#literally been meaning to do this for ages

[just-another-hippie]

OKAY LETS DO IT

1. It's super fucking complicated !!

2. @decomposing-atm <3

3. An awful lot, way too much to list here and basically all about my childhood :(

4. Ehh 50/50

5. Taken <3

6. I've been debating this for ages and I'm still not sure

7. Uhhh homemade wild berry compote on Greek yoghurt (fuckin fancy ik)

8. Yep! I was very athletic when I was younger but then illnesses and eds SLAPPED me so I stopped for a while, but I'm getting into bouldering and weightlifting now that I'm recovered :]

9. HELL NO

10. Uhh when my older stepsister was round last weekend because she likes to hurt me totally unprompted ://

11. My boyfie hehe

12. Uhhhh maybe?? I've pulled so many all-nighters I can't remember

13. I don't hate people because I believe it's bad for my mental health, I tend to set boundaries and burn bridges if people are bad to me, then wish them the best and hope that one day they will truly find happiness and become a better person

14. A lot of people :(

15. YES!! My cat hermione hehe I'll post a pic of her cause she's super duper cute

16. Ehh a bit mixed atm, I'm just making sure I keep fighting because I'm sure as shit gonna make it out alive.

17. No and as "sexy" as it seems I am also a MASSIVE germaphobe so please can we do it somewhere nicer /silly

18. VERY VERY VERY FUCKING MUCH GOD DAMN

19. Definitely, and I know exactly when in my childhood :/

20. Uhhh I think his room HAHA

21. Yikes umm

22. I don't plan to have bio kids because I'm anti-natalist, but if I was in the right headspace then I would adopt older kids which got left in the system

23. I have 5 piercings, double lobe piercings in both ears and a septum piercing! I'm getting snakebites next year and I'll think about what else after that!

24. Uhhh idk I hate school so bad >:(

25. Very very much so :(

26. Chocolate HAHA

27. N/A

28. N/A

29. N/A

30. The state of the world, my home life, my lack of organisation??

31. Yes!!

32. I think green, but I love colours so I'm not sure, I'm more about vibes

33. DEFO

34. Uhh last night it was hugging @strawberri-bomb-bomb which was hella sweet because I miss them

35. Unfortunately my mother

36. I used to an awful lot, but I absolutely don't anymore

37. I may forgive but I never forget

38. Fuck yeah it will be

39. 14 <3

40. I fear not /silly

(Apparently they skipped some)

51. Man I love food so much I literally couldn't pick LMAO

52. I used to, but I lost my faith last year, I'm trying to get back to that sense of peace I had in knowing that what will be will be

53. Talk to my boyfie and drink chamomile tea

54. Absolutely fucking not!! unless you're trapped in an abusive relationship that you've tried to leave, any other circumstance go fuck yourself

55. No!! My whole thing is about peace, love, and kindness!!

56. Uhh not too many I hope

57. Absolutely 100000000%

58. SUNSHINE!!!!!

59. Hell yes, I wish we had it more where I live i love it sm :((

60. Yes!!

61. YES!!

62. So much that it deserves its own list

63. I already have socially but I will legally on my birthday!! If we mean change my name from my name now then I'm not inclined to, but I wish I chose a cooler name /j

64. The only challenge is distance /j

65. Then I'd tell them no thank you let's stay friends!!

66. Uhh I pick my friends very wisely so I'm comfortable around all of them I think, but some more than others

67. I have no idea I've slept for ages and it was like a coma /silly

68. Uhhhh I don't know maybe my boyfie??

69. ABSOLUTELY

70. The people closest to my heart

I did itttt!!

70 horrible questions ... Fuck it

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? 02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? 03: Do you regret anything? 04: Are you insecure? 05: What is your relationship status? 06: How do you want to die? 07: What did you last eat? 08: Played any sports? 09: Do you bite your nails? 10: When was your last physical fight? 11: Do you like someone? 12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? 13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? 14: Do you miss someone? 15: Have any pets? 16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? 17: Ever made out in the bathroom? 18: Are you scared of spiders? 19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? 21: What are your plans for this weekend? 22: Do you want to have kids? How many? 23: Do you have piercings? How many? 24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? 25: Do you miss anyone from your past? 26: What are you craving right now? 27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? 28: Have you ever been cheated on? 29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? 30: What’s irritating you right now? 31: Does somebody love you? 32: What is your favourite color? 33: Do you have trust issues? 34: Who/what was your last dream about? 35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? 36: Do you give out second chances too easily? 37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? 38: Is this year the best year of your life? 39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? 51: Favourite food? 52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? 53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? 54: Is cheating ever okay? 55: Are you mean? 56: How many people have you fist fought? 57: Do you believe in true love? 58: Favourite weather? 59: Do you like the snow? 60: Do you wanna get married? 61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? 62: What makes you happy? 63: Would you change your name? 64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? 65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? 66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? 67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? 68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? 69: Do you believe in soulmates? 70: Is there anyone you would die for?

[reidswrld]

me & you together song.

❛ i’ve been in love with her for ages, and i can’t seem to get it right. ❜

spencer reid x reader.

summary: you’ve always assumed spencer reid’s love language was acts of service. flowers left at your desk. notes written only to you. every tuesday, he gave you your favorite bagel from downtown. you knew he was like this with the rest of the team, too. you didn’t sweat it. you were focused on your job, and your job only. but when multiple instances occur over the course of a case, it’s hard to ignore both of your feelings for each other.

tags: grumpy fem!character x sunshine!spencer reid, friends to lovers, everyone knows but them, the bau literally bets when they’ll get together, no use of y/n, afab character, found family if you squint hard enough, spencer’s obsessed with her but won’t admit it to the public (the public is morgan), based on me & you together song by the 1975 btw, i wrote this while eating a doritos loco taco

word count: 2k

notes: i asked my best friends to give me a character and a trope. happy first post!

When you first landed the job as an agent at the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, you first told yourself not to get too attached. This was a job, after all. A career. A high risk one, that could end in fatalities and wounds that might never heal, cuts that will always bleed for the rest of eternity. Once you made it clear to yourself that you were to be civil with your coworkers —close enough to be friendly, but not enough to go out for drinks on Saturday nights— and most important of all, do your job, and do it damn well, you poured yourself a glass of wine and watched the rest of the season of the sitcom you’ve been meaning to finish.

However, with all of the ups and downs your job gave you, it could not have allowed for you to expect the boisterous chaos that were your coworkers. They welcomed you in not only with open arms, but open minds. They respected your boundaries, your ideas, everything about you. Your attempt at remaining just civil became useless after months, but looking back, how could you have tried any longer? Penelope gave you a big kiss on the cheek every week, exclaiming that she loved your outfits and needed to go shopping with you right that minute. Morgan ruffled your hair whenever he brought you coffee (despite your incessant dismay that now you needed to brush it again). Hotch, though not a fan of public displays, would murmur a reassuring, you’re doing well every time he returned a file back to you. And then there was Reid.

Spencer Reid.

Well, what was there to say about him?

Over time, you’ve assumed that his love language must be acts of service. He brought you a bagel every week, sometimes more, from your favorite bagel shop downtown. Every Tuesday, a poppy seed bagel with extra plain cream cheese, extra toasted, cut in half so you could eat the middle dollop of cream cheese first. He made you mugs of tea whenever it grew past five pm because you told him that you had trouble falling asleep once months ago. Sometimes, small bouquets of wild grown flowers were left on your desk. At first, you thought it was Penelope being extra kind to you, or even Morgan playing a small joke on you. Both denied, but still giggled as you walked away. Whatever that meant. Behind your back, they secretly slipped each other five dollar bills.

You were sure he did the same for the rest of his coworkers, too. You’ve seen him refill coffee pots whenever Emily mentioned starting a new brew, and work extra hard on his reports in his free time to make sure Hotch or JJ didn’t stay too late. You were on the same page, anyway. Friends. Civil. It didn’t matter.

You huffed as you walked into the BAU, which was deemed more of a half jog, half marathon sprint. You hadn’t bothered to check the weather before leaving, and on the walk from the subway station to the office, it had started downpouring. The sudden drops of cold from the sky had caused you to drop your half empty cup of coffee, and you had forgotten to grab the breakfast you made yourself the night before in the fridge. Not even Harry Styles’ album blaring in your ears could have stopped you from turning the morning around. You grumbled simple good morning’s to everyone as you shook off your coat. Expecting to see your desk surrounded with papers that you were too tired to file in their intended drawers yesterday, you instead found a clean one; the papers were stashed in their designated places (in alphabetical order), the pens were compiled in the pouch you bought at Daiso years ago and cherished, even the trash under your desk was taken out. The only thing left to be seen on the wooden desk was a small brown bag that smelled of heaven and happiness and a folded piece of paper. You reached inside to find your usual poppy seed bagel the same as it always was. To make your Tuesday better. For you, always, the note read. You didn’t need to decipher whose scribbles those belonged to. You forgot it was Tuesday.

“Where’s my bagel, lover boy?” Morgan’s voice boomed as the man sat on top of your desk, snatching the bag with a grin. Spencer only swiftly passed by the desk with ease, choosing to make eye contact with the carpet.

“Good morning, Dr. Reid. Happy Tuesday.” Spencer’s eyes divert to yours quickly. He only nods, responding with the same greeting. Happy Tuesday, honey.

Morgan’s laugh carried throughout the room, swinging his legs as he spoke. “You two make me sick, that’s for sure. Can I have some of your bagel?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You furrowed your brow in annoyance, which only made Morgan smile widely.

“Do you need to get your glasses checked again? You know, there’s an optometrist across the street—”

As you started to speak, Hotch walked from his office, announcing a new case and to meet in the room immediately. You got up swiftly, grabbing your bagel from Morgan’s hands with a muttered asshole falling from your lips. It only made Morgan cackle loudly. You remind yourself to write a psych evaluation on Morgan after the case is over with.

On the first day of the case, you realized it was going to be a more difficult one than usual. You didn’t panic. You never do. The second day, you worked harder than ever only to see little to no result. You continued not to sleep. It was like clockwork. Work, coffee, repeat. After three days, the case was far from settled. In fact, it seemed to only be getting worse with no ending in sight. Everyone was continuing to work in hopes that they would be home for the weekend. The fourth day, though, seemed to be the worst. The killer was getting more spontaneous with their kills, and the team seemed to keep showing up minutes after the kill had occurred. You were running on little to no sleep and were getting more frustrated with each move the killer made in silence. Near the end of the day, as you stared aimlessly at the wall in front of you, hoping it would make some sort of answer appear in front of your eyes, Hotch put a hand on your shoulder, You jumped slightly, trance be gone, when he told you to get back to the hotel immediately.

Immediately, you persisted. “I’m fine. I’ve almost got something. I’m sure of something.”

