#random assortment of poetry books

[beazt]

I really am ebooks/pdf books georg

[johaerys-writes]

Hello! May I ask a WIP Wednesday, only if you're okay? Thank you so much for all your wonderful fics!

Hello!! I've been steadily working (plodding along lmao) on the western AU, here's a tiny snippet of Achilles being a silly menace:

After finishing his lunch, Patroclus leans back against the birch tree trunk and pulls a small book out of his pocket; the same book he was reading the day before, and the day before that. He is soon engrossed in it, and back to ignoring Achilles thoroughly.

"What are you reading?" Achilles asks, sitting up. He tries to make out what the book is about, but he’s too far away.

"A book."

"I can see that. What kind of book?"

Patroclus chews idly on the long stem of wild wheat dangling from his lips. He never once takes his eyes off the page as he turns it. "The reading kind."

“You don't say,” Achilles mutters, seething in frustration. Patroclus must think himself quite clever, and Achilles quite the dolt, if he thought for a minute that he would be placated by this answer. He wants to grab that insolent boy by the shoulders and shake him, to push and poke and prod him until he finally looks at him.

Before he can stop himself, he's already shot up and snatched the book from Patroclus' hands.

"Hey!"

"Assorted poems," Achilles reads off the cover of the book when he flips it over. "Huh. Didn't pin you as the poetry type."

Patroclus visibly bristles, his shoulders and neck tensing, and gives him a hard, from-under stare. He pushes himself up to his feet, but Achilles is faster; he dashes away and climbs up the next tree, quick and agile like a cat.

"Give it back here," Patroclus demands sharply, but Achilles is already perched on his tree branch, out of Patroclus’ reach, and biting into his piece of honey pie as he examines the book at his leisure. It is small and sturdy, and seems to have been well loved. The pages are tinged yellow, and the leather is scuffed at the corners but it’s in relatively good shape, considering Patroclus has probably been carrying it around in his pocket for God knows how long.

"Let’s see, let's see…" Achilles muses loudly. The cake fills his mouth with sweet, gooey syrup as he peruses the small book’s contents, but nothing tastes as sweet as disturbing Patroclus’ peace. "What does Patroclus No-Name like to read? Bet it's something very clever and profound. Bet it’s some big secret no one's allowed to know." He finishes off his pie and licks his fingers clean as Patroclus continues to glare at him from below.

“Shall I read us something from it?” he asks pleasantly. It thrills him beyond measure, the way Patroclus’ eyes flick from his face to his fingers, still sticky with syrup, that are touching the pages of his precious book. “It would be just the thing to pass the time, don’t you think? I’ll read your favourite poem, if you tell me which one it is.”

The only answer Patroclus gives him is a long, hard, dark look.

“Fine, then, I’ll choose one myself!” Achilles declares, and flicks a page at random.

[kindred-spirit-93]

salutations of peace!

welcome to this blog dedicated to the many, many thoughts wondering in the expansive meadows of my inner mind. we have:

fandom rambles

OC galore and random lore dumps

deep life thoughts TM

excerpts of books ill never write

memes, awful puns, wordplay my beloved, rants about anything and everything

music and art and language appreciation

vivid descriptions of things that would put ebony dark'ness dementia raven way to shame

and so much more! my vision for this blog is essentially a scrapbook of sweet wrappers, weird poetry, dried flowers, inexplicable blood drops from untraceable source(s), cute little doodles, coffee stains, all tied together with glitter glue and skull washi tape ^-^

so feel free to sit back with some snacks and watch me as i take apart my mind thought by thought and have epiphanies and shit :)

*:･ﾟ✧ but before all that, a few things:

Memento Vivere, is latin for remember to live. you may be familiar with its more morbid counterpart, Memento Mori, remember you must die. i sometimes have to remind myself to stop and live, to really smell the roses & appreciate my short existence on this spinning rock in space. this blog is my escape, my breath of fresh air, my cup of mint earl grey on a rainy january morning.

my pfp is a funny twist on a dua in arabic that translates to: "oh Allah, who lifts the heavens, lift (raise) my marks." which is very faithful to the theme of this blog & my life lol.

main @lemedstudent2021 and oc blog @bright-side-of-the-moon feel free to drop by for a chat here there and everywhere ;)

*:･ﾟ✧ a lil about me:

hijabi, jordanian, dont have social anxiety; social anxiety has me, sleep deprived, herbal teas, psychiatry, procrastinating af

medical student, full time and life long learner, salty snacks are better than sweet treats there i said it, strawberry milk supremacy

chaotic academia aesthetic, cats, existential (and assorted) crises, art on my lecture notes, atp i have more wips than neurons

current hyperfixations & interests: greek mythology (currently reading the iliad!), epic the musical, hadestown, paris the musical

*:･ﾟ✧ general rules and guidelines:

this blog aims to be a safe space for anyone and everyone, leave your prejudices at the door or dont bother coming in :)

youre all welcome to share thoughts and ideas and suggestions, please keep it halal tho (so pg-13 and mild language). in the very least label accordingly so those yet with innocence stay safe

hate and bullying and disrespect in all forms will not be tolerated, bigots and brain dead buffoons will be blocked on sight

that said, for what remains of my sanity; zionists and anti-vaxxers DNI (i will come after you and your essential oils)

if i remember anything ill add it later, for now bring your marshmellows were making s'mores on the dumpsterfire that is life

behold moi. art by my beloved @sunshines-child ^-^

--

i will eventually edit this and add tags i use for stuff & a masterlist for all my shenanigans. tysm for reading this far lol and enjoy ur life ig :D

[alpineshift]

Hi! A bit random but if you’ve read Percy Jackson… which cabins would you sort the devils into?

*by devils I mean whichever assortment you feel like assigning an Ancient Greek deity to! As many or as few as you want!

(I’m kinda think Jack&Luke might have different god parents but the same human parent?)

- M

hello!! I have in fact read Percy Jackson LOL I really liked the series as a kid!

I didn't read anything beyond the original five books/the last olympian tho and I am not the biggest greek mythology buff either so these assignments are strictly on vibes alone aha. I hope they work out!

Jesper - the Apollo cabin - this is largely bc I see Jesper and I immediately think of sunshine incarnate (lol) but I also think he's got a good sense and EQ (for things like poetry too haha). He also gives off the vibe of being a honest/straightforward guy, and his presence is just nice. Quite literally like sun.

Nate - the Dionysus cabin - Nate also strikes me as the kind of guy who knows how to have a good time on and off ice; a bit chaotic, a bit wild, and burning with the expectation to go go go. Like he's got a frenetic energy when he's out there and ain't nobody gonna bring him down.

Jack - the Athena cabin - maybe a little bit predictable but I'm going for it! Reason/strategy/wisdom/craft that's all very Jack on and off the ice, but especially on the ice. Frequently pulls off tactics with those silky mitts that leaves ppl stumped. Putting his big hockey brain to good use, always.

Luke - the Poseidon cabin - I'm taking your suggestion for diff god parents! Mostly bc I see Luke and sometimes I think that he's got such a looming presence, and a kind of turmoil and unpredictability about him that reminds me of the sea and her storms. Also I kinda want to make a horse girl joke fjsfsmk forgive me.

Nico - the Hestia cabin - hear me out. I've had this theory about Nico for a while and I have only doubled down on it since reading the amazing interview with his mother recently!! Nico is a great leader/captain/driving force on the devs not necessarily bc he's a big and powerful and intimating personality (e.g., Zeus, Ares), even tho Nico is also those elements too! But he's a good leader bc he's someone who values the simple and humble things, like harmony, family, and the hearth. He's steady, he's welcoming, and he's someone you'd trust to keep the home fires burning to welcome you back even when things get rough and bleak.

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: By This Time by Ian Ganassi

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/by-this-time-by-ian-ganassi/

As the title of the book suggests, the #poems in it are largely concerned with the passage of #time and the assortment of expectations and challenges that come with it. Our personal histories are not segregated in #memory, but are constantly interrupting the continuity of the present, both consciously and unconsciously. And no one can live up to the demands of time without failure of some sort. But there is also humor here, which comes to our rescue in the form of lines, poems, and scenarios that make us look at ourselves from a comic perspective. If failure is one natural result of our dealing with time as adults in society, humor gives us a way of seeing our failures and successes in a wiser light.

By This Time is Ian Ganassi’s third poetry collection. Ian is a retired dance accompanist, having played African and Caribbean percussion for dance classes for at least 30 years. As a poet and musician he has collaborated with dancers and musicians throughout the New York metropolitan area. Since 2005 he has collaborated with the painter Laura Bell on an ongoing collage project called The Corpses (after the surrealist parlor game). The collages have appeared in galleries, literary journals, and other venues. He has published poetry in numerous literary journals, including The Yale Review, The American Journal of Poetry, New American Writingand Blazevox,, among many others.

His two other collections are Mean Numbers and True for the Moment.

PRAISE FOR By This Time by Ian Ganassi

For many poets, a poem is a way of getting from point A to point B. That’s fine if getting somewhere is all you want from a poem. Ian Ganassi is not such a poet, so don’t expect a short ride in a fast car. Yes, he starts out from point A, but he takes the scenic route, and he makes all the stops on the way to point B. Or point E. Or point S. Or point X. Or doubles back to point A. In the 61 uncanny, magical, free-associative, and thought-provoking poems of By This Time, his third book, Ganassi once again proves that poetry is an adventure, that it’s all about the journey, and “as we drift deeper into the dark, we can see for miles and miles.”

–J.R. Solonche

I spent the weekend reading Ian’s new book, By This time. His poetry is brilliantly speckled with randomness, humor, wordplay, and methodical wordcraft. He weaves it all into a web you won’t want to untangle yourself from. Just wonderful.

–Frank Murphy, Editor of Home Planet News

By This Time” brings strongly to mind other art forms, like the Theater of the Absurd and Surrealist painting: it is a gift of the unexpected and a load of poetic and artistic fun.

–Ricardo L. Nirenberg, editor of Offcourse literary journal.

