#i gave it a 4 because my good nature knows no bounds

[offbeat-manga-ships]

SEIBETSU 'MONA LISA' NO KIMI HE. ( 性別「モナリザ」の君へ。 )

The Gender of Mona Lisa; Just Like Mona Lisa / Yoshimura Tsumuji

Complete, with 53 chapters / 10 volumes

F/M or F/F or M/M; Drama, Romance, Psychological + lgbt, queer & ambqueer, queer character, genderbender, nonbinary character, gb stops, character stops being nonbinary, f x nb (temporarily only), m x nb (temporarily only)

SUMMARY: In this world, people are born without a gender. Their bodies shift toward their desired gender when they reach twelve years old. Until Hinase's eighteenth spring, they lived content without a gender. But the bubbly girl Ritsu and thoughtful boy Shiori pull Hinase in opposite directions when they both confess their feelings on the same day! Romance was never on Hinase's mind, so how can they respond? Hinase may be forced to choose a new identity as they arrive at the cusp of adulthood. Who will they choose, and who will they become?

MAL score: 7.37 AL mean score: 72% MU average: 7

PERSONAL SCORE: 4 out of 10

[mumms-the-word]

guys

GUYS

you’ll never believe what nonsense I came across while I was brainrot doomscrolling through all the books and notes on the BG3 wiki trying to find stuff I might have missed in act 2

druid self-insert romantic fanfiction about the first battle against Moonrise and Ketheric

fanfic that Halsin read and criticized!!

Okay if you played early access you shouldn’t be surprised because these books existed in EA. I’ve tried to find them in my game post patch 6 but all I can find is volume 3, which is disappointing because I was hoping to find volume 4

But as a treat, if you’re like me and completely didn’t know about this, buckle up and please enjoy the self-insert adventures of a certain “Roa” who totally isn’t Roan Featherway, a druid of Silvanus and colleague(??) of Halsin himself

———

Book Draft - Volume I

The name on the inside of this faded journal suggests it belonged to a 'Roan Featherway', a druid of Silvanus.

[Neatly written chapters fill this journal. A list of what appears to be book publishers in Baldur's Gate are on the first page. The cover has a multitude of titles, all crossed out: 'The Unforeseen Alliance, volume 1', 'Druids and Harpers, a fight for good!', 'The Shadowed Evil: who dares to stand against it?'] Our hero, the [brave? mighty?] druid Roa arrives in the grove. When he received the summons from the Emerald Enclave, he knew something was afoot. Filled with druids and rangers alike, members of the Enclave are scattered across the realm. They fight to preserve the natural order, keep the elemental forces of the world in check, and do battle with those who would upset this delicate balance. They are fierce warriors, though none as fierce as Roa. Built like [an ox? A bear?], he stands head and shoulders above the crowd. The grove is buzzing with activity. Roa spots a beautiful woman with ebony hair flowing past her shoulders, her eyes as blue as a [summer's day? bluebird?]. His smile turns to a frown as he notices the crescent moon and harp pinned to her chest. By Silvanus, what was a Harper doing here?

———

Book Draft - Volume II

Formed from several journals, paper scraps and, in one case, the back of an envelope, this book has been carefully glued together to form the second in a series of romance novels.

[This seems to be the second volume in a series written by an amateur novelist. The title on the cover, 'Love in Shadowed Lands', is crossed out.] The ebony-haired woman notices Roa's gaze and crosses the grove, [winking? smiling?] as she stands by the druid's side. 'I don't usually wear it out in the open,' she says, tapping the brooch on her cloak, a crescent moon and harp pinned to her chest. 'Except for special occasions.' 'What's a Harper doing in a grove of Silvanus?' Roa asks. 'Not just one.' She gestures to a group by the sacred pool. 'We're generally more cloak and dagger,' she continues, 'thwarting tyrants and [guarding? protecting?] the realm is best done in secret. But you lot have a fight on your hands. We're here to help.' 'Since when do the Emerald Enclave need a bunch of Harpers?' Roa says. 'You haven't heard?' She laughs, her laugh tinkling like a bell. 'Strap in, sweetie. We're about to take on Dark Justiciars, their demented leader Ketheric Thorm and, if we're very lucky, Shar herself.'

———

Book Draft - Volume III

The third book in a series of romance novels, this once beautifully bound book has had pages ripped out, glued back in and even tied to the book's spine using a piece of twine.

['Volume Three' is written in bold on the front. The title 'The Cost of Sorrow' is followed by a number of question marks.] 'But why?' Roa screams, the beast within barely contained. 'Why follow Shar? Why destroy Moonhaven?' Ketheric stares down [haughtily? cruelly?] at Roa as he steps over the bodies of Harpers and druids alike. 'Shar knows all.' He smiles [maliciously?]. 'She gave me a holy mission. I'm merely fulfilling it.' 'The people of Moonhaven trusted you!' Roa cries, his anger rising. 'How could you turn your Dark Justiciars on them?' Ketheric smiles, 'They needed the target practice. Can't have Shar's elite getting rusty, now can we? As for you...' a crescent blade appears in his [cruel?] hands. 'You are but one lone druid, Roa. Who are you to stand against me?' Roa forces himself to his feet, Silvanus' fury coursing through him. 'I'm your downfall. Today you die, Ketheric!'

———

And for the pièce de résistance 😮‍💨🤌

Book Draft - Volume IV

The fourth volume and final novel, this book has had almost every single page ripped out, except for the last twenty or so pages.

['Shadow's Kiss' is written in bold on the front. Pages of crossed out lines have notes in the margin reading 'finale!', 'more exciting!'. The final entry reads:] 'Get out of here.' Roa whispers, clutching his side. Blood pours from his fingers, a final gift from Ketheric's blade. 'I'm not leaving you,' Selene sobs, blue eyes filling with tears. Roa cups her face. 'I won't make it out in time. But you can.' Selene presses her forehead against his. Her ebony hair falls forward, forming a curtain that envelops them both. Roa closes his eyes, a smile lifting his lips as her scent, wild roses, washes over him. 'That grappling hook. You still have it?' He asks. 'Of course. Why do you -' With the last of his strength, Roa pushes her from the balcony. He watches her fall, watches her pull the hook from her pack and expertly throw it, swinging gracefully to the ground. A mighty crack splits the floor beneath him as the tower crumbles. He smiles contentedly. Selene was safe. That's all that mattered. Epilogue: 'Selfish bastard.' Selene says, kicking the base of the grave. Balsin places a comforting hand on her shoulder. 'He was the greatest of us all,' Balsin says, a towering behemoth of a druid, although not as tall as Roa. 'We will forever honour him, for he single-handedly broke Shar's hold on the land, and helped -' [A different hand appears beneath the final entry.] Roan, you had one job. This is not a historical record of what occurred, it is poorly written romance with no basis in fact. And if I ever see the name 'Balsin' again, I will personally feed you to Ormn.

Halsin you’re such a critic

we were robbed

[thatpunkmaximoff]

[Book One of Three]

Story: 4 out of 5 Smut: 3 out of 5

I never thought I’d say this, but I’m in love with a demon. Harley Laroux did not disappoint with this book and I’m so glad there’s two more in this series!

At first Rae bugged the hell out of me because of her stupidity, but then I realized the girl was just trying to survive. As any human would. And at least Leon loved her brattiness. His punishments were… wow.

And the whole Leon giving Rae his metal scene… fucking. swoon!

Dear lord, I loved it.

I loved it all.

Now here are my rambling thoughts...

* I’m already team demon. I don’t like this pompous Kent guy. Or his children.

* Kent’s son Jeremiah is such a little bitch lol

* What the fuck is waking up that gives a DEMON chills?!

* Oohhhh. Rae found a grimoire of her own 😏

* Who the fuck is this security guard and what just happened..?

* Wait.. Leon is the security guard?! lol. Demon asshole. Okay, it’s fine then.

* “I don’t tell stories for free, doll.” // “Yeah? What’s your price?” // “You, on your knees, begging for my cock down your throat.”

* Goddamn. Leon’s bold. I fucking love it 😂

* Aw damn. Leon’s got a hot friend. Another demon? And then Victoria noticed Rae checking out Leon. Not good 😬

* Well hello, Zane. I love you already lmao.

* Oh fuck. That alley scene. Get some, Rae.

* Fuck the Hadleigh’s for wanting Rae dead.

* And he fucking lost the grimoire… Kent fucking lost the book that kept Leon bound to him. Leon’s free!!!

* I have a feeling Everly “donated” the book and that’s how Rae got it when her friend from the library gifted it to her.

* Oh hell. That creepy thing was stalking Rae. And Leon saved her. God, I want a Leon.

* She totally just accidentally summoned a demon 😂 Time to play, Leon.

* “I don’t make idle threats. If you run out of here, then I’m going to hunt you. I’m going to catch you. And when I do- when I do, I’ll make you scream.”

* Well I was gonna stop reading for the night, but Leon just showed his forked tongue. I’m intrigued.

* Aw damn. Of course they’d be cockblocked by an Eld- that creepy as fuck creature that hunts humans.

* Holy shit. The way he ate her out and then fucked her… yeah, she’s totally giving up that soul of hers.

* Aw fuck. Why did Everly steal the grimoire? If she didn’t “donate” it, then how did it end up in the library? And please don’t let her father know she has it.

* Aww. Poor Cheesecake. The Eld snatched the car up and Leon’s totally risking his life for Rae’s cat 😂

* Rae is starting to piss me off. Just listen to the demon!

* Serves you right. You wanna argue, not you gotta squirm through your classes.

* ���and now she’s invited him inside to patch up his wounds 😩 Just give him your soul!

* “I was like you once. I think I envy you, to still look at the world with such fascination.” // “You can still. Why not?” // “If you live in the dark long enough, you’ll forget what the light feels like.”

* I knew they were gonna fuck, but goddamn that was… intense lol.

* After everything, this bitch STILL wants to ask the Hadleigh’s for help?! I fucking hope they sacrifice her now. She’s so stupid.

* Now you’re trying to bind him and command him to protect you? Rae, you’re fucking up. I hope Leon makes you pay.

* And punish her he did. Goddamn.

* “I want you. Irrevocably. But I can’t settle for less than all of you. Body and soul, Raelynn. We demons, when we see something we like, we need to possess it. It’s in our nature.”

* Told you, you should have given him your soul. Now he’s gonna leave and the Hadleigh’s are gonna sacrifice your ass.

* Well shit. Everly has the grimoire and has an Archdemon protecting her. This is going to end swell.

* Goddamn. Callum the Archdemon fucked up Leon 😂

* Awww. Everly gave him his sigil back.

* Oh my fucking god. Did you really go to the Hadleigh’s for a party? You’re so goddamn stupid, Rae.

* Of course Jeremiah is gross enough to roofie Rae. I knew this party was just a ploy to get their next sacrifice. Thank god for Zane and “Sam”. And now Leon is here. Yay!

* Fuck. Kent was waiting for them 🤦🏻‍♀️

* Leon pierced her nipples. Why was that so hot 🥵 😂

* Whoa. Kent’s dead? A little anticlimactic, no? But which psycho will have after Rae now? The God has a Kynes, a Hadleigh, and now It just needs a Lawson. Rae is so not in the clear.

* Fucking hate Jeremiah.

* Oh my god 😭 Leon saying goodbye before he takes on the Reaper. I’m not okay. Fuck this.

* Oh my god… no matter that she’s marked for the God, she still carved Leon’s name into her flesh and gave him her soul. HE’S ALIVE!!!

* Omg I’m so happy. They both lived and she gave a big middle finger to that God.

[lesnamess]

Horse Farm

This weekend my friend Chev invited me to a small mini horse farm and crafts fair. It was the perfect day. Frankly I could have stayed home, and that too, may have been the perfect day, but with I don’t know how many more days of perfect sun and wind, and mini horse opportunities there would be left in my time in this world. (more on that later) So, reader, of course, I said yes. But I felt guilty because work was having a thing, and as soon as I read MINI HORSES in Chev’s text I forgot about said “thing.” I almost squealed out loud on the spot, maybe I did, maybe I peed a little, I don’t know… I’m middle aged! (more on that later… or maybe not… maybe I’m just putting “more on that later” every chance I get because I read that somewhere and it sounded good.) Back to the point, guilt. It hit me like a wave of nausea. A group of coworkers, some friends, and food. All good, but I have social anxiety (I’m thinking that’s a good spot for more on that later, but by now you may realize I might have no real intention of speaking on that later.) and I have to say there was the feelings of duty bound, my yes meaning yes, and all that surging through my gut. I had just fired off a text to my husband about the “MINI HORSES OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!” when the plans for the work thing came to mind. So I immediately added “OMG I FORGOT ABOUT THE WORK THING!” and then opened up a group chat with my closest friends and typed “I just got invited to mini horse farm craft thing and it sounds glorious…. but the work thing… is it bad if I don’t go?” Because I’m a child of divorce and thrive on multiple reassurances for every decision I make. Immature surely, but, everyone’s got something! (shrug) One friend responded “We aren’t going so now you don’t even have a reason! ha ha ha! Go to the horse farm!” My other friend hearted it all and laughed which I took to mean, whatever her personal feelings on the matter for herself, I got a pass and her full support whatever I decided. Together, they helped. Then I switched over to my husband’s text: “I wasn’t going to make it either.” I sighed. I responded: I AM FAREEEE! Which meant: I am free of guilt. THIS TIME!

So, I went to the horse farm and it was wonderful. I saw small kids walk up to the fence timid at first then turn rogue as if no one was looking and had mommas not been there I have no doubt, would have not hesitated to jump to the other side and run free-spirited all between the neighing and chomping going on between 1 full size horse, at least 3 mini horses, and 1 donkey with a piggy appetite. If he heard a rustling bag of treats, he was back in a jiffy. I watched the kids in envy. I got it. I wanted to jump that fence and run all over the place as if nature intended it that way for me. When do we lose the gumption? What would have happened, except maybe not be invited back? Scare the little munchkins? I mean those on 4 legs and 2. 