“I’m not asking you.”

“Hotch—”

“I’m ordering you, not only as your boss, but mostly as your friend. Your dark circles are getting concerning.” You tried to budge once more, but as Hotch gave one of his stern glares, you knew you were done with work for the day. “I’ll get someone to drive you back. Wait here.”

Within seconds, Spencer appeared, replacing the previous figure of Hotch. Gently tapping your shoulder, he signaled for you to get up. With a flick of a wrist and a soft grin, he spun around a set of keys around his fingers. “Hotch is letting me drive.”

You smiled. “Don’t want Morgan to ‘vibe it?’”

“His definition of ‘vibing it’ is just turning on the sirens when he doesn’t want to stop at a red light.” You walked side by side to the car. Your shoulders brushed ever so slightly due to Spencer’s hands in his pockets, but you didn’t mind. You welcomed the warmth.

“Your definition is turning the volume up to 13 and calling it loud.”

“I would like to be able to hear when I’m old, thank you very much. Any decibel over eighty and poof. Hearing. Out the window.”

“I really don’t think playing Queen at any volume above 13 will kill you, Spence.”

“You never know, honey.” Spencer opened the door for you, ushering you in before closing the door and getting in on the driver’s side. He pulled a cassette tape from his bag and pushed it in the radio; it started to softly play Queen while Spencer messed with the volume, setting it at 13 before driving away. It made a soft smile appear on your lips as your head leaned against the cool glass. Between the constant, soothing movement of the car or the way Spencer’s lips mouthed the lyrics of Good Old Fashioned Boy, it was hard to tell when the lines blurred and sleep drifted you away. The only thing you recognized before falling asleep were the unmistakable words that left Spencer’s mouth.

“Good night, honey. Love you.”

You woke up with a start the next morning. You had no idea how you got back into your hotel room, or how you were wearing your favorite sports shirt that you find comfort in sleeping in all of these years, though your mind directed each question back to the same person, of course. Your mind wandered to the night before; it was the most relaxed you had been all week, even if it was just the simple act of driving with Spencer. You had done it before in past cases —even driven him back to his hotel at times— but this time felt different. Maybe it was the words that left his mouth.

“Oh, good. You’re awake.” Spencer suddenly walked in, holding bags in his arms. He set them down on the table, pulling out various assortments of breakfast foods and handing them to you. “No bagel shops around here, but I did find some good pancakes if you want to eat now.”

“Spence.” You suddenly sat up straight, as if a revelation hit you.

“What? No pancakes? It came with hashbrowns, too.”

“Spencer.” You emphasized, getting him to look at you.

“Yeah?”

“Why do you do all of this for me?”

“What?” His head cocked to the side, not understanding.

“Why do you… I mean… you go out of your way to do things for me. Unnecessary things. I need to know why.”

“Unnecessary…?”

“You… you leave me flowers that are like, hand picked from a garden or the forest, or something not from the city. You clean my desk for me when I’ve left it too messy. You make me my favorite tea when I’m at the office too late. You write me notes that are alluding but you won’t say what. I mean, Spence, you get me my favorite bagel every Tuesday. Why?”

His face suddenly turned serious as he sat next to you on the bed. “You want to know why?” He repeated.

“I know you do these things for the rest of our team, but I just, I just don’t get it.”

“Because I’m in love with you.” Spencer stared at you. “I’ve been in love with you. I think I’ll always be at least a little in love with you, if I’m being honest. I thought you’d catch on by now.”

“…What?”

“Yeah, honey. I thought I was pretty obvious.”

“So you meant what you said last night, then?” You said softly.

“I didn’t mean for you to hear that. Really. I would’ve said it better if I had known you were awake.”

“But I did.” Your face grew closer to his. “And I’m not upset about it. Because I’m in love with you, too.”

Just as your lips began to brush, Spencer began to smile. “You know what day it is, honey? It’s our day.”

You smiled, too. “Happy Tuesday.”

You both tried to be subtle about it for the rest of the case. Weeks had passed by without the team knowing, but one slip up of a kiss on the cheek from Spencer on a Tuesday morning had led to an entire office full of chaos (and a meeting on workplace romance and consent from Hotch). You two didn’t mind, though. It was bound to happen. Until Penelope turned to Morgan and yelled at him to cough up the fifty dollars he owed her, of course.

Happy Tuesday.

[im-a-mess-of-a-person]

rosekiller thoughts

FUCKING ROSEKILLER. WONT GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

they’re terrible and mean but they’re so perfect and they love each other so much and if i’m having thoughts yall get to hear them SOME SLIGHTLY NSFW

evan absolutely has an enchanted tattoo gun that makes the tattoos move like wizard paintings

he and barty absolutely take full advantage of this resource

even makes barty let him tattoo a tiny “E” on his inner thigh

“wouldn’t want you to forget who you belong to”

in response, barty uses his knife and craves “bcj” on evan’s inner thigh

they're lowkey toxic and very concerning

both of them are bad enough on their own

but they make each other at least 10 times worse

every time one of them has an impulsive idea, the other will absolutely aid and abet

when evan wanted barty to pierce his ear, he ended up with his eyebrow, septum, and lip done

when barty wanted evan to cut his hair, he ended up with a god awful (but still hot) undercut and half of his head dyed green

he always kept a part of it green after that

there are no limits in the bedroom. tied up? hot. knives? kinky. blood? double kinky. choking? 100% down

barty would literally let evan crack open his ribs and live there if he asked

evan will never ever ever in a million years admit that he’s the little spoon (he is)

they’re both very tall (evan’s a bit taller) so it’s really funny to see them curled up together

they’ve always been quite codependent—always touching, sitting in each other’s laps, even kissing—even before they started dating

everyone else thought they had been dating for ages before they actually did

they’re not the most conventional lovey-dovey couple, but they would do—and have done—pretty much anything for each other

oops i had a lot of thoughts. if anyone has rosekiller centric fic recs pls pls pls lmk!!!🌹🗡️

[kathlare]

through the smoke

Lando Norris x Amelie Dayman

Summary: Amelie, returning to the F1 scene at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is forced to confront the past she’s been trying to escape. Old tensions resurface as her friends push her into the afterparty scene.

Wordcount: 1.6 k

Warnings: none

full masterlist // request over here!

November 20th, 2024 - Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

liked by lnnation, f1wagsgossip, and others

f1gossippage: Amelie has entered the chat! 👑✨ Spotted arriving at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix today, looking like an absolute icon as always. 🏎️🔥 The paddock just got a whole lot more glamorous – who’s ready for the drama and the vibes she always brings? 👀

View all 732 comments

formula1fanatic88: NO WAY, AMELIE IS BACK IN THE PADDOCK. It’s been over a year, y’all. 😭✨ → paddockqueen22: @formula1fanatic88 The paddock hasn’t felt the same without her. She brings the energy. 😩🔥 → lanmelfan69: @formula1fanatic88 Tell me Lando’s shaking in his race suit rn. 👀

mexicangirlboss07: Amelie really said, “I’m gonna remind everyone who the real queen of the paddock is.” 😌💅

amelie4eva: The fact she’s back after so long… I’m not crying, you are. 🥹💖 → f1dramaqueen: @amelie4eva WE’VE WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT. The paddock missed the chaos. 💃✨

landoiscrying_14: LMAO imagine Amelie and Lando running into each other today. The tension. 🫣🔥 → ameliefanatic99: @landoiscrying_14 Someone better have cameras on them 24/7. I need the tea. ☕ → paparazziwannabe: @ameliefanatic99 Netflix is shaking—they’re gonna need a whole episode for this. 👀

dramaoverload69: WAIT, does this mean Lando and Amelie might interact today?? My soul isn’t ready. 😩

paddockhater01: Why is she back tho? We don’t need her here stirring shit up. 🙄

ameliefan88: ICONIC RETURN. The paddock hasn’t been ready for her comeback, but WE ARE. 🔥👑 → f1fangirl21: @ameliefan88 They thought they could survive without her, but no one does it like Amelie. 💅✨

amelie_stan_93: Omg, I’m literally screaming. Amelie and Lando haven’t interacted since… → futbolgossip4ever: @amelie_stan_93 The way they used to be best friends though. All that tension is still there. 😩

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

Amelie tossed her heels onto the carpet and collapsed face-first onto the plush hotel bed. The adrenaline from the weekend was finally fading, leaving her with a cocktail of exhaustion and emptiness. She hated how returning to the F1 world had stirred up so many old memories—and old wounds.

There was a knock at her door. Soft at first. Then louder. Then relentless banging.

—Amelie! Open up!— George’s unmistakable voice called, accompanied by the sound of Alex’s exaggerated groan.

—Come on, Am!— Alex added. —You’re not hiding in here all night. The gang’s back together—don’t ruin the vibe!—

Amelie groaned into her pillow. The last thing she wanted to do was go to an afterparty, especially knowing who else would be there.

—Go away!— she shouted, but her voice was muffled by the duvet she’d pulled over her head.

—Nope,— George shot back. —We’re not leaving until you let us in!—

The banging continued until Amelie caved. She dragged herself off the bed and opened the door, her glare meeting two very determined—and slightly smug—faces.

—You’re both children,— she muttered, stepping aside to let them in.

—And you’re boring,— George quipped, flopping onto her bed like he owned the place. Alex followed, sprawling out dramatically.

—You’re not getting out of this,— Alex said, propping himself up on an elbow. —It’s been forever since we’ve all been together. You’re coming to the party, even if we have to drag you there kicking and screaming.—

Amelie crossed her arms, glaring at them both. —Why do you two care so much?”

—Because,— George said, grinning, —this is the first time in ages the gang’s back together. And because you’ve been sulking all weekend, and we’re not letting you wallow.—

—I’m not wallowing,— Amelie shot back defensively.

—Sure you’re not,— Alex said, smirking. —Now go get dressed. Something hot. You’ve got, like, five minutes.—

With a resigned sigh, Amelie grabbed her makeup bag and stomped into the bathroom. —You’re both insufferable!— she shouted through the door.

—We know!— George called back, unbothered.

As she touched up her makeup and changed into a sleek black dress, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement—despite herself. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she could survive one night without thinking about him.

Amelie emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, her makeup flawless and her dress hugging her figure in all the right places. George and Alex, who had made themselves far too comfortable lounging on her bed, wolf-whistled in unison.

—There she is!— George declared, dramatically clutching his chest like he’d been struck by Cupid’s arrow. —Amelie, you look stunning. If I weren’t already spoken for…—

—You’d still be shit out of luck,— Alex interrupted, grinning. —But seriously, you look great.—

Amelie rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the small smile tugging at her lips. —Alright, let’s get this over with. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can leave.—

George hopped off the bed, clapping his hands. —That’s the spirit! Let’s go, party queen!—

They piled into a car and headed to the afterparty. The night air was crisp, the city lights of Abu Dhabi glinting like a promise of trouble. Amelie leaned her head against the window, letting George and Alex’s chatter fade into the background. She could do this. Just one night. She didn’t have to talk to him—or even look at him.

