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love-bokumono-fics · 3 years ago

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Fresh Crops! Week of August 23 - August 29, 2021

This week’s newest chapter updates and fics posted on AO3! Stumbling Out of the Shadows - by AccidentallyTheWholeFanfic; WIP, 28/?, 251k Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationships: Kasey the Farmer/Toby, Chase/Renee, Anissa/Jin; Characters: Kasey, Toby, Chase, Renee, Anissa, Wizard, Luke, Owen Additional Tags: Friendship, Romance, Adventure, Slash, Family, Slice of Life, Eventual Sex, Alternate Take on the Bell Quest, Basically Things Are Quite Different from the Game Summary: Moving to Castanet with hopes of coming out of his shy, introverted shell and doing something worthwhile with his life, Kasey Manatos finds himself roped into saving an endangered land from itself. But in his absolute willingness to help out and prove himself, his recklessness may wind up causing its own problems, as well... M for later. The Botanists Wife - by Thefallen1986; Complete, 1/1, <1k Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Pete/Anna; Characters: Anna, Pete | Jack Additional Tags: **some tags redacted to keep post sfw** Cheating, Older Woman/Younger Man, Kissing, French Kissing, Lust Summary: Anna invites Pete over for some intimate time… Hold My Hand Tight - by SometimesJo; Complete, 1/1, 1.1k Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Gray/Pete | Jack; Characters: Gray, Pete, Saibara Additional Tags: Harvest Moon blue feather, Marriage Proposal, Mineral Town, Anxiety, Angst/Comfort, this is the first time i've ever written fanfic please be kind, doesn't help that i haven't played this game in six months Summary: Pete's been running his farm in Mineral Town for a few years, now. It's a far better life than he ever had in the city. And with Gray around, he'd like to do what he can to make the situation permanent. Lagu Kenangan - by kurohimeNoir (Noir_Lightroad); Complete, 1/1, <1k Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M; Language: Bahasa Indonesia Fandom: Back To Nature Relationship: Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Pete | Jack; Characters: Pete | Jack, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran Additional Tags: Romance, Fluff, During Canon, Canon Compliant Summary: Lagu yang senantiasa disenandungkan, di dalamnya terdapat sebuah kenangan. [JackxAnn. Just fluff. Drabble 100 kata.] Sugar and Spice - by Chibimiie; WIP, 21/?, 35k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationships: Chase/Molly the Farmer, Angela/Luke; Characters: Molly | Hikari, Angela the Farmer, Chase, Luke Additional Tags: first fic, Slow Burn, at least molly and chase are, oh god how do you tag fics, beginning is kinda rough, angela chapters tend to be shorter, mentions of eating disorders, ya girl was making it up as she went along, alternating povs, Friends to Lovers Summary: Wanting to get away from past hurts of the city, sisters Molly and Angela decide to respond to a flyer advertising an abandoned farm on the faraway island of Castanet. Leaving behind their closest friends and brother Kasey, the two take a chance and move to the tiny island hoping for a new chance at life Pot-Puri - by Sakrovishte; WIP, 5/?, 14k Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, A Wonderful Life Relationships: Pete | Jack/Popuri, Muffy | Muumuu/Pete | Jack; Characters: Popuri, Pete | Jack, Muffy Additional Tags: First Love, Love Triangles, Jealousy, farm struggling Summary: Reposted from Fanfiction. Chickens and chicken eggs were all Popuri knew. She knew a simple way of life. A good life but there was always that little voice that cried out inside of her. The Affair - by Sakrovishte; Complete, 1/1, 1.6k Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship:

Anna/Pete; Characters: Pete the Farmer, Pete | Jack, Anna Additional Tags: Extramarital Affairs Summary: Anna never meant to cheat on Basil. The pleasure was more than she could deny. Winter’s End - by ModernTsunami; WIP, 44/80, 229k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Cliff, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Claire the Farmer/Doctor Trent | Torre; Characters: Claire the Farmer, Cliff, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Carter the Pastor, Duke, Manna, Doctor Trent | Torre Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Grief/Mourning, Slice of Life, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Pining, Found Family, Eventual Romance, Love Triangles, Cliche, especially in the beginning, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags Summary: Cliff’s life in Mineral Town changes with the arrival of a new farmer in need of guidance. As his relationships grow more complicated throughout the year, he finds himself grappling with the doubts of his past and present. His Blossoming Trail - by Juliko; Complete, 1/1, 7k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: Gen Fandoms: The Tale of Two Towns Characters: Cam, Kamil, Laney, Howard, Original Male Character(s), Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Homophobia, Bigotry & Prejudice, Slurs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Feels, Sexual Confusion, Confusion, Happy Ending, Bad Parenting, Abusive Parents, Flowers, Male Friendship, Friendship, Backstory, Fanon Backstory, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Toxic Masculinity, Critique of toxic masculinity, Coming of Age, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing. Gender Roles, Critique of Gender Roles Summary: Cam is a boy who loves gardening and planting flowers, and he's fine with that. His parents, however, don't feel the same way, and their attitudes chip away at his self-esteem. Can he break away from his toxic environment and find that special place where he can be himself? Written for the Writers' Anonymous Forums Transition Challenge on Fanfiction.net Play Nice - by here_have_a_sedative; WIP, 24/?, 81k Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/M, M/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationships: more as story progresses - Relationship, Wayne/Yuzuki, Hinata/Female Farmer, Ludus/Kasumi; Characters: Hinata, Kasumi, Yuzuki, Komari, Ludus, Siluka, Iluka, Wayne, Ford, Lisette, Female Farmer, Ensemble Additional Tags: Cynicism, Cynical, Self-Harm, Suicide, Musical References, Tsunderes, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Crossover Pairings, Crossover, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read Summary: Elanor moved here to become a farmer. As the roads open up, she meets a certain merchant from Tsuyukusa. Light of Love - by SpiritWolfStar; Complete, 1/1, <1k Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandom: Harvest Moon Characters: Mike, Cyril, Gabriel, Original Child Characters - Character, Original Characters, Edmond, Gus, Sofia, Michael, Nova, Sam, Melanie, Bastian, Elise, Carol, Dean, Sabrina, Jeanne, Soleil, Naomi, Sally, Doc, Michelle, Shirlock, Gareth, Tabitha Additional Tags: Harvest Sprites - Freeform, Pets and farm animals Summary: Cute couples and kids doing cute things. Also a bit of information of hair and eye colors and animals and maybe some clothes is in there, but only once for each person and animal.

#fresh crop monday #harvest moon #story of seasons #friends of mineral town #trio of towns #tale of two towns #animal parade #a wonderful life #back to nature

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twilitty · 4 years ago

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Moonlit ch.2

This is the second chapter in my new fic Moonlit, it will be posted on Tumblr, ao3, and ffnet. New chapters uploaded every week and a half. Message/comment to be added to my tag list.

3.9k words

previous chapter

big thank you to my beta reader @effervescentlyirrevocable who has given me the absolute best criticism and helped make this chapter so beautiful :)

Bella Swan is introduced to a possible new friend and receives a gift. The doctors new family may not be as well adjusted to small town life as Charlie would like.

Chapter Two

The next morning I wake up to a growl of thunder beating against the inside of my skull. I had a night of thankfully restful sleep for once, only waking up to get a glass of water. My hands are clasped against my chest, fingers knotted in annoyance as I hold back what likely will be a spill of expletives. Why must there always be noise? Why can I not sleep soundly and awake soundly, just once?

I open one eye experimentally, hoping the sun has already arisen and I won’t be missing out on any leftover sleep. My room is shrouded in darkness. The expletives, swear words crude enough to make a priest gag, spill out in a muttered breath and my hands squeeze against each other once more before reaching for my alarm clock. The red numbers blink back at me and it takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the light before I read the time. Nine in the morning. I look back to the window where my blinds are drawn closed, but still no light, even filtered through the canopy of clouds, peaks at the edges.

The thunder, which had gone quiet after waking me up initially, rolls again for a moment before silencing itself. Only, was it thunder? It sounded heavy, like machinery but with a deeper growl. Was there construction nearby? I didn’t recall any on my few trips up and down the street, and I question why there would need to be any construction anyways. It’s not as if this is a booming neighbourhood with a subdivision being built.

Charlie knocks against my door, quieter than yesterday. “Bella, it’s time to get up.” You’d imagine that with my age being nearly twenty and my status as a legal adult I’d be allowed to choose my own time to wake up. My annoyance dies down quickly when my thoughts bounce back to Phoenix, waking up early each morning to drive Mom into her early morning classes. Nine in the morning really isn’t that early, in fact, it allows me time to get some chores done before class. “Someone has dropped by.”

My lips contort into an annoyed pucker. Who would have stopped by? Mom had warned me before the move that nothing but rumours and nasty mold comes from Forks. Apparently her quick marriage to Charlie, and even quicker pregnancy with me, was enough gossip to fuel conversations for years. I remember a trip to Forks at eight years old, a woman had stopped my mother in the grocery store and asked her over for coffee. “They just want the inside scoop,” Renee had told me afterwards, “Give them anything and they’ll find a way to make it ugly.”

My bare feet brush the ground and a flash of cold spreads up my shins. Apparently, even in spring, the weather is dangerously cold. I tell Charlie I’ll be downstairs in a moment, pulling on a pair of jeans and thermal socks. I was hoping for a relaxing day alone, just me, my sweatpants, and the laptop. I compromise on the socks, regardless of who is downstairs, my toes will not be cold today.

I pull the blinds open, the lawn stretching out beside the house is bathed in shadowy darkness despite the morning hour. The forest that lines our property, secluding us from the neighbours, is eerie and mysterious. The green tones that I initially found alien and too bright are now gone and replaced with navy. I wait a moment, staring into the trees, my thoughts rambling into fairytale imaginations.

My brain conjures an image of a man, tall and insidious, stepping out of the tree line, long claws attached to his fingers and a nasty grin revealing pointed teeth. His shirt is ripped in the front, a long tear reaching from throat to navel and from inside the shirt tufts of hair stick out. No, not hair, fur. He growls menacingly.

I close the blinds quickly and blink against the pictures my brain throws at me.

The landline rings downstairs and startles me, a jolt of anxious adrenaline surging through my cold feet and up into my heart. Maybe one of the reasons I enjoyed Phoenix’s barren, plain landscape was that I would not be subjected to such terrible thoughts. I remember being twelve and watching Scream with my mother, she was on a horror movie kick and had rented a whole stack of DVDs for us to watch. That night when I was tired but my eyes refused to close as I didn’t want to imagine what could be lurking outside my bedroom window. Crawling into my mother’s bed, she ran her warm palm against my forehead and hummed a song until I calmed down.

“Bella,” she had said quietly, the nurturing lilt of her voice expanding my heart, “We live in a desert. You can see for miles and miles and miles, if some bad man was coming we’d see him from forty minutes away.” I giggled quietly into the comforter, our bodies pressed against each other in near sleep and my mother’s hands maneuvering through my hair with expertise.

Now, I look out at the grassy lawn from a crack between the blinds. It resembles the set of a slasher movie, the forest borders it with every possibility my imagination can muster. I can see a man from four seconds away, not forty minutes.

There's a chorus of male laughter from below and I sigh, assuming this is my cue to go downstairs and meet with whoever has stopped in.

Charlie is sitting in the living room, facing me and his back to the television which is decidedly blank. On the couch is a head of glossy, black hair. Beside him is a wheelchair with an older man sitting in it, a mug clasped between dark hands. I curse whatever forces brought these strangers into the house so early, I am not in the mood for interaction. I was hoping for a bowl of oatmeal and a quiet morning.

“Hey!” Charlie braces his hands on his knees and pushes out of the armchair. His face is split in half with a grin. I can’t recall him smiling this large in the past week of my stay. The two men turn, facing me with warm smiles.

One of them is older, perhaps Charlie's age, his mouth creased with smile lines and his eyes wrinkled with sun damage. His skin is a warm russet brown, his eyes deep-set behind pronounced brows and a large smile. Bright white teeth stare back at me as my brain picks over his features, how do I know this man? I know almost immediately that he’s Quileute, from the Reservation to the west of town. I vaguely remember trips to the beach with Charlie and eating hotdogs over fires with some of the children from the area.

“Do you remember me, Bella?” He asks in a deep, commanding tone. His voice transports me back to the beach, collecting colourful rocks with the other kids and being called to dinner. Billy Black. He lives in a small, red house with a large kitchen perfect for gatherings. He’s older than I remember, but my last time being here for any substantial time was nearly four years ago.

