#i haven't read the book cover to cover -- read some bits and skimmed others

[distantdarlings]

RECIPROCATION // e. berkshire

RATING: R / 3.7K WORDS

Enzo Berkshire x Reader Insert (No gender-specific details)

+ SUMMARY - *Requested (based on this)* Enzo Berkshire has a tendency to flirt with you. You reciprocate the flirtation, thinking that he genuinely may like you, but that hope is screwed up when he seems to be flirting with another person.

+ WARNINGS - Language, kissing, nothing else really, not fully proof-read (Fluff, Romance)

+ MUSIC (listened to while writing) -

As Long As You Love Me - Sleeping At Last

(Note: I am very sorry for the sudden delay in all of my writing. To be quite honest, I started a new job and got into a car crash this week and haven't been writing at all. Please accept this request, and I will have pt. 5 of By the Fireplace out ASAP)

---

“Hey, darling, wait up!” 

The voice came from behind you. You pivoted on your heels, stopping right in your tracks on your way to Defense Against Dark Arts, and glanced around. Your eyes circled the hallway until they landed on a waving hand attached to a grinning body. A smile spread over your lips as you recognized the voice's owner. Lorenzo Berkshire. Handsome, funny, old-money rich, with a side of infamy due to his frightening family. 

He stopped before you, panting slightly from the jog up to you. His face was a bit flushed, and his lips were parted with a bit of shine spread over them. He looked absolutely breathtaking. You nearly had to steady yourself as he combed his fingers through his hair. 

“Well, hello, Berkshire. Are you on your way to class as well?” You turned back the way you were initially heading and started off, beckoning for him to follow. He gave a slight nod, never dropping his glorious smile. 

“Yeah, I spotted you on my way out of the courtyard and figured I’d walk with you,” he said, “it’d give me a chance to see my favorite person.” Your stomach flushed. Favorite person? You could have fainted.

“Well, I’m glad you wanted to walk with me,” you smiled, clutching your books tightly against your chest. 

Enzo had always been an enormous flirt—specifically toward you. You’d be lying if you said you minded it; after all, the boy was absolutely gorgeous and practically everything you could ever want out of a romantic partner. He oozed radiance and dripped sex. Damn it. Your eyes watched as he jogged ahead of you to grab the door to the classroom, the muscles along his forearm rippling wonderfully. Merlin’s sake, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a Muggle romance novel. 

You flashed him your best smile and slipped through the door, watching as he followed quickly behind you. 

The two of you had been friends for a very long time—almost since first year, to be exact. Halfway through second year, the two of you had been paired together for a project in Potions class, and not only had you succeeded in working together flawlessly, but you’d also grown really close. He had always been a good friend to you, no matter what you needed. He was, quite honestly, more than you deserved. But, on the darker side of things, as he grew older, he grew quite flirty. At every turn, he was tracing you with his eyes or making a quick quip about your eyes or your clothing. It was more than you could handle on some days. Your platonic feelings toward him had very quickly become romantic feelings. 

You selected your usual seat in the classroom and kicked the chair beside you out so Enzo could take his place next to you. You mentally prepared yourself for a whole period of brushing elbows, skimming shoes, and knowingly glancing at each other. Why wouldn’t he just admit he liked you already? There was apparent tension between the two of you—even other people had caught on. So why couldn’t he just admit it? Granted, you could say the same for yourself.

Once the Professor had settled everybody in and started with the lecture, you saw Enzo begin to rummage through his bag slowly, trying not to disturb anyone. One hand held the fabric pocket open while the other selected his class journal and his ink kit. You’d already had your things set out by now, but you figured he was just a little behind, per usual. Not that it was a bad thing. It was sort of endearing. 

Through glances out of the corner of your eye, you saw him flip his journal open, collect a generous amount of ink on the tip of his quill, and begin to write. The soft scratches of the quill’s tip tickled the edges of your ear, sending a line of chills down your arm. There was only a tiny amount of information written on the board so far, so he should have no trouble keeping up. 

After a few minutes of continuous scratching, Enzo’s elbow gently bumped yours. Discreetly, you looked over at him and scrunched your eyebrows in silent question. He gestured with his head to the small folded paper beside me. How odd, you hadn’t even heard him tear it out. You quietly placed your quill into its ink well and slipped the note between your stomach and the desk to conceal the message from the professor. 

Have I mentioned that you are looking absolutely ravishing today? Your jaw nearly dropped. With wide eyes, you looked over at him. A smug smirk was printed on his face as he sent an addicting wink your way. You tried your hardest not to blush, but, of course, you’d failed. Must he always be this…severe? You flipped the note over to the other side and wrote: I think this letter was meant for someone else. Unless you have something to tell me? You passed it back. He wrote quickly.

Of course not, darling. Just that you are the most beautiful person in this room. In attempted controlled laughter, the two of you shouldered the other. You knew he was joking, but still, you quietly slipped the paper into your bag. Something about those words in his handwriting directed to you had you blushing. You both returned to your note-taking for the class. 

A few moments of comfortable silence passed before you noticed Enzo’s shoulder shaking with silent laughter. You looked over briefly, seeing a note in his hands. You thought it may have been the same one the two of you had been communicating on before you remembered that you had put that one in your bag. A closer glance revealed that Enzo’s handwriting was on the paper, as was someone else’s. You didn’t recognize the penmanship. You leaned a bit closer, careful not to disturb him as he read the note. 

Have you considered who you will invite to the winter formal? A question to Enzo. Then, his response. I’ve thought long and well about it, darling. Your heart clenched. You flicked your eyes around the room, trying to guess who had sent the note, and landed on some girl from Hufflepuff giggling to her friend and occasionally casting glances at a smirking Enzo. Her eyes caught yours, and you quickly dropped the contact, returning to your notes. Was Enzo taking one of them to the formal? Because you’d honestly thought…never mind.

Your fingers subconsciously tightened around your quill; so tight, in fact, that your knuckles bled white and the end of its feather creased.

“Woah,” Enzo laughed, “what did that quill ever do to you?” His voice snapped you out of your internal rage. Tendrils of guilt and jealousy spiraled around your throat. 

“Nothing, just tired,” you lied, releasing your death grip on the quill and returning to your work. You ignored him for the rest of class, completely missing the nervous glances he threw you every so often. 

By the end of the lecture, you’d packed your things as quickly as possible and headed out the door, not bothering to wait for Enzo to catch up. Perhaps it was childish, but you really thought he might have had feelings for you. But it seemed that the natural flirtation may just be part of his personality. 

You blew a sigh through your lips and pushed a hand through your hair. Surely, there was an explanation as to why he seemed to prefer you to other students. He never followed those Hufflepuff girls around like he did you. Or did he? Maybe you just hadn’t seen him doing it. You suppressed the urge to let out a groan. Why couldn’t romance and crushes and love be simple?

You headed toward the Great Hall to stock up on a bit of lunch; there was no way in hell you were eating in there today. With your luck, you’d crash right into Enzo and have him demand why you stormed out of class. Not that he’d demand anything. He was always so gentle with you…no, shut up. You weren’t going to think about him anymore today. You need to forget about it and focus on studying for your test in Potions today. 

You were kind of absolutely terrible at the class and needed all the help you could get. More than once, you’d been tempted to write the answers on your hand and briefly turn them invisible with a simple spell, but you weren’t that low. You weren’t going to cheat. Enzo was good at Potions class. He could help—

“Ugh!” You pushed the boy out of your head as you turned into the Great Hall, conjuring a small cloth napkin. It fell into your hand delicately and displayed itself evenly as you began to pack a few things onto it—a bit of cheese, some grapes, a muffin. You smiled to yourself as your stomach rumbled. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were until just now. All of this worrying about He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Jr. (not the noseless one) had your stomach clawing for some sustenance. 

You scooped all of the food together and tied a small knot into the napkin, slipping it into your cloak pocket. One of the goblets you’d gotten from your birthday last year appeared before you, and you poured some pumpkin juice into it. You wouldn’t take one of their goblets because you knew you’d forget to return it. Wandlessly, you sent it back to your dormitory.

You turned and headed toward the grand doors, eyes toward the ground. You whisked across the stone floors, focusing on one thing only: getting back to your dorm without bumping into any…unmentionables. 

A few familiar voices swirled around you as they passed by. You tucked your head even more, realizing it was a few of Enzo’s friends. You were friendly with them and knew they’d say something and draw attention to you if they recognized you. You prayed they wouldn’t notice. 

And just as you had ducked your head once more and pulled the edges of your cloak over your face, you ran straight into a solid wall of Slytherin boy. You grunted from the impact and braced for the fall on your ass when he caught you quickly and steadied you. You didn’t need to look up to know who it is. You’d know his scent anywhere. 

Swallowing your pride, you glanced up and made quick eye contact with Enzo. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern, and his eyes flickered over your face. You figured he was searching for some answer to your behavior earlier. You sighed and shook your head slightly, dropping the eye contact. The fingers from his left hand tightened around your arm, and his right hand tilted your head to return his gaze to yours. Embarrassed, you jerked your head out of his grasp and pushed past him. 

Your legs moved faster than they had in a long while as you practically ran up to your dorm, trying to restrain the tears pooling in your eyes. That was quite literally the most embarrassing thing to have ever happened to you. Whether it was your imagination or not, you’d thought that the people around the two of you had completely silenced themselves and had been watching you. Your cheeks burned in shame. Curse this stupid crush. 

