#i'm still at ch 250

[sleeplesscenarios]

oh am i seeing han sooyoung x yoo sangah enemies to lovers??

[forcebookish]

ok i think i'm a wee burnt out re: writing so i'm going to refrain from opening documents and listlessly staring at them lol if i get an idea i'll write it down of course but i'm not going to try to force anything

kinda bad timing considering novella november is in three (four? do you count november 1st?) days...

[wuucchoo]

ch 17 and the misconception some people have about it...

so we are at ch 250 ish in jjk, and many things had happened. Like, MANY. But I still see people with the 'Megumi was about to summon Makora against Todo' argument, and whether or not its a joke - its getting tired as hell.

So, I'm gonna throw this essay into the void that is the internet coz I wanna rant about it >:(

(•̀⤙•́)

In this chapter, two students from the Kyoto branch were briefly introduced. The third year Aoi Todo, and the second year Zenin Mai. 

These two went to the Tokyo branch a little earlier than the intended schedule for the goodwill event because they wanted to check out (bully) the first years, since these kids (Megumi and Nobara) will replace the third years for the event this time around.

Todo wanted his last goodwill event to be memorable, so he wanted all the best fighters to be around. But since two of the third years ran away to establish their own fight club while Yuta went on an adventure somewhere in Africa, Todo’s dream of a memorable goodwill might be a little blurry. So he had to go and assess (bully) the first years, so he may know what to expect.

Todo’s intention was clear from the start - he was only there to test whether the Tokyo branch first years are worthy enough to fight. So he asked Megumi his type of woman.

Honestly, if he was there to assess the first years, I think he should've asked Nobara her type as well but he just treated her like she was invisible the entire time. (¬_¬")

Anyway, Megumi gave him an answer and Todo didn't really like it.

But why?

If we go by what Todo states as his reason, the only one that was clear was that he thinks that Megumi’s answer was boring. Which is fair, people find different things boring - we all have our own preferences and stuff. I personally think that Megumi’s answer was good. Not just good, actually - his answer was the best I heard when it comes to such questions. But what exactly was it that made Megumi’s answer ‘boring’ in Todo Aoi's eyes?

I think the answer is that megumi’s answer was too good, actually. 

The problem with Megumi, in Todo’s eyes at least, is that he thinks TOO MUCH. There are too many thoughts in this kid’s head, too much brain cells interacting with each other in there - that Todo finds boring. Now, I'm not saying that Todo is a dumbass - between Tokyo and Kyoto he and Megumi are the only one who managed to have a perfect 10 when it comes to classroom learning.

His ‘style’ of intellect is probably just completely different from Megumi’s. If Megumi answered with a surface level attraction - for example;  he 'likes big butts and he cannot lie' - immediately after Todo asked him, Todo wouldn't have found it boring (he would still attack, of course). But because Megumi thought about a proper answer honestly and seriously, for way too long, Todo got offended. He likes brainless and quick answers better.

The moment Megumi hesitated to answer, he was already 'boring' in Todo's eyes.

When Todo asks someone this question, he's not only gauging their personality - he's also assessing their fighting style based on what and how they answer.

And Todo's preferred combat style is no brain, head empty, just punch punch kick - just what you’ll expect from the very same man who showed Yuji how to do a black flash. A state of being that’s the very embodiment of brainless concentration resulting in drooling and a punch stronger than your strongest punch. Given how Todo's CT works, he does strategize and think about his next moves - but not to the extent that Megumi does. Todo strategizes while he fights, Megumi strategizes and then fights. I'm not saying they fight exclusively like this! Its just the gist of their differing fighting style.

I'm just trying to get to something and putting all these in mind is important to get to it.

From the moment that Todo showed a sign of wanting a fight, Megumi’s thoughts were how he could avoid conflict and diffuse the situation. He never viewed todo as someone he had to defeat, but a problem he had to solve. Which is an insult for this guy Todo, who came into their school looking for a fight.

Even when Todo landed that first punch on Megumi, making him fly across the hallway, his thoughts were still about how to diffuse the situation - because his plan was to keep his distance from Todo. Todo was a problem, not a real enemy. Up to the point when Todo used his body to bulldoze through a building, Megumi's plan was the same. Nullify, not fight. Diffuse, not escalate.

It only changed when Todo asked him if he was even trying. Which irked Megumi, because he was trying. Trying to diffuse the situation, that is. And not fight. Which can be deduced in his choice of shikigami, he chose the defense type and not the offense ones - like his dog and the owl. Granted, the frogs had Nue's flight ability - but it's clear that Megumi only chose to summon it primarily to try and incapacitate Todo. Not fight him.

Which leads us to the actual point of this whole essay

Some people had been clowning him left right and center for 'trying' to summon Makora against Todo, which would actually be funny - if it was true. I mean, imagine summoning your untamed murderous pet against a high school bully, at the risk of killing yourself too btw.

Hilarious, right? (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

But, uh, Megumi didn't do that.