One kid in sunglasses looked about 4 (I honestly don’t have kids and find I can never be a judge of age around this but I’m gonna go with 4.) edged his way over nice and calmly, did what look like some ballet moves first, then put one leg on the lower rail, then turned to look at me as if to ask “You gonna rat me out, sis?” I just smiled and gave a quick “you good” nod, because whatever I might look like, I’m no snitch! He turned back around and hopped right on up the rail to get closer to one of the horses. Mom was right there at his next move, unfortunately. It would have been good. Or bad… if I asked moms everywhere. 

Meanwhile I’m getting nudged by a mini horse named Gator. He has a white mane and black coat, and was the most bold of the bunch. He kept coming back for carrots and curiosity. Peeking over the fence to find grass. Who am I kidding? Shortstack peeked over no fence. He put his head between the bottom two rails and munched on sweet soft grass at my feet. I took advantage to find him more good grass, rub his head, and have general conversation. I find horses are great listeners, as long as they have a reason to stay, and Gator doesn’t know me from Adam. I was happy for soft sweet grass. My friend Chev kept responding as if she were him, and by him I mean an old black man. “Give me some of that Grass, little girl…harumph… cough” Which we both fell back laughing our butts off about. Another bystander came by to pet Gator and feed him carrots from his snack bag. The guy brought his hand back and observed it. “He just bit my hand by accident and it was nothin but gums!” 

Of course this set us off to laughing again. Good old Gator. My friend Chev had got it exactly right. 

So, Im sitting her on a Monday knowing I'll go in to work later and hear all about the event this weekend that I missed. Now what will I do about the FOMO? (more on that later)

-les

[itsuki-minamy]

"K – RETURN OF KINGS" (NOVEL-ADVANCE)

CHAPTER 9: NEKO'S DREAM (Pages 410-417)

TRANSLATION: NARU-KUN

Just when she was thinking about it, there was a knock on the break room door.

"Fu, Vice-captain! It's hard!"

Awashima sat down heavily. A lot of hard things have happened in the last few days. Just adding one more thing now won't change anything, the voice from the other side of the door pushed away a careless thought.

"The "Jungle" clansman, Douhan Hirasaka has escaped from prison! It is believed that the missing Saruhiko Fushimi guided her!"

++++++++++

Blade proof suit, tactical vest, heeled boots and combat gloves. Even when she got dressed and moved her body, there was nothing unnatural about it. The grenades, flashbangs, and shurikens that Fushimi always kept on hand were nowhere to be found in the cardboard box that Fushimi brought, but it couldn't be helped. Those clothes were just "trial items", and the ones in there were "dangerous goods". In any case, if she went back to the hideout, she could replace it.

Fushimi looked coldly into the rearview mirror as Hirasaka adjusted her equipment in the back seat. There was no light inside the van parked in the dark alley, and the only light was the unreliable interior lights.

While he pretended to manipulate a PDA, Hirasaka also watched Fushimi without letting her guard down.

In a way, that place was dead.

If one of them wanted to, a battle would break out in no time. Other than Fushimi, Hirasaka has no reason to keep him alive. If the freedom that was fortunately obtained was solidified, it would have been better to shut Fushimi's mouth there.

She wondered if she could.

She answered herself that she could do it. Dangerous goods have been seized across the board, but she's got a switchblade in her combat gloves. Make a hole and pick his throat. That would be enough.

"Do not think too much."

Leaning down from the driver's seat, Fushimi stabbed into the nail.

"I took the knife out of your glove. Right now you don't have anything you can stab or cut with."

Hirasaka tried to operate the glove. Shukon, a stupid sound resonated and the knife did not come out. Hirasaka shrugged as she gave him a cool look.

"You have quite a hobby going through women's clothing."

"I never thought of you as a woman, wall-breaker. I tell you, there's no use trying to escape. Next time, I'll sew your whole body to the back seat."

Before she knew it, a knife appeared in Fushimi's palm. When she thought about it, she remembered that this man was also a concealed weapon user.

"Alright."

Hirasaka raised both hands as if she was giving up.

"Cancel the plan to kill the enemy. It's impossible. So what do you want from me?"

Fushimi snorted and waved his hand, and the knife disappeared like a magic trick. Then, he said...

"I'm going to be a ranker. Help me with that."

As expected, she was surprised.

But once she got past the initial shock, a thought came to her: "That must be so.". Fushimi's actions were clearly a rebellion against "Scepter 4". In that case, Fushimi should have given up on the Blue Clan, so it was only natural for him to run to "Jungle".

Hirasaka said...

"If it's the second time, is betrayal something you're good at? Even I frown."

"Don't lie, you say it's wrong because it's against morality. Your parents seem to have seen through your true nature."

Of course, Douhan was not a name given to her by her parents.

But that didn't matter. Hirasaka asked.

"What are my benefits?"

"I got you out of jail."

"Do you want me to return the favor? Unfortunately, I don't remember turning into a crane."

"I know, you can't follow me without millet dumplings."

Saying that, Fushimi blurted out something.

She received it reflexively. Of course, it was not a millet dumpling. It was a wad of rubber-bound bills. 500,000, guessed by touch.

"Is it a deposit?"

"If the mission is successful, I will give you the same reward. In return, all the points earned are mine."

Hirasaka thought fast.

Exchanging points for cash violates the "Jungle" rules. However, there are loopholes in any rule, and even though two people completed the quest, there are often situations where only one person gets points. You can help one without accepting the quest. So if the other checks it with cash, he is effectively buying points with money.

A million per mission, not a bad amount. However, drinking only in "not bad" conditions would not be a business.

"A million, regardless of the difficulty of the mission. That's not worth it."

Fushimi responded flatly.

"I will generate incentives based on the difficulty level. When I rank up, it will come with a bonus."

1,000,000 is the minimum guaranteed amount and the incentive is negotiable. It was perfect, or rather, it was definitely a delightful piece of work. Hirasaka thought for a few seconds and decided that there was no point in throwing it any further. Instead of sticking around and getting concessions, it will be more profitable to stay in a short and long relationship.

"Alright."

Facing Hirasaka, who briefly agreed, Fushimi nodded and started the engine.

Hirasaka asked while she was a bit surprised.

"No way, from now on?"

"What do you think of that 500,000? I already sent you the mission details. It's an easy job, so there's no incentive."

Saying that, Fushimi started the van.

Inside the trembling car, Hirasaka pressed the switch on her neck. A full-face tactical mask covered her head. A glowing green HUD appeared in front of her and various information was projected onto her retina.

"Work.", she murmured into her mask.

Hirasaka is a professional. There is a precise calculation formula behind the action, and it is not moved by emotions.

Still, this situation brought a kind of excitement to Hirasaka. She could work. It was the only thing in her empty life that gave Hirasaka a feeling similar to joy.

Feeling the electricity of "Jungle" running through her body, Hirasaka slowly began to read the details of the mission.

++++++++++

Neko was gone.

After the "Decisive Battle at Mihashira Tower" ended that day, and after she disappeared due to recognition tampering, she never appeared again. It was the same when he returned to School Island, and no matter how many times he called her, never got a single answer.

"Where did she go? No way..."

Shiro smiled and shook his head at Kuro who frowned in concern.

"No. Neko is close, because this island is her home."

Although there was no wind, he felt the rustling of the leaves and the branches of the trees. Neko was close. She was probably close enough to hear their voices.

"Then why doesn't she appear in front of us?"

At Kuro's question, Shiro made a slightly sad face.

"...I wonder if she is afraid of us."

Emotions are everything to her. Anger, sadness, joy and fear. Get closer to comfort and move away from fear. That's how she lived her whole life.

Not long ago, her peace was with Shiro.

It was different now.

Shiro has become an object of fear for her. That's because Shiro has realized the root of Neko's fear.

What Neko fears the most is "Ameno Miyabi".

Her real name. The real me of her. She is terrified of who she really is.

Not that Neko understands why she's afraid of him. Of course, Shiro doesn't know either. If Neko herself doesn't understand how she ended up in that state, no one can.

But at that moment, the image of a scared, trembling and cowering Neko broke his heart.

Shiro looked away from Kuro and slowly looked around him. Somewhere in that field of vision, Neko could be. Maybe not. Using the power of the "King", it is easy to remove the disguise from her. But doing so would not solve anything.

Instead, Shiro raised his voice.

"You should go to Kukuri. She's not scary, right? So, when you've calmed down, can you come back? I want to talk to you, Neko."

There was no answer. The trees were quiet. Kuro lowered his eyes pitifully.

Still, Shiro muttered under his breath.

"...I'll be waiting."

Then he walked away. To the student dormitory, to the place where Shiro was, to the place where Kuro and Neko should return.

++++++++++

"Eeeh?!"

The reason she unintentionally let out a voice was because there was someone in her room, which should have been empty. A student dormitory where the students of Gakuenjima live. After classes were over for the day, Yukizome Kukuri found that "lump" when she returned home humming.

The lump was in her bed. She was using a futon. She knows that she is a person, but she doesn't know who she is. As far as Kukuri knows, however, there is only one person who would likely do such a thing.

That is to say...

"...Wagahai-chan? What are you doing?"

The "lump" collapsed. From the mouth of the futon, from the dark shadow, only a glimpse of blue eyes peeked out.

"...Alright."

"Eh?"

"I'm Neko."

[gchoate17]

I watched 25 movies in 2023 – down from 30 last year. Here they are, ranked in order. 

Cherry

Fantastic story, well told. It covered a lot of ground in a short time and made me believe everything. Despite the bad decision, I never stopped pulling for him. Tom Holland crushed it.

2. Tetris

I love these stories that pull the curtain back on pop culture phenomena. An enthralling sprint from start to finish.

3. I, Tonya

Nice job of showing the other side of the story. I felt some empathy for “the monster.” Also, I wasn’t expecting to laugh, but I laughed multiple times.

4. Dune (2021)

It’s always impressive when someone creates a new world that seems to add up. The story is set, now show me the sequel.

5. White Noise

Intellectual and quirky, but ridiculous, in a good way. But it also feels a little too unhinged. Adam Driver crushes it.

6. The Beanie Bubble

Zach Galifinakis’s best performance? Enough of a true story to give me the satisfaction of learning something while also pointing to the ridiculous nature of American capitalism in the 1990s.

7. On the Rocks

Bill Murray and his character carry it.

8. Barbie

Stylistically, really fun. Concept, fantastic. Kate McKinnon and Michael Cera’s characters are the best part of the movie. It was also nice to see so many actors from Sex Education. Of course, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were fantastic as well. Overall, the was good, but it certainly didn’t measure up to the hype (and how could it). My only real complaint comes with when they have all been enlightened and they name all of the problems with society, which is a little too on the nose for me. We got it without being told.

9. Narvik

I’ve been into Dutch things lately, and I always like a new perspective on World War II, but I wouldn’t say this one is a can’t-miss.

10. Seven Kings Must Die

SPOILER ALERT: I feel like I couldn't get into the movie because legitimately the only person I was pulling for at the end was Uhtred. King Athelstan was a dumbass who deserved to die. All the kings who got duped into allying with the evil Dane guy made the move I would have made. Moral of the story: War is terrible. But that final shot of the Great Hall was awesome.

11. Parasite

Kind of funny. A little too far-fetched.

12. This is Where I Leave You

Weak story, great actors.

13. Air

I know why they did it, but it was a mistake to make a movie about Air Jordans without Michael Jordan.

14. Blood & Gold

I couldn’t buy that what happened in that small town didn’t alert larger authorities. In that way, it was a lot like Three Kings, but less humorous.

15. Those People

I am writing this review months after I watched the movie and even after watching the trailer, I have no recollection of ever seeing this movie, but in my notes I gave it three stars, so I’m putting it at the end of my three-star movies for the year.

16. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Loved the first half-ish, and the acting was great, but – as is with most action mind-benders – when anything can happen because the filmmakers aren’t bound by the rules of reality, it felt completely out of control by the end.

17. The Covenant

Movies that pretend like you can move about freely in war are out of touch with reality. But I do love a battle-buddy flick.

18. Raymond & Ray

A little absurd, but Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor are always likable.

19. To Leslie

Predictable addiction story. Bad Southern accents.

20. Midsommar

A horror film, but replace the dark aesthetic with light. Immature characters who ignore all the red flags.

21. The Wonder

SPOILER ALERT: Eerie and intriguing, but my investment diminished once the jig was up. I don’t buy that a devout little girl like that would just walk away.

22. Greyhound

SPOILER ALERT: Decent action sequences at sea, but not enough background for any of it to really mean anything. Elizabeth Shue needed to come back, for sure. Otherwise, why have her play the role?

23. Dead for a Dollar

I’m a Christoph Waltz fan, but this one was full of melodrama.

24. The Incident (1967)

None of the characters do what they should and there was no payoff. I did enjoy seeing those actors in the early stages of their career, though.

25. The Menu

I want to know how Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and John Leguizamo got trapped in this stupid-ass movie.

See previous years’ lists here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.

[tpanan]

My Sunday Daily Blessings

May 14, 2023

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........        

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Roman Rite Calendar) Lectionary 55

First Reading:  

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Responsorial Psalm:

  Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20

Second Reading:

1 Pt 3:15-18

Verse Before the Gospel:

Jn 14:23

**Gospel:  

Jn 14:15-21

**Reflection:

What makes us both fully human and truly like God? Is it not unconditional love which is unselfish, undying, and wholly directed to the good of others? The love of God unites us in an unbreakable bond of fidelity, friendship, and community with others. Jesus loved his own until the very end of his passion and death on the cross (John 13:1).

The nature of love From the very beginning of creation God said: it is not good that man should be alone (Genesis 2:18). We were created in love for love - to be a community of loving persons, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are inseparably united in a community of unbreakable love.

John Henry Newman (1801-1890) said: We love because it is our nature to love, and it is our nature because God the Holy Spirit has made it our nature. Jesus speaks to his disciples of the inseparable bound of love between himself and the Father, and of their love for humankind. In Jesus we see the fulness of God's love and how God's love is directed to our well-being. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him (1 John 4:9).

Knowing God's love How do we know that God truly loves each one of us? In the cross we see the proof of God's love for each of us and the incredible price God was willing to pay to redeem us from slavery to sin, death, and Satan. Jesus gave up his life that we might have life - abundant, everlasting life with God - a life of love and unity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever.

