#still waiting for my physical copy of the book to arrive

[peach-nii]

you guys ever heard of the man that was invisible

[wolvertooth]

i finished reading the team x novel and it was just 'he would not fucking say that' and 'i am not reading all of that' and 'WHY THE FUCK DID HE SAY THAT' and 'shut the fuck UP about military shit ohhh my god' and 'mystique would absolutely say that go off queen'

[khunyuki]

"I am not going to fall in love, Yuu. Not until we find a way home"

<Observing Deuce>

Sypnosis: You made up your mind not to fall in love the moment you arrived at Twisted Wonderland with your bestfriend, Yuu. With plenty of responsibilities on your shoulders in both worlds, do you even have time for romance? At least that's what you thought... Until a certain someone's actions caught your gaze.

Oneshot Pairing/s: Deuce Spade x reader

Notes: Deuce is one of my favorites so I'll make him first <3 I'll try to make Y/N as gender neutral as possible

Masterlist: TOC

To be a magicless student at an all-boy's school like Night Raven College, you must never ever let your guard down. Letting your guard down means exposing yourself to danger. Danger could be something as simple as tripping over a rock or something as extreme as getting involved in overblots left and right. You blame your bestfriend and your monster cat for that. With how careful you were being, they contribute with their recklessness and ability to get themselves involved in trouble tenfold. Truly, you wouldn't do anything to compromise your safety on purpose.

You weren't the luckiest person in the world but your luck becomes non-existent when in the presence of those two. You don't mind though, they spice up your otherwise boring life. Besides, you love those two to death and would do anything for them. Still, you don't appreciate the misfortunes befalling upon you whenever you guys are together.

A prime example of that misfortune would be this situation you are currently in right now. You were just exiting the library with a stack of books in your arms when you heard your name being called.

"Y/N!"

Just hearing the voice is enough for you to know who the owner is and you lift your head up to see Yuu waving at you as they headed towards your direction. You waited for them to arrive before greeting back.

"Hey, Yuu, what's up? Kinda rare for you to be alone at this time"

"Grim's at detention with Ace and i'm on my way to Monstro Lounge cuz Azul apparently wanted to talk to me about something"

"You better not go signing contracts involving us without my permission. Otherwise, i'll go and grill you and that freakin' octopus alive"

With eyes as sharp as knives, you glared at your bestfriend who just laughed sheepishly. Both of you knew that your threat will very much come true if Yuu ever as signs another suspicious contract with Azul again. And that if your hands weren't occupied at the moment, you will definitely come with them there.

"I won't, I won't! I promise! But what's that stack of books all about?"

"For tonight's study session. It covers everything related to our homework so we could finish quickly and enjoy the rest of the sleepover"

"Can't I just copy yours?"

"No"

Seeing Yuu deflate at the mention of homework made you laugh a bit. Who doesn't hate homework? Certainly not you, you just preferred to get it out of the way fast so you no longer have anything to think about. Yuu proceeded to say their goodbye and left which reminded you that you're still in front of the library doors.

Just as you were about to take your leave as well, the library doors opened which caused the person leaving to knock into you causing you to fall along with the books you were holding. Without even bothering to help nor offering an apology, the person who bumped into you left with a huff. With your delayed response, the bastard already got away before you got your hands on them.

"Y/N! That bastard I-"

"Deuce?"

The blue haired male with a distinct spade on his face immediately knelt down where you were currently sitting on the ground as soon as he got to you. He gently put his hands on your face as he inspected you closely for injuries.

"Are you okay?"

With a soft voice, in contrast to the delinquent-like voice he let out earlier, he asked if you were alright. His piercing eyes looking straight to yours combined with his hands on your face made you physically unable to move, leaving you no choice but to stare straight back at him.

"Yeah, i'm okay. What are you doing here?"