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[sanguine-salvation]

Room x2

[ Send me Room and I will give you a detail about my muse's room. - ACCEPTING ]

While they rarely buy books anymore, they've collected quite a library in their room at the Nest. Books on a rather random assortment of subjects, some of them stained with bloody fingerprints from when they were taken, others clean and pristine and acquired through less coincidental means. The most used shelf is the one filled with poetry books, and below that a row of fantasy novels. And, if one takes a good enough look, there are a few books that seem to be gathered up together regardless of genre. Their spines all bear the same defunct publisher: their family's. It's hard to tell if they're together for easy access, or easy avoidance.

Viktor always leaves a myriad of chargers plugged in around the room. They're for a variety of different devices, though it's clear that Viktor doesn't own all those devices at once. They'll never know what kind of phone they'll get their hands on whenever they escape from Arkham, as it's usually whatever they grab first without a fuss, and so they've collected at least one of everything. Sometimes two, in case they're bedridden with a migraine and can't be assed to go across the room for one.

[joziokowalski]

tagged by @youngmiddleold yaaaay ! :) thank you my friend

last song: i’ve been listening to nothing but this one random electronic album that i couldn’t find on youtube and i’m not even sure exactly what it’s called. here’s  the only track i did find. the rest of it sounds more or less the same. quiet and monotonous and not too distracting which is exactly what i need at the moment

current book stack:

kot. opowieść o konstantym a. jeleńskim by anna arno (more or less a biography of this dude who wasn’t much of a great writer or artist or anything but seems to have been a very engaging person. my favourite type of reading tbh + it’s very very cool to know reading a relatively uncomplicated book in polish is not impossible for me :) )

miłosz and the long shadow of war by irena grudzińska-gross (a little book on czesław miłosz and the topic of war in his poetry + reflections on the ways ww2 and the holocaust are discussed in modern day poland? i’m only a few pages into it for now. a bit surreal to be reading this in russian translation + knowing that the russian edition incidentally came out in the year 2022)

aufsätze by robert walser (some assorted short texts by one of my favourite authors <3)

stanisław lem witness to a catastrophe by vadim volobuyev (another biography of a dead polish person, this time by a russian author, fresh out of print, only came out sometime in the recent months. promises to provide a lot of historical context to lem’s life and i’m only some 40 pages into it but so far it is delivering more or less what i expected so i hope that will be the way it goes)

last movie: umm i don’t remember exactly but i think it was brzezina (1970) by andrzej wajda. didn’t Love it but would like to read the novel it’s based on

last show: don’t remember :’) probably sas rogue heroes bc @goga-grusha was there to subject me to it

current obsession: idk i don’t think i have one single obsession at the moment. familiarizing myself with polish literature + delving deeper into the authors i find particularly interesting is generally what i’m into these days. miron białoszewski does hold a special place in my heart though

i’m going to tag @goga-grusha and @sadbreadcrumb good luck typing up some personal information to distract yourself from mundane annoyances my dudes

[writer59january13]

Invisibly tortured courtesy existential nihilism

Psyche wracked with agony impossible mission to extricate lovely bones they wanna remain permanently abed. I chiefly function to amass knowledge courtesy assiduously, habitually, and judiciously reading an eclectic assortment of written material. Yours truly woke with ambition, disposition, inclination, and predilection to glean from an assortment of books esoteric learning since... birth, but particularly when experiencing emerging adulthood about two score years ago. Feeble attempt crafting poetry whereat gobbledygook doth trot - oven chilly cooked confusion eliciting faint thanks a lot unbeknownst this tasteless, senseless, rhymeless... lettered Rorschach test tease I jot interpretation, viz hitting analogously like amorphous melted ingot watch yourself...

d's lines iz still smok'n HOT, now I puzzle regarding how to extricate mess elf, cuz aye got myself into try'n to strut and trumpet hightailing (courtesy Google)

searching information superhighways one can cyber surf to Hong Kong,

(a coastal city and major port in Southern China,

bordering Guangdong Province through the city of Shenzhen to the north and the South China Sea to the east, south, and west) an entrepôt, (which goods brought for import and export, and for collection and distribution) yea, that autonomous enclave the region inhabited since the Old Stone Age,

later becoming part of the Chinese Empire with loose incorporation into the Qin dynasty initially starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port governed by Chief Executive, who serves as premier of the Region

and head of government

of Hong Kong beholden to The Basic Law which designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council, under principles of separation of powers, with a two-tiered system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. Anyway... when zombie like,

and hyper aware about mein kampf, and lxv roaming years

exhibiting conscious state (although that might be debatable),

I try to dead reckon eyes purposefulness astride oblate spheroid nsync with other gals and guys either one, t'other or all mask cue lated in disguise

impossible mission to triangulate Euclid say logic defies to comprehend gibberish, no matter how much you scrutinize his highness, qua shape shifting imperfect square stumps any tree mend us great mind to analyze me skewering, marinating, gunning... decries abiding any logical positivism queries best addressed to Lord of the Flies since nary handy dandy blues clues,

I opted out thus... rubbish provided to synthesize random words helter skelter strewn to symbolize absent any rhyme or reason courtesy handy matted figurative trapezoid doth employ no paradigm to exercise leaving comprehension after mine demise so go ahead chastise cuz I already know, never will said poetry win apprize. Initially, an attempt sought regarding Das scribe, yours truly donning

checkerboarded rawhide collared, cuffed oversize raiment, pride and prejudice obscured courtesy hand-me-downs couture also decking out alley oop trapeze artist bride of Frankenstein grooming in attendance with her bonafide circus motley crew, a veritable monster mish mashup happenstance didst decide unlike traditional feted newlyweds swingers airborne did only abide. The law of gravity aerial pas de deux bodies airborne aloft pledging their respective troths sworn fleeting suspended animation while shorn infinitesimally of Earth's pull only expert can playfully scorn accomplishment courtesy no greenhorne neophytes in utero umbilical cord, taking root as metaphorical acorn, thus unbridled and groomed skill inborn burst out the womb like heated popcorn snapped up since birth well worn genes Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus practiced morn till night stunts became second nature encore performance no matter bodies outworn. Curtain Call now doth close unrehearsed poetic gambit, cuz yours truly tuckered out I suppose ready to take his doze zee dough into dreamland, expose zing oft times confused with dark shadows of outer limits of twilight zone,

where me lovely bones froze

where sudden night mare arose gripping courtesy rigor mortis head to toes daunting wordsmith champion manifestation of daily woes. Suddenly me clutched by melancholic despair somnambulantly where countless tomb morrows tramp scarcely undifferentiated from yesterday's care wracking psyche with wrath plus fear at accursed purposelessness near faux sing myself regarding pas

city to emulate good cheer whereat time and tide

wait for no man/woman.

[why-the-heck-not]

Are you reading any books at the moment? 🫶🏼

There’s this one over 1000page behemoth I’ve been reading since the start of the year (or that’s when I started to reread from the beginning), it’s in finnish tho (Elämä: Esipuhe by Miki Liukkonen). Also I’m actively reading American Psycho (by Bret Easton Ellie), couple poetry books (also in finnish and also by Miki Liukkonen), and Rogues (by Patrick Radden Keefe). Then there’s the random assortment of other ones I’m sort of in the middle of, but am not actively reading, so might just start them from the beginning again when I get back to reading them. I’m not an organized reader in the slightest :D always just reading whatever I’m in the mood for at that time

[cobrakaisb]

foolproof plan

summary: the only downside to fake dating is that someone always ends up falling for the other. 

warnings: y/n is a happy drunk; underage drinking (not condoning it); mostly cuteness; a couple swears

word count: 4.16k

“so do we have a deal?” he asked, hand out waiting for you to take it. you hesitated, biting your lip as your eyes flickered from his face to his hand. the anxiety and reality surrounding what you were about to do was setting in. were you actually agreeing to this? a surge of confidence washed over you as your smaller hand grasped his in a firm handshake. “we have a deal,” you agreed.

now all you had to do was pretend to fake date owen power. 

tall, brunette, number-one-overall nhl draft pick, owen power. your hesitancy to take owen’s hand had nothing to do with owen himself and everything to do with who he was; star hockey player for the university of michigan who was bound to go pro once their season came to an end. but you needed the help, and his proposition was too good to pass up. ever since your crush on kent johnson formed, you’ve been looking for a way to get closer to him, and this was the perfect opportunity. 

that’s right. owen’s caught you ogling at his best friend and roommate one too many times for it to be a coincidence. so when he proposed that the two of you fake date to make kent jealous and “light a fire under kent’s ass” (owen’s words not yours), the obvious answer was yes. it took a lot of pondering, but eventually you agreed to his idea, hence putting you in the situation you were in now. 

“but we need some rules,” you added, pulling your hand from his. owen smiled, a little half smile that definitely didn’t compare to his real one. “whatever you want sweetheart,” he agreed. you couldn’t help the small flush that appeared on your cheeks at the pet name. this was going to be a lot.  

“let’s meet tomorrow for lunch. at the chipotle off campus?” you suggested. “sure,” owen agreed, chomping on his gum. “where’s your phone?” he continued, holding his hand out for the device. at the sight of your confused look and raised eyebrows he huffed, “what? i just want to give you my number.” “oh right,” you mumbled, handing him the device with a blank contact. his fingers glided over the keyboard as he entered his information into your phone. “text me a time. actually, what class do you have? i’ll pick you up,” he said, eyes looking at you expectantly. 

“um poetry but,” you started before he cut you off, “right your class with kent.” you glared at his tone, one filled with teasing and something else you couldn’t decipher. owen smiled again at the sight of your angry face. you were cute. “i’ll pick you up and we’ll go to lunch, sound good?” he asked, but deep down you knew it was really a question. “perfect,” you agreed, a fake smile on your lips. “great! see you tomorrow babe,” he cheered before walking out of the lecture hall, leaving you stunned into silence.

--

walking out of poetry class, you were surprised to see owen standing there. he was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone aimlessly. you stopped for a moment, just admiring the beauty that was owen power. he was wearing gray sweats and a random michigan hockey shirt, along with his signature glasses that made him look just the right amount of nerdy. 

after some random person shoved you, you realized that you were blocking the hallway. you walked over to owen, clearing your throat as a signal that you were there. “hey. i’m ready to go when you are,” you said, a somewhat forced smile on your face. “me too. let me take your books,” he replied, grabbing the assortment of materials from your hands. “you don’t have to,” you tried to protest, but one look from owen had your mouth snapping shut. just as the two of you were about to walk away, someone called out owen’s name, and you knew exactly who it was. 