Through the cross Jesus opened a new way of relationship for us as the adopted sons and daughters of God - his beloved children (Romans 8:14-17). Jesus calls his disciples to walk in his way of love through obedience to the will of the Father. True love is more than sentiment, emotion, or good intention. As important as these may be they are not the proof of sincere love. True love for God is expressed in obedience and obedience is expressed in love.

Jesus' best gift for us Jesus promised to give his followers the best of gifts, the Holy Spirit as their Counselor and Helper. How does the Holy Spirit help us as the counselor? Counselor is a legal term for one who defends someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who guides and strengthens us and brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life.

The Holy Spirit is also the Giver of life - the abundant life which comes from God and which sustains us forever. The Holy Spirit also guides us in the way of truth, wisdom, and goodness. We can never stop learning because the Spirit leads us more and more into the knowledge of God's love, truth, and goodness. Jesus also promised his followers the gift of peace. Peace is more than the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace includes everything which makes for our highest good. Trust in God, faith in his promises, and obedience to his word lead us to peace and security in God's presence. That is why a Christian need not fear or be troubled by anything. The love of Christ brings immeasurable joy and consolation even in the midst of our trials and suffering. Paul the Apostle states,

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?... For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35,38-39).

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the knowledge of Christ's immense love and with his gift of peace.

O God, you are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings and the bestower of affection, who sends peace to those who receive it. Open to us this day the sea of your love and water us with abundant streams from the riches of your grace and from the most sweet springs of your kindness. Make us children of quietness and heirs of peace; enkindle in us the fire of your love; sow in us your fear; strengthen our weakness by your power; bind us closely to you and to each other in our firm and indissoluble bond of unity. (ancient prayer from Syrian Clementine liturgy)

Sources: 

Lectionary for Mass for use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, copyright (c) 2001, 1998, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain (c) 1968, 1981, 1997, international committee on english in the liturgy, Inc All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. 

**Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use - please cite:  copyright © 2023 Servants of the Word, source:  dailyscripture.net, author Don Schwager.

[elbdot]

Hiya! Big fan, and I stumbled onto your MLP OC once again. Out of curiosity, what did you think of the season finale? O: Did you think Discord was well fleshed out after all or? Very curious of your thoughts :3

Oh god Discord... I don't think any other show than MLP was able to make me go from loving to absolutely hating my favorite character.

I did watch the entirety of G4 and I do think the series finale did the show justice, but I gotta say that Discord was probably at his best in the season 4 finale. After that he just became a nuisance, turned into a pop-culture-reference-machine for the writers to enjoy and annoying Twilight at every chance he could get DESPITE of the emotional climax we had at the end of Season 4.

It felt like he just kept learning the same lessons over and over again??? I was really hoping for a more serious approach in his character development. To be honest the COMICS did him more justice than the show, exploring his personal struggles with his own existence, believing he's only bound to hurt his friends because he's a "force of nature" that can't change. His biggest nightmare was his friends CARING about him for crying out loud, that was freaking heart-wreaking.

In said Issue, Luna tells him he's more than just "chaos", more than a force of nature. That he can allow himself to care about others and even be able to change.

(Source: "My little Pony - Friends Forever Issue 20")

And then the show kind of retconned that by making Discord start to FADE AWAY the moment he wasn't causing chaos anymore, which I just hATED because it implied to me that Discord isn't allowed to change and is actually bound to his existence as a chaos entity. THAT'S DEPRESSING AS HECK, let him CHANGE, let him find new ways for his chaotic magic, if he isn't chaotic in his personality then you can make his magic be weaker or make his home realm start to crumble, but don't just erase his entire EXISTENCE!

(Source: MLP FIM Season 7 episode 12)

I don't know, I feel like we never got to see Discord the way he was portrayed in his Season 2 debut ever again. There was something cunning, all-knowing about him, a real trickster with blind spots of course in terms of relationships, underestimating how powerful connections between friends can actually be, since he's always been alone. At the start of season 4 we had a glimpse of that cunning personality again when he sowed his "plunderseeds" as a back-up plan, knowing that Celestia and Luna were about to defeat him. That's smart as heck!! Discord is a mischievous smart boi!! But as the seasons progressed I just watched him become more of a joke, and his jealously and downright panic the moment he isn't the center of attention anymore just turned him into an attention-seeking crybaby. There were just so many bETTER ways to handle his character, he is allowed to lose control, he's allowed to be jealous or be unable to handle social situations well, that's all okay if you ever got the feeling through the writing that he made an EFFORT to actually improve and learn from his mistakes! But he didn't. If, then he'd only try to change for Fluttershy, which ended up making him nearly fade away, which just, gREAT MESSAGING THERE GUYS. (I know that the point of this episode was to stop trying to be someone you're not, which is a good message, but in Discord's case was poorly executed with the implications it brought about his very being.) Otherwise he took every chance he could to make a fool of himself, get on Twilight's nerves, make her feel left out, never actually caring about growing closer to any of the mane 6 besides Fluttershy.

Which, by the way, biggest loss from never adapting anything from the comics? Discord befriends the CMCs in them, who seem to be the first ponies he can relate to, sharing the struggle of feeling like they don't really belong anywhere.

G O D I wish he had been given just a GLIMPSE of characterization some of the earlier comics gave him...

And his plan in the series finale to create a dangerous situation that would boost Twilights confidence was just SO UTTERLY IDIOTIC it felt out of character for him. Like he honestly thought bringing all previous villains together as a team was a good idea that couldn't go wrong??? You could argue that he once again underestimated the power of "fiendship" in this case, but still, it was an incredibly bad idea from the get-go.

I liked that the show tried to portray him as someone who wants to see Twilight grow, testing her and manipulating the situation still with the best intention in mind. But nOT LIKE THIS. His plans never felt smart but more like a sad excuse for his behavior of being a HUGE annoyance and inconvenience 24/7 before revealing his "true" intentions.

As you can tell, I still care about his characterization, because it's another case of seeing the potential the show could have taken with his character, the development and growth he could have gotten while still keeping his intelligence to the same level as when he was his old mischievous self, we could have been able to keep those parts intact. It all could have been possible.

Discord was a fan-favorite character and when he first debuted, NO ONE expected him to come back. Redeeming a villain was revolutionary back then. As far as I remember, no other cartoon besides ATLA with Zuko had taken this approach so far, so when it was announced he'd make a return in Season 3 to "get redeemed", the community went WILD. It's truly a shame how over the years I went from getting excited to instantly groaning the moment he came onscreen again. Because he had all the ingredients for a layered, fun, mischievous ally instead of becoming a comedic-relief who constantly screws up.

Thank you for coming to my "Discord-had-potential-but-ultimately-got-screwed-over-by-bad-writng"-TED Talk

[apparently-artless]

MY TOP ANIME FOR SUMMER 2022

Summer season is almost over and so are some of the anime series that I've watched for these past 3 months! There's not much "mainstream" anime this season which gave opportunity to some series. I tend to give almost every series a try anyway and these are some that I enjoyed watching.

6. HATARAKU MAOU-SAMA!! [THE DEVIL IS A PART-TIMER! 2ND SEASON]

I loved the first season of this anime so I already have some bias regarding this series. I'm even reading the manga so I kinda have some idea of what to expect with the anime. This would have ranked higher but I didn't like the animation that much compared with the first season. I guess that's bound to happen if it took almost a decade to create the next season. Another bias? Voice actor. I love Maou's seiyuu, Oosaka Ryouta. Yes, I've watched a lot of anime simply because of the seiyuu, so sue me!

5. ORIENT: AWAJISHIMA GEKITOU-HEN

The author of this series is the same author of Magi, Ohtaka Shinobu. As for me, I haven't watched Magi yet so I'm not expecting anything from this anime when I first started watching the first season. I only realized these shows were made by the same author when I read the manga. I prefer the art style of the manga way better but anime also did not disappoint in my opinion. I also love Naotora and Kanetatsu so there's that. I read some reviews saying they got disappointed midway because they were expecting it would be as good as Magi. But I've only watched 2 or 3 episodes of Magi and kinda stopped so this didn't stop me from continuing watching the anime and even reading the manga.

4. ISEKAI OJISAN [UNCLE FROM ANOTHER WORLD]

I already got hooked on the first episode and I am still waiting for the next episode to come for this series. I'm not a gamer and I'm not even familiar with what they're talking about when it comes to games but I still enjoyed it anyway. I guess this is one of the reasons why I loved it. It doesn't alienate people who are not familiar with the game jargon as it also focuses on Ojisan's journey in the alternate world. Also, Ojisan's interactions with the female characters from the other world are pure gold and definitely hilarious. Despite some tragic experiences here and there, the series managed to present them in a manner that would not make you feel depressed.

3. YOFUKASHI NO UTA [ CALL OF THE NIGHT]

I was already reading the manga when I learned that this will get animated. The night sceneries in the anime were so epic in every episode. The atmosphere kinda reminds me of Bakemonogatari series. I like the relationship between the main characters and I can kinda relate to the male protagonist. The story features vampires but it's not really something that can be compared to other vampire stories. Yes, Kou wants to be a vampire but he can only be one if he falls in love with Nazuna, which is a challenge because he's yet to experience it for the first time. Nazuna's past hasn't been revealed yet and I also stopped reading the manga. I will probably continue after the anime ends.

2. YOUKOSO JITSURYOKU SHIJOU SHUGI NO KYOUSHITSU E 2ND SEASON [CLASSROOM OF THE ELITE 2ND SEASON]

I already fell in love with this series when I watched the first season and I'm really thankful that the second season was made. If you've watched the first season, you already know that the male lead, Ayanokouji is trying to hide what he is truly capable of. He's quite a strategist and manipulative but his severe lack of emotion is what makes him a very interesting character. The anime only managed to show some glimpses of his past and some of the other students in Class D so I'm still dying to know if this is his nature or simply what he became due to his environment. I'd probably plan to read the light novel if ever I decided that the anime is not enough for me to satisfy my curiosity.

KUMICHOU MUSUME TO SEWAGAKARI [THE YAKUZA'S GUIDE TO BABYSITTING]

With the number of posts I made for this anime, I guess it's kinda obvious that this will be my number one. This anime never really managed to catch my attention until my sister told me about it. So my sister was like, "Aren't you gonna watch that anime with the Yakuza taking care of a kid?" and I was like, "What is that?? So cute! I'd definitely watch it!". Yeah, I know, it's typical but I really love the bad guy + cute kid combo. But setting that aside, there are a lot of aspects to love about this anime. If you hadn't noticed, the Yakuza characters here are kinda hot. Hah! And get this, they're better in manga. LOL. I also love Kirishima's relationship with the other characters. His best friend is his gay classmate and he's his "guardian angel". If that's not such a wonderful relationship, then I don't know what it is. He has his big brother Aoi and his little brother Sugihara and Kumichou and his wife is kinda like his parents! And he has his little angel, Yaeka! It's always amazing to watch how Kirishima can act disrespectful to others but would always switch to Keigo speech when talking to her. The last episode was kinda bittersweet but I still loved it anyway. So if you're looking for a slice of life, full of fluff and a bit of angst anime, then is definitely recommended!

There are still some other anime that I managed to finish this season. They're all good anime but I just decided to mention these 6. There are some that I decided I'll just watch some other time so I guess you could say that these are the series that managed to keep me waiting week after week just so I can watch one episode. (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

[daikon1]

My 2022 Fanfic Year in Review!

I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but 2022 has been a rough one for me. Between challenges in my offline life and modding for the Drops of Moonlight Zine eating up most of my fandom time and energy, I didn’t write as much as I might have liked in other years.

Anyway, here’s my Ao3 Wrapped!!

Fair warning, spoilers for anything I posted this year abound below the cut!!

1. List of fics completed this year:

Well, I changed some of how I post this year (for example, I stopped posting to FFN entirely and decided to use ‘collections’ on Ao3 instead of chapters going forward for related but standalone shorts/one shots).

That said, I completed 5 fics:

A (Blind) Date with Destiny!

Moving In

then you showed up and I can’t get enough

We Do This Every Time

I Know All About Your Reputation (This is Bound to be a Heartbreak Situation)

I also began a new ongoing multichapter, Close to Home.

2. Number of words written:

61,054 that have been posted - fewer than previous years, but more than I’d thought!

3. Your most popular fic this year:

Of what I posted this year, (Blind) Date got the most hits, but overall The Runner-Up remained quite popular and got a lot of engagement.

4. Your personal favourite this year:

This is always a cruel question, given that everything I write feels like my baby/a part of me. The two I was most actively excited/couldn’t stop while writing were Blind Date and then you showed up… so… coin flip between the two?

5. Your favourite scene:

I *loved* writing the date in Blind Date with Destiny. Their dancing around each other and flirting and playing that ‘but do you remember me and if you don’t do I have to tell you’ game was SO MUCH FUN and basically flowed directly out of my brain and onto the page.

6. A fic or scene that challenged you:

Day six of my UsaMamo week fic (We Do This Every Time) gave me a lot of trouble. Turns out it’s hard to consolidate an entire arc from an anime into a single chapter, who knew 🤣

7. A line of writing you’re proud of:

I feel like this is always the hardest question to answer and the one I put off until the very end, in part because when you write 60k+ words in a year (which comes out to like 2.5k sentences the way I write them), it’s hard to single out one!!

This year, I’m going to highlight this line from Close to Home:

Mamoru took an obnoxiously slow sip from his water glass. “Do you bring a lot of dates home?” he asked in an offhand way that made her want to dump her curry on top of his perfectly coiffed hair.

8. A comment that touched you:

I always feel like I get too many sweet reviews to single out just one; in fact, I now have a designated folder in my email titled “Review Joy” where I file away some of the ones I want to revisit when I’m feeling low. So here is a much-too-short and entirely non-exhaustive roundup of a few snippets from some of my favorite reviews this year:

Just crossed your story today and *had* to go on Ao3 to read the second part!

I can’t picture things clearly or for long in my mind, but this scene was crystal clear, at least Usagi bowing to the little rabbit and talking in a friendly, but quiet and gentle, almost reverential way because Usako was part of Mamoru, vulnerable, almost like part of his soul.

I love all the check-ins for consent - they were so natural!! So good!! Thank you for writing!!

The scene of him putting things together was also suitably spooky and conspiratorial, like the ending of the Usual Suspects kinda.