What happened was Megumi actually ‘wanting’ to fight Todo, not just deescalate the situation, and Todo felt that change.

Ever since Todo started that fight, Megumi never thought about fighting him - and Todo knows that, that's why he thinks Megumi is boring. Because he ‘thinks’.

They are in the school, among classmates and colleagues, unarmed and unprepared - there are literally so many things to consider before Megumi could even fully commit to a fight that he never asked to be a part of. There are absolutely zero reasons (in Megumi’s head) why he had to fight an upperclassman from a sister school out of nowhere. That was why in that 5 seconds fight that they had, we only ever see Megumi on the defense.

So when megumi decided not to think and just go with it, Todo felt that change in him. It wasn't general Makora that Todo felt, because Megumi had to do a hand sign and a chant in order for that shikigami’s presence to be felt - as can be seen when he first did that thing at the juvenile detention center. Sukuna only felt a strong shikigami when Megumi started chanting. 

When Yuji first ate a finger and Megumi did the hand sign, Sukuna didn't react to it because Megumi didn't do the chant. 

This is the only page that showed Megumi about to fight Todo seriously, and there is no hand sign in sight.

So, how in the world would Todo feel the general’s presence when Megumi did not do a hand sign and a chant? Do people think that Todo's spidey senses are stronger than Sukuna - that all it took for Todo to feel its presence was for Megumi to think about it? That's… huh.

With all that said, no, Megumi was not gonna summon Makora against Todo (an ally) just because of a school fight. He was just gonna do what Todo had been urging him to do - and that is to fight for real. Megumi fighting for real does not mean Makora is about to jump out of the shadow because he never used Makora to fight - Makora has always been a last resort. When shit truly hit the fan. All those instances against Sukuna, Hanami, the whole Shibuya fiasco and Sukuna about to possess him - were all Makora level threats because Gojo was not around.

I have so many rants left in me so next I'm gonna rant about how every time Megumi considered summoning Makora it is justified (ง'̀-'́)ง

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 1 of bracket one

Propaganda:

For Dirk:

he literally fuckint cut off his own head so his crush would kiss him. also he made a robot that fights with a sword to terrorize said crush. also another version of him (,homestuck. complex timeline shit) keeps swords.in the fucking fridge?

Bi and gay sibling solidarity 

For Zoro:

Literally training to be the greatest swordsman in the world. Has a special three swords technique (one blade in each hand plus one with the handle held in his teeth). I haven't read the manga or watched the anime but the live action adaptation gives me extremely gay vibes and based on the fandom things I've seen I'm not the only one

bro uses three swords. has one in his mouth. dont ask how the HELL he manages that. one day he will be the worlds greatest swordsman....after he beats the current greatest for both the titles of greatest swordsman and fruitiest swordsman. he's dramatic as FUUUCK like bro what the hell. has homoerotic fights with the local twink like everyday. directionally challenged, can and will get lost in a paper bag, doesnt know left from right...he probably cant read, too. hes too silly ngl

First of all, im in like episode 250 and so far he hasnt been shown attracted to any woman at all during the whole show so far, not even when one changed clothes in the same room as him and this is anime so you know there were other characters with bloody noses and shit. With that out of the way he wields three swords at once [two in his hands, one is his goddamn mouth dude. Its cool af trust me.] When he was little he made a promise to his best friend that he'd be the best swordsman in the world. Later she died in a tragic accident and left her sword which he still uses today. He also carries a cursed sword but he overpowers the curse with a combination of skill and sheer luck. He got stuck in a chimney. While his crewmates sail their ship he takes naps. He learned how to cut through metal by fighting a guy who could turn his body into metal blades. That's metal. He refuses to fight this liberal marine officer because she looks like his childhood best friend and its just understandably really awkward for him. He's autistic. He's a he/him bisexual lesbian. He's a gay man. He's ace/aro. He's whatever you want him to be babey!!

he has 3 swords, wields one in his mouth sometimes, his dream is to be the greatest swordsman in the world

three swords and big aroace-spec gay vibes

He not only has a sword he has *three* swords. He's absolutely gay there's no way to see this man as straight. Also one time he licked his sword for no reason and that was really funny to me so I had to mention it

Look, this man thinks about three things: Swords, His Captain, and Booze. He’s on a quest to be the worlds greatest swordsman. The Live action has a scene where he declares his undying, unwavering loyalty to his captain WHILE reaffirming his promise to be the worlds greatest swordsman. At this point His dream and his Captain are so intertwined it’s crazy. Man is so sword-y he’s got three of them. When one of his swords broke he carried its empty scabbard until he was able to give it a SWORD FUNERAL. He hears a sword is cursed and takes that as a challenge. He will literally tell his swords off for “bad behavior” when they “act up” due to being straight up cursed. He tests one by throwing it in the air and sticking his arm out to see if it is so blood thirsty and ill tempered that it will cut him. Even though he’s literally the first mate if you ask him what his role is he’s going to answer Swordsman.

He's dedicated his life to two things: becoming the greatest swordsman in the world and his captain, Luffy. 

