#i liked a few things about the book but this is definitely one!!

[corrcdedcoffin]

teenage dirtbag, baby

jj maybank x reader

requested: yes

warnings: none. fluff, pining. one use of y/n. jj is a big ol’ softie and nervous boy here. poorly proof read. i’m not entirely happy with this but it is what it is i guess. 18+

gif not mine!

it was so typical to want what he can't have.

it went against basically every rule on kildare island. kooks and pogues aren't friends; avoid each other at all costs. date in your own social circle. but he couldn't help himself and the big, fat crush he had on you, ever since the day he'd saw you.

it was at the wreck. kiara was helping out one weekend, back when she went to the kook academy for a year. she was behind the counter while jj, john b and pope sat at it, listening to her qualms about her new school.

you were with your family having lunch, pope noticing how kiara kept looking over to you.

"is she one of the mean ones?" he asked, everyone else turning to look at you as you were wrapped up in a conversation, moving around animatedly.

"no," kiara breathed out, "she's pretty cool, actually. she's in my art class. i think she keeps more to herself."

"why don't you try being friends with her?" pope suggested.

she shrugged. "yeah, maybe."

the conversation moved on, but jj couldn't stop looking over at you. if he were in a cartoon, little heart bubbles would be floating all around him, and there'd be a tiny heart shaped arrow stuck in his chest.

he hadn't seen you around for a long time after that. not until the next year at school, when you were at the public school instead of the academy. you certainly looked like a pogue — maybe slightly more well groomed and fashionable, but nothing about you screamed kook.

by the time he'd worked up the courage to introduce himself to you, you were gone.

he saw you around a lot after that. every time he'd wander the halls when he was supposed to be in class, he'd peek in every window to see if you were behind the door. he didn't see you for a few days until he passed the art room at lunch.

there you were; headphones on, slightly swaying side to side as you painted, stopping every few moments for another bite of your lunch.

art never made much sense to jj, he didn't like having to think about what something meant, or being told what he was supposed to feel when looking at something. but he knew one thing for sure: you were insanely talented, and he’d happily sit in a room full of your paintings.

this is his chance, he thought, but you looked so focused and in the zone that he didn't want to disrupt you, so he left.

you invaded his dreams basically every night since.

it was probably for the better anyway, he thought to himself. jj was… well, jj. a dirt poor stoner who hardly ever went to class in favour of smoking and surfing. and you? you oozed intellect and creativity.

a while later he'd learned your name from kiara, impressed with himself how casually he brought it up. "i think i saw another girl from the kook academy here" he'd said.

"oh, yeah. that's y/n, the only other reasonable and cool person that went there."

"do you know why she left?"

"no idea" kiara shrugged. "maybe they bullied her out like they did with me."

and that was it. after he'd learned your name, he found you on social media and began to... observe.

it wasn't like you were secretive, but you weren't exactly an open book like some people were on socials. your instagram had a few selfies, photos of your art, your friends, and some landscapes. your twitter was all over the place, from memes to thoughts that were definitely while high. it only made his crush grow ten times bigger. maybe you were more alike than he thought?

he followed you on instagram first, and was incredibly pleased when he received a notification that you requested to follow him too a little while later.

the school year was going by fast. valentine's day was coming in hot, and small tables were set up to send a rose with a note to whomever you pleased. jj decided to do it.

he wrote your name on the little card, writing a small message about how talented he thought you were as an artist, and that one day he'd love to buy your work. he left a heart at the bottom with no name, and carried on with his day.

on valentine's day, he could see roses being handed to people left and right. this was the first time in a while he'd seen you in the cafeteria during lunch instead of the art room, but then again he was hardly ever there. you were sitting at a table with people from the chess club, reading a book as you ate.

god, you were so different from him.

a student approached you with a handful of roses, and handed you two. jj tried to push down the jealousy that bubbled up. did you have a boyfriend he didn’t know about?

one of them you rolled your eyes at, the other made you smile. he hoped it was his. you studied the flower for a while before looking around the room, eyes eventually locking onto his. he tried to stop his cheeks from going red, resorting to hiding his face and turning away from you.

why the hell did you make him so nervous? he was jj fucking maybank. talking to girls was an easy feat for him — it had never been a problem before. he felt different with you though, less like you were another to fool around with mindlessly, and more like you were someone he actually wanted to get to know.

when he had the courage to look back at you, you were gone.

the end of the year bonfire was a big tradition on Kildare island. all kooks and pogues would gather together at the boneyard for a night of partying and officially transition from school year, to summer.

it wasn't as big or fun as the end of summer bonfire when all the tourons would join in, but it was still a good time.

jj had shown up with pope, meeting kiara and john b there. to his surprise, they were talking to you.

none of his friends knew about the massive crush he harboured. he kept it quiet cause he didn't know how to actually deal with his feelings, so he swept them under the rug and accepted that you'd never acknowledge him, let alone like someone as damaged as he was.

but when kiara pointed out him and pope to you, you smiled.

she introduced you to them, pope shook your hand and jj offered a shy wave. he could feel the way john b was eyeing him down at his actions, the bastardly flush returning to his cheeks and ears. the boy smiled at his friend, asking kiara and pope to join him for a beer, purposely leaving jj alone with you.

you broke the silence first.