“Dad, c’mon,” the boy says with a sarcastic eye roll. He stands from the couch, his height towering mine by a few inches and his broad shoulders slumped forward happily. I wonder how tall he’d be if he stood to his full height. His voice is deep, not as deep as his father’s, but still an indicator of the family resemblance. Where his father is strong and sure, this boy is aloof and casual. Jacob Black. “She hasn’t been back in ages, she probably blocked your nasty attitude out of her memory.”

I bite back a smile, but Billy laughs and shoots Charlie a look that says, kids, am I right? I step forward and extend my hand to Jacob, who takes it gratefully in his own and gives a soft shake. His hand covers mine and is most definitely a few degrees warmer than I am. “Jacob Black, we used to make mud pies together.”

“Best in town,” Charlie adds in from the back of the room. I smile.

“No, no, I remember you guys,” I tell the Blacks. “It just took me a moment.” Charlies sits back down in his chair and motions for me to take a seat.

“Billy and Jake just stopped by,” my father explains. I sit beside Jacob on the couch, a cushion between us. But, even with the provided space and the lack of physical contact, I feel heat come off of him in waves like a radiator. I wonder if he’s sick. “Jake here is a mechanic.” A furious blush settles under the boy's brown skin as his mechanical skills are brought up, this is my first time hearing of his expertise. I remember his sisters being twins, both tall and beautiful with matching smiles. They were almost two years older than me, Jacob had followed closely behind and was only born in the same six months as me. Of course, now that I try to remember, the date falls short in my memory. It’s possible he has a career as a mechanic somewhere on the Reservation, but he mustn’t work in Forks. I hadn’t seen a single mechanics garage in town.

“No, no,” he looks between me and my father with an apologetic smile, “it’s just a hobby. Something for fun.” Billy tsks at his son, shaking his head in a way that makes me believe this conversation has occurred before.

“Hobbies can bring in money, hobbies can turn into jobs,” the older man says with a scolding tone. Jacob just shakes his head crookedly, not responding. Charlie takes this as his cue to interrupt the trajectory of the conversation, and I’m grateful. I haven’t spoken to these men in nearly four years, that last place I want to be is in the middle of a family feud.

“Well, now, there was a reason I brought up Jake’s skills,” Charlie interjects with a wave at the large boy next to me. “Bells, go take a look outside.” My fingers twitch anxiously in my lap at being thrust into the center of the conversation. I was hoping I could slide under the radar here, not end up in the middle of it.

It takes great restraint for me to get up from the couch and not stumble over my ankles in the act, my clumsiness reaches new heights when I’m being watched by a room of people. Even if there are only three people in the room. The window at the end of the room is open, the curtains pulled to the side, and when I reach it my gaze falls on a group of kids biking down the street with a rainbow of helmets. Apparently, the dark sky doesn’t scare them the way it does me.

They pedal quickly, little screams of delight just barely audible through the thick glass of the living room window. They pass the porch and disappear behind a large red truck parked out front of the house. I blink. It’s still there, rounded fenders and shiny door handles, long bed, ancient grill adorning the hood. It’s beautiful. “Is that your truck, Billy?” There’s a chorus of laughter behind me, the men’s baritones mixing and producing a flaming blush starting at my neck and creeping up into my face. I turn to look at them, my stomach clenching as I turn away from the beautiful vehicle. “What?”

“It’s yours, Bella,” Charlie tells me. The breath I was holding leaves my lungs through my gaping mouth, I struggle to close it and take an experimental inhale. “Bella?” I turn and look back out the window, the glorious truck still sits there staring at me from across the dark lawn. I can only imagine how beautiful it is in the sunlight.

“I- it’s mine?” I ask. Another series of laughs echo through and then footsteps come up beside me, Jacob stands looking out the window. “You made it?” I question, looking up at him.

His shoulders shake silently and his lips press together as he tries to compose himself, I’m not sure why he finds my comment so funny but it reignites my blush. “I fixed it up, yeah. But, don’t get too excited. The thing runs at sixty miles max, push her further than that and you’ll be walking home.”

We all go outside quickly, me leading the pack with an excited skip in my step. It’s a miracle I didn’t fall on my face or stumble over my words as I spoke my thoughts aloud. “It’s so pretty, I love it! Jake, I have no idea how you could make it look so perfect.” The truck sits against the curb, its red paint flaking in places around the tires, but even more perfect than I could have imagined.

The sky is a disturbing shade of grey, a fact that irritates me more outside than it did in the house. Why does the weather have to ruin such a perfectly good moment? But I spend the majority of my time on the vehicle, petting its sides carefully like I might damage it. Finally, seemingly having had enough of me quietly admiring the vehicle, Billy tells me to hop in and check it out on the inside.

Jacob produces a set of keys, no automatic locking mechanism, and twists it in the truck's door handle. He holds the door open for me, producing a hand to help me in. I take it gratefully, stepping up into the driver’s seat and letting myself sink into the seat. Jacob closes the door on me, but my thoughts are lost and focused only on how much I love this truck.

“So,” he says after opening the passenger door and climbing up next to me, “You ever driven a truck before?” I shake my head, fingers curving experimentally around the thin steering wheel. I can see myself now: driving down the empty highway, the sun blinding against the dry pavement, window down and hair blowing, radio blaring. It’s exactly what I needed, a way for me to get around without needing to borrow the cruiser (which, yes, is illegal) or have Charlie drive me around.

“I can give you lessons,” Jake offers, fingers clasped in his lap, drumming a tune against the opposite knuckles. “If not that’s cool, but she drives a little funny.” “She?” I ask, eyes leaving the steering wheel momentarily to watch his face. He notices, the serene expression dropping from his face and replaced with a quick upturn of his lips.

“Uh, yeah.” He palms the back of his neck roughly and seems almost apologetic. “I have a thing for cars, y’know, so naming them is kinda part of the deal.” I can barely make out a faint red tinge over his cheeks. “Wait, hold on,” I can’t contain the giggle that slips out but firmly press my lips together before trying again. I can only imagine the toothy smile I’m giving him, a girl all too excited over some old truck. Only, this is the perfect old truck. “What’s her name?”

“Betty,” he responds sheepishly, his hand still massaging the back of his neck. “But if you tell anybody that I’ll have to kill you.”

“That’s okay, Betty is our secret.”

And, just like that, I now have a secret with someone. Does this make us friends? Regardless of whatever it makes us, my heart sings happily from within my chest, excited to think that maybe Forks won’t be as lonesome as it’s been this past week. Maybe Jacob and I will become friends and bond over Betty and I won’t only have Charlie and school and books.

“Well, before you accept her turn the keys,” Jacob instructs. I oblige, setting the keys in the ignition and giving them a gentle twist. A roar of mechanical thunder envelopes us. I nearly leap out of my seat in surprise, the loud rumbling of the engine settling in my ears and blocking out all other noises. Jake says something but I can barely hear him from over the thunderous growl of Betty. I turn the keys back and the truck dies down with one last rumble. “She’s loud,” he says obviously.

“She’s perfect.”

Jacob hands me a spare set of keys after we get out, telling me that he’ll be back the day after tomorrow to give me my first driving lesson in the truck. Charlie was all too excited with that idea, even though I already have my license and know how to drive. In fact, other than illegally borrowing the cruiser with Charlie’s permission, I have never committed an illegal act involving a vehicle. If memory serves me correctly, Charlie has two speeding tickets from his youth.

But, I don’t argue against Jake's offer. In fact, I thank him profusely and promise to pay him for the lessons. “Bella,” he says in an exasperated way, as if we’ve known each other for years and I always say such supposedly outlandish things. “Why would you pay me for something I’m offering to you?”

We’ve stopped in front of the Blacks vehicle, a large brown and beige truck which seems to only be a decade newer than the red one. This isn’t saying much for the brown vehicle as the red one could be from the fifties. Billy is wheeling his way down the driveway with Charlie walking beside him, laughing emphatically at something his friend had said.

“That’s crazy,” I respond with a shake of my head. “That’s like me not paying you for the truck.”

“Yeah, I know.” I take pause at this, the words welling up inside my brain and the meaning lost to me for only a moment. Then, like finally finding the missing puzzle piece under the table, I understand what this means and the picture is clear.

“You- I- This truck isn’t free.” The words stutter out of me, the first two the beginnings of messages I abandoned immediately after starting them. This truck, though old, is not cheap, and neither is Jakes’s skill. I should pay him for labour if nothing else, but I know he doesn’t want to include that in the bill. He doesn't want to send me a bill.

“It’s a gift,” he states simply with a shrug of his wide shoulders. Billy pulls up beside me, slapping away Charlie's hand as he tries to adjust his chair for him.

“Careful, Swan,” the older Black warns with hostility. “I have more muscle in these arms than you do in your entire body. Touch the chair and you’ll get what’s coming to you.”

Jacob helps Billy into the passenger seat, folding up the wheelchair and securing it into the truck bed with quick hands. Charlie stands beside me, shooting fiery threats back and forth with his friend until Jacob climbs behind the wheel. “Storm coming through,” Jacob says with a wave towards the dark sky. “If you need any help with anything, tying stuff down or moving let me know.” Charlie thanks him for the offer and I lean in to thank him again for the truck and the lessons. I also assure him that the argument over billing is far from over and that he’ll get an earful the next time we meet.

The rest of the day is spent restlessly. I log into my online classes but my attention is continuously claimed by my truck in front of the house. The sun never shows itself, content with hiding behind the cloud coverage. I’m sitting in the living room when Charlie gets home for dinner, my book discarded on the couch somewhere beside me. I reach for it once I see his cruiser pull into the driveway, deciding it would be better to look busy than to look like I’m obsessing over my new means of transportation.

“Bella?” He calls, the door shutting behind him with a creak. At some point I’ll have to oil all the hinges in the house. It’s that or I go clinically insane from the constant noise.

“Yeah, just in here.”

He comes in bearing a brown bag with the Forks Diner logo written on the side. “I brought dinner, it’ll be on the stove.” I nod and thank him, telling him that we can eat together once he’s down and out of uniform. “Well, actually, I won’t be eating until a bit later.” His moustache twitches irritably and he disappears into the kitchen to drop the food off.

“Are you meeting with Billy?” I ask, knowing this isn’t the case. It must be an issue with work causing him to feel stressed. And when he comes back into the living room from the kitchen I’m able to see the tension holding his shoulders in place. “Did something happen at work?” “It’s nothing to worry about,” he assures me, but his words do anything but. So much for police chief being a boring job. “Just those new kids in town, the doctors children,” he waves a hand in the air as if trying to gather his thoughts. “Kicking up trouble in their first week here, something about racing.”

“Oh.” I pull my knees under me and turn to face him fully, my arms hanging over the back of the couch like a child.

“Anyways, no big deal I’m sure they’re just used to city life or something.” But, my fathers tone indicates that he most definitely does not believe his own words. In Charlie's books a bad apple is always a bad apple, and he’s probably dreading all the other trouble these kids will kick up. “I’ve just gotta go check-in with them, make sure it doesn’t happen again.” His hand moves towards my arm, as if to pat me goodbye but it stutters midair, falling back to his side awkwardly.

I pull my bottom lip into my mouth, biting on it as he mutters a goodbye and leaves through the front door without looking at me again. I wonder when this will get any easier.

Renee left Charlie a year into their young marriage, taking me away to live with her in Arizona. She had given me partial reasons over the years for her leaving, talking of them being too young, the weather too wet, how she wanted a life where she could be free from responsibilities. I’m not sure whether it dawned on her that a child constitutes a responsibility, but she took me to every yoga class and rarely left me with a babysitter.

My mother was never too keen on Forks, not that I fault her for it, the weather leaves much to be desired and there’s virtually nothing to do. But, because of her disliking I rarely visited my father, my first extended visit being when I was twelve and stayed the entire summer as Renee travelled with her then-boyfriend. I came back to a scrapbook of kissy photos and pressed leaves from her travels, all I had to show for my trip was a runny nose and a strong distaste for hamburgers. One can only eat so many burgers before the novelty wears off.

taglist: @musingsofvenus @maybesandohnos

#twilight #edward cullen #bella swan #jasper #the twilight saga #carlisle #twilight saga #smeyer #2008 #twilight renaissance #fanfic #jacob/Bella #Bella/Jacob #Jacob x Bella #Bella x Jacob #twilight fanfiction #twilight fanfic #mine

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literatureaesthetic · 4 years ago

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For July, I set myself a challenge to only read books written by POC. I read some amazing novels, written by authors that I had never even heard of before.

