#now that it's actually july

[libertyreads]

Book Review #85 of 2023--

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison. Rating: 4.25 stars.

Read from July 1st to 2nd.

It looks like we have found our Christmas in July winner. At least so far. We’ll see if one of the final books on this TBR can beat it. I picked this up on recommendation from a couple of romance booktubers; the only one I really remember right now being PeaceLoveBooks. And they were so right. This is a best friends fake dating situation that just pulls at my angst riddled heart strings. We follow Stella as she attempts to make everything on her Christmas Tree Farm perfect for social media influencer Evelyn and the competition she’s running to help out small businesses. The only problem is she lied on her application saying that she runs the farm with her boyfriend. Who doesn’t exist. Enter best friend Luka who is willing to help out by pretending to be her boyfriend while Evelyn is in town. But can Stella make it through this week without giving away even more of her heart?

This was such a joy to read. I think I want to own a Christmas tree farm now? This is actually the second book I’ve read in this Christmas in July that takes places on a Christmas tree farm. There was so much coziness and Christmas fun here that it has made me even more excited for the holidays (so glad we’re only 5 months away now). And, let’s be real here, we all know that I love myself some fake dating romance. The potential for angst is just so HIGH. It makes my weird little heart happy. I loved the setting, loved the angst, and I really loved these characters. Not just Luka and Stella but all of the characters. From the overprotective Sheriff to the baker working at the farm, to the farm hand and the stray kittens he adopts. It was all so lovely and fun. I also enjoyed how much of the story focused on the time before Evelyn arrived for the contest versus during her stay. It made the story much more reliant on our characters versus being reliant on the plot to move things forward. Also, as an asexual person, of course, I am going to mention the sex scenes. I thought the scenes here were really well done. I didn’t have the ick factor that I can have with some author’s sex scenes. It was steamy without being over the top or too dirty for me. Maybe still not something read on the bus ride to work, but a good time nonetheless.

I felt like the major drama at the end of the novel was settled too quickly. I really don’t think I would get over all of that so fast. But I did enjoy that the third act breakup seemed so realistic. It’s something that was focused on the fear of a person versus something happening outside of themselves. I wish we had gotten a better picture of Stella and Luka’s relationship before all of the fake dating stuff happened but I always want more in novels so we’ll take that with a grain of salt.

Overall, I give the book a 4.25 star rating, the romance a 4.5 star rating, and the Christmassy-ness of the book 4 poinsettias.

[introspectivememories]

was it casual when i sat in your lap in public? was it casual when i said "recently my heart is crying because you're leaving"? was it casual when we decided how your last name would fit with mine? ("yuki tsunoda-gasly" / "no tsunoda, only gasly" / "yuki gasly?") was it casual when we sang adele's "someone like you" together at your going away party? was it casual when i knew it was you just by touching your ass? was it casual when i knew it was you by smell alone? was it casual when "will you miss me?" / "for 2-3 minutes maybe" / "i'll take that. even if it's just 2-3 minutes, i'll take that"? was it casual when that bus was completely empty and we still sat right next to each other, all the way in the back? was it casual when i picked you up multiple times so you could dunk a basketball? was it casual when i begged to come over to your house multiple time and then you finally let me and we cooked fried rice together? was it casual when we played christmas twister together and i said "your big eggplant is touching my ass"? was it casual when we were pressed up against each other on a scooter going two miles per hour? was it casual when-

[soepwashere]

Mad Dogz Video Call gone wrong

I could not for the life of me find the source of the audio, so here is the video that inspired this instead!

[welcometogrouchland]

(ID in alt) hi sorry for back to back marvel fanart I swear I still have dc stuff lmao. However I did recently read X-Men: first class and got a bit carried away doodling this after Lmao

[g0nefischin]

MERSKELES PART 3!

Definitely not mermay anymore but here's the last 3 sirens I wanted to do

and some explanation on why I choose what I did under the cut

(little warning for parasites on fresh's section)

So from left to right

Dream is a golden colored koi carp fish, I picked it because they are very pretty and they represent a lot of positive things like luck and fortune, some people even wish on them to make their dreams come true :> I also thought of the legend where a golden koi fish climbs a large waterfall to turn into a dragon, so they have some mythical legends as well. In terms of the actual fish, Koi are very sociable and sturdy, they also live for quite awhile.