“what are you doing here?” the blonde asked, walking up to the two of you. “i have a date, remember?” owen answered, subtly gesturing to you. kent’s eyebrows furrowed, his bottom lip jutting out even more than it already was. “i didn’t think you were being serious,” came kent’s reply. your cringed, the sting from his words already hitting you. owen must have noticed because he huffed in annoyance, “funny kent. now if you’ll excuse us, my girlfriend and i have a lunch date to get to.” those were the final words of the conversation as owen began leading the way out of the building. 

the walk to chipotle was pretty much silent. there were minimal things to talk about anyways. “listen, about the comment, he didn’t mean anything by it. you’re great and what kent said had nothing to do with you--” owen started to explain, but you cut him off: “it’s fine owen. besides, it's not like we’re really dating anyway.” if you didn’t know any better you’d say his face fell at your words.      

“so what are these rules?” owen asked once the two of you sat down at a table in the back corner of chipotle. you felt heat creep up your cheeks at his intense stare. “i don’t know. i’d just figured we’d want rules so no one gets attached,” you mumbled, looking at owen shyly. “and is that what you’re worried about? getting attached?” he asked, and while you originally thought he was teasing, there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. you neglected to answer, instead pulling out a piece of paper to write the agreed rules on. 

“okay so you can pick me up from class, if you want to obviously, and i’ll meet you at your classes too,” you said, looking at owen for confirmation. “i’ll pick you up from class and walk you there. you can do the same for me, if that’s what you want. keep things equal between us,” he agreed and you nodded, jotting down the first rule. 

this continued for some time until things started to get a bit more intense. “you come to all my home games. in my jersey,” he said, but it came off as more of a demand. “all of them?” you asked, biting your lip. “every single one. besides this will give you a chance to see kent play too,” owen replied, wiggling his eyebrows at the last part. you rolled your eyes at his words, huffing in annoyance. “fine. but i’m not wearing the jersey,” you said. “um yes you are. people need to know that you’re my girl, babe,” owen rebutted, giving you a pointed look. 

and he was right, of course. how were you supposed to be fake dating owen power if you don’t even wear his jersey to his games? “fine. but it’s just for show,” you relented. “mhm sure,” owen answered, taking a bite of his food. 

“and what about kissing?” you asked, causing a loud choking sound to come from the boy across from you. you sat up straight, leaning over the table to make sure he was all right. he continued to cough for a few seconds, but gathered himself almost immediately. once the coughing subsided, owen looked at you, and that's how you noticed the closeness between you two; noses barely touching, as his brown eyes met yours. a blush covered both your cheeks as you sat back down. “let’s not plan that out,” he mumbled, and you nodded, writing down the word kiss with a question mark next to it.

--

game tonight. stop by the locker room for the jersey

that was the text you saw displayed on your screen at the end of your midday lecture. this whole fake dating thing with owen had been going on for a couple of weeks now. the two of you walked each other to class, holding hands, parted ways with a hug and “kiss on the cheek” (because if people looked hard enough they would see that his lips barely grazed your skin), and then met up again afterwards for a small coffee or lunch date. it was going great. owen was a nice guy and fun to be around. he was also so smart and helped you out with your homework and studying on more than one account. 

today, however, was his first game since this establishment. it was going to be your big debut, as owen called it, and he had everything all mapped out. you would arrive early, just before warm ups, to meet him at the end of the tunnel, where he would give you his spare jersey. then you would sit in the children of yost section, and he’d make a big show of waving to you during warm ups. from there the team would go on to win the game (fingers crossed) and the two of you would celebrate with his friends at the after party. 

“a foolproof plan,” owen explained over lunch. “yeah totally foolproof. not a single thing could go wrong,” you said, sarcasm dripping from your voice. owen gave you a pointed look, but the smile threatening to make its way onto his face won over. “just keep an open mind,” he begged and you nodded, a small smile on your face as you continued to eat lunch. 

now you are standing at the entrance of the tunnel, fidgeting with your phone. you texted owen a couple of minutes ago and he replied saying that he’d be right out. finally, he came through the tunnel. his pads and skates were on, but no jersey. yet he still managed to look really good, and you had to physically stop your jaw from dropping. 

“hey,” he greeted. “hey. excited?” you asked, sticking your hands in the back pockets of your jeans as you rocked on your heels. “yeah. a little nervous too, but i think we have a good shot,” owen said, a hand running through his long hair. “yeah?” you asked. “yeah,” he answered. the two of you stood there, neither of you making a move. “so the jersey?” you pushed, nodding towards the maize colored jersey. “oh right,” he mumbled, handing it to you. 

you took the piece of clothing from him, inspecting the size. it was huge, going down to your mid thigh at least, and you’d definitely have to roll up the sleeves. “put it on. i want to see,” owen begged, a childish whine in his voice. you laughed, but obliged to his request with no problems. just as anticipated, the jersey was huge. “i look like a child,” you groaned, eyeing the length. you expected owen to have some smart comeback, or completely deny your accusation, but instead he said nothing. 

your eyes now moved from the ginormous jersey, to the tall giant in front of you. “what?” you asked softly, a blush coating your cheeks when you noticed his intense stare and wide opened mouth. again, owen didn’t say anything. “this was a bad idea. i should take it off,” you rambled, lifting the hem of the jersey, but owen stopped you. “no don’t. you look great, really great. please keep it on,” he whispered, fingers wrapping around your wrist. “okay o, i’ll keep it on,” you agreed, letting the fabric slip from your grasp. the air was heavy as his hand dropped yours, eyes still locked on you. “i um…i should go…team meeting and all,” he explained, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck. “yeah. yeah. i’ll see you after, okay?” you said and he nodded, turning to head back the way he came from. 

“oh and owen,” you called, grabbing his hand just before he stepped out of reach. “hmm?” “good luck,” you whispered, standing on your tiptoes as you left a gentle kiss on his jaw. 

--

the game ended up going really well. the boys pulled off a huge win over michigan state, leading to an absolute rager at one of their hockey houses. “we’re going,” owen decided for you, taking your hand in his as he led you to the house. it was clear that he was on an adrenaline high; owen had scored a goal but also had an assist. (at least that’s what the people around you kept saying.) he made a big show of pointing to you during his goal celebration, letting everybody know that the two of you were “together”. 

“are you nervous?” you asked, the hockey house coming into view. “no, why?” owen asked, looking down at you. “dunno. i just figured you would be. these are your friends after all,” you mumbled. “it’ll be fine. they really want to meet you. besides this is the perfect opportunity for you to get kent’s attention,” he said, bumping your shoulder towards the end. you don’t know why, but a small frown came over your face at the mention of kent. you hadn’t thought about the blonde since this whole thing started; your thoughts were consumed by a tall brunette. 

owen guided you up the stairs of the hockey house, one hand resting on the small of your back as you walked in front of him. he pulled the door open, waiting for you to enter the already bustling house. “big dog’s here!” someone shouted, causing a series of whoops and shouts to chorus throughout the room. 

owen smiled, a red tint coating his cheeks. he was so cute, you thought, watching him with a fond smile. “let’s go get a drink,” he said, directing you to the kitchen. the second you entered the small area, you were ambushed by a bunch of rowdy boys. you recognized some of them as owen’s teammates, but you couldn’t remember any names. 

“finally brought your girlfriend around, o?” one of them asked, a teasing smirk on his face. he was tiny, much smaller than owen, and blonde. owen rolled his eyes at the guy’s words, eliciting a couple laughs from the group. “this is y/n. y/n these are the guys,” he introduced, gesturing to the boys in front of you. “hi,” you said, offering them a small wave. 

“what do you want to drink?” owen asked, drawing your attention back to him. “um…lemonade i don’t know. i don’t really drink,” you answered. the blonde guy from earlier scoffed, throwing an arm over your shoulder. “oh that’s gonna change real quick,” he promised, taking it upon himself to make you a mixed drink.

hours later, and you were not only well acquainted with the team, but with drinking. you found out that the blonde guy was named thomas and that he and brendan were pong champs. somehow, and you have no idea how, the two of them had roped you into playing a game of pong with them. they partnered you up with mackie, one of the freshmen, and insisted that they would go easy on you. that strategy didn’t seem to be working in their favor though.    

“let’s go!” mackie shouted, high fiving you as the two of you won your third game in a row. “woo!” you cheered, jumping around excitedly. “dude! do better!” brendan shouted at thomas, causing the two of them to start playing the blame game. 

it was the loud commotion that attracted owen’s attention. he smiled at the sight of you interacting with his friends. you caught him staring, smiling widely at him. you waved him over, calling his name over the loud music. owen walked over to you, stopping when he reached your side. 

“owen! guess what? mackie and i keep winning,” you cheered, gesturing wildly to the younger boy. “oh yeah?” owen asked, trying to suppress a chuckle. you were so cute. “yeah. maybe you and i can play together,” you said, tapping his chest at your great idea. “i don’t think so honey. i think we should go home,” he answered, watching as a pout settled on your lips. “but i’m having so much fun. can’t we stay for a little longer?” you begged, leaning into him. owen shook his head, before explaining that it would be best if you left. “you can come over another time,” he promised, causing your eyes to twinkle in happiness.

“really?” you asked softly, voice taking on an excited tone as your eyes lit up with happiness. “really,” owen answered, intertwining your fingers with his. he smiled fondly at you, nothing but love and adoration swimming in his brown eyes hidden behind those nerdy glasses. “okay. just let me say goodbye first,” you agreed, dropping one of your hands. he watched as you pulled mackie into a side hug, yet still managed to keep him close (not that owen would dream of letting you wander off).

after you’d made your rounds, and owen told the important people that he was heading out for the night, the two of you exited the still wild party. the cool crisp air hit your skin as you walked down the steps and onto the front lawn. “it’s kind of chilly,” you mumbled, stepping closer to owen, who’s body radiated heat like a personal heater. “here,” he began, sliding his arms out of the varsity jacket adorning the school’s logo.