Once you come upon the entrance to the Slytherin common room, you quickly speak the password and swipe a few falling tears from your cheeks. You prayed that no one was seated in the common room lest you fully die of mortification. Surely, Enzo had just been doing that because of his usual flirtatious behavior. Nothing else explains why he would have touched you like that. So gently and easily as he reconnected your eyes. The way he had looked at you as he held you tightly to keep you from falling. His lips had parted with a small exhale that had danced across your cheeks, cool and smelling of sweet mint. His thumb had brushed the surface of your chin, daring you to place your lips on it. Fuck!

You pushed through your dormitory door and pressed your hands to your face. You collapsed onto your bed, a small sob leaving your body. Fuck, you were so ashamed. Everything about Enzo swirled around your brain just as it did every day. Every detail of his face was sharp and gorgeous as if carved by Merlin himself. The curve of his lips, the tilt of his cheekbones, the way his hands seemed to always lay upon you somehow. Whether it was tilting your chin up to force your eyes back to his or pressing a hand along the small of your back to lead you forward, it didn’t matter what he was doing. All of it made the rate of your breath increase substantially. Every piece of him made up the strokes of your dreams. You were absolutely in l—

Your name cut your thoughts off. Enzo slammed through the dormitory door, eyes frantic and wild, darting around the room. When they fell upon you as you lay curled up, pitiful and sobbing, in your bed, he pushed the door shut and sped over to you. He squatted down beside the bed until his eyes were level with yours. You refused to look at him. His eyes never left you. As always, he never backed down, while you did so easily. He was so much better than you. 

His hand slowly raised above your head that was pressed into the mattress. Your eyes watched him as he moved, and as he reached the edge of your skull, he let it hover there. You glanced up at him in question, and his eyebrows raised. You nodded. His hand gently laid against the side of your head, slowly rolling his thumb from the tip of your eyebrow to your hairline. It was soothing, and his hands were soft and warm. You felt safe beneath his large grip.

“What happened?” he whispered, eyes searching yours. “Was it something I did or said? If it was something that I caused, we can talk about it. I promise I’ll fix—”

“It’s not you, En,” you interrupted, your voice crackling beneath the weight of your pathetic tears. You were mortified. “It’s me, I guess I just…I just thought…” The words refused to leave your mouth. Your eyes closed in frustration.

“You thought what? Tell me,” he whispered, scooting his face closer to yours, his thumb never stopping its calming motion. 

“It’s stupid,” you whined.

“No, it’s not,” he replied, “it’s making you upset. I want to fix it…did someone do something to you?” You shook your head. The culprit of your current emotional status was none other than yourself. 

“I wanted you to ask me to the formal,” you winced in embarrassment, “and I got upset that you’re asking that girl in Defense instead…” His eyes widened for a moment, and he said nothing. My God, this was the worst day of your life. Your eyes welled up with tears at the possibility of verbal rejection. “God, I know I sound like a toddler, whining like this, but I really like you, En.”

“You don’t sound like a toddler,” he said. His face moved even closer to yours. You could feel his breath on your face now and count each individual eyelash. His eyelids were half-closed now, an air of intimacy spinning between the two of you. “I like you too…a lot.”

The pitch of his voice pushed a shiver through you. The feeling of acceptance brushed through you quickly, elating your heartbeat. Enzo liked you back? Fuck, Enzo liked you back. Your eyes refused to leave his, now. Your heart pounded in your ears, echoing against the back of your skull. 

“I…” you breathed, your voice trailing off. Could you even get the words out? Your breath shuddered as his hands slid down the top of your head to pinch your chin again. He held you in place, his fingers so warm against your skin. His thumb brushed slowly over your top lip.

“Can I kiss you?” he breathed. Each exhale from his lips painted the edges of your jawline, teasing longing out of you. Enzo wanted to kiss you. You wanted to kiss him so badly. You slowly nodded your head. 

Then his fingers weren’t so easy as he pulled himself roughly to your face. His lips crashed against yours, clacking your teeth together. You gasped into his mouth as he stood and slipped onto the bed over you, never once separating your lips. Your heart felt as though it was going to explode. You weren’t sure if you could handle this feeling. 

Your fingers tightened in his smooth hair, reveling in the feeling of the delicate strands. He sighed against your lips as the motion tugged at his scalp. Every feeling, every touch, every brush of his lips was almost too much for you to accept. Your chest rose heavily at the feeling, your heart thrashing against your rib cage. You were sure if he kept on, with him caressing every inch of the inside of your mouth, you’d faint. 

You jerked away from him, pushing yourself out from under him and against your headboard. 

“I’m sorry. Was that too far?” he immediately spoke. His hair was tousled, his cheeks were flushed, and his lips were swollen. He looked absolutely ethereal. The air entered and left his chest at a rapid pace. His fingers nervously closed around your blanket. 

“No!” you practically screamed. “It wasn’t too far…I thought my chest was going to burst.” You chuckled breathlessly, pressing a shaking hand against your heart. You had dreamed of that feeling for months, and getting to experience it so suddenly had you reeling. Enzo was flawless, and every aspect of his perfect being was pushing your shattered self back together. He was more than just a crush.

“I’m sorry, I’m a bit embarrassed,” you laughed. 

“Me too,” he smiled sheepishly, “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time; I suppose I was a bit too eager.” Fuck, he was perfect. 

“You’ve wanted to kiss me for a long time?” He looked at you as if you were slow. As if his following words were the only possible response that could have come out of his mouth. 

“Of course I have,” he laughed, “have I not been terribly obvious? I thought it was easy to see that I’ve been utterly in love with you for the last year.” Your lips fell apart in shock. 

“You…love me?”

“Yes,” he breathed. His eyes flickered down to your lips once again. Everything in your body urged you to touch him again, to feel his lips on yours, but you wanted more information.

“But, why?” you laughed. 

“Why? Oh, you have no idea. I am in love with you. You are the most perfect person I have ever met—” his hands removed themselves from the blankets to press to either side of your face—“your personality, your humor, your mind, everything about you makes my heart swell. When you look at me, when you walk next to me, when your arms would brush me in class…those small gestures have always been enough to sustain a deep desire to be loved by you.”

“En—”

“If you do not reciprocate those feelings, that is okay. I’m not going to force you to feel anything toward me. The feeling of that kiss was enough, and if you asked me never to speak to you again…it would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I will do it, knowing that I told you my true feelings. The feeling of your lips on mine has renewed me forever.”

“Fuck,” you sobbed. The two of you laughed as tears welled in your eyes. The impact of Enzo’s words had hit you like a train, burrowing deep into the vessels of your heart. You never knew someone could be capable of loving in a way such as that, let alone the recipient of that love being you. And to think that he wasn’t even sure if you loved him back. To think he said all of that, not knowing if he’d ever feel the same thing in return. It was enough for the tears to begin sliding down your cheeks.

“Please don’t cry,” he whispered. His thumbs gently brushed the liquid away from your cheeks. A small smile was plastered on his face, and his eyes were easy and comforting.

“En,” you sobbed, your voice shaking, “of course I love you back. That’s why I was so upset earlier. I’ve loved you for so long. All I think of is you…I have to push you from my thoughts to get anything done.” The two of you laughed quietly.

“I’m that distracting?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow teasingly. You rolled your eyes and nodded, the smile refusing to leave your lips. Your cheeks ached beneath the pull of the grin, but nothing was going to pull it away from you. You were much too happy for that.

He pulled your body against him, cradling your head lovingly against his chest as your arms wrapped around his waist. He smelled sweet and familiar, his heartbeat pushing slightly against your cheek. The feeling of him pressed against you was more than you ever could have hoped for. His strong arms held you tightly in place, warding off anything that could ever get to you. Within Enzo’s hold, you felt like you could survive anything as if his body was energizing you. The love surging through your veins slipped against his, eternally binding them together. You were Enzo’s, and he was yours; that was all you’d ever hoped for. The universe had been particularly kind today. You smiled, your eyes slipping closed. 

“I love you,” he whispered, his lips pressed into your hair. You took a moment to relish in the feeling of having someone say that to you, of having him say that to you. It felt so perfect.

“I love you too, En.”

[sineala]

What do you think of Iron Man Volume 2? The Heroes Reborn stuff

When you asked this, I had not read any of v2 -- for any title -- beyond isolated panels, and I was fully prepared to tell you it was bad.

Then I thought, "No, I haven't actually read v2 properly, and I shouldn't just say that without having read it. I should form my own opinion. And IM v2 is only 13 issues." So I just read it.

It's still bad.

The sad thing is that it's not actually the worst comic I've read. It's bad, but it's only… medium bad? I have definitely read things that are worse than Iron Man v2. That doesn't mean it's in any way good. It's just not The Worst.

(It's The Crossing. The Crossing is worse than IM v2. If you have any other answer to "what is the worst comic book?" then I know that you have not read The Crossing because there is no other possible answer. Nothing is worse than The Crossing. Please do not take this paragraph as some kind of reverse-psychology encouragement to try to read The Crossing. It is so bad. It is bad in a way that no other comic can even approach. You will be sorry. I own it in hardcover.)

Insofar as anything would have been able to improve the IM v2 reading experience, it turns out that reading IM v2 in isolation doesn't do it a lot of favors. I didn't know this before I read any of it, but there are multiple issues that are crossovers with FF, Cap, and Avengers v2 -- and they're the kind of four-part crossover where each part is really in a different book, so it's hard to wing it. I knew that the #13 issues were Wildstorm crossovers, and in the case of IM v2 #13 specifically StormWatch (which I am familiar with in the sense that I've read The Authority so I know who Jenny Sparks is, but I don't know that I ever read the original StormWatch, because it's been a while). Anyway, it turns out that #6 and #12 are also the same kind of four-part crossover, so like a quarter of this comic is already incomprehensible crossovers! Great!