"kiara told me you're a really good surfer" you'd said.

he shrugged, "yeah, i guess. been doing it my whole life." he couldn't look at you. he wanted to, badly, but he was so unbelievably scared. instead, he dug his foot in the sand, kicking and twisting.

any other time he would have boasted about being the best surfer on the island, but he couldn’t right now. why the hell couldn’t he talk himself up to the girl he likes?

"i'm terrible at it. i tried last summer for the first time and i think i spent more time in the water trying to fight it than actually standing on the board" you joked, and he let out a small laugh.

"have you ever thought about like, being an instructor or whatever for beginners?"

were you hinting at him?

"not really, but it does sound like a good idea. maybe i'll start, be a good summer gig" he shrugged, finally looking over to you.

he'd spent so much time admiring you from afar or through instagram posts, but he was still just as mesmerized. you were absolutely unreal up close. the sun was behind you, illuminating you as if you were an angel. you had incredibly smooth looking skin, and it looked liked you’d spent lots of time outside; a subtle tan accompanied by a tinge of pink across your nose and cheeks. there was a small scar on the middle of your nose.

he wondered where it came from.

"i can be test subject number one,” you suggested, “if you can't help me, then i'm afraid there's no hope for either of us."

conversation flowed easy after that. he learned that you left the academy simply because everyone was a massive dickhead, and you weren't about that. he learned about your childhood injuries (including the scar, that you got from pulling a cats tail) and dreams, your current dreams, and that you weren't as scary as he made you out to be.

actually, he felt rather calm talking to you once he got past his nerves. it was like catching up with an old friend he didn't know he was missing.

you talked all night long, neither of you realizing you'd completely ignored your friends until they came up to you saying they were heading home. looking up, you realized most people had already left. jj's friends looked at him expectantly, while he looked at you.

"you staying?"

you looked around for your friends, unable to spot them anywhere. "guess i should head home. my friends already left i think."

jj nodded and stood up, offering a hand to help you. you walked to the parking area with them, and said your goodbyes once they were at their van. "where's your car?"

"oh, i didn't drive, my friend did" you told him.

"and they just left you?!"

you shrugged, "i don't mind the walk."

jj pursed his lips in thought. the nice thing to do right now was offer you a ride, but he didn't want to be nice. he wanted to be a little selfish and have more time with you.

"i'll walk with you" he said before closing the van door and jogging over to you, not saying a word to his friends. the way you smiled at that made his heart jump with glee.

the entire way, you didn't stop talking. both of you were on a roll of asking questions and sharing stories, laughing and walking as slow as you could so you'd have more time. it was electric. for the first time in a long time, jj felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be, and he was happy with it. he felt good, like this life wasn’t so bad after all.

your hands brushed together as you walked, legs moving in sync. occasionally your shoulders would bump into the other. by the time you got home, it was nearly 2am.

jj walked you right to the door. seeing your house was a reminder of how different you were, it slightly bruised his ego and confidence again, but then you looked at him and it all washed away.

it was obvious that neither of you wanted to say goodbye, but you were the one to make the move and ask for his number.

"sorry if i bored you to death tonight and kept you away from all the fun party stuff" you said as you put your phone back in your pocket.

jj shook his head. "i was so far from bored. i had a lot of fun with you. actually i—" he let out a big breath, "i wanted to talk to you all year, i was just nervous."

"what! really?"

he nodded. "yeah. kiara recognized you from the academy, and at first i tried to get her to go make friends with you, but she was scared cause of all the shit that happened there.

"and then every time i wanted to talk to you, you were so busy and focused on your art or reading, and i didn't want to interrupt. which, by the way, you're an incredible artist. if i ever get rich one day, ill be your number one buyer."

you smiled at him, your heart swelling at the realization that the anonymous rose you'd received on valentine's day, was from him.

"so it was you, then?" you asked, just to be sure. you spent so long wondering who it was from, the idea of finally knowing was extremely exciting.

he gave you a confused look, then started to blush. "yeah. it was me” he nodded.

you remembered seeing him that day after you read the note, you thought he was cute. you'd noticed him a lot after that, as he walked past the art room or any other class you were in, seeing him in the halls. you never thought he'd noticed you, though. you always thought he was too cool to pay attention to someone like you.

bouncing on the balls of your feet, you reached up and kissed his cheek. "goodnight, jj" you smiled before turning to your door.

"goodnight" he spoke quietly, giving a small wave and smile as you shut the door.

you watched from the window as he held his hand to where you kissed him and stared at the stars. if only you could see the shit eating grin on his face.

once you washed up for the night and got back to your room, you couldn't help the smile that came when you looked at the dried up rose on your dresser, note still attached.

maybe it was against some silly island rule of kooks vs. pogues that you had a crush on the boy, but you didn't care. there was something special about him. something that made you feel like you were on top of the world, in the safest place ever.

like you were exactly where you were supposed to be.

like you were home.

don’t be shy, reblog!

feel free to send a request

[iamgonnagetyouback]

jealous? who, me?

theodore nott x reader where you meet his friends for the first time and daphne is definitely not in your good books

↬ word count : 931 words ˎˊ˗

↬ warnings : secondhand embarrassment (for daphne) ⭑.ᐟ

↬ author's note : i loved this too much (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

navigation┆theodore nott masterlist┆request here 𝜗𝜚

You weren’t supposed to be feeling this way. This was Theodore’s night—his friends, his circle, his world. You’d come to the party with the intention of being supportive and charming, maybe even making a good impression.

Until Daphne Greengrass entered the picture.