When they arrived at the venue, the music was already pulsing through the walls, the heavy bass reverberating in her chest. The room was packed with familiar faces—drivers, team members, and a handful of celebrities who always seemed to pop up at these events. George and Alex led the way, weaving through the crowd with ease, while Amelie trailed behind, clutching a glass of champagne someone had handed her on the way in.

The party was in full swing, and Amelie tried her best to blend into the chaos, sipping her champagne and nodding politely at the occasional greeting. It wasn’t long before George and Alex dragged her toward the center of the action, their infectious energy impossible to ignore.

—Come on, Amelie! Dance a little!— Alex shouted over the music, already swaying with exaggerated moves.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help laughing. —You look like a dad at a wedding!—

—And you’re the grumpy aunt!— he shot back, grabbing her hand and twirling her. George joined in, the three of them creating their own little dance circle. For a moment, Amelie allowed herself to forget—forget the tension, the memories, and the lingering ache in her chest. She was here, surrounded by friends, and it felt good.

Then she saw him.

Lando was perched behind the DJ booth, his hands on the turntables, headphones around his neck. He looked... different. His hair was slightly messier, like he’d run his fingers through it a thousand times. His jawline was sharper, his smile more confident. The Lando she remembered had always been boyishly handsome, but this version of him—older, more self-assured—was undeniably striking.

Amelie froze, her breath catching in her throat. She hadn’t been this close to him in over a year, and seeing him now, she hated how her heart reacted. She quickly turned away, focusing on the champagne glass in her hand as if it held all the answers.

—Hey, you okay?— George asked, noticing her sudden shift.

—Yeah,— she lied, forcing a smile. —I just need another drink.—

She slipped away before he could press further, weaving through the crowd to the bar. As she downed a vodka soda, she couldn’t shake the image of Lando from her mind. It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t supposed to look like that—like he’d spent the last year thriving while she’d been trying to piece herself back together.

Hours passed, and Amelie found herself leaning heavily on the buzz of alcohol to dull her nerves. She danced with Alex and George, laughed at their terrible jokes, and even posed for a few photos with other drivers. But no matter how much she tried to distract herself, her eyes kept wandering back to the DJ booth.

Lando was no longer there.

Her stomach twisted in frustration. She shouldn’t care where he was or what he was doing. But the alcohol had a way of softening her defenses, and despite every ounce of her willpower, she found herself scanning the room for him.

It didn’t take long to find him.

He was in the middle of the dance floor, his arms wrapped around a blonde girl who looked like she’d stepped out of a modeling campaign. Lando was laughing, his signature smile brighter than the neon lights flashing around him. The girl pressed herself against him, her hands sliding over his shoulders, and Amelie’s chest tightened as she watched them move together.

She told herself to look away. To go find George or Alex or anyone else who could distract her. But her feet were rooted to the spot, her eyes glued to the scene unfolding before her.

Lando caught her gaze.

It was brief—a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he noticed her standing on the edge of the room. His smile faltered for half a second before shifting into something else entirely. A challenge. A dare.

Amelie’s breath hitched as his gaze lingered on her, bold and unrelenting. He knew she was watching. And he didn’t look away.

Instead, he leaned down and kissed the girl.

Amelie’s heart plummeted. The kiss wasn’t soft or hesitant. It was deliberate, meant to be seen. Meant for her to see.

Her hand tightened around her glass, the cold condensation biting into her skin as a rush of anger bubbled to the surface. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, the telltale signs of too much alcohol and too many emotions she couldn’t control.

—Fucking Lando,— she muttered under her breath, downing the rest of her drink in one go. The vodka burned, but it was nothing compared to the sting in her chest.

Amelie turned on her heel, determined to put as much distance between herself and the dance floor as possible. The air inside the venue suddenly felt suffocating, the bass of the music pounding in her chest like a cruel reminder of everything she was trying to forget.

She made her way to the bar again, hoping another drink might help drown the mess of emotions swirling in her head. But as she leaned against the counter, waiting for the bartender to notice her, George appeared at her side.

—There you are,— he said, his voice tinged with concern. —You disappeared on us.—

—I’m fine,— Amelie replied quickly, too quickly. She didn’t meet his eyes, focusing instead on the bartender as she ordered another vodka soda.

George wasn’t convinced. —Am, what’s going on? You’ve been off all night. And don’t say you’re fine, because I know you’re not.—

—I don’t want to talk about it,— she said, her voice sharper than she intended.

She forced a smile back, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. —Let’s just go dance.—

George didn’t argue. Together, they rejoined Alex on the dance floor, throwing themselves into the music with reckless abandon. Amelie danced like she was trying to outrun her thoughts, her movements wild and unrestrained. For a while, it worked. She laughed, spun, and lost herself in the rhythm, surrounded by friends who cared about her.

But no matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t shake the weight of Lando’s gaze. Every so often, she’d glance across the room and find his eyes on her, his expression unreadable. It was like a game neither of them wanted to admit they were playing—a dance of avoidance and confrontation, fueled by unresolved feelings and too much alcohol.

By the end of the night, Amelie was exhausted—not just physically but emotionally. She stumbled out of the venue with George and Alex, their laughter ringing in her ears as they helped her into a car. As they drove back to the hotel, she leaned her head against the cool glass of the window, her thoughts a tangled mess.

Lando Norris was trouble. He always had been. And no matter how much time passed, no matter how much she tried to move on, he had a way of getting under her skin like no one else could.

But tonight had reminded her of one thing: she couldn’t let him win. Not again.

[roxineedstosleep]

Ok, I love it because Merlin is literally the youngest of the entire council, and therefore only acts as the advisor he is when there are important meetings.

But he is still a child. At least to the older councilors. And Merlin is youthful as his age dictates.

Like a child who is becoming an adult and is eager to learn and do his best. He is still clumsy, doesn't quite know court etiquette, and tends to interrupt speeches when he doesn't listen well.

Even though the meetings he goes to always end well, it is still somewhat tense considering he has only been with them for a short time.

Proposed scenario:

Camelot has been in tension with a neighboring kingdom for months, due to an altercation between the respective armies of each kingdom within the border area. Meeting after meeting has been brewing for months about how to proceed, but due to the lack of a real solution, both kings decide to meet to avoid more messengers. Since tensions had risen to the level of a possible real confrontation.

And, to the nerves of everyone at the round table, it would be the first meeting that Merlin formally attended within his title. At least, the first that would involve a neighboring kingdom.

He doesn't have the proper clothes, so Arthur gives him one of the robes that were originally designed for his arrival at the castle.

Merlin basically swims in the robes that Arthur gave him. Because Arthur had robes designed for Merlin thinking he was an elderly gentleman, not a young man who is just leaving the baby fat on his body behind. And, to top it off, it doesn't help matters that they have to put some extra seating in his seat at the council because the druids thought he was taller.

So what do we have? A Merlin, in clothes that are too big for him, in a chair that is too high even for him, who is sweating with nerves and excitement at being taken seriously… but who looks terribly adorable and it is impossible not to listen to him because of how excited he sounds when asking questions and simply taking his role as an advisor seriously.

It's like watching a little boy so excited about his lessons that you can't help but coo at him, give him lots of candy, and answer all his questions. And take his opinions seriously because of how sweet he is.

So, that meeting goes completely well, but only because the other king kept cooing at Merlin, who listened to everything attentively, and obsessively noted down in his journal trying to capture his version of the events. Also, because of his lack of knowledge of court etiquette, he interrupts both kings when something doesn't fit or seems unfair.

The advisors will say that Merlin's high wisdom made Arthur and the neighboring King find a middle ground to begin means of improvement on the borders, that his notes and thirst for justice made the king of Camelot see his defects and managed to improve as people.

Some servants will say that it was Merlin's magic that managed to convince the neighboring king not to attack Camelot, and that he even bewitched him because he kept praising the boy about his intelligence after the meeting in his chambers inside the guest tower.

But what really happened is that the other king was pleased to feel listened to by a very cute baby wizard, in addition to noticing that everything was a terrible confusion of an offended general.

Hello everyone! I'm back with another Merlin au! I hope you all enjoy! :D

In this AU, Merlin is born much, much later than in canon, such that Arthur is already in his late thirties and has been on the throne for over a decade by the time Merlin arrives in Camelot.

In this world, Uther had been assassinated by Morgause, leading to Arthur taking the throne and, at first, continuing the purge as a means to avenge his father. However, after some kind druids help him in finding Morgause after getting lost in the woods during a search party for the witch, Arthur slowly starts to soften his heart towards the druids, allowing them to live undisturbed on Camelot's lands. After all, they kept to themselves and offered assistance whenever a curse befell the land.

After a few years of peace with the druids, some of the druid elders travelled to the city itself, something they had never done before, and requested an audience with Arthur, claiming to have important information regarding a prophecy and Camelot's future. Trusting their word and curious about this prophecy, Arthur welcomes them into the castle and hears what they have to say.

And what they had to say was earth-shattering information for Arthur. They spoke of a prophecy as old as the Old Religion itself, how a king would be born to unite the warring land of Albion and restore peace, bringing the land into a gold age as the gods intended it. They spoke of how this Once and Future King would have a counterpart, the other half of his soul who would complete him and make him the glorious king that he was destined to be.

They told Arthur of Emrys, all-powerful magic made into the form of a man, the son of the Triple Goddess sent to the mortal plane to complete the Once and Future and guide him towards his destiny.

And just like that, Arthur's whole life changed.

The thing you have to understand about this Arthur is that he is very lonely. He has friends, people he trusts, but he's never been able to have a friend that sees Arthur instead of the prince or king. But the prophecy, according to the druids, says that Emrys would see beyond his titles and have a connection to Arthur, not the king. That Emrys would complete him in a way that he'd never fully comprehend.

They also describe Emrys's godly abilities, far beyond anything a mortal sorcerer could ever hope to achieve. He could command the elements of nature, the powers of all the world arose at his call, and time itself bowed to his command.

(And this all sounded very appealing to a repressed Arthur. Soon, Arthur's pleasant dreams started to feature a powerful cloaked figure bringing Arthur to heel, just as he had brought all the powers of magic under his control.)

So, Arthur eagerly awaits Emrys for years, waiting for the day that he meets his other half of the coin and the golden age can finally begin.

The druids, some of whom now stayed permanently in the castle to help Arthur with matters concerning magic until Emrys arrived to take over that role, told Arthur that they could sense when Emrys was nearby, and that they would alert him if they felt Emrys's presence in Camelot.