I do actually own the other three v2 series, and I could in fact have read them along with this, but I decided I had suffered enough.

The other thing I didn't realize is that these v2 series don't actually explain how everyone got back to 616. I thought they would! They did not! It turns out this is covered in Heroes Reborn: The Return, which is a separate miniseries taking place after v2 and is not the same thing as Heroes Return (either of them) which is obviously a different thing. Thanks, comics. I did go and skim that to get a general idea of the plot. It's not as bad as v2, possibly because Peter David was doing the writing, and the art is also less bad.

Because, yeah, the IM v2 art is horrendous. The best thing I can say about it is that it's not quite as bad as The Crossing and also that, luckily, IM v2 is not the v2 book Rob Liefeld was drawing, although everyone who was drawing these books appears to have wanted to be Rob Liefeld, in terms of style. But this doesn't mean you are free from horrors like this:

The IM v2 armor design is also bad. I say this as someone who does not normally care about armor in the sense that armor doesn't usually affect whether I like a run, as it does for some Iron Man fans. Is it nice if Tony has aesthetically-pleasing armor? Sure! Who doesn't want to look at nice things? But if a run has good writing, Tony could be wearing a cardboard box and I wouldn't care. In my favorite IM run, he literally lives in a cardboard box and later constructs a superhero outfit out of other superheroes' spare uniform bits!

However, the v2 armor sure got hit with the ugly stick:

So that's not… really helping.

The actual plot was-- I mean, yeah, no, it wasn't great, and it did start out with Tony being terrible and uncaring, and then approximately 50% of it was about the Hulk, who was not the character I'd come here to read about, and there were the aforementioned inexplicable crossovers.

What was left of the plot didn't make much sense, and I'm not sure if any of this was actually explained clearly in the other books, but as far as I can tell what was going on was that all the heroes here were dropped onto Counter-Earth here after fighting Onslaught, and given memories and backstories to suggest that they'd always been here, and a lot of their backstories weren't the same. In Tony's case, he wasn't the original Iron Man; this was Conner O'Reilly (Rebel), one of Tony's friends from college, who died being Iron Man. Tony then ends up being Iron Man but of course Rebel isn't really permanently dead and he comes back to fight Titanium Man with Tony. The series treats this information like you of course already knew it and it already happened, which, since comic books already do this while talking about things that did actually happen in previous comics, makes it even more incomprehensible. I spent like three issues wondering if I was actually supposed to know this character.

(Somehow Rebel shows up again in Fabian Nicieza's Thunderbolts run. IDK how, I haven't read it. I have, like, five T-Bolts books in my TBR pile. I do fully intend to read T-Bolts at some point. It just hasn't happened yet.)

I will say that the one interesting thing about reading IM v2 here was how much of it ended up in the MCU. I wasn't expecting that. I know people always say that about Ults, and I can definitely see where the MCU took some inspiration from Ults, but no one ever says that about v2. And I can see why they would do it, because both Ults and v2 are reimagined versions that are trying to tell a story that sort of evokes the feel of 616 without the reader actually needing to be familiar with decades of comics. Which is, you know, the thing the MCU wanted to do, so it makes sense. I just hadn't realized the MCU had borrowed any of this.

What did the MCU take from IM v2? Probably the most notable aspect is Tony being BFFs with Bruce Banner. Here in the v2 backstory, Tony, Bruce, Reed, Doom, and Hank all went to college together and became friends (or frenemies, in the case of Doom). Everyone on that list other than Bruce already had some kind of connection to Tony in 616. Mostly science friendship. Or, uh, science enmity, in the case of Doom. Bruce actually didn't have any connection to Tony, in 616. The Hulk leaves the Avengers in issue #3 and pretty much does not come back until after comics start getting MCU-ified. I think the Hulk being on Hickman's initial Avengers team and also Bendis' Avengers Assemble is when that started happening. So that's all starting in 2012, for sure.

Bruce does not play well with others in 616; the main team he's ever associated with is the Defenders, whose raison d'être is not playing well with others -- like, Namor's on the Defenders. 616 Tony and 616 Bruce were absolutely not BFFs and Hulk was never a regular Avenger; every so often, when they were building new teams, the Avengers called and asked him if he wanted to come back and he told them to fuck off. Tony's never, like, calling him up for advice. They're not friends. If you are here from MCU fandom, I really want to stress this. They're not friends. If Tony needs a science buddy, he probably calls Reed Richards. And yet, here, in v2, Bruce and Tony are lifelong BFFs! They were roommates in college! Tony cares deeply about him, to the point that half the plot of this series is actually about him trying to help the Hulk! I really wasn't expecting that.

The other thing in IM v2 that might look familiar to you, the MCU fan, is Tony/Pepper. They clearly have some UST all throughout v2 -- which, sure, is a thing they had in 616 -- but here, they actually sleep together, which they had never done in 616 at the time. (This actually happens in Heroes Reborn: The Return #4, if you've read IM v2 and are wondering how you missed it.) The only time Tony and Pepper sleep together in 616 is during World's Most Wanted, an arc that came out in 2009, which was clearly after IM1 and also clearly taking inspiration from IM1 because Tony gets a glowy light in his chest by the end of the arc after that one. So, yeah… it looks like MCU grabbed the canon Tony/Pepper too.

(Over in Cap v2, Steve is actually a robot fucker. He has also slept with robots on regular Earth-616. Come on, MCU! Why are you cowards?)

So, yeah. It's not by any means a great comic, but IM v2 is not the worst comic I have ever read, and it's actually kind of an interesting read from the perspective of seeing what they borrowed for MCU. I'm not saying you should run out and read this right now or anything, though. I personally took a bunch of plot notes while I was reading this just so I would never have to read it again.

Also, please enjoy this page from IM v2 #9 in which Tony brings Thor to Avengers Mansion to show him his hole.

Please note that Tony wishes that he had instead chosen to show his hole to Steve. This is all I am going to say about this.

[svtskneecaps]

literally it's 3am where i live and i'm on mobile but FUCK IT i haven't posted any actual writing in like a YEAR on this blog whose description include the words "I WRITE" and i can't tell if i'm even going anywhere with this so fuck it under the cut is the prospective absolute mess of the first chapter of the flipo family time loop fic. (for clarity, flipo family as in slime, mariana, and juanaflippa) this covers loop 0, aka the relevant parts of canon. words: 1630

parts of it i popped off with and other parts i hate; up to you to identify them. also the italics and other formatting got erased when i copy pasted and i'm re-adding all of it by hand so if i missed a spot, no i didn't. if i missed an accent on a letter in spanish that was a typo, if i missed a ¡ or ¿ that may have been on purpose.

oh and for obvious reasons, content warning for mentions and mild descriptions of child death and child murder. no blood, and most of it is a three word mention; i'd say the brief paragraph beginning "Tilín didn't scream" is most of the reason this warning exists.

Charlie Slimecicle stepped off the train.

He’d been hoping for a bright, sunny day to start their vacation, but was sorely disappointed. The portal had apparently taken them pretty far, since they’d gone from noon to night time. Talk about jetlag. They hadn’t even been on a plane.

“What happened to the other guys?” he wondered aloud as he stepped onto the platform.

“Yeah no clue,” Phil said, scanning the empty station. “Thought they’d meet us here.”

“Guys!” one of the Spanish speakers--Vegetta, he’d said, when they’d all met up at the first station--called, from a lectern at the wall. “There is a book!���

They crowded around as he read the instructions aloud--something about pressure plates, Slime wasn’t paying that close of attention. He was a little more preoccupied with making sure it only felt like his brain was dripping out of his ears. That would be kind of embarrassing.

Which was not to say that he wasn’t enjoying the constant onslaught of people talking over each other using words he may or may not understand. In fact, it was the opposite; he was frankly thriving in the absolute chaos that kicked back up around him as a timer appeared in the wrist communicators they’d been provided along with their tickets.

“Como se dice ‘we are going to die now’?” He giggled, chasing Phil and Fit to one end of the station.

“¡Vamos a morir!” shouted Spiderman, echoed seconds later by the black bear in the collared shirt.

Giddy over the high of attempting to use his high school foreign language for the first time maybe ever, Slime absolutely didn’t contribute much to solving the puzzle, and before long the sound of the timer ticking down was accompanied by a loud buzzing alarm.

“It’s been an honor!” he shrieked at the top of his lungs. “It’s been an honor!”

The bear ran past them again, shouting, “I’m going to die!” in English this time.

“Adiós amigos!” Slime yelled.

The countdown ended.

And then his communicator buzzed, and there was a video playing on the screen, showing a cartoonish yellow duck in front of a blurry beach stock photo. He skimmed it absently--some generic welcoming message and another side quest for them--distracted by Maximus audibly losing his shit laughing across the station.

“Come on, I’m trying to take a vacation, I gotta work now?” Fit complained. “This is ridiculous.”

Slime wanted to jump on that bit, but the message cut off with coordinates marred by static and the noise of the emergency weather alert system and he lost his train of thought completely.

“I got the English book!” Spreen called, holding it with two fingers like it had personally offended him.

“English leader,” Vegetta said, seeming to find that amusing.

“English leader.” Spreen laughed and flicked the book away. Slime stepped back but somehow it still nailed him in the chest.

“Guess I’m reading then,” he said cheerfully.

“In Spanish?” Maximus said.

“Um.”

Vegetta called something, backing across the plaza with the book open in his hands. Phil backed up to the wall.

“Here,” Phil instructed, “we’ll read it here.”

“Okay okay.” He flicked it open. “So we have to get water wheel planks--”

Their peace lasted a grand total of thirty seconds as voices suddenly began shouting, overlapping in chaotic chorus.