She was pretty. Too pretty. Effortlessly gorgeous with her sleek blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, and a laugh that danced through the room like wind chimes. And the worst part? She knew Theodore—knew him well.

You stood beside Theodore, nursing your wine glass and trying to maintain a polite smile as Daphne monopolized the conversation. Her hand brushed his arm—again—and she tossed her hair back with an almost rehearsed air of effortlessness.

Theodore, ever the gentleman, leaned in slightly to hear her better, his lips twitching at something she said. You weren’t entirely sure what was so funny, but you were sure it wasn’t that funny.

“Oh, that’s funny,” you muttered under your breath, your voice laced with dry amusement.

Theodore’s brow quirked, but before he could speak, Daphne excused herself. “Excuse me for a second, I need to grab a drink,” she said, flashing you a quick glance, one you could only describe as calculating.

Theodore turned to you as soon as she was out of earshot, his brows knitting together in mild confusion. “What’s funny?” he asked, his voice low and smooth.

You smiled sweetly, far too sweetly. “Nothing, Tesoro. Just enjoying the show.”

One brow arched as he slid an arm around your waist, pulling you closer. “Amore mio,” he murmured, his voice carrying a teasing edge. “Should I be worried?”

You took a deliberate sip of your wine, eyes flickering toward the direction Daphne had gone. “Not at all. I think you’re the one being thoroughly entertained.”

Theodore’s lips twitched again, this time with a barely concealed laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet, here you are,” you shot back, your smile sharp enough to cut.

His brow quirked, but before he could say something, Daphne made her way over, holding two glasses of champagne. She handed one to Theodore, completely ignoring you.

“Thought you might need a refill,” she said, her tone light and lilting. “We wouldn’t want you getting parched, would we?”

You raised your own glass slightly. “Oh, don’t worry, Daphne. I’m keeping him hydrated just fine.”

Daphne’s smile faltered for half a second before she recovered. “How thoughtful of you.”

“Isn’t it?” you replied, tilting your head with faux innocence. “I like to take care of my things.”

Theodore’s grip on your waist tightened, and you could feel the low rumble of a laugh in his chest, though he didn’t let it escape. Instead, he pressed his lips to your temple in what was meant to be a calming gesture but only fueled your sass.

“So,” Daphne began, clearly trying to redirect. “Theo was just telling me about the time we went to Monaco together. What a trip, right?”

“Monaco?” you echoed, raising an eyebrow. “How quaint. Theo and I were just talking about planning something grander. Italy, maybe. You know, somewhere with a bit more... romance.”

Daphne blinked, clearly thrown off. “Italy’s nice. I’ve been to Tuscany a few times.”

“Of course you have,” you replied, swirling your wine lazily. “So cultured of you.”

Theodore cleared his throat, his grip on your waist now firmly grounding. “Amore mio,” he murmured, his lips brushing your ear. “Play nice.”

“I am playing nice,” you whispered back, your tone dripping with faux sweetness. “She started it.”

“I heard that,” Daphne said, smiling tightly.

“Oh, good,” you said, flashing her a grin. “I’d hate for you to feel left out.”

Theodore’s shoulders shook slightly as he tried—and failed—to suppress a laugh. “Daphne, why don’t you tell me about that new project you mentioned earlier?” he asked, his voice steady despite his amusement.

“Oh, yes!” Daphne launched into an explanation about some fashion venture she was working on, her hands gesturing animatedly. You nodded along, your expression politely disinterested, until she said something you couldn’t resist.

“It’s been such a challenge finding the right balance between trendy and timeless, you know?” Daphne said.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” you replied airily. “I just wear whatever Theo likes to take off.”

Daphne’s cheeks turned a shade of pink that clashed horribly with her dress, and Theodore’s hand on your waist flexed as he pulled you even closer.

“Cara mia,” he said softly, his voice low and filled with warning. “Behave.”

“I’m behaving,” you said innocently, glancing up at him with wide eyes. “Aren’t I, Daphne?”

Daphne set her champagne down on a nearby table, her smile now more brittle than bright. “Well, it’s been lovely catching up, Theo,” she said, barely sparing you a glance. “I’ll see you around.”

As soon as she walked away, Theodore let out a quiet laugh, his forehead dropping to your shoulder.

“You’re impossible,” he murmured, his breath warm against your skin.

“She’s impossible,” you shot back.

“She’s harmless.”

“She’s obnoxious.”

He straightened, his dark eyes gleaming as he looked at you. “You’re jealous.”

“Am not.”

“You are,” he teased, pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Fine,” you admitted, crossing your arms. “Maybe I didn’t love the way she looked at you.”

“Amore mio,” he murmured, his voice softer now. “She could look at me all she wants. I’m still going home with you.”

You huffed, but the way his hand slid up your back and the warmth in his eyes softened your irritation.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” you muttered.

“And you’re lucky I find you endlessly entertaining,” he replied, leaning down to kiss you.

[obsessivestar]

Ted but like he takes you xmas shopping and its so jolly and fun and merry i just love ted and i think hes neat :33

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Ted Nivison x gn!Reader

Warnings: Bit o' anxiety at the beginning, one use of Y/N, feminine lingerie spotted

You and Ted had both gotten rather busy throughout the last few weeks. Normally you spread your Christmas shopping out and go on different days throughout the months of November and December, but so many things had gotten in the way for both of you, so you both decided to dedicate an entire day to Christmas shopping for your friends and family, and maybe a little for each other if you got the chance. Where's the best place to go other than your local mall?

