#its so fun <3 and i love reading the mini blurb

[twiceland]

having notifs on for mutuals is so fun

[superblysubpar]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share a quick little note about my blog and writing things. It's a little long, so I'll put it under the cut.

But I just wanna say that I'm so grateful and happy for and to see all the new faces around here (I logged back on and the amount of messages and new followers and just...wow), but I'm also so incredibly grateful for those of you that continue to stick around and have been here from the beginning. It makes me very emotional! Anyways, I'm not going anywhere, there's just some updates below on the general vibe of my blog for the foreseeable future.

I love you, mean it, and I'm so happy you're here 💛

I'll be sharing Summertime Magic throughout the week this week, thanks so much for your patience with it all. I'm really excited to share all 3 of these stories, and I've been having fun writing them. It's been over a year since their initial tease to the tumblr world, and I feel like I'm finally ready to set my babies free out of the nest so to speak 😅

That being said, it may be the imminent spooky season upon us & the stories I've been more gravitated towards to read lately, the general fandom drama that seems to always suck every ounce of fun out of here, or just my attitude and attempt towards practicing writing/having fun on here vs writing stories for real projects in the real world, but I'm feeling a Big Shift coming with my writing, specifically on my blog.

A lot of the stories I've had planned here, for the fandom, I'm starting to tweak and mess with and then I think - hold on. This could be my own. And while I could write them initially as fanfic and twist them later (much like what I did with wcil) that gets really complicated and it's a lot of work, and I'd love to just write them as my characters from the get go.

But there's obviously stories I want to write and practice with, and many of those lately are not quite "rom com" centered. There's still love stories, there's still smut, but I'm craving diving into practicing writing and reading more of the sci-fi, upside down, horror, apocalypse vibes lately and, don't hate me...

Angst.

So, like I said, the smut, the love, its not going anywhere, it just might be coming to you in some new packages. I hope you stick around to read them.

To off set this shift, I am gonna open my requests more, but not in the way I've typically done. I'll explain this later, but I'm gonna have some mini writing challenges for myself, and this will involve many a blurb of the smut and fluff and spice varieties. So if that's why you've followed me, have no fear. It's just the longer versions of those stories are taking a break is all, so I can give my full attention to the rom coms I'm writing outside of tumblr that I hope you'll get to read or watch one day soon.

Anyways, this is terribly long and you honestly deserve everything good in this world if you've read this entire thing.

I hope you stick around, and if not, no worries, I still love you 💛

[mrscoriolanus-snow]

The Author

!Mini-series! A young, aspiring author who escapes her realities within books, stumbles across one particular book which peaks interest in her mind. The author, too peaking her interest. Do their paths cross? Or does she study him from afar?

Fem!reader Tom Blyth x Reader <3

Part: 1

I stand at the book case, headphones over my ears. My fingertips grazing the hard back books as I long for one to catch my eye, or give me a sign to read it. Nothing... Nothing sticks out, and nothing tickles my fancy. Reading has always been such a let go for me. Escaping my reality, to jump into my characters reality. How fun would it be to become a character you love?

I quietly sigh and begin to walk off to the next shelf, when I feel the bottom of my shirt tug a little. My body turns around to the source of this tugging. A small black book has my shirt hooked to its pristine edge. This is it. The calling I have been waiting for, the sign I needed. Slowly, I reach out for the book, and I pick it up. It's a smaller book, yet quite hefty.

"You're going to be a challenge. I like a challenge" My words flow out in a quiet whisper. I make my way through the daunting shelves, and find a seat in the lounge. Not really even thinking, I find myself there till after dark, and over half way done the book. Did I really get that engrossed? What was so special about this book?

On the back, there is a small get to know the author section. "Hm. Tom Blyth.." I examine his picture. A young man, with dark brown hair. Bright, piercing blue eyes. Quite a handsome man if you ask me. The blurb explains how he is new to writing, and already has two best selling novels.

"Oh the things I would do to be a fresh writer, AND achieve two best sellers awards. I mean no wonder he's won them. You'll get lost in his books. Just like those eyes" I laugh at myself softly and shake my head, and go to the front counter

"Checking out one book please." The lady at the desk gives me a curt smile, and I return the gesture as I hand her my library card, soon leaving with the book in hand.

[zhongrin]

yuan yang

— a submission for 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐘 collab hosted by @haithamuse!

◇ characters ◇ zhongli ft. al haitham

◇ tags ◇ selfship coded, be respectful; don’t like don’t read, lil blurb at the end written from zhongli’s pov (third person), zhongli x meirin (@/zhongrin), al haitham x esther (@/haithamuse), fluff, married couple shenanigans, academic rivals / enemies-to-lovers shenanigans, writing centered around the teahouse!au

◇ a/n ◇ so... a little background (or more like a mini story here lol)... i first discovered yuan yang (which is basically coffee mixed with tea + milk) when i first studied abroad. no idea if that was even the correct pinyin but that's what i saw on the menu so i'm going with it lol absolutely did not like it at first bc it tasted weird. but then i got a second cup… then a third… then a fourth…….. this is how addiction starts kids

while it’s not my absolute favorite and i don’t normally go for it unless i'm specifically craving for it, i thought it was a fitting title for these teahouse-related shenanigans and the 'implication' that coffee (me) and tea (zhongli) make a good drink when mixed somehow hahah

lastly, i had so much fun with this, esther!!! thank you for hosting this lovely collab therefore allowing me to have an excuse to write about my selfships more yay ALSO happy birthday!!! 🎂🎉 i hope you enjoyed reading this silly self-indulgent chonker of a writing and liked the little 🎁 i included at the very end <3

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ⬙ 𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡

❦ 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ❦

zhongli learns to brew coffee from me and i learn to brew tea from him. it’s as much of a fruitful exchange as our regular bonding activity (read: him telling me stories and traditions of olden liyue and the art of tea making as i stare dreamily at the way his lips move and the soothing lilt of his voi- ok i'll stop now-).

i might have watched a little too intensively as zhongli tamps the coffee grounds because??? the veins on his hands???? they pop even more????? hskdjskdjlsdjldfhdkshd

oh that note, as he watched me try to measure the tea leaves to brew for the first time, he realized that i have a small mole at the base of my pinky. it has since then become one of his favorite spots to kiss.

zhongli mostly dresses in hanfu whenever tending to the teashop because i said i love seeing him in them it matches the aesthetic of the traditional-esque place. his hair is either down or braided with a few fresh flowers slipped in (courtesy of me hehe).

that being said, he still helps out in the funeral parlor from time to time! the parlor does need its best consultant and hu tao is practically one of our many granddaughters at this point…

if the patrons hear a loud “NAINAI YOUR FAVORITE GRANDDAUGHTER HAS ARRIVED!” they know the tea house is about the get rowdy lol

“director hu, kindly refrain from saying such things outloud, there has been a misunderstanding spreading in liyue saying about us being secretly adepti couple whose descendants are living all around the harbor-” “now now, yeye, is that how you talk to your loveliest, adorable-est granddaughter?” “……….. *sigh*”

xiao drops by every now and then because zhongli insists, and i know he obeyed because it’s the one and only rex lapis’ request, but i hope someday he does it of his own volition - that is, because he actually enjoys visiting us.

ever since we got married, he also adores selecting traditional dresses for me to wear (seems like menogias taught him a thing or two, bless him), adding them to my wardrobe collection wordlessly and only smiling when i confront him about it while wearing said new clothes. he knows my fashion sense is lacking that 80% of the time i’d rather spend my energy doing something else than clothes shopping so he takes that matter into his own hands!

lowkey also because people who know him would take one glance at the geometric patterns and color schemes of said clothes and immediately go ‘wait those patterns and accessories look familiar… oh, of course, that’s unmistakably zhongli xiansheng’s wife-’

scarves aren’t really a popular fashion choice in liyue but whenever the weather gets a little too cold, i would happily ‘bundle up’ with a self-heating, occasionally purring, golden-brown colored ‘scarf’ with a scale-like pattern around my neck.

(no, you most certainly did not see it move. move along now.)

vortex vanquisher is mounted behind the reception desk’s wall as a decoration. you know. just in case. :)

the teahouse has a few private rooms which were built over time as we were able to expand out/up. they all have different themes and we have names for (almost) all of them; ranging from liyue’s local specialties to subtle references of zhongli’s adepti friends. some popular ones include:

═ 𝑐𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑠 room

orange/gold themed. a geologist’s dream. has a massive display case of a collection of raw cor lapis rocks along with some pretty pebbles. the pieces of furniture inside the room are made of charred sandbearer wood, the darkened brown making it a perfect complement to the bright and shiny cor lapis decors and embellishments. i think this is probably our most expensive room from the patrons’ view… (actually it isn’t, since zhongli found and mined those ‘expensive’ gems himself...)

═ 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑧𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑦 room

soft blue/grey themed. the cozy room couples as a homage to guizhong. the bell used to call a waiter/waitress is a close replica of the cleansing bell. we also have a guzheng on display. madam ping loves this room and would help to take care of the guzheng and even play the instrument for us sometimes.

═ 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑒 room

white/sky blue themed. there’s a huge crane art piece hung at the center of the back of the room’s walls. it's filled with a number of amusing contraptions and blueprints that to normal people's eyes, look like some kind of abstract painting. a room heavily inspired by cloud retainer’s aesthetics. most of the adepti who visit us would use this room (much to its original muse’s annoyance) because it’s located the furthest from the public seating area.

═ the 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 / first private room

aka the ‘confession room’. we have no idea how that label got there….... actually. no, we do. one time, a regular patron asked us to book the room so he can propose to his lover. since they’re a close friend of ours, we agreed to help him plan and decorate the whole thing…. and it made headlines in the local papers somehow. rumors then begin to spread that if you go to that specific room to propose you’ll definitely be accepted and your marriage will be blessed…

honestly, there’s nothing too special about the room. it was our very first private room that we intended to use for our private break room, so it was built smaller than the others. the decorations lean towards simple and sophisticated, and we had some of our favorite trinkets scattered all around the little area.

legend says that sometimes when the shop isn’t busy, lucky patrons would be able to hear a beautiful duet of a flute and an erhu coming from the room. though they’re not at a level of a professional musician, the melody brings peace and warmth to the wary hearts…

❦ 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 ❦

“mei, my beloved, i’m here!!!!”

zhongli looks up from his cup of tea, blinking slowly as he tries to register the foreign-sounding voice and the words in the loud greeting. while the endearment was a familiar title attached to his wife (her close friends tend to be rather forward and affectionate, from what he observed), it didn’t sit right with him when it came from a stranger. who on earth are this lady and her companion?

as if registering his alertness, a specific 'decoration' lightly vibrates from its spot on the wall. yet it stilled the moment he heard a familiar gasp and cry of happiness from his side.