I'm going to list 5 books that I've read recently, I encourage you to read them because they are truly amazing novels. I'll try to pick books that cover a range of genres:

▪ The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (YA Fantasy)

Filled with beautiful prose, this book is a retelling of Arabian Nights. It follows Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all. This duology is now an all time new favourite of mine (look out for an elaborate review which I'll be posting soon). The writing style is stunning, the Arabian setting was atmospheric and mesmerising, the characters were original and refreshing. This duology is a pleasure to read, and if you were to only read one of the books mentioned on this list, I'd recommend it be this one.

▪Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman (Contemporary)

I'm actually not sure if this author is a POC (I've done research and I couldn't find anything regarding her ethnicity) however this book does follow a half-Japanese teen called Kiko Himura who grapples with social anxiety and her narcissist mother in the wake of a crushing rejection from art school in this debut novel. Kiko finds out she doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave. This is a luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves. I stuggle a lot with anxiety, this book really helped me mentally and emotionally. I should mention there are a lot of trigger warnings including sexual abuse and anxiety.

▪ Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (YA Fantasy)

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American author, this is the first book in a African inspired young adult fantasy trilogy.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

I love this book, I think it's well needed right now, with issues like police brutality etc. Children of Blood and Bone has quickly become a new favourite, and I can't wait for the final book in this trilogy.

▪ Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami (Magical Realism)

In Killing Commendatore, a thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a previously unseen painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious thirteen-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist’s home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors. A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art—as well as a loving homage to The Great Gatsby—Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers.

Killing Commendatore was atmospheric, and moody and gripping. Part of this is because the plot was excellently crafted. I had no idea where the story was heading, and just when I thought I did have an idea, Murakami threw a curveball and something completely bizarre happens (which I've heard is often the case with Murakami). I loved the motif of art in this novel. Art plays a key role in the plot and in the lead character's life. I enjoyed viewing the world through an artist's eyes.

▪ 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak (Literary Fiction)

*Before I get into the synopsis, I must say it's essential that you check the trigger warnings for this book before getting into it. I didn't, and it really affected me mentally because it covers a lot of sensitive topics.*

For Leila, each minute after her death brings a sensuous memory: the taste of spiced goat stew, sacrificed by her father to celebrate the long-awaited birth of a son; the sight of bubbling vats of lemon and sugar which the women use to wax their legs while the men attend mosque; the scent of cardamom coffee that Leila shares with a handsome student in the brothel where she works. Each memory, too, recalls the friends she made at each key moment in her life - friends who are now desperately trying to find her. . .

10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World, is one of those books that rip your heart and make you sob uncontrollably, yet the message is so important that you have no choice but to push through and keep reading to the end. To say this book destroyed me is an understatement. I have never cried so much whilst reading a book (I'm not exaggerating). It crushed me. It dealt with so many difficult topics from child abuse, rape, self-harm, abuse towards transgender women etc.

Although this book destroyed me, I'd still recommend it. I think we owe it to everyone who suffered the same life as these characters, I think they deserve to be acknowledged.

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batbobsession · 5 years ago

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So I saw the Hunchback of Notre Dame to alleviate the isolation...

Spoilers ahead.

With @lumiereswig‘s recent reblog of her Hadestown experience, I thought I’d share a musical that I saw virtually—the Hunchback of Notre Dame. This was not a Disney adaptation, I repeat, they took the good stuff from the movie and then told the story straight from the book.

And oh my gosh, it got dark, so spoilers ahead.

Frollo got humanized and it makes him more terrifying. First off, he’s played by Patrick Page, who, thanks to my recent research, plays Hades in Hadestown, and if that doesn’t draw parallels I don’t know what will

Anyway, Frollo has a brother who is actually a good person and elopes with a Roma woman. Frollo finds him dying and he gives Frollo his child, who is disfigured, and Frollo, giving us the first reason why we should hate him, tells his dying brother “wow, this thing is a monster because of your sins” and then his brother dies.

Of course, they sing the Dies Irae directly after—an indirect foreshadowing of Frollo’s death by Quasimodo’s hands

“The saints blessed him and the monsters protected him.” my GOODNESS what a line!

And my gosh, the way they introduce Quasimodo is so freaking genius. Michael Arden comes out like any regular man and then SMEARS HIS FACE WITH BLACK PAINT as Frollo ties the hump to his back (THE SYMBOLISM THERE OMG) and the bells descend from the curtains above as the chorus swells.

Also the chorus plays the statues and each one has its own personality. It’s so obvious that the statues’ voices are all Quasimodo’s inner psyche tugging him one way and then the other, and every time they speak they use small bells or cymbals to accent their words.

Also Quasimodo can barely speak…UNTIL HE SINGS. Arden has such an amazing, youthful voice, and I could feel his anxiety for freedom in “Out There.”

And then Frollo comes upstairs and RUINS EVERYTHING. He uses this kind but CONDESCENDING tone that just makes me want to throw something. Instead of ABC’s, Frollo tells Quasimodo the story of the flight into Egypt, when Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus fled from the persecution of the firstborn and were protected by St. Aphrodisius—MORE FORESHADOWING. But they are so RUDELY interrupted by the Feast of Fools, and on that note

Phoebus is actually a cocky SOB—like sure, they sent me in just in case the festival goes awry, but all I’m really here for are the ladies, rest and recreation!

AND THEN CLOPIN SHOWS UP and introduces ESMERELDA and she dances and Phoebus is like “I’ve seen the face of an angel! I’ve been forever changed!”

With Quasimodo’s arrival they announce the contest for the king of fools, and that scene is pulled straight from the movie. Aside from a few little details, they didn’t change much.

And after all that Esmerelda chases him down and tries to apologize, but is stopped by Frollo, who’s like “ew, I know your kind, you practice dark magic” and Esmerelda’s like “if I had magic, I’d use it to save my people!” and Frollo is like “well shoot she’s smart” and then gets tempted

Esmerelda says something very Christian-like and Frollo is like “oh, you wish to be saved? Stay until the end of the service I’d be happy to teach you” and leaves and she sings “God Help the Outcasts” and holy moly does Ciara Renee have a voice or what

But at the end of the song she sees Quasimodo watching her and runs after him, and the statues are yelling at him to find a place to hide, quickly, quickly, she’ll see you

But she finds him and finds out he’s nearly deaf because of all the bells he’s been ringing all his life. He tells her he was talking to his friends and then berates himself, and Esmerelda’s like “No, that’s wonderful, I like your friends.” And Quasimodo’s face just lights up and immediately starts ringing the bells and telling them to sing for her—if that’s not the most wonderful show of affection I don’t know what is.

They both sing “The Top of the World” and throughout the whole thing Quasimodo slowly realizes that she’s not going to berate him like Frollo would and you just see him become more and more animated throughout the song. At the end of the song she kisses him on the cheek and you can tell, you can tell that’s the first time he’s been kissed at all

And then Frollo comes upstairs and RUINS EVERYTHING. “Quasimodo what were you doing ringing the bells off-schedule?” He turns and sees Esmerelda and is all like “oh, I thought you had left! I can still teach you the ways of the church, just stay here forever.” And Esmerelda, bless her soul, actually turns him down politely. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” Frollo reaches for her hand and she backs away. “I see the way you look at me.”

Frollo jumps back like he’s been stung by the most overdramatic wasp in the world “hOW DARE YOU! Your soul is so unclean you can’t see goodness in others!” And calls the guards on her.

And then he berates Quasimodo for having impure thoughts and the gargoyles whisper around him, like snakes in the shadows as Quasimodo promises to never again think about her.

AND THEN STALKS HER TO A TAVERN. Okay, it’s indirect but stalking all the same. And watches Esmerelda and Phoebus fall in love.

Then we get into Heaven’s Light, and Quasimodo has seen the true face of God, because there is a human down there who isn’t afraid of him, who touched his face and suddenly the darkness is filled with light, a light so bright it must be from Heaven…

And the next song is literally the flipside of Heaven’s Light; while Quasimodo sings about how pure and open Esmerelda was to him, Frollo clutches Esmerelda’s scarf and sings of Hellfire. And I mean, Hellfire was the most dramatic part of the movie for me, so this part was a little underwhelming…but Page carried that entire scene. My GOODNESS his voice. And him stumbling around as the saints look down on him and berate him while Frollo just keeps repeating “It’s not my fault!” Like, you can tell he believes what he says but he knows there’s evil in him now (I mean, there was evil in him before, but the sneaky kind) as the lights slowly change from blue to red, closing in on him until everything is bathed in a hellish glow…

And for the rest of the musical he wears a black and red cape over his otherwise white robes, showing how he has fallen and is acting on his own urges.

He visits the prison—literally swoops in like a bat from hell with his new cape—and King Louis XI is there overlooking the prison and he just looks at Frollo and goes “oH! My astrologer told me I would have an unexpected guest!” Frollo just…. dies inside. I lost it.

Anyway he manipulates the king to give the church military power and now soldiers are going left and right searching for Esmerelda; they come to a brothel and the women refuse to talk and Frollo’s like “fine, burn it down.” and Phoebus is like “whoa, hell no.” and Frollo shrugs, stabs him in the back, and blames Esmerelda

We interrupt this moment to remind you that everyone in the chorus is literally an angel and together they sound like an actual cathedral choir, thank you for your time.

Meanwhile Quasimodo’s like “oh shoot, what do I do? I want to protect her” and the statues tell him to go after her, find her and protect her like St. Aphrodisius protected Mary. Quasimodo is still unsure, but St. Aphrodisius himself comes out of his stained-glass window and gives Quasimodo his blessing (and a bit of unneeded comedy along with it).

Esmerelda makes Quasimodo take care of Phoebus, Quasimodo lies to Frollo for the first time, and Frollo’s like, well, we found her hideout, we attack at dawn.

Phoebus and Quasimodo have the same chemistry in the musical as they do in the movie. “You can barely speak!” “You can hardly walk!” Their arguments are funny, but just like the movie, Clopin finds them and is like “well, they’re gonna hang!” Esmerelda stops it, and Frollo shows up and RUINS EVERYTHING.

Frollo has her locked up, he confesses his love in literally one of the most horrifying ways a person can confess. He starts out soft, believing that he can save her, rescue her from dark magic and be her sanctuary forever. He says Esmerelda has made him feel human…and then tries to force her to kiss him. She strikes him. “Help, a demon! Help me, please!” (FINALLY, someone shows him the respect he deserves)

Phoebus and Esmerelda grieve over what’s going to happen, and when they sang “Someday” I cried.

But the song that shook me to my very core was “Made of Stone” where Quasimodo is tied to a post while the statues plead for him to do something and Quasimodo yells back, “I’ve wasted my faith believing in saints of plaster, but the only one worth believing in was my master”

“Take all the dreams you’ve sown, take all your lies and leave me alone!”

“All right, Quasimodo, we’ll leave you alone All right, Quasimodo, we’ll trouble you no longer You’re right, Quasimodo, we’re only made of stone We just thought that you were made of something stronger.”

And when he sings the last line….HOLY. HELL. I just…I don’t have words for that.

But he quickly changes his mind and rescues Esmerelda from the fire. The choir swells again, singing the Dies Irae, as Quasimodo lays waste to the crowd outside Notre Dame with giant rocks and molten lead. Phoebus rallies the crowd into rebellion. As chilling as this scene is, I think “Oh, now it’s gonna be like the movie, right?” NO.

She dies. The smoke got to her or something. But she definitely dies. And Quasimodo’s talk with Frollo doesn’t end with Frollo pulling a knife. It’s sad, and slow, and Quasimodo finally comes to the terms with the abuse he’s been living with while they both grieve over her death in different ways. The shock on Quasimodo’s face as Frollo repeats the same pious talk of sanctuary just after killing someone…at this point, I want Frollo dead, obviously.

And so does Quasimodo. He stands up straight for the first time and we see…he’s taller than Frollo, and that scares him. “The wicked shall not go unpunished,” he says. “The wicked shall not go unpunished,” echo the statues. The Dies Irae swells one final time as Quasimodo drags Frollo to the balcony, lifts him up—“I told you, master. I am very strong.”