Ted drove the both of you to your local mall using his Toyota Tacoma, of course, and managed to get you guys a good spot by the food court entrance so it wouldn't be too much of a walk to get back. Once you get inside the mall, you're immediately hit with the overwhelming bustling atmosphere of a local mall during the holiday rush. There was a giant Christmas tree posted up in the middle of the food court, the ceiling covered in a few different white Christmas lights, though it was midday so they weren't on. There were so many different kinds of people with tons of different bags they were lugging around, all talking over the subtle Christmas music playing throughout the entire mall, walking in slow strides through the thick mall traffic you expected to see. You let all of the pessimistic thoughts run through you now so you wouldn't be miserable laster. God, you're gonna have to walk behind slow people all day. Can't wait to get stuck behind a slow family of 15 walking in a horizontal line, covering the entire lane. The lines are probably gonna be nuts, you might get bumped around by strangers, think of all the bags you're gonna have to carry...

You're snapped out of your pessimistic thoughts by Ted taking your hand into his, pulling you closer to stand at his side. He was probably reading you like a book, he could tell that you were getting a little overwhelmed with everything.

"Hey, I'm right here, alright?" He gives you a reassuring warm smile, caressing the side of your hand with his thumb. "Just stick by me, I've got everything mapped out. We won't be here long.."

His warm smile was definitely reassuring. It was nice to know that he had put some thought into this trip to minimize stress, maybe you would be able to find a way to enjoy this, despite all of the people.

The mall was mostly just one big circle with a few extra hallways, so you knew you'd only be doing one rotation. The first place you goto is a smoothie joint to grab something to drink, wanting something sweet and fruity to boost your spirits. Of course, Ted wouldn't let you pay for your own smoothie. He claimed it was faster for him to get it all on one order so you didn't have to wait for your separate orders. Sometimes it bothered you that he was always so quick to spend money on you, but honestly, you didn't bother arguing with him about it today, it would take too much time.

Your next stop, of course, was a Bath and Body Works for all of those in-laws that were difficult to shop for. This was actually where you started to relax a little more; where you started to enjoy this little adventure with Ted. You spent a majority of your time here sniffing the different candles, debating whether or not to get some body wash or hand sanitizer for home, silently cackling a little at the prices and being a little surprised by their Men's focused section. Bath and Body Works sells Men's cologne? Neat. Maybe you'd grab some here for Ted for his birthday next month.

After buying some candles and body wash for family, your next stop was the GameStop. You came here to shop for a majority of your guy friends, on and off YouTube. You checked out the different games on the back wall, looked at the Funko pops and figurines on the other side, went down the middle aisles to check out the sweaters, shirts and hats and even took a gander at some of the more expensive merch on the too shelves, the shelves you knew you couldn't reach on your own at all. You and Ted had hit the jackpot coming here, going back and forth with each other while showing different things.

"You think Eddy would like this?" Ted walks up and shows you a hat while you were looking over the different figurines. It was a simple cap with the Kingdom Hearts crown on the front. It looked pretty nice. You turn to look at it, raising a curious brow at Ted.

"I mean, I know he likes Kingdom Hearts.." You speak softly, tilting your head a little. "Does Eddy wear hats though?"

You could see the gears turning in Ted's head and he lets out a huff, making you giggle a little. He adjusts all of his stuff under his arm so he can take his phone out and you see he's opening Instagram. You let out a laugh of realization. "Are you checking his Instagram?" You ask with a big grin, furrowing your brows a little. "You have to check his Instagram to know he doesn't wear hats?"

Ted let's out a cheeky little chuckle, but groans when he realizes you were right. "He doesn't wear hats.." Ted sighs, sounding both amused and disappointed. He slips his phone back into his pocket, looking back at the sweatshirt rack. "I think I saw a, uh...Kingdom Hearts sweater back there. That might work."

"Yeah, probably. He'd like that."

You ended up leaving that GameStop with a rather large bag and a new, interesting story you couldn't wait to tell Eddy at the New Years party at the end of the month. You guys move through the curved hall of the mall where all of the phone-related shops are placed and get a moment where you can actually appreciate the holiday atmosphere. There's hardly anyone down this particular hallway so you get to slow your pace a little, walking side by side with Ted, your fingers still comfortably intertwined. The internet and the convenience of online shopping has made Christmas spirit a little harder to feel, especially when you think about how malls like this used to be decorated, but as you begin to walk by the beautifully decorated Mall Santa plaza, Winter Wonderland playing through the old fashioned looking speakers, hearing children call out to their parents with joy and laughter...you could feel it. You could really feel the warm, jolly spirit of Christmas.

You notice that you and Ted had begun to walk to the beat of Winter Wonderland, quiet little smiles on your faces. You turn your head briefly to look at him, and he looks at you, the white Christmas lights making his hazel eyes sparkle in your direction. He looks content; he looks warm and happy to be here with you, and that just makes your smile grow. You feel like you're in a cheesy Christmas film as you both let out a gentle laugh, picking up the pace a little when the mall traffic begins to pick up once again. This is actually really nice. Those pessimistic thoughts from earlier have been completely replaced. You're starting to think about all of the friends and family you'll both get to see, how excited you are to witness their reactions to their gifts, knowing that it all came from the heart, relatively.

