#pretty little lears

[callixton]

reading this lear adaptation & the thing is that edmund in every single version of lear makes me go :((((( edmund :(((((((

[pokeworldrevisited]

So I haven't caught up with Pokemon Masters' story in a while but I saw a spoiler about Paulo and figured I should make this:

[patricia-taxxon]

Attempting to extend sympathy to my younger self via self insert fiction.

"Hello there!"

I looked up from the lunchbox on my lap towards the source of the sudden loud voice, standing four or so feet away from me was a… dog? He stood on two legs, an eager look on his face. I looked around, none of the other kids were nearby.

"Hello?" I said back, a little confused.

"My name is Paul! What is your name?" The dog replied, both in an oddly formal tone of voice and… loudly, even though he was close enough to grab.

"My name's Bradley." I said, and went back to my PB&J.

"How old are you, Bradley?" asked Paul, in that same babyish but too-formal tone, almost like a robot.

"I'm eleven." I replied, without looking up.

"I'm ten!" He said back. "Nice to meet you!"

Several seconds passed, and he didn't move or look away. I realized he was waiting for me to say something.

"Nice to meet you too, Paul." His tail twitched as I said that, but he quickly moved his paw behind him to hold it in place until it settled. "Sorry," He said, before asking another question. "What do you like to do?"

His awkward storybook-speaking was offputting to me, but no one ever talked to me at recess, especially not completely out of nowhere like this. I answered his question, "I like playing Smash Bros," but I don't know why I thought of that first. I didn't really feel like finishing my lunch, I started to pack it away for later.

"What's that?" He said back. Was that a joke? He looked curious.

"Uh… it's a game, you can play as different Nintendo characters and fight each other." I waited for him to respond, but he was still listening. "You can uh… you can be Sonic."

"That's really cool!" He said. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Hm? Oh, okay, I guess." I replied. The dog's tail instantly sprung to life, and he once again moved his paw to stop it. "Sorry," he said, and moved swiftly to sit on the bench next to me, a bit closer than I thought he would. He looked up towards me like he wanted me to keep talking, or… it looked like he was looking at the top of my head, I wasn't sure.

Instead of explaining Smash Bros anymore, I asked a question myself to take the pressure off. "What do you like to play?" Paul blinked and his ears perked up. "I like Marble Blast Gold!" He almost yelped out, before drawing back. "But… shhh, don't tell anyone. I'm not supposed to talk about it."

That didn't make any sense. "Huh? What does that mean?" I asked.

"It's the best game ever, you like… you roll, and you have to… like, you have to get to the end. Uh." He stammered. "But I'm not… I'm not allowed to play it anymore, my teachers said I'm too obsessed."

"That's bullshit." I spat.

"Yeah!!" He yelled, leaping up onto his haunches, tail wagging up a storm, until he noticed again, and pressed his paw to stop it. "Sorry." he said.

"Why are you doing that?" I asked.

"Doing what?"

"Stopping your tail." I pointed to his butt. "Aren't you like… a dog, or something?"

Paul cocked his head like I asked him a really stupid question. "Yeah? Why." He said, carefully.

We stared at each other for another couple of seconds. I didn't know how to word my questions without sounding awkward. "I've met a lot of… dogs, and wagging tails is pretty normal." I felt insane saying it out loud.

"Well I'm special!" Paul beamed. "I can talk, I can stand on two legs!" He got up and stood upon the bench, barely reaching eye level with me. "I'm in a class for special dogs only." He bumped a fist on his chest.

"Oh… okay." I said, not really understanding. I guess the rules were different for dogs that talk. It felt weird watching him do that though, and saying sorry for it too. "Are special dogs… not supposed to wag?" I asked.

"Yeah. No wagging." He replied. "'Cus humans don't wag."

"But humans don't have tails in the first place." I looked behind myself to check. "So you don't actually know if humans would wag or not, right?" I was getting seriously weirded out by this conversation, but I just kinda kept going. "How'd you learn to talk, anyways?" I asked, Paul looked like he was processing what I said very slowly.

"Like I said, I'm special." Paul repeated. "I'm learning how to make it disappear, like everyone else. First I gotta learn how to keep it still, though, so the magic works."

"Magic?" I said back to him. I mean, it wasn't all that weird compared to meeting a talking dog, but the word still threw me off.

"Yeah, lookit!" The dog hopped off the bench, hunched over with his back facing me, and started screaming like he was about to go super saiyan. I didn't know what I was supposed to be looking at, I was too startled. I might have been imagining things, but I think I saw his tail slowly retracting into his body like a lazy snake.

"Paul! What the fuck are you doing??" I shouted, but instead of responding, Paul just… went silent and flopped onto his side. I quickly rushed over, yelling "Are you okay? What just happened?" I looked over his body, flat on the asphalt. His tail had grown all the way back and… his body shrunk. His head was halfway tucked into his shirt like a turtle. His paws barely poked out of his sleeves, pointing directly forward from his body. He didn't look like a kid anymore, he looked like a dog that someone stuffed into some kid's clothes.

After a second, I thought it wouldn't hurt to poke him. "Paul? Recess is almost over." I poked at his chest, and he rolled onto his back limply. I suddenly felt silly trying to talk to him, like I was trying to reason with a pet. I tried a different approach, I clapped my hands and rapped on my knees. "Hey! Up! Food!"

Paul's eyes shot open, and he sneezed, before wiggling his legs to right himself. He took an instant and a half to realize where he was, and he suddenly cowered, looking straight at me, shivering. "Hey, what's wrong?" I whispered. He looked side to side, back at his own doggish body, and back to me. He blinked, looking like he was about to run away.