He mastered the three sword style. Its his style. It would've been more swords but he could only fit one sword in each hand and one in his mouth. He wants to be the world's greatest swordsman, a deal he made with his childhood best frenemy (before she died falling down the stairs). He thought he was All That at the start and was almost completely decimated by the actual Worlds Greatest Swordsman. Now, after two years forced training with that guy, he's probably in the top tier no-doubt, and honestly could already be the best but we just don't know for sure yet. Also, did I mention: he's got the whole demon/devil imagery going on at times. And he has absolutely no sense of direction! plus is a total softie when it comes to Chopper and all the children who somehow gravitate towards him. And he loves naps!

One of the guy's main goals in life is to be the best sword fighter and he fights with three swords which I think is telling enough of his skill.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, July 30

Jenny: Pretty flimsy excuse for coming by to see me. Giles: You should have heard the ones I threw out. I just, I wanted to, uh... see how you were doing. Jenny: I'm doing pretty good, actually. I've stayed out of mortal danger for three whole weeks. I could get used to it. I'm still having trouble sleeping, though. Giles: Oh, of course. Um... you, you, you need time. Jenny: Or possibly space. Rupert, I know you're concerned. But having you constantly poking around, making little puppy dog eyes at me, wondering if I'm okay... You make me feel bad that I don't feel better. I don't want that responsibility.

~~~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Cheese (Buffy/Riley, G) by Kittenwritings

Cuddle Pile (Fred/Cordelia/Willow, T) by Kittenwritings

Somewhere Only We Know (Fred/Spike, G) by Kittenwritings

dimension hopping / dimension travel (Fred/Spike, T) by Kittenwritings

character realizes they want to join their best friends' relationship (Angel/Fred/Spike, T) by Kittenwritings

Sneaking Around (Buffy/Maggie Walsh, T) by Kittenwritings

Get You Alone (Fred/Spike, T) by MadeInGold

The Aftermath (Spike/Ben, T) by MadeInGold

Cold comfort (Buffy/Ben, T) by Kittenwritings

Doctor, Can You Help Me? (Buffy/Ben, E) by MadeInGold

[Chaptered Fiction]

of all the wonders (that i have heard) Ch. 1 (Dawn, T, Agents of SHIELD xover) by luxaII

Altered Images Ch. 1-4/? (Ensemble, T) by KnightRanger

Scheduling Concerns (Fred's Birthday Fic part 1) (Multiple Pairings, E) by Kittenwritings

To Sail the Starry Sea Ch. 1-2/2 COMPLETE (Buffy/Spike, E) by eevol76vamp

Once Chosen Ch. 2 (Buffy/Giles, M) by RowanIsabellaMcCarter

Shadow Over Hellmouth CH. 112/250 (Buffy/Tara, E) by Tuxedo_Mark

Situation Normal - All Faithed Up CH. 2 (Buffy/Faith, M) by QuillBard

Pick Me Up Ch. 14/30 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Dusty87

Home Movies Ch. 16/25 (Buffy/Spike, E) by cawthraven

In the Company of Witches and Slayers Ch. 116/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

I Do!, Chapter 33 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dusty

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 37 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Ragini

Spiked, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden

The Buffybot Falls In Love, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Desicat

Life with Buffy, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Joan963z

Willow Rosenberg and Her Hydrocoustic Field Ch. 1 (Willow/Tara, T, Tom Swift xover) by batzulger

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Bangel chibi sketches () by MamaBewear

Artwork:Buffy & Spike () by Haley TJ MacLaughlin

Artwork:Spike () by sayanrougshaban

Artwork:Spike () by chelseabeecreates

Artwork:Spike () by amphoebee

Video: I Know the End (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

Video: Willow & Oz - Sweetest Part (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

Video: Drusilla - Thursday Girl (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

Video: Faith Lehane - Bad Child (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

[Reviews & Recaps]

Mothman’s Buffy Rewatch: Season 3 episodes 17 and 18, “Enemies” and “Earshot” by mothmans-wedding-photographer

PODCAST: ATS 220 - Over The Rainbow by Another Buffy Podcast

[Community Announcements]

Author Reveals, and Feedback of Multiple Sorts by [community profile] fandom5k

Tuesday's Prompt is We Pull Pranks by comment-fic

Round 2 Of Artists Claims For The Regular WIPBB Are Open! Round 2 lasts until July 31st! by wipbigbang

[Fandom Discussions]

You know what the Turok Han should have been? by nicnacsnonsense

honestly one of the best character mirrors on this show is willow and giles. by greensaplinggrace

Having thoughts about the effects of Merrick’s ‘not-quite’ existence on Buffy and Giles’ relationship again by duckwnoeyes

I was reminded of Spike and Joyce’s friendship. by abadbadbrujah

sometimes i think about what we could have had if spike showed up two episodes earlier, during when she was bad. by gingerteaonthetardis, sayyoume

I heard Spike starts to do things to redeem himself independent from Buffy in season five of Angel by initiumseries

Imagining a conversation between Angel and ensouled!Spike by nicnacsnonsense

my headcanon for the “intense” buffy and angel post-resurrection reunion scene by moistvonlipwig

Wesley or Lilah? Angel season 1 or Angel season 5? Writing fanfiction or reading fanfiction? by kyliafanfiction

#2 for willow rosenberg by TheOverLookedOne

https://paarthursass.tumblr.com/post/757397374416076800 by paarthursass

one of the things that makes spike so much better as a partner for buffy by greensaplinggrace