Nightmare is a coelacanth, he should probably be an octopus considering he has tentacles, but I really wanted to make him a coelacanth because I think they are neat. Coelacanth's are very old with the latest fossils being over 400 million years old, they were thought to be extinct until one was found in 1938, grandpa nightmare. They are also nocturnal, sleeping in caves during the day, they live deep in the ocean as well. 

Fresh is actually a two in one, he is a rainbow parrotfish with a tongue-eating louse in his mouth. Out of alI the bright fish I did a parrotfish because I really like their gradients, and I think the magenta fins fit his jacket. He's a parasite inside of a Sans body, so I picked a fish parasite to go along with the fish half of his body. I chose the tongue-eating louse, a type of parasite that replaces a fish's tongue. It first severs the blood vessels to the tongue and once it falls off takes its place. feeding on nutrients and acting as a new tongue for the rest of the fish's life, very cool and terrifying.

[cozylittleartblog]

chat imma be honest that project diva PC release has had lasting consequences ,

[hamsternamedmarinette]

Happy anniversary of the day the Powerpuff Girls broke everything

[snorpdawg]

Autistic Headcanons: Wambus Troubleham (Bugsnax, 2020)

“I must look mighty foolish stickin' to my guns like this. But you don't give up just ‘cause things get tough. If nobody else believes in me, I gotta believe in myself.”

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

fantasy laughingstock mawwiage but make it potc3 Flavor-

[01432853]

Lan Jue • A League of Nobleman 君子盟 (2023)

@asiandramanet july creator bingo — free choice

[bylrndgm]

JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS (2020) // JULIE E OS FANTASMAS (2011) 1.01 - Wake Up // 1.01 - Enfrentando Fantasmas -> Julie meets the Band.

[lukreziaaa]

[azuphere]

think of all the damage i could do - xana

phil in a crop top everybody cheered <3

[rose-n-gunses]

Social media au:

Eddie runs a satirical Instagram account called hawkins--official where he posts memes and fake headlines and stuff shitting on the town because he hates it here and it's fun. Tons of people follow it and they all know it's run by a Hawkins High student they just don't know who.

Anyways, he posts shit on his story all the time when he's at different places (like a picture of steve's pool and "who else at the Harrington House?"). People often respond to it (and get ghosted) or they just show up trying to figure out who it is behind the account but he's already long gone.

Until one day he posts a picture of the ferris wheel and says "yo who else at the fucking fun fair". Not even five minutes later his phone pings because someone has responded to his story. He's about to ignore it, but then he sees who it's from.

Chrissy🌼 replied to your story

I am lol!

He blinks down at his phone and decides, y'know... what the hell. He's bored and the day that he doesn't lunge at the opportunity to be within ten feet of Chrissy like a dog for scraps is the day he drops dead.

You

Well howdy, Cunningham

(Yeah, because that's cool.)

Chrissy🌼

If you're still near the ferris wheel come over to the popcorn stand

I um

I got stood up so I have an extra

Oh and don't worry I'll keep your identity a secret 🤫

Eddie's never looked up so fast in his life. As soon as he finds the popcorn stand he makes a beeline for it, keeping an eye out for Chrissy.

He's thinking of something suave to say when he finds her, but she beats him to it. As soon as she sees him she waves and holds out a little paper bag of popcorn. "Hello, Mr. Hawkins Official."

Eddie takes the popcorn and looks away grinning. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Chrissy hums like okay, sure and smiles into her drink.

He was gonna play coy but she's just so cute that he can't help it. "How'd you know?"

Chrissy does this like. Full body wiggle that just screams see, I was right! "You posted a picture at Benny's a few weeks ago and I could see your reflection in the window," she whispers conspiratorially.

Eddie clicks his tongue. "Damn. I thought I was being pretty covert."

She shrugs. "I don't think anyone else has caught on yet. They don't wanna believe it's you."

"True," he laughs. "So...you got stood up, huh?"

Chrissy nods. "Big surprise, right?"

Eddie snorts. "Well, then. As the official representative of the town of Hawkins, Indiana, would you grant me the opportunity to show you around one of our finest attractions?" He sweeps an arm out dramatically at the fair before offering her his hand.

For a second he thinks she's going to turn him down, but right before he can drop his hand she takes it, grins, and says "Only if you promise to take my picture at the top of the ferris wheel."

"Deal."

(He does, but that picture doesn't go on hawkins--official. It goes on his personal story, along with a matching post of him on Chrissy's.)