“esther!!!”

hugs, pleasantries, and excited arrows of questions are swiftly exchanged. zhongli watches the two with a soft smile before glancing at the woman’s companion, who gave him a stiff nod. their two guests seemed to be about the same age... perhaps they were lovers? no, they seemed a little too distant for that. but there was something between them - that, he could at least tell.

mei seems to have just noticed the extra company too, for she was slightly taken aback and quietly relayed the question to the woman with a confused expression and a timid, “and this is…?”

“oh, he’s just, you know, some guy.”

“’some guy’?” his wife tilts her head in question, eyes observing the man’s attire (momentarily he feels like berating the young man for dressing up so provocatively - that is until he remembered his beloved’s remarks the other day about his choice in his archon-wear), “….. oh! is he the ‘al haitham’ you’ve been writing to me in our letters-”

“MEI.”

“hm?” the silvery green strand of hair on top of said male’s head twitches as if it was a whole being by itself, “what’s this? you write about me to your friend? i’m most flattered.”

with a pair of fiery eyes and both hands on her hips, this ‘esther’ girl turned towards her friend(?), “oh, you’re most welcome. i told her about how aggravating and insufferable you are, mr.i-have-perfect-scores-on-all-my-subjects.”

“truly? and if i am so aggravating and insufferable as you say, then pray tell, what stopped you from ditching me back in sumeru city?”

“because, unfortunately, the stupid archaic liyuean language’s professor paired me up with you of all people for this project!! and there’s no way in hell i’m letting you sit idle while i do most of the work! mind you, i can definitely achieve a perfect score by myself, but the entire rainforest section of sumeru will burn to the ground before i wilfully let you coattail my achievements!”

“based on the most recent test, i doubt you could. unless your definition of a ‘perfect score’ is a mere 99.8%, to which i would have to refute, seeing as i managed to achieve a 100%.”

“oh my god i’m about to pop a blood vessel- then what about the previous test before that, huh? did you forget who got a 100% AND an extra credit for that, you arrogant little-”

“ahem. dear, why don’t you escort your guests to the glaze lily room? i’ll bring you some tea shortly,” zhongli effortlessly moves to stand behind his wife, hand comfortingly placed on her back as he smiles politely at the two. there is nothing but warmth in his gestures, but they both had clammed up, suddenly feeling like misbehaving grandchildren who were being scolded by their grandfather.

his beloved, on the other hand, appears to have found this scene amusing, despite not being one to be comfortable with conflicts in general.

“yeah, good idea- by the way, this is my husband, zhongli,” had he was in his adeptus form, his tail would’ve thumped against the floor at the proud tone in her introduction. instead, he settled with a gentle nod in this mortal body, “’li, this is esther - the one from sumeru - if you remember me talking about her-”

“of course i do. i remember everything you tell me.”

“that you do,” she softened, hand coming up to caress his jaw lightly, and he resisted the urge to follow the warmth as it retreated, touch too fleeting and brief to his liking, “i’ll wait for you in the room, then?”

“take as long as you need to catch up with your friend. i can watch the store.”

“that’s alright, we can close the shop for a bit. i want you to get acquainted with her and this… friend of hers. besides, didn’t you two say you’re here for... what, some liyuean language project? i’m quite sure my very knowledgeable husband would have some valuable input on that.”

mirth fills her expression, and the playful nudge of her elbow onto his sides made him chuckle. way to take a jab at his age, he mused.

“i am in no way as knowledgeable as the esteemed students of the sumeru akademiya, but-”

“is that true? you know this language?”

the former archon raises his eyebrows as the two men exchanged glances. though people might mistake the sudden challenge as arrogance, he can clearly see the thirst for knowledge in the clear green-red tinted eyes.

a man defined by and attracted to competency.

… ah, so that’s how it is.

“i may be a little rusty, you must understand. they are rarely used nowadays, so i am quite out of practice.”

the fingers seeking out a smaller set beside him moves in an unconscious motion, but the way the daintier appendages curl around his almost reflexively made a genuine smile bloom on his expression, “if what little of my knowledge can help, then i will gladly extend my assistance, especially to my darling wife’s treasured friends.”

“oh you,” she snorts and rubbed his arm with her free hand, “he’s being humble. you’ll see.”

“you flatter me, dear.”

esther’s grin only widened at the interaction. she gives her friend a wink and an abstract motion with her fingers, “handsome, humble, and smart? you better keep a leash on this one.”

zhongli sneaked a glance at the geo choker on her wife’s neck before moving to her dark-colored eyes. redness colors the softness of her cheek as their gaze met, and the corner of his lips twitch threateningly. she bashfully runs from his gaze to roll her eyes at her friend, before grabbing her shoulders to steer them both towards the inner hallway of the private rooms.

“hush, you. come on now, off we go!”

as the two girls launched into an excited series of chatters, zhongli exchanged one last respectful nod with the other akademiya student and silently watched as he trailed behind the two. he doesn't miss the way al haitham's tense posture lessened, the edges of his sharp eyes softening as he specifically observed his friend. it’s a familiar look. one that he’s seen several times throughout the course of his long life.

zhongli chuckles as he starts preparing the osmanthus tea for their guests, all the while thinking about the matching clothes they would have to get tailored for in the future, when the invitation to attend the older version of those akademiya students’ matrimony event inevitably reaches their mailbox.

....

he’ll give it a few years. they seemed like a rather stubborn pair.

© zhongrin | 2023 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

[nivq87]

@gloompun

Sorry for all the pings as I try to figure out wtf I wanna do formatting wise.

I’m uncertain what your starting knowledge of it is so forgive me if I’m rehashing stuff you’ve already heard. Discworld is a set of books written by the late Terry Pratchett, and they’re all fantasy (which is more or less relevant depending on the book), comedy, and satire that riffs on a bunch of topics. Reccing a starter book is always a fun and tricky time because if you ask literally any discworld fan for a reading order you’ll get a very long answer and it’ll be different from the next guy because we’re all Very enthusiastic to get people to read it and Very opinionated on the ideal path.

That’s because with one exception (sorta), every book really does just stand on its own? There’s a bunch of mini series that do have continuity, but knowing what happened before is nice but really important because each book deals with what it’s about and he’ll tell you any important context as it comes up. Like I honestly read them first in whatever order I could borrow them from my library and what I found in stores or on amazon (back when they primarily just sold books lol) and that really does just work fine. I’ve got more to say but if you wanted to just stop reading here with my blessing to go crazy go stupid and just read blurbs until something vibes that’s A okay.

That said I would steer clear of the first 2-3 books he wrote for discworld, not because they’re bad (I like them quite a lot!) but because they’re not really representative of what the series becomes. He’s still very noticeably figuring out what he wants to do with this space in the first two, and is more firm on it through the third. By the fourth book, Mort, the foundations of the world are a lot more defined and it starts the voice of the books that carries until the last couple books when his health went on the decline. So like, if come bell or high water you decide to follow him through his process from the beginning because starting in the middle feels too off putting, you Can go for The Colour of Magic which is immediately followed by The Light Fantstic, but just know that the vibes’ll change. But it’s about this wizard named Rincewind who very much wishes things would stop happening to him and the disc’s first ever tourist Twoflower who Loves when things happen so he can take a picture of it and remember it for his memoire. Meanwhile Rincewind is trying his very best to not let them die.

If you wanted to start where I did, you can start with The Wee Free Men which is YA, and since most of them are not, it like, doesn’t have much to do with anything else going on for the first couple books in the Tiffany Aching series. The first book is about the coming of age of Tiffany, who recently decided that she wanted to be a witch because she likes knowing things, and the people in her community somewhat recently killed this old lady for being a witch, but was really probably just old and lonely in her isolation. As she’s making these resolutions a faerie queen steals her younger brother and she takes issue with that, and with the help of some funny little blue men that really like to test the age rating of this book, go on An Adventure to get her brother back.

If you want a lot to chew on afterwords as far as fanfic goes, you can start with the city watch series in Guards! Guards! and follow Samuel Vimes on his road to recovery from his alcoholism as he tries to live up to his ideals of what a watchman should be and oh gosh oh fuck oh beans why the hell is a dragon here burning shit? Better consult an expert, except that expert is a lady who breeds dragons but those dragons are a sneeze a way from a messy alchemical explosion and the group of ladies whose hyperfixation this is are like if quilting groups were horse breeders. I’m sure this won’t be relevant. Tumblr girlies love love love shipping vimes so if fan content is something you want to be sure of, this is a good pick. The city watch books also happen to be my personal favorites.

Speaking of tumblr girlies, everyone seems to be big into Monstrous Regiment again? Very fun one off (not part of a series) about Polly who is trying to recover her brother who went off to war, and basically mulans it to figure out where he is if he’s still alive. Except whoops! The new recruits she’s trying to fake it amongst are Also women who joined up for one reason or another. There’s a lot of queer and trans vibes here honestly which is pretty cool for something that was published in 2003. (Although not what I would argue is the first, that one is in the city watch books and I’ll expand if you want.

If the Tiffany books seemed interesting but you’re not in the mood for YA, then the witches series is like that but more mature, where Wyrd Sisters is a comedic riffing of hamlet and macbeth. (Technically the second book in the witches series, but the first is Equal Rites and is pratchetts third book that I mentioned is somewhat tonally different from everything else.)

In a similar vein if Rincewind trying to survive sounded fun, but you’re deciding to not start at the Very beginning like most advise, then Sourcery is the third book in the Rincewind series, someone too OP to exist hits the scene like a brick in a sock to the face… and Rincewind copes by… running away. Except there’s problems literally everywhere? Maybe more running will save him?