Welcome to the Hellmouth Fashion Part One by theoverlookedoneedits1997

buffy is just so casually and remorselessly anti-cop throughout the entire btvs show... yet still incarceration is weirdly glorified as a redemptive device. by athenadark, greensaplinggrace

Most Out Of Character, Plot Hole-y, or Confusing Season 7 Moments by luxaII

Underrated Villains by ElephantWorldly5010

Where to pick up the comics/graphic novels? by Fearless-Salad-8431

This episode had it all (except Angel of course). by TeddyKGB1

Question about the episode “fear, itself” by Beans_0492

Any other Robin Wood fans? by needadviceplease8910

How would that show have been like had Faith had become a "regular"?? by samof1994

Monster of the week of your choice by Yogabeauty31

How long did she actually wait? by AndrewHeard

Giles as the first? It’s a no from me. Sorry Mr Head. by DanTrueCrimeFan87

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 3 - Episode 7 - Revelations by Mat1711

Which character's sudden reappearance caught you totally by surprise? by InfiniteMehdiLove

Dawn and Xander? by 1sneaky1

I also wonder if slayers age slower like Captain America by zarif_chow

Did Faith have the right to criticize Buffy in Empty Places? by sadhungryandvirgin

I found a benefit of living on a Hellmouth by MonsterTournament

Why did Forrest hate Buffy so much? by Dreamfyre28

Why did they put the Judge in such convenient boxes for reassembly since he was so dangerous? by JumpingJBeans

please tell me im not the only one who used to think katrina was amy? by secretlifeofmex

the fan response to Spike after S6 by g_island_

Spuffy fans be like: “Spike was the only one who stood by her side/didn’t abandon her/put her first!” by mortalaf

one of the fundamental tensions in btvs by moistvonlipwig

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Join the editor team :)

[uriel-is-best-girl]

TSCTIR Spoilers up to ch 250

Last I read was about up to 250 but I dont really remember the order of events from here on. I know theres going to be the thing with stw where he lowers hyj fear resistance, and the boat, but after that I have no memory of how they ended up in the virtual reality arc so thatll be interesting. In the past I remember being frustrated about that triple A rank guy being forgotten but rereading hyj actually keeps mentioning how he thinks theres something hes forgetting. It would be cool if that ended up coming back and being related the the triple A guys skills. If not its still kinda funny as is, though I do hope he comes back because otherwise it does really just feel like the author forgot about him. Yoon yoon as well I was sad stopped coming up, but ofc they did, theyve got a kingdom to build and I'm sure theyll come back up and its just laying the ground work. Its as of ch 127 been about 2 months since the regression after all so. Given the current pacing, I wonder if theyll even need (or rather, get) those 5 years. Hmmm

[quotidian-oblivion]

Book recs!! ✨

Hi! So a bit ago, I met a lovely amazing anon on ao3 (who is a BLESSING compared to the other mean anons commenting out there, thanks Kat, you make mine and im pretty sure other author's days too). So we got into talking about books and I offered to make a list for her and post it on tumblr so other people too can scrounge through so here we are lmao.

I gathered this list from the personal notes I had made to myself to add these books to my bookshelf when i move out and also from another list i made for my little siblings because no way are they gonna not read the good stuff I found. It's like a rite of passage now.

Just a note: I don't read romance. But since books don't have the very convenient tags we get on ao3, I end up getting to romance-y parts. The only romance books I have read are middle school level romance lmao XD Nothing except kisses and stuff lol.

Let's go!

The Maze Runner series

Maze Runner

I love this book. This series. Ngl, one of the first books where I felt that heart-clenching feeling of hurt. Love the characters, the world-building was in the fandom for a brief while and I love the plot too. Better than the movie plot anyway XD

Mare Runner: Scorch Trials

Second book in the series, also very good. Literally an adventure. So many twists and turns. Once more, the characterization is also amazing!

Maze Runner: Death Cure

Third and last book in the series as a main. Heartbreaking. Did shed tears. Page 250 still kills me. O u ch.

The Fever Code

Also in the same series and OUCH. It's the characters before the whole drama happened and they're kids and higehrfwb 😭 No kidding I was squealing and nearly threw the book multiple times out of excitement. It solved a couple plotlines too. I adored it. Plus, it gave me some closure from the many many (inevitable) deaths.

Crank Palace

It's a novella, but clears the mysterious gap that was in the third book. Plus, it gives much much more closure but I'm still crying so do what you will with that information. I love the new "OC"s here too.

Trials of Apollo

The Hidden Oracle The Dark Prophecy The Burning Maze The Tyrant's Tomb The Tower of Nero

Listen- listen- I know this is kinda obvious and you might be asking "where's the rest of the pjo series?" but that's a given. My personal favorites are the pjo, hoo and toa series, but toa somehow spoke to me more because the main relationship wasn't a romantic one like all the other teen books I read. I also adore Apollo/Lester's character development? Like, at first he was this carefree god, then at the end of the series, he transformed into a person who cared so much and so deeply and was willing to die for others. That is peak character development and if I hadn't read toa, I would still be blundering around and confused with my multi-chap fics as to how characters actually develop. Because you can see that journey so clearly in toa.