“what owen--” you tried protesting, but he silenced you with a ‘hush’. drunk you didn’t have the energy to argue because you held your arms out, allowing him to slip the jacket onto your shoulders. immediately you were encompassed in the smell that was owen, causing your shoulders to relax and comfort to seep into your bones. “thanks babe,” you said, grabbing his hand in yours once again. that was the first time you called owen babe, but he figured now wasn’t the best time to mention it. 

--

“this physics homework is kicking my ass,” you complained, your head dropping into your hands as your pencil slid across the library table. currently, you and owen were having an impromptu study date in one of the library’s study rooms. he chuckled at your misery, causing you to lift your head up and frown at him. “it’s not funny owen. i’m actually really struggling,” you said, frowning a bit. “let me see it,” he asked, holding his hands out for your paper.

you smiled, happy to be getting some help from the physics genius himself. “what are you taking mech? or electrical?” he asked. your eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his question. “it’s just physics 101. i need it for my major,” you explained. “i see,” he mumbled, eyes completely focused on the paper while yours were completely focused on him. you watched with deep fascination as his brown eyes scanned the words on the page. you could basically see the mathematical gears turning in his head as he tried to decipher the problem and your chicken scratch handwriting. understanding lit up his eyes, as a small “aha” escaped his previously pursed lips. 

“you used the wrong equation here,” he started before going on a physics tangent involving the correct equations, solving steps, and substitutions. he was leaning over the table, watching intently as you worked to make the corrections necessary. when you finally finished the problem, you turned to look out the windows of the study room, the ones that gave you a perfect view of the library. you were surprised, but not shocked, a group of michigan hockey players staring at you like animals in a zoo. 

you blushed when they began making kissy faces at the two of you, brendan holding up a heart with his hands. owen just rolled his eyes, shaking his head gently at their antics. their laughs echoed in the previously quiet room as they all barged in. scraping the chairs against the floor to match their loud, teasing voices. kent took the seat next to owen, nudging the taller boy’s shoulder, shooting him a look that made fun of him in a loving manner. owen’s cheeks flamed and he turned his attention back to you, who was chatting with brendan and thomas while completing the physics homework. 

you must have felt his eyes on you because you looked up. the second your eyes connected your cheeks turned the same shade as his, but you quickly averted your attention back to your studies.  

--

weeks of fake dating turned into a month of fake dating. a month of fake dating turned into two weekend series at home and one away, all of which required you to wear owen’s jersey. all of them that made your feelings for owen abundantly clear. 

maybe this whole thing started out as a way for you to gain kent’s attention, but now you didn’t even care. kent had started talking to you more and texting you, but he didn’t hold your interest the way owen did. you from the past would have been thrilled by the attention, but now, it was unwanted and unwelcome. leading to your current predicament, how to tell owen that you wanted to date him in a realm outside of making kent jealous, rules, and all things fake. studying provided the perfect excuse for you to execute your foolproof plan. (granted you did have a test to study for but it could wait.) 

that night, you skipped out on some party that owen’s friends were hosting under the guise that you needed to prepare for the upcoming week. owen, like the great person that he is, offered to stay back and help you, but you declined his gracious offer. every couple of minutes owen would send you either a text or snap from the party claiming that he was bored and wished you were there. but he hasn’t sent you anything in almost half an hour, and you were disappointed to admit that it was getting to you. 

just as you were about to get back to studying, after checking your phone of course, there was a knock on your door. your eyebrows furrowed, thinking that maybe your roommate lost her key again. but you were surprised to find owen standing there, holding a box of pizza, a six pack of coke, and a bag of your favorite candy. 

“owen? what are you doing here?” you asked, stepping to the side so that he could walk into your room. “i missed you, and the party was boring. so i thought why not stop by to see my favorite girl, and convince her to watch cloud nine with me,” he said, with a sweet smile on his face as he held the box of pizza out as a peace offering. 

“aww owen. i’d love to,” you replied, taking the food from his hands and setting it down on your desk chair. “good because this would have been so awkward otherwise,” he mumbled. you laughed at his words, standing on your tiptoes to throw your arms around his shoulders, linking your fingers together behind his neck. 

“thank you for coming,” you whispered, looking into his beautiful eyes. “you’re welcome,” he answered, arms tightening around your waist just a bit. “i um…actually i wanted to tell you something,” he mumbled shyly, a nervous look in his eyes. “me too,” you replied, stepping away from him ever so slightly, allowing for some space between you two. “you go first,” he insisted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

you took a breath, taking a moment to appreciate the man standing in front of you. part of you knew that this could be the last time you see him. “i have a crush on you. it’s more than a crush actually, and i’d rather date you for real than be in a fake relationship,” you confessed, twiddling your thumbs as you waited for his answer. 

owen’s mouth parted in shock, and he stood there silently for a couple of minutes before answering. “me too. err well i mean i’d like to date you too, for real,” he explained, causing a large smile to take over your face. you laughed, throwing your arms around his neck as his arms wrapped around your midsection, lifting you in a circle. your laughter echoed through the room as he put you back on the ground. 

“i’m so glad that you asked me to be your fake girlfriend,” you whispered, forehead resting against his. “i’m so glad that i came up with this foolproof plan,” owen replied, and you quirked an eyebrow at that. “well it’s not entirely foolproof,” you teased. “oh really? explain,” he demanded. “we still have an issue of kissing to sort out,” you answered. “ah right. how about i kiss you now? and then again later? how about i kiss you everyday? is that a new rule, one kiss a day?” he asked, leaning in closer to you. “i think more than one kiss a day is fine,” you decided, allowing his lips to meet yours in what could only be described as the best kiss in fake dating to lovers' history.

[thewayshedreamed]

The Next Life

Written for Nessian Week 2021, AU day! (Even though my post is late because I fell asleep. 🤦‍♀️ 

Hope y’all enjoy this Nessian meetcute, inspired by some of their interactions/ dialogue in acowar. 

@nessianweek​

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

There was something therapeutic about a casual stroll through a bookstore. Nesta hadn't wasted any time of making a full-blown coping mechanism out of it years before, allowing the smell of paper and the musings of various writers to distract from her own life.

She walked through the new releases and found herself in the poetry section, as she often did. The selection was vast; everything from Homer to Edgar Allen Poe to a tiny assortment of contemporary prose.

Nesta slid a finger down the spine of a book of poetry, watching the letters slide behind her fingers and reappear. She remembered seeing the poet's name on social media and quoted in the forwards of some of the books she'd read most recently. He was everywhere, and he'd apparently released his second collection not too long ago. How Nesta hadn't managed to get her hands on the first in his series by that point was a shock.

Nesta fanned the pages with her thumb, relishing in the way the draft of air felt across her cheeks. She stopped at a random page to sample the content; her usual method to see if she cared for the writer's style. Her eyes trailed the ivory paper and took in the minimalistic, black font. Rarely did a sequence of words, an innocuous string of letters truly make her breath still, but the burning in her chest proved that they could.

 I have no regrets in my life but this.  That we did not have time. That I did not have time with you.

I will find you in the next world— The next life. And we will have that time.

I promise.

                         — e. nalius

 Nesta blinked at the page, blinked again. There was something so beautifully tragic about the message; how unfortunate that he'd found a half of his soul on borrowed time. She couldn't claim to be a hopeless romantic by nature, but Nesta believed in something bigger than herself. That meant that she understood very little about her universe and anything beyond, and by logic alone, the concept of soulmates was possible.

Maybe she was a little romantic.

She flipped through a bit more, scanning another couple of short poems before tucking the book into the crook of her elbow. The poetry collection wasn't as balanced as she would imagine for Temple Books, which led her to believe that another display existed somewhere. It was a bad day for Gwyn to have the day off.

That left Nesta the options to wander around aimlessly to look herself, or worse, speak to someone to ask them if they knew of another display. She strolled through a couple of sections, weighing the costs of each option against her desire for the companion to the book in her grasp.

Her eyes stayed locked on the various books as she moved from one aisle to another, and she added several to her mental "To Be Read" list along the way. The store wasn't busy since it was week day, which meant she could take her time perusing the other genres in her pursuit of the poetry section she still wasn't sure existed at all.

She rounded a new aisle, stopping short when a broad form came into her periphery. A man shared the space with her, still nearly 12 feet down the aisle, but his presence startled her nonetheless considering she'd grown used to being alone.

He was impossibly tall, broad-shouldered. His forearms were so long that he managed two stacks of books in his hold side-by-side, pressed against his side. His brows were furrowed as he scanned the various titles and moved to place them in the appropriate place. Admittedly, she could do much worse for herself if she was forced to ask a clerk for help.

Nesta approached him on quiet feet, careful not to startle him out of his concentration. "Excuse me?"

He oriented toward her, his eyes dragging from a title on the shelves before his attention snapped to her fully. His height was even more disorienting up close. That was without mentioning the way his scent; clean, yet smoky somehow, complimented the smell of books around them.

His bronze skin was the perfect backdrop for his features; onyx hair and eyebrows, full and dark eyelashes that framed bright hazel eyes. Nesta swore she saw three different shades of green alone.

"Hi," he greeted, a soft smile on his lips. His very full lips, if she was the type to notice such things.

Her cheeks heated, but she refused to seem affected by his attention. This was business, after all.

"Sorry—" she stammered. "—I'm sure you're busy." She took a deep breath. "You're clearly busy. Anyway, I was wondering if you all have another display or table of poetry? Contemporary, specifically?"

His lips quirked up in a sideways smile, his amusement drawing a thread of gold through all the greens she had noticed before.

"I really wish I could help, but I don't know much about poetry, and uhh—" He gripped the back of his neck. "I don't work here?"

Nesta bristled at her mistake and felt her defenses rising to the occasion. "Are you asking me?"

A chuckle bubbled out of him, and despite herself, a small smile spread across Nesta's face. Even she had to admit to being unfair.

"I come here from time to time, but no. I don't work here."

How often did he end up in her bookstore? Surely she would remember someone like him wandering around among the mere mortals, but she supposed her nose was most often in a book. 

"I'm sorry I assumed. I saw you with all those books," she said, gesturing with her hand. "I thought you were putting things away or stocking the shelves."

