Eddie to get himself into trouble defending you especially since he already gets enough judgement from Chrissy's death even though all the charges were dropped people still looked at Eddie with caution. Eddie came home from hellfire that night & when he saw your face his heart shattered him & Wayne both vowed to protect you from here on out & that's when Wayne offered you a place to stay as long as you needed. It's been three years since that night things are a lot different now. Eddie works full time at the garage as a mechanic and you work full time down at the radio station as a secretary. You're both so adamant about saving for an apartment to give Wayne his space especially now that he has a lady friend. Her name is Dolores and he met her at the Hawkins Farmers market. Turning off the shower to go get ready for tonight you went out and bought a brand new black dress short but long enough to not expose anything for Eddie's eyes only & paired it with a pair of knee high boots & fishnets. Making sure everything is absolutely perfect your hair your makeup is amazing Eddie even sent you out to get your nails done with El & max for some much needed sister time. They adore you & look up to you and you love them to pieces you love the boys too but you have a special bond with the girls. They seemed awfully giddy today but I guess it's just teenage stuff. Eddie for some reason got ready at Dustin's. Odd but you know not to argue with Eddie when he says something is a surprise. He better not have cut his hair or something crazy you loved his hair more then he does. Waiting patiently Wayne comes out of his room to the kitchen. " Well darlin you look like an angel right now" you blush at the complement. "Thank you Wayne do you have any ideas what your nephew is up to?" You ask. He seems to hesitate a moment then answers "no idea darlin never know what's going on in that boys head" you giggled and plop down on the sofa to wait.

Eddie's Pov

Making sure his shirts not wrinkled and his hair looks just right Eddie puts on the silver chain you gifted him for his birthday last year. Dustin comes into his bedroom where Eddie's getting finished up. "Hey Eddie how ya holding up?" He says with a big grin. "Nervous man do I look like an ass?" Presenting himself arms open." No you look great & everything is gonna go perfect so relax I know y/n just as well as you do she's not going to say no". Eddie goes into his duffel bag and pulls out a little black velvet box opening it and sitting next to Dustin." Do you think she'll like it I saved all year I just hope it's enough" Eddie knows he's not the richest man he would hang the moon for you if he could. "Dude she's gonna love it it's her favorite color too dont be so hard on yourself man you love her i know she loves you this is gonna be amazing & im the best man right?" Eddie laughs "let's get her to say yes first then we'll figure all that out. Dustin gives a half grin. Eddie turns to him "Hey is everything in the van set to go?" Looking nervous Dustin smiles wide "Yup I even found some old twinkle lights and set them up the curtain I put up should block the view from the front so she won't be able to see until faze 2" they high five each other and Eddie pulls Dustin in for a hug. "Thanks for helping me man I really appreciate it" Dustin gives a scrunched face when Eddie tussles his hair. "I did it because your my friend and because I love y/n just as much as you do but in a sister kind of way" Eddie takes one last look at himself in the mirror and heads out to start up the van and come to pick you up. He lights a cigarette to calm his nerves as his hands tightly grip the steering wheel. Blasting Alice Cooper while he tries not to work himself up too much. Going over what he wants to say to you tonight over and over in his head. Pulling up to the driveway he gives himself a pep talk. " Okay Munson you can do this you both love each other everything is gonna go great okay let's fucking rock and roll".

[1d1195]

hi sam,

I need big sister advice...how do yoy stop yourself from liking something...and not just a person, just anything...celebrities, a fandom, a show, how do you stop the obsession before you go down the rabit hole

First and foremost ���� big sister advice I'm 😭😭😭😭😭😭

AS ALWAYS--SORRY FOR THE LENGTH OF MY RESPONSE.

Okay, second, I am happy to give you my advice but I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask given my personal history with Twilight/1D/Harry.

HOWEVER. A little tangent: I am obsessed with iced coffee as well. Not sure I have mentioned that on here (you can probs tell from my stories, but anyway). I am constantly in a battle between "I should just make coffee at home" and "it's only $4" literally every day. I constantly here about how my $4 a day routine is attributing to my lack of a house in today's market. Not to toot my own horn but I do a lot for my family, my students, my friends, my boyfriend--pretty much anyone that enters my life, you get a piece of me that's yours to have. I don't do a whole lot for myself--self-care or otherwise. So I think life is short and I try to remind myself that $4 a day is not the worst thing in the world. (probably a bad mindset but if I don't do something for my mental well-being I think I'm going to explode).