As soon as he heard the word 'okay' he instantly let you go as he breathe out a sigh of relief. Maybe he didn't notice how close your faces were to each other earlier since he was now picking up the books you dropped. You thought nothing of it, just a normal interaction between friends, that was until you saw the red dusted on his ears.

"I- I met Yuu around the corner and they said you were here so I rushed then I saw that bastard bumping into you without apologizing. Woah this is heavy, were you planning on carrying this all by yourself?"

Seeing him get up made you realize that you were still on the ground and you didn't help him pick up the books you dropped so you immediately got up and dusted yourself. The both of your started walking to Ramshackle dorm after you finished.

"Yeah, it's for our study session later"

"This is quite... a lot. But it's nothing for an honor student like me"

Seeing him gulp and somewhat deflate like Yuu did earlier then suddenly declare that he is an honor student made you laugh. You weren't laughing at him being an honor student but rather his expression, it was kinda cute. Maybe what you saw earlier was just a fluke, your mind must've been playing tricks on you. There's no way Deuce Spade would blush because of you... right?

On the way back to your dorm, you engaged in a conversation with Duece like you always did. He didn't give you back the books insisting he could carry them all which left you with nothing to hold. That's why you chose this time to observe him closely, his expressions and how he acts around you.

Looking back, you never got to closely observe Deuce ever since you got here. You were busy adjusting after arriving and staying alive from the first overblot incident that you forgot. Ace and Deuce who helped you and has been your friends since then had gained your trust so you didn't see any point in doing so. Were you wrong in doing so?

Ace was annoying and would often get on your nerves so you spent more time learning about him than Deuce who had been nothing but kind to you. You've observed almost everyone you frequently interacted with so you could say with certainty.

Amongst everyone, Deuce was the only person you never bothered learning about deeply. Why exactly was that? And why was it that you were only realizing this now?

Maybe it's time to finally learn about Deuce Spade.

Introducing Deuce Spade

Deuce Spade is one of the first few people you trust the most, having been your first friend in Twisted Wonderland along with Ace. Being in the same class has proven wonders in your relationship as you keep seeing each other and hanging out thus deepening your bond. The life and death situations you encounter together made you closer so you now see him as a person you can rely on no matter what.

Your Relationship

As a friend, Deuce Spade is someone you can always rely on as he has proven himself dependable every single time. He is kind and polite, quite a gentleman when it comes to you. You can see with the way he is always looking out for you that you are important to him. After finding out about your non-existent physical capabilities, he brings it upon himself to protect you from harm and away from danger. He will always make sure you are okay, taking your emotions into account.

Observations

After you got home from Styx Headquarters, Deuce's protectiveness seems to have gotten worse which caused you to see things you haven't before. You are now suspecting that he is somehow interested in you.

Listed below are the things he does to catch your eyes:

Deuce would carry your things for you no matter how light or heavy it is

The starting point of this observation diary is when you saw him blush after he helped you pick your books from the ground. Even before that happened, Deuce has always been helping you in carrying things. Be it your bag, your groceries, or even Ramshackle's couch. You remember how he would constantly ask you if you need help first before taking your things but as time goes by, it became so natural you didn't notice it anymore. Looking back, it seems weird how when he's around you'll just pass him what you're carrying and he'd gladly accept it.

Deuce will always choose you first. Be it talking or confiding secrets

You are reminding yourself that the two of you are just friends. It is normal for friends to tell each other stuffs and keep it as your secrets. If are with other people, Deuce will greet you first then the others, after that he focuses his attention on you. If he has good news, he will tell you immediately. If he has bad news, he will hesitate but eventually relent. It was because he made you his emotional support that you felt compelled to do the same. That's why you'll tell him about things first even before Yuu or Grim know.

Deuce is always fun to talk to and provides great comfort to you. He's a great emotional support and would ask if you're alright. You'd often find yourself staying up late just texting each other dumb stuffs. You're that close to the point that you're even talking to his mom and you also get along well! It is because of Deuce that even if you have problem, you wouldn't be heavy-hearted cause he's always by your side to make you feel better.