"No, no, it's okay." I tried to be reassuring, I'd never had a dog before so I didn't really know what I was doing. I almost forgot that I'd just been talking about Smash Bros with him. "Uh… do you like granola bars?" His ears perked up, and his tail swayed, his new… anatomy making it hard to reach back and stop it this time. I grabbed my backpack from behind me and rummaged through it for leftovers, I got the other of the two bars inside the wrapper, the one I didn't eat, and held it out in front of me. Paul approached me slowly, his nose twitching. "Can you… eat this, even?" I asked, as he sniffed the crumbly rectangle. He licked it soon after, and started nibbling and snarfing after that. I watched carefully, scared to make any sudden moves.

Paul looked up at me again, and I noticed his eyes were a little different. More definition, like I could tell a little more what he was feeling. His new eyes looked concerned, like he was waiting for me to do something bad. He reached up with a paw, it was looking a bit more like a hand now. I let go, and he held the bar himself as he munched away, sitting plainly on his knees.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"Maghic." The dog said through a full mouth.

"That was magic?" I replied. "I saw your tail shrink, I'm pretty sure."

Paul swallowed. "How much?"

I thought back, the image was still clear in my head. "Like… barely at all. A couple inches?"

"Aw…" He looked disappointed in himself.

We sat in silence for a bit, but there was a question I wanted to ask. "Why do you want to get rid of your tail? Like… that looked painful."

"Mrs. Millie said I can go to the regular class if I can turn human," the talking dog said, proudly.

"You're pretty bad at that." I chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his ears without thinking. Paul looked like he was about to take it personally, but suddenly lost his train of thought as my hand touched his head. "Bwuhhf…" He woofed under his breath, his tail twitched and his paws lost their thumbs again. I quickly pulled my hand back, "Sorry! I didn't…" Paul's eyes took a second to form together again, and he looked right at me, "That wasn't fair." he whined, but his tail was still wagging.

"You really are a dog!" I said, glancing sneakily behind him. Paul followed my gaze to his own tail, yelped, and quickly pressed it down with both paws.

"Oh, come on, stop it." I joked. "It's psyching me out, it looks like it hurts when you hold your tail in place like that."

Paul turned his head back at me. "It doesn't… hurt," he said, slowly and surely.

"Hm. Whatever you say." I got up and went back on the bench. After I turned around to sit down, Paul was already running towards me. I didn't have any time to think before he bounded into my lap and butted his head into my chest while his tail went crazy. The impact knocked the wind out of me, but he was pretty small, I got it back in just a second. Paul yipped and barked, maybe there were some normal words in there too, but I couldn't understand it. This is where I realized he wasn't a very special dog after all, I think he was just normal.

I scratched behind his head and stroked his back through those baggy clothes, and this time he didn't mind. He might have been crying, it was hard to tell, I didn't really know what dog crying looked like. Eventually, he settled down. I couldn't feel his shoulders anymore, he seemed in danger of falling out of his shorts if he wasn't careful. I had a dog in my lap, an extremely normal dog. He stretched his body up and rested his head on my shoulder. "I like you, Bradley." He said, a little too slowly, and a little too loudly. I didn't know what to say to that, he barely knew me. This was all very weird. "You're a good dog." I said back, just because it felt right.

I could feel Paul's body shaping up into a more human posture again as he regained composure. He let go, turned to the side, and sat down on the bench next to me again, staring at his paws in his lap. I leaned over, "You okay?" I asked. He didn't answer, he just put his paw on my wrist and started twirling the hair under my sleeve.

I quickly jerked my hand away and covered the hairy skin. "Don't look at that!" I snapped.

"You have fur too!" Paul yelled.

"No, no, that's hair. I'm just…" I didn't want to explain, it was too embarrassing. I looked like I had my dad's arms, I hoped that no one would see. "It's a condition."

"Oh. Okay." Paul stared into the distance again. We sat in silence for another couple awkward seconds before the bell rang.

"Bye, Bradley." the dog said, scampering off.

"Bye, Paul." I waved after him, being sure to hold my sleeve up with my other hand.

[butchhamlet]

do you have any good shakespeare retelling book recs?

what a beautiful time to ask this, says guy who has left this ask collecting cobwebs in his inbox for months! because guess who has two thumbs and just finished queen goneril by erin shields! WHAT a fucking play, holy SHIT, this is some of the best characterization of the lear sisters that i've ever read and the exploration of womanhood as filtered through class + race + shitty families + political maneuvering is so so so good. also the things shields does with the og playtext... chef's fucking KISS

anyway, recency bias aside, i've been meaning to make a post about my favorite shakespeare retellings for a while, and i think i never actually did it because i wanted to make a lear retelling ranking list and then i never read some of the ones on my TBR. so whatever. the learlist will happen someday. here are my favorites in general. (here is my goodreads shelf for the retellings i've read, good and bad, and here is the shelf for the ones i have yet to read.)