[thatcatbasil]

projection

[raineandsky]

#83

“[Hero],” the villain opens with smoothness they haven’t shown the hero in a long time. “I have made a terrible, terrible mistake.”

Ah. Seduction for a favour. Of course. “Well don’t keep me in suspense, [Villain]. I could use a good laugh.”

The villain pulls a face, distantly offended. Their lips twitch uncertainly. “[Supervillain]’s lab is… made for [Supervillain].”

“Who’d have thought. You’ve been in there?”

Another twitch. “Yes,” the villain says shortly. “Yes, I was in there. [Supervillain] doesn’t label anything either. Their little concoctions could be anything—and I… drank one.”

The hero snorts. The villain scowls. “You drank an unlabelled liquid?” the hero asks from behind a laugh.

“Yes.”

“Intentionally?”

The villain’s scowl somehow deepens. “Yes.”

“What, are your hours numbered? Are you hoping I hold a secret cure?”

“No.”

“What was it, then?”

Another twitch. The villain doesn’t seem to want to answer at all. “It was a truth serum.”

Oh. Now that is interesting. “Truth serum? So you can’t lie?”

“Yes.” The villain smirks, and suddenly the seductive hopefulness is back full force. “Go on, test me. Ask a question.”

The hero stares into the distance as they think. It’s a lot of opportunity dumped on them with no warning. The villain slinks across the room towards them, curious, tantalising. “Do you actually enjoy being a villain?”

“Yes.” The villain’s smirk upturns even more. “I wouldn’t even have to lie for that. Ask something I wouldn’t usually answer, dumbass.”

The villain closes the space between them. The hero gives them a suspicious squint. “Where’s your evil lair?”

“In the basement of the old school downtown,” the villain says immediately. They groan disappointedly as soon as the words are out. “God, of course you’d go for something about work. What, is looking for us getting boring?”

The hero can feel the villain’s breath on their face now. They look away to avoid the heat rising to their face. “You want me to ask something… personal?”

The villain smirks. Their arms snake up to sit on the hero’s shoulders, their fingers brushing idly through their hair. “Sure.”

Thinking isn’t the hero’s strong suit right now. They know they should push the villain away, but something’s stopping them. It almost feels real. It’s a little too comfortable. They can feel every bit of the villain's body against theirs. “I, uh… are you… seeing anyone?”

“No,” the villain whispers with a cocky grin. “Not yet.”

And the villain presses their lips to the hero’s.

Something of a surprised squeak tumbles from the hero’s mouth and straight into the villain’s. The villain hums a laugh, their fingers tightening in the other’s hair. The hero is caught up in the shock of it for a moment, but once their brain kicks in and screams its victory they remember to actually kiss them back.

The villain’s mouth is soft, gentle, their lips moving against the hero’s with a novel carefulness. The hero lets their arms slide around the other’s waist, pulling them in a little more, almost lightheaded with the exhilarated buzz. They can feel the villain smile against them as they deepen the kiss. The villain’s lips are almost salty, crisp, moreish. The hero doesn’t think they could ever get enough of their taste on their tongue.

The villain pulls away after a moment, much to the hero’s dismay, though their arms stay locked possessively around their neck. They throw a smirk at the hero again, entirely too proud of what they just pulled. “How many heroes are on the roster right now?”

The hero’s mouth is forming words before they can even register the question. “Twelve.”

“Damn.” The villain’s eyebrows shoot upwards, and the hero suddenly realises what’s happening. This bastard. “That’s not a lot. We have more than that.”

“How many?”

“Thirty-six.” The hero’s eyes widen slightly in horror, and the villain scowls at them. They still haven’t let go. “Fuck you.”

“What is—”

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“No.” Damnnit. The villain’s smirk turns playful at the hero's answer. “What’s—”

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.” The hero’s feelings aren’t stopping the rising desire to strangle the villain for making them do this. “You asshole.”

The villain’s smirk turns into a grin. “Aww. See, you can be—”

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.” The villain’s smile is gone in a second. “Oh, who’s the asshole now, huh?”

“This is so stupid,” the hero points out with a scowl. “How long does this stuff last?”

“I don’t know.” The villain grins again, entirely too knowing. “Why don’t we find out? We have all day.”

The hero frowns in faint annoyance, but the villain easily wipes it off their face with another taste of truth serum.