The man looked at the heaping stacks in his arms and smiled sheepishly at her, a faint pink dusting his cheeks. It was hardly fair for him to be so handsome and seem so human all at once.

"Ah. Now that I think about it, that's fair. I'm actually shopping for a friend's birthday, but I overestimated my skills in picking something out for her. I've been here an hour already."

It was Nesta's turn to chuckle. She turned to place her book on a nearby shelf with her keys and phone, then turned toward him and extended her hands.

"Have you narrowed it down to genre, at least?"

She curled her fingers in a gesture to hand some of the books over. He paused for a second before snapping into action, transferring a few titles into her hold. His fingers brushed against hers in the process, and the contact sent a wave of heat all the way down to her toes. As much as his nearness made her heart quicken, there was something so familiar, so comfortable about him that made her feel as though he would appreciate the small favor.

"Historical fiction. Regular fiction. Some fantasy." he listed, brow furrowed again as if she'd asked him to recite Pi up to twenty decimal points. "Romance."

"So, you have too many options. That's the problem."

He looked up at her with one of the most earnest expressions she'd ever seen. "Yes. Exactly."

This had an unprecedented ability to force a smile over Nesta's face, but she didn't waste time picking that apart. Instead, she launched into problem-solving mode. They had narrowed down his haul to two books in a matter of minutes, and he decided then that the universe must have wanted him to get Mor two books for her birthday.

Nesta couldn't help her disappointment at knowing her name rather than his. They'd been talk too long for her to ask now, though, so she soldiered on with the hope that he'd offer it up casually.

"Just think, if I hadn't come to say hello, you could have been here for another 5 hours," she teased as they re-shelved the other books. Two of them never made it back to their original spot in favor of Nesta's own haul.

"I don't know if you can count mistaking me as an employee as 'saying hello'." He slid a playful glare her way through his side eye, daring to bump her shoulder with his. "Plus, I think you actually said, 'excuse me', Sweetheart."

Nesta rolled her eyes. "If that's what you call me, you don't know me well enough." She paused, allowing his laugh to skitter up her spine. "You know what I meant."

"I do." He turned to her with a serious look she hadn't yet seen. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, seeming to buy him a moment to gather his nerve. "For what it's worth," he rasped, "I'm glad you came over."

Her cheeks might as well have been on fire. She looked away to hide her blush, gathering the books she'd kept from their reject pile, along with her keys and phone.

"Right. Well, I'd better take off. I lost track of time and have some other errands to run before I get home."

Without so much as another glance, she turned to walk away. The man sounded as though he meant to call after her, but before he could get the words out, Nesta called out her goodbyes over her shoulder.

She lost herself several aisles down, trying and failing to convince her heart to stop beating roughly against her ribcage. There was a war raging in her mind, the interior of her chest. The intensity of what she felt around that beautiful stranger was terrifying, but there was a song in her blood that came alive in a way that she'd never experienced a day in her short life.

If she was the queen of anything, it was self-sabotage. Their interaction should have been something positive and exciting, something to revisit at another time in the interest of knowing him better. Instead, she'd gotten in her own head the second his behavior had even hinted that her interest was reciprocated. Her legs had carried her away as if the floor was on fire beneath her, and she hadn't even managed to get his damned name.

With another half-hearted pass by the center tables and several additional aisles, Nesta gave up her original search. She had the two she kept from Mr. Blood Song, so that would have to do for now. She gripped them tightly to her on her journey up to the check-out line, cursing her internal melodramatics.

The line moved quickly, and blessedly, she was soon walking up to one of the cashiers. The young girl was chipper, as sweet as could be, but Nesta could barely force her politeness over her need to escape. She wasn't sure she could risk running into him again after her more than embarrassing display of nerves.

As she set her books on the counter, she let out a low, rough curse. The cashier's eyes grew large, assessing Nesta for anything that could have been a sign of her wrong-doing.

"Miss, is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah." No. "Well, kind of. I just realized I left a book that I meant to buy on a shelf somewhere."

The first damned book she had picked up. In her haste to grab her things— well, make a fool of herself, in hindsight— she had completely forgotten the book of poetry that had initiated the whole mess. Her smoothness knew no bounds.

"Would you like to go grab it? I'll hold these for you!" Nesta had to give the girl credit for her willingness to hold the two of them together with her enthusiasm.

She considered, but two things were of concern. First, the line had continued to grow behind her, and she didn't want to be that person who cut to the very front or held the line up altogether. Second, that book was somewhere near where she'd spent her time with the charming non-employee, and subsequently embarrassed herself. She wasn't enthused about the possibility of bumping into him when he likely thought her to be a crazy person.

"No, that's fine," she insisted, shaking her head. "I'm here enough. I'll pick it up on my next trip."

The girl nodded and completed the rest of the transaction. Disappointment threatened to settle over Nesta's shoulders at her decision, for multiple reasons, but she clung to a small silver lining to keep from sinking into it. Perhaps the second book would be in stock by the time she visited again, and she could pick them up together. She moved through poetry pretty quickly, so having the second one on standby was the better option.

Offering her thanks to the cashier, Nesta gathered her keys to unlock her car. Just as she eased the door open to slip inside, a distinctly male voice sounded from behind her.

"Miss!"

Was he talking to her? His voice wasn't familiar, so it was more likely that he meant to capture someone else's attention nearby. 

His voice sounded again. "Ma'am!"

Nesta paused, turning toward him slowly and making no attempt to mask her skepticism. The guy that approached her was young, and upon further inspection, she recognized him as one of the other cashiers from inside. He carried a small bag in his hand, holding it out to her as he approached.

"You left this behind. Glad I caught you before you drove off." He smiled, his eyes darting to his hand and back to her face in question.

"I have my bag right here," she countered, pointedly looking toward the bag hanging from her fingers. "I think you may have the wrong person."

"No, this is for you. The receipt is inside and everything. I meant to catch you if you didn't end up at my register, but I lost track of time." He deposited the bag into her hand, walking backward toward the store. "Have a great rest of your day!" With a broad smile, he was gone.

She looked in her own bag to see if maybe her own cashier had forgotten to bag both of her books, but they were both there. Something he said resonated with her while she settled into the driver's seat of her car, piquing her curiosity further.

I meant to catch you if you didn't end up at my register.

That insinuated that it had been there before she checked out. There hadn't been any books she'd pre-ordered recently, nor did she have anything on hold. Compelled by confusion and a base need to figure out the chaos of her afternoon, she shoved her hand into the other bag. She pulled out the contents to reveal the book of poetry she had insisted she would pick up later, E. Nalius' first collection. Her fingers danced lightly over the cover, offering her some mindless action to ground her while she thought through things. 

There was one last variable to investigate before she allowed herself to be properly sketched out. She opened the cover gently to reveal the receipt that had been jutting out of the top. Flipping it over, she noted the sharp, sleek penmanship on the back. The full smile she allowed herself was as genuine as the flutter in her stomach while she read the short message. 

 The next time, I'll come say hello.

— Cassian

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

[kiatheinsomniac]

SHIPS | SHIP RULES

☾ ⋆ﾟ  MASTERLIST / RULES / TAGLIST FORM

"Hello! I love your both of your blogs and your posts make the days easier. I hope you’re having a good day! My anxiety sucks and this took me two days but I would love a ship! I am a she/her bisexual. I hate being the center of attention but I am also the loud one in the friend group. I tend to feel and demonstrate my emotions in extremes, so if I’m quiet I fade completely into the background and when I’m excitable I’m very distracting. I try to be as compassionate and kind to others as I can; I blame it on working in healthcare. I’m usually the laid back friend but if I’m very comfortable, I’m loud. I am 100% ride or die with people I’m loyal to. Love languages are definitely physical affection and acts of service. I would spend all day out in the woods with horses if I could, exploring every bit of nature I’m allowed to ride on. I’m fascinated by all forms of medicine and physical rehabilitation. Crow like tendencies, I definitely have little random collections of things especially rocks and poetry books. My memory is poor, but I love stories and learning new things in detail; its the ADHD. I love the stars. I hate big, crowded and loud places, hot weather, and rooms without windows. Fandoms preferably Assassin’s Creed (I haven’t played unity or rogue) and all things Tolkien.” — @the-coolest-marshmallow

I ship you with Arwen!

She finds the way you express yourself to be very endearing and she admires your compassion and your work in helping to treat others. She adores seeing how you come out of your shell when you're comfortable and it never fails to bring a smile to her face to see you like that. She'd love to go on horse rides through the valley with you. With her father being the renowned healer he is, she has easy access to any sort of books on medicinal studies and she likes to make sure you always have some available to read to fuel your interest! Your random collections are another thing that she finds adorable about you and she even likes to add on to them by gifting little things to you, maybe a book of poems that looked abandoned in the library and as though you would love it, perhaps a stone that caught her eye down by the river that she thought you'd like. She's lived a long time and so has many stories to tell you and she's keen to share her elven knowledge of the stars with you too.

She's cleared spaces around the room for you to group your rock collections around the place in and she even expanded the bookcase for all of your poetry!

Once while out on a ride, the two of you ran into her brothers as the sun was beginning to set and you all had a race to see who could return to Rivendell first (the twins love you as they can see how happy you make their sister)

Amongst all the books on medicine she's procured for you, she's delved into her own research on how to help you through your anxiety and has taken to making you blends of tea to help settle you nerves and even help you sleep better.

The two of you often have little dates out in the woods where you bring an assortment of snacks, a blanket to lay on and some poetry to delve into. You'll also go off together to find little wildflowers, perhaps a fallen tree that's covered in so much moss, just taking in all the little details of the natural world around you together.

On nights when the two of you just can't stop talking, she'll often stroke your hair while she tells you stories until she knows you've fallen asleep. She likes to wait for you to sleep first so she knows you're not too anxious about anything and then she'll kiss your forehead before going to sleep herself.

☾ ⋆ﾟ Buy me a coffee? ✧⋆.・゜Want to be tagged?

[your-local-grinning-cat]

*nod to each other decisively*

*Che’nya disappears and then reappears next to you, hugging you but also not letting you escape*

*AR sits in front of you*

AR: We recognize that you have chosen Norse mythology, but you flirted in Greek. And your pfp is Idia, who is based on Hades. This travesty cannot stand.