So, Arthur waits, and waits, and waits, never once giving up hope of meeting his destined other half.

He waits, until one day, the druid elders calmly announce at court that the day has come. Emrys had arrived at the gates of Camelot.

And Arthur's heart nearly leapt out of his chest with excitement. He was here! At long last, his life would be complete and he would become the great king his people deserved!

Arthur rushed to call for the entire court to assemble in the courtyard, ready to welcome Emrys with fanfare, and he sent word to the servants and cooks to prepare a celebratory feast as soon as they could. He needed to make a good first impression on his "other half of the coin" after all!

Arthur, not for the first time, wondered what Emrys would look like when he arrived. The druids didn't have a physical description for him, since his unimaginable powers gave him the ability to change his appearance at will. Perhaps he would look like a druid himself, or would he take on a more noble appearance, befitting of his status? Would he teleport himself into the courtyard with flair, or perhaps he would ride in on the back of a magic beast, like a dragon or unicorn!

Between all of the rush to prepare the castle for Emrys's grand arrival, Arthur forgot all about a skinny peasant boy accidentally bumping into him. The boy had apologized and asked politely where he could find Gaius's chambers. Arthur had looked at him oddly, since that was a rather large breach of decorum to ask the king such a trivial question, but Arthur simply brushed it off and pointed the young man in the right direction.

Finally, after everything was prepared, Arthur stood outside on the steps of the castle with his entire court behind him, straining his eyes at the gate for any sign of movement.

And he waited, and waited, and waited. But there was still no powerful warlock coming through the gates.

Finally, he turned to the druid elder next to him and asked, "Where is he? I thought you said he was in the city!"

The druid responded patiently, "He is, my lord. He might be in a disguise though, as to avoid attention. It is known that Lord Emrys is rather humble."

Arthur grumbled about prophesized warlocks never arriving on time and dismissed his court to attend the feast, hoping that perhaps Emrys would make himself known there, in a less public space.

The feast in its own right was a splendid time, with fresh food, fine wine, and even an famous songstress brought in for entertainment. However, as the night went on and the chair to Arthur's right remained empty, his mood soured. Emrys was supposed to be here, by his side, so where was he?!

Arthur was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed the moment when the singer's voice became threatening, her song became sinister, and an unnatural stillness came over everyone in attendance.

Arthur watched with barely-open eyes as the sorceress unsheathed a dagger and took aim and his chest, a vengeful smile on her face.

He could barely breathe as the dagger flew, his death drawing closer and closer until...

Until the blade stopped in mid-air, frozen by magic. Arthur's breath hitched. Could it be?

Arthur felt himself be pulled out of his chair, and the dagger hit the back of it, right where his chest had been moments before. The sorceress turned to where Arthur and his savior had landed with a furious expression, but before she could even take a step towards them, the chain holding the chandelier above her, which had never shown any signs of rust or damage, snapped, landing directly on top of the witch with a loud crash.

With the witch now dead, her spell was lifted, and Arthur scrambled to his feet the second that his limbs no longer felt like they were made out of solid lead. With his heart hammering in his chest, he turned around to face the sorcerer who had stopped time itself to save him.

This was Emrys, right behind him, and all of a sudden, Arthur wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Arthur turned and gazed down at the man still sprawled out on the floor, his arm outstretched to where the chandelier had been hanging. His eyes flickered wildly over his form, unsure of what details to take in first.

When his mind was finally calm enough to catch up to what his eyes were seeing, his thoughts came to a screeching halt. Because this man was certainly Emrys, and he had certainly been in the castle today. Arthur had seen him after all.

He was the peasant boy, from before. He had indeed snuck into the castle under a disguise to avoid suspicion, and had tested Arthur's heart, just as the druids said that he would. Any other king would have ignored a peasant asking for directions, or would even had them punished for such disrespect towards royalty. But Arthur had stopped to help him, and he must have passed Emrys's test, because he had saved Arthur from the witch's dagger with his own two hands.

Arthur's didn't know how much time passed as he and Emrys looked at each other, both of them staring with wide eyes.

Finally, after what felt like hours of silence, Emrys climbed to his feet and looked around the room with wide eyes, taking in the shocked and awed stares of everyone in the court.

Looking back at everyone with matching shock, Emrys stuttered out "I'll, uh, be going now. I, um, hope you all enjoy the rest of your feast," and ran off before Arthur's mind could come up with some kind of response, weaving in between shocked lords and bowing druids.

After Emrys had left the room, all eyes turned to Arthur, who took a moment to calm his breathing and his racing thoughts.

"It seems that Emrys has truly arrived in Camelot at last! Since this feast was interrupted, let's postpone the festivities to tomorrow, when Emrys can truly be in attendance."

That seemed to bring the court back to reality, and they slowly began to make their way out of the feasting hall, moving slowly so that everyone could talk amongst one another about Emrys's sudden appearance.

As soon as the last of the courtiers had left the hall, Arthur sprinted out of the room, running to his own chambers as fast as his feet would carry him. He only stopped briefly to breathlessly ask one of the druid elders to pass along a message to Emrys, inviting him for a private meeting with a king later that evening.

Racing back to his own rooms, Arthur was beyond glad to find them spotless. His chamber servants would get a raise after this, they had outdone themselves this time. Everything was perfect, his rooms free of any dirt, his desk immaculate, his furniture exactly where it was supposed to be, and his bed made.

Arthur anxiously paced around his own rooms, worrying about what Emrys already thought of him. Had he been too dismissive during their first encounter? Was he disappointed that Arthur could not recognize him, the other half of his soul, through his peasant disguise?

Finally, there was a soft knock at Arthur's door. Taking a deep breath, Arthur called out, "You may enter," in a deceptively steady voice.

The door opened slowly, revealing a now-familiar face in the doorway. Arthur's breathing sped up as Emrys slowly stepped into his rooms and closed the door behind him.

"You- you wanted to see me?"

"Of course! I apologize for not recognizing you when we first met, but I did not expect you to come in such a disguise. Now that we are alone though, you can drop your magical glamour and reveal your true face. You do not need to hide anything form me, I promise."

But Emrys simply looked at him, blinking with confusion.

"I... appreciate that, but what are you talking about? What glamour?"

"The illusion that makes you appear like," Arthur waved his hand at Emrys's peasant garb, "this. You can freely show you true splendor here!"

Again, Emrys looked at him with nothing but confusion.

"But... but this is what I look like. I'm not using any sort illusion right now."

A beat of silence. Then, one dumbfounded word escaped Arthur's mouth.

"What?"

TL;DR:

The sorcerer Arthur thought he was getting:

Vs the sorcerer he actually got:

[daenerys-apolog1st]

My Thoughts on the Driftmark Situation

So, first of all, I feel like it's important to note in this situation that everyone involved in the initial fight was a CHILD---Luce was 4-5, Jace was 6-7, we can assume that Baela and Rhaena were of similar ages to them, and Aemond was 11-12. It's ridiculous to expect children, especially grieving children who just lost their mother, to act logically and with the same maturity/emotional intelligence as grown ass adults---children are children and they're going to react to things as such, which often means they're going to go with their gut reactions, which means they're going to make mistakes and stupid decisions.

Aemond, when claiming Vhagar, wasn't thinking at all about- "hey, Baela and Rhaena's mom just died and this was her dragon, it'd probably be a dick move to claim it on the NIGHT OF HER FUNERAL" -he was just thinking that he didn't have a dragon, here was a dragon, and he wanted it. His thoughts didn't extend to anyone else, anything else, or the fact that it was incredibly dangerous for him to be doing that.

Baela and Rhaena, when waking up Jace and Luce to go confront Aemond, were not thinking- "hey, it'd probably be unfair to go confront and/or fight Aemond for claiming Vhagar, and this is probably a situation we should talk to our parents/grandparents about" -they were thinking that their mother just died and someone just stole her dragon, one of the few things they have of her, which they wanted to try and let Rhaena claim since she didn't have one. Their thoughts didn't extend to whether or not confronting Aemond was a bad idea, just that they were angry and upset.

Jace and Luce, when woken up, weren't thinking- "hey, we should go get a trusted adult to help us figure this out" -they were thinking that Baela and Rhaena were angry and upset, that they needed help, so they went to help them. Furthermore, in the fight, Luce wasn't thinking- "ah yes, I want to cut out Aemond's eye as punishment and because I'm an asshole" -he was thinking that Aemond was threatening his brother's life, he was scared, and he needed to protect him---he didn't aim for his eye on purpose, it was a gut move done to try and protect his brother and it just so happened to hit his eye.

Again, these were CHILDREN, they weren't thinking with the same level-headedness or maturity that we should expect from adults---everything that happened was an accident, and I place the blame firmly on the ADULTS in the situation.

Firstly, WHERE WERE THE KNIGHTS?

We know that Criston Cole was supposed to be on the night's watch, but clearly he wasn't doing his job if one of the king's sons can sneak out into the middle of nowhere and claim a dragon, the king's grandsons and his nieces can sneak out of the castle as well, and all five of them can get in a brawl.

Even excluding him, though, where were the other knights on watch? Seriously, where were they? None of it would've happened if they were doing their damn jobs, if I were Viserys I would've sent everyone who was supposed to be on watch to the Wall and found different knights to protect me and my blood because CLEARLY the guys I've got don't give a damn.

From there, though, I think that the other adults---mainly Alicent, but also Rhaenyra---handled things completely wrong.

Firstly, to everyone that says- "oh Viserys didn't care about Aemond getting hurt, he didn't do anything about it" -did y'all forget the part where he was livid and RAILING against the guards for allowing the fight to happen? For allowing "his blood" to get hurt? Him literally shouting at them at the top of his lungs asking what the fuck happened? That seems pretty angry to me.

Viserys, surprisingly, was like the only adult aside from Corlys and Rhaenys- (who were focused on making sure Baela and Rhaena were okay) -that actually handled the situation the way it should've been handled---which is definitely a shocker, considering how he usually handles things. Viserys blamed the ADULTS in the situation who allowed it to happen---what Team Green calls him "not caring/doing nothing" is him not being willing to carve out his 4-5 year old grandson's eye for an accident.

Which then brings me to everything else that happened.

Alicent was 100% in the wrong here.

Was it wrong for her to be angry and upset that her child was hurt? Absolutely not, I'd expect nothing less from a mother.

Was it wrong for her to go after a 4-5 year old with a knife? Yes, I don't even know why this is a discussion.