in no particular order:

a thousand acres by jane smiley: outsold. epitome of what makes an effective retelling--a book that clearly has something to say about and to the original text, but that also isn't afraid to diverge, to exclude here and zoom in there. ungraciously, this is "lear on a farm" and it starts a little slow, but holy fucking shit, i can't do justice in a paragraph to the way this book unraveled me. one of the best books of all time mayhaps. also, introduced the edmund character by describing his ass. 10/10

the last true poets of the sea by julia drake: i don't read that much YA anymore but jesus fucking christ. books tailored for me specifically. twelfth night retelling about siblings + mental illness + being bisexual + love triangles that actually make sense (emotions are confusing!) instead of being contrived + beautiful description + excellent dialogue + THE MENTAL ILLNESS. books that made me start crying in zoom class in 2020

rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead by tom stoppard: kind of a cop-out answer because we all know this one. but that does not detract from how good it is. this is one of those plays, at least for me, that makes me think, "ohhhhhh, THIS is what theater can do. this is using its medium to the absolute utmost." it is so clever and it makes me want to cry. i think about "i don't know. it's the same sky" more often than i can say

american moor by keith hamilton cobb: not exactly a retelling, but a one-man play about a Black man auditioning for the lead role in Othello, tangling as he does with his relationship with shakespeare's work and cultural dominance. suuuuuch a good fucking play even beyond the analysis of othello (which is excellent); the language is so fucking incredible. everyone who likes shakespeare should read this.

teenage dick by mike lew: modern teenage richard iii; this one's more reimagining than retelling, because it diverges pretty sharply from the plot of richard iii, but god, it's so fucking fun. and upsetting! really upsetting also.

foul is fair by hannah capin: i will be so real. i read this in high school and some of the YA books i've revisited since did not hold up for me. so idk if i can tell you this is "good" with my full chest. but the pitch is "lady macbeth gets sexually assaulted at a party and decides to fucking kill the boys who did it" and i stayed up until like 1am to finish it because it was such a vicious gleaming wild ride

the stars undying by emery robin: does this count? hard to say, because it's just as much a retelling of roman history than shakespeare's antony and cleopatra (honestly, more, since it focuses on the era where caesar and cleopatra were lovers, which is before shakespeare's play). but i'm counting it anyway because it's bisexual space opera cleopatra and it's the best book i've read so far in 2024 and it's making me crazy and i'm writing a thesis on it < genuinely

peerless by jihae park: macbeth, but college applications, featuring asian macbeths (they're twin sisters >:3) who think their classmate has taken their place in their dream school because of affirmative action/DEI. this play is absolutely VICIOUS. it's macbeth x heathers. think it mirrors macbeth in faltering a little in its final stretch, but it still fucks hard

the wednesday wars by gary d. schmidt: okay, not a retelling; this is about a preteen boy in the 60s. but it's one of the best most genuine and heartwarming books i've ever read and it manages to be hilarious while also foregoing cheap slapstick punching-low humor for a hell of a lot of warmth and passion. and the main character interacts with shakespeare a lot as a running theme so i can justify putting it on this list. #evangelizing

of course, i would be remiss not to mention that @suits-of-woe / @mjulianwrites has written the best take on Two Gentlemen of Verona to ever exist, and i mean that quite seriously. unfortunately it hasn't been published yet so we'll all just have to prayer-circle about it. i would also be remiss not to take the opportunity to. uh. coughs. do a bit of casual self-promo. if you 1. have ocd 2. have gender or 3. think about malvolio a lot. boy do i have the novella for you

will definitely add to this when i read more retellings; feel free to drop recs in the tags/replies/reblogs/my askbox!

[vauxxy]

yk that scene in juno where she says that all jocks secretly want the artsy emo chicks?

yeah that’s luke castellan.

luke is the type of guy to tease the pretty girl with dyed hair and a nose piercing in his english class. he draws in the margins of her notebook, always goes through her sketchbook without asking, makes jokes about her music taste.

and then randomly, he asks her out. at first she thinks it’s a joke because it’s luke, but then she notices how his eyes are shifting awkwardly around the room, how he’s scratching the back of his neck nervously, how his cheeks are bright red.

… so she says yes.

and two weeks after their first date, luke is randomly popping into her art class during his free period and posting on his insta story about buying tickets for the schools production of ‘king lear’. she’s suddenly attending all his swim meets and volleyball games— sometimes she even sits at his table with all the other ‘jock boys’.

all his friends are weirdly fond of her too. they’re all tryna get on her good side, saying they’d love to volunteer for the yearbook club and how they’re so excited for king lear… and maybe that has something to do with how her friends are just as artsy and ‘strange’ as her, and we all know that jocks dig emo chicks.

what’s funny is that luke’s new awesome pretty artsy emo gf isn’t even a loser. she’s not unpopular, she’s just a little weird. she was sharing cigarettes with the cheerleading squad before luke even thought about asking her out.

so when luke shows up to school one day, carrying a bouquet and a giant promposal sign, nobody bats an eye. they’re all like “oh god, luke castellan is being embarrassing and obsessive over his girlfriend again…”

its like ‘she’s all that’ but instead of them falling in love because of a bet, they fall in love because luke really really really likes awkward, weird, dorky girls who make artsy short films and star in school plays.

[drunktuesdays]

i (bisexual) went on a roadtrip with friends (2 women married to each other) and went up through canada to see paul gross do lear (he ruled). and before the show, we went to dinner with a friend who was ALSO going to king lear. she brought her wife, and the five of us were a little giddy with the joy of being on vacation to do something silly, but also the delight of seeing someone you hadn't seen in ten years. and we got to talking about fandoms past, and this friend mentioned that she met her wife in smallville fandom, because they both found tom welling attractive. which is so funny for tom welling's attractiveness to be a solid rock to build a lasting relationship on, but it could be worse. anyway, so right after she says that, a table of octogenarians next to us get up and ostentatiously move across the pub to the other side. and we notice this but don't quite understand, until five different wait staff come over to be like "y'all being so rowdy, you're chasing people away?" in a very friendly teasing way that makes it clear we're fine. and we're laughing because it's like, sorry, was that tom wellings's grandparents? those people are so fucking disgusted because we were mocking the idea of being attracted to tom welling? "he's too conventionally pretty. a try-hard," we imagined them saying disgustedly to each other. and then my friend's wife gently was like "i sort of think it was probably the part where two women fell in love," and we were stunned. it's like the table of queer people got so caught up in the comedy of hating tom welling that for a minute, we straight up forgot homophobia exists.