“You don’t want to hurt me!” Yes you do, whisper the monsters.

“Quasimodo raised his two huge hands, and with a great bellow threw his master over the edge of the roof and into the abyss below!” And I am chilled to the bone. Thanks for that.

And then Phoebus arrives cuz he missed everything. He can’t even lift her up, and they’re both grieving.

Then the chorus—they are seriously the best chorus in the history of ever—approach Quasimodo one at a time, smearing black paint on their faces and hunching over. Quasimodo sets Esmerelda down and turns his back to the audience. The ghost of Quasimodo’s mother sings for him. Esmerelda gets up and walks through the doors to eternal salvation. She turns back to look at him. He stands up and faces the audience, no longer hunched over, not a speck of paint on his face.

“What makes a monster, and what makes a man?”

And the chorus swells, and they all bow, and I want to see it again. So I watch it again, because that’s the beauty of the digital age.

#The Hunchback of Notre Dame #musical #patrick page #michael arden #ciara renee

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redbootsthetimetraveller · 4 years ago

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I wanted to request the “OC dressed by other OC” things but you’ve got so many!!! And they’re all so cool!! Would you mind saying what some of your favourite ones’ styles are (i.e. mod, psychedelic, hippie, glam, etc.)?

Love your art❤️

oh I am always up to talk about my characters and thank you for sending this!! I appreciate these sorta things because it’s a nice message AND I get to talk about my characters which helps me actually figure them out lmao

and I know you’re asking for my favourites but that is subject to change and I want to talk about all of them. and I’m not entirely sure exactly what styles of dress they each come under but I’ll use the terms where I see fit, and I’ll just. ramble about their individual dress styles. that’s the same thing right!

this is gonna be long (spoiler alert: IT IS) so to keep things short for those who don’t want to scroll through a mile long post, I’ll put it under the cut

so I’m gonna start with the starstrucks because they ARE my like. main characters. I am planning something with them which is in its very early stages of development but I’m hoping that when things around me settle down I can work on it a bit better than what I have (but I procrastinate the things I WANT to do so we’ll see. feel free to nag me about it though)

roger claire: considering he’s like. the main-main character (not intended, that was meant to be snowy but HERE WE ARE) his outfits and style of dress changes a lot but also it’s not that creative for a lot of it. at the start he wears more mod clothing, but he’s not that daring since he is pretty cautious. he had a strict family. anyway around 1965 he starts getting a lot more daring and he’s definitely not an extravagant dresser he does know how to dress sharply despite that so you get things like his peacoat that I DEFINITELY didn’t copy directly from micky dolenz on the cover of more of the monkees, and that really heavily decorated overcoat that’s 18th-century inspired but also Groovy, y’know? that sorta thing carries over into the seventies where he pretty much wears shirts with the sleeves rolled up, light coloured trousers, and a few t-shirts because Variety™. haven’t really thought about beyond that but he’d probably dress like a cool dad

pete sutton: he’s got sensory issues so he’s even MORE cautious in dress style than roger. main thing is turtlenecks though. and a lot of purple. there’s a quote about ray davies being the kink most likely to wear a tie offstage and I think pete’s the starstrucks’ equivalent

snowy smith: he’s got the most defined wardrobe out of the lot of them! black-and-blue striped jumper, a black peacoat, blue jeans, blue-green shirts, his leather jacket (which has blue-violet stripes on it so it’s unique from the million other jackets I draw) since he’s definitely on the rocker side of things and cuban-heeled beatle boots he doesn’t need since he’s already 6′1

charlie morris: REALLY mod. at the start of the story he has a collarless jacket with pink trimmings. his colours are yellow and green but I also always end up drawing him in red

davey peacock: mod, but the mod that your parents approve of. does get a bit more adventurous when his uncle, the manager, gets fired, and I gave him a union jack jacket like pete townshend had at some point lol. he also gives hippie clothing a shot around 1968 and in the eighties he has a mullet and not a good one

rory locking: SO MUCH ORANGE. aviator sunglasses, collared shirts with the first two buttons undone, his kinda short jacket that’s plasticky leather with a fluffy lining (those style jackets have a particular name don’t they? I can’t remember it) but like. there’s so much orange. why did I do that my markers are dying

mick lily: light was denim. that’s about it.

next we have the midnight delusions

jimmy jade: scarves. he has a gold embroidered black suit that I’ve drawn a couple of times and ALWAYS regret it because OW, pink, and a lot of black

teddy van alst: he has a leather jacket. wears interesting trousers and really plain shirts typically. he’s the one with the cool glam makeup even though it’s 1966 and glam isn’t exactly a thing yet. he’s a rocker though

arthur floyd: has a leather jacket like his bf teddy! it has roses embroidered on it. he has a rose sorta aesthetic going on, along with the blue-and-gold star outfit that I drew him in a couple of times. he’s sort of a carnaby street mod if that’s a thing lol

lucky littleproud: gonna be real with you he’s boring he wears colourful shirts and trousers that’s about it. I haven’t worked on him much :(

peter morrison: between hippie and mod. definitely more on the hippie side compared to his sibling

stevie maple (counting him here even though he kinda isn’t a Member): textured shirts, he’s more of an american mod. considering he IS american (unfortunately)

all of those side characters I have absolutely no idea how to group but are part of the same story as those two bands:

sylvia chase: mod, but she also doesn’t put much effort into her appearance. that’s the best way to describe her style

holly keys: she’s a model so literally whatever is the ‘hottest’ trend

james cassidy-bell: he dresses like brian jones in the early-mid sixties

katherine robinson: mod, and then the most avant-garde things she can find if she’s going in public. and a lot of red lipstick (that’s her Thing)

morgan morrison: MOD but also like that sorta soft aesthetic thing that was popular in like. 2017. because why not am I right

christopher goldstein: he is also a model but I draw him in really dandy-ish stuff a lot. him and jimmy sorta have a prep/goth dynamic going on

and that’s about it for the characters who really are gonna appear often enough to bother describing their dress styles! moving on now

keith neptune: band tshirts and anything with patches on it.

nico (haven’t come up with his surname yet, if y’all have suggestions I’ll take it): baggy jeans, sneakers, baggy tshirts, and has a denim vest with patches on it but Different types of patches to keith. if keith has the sorta etsy partches nico has ‘I pickpocketed these from a bikey who hasn’t showered in a month from a servo in the middle of nowhere’ patches

grey: they have a brow leather jacket that I think was inspired by jim morrison, a stamp out the beatles jumper, and a really big and motheaten black woolen jumper which they wear with beatle-boots, a white collared shirt, and like. not black jeans but very desaturated blue jeans that happen to be very dark

jude anne sutton (yes I know she and pete have the same surname they’re not related they’re in different universes): mod. enough said

rene shannon: mod but boring. he’s Repressed y’know

leslie (I’m gonna change her surname lol): honestly mainly shift dresses and that one really simple black-and-white dress, and their ripoff black watch tartan jacket, and tall boots.

danny: honestly? he dresses like a mod but at heart he’s a rocker. he’s a rocker who washes

that One character I won’t name: it’s complicated. he goes from trying to be a teddy boy with the rest of his friends and then it goes a little wrong and they fight about it and then they discover early rocker culture and he sticks with that for a while and then starts dabbling in more mod stuff and then DEFINITELY his style changes into the dandy stuff of the middle of the sixties. you know the stuff I’m talking about. and then he’s a hippie for about two seconds and goes back to dandy stuff but throws a few of his old rocker pieces back in. THEN he has a breakdown and fucks off to america for three years (returning home like twice for two days before fucking off again) where he’s got a peacoat, his old leather jacket, a turtleneck, a few shirts, and two pairs of jeans. that’s it. for three years. and workboots obviously because he’s trainhopping. I have that part very worked out as you can tell!

harper (character I have sketched exactly Once but have his style very sorted out): he starts off pretending to be a teddy boy in the way that a fifteen-year-old with a highly overprotective and lowkey horrible mother would probably be. he is also kinda Broke for that exact reason. and then he and the above character get into more rocker stuff and that’s probably where the two drift apart and where rene/jude/leslie/whoever else I may come up with would come in

anyway!!! I think that’s every character I have a defined style for. some of it’s a little hard to explain but I hope this cleared things up. I have also had a migraine for most of today so my ability to use words is extra impaired lmao!

and I’m so sorry for just. rambling. but I do have a lot of characters and I love them all so much and I’m so happy you like them too!!!

#ocs #oc band #ask/#text/#I warn you. it's a Lot #and thank you I needed the excuse to just TALK about them and ik it's not what you asked for exactly but it's something right????#but like. I dunno if I know things well enough to say definitively 'that character is a mod and that one's a rocker' and if they even FIT s #because as you can tell if you're reading this some of them have less of a neat square box of fashion they fit in and more a colour or a pa #particular article of clothing #this post made my browser crash. oops

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searchingwardrobes · 5 years ago

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Review 2 of 2

I know it’s been a month since part one of this review (which you can read HERE), but I had to collect my thoughts on this book! Not because I had mixed feelings about it - it’s honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read - but because it made me so emotional. I did write a review on Goodreads, which I’m posting below, and after that I’ve included several passages that moved me as I read. I marked a LOT of them (sorry, library), so I hope I can narrow them down. Having said that, this will get long, so more under the cut!

Tagging: @snowbellewells @reynoldsreads @whimsicallyenchantedrose @ekr032-blog-blog @superchocovian @lfh1226-linda @nikkiemms @thislassishooked @branlovestowrite @tiganasummertree and I thought of you @distant-rose for the way Joy fell in love with England just as much as with Jack :)

****I guess you can say there are technically spoilers beyond this point, but since this is all historical information, many may already know these details. ***

Before I get into that though, I want to clarify a few questions I brought up when I was only half way through the book. I wondered about their letter writing and why those letters were destroyed. Turns out CS Lewis burned all of the letters he received because people wrote to him about very personal things, and he didn’t want those being published after his death. So, that makes sense, I guess, though it still doesn’t explain what happened to the letters he wrote to her, unless he burned those too after her death for the same reason. Jack (what his close friends called Lewis) had a civil marriage with Joy first because of immigration issues, and she and the boys lived in a separate house. However, they still spent a lot of time at the Kilns (Lewis’s home) and lived there briefly at different times. Their relationship, according to most sources, wasn’t physical at that time (however, does anyone really know for sure except for the two of them?), and the book depicts it that way. The church refused to marry them because Joy was divorced, and this was a major issue for Jack due to his faith. Only after a sympathetic priest married them in a hospital did they consummate the marriage.

The major source material for this book was an unpublished manuscript called Courage containing forty-five love sonnets Joy Davidman wrote to CS Lewis. David Gresham, Joy’s son, found them in the back of a closet in 2013. Most of the chapters in the book start with lines from these sonnets. And these sonnets are definitely intimate and passionate. I’ll confess, it’s a little weird when you imagine that famous picture of CS Lewis we’ve all seen a million times, bald headed with his pipe. Like reading sexy poems someone wrote to your grandpa. Nevertheless, the love story crafted in this book was breathtaking.

Here’s the review I wrote on Goodreads:

I almost don't know where to start with this book, it was so good! The writing style, the phrasing, the characterization, it was all stellar. I felt like I knew Joy personally reading this. I also loved how the author didn't romanticize Joy or Jack (C.S. Lewis). She wrote them flaws and all, including their physical traits. This isn't Hollywood, air brushing the protagonists so they fit society's definition of "sexy." This book proves you don't need attractive people to tell a passionate, romantic love story. Love is so much deeper than that. I think that can sum up this entire book: love sees past our flaws; love is attracted to our minds and our souls, not just our faces and bodies; and love blooms best when it's rooted in a strong friendship.

This book also tackled the sexism rampant in the 1950s and how that impacted Joy, who broke the mold on what a woman should be. It makes you realize how the social norms of the day influenced Lewis's friends and their opinions of Joy. (Tolkien despised her.) You also feel Joy's oppression under these expectations and understand why Jack's friendship meant so much to her. He viewed her as an intellectual equal, something she was desperate for. I also was heartbroken over the poor medical care she received simply because she was a woman, with the doctors often completely ignoring her to address the men in her life and making light of her symptoms. Today, she might have lived.