The reason I say this is because I DO think life is short and you should allow yourself some indulgences. Otherwise, what's this all for? I'm not saying you should spend thousands on an obsession (see also: my Harry collection 🙃) but if you enjoy something, there's no reason you shouldn't as long as it's not causing you physical, mental, or financial harm (in my opinion).

For me? I have to limit myself. I used to watch EVERY interview, read EVERY article, watched EVERY Instagram story the entire 1D fandom had to offer and it became so overwhelming, so EXHAUSTING I had to stop. Like in my crazy teenage mind I thought that if I didn't watch EVERY piece of 1D things people would call me out for not being a real fan or that Harry/Niall would one day find out I didn't see their interview on Oct 12, 2013 and they would kick me out of the club.

It's part of why I had such a big hiatus on here. I am a huge planner so setting time for myself to do what I want to look at, watch, think about (albeit, it's very little time these days) is really important to me. Also, I have to decide if it's healthy or not for me to do so. I was staying up all hours a night to write stories and post and interact here on tumblr. It wasn't good for me.

I think just reframing the context is important too. I would like to believe I'm not really obsessed anymore. I have a great appreciation for shows and celebrities. I like to believe I know a LOT about Harry (but obviously I don't--para-social stuff ya know?). I know a great deal about How I Met Your Mother and The Princess Bride. I love potatoes, babies, math, reading, etc. I don't think these are obsessions they're just things I love.

Obsession often has a negative connotation and while I do like to tell people I have an obsession with Harry Styles for exaggeration/honestly what else am I supposed to call it? I don't think it's the right thing. Tbh, corny as it sounds I have the utmost respect for Harry. I think he's wonderful of course, and I wouldn't have known that without being so crazy for 1D for so many years.

So, I doubt any of this was helpful so I'll try to summarize:

I would really think if it's obsession or just something you really enjoy. I think there's a pretty significant difference. I also think it's okay to indulge in the things you love. Life is too short to not enjoy anything--especially something you're feeling passionate about. Moderation is important for this though. Your well-being is more important than knowing every detail about the thing you love. Not everything has to be an obsession.

If this wasn't helpful, let me know I'll try again 💕 Thank you for asking me for advice! This is like the sweetest, nicest thing 😭

xoxo

[barrylyga]

From My Newsletter: Non-Fiction Serial Killer Book

I completely forgot about this until recently.... Many, many years ago, at the height of I Hunt Killers, I was asked by my publisher if I would consider writing a non-fiction book about serial killers for the YA market. This seemed like an absolutely fascinating challenge to me, so we kept talking about it. For reasons I no longer remember (I think it was mostly to do with deadlines), this project never came to fruition. But I did find on my hard drive a sample introduction I'd written for the theoretical book. I can't remember if I ever showed this to anyone or if I just did it to see if I could. In either event, here it is! This is a book about serial killers. “No kidding,” you say. “It says that on the cover.” OK, OK. Fine. But this book is a little different from other books you may have seen or read about serial killers. For one thing, everything in this book is real. There are roughly a bajillion books out there about serial killers that are made-up (I’ve even written a couple of them), but everything in this book is true. It’s like a horror story, only it’s worse than that because everything in here actually happened to someone. Most of the time, the people these things happened to were young. Right around your age, in some cases. Serial killers usually like easy victims, and for a grown man, a teenager or other young adult is easy pickings. I know what you’re thinking: “Not me. If some serial killer pervert came after me, I would kick his ass so hard, he wouldn’t be able to crap for a week.” I believe you. But here’s the thing: Serial killers aren’t always obvious. They’re not like in the movies or on TV, where you can always tell something is “off” about them. Sometimes that happens, sure, but think about it — have you ever seen a story about a lunatic on TV and they interview the guy’s next door neighbor? Sure you have. What’s the one thing that neighbor always says? “He was such a quiet guy.” “I had no idea.” “I never imagined in a million years he could do those things.” Something like that, right? Something like that. Serial killers all too often look just like you and me. (Well, they look like me, at least — most of them are white guys in their thirties and forties. If you bumped into me on the street, you wouldn’t think I was planning on killing you. But I could be.) They blend in and they seem perfectly normal. Some of them seem totally helpless and harmless. And by the time you realize they aren’t… Well, it’s too late. You’re another statistic. So, yeah, this is a book about serial killers. We’re going to meet some of them. We’re going to try to figure out a little bit of what makes them tick. We’re going to meet the people who hunt them, and the people who study them. But you know something? No matter how much we do together, you and I, I don’t think we’re ever going to understand them. Go ahead. Turn the page. There won’t be any blood. Not for a little while, at least. (This piece comes from my newsletter, which goes out monthly. For more stuff like this, and to get it first, sign up here!) Read the full article