[afkhowstrange]

My Merlin’s lore and afkj headcanons

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!

English isn’t my first language, i can’t write a decent story so i’m gonna yap the hell out of her lore:

- She goes by Rose since it was the only thing remained in her head the moment she woke up with severe memory loss or rather wiped.

- Thank god Merlin aka the not-yet-amnesiac-Rose left her a note filled with rules:

Dura’s orders and these following rules are the utmost things you should obey

1. If encounter a hypofiend, kill on sight

2. Keep moving forward, there’s no point of looking at your past

3. Help those who are in need if possible

4. Enjoy your new life, live to your heart’s content

5. Treat those you consider friends generously

6. Be well prepared for what’s to come, believe in yourself

Supreme Magister Merlin, Rose.

Rose was very skeptical of this note but later on, no one seemed to understand the language written on the note so it’s real legit she thinks.

- Merlin also left her infinite scroll filled with spells, incantations, hexes, jinxes and curses in alphabetical order, in a language only she could read of course. The only difficulty was to learn them all over again.

- The time when Rose goes into avatar state was actually Dura protecting her.

- Hammie helped Rose a lot with how to use magic. The little familiars were shocked and uneased that their master lost her memories all of a sudden, but as time goes by, they got used to the new magister eventually. The fact that the iconic traits of their master is still there, helped them feel at ease.

- Can’t say the same with Rose though, girl got existential crisis and impostor syndrome after finding out her magic (aside from the spells that Dura blessed her) is weak as hell compared to the great magister Merlin that Hogan and Mirael knew.

- She burned her ass out later on, learing spells, training in combat with Chippy, trying to reach people’s expectations of the great Merlin, if people find out their protector, Dura’s chosen one is a wimp, they’ll lose their faith.

Now, onto my headcanons of afkj’s lore

These multiple people holding out to the swords isn’t Merlin, they’re the fallen god’s Chosen ones.

I think these lines explained it well. Gosh i love Waves of intrigue.

Multiple heroes wielding swords, only one holding a torch, that’s our Magister Merlin!

If you’re sad that our Merlin doesn’t have a sword, worry not, they got a pretty sick one right here 👇 keep in mind that Phraesto is 205cm tall and this sword is longggg

And that’s it, thank you for reading, there’s more about Rose and her past rocking in the Inmortal war but that’s for another day, my phone is lagging as i was writing these words :,(

Here have some art! …yeah i isekai-ed my oc to Esperia to be Merlin so that’s why she got that hairstyle.

[geeksauruse]

Things the Bayverse boys love that you do and how they would support you in them!

(Idk this just sits in my brain and I thought it was cool, also there’s probably spelling errors 😌✨🌈✨🌈🐢💜)

• Leo would love to watch you do make up and just how you put it on, if you struggle he would want to lead with you but if you know just how to perfectly do it, he would love it even more and consider it an awsome skill of yours.

•Leo would also like it if you sew of embroider things, would want you to do designs on his gear or stuff in his room( after a while cause of brothers teasing him for the floral patterns on his pants) but would watch over your shoulder while you sit in his lap as he ���meditates”.

• Donnie would think it’s cool if you dye your hair( mikey would love this as well but Donnie would love it a bit more) would love to help by learning how to do it( he would take the time to learn just the right way to apply it), using the color wheel to match and make the exact color you want.

•if you like reading he fully supports it, he loves reading to as but doesn’t get to do it as often cause of how little time as he has for it Saving the world and keeping New York safe. I’m his free time he will read things you like to learn about your interests he also recommends books he thinks you may like.

•Raph would obviously, love if you worked out. Top noch thing he does all the time so it would be great if you did it as well, he would see it as a bonding time sort of thing and not to mention he likes seeing you workout, thinks you look both cute and hot doing anything in the dojo.

•Raph also would love it if you had an interest in pottery or other form of art work with your hands. He loves carving and knitting( would also think it’s cool if you knit or sew) but it just allows another thing to remind him that you two are similar even if your from two separate worlds( he’s an Insecure Boy 🥺)

• where do I start with Mikey… this man loves all your hobbies and will certainly try most of them out if he can.

•like I said hair dye ,if you did it often he would learn how to dye hair and do cool designs in it, so like longer hair he would do waves of color and layers ,and for shorter hair he would Lear to do cool patterns like flowers, hearts, skulls you name it.he’s an artist for crying out loud!

• miles would also like it if you were into gardening, he kinda kills plants super easy cause he forgets to water them, so if you can make pretty and gorgeous plants and flowers grow in your apartment then he will be so impressed.

random headcanons and Tom foolery done, see you guys later for more.

[abiogenesiis]

yeah uh. what if i exploded.

THIS ISNT REAL I CANT BELIEVE... LEAR IN THE LODGE. the fact that his lodge item is a ring is so... OUYGHGH. pretty rich boy.

BUT WHAT HIT ME WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN CHEREN AND LEAR'S SECOND LODGE PHOTOS. they are LITERALLY day and night... almost reminds me of their characters arcs but maybe thats a little much LOL. also they're both blushing in their photos how do you think that makes me feel AAAUUUGGH.