Alicent spent every day of her children's lives sewing hatred in them, insulting and mistreating Rhaenyra and her children, and spreading rumors that could get Rhaenyra and her children killed---yet somehow she's surprised when her children repeat what she's taught them and that gets them in trouble. Viserys told her to shut the fuck up about bastardy and backed up Rhaenyra's kids as legit- (which they were in every way that mattered, as detailed in my post here) -which should've been the end of it, but Alicent didn't shut up and she's shocked that Viserys is pissed that now she has their kids repeating her bullshit?

Viserys didn't yell at Aemond, like TG said he did, he asked him a question about who was spreading the bastard rumors. Furthermore, Rhaenyra didn't say Aemond should be tortured, she said "questioned sharply" in a defensive response to Alicent saying that they should take Luce's eye out---it wasn't a genuine want to harm Aemond, it was an attempt to get the attention off of Luce.

Even Aemond, who is literally the one injured here, tells Alicent to stop and that he doesn't care about his eye because he got a dragon out of it anyway---could he be lying? Sure, but even if he was it shows that he wanted Alicent to stop what she was doing, since we can assume that IF he was lying he was doing it to calm her down/end the situation.

Alicent is the one making things worse and escalating things here and, again, while I don't blame her for being angry and upset and protective, I DO blame her for trying to maim a toddler for something he didn't do on purpose and ONLY did because he thought his brother's life was in danger.

If she wanted to be pissed at someone she should've been pissed at Criston and the other knights who, again, were supposed to be watching those kids---the only reason any of this happened was because they weren't doing their damn jobs. Hell, she could've theoretically even directed her anger at Rhaenyra or Viserys or Corlys or ANY of the other adults in the room, but instead she directed her anger at a CHILD and wanted said child harmed to soothe her anger. That isn't excusable and I'm not going to pretend it is.

And two other things that not a lot of people mention before I move on:

1. Alicent was cruel towards the Velaryon family in this situation as well. Corlys and Rhaenys had just buried their DAUGHTER, Laenor had just buried his SISTER, and yet the first thing she does when someone asks where Laenor is is imply that he's not only having sex---of all things---but with LITTLE BOYS. She is a guest in the Velaryon household, yet she disrespects their son who is very obviously torn apart and grieving his sister, on THE NIGHT OF SAID SISTER'S FUNERAL. Like it's clear that she doesn't give a shit about decorum or kindness or whatever else her stans claim, she'll just take any chance to take a shot at Rhaenyra's loved ones.

And 2. people go on and on about how terrible a father Viserys was because he "yelled at Aemond" (aka asked him a question), but Alicent literally slapped, yelled at, and blamed Aegon for the situation when he was literally also a kid who shouldn't have been held responsible for something he didn't even know was going on! I don't think Viserys was a good father either, but at least hold Alicent to the same parenting standards if you're gonna use Driftmark as an example.

Moving on-

My main gripe with Rhaenyra in this situation is that she should've kept her mouth shut.

After Viserys handled the situation and, mostly, calmed everything down, making that- "thank you, father" -comment was a potshot and I personally think she did it because, after Alicent tormenting her for 10+ years, she wanted to throw it in her face that Viserys wouldn't just let her do ANYTHING she wanted---even if he did give her a lot of leeway. Still, whatever the reasons, Rhae should've just let it be and left with her kids instead of making that comment and intentionally antagonizing Alicent.

We don't know if Alicent would've tried to maim Luce if Rhaenyra didn't make the comment, I personally could see it go either way, but Rhaenyra making that comment ENSURED that Alicent went for the knife. Maybe Rhaenyra didn't know exactly what Alicent would do, but I find it hard to believe that Rhaenyra didn't think she'd do SOMETHING in retaliation. Again, Rhaenyra should've just kept quiet.

Afterwards, though, when Alicent goes for Luce and starts making her speech, I am again on Rhaenyra's side.

Alicent says that she has done nothing but uphold the realm and the family, and that she has sacrificed everything to do so---which, frankly, isn't true. While I 100% sympathize with her situation when she was younger, especially given that she was essentially pimped out to an old man by her father, Alicent is a grown woman by this time and her actions as an ADULT have only been petty, cruel, and led them down a path to war and suffering.

Alicent has done nothing but split their family apart---from tormenting Rhaenyra and her family for 10+ years, to spreading the bastard rumors, spitting in the face of Rhaenyra's every attempt to make peace, publically humiliating Rhaenyra several times, filling Aegon and Aemond's heads with hate for their family, plotting to usurp Rhaenyra's throne, insulting her family behind their backs, and on and on. THAT'S NOT UPHOLDING THE FAMILY!

And upholding the Realm? Alicent has been plotting with Otto for years at that point to usurp Rhaenyra and put Aegon on the throne, and she's known about Otto's plans for even longer than that, KNOWING that usurping the throne will likely lead to war---something that will make the realm suffer in far more ways than one, and something that never really ends well. Again, that's not upholding the Realm, that's fucking it over.

And Alicent asking- "where is duty? where is sacrifice?" -is about her essentially being angry and hateful that Rhaenyra didn't lay down and suffer beside her, that Rhaenyra managed to find happiness in a patriarchal society and didn't bow to the whims of men, she fought and refused to accept the unfairness---she believed that she deserved more than to just be a wife or a broodmare, and she reached for it.

Alicent didn't find happiness in her situation and didn't reach for any sort of freedom for herself, and so she was essentially left with nothing. That is what she's mad about, that she did "everything right" and is still unhappy but Rhaenyra did what was expected of her, albeit in unconventional manners and---to Alicent---the "wrong way," and found happiness. Alicent wanted Rhaenyra to suffer WITH her, not to find happiness and some level of freedom within her confines.

Alicent is jealous of her and wants to tear her down, and because of that she doesn't see all the sacrifices that Rhaenyra DID make and also doesn't see that she could make the system work for her as well if only she'd TRY.

Rhaenyra was forcefully married to a man she didn't want, Rhaenyra lost her best friend as well as her lover in the same night and had to find her footing when there was no one she could trust, Rhaenyra overcame her debilitating fear of childbirth to provide the Realm with heirs, she and Laenor---who both did not like each other in that way, and Laenor was GAY---did try to have kids but it's implied that he's infertile so she also slept with a man she didn't want to try and do her duty, she put up with Alicent's rumors and torment and public humiliation, she even tried to make peace with Alicent despite EVERYTHING and bring the family together.

Rhaenyra did make sacrifices and did try to uphold the family and do her duty to the realm, but Alicent couldn't see that.

Alicent herself was queen, she didn't have to bow to the whims of the society she was in---she could've bent the rules a little, she could've accepted Rhaenyra's attempts at peace and tried to rebuild their relationship, she could've shut her father's conspiracies down and not allowed him to control her, she could've done the same to Larys, she could've tried to find love or---at the very least---a little peace in her life, she could've let Rhaenyra ascend the throne and BE the good queen she believed she would've been, she could've let Aegon and Aemond and Helaena live their lives in peace instead of war.

She didn't have to bow to society's expectations, she had power, she could've done that and it would've been fine! Good, even! But she couldn't see that either.

Alicent's prison was one that, after a certain point, she built herself---and she had the key to get out but wouldn't use it. Instead, she threw it out the window and blamed Rhaenyra for not doing the same. That's what that whole speech was about, not anything that Rhaenyra had actually done, not the fight, not even Aemond's eye. It was about her jealousy.

Rhaenyra's response is a culmination of all the abuse that she's suffered at Alicent's hands over the past decade coming to light- "now they see you as you are" -now everyone sees what you really think, what you've been trying to hide, now I and everyone else know that the things you've done to me have been intentionally cruel and petty and you can't hide that behind excuses anymore. You don't care about "the family" or the realm or honor or bastardy or duty or sacrifice or right or wrong, all you care about is having me suffer alongside you for the crime of fighting for more.

And, after all of that, Alicent injures the HEIR TO THE THRONE---queen or not, that's grounds for execution, especially given that Alicent is only apart of the ruling family by marriage. But we can assume that Viserys let it go because he loved Alicent and because he wanted the whole situation over and done with, he didn't want to deal with it because---again---it's that lack of backbone that keeps popping up with him.

Overall, I just think this whole situation could've been avoided if people had just done their fucking jobs and I think Team Green purposefully misrepresent what happens on Driftmark because 1. they want to be able to justify Aemond murdering Luce, even though it's not justifiable, 2. it actually shows Viserys caring about ALL of his family, including the Greens, and 3. it makes Alicent look bad.

But just as a general rule, how about we all stop blaming the kids, yeah?

[umi-adxhira]

ᝰ.ᐟ SERENITY | 000

FANDOM: TWTPTFLOB

WARNINGS: Spoilers for the novel, childhood I made up on the spot um, swearing, falling, panic attack I think

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I was hit with a sudden wave of inspiration. This is basically if my "TWTPTFLOB with Gen Z reader" was real. Kinda a crack fic but idk. The whole thing seems a bit too quick for me. It's been too long since I've written fanfics. Btw the chemistry practical thing did actually happen on Friday lmao

◄ PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER ►

"Yo,” you start, bored of the silence between you. Your friend lets out a soft hum, tilting your head towards you as you scroll through your phone absentmindedly “Have you read that manhwa I was telling you about?" your friend doesn’t respond, reaching out to pull your bag slightly to the right, making sure you avoid the pole you were about to walk into. "Thanks,"

"Watch where you're going," she reprimands. She lifts her arm to scratch the back of her neck, probably out of habit. "No, I haven't. I’ve been busy with assignments. So are most of the people in my course. Besides, your exams are next month. You should be revising instead of reading those stupid novels,"

You turn off your phone at the mention as if offended by the off-handed comment your friend made. "How dare you? I never revise. To revise is to doubt one’s potential, after all. Besides, my online friend gave me the link to that manhwa novel I've been telling you about,"

"Roxana?" she scoffs. "I thought the author had a miscarriage and it was put on hiatus. I doubt the manhwa will come back,"

"Hmmm, it was," You hum. "The manhwa is separate from the novel. Like, it was a book, then a cartoon. Not a cartoon! Like a- uuuuhhhh comic? Or a ummmm- something I don't know," you give up, taking a large step forward. You turn your body so you're face to face with your friend, who stops dead in your tracks. The hands on your hips seem like a reminder for your friend, as she rolls her eyes at the eager look on your face.

"Fine," she drags out, "I'll read it," you're about to squeal in excitement before she stops you, "If. You revise,"

"Of course, what friend do you take me for?"

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

You sigh to yourself as you sit on your chair, propping your feet on the stool under the desk as you stretch your legs with a dragged-out whine. Your mind randomly wanders to the practical in class you did not too long ago, when your classmate decided to throw a piece of ice across the room, almost hitting you and your Chemistry teacher. The next twenty minutes was a lecture by your deputy headmaster about how you and your classmates are all “almost adults” and they shouldn’t have to expect people of your age to behave like this.