You were looking forward to it all, you weren't even thinking about the gifts that you may be getting. Sure, in the back of your mind you were thinking about what Ted would end up nabbing you, but Christmas isn't about the gifts. It's not about one upping toxic members of your family by spending the most money or getting the biggest gift, it's not about hogging all of Christmas dinner, it's about being with the ones you love while you still can. Some people don't always get to see their parents every year, some don't always get to see their aunts, uncles, friends and cousins. That's what makes getting together during the holidays so special, no matter what you're celebrating. You couldn't wait to see Ted's family this year, then getting to see your own. You couldn't wait to eat a great meal with great people, to show family how much your cared and cherished them, to celebrate the end of the year with all of your closest friends. Man, this adventure with Ted was making you sentimental. Christmas spirit, huh...

You are once again snapped out of your thoughts by Ted stopping by a Victoria's Secret to look at some Christmas red Holiday lingerie. He gestures to the garter belt and knowingly raises his brows at you. Ah boy, here we go.

"You're not getting me that.." You slowly shake your head at him, looking him over with a smirk of disbelief.

"Oh yeah? Why not?" Ted smirks back at you, his eyes flicking down to the mannequin that wore the whole fit. "You don't like it?"

"I like it, but it's not worth it." You shook your head once again, keeping yourself outside of the store. "I'm tellin' you, it's not worth it."

"How is it not worth it?" Ted's smirk grows into a suggestive smile. "C'mon babe, looks worth it to me."

"You really gonna buy that just for me to wear it once?"

"Yeah, that's worth it."

"Check the price tag."

"I can afford it, (Y/N)."

"I know, but check it anyways."

Ted let's out a soft huff and glances down at the price tag sticking out of the lingerie. I see his eyes widen and he lets out a scoff.

"It's 140 dollars!?" Ted raises his voice in shock, immediately getting a little embarrassed. You can't hold back your laughter, watching as he nervously covers his mouth and scurries out of the shop, returning to your side.

"You're right, you're right.." Ted groans softly, rushing passed the store with you. "Not worth it."

You continue to laugh until the store is out of sight. Oh he was so right, this has already been so much fun. We start to really get into the spirit of the holidays, making a brief detour into the dollar store to buy bags, wrapping paper and most importantly: matching Christmas hats, though the one you bought ended up being a little big around your head. Ted thought it was cute, occasionally having to pull the hat back by the white pompom to make sure you could see where you were going. At this rate, you're having a great time at the mall. The long lines just gave the two of you an excuse to giggle and joke around before having to pay at the register and return to the mall's main hall.

The last store you ended up hitting was a sort of local hobby shop for those miscellaneous friends and family that liked a little bit of everything. This place sold books, board games, calenders, little trinkets and toys, dice & figurines for DnD, any little obscure thing you wouldn't normally think of was in this store. You and Ted were once again spending more time just looking at and messing with the little trinkets in the store rather than discussing what to buy for whomever. You only split off when you both get distracted by something. You spend way too much time trying to get the high score on a Bop-it toy while Ted was talking to the employees about different board games that interested him, but he never ends up buying any of them. You only end up leaving with a bit of dice and some squishy toys for some of the younger members of your family. You would've bought the Bop-it, if you didn't already have one at home.

Before you know it, you've circled back around to the food court, quite a few bags filled with gifts wrapped around your arms. While you're here, you mind as well get some lunch. You both find a place to sit so you can take turns getting your food. Ted decides to wait with the bags so you could go wait in line first, but he gives you his wallet, because of course he does.

"I can pay for my own food, Ted." You have this knowing grin on your face as you look down at him, placing one hand on your hip with the other holding his wallet out to him.

"I know, but it's Christmas." Ted gently pushes your hand away, insisting that you use his wallet. "You deserve a treat, babe."

"It's not Christmas." You smirked, raising a brow at Ted. "It's Thursday.."

"It's the season of giving! C'monnnn.."

You roll your eyes at his insistence, but again, the sooner you agree to this, the sooner you can go home.

"You're lucky I'm overstimulated.." You huff with a grin, turning away to go get your food.

"Love you too, babe."

You wait in the somewhat long line for your food, order it, get it from the counter and head back to your seat so Ted could get his food. It takes him a lot longer to get back, so at that point, you both decided to take your meals to go and leave out the food court exit. This adventure was definitely a fun one. You got over some anxiety, you bought some great gifts for your friends, many laughs, a new Bop-it highscore and it was all shared with your lovely partner, Ted Nivison. As Ted puts the bags in the backseat, you slip back into his Toyota Tacoma and let out a sigh of relief. You spot him through the rearview mirror, watching him tuck a smaller bag that you didn't recognize into the giant GameStop bag. You glance back at him with a curious smirk and he meets your gaze, a sheepish little smile spreading along his blush-toned lips.

"Did you see that?" He asks, slipping back into the driver's seat.

"That small bag?" Your smirk turns into a knowing grin, getting your seatbelt on. "Oh yeah."

"No you didn't." Ted let's out a deep chuckle as he starts up his truck, smiling at the laugh you let out in response. This guy. This fuckin' guy. You have no idea when or how he could've bought something for you today, or what it even could be. You couldn't think of a single moment where he was out of your sight...

...did he buy that while you were distracted by the Bop-it? Motherfucker--

[steddielations]

one thing I loved about Eddie’s book is the fact that Eddie’s actually not a music snob. He likes all kinds of music, he listens to blues and country because it’s what his mom loved. He didn’t understand blues until she died and he experienced real loss and grief and sadness and he could feel it. He just loves music and how people relate to it and he associates people with the music they like, even if it’s not his taste, it’s how he connects with people.