[astroels]

Dream girl

E. Williams x Reader

Sum: leaving a party with a pretty auburn headed girl and smoking with her, just having a good time.

wc: 1.5k

Fluff, making out

a/n: thought abt this last night and thought it was a cute idea

It was never a good idea to leave a party with a stranger, but the eye contact made with the lonely girl across the room sparked an understanding. It only strengthened when she walked towards you with a shy smile, asking you if you'd want to go elsewhere with her. You said yes, not only because she seemed like a sweetie, but you needed the company. The party was getting lonely, just babysitting your full cup while standing in a corner waiting for your friends to leave. Besides, it wasn't often you got to meet someone who made you feel comforted on meeting basis.

You sat next to the pretty girl in the back of her run down truck under the stars. You didn't know this would be "elsewhere," but it wasn't bad. She didn't speak much as she drove to this field, only small talk here and there over the music she played to fill the silence. Now that you were finally sat and comfortable, you decided it was time to actually talk.

You looked towards the girl, adjusting the blanket you shared at an awkward distance. "Is it too late to ask for a name?" The girl looked back at you curiously. "Maybe. could be a killer afterall." Her tone seemed to be a playful one. You chuckled awkwardly hoping she was joking. "If you are, please make it quick and put me out of my misery." You touched your heart to add exaggeration. She gave a light hearted chuckle and bit her bottom lip. "Ellie." She didn't strike you as an Ellie, but it fit her. "Pretty name for a pretty face." The words came out of your mouth naturally without double thinking it. The way Ellie's face gave a shocked expression made it less embarrassing. You could almost see the way she reddened with the moonlight.

When you told her your name, she complimented it. Everytime you shared eye contact, it made you want to melt, she felt intense in the most comforting way possible. Even though you felt okay with this girl, anxiety still knotted your stomach, it wasn't everyday you met someone and spent time alone with them automatically. Your thoughts were interrupted by Ellie's voice. "Uhm, do you smoke?" She glanced at you while pulling out a pre-rolled joint from her hoodie. Her features looked so soft when she looked at you, her eyes practically seducing you. You smoked, not without a friend, but you guess Ellie could count as a friend. "Yeah, I do." You smiled after replying. "Great, okay here." She passed you the joint, reaching into her jeans for the lighter.

She lit the joint as it layed between your fingers. It somehow felt wrong for you to take the first drag, so you spoke up. "You take the first one, Ellie." Her name sounding foreign to your tongue as it rolled out. She scooted closer towards you; the warmth that radiated off her body was just a couple of centimeters away. "Uhuh, you go ahead." Her words sounded like a whisper so close to your ear. They tempted you to turn her way, to look for something more, but you settled on just looking forward. You made a noise of agreement and took the first drag, coughing a little after. "Mm, y'got baby lungs." She chuckled at her own teasing. Her comment made you feel small but confident in a way to counter it. Turning your head to face her, you spoke. "Not always." You stared at her eyes for a second, watching hers bat up from your lips.

"Here." You held the joint to her lips, not allowing her to grab it. She hesitated before accepting the babying. "What're you doing?" Her voice came out in a low raspy tone as she licked her lips. " 'm helping you out." You said innocently, smiling. She hummed in agreement, accepting the help in taking a drag. You took another drag once the smoke of Ellie's had disappeared into the air. You both shared the joint, talking about interests, getting unconsciously closer physically. She learned about your interests that you fixated on, your classes, favorites, almost everything was talked about that night.

"Mmm what about instruments, play any?" The awkwardness had faded and turned into comfort in each other's presence. "Hmmm," You laid your head on her shoulder wondering if you should tell her about the guitar you'd gotten. It's totally lame to have one and not know a single thing about it right? Oh well, the you didn't have much train of thought left after Ellie put out the joint. "Got a guitar, dunno how to play it though." You felt Ellie's laugh vibrate from her shoulder. "Does that not count?" You looked up at her. "Not quite." You scoffed jokingly. "Yeah, well what do you play then?" You felt her stare down at you. "Guitar actually-- could teach you if you'd like." Your heart lit up at the thought she wanted to hangout again after tonight. "For sure." You were certain she could feel the way you grinned childishly. "I'll give you my number before we leave, pretty girl."

Your head shot up, looking at her in uncertainty if you heard correctly. "Pretty girl?" You questioned, checking to see if she meant it or it was a casual pet name. "You're really pretty y'know." She said it in a raspy whisper that made your heart flutter, feeling it knot into your stomach. You felt Ellie's hand come up to your face, laying on your cheek. Her hands felt clampy as if they'd been sweating, but you weren't going to mention it. "You are too," was all that came out lowly. As the words left your lips, you felt her other arm, with a beautifully done tattoo you might add, snake around your back. At first, it was just closeness that consumed both of you, basking in the warmth. But soon you were straddling her thighs as both your faces inched closer to each other, discarding the blanket that once covered you.

Ellie's eyes looked hazy with pink tones; it made her all the more attractive. You saw Ellie scan from your eyes to your lips to back to your eyes. Even in the silence, there was a mutual understanding of what's to come. You grabbed Ellie's face and pulled her in, locking your lips with hers. She held a grip on your curve that sat above your ass. Her lips were so soft and plump, you were glad they felt as good as they looked against yours. Soon, Ellie's energy switched into a more dominant one, biting the bottom of your lip for access. Her tongue felt slick against yours as you moaned in pleasure. When she pulled away, her lips looked swollen to match her dreamy eyes. She soon went after your neck instead. She left sloppy kisses near your ear, teasing with licks here and there. The noises she pulled from you only increased her ego to keep on going. As she got lower to your collarbone, she increased the time she spent, sucking to leave marks on display that she was there.