There’s more than 40 books, and that’s some starting points, but if you wanna click around and maybe get spoilers if you scroll too far, there’s also the wiki (which isn’t fandom blessedly) most of these have lil blurbs on em and quite a few have plot synopsis so if that’s territory you’re willing to tread here’s Literally Everything lmao. The only things on here I haven’t read at least once are The Science of Discworld mini series, so if there’s anything you want further opinions on feel free to dm me or something.

https://wiki.lspace.org/Bibliography

[charliespringsleftconverse]

Secret Santa, reporting for duty!

I don't have a ton to report on, other than I'm in full writer mode to make more progress on your fic! I'm having a lot of fun with certain scenes, but the other way I realized the timeline on which certain events hinge doesn't make the most sense in regards to canon, so...squint a little when reading haha. We are all about the vibes here, not logic.

I actually have two things for you today: a snippet, and a mini playlist with some fic vibes for you!

First things first, the snippet:

Bringing Rhys here, not out of necessity, felt strange. The threads of two different lifetimes were getting tangled up in each other. She thought she had moved past it all, but…maybe not all the wounds had healed.

And now for the playlist: I know we've discussed Rewrite the Stars, but here are some other songs that also give me feysand feels for this fic.

Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex

Never Let Me Go - Florence and the Machine

The End of All Things - Panic! At the Disco

Better Love - Glades

invisible string - Taylor Swift

Aaaand now I go back to my writing den. Have a great week! <3

SQUINT A LITTLE HAHAHAHA I LOVE YOU

THE BLURB. THE PANIC. ITS ME IM THE PANIC. OMG BESTIE. SHOULD I BE CONCERNED FOR THEM

Ooooh this a great playlist! I know some of these songs, I will definitely be listening to these all! 💕

Anddd yesss Invisible String is very much so a Feysand song!

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Sirius Black Masterlist by Heloise Daphne Brightmore

Harry Potter Characters Masterlist | Masterlists 

All the fics are in alphabetical order, for the newest fics, please head to Recently Posted.

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. <3

Sirius Black imagines/blurbs

[A] Alive [0.3k words]

Sirius gets injured and regardless of his reassuring touch, you find it hard to process that he’s alright.

[U] Unbroken promise [0.9k words]

Sirius promises a breath-taking date, only to leave you waiting. When Remus arrives, your heart realises before your brain does that something might not be right.

Sirius Black one shots

[A] A haunted night [1.7k words]

Sirius has been battling with his nightmares, but he decides to fight them alone, fearing to share his weaknesses with you. That is until you can't stand his pained whimpers echoing across the corridor anymore.

Absurd ideas [4.7k words]

Sirius’ jealousy causes a misunderstanding which inevitably ends up with him getting worked up and everyone else being confused. Most of all you, when you realise he thinks he knows what you feel, but he couldn’t be farther from the truth.

All your fault [1.9k words]

Sirius’ boredom causes you to end up in detention. Or so you think, but he has a different perspective on the events and you clearly can’t find the golden middle.

Alone? Together! [1.5k words]

The war has taken a toll on everyone and Sirius finds himself useless whilst hiding at Grimmauld Place. His own thoughts are eating him up, wanting to be reckless, but not daring to lose those he loves. When you arrive to sooth his worries, your strength reassures him that he is not alone, that whatever happens, you can face it together.

An unrefusable offer [3.2k words]

Sirius has been trying to get you to go out with him for the longest of time, but you can’t accept his interest in you. Will his cunning little plan change your mind at Lily and James’ wedding or will it end in a disaster?

[B] Be my (fake) girlfriend [4.8k words]

Sirius is fed up of girls throwing themselves at him, so he asks you to be his fake girlfriend, but you seem to enjoy the fake relationship more than you were supposed to.

Best Christmas Present [3.1k words]

Sirius goes back to you after he has escaped Azkaban. But when he finds you with a son, he wants nothing but to escape the heartbreak, not even listening to your explanation.

Beyond Friendship [8.3k words]

To get back at your good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend, you ask Sirius to help you out and pretend to be your new boyfriend, which seems to agitate your ex just as you expected. However, you couldn't have anticipated how Sirius’ infuriating presence could actually turn out to be not only fun, but almost essential.

Bitter Past [3.8k words]

Sirius has been relentlessly asking you out on dates, when you finally agreed, but in your mind it’s all about revenge.

Bundle of joy [1.4k words]

Part of the series What they call home, but can be read separately. When you realise there’s a little baby growing in your belly, it terrifies you. Both you and Sirius had a rough childhood and now that there’s a new life inside you, your ability to raise a child concerns you, especially as you’re in the middle of a war.

Busted [4k words] [18+]

You and Sirius have always been close, but in the last year you have been even more involved with each other. However you didn’t want others to know about it, so you kept it a secret. Up until you both made a mistake.

[C] Christmas lie [1.8k words]

Your relationship with your parents has never been a good one, therefore they plan to spend Christmas without you. But you don’t want Sirius to spend it with you either, knowing he would have a better time with his friends. So you decide to lie.

Cookies [1.6k words]

You always loved to bake, so spending time in Hogwarts’ kitchen has become a daily activity of yours. This time however Sirius joins you and he has other ideas beside tasting your delicious cookies.

Crimes of jealousy [3.8k words]

Sirius becomes jealous when he hears that you agreed to go on a date with a fellow Gryffindor and he decides to do something about it.

Cuddles [1.1k words]

Sirius and you are cuddled up in a bed, enjoying a warm, sunny morning with a couple of sweet confessions.

[D] Damned words [2k words]

Friends. And a bit more of the benefits. That's what you and Sirius were to each other. Until he uttered those damned words maybe in the heat of the moment, maybe as a result of the amount of alcohol he consumed. Either way, you should have escaped.

Degrading feelings [1.8k words]

James thinks his friendship is more important than your relationship with Sirius so you and Lily decide to take revenge

Distant friend [3.8k words]

When rumours start about you and your housemate, Sirius decides to keep a distance from you, which you do not take well.

Do you mind? [1.9k words]

You think you know better what Sirius would say and when you actually do, Sirius ends up speechless. However, what you don’t know is what Sirius would do.

Don’t play games with me! [2.5k words]

Having a crush on Sirius was as normal as the sun coming up every day, but as a friend of his, you tried to keep it a secret. But then James decides to get involved and corners you in an uncomfortable conversation.

[F] Fear of prejudice [2.2k words]

You didn’t find being a barista a particularly attractive career, but when Sirius takes on the role, it stirs up some unexpected feelings inside you. However the reason behind your newfound interest isn’t in his occupation, but something that you dare not to voice, ashamed of your sinful thoughts.

Feelings [1.2k words]

You have been having all sorts of feelings, causing your head to become a mess. Sirius, being a sweet boyfriend stays by your side.

Fluffy supporter [2k words]

You have been in need of a support animal since first year, but unfortunately your puppy couldn’t accompany you at the start of year. Padfoot comes along to help you out, without you knowing that the dog is actually your boyfriend.

[G] Gentle Seduction [3.5k words]

You are more than aware of Sirius’ feelings towards you, but he doesn’t seem to want to take the first step. You decide to force him to realise he has no other options.

Go on a date with me! [3.6k words]

You have had enough of craving for Sirius’ attention so you decide to take the first step. Things however might not turn out to be so great.

[I] I missed you [1k words]

Sirius is missing you, his girlfriend, and James finds the situation rather entertaining. It seems James and you are on the same wavelength when it comes to Sirius being a love-sick puppy.

Interest in you [3.2k words]

You have been interested in Sirius for years, but you didn’t want to date him. It has been bugging him to no end, leaving you annoyed.

[M] Make me [3k words]

Sirius is unable to shut up and you are at a tipping point. Even after being kindly asked to shut up for a mere second, Sirius doesn’t take your request seriously.

Memories of a Pensieve [3.4k words]

Your friends have been tired of you and Sirius dancing around each other so they show you what they see on a daily basis to convince you.

Misunderstood feelings [4.1k words]

Being Sirius Black’s girlfriend had its pros and cons, but unfortunately you could only see what was missing recently.

[N] Not so perfect [1.6k words]

Sirius is the perfect son. Captain of his quidditch team, Headboy of Slytherin, dashingly handsome with perfect grades and proud parents. Expect that he has fallen for a Muggleborn Gryffindor.

[R] Relying on [2.5k words]

You are not sure if you can rely on your friends anymore, the continuous bullying and harassment, the mean words playing in your head over and over again, almost pushing you too far from them. [Platonic]

[S] Second chance [2.4k words]

Sirius has been distant and rude, eventually breaking your friendship. He is angry, you are hurt, both of you pulling away even further. That is until James and Remus decide to meddle.

Space that he already had [5.3k words]

Your boyfriend, Sirius has been more distant than ever and he doesn’t even realise it even when you confront him.

[T] Teacher’s pet [5.3k words]

Sirius being your teacher meant he was someone you could never have. You are struggling with your feelings and how ethically wrong what you feel is, even though he is only 5 years older.

Truth behind the Polyjuice [2.3k words] 

The marauders decide to take your love life into their hands, but things turn out badly, leaving you full of anger towards them.

Truth or Dare [4.5k words]

You and your friends are bored so you start playing a little Truth or Dare, but it doesn’t necessarily go as planned. Or does it?

[U] Unexpected expectancy [3.4k words]

You and Sirius have never talked about having a family on your own. When you become pregnant, you panic and don’t know what to do.

Unforeseen mission [5.8k words]

You have always thought Sirius cheated on you back in Hogwarts, so you avoided him. But then Dumbledore decides to send you on a mission together and you accidentally agree.

Unprotected experience [3.1k words]

A couple of nights of fun left you sick and vulnerable. When you finally realise the cause of your sickness, you do not know what to do.

[Y] Your decision, yours only [1.7k words]

Sirius is having trouble with his family and you are trying to be there for him.

Sirius Black headcanons

[M] Movie genres [0.2k words]

What movie genres Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potter like.

[P] Pets they brought to Hogwarts [0.4k words]

What kind of pets Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Regulus Black brought to Hogwarts in their first year. 

Sirius Black mini series 

[F] Facade pt. 1|2 [1.1k words] Facade pt. 2|2 [1.1k words]

You have been silently suffering pretending to be someone else, but noone can see the real you.