While you feel annoyed by it at times, you didn't mind because it's Deuce. He has a way with you that if he asks or tell you something, you'd listen intently. If it was any other guy like Ace, you'd definitely bite his head off. Maybe it's because unlike other people who demands you to do things, he will ask you first for permission.

Deuce will always protect you

You remember that time in the mines, he noticed you were running slower than them so he grabbed your arm so you wouldn't get left behind. That's when it started. You admit that your physical capabilities are low so you let him be if it will save you from the hassle or danger. During overblots, Ace and Deuce are always with you guys and Deuce will remain by your side to protect you. He would hold your wrist so he can drag you away anytime or pull you behind him, he would cover your body with his if necessary.

That's why when you're involved in trouble, he would always go to your first so he could protect you and drag you away if necessary. At school, there are thugs that like to pick up fights whenever they can. Sometimes, you'd get caught up in them which is something you hated. If you're lucky, a passing student will be someone you know so they can provide help but if you're unlucky, you just have to rely on dirty tricks. Deuce couldn't always be there but he would drop everything and run so fast just to get to you in that very instance.

If you're hurt, he'd beat up the bastard who did that to you. Even if it means breaking his promise to his mother, he will do it to protect you. So you will always stop him before he could which will make him grateful to you but regrets he couldn't protect you. His past doesn't scare you nor is his reaction to those who pick fights with him. It's because you trust that he will never bring you harm.

Deuce is a extremely reliable and a gentleman

His reliablity is the main reason he got your trust in the first place. After arriving in Twisted Wonderland, he's one of the first few who treated you with kindness and offered his help. He's proven it to you in multiple occasions so you know that you can always count on him. Not only does he come to your aid when you ask, he'd even offer it first and perform well. If he couldn't then it's fine cause he'd worry more than you anyways which will make you feel like it's nothing to worry about at all. That's why even if he isn't the person fit for the job, you'd still choose him in the end.

This was something you also unknowingly got used to whenever you're together. Deuce will always open the door for you and let you in first. He will offer to carry your things no matter how light or heavy it may be. He'd ask for your permission first before doing things. He'd let you sit first or place a towel for you to sit on. The list goes long for the things he does for you in his acts of service. He may not be a gentleman like Riddle, he tries still hard to do so.

Deuce always partners up with you

This may seem silly but you became partners in Alchemy because he keeps asking you to from the start. You didn't like it at first because Deuce isn't that bright but he isn't as reckless like Grim or Ace which makes him ideal. As time goes by, you also always choose to partner up with him first and not Yuu. You find him comfortable and fun to be around, even if you're studying together and you have to teach him. Most of your time is spent together with him as you hang out even without your other friends.

Deuce is really cute

You can definitely say that Deuce is handsome after looking at his face. His looks cannot be compared to others like Vil, Epel, Malleus, Lilia, Silver, or Leona but he's definitely above average. His face is pretty but that isn't what you like about him.

You like how clumsy he is at times like when he was talking to the plants in the botanical garden. Or when he unknowingly leans close to you and you lean back then he would be startled and apologize when he realizes. All of his reactions are cute yet genuine.

Dilemma

After you started to observe Deuce in earnest, you notice how he actually does like you in that kind of way. The things he does with you are things he doesn't do with others. Normally you do not like this kind of development, going as far as to avoid it but... It seems you have developed feelings for him as well while watching him closely. Scratch that, it seems that you've always liked him back and have only realized it now. It is always the little things that move you and that is what Deuce is about.

Your priority is to find a way back home however your heart seems to insist that you wanted something more with him.

Whatever shall you do?

Conclusion

It was just a spur of the moment as you were still deciding on what you should do. An unbirthday party at Heartslabyul just ended so Deuce is walking you back to Ramshackle. You would've gone with Yuu and Grim but you had to talk to Trey about something first and before you knew it, it was getting late. Trey asked Deuce to chaperone you back as he knows the two of you are close friends. But you can see it in his eyes that he's rooting for Deuce.