She made her way back up to plant a final kiss on your lips. She then moved past your face to rest her head on your shoulder, pulling you into a semi hug. With your face so close to her neck, you decided to tease her. "Ellie--" you whispered near her ear. You felt her body shudder at your voice. You planted kisses along her neck, experimenting with different ways to see what drew noise. Your softly bit her neck while kissing, and she let out a shaky whimper, something you hadn't heard from her before. You did it again which let her release a breathless moan. You enjoyed that you could do this to her. Not surprised she was into biting, you pulled away so you could face her. "That's interesting," you purred in teasement. Ellie stuttered while trying to find a response and hide the red that covered her face.

With no words to say to your comment, she let out an awkward laugh. "I like you," You couldn't tell if it was a confession or question, but you took it as the one that pleased you most. She rubbed her hand up and down your back in soothing motions. Your smile reached your eyes without you wanting it too. "I like you too, Ellie." You planted a kiss on her and got off. "Now take me home please." You demanded while tilting your head and smiling to make the remark lighthearted.

Once you reached your apartment complex, you waved goodbye to Ellie; She stayed parked near the entrance, you assumed it was to make sure you made it in safe. You looked into your pocket to find your keycard, but instead you were met with a paper.

"Call me :) (307) xxxx-xxx"

You looked back to Ellie, she winked and like that she was gone. She was the girl you'd dreamed of.

[leggerefiore]

Aside from Girmsley, which of the Dads would "spoil" their children to avoid getting in trouble with the Reader?

Forgot to pick up that important thing (and maybe even their kid); they'll stop for ice cream on way back. That sort of thing.

Nanu might try with Ohi'a, but Ohi'a isn't really the type to tell his other parent, unlike Nero. He is pretty apathetic and understanding... Like his dad. They are quite similar, naturally. ("Here, kid, don't tell them I was late... Yeah, I was taking a nap.")

Volo definitely has to do it with Astrea. Poor little girl is constantly being gifted things to make sure you do not find out about his mess up. He is trying his best at this whole father thing, but he is not the type to be one. Astrea at least enjoys all the little trinkets and treats she gets. ("Here is three sweets. Do not tell them about how I failed to show up on time. Your father was busy researching something.")

Colress also attempts it... He gets so lost in his research that he forgets that he was supposed to pick Prisma up from school. He promises her that he will help her with whatever she wants in her schoolwork or let her use any piece of his lab equipment for her own research if she doesn't tell you. She sighs and relents. He is at least genuinely apologetic. ("... Prisma. I do apologise... You must understand how important my research is— Ah, wait! No, it's not more important than you! Don't cry!")

It is rare, but Emmet has his moments. Emma is easily lulled into complacency with a promise to buy her whatever sweet she wants, but Inka is not so easily swayed. She probably will tell you just because she's frustrated with Emmet. He feels so betrayed. ("Aaaa! Papa is verrrry sorry! He simply had too much work and got distracted! I'll buy you whatever sweet you want! Don't cry!")

... New addition, but Lear. He is always so busy with this and that. Running an island and possibly running a kingdom gives him barely little free time – Which is why he may forget obligations to his children. And make him panic. Both his son and daughter are promised and given far too many expensive things as an apology and attempt not to tell you. ("... Tch. I'm truly sorry. My work ended up running over. I did intend to watch your show... Hey, hey! Don't get upset...! Ah... I'll buy you something! What do you want? Tell your father at once and I'll buy it!")

Larry also has to. He promises his children a meal at whatever restaurant they want in exchange for not telling you. Both agree. His love of food was inherited, and both kinda get their dad is under endless pressure at work. ("Sorry. My boss ended up holding me for some overtime... I really didn't intend to be so late. Ah? You're not mad... I see... Well, let's go to dinner. It isn't nice to keep anyone waiting.")

Cyrus and Ingo never have to do this. They are far too attentive as parents lmao.

[thekiltongrammarwriter]

Something to placate my dear readers while I edit my oneshots as fast as humanly possible 🤭

Reader risking her life and purposely teasing the girls for a reaction. 18+ pipcara x fem reader thoughts below

I can just imagine you wanting to be such a little tease, a minx in Cara’s wards words, wanting nothing more than to watch both your girlfriends eyes widen and freeze, calculating and processing with there quite clever minds what just occurred. It’s been days since you had time with them, they are both going to and from the house lighting fast, Pippa with her signature smile and a proper kiss on your lips, Cara with her eager cuddle hugs and soft kisses on the crown of your forehead.

It’s finally the weekend and that’s when you decide to hatch your plan. It’s not a very elaborate plan, in fact its rather juvenile, but you know you’ll get the best reactions. You’re confident. You settle on Pip first. She’s sat on the couch, headphones on as she peers over her laptop, blue silver eyes eying the keys as she types. She looks so small and soft cuddled up on the sofa, her complexion pale in the lighting.

Your quiet as you tiptoe over to the couch, pip being the observer she is spots you the minute she catches movement from the side of her eyes, gone is the concentrating scowl her eyebrows have been in. Instead the tips of her lips rise up in a way that makes your heart flutter, and you smile back, pip makes grabby hands at you, lips set in a pucker as she pulls her headphones down, “why if isn’t my favorite pretty girl…come here I haven’t seen you all day. Gosh you look so pretty” she comments. You do as she says, cuddling fast and kissing her cheek. Pip is all smiles as she gives you attention, attentive in the way her kisses Lear over your neck, but you don’t want things to get heated not yet. So you pull away just enough for her to eye you.

“What have you been working on? It looks awfully long” you comment eying the computer.

Pippa’s eyes gleam, and she looks excited at your interest, her fingers ghost over your waist, her touch hot. “It’s an analysis I’m writing for my forensic class-“ she goes into detail about her class and the head teacher. But it’s only when she’s in the pippa fitz Amobi mode, when she’s too busy explaining all her logic behind her words that you softly, edge your way into her space.