Ngl I was SHRIEKING AT MY PHONE when I saw she'd written something SO SWEET into the book?! AND THEN DASHED LIKE THE LITTLE ADORABLE IDIOT SHE IS?

I’m always filled with excitement when I see a new story from you and it never disappoints. This is an absolutely wonderful beginning filled with emotions and sweetness and I cannot wait to see where you lead us.

Seeing bisexual rep in usagi meant the world to me as a young, questioning teen, and seeing you showcase that here and have her friends be so knowing & accepting of that really just made my heart feel so whole <3

Impeccable plotline, character depictions, and the fluff was *chef’s kiss*!!! 20/10!!!

I wish I could showcase all of every review I’ve received this year, but sadly I would run out of space way too fast. Just know that if you’ve taken the time to review for me, I am grateful from the bottom of my heart 🙏🏻

9. Something that inspired your writing this year:

Okay so I’ve already disclaimed it in the author’s note, but My Ex’s Best Friend by Machine Gun Kelly is the entire reason that then you showed up… exists.

Like honestly the line “I swear to god I never fall in love” just STUCK IN MY BRAIN as a very Mamoru-ish sentiment and I had to explore it. With instalove semi-blind-date hijinks.

10. Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

Probably have to go with finishing day 6 (Reunion) of UsaMamo week this year (We Do This Every Time). I basically knew what I wanted to do with it as soon as the prompts dropped, but actually whipping it into shape and getting it to be near the level I envisioned it took me longer than I hoped it would!! Was very proud to get that monster off my TBW list 🤣

11. Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

I would like to refill my tank, tbh. As I mentioned above, it’s been a rough year and in many ways I’m running on fumes - and I do think that’s been reflected in my writing (or lack thereof) in this back half of the year.

So in an ideal world, I’d like to have the time and bandwidth to feel excited about writing again. And maybe also make some progress on Close to Home.

————

As always, I would love to see some other people do these! I’m not going to tag anyone, but if you see this and want to participate, consider yourself tapped in.

Cheers to the end of 2022!! May 2023 be a gentle and healthy year for you and yours 😘

[shoftiiel]

bound to you: 4

"and i quote.."

synopsis: y/n is the new girl in town, she would like to escape from her past and begin a new life without any romance drama, but what happens when she caught the attention of a certain boy who happens to be one of her brother’s best friends.

word count: 1. 1 k

warnings: i think there is none, but if you feel like something should be added lmk :))

a/n: i think this will have more written parts than i originally intended, also if you asked to be on the taglist and you don't see yourself its because i cannot tag u

<< | masterlist | >>

When your class ended you felt nervous, you didn't understand why, you were just meeting sunoo’s friends, it was not a big deal.

“come on y/n it is not that big” you said to yourself, besides if they are friends with sunoo they must be nice like him.

“Y/n!! over here!” you snapped out of your thoughts when you heard your name, when you turned around you saw sunoo with two other boys, they did seem nice.

“h-hi” sunno giggled, “don't be shy y/n” he said with a reassuring smile, the other two boys just laughed along.

“hi, i am jungwon” one of the boys said, he had these cute dimples when he smiled, he gave off a warm vibe, he looked like the happiest person on the planet.

“and my name is niki, nice to meet you” the second boy said, he looked younger than jungwon, but still he was taller than both sunoo and jungwon. Hewas just a freshman and looked like a giant baby.

“You know y/n” Sunoo said, snapping you out of your thoughts for the second time that day, “niki is also a foreigner” you turned to niki, he just nodded. “I am from japan”.

“Why did you leave?” you asked, niki just smiled and you swore that kid got like 3 centimeters taller, he looked excited, just as if he had been waiting his whole life to be asked that question.

“you see, I want to be a dancer and be lift high has one of the best dance programs in the country, japan does not” that last part did not sound so excited “so i plan on auditioning, tryouts are supposed to be next week”

He reminded you of Jake, he also left Australia to become a dancer, now you kind of understood why Jake was the way he was towards you, you felt the need to protect niki, he was so cute for his own good.

“how about you?” jungwon asked “where are you from and why did you leave”

“Well my family is Korean, but I used to leave in australia and i left mostly because of family issues, my parents are barely home”

“oh” sunoo just looked at you

“Well, we are now all your new family” niki said with the same big smile he had while he was talking about how he wanted to become a dancer.

“Wait, you are a sophomore, right?” jungwon suddenly asked.

“Yes I am” you said proudly, for some reason.

“Then why didn't we see you in any class today” jungwon looked very puzzled “omg y/n are you skipping classes already? it's the first day!” and before you could say anything sunoo said,

“well you see” he said in a cocky tone “miss y/n here is in advanced classes, because and i quote “her brain cells actually know how to do their job”

The other two boys almost choked laughing, they couldn't breathe. At first you were really embarrassed, then you just laughed along, at that point you could not remember why you were nervous in the first place.

“and how about extracurriculars?” Jungwon said still laughing, he was trying to keep it together, he failed but at least he tried.

“Well, i saw that there’s an art club” the moment you said that sunoo became another person, he looked possessed which freaked you out to be honest.

“You want to join the art club!?” he almost yelled at you “ummm… yeah??? Is there a problem with that'' you were genuinely confused at his reaction, but then he looked happy?

“gil you should have told me earlier!” in the two days you had know sunoo you had never seen him so excited “well you are talking to the art club president himself, so consider yourself the newest member of the art club”

“this is awesome y/n!” jungwon was very excited as well “we’ll see each other more often”

“heeeeeey!” niki sounded upset “what about me?” he indeed was a giant baby, cute you thought.

“don't worry niki, when you start practicing with the dance team we’ll visit you and we’ll take you snacks”

“from now on y/n is my favorite” hugged you right afterwards.

you were very happy it was only your first day of class and you had already made friends, if you had the y/n from two years ago she would not believe you. The bell rang and you left for your last classes of the day. During the last periods you did not pay any attention at all, you were thinking about your new friends, usually you take notes but you did not this time, you were doodling the whole time.

Finally the bell rang one last time that day, you quickly grabbed your things and rushed out of the classroom, the hallway was filled with students that were eager to leave, just like you were. You bumped into someone, you just said sorry bearly looking back and just continued walking, you were going out with your brother and you had to get ready, you did not have any time to lose.

What you failed to notice was that you dropped your sketchbook, the boy you bumped into picked it up and when he looked up you were gone. He just stood there with the sketchbook in hand wondering who you were. Naturally he opened it to see if there was a name, sadly there wasn’t. For some strange reason, he didn't leave it on the lost and found, he was curious, he wanted to find the owner and give it to them.

He was mesmerized by the drawings he found there, they were mostly flowers, landscapes and lots of frogs, some had hats, others had wings, that just made him more curious. There were also some short poems in there, from what he read, whomever it belonged to was very sad, the one that caugth his attention was

“i supose i love my scars,

because they have stayed with me longer

than most people have”

He needed to find who the sketchbook belonged to.

taglist: @ncityy04 @dumbwonpil @markleepooh @papiibuprofen @ghjasksdk

[olivereliocorcordium1983]

11 Things I have Learned Being A FanFic Writer

1. Being specific on whether the story itself is going to a short fic or a long fic. difference short fics tend to be ten chapters or less maybe even up to twenty-two (from the last one i read) The long fics can be anywhere from 30 chapters and beyond that to the point where you are like when is this going to end! 

2. Having a beta reader is a lovely idea, they can look for the mistakes that you make and help you with grammar issues that you don't catch when reading it yourself. even then though it is bound to happen you will make mistakes! 

3. At any point in time the chapter that you are writing can and will be entirely rewritten. some part of you will think "yeah, this is complete crap" and you will toss that idea out like it was trash. 

4. To go along with number 3 DO NOT throw away whatever it is that you are writing even if you think at the time this is crap! you can use it to create and/or use what you wrote for future stories. where one thing doesn't fit it in one story it can fit in another one that will help it flow more easily. (learned this one the hard way )

5. SAVE SAVE SAVE!  Just like in video games if you don't save your progress, and something happens to that laptop. oh man, you will be in for a world of cussing, ranting, crying and possibly to the point of rage if all that work disappears. (Also learned this one the hard way ) so if you have to get a bunch of usb sticks and spastic save like your about to go up against the biggest boss with a higher power level than you and you just know that you are going to die multiple times because of said boss! 

6. inspiration can hit you at any point in time as well as real life experiences.Truth, I read a fanfic called the Epilepsy Diaries written by someone within the fandom and as sad and as dark as that story was It inspired me to write a fanfic where i gave the characters my disability of cerebal palsy and the people who read that (unfinished since im still writing it) have told me they learned so much about the disability and love this story so much that they beg me to update it all the time. one of those people had no idea there are 3 different types of cerebral palsy and not just the more severe one where the person is in a wheelchair.

7. Against what everyone says about the "character soul bonding" where you take on the thoughts of your character... um, I can personally say that it can happen from time to time. whether you believe that or not, whatever floats your boat bro, you do you. And depending on whatever comes out of their mouth be it conversation and/or argument at some point you will lose your control over your story and the characters will go haywire and throw that in whatever direction they want it to go. so, if they wanna i don't know kiss someone in the story, or if they wanna become a cartel boss and take over the world regardless of whether or not you want them to they are going to do it! 

8. writers block is a pain in the ass and always will bethere will be times when you are going a long in a story and you write that one really good chapter and then BAM you run right into that wall and you are sitting there overthinking things, not able to come up with something to write that not even the beautiful power of music can get you out of! it's frustrating, its aggravating and yes this has happened to me multiple times and still happens. 

9. Sometimes teasing the readers with a ship can cause chaos and frustration, while at the same time can be equally fun. WRITERS OF LAW AND ORDER SVU I'M TALKING TO YOU! BENSON AND STABLER BRO COME ON NOW, WE WAITED 23 SEASONS NOW GOING SEASON 24 THIS WILL THEY WON'T THEY TROPE GOING ON IS KILLING ME MAN! CHOP CHOP! 

10. Your ship is not my ship and that SHOULD BE OKAY but some people haven't learned this lesson yet. what do I mean, well there are some characters, that just go naturally together as a ship. Benson and stabler, batman and catwoman, (Every superhero known to man being paired with spiderman or deadpool, superman) you get my point! Anways sometimes there will be those people who don't want to see your pairing as a ship and will often times do one of their own that you don't necessarily like or you think is off the wall. And you keep your mouth shut while they will go out of their way to literally verbally fight you over your ship. so, there will be times when the peace will be broken and you will have to throw on that captain hat and go all captain jack sparrow on them, and verbally throw down and say to the equivalent of  "STOP BLOWING HOLES IN MY SHIP!" to said people. then you can pretty much choose to go about your merry way sail away off into the sunset with a mega pint of rum in your hand and keep writing what your readers want to read.  (That one was for you Johnny Depp who in my opinion will aways be the best pirate there ever was and will forever be Captain Jack Sparrow) 

11. When you write, write for yourself and write about whatever makes you happy. your value and yourself worth does not measure how many comments you get, how many people read what you write or how many messages you get from people who have an opinion about your story good bad or otherwise. Or how popular you are you don't have to be the next stephen king to touch people with the stories you write.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Bound Blood (Cassandra Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 4

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T+ for language, nudity (but, like, for art), and violence Warnings: Unhealthy dynamics, including violence between the shipped pair, leaning heavily into the "enemies" part of "enemies to friends to lovers" Summary: Local vampire discusses art, depictions of certain anatomy, and enjoys the company of her feral soulmate for 4.5 minutes. Then it goes to shit (as things tend to do). 0-60 Real goddamn quick. Previous Chapters: 1: Sharing Is (Not) Caring; 2: Bloodbath, Baby!, 3: Haunt Me Dearly

4: Portraits For Ghosts

“Am I really supposed to just… stay here? Did she honestly think that I, of all people, would behave? The universe gave me two good hands, and by God, I intend to make that someone else’s problem,” you mutter to yourself as you get dressed. It’s not that you necessarily had anything in mind, rather that you hated the idea of waiting around for who knows how long for Cassandra to return. Especially considering what she had done prior to leaving. Sure, you had laughed, but that hadn’t meant much in the end. At this point, you hadn’t even been out of the dungeon for a full day yet, and the memories of what happened there were fresh in your mind. Nightmares, too, even if you had pushed them aside to deal with Cassandra’s. Why did I bother? You wonder, frowning. There was hardly any point to comforting a monster, no matter the way they trembled.

Or at least that’s the lie you sold yourself.

Soon enough, a knock at the door brings you out of your head. Daphne, maybe, you think, remembering the maiden from yesterday. When you open the door, however, you’re met with an unfamiliar woman. She’s a few years your senior, at the very least, and appears surprised to see you. In her hands is a very enticing tray of food.

“Lady Cassandra wanted me to bring this to you. I am… I am glad to see you are feeling better already,” she says, voice shaking. What was with these maidens and assuming you were anything like your soulmate? Though that last part did catch your interest. Something told you that she wasn’t at all referring to your time in the dungeon. If you had learned anything from Daphne, it was that the best way to get information was to be indirect. So you graciously accepted the food, before speaking, dodging your way around your ignorance.

“Yes, it’s amazing what a bit of meditating can do for the soul- and body, that is,” you start, watching closely for any veiled reactions. Even within the first few words you can tell that this stranger wasn’t expecting you to be pleasant. “Out of curiosity, what did my Lady say about my condition? There are, uh, a few details that I hope she did not share. I’m sure you understand.” As soon as the words leave your mouth, the maiden is nodding, appearing eager to satisfy you. Maybe a hint of fear can be useful, after all.

“No worries, Lady Cassandra did well to respect your privacy, and we would not dare question her further. She simply explained, to her family, that you were dealing with a migraine. I only heard this because I was helping serve breakfast,” she explained, smiling softly. You’re quick to nod, mimicking her expression for maximum empathy. “Do you require anything else? I am here to serve, you must only ask.” Ah, perfect. Would she have offered this even if you hadn’t attempted to be charming? Probably, but your politeness certainly didn't hurt.

“Well, there is one thing… as long as it’s no trouble.”