Prepare to have the flirting post turn to a reference post, bitch. Ima bout to throw links.

Che’nya: YAY THE 4TH WALL IS GONE AGAIN! I didn’t like it anyway, the wallpaper sucked. The next time it’s rebuilt, can I paint it magenta?

AR: Shhhh Che’nya I’m forcing someone to witness another one of my hyperfixations!

Che’nya: 🫡🫢😶

AR: These are completely random and assorted. There are middle grade, young adult, adult, poetry, non-fiction, graphic novels, manga… GO FORTH AND ENJOY THE FRUITS OF MY HYPERFOCUS EVEN THOUGH THIS BLOG IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO THIS TOPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

*throws links at you*

Daughter of Sparta (and the rest of the Daughter of Sparta series) by Claire M. Andrews

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Zeus is a Dick by Susie Donkin

Great Goddesses: Life Lesseons from Myths and Monsters by Nikita Gill

Temping Fate by Esther Friesner

The Odyssey & The Iliad by Homer - translated by Emily Wilson

flower crowns & fearsome things by Amanda Lovelace

The Shadow Thieves (and the rest of the Cronus Chronicles series) by Anne Ursu

Aphrodite Made Me Do It (and the rest of the Myth and Magick series) by Trista Mateer

Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes by Cory O’Brien (actually world mythology but has Greek in it obviously)

Zeus: King of the Gods (and the rest of the Olympians graphic novels) by George O’Connor

The Lightning Thief (the the rest of the Percy Jackson series, as well as any spin offs) by Rick Riordan

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

The Pig Scrolls (and the rest of the Gryllus the Pig series) by Paul Shipton

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Punderworld by Linda Šejić

The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason

And just for the fun of it, have two books related to DISNEY Greek mythology!

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

Fire & Fate by Serena Valentino

*AR collapses and instantly falls asleep*

*Che’nya looks at them and then at you from where he is still curled up at your side, hugging you*

Che’nya: *whispers* You don’t actually have to do anything with those links. You just unlocked their hyperfocus. *snickers* Thanks for letting them indulge.

*nuzzles your face and kisses your cheek* Sorry your ask went so off the rails. AR likes to think their brain isn’t as mad as mine, and most of the time that’s true but… *gestures up above at the links, giggling*

On the bright side, I still think you have mad rizz~! Heeheehee~! *nuzzles you again, purring*

Howevfur, I do believe it’s time this cat dragged out the person that dragged me in! AR seems sleepy. *floats up and over to AR and pokes them* Hmm… yeah they’re out.

*chuckles* So much went on today they didn’t even manage to update the pinned post like the wanted to do before they fell asleep. That’s hissterical! They were so determined too! 😹

Maybe tomorrow… or maybe not. *grins*

*floats back to you* Thanks again, this was fun! *rubs my nose against yours, eyes closed happily*

But I don’t need to hunt you silly, you’re already here in the Tulgey Wood with me! And no one leaves here unless I let them. Just ask AR. I adopted them as my human and they’ve been stuck here ever since! 😺

*with that, Che’nya moves back over to AR and lays on top of them like a living blanket, fading both of them from sight*

Are you Artemis? Cuz you can hunt me down any day of the week <3 (aspiring mythologist rizz)

Che’nya AND AR:

*stop*

*turn around*

*stare at you*

*remember the bookshelves where the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan books are*

*remember the Percy Jackson TV show saved in the watch list on Disney+*

*remember the other numerous Greek mythology-related books on the shelves*

*Che’nya and AR look at each other*

*Che’nya and AR glare at each other*

AR: I-

Che’nya: I’m not sharing.

AR: Neither am I, you wet sock!

Che’nya: *offended gasp*

*the two launch at each other and begin fighting*

[queenshelby]

First Date (Just Friends Part 5) - Cillian Murphy Imagine

Featuring: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: SMUT

Words: 3760

New Morning Routine

Sunlight peaks in around the window ledge, streaming through the shear curtains and warming your hand. You slowly waken, struggling to open your eyes. Something felt different in the most divine way.

As the room came into focus, details from the previous day came rushing back and you felt happy, more than you did in a long time.

You stretched and wiggled a bit, enjoying the soft feeling of the sheets and pillow. Your motion caused a soft murmur behind you and an arm came around your waist, pulling you closer.

‘Good Morning’ you heard Cillian say softly before his soft lips touched your bare shoulder.

‘Good Morning’ you said equally soft before tilting your head, giving him a quick kiss.

‘I am surprised that you aren’t up already’ you said as this was the first time you actually woke up next to Cillian. Usually, by this time, he would already have had a shower and his first cup of coffee.

‘It’s cold and I don’t want to get out of bed’ he murmured as he snuggled into you even more beneath the doona.

As he was snuggling up to you from behind, you could feel his hard member against your back.

You were surprised but yet excited about the possibility of morning sex. But first, you couldn’t help it but make a little joke.

‘I thought this usually only happens to 20 something year olds in the mornings’ you giggled as you reached behind you, in between his legs.

‘Well, I can’t help it, you are just too beautiful’ Cillian said before kissing your neck, sending a smile to your face.

‘Hmm’ you purred as his kisses were slowly becoming firmer as his hand moved to cup my breast, causing your nipple to harden in his palm.

You turned over to face him and stare into his amazingly blue eyes.

‘I love you’ he whispered before his sensual lips moved to capture yours.

‘I love you too’ you said as you broke the kiss for just a second. It was nice that you could admit your feelings not only to yourself, but also to him. You felt as though you had fought it for way too long.

You could feel his desire for you building up again as he gently pushed your back to the mattress and ran his hand over your panties so that his fingers were resting against the top of your clit.

He already had given you about five orgasms in the last 24 hours, but you couldn’t get enough of him. You wanted him again and spread your legs slightly, giving him better access.

While he was stimulating your clit, your hand moved back in between his legs, gently stroking his hard cock through his Calvin Klein briefs.

You were so wet for him already, your panties soaking, as his hands pushed your panties aside and his middle finger down the entirety of your wet entrance.

As he began to rub your clit, you began to moan and stroke his cock harder, feeling a drop of precum flowing from his tip on to the light cotton that is restricting it.

His breathing got heavy as you continued to stroke him while he slipped one of his fingers inside your pussy. You couldn’t help but buck your head back into the pillow.

The pace of pleasuring one another soon became quicker, and although you weren’t saying anything, there was much to be heard with your bodies.

Cillian would occasionally slip his fingers out to rub your clit with the wetness of your hole, and you could feel his cock already pulsating in your hand.

‘I want you inside of me’ you demanded as you flipped back on to your side and with his cock grasped firmly in your hand.

You rubbed his cock once slowly over your clit, just before he grabbed hold of his own cock and rubs it back and forth against your wet folds, stopping at your entrance to tease you.

‘Cillian’ you said firmly, as you couldn’t wait any longer, causing him to grin.

‘Alright, alright’ he said with a smile on his face as, slowly, he pushed inside of you.

‘Oh god, yes’ you moaned at the sensation of him entering you.

You were both breathing heavy with each deepening thrust. Cillian reached around and continues to rub your clit as he penetrates you from behind, causing you to moan loudly over and over again.

As this goes on for another few heightening minutes, you couldn’t help but sink your fingernails into his forearm.

While he was inside of you, thrusting in and out of you, he kissed the back of your shoulder up along your neck.

You turned your head and made your way towards his lip before grazing each other’s tongues. As you kissed more and more intensely he began to fuck you harder.

He was completely indulged in your pleasure and your orgasm was edging.

As you climaxed, you pulsed throughout your entire body while he slows down his thrusts to feel your muscles tighten around his thickening cock. But then, he couldn’t hold back much longer either and pumped faster as your walls continued to contract.

He could feel everything and, with one loud moan, he filled you with his warm cum before you turned around and kissed him again passionately.

‘I wish we could do this every morning’ Cillian smirked after your lips drifted apart.

‘No reason we can’t’ you responded sheepishly before kissing Cillian again. ‘So, what’s the plan for today?’ you asked after your lips drifted apart.

‘Well, I thought I would take you out for our first official date’ Cillian said.

‘A date?’ you asked excitedly. ‘Where are you taking me?’ you added.

‘It’s a surprise‘ Cillian smirked before jumping out of the bed and walking into the bathroom. He seemed in a hurry to get ready and it turned out that he had the whole day planned out for you.

You were quick to get ready, but didn’t worry too much about make up. Cillian always told you that you looked best without it. He adored your natural beauty.

Within 30minutes, you were both showered and dressed and ready to get into Cillian’s car.

First Date

You hadn’t been to this part of Ireland before and hoped that the day would include some sightseeing and maybe some shopping.

You loved small country town shops and old bookstores and you have heard that there were many of those around the area.

Unsurprisingly, you weren’t to be disappointed as Cillian pulled up and parked the car in the middle of a small township.

He took you to a small café for breakfast before you both explored the shops in the street. There were small antique stores, craft shops and a second-hand book shop.

Cillian knew that you enjoyed historical books and everything antique or vintage. At home, you had a large collection of old English teacups and books, mostly poetry. Your grandmother always referred to you as an old soul but most men you’ve met in the past thought that your collectables are somewhat random and silly. They didn’t understand your fascination and would never have considered paying any interest in them.

Cillian was different. He quite enjoyed some of the poetry as well and you discussed many of the writers that you’ve loved with him. To your surprise, Cillian was also more affectioned than all of the other men you’ve met in the past and he didn’t mind to show his affection for you. He would often take your hand into his and give you small kisses where and when appropriate. You enjoyed all of the attention you were receiving from him.

You were, however, slightly uncomfortable as a young woman came up to him and asked him for a picture. It felt strange to you but Cillian seemed to have handled it well. He likes his privacy and you were glad for it.

‘So, it’s time for the actual date’ Cillian said as you returned back to the car after a few hours in town.

‘I am really curious as to where you are taking me Cilly’ you said as you strapped yourself in.

‘Somewhere you will like and where I will be out of my comfort zone’ he said laughing.

After about 10 minutes, you pulled up at what looked like an old castle.