I refuse to read other reviews because I have a feeling many Christians won't like this book. Joy is not a sanitized Christian heroine. She would definitely fit in more with the "bad girls" of the Bible like Rahab and the woman at the well than she would with Sarah or Hannah. She was a real person who came to faith late in life. She made mistakes even after her conversion, and some of them will make the reader uncomfortable. There were a lot of gray areas in her life and in her relationship with Jack that aren't easy to grapple with. So if you're looking for a black and white, squeaky clean, shining beacon of virtue you'll be disappointed. But if you're willing to take the journey with Joy, it's a fantastic tale!

Now for some of my favorite passages! (The book is in first person from Joy’s point of view):

“What could I have done differently? I begged the tortured Christ in stained glass.

My parents had warned me - Why can’t you be softer, nicer, and kinder? Prettier? More like Renee? {Renee was a cousin and one of her husband’s many affairs.} Why couldn’t I? Was this my punishment for such self-will?”

“I stayed and felt the enormous noise vibrate through my body. Chills ran through me, and I shivered with the unceasing sounds, which were cleansing me, coursing through my veins, through my mind and my spirit. The tenor and fifth ringing together, not synchronized or in harmony but in perfect sublime sound. My boundaries dissolved; transcendence enveloped me. God was with me, and always had been. He was in the earth and the wind, in the ringing and the silence, in the pain and in the glory of my life.”

“In his office Jack didn’t just read; he went deep inside the work his eyes fell upon, taking apart the sentences and themes. And while I was nearby, he would often call my name.

‘Joy,’ he’d say, ‘what do you think . . . ‘

Off we’d go into a theological or thematic discussion. Sometimes I feared I would wake and be back in the rambling, falling-apart house in Staatsburg, Bill stumbling drunk down the hallway smelling of sex and whiskey, and find my time with Jack had only been a dream. But instead I sat in the armchair of his office at the top of the staircase discussing the meaning hidden in stories.”

“It’s not an apology, Jack. Can’t you see? It’s grace, the kind that hunts us down and doesn’t let us go. It brought us together. The grace that keeps the planets in their orbits and causes lilies to open their faces to the sun.” I dared to meet his eyes with mine. “It’s love.”

“No.” I took another sip of sherry. “I’m confused . . . . About Jack, I don’t know. This time it’s not just about some physical need. For goodness’ sake, the man smokes sixty cigarettes a day and then his pipe in between. He’s seventeen years older than I am. But he still has this great gusto for life - for beer and debate and walking and deep friendship. Christianity most definitely has not turned him into a dud. This isn’t some lust-fueled fantasy. It’s the connection between us. The discourse. The empathy. The similar paths. This isn’t some obsession with getting something, Belle. It’s the feeling of finally coming home. It’s confusing at best.”

“Red heat filled my chest. He turned to place the sword on the mantle, and the structure of his chin, the lines of his smile, caught the firelight. A line of poetry surged forward in my mind: the accidental beauty of his face.”

“He was instantly next to me, his hands on my shoulders to spin me around to face him. ‘Don’t turn from me,’ he said. ‘I cannot bear that. If we can’t indulge in eros, surely we have all the beauty that remains in philia.’ He pulled me close to wrap his arms around me. Twilight turned to night and my head rested on his shoulder and the palm of his hand was on my neck, stroking my skin with gentleness as if consoling a small child after a frightful storm.

But this wasn’t fright he was trying to subdue; this was desire. His mind might twist firm around logic, but his body divulged the truth.

It was he who let me go, and gently touched my cheek before leaving me quaking without another word.”

“Jack was alongside me every day he came to Oxford from Cambridge, and many whispered that he’d moved in. What vivid imaginations they had.

There had been a night I thought we were on a “date” - when he took me to see Bacchae, the great Greek tragedy. In the dark of the theater he had taken my hand. With our fingers wound together and the great tragic ending of the play approaching, I believed in more for us. But, alas, after leaving that darkened theater our natural rhythms returned - philia, banter, beer, and laughter.”

“At your worst?” He shook his head and his spectacles fell from his face, landed on the worn cream blanket covering my diseased body. “You are beautiful to me, Joy. You are all that is beautiful.” He tucked a stray hair back from my face. “All my life I have thought of love in a literary sense, part of a story or a fairy tale. But love is really true; I know that now. Eros - I haven’t loved completely until now. I know that.” His voice held the truth of every word spoken, a man broken by death’s threat.”

“He kissed me again. ‘Everything I’ve written since the day you walked into Eastgate has been tangled with you. How could I have not seen it at all?’”

“Will you go to them?” I took his hand in mine. “They need you, and they love you, Jack. You know that, don’t you?’

‘As I love them.’ He kissed me and left as a father to my sons.

“All the years wasted believing that love meant owning or possessing, and now the greatest love had arrived in my greatest weakness. In my supreme defeat came my grandest victory. God’s paradoxes had no end.”

“I didn’t know if others understood his deep love for me. I’d wondered and then let it go - it didn’t matter what Tollers {Jack’s nickname for Tolkien} or the Inklings or the Sayers believed. Maybe Jack had admitted his love or maybe he hadn’t, but all that mattered was that I grasped the truth. He loved me when I was brash. He loved me in my weakest state. He loved me after I stopped trying so hard to make him love me. He loved me when I was outwardly unworthy. I thought of Aslan and his words in Prince Caspian, ‘You doubt your value. Don’t run from who you are.’”

“His brown eyes seemed fathomless, their depths holding the answers. ‘Although it was your mind I loved at first, it is not what I’ve loved best. The heart of you is the heart of me now, and I want to know it fully.’”

#melanie reads #book review #becoming mrs lewis #patti callahan #review 2 of 2

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tabloidtoc · 5 years ago

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Life & Style, February 17

Cover: Joaquin Phoenix -- fame, tragedy and finding happiness

Page 1: Photo Flash -- Ciara and Russell Wilson took to Instagram to post shots of the very pregnant singer

Page 2: Contents

Page 4: The top 10 Pink looks -- Molly Sims, Jamie Chung, Nina Dobrev, Dua Lipa, Kate Bosworth

Page 5: Kaitlyn Dever, Rachel Brosnahan, Zoey Deutch, Lili Reinhart, Elisabeth Moss

Page 6: Twinning! Aly Raisman vs. Kelly Osbourne, Delilah Belle Hamlin vs. Karlie Kloss, Keltie Knight vs. Sofia Carson

Page 8: Channing Tatum disses pregnant ex Jenna Dewan by saying Jessie J is way hotter

Page 9: Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy are renting out their million-dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills for $16.500 a month amid mounting legal bills stemming from the college admissions cheating scandal, Throwback -- Hailey Baldwin, Biggest Spenders of the Week -- Will Forte, Future, Paris Hilton, Lana Del Rey

Page 10: Nikki and Brie Bella are both pregnant and due less than two weeks apart, a downcast Margot Robbie ditched her wedding ring the morning after the SAG Awards seemingly sending a pointed message to husband Tom Ackerley who didn’t attend the ceremony with her

Page 12: Hannah Brown back as The Bachelorette?

Page 13: Vanessa Hudgens isn’t afraid to show ex Austin Butler exactly what he’s missing by posting sexy snaps on social media and grabbing dinner with Los Angeles Lakers star Kyle Kuzma, viewers watched as Jeannie Mai welcomed Amanda Seales to The Real with open arms but behind the scenes the longtime co-host has been feeling insecure because Amanda is super outspoken, VIP Style -- Hailee Steinfeld (pictured), Tyler Cameron, Billie Eilish (pictured), Andi Dorfman, Post Malone and Brody Jenner (pictured), Sienna Miller (pictured), Garcelle Beauvais, Steven Tyler (pictured)

Page 14: The Week in Photos -- Justin Beiber on Ellen DeGeneres

Page 16: Zachary Levi and a Harley-Davidson LiveWire, despite the 40-degree weather Blake Lively stepped out in Times Square in a pair of shorts, Charlize Theron and Renee Zellweger at the Academy Awards Nominess Luncheon

Page 17: Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi kicked off The Poor After Dark at Harrah’s Resort

Page 20: Duchess Kate Middleton at the LEYF Stockwell Gardens Nursery and Preschool

Page 21: Gina Rodriguez at the Kajillionaire premiere

Page 22: Karlie Kloss at Jean Paul Gaultier’s final runway show, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Margot Robbie at the Birds of Prey premiere in Mexico City, Mark Wahlberg outside of F45 Training

Page 24: Stars Behaving Badly -- Offset copped a feel on wife Cardi B at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy gala, Simon Cowell smoking a cigarette while vacationing in Barbados

Page 26: Say What?! Dwayne Johnson, Brad Pitt, Charlie Hunnam on Matthew McConaughey, Pink, Jennifer Lopez

Page 28: Britney Spears and Sam Asghari have recently been living separate lives and it’s taken a toll on their relationship

Page 29: When Meghan King Edmonds revealed that estranged husband Jim Edmonds is dating a woman they had a threesome with she knew she might pay for it later and now she is -- Jim is suing the RHOOC alum for defamation

Page 30: Cover Story -- Joaquin Phoenix finds his happily ever after -- after decades of pain Joaquin reaches a new high point in his career as well as his love life with fiance Rooney Mara

Page 34: Prince Harry to Prince William -- we’ll always be brothers -- before starting his new life in Canada Prince Harry secretly met with Prince William to try to repair the once-close relationship after months of bitterness

Page 36: Kobe Bryant’s family struggling to cope

Page 38: Marriage counseling isn’t working for Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake

Page 40: 5 ways to rev your metabolism -- Reese Witherspoon, Busy Philipps, Gabrielle Union

Page 42: Who Lives Here? Leighton Meester and Adam Brody

Page 44: Entertainment

Page 45: Star Review -- Tan France, As Seen On-Screen -- Candace Cameron Bure wore Lele Sadoughi’s Paper Lily Multicolor Acetate Small Drop Earrings on Good Morning America

Page 46: Valentine’s Gift Guide -- Emily Ratajkowski

Page 48: Fashion -- Grammys -- Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello

Page 49: Dua Lipa, Chrissy Teigen

Page 50: Beauty Crush -- Bebe Rexha’s look by her makeup artist Ash K Holm

Page 52: Diva or Down-to-Earth? Diva Jennifer Garner has a glam squad, Down-to-Earth Zoe Saldana feeds the meter, Down-to-Earth Ariel Winter buys lots of booze

Page 54: Social Stars Posts of the Week -- Emilia Clarke and her new puppy Ted, Nina Dobrev and Riawna Capri, Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi, Courteney Cox shared a snap of the Friends cast from January 23, 2004

Page 56: Horoscope -- Aquarius Jennifer Aniston, They’re Not Together But They Should Be -- Pisces Trevor Noah and Sagittarius Vanessa Hudgens

Page 60: What I’m Into -- Lance Bass

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theworldofotps · 5 years ago

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Falling For His Guitar

Decided to post a kinda fluffy Finn that I had saved since the Becky one I’m working on isn’t done, enjoy!!

Pairing: Finn BalorxReader Word Count:2,738 Description: You meet Finn at your cousin Becky's get together and can't help but fall in love with how he plays the guitar. -Fluff ___________ Tag list: @biforbecky2belts @writtingrose @sjwrites22 @sassymox @detectiveramen @demonkingsangel @the-beastslayers-queen @thewrestlingwarehouse @new-zealand-chic @reigns420 If you want added to the tag list just lemme know! ____________ "I'm not sure Becks what if none of them like me?"

"You'll be fine lass no worries I promise they're all excited to meet you I've talked about you a lot. Please come y/n you'll have a great time I know how much you love wrestling so here's your chance to meet some of them."

"I don't want to seem like that's the only reason I'm hanging out with you."

"You worry too much we all know I'm your favorite cousin now I'm not taking no for an answer I'll be there in five minutes I’m almost there so be ready."

"Alright, I'll be ready."

Deciding not to argue with her I hang up turning my attention to my suitcase I settle on a pair of (y/f/c) shorts and a black tee shirt. Sliding on a pair of sandals I grab my phone and hotel key knowing I would need it for when I came back.

Beck: What room are you in?

Y/n: 302 on the third floor.

Spraying on a little perfume and adding deodorant I check myself over in the mirror brushing my hair out a little. I was more than nervous to meet Becky's friends when I got the chance to come to LA for two weeks I jumped at the chance. When Becky found out she insisted I had to visit her and a bunch of her friends/coworkers at a get together she was throwing. We didn't see each other much with her traveling and myself working but the times we could meet up it was like we were never apart.

"Your favorite person is here open up."

Becky knocks on the door rushing over I pull it open nearly falling back as she throws herself at me in a tight hug.