All that to say, I’m imagining the look on Dustin’s face sitting in the front seat of Eddie’s van, watching him grinning to himself and tapping the steering wheel and nodding along to Tears for Fears, the same song that Dustin knows for a fact Eddie always switches the radio when it comes on, the same song Steve has been humming for weeks.

[prolibytherium]

I never touched it but I feel like i only ever hear positive things said about song of achilles.. in (rough strokes at least) what makes it dogshit to you?

Okay it's been a while since I actually read it so some of this might not be spot on accurate. Sorry if at any point I say 'the book never does xyz' and it actually does once or twice but I think my underlying criticisms are accurate

-Patroclus is made into like this soft gentle tender quivering little yaoi boy. In the source text, he's shown as compassionate and moved by the suffering of his own men (and apparently having some medical skill, tending to the wounded in the camp), but very much invested n combat and very, very good at it (pages worth of descriptions of the guys he's killing left and right). In this, the arguably more complex character from this 8th century BC text is flattened into Being A Healer, he doesn't want to go to war he just wants to help people, he only goes because Achilles has to but he doesn't want to fight he's a HEALER he's a gentle lover NOT A FIGHTER who just wants to help he just wants to help everyone around him he HEALS while Achilles is a doomed warrior who is so good at fighting and KILLING its a DICHOTOMY GUYS!!!LIKE THE BEAUTIFUL SUN AND MOON DOOMED LOVERS SO SAD patocluse HEALER . (I Think he's specifically characterized as being BAD at fighting but might be misremembering)

-I don't remember much about Achilles' characterization I think it just makes him less of a jackass while not adding anything of interest and levels out into being mad boring.

-Not getting into the literal millenias old debate whether the mythological characters Achilles and Patroclus were being characterized as some type of lover by the original oral sources of the Iliad or its Homeric writers. We will never know. We don't even know what (if any) culturally accepted conventions of male homosexuality existed in bronze age Greece (we know much more about their descendants). But there are some interesting elements of their characterization in this direction, with how unconventional their relationship is WITHIN the text itself- Patroclus is described as cooking for Achilles and his guests (very specifically a woman/wife's job), Achilles chides Patroclus like a father, but there's also scene where Achilles' mourning of him directly echoes a passage of Hector's wife mourning her husband, Patroclus is explicitly stated to Achilles' elder, and is overall treated as his equal or near-equal, closest confidant and most beloved friend (to the point that pederastic classical Greeks would debate over who was erastes (older authority figure lover) and who was eromenos (adolescent 'beloved')- many took it as a given that this text depicted their present-day cultural norms of homosexual behavior but it existed so Outside of these norms that it had to be debated who was who). Their relationship is non-standard both within the text and to the descendants of the civilization that wrote them.

Basically what I'm saying is this book had opportunities to like, explore the unconventionality of the relationship (being presented here as explicitly lovers), explore the dynamics of why Patroclus wants to do 'women's work' (besides being a tenderhearted softboy), the weird dynamics where they take on paternal roles to each other but also roles of wives, how they feel about being this way, and just kind of Doesn't. Which I guess isn't an intrinsic fault (because it omits much of what I just talked about to begin with). it's just like.... Lame. This book takes jsut abandons everything interesting about the source text in favor of flattening it into bland Doomed Yaoi.

-The conflict that sets off the core story of the Iliad is Achilles and Agamemnon fighting over Briseis, an enslaved Trojan woman taken by Achilles as a war-trophy, Achilles spends most of the story moping because he was dishonored by his 'trophy' being taken. Achilles and Patroclus and everyone else are raping their captives, all the women in the story are either captured Trojans (or in the case of the free women within the walls of Troy, soon to be enslaved, and are slave owners themselves). Slavery as an institution and extreme patriarchal conventions are innate to the text and reflective of the context in which it was developed. You cannot avoid it.

But obviously you can't have your soft yaoi boys doing this, so the author has them capturing women to Protect Them from the other men. Their slaves are UNDER THEIR PROTECTION and VERY SAFE (and they might even Like And Befriend Them but I might be misremembering that. Briseis does though). Our heroes have apparently absorbed none of the ideals of the culture they exist in and the author seems to think "they're gay and aren't sexually attracted to their captives" would translate to them being outright benevolent (also as if wartime sexual violence is just about attraction and not part of a wider spectrum of violent acts to dehumanize and brutalize an accepted 'enemy')

In the source text, Briseis mourns Patroclus as being the kindest to her of her captors, who tried to get her a slightly better outcome by getting her married to Achilles (which probably would be the Least Bad of all possible outcomes for a woman in that situation, becoming a legal wife instead of a slave), and wonders what will happen to her now that he's gone. This is a really really sad, horrible, and compelling dynamic which could be fleshed out in very interesting ways but is instead is tossed entirely aside in favor of them being Besties. Like brother and sister.

All of the above pisses me off so much. If you don't want to engage in the icky parts of ancient/bronze age Greece then don't write a retelling of a story taking place in bronze age Greece. I'm not gonna get mad at children's adaptations of Greek myths or silly fun stories loosely based on them for omitting the rape and slavery but it is SO fundamental to the Iliad. If you're not willing to handle it, either fully omit it or better yet set your Iliad inspired yaoi in an invented swords-and-sandals setting where you can have all your heartbreaking tragic doomed lovers plot beats and not have to clumsily write around the women they're brutalizing.