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

It had been a risk, asking the servant to take you to a room you weren’t sure existed, but one that had paid off brilliantly. Even if said room was nothing like you had anticipated. Who would have thought that Cassandra, you think, would be an artist? What’s far less surprising is the fact that the studio (or ‘study’, as you had called it) is a disorganized disaster. Discarded papers lie scattered around an overflowing trash can, a cabinet with an attached tool rack is missing pieces, and in one corner there are literally random shards of broken glass lying about. What is this, performance art? Part of you feels tempted to clean up the mess, if only to occupy your time. Instead, you decide to examine some of the pieces within the room. Maybe somehow they’d tell you something noteworthy about your soulmate.

First, you move to your left, where a workbench houses strange sculptures. For the most part they’re abstract, jagged edges contrasting with gentle curves, but there is one you think you understand. It’s very clearly a bust… of someone’s ‘bust’. Guess that solves the age old question of ‘boobs or ass’, you think, stifling a giggle. Moving on, you shift your attention to the exposed section of the cabinet. One row is dedicated to small vials, each labeled with a concerning ‘blood’, despite the fact that it’s clearly not refrigerated. Still, you have heard of artists painting with blood before, but you seem to recall them mixing it with something else. Perhaps Cassandra had done the same? Though you did wonder if she had any difficulty resisting the urge to drink the blood, at least prior to mixing it.

Shrugging, you continue to the other side of the studio, squatting to get a closer look at the broken glass. As expected, there’s no discernable pattern or purpose. Huh, you think, wonder why she doesn’t clean up. Maybe she’s waiting for a servant to do it? Guessing her reasoning was rather difficult, especially considering your lack of context, such as how long the mess had been here. Deciding that this was a pointless distraction, you move on to the only other thing of note in the room: An easel, in the center, with a canvas nearly as tall as yourself. So far, there’s little on it other than pencil lines, a sketch marking where to paint certain details. Only the (start of) the background has been colored. Understandably, it’s hard to make out what exactly the finished project would end up representing. Based on what you know of Cassandra and her family, however, you infer that this- with four figures, one larger than the others, protective- is a painting of the castle residents.

“Family means something to you, hmm?... I hope that mine does not miss me much, for I will never see them again,” you say to yourself, instinctively reaching out towards the art. Before you can touch it, or think better of it, the door to the studio is flying open. In storms Cassandra, fists clenched at her sides. As soon as she sees you, she’s rushing forward, pulling you away from the easel. “Hello, darling. Glad to see me feeling better, yes?” You teased, smiling wide at her. Feeling a bit emboldened by your earlier success, you go a step further, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I swear to fuck, if you touched any of my stuff-” Cassandra starts to say, intentionally ignoring the kiss, even though her cheeks get flush at the contact.

“Nope, not a single thing. Not even the broken glass. Nice touch, by the way, makes the whole space feel a helluva lot cozier,” you interject. For a few moments she holds you by your shirt collar, staring you in the eyes as if determining whether or not to believe you. Somehow, some way, she declares you innocent, releasing you with an irritated sigh. After pretending to dust yourself off, you return your attention to the central canvas. “Do you do a lot of art of your family? I passed by several pieces on my way here, though they were certainly in a different style.” Another pause, with Cassandra waiting for you to spring a verbal trap.

“Some of those are mother’s work,” she answers, tentatively, eying you closely. When you merely nod in reply, expecting her to elaborate, she starts to relax, little by little. “I doubt you passed any of mine. Mother tends to keep those closer to her quarters, or near the main entrance.” Interesting, you think, why hasn’t she addressed my original question?

“It sounds like she’s very proud of you,” you muse, still facing away from your soulmate. There’s a slight shakiness to your voice, as your mind starts to dwell on memories of your own family. Perhaps noticing this, Cassandra takes a few steps closer, one hand hovering over your shoulder, not quite sure if you needed (or perhaps deserved) any comfort. In this moment, you feel far more vulnerable than you had the day before. Taking a deep breath, you try to center yourself, before perfectly ruining whatever trust you had just established with Cassandra. “Something tells me she doesn’t know about the titty sculpture though, right? Can’t quite imagine that one being displayed where everyone can see it.”

To your immense surprise, Cassandra gives you a blank stare.

“You… you really don’t know anything about my mother, do you?” She says, after several awkward seconds. It feels strange to think that she had been furious, merely a handful of minutes ago. “If you actually behave for a while, I can show you some of her favorite pieces around the castle. Then maybe you’ll understand.” Intrigued, you debate how exactly to respond. On one hand, you did want to see the art, but on the other hand… misbehaving was your goal of the day.

“Sounds like a nice date to me. Why not start the tour right now?” You suggest, hoping to meet your ‘politeness quota’ earlier rather than later. Still, it is in your very nature to be chaotic, and you find yourself giving Cassandra an affectionate shoulder touch. It’s not at all genuine, but the two of you blush nonetheless. How could you not, when your blood was bound together, hearts made to race in sync?

“Don’t get friendly with me,” Cassandra stammers, unadjusted to the way her pulse pounded. “This isn’t a date. We’re just- it doesn’t matter, actually. As long as it means getting you out of my studio, I don’t care.” With that said, she takes your hand in her own, pulling you towards the exit. If she has any feelings about the soft touch, she hides them well… unlike yourself. Cheeks flushed, you’re half tempted to yank yourself out of her grip, hating the way your heart skips a few beats. Would I still feel this way if I didn’t know we were soulmates? You wonder, biting your lower lip to prevent any unwanted comments from slipping out. Soon enough you’d have art aplenty to distract yourself with. Hopefully.

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

“My God, you were not kidding. I don’t- I can’t even think of anything clever to say,” you chime, staring dumbfounded at the several statuettes of naked women. They seemed to fulfill some other purpose, one you couldn’t parse at the moment, but you could hardly think about the details right now. “I mean, good for your mother, for sticking to a theme, I suppose,” you continue, tripping over your own tongue, uncharacteristically quiet. Clearly amused by your flustered display, Cassandra lets out a hearty laugh.

“Good to know some things can shut you up. I’ll have to keep this in mind for next time you bother me,” she teases, light-heartedly. Her words only fluster you more, though they quickly give you room to counter, much to your joy.

“Is that so? Planning on carrying around a busty bust for the rest of your life, or thinking of going the more au naturel route?” You asked, briefly sticking your tongue out at Cassandra. It takes her a moment to understand what you’re getting at, but as soon as she does she’s smacking your arm with an offended huff. Despite her irritation, the blow is relatively soft, and you swear you can see her fighting to hide a smile. “Starting to go soft on me, are you? I hardly even felt that one.”

“So you’d prefer I hit you harder? And to think you called me kinky,” Cassandra fires back, without a hint of hesitation. Now both of you are laughing, softly, like old friends sharing fond memories. It’s… weirdly nice. A warmth fills your chest, even as you try to remind yourself that you shouldn’t be happy right now. Damn it, you think, suddenly frowning, hands clenching. We shouldn’t be having fun banter, back and forth like a real couple. Not when I’ve still got wounds from her hands on my skin. Instinctively you reach up to your face, thumb running over the marks Cassandra’s nails had left behind. The touch stings, bad, no matter how gentle you try to be. Noticing your shift in expression, your soulmate inches closer. “If your wounds are bothering you, I can have one of the servants get more ointment or whatever it is we have around. I don’t want you to-... There’s no reason for you to suffer more than you need to, besides, I don’t want you complaining all day.” Of course she couldn’t bring herself to imply that she cared. Of course. It wasn’t like the two of you were actually capable of being soft for each other, obviously. All of your confusion melts down, boiled by the warmth in your chest, turning to a familiar, albeit painful, rage.

“Right, right! Because you care so fucking much, yeah? What the fuck am I doing? Why am I-” you jab a finger towards her chest, accusatory- “talking to you? Why am I pretending you're not the one who did this to me? You’re the fucking reason my face hurts, my shoulder hurts, my brain-... I can’t stop thinking about everything that happened down there. I can’t get those goddamn images out of my head, every time I close my eyes, every time I look at you. I…” You trail off, chest heaving a little, tears pricking the corners of your eyes. Cassandra’s standing tall, unflinching, but there’s a noticeable regret in her expression.

“What. Are. You… going to do about it?” She asks, through clenched teeth, fighting back the full force of her emotions. You can’t tell what exactly she’s feeling, but you know that you want her to show you. Every part of you is itching for a fist fight, regardless of how stupid you know the idea is.

“Depends, dickwad, on whether or not these statuettes are properly secured,” you snap, already moving, fully abandoning all impulse control. By the time your hand grips the first sculpture, Cassandra has put you in a headlock, forcefully tugging you backwards. Panic sets in, making you try to jam your elbows into her stomach. Before long both of you are tumbling to the floor, bodies already aching, limbs flailing wildly in an attempt to hit a target, any target. In the end the air is knocked from your lungs as your head smacks against the ground. “Shit, shit, shit,” you grumble, coughing, finally processing just how much of a dumbass you were. It’s clear that at least one of the previous day’s wounds has reopened, and you feel something wet and sticky on your shirt.

“Finished, asshole?” Cassandra wheezes, sounding dazed, roughly pulling you up by your shirt collar. You nod, refusing to meet her gaze. Then she’s sighing in relief, letting you lean on her for support, holding you surprisingly close, considering the circumstances. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Again…”

[basicsofislam]

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)’s BIOGRAPHY : The Conquest of Makkah.4

Pulling Down the Idols!

The Qurayshi polytheists had erected 360 idols around the Kaaba. Those idols had been pinned with leads.[ Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 62. ]

The Messenger of God, who had destroyed the idols in the minds, spirits and hearts with the belief of oneness he brought, and who had made  thousands of people turn around the light he brought like moths, started to clean the Kaaba from the idols.

He pointed at each idol with the stuff in his hand and read the following verse:

“Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish.”[ Al-Isra, 81. ] Each idol that was pointed at by the Prophet fell down. When the Prophet pointed at the face of the idol, it fell off face down. Thus, all of the idols in the Kaaba were demolished.[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 59; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 1408. ]

Adhan in the Kaaba!

It was time for the noon prayer.

Upon the order of the Messenger of God, Bilal started to call the adhan on top of the Kaaba.  

There was joy and liveliness in the believing hearts; there was sorrow and downfall in the unbelieving hearts. Bilal, who was a slave and whom the polytheistshad made walk around the streets with the rope they tied around his neck and upon whom they had inflicted undreamt tortures, was declaring the oneness on the Kaaba with his sonorous voice by making the polytheists go mad from jealousy. It sounded as if the mountains and stones were uttering adhan in their own language together with Bilal.

The polytheists were very depressed by the exceptional view. Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan, Attab b. Asid and Harith Ibn Hisham, the leaders of the Quraysh were talking to one another.

Attab said, “My father Asid was lucky because he did not witness this day.”

Insulting Bilal, Harith said, “Could Muhammad not find a person other than this black crow to appoint as a muez­zin?”

Abu Sufyan did not utter any negative words. He said,

“I am afraid I will not say anything. Even if there is no one else here, the sands and stones under our feet will inform him about what we say; and he will know all about it.”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 56; Ibn Qayyim, Zadu’l-Maad, Vol. 2, p. 184. ]

In fact, a few minutes later, the Messenger of God saw them and told them exactly what they were talking about. Then, Attab and Harith uttered kalima ash-shahada and accepted Islam.[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 56. ]

Abu Sufyan said, “O Messenger of God! Fortunately, I did not say anything.”

The Messenger of God smiled at him when he said so.

The incidents that took place affected the people of Makkah profoundly. They made the people of Makkah feel good things toward Islam and eliminate the hatred and enmity they felt against the Messenger of God and the Companions.

The Prophet Enters the Kaaba

The Messenger of God sent somebody to Uthman b. Talha and asked for the key to the Kaaba. Though Uthman b. Talha’s mother urged him not to give the key to the Kaaba to the Prophet, Talha gave him the key.

The Messenger of God entered the Kaaba together with Bilal, Usama b. Zayd and Uthman b. Talha (may God be pleased with them).[ Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 62. ] He had ordered beforehand that the pictures and idols inside be removed; however, there were still some traces of them inside. He gave an order for those traces to be cleaned up.

After staying inside the Kaaba for a while, the Prophet came out. Meanwhile, almost all of the people of Makkah had gathered and were waiting for the decree of the Prophet about them.  

They wondered if the Messenger of God would throw tripe against their faces as they had done to him? Or, would he throw thorns on the road and make them walk on thorns? Or, would he torture and insult them? Would he put a rope around their necks and make them walk around the streets as they had done to some Companions? Would he torture them by making them lie down on scorching sand? Would he leave them hungry and thirsty? Or, would they be expelled?

No, Messenger of God, for whose sake the universe was created and who was sent as mercy for the realms, did not do any of them.

The Sermon of the Conquest

The Messenger of God stood by the door of the Kaaba. He was looking at the people with a smile on his face. After praising and thanking God, he recited the following sermon:

“There is no god but Allah; He has no partners.

He fulfilled His promise; He helped His slave and eliminated the enemies that gathered against him.

Know it well that all of the things that belong to the Era of Jahiliyya and that are regarded as means of pride like feuds, and conflicts regarding property have been abolished.

All people were created out of Adam; and Adam was created out of dust.

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” (al-Hujurat, 13) [ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 59; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, Vol. 3, p. 410; Tirmidhi, ibid, Vol. 5, p. 389; Abu Dawud, Sunan, Vol. 4, p. 185. ]

General amnesty

After his sermon, the Messenger of God asked the people there: “O Qurayshis! What do you think I will do to you?”

The Qurayshis said, “You are a generous and good brother. You are a generous and good nephew. We think you will do good things about us.”

Thereupon, the Messenger of God said,

“My situation and your situation are like what Joseph (Yusuf) said to his brothers.”

“I am saying to you what Yusuf said to his brothers, ‘This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: God will forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy’” (Yusuf, 92).

“You can leave; you are free.”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 55; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 142; Tabari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 120. ]

The best pardoning is to pardon when one has power; the best favor is the favor done in return for bad deeds. The best mercy is to show mercy on those who have not shown mercy on you. That was what the Messenger of God did because he was taught the following by God Almighty:

“Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; but turn away from the ignorant.” [ al-A’raf, 199. ]

At that moment, the Qurayshis were waiting in the presence of the Messenger of God lowering their heads and opening their hands. If he had wished, he would have killed all of them in return for the oppression and tortures they had inflicted upon him or he would have enslaved them; he could have confiscated their land and exiled them.