“What is that?” Fit demanded.

“Is that coming from the other side?” Phil stared up at the top of the wall.

“This is the thinnest thick wall I’ve ever seen,” Slime said, giddy laughter bubbling out of him again. “Is this thing made out of pencil shavings? If I sneeze on it, is there gonna be a hole?”

“Nevermind, we’ll read it over here.” Phil dragged them away again, but the Spanish speakers were dispersing into the trees.

“Forget the book,” Fit said, “follow them!”

(In the end it was explosives that took the wall down, which in hindsight was a precursor to how a not insignificant portion of time on the island was spent. The first day, however, it was just funny, much like everything else.)

(That was to say, the first first day.)

The communicator had indicated that today there was something special planned, so he made an extra effort to wake up.

“Morning Jaiden!” he called to his upstairs neighbor.

“Hi Charlie!” He could hear her farming through the wall. “Glad you woke up on time!”

“Well you know, you know, El Backflipo couldn’t miss it,” he joked, sifting through his backpack. “Got any spare food? I’ll trade you uno backflipo.”

“I have so much toast, come here and get some, free of charge.”

With a quick backflip and some toast to start the day, he popped open the map.

“There’s a lot of people down the wall,” he noted, their green dots so clustered they formed one. “Wanna check it out?”

“Yeah sure.” Jaiden tossed some seeds into a chest. “Do you know what this event’s gonna be?”

“I have no idea,” he admitted cheerfully.

She laughed. “Yeah, me neither. I guess there’s an egg involved, but that’s all I know.”

He dug around in his backpack for a paraglider, nodding along. “Yeah, yeah, un huevo, I get you.” Shuffling the landmine from Vegetta to one side, he yanked out his glider and threw himself out her window. “Let’s go!”

(nothing like getting struck by lightning to wake a guy up in the morning)

Slime fiddled with the communicator as he waited for the line of people to get through the ticket machine; he already had his own, a nice B for Backflipo. The new live translations still boggled his mind. He had to fight the urge to chant weird shit under his breath, just to see what the bubbles would say.

He paid a little extra attention when Mariana walked up to the machine. That guy seemed cool. They’d done that pequeño dormir together on day one, and he had a good sense of humor. Egg parenting would probably be funny.

He was thrilled to see the B for Backflipo on the ticket Mariana stepped away with, even if Mariana was decidedly less so. This was gonna be good.

(it was, and it wasn’t)

So, Mariana wasn’t exactly the coparent of dreams. Then again, Slime was pretty sure Mariana could say the same about him. In fact he was pretty sure Mariana had said the same, but in Spanish, when he wasn’t checking the translation.

It was great. They thought they’d killed a child immediately and then decided to fake their own child’s death to get away with it, and then confessed their sins to a bilingual angel and built a farm and then he buried himself beneath an improvised cross and went into a coma until his sins were forgiven, or something, except his sins weren’t forgiven in time to save his own child’s life.

And then Juanaflippa was dead. Dead at Mariana’s hand.

His bitch wife killed their daughter.

(Everything went faster, after that.)

Slime wanted to kill him.

Slime wanted to kill him for killing their fucking daughter, but of course, Mariana couldn’t even be bothered to be around to take care of her alive, never mind to pay for his crimes when she died by his hand!

(in a better world, his rage started and ended there. in a better world, the anger fizzled out with the lack of a target.

this was not that world)

There couldn’t be an Egg Event with no eggs.

If he killed them all, it would bring her back.

(in a worse world, he succeeded. in a worse world, the Egg Event ended there.

this was not that world)

They held a trial.

If he won, it would bring her back.

(in another world, he didn’t convince them. in another world, they left his daughter in Hell.

this was not that world)

Tilín was still before she hit the ground.

Tilín didn’t scream. Maybe they didn’t have time. It happened so fast. He was sure it happened fast. Almost too fast. But everything went so fast, now, even though Flippa was back. Yet, time slowed down for this, like a rubberneck driving past a highway accident, watching him desperately trying to shock their heart back into motion.

“YOU KILL MY BEST FRIENDS,” Flippa wrote. He begged her to understand. She wrote, “i can’t believe it.”

She wrote, “I HATE YOU.”

(in a better world, the error would have been caught in April instead of July.

this was not that world)

His daughter fell to his bitch wife’s sword. The same way. The next day.

They’d only just gotten her back. And Mariana killed her again.

He only left eggxile for the funeral. She wouldn’t stay dead, but he had to be there.

Time went even faster after that. He was Gegg, or maybe Gegg was him, or maybe Gegg was Gegg, or maybe. . . ?

He went back to eggxile.

He wasn’t leaving without them. Tilín. Juanaflippa. He would do whatever was necessary. He would pray to any higher power. Lil J still owed him a goddamn favor, but the guy wouldn’t pick up his calls. Maybe if he put more shit in the shrine; angels liked shiny shit, didn’t they? He went back to the mine, where the gasses swirled in his head. He built the shrine. He mined. He built the shrine.

He went back to the mine.

He went back to the mine.

He went back to the mine.

“This is where I sit, this is where my bitch wife sits, and this is where my daughter sits, if I had one!”

He’d said that before. No he hadn’t. Yes he had.

No, he just needed to clear his head.

Charlie Slimecicle went back to the mine.

Charlie Slimecicle stepped off the train.

[dandelion-daisys]

American Girl is absolutely the reason that I am so interested in the history of the home and everyday people. It was the gateway for me towards experimental archaeology! Enough so that I wanna offer up some book recs to others who enjoy this, and I'd love to hear some in return.

If walls could talk: a history of the home by Lucy Worsley.

I really recommend this book! An easy and intriguing read for those who don't know much about history. It goes room by room. Want to know about the history of the bed? Masturbation? Breastfeeding? Sexually transmitted infections? Praying before sleep? Those are all in the bedroom chapter alone. Covers the late medieval ages to around the mid 20th century for England (much of the info is general for western Europe as a whole too.)

There's also a docuseries by her that contains much of the same information. They each contain slightly different notes, so I'd recommend both reading and watching it.

Wild Nights by Benjamin Reiss

Honestly I haven't read all of this yet, but still a high recc. Easy to read, and you can learn more about 'first and second sleep' that people used to take in Europe (and still do around much of the world). Focuses on Europe and America, but covers other cultures and areas as well.

Fabricating Women: the seamstresses of old regime France, 1675-1791. By Clare Haru Crowston

A delightfully specific read! I found it fascinating. Covers Parisian seamstresses and the guild they created. Highly recommend if you love fashion history or the history of working women.

Bachelors of a different sort by John Potvin

Pretty good, overall. I'd say this is definitely more of a 'borrow from the library' book than a 'buy it' book. Discusses queer men in the 1890s to 1940s-ish, with a focus on England. Covers Cecil Beaton, Cedric Morris, Arthur Lett-Haines, Edward Perry Warren, and the Lewes House. Focuses the connection between queer men and interior design. Not a super easy read like the other couple of books, but not difficult either.

Centuries of Childhood by Philippe Ariès (originally in french, I have the Robert Baldick translation)

From the 1960s, so the writing style is very "upper class" if you know what I mean. Still pretty easy to read, though. I haven't actually read this yet, just skimmed it, but it has some of that classic mid century racism though. I'd still recommend you at least flip through it at a library and check it out. Focuses on France.

A history of everyday things in England 1066-1799 by Marjorie and C.H.B. Quennell

Can be a bit of a slog, but has greatly in depth information. Published in the early 1930s, so uh... yeah it literally mentions the word "negress" in a brief mention of Uncle Tom's Cabin, some outdated language like that. But I'd still recommend for the depth! It goes into not just cutlery, but into the use of spoons and knives and forks and fingers at tables over time. It discusses children's games and how they were played.

The Pastons and their England by H.S. Bennett

I really liked this one. The Pastons were a Tudor-era family of the Norfolk gentry who we know by their letters. It's a good look into the various dealings of a single family, so you can get a really rounded look at what Tudor life was like for some people.

One of the cool things about the American Girl books is how they focus on the domestic side of history. Other books set during wartimes might have done plots like, "Felicity helps George Washington" or "Molly tracks down a German spy". But this series stays grounded in the daily life that was still going on amid all these big events. It focuses on the things that kids can relate to in daily life--school and holidays and birthdays--which helps sell the idea that people have always been people, even while history was happening around them.

It also has a uniquely feminine view of history--which shouldn't be a surprise in a series called American Girl, but I want to appreciate how the books, for the most part, engage with female life in those eras on their own terms. The history sections at the back might mention that girls had a harder time getting an education or had certain restrictions, but within the stories themselves, the girls aren't sitting around complaining about it. They're not lamenting how terrible it is that they don't live in our modern times, which so much historical fiction can do. They're just living their lives and even finding fulfillment. Felicity doesn't get the same education as the boys, but the skills she learns are useful in her society and she likes her lessons. Samantha gets to learn from all Cornelia's suffragette leanings, but she still wears bows and ruffles and frilly dresses instead of, like, insisting that girls should wear trousers. It presents a clear-eyed view of history that teaches kids about these eras without imposing too much of a modern, judgemental lens upon it. And that makes these books a surprisingly good intro to American history.

[nostalgebraist]

“The AI Does Not Hate You,” Tom Chivers’ book about LessWrong rationalism, is very different from other general-audience writing about the topic.

For one thing, it’s unabashedly and near-uniformly positive in its assessments (insofar as it makes assessments at all), which is quite a contrast with stuff like NAB and Sam Frank’s Harper’s article.  More fundamentally, though, it isn’t in the business of assessment or interpretation the way those works were.  Mostly, Chivers just tells you about the core arguments and ideas of LW-rationalism, piece by piece, in a complete enough way that a reader starting from zero would be able to grasp why it’s all at least supposed to make sense, whether or not they end up agreeing with it.