"Hey Deuce, do you like me?"

You asked Deuce as you admire the Rose Garden of Heartslabyul. You felt him stop in his tracks which made you stop as you stare at him going red.

"Umm... That's... Yes"

Maybe he thinks you were trying to reject him that he was almost crying in shame after being so flustered and admitting it.

"I like you too"

You gave him a smile. It wasn't wide with joy nor sad with sorrow. It was a normal smile that you always show to him. Something that he's used to and greatly comforts him. It wasn't just your words that makes Deuce's heart beat so fast, it was your smile that shows the ease of it as if you liking him was the most normal thing in the world.

"Wanna go out together?"

You weren't planning on confessing but you certainly weren't gonna reject when he nodded his head. His disbelief and shock wasn't gonna stop you since you could see how happy he is when you held his hand in yours intertwined.

[bookphile]

Lately, I've been frustrated by the huge waiting times at the library. Not just for ebooks or audiobooks, but even physical books. You don't have to explain to me how libraries work, because I know, I also know how ebook purchasing etc works for libraries. Also, I live near a large metropolitan area of a city known for being literary. So the libraries are not underfunded and have massive collections. Our librarians also do a fantastic job of curating the libraries and organizing not just books, but classes, book clubs, etc. Maybe it's a the fact that the libraries in my area do the interloan book borrowing system. Meaning, the catalogue is connected and so if your library does not have something you can request it from another library and it will be delivered to yours so you can borrow it. But that means that the librarians are more likely to cull less popular books/series to free up space since another library will have a copy. This means you have to wait for the book to arrive from elsewhere and if there's a sudden interest there's only one copy for multiple libraries to go around.

Maybe it's the fact that price of books both physical and digital has skyrocketed to the point where new hardcover books are anywhere from 30-50 $ (US) and paperbacks are 20-30$. Which most people simply cannot afford. To put into perspective, my electricity bill is usually lower than a new hardcover book. Audiobooks are even more prohibitive so that the only way to purchase them is get a subscription and be able to get one book a month for a reasonable price, wait for sales, or purchase at full price for $50-60. Ebook book prices have started to match paperback prices and sometimes even cost more. This of course, means more people look to the library to get a copy, but if it's a new release, you can end up waiting anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months to get a copy. In my area, libraries will often purchase a lot of copies of popular books to meet the demand as much as they can -- I cannot imagine how it is in less funded areas.

To make it clear, I'm not complaining about libraries. Or librarians. I love them both. Super privileged to live in an area that can not only provide these books for free, but also do their best to meet the demand. Also, super happy to live in an area where so many people read so many books!!

But I can still think it's ridiculous to have to wait six months for a new release. Clearly there's a hitch in the system somewhere.

[breserker]

big update:

jackrabbit and the beast has been sent off for its first printing

yeah. i know. it's all done. i just have to wait for the books to arrive, in time for the holidays.

i'll have more information on how to preorder. because i'm going through a small local publisher + wide (yet independent) distribution, the books won't just show up at your local bookstore but you'll be able to ask your bookstore to order some for you. this goes for many places around the world, too, which is why i went with this decision. the book is being printed through ingramspark's printers.

if you're in the US you'll be able to preorder from the small publisher/bookstore i'm contracted with, but I also highly encourage you to support any local bookstore of yours to order through there once the books are out. you should also have the option to ask your library to grab some copies.

if you can't tell, i'm very, very, very tired. i crashed hard yesterday and I think it's just big "oh my god that's all finally done" crashing. it's surreal, i'm, i don't know what to feel, i'm jittery, my heart pounded holding the proof for the first time after asking for it over the counter of a bookstore I've spent time writing the book in.

if you can't wait for the physical copy, you can grab a digital one here for cheaper with most of the price going directly towards me. a physical copy will still support me quite well due to the nature of working with a local publisher, don't worry. I personally really like the physical book, too, the pages are nice and pulpy and should age really fantastically (that is to say, visibly wear their age; i really wanted to go for that feeling.)

as for the second book? ...2 or 3 chapters until the first draft is done. it's slow going but...it's going.