However, the Prophet, who was sent as mercy to the realms, did not do any of them. His only aim was to conquer people’s hearts. Thanks to this exceptional attitude of his, the Prophet served his aim very well. Upon his merciful behavior, pardoning and generosity, the Qurayshi polytheists abandoned their feelings of hatred and enmity; they embraced Islam.  

History witnessed such a magnificent spiritual and ideological revolution for the first time.

No Migration after the Conquest

It was on the day when Makkah was conquered.

Abdurrahman b. Safwan brought his father to the presence of the Messenger of God. He said,

“O Messenger of God! My father will pay allegiance to you and promise to migrate.”

The Messenger of God said, “There is no migration after the conquest of Makkah.”

Nevertheless, Abdurrahman wanted his father to benefit from the spiritual reward of being a muhajir. Therefore, he went to Hazrat Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle. He asked Abbas, whom the Prophet loved a lot, to intercede for him.  

Abbas accepted Abdurrahman’s request and said to the Prophet, “O Messenger of God! You know my friendship with that person. His father came to you to pay allegiance by promising to migrate but you did not accept him.”

Makkah, which was the only remaining castle of the Arabian polytheists, had been conquered. Islam gained great strength through it. Therefore, the Prophet decided to end the institution of migration. That is why, he did not answer his uncle, whom he loved a lot positively. He said, “There is no allegiance for migration from now onward.”

The migration that the Messenger of God ended was migration from a Muslim land, where Muslims could practice Islam freely to another Muslim land. That is, it was migration from Makkah and places near Makkah to Madinah when the Prophet was alive.

The Second Sermon of the Prophet

On the second day of the conquest, after the noon prayer, the Messenger of God went up the ladder of the Kaaba, leaned back the Kaaba, praised God and addressed the people as follows:

“O people!

There is no doubt that God rendered Makkah haram and untouchable on the day He created the skies and the earth, the sun and the moon; it will remain haram and untouchable until the Doomsday.

It is not permissible for a person who believes in God and the hereafter to shed blood and to cut trees within the boundaries of the Haram of Makkah. To shed blood in Makkah was not permissible before me and it will not be permissible after me, either.

Those who are listening to me here should convey what I say to those who are not here.

…

From his point onward, the family of a person who is killed will have two choices. They will want either the killer to be executed or blood money to be paid to them.

There is no doubt that the most disrespectful, ferocious and fiercest person toward God Almighty among people is the one that kills a person or kills a person other than his murderer or that kills a person in order to take revenge remaining from the Era of Jahiliyya.  

A person cannot attribute himself to anybody except his father or a relative of his fathers. A child that is born belongs to the owner of the bed.

It is the duty of the plaintiff to bring evidence to prove his claim and it is the duty of the denier to swear an oath.

There is no Jahiliyya treaty in Islam or migration after the conquest.

A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim; all Muslims are brothers. Muslims are like a single hand against their enemies; they act in cooperation.

…

The bloods of Muslims are equal to one another. They try to fulfill their duties; the weakest of them try to fulfill even the most difficult ones.  

Know it very well that a believer, a Muslim cannot be killed for an unbeliever; nor those who have vows among them can be killed for unbelievers living in the land of unbelievers due to their vows.

There is no exchange marriage without dowers in Islam.

A man cannot marry the aunt of his wife while he is married with her.

It is not permissible for a woman to give away the goods of his husband without his permission.

A woman is not allowed to go on a three-day journey or a longer one without being accompanied by one of her mahram men.

Know it very well that a will is not necessary for inheritance. Members of different religion cannot be the inheritors of one another.

The diyah of one finger is ten camels. The diyah of a deep wound under which the bone is seen is five camels.  

No prayer can be performed after the morning prayer until the sun rises. No prayer can be performed after the afternoon prayer until the sun sets.

I prohibit you from fasting on two days: One of them is the day of eid al-adha, the other is the day of eid al-fitr.

I showed you the way that you can understand.”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 58; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 137; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 32, Vol. 2, p. 207-211; Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 63-66. ]

The Duties of Siqaya and Hijaba are left to the Same People

The Messenger of God stated during the Sermon of the Conquest that all of the transactions, tasks and cases of the Era of Jahiliyya except the services of Siqaya and Hijaba had been abolished.

Siqaya, which was the duty of giving water to hajjis, belonged to Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet.

Hijaba, which was the duty of serving the Kaaba, belonged to Uthman b. Talha.

Abbas applied to the Prophet and asked the Prophet to give both duties to him. However, the Messenger of God regarded it appropriate for him to maintain the duty of Siqaya only as he did it before the conquest.

The Messenger of God was holding the key to the Kaaba. Many Muslims were expecting to have this honorable duty. However, the Prophet summoned Uthman b. Tal­ha and recited the following verse: “God doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due; and when ye judge between people that ye judge with justice.” Then he said, “O Uthman! Here is your key. Take it. Today is the day of goodness and keeping promises.”[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 55; Ibn Sayyid, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 178. ]Then, he gave the key to the Kaaba to uthman.

When Uthman b. Talha took the key and started to walk, the Messenger of God said to him, “Did what I once told you not happen?”

Uthman b. Talha remembered the incident and conversation between him and the Messenger of God and confirmed him:

“Yes, I witness that you are definitely the Messenger of God.”[ Ibn Qayyim, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 184 ]

The incident and the conversation that the Prophet wanted to remind had taken place as follows:

It was before the Migration. Uthman b. Talha had not become a Muslim yet. Once the Prophet wanted to enter the Kaaba but Uthman b. Talha prevented him. Let alone preventing, Talha treated the Prophet rudely and unpleasantly. The Messenger of God did not get furious; as if he had seen the victory of Islam in the future, he calmly and leniently said, “O Uthman! One day will come, I hope you will find me having this key and the power of being able to give it to anybody I wish.” Uthman b. Talha said, “It means the Quraysh will have been eliminated then.” The Prophet said, “No, O Uthman! The Quraysh will attain the real power and honor then.”[ Ibn Sayyid, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 178. ]

Makkans Pay Allegiance to the Prophet

After declaring a general amnesty, the Messenger of God went up the Safa Hill and accepted the allegiance of the Qurayshis. Many years ago, he had declared his prophethood there but he was rejected then. Now, he was accepting the allegiance to Islam from the same people on the same hill.

The allegiance of men to Islam and jihad witnessing that there was no god but Allah and that Muhammad (pbuh) was His Messenger was followed by the allegiance of women.

The Allegiance of Women

The women also paid allegiance to the Prophet by promising not to associate any partners with God, not to steal, not to kill their daughters, not to fornicate and to protect their chastity.”[ Nasafi, Tafsir, Vol. 4, p. 250. ]

Among the leaders of the women who paid allegiance were famous women like Um­muhan, Hazrat Ali’s daughter, Umm Habiba, As b. Umayy’s daughter, Attab Ibn Asid’s aunts, Arwa, Abu As’ daughter Atika, Harith b. Hisham’s daughter and Abu Jahl’s son Ikrima’s wife Um­m Ha­kim and Khalid b. Walid’s sister Fatima. Hind, Abu Sufyan’s wife, about whom the Messenger of God said, “Kill her wherever you see her”, was also among them. She disguised herself and joined the women so that she would not be recognized. She regretted what she had done against the Prophet and Muslims in the past. Despite what she had done, the Messenger of God forgave Hind, who had become a Muslim, and accepted her allegiance.  

Abu Quhafa Becomes a Muslim

A person who attains happiness wants his beloved ones to share the same happiness. This feeling is inherent in man.

Hazrat Abu Bakr attained this happiness by being a Muslim. However, his father Abu Quhafa was deprived of this happiness. His son wanted his father to share the same peace and happiness with him. Therefore, he held his father’s hand and took him to the Prophet.

The respectable Prophet, who had expressed perfection of his ethics by saying “My Lord taught me good manners. That is why I have the best manners!”, became very sorry when he saw that Abu Bakr brought his old father to his presence. He showed his kindness and modesty by saying, “It would have been better if you had not brought him here; we would have visited him in his house.”

Hazrat Abu Bakr, who was educated by the Prophet, who was educated by divine manners, said, “O Messenger of God! It is more appropriate for him to visit you than your visiting him.”

After this short conversation, the Messenger of God put his blessed hands on the chest of Abu Quhafa and wiped his chest. Then, he said, “O Abu Quahafa! Become a Muslim.”

Abu Quahafa, who was addressed like that, became a Muslim at once and made his son happy.[ Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 48; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 5, p. 451. ]

Those who had been Ordered to be Killed Become Muslims

When Utba bint Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, one of the fiercest enemies of Islam was forgiven, those who had been ordered to be killed wherever they were seen started to become hopeful. They also became Muslims and were forgiven by the Messenger of God. Among those people were  Ikrima b. Abi Jahl, Abdullah b. Abi Sarh (he had converted from Islam), Safwan b. Umayya, Suhayl b. Amr, Wahshi, who had murdered Hazrat Hamza, Abdullah b. Zabari, the poet, Harith b. Hisham and Anas b. Zunaym.

Is it possible to see another person who treated his most ferocious enemies so kindly, who showed mercy on them, forgave them, opened his heart to them and accepted them to his rank in the world history?

The Bedouin Shakes

Makkah had been conquered.

Faces and hearts were joyful. There was an exceptional atmosphere of festival in the city.

Meanwhile, a Bedouin approached the Prophet. He was shaking and shivering because of the nervousness and fear of being in the presence of a prophet.

When the Messenger of God noticed the situation, he said, “What are you doing? Come to your senses! I am not a king; I am the son of a Qurayshi woman who lived on dried pieces of meat under the sun.”[Ibn Kathir, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 556; Halabi, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 43; Qadi Iyad, ash-Shifa, Vol. 1, p. 266.]

With those words, the Prophet set a unique example of modesty. When he was left free to choose between becoming a prophet who is a king and a prophet who is a servant, he chose to be a prophet who is a servant.

Modesty was always prevalent in his heart.

When the Bedouin heard those words from the Messenger of God, he felt relieved and stopped shaking.

An Example of Justice

Makkah had been conquered but the Messenger of God had not left this holy land yet.  

A woman from Sons of Mahzum called Fatima bint Aswad committed theft. She was a respectable, noble woman and the Qurayshis respected her.  

The Prophet was informed about the situation. They knew that the hand of a person who stole would be cut off. However, they were thinking about it and asking one another, “How could the hand of a woman of high rank be cut off?”

The family of Fatima was looking for a gleam of hope to save Fatima’s hand. They wanted someone to go to the Prophet and be an intercessor. However, nobody dared it.

Eventually, Usama b. Zayd undertook this duty. Usama was loved by the Prophet a lot. He probably accepted to talk to the Prophet about the issue by trusting his love.  

When Usama asked the Messenger of God to forgive the woman, the color of the face of the Messenger of God changed and he said,

“Are you talking to me about forgiving a penalty that God imposed in order to stop bad deeds?”

Usama felt sorry and said, “O Messenger of God! Ask God to forgive me for this behavior of mine.”

After teaching Usama a lesson, the Messenger of God stood up in the evening, praised God and addressed the people around as follows:

“Those before you were destroyed because of the following attitudes:

When a person of high status stole, they let him go, and when a person of low status stole, they enforced the sentence on to him.

I swear by God, in whose hand is the existence of Muhammad, if Fatima, Muhammad’s daughter, stole, I would cut her hand off”:

Then, he ordered the hand of the woman be cut off. The hand of the woman was cut off.

The woman repented and then got married. She often visited Hazrat Aisha after that.[ Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 65; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 5, p. 114. ]

With this attitude, the Prophet set a unique example of justice, which is indispensable for the continuation of a nation.

The Places around Makkah are Cleaned of Idols

After cleaning the Kaaba and Makkah from the idols, the Prophet wanted to eliminate the idols around the city.

He sent Khalid b. Walid with a group of thirty people to demolish the idol Uzza, which was in Nahla. Upon this order, Khalid demolished Uzza, which was regarded as the greatest idol among the Qurayshis.[ ]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 145.]

The Prophet sent Sa’d b. Zayd al-Ashhal in order to demolish Manat, the idol on the mount of Mushallal. It was the idol of Aws and Khazraj tribes. Upon the order of the Prophet Sa’d b. Zayd went there with the Muslims near him, demolished Manat and returned.

Another famous idol of the polytheists was Suwa. It was in a place about three miles away from Makkah. The Messenger of God sent Amr b. As to demolish that idol, which was the idol of the Sons of Kinana, Huzays and Muzaynas. Amr fulfilled his duty and returned to Makkah.[ ]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 146. ]

With the conquest of Makkah, both the inside of Makkah and the places around it were cleaned of idols; the hearts of the Qurayshis were also cleaned of polytheism and became spotless with the light of oneness.

[darthwheezely]

grande - g.w.

Summary: George meets a mighty adorable barista in the new cafe on Diagon Alley and the man just can’t help himself... based off the song Coffee Girl by Johnny Socko! Sorry this took me absolute ages (9 days oops) to get out, guys :/

Warnings: DIABETIC FLUFF STUPID AMOUNTS OF CARDIAC ARREST INDUCING FLUFF UWU,mentions of sexism, Fred being Fred, cussing probably, alludes to sex, PG/PG-13

taglist or people that might like this but idk: @theweasleyslut @kitwalker02 @loony-loopy-lupinn @wand3ringr0s3 @gcdric @thehufflepuffwife @monoscandal @lupinsclassroom @whiz-bangs78 @vogueweasley @rogueweasleys @band--psycho @lumosandnoxwriting @oh-for-merlins-sake @amxrtentias @virgohufflepuff @vivianweasley

George Weasley didn’t sleep. This had long been the habit of his ever since he and his parents had discovered that his elder twin Fred had been an avid sleepwalker by age 4, then became a (minor) party animal in his Hogwarts days, and finally when he became the co-owner of one of the Wizard World’s most successful entrepreneurs and business owners.

The man hadn’t slept in about 18 years give or take. And days like this reminded him of it constantly.