-The author didn't seem to know what to do with Thetis and she made her just like, Achilles bitch mother who spends most of the story trying to separate our Yaoi Boys (iirc her disguising Achilles as a girl and hiding him on Scyros is made to be more about getting him away from Patroclus than trying to save her son from his prophesied doom in the Trojan War) until she sees how much they loooove each other and I think helps Patroclus' spirit get to the afterlife or something in the end?

-This is more of a personal taste gripe but it has that writing style I loathe where the prose feels less like a story and more like an attempt to string together Deep Beautiful Hard Hitting Poetic Lines that will look great as excerpts on booktok (might predate booktok but same vibe). It's all very Pretty and Haunting and Deep but feels devoid of real substance.

I really like The Iliad and The Odyssey in of themselves. They're fascinating historical texts that give a window into how 8th century BC Greeks told their stories, saw their world, interpreted their ancestors, etc. And genuinely I think these texts have 'good' characters, there's a lot of complexity and humanity to it.

WRT the Iliad- all of the main Achaeans are pretty fascinating, the one singular part where Briseis Gets To Talk and laments her situation is great, Achilles fantasizing that all of the Trojans AND the Achaeans die so he and Patroclus alone can have the glory of conquering Troy (wild), Achilles asking to embrace Patroclus' shade and reaching out for him but it's immaterial (and the shade being sucked back underground with a 'squeak' (the squeak kinda gets me it's disturbing and sad)), Hecuba talking about wanting to tear out Achilles' liver and eat it in a (taboo, exceptioally pointed) expression of rage and grief for his mutilation of her son's corpse, just one tiny line where the enslaved women performing ritual wailing for their dead captors are described as using it as an outlet to 'grieve for their own troubles' is heartrending, etc. A lot of grappling with anger and grief and the inevitability of death, a lot of groundwork laid for characters that could be very interesting when expanded upon in the framework of a conventional novel.

And Song Of Achilles really doesn't do much with all that. I know a lot of my gripes here are kind of just "It's different from the Iliad", I would have thought of it as mostly mediocre and forgettable rather than infuriating if it wasn't a retelling (and I DEFINITELY have strong biases here). But I think the ways in which it is different are less just a product of a retelling (of course there's going to be omissions and differences) and more a complete and utter disinterest in vast majority of its own subject matter, to the book's detriment. I think a retelling has a point when it EXPANDS on the source, or provides a NEW ANGLE to the source. This book doesn't Really do either, it just shaves off the complexity of its source material, renders the characters into a really boring archetype of a gay relationship, and gives very little else. Its content boils down to a middling tragic romance that has been inserted into the hollowed out defleshed skeleton of the Iliad.

Bottom line: I definitely would not be as mad about it if I wasn't familiar with the source material but I think it's fair to expect a retelling to Engage with/expand on its source, and I also think it's weak purely on its own merits. This book was set up to disappoint Me specifically.

[haughttopics]

finally watched happiest season and i totally understand why people hated the ending.

except for Jane. she deserves the world.

[freaky-flawless]

Alright I finished it... just overall not great. I don't really feel like I gained anything from reading it. And there are a good few things that are genuinely problematic.

As for the story itself...it could have been interesting but the writing was so bland. There's a scene at the end that should have been pretty intense where the Ghoulfriends confront the big bad and save the whole school but the writing is so straightforward and bland that it was so unsatisfying. And the solution was so weird and specific.

I know we kinda joke about how useless Bloodgood is, but she was something else in this one. She didn't even get brainwashed like everyone else, from the start she was super ooc and forgetful because she got struck by lightning lol. Lowkey, she shoulda got fired.

I will say Rochelle did grow on me a bit. She definitely had the main character role and did show some character growth. And I did like how the author was mindful of the fact that she's made entirely of stone, and the trials that come with being that heavy. But her constant quoting of the "Gargoyle Code of Ethics" and her constantly correcting people grew old quick.

Other than that the only saving grace of this book is the illustrations. Ugh, they are so good, and I hadn't seen a lot of them before. Darko Dark did a great job, and I love his design for Sylphia (the "villain") he even made the trolls look cute despite the authors less than kind descriptions of them.

Do I recommend anyone read this? No, not really. Unlike the Lisi Harrison books, it didn't give a fresh perspective on the series, it's kinda just a worse version of the actual canon. And on top of that the writing itself is super lackluster, the Monster High Diaries books are way better written despite being half the length.

That being said, wish me luck with the next one. It appears Toralei might feature heavily in it, despite not being mentioned a single time in the first one.

I'm like halfway through the first Ghoulfriends book and main three are so annoying. I'm hoping it's like a character flaw thing, where they'll recognize it and get better over the course of the series, but oof. Gitty did these ghouls so wrong.

They're beefing with Cleo for no reason...Venus flipped out on her out of nowhere (in the middle of class, unprovoked!!) for using paper bags and then sprayed her with hypno pollen, meanwhile Rochelle, who is in her own relationship, is hardcore flirting with her man!!! I wish the author had been more original when it came to giving them a "frenemy" there are so many options aside from Cleo! (Honestly Operetta would have been an interesting choice, but whatever)

Robecca's characterization is the most tolerable, but she's incredibly rambly, and the author decided to give her a bad sense of time for...reasons. And despite being British, she uses oddly Southern phrases while talking...its super strange. With Venus and Rochelle, I can see where her mind went with writing their characters, but Robecca honestly seems so opposite to her canon personality.