[H] Hot stuff pt. 1|2 [6k words] Hot stuff pt. 2|2 [4.2k words]

University is causing you a great deal of stress, you are couped up in your room, having your own cave. That is until your friends decide they have had enough and drag you away from your studies for a night out. But when your eyes meet a familiar face, one that you thought you would never see again, you find yourself once again captured by him, the reasonable part of your brain betraying you.

[L] Like a dream pt. 1|2 [3.4k words] Like a dream pt. 2|2 [2.9k words]

Sirius and you were supposed to be enemies, but your crush on him might not be as unrequited as you thought.

Lesson from a Prefect pt. 1|2 [4.6k words] Lesson from a Prefect pt. 2|2 [4.4k words]

Being a prefect meant you didn’t have a good relationship with the Marauders. However Sirius takes an interest in you after you give him a piece of your mind. You are tricked into going on a date with Sirius and you are dreading every moment of it, but he turns out to be more than a lost because.

Love in the Order pt. 1|2 [3.3k words] Love in the Order pt. 2|2 [3.3k words]

Finally finishing your mission you return to the Order’s headquarter as per Dumbledore’s request, where you run into Sirius Black, the man you have been craving to see. Feeling the happiness of being reunited doesn’t last long, you have to part ways with Sirius to attend to another dangerous mission, but things don’t turn out the way you have planned.

[T] Teach me how to kiss pt. 1|2 [3.7k words] Teach me how to kiss pt. 2|2 [3.7k words]

You have asked your crush out on a date, but you never dated before. You ask your best friend, Sirius to teach you on the physical part of dating, which he reluctantly agrees to. You realise that you have caught feelings for him, but knowing he would never return your feelings is beyond painful. 

[U] Useless warning pt. 1|2 [3.9k words] Useless warning pt. 2|2 [3.5k words] 

Sirius is one of your best friends who happens to be dating Marlene. She isn’t particularly a good friend of yours, but you do get along. She agrees to go out with Sirius, all the while she is aware of your feelings. Things get complicated as you are unable to keep your feelings to yourself anymore.

Sirius Black series

[W] What they call home [14.3k words]

You’re in need of protection and Albus is ready to give it to you after years of help you have been providing the Order with. However your presence is not welcomed, especially by Sirius Black himself as you already have history behind you. However Sirius agrees to the wizard’s wishes, which forces you to be trapped in the same household. [Completed]

© All rights reserved ® in regards to my characters, their behaviours and personality. I, however do not own the rights to the gifs and photos presented in the chapters, unless stated otherwise and any of the characters and story line matching the original script by J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

[itsdappleagain]

1-10!

:D

1) Who is your favorite character to write for and is this the character you find easiest to write for?

I love writing for Carmen if it wasn't clear already. She comes easily to me and its easiest too put her in scenarios tm. I actually don't often write for others but I really want to experiment with it.

2) What is your favorite fic of yours?

Hmmm. Good question and one I'm not sure I know the answer to. I like Upon the Sword, and I also really like a few of the shorter ones like the cardinal and the kitten and and the world was framed with red. currently a few wips are occupying my headspace as well

3) What fic of yours do you think is underrated?

uhhh and the world was framed with red I guess. I'm happy with all of my fics though. i think i could have made that one more engaging and have better street appeal tho

4) What fic of yours were you surprised by how popular it was?

well, I started out writing on wattpad- I posted two chapters of a fic and came back months later (i forgot lol) to a bunch of requests for me to continue. that really surprised me, and the relative popularity of upon the sword and love, carmen surprised me there too.

5) Do you like one shots or multi-chapters?

I like both but I usually do multi-chapters :D

6) Do you outline your fics? If so, how?

very, very chaotic bullet point lists usually. I will generally jot down an idea I have and if its lucky ill come and write down some base plot points. from there i'll usually fill in points for an "arc" and then set off (or start the fic and then fill in the plot...more usually. oops). one time for i think hearts and stars i did a full 20+ page document full of character outlines, motivations, emotions, and relationships with others plus plot, character goals, brainstorming, notes, title ideas, tons of blurbs, scene ideas, and even a mini screenplay format scene which i eventually added back in.

7) How do you edit your fics? What do you look for in your edits?

I usually write chunks at a time and when I start a new writing section I read the entire thing over and edit what doesn't read correctly for me. If something doesn't work and its a really big mistake I either ignore it (wow such writer lol) or entirely rework the plot to fix it lmao

8) Do you take inspiration from real life? If so how do you incorporate it into your fics?

Uhh sometimes, yes. It sort of depends on what you mean- when I get injured, I take pictures of the blood or bruises for future reference. I write detailed synopses of pain and unique traumatic medical experiences, plus any depressive or anxious episodes I may go through. Uhmm lets see...I do a lot of research for some bits of the story and I'm often inspired by other things. they help me incorporate a sense of emotion and some realism. i also take inspiration from romantic body language I see portrayed in real life and media because I have 0 experience in that department

9) Do you visualize scenes in your head before you write them? (Can you picture the setting, character body language etc)

oh GOSH yes. currently for say you'll share with me one love one lifetime the scene I have planned for the (eventual) chapter 3 has been runnign through my mind for...maybe months. I plan out a basic action first, usually- in this case a specific consequence of carmne's injury and build a scene around it- who, where, the reaction, the aftermath, how to make it gayer, and how to make it tie in with everything else.

10) How do you feel about writing plot, setting/description, inner thoughts, dialogue?

hate plot honestly. could do without it, but you cant is the thing so i usually wing it (im trying to get better lol). i thrive on setting and description, LOVE that shit. inner thoughts are very fun to do and I like trying to weave a lot of emotion in there. dialogue is...ok. usually i feel a bit awkward with it unless I really get lucky (like a bit of dialogue I feel pretty proud of is the scene in hearts and stars where ivy asks carmen why she doesn't see herself as a person in chapter 11 and i think that confidence is reflected in my reader's reactions from what I've seen :3)

thank you for the ask jo!

[luvargas]

     i think i just saw LUCILA “ LU ” VARGAS ride by on a golf cart . at least i think it was her . after all , CREDIT IN THE STRAIGHT WORLD BY HOLE was blasting on the transistor radio . maybe she was on her way to work , i hear she’s a PERSONAL TRAINER . but she totally could have been on her way to SNEAK IN A SMOKE AT THE GARDEN . guess we’ll never know . you’ll definitely know its her when you see LOOSE AND TANGLED HAND WRAPS , BUTTON BADGES ON VEGAN LEATHER ,  AND HEAR THE SHRILL SOUND OF BICKERING around the country club . let’s just hope she stays off the green after hours or else the sprinklers will get her !

( new muse, messy thoughts, u get the gist. pls know the views of this chara do not reflect my own. the name’s katya, 21, she/her pronouns & im ready 2 party. feel free to hmu wnvr or drop a like to plot n ill com 2 u ! x — oh n pls be a pal n read this quick disclaimer. tysm ! )

BASICS

24 years old

15 april 1997

5′1″ or 1.55m tall

bisexual cis woman, she/her

aries sun, aqua moon, and aqua rising

love languages : quality time & acts of service

BIO POINTS

kid o’ divorce, lived w her ma in chicago til she was 6 then w her dad in highlands til 14 then back to her ma ! 

def a daddys gorl. so used to her white pop’s leniency that livin w her strict latina ma durin her teen yrs was So Not Her Vibe ergo * cue her rebel grrrl phase *

did not finish hs ! left senior yr 2 to go w her “ radically progressive ” college bf to [ insert dev country. ] they broke up after a few mos but she kept at that life for a couple more yrs

seen some places. lived in new countries. done some shit. some good, some sus, but all generally well-intentioned. tis a whole thing but u get the gist, nywy !

lu’s back in da usa by 21. rel w the ma is strained but the pa is chill w stuff, they kept in touch. he said shell get her college fund if she gets her ged so she does !

her dad is v active n stuff so shes just always been v sporty w him. lu turnin 23 w zilch plans worried him so he implored her to get certified as a personal trainer ! n when she did, he called in a few favors w a pal he knows et voilà ! ur hired.

LU AT WORK

shes been workin at the country club fr a little over a yr now. most her clients are influencer-type gals n they luv her bc shes can take rlly cute pics n stuff for content. lu sorta likes some of em n she fakes the rest for the bread. u can bet she clowns all em richies behind their back   

unless she got clients, catch her runnin’ about the club n minglin’ w the other workers. does it annoy mngmt ? yes. n she luvs that. but bc her soon-2-b-karen clients luv her n wont stand for her bein booted, she can milk that impunity

actually knows her shit n lowkey rlly enjoys the work. she picked back up the boxing n tae kwon do she did when she was younger plus she was always in the track team at school. v healthy lifestyle save for her smokin vice n the party moments

PERSONALITY 

passionate ! has lotsa opinions. helluva a drama queen, bit of a loud mouth, argumentative n stubborn but her heart’s in the right place, albeit a lil misguided. comes w the whole activist bit, bitin her tongue just aint it. highkey makes everythin political n smtms gotta realize .,.,. it just aint that deep chief. some say shes needlessly defiant, but maybe thats a in the beholder typa thing ? fingers crossed 4 lu’s sake

fun, fun, fun ! can be real naggy but shes no buzzkill. wannabe anarchist-slash-mutineer who wants 2 stick it 2 the man ! get rowdy go crazy

fight, fight, fight ! goin back to the first bit, she talks big. esp w like ,, men n the whites lol. she can actually walk her threats tho she isnt actually violent. w arguments, she likes to start em but finishin is ... ruff.  also any dare, she wont back down in either doin it or arguin why doin it wld be smth-ist. shes not the sharpest tool ok rip lu

loyal legend ! fr her friends n buds, shell turn a blind eye. pals r the only exception ! truly ride or die n will do errthng 4 em. v much a believer in the power of community n ppl needin ppl or wtvr, yk, all that stuff. shes mouthy but like, she helps ppl 

here’s a brief blurb n a more coherent look into lu as a character

TIDBITS

lu can understand spanish but hers is a bit broken, tis her secret shame shhh

she doesn’t believe in the institution. any institution. u name it, shes got beef

pls dont fact check her she cant hear u

probs lowkey thinks shes better than u bc shes vegan

prefers 2 be called “ lu ” n ny1 who insists on lucila is dead 2 her 

comments abt her not lookin like a pt w her height n frame will result in an earful n a dramatic outburst. it aint worth it chief

watches lotsa sports w her pops. mostly indiv ones. mma, boxing, tennis, track, etc

dont ask me abt her principles n politics, i cant explain em either. v inconsistent n just messy at this point tbh but here’s a lil attempt ig

she drives a 2018 prius n lives in a p nice 1br apt outside the club

her mom’s middle class n her dad is almost upper-middle class. he isnt a member of the club but, like ,,, he cld be if he wanted to lol. he spoils her sm while she hasnt rlly Spoken to her mom besides civility, rip they both stubborn, tis a vargas thing

she is v much in a comfy position money-wise n dsnt hav much Need to hustle but sis does hav a couple of organizations she regularly sends some dough to so thats nice ig

she went fr grassroots activist to a veteran twitter/tumblr/reddit/wtvr ranter n a change.org gofundme petition regular. is it burnout ? is she ok ? honestly who knows