You begin to kiss her neck softly, soft kisses that could pass as innocent, pippa’s fingers draw lazy circles as she speaks still, but it’s only when your lips graze over her earlobe, tugging with your teeth that she freezes. You can see the way her cheeks flash with red, her silver eyes halting, her grip on you tightening. She doesn’t know what to do, so you smile and immediately let out the most sinful, sweet, absolutely salacious, panties dropping moan into her ear.

It’s the way pip’s throat gulps, and her eyes darken in their own accord.

But it’s only when she catches your eye, sensing the way your teasing smile flits onto your features.

“You really want to play babygirl? I’d hate to break it to you but I’m feeling awfully bratty today and I just might make you pay for that little stunt.” You end up rushing to the other room, but pip is fast and sweeps you up, her once tiny frame seeming large as she drops you into the bed.

“I don’t think our Cara bear will mind that we’re having a bit of fun…especially if she hears what a minx you’re being. Naughty girl”. But she’s all soft sensual smiles as she slowly starts unbuttoning her jeans. You end up having to ask pip to stop after your third orgasm. Too tired and sore and full to care about the way you sound. So desperate and beyond needy.

With Cara you wait till she’s in the kitchen, alone. She looks awfully cute in her menacing nighties, painted pink bunnies jumping on her back and up her thighs. It makes you laugh. Because sometimes even if Cara comes of menacing she really is a marshmallow. Soft and beyond sweet inside.

Cara catches sight of you as she stirs the pasta in the boiling water, her brown oak eyes widen and she immediately smiles, “well hello sweet thing. Come to find me did you? Pip sent you? Sorry I’m taking a while. The food should be ready in about ten minutes. Half pass six to be exact”.

You nod, wrapping your arms around her figure and resting your head on her chin, you start of innocently enough, asking about her day like the sweet dedicated girlfriend you are. Cara answers, speaking some rather unlady like words about a coworker that makes you giggle and poke her sides.

Once you decide she’s rather busy you move to kiss her cheek, before moving your lips over her ears, and again for the second time you let out a soft eager moan. This one is rather cute, the kind that you know Cara is keen on, the kind that Cara often induces when she’s three fingers deep inside you, fogging your mind.

Cara’s fingers halt on the stove, you can practically see the way her eyes darken, much like pip she’s lost for words. But it doesn’t last as long as pip, because Cara’s immediate response is to grab you softly by your chin, her eyes flitting over you with a new kind of power, her voice carries no warmth, and you know your in for it.

“If you want to play around so badly, little dove, I’ll give you something to moan about. Or better it…our little pip told me about your little stunt just the other day, told me she gave you a proper fuck…but…I just know she’d love nothing more than to give you even more of a tell of now that you’ve done it a second time. So little love of mine, I want you stripped to the bone and atop our bed waiting for us”.

[sraksha]

I've said this before, but i struggle with inconsistency, and it was only last year when i started to figure out how to draw humans. So i thought it'd be fun to compile my fave drawings of the LU boys faces, as i feel that is the biggest thing i struggle with.

Let's begin!

THIS-

THIS IS PERFECTION. It's from an angst piece, but this is the best man face i have ever drawn. I have mainly drawn girls, and like, boys are easy enough to draw, but i struggle so bad with more masculine men. But this, to me, is just so so good. Honestly i really like how i drew Time in this one. With the shading and highlights he just looks so good.

This is from the same angst piece and i really like this one. Twi is one of the oldest Links, but in my eyes he still has a bit of a boyish look to him. There were other drawings that looked similar enough, and that im happy with, but this one still speaks to me the most.

ANOTHER NEAR PERFECT ONE.

Whenever i draw Wars, this is the one i pull up as reference, and i say to myself "This is what you're aiming for. Please, for the love of god, try to do this again." Idk, i just REALLY like this one. And he is very pretty, even with his hair a bit messed up.

Ah, Wild from the Links in dresses series. Overall, probably one of my fave drawings lol. In this one his chin is smaller than i usually try to draw it, but come one, he is gorgeous. And he knows it.

To my shock, i haven't drawn Sky that many times to have a lot of variety. He is mostly calm and/or happy in my drawings. But i like this one. Plus he is talking about Sun!

Hyrule is another one i don't have too many drawings of, but this is just so cute. Little fae on a mischievous mood. I just like it so much. With Hyrule, his hair is what i struggle with the most. It's pretty easy to sketch, but i ALWAYS have problems lining it?? I don't get it. But in this one it turned out good.

This is a one-off that i've never been able to draw again. He somehow looks more mature in this?? Idk i just really REALLY like this one. My precious wet rag covered in glitter is processing so hard.

This is in my more relaxed, not-so-fleshed-out style. It's just really cute. The shock! The disbelief! Adorable!

WIMDY. This just feels pretty on brand for him, being a toon Link and all. This is actually the first time i drew Wind! He's adorable and i love it.

Bonus!

This is from my learing curve, and first time drawing Ravio. Im not too happy with the hair, but i really like how his face turner out. He just looks so soft and happy.

Shadow just has cat vibes imo. Line art and eyeliner on point. I just vibe with this whole drawing. Gosh i need to draw Shadow more often.