It’s definitely the most concise, complete, and accessible primer on this stuff I’ve seen, and as a default place to start, it has many advantages over “uh, read these 20 blog posts that all kind of assume you’ve read some of the others.”

On the other hand, the content being conveyed mostly just is the content you’d see in some greatest-hits rationalist blog post collection, without much interpretive gloss.  This makes the book underwhelming if you already follow this stuff -- which is fine, that just isn’t the target audience -- and also makes the book feel sort of weird compared to what I normally expect from journalism.  Even if Chivers doesn’t take everything at face value himself, he tends to present things at face value.  He doesn’t “delve under the surface,” he doesn’t “expose lurking tensions,” he (mostly) doesn’t hunt for conflicts and “show you both sides.”  Instead he just spends the whole book telling you what rationalists think and say, with relatively little editorial commentary.

This is clearly valuable expository work, the more so because others have avoided doing it and jumped straight to interpretation and critique.  But, because it’s so different from what others do and so close to what the rationalists themselves do, Chivers’ book occupies an odd position: it is for people sympathetic enough to read an extended exposition of LW-rationalism, played straight and taken seriously, yet it distinguishes itself from the many other such texts in existence largely by being framed as journalistic coverage from the outside.

(A bit like a book from, I dunno, the 1930s, that starts out with “I will tell you about my journey into the weird world of the Marxists, a subculture with striking and distinctive views” and then proceeds to give earnest step-by-step expositions of the labor theory of value, modes of production, vanguardism, etc., much as you’d find in writing by avowed Marxists, except they of course wouldn’t use the framing device.)

[awhmilkywey]

burgers and fries | t. carrick |

pairing & genre: tobias carrick x f!mc (ava dahl) — fluffy as hell

warnings: one curse word | english is not my first language

word count: 2.4k

request | prompt | neither | challenge

tags: @usuallyamazinglyaverage ; @perriewinklenerdie ; @cyb3r-kat ; @moonsoltice ; @romewritingshop ; @tsrookie ; @hedwigsbixch

a/n: a special thank you to @usuallyamazinglyaverage @perriewinklenerdie and @cyb3r-kat for allowing me the use of their characters (anna dawson, claire herondale and bianca hemgrove, respectivel) and a bonus to perrie for being generally awesome and helping me out with this fic. You can thank her for the Romeo line!

Ava has a history of flouting protocol to assist her patients.

The machine whirred to life, shooting a steady stream of murky liquid into the small paper cup. Ava skimmed her medical chart while she waited. Her patient was a young adult who came in with severe chest pain and discoloured skin around her calves. The primary doctor wrote down that earlier scans ruled out heartburn as well as pericarditis. She reached for her coffee and took a cautious sip. The blemishes could point towards a blood clot—deep vein thrombosis, perhaps? It could quickly develop into a pulmonary embolism if left untreated.

The nurses' station was relatively quiet when she approached.

“Could you order a lung scan and a chest X-ray for my patient, please?”

Marlene took the chart with a professional nod. Her exhaustion matched her own.

Ava murmured a quiet thank you and tossed her cup in the bin. The results wouldn't be back for a couple hours. If her hunch was correct then she would most likely need to page the surgical department. For now, however, her rounds were finished and she could take a breather.

Her face twisted into a frown as she remembered her bag was still in the conference room. Her confrontation with Harper ensured she had been too uncomfortable to remain there. Ava decided to take the stairs one at a time. Saying she was dreading their next meeting was an understatement. They would need to have a serious conversation with Bloom. Ethan breaching protocol was on him alone. A conversation with Harper was in order as well; earlier she had been caught by surprise but she wouldn't let that kind of treatment stand. Barging in, wrongfully accusing her without any evidence whatsoever, yelling and refusing to believe her even when the culprit was standing right there—Ava wondered when the cool renowned surgeon became an unruly child.

The revelation that Harper still saw her as a reckless intern made her incredibly angry. Her one mistake happened over two years ago and she came forward to shoulder the blame. Ava had grown since then, both as a doctor and as a person. Her near-death experience also served to put things into perspective, to say the least. She would always have the best interest of her patients at heart but she would never again jeopardize her career so foolishly.

That thought brought her back to Ethan. Frankly she didn't recognise him any more. He came back from the Amazon a different man—one she wasn't sure she liked all that much. Their tentative relationship hadn't stood a chance. Him being her attending was difficult enough, then she was facing the possibility of being suspended, and just as she thought they could make it work after all, Naveen promoted her and Ethan was her superior once more. He maintained a painfully professional demeanour around her from there on out. Ava wasn't doing too great during that time.

And when her intern year came to an end, he disappeared. He wasn't answering her calls nor her texts and her trips to his apartment were fruitless. She found out he was out of the country through WHO's Instagram account. She stopped bothering afterwards.

Ava shook her head, red curls bouncing over her shoulders. Dwelling on the past wasn't helpful. Especially when the Ethan from her memories didn't correlate with the Ethan she was currently working with. Her most recent conversations with him left a sour taste in her mouth.

The conference room wasn't as empty as she expected.

“Heading out?” Tobias sent her a warm smile.

“I've some free time to kill.”

He nodded in understanding. “Holding up okay?”

Ava hesitated. It occurred to her that he was the only person she was truly comfortable with on the team. The only one who'd never underestimated her or made her feel lesser.Tobias was the person who either supported her suggestions or countered them with his own logical arguments and used both as teaching opportunities.

“I've been through worse,” she replied, shrugging non-committally.

He scowled. “What Harper did was uncalled for.”

Ava offered him a wry smile. “I have a history, don't you see?”

“Oh you mean the history of being civil to Bloom even though you want to punch his face in?” he asked innocently.

A laugh bubbled up in her chest and he soon followed with his own deep chuckle.

“There's this place downtown.” He sobered up but was still grinning. “One of my favourites, if you want to check it out.”

“What's in it for me?” Ava raised a playful eyebrow.

His eyes darkened, tongue briefly flickering out. “Good music, good books. We could get dinner after.”

Ava swallowed. “Sounds fantastic.”

Tobias' intense look softened. “It's a date,” he said cheekily.

She laughed again and swatted at his arm. “Lead the way, Romeo, before I change my mind.”

Bantering with him was easier than it should've been. Knowing how laid-back he could be when comfortable made her notice more about how he carried himself around the rest of the team. It gave her a small thrill to be able to witness that side of him.

Tobias drove her to a time-worn shop tucked away between a colourful diner and a boarded-up building. An old sign hung over the entrance reading The Starlight Den. The outer walls were covered in messy chalky drawings and splashes of peeling paint, broken crayons and plastic buckets sitting to one side. He laid a hand on her lower back, gently guiding her through the battered wooden door.

“I used to come here all the time as a kid,” he commented, glancing fondly around the shop.

Neutral colours predominated with the occasional vibrant hue flashing here and there. Bookshelves lined the left side, brimming with works from classics to comic books. Customers could settle down on various armchairs and sofas, reading under the light of several dimmed lamps. Ava slid her eyes from the makeshift coffee bar to the vintage posters on the opposite wall. A soft tune drifted from the gramophone in the corner. Neat stacks of vinyl records were arranged in polished boxes in the centre. A counter held several players for general use nearby.

“This is a dream come true,” Ava marvelled, running her fingertips across the book spines.

Tobias hummed, reaching to pluck a comic from the shelf. He presented it to her with a flourish. Spider-Man was holding a man clad in green on the cover.

“First introduction to Spidey. Also the first comic I ever read,” he disclosed, absently thumbing through the pages.

“I didn't know you read comics.”

Tobias cocked his head. “Haven't read them in a long while but they were a big part of my childhood.”

Ava cast a look about. “I can see why you'd like to come here.”

Two teenagers were hanging around a record player, giggling quietly to each other, while a sharply dressed man made small talk with the handsome man behind the register. The overall atmosphere was quite cosy. It felt a bit like home. When she returned her wandering gaze to Tobias, he offered her a knowing smile.

“I have an idea,” he announced with a quick clap of his hands. “We each pick a book and a record for the other. I have a player back at my apartment.”

Ava crossed her arms. “Is this a ploy to get me into your bed, Carrick?”

He raised his palms up in mock surrender. “Absolutely not. Just a ploy to get a pretty woman eating take-out on my couch.”

“From that diner next door?”

“Rosa makes the best burgers and milkshakes in Boston.” He gave a solemn nod, cracking up in the following beat.

Ava contemplated him. “It's a date.”

He lit up with a boyish smile.

She didn't know much about his likes and dislikes given that all their interactions revolved around their work. Browsing the bookcases, she opted to get him a copy of The Little Prince. She remembered her papa reading it to her when she was sick or when grief was heavier than most days. She picked up A Day at the Raceson her way to the counter.

“Don't peek,” Tobias warned after their purchases were done. “I'm going to get our food and then we can head back.”

“I want nuggets.” Ava blushed when her stomach growled.

He patted her head. “As you wish, m'lady.”

Ava watched him walk away, unable to remember the last time she was this happy. Tobias was so carefree. He didn't allow their work to burden him, always trying to finding the silver lining in each case, and refused to let it interfere with his life outside the hospital. It was a breath of fresh air, compared to her previous relationship with Ethan. Tobias was light where Ethan was dark.

The ride back to his flat was mostly quiet. He tapped on the wheel along with the song playing on the radio—she vaguely recognised it as being a new Ariana Grande single. She, on the other hand, was more occupied with staring out the window and trying to control her nerves. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, making her almost want to throw up. Tobias was undeniably attractive, charming and witty. And they were going to be alone at his place.