WANTED CONNECTIONS / TAKEN CONNECTIONS

found family ! pals n squad wanted. y’all gotta hav patience or ear plugs to power thru her self-indulgent mini-rants but shell luv ya back tenfold !

carpool buds ? cld be a pal ! or maybe yall had a lil argument or small beef but lu still drives ym bc her pride ? said mother earth first even tho the tension n silly drama is funny 

homies to smoochies ! just sum nsa makin out. cld be pals, cld be flirty, idk, but if u wanna kiss her shes probs ok w that

smoke bud ! just sum1 thats her go-to 2 smoke w on her breaks. knows not to call her out on how its not healthy fr a trainer yada yada she knows ok. let her live

an ex ? idk yet shes not rlly datey but thats out there

crushes ! this bitch hot but does she know how to flirt ? not rlly. watch her fumble

debate club ! aka sum1 she bickers w relentlessly. its valid, sum1 fite her. r u a worker or a club member ? either works. its a whole club bc she can have tons, lu can be hella annoying n testy

clients ! self-explanatory. do they get along tho ? lets find out ! 

( im officially braindead now but if y’all got more ideas or think theres smth lu wld fit just lmk !!! down 4 wtvr, wld luv 2 hash it out w yall <3 ) 

[a-court-of-wanting-rhysand]

SO THE MINIATURE COLLECTION ARRIVED

and aside from Kingdom of Ash randomly not coming with the rest of the series sucking.. the mini collection is actually something i didn't know i needed ? (this update post turned into a comprehensive review and i'm sorry in advance)

(book depository is where i got these from and they ship seperate , hence why koa is missing.. but got that free shipping tho. in total they were $149AUD)

ALSO got my shipping confirmation on 6/11/19 and arrived 13/11/19 from uk to aus

here they are next to the paperback koa for scale

so whilst the front cover is pretty much identical to the full sized hardcover counterparts the backs of each books mention the character and colour for each different version instead of the blurb

now for each version (incase you had forgotten) with the assassins blade for example every time sam (or sam cortland in this case) is mentioned his name is written in the said colour for the book

i will say be VERY VERY VERY careful with the paper in these books they are super thin and silky and like you bet they're gonna rip easily so BE CAREFUL (theyre really nice to touch tho wowow)

now lemme talk about the prices. using the prices on book depository which is where i purchased these the original tower of dawn retails for $14AUD while the mini is around $28AUD.. but the original heir of fire retails for $15AUD and the mini is only $16AUD. with tower of dawn being the most expensive and heir of fire the cheapest (these numbers have been rounded to the dollar)

between the original paperbacks and the mini collection aside from a few cosmetic changes there isnt really alot of differences between them. you could get one over the other and not miss out on anything.

(crown of midnight paperback vs. crown of midnight mini)

the font size differences are definitely expected for the size but for those with visual issues it might be an issue

a throne of glass size reference in comparison to all its other physical versions (but also it just looks cute ok)

the pros and cons.

PROS

a good travel size

lightweight

something new for your sarah shrine

CONS

font could be hard to read

its the same damn book but smaller and just as expensive

is it worth it?

yes / no

as much as these are the cutest things in the world, i cant say they're worth it if you cant afford them. i don't regret them i love them so much but id say this for all the special editions. you're buying the same book you already own with like little to no difference. although this doesn't mean DO NOT BUY. they're fun and cute and could probably fit in your pocket so if you decide you need to take the entire throne of glass series on holiday with you, you're not gonna lose all your luggage space. but if you're thinking rent or this series its not worth your time

although lemme say i don't remember if this is a limited exclusive but even if it was i cant even say if its worth it. if you wanna save up or get someone to buy you a few for christmas go ahead but you don't really need them now. they can wait

tl;dr RENT IS MORE IMPORTANT BOOKS CAN WAIT

also i still love u sarah  ૢ(❛◡❛✿)  ૢ

shoutout to u if u read this far <3

[m0etenchandon]

First birthdays (reader x Gwilym Lee)

Pairing: Reader x Gwilym Lee Warnings: fluff I guess, some language, brief sexual suggestions but no smut Requested by anon: Could u do a Gwilym fanfic about your daughters first birthday and celebration with the boh rhap cast? I love ur writing ❤️ A/N: This idea is so cute, but I feel like I have read it before so many times so I´m just going to write a little blurb here. Side note, thank you for 800 followers! You are the best<3 Wordcount: 1.5 K

Masterlist

“Darling, you have to calm down”, Gwilym said, taking a step towards you stressed figure. He locked his beautiful blue eyes with yours, snaking his hands around your waist and pulling you close. His presence immediately calmed you, making you drop the balloon you were trying to tie off. All the air went out of it as it flew around the room and settles at your feet. Your husband smiled, reaching a hand up to cup your cheek. “It´s amazing, you´ve done such a good job. Everyone will love it, Sophia will love it, I promise”, he said, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your waiting lips. You let out a breath you didn´t know you were holding in, letting your body melt completely into his warm touch.

“I know, but our little girl only turns one once”, you said as you pulled away. Gwilym hummed, starting to sway your bodies to an imaginary beat as he tightened his arms around you. “And besides, it´s really fun”

You had been planning her birthday for months, making sure every little detail was perfect. You had the food ordered and ready on the tables, the cute decorations filling your living-room, and your backyard filled with toys as there would be other kids present as well. Of course, you had also put out some beverages for the adults along with copious amounts of juice boxes.

“You know”, Gwilym started, running his fingers up and down your spine, “we could do this all over again if we had another one”

You pulled back enough to catch his eyes, watching them fill with love and hope. He was nervous, his teeth instinctively biting down on his lips, anxiously waiting for a reply to his blunt proposal.

“You want more?”, you asked, heart fluttering as you watched his face break out into a grin.

“I want hundreds of kids with you, darling”, he beamed, leaning down to catch your lips with his. “But I´ll settle for a few more”

You were just about to reply when you heard the door-bell go off, followed by your daughter crying just seconds later. Both you and Gwilym simultaneously sighed before letting an exhausted giggle fall from your mouths. Your hands slid down his chest as you stepped away from his embrace.

“I´ll get her, you answer the door”, Gwilym said, squeezing your hand before disappearing up the stars. Leaving you to ponder his proposal all alone. He wanted more kids, and he wanted them now.

“Y/N, hi!”, Joe yelled as you opened the door. He was almost completely hidden behind a giant teddy bear, his face barely poking out over its shoulder. You raised your eyebrows in shock, already wondering how the hell you were going to fit that in her room.

“Joe, that is one giant ass teddy bear”

“Only the best for my favorite god-daughter”

“You´re not her god-father”, you giggled, leading him into the living room. He, Ben and Rami had all claimed the position when they found out you were pregnant. However, to stop their constant fighting and bickering, you chose one of Gwilym´s older brothers. But they still thought of themselves as uncles.

“Not on paper no.. speaking off, where is the little bugger?”

Joe had just finished his sentence as Gwilym appeared around the corner, your daughter on his hips. She looked grumpy from her nap, but her little mouth immediately broke into a grin as she saw her favorite uncle Joey. That and the giant bear he was holding. In fact, it might just have been the teddy.

The house got more and more crowded as people arrived, your feet working in overdrive as you tried to tidy up and make sure there was enough food. Thankfully, Ben and Joe had taken your daughter off your hands. They were currently sat on the floor, taking turns in trying to make her laugh. A smile crept its way onto your mouth as you watched them make absolute fools of themselves.

“Guys, you´re going to scare her”, Rami said as he watched Joe pull a ridiculous face at your daughter.

“You´re just jealous she likes me more than you”, Joe answered, sticking his tongue out at him. Which your daughter apparently found hilarious, cracking an almost tooth-less smile at him as she clapped her little hands.

“You know I´m her favorite, just look”, Rami said, moving from his place beside Lucy to kneel next to Joe and Ben. He reached his hands out, his eyes lighting up as your daughter moved towards him immediately. “Hah! See, she loves me”, he cooed, hugging her to his body.

The three boys kept fighting for your daughter´s attention as you leant against the wall, watching with a huge smile on your face. She was adored by them all, and it made you so happy. Made you want to have another one you realized, your eyes falling on your husband, engulfed in a conversation with your parents across the room. His hands moved as he explained something, they always did when he was passionate about the conversation. That along with rubbing his beard, an action that always made the butterflies in your stomach go wild. He truly was the love of your life, but you were unsure of the timing.

“What are you thinking about, Y/N?”, a voice asked, pulling you from your stare. You snapped your head around to see Ben, holding out a glass of wine in front of him. You gladly took it, bringing it to your lips to take a sip.

“Just something me and Gwilym talked about earlier”, you said, trying to brush it off. Ben seemed to have other thoughts though, raising a bushy eyebrow your way.

“Y/N”, he warned, reaching out to poke your side, a giggle falling from your mouth. You had accidentally let it slip one of the first times you hung out that you were ticklish, and now he used it as leverage every time he didn’t get his way.

“Ugh fine, please don´t tickle me Ben”, you pleaded, taking another sip of your wine. It burned slightly as it slid down your throat. “Gwil told me he wanted more kids today”

Ben´s eyes went wide, almost choking on his wine.

“Really?”, he asked, his gaze falling on Gwilym for a split second. “How do you feel about it?”