"I've missed ya so much y/n you have no idea."

"I've missed you too Becks everyone back home told me to tell you, hello and your mum sent over a tin of your favorite sweets."

"Ahh can I have them?"

Nodding I walk over to my suitcase taking it out and handing it to her grinning as she excitedly opens the tin.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had these forever I'll have to pace myself if I want them to last. Pack up all of your stuff up you're staying your two weeks with me."

"What?"

"When I found out you were in America for two weeks more specifically LA I went to Hunter and told him I was taking a week off. I don't get the chance to see you often enough we're going to have a blast and then your last week here you are going to experience the travel life of a wrestler. All of our house shows are within driving distance so you won't have to worry about flying on a plane."

"Have I told you that I love you?"

"At least twice a day every single day now lets get this packed and get you checked out Seth is waiting in the car."

Packing all of my things up and making sure that I haven't left anything behind we head to the front desk so I could check out. Putting my things in the back of her vehicle we get in the front music turned up and windows down.

"Hi, I'm Seth nice to finally meet you."

"Um hi, nice to uh meet you too."

"You have to give her a minute to get over her starstruck Seth you're one of her favorites."

"Becky!"

"What I'm not lyin."

Seth chuckles from behind the driver seat as he reaches a hand up between us I shake it with a smile.

"No need to be embarrassed I am honored."

"More like you enjoy having your ego inflated."

Laughing as he scoffs at her I feel myself relax if all of her friends were similar in their behavior like Seth I think I'd be fine. Chatting the whole way to Becky's I listen to Seth talk about the plans he has with a friend to open a wrestling academy while I explain about work.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven."

"I can see the good genes run in the family you all look younger than you actually are."

"Thank you."

When we pull up I can't help but inwardly squeal in excitement I loved visiting Becky's house it was beautiful and always so welcoming. Grabbing one of my suitcases Seth grabs the other while Becky takes my hand pulling me to follow her.

"This will be your room while you're here."

"It's beautiful thank you so much."

Hugging her tightly for a few moments than pulling away I thank Seth for helping me bring my suitcases in.

"You're welcome so when does everyone get here?"

"I told them to show up at four I already have everything set up we'll just have to take out the food."

Walking down to the kitchen we grab the covered food and drinks setting them on the long table that is set near the patio covered with umbrellas.

"Doorbell yes come on y/n, Seth."

Taking both mine and Seth's hands we are dragged back inside by Becky speed walking to the front door.

"Sasha, Renee, Dean welcome this is my sweet cousin y/n."

"We've all been dying to meet you Becky has told us countless stories about the two of you."

Renee smiles pulling me into a hug followed by Sasha while Dean grins shaking my hand. I had to remember to breath it's not going to look good if I fangirl over him in front of everyone.

"It's nice to meet all of you to thanks for being okay with Becky inviting me to tag along."

"Are you kiddin doll? Like anyone could change Becky's mind when she has it set on something besides you're her family if she cares about you then you're probably a good egg."

Taking comfort in Dean's words we walk out to the patio Renee and Sasha asking everything they could possibly think of. More people soon arrive and each time Becky takes my hand giving it a squeeze before pulling me to meet her friends. Everyone is so relaxed and nice there are a few times I have to stop myself from screeching in excitement. When Roman walks in with Bayley and Auska I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. He was even better looking and sweeter in person I'm not sure how much more my heart can take.

"Is that everyone Becks?"

"No Finn, Karl, and Luke are supposed to be here I'll have to give them a call."

"Finn? Didn't you train with someone back home with that same name?"

"It's the same exact person I think you'll love him he's great."

Nodding my head I excuse myself to the bathroom while she makes the call I had heard of a Finn but hadn't been able to keep up with him much since he's been recovering from injury. Washing my hands I head back downstairs to join the party.

"Y/n come sit with us."

Bayley smiles patting a space in between her and Seth walking over I sit down listening to their stories recounting old matches, events, and parties.

"Becky throws some of the best get-togethers it's always a great time to unwind and just catch up on things that aren't wrestling."

"She threw pretty good ones back home one of the things I love about her is she's always willing to make those important to her comfortable and welcomed."

"Has she changed much from when she was last home."

"Yeah, but in a good way she's confident, not willing to let people walk all over her and she's gotten more determined to chase her dreams. There's a fire there that seems to get brighter every time I see or talk to her."

When I hear the bell I look over seeing Becky preoccupied excusing myself I walk to the door pulling it open.

"Hello."

"You must be y/n it's about time Becky got you over here I'm Karl, this is Luke and Finn is currently getting something out of the car."

"Nice to meet you too Becky is busy but everyone is on the patio."

Shaking hands I walk to the kitchen to get another bottle of water turning around I bump into someone dropping the bottle.

"I'm so sorry I didn't know there was anyone else in here are you okay?"

"I'm fine lass trust me ya couldn't knock me over I'm Finn by the way nice to meet you."

"Y/n it's nice to meet you as well."

Finn smiles grabbing my water from the floor handing it to me holding out the same hand that wasn't clutching a guitar.

"Pleasure is all mine I've heard a lot about you and seen hundreds of pictures courtesy of your cousin and let me say they definitely don't do you justice."

He grins pressing a kiss to the back of my hand I literally have to try not to swoon on the spot I was a sucker for simple sweet gestures.

"Finn? Have you seen, oh there you are y/n I wondered where ya had gone off too."

“You were busy so I answered the door I came to get a bottle of water and bumped into Finn."

"Well, I'm happy you two have finally met Finn we're all in the backyard so whenever you two are ready come join us."

Sending me a wink behind his shoulder Becky scurries off I had a feeling there was more to her words then she was letting on.

"Do you play?"

"A little bit yeah when I have the spare time."

"I would love to hear."

"Then it's your lucky day Becky asked me to bring it over so I could play a little after we eat."

"Great."

Grinning I walk out with Finn to the backyard his friends and coworkers greeting him everyone grabs a plate standing in a line to fill it with food.

"Over here y/n."

Becky smiles pointing to a chair next to hear and angled towards Finn sitting down I chat with her about plans she wanted to do over the next few days. Smiling as the friends begin to banter and tease each other it felt good being surrounded by so much happiness.

"What do you do for a living y/n?"

"I work for a magazine company in London I moved there two years ago after I received my English and Journalism degree at university."

"Do you enjoy working there?"

"For the most part yeah it's great I kinda wanna stretch my wings out a bit tackle some of the journalism or something along those lines. Becky wants me to think about finding a job over here somewhere we were best friends growing up and it's hard being separated by different countries. Sure it would be hard still because she constantly travels but it would be a little easier ya know?"

"Yeah, I understand I have the same difficulties with not being able to see my family as often as I like. Did she ever talk to you about applying for a job working for WWE?"

"No, I don't think it's ever crossed her mind I'm not sure if I would even be qualified for it."

"Are ya kidding? It doesn't take that much I'll mention it to her later I'm sure she'll jump at it she can help you apply if you want then you could see her and everyone here as often as you like."

"That sounds too good to be true.”

"Trust me Becks will do everything in her power to convince Hunter to consider it and I can promise it won't be just because of Becky you get it. Hunter may tell her he'll look right away but he'll read over everything carefully speak with your current boss and if you're as talented as I imagine then it should be easy."

"Thank you so much."

"No worries at all love."

Finn winks throwing his things away I lean back in my seat letting the thought go through my mind. It would be wonderful to see Becky often and I wouldn't mind getting to see everyone here again the girls all practically stole my phone to put their numbers in it.

"Finn are you ready to play for us?"

"Sure thing."

Everyone gathers close as he picks the guitar up tuning it a little before looking at me.

"Any requests?"

"Oh um what can you play?"

"Quite a few songs."

"Play her Wildflowers by Tom Petty that was a favorite of ours growing up."

Becky smiles as I look at her with a grin before glancing back at Finn with a quick nod.

"Could you please?"

"Of course I'll give it my best shot."

We all clap as Finn's cheeks turn a slight red the rest of the evening is spent listening to music, the laughter of everyone and occasional more songs from Finn. The evening was better than I could have ever dreamed slowly everyone began leaving making Becky and I promise to come to one of the house shows so they could see me again. When all that is left is the two of us, Karl, Luke, and Finn we head inside once everything is cleaned up.

"We better get heading back to the hotel we have an early drive tomorrow."

Holding out a hand I have to hold in a yelp when I'm pulled into a group hug by Karl and Luke promising to see me again they head outside. Turning to Finn I see Becky made her escape standing in the kitchen humming.

"It was wonderful to meet you y/n I spoke to Becky about talking with Hunter and she nearly hugged the life out of me so prepare yourself."

"Thank you so much I'll be careful it was wonderful meeting you too."

"Could I maybe call you sometime this week coming up we have a show in LA at the end of the week. We could possibly get together for coffee or something?"

"I'd like that."

Smiling we exchange numbers than with a kiss pressed to my cheek Finn heads out the door closing it after they drive away I lean against it.

"Come on you we have a lot to talk about and that kiss to the cheek is one of them."

Becky smiles motioning me to follow her upstairs sitting in her room we spend the night reminiscing and chatting her promising to help me fill out an application later this week.

"You and Finn seemed to really hit it off."

"He's really sweet and I couldn't help falling in love with his guitar playing."

"Yeah, I could tell when I had to whisper your name five times before you heard me."

"Sorry about that."

I grin as I look around the room my phone goes off and I reach over taking it off her stand.

Finn🎸: The guys left it up to me to let you know we made it I'll message you in a few days about the coffee?

Me: Thanks for letting us now and sure sounds perfect.

Finn🎸: Great well sweet dreams y/n x

Me: Sweet dreams Finn x

Becky grins reading the messages between us before the two of us lay in her bed gossiping like school girls. My excitement for the next two weeks was high but I was just a tad little more excited to see Finn again for coffee.

#finn balor #finn balor x reader #finn balor one shot #wwe one shot #becky lynch #fluff

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girl4music · 6 years ago

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Madman/Viavision AU DVDs

Cheapest you will find this box set anywhere online. This is where I bought it.

BUY: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Xena-Complete-Series-Ultimate-Collection-DVD-New-Sealed-OFFICIAL-AU-RELEASE/332766132434?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l9372

This is a breakdown of all the special features and additional footage that comes with this box set. There is a lot so I thought I’d make a post about it. The discs come in 9 parts which represent the 9 cases. 2 of the audio/video commentaries from season 2, ‘A Day In The Life’ & ‘Destiny’, are not in my box set. This may be because the audio/video commentaries and cast/crew interviews are taken from the old Anchor Bay releases. However, you might get them because not all the Anchor Bay releases missed them out. Please check with the seller before buying the box set!