Jinx series

Jinx: The Wizard's Apprentice Jinx's Magic Jinx's Fire

I love this series so much??? I am a sucker for fantasy novels and this was so so good. I love the storyline and-

AND I ESPECIALLY LOVE THE FOUND FAMILY ASPECT HERE. THIS. IS LITERALLY RELUCTANT MENTOR-FATHER AND HYPER AND KEEN MENTEE-SON. AHHH.

Anyway, this was my first found family novel. I loved the whole storyline too, this was also the series where I was first introduced to the concept of whump (without knowing what whump actually was).

The Mapmaker Chronicles

Race To The End Of The World Prisoner Of The Black Hawk Breath Of The Dragon

These were also some of the first whump books I read. And I especially loved this because the plot was it. A smartass scrawny boy who accidentally turned into a hero? Hmmm, I wonder who that reminds me of. (Tim Drake. It reminds of Tim Drake)

But the characters are also special to my heart. There is minimal romance in here. Any romance is to move the plot forward.

Also a mentor-mentee relationship here. Not so much found family to the heart seeing as the main character already has family back home, but the whole crew definitely is a family of their own. I especially adore Ash! Ahhh! She's lovely and amazing. Oh and Zain- *sighs* he is the perfect mentor figure to scrawny li'l Quinn. And the hateable characters are so perfectly hateable!! The author truly is talented at stories.

Although the second book could do with more whump

Nevermoor series

Nevermoor

This book was described in the reviews as "Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland" and it stayed true to its description. It had beautiful and amazing characters, and an evil-mentor & reluctant hero-mentee relationship (though not at first) and I am a sucker for that. Also, I just love the character herself. Morrigan is a very good and fleshed out character and I will love her forever.

Wundersmith

We explore more of the evil-mentor & reluctant hero-mentee relationship. But Jupiter, Morrigan's actual caretaker, is the PERFECT uncle/caretaker for her and he's so protective of her and i just-

*sobs* I stan.

Hollowpox

Here we discover some of that delicious power upgrades. I also love all the friends! HAWTHORNE IS MY FAVORITE AND WILL ALWAYS BE I LOVE HIM. Stunning characters here 💫 Also some wise comparison of the different isms and phobias (as in homophobia, racism etc.) here in terms of fantasy.

The Mysterious Benedict Society series

The Mysterious Benedict Society The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Riddle of Ages

This... was one of the first mystery books I had ever read (my actual first was Sherlock Holmes cuz I found it on my grandparents' bookshelf and read it cuz I had read every other book they owned which wasn't a lot). I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline. It was calm and just- a bunch of kids going on a perilous journey to solve a mystery to save the city. Those kind of vibes. But the vibes were so good. So enjoyable. Every time I hear about this series, I just sigh in contempt.

There are very, very interesting characters here too. The characters are what made the story so good. All of them have unique quirks which they use to crack clues and form conclusions and dive into actions. Such good characters. 10/10, honestly.

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

This is part of the Benedict society universe, but it takes place years before the main events. It has adventures of the leader of the group in the main series as a kid. This book has a special mention because the storyline was different to the style of the main series and it had tropes. Just- the friend and the character itself and- dnfhbevbiluw

Okay, I admit, Benedict here does remind me of Tim (my fav character in DC). Like y'know smol Tim with the camera? Those kind of vibes. Very strong vibes. I read this way before I discovered Tim even existed so maybe this book plays a part in my favorites?

Jessica Brody books

The fact that I put the actual author's name here should tell you something.

Addie Bell's Shortcut To Growing Up

This book... brought me to tears. This was the second book that prompted salt water to slip out of my tear ducts. It was a strange feeling. Cuz I was not used to crying for books and movies and shows.

The plot just hit hard. A 12-year-old Addie magically time-travels to when she's 16 and experiences life as a teenager. The plot gives more than you expect. There are boys, yes, but that is a side plot, not a main plot. Which is why I love the book so much. Addie wants to be one of the "girly" girls who talks about boys and stuff and goes to parties like her older sister, but then as she lives the life of a teenager more and more, she realizes just how much she lost. Friendships, family, her personality, her interests, herself.

The part that made me cry was her missing her sister. Cuz, well, I'm an older sister. And my sister who is the oldest after me has the same age difference as Addie and her older sister. It wasn't just her missing her sister in that scene, it was everything crashing down on her that moved me to tears. Amazing book. If anything, I recommend you either read this or 'Better You Than Me' if nothing in this list goes towards your liking.

Better You Than Me