“I don´t know really. I want more kids, I really do, but Sophia is still so young”

“Yeah, but it would still take at least 9 months. And that´s if Gwilym still has some spunk left in his junk at his old age”, Ben said, a grin forming on his mouth.

“Last time it didn´t take long, so I´m pretty sure he does”, you laughed. Gwilym had a ridiculous drive when you had started trying to get pregnant, going at it whenever and wherever you could. The thought made a slight tingle start in your lower stomach, a flush creeping onto your cheeks.

“Geez I don’t need the details, Y/N!”, Ben said, pretending to gag at the thought. You rolled your eyes, punching his chest.

“No but seriously, if you need a baby-sitter to, you know, get some alone time, I´m more than willing to take Sophia off your hands for a few hours”, he offered, shooting you a crooked smile before heading back to the other boys still sat on the floor.

“Well I think that was a success! Great job, darling”, Gwilym said as you returned from putting your daughter to sleep. He was tidying up the remains of plates with cake leftovers on them. “Sophia had the best birthday she could ever wish for”

You smiled, your shoulders finally relaxing from finally being alone with the man you loved. Gwilym opened his arms, letting you fall into his embrace. You buried your head into his chest, enjoying the feeling of his heart-beat against your cheek. He leant down and pressed a kiss to your head, wrapping his arms around you. His body warm against yours.

“It´s all worth it seeing that smile on her face”, you mumbled, hooking your thumbs into the waistline of Gwilym´s pants. He smirked against your head, knowing what that movement usually leads too.

“You know Ben offered to baby-sit her so we could have some alone time”, you teased, letting your fingers run over the top of his clothed behind.

“Oh really? Then I guess I´ll give him a call in the morning to arrange it. We need a date-night, darling”

“I don´t want to wait until tomorrow though”, you whined, pulling away slightly to meet his gaze. His eyes were darker than last time, a smug look on his chiseled face.

“Hmm, I´m sure Sophia will be asleep in a few minutes”, he teased, winking as he pulled you closer to his body.

“Gwilym, I´ve been thinking about what you said earlier, and I really want to have another baby”, you said, watching as his eyes widened in realization.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I love you and I want more mini us”, you said, placing a kiss on his lips.

“Fuck a baby into me, Mr. Lee”, you teased. The seductive tone in your voice vent straight to his crotch, his hips pushing against yours as a whine left his lips.

“Your wish is my command, Mrs. Lee”

Masterlist

I don´t know if I should tag people because it´s so short and not what I usually write, but I´m going to do it anyway sorry not sorry

Permanent taglist: @tanya-is-dead, @meghans-corner, @killah-queenz, @mrs-tayylor, @sunflower-borhap-boys, @seasexnsun, @valkyrie-and-lokis-daughter, @joes-milk, @pantamemes, @unicornofdanger, @gwilymplots, @monochromedeacon, @pushthetide21, @finite-incantatem-7, @jiswoogannon, @personofinterest, @bensrhapsody

Taglist is open. I will add/remove you if you comment you want to, but I won’t reply (this is a side blog). If you want me to reply, send me an ask.

[davidmann95]

I think Wilson’s WW really picked up this issue! Also weekly comic thoughts?

Afraid I didn’t grab it, the last couple burned me hard. And a major notice right up front on this one: my local comic book store is closing, and while there are alternatives available I’ll be investigating, for at least a bit I’ll no longer be getting my comics Wednesday morning sharp, so please no spoilery questions. Anyway, I’m tired and haven’t really got any rants in me, so just quick notes:

Avengers #11: Really glad to see this run quickly coming into its own.

Batman Annual #3: Great, and I believe this is the first time I’ve seen a book note that Alfred is as much Batman’s father as the Waynes were Bruce’s.

The Batman Who Laughs #1: Snyder and Jock can still do the hell out of a Batman comic. Though the ‘poison heart’ bit was weird enough originally - makes sense as an idle fantasy of Bruce’s, though as an origin story it’s always been boring - but that Bruce literally figured that’s the case in reality is bizarre to say the least.

Doctor Strange: The Best Defense #1: Perfectly passable, though it didn’t live up to the first two. I can’t imagine this being done in isolation and then linked up after the fact in plotting sessions the way the other three apparently were though.

Electric Warriors #2: Didn’t hit me like the first issue, but still good.

Fantastic Four Wedding Special: A charmer! And it’s got Hembeck!

Goddess Mode #1: I wanted to like this one, and there’s absolutely stuff to like - the premise, the art, a few nice little moments - but this reads as very much trying to do every Vertigo/Young Animal first issue there’s ever been, and the script is clearly a first effort in the medium. I could see liking Quinn’s comics work down the line - I’m not really familiar with her beyond well, that - but it isn’t there yet.

Hawkman #7: Not sure what I think of the big reveal here (god, might I have an actual Hawkman opinion?), but this book is still fun.

Justice League Dark #6: I might be falling a bit out of love here after those great first couple issues, but we’ll see.

The Lone Ranger #3: Solid, but I think I’m done here.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1: Excellent, even if it couldn’t quite live up to the promise of the delightful, distinctly Marvel chutzpah of the cover blurb. Definitely foresee being in on this one for the long haul.

New Talent Showcase 2018: Just here for the predictably great Visaggio Wonder Woman short, but I’d say everything here was at least fine even if suffers in the face of last month’s gangbusters Nuclear Winter Special.

Silver Surfer: The Best Defense #1: Pretty, but I literally could not tell what was meant to be happening. I’d say it’s gonna come down to the finale to redeem this little pseudo-mini after it’s sort of sputtered out after those first two issues, but it’s gonna be Ewing and Bennett, so that’s a given.

Superman #6: Playing around with the storytelling? In my Superman comics? It’s likelier than you may think. But yeah, this still rules, the sharp turn was painful in exactly the right way while still setting up huge things for later, and that last page seemed as though it was executed the way it was specifically to defuse reader anxieties (an entirely fruitless endeavor, but nice to see the effort made).

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #39: Some of it I personally found a bit anticlimactic, but this is still probably the second best thing the House of Ideas is putting out these days.

[sea-salted-wolverine]

I'm still thinking about this so now you get to hear about it. Here's my ep by ep review of the season, with an emphasis on queerness and gender.

Spoilers, obviously.

Episode 1: exit strategies

Three genderless robots tour post-apocalypse earth and joke about various capitalist pressures that led to the demise of humanity and how different tiers of society tried to deal with it. There is a cat on mars making fun of elon musk.

Gender issues are vaguely alluded to when the robo hologram servant is coded as female. She also hates humanity and is evidenced as the start of the robot uprising, so points there.

Queerness rating: just a smidge over null. Sitting over here on the death and robots side of the axis.

Episode 2: Bad Traveling

Arguably the main character of this one is female. She's just trying to get her children to a better life. The last episode asserted that humans are the worst and this episode proved it. Everyone is a terrible person.

Queerness rating: null. Being gay or not being gay would have had absolutely no bearing on this story.

Episode 3: the very pulse of the machine

Dragging your friends body through the inhospitable alien desert so you can survive off her no longer necessary life support while she quotes poetry at you from beyond the grave sounds super straight. The acid trip full of naked ladies was coincidental, I swear. Just two women being pals contemplating existence during the weirdest acid trip of all time.

Queerness rating: are you kidding me? "If you are a machine, what is your function? To know you." Babe.

Episode 4: night of the mini undead

Heterosexual nonsense is terrible and ended the world. That's the fucking tag line. No really, read the episode blurb.

Queerness rating: this queer nearly peed herself laughing. It's good.

Episode 5: kill team kill

This is the storyline that happens when you give a bunch of tweenage boys some beat up G.I. Joe's, some bionicals and a teddy bear. Yes, it it stupid. Yes, everyone is a caricature. Yes, it is Very Straight Boy nonsense. That's The Point.

Queerness rating: an argument could be made for homoerotic masculinity, but please don't.

Episode 6: the swarm

This one gets the biggest ding for heterosexual nonsense, however it is relevant and the big scary that gets ahold of them refers to them as a breeding pair in an absolutely horrific ultimatum, so we can safely say it came back to bite them in the ass.

Queerness rating: don't attempt to enslave alien races, I guess. Sucks to suck man.

Episode 7: Mason's rats

If Horton hears a who included killer robots. A man learns that eradication is not worth the violence and pain. Solidarity is the easier option.

Queerness rating: AFAIK the only female character was the cat, but I love the Scottish milita rats. This one is also null.

Episode 8: in vaulted halls entombed

Least favorite. I am always hypercritical of any story where the setting and characters are 'random soldiers in some random desert.' This one also gets a significant ding for heteronormative nonsense because of the way the only female character interacts and reacts. She may get a pass for the final girl trope, but eh. Also, eldrich God, cthulu thing somewhat underperformed as scary thing. He's just big and grumpy.

Queerness rating: thhpppptt also just not great.

Episode 9: Jibaro

In this extremely pointed allegory of colonialism and its very gendered violence I feel it would be disingenuous to try and work a queer aspect into this particular storyline.

Queerness rating: pretty lady drives men lethally insane with her dancing and really there is no reason it wouldn't work on me too.

Overall

Its a mixed bag, but anthologies always are. If you need your queer storyline neatly packaged and encapsulated along with a disclaimer have fun with all 3.8 seconds of Disney's 67th 'first gay characters. For a collection of animated comedy horror shorts, it's way better than expected.

Just saw a review for the third season of love death and robots that was "too heterosexual don't bother" so now I'm wondering if we saw the same thing.

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

I have all the questions for you, and excuse me if I’m being dense but... what are the fostered books about? I’m not asking for spoilers, but I’m Intrigued to know the general details of it! Again apologies if you’ve covered this I’m new here hello

Hellooooo Anon, welcome to this blog, happy to have you here. :) This is actually an excellent question because, while I talk about this series a lot on here, and they’ve made up five out of the eight books I’ve written, I’ve somehow managed to not actually give much information on what they’re about. lol. So thank you for reminding me to actually talk about these books and their general plot! I know you asked for general details, but since I’ve never really given much of a detailed answer for this question, I’m going to use this post as a reference point for the future!