Part 1 - Season 1 - Disc 1

- Still gallery

Part 2 - Season 1 - Disc 7

- “What You Didn’t Know About Xena” - 60 minute featurette from the directors of season 1

Part 2 - Season 2 - Disc 1

- Still gallery

- Weblink

Part 2 - Season 2 - Disc 2

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O'Connor - ‘Return Of Callisto’ audio/video commentary

Part 3 - Season 3 - Disc 1

- Rob Tapert & Liz Friedman - ‘The Furies’ audio/video commentary

- ‘The Furies’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Been There, Done That’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘The Dirty Half Dozen’ cast/crew interviews

- Still gallery

- Weblink

- Credits

Part 3 - Season 3 - Disc 2

- ‘The Deliverer’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Gabrielle’s Hope’ cast/crew interviews

- Rob Tapert & Lucy Lawless - ‘The Debt (Part 1)’ audio/video commentary

- ‘The Debt (Part 1)’ cast/crew interviews

Part 3 - Season 3 - Disc 3

- ‘The Debt (Part 2)’ cast/crew interviews

- Ted Raimi - ‘The King Of Assassins’ audio/video commentary

- ‘The King Of Assassins’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Warrior...Priestess...Tramp’ cast/crew interviews

Part 3 - Season 3 - Disc 4

- ‘The Quill Is Mightier’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Maternal Instincts’ cast/crew interviews

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O’Connor - ‘The Bitter Suite’ audio/video commentary

- ‘The Bitter Suite’ cast/crew interviews

Part 3 - Season 3 - Disc 5

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O’Connor - ‘One Against An Army’ audio/video commentary

- ‘One Against An Army’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Forgiven’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘King Con’ cast/crew interviews

Part 4 - Season 3 - Disc 6

- Steven L. Sears - ‘When In Rome...’ audio/video commentary

- ‘When In Rome...’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Forget Me Not’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Fins, Femmes & Gems’ cast/crew interviews

Part 4 - Season 3 - Disc 7

- ‘Tsunami’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Vanishing Act’ cast/crew interviews

- Hudson Leick - ‘Sacrifice (Part 1)’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Sacrifice (Part 1) cast/crew interviews

Part 4 - Season 3 - Disc 8

- Season 3 revisited - 30 minute featurette with cast/crew

- Season 3 bloopers

- ‘Sacrifice (Part 2)’ (alternative/extended scenes)

- ‘Sacrifice (Part 1 & 2)’ - A retrospective

- Hudson Leick - 'Sacrifice (Part 2)’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Sacrifice (Part 2)’ cast/crew interviews

Part 4 - Season 4 - Disc 1

- ‘Adventures In The Sin Trade (Part 1)’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Adventures In The Sin Trade (Part 2)’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘A Family Affair’ cast/crew interviews

- Still gallery

- Weblink

- Credits

Part 4 - Season 4 - Disc 2

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O’Connor - ‘In Sickness & In Hell’ audio/video commentary

- ‘A Good Day’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘A Tale Of Two Muses’ cast/crew interviews

Part 4 - Season 4 - Disc 3

- ‘Locked Up & Tied Down’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Crusader’ cast/crew interviews

Part 5 - Season 4 - Disc 4

- ‘If The Shoe Fits...’ cast/crew interviews (this is actually just Lucy and Renee)

Part 5 - Season 4 - Disc 5

- Rob Tapert & Chris Manheim - ‘Paradise Found’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Paradise Found’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Between The Lines’ cast/crew interviews

Part 5 - Season 4 - Disc 6

- ‘The Way’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘The Convert’ cast/crew interviews

Part 5 - Season 4 - Disc 7

- ‘Endgame’ cast/crew interviews

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O’Connor - ‘The Ides Of March’ audio/video commentary

- ‘The Ides Of March’ cast/crew interviews

Part 5 - Season 4 - Disc 8

- Season 4 bloopers

- Bringing Monsters To Life At K.N.B. EFX Group (Part 1) featurette

- “Cabin Fever” (with Bruce Campbell & Ted Raimi)

- Renee O’Connor - ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’ cast/crew interviews

Part 5 - Season 4 - Disc 9

- “Adventures In The Sin Trade” - An Exploration

- “Between The Lines” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

- “A Good Day” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

- “Locked Up & Tied Down” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

Part 6 - Season 5 - Disc 1

- R.J. Stewart & Eric Gruendemann - ‘Fallen Angel’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Fallen Angel’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Chakram’ cast/crew interviews

- Still gallery

- Weblink

- Credits

Part 6 - Season 5 - Disc 2

- ‘Animal Attraction’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Them Bones, Them Bones’ cast/crew interviews

Part 6 - Season 5 - Disc 3

- ‘Back In The Bottle’ cast/crew interviews

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O’Connor - ‘Seeds Of Faith’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Seeds Of Faith’ cast/crew interviews

Part 6 - Season 5 - Disc 4

- ‘Lyre, Lyre, Hearts On Fire’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘God Fearing Child’ cast/crew interviews

Part 6 - Season 5 - Disc 5

- ‘Eternal Bonds’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Married With Fishsticks’ cast/crew interviews

Part 6 - Season 5 - Disc 6

- ‘Lifeblood’ cast/crew interviews

- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Rob Tapert & Michael Hurst - ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ cast/crew interviews

Part 7 - Season 5 - Disc 7

- ‘Livia’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Eve’ cast/crew interviews

Part 7 - Season 5 - Disc 8

- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor & Rob Tapert - ‘Motherhood’ audio/video commentary

- ‘Motherhood’ cast/crew interviews

- Gabrielle’s wardrobe test

- Bringing Monsters To Life At K.N.B. EFX Group (Part 2) featurette

Part 7 - Season 5 - Disc 9

- Season 5 - Exclusive interviews with cast/crew

- On set: The 100th episode

- “Motherhood” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

- “Animal Attraction” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

Part 7 - Season 6 - Disc 1

- ‘Coming Home’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Heart Of Darkness’ cast/crew interviews

- Still gallery

- Weblink

- Credits

Part 7 - Season 6 - Disc 2

- ‘Who’s Gurkhan?’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Legacy’ cast/crew interviews

Part 7 - Season 6 - Disc 3

- ‘The Rheingold’ cast/crew interviews

- Joel Metzger - ‘The Ring’ audio/video commentary

- ‘The Ring’ cast/crew interviews

Part 8 - Season 6 - Disc 4

- ‘Old Ares Had A Farm’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Dangerous Prey’ cast/crew interviews

Part 8 - Season 6 - Disc 5

- ‘You Are There’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Path Of Vengeance’ cast/crew interviews

- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Rob Tapert & Michael Hurst - ‘To Helicon & Back’ audio/video commentary

Part 8 - Season 6 - Disc 6

- ‘Last Of The Centaurs’ cast/crew interviews

- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor & Rob Tapert - ‘When Fates Collide’ audio/video commentary

- ‘When Fates Collide’ cast/crew interviews

Part 8 - Season 6 - Disc 7

- ‘Many Happy Returns’ cast/crew interviews

- ‘Soul Possession’ cast/crew interviews

Part 8 - Season 6 - Disc 8

- Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor & Rob Tapert - ‘A Friend In Need (Part 2)’ audio/video commentary

- ‘A Friend In Need’ - Director’s Cut (this is also included in the bonus footage)

- Bringing Monsters To Life At K.N.B. EFX Group (Part 3) featurette

- “To Helicon & Back” dailies (behind-the-scenes raw footage)

Part 8 - Season 6 - Disc 9

- Season 6 - Exclusive interviews with cast/crew

- “Dangerous Prey” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

- “To Helicon & Back” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

- “Legacy” - Director’s Cut (alternative/extended scenes)

- Final episode b-roll footage

- Xena convention 2004

- Xena season 1 original series promo

- “In The Beginning” - Original interviews from season 1

- Season 1 & 2 bloopers

Part 9 - Bonus Disc 1

- Lucy Lawless & Renee O’Connor - ‘Sins Of The Past’ (only audio commentary)

- Fan reenactments (narrated by Robert Trebor) (Salmoneus)

- Comic relief (with Robert Trebor) (Salmoneus)

Part 9 - Bonus Disc 2

- ‘A Friend In Need’ - Director’s Cut (includes audio commentary with Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor & Rob Tapert as an optional watch feature)

- Behind-the-scenes raw footage of “A Friend In Need”

- Still gallery

- Screen saver (if you can access CD/DVD-ROM drive on your PC)

Part 9 - Bonus Disc 3

- Xena’s Hong Kong Origin’s (with Rob Tapert, Liz Friedman, Doug Lefler & David Pollison)

- Mythology vs. Xena (with Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite), Sheila Briggs & Amy Richlin)

- Seeing Double - All about the stunt doubles (Xena’s stunt double; Zoë Bell)

- “Extras” - A Documentary

- “B” is for Bruce

I’m done! Well... not quite yet. @markthexenaaddicted asked me to explain what the ratio looks like on the episodes. It’s a concern because the original ratio for the Anchor Bay DVDs is 4:3. In these DVDs, it’s 16:9 widescreen full height anamorphic. I’m assuming to achieve that, they would have had to knock off some of the image. But the episodes look fine. Season 1 & 2 look a bit grainy but that’s expected considering they were broadcast in 1995-1996.

I’m afraid I can’t do any screenshots because the 16:9 ratio only shows up on my TV and it doesn’t have a screenshotting feature. You’ll just have to trust me.

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chava-the-trickster-goddess-blog · 5 years ago

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As with most sex work

As with most sex work, webcamming doesn’t have the best reputation. It’s often seen as exploitation or a last-resort hustle to pay off debt, but Reed Amber, 26, explains how webcam models are just your average self-employed freelancers with the same amount of agency and independence as anyone else.Sandy Bell's partner lives with her in their high-rise flat on the outskirts of Bucharest. He knows what she does, but her parents do not. It is not uncommon in this industry - even for studio owners - to hide their occupations from family and friends. This accounts for the fact that those who talked to the BBC in Bucharest preferred to use their cam name, or just a first name.When I first left university, I went freelance straight away and didnt quite realise how hard it was to get regular work. I moved in with a friend who webcammed and I was like Oh that sounds like something Id love to do! I already had a sex blog and I was already posting nudes of myself and I absolutely loved it, but webcamming was a bit more of a jump. Theres still this mad taboo around it, that youre selling your body for sex, but its not exactly like that. You can do whatever you like on webcam. Most of the time youre just talking and keeping people company."That or exotic places," says Andrea. "This is not only a sex business as some people think - models have to speak with a member as if they are in a normal, online relationship. Being able to discuss many subjects brings comfort to both parties.

On her end, the website looks like this. This is where she sits and waits.One of the cam girls, Rosie Renee, became a camgirl in May because she wanted a job where she could choose her own hours and work from home.Lana is a graduate who worked in real estate until the global economic crash of 2008 plunged Romania into recession. That is when she first took up video-chat. Her first day in front of the camera has stayed with her.When I first left university, I went freelance straight away and didnt quite realise how hard it was to get regular work. I moved in with a friend who webcammed and I was like Oh that sounds like something Id love to do! I already had a sex blog and I was already posting nudes of myself and I absolutely loved it, but webcamming was a bit more of a jump. Theres still this mad taboo around it, that youre selling your body for sex, but its not exactly like that. You can do whatever you like on webcam. Most of the time youre just talking and keeping people company.

On her end, the website looks like this. This is where she sits and waits.Odds are, you're referred by a newspaper or website listing. Maybe a friend suggested you try it out. Maybe you're shifting from traditional strip club work to the online equivalent — a popular trend in wealthier countries. Maybe you're working in a brothel where web camming is just another expectation. Whatever the case, you'll have to stream yourself through a web cam portal, one of the massive sites that catalogues thousands of models and acts as a go-between between customer and model.Eventually I got a bit more adventurous. I hula-hooped in my underwear while listening to the Arctic Monkeys. I also did yoga, livepainting with my back to the webcam in only a thong. I racked up a couple hundred bucks over a few days and cashed the cheque sent the next month. By this time I’d masturbated on camera for a few guys, but I was starting to get a little bit paranoid about my face appearing in an advert on another website somewhere and someone I knew seeing it. I have nothing against sex work, having worked in the industry three times now, but I don’t like the idea of say my boyfriend's brother or housemate or one of my own family members opening a webpage to a moving image of my face mid-orgasm purely because well, I don’t think my family would support that decision.Eventually they came. My chat room began to fill up and I started talking to a few guys in the group chat. I only typed at first: At the time I lived in a sharehouse with only guys my age and really wasn’t interested in them finding out about my moonlit habits. CONTINUED BELOW...

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love-bokumono-fics · 3 years ago

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Fresh Crops! Week of September 13 - September 19, 2021

The week's newest fics and chapter updates on AO3 under the Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons tag!

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice - by TheBeckster; Complete, 1/1, 2k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: Story of Seasons (2014)

Relationship: Annie/Klaus; Characters: Annie, Klaus

Additional Tags: i only just realized I never posted this story on ao3!, Harvest Moon: A Brand New Season (Zine), gift giving is a love language, also cuddles are nice, Fluff, i feel like I should back date this

Summary: With a chilly autumn night in the forecast, and Annie's house in the midst of a major renovation, Klaus does what he can to ensure his girlfriend is warm and comfortable for the evening.

Stumbling Out of the Shadows - by AccidentallyTheWholeFanfic; WIP, 29/?, 262k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M

Fandoms: Animal Parade

Relationships: Kasey the Farmer/Toby, Chase/Renee, Anissa/Jin; Characters: Kasey, Toby, Chase, Renee, Anissa, Wizard, Luke, Owen

Additional Tags: Friendship, Romance, Adventure, Slash, Family, Slice of Life, Eventual Sex, Alternate Take on the Bell Quest, Basically Things Are Quite Different from the Game

Summary: Moving to Castanet with hopes of coming out of his shy, introverted shell and doing something worthwhile with his life, Kasey Manatos finds himself roped into saving an endangered land from itself. But in his absolute willingness to help out and prove himself, his recklessness may wind up causing its own problems, as well... Rating bumped up to E to be safe.