Ava choked on air.

He was quick to lay a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hey, I got you.” At her lack of response, he slid his hand further and began to rub her back, eyes briefly leaving the road to look her over.

“I'm good,” she gasped.

His touch continued to burn her skin until the car was parked in his garage.

Tobias' flat was messier than she expected but not in the dirty sense of the word. It was a sort of organised chaos that breathed life into the walls. The coffee table peeked from beneath a mountain of medical journals, two blankets were thrown haphazardly on the couch with a pillow half-fallen on the carpet, like he had dozed off while reading. The telly was still on as well and she paused to watch Jessica Aniston and Matt LeBlanc acting on the screen.

He steered her towards the kitchen.

“I forgot to clean, sorry.” He seemed unusually sheepish.

“Mine's not much better, believe me,” she reassured him, squeezing his arm. She took the food bags from him and set them on the table. “Kitchen or living room?”

“Living room!” he called out from the pantry, coming out with a package of napkins and a container of assorted candy.

He had stored away the blankets and the pillow by the time she brought the food to the coffee table, journals stashed away in the corner bookcase. Ava noticed that he also changed into a looser tee, his biceps highlighted underneath the artificial lighting. He grabbed their purchases from the shop and turned to her with a bright smile.

“I realised we don't actually know each other that well,” he said, grabbing the book from the bag, “and I would like to remedy that.”

Ava accepted the gift, lips quirking up at the sight of the blue cover. “I've never read The Great Gatsby,” she informed.

His smile widened. “Let me know what you think when you're done, yeah?”

“I got you this one.” God she was nervous. “I, uh—I didn't know what you liked so I figured I'd give you one of my favourites. After my mum died... my dad used to read it to me as a kid.”

Tobias met her gaze and she was surprised to see him so serious. “I—Thank you, Ava. It means a lot that you would share that with me.”

She needed to look away. Was he getting closer?

Her stomach growled again.

“Eat,” he murmured, slowly leaning back. “I'll put the records on.”

He returned to the couch as the beginnings of Dancing Queenfilled the room. Ava beamed.

“How did you know?”

He popped a fry in his mouth. “I may have cheated on this one. Claire told me you were a fan.”

The mention of her friend warmed her heart. “I didn't know you and C were buddies.”

Tobias rubbed the back of his neck. “We're not, not really. I, um, went to ask her how you were after what happened. Anna and Hemgrove were gone already, so...”

His concern sent the butterflies into a frenzy. Ava focused on her burger so he wouldn't see the deep red staining her cheeks.

It was only two episodes into Friends that she noticed the missing fries in her plate. An indignant yelp was muffled by the food in her mouth. Tobias blindly reached for another one but she slapped his hand away, earning her a surprised squawk from the man. Ava made a move for his plate and was stopped when he put his arm between them, lifting the other up so she wouldn't touch his food.

“Oi! That's not fair!” she protested, not realising she was half-sitting on his lap as she tried to get her fries back.

“All's fair when you're hungry, sweetheart,” he retorted, laughing at her worthless attempts.

The loud sound of porcelain breaking was unmistakable. In an effort to get closer, she had pressed against his chest, their bodies practically glued together, and the twist of his wrist weakened his grip on the plate. Ava sunk into him in defeat and promptly peeped as her groin made contact with his.

“Shit, sorry Av—nghh...” He cut off with a strangled moan.

Ava hurried to relieve the pressure of her thigh on his crotch, feeling mortified.

“I'm sorry—” “Wait—” they spoke at the same time, both floundering.

“Just—wait.” Tobias held onto her hips, heaving out a frustrated sigh.

She would never admit to anyone that no, she very much did not want to move.

Except maybe to the girls, who would most definitely grill her tomorrow.

They remained in that exact position for a couple silent moments. Neither sure what to say nor how to act upon the revelation that they were entirely too comfortable physically for two people who were supposed to be just work acquaintances.

Up close, his eyes looked more green than brown. Ava told herself that she had bigger things to worry about.

But it was a pretty colour.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he quietly confessed. “I have to know, though. Is—is there anything between you and Ethan?”

She let out a shaky breath, touching her forehead to his. “Not since last year.”

He gave a short nod, raising a hand to cup her face. “Could there be anything between us?”

“Why don't you kiss me and find out?” she whispered against his lips.

She felt his smile before he did.

[adhd-merlin]

okay I haven't finished listening to it but I've skim-read the book and lyrics and I am begging you to read it even if you don't care for musicals (link here)

some bits:

MERLYN Arthur, come down out of the tree. (There is no response) Your Majesty, I know you’re up there. Come down at once. (There is no response) Wart, come down at once! You’re perfectly safe. There’s no one here. (KING ARTHUR peers out of the tree) ARTHUR Why so angry, Merlyn? I know you are because you called me Wart. MERLYN Yes, Wart. Your schoolboy’s nickname. That’s what your behaviour warrants. Perched in a tree trying to steal a look at your bride. Will you never learn patience? (ARTHUR climbs down) ARTHUR I’m the King – others must learn patience. (He returns to MERLYN, with boyish enthusiasm) How is she, Merlyn? Is she beautiful? MERLYN (Still piqued) I don’t recall. ARTHUR Rubbish. Are you pretending you don’t see into the future? MERLYN When you live backwards in time as I do, and have the future to remember as well as the past, occasionally you do forget a face. ARTHUR (Dictatorially) Merlyn, as your King, I command you to tell me if she… MERLYN (Irritated to make the revelation) She’s beautiful. ARTHUR (Suddenly almost frightened) Quite, or very? MERLYN Very.

GUENEVERE Then you’ll twist my arm and tie me to a tree. ARTHUR But I won’t. GUENEVERE Then you’ll sling me over your shoulder and carry me off. ARTHUR No, no, no! I swear it! By the sword Excalibur! I swear I won’t touch you. GUENEVERE (Hurt) Why not? (Sudden rage) How dare you insult me in such fashion? Do my looks repel you? ARTHUR No. You’re beautiful. GUENEVERE Well, then? We’re alone. I’m completely defenseless. What kind of cad are you? Apologize at once.

ARTHUR (Thrown off balance, enamoured, captivated and overcome by a great sense of inadequacy) Oh, why isn’t Merlyn here! He usually senses when I need him and appears. Why does he fail me now? GUENEVERE Who? ARTHUR Merlyn. My teacher. He would know immediately what to do. I’m not accomplished at thinking, so I have Merlin do it for me. He’s the wisest man alive. He lives backwards. GUNEVERE I beg your pardon? ARTHUR He lives backwards. He doesn't age. He youthens. He can remember the future so he can tell you what you'll be doing in it. Do you understand? GUENEVERE (Now at ease) Of course I don't understand.

ARTHUR Proposition: We have battles for no reason at all. Then why? Why? GUENEVERE (Suddenly) Because knights love them. They adore charging in and whacking away. It’s splendid fun. You’ve said so yourself often. ARTHUR It is splendid fun.

ARTHUR We must arrange for your knighthood immediately. LANCELOT No, Your Majesty. Not immediately. Not till I have proven myself. All you know of me now is words. Invest me because of deeds, Sire. Give me an order. ARTHUR Now? LANCELOT Yes, now! This moment! Send me on a mission. Let me perform for you. Is there some wrong I can right? Some enemy I can battle? Some peril I can undertake? ARTHUR Well, actually, there’s not much going on today. This is the First of May, and the Queen and some of the Court have gone a-Maying. I was on my way to surprise her when you surprised me. LANCELOT Gone a-Maying, Your Majesty? ARTHUR (A little embarrassed – covering it with joviality) Why, yes. It’s a sort of picnic. You eat grapes and chase girls around trees… and… LANCELOT A picnic, Your Majesty? ARTHUR Yes. It’s a custom we have here. England, you know. It’s the time for flower gathering. LANCELOT (Stunned) Knights gathering flowers, Your Majesty? ARTHUR Someone has to do it.

(A MAN in clanking rusty armour enters. In one hand he carries a lance. In one eye he wears a monocle. Trailing beside him is a seedy looking mongrel, named HORRID. The Knight’s name, as we will discover, is KING PELLINORE) PELLINORE Forgive the interruption. Anyone here seen a beast with the head of a serpent, the body of a boar and the tail of a lion, baying like forty hounds? DINADAN (Coming forward) On your knees, Knight. (Indicating GUENEVERE) You are in the presence of Her Majesty Guenevere, Queen of England. PELLINORE (To GUENEVERE) Oh, really? Howdyado, Your Majesty. Will have to forego the bending. Beastly hinges need oiling. Been sleeping out for eighteen years. Do forgive, what? Know it isn’t proper, but there you are. I’ll be with you in a minute. (Removes helmet) Oh, it stopped raining.

GUENEVERE May I remind you, Milord, that the Round Table happens to be my husband’s idea. LANCELOT Any idea, however exalted, could be improved. GUENEVERE (Miffed) Really! LANCELOT Yes. I have suggested to His Majesty that we create a training program for knights. (GUENEVERE looks at ARTHUR) ARTHUR Marvelous idea, isn’t it? GUENEVERE A training program? ARTHUR Yes, it’s a program for training.

DINADAN (TO LIONEL) By George, that Frenchman is an unpleasant fellow. LIONEL He seems to have the King wrapped around his finger. LADY SYBIL (TO DINADAN) He’s so poisonously good. DINADAN He probably walked across the Channel.

hold up!!!!!!

[clownistyping]

The Neverending Story, Chapter 24

Lydia makes an appearance and Livius is still an asshole.