[butchhamlet]

are there any shakespeare retellings you recommend? i really enjoy retellings but it's also difficult to find ones that like. actually understand the source material... i've read your novella duodecimal and really liked it btw! excellent take on twelfth night :-)

THANK YOU SO MUCH WAH... yes, i can recommend some retellings! i keep intending to make a big post with my recs, actually, but there are so many out there that i haven't read yet... so for now here's an incomplete list:

a thousand acres by jane smiley: the first one that came to my mind seeing this ask. it's a retelling of lear set on an american farmstead, and the adaptation is done beautifully and smoothly--it's just distinct enough from OG Lear that you can judge it as a book on its own but also as a lear retelling. and it's sooooo good. it starts a little slow, but the character work is so excellent and it almost made me cry (i will note that there's a pretty hefty cw on this one but... saying what it is is technically spoilers? but feel free to send another ask or message if you want to know up-front)

the last true poets of the sea by julia drake: books that made me have to turn my camera off in zoom class so i could bawl properly. books written for me specifically. this is a loose YA retelling of twelfth night (looser than some of the other retellings on this list) and it's like. perfect. the teenage dialogue actually sounds like teenagers. every emotional beat clubbed me over the head. the love triangle is present--and done really well; it's not present for drama but because sometimes being a teenager is confusing--but more than that this is a book about the relationship between violet and her sibling, and about mental health, and god it makes me CRAZY. also girls kiss in this one

rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead by tom stoppard: i mean. i think most people into shakespeare know r&gad. but in case you haven't read it yet, it's an absurdist play from the point of view of rosencrantz and guildenstern and it's absolutely fucking brilliant. not sure what else to say about this; you've really just gotta read it

teenage dick by mike lew: another play, this one on the modern side--a retelling of richard iii set in a high school, focusing explicitly on disability issues. kind of more a reimagining than a retelling, honestly, but i really like the exploration of r3's themes and also it's fucking hysterical. although i will say there's a kind of jarring tonal shift in this one near the end, so don't go to it for something 100% comedic

american moor by keith hamilton cobb: okay this isn't exactly a retelling but if you've ever read othello you have to read it. you just have to. please god if you've ever read a shakespeare PLEASE. it's a monologue from the perspective of a black man trying out for the role of othello, half-resigned to being pigeonholed into playing that specific role in a very specific way as directed by a white director, but also half-chafing against that resignation, and also exploring the complexities of loving shakespeare as a black man, and it's soooooo so good

exit, pursued by a bear by e.k. johnston: this one is kind of cheating because it's not really a retelling, in that it has next to nothing to do with the winter's tale except that there is a hermione character and a leontes character and a paulina character. i still think it's a very very well-done YA book, though, and one of the only ones i've read that deals head-on with abortion

foul is fair by hannah capin: okay, i will admit i read this one some years ago when i was more into YA, so i'm not sure i would still go crazy over it now, but the plot of this book is that the modern lady macbeth character gets assaulted by a guy at a party and decides to kill everyone who let that happen. and then she does. and idk i read it in two days it felt like being on crack

the wednesday wars by gary schmidt: this one is DEFINITELY cheating, because this isn't a retelling of anything. but if you like shakespeare and you're open to reading historical fiction about a kid in the 60s using shakespeare as a lens through which to understand the chaos of his life (from the vietnam war to his school crush)... it's so good. it made me nearly sob. beautiful book

i'm also a fan of ryan north's shakespeare choose-your-own-adventure books, but those aren't exactly retellings and also the humor will probably not work for everyone. but i like em <3

and finally, i would be remiss not to shout out the fact that @suits-of-woe wrote an INCREDIBLE retelling of the two gentlemen of verona that, like, redeemed the fact that that play exists. if you've read that play and you thought, "wow, i wish this were explicitly homoerotic, or not a rape apologia, or good in any way," you will LOVE macy's book. unfortunately it isn't fucking published yet but WITH YOUR HELP--

[sunrisestudyblr]

Day 1:

SEPTEMBER 2!!! That means it’s fall….it was just chilly enough for a hoodie :))

tomorrow is class day, so I needed to make sure to have all my assignments done on time! Next week is big exam day, so the focus is on revision and worksheets.

finished:

— two entire practice tests completed in challenges (fourteen challenges total). — drilling math formulas

— science worksheet with problem explanations written out

— math ‘cheat sheet’ completed and drilled

— worked through the practice math questions to prep for quiz tomorrow

— looked through some gorgeous Botticelli paintings for a little rest :))

🎧: ur so pretty — wasia project

📚: of human bondage by W. Somerset Maughan and king Lear by Shakespeare

Highlight of day: getting to study in the pretty fall leaves, and getting to call a friend :))

[elias-rights]

i read the blue_blue_electricblue fics that u recommended and my brain rotated a full 360 degrees in my skull /pos. do you happen to have any other recs Please

I recently answered a similar ask about general recommendations here, but if you want more in a similar vein (the vein of Jonah being ambitious and pretty and psychologically compromised):

jackals in waistcoats by escherzo — Elias dresses Jon in Jonah's old clothes. Please note that this fic features grey-ace Jon who does have sex with Elias, in case that's not your cup of tea. 8K.

to sculpt anew by screechfox — A post-canon Jon travels back in time to before the start of the podcast and has a very interesting conversation with Elias. It's told from Elias's point of view, and his inner monologue is very fun and very, very in-character. 2K.

To Ensure Your Own Happiness by marstime — A backstory for a trans Jonah that drives me fully crazy. I love it beyond words. It features intertextual dialogue with King Lear, specifically Edmund's character, if that sweetens the deal. 6K, unfinished.

The understanding is too much for my soul to hold, and so my soul will open. by Alias — Jonah as the Pupil of the Eye. This one is pretty abstract. <1K.

Present Future by Startless — Elias travels back to season three after the finale. His relationship with himself has its ups and downs. A fascinating little speculative character study from the limited point of view of Jon that leaves you wanting for more. 4K.