Gardenia in Winter - by icyserene; Complete, 1/1, 1.2k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F

Fandom: Story of Seasons (2014)

Relationship: Licorice/Annie; Characters: Licorice, Farmer

Additional Tags: Tragedy, Romance, Wedding

Summary: Licorice is kissed by her groom. But I kissed you on those lips, Licorice, Annie thought. That was where I loved you.

Rival After Events - by LuxBeacon (Number13teen); WIP, 5/13, 10k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M

Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town

Additional Tags: Fluff, Rival Marriage, LGBTQ Themes, Wholesome, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net

Summary: A series of one shots detailing the lives of the Mineral Town bachelorettes and bachelors after marrying their rival. Each story references different locations and characters from across the franchise and each chapter takes inspiration from actual events in the games. Pure Fluff.

The Language of Flowers - by spoopybat; WIP, 70/?, 163k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: The Tale of Two Towns

Relationships: Cam | Kamil/Lillian the Farmer | Sato, Chelsea/Vaughn | Waltz

Additional Tags: Tags Contain Spoilers, POV Alternating, Background Relationships, Starting Over, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Minor Character Death, Background Character Death, Minor Violence, Minor Injuries, Physical Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Socially Awkward Characters, Cliche, Mutual Pining, Awkwardness, Awkward Flirting, Emotional Baggage, References to Depression, Dysfunctional Family, Melodrama, Family Drama, First Love, First Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Morning After, Morning Cuddles, Morning Sex, Christmas, Domestic Fluff, Kitchen Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy, Pregnancy, Morning Sickness, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Constipation, Arguing, Medical Conditions, Medical inaccuracies but I'm gonna do my best, Panic Attacks, Engagement, Couch Sex, Wedding Planning, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, Honeymoon, Body Worship, Making Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Mental Anguish, Spa Treatments, Fights, Making Up, Mental Health Issues, Depression, Language of Flowers, Emotional reunion, Reunion Sex, Pregnant Sex, Therapy

Summary: Lillian, a young woman from the Sunshine Islands, left her home and moved to Bluebell. In hopes that moving to this rural farm town to escape her troubled past and find the happy life she had always wanted.

A New Beginning - by EEVEE300; Complete, 32/32, 103k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M

Fandoms: A New Beginning

Relationship: Neil/Rachel | Rio; Characters: Neil, Rachel | Rio, Rod, Allen, Henry | Haruto

Summary: This is a story about Rachael's New Beginning in Echo Village and about how she fell in love with a certain Animal Dealer along the way. This is my first real attempt at a Fan Fiction story. All rights go to Natsume! Enjoy!

#fresh crop monday #harvest moon #story of seasons #sos1 #friends of mineral town #a new beginning #tale of two towns #animal parade

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richincolor · 6 years ago

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5 Books I'm Excited For in 2019

I was inspired by Audrey's post last week about the books she's looking forward to in the early part of this year, so I thought I'd do the same. There are some books coming out this year that I've already read (Thank you NCTE & ALAN) and I can't wait to share them with you when they come out.

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi

Balzer + Bray

Black Enough is a star-studded anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi that will delve into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across the country. From a spectrum of backgrounds—urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—Black Enough showcases diversity within diversity.

Whether it’s New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds writing about #blackboyjoy or Newbery Honor-winning author Renee Watson talking about black girls at camp in Portland, or emerging author Jay Coles’s story about two cowboys kissing in the south—Black Enough is an essential collection full of captivating coming-of-age stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America. — Summary and cover image via Goodreads

Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan Bloomsbury YA

Jasmine and Chelsea are sick of the way women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women’s Rights Club. They post everything online—poems, essays, videos of Chelsea performing her poetry, and Jasmine’s response to the racial macroaggressions she experiences—and soon they go viral. But with such positive support, the club is also targeted by online trolls. When things escalate, the principal shuts the club down. Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices—and those of other young women—to be heard. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2) by Dhonielle Clayton Freeform

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia’s Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen. With the help of an underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The Spider’s Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds Katherine Tegen Books

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . .

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo HarperTeen

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

— Cover image and summary via Goodreads

#WeNeedDiverseBooks #ownvoices #booklist

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breakingisabella · 6 years ago

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okay so a lovely anon requested this scenario based on a previous post i made and i posted my response earlier but i actually misread their ask and wrote something completely different SO here’s my make-up response. it’s super long and not great because i’m tired but i hope it’s okayyyy

bella opens the door to charlie’s house to find alice on the doorstep

she had stayed there the night before after helping charlie plan a community hike into the early hours of the morning and had just decided to crash there

“bella-… don’t drive your car to work.” alice commanded, her golden eyes wide and frantic

“what?” bella scoffs. “how else am i supposed to get there?”

“edward’s going to pick you up in a few minutes and take you there.”

“why? what’s wrong with my car?”

“i had a vision, you were in a crash on the highway. you-…”

now bella’s eyes widen and she puts her hand to her mouth. “oh my god alice, i died?” she squeaks, horrified

“yes. bella it was horrible i-… please don’t get in your car.”

“um okay. sure, alice.”

“thank you.”

“i should probably be thanking you. you definitely just saved my life. i forgot how handy that little gift of yours is.”

“sometimes it can be a blessing, it’s true.” alice smirks, pleased to have saved the day. then she turns on her heel and runs into the forest opposite charlie’s

edward picks her up a few minutes later as predicted

“i hope alice’s vision didn’t freak you out too much.” bella says to him on the drive in to work

it might be her imagination but he seems to be driving more carefully than he used to

“surely it scared you too?”

“yeah, but i figured out a long time ago that i was destined to die, like almost every other person on the planet. it’s a curse we’re forced to bear.”

he shakes his head, “it doesn’t have to be today.”

“you can’t save me every time edward.” she mutters. “that’s why you left, remember?”

“i remember. i know that there will be a day when i can’t do anything to save you. but again, today is not that day.”

they arrive at the store and as bella’s fumbling for her door keys she asks him if he’s going to come in

“as fun as working in the store sounds, i have to keep a low profile around town in case anyone recognises me.” he smirks. “my family and i are going to hunt, but i’ll be back before you close up to drive you home again.”

“ahh my knight with shining bmw.” she chuckles sarcastically

“six o’clock?”

“perfect. see you then.”

bella sets up for the day and has just started on her accounts when jake strides in and grins at her

“hey jake, what’s up?” bella says, putting down her pencil and looking at him expectantly

“not much. can you keep an eye on my bike for me?” he nods in the direction of the parking lot

“sure, why?”

jake throws her the keys as he answers, “i’m helping out with the fourth grade school field trip and then molly’s just gonna pick me and luke up from there to go for dinner so i won’t need it till tomorrow.”

“why do i need to take the keys?”

“in case i somehow decide it’s a good idea to come and get the bike before going down for the big beach party tonight and then think i can drive home after a few-…”

“okay i get it.” bella laughs. “sure, i’ll keep them here until you’re sober enough to get it and yourself home in one piece.”

“you coming to the party?”

“i can’t, i have plans?”

jake raises his eyebrows and surveys the accounts books, “sure, this looks super exciting.”

“these are not my plans!” “well then bring charlie to the party too!”

“jacob, i do have other things going on in my life. i have friends. i’m hanging out with an old high school friend as it happens.”

“who?”

“you wouldn’t remember them.”

“oh so it’s a date. is that why your car isn’t here? you spend the night with your date?” he teases her

“jake!”

“whatever, i don’t care and i’m going to be late for luke’s field trip and i need to earn back some dad points with him. i’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“i’ll be here.”

“you better be. love ya.”

“love you too jake.”

she hangs the keys up on the hook as jake leaves on foot and tries to get on with the day’s tasks without thinking about edward

it’s not easy and she spends three hours stacking the same shelf because she keeps falling into a daydream about a certain meadow

towards the end of the day, just as the sun is starting to set her phone rings

it’s jake’s eldest daughter, justine

“aunt bella?” she says in a panicked voice

“hey, what’s wrong? justine, are you alright?”

“not really… i-… god, i need you to come and get me.”

bella’s brow immediately furrows with worry as she pulls her jacket on with one hand and holds the phone in the other, “where are you?”

“i’m at the beach, i was with carter but he wanted to-… do stuff and i wasn’t ready and i told him to leave me here but now i’m stuck and-…”

“where are your parents?”

“mom’s not answering her phone and i didn’t want dad to know what happened. you’re the only other person i trust with this. please, please come and get me. i really need you.”

bella reaches the door and then remembers the major obstacle between her and her eldest goddaughter, “i don’t have my car.”

“how’d you get to the store?” justine asks as though the idea of being without a car is completely unbelievable

“i got a ride… with a friend.”

“can you call them to come get me or something? please, it’s starting to get dark and i don’t know my way back and-…”

bella glances at the hook on the wall and spots jake’s keys

“okay, okay. don’t panic. i’ll be there.”

“thank you aunt bella, i owe you one.”

alice saw it happen

and because alice saw it, edward did too

every agonising moment

a split second decision to grab jacob’s keys

even as edward took off in a sprint back towards forks he knew he’d never make it in time to stop her

the road was too wet

she took the bend too quickly in her haste to help the girl

jacob’s daughter

the bike’s engine squealed and there was a gut-wrenching thunk and crack as her skull met the tarmac

and then bella swan was gone

just like that

charlie insisted on seeing her at the hospital but he wished he had given in when they told him it wasn’t a good idea

the blood had matted her hair and her brown eyes stared at nothing, seeing nobody

the bloom in her cheeks, her warmth, had completely evaporated

jake picked charlie up from the hospital and took him home

two men, their faces warped by age, desolately mourning the girl they had both loved more than themselves

both blaming themselves for her death

jake tried to console charlie even as his own heart was breaking but charlie wouldn’t listen

“i’m her dad jake. i’m supposed to protect her. i’m the one that’s supposed to tell her that everything’s gonna be alright even when i don't think it will be and then it’s my responsibility to go out there and change the world in every way to make sure that things are alright for her. i’m-… except i’m not. i’m not her dad anymore jake. my daughter’s dead. i’m not a dad. you can’t be a father to a person that doesn’t exist. and what am i if i’m not bella swan’s dad? i’m nothing.”

“charlie. bella will always exist. you think something as insignificant as death could stop her from being a part of our lives? no way. she’s here and she’s looking after us, just like she always did.”

“i wish i could believe that jake. but i don’t. i’m never gonna see her again. i’m never gonna get to tell her how much i love her or how much i wish-… i wasted so much time jake. i should have followed renee when she took bella away from forks, i should have insisted that i be a part of her life from the beginning. i lost out on so much of her life.”

“it’s not your fault.”

“of course it is.”

“well it still doesn’t matter charlie. you might not have had quite as much time with her as you would have wanted, but you still go a lot of time with her. and bella is-… was… so extraordinary that even a minute with her brought the joy of a lifetime.”

“she never hurt a single person in her entire life.”

“i don’t think she’d agree with that.”

“what do you mean?”

“she always used to say that she knew she’d go to hell because she’d put you through it more than once and it seemed only fair that she have a turn too.”

“god if that girl ended up in hell then there’s no hope for god himself getting into heaven.”

“it’s gonna be okay charlie. and you’ll always be her dad. you think i’d stop being a dad if something happened to my kids? or do you think my kids would stop having a dad if something happened to me?”

“i guess not.”

“some things can’t be broken. no matter what. now come on, stop moping around. we got a store to run.”

they go to the bookstore and clean it up preparing it for business as usual the next day, as bella would have done

the register is still on

she hadn’t thought she’d be long

she was going to get justine on the back of the bike and ride her all the way back to the store, telling her not to tell jake that she had let his daughter ride without a helmet

then she would have made two mugs of hot tea and made justine tell her everything

she would have held her goddaughter while she cried and made everything feel better

after an hour or two of working hard, keeping his mind off the pain, charlie gave in and retreated to bella’s apartment above the store to be alone

jake remained downstairs trying not to think

he’d told charlie not to blame himself because he knew for a fact that bella’s death was nobody’s fault but his own

if he had only kept his keys

if he had only trusted himself to be sensible for once

then the silver bells above the door chime interrupting his thoughts

“we’re closed.” he says coldly

“i know.” edward replies.

#twilight #the twilight saga #twilight au #the twilight au #twilight edit #twilight headcanon #twilight hc #the twilight saga au #edward cullen #bella cullen #alice cullen #forks #fi's writing #anon #ask

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