[letmeliveinelfhame]

Read/see how my Holly Black collection grew in the space of a year!! Apologies for the long ass post 😂

June 2023 - Read the main trilogy + The Lost Sisters on my Kindle for the first time. Fell in love and bought physical copies of the trilogy and How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories as a bundle from Amazon (I need The Lost Sisters to be released as a physical 🙏)

22nd June 2023 - a pin I ordered was dispatched

19th July 2023 - the Jurdan bookmark I bought was dispatched

August 2023 - Bought The Stolen Heir and Book of Night (still haven't read it yet, though) from The Works

1st November 2023 - Ordered Tithe from Waterstones

5th December - First photo shared to one of my Instagram accounts (the collection was so small back then 🥺)

25th December 2023 - Received Illumicrate replica of Jude's sword, FairyLoot playing cards and Cardan trinket dish and US collector's edition of The Cruel Prince as Christmas gifts

17th February 2024 - Waterstones order including Valiant and Ironside arrived

20th February 2024 - Elfhame candle I ordered was dispatched

4th March 2024 - Entered the Bonnier Books UK sprayed edge duology (1 winner), Wren quote bookmark and The Prisoner's Throne sticker sheet (350 winners) giveaway by sending my proof of preorder of the book from Waterstones. Only 350 would be selected, but I was outside the 350 entries so I didn't think I'd win anything

8th March 2024 - Finished reading The Prisoner's Throne and added it to the little collection

10th March 2024 - I moved the collection to the mini bookcase behind my bed so it could have its own shelf

3rd April 2024 - I typed up, printed and tea-stained copies of Cardan's letters to Jude. To use the exact font, I had to use my college Microsoft account instead of my personal one as the font was a premium feature

8th April 2024 - Received the Wren quote bookmark and The Prisoner's Throne sticker sheet that I didn't think I'd win

May 2024 - I moved the collection back to my main bookcase, giving it a larger shelf

17th June 2024 - I received the Illumicrate editions of The Stolen Heir and The Prisoner's Throne from a reseller on eBay

29th June 2024 - Illumicrate edition of Book of Night arrived from a reseller on Vinted

9th August 2024 - I received the FairyLoot edition of The Prisoner's Throne as a birthday gift

Current collection:

I'm waiting for The Darkest Part of the Forest and 4 items to add to this 🙈

[gab-tao]

I just copied and paste this from my Wattpat book- Enjoy!

❥ Dazai x Reader

❥Angst ➯ Fluff

❥ Gender-neutral reader

❥mentions of self-harm and alcohol: if you are not comfortable with this type of content then please skip this chapter.

꧁☆꧂

It was a quiet day at the agency. Surprisingly, you didn't hear Dazai and Kunikida fighting like cats and dogs as usual, Atsushi was out with some other members. All in all, it was a much more peaceful day then you expected but you began to wonder: where's your beloved, Dazai? He should have talked to you by now or at least you should have seen him somewhere in the agency. Fighting with Kunikida over slacking off again, sleeping on the couch in the agency or at least somewhere. It started to worry you. Where is he? You decided to wait a while to see if he would show up later. If not you would ask around the agency in case they have seen him.

You waited on what felt like hours. You asked all over the agency and searched for him multiple times. Where could he be? If he's not in the agency, then could he still be at his apartment? You decided after work you would go looking for him.