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Cover by @laneygthememequeen

Beetlejuice glared at Livius as he hovered over your sleeping form, Beetlejuice repeatedly has tried to make him just leave you alone. But stopping him is harder than he planned. 

"Would you fuck off already?" Beetlejuice seethed and Livius shook his head, he gently tugged at your hair. 

"This is too fun to pass up." He laughed and you moved, adjusting to get more comfortable in your sleep. 

"I just don't understand why you haven't tried to possess them yet, I mean you out of all people." 

"What do you know about me?" Beetlejuice asked and Livius spoke, 

"I've heard of you around the block, how you practically forced a girl to marry you. Tortured a living and dead couple, just being a plan nuisance to the living and dead." 

Beetlejuice stayed quiet, "I have self control." He muttered. Livius smirked and nuzzled close to you, 

"Really? I haven't noticed." He said as his hand hovered over your neck again. Beetlejuice's eyes flared with anger and he reached for the ghost only for Livius to disappear and instead Beetlejuice squeezed your neck. 

You gasped and snapped your eyes open and Beetlejuice quickly let you go, panting in shock you looked up at him. 

"Shit! Babes I'm so sorry I didn't mean to- Ya see I was tryn to get-" 

You sighed and touched your neck, shaking your head you got out of bed. 

"Didn't think you were into that kind of thing." You laughed and Beetlejuice stared at you,

"Wait- so..what?" He jumped out of the bed, you left the room and he followed. 

"So you-" he directed behind him to the invisible ghost, you didn't see Beetlejuice's actions as you headed downstairs. Beetlejuice stopped at the top of the stairs, scratching his head he questioned you mentally. 

Looking to his side he saw the attic door, then back downstairs then back at the attic. 

"The blades." He whispered to himself and opened the door, 

Looking up the stairs he bit his lip, shutting the door. 

He can take care of the blades later, for now he's gotta make sure that ghost ain't trying anything. 

Going to the kitchen, where you were, he wrapped his arms around your waist, leaning his head on your shoulder. You stood in front of the oven, scrambling eggs. 

"Sorry for..waking you like that.." you hummed, 

"It's fine just gimme a warning next time won't ya?" 

"Next time?" He looked at you and smirked, leaning into your neck he smiled. 

"Yea, okay I will." 

Livius sat on the dining room table, listening to you both speak. He grumbled, this wasn't what he was expecting when he came here. He expected you to live a lavish life with riches and champagne, not in the middle of nowhere with plants and cheap wine. 

This blows. 

Beetlejuice thought to himself, about the ghost that invaded his peaceful life with you. How yes he did the same thing but this guy, nobody wants him here. 

His intentions are unclear, sure Livius said that he wants you. But in what way? Possession, pleasure, company? Yeah definitely not company, and God he hopes it's not for pleasure. 

So that leaves, Possession. 

Beetlejuice kissed your cheek, letting you go he spoke. 

"I'll be right back, Babes. Gotta take care of some business." You hummed, 

"What kind of business?" 

"Ghost stuff..but I'll be back before you know it." He dissapeared from your sight, appearing in the dining room. Beetlejuice looked down at Livius, pointing at him. 

"You. Come with me." Livius rose a brow, 

"Just what makes you thi-" Beetlejuice snapped his fingers and suddenly the two disappeared from the scene. 

The two poofed into a dark bedroom, a flash of light appeared and blinded the two. 

"Aw shit!" Beetlejuice yelled and rubbed his eyes, a feminine laughter made Livius perk up. 

"Sorry BJ, ghost detectors. Takes a picture when a ghost appears in my room." Lydia sat on her bed, a book in hand. 

"What's up though, Got kicked out already?" Beetlejuice dramatically gasped. 

"Very rude of you to even assume that (Y/N) would kick me out." Lydia looked at the ghost she knew nothing of, 

"Whose this?" 

"Livius Durand. Grade A asshole." Livius nodded in agreement. Lydia rose a brow, not very informative. 

"A dead immortal that won't fuck off." Beetlejuice grumbled, and Lydia nodded. 

"Who killed him? Or did he kill himself?" 

"I'd never kill myself, that's the weakest way to die. I was murdered, specifically by his lover." Livius pointed to Beetlejuice. 

"I see, so what brought him here to prove something?" Lydia stood and Beetlejuice shook his head. 

"I want him gone..out of me and babes house, exorcised." 

Livius's eyes widened and he looked at Beetlejuice, 

"You bastard!" He grabbed Beetlejuice by the collar, 

"Ghost punch!" Beetlejuice yelled and punched Livius in the face, Livius fell back and groaned. 

"Stop it!" Lydia yelled and stood in between the two, 

"No ghost fighting!" The two ghosts glared at each other, Livius stood. 

"Just try to exorcism me! I can't go anywhere else, remember no afterlife thing?" Beetlejuice groaned, 

"Well then leave!" 

"No!" Beetlejuice groaned and snapped his fingers sending Livius off, 

"Don't even know why i brought him." He grumbled Lydia shrugged. 

"I can still exorcise him from (Y/N)'s house." Lydia mentioned, walking over to her desk she sat and skimmed the open books on it. Her books only read of ghosts, demons and the supernatural. It suits her considering she's working to become a professional expert in the supernatural, i.e. probably a ghost hunter. 

Not saying she's gonna wear the whole ghostbuster get up, no she'll just meet with ghosts and see if an agreement can come with their haunting. 

Beetlejuice looked over her shoulder, failing to read the words he sighed and sat on her bed, his face in his hands. 

"Yep right here, sure I may not get rid of his dead existence. But I can evict him from your house. Send him somewhere else, not sure where though." She turned facing the ghost, holding the book, 

"My book doesn't really cover immortal ghost and all." 

Beetlejuice nodded, standing he pulled Lydia in for a hug. 

"You sure you wanna do this?" He asked, knowing her past with exorcisms, she may not be comfortable with it. 

Lydia nods "of course, hell if (Y/N) asked me to get rid of you it'd do it for free."

"Wait I have to pay you?" 

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[whimsicaldragonette]

Audio ARC DNF Review: Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim

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Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Synopsis:

After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—the Reaper of Sunpo—is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance. But the order to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple incites not only the wrath of a legendary immortal, but the beginning of an unwinnable game… Suddenly Lina finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi, her fate in the hands of its cruel and captivating emperor. But she can win her life—if she kills him first. Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina's swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister...all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass. Because one way or another, she'll take Rui's heart. Even if it means giving up her own.

My Rating: ★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

I was really looking forward to this one because it sounds amazing. I love reading books grounded in other cultures' mythologies, and Korean mythology is one I haven't really had much experience with. The cover is gorgeous and promises a magical fantasy adventure. The synopsis brings to mind stories like Six of Crows. Sadly, the execution fell far short. The writing could use some polishing. Everything is described endlessly, using the biggest words possible and five where one would do. It's sprinkled lavishly with curse words that just feel unnecessary. I'm all for cursing, just, it has to make sense. Our 'living breathing weapon' and skilled assassin of an mc just isn't. She reads much younger than the stated 18, is constantly getting herself in trouble with her impulsive actions (partially forgiveable because of trauma), and never actually does any killing or shows any skill, only talks about how awesome she is at it or gives a brief overview of things she's done in the past. The closest she gets to showing her skill is entering a building and opening a chest. And not even a human chest, before you ask. Like. That's about as much effort as she puts into the 'steal the priceless tapestry' escapade. Walk in, notice the dust, info dump a bit, open the chest, walk out. Mission complete. (yawn.) She doesn't get along with any of the other women. An awfully lot of time is spent describing how she started / continued smoking. Yes, this leads into memories of her trauma from her family dying but... it's still sort of weird and abrupt. The first-person present tense is my least favorite to read but it can be done well. Sadly, I did not find that to be the case here. She just reads as annoying. Also the moment she described her "shit-eating grin" I knew it was not going to improve. And it didn't. The instant the eventual love interest enters the scene you can clock him as the love interest. He might as well come with a flashing neon sign proclaiming it. If the detailed description of his appearance wasn't enough, there's the bad boy sarcastic sense of humor and the enigmatic interaction and disappearance. Like what even was the point except to go 'hey, love interest here!'? The narrator was ok, although her male voices were not very believable and her reading of the main character made her seem younger than she was supposed to be. I maybe enjoyed her performance less than I would have enjoyed reading the text as I was unable to skim the info-dump-y bits or the places where the descriptions dragged on. I do think that anyone who loves Sara J. Maas' romances - ACOTAR especially - will probably love this. It seems to be much more focused on the romance with the fantasy used more as set dressing. It also gives major ACOTAR vibes which could be part of why I reacted so negatively to it - I enjoyed ACOTAR initially but hearing about it over and over in facebook book groups and spending some time reflecting on it lowered my enjoyment of the series dramatically. After thinking some more about what it was that didn't work for me here, I think I've figured out why I was so disappointed with this book. The cover, narrator's voice, and initial writing of the main character all led me to believe this would be a middle-grade fantasy adventure with the narrator being around 11-12 years old. So the swearing and the smoking felt really jarring when I encountered them, because they definitely wouldn't be in a middle-grade book. And then it took a hard turn into fantasy romance with some major ACOTAR vibes which my initial impression of middle-grade fantasy did NOT prepare me for. *Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing an audio arc for review.

[etudaire]

How to study when you have no idea how to study

(This is kinda for a pretty serious study session, so if you're opting for a 45 minute study plan then this isn't for you, sorry)

First things first, find a place to sit.

You may have already created a perfect study space for you, but sometimes it isn't enough to get "into" the studying part.

Find a spot where you think you can spend some quality time for the day, and collect every possible thing that you might need to study.