You turn on your laptop before opening your textbook to page 257, a number that was engraved in your head by your Physics teacher the lesson before the ice-throwing incident. You rotate your head around, hearing the cracks of your neck relieve a small knot in you as you mentally prepare yourself for this treacherous journey. Homework.

Health care in the workplace...

PPE...

Slip and fall risks...

Harvard referencing...

I can't do this anymore...

"I can't do this anymore," you whine, letting your head plop down onto the desk with a dramatic thud, the feeling of it weighing a hundred pounds because of how much information you're absorbing. It's like I'm learning this content all over again…

You look over to the workbook next to you, seeing streaks of pastel purple highlighter all over the page. Highlight everything important, she says. How am I supposed to do that when literally everything is important?! You bury your head in your arms, refusing to recall paying the deposit fee for temporary use, meaning you can’t get your money back for damaging the book.

You reach your arm out to the edge of the desk towards your love and saviour. My phone... come here baby. Lifting your fatass off the chair, you lunge across the desk, holding your saviour in your hand.

You turn it on and see a bunch of notifications. Your eyes start to feel heavy as you look through them all. Instagram... WhatsApp... Tiktok... Radish? Oh yeah, the new chapter. I can’t wait to finish this novel. I need to read it again I forgot everything already.

You tapped on the Radish icon, placed your thumbprint on the designated area on your lockscreen and started reading the newest chapter. Your eyes scan through the screen at a tremendous pace. Well, at least to you. A series of internal gasps and ‘oh no he didn’t’s pops up in your mind, as you read the final moments of the chapter.

You place your phone down in a mild shock, hand covering your mouth. A couple of seconds pass of unmoving before you look at your screen again, only to place it down just as abruptly as you did before. Did he just save Roxana? He let his arm get ripped off for her. You laugh internally to yourself. Huh, Sierra was right. He would do anything for her. That must be nice. Weirdly enough, that doesn’t seem out of character for him.

Your hand loses its energy and falls to your lap, as you reminisce about your childhood days. In a huff, you bring your hands to cover your face as you groan into them, remembering the memory of seeing friends come and go, your childhood classmates fighting over not having you on their team in dodgeball. I never was that athletic. And your siblings… my siblings… I wonder how they’re doing now. You debate leaving the Radish app to check your messages, but you choose against it. They never asked how I was doing. I doubt they would even answer if I asked how they were.

You let out a small chuckle, ridding your mind of those memories as you tap on the pink "next chapter" button on the bottom of the screen. Oh yeah, need to wait three more hours.

A sigh escapes your lips as you turn off your laptop, rubbing your eyes. The drowsiness of looking at a screen for so long catching up to you. "A small nap wouldn't hurt, right?" you mutter to no one in particular.

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

You are falling.

The harsh winds tear at your clothes, whipping past your ears, however, they’re doing nothing to slow the descent with the help of the blurry, thick clouds. You twist your body, peering through your eyelids at the sights of trees.

“Who is that?!” you hear someone yell, having no idea where the loud, yet faraway voice is coming from.

Your heart hammers relentlessly in your chest, tears welling up in your eyes as you can do nothing more but brace for impact, hoping on to the miracle that your body will just magically float in mid-air, but you know the sky does not care for your panic.

You try to scream, yet nothing comes out. It refuses to come out. All you can do is sob onto your knees as you curl yourself up into a ball, praying for someone to save you. I can’t die yet… how can I die without telling them how I feel? I refuse to believe this is my end! “I can’t die now…” you cry to yourself, feeling a sudden shift in your body, with strong hands wrapping around your waist.

“You won’t die now,” the voice that greets you seems cocky, almost as if he’s enjoying your impending death. “You’re lucky I have such a benevolent heart… I expect you to pay me back tenfold,” you refuse to answer the person. After a couple of moments that felt like an eternity, the man sucks his teeth in, pressing two fingers into a pressure point into your neck, making you fall into the unconscious.

[theshipdiaries]

I can't go through losing another ship. I just can't. All I do is lose and honestly? It hurts me like someone I personally knew and loved died. I don't know why it hurts me this deeply. But it's crazy. I cried more when Klaus Mikaelson died than when my grandfather who I loved deeply died. To be fair he was 96 he WANTED TO DIE and literally stopped eating on purpose so he would die because he was bored out of his mind and all his friends had died and felt like he had no purpose anymore. It's not like you can have long term goals at his age. So we all saw it coming and I knew he wanted it and was happy so It brought me comfort.

BUT KLAUS MIKAELSON'S DEATH? Totally unexpected, felt like a huge betrayal. And it just sent me into a deep spiral and I'm still mourning him. Cried for 3 days locked in my room. Every once in a while I still cry. It's been 6 years AND I HATE IT. Because it's so stupid. HE IS NOT REAL. Just ink on a script and fake everything. And yet it hurts. It hurts so much. Losing Klaroline was like losing a part of myself. Something I had loved for so long, something I had invested so much time in, been obsessed with for so long.

And then sometimes karamel makes me cry. They were the representation of true love for me. True soft good love. What everyone deserves. And I cry at their loss. And the injustice of Kara ending up alone and sad. The message that if you are a woman you have to choose to either be strong and independent or be in love. And it was made explicitly clear that Kara wanted to get married and have a family. SHE LONGED FOR IT. But they didn't let her. They punished her for it. The same writers who forced the character to want it. But all the other male superheroes? They were applauded for it.

Most other ships don't make me cry but anger me deeply. Like bellarke and barchie and Hyde and Jackie. REYLO.

And now? I'm terrified for Kastle. I can't lose them too. I thought I was safe. The show was cancelled and there was never a resolution but it ended in both literally confessing their love. Karen begging him to choose her and telling him there is nothing he could do to change her feelings for him. That she would risk it all and run away with him. Him confessing that he doesn't want to feel this. He is not ready to feel this. Who is he without his war? He doesn't know. But he knows he loves her. She means everything to him. I was fine with that ending. Even with him REJECTING HER. Because it was made obvious that he loved her. But his arc wasn't over. He needed more time. And the writers had respect for the ship. Understood it.

But now? I have no idea what they might do. They might pretend they were never anything to each other. They might kill her off. They might betray all of us and destroy the characters completely. Just like with bellarke just like with Hyde and Jackie. Ignore everything stablished and stab us fans in the back. Treat us like we are stupid and undeserving of respect.

I CANT GO THROUGH THAT PAIN AGAIN. I know what it's like and it destroys something in me EACH TIME. Again, it's like someone I loved very deeply died. I don't know why. But it hurts. And I just don't know if I have it in me. I'm so scared. Terrified. More than for my future or for anything.

[rosyborealis]

I’m really starting to dislike Octavia after Sinsmas. I get that she’s a sheltered, naive rich girl and she’s only seventeen, but understanding her unreasonable behavior doesn’t mean I have to like it. Her dad lost custody of her as a result of saving his boyfriend(?)’s life!! Her reaction of “you chose him over me” is unbelievably self-centered when the only other outcome would’ve been Blitzø literally dying!!

She’s either reacting incredibly rashly without actually looking at the whole picture, or she fully would rather have Blitzø die?!?

I’d feel a whole lot better about her reaction if we saw a bit more of how her mother is actually framing the situation to her. Does Octavia even know that Blitzø was about to be executed? Has her mother been instilling anti-imp prejudice in her that would make her unfeeling towards Blitzø’s death? We don’t know! The only thing we actually see Stella or Andrealphus do as far as influencing Via about the situation is openly laugh at the fact Stolas is repeatedly trying to call her. If anything, for Via, that should be more of a red flag about Stella and Andrealphus than about Stolas!

Don’t even get me started on her reaction to the happy pills!! Absolutely zero concern or care for her own father, just a completely self-centered reaction of “are you taking these cause I wasn’t enough for you?” What the fuck kind of reaction is that!!! Yes she’s young and sheltered, but she’s almost an adult and she shouldn’t be this lacking in compassion for her own father who is one of the closest loved ones she has!! (I’ve known many people, myself included, who were much more caring at 17 and younger, so I don’t personally feel like her age is a valid excuse for her behavior)

[dear-omen]

love this and would like to add (based on my experiences with Indonesian and Japanese):

-more like 70k+ glyphs imo (I think Japanese has like 100,000 ish kanji that are still considered in use? and the modern Japanese adult knows like 10k+ iirc.)

-a la the Japanese adopting Kanji from China, there is a period of history (probably during the language unification?) where the spelling is buck fucking wild because the glyphic system came first, and while individual glyphs have specific meanings they also have several associated phonemes (for alternate readings, compound words, etc). So when everyone was adopting the glyphic system they just spelled things out phonetically using the phonemes. And now 60+ million years later you gotta guess whether 紗霊鳩 and 佐例薬 are the same dynasties or different or like, different branches of the same dynasty orrrr

-and on that note, necrontyr historically had like, eight different names and a tendency to adopt new names upon reaching (sometimes arbitrary) milestones in life--for example, a childhood name, an "adult" name received upon coming of age, a courtesy name (for family/close companions), a nomme de plume bestowed by their teacher upon mastery of their chosen field, a formal name for when they're reigning patriarch/matriarch of their dynasty, a name for when they've retired from being patriarch/matriarch...

-10000% on the compound words. A cool/awful thing about Necron writing is if a word doesn't exist you can just...make one up.

-the phonetic writing system was invented way later, and for long periods of Necrontyr history was considered less refined/intelligent than the glyphic system

-the linguistic social stratification is real. Necron absolutely has keigo/son-keigo (basically, very formal polite speech where the speaker makes themself more humble while also elevating the listener/recipient).

-in formal speech, it takes f o r e v e r to say anything, especially if its a "no"

-generally, less formal = shorter verb forms, more contractions, etc

-re linguistic differences, drawing on Indonesia and its 700+ regional languages: definitely they are pretty much mutually unintelligible, especially if its two dynasties that were not literally next door to each other

-the unified language the Necrons eventually adopt was probably originally a lingua franca for trade with simplified grammar to make it easy to learn. Probably based off the Szarekhan language if the unification happened as the Silent King ascended to power

-there are definitely Feelings among the other dynasties about speaking "Necron" given its Szarekhan Depending on dynastic temperment, some did/do still primarily use their own dynastic language; others have switched almost entirely to Necron and the dynastic language is basically a relic

-that said, Necron very intentionally includes bits from other languages in an effort to make it more pan-dynastic (interesting anecdote: modern Indonesian is actually based on a language not native to Indonesia, and was specifically chosen during the country's independence movement to avoid favoring one ethnic group over others. I think Szarekh was trying a similar idea, but it ended up more like modern Filipino, which isn't technically Tagalog bc it has loan words and other changes, but also is like...95% Tagalog) ((I dont speak Tagalog so I may be wrong about this))

this is all to say nothing of linguistic evolution over the literal millions of years the Necrons have been kicking around. I will die on the hill that there is a huge gulf between the speech of Necrons who awakened early and those who are only just now waking up in the 40k verse.