‘Wow, this looks amazing. What is inside?’ you asked.

‘It used to be a residence of some English man until 1889. It then was converted into a hotel and restaurant in the early nineteen hundreds. James Joyce used to stay here frequently until he died in 1941 so I thought you would like it’ Cillian said.

‘James Joyce used to stay here? Are you serious?’ you asked. You had read literally every James Joyce novel and were a huge fan of his work.

‘Yes, he used to visit with his mistress I believe’ Cillian explained as he stepped out of the car.

‘Have you been here before?’ you wondered.

‘Only once for a wedding’ he said before taking your hand and walking inside with you.

The restaurant inside was kept well within the 1890 theme but you soon realised that this is not where you would be eating as the waiter asked you to follow him upstairs.

Upstairs was another venue called ‘The Tearoom’ which was even more beautiful. It had red curtains and beautiful chandeliers.

‘Seriously, High Tea?’ you laughed, knowing exactly that Cillian had no idea what he was in for.

‘Well, I knew you would like it’ Cillian said as he looked around and observed that he was the only man in the entire venue.

‘Would you like a glass of champaign?’ the waitress asked both of you just as you sat down.

You ordered a glass of cuvee but Cillian didn’t really like sparkling wine or champaign.

‘Do you have Guinness?’ Cillian asked, causing the waitress to shake her head in disbelieve before telling him that they didn’t serve beer here.

‘Just tea is fine, thanks’ Cillian responded, causing you to laugh.

‘You look uncomfortable’ you said with a laugh while Cillian looked at the tea menu, which had at least 40 teas to choose from.

‘I admit, I do feel a little out of place’ Cillian said.

‘Well, thank you for taking me here, this is amazing’ you said, being impressed with the historical flair of the venue and the assortment of teas.

‘You are welcome’ he said before reaching across the table and taking your hand into his.

It wasn’t long until you’ve ordered and then you talked for a while and observed your surroundings.

Not far from you there was a table with four young women, two of which glanced over to your table on numerous occasions.

‘It looks like you are getting a bit of interest’ you said jokingly but quietly.

‘Well, I am the only guy in this place, that’s probably why’ Cillian said jokingly just before the waitress approached your table with the food.

‘Wow, this is a lot of cake’ Cillian said as he saw the three trier stand of sandwiches, scones and cakes, causing the waitress to laugh.

Cillian wasn’t much of a sweet tooth and you knew you would have a lot of left overs.

You both tried your best to finish everything but eventually gave up.

When you left the venue and stepped outside it was raining again and you decided to wait for a few minutes to see if the rain eases off before walking to your car.

‘This was the most beautiful first date, thank you Cilly’ you said before giving him a kiss.

‘I am glad you enjoyed it’ Cillian said before telling you that he loved you as your lips drifted apart.

‘I love you too’ you responded before taking Cillian’s hand making a run for the car.

Jealousy

When you arrived back at the Cottage, Cillian heated up the fire place while you ran a bath for the both of you.

You enjoyed having baths with Cillian and were soaking in the tub together for at least 20 minutes.  

As you came out of the bathroom, you noticed that you received a text message from Jeremy.

‘Having a good time in Kerry with your sugar daddy?’ the message said, causing you to choke.

You were furious about the tone of the message from Jeremy and wondered how he knew that you were in Kerry.

Just as you were typing a response, another text message arrived.

‘I am disappointed Y/N. I didn’t think you were the kind of woman who would get involved with someone almost twice her age. For what, publicity or money?’ the message said. The text message also contained a link to a tweet of a woman you didn’t know.

You opened the link and saw a photo of you and Cillian sharing a kiss in front of the venue you visited earlier that day. Someone must have taken a photo of you.

Your face was turning red in anger as you read the message over and over again and you didn’t know what to respond.

‘Y/N? Is everything alright?’ Cillian asked as he observed the look on your face.

‘It’s just Jeremy being an ass’ you said as you put the phone down.

‘Why? What did he do?’ Cillian asked concerned.

‘Here’ you said as you gave him your phone and disappeared to get yourself a cardigan.

‘Y/N’ Cillian said as you were leaving, wanting to talk with you about it.

‘Just give me a moment Cilly, ok?’ you said as you walked off. Tears were building up in your eyes and you didn’t want Cillian to see you like this.

Cillian decided to give you some space as you had requested and put your phone onto the kitchen bench.

He didn’t like Jeremy’s comment either but wasn’t surprised. He was prepared for some backlash. After all, this was exactly what he warned you about.

While you had disappeared, Cillian began to prepare dinner and, about ten minutes later, you returned from the bedroom.

You had calmed down a bit and a glass of red wine was waiting for you on the counter as you returned.

You took a sip and offered to help Cillian with the vegetables.

‘Are you alright…with this?’ Cillian asked.

‘What, with the vegetables?’ you asked jokingly.

‘With the comments from Jeremy and the picture’ Cillian asked.

‘A few years ago my grandmother explained to me that people tend to express themselves negatively towards others in order to deal with feelings of jealousy. I believe that this is true and there is literally no reason for me to get wound up about it. Jeremy is clearly just jealous’ you said maturely as you sipped on your wine.

‘Your grandmother is a smart woman’ Cillian said with a chuckle.

‘By the way, I never really liked Jeremy. He seems immature’ Cillian said jokingly before giving you a kiss.

‘I do feel bad for him though, in a way’ you said.

‘I don’t. In fact, I can’t wait to kiss you right in front of him now just to annoy him even more ‘Cillian said cheekily.

‘Cillian!’ you smirked as you bit your lip. You never noticed Cillian to be territorial but the thought of it turned you on.

‘What?’ he answered as he ran his thumb over your cheek and kissed you again.

‘Hmm… so how would you kiss me right in front of him?’ you asked sheepishly. ‘Like this?’ you added before a soft moan escaped you as you pulled Cillian towards you, tight against you, before sliding your tongue into his mouth. The kiss was urgent and passionate.

‘More like this’ Cillian responded before he pressed you hard against the corner of the kitchen bench, kissing you once more, with even more passion, while slightly pushing your legs apart with his.

By this point, you could feel Cillian’s erection press against you.

‘You should have kissed me like this in front of the restaurant, that would have given off a good picture for Twitter’ you said as you ran your hands over the bulge of his pants.

‘I am glad you can see the humour in this’ Cillian chuckled before moving his hands up to cup your breasts.

‘I want you to fuck me right here Cillian’ you said with urgency, causing Cillian to pull your clothes off you with urgency.  

You were wearing nothing but your black lace lingerie now as Cillian lifted you up onto the counter and pushed your legs apart.

‘What about dinner?’ Cillian smirked as he began trailing kisses down your chest while unclipping your bra.

‘Later’ you moaned, the wetness building up in between your legs.

Cillian started to gently kiss and lick your delectable nipples while your arm snaked around his head as you moaned.

Your body was arching towards Cillian as he trailed kisses all the way down to your abdomen.

Your lips parted in clear anticipation as he was moving closer towards your panties.

After he pulled off your panties, his lips moved to your wet folds rather quickly, sending you into a horizontal position on the counter.

Cillian grabbed your thighs and pulled you slightly towards him as your legs were spread wide, one resting on his shoulder.

Cillian’s licks were still soft and gentle, but growing more insistent.

You loved the feeling of his lips and tongue in between your legs and your moans were continuous, loud and spurring.

Cillian slipped a finger into your moist, inviting opening around which your body shuddered instantly as he continued sucking you.

He soon added another and thrusting them both in and out of you, hitting your g-spot over and over again. The feeling of it sent you to another level. The familiar "Don't stop!" came soon.

It wasn’t long until you were convulsing around Cillian’s fingers as you growled an inarticulate sound and Cillian needed to hold you back with his other hand as you started thrashing around the counter.

‘Oh my god Cillian’ you moaned as your orgasm washed over you. He was so good at this, it was almost unbelievable.

You lifted your back up slightly after you came down from your high, only to notice that Cillian was positioning himself in between your legs.

With a full smile, you were ready as you watched him lining himself up with your entrance, spreading your legs widely to accommodate him.

‘Fuck’ Cillian moaned as he entered you slowly. You were incredibly tight, but also incredibly wet.

You loved the feeling of him filling you like this and let out a high pitched moan as he started; slowly but firmly moving in and out.

It wasn’t long until you clenched onto Cillian’s forearms as he began thrusting rhythmically and forcefully, primal desire taking over.

His hands grabbed your butt and began impaling it onto him as his thrusts became harder. You could almost feel him all the way inside your stomach.

‘Cillian, I am so close’ you moaned as he kept thrusting while he was kissing and gently biting your neck.

The sex was much harsher than you’ve had with him before but that’s exactly what you wanted in that moment.

Goosebumps started appearing all over your skin and you were visibly shaking now.  Your walls soon began to contract around Cillian’s hard cock and he held your thighs firmly all the way until you orgasmed.

‘Oh god yes’ you moaned as your orgasm shook your body into tiny little pieces and your eyes rolled unseeingly as you were being taken over by the crashing elements of your arousal.

Cillian’s moans increased in intensity and volume as he felt you coming around his cock.

‘Fuck’ was all that he could bring over his lips as he came inside of you. A feeling of heat flooded you as spurt after spurt of cum was emptied into you.

‘Hmm I so needed this’ you smirked as Cillian’s forehead was leaning against your breasts. He was still coming down from his high and panted.

‘I love you Y/N’ he said as he looked up at you.

‘I love you to Cilly’ you said just before you exchanged a passionate kiss.

You soon got dressed again and decided to continue with cooking dinner, together, while listening to Portishead and having some read wine.

You loved being with Cillian and, in the end, comments like those from Jeremy meant nothing. You realised that and were determined to ignore people like him from now on.

But it wasn’t that easy. You couldn’t ignore everyone.

After you checked your phones again a few hours later, you each had several missed calls. News travel fast, very fast.

Cillian excused himself to make a call just as you finished cooking. It seemed urgent.

When he returned five minutes later, he was highly frustrated.

You asked what was wrong, but he didn’t want to talk about it. You couldn’t help but wonder who he called.