ꨄ

You were trying to keep your composure, but with all the anxiety that built up within the past hours, you ran toward his place praying he was ok. You soon arrived at Dazai's place, gasping for breath from how far you ran. You knocked on the door hoping that there was a sign of him inside, no answer. You knocked on it multiple times practically trying to break the door down with just your fist. You then tried turning the door knob, it was open. This put you on edge as you entered the place, bottles of a bear were scattered all over the floor, along with bandages and a trail of crimson liquid. You begin to call out for him, soon noticing the bathroom light was on. You began to open the door with an uneasy feeling.

As you opened the door you began to see the bottom half of your lover you felt all the emotions of him being hurt go away. Once you opened it fully, the weight of all your emotions came crashing down. Dazai was bent over the toilet, violently vomiting from the amount of alcohol he had consumed with bloody hands from self-made marks with a box cutter on the sink. You wanted this to be a bad dream, you wanted to wake up in your bed, go to work and see Dazai in the office. This wasn't a dream though. It was real and you hated it. You've heard of him doing things like this before from others in the agency but you never thought you would witness it.

Dazai soon finished vomiting for what felt like the millionth time that day. Slowly turned his head towards the bathroom door, hearing it creak a few seconds ago. To his horror, you were at the door staring at him, his eyes widened as the weight of his actions finally hit him. He never wanted you to see him like this, he never wanted you to see what the loss of a dear friend did to him.

You were trying to control your breathing, your emotions, everything. You felt like you were about collapse. Your head was spinning, your breath started to quicken and you couldn't control it. The weight of all your emotions was too much for mental and physical forms to take. You fell to your knees and started breathing much faster than before. Your ears started ringing as you faintly heard the voice of your dear beloved realizing what was going on and rapidly came towards you.

You could barely make out the figure in front of you was Dazai. Your vision was a blur, your mind was foggy and plugged with what you just saw. Dazai was holding on to you as you were gripping his forearm and shoulder. His arms were stinging from your hand placement and you were squeezing them very tightly.

ꨄ

After what felt like hours to Dazai your panic attack was finally reduced to just tears. "Dazai. Why would you do something like this to yourself?" He didn't answer, he only went back to the toilet to continue vomiting. You regained your composure and got up from your spot on the floor and began to search the house for anything to help Dazai with the after-effects of the alcohol and to cover his cuts.

After a while of searching you where able to find bandages for him but no painkillers to help with the head ach he must be having. You soon when to the bathroom to check on him seeing Dazai was still sitting on the floor in front of the toilet waiting to throw up again. Soon realizing, he was on the floor. He couldn't just stay on the bathroom floor all day could he? began to draw a bath for Dazai.

"Dazai? I need you to clean yourself ok? The tub is already starting to fill with water. After that then we can clean your cuts, eat and I can give you medicine to help with the vomiting and pain. Does that sound ok?" You were concerned over his well-being, why would he do such a thing to himself? You tried not to think about it any longer, you didn't want to pry at him and make him uncomfortable. The only thing that matters right now is that he gets the help that he needs at this moment. Dazai slowly nods his head at you, grateful for all your doing for him. He couldn't ask for a better lover other than you.

You soon went out of the bathroom to get Dazai some clean clothes and a towel. Returning to the bathroom, you were about to place the items on the sink when you noticed the box cutter. You quickly grabbed it, placed the stuff down in the sink, and threw the blade out, you never wanted to see a box cutter ever again after this experience. You soon made your way to the bathroom, closing the water, helping Dazai with his remaining clothes, and getting him into the water.

You were about to leave until Dazai grabbed your wrist pulling you towards him. He looked at you with a pleading eye, gesturing you towards the bath. "Do you want me to wash you?" He soon tugged your wrist again while the other arm went towards your blouse to unbutton it. "Would you like me to come in the bath with you?" Dazai simply nodded as he let your wrist go so you can take off your clothes. "Dazai, I have no clothes to change into though." You didn't expect Dazai to be so clingy. "You could wear mine, [Name]," Dazai said in a demanding tone, it seemed like you have no choice now.