So… The FOSTERED books are sort of this strange amalgamation of all the things I’ve enjoyed since I started the series when I was 13, ‘til now, at age 16. Some general shtuff about the series:

- I pants all the books

- All the book titles start with the first letter of every major character’s name (because 13 year old me thought this was very cool)

- Though it’s a large series, it’s got a relatively small cast

- I am not seeking publication for this series, so I mean, if you have spoilery questions, don’t really mind answering those because this series, nor it’s characters are going to be in the public eye

- I can’t really settle on a genre for it because it started out as a dystopian (I would say this ‘dystopian’ phase of the series lasted from books 1-mostly 3), but now it’s not really a traditional dystopian, if that makes any sense! The setting is weird, because it started out as very much in the distant future, with classic dystopian-ish rules, but as the books have progressed, it’s gotten very contemporary. At this point, it’s sort of dystopian but takes place in this world, with the same rules besides a few factors which will be mentioned in the synopsis below!

- I have considered possibly re-writing this series, but have decided against it for a couple reasons. A) I think it’d be very, very difficult for me to get back into the heads of these characters as if it were the first time I’d been writing them, and B) the idea isn’t all that unique, and the earlier books are so hard to salvage, lol

- The series is intended to be YA, but I would say books 5+6 are prettyyyyy much not YA

- I wrote up a list of themes for these books to give my best friend some examples when she was writing an essay, and a few I noted that stand out are: self-discovery, the unreliability of love in relationships, moral ambiguity, reality exists only in the eye of the beholder, losing one’s mind

- I do have the bones of a re-write planned that my sister, @sarahkelsiwrites and I brainstormed back in 2016. Buuuut, I’m no longer re-writing the books, so that re-write is sort of a flop, ha. I actually wrote the first chapter of this re-write, so maybe I’ll share it in an Old Writing post?

Soooo, now that that has been said, here’s the kinda bad blurb I have up on my Novels page (which you can check out HERE if you’d like to read up about the rest of my books):

Taking place in the not-too-distant future where children who’ve committed crimes, are neglected, or have chosen to are sent to behavioural detention centres – what everyone else that’s not the government likes to call foster homes – FOSTERED follows fifteen-year-old Reeve – who’s lived two years of her life in a ‘foster home’ after being accused of her sister’s murder. When she causes an accident that leads her to escape her home, she stumbles across a group of kids, who like her, have gone through the same scarring lifestyle and are also on the run. She makes bonds with them and everything seems in its place until she finds out that a team of hunters are searching for her because of the same accident that continues to haunt her memories. Unable to remember anything that happened from the event, she then learns that maybe all things don’t point to her – what really happened on the day she escaped?

(that rhetorical question tho)

SO yes. Book one pretty much follows the structure of a lot of dystopians out there! I would say this synopsis is pretty accurate to book one, but as for the other books, not so much, since like I mentioned before, the books strangely diverged from this dystopian story to a not very dystopian story. This plot pretty much ceases to exist by the time book four rolls around. Book four is also the point in the series where everything goes from pretty light and fluffy to very dark.

Since I don’t really have much to say in terms of the plot, because in all honesty, this series lacks a very structured plot, and is sort of all over the place, and mostly mention characters on here, I’m going to briefly go over the major characters in this series.

This is a cast photo @sarahkelsiwrites drew for me:

But here’s a little about each major individual character (which is pretty much the top row) in mini character profiles:

First up, we have our protagonist, Reeve:

Name: Reeve Aldaine

Age: 15 in book one, currently 19 in book six

Birthday: April 13th

Nicknames: I think she is successfully the only major character in this book without a lasting nickname

MBTI type: ISFP

If she had a favourite band: Daughter

Songs that remind me of her: Made Of Stone, Numbers, Smother, and The Right Way Around by Daughter

Some other stuff:

I’ve been writing with Reeve for the longest out of all of my protagonists, and it’s been really interesting to see how much she’s grown, and how much she’s stayed the same. She’s a fairly quiet, yet determined person who doesn’t mind speaking her mind when necessary. She is a very emotional person, but depending on the situation, will choose to show what she feels, or keep it to herself. Her voice as the series progresses becomes more and more ambiguous, and at times is super distant. I’ve had a few parts of book five in particular narrated in verse, as well as third and second person. She’s sort of an unreliable narrator, and is very poetically existential, but it’s super fun to write her.

And now here’s a little about our first supporting character and love interest, Foster:

Name: Foster Creed

Age: 16 in book one, 20 turning 21 in book six

Birthday: August 23rd

Nicknames: (via his birthday post) Foster (because Foster actually isn’t his name), Auggie (from Harrison), Prince Charming (from everyone in the entire world), Wary Sidekick (from Reeve hhhhhaaaaahhaa), The Other One (from Lonan mostly but also from everyone)

MBTI type: INFJ

If he had a favourite band: Strangely enough, I don’t really see Foster listening to music ? I don’t think he’d have a preference, in all honesty. Since his friends listen mostly to the rock spectrum, he’d probably listen to their music, but don’t see him with a concrete favourite band.

Songs that remind me of him: Something by The Beatles, @sarahkelsiwrites says Seashore by The Regrettes, Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran

Some other stuff:

Foster, out of all my characters is the one I make fun of the most. :) He’s also probably the nicest, and I’m too mean to him, but when you live that cinnamon roll life, and I live the cinnamon roll life, and also, don’t confront people, there’s bound to be some teasing. Foster’s name isn’t Foster (ha, it’s August, like the Rush kind because I thought this was a great idea??), and overall, he’s a very decent dude. Out of all these major characters, he’s the best at keeping his cool under all situations, and pretending he’s A-Okay when he’s not, lol poor boy. He acts as the voice of reason in his friend group. When he gets sassy, it’s an accomplishment, and I hold mini celebrations and send endless excerpts to @sarahkelsiwrites, because he’s a very reserved, nice, quiet person.

And now for our second supporting character, Harrison:

Name: Harrison Frost

Age: 17 in book one, 21 in book six

Birthday: November 3rd

Nicknames: (via his birthday post) Ris (from Foster but now everyone uses it ha foster never gets the creds), Frost (from Lonan who needs to stop calling him this 2k17), Waffelina (from @sarahkelsiwrites), Cinnamon Head (from Reeve)

MBTI type: ENFP

If he had a favourite band: Harrison’s music taste is vastly different from mine, and like Foster, isn’t really big on music, so probably wouldn’t have a favourite band or artist. He would like some rock music, and then would like trap music. Yes.

Songs that remind me of him: Paper Planes by Victoria Duffield, I’m Not Making Out With You by Surf Curse, Metabolism by The Strokes

Some other stuff:

Harrison is actually the character that drove me to continue writing this series, since I was pretty meh on it after chapter one of book one. He’s a very goofy guy who sometimes needs to take things a little more seriously. From books 1-3, he’s always been the ‘leader’ figure of his friend group (which consisted of just Foster and Reeve), and while he has some pitfalls here and there, does his job relatively well (very relatively). But, as the books have progressed, he’s also mellowed out, and matured quite a bit. He’s also great at pretending things are A-Okay, but unlike Foster, gets more worked up if challenged. Since book three, he’s hidden his true state of mind from the main cast, and like everyone in the story, has gotten progressively more melancholic. But yeah, overall, is a pretty chill, funny character who often brings humour to the story when it gets darker.

Aaaaand lastly, the character I mention most on here probably, Lonan:

Name: Lonan Clark

Age: 18/19 in book two, 21 in book six

Birthday: December 9th

Nicknames: Loner (from Harrison/@sarahkelsiwrites), Lone (from Reeve)

MBTI type: ISTJ

If he had a favourite band: The Strokes

Songs that remind me of him: Two Kinds of Happiness by The Strokes, Hot N’ Cold by Katy Perry, Blackbird by The Beatles

Some other stuff:

I loosely refer to Lonan as my favourite character out of all my characters, and he’s made a really big impact in my life. Unlike Foster, Reeve, and Harrison (who I call the original gang), he doesn’t make his appearance until midway through book two. Lonan is a really rigid character. His beliefs are very concrete and logical, and the first thing he does in any situation is analyze the problem. Thus, his foundation as a character is pretty harsh, and not really feeling. Strangely enough, even though he’s very logical and makes that clear, his decisions are often very illogical and brash to those they affect. He started out as book two’s antagonist, then transformed into book three’s anti-hero, and from books 4 onward, he’s now officially a good guy. I love Lonan a lot because of how complex and morally-grey he is. He’s the kind of character I like to pick apart, frame by frame.

I *think* that’s basically it for the basics? I’m sorry this was super long, I just realized I’ve never really answered this question, so here’s a bit of a master post for further reference! If you have any more questions about this series and/or its characters, let me know and I’d love to answer them. :) Thanks for asking, hopefully this was enjoyable!

–Rachel

[nostroviapress]

2017 Chapbook Contest: Week 12 Review

It’s a huge day for Nostrova! Press, as presales have finally begun! We also have beautiful blurbs to share, too! 

Presales!

After a good chunk of the weekend + 4th of July, our website has been updated to include blurbs and and covers, and our online store is built out with pages for each chapbook + the bundle deal! We’re ready for today!

http://nostroviapress.bigcartel.com/ http://nostroviapress.bigcartel.com/ http://nostroviapress.bigcartel.com/

We’re starting with a limited edition print run of only 125 hand-numbered copies, so be sure to get yours! We’ll be shipping next month.

As always, our chapbooks are sold at a "pay-what-you-can + $5 shipping" rate, though we’ve included other payment options in case you’re tight on cash–we want everyone who wants a copy to be able to get one! <3

Blurbs

As of now, all blurbs have been received! I really like getting two for the back of every chapbook we release--besides the cover, I’m personally drawn to the back cover notes for all books I come across, seeing whether these mini-reviews invite me to read further. 