This was the first book that made me cry. It has two characters, one in middle school, the other who is an actress, swap bodies. So the typical middle school kid gets to live as a famous actress, and the famous actress gets to live as a typical middle school kid. Of course, neither of them end up liking their new life very much, but that only teaches them two important messages: appreciation and communication. God, I learnt so much from this book. I was like 13 or something when I read it and it resonated within me enough to make me cry. I adore this. SO much.

I Speak Boy

I actually have a library-borrowed copy with me right now XD It's about a middle school girl, Emmy, being very confused with the opposite gender. (Very much hetero, no homo despite it being published in 2021). But, once again, the reason I love this book isn't cuz of the romance (though it is kinda satisfactory but also a bit cliché). It's how the main character realizes that boys aren't everything. Just like in 'Addie Bell's Shortcut To Growing Up'. It's a lot about friendship.

The reason why I like these books by Jessica Brody (I haven't read the others yet) is because of the Bechdel Test factor in it.

S. K. Ali books

Again you have another author's name. This time, it's Muslim fiction!

Love From A To Z

The first Muslim fiction book I've ever read. And yes, it is a romance book. But it does not have any touchy-touchy stuff (except in the Epilogue and a couple dream scenes, very vague though and only kissing). As in, the main characters follow mainstream Sunni procedures and do not touch each other as they're not married. Which just leaves room for a ton of emotional romance.

I adore this simply because I'm a Muslim Hijabi myself and I am very much biased.

It deals with so many aspects of romance though, like personality first, lust last, and whether they are the right fit or not and whether they actually like each other or the idea of each other and how families play into this and online hate and emotion control and of course, the marvels and oddities of life. It is packed with so much. And when I finished the book, I had a good long cry. This is the first book that made me cry the longest. Because- because I was starved for representation! And this book did it so well! I just- love this so much.

The author has published a sequel, Love from Mecca to Medina, I have yet to read it because I'm waiting for it to be in a library. I prefer physical copy books.

Once Upon An Eid

Okay, this is very Muslim-based, but if you treat it like Muslim Christmas, everything becomes clear XD Also, Ali wrote only one story here. This book is actually a collection of stories by different Muslim authors. And each story is so special. Many people don't really know how Muslims celebrate Eid or why it's so special (besides spiritual reasons) and what it looks like. This paints an accurate picture. And it contains most, if not all, types of Muslims celebrating Eid. Sunni, Shia, refugee, African, American, revert/convert, South Asian etc. So really diverse.

Saints and Misfits Misfit In Love

Very much love-centred, but also has very vague mentions of sexual assault/rape/non-con. Yes, in a Muslim community. It exists. A lot actually. But it's hidden and hushed down. Disgustingly.

But the first book addresses it and how a Muslim girl battles it. She's in love with a white boy, yes, but she doesn't give in to her white boy desires. Neither does she fall to a non-white boy, at least not fully.

Which is why I recommend that if you're reading the first book, you definitely, definitely read the second one along with it. Because I felt even though the ending of the first book was satisfactory, it wasn't satisfactory to me. But the second book was! Because at the end of the second book, Janna (the main character), comes to the conclusion that boys aren't everything. And even though there is a very perfect boy that fancies her and she fancies him too, she takes a breath and says that she isn't too focused on that. And I adore that. But she only comes to that conclusion after falling in love with many, many, many boys. I did get a bit uncomfy cuz romance just in general makes me uncomfy, its a personal thing, but I kept reading it cuz... Muslim fiction! Anyway, good book series. But I like Love From A To Z better.

Now, those are... a lot of books. And a lot of me talking. And there are still so many more. So I'm just gonna go through some quick filtering and put the titles and authors of the other books here in dot points.

London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (my first novel, Kat knows about this lol)

Skyfire series by Michael Adams

NERDS series by Michael Buckley (it's an acronym that stands for National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society. It's weird but I laughed a lot so)

Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens

Mallory Towers series by Enid Blyton

Naughtiest Girl In The School series by Enid Blyton

Scarlet and Ivy series by Sophie Cleverly (fuck- I forgot to add this to the main list, but this book is hella hella good and I recommend it very much)

Bounce by Megan Shull (life lessons in here)

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

The Adventurer's Guild series by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos

Luck Uglies series by Paul Durham ("DADDY ISSUES!" screams Quo. "I love this book because I have daddy issues among other issues and that is all.")

Time Hunters by Chris Blake (it is very much a children's book, not even middle school, but I read it because it has an intriguing storyline and interesting historical facts that had me raising my hand in every history lesson)

There are no classic books here because that will need its own separate post.

And that's it! Thank you very much!

[falsemneme]