It was a Saturday, the first of the month, and to boot, it was about to be Christmas in a little over a week. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes was packed with everyone from couples window shopping, children in desperate need of fun now that school was out, parents trying to keep them in line, and even some old lady named Ethel (who swore she was part Veela, and therefore Fred couldn’t “escape her girlish charm.”)

“Ethel, you have an absolutely ravishing day, and don’t even worry about that moisturizer it’d be a waste of product on a natural beauty like you” Fred winked and kissed the old lady’s hand, George watching from the top of the steps rolling his eyes.

“Oh, Freddie, you know how to keep a lady young, don’t you? Oh - goodbye, Georgie! Have a good rest of your day boys!” She waved majestically to the younger twin on the stairs and he bowed royally in response.

“Bye, Ethel!” They both called as she exited the building, the bells flurrying in her wake.

“Georgie, mate, hate to say it but you are being uncharacteristically quiet and it’s making me uncharacteristically uncomfortable.” Fred said bounding up the stairs to meet him, chuckling briefly.

“Freddie, mate, hate to say it but I’ve had absolutely no sleep as of late and it’s getting to me. But I’ll be back up to my usual antics in no time.” He padded down the stairs, winking at a couple young ladies ogling him, sending them into a fit of giggles. Fred sat down on the middle step eyeing his brother carefully. It didn’t take a genius to see George wasn’t holding on much longer, the dark circles littering his eyes and the way he mussed up his already purposely messy hair just...didn’t comfort his older twin at all.

“George.” Fred sighed, George looking back at him, confused. He took his hands away from the merchandise Wonder Witch he’d been rearranging and gave him full attention.

“Take your lunch break early. And longer if possible.”

“Pffft, why would I do that when I have women to woo and boxes to juggle?”

“George.”

“Fred.”

“Stop, I mean it. You look half dead as it is, just go take a nap or get an espresso from the cafe down the aisle or something that reinforces the idea that yes, you are a human being and no, not a zombie.” Fred crossed his arms feeling suddenly a lot like Molly and dropped the cross. George pretended to ponder this tapping his chin, rather finding the mature brother role reversal funny as hell.

“Oh, alright, but can I still be a zombie when I get back?”

Fred hit him with a folder and sent him on his way.

-•-•-

You had just finished the lunch rush, finally being able to calm down and not have to worry about making one more goddamn Butterbeer Latte for at least another 20 or so minutes...until there’d be another rush. You grabbed a lemon scone, took off your apron and sat against the back counter. You inhaled the citrus scent, it was always something that you loved to savor, and took a bite.

The holidays for the Merlin’s Mochas, the cafe, had been absolutely atrocious so far. All you had for customers were angry businessmen, bratty kids and their upper class parents who let them run around the already small place being rude to everyone, your boss Lionel who had an affinity for calling every woman who worked there a “bitch” (...ok lionel) and to top it all off: you’d been pulling 9 hour days every day except sundays. Needless to say: you kind of super hated your job.

You had just finished your scone when you heard the door chime signal a customer, immediately wiping your hands on your jeans and restrapping your apron.

“Hi how can I-“ oh Jesus this is the hottest man I have ever seen. He was easily no older than 23, fiery red hair, a perfectly tailored striped terracotta suit, green tie, and the most gorgeous doe brown eyes you’d ever seen.

“How can you...?”

“Help you, ohmygod, I am so sorry I’m super-“

“Tired? Yeah me too...interesting how similar we are this early in the game hmm?” He winked at you and your knees felt too weak. No he was just a stupid hot customer that also was really hot and also? Was super hot. No worries, Y/N, just don’t die by 22 okay thanks.

“Very funny...wait are you-“ your finger led from him to the statue outside Wizard Wheezes, realizing a simple oh shit

“Yeah, that would be me. Or my twin Fred but we never really decided, that’s why he kind of looks like both of us mixed. Although we’re twins so we basically look the same anyway. I mean because were identical. Twins, yeah.” George, what the fuck is wrong with you, why are you sweating? She’s just a simply beautiful girl in a simply maddeningly purple coffee shop can you please breathe and not make yourself look stupid-

“Oh, wow! I’ve never met a twin before - not like twins are anomalies or anything it’s just so crazy. Science. Science is crazy” You closed your eyes and took a breath

“We should probably start over shouldn’t we?” You wrinkled your nose.

“That sounds much more redeeming than anything we both were about to say” George breathed out laughing softly, rubbing his hand through his hair.

“I’m George. Weasley. Like I said, I work at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the shop over there, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place before...or you for that matter, I never forget a beautiful young woman.” He said smoothly, his heart steadily subsiding - something about you had the power to not only make him scared out of his mind, but also totally at ease.

You returned the smile, warmly, the blood rushing to your cheeks at his compliment and sticking your tongue to your teeth. “Well, George Weasley, of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes I’m Y/N Y/L/N. And yeah, we’re new around here,” you leaned further onto the counter, realizing, albeit a moment too late that your eye level was directly with his abs now, and although he was wearing a suit...you could definitely tell they were there.

“We erm, just opened three months ago. It’s honestly a bit of a time to work here.”

“Oh and why is that?”

“Well, nothing like a blatant sexist to run an entirely female employed establishment and weird stuffy rich people.” Your eyes widened suddenly, and you felt like you had said far too much far too soon. But he gasp-laughed - laugh that ended as soon as it began and burst into a smile...like you had shared a secret with him.

“What the hell is he doing here then? Got a boy’s club to run in a purple coffee shop?”

“I mean you never really know these days, George, imposters are among us at every moment” you purred and pushed off the counter, meaning it as a joke but George’s heart screamed when he heard your name. As you moved to the other edge of the counter, he followed you.

“What a resourceful and cruel young woman, I am starting to like you, Miss Y/L/N.” He clucked. “And do you think of me like you think of Mr. I-Hate-Women-That’s-Why-I-Hire-Them?” He got inches from your face, smelling the coffee beans and vanilla extract that riddled your skin.

“Hmm...Mr. Weasley, I’m not so sure.” You coyly stepped away from him and took long strides to the far end of the coffee bar by the wall. George immediately felt a pit of flirtatious butterflies and (arousal?) something more in his stomach, jaw dropped, he followed you again. He pressed his hands to the counter in front of you.

“Well, how can I convince you?” He asked rather quickly.

“Hmm...” you leaned forward like he did before and his breath hitched in his throat “...let’s get you a cuppa first.”

-•-

“Wait, okay let me get this straight-“

“Yes?”

“You have 6 other siblings.”

“Yes.”

“...because your mom wanted a girl?”

“That-that would in fact be true, yes.”

You thought for a moment.

“So you’re telling me after she made it through you two-“

“-she still wanted to have more of us, believe me, it races through my mind daily.” He nodded vehemently laughing with you. You two had taken to the empty cafe at a table nestled in the corner, him sitting in a chair across from you on a bench. You had both been cracking each other up with stories from your childhoods, like how you both had managed to never know of the other’s existence until now.

He’d discovered that you had transferred from Hogwarts to Beauxbatons early on in your fourth year. You, a Hufflepuff, loved the quiet and soft landscape of the French school. You both had absolutely no idea the other existed. How? The world may never know.

He was brash. You were careful.

He was already flying when you were just feeling comfortable learning how to walk.

But you sat there with him for the better amount of an hour and a half, laughing and interrupting each other with memories of the school years you had, some weird and strange, and especially during fourth year, hard for George to talk about.

Ginny, his baby sister, had almost died. And as he said to you in a candid and highly vulnerable state: he blamed himself for almost letting her go to this day.

“I...I really do believe it was my fault.”

“George, it couldn’t have been your fault. Hogwarts is a big freaking death trap - you and I both know that,” you had said with an exasperated laugh, eager to make him feel better in any facet.

“Yeah, but...I’m her big brother. Yes, she has five other older brothers but...we were supposed to protect her.” He swallowed and blinked back tears. “It was her first year, for Christ’s sake, and I paid about as much attention to her as a doorknob would.” He had rolled his jaw and taken a gulp of his gingerbread latte (you had said it was your favorite, and he was loathe to try anything else) and you had softly draped your hand on top of his.

“If she’s as kind and loving and funny as you, I’d love to meet her.” You quipped, a small smile growing on your face in effort to soothe. He had smiled back at you, turning your hand over in his and drawing his digits lazily over your palm.

“Funny, because I was thinking the same thing.”

-•-

He had told you to close your eyes, that much had been true.

See, his coffee had started to get cold. So, like if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll have to have some milk-

If you give a George a latte he will have to not only have another one, but also feel the strenuous need to show off for you and take you to his place of work. Naturally. And it was so lucky that by the time he’d proposed you leave, he even helped you clean and lock up afterwards.

Truthfully, it almost scared you how much he had seemed to care.

“Alright, Y/N, darling, I’m going to release my hands on the count of three, yeah?”

“Perfect, Georgie” you giggled. You’d legitimately only knew him for so long, but you just...you trusted him. He grinned widely, his strong hands only applying a slight amount of pressure as not to hurt you.

“Alright, then. 1. 2-“ he took his hands off your eyes and watched you adjust not only to light, but to your surroundings as well.

“3.” He breathed out taking in the way you smiled like a teenager, face alight with pure inundating wonder. You squealed and started to run around the store.

“Look at these! Pygmy Puffs - ugh they’re so adorable look at this one! Oh, oh - ‘Fizzing Whizbees’ - these look absolutely wicked! And Per- ‘Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder’?” You picked up the glittery stone in your hand, and heard a smooth voice perk up behind you.

“A real money spinner, that one.” You turned around and there was a man that looked absolutely identical to George, although entirely different in the same way.

“Handy if you need to make a quick getaway,” you heard George on the other side of you. He smiled warmly down at you, nodding his head up to look at the twin across from him.

“Y/N, this is my-“

“-older, much more attractive and fiscally responsible brother.” He winked and you blushed almost immediately. “Fred. Weasley.”

“Y/N Y/L/N. Georgie has told me a lot about you and the shop - absolutely marvelous this place is, I cant believe you two created so much in such a short span of time. Brilliant it all is, really!” George had started to flush, rubbing his jaw to seemingly take the red away from his striking face. Fred, upon hearing the genuine warmth from your voice and the unmistakable use of “Georgie” had a small, but highly distinct aha moment:

“Well, we couldn’t have done it all on our own, one of our best friends helped us out a good lot. But thank you, really...it means so much when other people see how much we do and-” he looked directly at George.

“-acknowledge the things we love, right George?”

“Absolutely, Frederick.” Fred had given him the look that seemed to imply: “please, God, make a damn move.”

“Well, Y/N, I’m going to be off and woo some ladies, have a biscuit and do some paperwork” he smiled wide when you giggled, already enjoying your company.

“But I hope to see you again, very soon, yeah? Please stop by whenever you can, we’re alwYs just down the street.”

“Freddie, for your company, I’m not so sure, I’m still deciding.” You quipped. Fred laughed heartily at that and looked at George.

“Georgie, I like this one.” George looked at you and winked.

“Me, too Freddie, me too.” You leaned back on your heels as Fred padded back up the stairs to the flat, now completely alone with George. You threw your arms behind you back and forth and took a long stride to George.

“So...what are you those?” You nodded up to the array of pink bubbles in a clam shape in the corner. He hummed and reached to grab your hand.

“Love potions - c-can I show you?” He raised an eyebrow slightly, but he felt his whole body turn to mush when you accepted his hand and nodded slowly. As he walked with you, you memorized the feeling of his callouses and veins, the way your hand curled deliberately in his.

You wanted to make sure if it was the last time you felt something like that, you had that memory with you for a while.

“Essentially, if you give these to a person they will temporarily have feelings of love and attraction for you. Depending of course on the dosage you use and the weight of the person in question.” He explained. You watched the way his suit jacket pulled taut against his back muscles and instinctively wanted to honestly just take the whole thing off-

“Hmm...I don’t know about these, Georgie.” You hummed mischievously. Your heart was pounding in your chest.

He scoffed placing a dramatic hand over his heart. “Am i being questioned in my own establishment, Miss Y/L/N?”

You rolled your eyes and hit his arm, bowing slightly at him. “Well, do forgive my feminine insolence, Mr. Weasley, it’s not often I meet such bewitching mad scientists like you.” You watched his face grow blank for a moment at your compliment and immediately wanted to throw up.

“George, I’m really sorry, I know we just became friends-“

“Do you mean it?” He took a step towards you. You swallowed finding again his perfect milk chocolate eyes. You nodded.

“Hell yeah I did, you’re smart...and wicked hot” you both laughed at that. He took another step, the distance being unbearably harder to live in as his digits found a piece of hair and wound it behind your ear.

“Well, darling, the feeling is quite mutual.” He said quietly, taking in the whole of your face. He wanted to crash his lips onto every possible nook and crevice of your face, collide with you entirely.

“We’re going to have to do something about that, then, aren’t we?” You gently nudged his nose with yours and wrapped your arms around his neck, his strong and powerful arms pulling you to him gently. He wanted you to feel him not to break under his embrace. He leaned down and brushed his lips up to yours, feeling you whine and let out a minuscule sound.

“Got you making noises for me already and haven’t even kissed you yet, hmm?”

Your eyes fluttered close and one of your legs made it’s way in between his, snapping any chance at loose air between you two out of the way.

“Please, Weasley, pants a bit small for you?”

“Keep talking like that and they might, yeah.” You two laughed softly and with a final look to your lips he closed the last gap.

His mouth was perfect. His lips ghosted over yours one last time before wrapping every part of himself onto your frame, your lips entangled in each other like you’d never be able to taste him again.

But it was loving and slow and sweet. He tasted like gingerbread lattes and pastries and cinnamon and licking into his mouth you could feel the spice. He moaned lightly into your mouth, sending your knees buckling. He dipped you slightly, a hand traveling to your lower back to keep you steady, and his other hand coming up to nestle under the nape of your hair. Your hands caressed his face, his chest, needless to say? You wanted them everywhere. You wanted him everywhere.

The kiss broke and you and George were left breathless in each other’s hold, your foreheads pressed together as he kept you slightly dipped.

“Y/N, I’m feeling a bit tired” he quipped hoarsely, pressing a brief kiss to your lips and onto your neck. You hummed satisfactorily.