...And now I want Awakened necrons desperately trying to remember how to speak Ye Olde Necron so they can read the notes about how to troubleshoot the goddamn canoptek scarabs when they start acting wonky

Linguistic Features I Think Would Be Rad/Horrible for the Necrontyr to Have

- Korean honorific system (bake respect into everything including verb conjugation)

- Formality is also shown often through word choice (e.g. "thing" vs. "item")

- And through codified body language - bows, salutes, gestures. And by where your eyes are pointing. And now by the intensity and pattern of your body's node lights. If you screw any of this up, you will start a five hundred year long blood feud, good luck

- Egyptian determinatives (tone tags and emojis all in one)

- Glyphic writing and character-by-character writing are completely different systems that have no correlation

- Glyphic and calligraphic styles are also completely different systems with no correlation. If you know both, you're either a nerd or a cryptek

- Highly polysynthetic. Big compound words. The proper translation of "gauss cannon" would be closer to "carryable straight distance middle spectrum magnetic anti stability beam launching weapon," to use the cryptek terminology. Which the Immortals abbreviated to "qo-ess," "green light." Which the Imperials transliterated as "gauss."

- Linguistic unification just before biotransference would not fix the accent differences born from languages split across an entire galaxy. Zultanekh should be nearly incomprehensible to Szarekh.

- Linguistic unification did zilch to fix their societal stratification. Imotekh should be nearly incomprehensible to his own court due to speaking with a soldier's dialect. Sure, he can train out of it, but the battlefield doesn't leave time for flowery language.

- Linguistic unification did zilch to fix the kind of person Trazyn is. If the language was supposed to be some reconstructed "common ancestral tongue," you can bet he'd speak the reconstruction version he personally finds the most accurate.

- Imperial humans who try learning the language from tomb carvings sound incredibly stilted and, somehow, too formal to a natural speaker. This is sometimes itself taken as mockery. Five hundred years blood feud upon ye.

- Nearly 200 phonemes. All the Egyptian, all the English, add Welsh and Nahuatl in there to cover Llandu'gor and Khatlan. Add space noises and robot buzzing now for good measure.

- The character writing system has 31 characters to cover these nearly 200 phonemes. Welcome to English, hope you like the taste of ghoti.

- The glyphic writing system has over 3000 characters to memorize. Not including diacritics.

- The calligraphic writing system is supposedly so graceful that a skilled poet can write an entire stanza with one figure. Zahndrekh is not a skilled poet. His works aren't just bad poetry, they're sprawling spaghetti that occasionally scribbles off into neighboring pages.

- Informal singing is done in whatever tongue you like. Formal singing, things like religious or fine art performances, are done in a melismatic language specifically reserved for the arts. This language is nearly dead in the 41st millennium except for, once again, Trazyn being a knowledge-hoarding freak.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

People saying that Davrin and Lucianis hate one another and are mean in banter and people saying Neve is too mean to you if you chose Treviso Wouldnt last an hour in the asylum where they raised me:

[chloesimaginationthings]

Gregory has it best out of the new FNAF protagonists..

[unforth]

Danmei and Baihe C Novels and Manhua Officially Licensed in English

Things are getting licensed fast enough that keeping a list like this up-to-date is basically impossible, but I saw someone asking in the tags so I figured I'd try. All titles are danmei unless otherwise noted (very little baihe is licensed so far). I've included Chinese titles, but sometimes publishers change the original titles so much that I can't track them down, apologies. I've hit the link limit on this post so I've had to remove NovelUpdate links, but they're still in the version of this post on Wordpress. Note that Taiwanese titles are not included on this list.

This is everything I know of as of December 11, 2024. There might be more. I tried. Resources used to compile this list: Danmeinews.com; this Carrd, last updated in March 2023; this other carrd last updated October 23 2024; list of danmei with official licenses on NovelUpdates; a similar list on Goodreads; danmei-specific list on Reddit that to my eye looks accurate for the larger publishers but isn't thorough for some of the smaller ones.

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Seven Seas:

The full list of danmei novels licensed by Seven Seas is here. The full list of danmei manhua licensed by Seven Seas is here.

These titles are in various stages of publication, from "entire series released" to "license literally announced less than a week ago." As far as I know, all Seven Seas titles are available world-wide, through major distributors and libraries, and in e-book and print formats. Seven Seas translation quality varies but the editing is general strong and the editions are sturdy and nice. Note that Seven Seas isn't without controversy, especially for treating their contractors poorly resulting in them unionizing. Some people have also been unhappy with the fidelity of their translations compared to the original Chinese (I've been satisfied personally but ymmv).

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu titles:

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) manhua

Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu)

Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat titles:

Case File Compendium (Bing an Ben)

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (Erha he Ta de Bai Mao Shizun)

Remnants of Filth (Yuwu)

Meng Xi Shi titles:

Thousand Autumns (Qian Qiu)

Peerless (Wushuang)

priest titles:

Guardian (Zhenhun)

Silent Reading (Modu)

Stars of Chaos (Sha Po Lang)

Fei Tian Ye Xiang titles:

Astrolabe Rebirth (Xing Pan Chongqi), written under the pen name Arise Zhang

Dinghai Fusheng Records (Dinghai Fusheng Lu)

Dinghai Fusheng Records (Dinghai Fusheng Lu) manhua

Joyful Reunion (Xiang Jian Huan)

Legend of Exorcism (Tianbao Fuyao Lu)

Mu Su Li titles:

Copper Coins (Tong Qian Kan Shi)

The Unseen Immortal of Three Hundred Years (Bujian Shang Xian San Bai Nian)

Lv Ye Qian He titles:

The White Cat’s Divine Scratching Post (Shenmu Nao Bujin)

The Wife Comes First (Qi Wei Shang)

Other titles:

After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine (Canji Zhanshen Jia Wo Wei Qie Hou) by Liu Gou Hua

Ballad of Sword and Wine (Qiang Jin Jiu) by Tang Jiuqing

BAIHE: The Beauty’s Blade (Meiren Jian) by Feng Ren Zuo Zhu

The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish (Canji Baojun de Zhangxin Yu Chong) by Xue Shan Fei Hu

I Ship My Rival x Me (Wo Kele Duijia x Wo de CP) manhua by PEPA

HET: Love Between Fairy and Devil (Cang Lan Jue) by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang

Mistakenly Saving the Villain (Lun Jiu Cuo Fanpai de Xiachang) by Feng Yu Nie

My Husband and I Sleep in a Coffin (Wo he Laogong Shui Guancai) by Wu Shui Bu Du

Run Wild (Saye) by Wu Zhe

There’s Something Wrong with the Chief (Du Zhu You Bing) by Yang Su

Thrice Married to Salted Fish (San Jia Xianyu) by Bi Ka Bi

The Villain’s White Halo (Fanpai Baihua Guanghuan) by Hao Da Yi Juan Wei Sheng Zhi

You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post (Fei Ge Jiao You Xu Jin Shen) by Blackegg

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Rosmei:

Rosmei licenses are Singapore distribution rights only. There is a list of international partners organizing group orders here. I've personally placed my orders through Yiggybean, as discussed in reply to this ask. Most of these titles are only being released as print editions, tho titles that weren't originally on JJWXC (of which there are several here) WILL have e-book editions. My first book from Rosmei arrived, and I found the translation and editing to be very strong. I can't speak to how accurate it may be to the Chinese original, but it read smoothly and had very few errors. Overall, though they've made some mistakes, they've been communicative and responsive.

Huai Shang titles:

Breaking Through the Clouds (Po Yun)

Hunt for the Leviathan (Po Yun 2 Tun Hai)

Ning Yuan titles:

BAIHE: At the World's Mercy

BAIHE (I think???) The Creator's Grace

priest titles:

Coins of Destiny (Liu Yao)

The Defectives (Can Ci Pin)

Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire (Lie Huo Jiao Chou)

Other titles:

Albert, from Earth (Aerbote Laizi Diqiu) by Jie Mo Jun

Art Thou Ailing? (Jun You Ji Fou) by Ru Shi Wo Wen)

The Bat (Bian Fu) by Feng Nong

Beyond the Snowstorm: A Windborne Love (Wo Cheng Feng Xue) by Qi Wu Gou

Don't You Like Me (Ni Shi Bushi Xihuan Wo) by Lv Tian Yi

The Earth is Online (Diqiu Shangxian) by Mo Chen Huan

Everyone Loves the Cannon Fodder (Chuan Cheng Wan Ren Mi de Paohui Zhuma) by Qie Zai Shan Yang

Global Examination (Qianqiu Gao Kao) by Mu Su Li

Gold Class Enforcers (Jinpai Dashou) by Pao Pao Xue Er

How to Survive as a Villain (Chuanyue Cheng Fanpai Yao Ruhe Huming) by Yi Yi Yi Yi

Kaleidoscope of Death (Siwang Wanhuatong) by Xi Zi Xu

The Killer of Killers (Sha Qing) by Wu Yi

Love at First Thaw (Wang Chun Bing) by Fu Li

Nan Chan by Tang Jiuqing

Obsessed (Ki Ma) by Wu Chen Shui

Tailhook (O Gou) by La Rive Gauche

Tales of Zijin Temple (Zijin Si Ye Hua) by Yun Tun Tun

Wine and Gun (Jiu yu Qiang) by Mengye Mengye

You're Too OP! (Nimen Nansheng Da Youxi Hao Lihai O~) by Yi Xiu Luo

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Peach Flower House:

Unfortunately, Peach Flower House has gone out of business. Peach Flower House titles were primarily for sale through their website and through some distributors, such as Amazon.com. Whether titles are e-book only, print only, or both varied by title. In my opinion, Peach Flower House has inconsistent inconsistent editing quality, but the books are very readable.

Da Feng Gua Guo:

The Imperial Uncle (Huang Shu)

Peach Blossom Debt (Taohua Zhai)

Other Titles:

Golden Terrace (Huang Jin Tai) by Cang Wu Bin Bai

In the Dark (Zai Hei An Zhong) by Jin Shisi Chai

Little Mushroom (Xiao Mogu) by Shisi

University of the Underworld (Yinjian Daxue) by Ziloi

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Via Lactea:

The partial list of danmei novels licensed by Via Lactea is here, but there are titles I've seen them selling that aren't on this list.

Via Lactea titles are primarily for sale through their website and through some distributors, such as Amazon.com. All titles are either print-only or e-book + print. Only a handful have actually been released, the rest are licensed and presumably in progress. I've now read three titles published by Via Lactea and while the translations are decent I could wish the editing was more consistent. Everything reads as if it would have been improved by one more thorough proof read.