Textbook first, followed by your class and handmade /digital notes + paper and pens and highlighters and midliners and whatever floats your goat tbh. Make sure you have all the content that you need to study with you.

Clear up your study space.

Get rid of everything that's not going to be required. This includes all those other books on your desk, your planner (if you haven't included anything about your study session in it) and anything that is taking up unnecessary space. Your study area needs to look as neat and motivating to you as possible.

Keep a tiny water bottle nearby, along with some nuts or maybe junk food. You know you won't transform into the perfect student overnight, it's okay to enjoy a bit.

Getting "into your element"

First of, determine your test's portion. Sometimes the entire chapter isn't included in the exam, only a part of it is. Know what part you're supposed to study.

The textbook is your bible. My teachers always say that no matter how many reference books and notes I refer to, the best information I can get is using the textbooks. So open them (for real) and see for yourself.

Tick the topics you are going to cover in the textbook.

Start reading the textbook, and by reading I absolutely do not mean skimming through it and considering it done. You know it doesn't work that way.

Underline stuff you find important with a pencil. You obviously can you highlighters as well, but what happens then is that whenever you refer back to your textbook it's this big mess of neon and it will make reading difficult for you. Use a pencil, make boxes around subtopics, underline phrases, make doodles to explain stuff, go crazy. Studying can be fun if you want to have fun doing it.

This is what my textbook looked like after "actively reading" through my textbook.

Try watching this video for a better understanding on active reading : https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=578s&v=K4Tn4tv836A

Retain what you just learned

You may have heard of this method before, and trust me when I say it's helpful af.

You just went through the textbook, now write down the main points on a blank sheet of paper. Only the main topic, subtopics and examples. Whatever you feel outlines the topic.

This is how my outline looks :

Try to condense the info down as much as possible, kinda like you're making a cheat sheet.

Also, if possible do not loose this paper, because it will help rewiewing the chapter later on when you sit to revise.

Find out what you need to understand now

Chances are you have retained maximum information already, but hunt down the text for anything you do not understand clearly. Mark it for future references.

Use all studyblrs' favourite Khanacademy and CrashCourse videos to clarify the topic. You can use a friend's help, and in the end teachers are always ready to help out!

Mark this chapter as done in your study planner, if you do not have one I'd highly recommend making one as it is tremendously helpful. Mine looks like this :

There you go, you've accomplished something, so go ahead and reward yourself!

*pats you on the back* you did well my child... This potato is proud of you....

[mandi-celeste]

I wound up putting the Beast book back in my TBR pile because I wasn't in the mood for it and REALLY wanted to read Spells For Forgetting (which, aside from being a bit let down by the ending, I really enjoyed).

I read As Old As Time (a BatB Twisted Tale) last month, which was okay (it was better when the focus was just on Belle and Beast-the flashbacks were mostly boring and I hated her Mom) but not something I enjoyed enough to read again.

I finally finished The Great Alone this month, and I honestly kinda hated that one. It's a shame, because before the time jump I was really enjoying it. After the time jump it got repetitive, soapy in a not-fun way, and boring. I skimmed the last chapter or two to hurry up and finish it.

Here's the next line up of Currently Reading:

I started reading Devoted last month, and am just about to start Chapter 26.

It's a little campy, but most of the Koontz books I've read have a certain degree of campiness to them. All I know is that if there's a dog on the cover, and/or the description of the book features a dog or special kid as a main character, then I'm most likely going to enjoy it.

I've heard this one is a spiritual successor to Watchers, which I LOVE (one of my all-time favorite books since I was a tween), which is why I picked this one up. It very well could be an actual sequel though, unless the book reveals later on where the original dogs came from and it doesn't trace back to Einstein after all.

Well, we'll see.

For the Bridgerton book, I'm nearly halfway through it. It's very different, character personality-wise and tone-wise, from the show. Definitely a rom-com, which I like.

Daphne's way better in the book. I couldn't stand her in the show, and never did finish watching S1 because of that (I ended up picking the show back up for S2 because of a clip I saw that hooked me back in).

Malcom seems the same as I remember from the show, but Violet and Anthony are wildly different from their show counterparts (well, S1 & 2 Anthony anyway-his protectiveness, playfulness, and affectionate way with Kate were one of the few highlights of S3 for me).

It's a quick and fluffy read, which I like to have to fall back on if I'm not in the mood for the other books in my Currently Reading rotation.

Especially if I'm reading a long angsty/dramatic fic on top of that (which I always am).

I haven't started Montana Sky yet, and think I might start it tonight. It's not the kind of story I typically see for Nora Roberts (no love interest mentioned at all, it's about estranged sisters coming together after their father dies), so I'm looking for way to reading it.

Since I'm doing this post to keep track of what I read during the year (until I get the SD cards for my Dana Alphasmart-where I'll do my book/fic tracking logs in the future), here's what I've tackled fic-wise this year:

Pick Up The Pieces And Go Home by iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid

The fifth story in the Oh, Hey There, Mr. Blue series-which is a fantastic MCU fic series where Loki joins the GOTG. The whole series is absolute gold. Loki fits in so well with my favorite surrogate family!

Amend by ancalime8301

This was a re-read. It's one of my favorite Tony Stark fics. A post Civil War fix-it fic where the Rogue Avengers are pardoned, come back to HQ, realize exactly what Tony deals with on the daily and what he does for them and the health toll it takes on him, and actually come together to take some of that burden and help him negotiate the terms of the Accords and become the strong and supportive team they never really were in the movies. Excellent fic.

Lilacs Out of the Dead Land by AngstyDathomirians

Part of the fantastic Here To Stay series, which is post-No Way Home. Most of the series focuses on Otto, and to a lesser extent on Peter, but this last one was from Norman's perspective.

Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me by leaden

DuckTales 2017 fic about Donald's younger years (so far). Pretty good, but the swearing's overdone at times. Donald being recognized as the BAMF he is is something I yearn for in fic and can never get enough of! The dialogue and the whole Mickey & Minnie are Hollywood stars angle also reminds me of a Disney for grownups webcomic I read YEARS ago on DeviantArt.

(War) What is it Good For by Hope4Tomorrow

Good Omens X Supernatural fluff fic where Castiel gets hurt and blasted into the GO verse, and the hubbies take care of him. I need more Castiel Gets Taken Care Of By People Who Actually Care About Him fic in my life.

Fracturing Time by ofdogsandwriting

ROTMNT post-movie fic where Bad Future Mikey doesn't die opening the time portal for Casey, but accidentally travels back in time too. Lots of angst and family fluff. Can't wait to read more!

The Ace Chronicles series by cazflibs

Excellent Red Dwarf series that I was feeling nostalgic for and re-read the last three fics back to back. To this day I'm still impressed by how well the author captures the show's style of humor, while also telling such action-packed and heart wrenching stories.

Nano!Rimmer will forever have my heart!

warm summer nights by tinysmallest

A Steven Universe X Danny Phantom fic about Greg stumbling across a homeless Danny and trying to help him. Greg's a character who doesn't get enough attention or love, so it's refreshing to read a fic about him and his role as a parent. Hope this one gets picked up again, it's really good so far.

late night at the 7/11 by Reddew and also The Halves That Make Us Whole by The_Oaken_Muse

They're also SU X DP crossovers. They have similar plots: Steven makes a pit stop in Danny's town during his road trip, gets weird vibes about the place, and has a weird encounter with Danny that rattles both of them and kind of puts Danny against Steven.

You cannot swallow. by wetsocks (Nicky_boy)

This is a Danny Phantom X TMNT 2012 fic (I was on a DP crossover kick) where Casey and Danny are cousins, and Danny goes to live with Casey after his family dies. Wouldn't mind seeing this expanded into a multi chapter fic.

Danny's Demons by Firestorm808

This is a Helluva Boss X Danny Phantom fic, pre-series for both of them, where Danny summons Stolas to learn more about space and they bond. It's a fluffy fic so far, and I love Stolas's role as a surrogate father to Danny here. It's got potential to be a grander fic if it wants to be.

Heal Thyself by astolat

This is a Drarry fic I devoured in one sitting today. LOVED it! It's Draco-focused as he slowly redeems himself and finds his place in the world as he becomes a Healer.

It's kinda got the same kind of vibe as What We Pretend We Can't See (a Harry-focused Drarry fic), which I also loved.

Second Chances by Takada_Saiko

A Tony Lives post-Endgame fic where Steve brings Peggy back with him from the past and Howard can't resist hitching a ride.

Another old favorite of mine that I felt like re-reading this year.

The Rose And The Crown by ScipioSmith

A Disney's Cinderella fic about what happens after she puts on the glass slipper for the Duke. It's long, with an equally long sequel, but a great read so far. Cinderella struggles to adjust to being a princess, and all the social rules and expectations that go along with it, while people are out to get her and take her crown.

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare

This is a very fun Dramoine fic. I saw the fan art cover for it a while back, which reminded me a little of Norman Rockwell artwork and also of 1950s rom-coms, which prompted me to check it out. This one had me laughing a lot!

Bending Light by scullymurphy

This one is a Draco's In Exile fic where Draco, Hermione, and a couple of their classmates are in exile in Italy under witness protection while Dumbledore and the Order deal with Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

Draco's there because he took up Dumbledore's offer for help and protection instead of trying to kill him as ordered.

I started reading this last year, and really liked it, but it felt like the characters were a lot older than they were supposed to be (to the point I kept forgetting they were supposed to still be in Hogwarts), and kinda killed the fic's flow for me when we were reminded of that.

I dropped it for a bit, but really did like what I read of it and found myself thinking about it, so I'm back at it again!

Currently Reading:

Both are very good so far.