Feyre rubbed her face again. "I don't know what to do. How to help her." "Three days in and I'm already at my wit's end," he said. (ACOSF, Ch. 11)

"Change comes slowly for us. What humans accomplish in decades takes us centuries." (ACOSF, Ch. 11)

Elain stood by the rail, the breeze caressing her hair. "She's not getting any better. She's not even trying." She wrapped her arms around herself and stared toward the distant sea. (ACOSF, Ch. 17)

"Some of [the priestesses] have been here for hundreds of years and still haven't been able to come back from what they endured. So what hope do I have?" He rubbed at his shoulder, as if it were sore. "We've been working for barely two weeks, Nesta. Physically, you might be seeing changes, but what's happening in your mind, your heart, will take far longer than that. [...]" (ACOSF, Ch. 18)

He said with soft fury, "It took me ten years before I was able to face it. What I'd done to those people, and what I'd lost. Ten years. [...] You want to take twenty years, go ahead." (ACOSF, Ch. 18)

This book makes my head spin. It seems like the timeline for everyone else to heal and process trauma is... decades, at minimum. Centuries, possibly. So if Cassian knows this—(because he IS the man who said he was at his wits end only 3 days in just to turn around a week and a half later and tell Nesta she can take 20 years if she wants)—then I do NOT understand Rhysand's original plan. How long did the IC expect Nesta to be institutionalised in the Sentient Psychiatric Hospital & Gulag exactly? 4 weeks? 30 years?? 250??? With Cassian there the entire time????

[beanswrites]

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮

ft. Venti, Keaya, Zhongli, Childe, Arataki Itto, Thoma

hehe hi guys!! i know i haven't been active like at ALL but i'm here now! honestly life has gotten so busy plus i fell into a bit of a writer's block but here we are again and Fic Friday with Beans is finally starting (forreal, this time)

this is actually the first time i've written for genshin!! it's been a long time comming. can you tell that itto is my favorite character

Tags: genshin impact, genshin men from mondstadt, liyue and inazuma, venti, keaya, zhongli, childe, arataki itto, thoma, gender neutral reader, no pronouns, fluff, confessing feelings, kinda angst in Childe's part??

Warnings: none

Word count: about 250 for everyone

Part two??

masterlist | rules for requesting

Venti:

In all of his hundreds and thousands of years of existance, Venti has always been quite flirty, especially when drunk. You, having known him all your life, knew this, and accepted it as one of the many characterists of the playful god. It's not as if he wasn't like that with you, either! Almost every time you and him went out to the Rowdy Raven, the night would end with him murmuring sweet nothings and playful pick-up lines at you. You always brushed it off, assuming it was the alcohol that was talking.

However, his sweet words have nothing to do with alcohol. Sober or drunk, he still meant everything he said, word for word. During the next Windblume festival, in which was normal to celebrate your loved ones, the bubbly archon greeted you with his lyre.

"I wrote a song about you, Y/n!"

Then, he sang, and goosebumps rose on your skin. It was the most romantic song you've heard, the soft tunes matching with the heartfelt lyrics. Once he finished the song, tears were prickling in the corners of your eyes.

"So all of that you said in the tavern..."

"Yeah, I meant it! I love you, Y/n, I always have!"

Keaya:

Even though Keaya was the flirtiest person the Knights of Favonious ever saw, he never flirted because of actual feelings. It was all fun and games to him! That's why, even though your heart hoped for the handsome captain to actually mean the sweet words he says, your head had to remind you that flirting with you wasn't any different to him than talking to any other.

However, lately Keaya has been extra sweet with you. Not just his regular flirts, not even the smug, sexy way he smiles to all the gorgeous Mondstadt citizen. No, in the last couple of days the Cavalry Captain had his eyes glued on you and you only. Every single one of his breaks he spent with you, often joining you for a walk and maybe a drink after his work days end. Once on those walks around the streets of Mondstadt, you suddenly stopped in your tracks:

"Keaya, why do give me so much of your attention? You don't chit-chat with the ladies at the fountain on your way to work, and I even noticed you don't really hang out with Rosaria anymore... What's up with that?"

"Well, lately I've had my eyes, and dare I say heart, set on a certain someone..." He looked at you lovingly, a spark of genuine affection gleaming in his icy blue eyes.

Zhongli:

Zhongli is a god, an Archon, a divine creature - and divine creatures don't quite understand romance, and the gestures representing it. As soon as you met him, he's always been really friendly with you, always making the time to be with you in spite of his busy schedule. He has invited you to dinner with him and Childe (even though it was technically supposed to be a business dinner) multiple times and brought you flowers a couple of times, as he saw other humans doing it too.

Unfortunately, Zhongli didn't really know that he was supposed to say his feelings - in fact, he didn't even know what he was feeling. Before becoming mortal, he couldn't feel these feelings nor understand them the best. Now, all of this was so new to him that he didn't know how to act or what to do.

One day, as he once again cleared his schedual at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to hang out with you, he asked:

"Y/n, Childe tells me you didn't know I felt admiration and endearment towards you. Is this true? Have I not shown it properly?"