Jing Shui Bian Titles:

Salad Days (Jing Jiu)

Silent Hearts (Mo Mai)

Qing Lv Titles:

Painting Against the Natural Grain (Huahua Ben Shi Ni Tian Er Xing) by Qing Lv

Raising Myself in 2006 by Qing Lv

Other Titles:

Apocalypse (Quanqiu Jinhua Hou Wo Zhan Zai Shiwulian Dingduan) by Qi Liu

As I've Told You Before by Sheng Jiang Tai Lang

Dawning (Liming Zhihou) by ICE

Embrace You Till the End of the game by Hu Yu La Jiao

Euthanasia (Anlesi) by Feng Su Jun

The Fall of Summer (Ting Shuo Ni Hen Nan Zhui) by Jue Chu

Falling (Luo Chi) by Yu Cheng

I Can't and I Won't (Zhen Bu Xing, Zhen Bu Ke) by Yan Gui Kang

Psycho (Feng Zi) by Xiao Yao Zi

Limerence (Wo Xichen Ni Nan Pengyou Henjiule) by Jiang Zi Bei

Lingering Game (Chanmian Youxi) by Tao Bai Bai

Lip and Sword (Chun Qiang) by Jin Shisi Chai

May I Touch Your Spirit? by Qing Mei Jiang

The Missing Piece (Maoheshenli) by Kun Yi Wei Lou

The Omega Who Wants His Baby Back by Yao Yao Yi Yan

Rose and Renaissance (Wo Zhi Xihuan Ni de Renshe [Yule Quan]) by Zhi Chu

Killing Show (Sha Lu Xiu) by Fox

Soul Vibration (Linghun Saodong) by Dr.solo

To Rule in a Turbulent World (Luan Shi Wei Wang) by Gu Xuerou (pen name of Fei Tian Ye Xiang)

A Tyrant's Cover-up Plan by A Ci Gu Niang

Was I a Scummy Bottom? by Cheng Zi Yu

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Aloha Comics:

A tiny, Hawaii-based press focusing on manhua. Titles are available through major retailers such as Amazon and Bookshop.org. I've purchased one of these titles - Nirvana in Fire - and was please with the quality despite a couple minor errors.

All these titles are manhua!

Day Off by Qing Cai

Heaven Official's Blessing Animation Manhua by Bilibili and Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (this is a manhua made based on the donghua, using donghua art)

Here U Are by DJUN

Link Click by Li Haoling and Haoliners (not technically danmei!)

Nirvana in Fire (Lang Ya Bang) by Hai Yan (not technically danmei!)

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Monogatari Novels:

Monogatari Novels is based in Spain. These titles can also be ordered from at least some major retailers. Note that there has been some controversy about Monogatari Novels. I'm personally not ordering these works until more information is available.

Due to a lawsuit between Monogatari Novels and BLoved Publishing, How to Survive as a Villain and The Legendary Master's Wife are currently on hold.

BAIHE: A Clear and Muddy Loss of Love (Jing Wei Qing Shang) by Please Don't Laugh

BAIHE: Female General and Eldest Princess (NuJiangjun he Zhang Gongzhu) by Please Don't Laugh

How to Survive as a Villain (Chuan Yue Cheng Fanpai Yao Ru He Huo Ming) manhua by Yi Yi Yi Yi

The Legendary Master's Wife (Chuanshuo Zhi Zhu de Furen) by Yin Ya

The Silent Concubine (Ya Nu) by Qiang Tang

BAIHE: Soulmate manhua by Wenzhi Lizi

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BLoved Publishing:

ngl I can't figure out exactly what is up with this, and there seems to be some controversy related to them and their relationship with Monogatari Novels. Their website is depressingly low on details. However, this list is for completeness, so here we are.

Due to a lawsuit between Monogatari Novels and BLoved Publishing, How to Survive as a Villain and The Legendary Master's Wife are currently on hold.

How to Survive as a Villain (Chuan Yue Cheng Fanpai Yao Ru He Huo Ming) manhua by Yi Yi Yi Yi

The Legendary Master's Wife (Chuanshuo Zhi Zhu de Furen) by Yin Ya

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Chaleuria:

As far as I can tell, Chaleuria has not updated their webpage since April 2023, so the current status of in-progress titles is unknown. All titles are digital and/or e-book, and I'm not sure how to purchase them as I haven't tried.

The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal Assistant (Zhuli Shiyong Zhinan) by Why Radiance

Deep in the Act (Ru Xi) by Tongzi

Fake Slackers (Wei Zhuang Xue Zha) by Mu Gua Huang (no longer available)

From Body to Love (Leng Yan E Nan: Xian Shenhou Ai) by Wan Wan Yi Xia

Interstellar Power Couple (Xingji Qiangli Lianyin) by Kun Cheng Xiongmao (no longer available)

Intoxicated Friends (Zui Qing Zhi Pengyou) by Ye Shu Ying

The Long Chase for the President's Spouse (Zongcai Zhui Fu Lu Manman) by Three Thousand Crow Language

No Money No Divorce (Mei Qian Lihun) by Shou Chu

Reborn into a Hamster for 233 Days (Chong Shengcheng Cangshu de 233 Tian) by Yi Shu

Records of the Dragon Follower (Cong Long Ji) by Yueren Ge

Urban Tales of Demons and Spirits (Dushi Yaogui Lu) by Qie Er

World Hopping: Avenge Our Love (Ni Wufa Yuliao de Fenshou, Wo Du Neng Gei Ni Song Shang) by Xiaomao Bu Ai Jiao (no longer available)

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Webnovel:

When I first made this list, I heard that Webnovel had a few titles but couldn't actually find them - but now I've found them, thanks to a list someone else put together. I'm including direct links to them, since I had so much trouble finding them at all.

Comrade: Almost a Cat-astrophic Love Story (Jintian ye Yao Nuli Dang Zhimao) by Demonic Fire (link)

My Boyfriend is a Dragon (Nanpiao Shi Tiaolong) by Chubby Strawberry Sauce (link)

The National Sweetheart Livestreamer is a Pro! (Quanmin Zhubo Shi Duiba) by Mo Shang Wang (link)

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Honorable Mentions:

There are a handful of titles I know of that are official translations of C Novels. These are not books with contextual queerness, but for folks with an interest in Chinese history and culture, they are worth checking out anyway, especially because understanding these stories can help understand the above books. Also, some have active shipping fandoms (for example, I've written for Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Daomu Biji). I've included two above under the entry for titles from Aloha Comics (Link Click and Nirvana in Fire) and here are a couple others I currently know of:

Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong Lou Meng) by Cao Xueqin, available in translation for free from Project Gutenberg

The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles (Daomu Biji) by Nanpai Sanshu (six volumes are available in English from Things Asian Press)

Journey to the West (Xiyou Ji) by Wu Cheng-en, in four volumes from University of Chicago Press

The Legend of the Condor Heroes (She Diao Yingxiong Chuan) by Jin Yong, in four volumes from St. Martin’s Press

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi), attributed to Luo Guanzhong, available in translations for free from Archive.org

The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants (Zonglie Xiayi Chuan), attributed to Shi Yukun, available in translation for free from Archive.org

Water Margin (Shuihu Zhuan) by Shi Nai’an, from Tuttle Publishing

RESOURCE: List of Chinese speculative fiction in English translation

RESOURCE: More Chinese speculative fiction in English translation

I will add to the "Honorable Mentions" list if I find any other more mainstream titles with official translations.

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Rumored Licenses:

Sometimes, I hear rumors about titles being licensed before the license is announced - and thus before we know which publisher has licensed them (assuming the rumor is even true). I thought I should note these somewhere. Titles I know of rumors about currently are:

A Certain Someone (Moumou) by Mu Su Li

Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know (Mozun Ye Xiang Zhidao) by Cyan Wings (a Spanish edition of this has been formally announced, which might account for the rumor)

The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua (Chenghua Shisi Nian) by Meng Xi Shi

Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating (Wanglian Fanche Zhinan) by Jiang Zi Bei

Immortal Koi is Going to Debut (Jinli Daxian Yao Chudao) by Mo Xi Ke

Mist (Bowu) by Wei Feng Ji Xu

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A handful of other licenses are mentioned on the Carrd I linked at the beginning of this post; I have no idea the status of those titles and wasn't able to find information on them while putting together this post other than what was listed on that Carrd, so I've omitted them.

Now go forth, and buy some books!

[ricky-mortis]

Howdy hello- guess who made a wings au :)

More to come with this eventually- I’m working on my designs for other characters at the moment, but for now we’ve got Red-Tailed Hawk for Curt and Eagle Owl for Owen.

For DMA I had Barn Owl wings because a) Barn Owls are beautiful and I wanted to draw the wings for them, and more importantly, b) Owen would probably want to disguise his wings, and it would make sense if it was as a different type of owl. I just assume he’d dye his feathers in some way or another. Look- just don’t think about it too much.

[turtleblogatlast]

[ cw: death mention / family death mention / ]

Mhmm I sure love thinking of the reality where we did get more time to really know Karai and her dynamics with the bros. Losing her hit hard in the finale, but it would’ve hit much, much harder had we known Karai longer and really saw her relationships develop with everyone.

I especially would have been interested in her dynamic with Leo, as past iterations often have the two of them clash in ideals and the like while still sharing many characteristics. Two sides of the same coin, and all that. Her specifically being the bros’ Gram-Gram also adds a whole new dynamic as well.

Imagine how interesting it would be, to have Karai start off on Leo’s side for once, showing wholly just how alike the two are at their cores and bonding as family without the worry of betrayal or animosity that other iterations suffer through, only to have Karai die anyway. Their parting hug and the desperate look of horror Leo wears later on would have hit that much harder, I feel.

[natjennie]

sorry I really don't know how to shut up but I think it's possible that a lot of the takes that are like. "ouagh but they should've stayed together forever what happened to them being family 😭" are kind of mm. immature? naive? like have you never had a family member move out? have you never had a sibling go off to college? have you never moved away from a best friend? your family doesn't stop being your family if you don't live together. you don't stop loving people if you're not right next to them. I thought this was the "I keep a part of everyone I've ever met with me" website. what happened to the "I learned how to ride a bike from my best friend's dad when I was 7 and we don't talk anymore but I think about her every time I ride one" like. so much of growing up and being an adult is losing people. in every conceivable way. you grow apart, you talk less, you don't visit as much, you move away. that doesn't make them any less important to you. it doesn't make them any less family. it doesn't make the love any less real. something being over doesn't cheapen the fact that it happened. a show ending doesn't make the rest of it not worth watching. "it's a sad song, it's a sad tale it's a tragedy, it's a sad song but we sing it anyway," right?