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

Episode 2 Live Reactions:

1) Oh my goodness, the Cat King being an absolute deviant towards poor Edwin! I was absolutely jaw-dropped. The Cat King said himself that Edwin is very sensible and, being from the Victorian era, all of his advances were completely shell-shocking to Edwin. It was so wild to watch!

2) Honestly, the fact that Edwin hasn’t told Charles about it is very telling. It highlights how the topic of romance has never really been broached on Edwin’s side. While Charles is quite forthcoming—maybe even endearingly braggadocious—about his romantic experiences, Edwin seems to have been emotionally sterile in that regard. So, this situation isn’t any different.

3) By the end of the episode, I genuinely thought Edwin would tell Charles about the Cat King’s advances, perhaps to gauge his reaction or even open the door to the possibility of a romantic connection between them. But it didn’t happen, which I find fascinating.

4) Another moment that stood out was when the lost and found department mentioned that the boys were minors. For some reason, I’d assumed they were university-aged, but it makes sense they’re minors since they were in boarding school. It also clarifies why a romantic relationship between them might not yet be appropriate. That said, considering the show has quite a bit of gore and swearing, I wouldn’t be surprised if a relationship comes into play once they’re older—though for now, it’s perhaps best left off the table.

5) The subplot with the poor girl infested by the sprootlings was both disturbing and amusing. And their failure at counting the cats—hilarious! Crystal was especially endearing in this episode, which was great to see. On the other hand, the witch’s obsession with the dead boys was creepy, and honestly, she can leave.

6) My final thought is about Monty entering the chat. I have no idea what direction that’s going to take, but I’m guessing he’s meant to act as a Trojan horse. I’m curious about who he might target—Charles, Edwin, or perhaps both. Could we see a love triangle? Probably not, since the show doesn’t seem to focus on romantic developments yet, but it’s an interesting possibility.

—————————————

All in all, I’m loving the series. I genuinely can’t believe it got cancelled. If Netflix wanted to build its own franchise within the Sandman universe, Dead Boy Detectives was such a promising project. It’s a significant side plot in the comics and even created its own niche within the Vertigo universe.

The show had such a unique aesthetic, a strong cast, overarching arcs, short arcs, friendships, potential romances and so much potential. I don’t understand why Netflix didn’t give it more time to develop. Maybe they were skeptical about the YA market? But then I think about Heartstopper and Stranger Things, which are massive successes. This show didn’t even have a slow start—it was a banger from episode one and has been consistently strong ever since.

Part of me still hopes it gets picked up again by another network or production company. It’s happened before with other shows. Since it’s a Warner Brothers project, I wonder if there’s still hope.

Anyway…….

Looking ahead, I suspect we won’t see Edwin and Charles romantically involved this season, which is a bit of a shame. In YA series, I often look forward to that kind of payoff. But perhaps the Cat King will serve as a catalyst? Imagine a jealous Charles—how intriguing would that be? Then again, if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine too. I’ve always got my own ongoing season two fiction as a fail-safe!

Onto episode 3 reactions!

Interesting that you consider this a YA series, because I really don't! Very curious - do you consider Edwin and Charles to actually be teenagers? Some people do and others don't - I'm firmly in the "I don't" category because they've been on Earth for 51 years (and Edwin's a 124 year old soul.)

The Cat King is a wild character. He's so polarizing but I love him. I find him so compelling and also am insanely attracted to Lukas Gage.