[i-is-a-fan-weeb]

Last friday we were allowed to use our phones in art class,and we could take pic of our own artwork and covers of our sketchbooks so i thought id share mine(even tho it all sucks so i only did the covers,which also suck)

Back cover:

Its the original Gilbert Baker flag combined with the Trans-POC Progress Pride flag with the Two Spirit symbol on top.

Front cover:

Its just a random of assortment of stuff i like. I wrote my name in the colors of the pan flag bc im pan. I drew a cat bc i like cats but it also symbolizes all animals bc i like alot. The little heads are Harry Potter(Harry Potter),Anne Boonchoy(Amphibia),Luz Noceda(The Owl House),and Haruhi Fujioka(Ouran High School Host Club). I also did a pizza,chocolate w/ caramel and donut as three foods i like,a book bc i like reading and i wrote poetry bc i didnt know how to draw that.The flags are(in no particular order):

Transgender

Demigirl

Demiboy

Demigender

Xenogender

Polysexual

Genderqueer

Intersex

Asexual

Aromantic

Agender

Lesbian

Nonbinary

MLM

Pansexual

Bisexual

Bigender

Omnisexual

Genderfluid

Polyamory

Neutrois

Demisexual

Demiromantic

Abrosexual

Hijra

Gray-Asexual

The last one i dont remember but its that small one above my horrible attempt at chocolate w/caramel,next to Harry and undermeath intersex. The flag is black(or dark grey),blue,black(dark grey),purple/pink and black/dark gray. If anyone can tell me what the flag is,that would be great.

The spine is a rainbow,and the logo at the bottom? I colored over ot to resemble the Progress Pride flag.

My sketchbook did get me into an argument with some homophob3$ in my class,but my art teacher is suppirtive so some ups and downs

[yamayuandadu]

Wikipedia troubles, or “Father Enlil, (...) don't let your precious metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld“

clarification regarding my post about troubles with a certain site i’ve been contributing to a lot for the past few months. To preface this with a mythical metaphor: in Inanna’s Descent, when Ninshubur pleads with the other gods to save Inanna, she uses the formula “don't let anyone kill your daughter in the underworld. Don't let your precious metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld. Don't let your precious lapis lazuli be split there with the mason's stone. Don't let your boxwood be chopped up there with the carpenter's wood.” Currently this is what is happening to the Inanna article, I am afraid.

So, long story short, as most of you probably have noticed I am contributing relatively often to wikipedia as of late, starting with the creation of a Matara-jin article a few months ago. Among other things I wrote, rewrote or at least significantly improved the following:

articles about Mesopotamian medicine goddesses:

Ninkarrak from the western frontier, Nintinugga, who was associated with funerary offerings, Ninisina, who took over Inanna's gimmick in Isin, Bau, who became a healing goddess by chance, Gula, who eclipsed her peers - as expected from someone named “the great” articles about Inanna's courtiers and associated goddesses:

Ninshubur, her sidekick (my best work overall imo, the one article I wrote which I think fully deserves the “good” badge but I am not vain enough to apply myself), Ninegal, a goddess turned into her title, Nanaya, just the horny part distilled (bought a book just for this one!), Irnina, inexplicably cthtonic personified victory

articles about Mesopotamian gods too insignificant for anyone else to care about them:

Tishpak, a god so foreign nobody knows where he came from, Sebitti, seven warlike brothers, Enmesharra, Enlil's evil uncle, Urash, not the earth goddess – there are two... Urashes, Ningishzida, Dumuzi but with a snake gimmick, Zababa, a war god who's NOT Nergal, Ninimma, Enlil's court scribe, Gatumdag, popular as ersatz mom among kings of Lagash, Manzat, the rainbow

articles about Mesopotamian goddesses whose main trait was being someone's wife: Marduk's wife Sarpanit, Adad's wife Shala, Shamash's wife Aya

articles about Hurrian gods: Alalu, primordial vanquished king of gods, Kumarbi, his son, divine Saturday morning cartoon villain, Ninatta and Kulitta, a pair of divine musicians who always appeared together, Allani, oddly joyful queen of the dead, Šauška, who was so firmly genderfluid there's two of them in the most famous image of the Hurrian pantheon, Lelluri, a mountain goddess, Kubaba, who isn't Cybele, Goddess of the Night, who has no proper name despite being a case study in important religious rituals, Belet Nagar, who was like Ashur before Ashur got popular, Nupatik, who was important but we don't know why

articles about Eblaite gods: Ishara, “independent lady of love associated with scorpion and cannabis” popular everywhere where she went, Aštabi, a war god who really wanted to be like the weather god, Hadabal, who used to be famous but vanished out of blue, Kura, whose mask had to be renewed each year, Adamma, who left her husband to hang out with Kubaba

articles about Elamite gods: Pinikir, sort of like a bootleg Ishtar and an international sensation, Jabru, who exists only in Mesopotamian texts about Elam, Humban, mandate of heaven personified, Ruhurater, oddly obscure creator of mankind, Inshushinak, the underworld judge and his Akkadian helpers Lagamar and Ishmekarab, and Simut, the “strange star”

articles which were borderline unusable before due to low quality of sources:

Astarte, who was much more than vintage Bible scholars might lead you to believe (but not a fertility goddess), Dagan, who wasn't a fishman, Qetesh whose existence proves that Egyptians were fond of making ocs for their favorite foreign franchises

assorted articles about general topics pertaining to Mesopotamia:

Sukkal,  Hurrian religion (ongoing project), List of Elamite gods; also a much needed overhaul of List of Mesopotamian deities (ongoing project)

and, last but not least, a solid chunk of the Inanna article.

Two guiding principles of these ventures were the following:

people who cannot access academic resources or don't know how to use them and as a result rely on wikipedia aren't any less deserving of receiving up to date, credible information

Wikipedia's mode of operation isn't flawed in itself and the only problem is lack of will to edit it

I think I did a pretty good job at these two things, honestly. I made sure to rely on rigorous, credible, and, if possible, easy to understand sources, and removed the horrors which sometimes were hidden in bibliographies: a book written by a hate preacher who believed Bush didn't start enough wars; 1930s race science; what I can only describe as a hybrid of Woman's Encyclopedia and a bdsm manual; a fringe book asserting that Minoan palaces were graveyards and that Egyptians only learned mummification from superior Minoans; etc. Of course, it’s a thankless job, but as long as I could make the site more credible undisturbed, that’s fine by me. I even got some help in a few cases, most notably that of the god list, indicating that the work was on some level appreciated. The only problem I've encountered prior to today came from editing the Ereshkigal article – I've removed the claim the Burney relief depicts “Lilith”; this edit was however undone. I left a message on the editor's page, complete with links to articles about the Burney relief AND about the possible Mesopotamian forerunners of Lilith (who are undeniably not depicted on the Burney relief). They're responded rather dismissively to it, and asserted that even if unproven, a connection existed, so I pretty quickly gave up, as they relied on sources which were outdated or fringe. I focused on fixing two long, important articles instead: the god list, and the Inanna article. Some parts of it were alright, but there was much work needed: fringe theories trying to assign greater antiquity to relatively late myths, and frankly insane hyperdiffusionism, had a prominent place in the article, while well attested association between Inanna and similar deities from cultures closely associated with Mesopotamia wasn't, much of the info was outdated, scandalous hot takes about Dumuzi's treatment were all over the place, the section on Inanna's descent favored Jungian confabulations over credible research, etc. My progress on fixing that had been slow and steady. However, today the aforementioned person intervened when, in between editing the Inanna article and the god list, I reverted a dumb, brief , unsourced edit – made by a third party - which asserted that Inanna's descent is “similar to Persephone” which it isn't – if anything is similar to Persephone in Mesopotamian mythology it's Nergal and Ereshkigal. They pretty clearly didn't take it well: not only the unfounded speculation went back up, but they also added a “source” affirming it, from a controversial -medical- author, not an Assyriologist. They also added Persephone to the list of Inanna equivalents in the infobox, removing any credibility whatsoever from it. The author of the claim this is all about relied on sources so antiquated that they interpreted Inanna's sexual character as her being a child-snatching boogeyman. Inanna's primary connection to boogeymen is that she was invoked, alongside Nanaya whose sexual connection is even more blatant, to -ward off- child-snatching boogeyman Lamashtu (whose character was not sexual, because sumerians and akkadians weren't victorian aristrocrats and weren't paranoically afraid of sex - and why would a demon representing death in infancy be sexual in nature, anyway?). Simply put, the book in mention is worthless as a source. Of course, I reverted that; when it went back up (despite a justification being included in my reversal) I edited the Inanna article to remove this outlandish claim (you have a limited number of possible reversions per day for some arcane reason), also adding other information about Inanna I had prepared: a few tidbits on Assyrian royal inscriptions which involved the warlike and erotic aspects at once, suggesting that transgressors should lose both potency and bravery in battle, some info on love poetry about her and Dumuzi, that sort of stuff. The weird person reverted my edit – removing valuable info – and reinstated the claim. For a moment I lost my cool and reverted this edit, which sadly put me in the reversion overuse danger zone, but which was a necessary sacrifice to save the credibility of article I put weeks of work into. See the edit history here. As you can guess HaniwaEnthusiast is me. I left messages critical of this decision on the talk page of the article and on the talk page of the outlandish editor. Sadly, they responded rather rudely, and basically declared Wikipedia isn't meant to be credible, and that favoring academic sources over random crap is an “ivory tower” approach and should be discouraged; they also insulted me but that's much less relevant and much less hurtful than their desire to spread lies. If you ask me it's more of an ivory tower attitude to say people who cannot access or don't know how to use academic sources do not deserve equally credible info and need to be at the mercy of weird wikipedia editors. What's the main problem here, though? That person is a mod. Not a random user. They have 16 years of Wikipedia experience. They spread fringe, pop-spiritual claims about Lilith and the like, so I assume they have an ulterior religious agenda of some sort, which they seem to actively encourage judging from these ventures. I'm not sure if the Inanna article is a lost cause yet but I do think the weird addition of Persephone they made is a step into some hellish direction, and I am entirely certain I cannot win this conflict. Simply put, I think that if this is the sort of staff the site has, this is a lost cause. I am not sure if I will go back to editing.