“Georgie, you’re gonna need another latte aren’t you?” You set multiple chaste kisses to his lips and cheeks, feeling him rumble with a small giggle. He caught your mouth with his and you moaned slightly.

“I’m gonna need a whole pot, to drink you in, love.”

[dreamingofaizawa]

Powerful Ch. 3

Yakuza! Shouta Aizawa x Fem! Reader

*Mafia AU*

Warnings: Misogyny (not from Shouta), a dagger, kinda fluffy

Word Count: 3k

Author's Note: This took too damn long but here we are. Definitely coming out with another part or two, but the next one is gonna start at a huge timeskip so yeah. That'll be fun.

Anywho, Enjoy~

For Reference, this is the dress I describe in here.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 4

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*

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For your second night with Shouta you find yourself lost in thought, staring out at the stars. The stress from before the meeting never disappeared, only delayed. Now it’s all catching up, and your brain is struggling to sort everything out.

Shouta could be on the receiving end of some very misogynistic and traditional clans’ anger very soon. You’re relieved that your future husband is nothing like them, but the backlash he could be getting just by bringing you to a meeting so soon after the announcement is frightening, not to mention some irrational clans may decide to split off and find a rival Yakuza to adopt them. Even so, that’s probably the worst of the outcomes. It’s unlikely you’ll have to worry about either of your safety, though there is still a small chance.

For the second time Shouta wraps his arms around you, surrounding you with his scent and body heat.

“I hope this won’t become a habit, little one.” He presses his cheek to the side of your head, kissing your temple gently. His presence is calming, helps your overactive brain slow down.

“I just needed space to think.” He hums, the sound reverberating through your body.

“What could you be thinking about so late at night?” You don’t really want to tell him, but you figured it’s better than keeping it all in.

“I just worry about the backlash you’ll be getting after the meeting today. This organization is a traditional one, and women have always been kept away from the violent and criminal side of it for centuries. To suddenly name an onna-oyabun, and a woman that previously held a low rank at that, you’re bound to feel some sort of repercussions.” He squeezes you gently, kisses your temple again.

“That’s what you’re worrying your pretty head about? I’ll be fine, little one. Let’s go to bed.” He’s right, you suppose. There isn’t a lot that can affect him or his position, so there isn’t a lot you need to worry about. You nod, taking your weight off of him to go back to the room. You’re a little surprised when he picks you up again, scoops you off your feet and carries you to bed. He tugs you into him just the same as the night before, and once again you fall asleep to the soft thrum of his heart.

The next morning you’re woken by Shouta again. This time you don’t immediately pull away, instead choosing to bask in his embrace a few moments longer. It feels like you’ve known Shouta for years rather than hours, having seen some of the most intimate and private parts of him, and all you want to do is dig deeper. But of course, there’s time for that later.

“Come on, little one. It’s time to wake up. We’re going to see your parents today, and then we’ve got another meeting to attend.” You hum lightly then push off of him, taking a glance at his handsome face before getting out of bed to prepare for the day. You choose a dress you hadn’t worn in a while, one that felt like it would fit today’s events, a flowing black sundress with a halter neckline. Simple black heels pair nicely with it, as well as a small black clutch purse.

You aren’t anxious about Shouta meeting your parents. They aren’t as traditional as most, ideals and views closer to Shouta’s. All parties involved gave their bows in greeting, even Shouta, and brunch went by without a hitch. It wasn’t the usual cringey romcom scene where the parents ask ‘why do you love our daughter’. In fact, they know that the marriage is strategic. Of course, Shouta had made his thoughts clear, that he intends to ensure the union is enjoyable for the both of you. His honesty made a small smile worm its way onto your face, though you managed to hide it well enough.

Soon you’re on the road again, en route to the second meeting. You aren’t too surprised that Shouta already has two scheduled meetings back-to-back after the gala, he is a busy man after all.

The venue is another restaurant, this one not quite as high-end but just as beautiful, the entire massive building shaped like a circle and a koi pond around the perimeter. A bridge is all that connects the sidewalk with the building. You and Shouta are guided through by a host, and out a back door where another bridge connects to a separate island in the extended pond, the structure enclosed with sheer beige curtains.

Again, conversation abruptly stops when you enter. You’ll have to get used to it, you suppose. You sit, and the meeting begins. The subject is mostly territory disputes, bargaining for territory extensions or swaps with the others, all of them trying to work out strategies that benefit not only themselves but other clans as well. You keep silent throughout, listening carefully and learning, taking information and analyzing it. There must be someone Shouta doesn’t like in the meeting, because when the most important details are worked through, he excuses himself to the restroom once again.

You wonder, briefly, why he’d choose to play the same trick a second time in a row. If he does it too often his plan would become transparent, though one could argue not doing it enough would be just as easy to read. You don’t know how often he excuses himself from these meetings, so you decide to leave it in his hands.

Fortunately for you, it would seem no man here is willing to speak about your presence. It’s been almost ten minutes and none of them has said a word to or about you, choosing instead to discuss territories a bit further. Though you were beginning to question why Shouta hadn’t yet returned. Surely one would get suspicious, and one did, glancing toward the main building. It was then you all shifted your attention to Shouta, who stood at the opposite end of the bridge speaking into his phone. So that’s why he’s taking so long.

And unfortunately, that meant these men were relatively safe.

“So what’s the woman doing here?” It was barely a whisper, but you could hear it even over the sounds of the pond. A glance up shows the blonde to your right had leaned over to the man next to him. He’s much younger than the man from yesterday, maybe in his mid-late twenties, his hair clearly not natural. The one he’d whispered to flicked his gaze up, catching your own, and shouldered the blonde who subsequently looked to you. He cracks a cheeky smile, a poor attempt to cover himself really.

“Ah, Onna-oyabun, it’s good to finally see the Black Dragon’s wife-to-be.” It would seem news travels fast, and the blonde is much less bold than the older man. You crack your own smile, a sickly sweet show of teeth that hid a venomous bite.

“The woman has a name. Please, do not be afraid to use it in discussion. And I will tell you exactly what I told the previous oyabun who questioned my presence. I am here because Shouta wants me to be.” His smile doesn’t falter, but his eye visibly twitches at your response. It’s almost amusing to see his composure slip. It’s less amusing when he glances back to where Shouta is still on the phone.

“With all due respect I’m not afraid, I simply do not feel the need. And my question was not directed at you, but at my associate here.” He loops an arm over the shoulder of the man he’d asked, the dark-haired man wide-eyed and nervous. You aren’t sure how to answer his quip without rising tension, but Shouta made it clear you’re to be commanding a room just as he does, so you choose to strike a nerve and stir the pot. For added effect you let your face drop into a deadpan, tilt your chin up just a hair and glare.

“Most would feel it necessary to use a person’s name or title when discussing anything regarding them, especially in their presence. Therefore I can’t help but feel you may not have any respect for me when you clearly should.” You could see the muscles in his jaw clench as he ground his teeth, his nostrils flaring with his anger. You nearly let a smile crawl onto your face at the satisfaction of knowing you’d angered an asshole like him with only your words.

“Maybe I don’t respect you. What are you going to do about it?” The man still under his arm stiffens, a hand slapping the blonde’s chest, his eyes locked on the entrance to the room. Shouta stands there, but the blonde seems to either not notice or not care. You aren’t given time to answer his rhetorical question.

“Nothing. You can’t do a thing about it, because you hold no power over me.” He’s elbowed this time, the dark-haired man trying harder to get the blonde’s attention off of you and onto the man he should be fearing right about now. To be fair, Shouta stands almost behind the blonde, who sits to your right, so it isn’t hard to believe he doesn’t see him. You just let him dig his own grave.

“And you hold no power over me because you’re a woman. A woman out of her place and on the wrong side of business, let alone holding a rank much lower than mine.” The man beneath the blonde’s arm had given up, choosing to bow his head down and stay silent. It’s Shouta who speaks next.

“I believe it’s you who holds a much lower rank than her.” The blonde’s face goes pale, his shit-eating grin dropping faster than a sinking stone.

“In case you hadn’t heard the news yet I’ve assigned her a title, and I expect you to use it. She may have asked you to use her name, but you should address her as Onna-oyabun any time she is brought up in discussion, regardless of whether or not either of us are present.” He strides up behind you and places a hand on your bare shoulder, just like yesterday. You can’t help but feel his positioning is on purpose, physically placing you in front of him.

“Are you ready to go, little one?” You nod, rising from your seat and taking a small bow signaling your leave. Shouta lets a hand rest on your lower back, guiding you out, but you overhear the same blonde whisper under his breath. You’re definitely not meant to hear it.

“The Dragon can’t always be around to save you, brat.” You both freeze in your tracks, Shouta’s eyes wide and nostrils flaring with anger. Before he can turn to react you lean in and whisper in his ear.

“My turn.” He raises an eyebrow at you, then nods, crossing his amrs and leaning against the beam at the entrance. You pivot, pinning the blonde in place with a glare. If looks could kill, he’d be in a casket. Slowly, you begin a steady pace around the table.

“I do not rely on Shouta to help me in these situations. In fact, I could just as easily take a piece of your tongue myself.” You’re on the opposite side of the table now, still taking long, slow strides and glaring down at the man.

“But it is so glaringly obvious that you lack the same level of intelligence I hold, and therefore I would feel guilty to rob you of a muscle that you clearly haven’t learned to use properly,” you stop, standing stock still behind the blonde, “However.” In one swift movement your dagger is stuck in the wooden table directly in front of the blonde, your manicured fingers curled around the handle delicately.

“Should I hear another demeaning or degrading word out of your mouth, I will not hesitate to stain my fingers with your blood.” He doesn’t seem to be reacting at all, whether he’s afraid or not you can’t tell, but you don’t let that affect your performance. You lean in, your lips nearly grazing the shell of his ear.

“You probably wouldn’t even get to taste my blade, but I don’t mind taking my time if you want to savor the tang of steel.” You yank the blade from the wood and sheath it, straightening your posture.

“Had Shouta chosen another woman for his wife you may have been able to actually hurt her feelings with your childish words.” You turn, striding back to where Shouta holds his hand for you to take.

“Unluckily for you, I’m just as volatile as my other half. Be grateful that either of us are merciful. You get to keep your tongue. For now.” It’s cathartic, letting out your anger like that. It’s unlikely that the threat will get you any sort of respect, but fear works just as well in your favor. Respect is something hard to find and even harder earned as a woman in a man’s world, but fear works better against an enemy that dreads change. You can’t help but smirk as you walk away from the chaos you left behind, and as you glance up you see the faintest smirk worming its way onto Shouta’s face.

____

His chest swells with something akin to pride as he waltzes away from the restaurant. He was wrong to assume you were averse to violence, had taken your level-headedness and cool temperament to mean you are not a violent individual. To assume you were either incapable of violence or unable to handle the intensity was obviously a mistake on his part. Watching the blonde freeze up and pale under your hard gaze was extremely satisfying, and he had to admit seeing such controlled rage and sharp words pour from you was enjoyable and, among other things, wildly attractive.

Shouta thinks he should let you handle these situations more often, let you have your fun, maybe even plot to have you purposely go just a little too far and have him reel you back in. Maybe then people may start to understand that you aren’t to be treated lightly, you aren’t just a means to an end, just a glorified housewife. No, you’re much more than that and if it takes bloodied words and bloodier actions to get it through some thick skulls, well, he’s sure you know he’s willing to go there and farther.

But for now, he’d settle with the occasional threat of taking a body part.

____

Once again you stare out at the stars, thinking about the day’s events. You’re almost bouncing on your feet, adrenaline still flowing through your veins. You feel light now, knowing you can take control of an escalating situation. Whether or not you can do it all on your own isn’t a real question. Of course you could do it without Shouta present. His existence alone is enough to ward off any violence directed at you. But it’s your own actions that determine how people will perceive you.

You let Shouta control the first meeting incident, mostly because you had no clue what was going on and no information to work from. Now that you know Shouta is listening and that there’s a purpose behind his absence, you can use it to your advantage and weed out the worst of the bad apples. With that information, and confidence that Shouta will not reprimand you--but will in fact support you--for getting mouthy with said bad apples, you could let loose some of the rage that made your blood boil. It’s freeing, taking entitled men off their precious pedestals and knocking them down a bit.

Shouta wraps his arms around you for the third time, burying his face in your neck and breathing in your scent. He kisses you lightly, feather light presses of his lips against your skin. It really does feel good, being so close to someone.

“I thought this wasn’t becoming a habit.” You sigh and lean into him.

“I’m not quite tired. Honestly I’m thinking about today. I’m still on an adrenaline high just replaying it in my head, the thrill, being able to finally get a word in.” He chuckles, squeezing you a bit tighter to him.

“I’m going to assume you’d never really been allowed to do that sort of thing before.” You nod, a small smile curling your lips. Up until now you lacked any sort of standing or power, and the rush is amazing, for lack of better words. Shouta hums then nips at the shell of your ear, his voice sultry and deep.

“Well if you’re looking to burn energy I think I could help you with that.” Your breath hitches, not prepared for such a suggestion. For a second you believe it, believe he’s really suggesting what you think he is, but you can feel his hands moving and before you can react he’s digging his fingers into your sides, making you giggle uncontrollably.

He’s laughing with you, enjoying watching you try to squirm from his grasp. He releases you, and you run over to the bedroom and duck under the blanket in an attempt to hide, but he only laughs.

“You silly girl, now you’re trapped!” He finds your waist through the thick blanket and doesn’t relent until you’re gasping for air and crying for mercy. He stops, finally, and pulls the blanket off your head. Your face is flushed, your hair splayed wild over the sheets and your chest heaving for oxygen. For a moment his mind drifts to dirtier thoughts of a similar expression he’d like to see. He pushes those thoughts away as you beam up at him, your smile reminding him of sunshine. Rough fingers brush away the hair that had fallen over your face.

“Are you ready to try sleeping now, little one?” You lean your head into his hand, nuzzling your cheek into his palm. The way he’s gazing down at you now, you know you’d never felt so adored in your life.

“Let’s sleep.” He lies down and you get comfortable on top of him, resting your head in the crook of his neck and wrapping your leg around his waist. His arms lock around you, holding you in place and he kisses the top of your head.