Here are the blurbs in full(!):

EVERYTIME I PARK MY CAR I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING SOMETHING WRONG BY JOSEPH PARKER OKAY

This chapbook has a story where an armadillo is the most revered animal in the world. I found that relatable because I revere armadillos very much. It also has a story that is very pro-snake, which I support. You will probably have fun reading this thing. And one of my favorite parts is the story titles, so if you're busy you can just read the titles and have fun that way, too.  –Steve Roggenbuck

This book is the response to the reality we are all trying to end. Imagine you didn't sleep for 8 days and then you told someone you love them. This is that moment.  –Audrey Honeydrone

LOATHE/LOVE/LATHE BY ALAIN GINSBERG

As a poet, Alain Ginsberg is resourceful with language and imagery, finding metaphor and anecdote where the reader had previously thought language had already dredged all it could out of that instance; as a vocally transgender poet, Alain Ginsberg is a poignantly necessary voice. There is often a lot of talk in literary communities about what makes a "trans poem" a "trans poem," and while the majority of Alain's poems mention they are trans somewhere within the text, there is never a sense of force or plea; rather, while Alain's gender is influential in all aspects of their work, it does not define their work. Alain's work is instead profoundly influenced by the daunting task of humanizing and unraveling trauma, from abusive relationships to harassment by customers at their food-service job, and throughout their narrative, Alain never lies to their audience or sugarcoats the circumstance. Instead, Alain presents their truth unflinchingly, letting the audience know they've got some heavy shit to talk about, but it's our choice if we want to listen. And goddamn, I am positive y'all will want to listen. –Linette Reeman, writer, performer, Aries

Loathe/Love/Lathe is a phenomenal book written by an even more magnificent poet. Alain Ginsberg brings to every poem a rawness that only they are capable of bringing. Exploring topics such as bodies, gender, safety, and the self (whatever the "self" is), Ginsberg provides not only understanding but an honest gentleness that is so necessary. No other book of poetry that I have had the privilege of reading does justice to the lived realities of young queer Americans in the same way Loathe/Love/Lathe does. Having read this book a few times over now, each time being left without words yet with an intense desire to hold every person I've ever loved, I truly recommend this work.  –Erin Taylor, writer, Interviews for Maudlin House, Sagittarius

OUR OWN SOFT BY KATIE CLARK

Katie Clark's collection is a fierce journey into gender and sexual identity. They say, "I wake up with your body my body" and "I was a boy until I wasn't a boy." These lines are absolutely what we need right now. The collection is self-conscious about its own body and explores what it means to fall deeply into the abyss of others' bodies when you are barely living in your own. 

–Joanna Valente, Marys of the Sea (The Operating System)

the poems of our own soft refuse to protect us from sharp edges as we unravel their secrets in the low light of unsleep. to move forward we rely on remembered litanies, associating to make ripples. imperfect perfect summer / orange at the edges / water / water / what clothes / which trees to bother climbing / what do you see when you try to see yourself / what do you see when looking back over your shoulder? is this nostalgia or something else invented to stand in its place? either way, it feels sun-warm: a snake coiled on a rock that may strike or may stay still as death. Clark writes, “it doesn’t always happen in the order that it happened,” then throws the past in the air like confetti / like releasing a hive of bees to hunt for what is sweet, stinging as they seek the honey out.  –Emily O'Neill, Pelican (YesYes Books)

A big thanks to these thoughtful folks for their love and support as we enter another year of releases <3 

Print Proofs

I’ve started sending along files to @bottlecappress​ and am excited to begin print proofs soon! In the next week or so I hope to have the rest of the files ready for this important stage :)

Stay tuned, as our 2017 video poem series begins soon!

Much love, and see you next week! <3 -Christopher

*

We’ll have a new Tavern post each Wednesday, giving an inside look at the N! process, so stay tuned for more updates!

Week 1 Review    (Opening the Floodgates) Week 2 Review    (Reading + Ordering Supplies) Week 3 Review    (Reading + MSS Observations)  Week 4 Review    (Reading + Starting Search for Finalists) Week 5 Review    (Picking Winners)  Week 6 Review    (Featured Finalists + Announcing Winners) Week 7 Review    (Cover Art + Additional Pieces) Week 8 Review    (Blurbs + Excerpts + Review Copies) Week 9 Review    (Timeline Check + Interior Design) Week 10 Review  (Front Covers Revealed!) Week 11 Review  (Action Items)

[thesinglesjukebox]

BTS FT. HALSEY - BOY WITH LUV

[6.00]

We're prepping the comment section for ARMYs as we speak...

Ashley Bardhan: This is kind of sick, like, the good kind. I resent Halsey because when I was 13 I got annoyed that her name is Ashley (my name), but she made it Halsey (different name). I really can't stand the flow of the rap sections in this song. Triplet, triplet flow. This song reminds me of mayo. Take from that what you will. [7]

Iris Xie: Tastes like Melona-flavored soft chews, chased down with mini matcha Kit-Kats. The "ooh-wahs," the clipped melodies, and the gentle and easy "oh my my" hook, combined with Halsey living out her K-pop girl group dreams with her exclamations ("I want it!") is a breezy, sugary, feel-good mixture. This results in something that sounds both like a throwback to older K-pop (Sweetune's guitar-heavy productions and the chewy, brusque-lite rapping style come to mind here), but it also sounds slightly newer, since the production decides to go for relaxed, airy grooves to balance out the hooks instead of 2011-style pop maximalism. The only thing missing that would elevate the song is a reworking of the rap flow so that it would sound less like an intrusive interruption that competes with the song's hooks, which hold it back from launching all the way into its 2019 vibe. The summer songs are blooming and ready for the picking, and "Boy With Luv" is prepared to launch for your next pool party. [6]

Alfred Soto: The lilt in the chorus is closer to Latin pop circa 2000, which shows BTS's stylistic fungibility. Meanwhile, an organ whistle adds a welcome note of discordance. [6]

Thomas Inskeep: They can do better, they've done better, I expect better, and they really don't need Halsey. [4]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: A poorly mixed and awkwardly shoehorned rap break. Extremely basic disco-lite instrumentation that K-pop has been doing for ages (and with far more gusto). A totally unnecessary Halsey feature that only exists to perpetuate BTS's continued reign in the West. It turns out the nondescript title is perfect: this is innocuous, confectionery pop that appeals to the masses because it doesn't have the guts to double down on anything particularly interesting. Even if you didn't like "Fake Love" and "Idol," you couldn't complain that they sounded so devoid of ambition. [3]

Katie Gill: It's a very ballsy move for Halsey to attach her name to a song where she might as well be a session singer and a music video where all the BTS boys blow her out of the water with their dancing skills, but a paycheck is a paycheck. At least she'll get a cut out of the proceedings when ARMY spams this play-by-numbers, middle-of-the-road song all over the internet, turning something just okay into something annoyingly inescapable. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: For the past several days, BTS stans have been tweeting furiously at me, and I assume other music writers, despite my having written literally nothing about their new material except a joke about the acronym "behind the scenes." There's currently a flare-up of Discourse about musicians vs. critics, but it doesn't account for the confusing but ongoing scenario of being yelled at about a review I didn't write. So it comes as an actual relief that this is a very enjoyable neo-disco song, and I can honestly tack a nice, reassuring big number on to this blurb. May whatever applicable god please accept this sacrifice to restore my mentions. [7]

Joshua Copperman: After the past week, I am afraid of BTS stans, so I'm very glad I like this. The guitar line reminds me a lot of early 2010s pop, but the rest of the production has the restraint inherent in this part of the decade. Genius tells me this is like a victory lap after their earlier song "Boy in Luv," and as someone who is a sucker for meta-references, I can get behind that. [7]

Jessica Doyle: On first listen this was a hard [0], Jimin's Cathy Dennis channeling notwithstanding. There's fanservice, and then there's publicly disavowing your previous save-the-world ambitions to better love ARMYs, which rings thoroughly hollow. There's fanservice, and then there's trying so hard -- grins, winks, pastels, trap interludes, even Jin cooing "Come be my teacher," for Christ's sake -- that it ends up calling attention to the very set of circumstances it may be designed to obscure, which is that BTS has become the best-known product of an industry steeped in corruption, exploitation, and rape. (To preempt the reply: no, the guys haven't been accused of anything, and no evidence has surfaced against them. But if they really are worth billions to the South Korean economy, then a lot of people have a lot of incentive to block even innocuous reports about them, let alone the potentially truly horrifying.) Having read more -- though I haven't gotten to RM's breakdown of the lyrics yet -- I don't think the most cynical reading is the best one. I think BTS is trying to convince themselves as much as their audience. "Boy With Luv," while still not my style, feels less now like a total misfire and more an effortful, deliberate commitment. (Meanwhile I choose to believe they're not all sadistic rapists using the group chat to make fun of the women they brutalized. But then, I would.) [5]

Alex Clifton: I saw BTS last October and ended up having a very expensive panic attack. It wasn't my first BTS show, but my friends and I bought pit tickets together and we were all determined to have an Extravagantly Good Time. Between purchase and show, though, I went through a bout of extreme depression. I cared about running, petting stray cats, and making it to the end of each day, in that order. Listening to music was particularly painful, as my brain punished me by taking away the one thing in life that has always kept me afloat. I forced myself to go because I'd spent so much money already, figuring going through the motions might help me feel better. In the pit, though, I left my body; I was surrounded by people who were incandescent with excitement while I couldn't conjure any joy. I saw doom lurking in every face around me, telling me you're not a real fan if you're not excited, you don't deserve to be here, how dare you even show up, you ought to be ashamed. I considered leaving the show but stayed (again, money) and spent the entire time numb, observing rather than participating. For me, the most devastating part was thinking I could never love music -- or anything -- again. BTS had seen me through a depressive spell in 2017, and suddenly one of the brightest things in my life was slipping out of my grasp. It was a scary, weird night. But I've been doing better since October. I'm on different meds. I stopped insulting myself constantly. Music no longer makes me want to crawl out of my skin. I was wary of listening to "Boy With Luv" as the first single After the show; some BTS songs can still trigger anxiety responses and teleport me back to a bad time. I prepared myself for disappointment. But for the first time in months, I woke up with excitement at 5 a.m. to watch the video as it premiered, actual butterflies in my stomach. And I fell in love with this song. I love the "oh my my my" hook. I love the disco-funk. I love how it makes my heart light up like summer. I love the fact that Halsey sings in Korean (!!!) so this isn't a Justin Bieber "burrito/Dorito" "Despacito" disaster. I love that this is a counter to "Boy In Luv" which is such a macho take on impressing girls when "Boy With Luv" shows that the strongest relationship happens when you love yourself. Most of all, I love the fact that I can hear a song and feel happy once more. It's the greatest gift I could ever receive. [9]

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