And her backstory was kinda mangled too. It's acknowledged that she was disassembled, and recently reassembled, and even that she previously lived with Mrs. Kindergrubber, but she's treated like a brand new student. No acknowledgement that it was Ghoulia who put her back together!

I understand giving the characters a fresh take, but it would have been pretty simple to integrate the actual canon. Robecca and Rochelle were introduced in the same movie, they were new to Monster High, just not new to all of the characters.

[nathsolkyoako]

I read the shit I wrote yesterday and like. Dude this is Weird

[lazaruspiss]

so many people just hear "dick was a cop" and go "eww im gonna pretend i didnt see that" and like. if its just bc you cant handle the subject matter thats one thing, but often times its just. performative. especially because the actually storyline is so much about dick trying (and as far as ive gotten to reading so far, failing) to make a change in the system and be a "good cop". it's an extremely heavy but genuinely very interesting storyline. dick does find other "good cops", but they're very much the minority and usually keep their heads down, because cops are bastards and will ruin the lives of "fellow officers" who try and do things right. they try to frame dick for murder at one point and everything.

[viperwhispered]

I just realized.

Jamil can't really talk about his overblot and the situation leading to it with his family or anyone in the Scalding Sands, because that would lead to problems with Kalim's parents and probably with his own family.

But he also can't talk about the events of book 6.

(Some spoilers under the cut, mostly for the early parts of the book.)

He was attacked, kidnapped, imprisoned etc. - because he overblotted. And like, sure the game might not linger on it, but that's probably quite the traumatic experience.

And he can't even mention it to his family.

He's chafing against his burdens, dealing with several direct and indirect consequences for daring to try to change his untenable situation (I mean sure his methods were what they were but anyway), and he can't even talk about it? Not about the original suffering with his childhood & life of servitude, not about the things that followed. Not to his family, not to the people around him at school. (Kalim? Out of the question. The other overblotters / Styx trippers? Yeah good luck feeling close enough to be actually vulnerable with them. Plus, while they share in the abduction experience, the whole servitude situation is probably quite out of their wheelhouse.)

And like, I don't really expect the game to look at it from this angle. Yeah, the overblottets got got, had some troubles, yeah they busted themselves out and saved the day. I mean, not like they acted particularly bothered with Idia, either. But still, you'd imagine that sort of an experience to leave a mark on a person.

Unless Jamil already feels imprisoned enough with his circumstances that this didn't feel that much of a change to his usual existence, in which case... Well.

[kaidanalenkosprmanager]

THE BEST OF PRIORITY: TUCHANKA (PART 2)

Featuring: Cmdr. Sophie Shepard, Lt. James Vega, EDI, Urdnot Wrex, and Dr. Mordin Solus With: Urdnot Bakara And a Special Guest Appearance by: Kalros, Mother of All Thresher Maws I MADE A MISTAKE! I made a mistake... big picture made of little pictures- too many variables. Can't hide behind statistics... can't ignore new data- my responsibility. Need to go- running out of time. Not your work, not your cure- not your decision. Had to be me- someone else might have gotten it wrong... Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)

[crows-of-buckets]

Beating veilguard may genuinely get me out of my writing slump because I Need To Fix It

[toxooz]

ALSOOOOOOO i Finally got to ride a skateboard at the skatepark with bf n friends for the first time ever yesterday and i feel so 👀👀👌👌👌💯💯💯 i managed to be able to balance and push around and stop without falling and it was fun tbh!! i can see getting muscle memory and improvement by doing it consistently 😤 i just hope this aint too short of a phase for everyone so i can hopefully get me own board soon 🙏

[anmaries]

I think about this issue sometimes because she’s soooo quick on her feet. She’s always ready to jump into action and figure out a situation. It makes sense why people like steve rogers keep wanting her to be a leader type; she’s empathetic, she’s smart, and she’s decisive. she knows how to make those split second decisions and she’s all about putting herself in the line of fire to keep everyone else safe (see also: rogue not caring about herself and so the choice of self sacrifice is an easy one if it means saving her loved ones / innocent people)

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

The Art of Destiny

book 2 in a fun wuxia-inspired high fantasy series

set a couple years after book 1, after Jian failed to live up to his chosen-once prophecy, he is once again training with Taishi who decides to recruit a bunch of her grandmaster peers to come out of retirement & finish his training

Qisami & her crew are lacking assassin work and take a job going undercover in a palace - and the change of pace & new developing friendships give her a glimpse of new possibilities

Sali leads the survivors of her exiled clan to a new home while trying to find a cure for a magical sickness she's developed

[shirogane-oushirou]

[cw vent: chronic illness, general world politics mention w no detail)

"man. i'm so tired. i feel like i can't do anything selfship related. is it because my energy's been sapped from family visiting and everyone wanting to do ~summer activities~ nonstop? am i so in my head about "getting ren's story right without stepping over any lines" that i've backed myself into a perfectionist corner? is the world just going to shit so hard that i can't have one (1) minute of escape on this blog before going back to working through the political hellscape we're in? god even trying to make this plushie pattern is killing me even though i want to hold my guy So Badly AUGH."

/finishes the plushie pattern after trying multiple body bases and literally buying a japanese ebook about plushie face and hair design/

"actually what if i lived forever and spent all of that time making an army of these fuckers to swim in? what then?"