"Uh.. What?! Zhongli, are you saying that you.. Fell in love with me?"

"Yes, I am. Have I done something wrong to show it?"

Childe:

Much like Keaya, Childe had a naturally flirty personality. Perhaps, not flirty - no, the real word to describe him was smug. Tartaglia was smug. Even when speaking with and threatening his greatest enemies, The Fatui harbinger always managed to lightly chuckle seductivly and even slip some snarky nicknames and comments into the conversation. Nothing has changed since you first met him - he still acts the same with you, a friend Zhongli has introduced him to.

Except, you're not just his friend, and the both of you know that. There's been a shift in the atmosphere between the two of you lately, but neither wants to admit it. Childe, mostly, because he's scared. Somebody with such a dangerous job as him could never be the loving boyfriend you deserved.

One day, he was supposed to leave Liyue Harbor for a mission, for archons-know-how long. It could be a couple of days or a couple of months, and he didn't want to leave you without a proper goodbye. So, here he was on your doorstep, and immediately cutting you off before you even tried to ask what he was doing:

"Y/n, I have to go. I don't know how long I'll be away for, and before I go, I wanted to let you know that I love you"

Arataki Itto:

Itto is a lot of things, but most of all, the Oni is loud. About everything in his life. Almost never being the one to shy away from a fight or hide his feelings, he immediately wanted to tell you as soon as he realized he had fallen for you. However, you were different, special even, and he couldn't just march into your house and tell you loud and clear that he loves you, but that simply wouldn't do. So, he decided to discuss his confession with the Arataki gang.

"C'mon, guys, think! Should I bring flowers? Or maybe some lollipops? OH! How about we sing a song? Yeah, that'd be EPIC! But no, no no no, we can't scare her..."

"Uh, boss..? What if she rejects you?" Akira asked. Itto burst into a loud laugh.

"The great Arataki Itto doesn't get rejected! I mean, I'd be cool even if she, ya know, didn't feel that way, but that's never going to happen! Now I just gotta think of a way to tell her..."

Kuki finally joined the conversation.

"Boss, why don't you just tell her that you need to talk, and then just say what you're feeling?"

So he did exactly that. Even though Shinobu was a bit inexperienced with romance and love, she was still the smartest member of the Arataki Gang, so she must be right!

"Hey, Y/n! Uhh, could you, I mean.. Uh.. I wanna talk about something! Yeah, yeah, I wanna tell you something! You got time?"

"Uh, sure, Itto! What's up?" You asked with a smile.

"I, uhm.. Lately I realised that you are really, really cool and awesome- I mean of course you are, you are part of the Arataki gang! But, uh.. I kinda realized that maybe you're "I'm in love with you" awesome, and not just "Yooo my guy" kinda awesome..."

"Awww, that's sweet Itto- Wait. What?!"

Thoma:

Thoma is a real sweetheart, with a heart of gold. Nobody could deny it! And you knew that very well. So, naturally, when he started being extra nice to you and cooking you meals and helping you with your chores around the Kamisato estate, you just wrote it off as him being kind like he always was. And it was making him lose his mind.

The poor guy tried everything to make you see that he likes, no - loves you, but each one of his tries is unsuccessful. He even starts thinking that maybe you have realized that he's flirting with you, but nevertheless ignored him! Saddened by your cluelesness, he decides to stop these little activities with you, and you notice that he's being a lot colder than usual.

"Hey, Thoma.. What's wrong? Why do you not want to talk to me anymore?"

"Because you're not getting that I love you"

"What?! You're in love with me? So all these nice things you did were-"

"Yeah, heh, flirting. I was flirting with you, Y/n, because I'm in love with you"

Thanks for reading!! Love you guys!! Requests coming soon!

[bthump]

I'm sure you've answered this before but I'm curious how you feel about people claiming that neo Griffith only feels emotions because of the moonlight boy inside of him. When he feels his heart beating on the sword hill, was that his own emotions? Love your blog btw <3

Anonymous asked:

Hi! I love your blog and I'm trying to catch up on your meta posts now so you might've already answered this, but how do you think Griffith feels about Guts currently in the story? They've had quite a bit of time apart now, is the obsessive love still there?

Putting these two asks together because the answer is pretty much the same.

So I definitely think that Griffith still has feelings, especially for Guts, that aren't connected to moonbaby for many reasons, and his heart beating on the Hill of Swords was definitely all him. I don't know if you could describe his feelings for Guts as obsessive love anymore because imo he's doing such a good job of burying and repressing them lol, but yeah I think the love is still there and it could flare up into obsessive love again depending on circumstances.

But I've talked about NGriff and his feelings a lot in the past so I'll link some posts for a more complete answer with like, textual justifications and all that:

this is a pretty thorough post about why I'm convinced ngriff still has feelings despite the fetus

more on ngriff's feelings focused on the scene with rickert

ngriff's feelings as hinted at in ch 250

headcanony take on what ngriff's emotional state could be

thoughts on werebaby after the last chapter

here too