Dazai turned to face the wall giving you some sort of privacy to take off your clothes and get into the bath. Soon stepping into the tub you both sat on opposite ends of the tub, you were too embarrassed to face him while he was just staring at you. Dazai begins to become impatient with you just sitting away from him so he decided to take matters into his own hands. "[Name], could you come closer?" You were completely baffled at what he asked, it was one thing to get in the bath with him, but it was a different subject for your unclothed forms to touch one another. You started to refuse at first, but eventually gave in to his pleas and began to make your way to his side.

You stopped in the middle of the tub to give some space between you both. You were about to grab the shampoo when you suddenly felt two hands around your waist, that rapidly pulled you towards your lover. Your face turned crimson as you release your where in Dazai's lap. After you were able to process your thoughts, you began to help him shower. Dazai melted into your touch as you massage his head with shampoo, cleaning him off. You could swear whenever you took your hands off of him to do something else he would whine.

ꨄ

You were the first to get out of the bath. Wrapping one of Dazai's towels around your body. Your sole-heartedly believed that he could at least bush his teeth while you go change into something comfortable and start cleaning up the bottles of bear laying around the house. You squirted toothpaste on his toothbrush and handed it to him then soon exited the bathroom.

After getting dressed you found a black garbage bag and began to clean up all the beer bottles, picking them up and throwing them out no matter if they were empty or not.

ꨄ

Dazai was doing much better than before, some members of the agency have been trying to contact you but you keep ignoring their calls. The most important thing right now was Dazai's well-being. As of now, you were cleaning up the apartment, tossing away any bottle of beer that you saw no matter if it had anything beer left in it or not. Dazai was currently laying down on his bed, still feeling the effects of his hangover.

You had just finished cleaning and you decided to check up on Dazai. "Dazai? Are you awake?" You called out to him soon hearing a hum in response as you walked towards where he was laying. "Dazai, why did you do that to yourself?" No answer. Tears threaten to spill as you continued "Did you not think about the consequences your actions could have caused." You started to grip your shoulders trying to calm down but the thought of him doing something worse was plaguing your mind.

You held back your sobs as you cried silently. You didn't want him to have these thoughts. You wanted to help him, you wanted to get rid of the darkness in his mind and give him something worth living for. "[Name]?" His voice sound almost unrecognizable, there usually was a hint of joy in his talk but you now just realized it was never there, to begin with. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" You were confused, he did nothing wrong not at all so what was he sorry for? "[Name], I'm sorry you had to see me like this," Dazai said with his back still facing you. "Dazai, you don't have to apologize for anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing. If I came here earlier then you might have not done this to yourself." You felt guilty that you weren't here sooner to stop it. You felt at fault for not being there for him.

His hand gripped your shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze and soon began to move his hand down to yours intertwining your fingers and pulling you into bed with him. Intertwining your legs with his as you rested your head on top of his. You began whispering sweet nothings into his hair while planting butterfly kisses on top of his head to give you a sense of comfort. He was here with you and you wanted to cherish every moment with him for as long as you both can. Your actions soon lulled him to sleep and you soon followed.

Two lovers intertwined.

꧁☆꧂

This is very long-

It isn’t that good as well but you read it so thanks for reading all the way through!

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I got the physical version and look what I found on the back of the book!! How amazing!!

Also I haven’t read it yet even tho I’ve spoiled myself, is Tempest, the sister, mentioned?? Is she alive??? Please tell me she is. I need to know she’s alive.

Yeah don’t worry, she is safe!

Ikr that deer is gorgeous. I’m still waiting for my physical copy to arrive and I really hope it had that illustration on, but they’ve started doing UK specific editions now, and for Riverstar’s home they removed the image on the hardcover and just had it as a solid colour, which was very disappointing.

[lordofthesoups]

AHHHHH THEY ARRIVED!!

Honestly this comic means so much to me I’m so glad i was able to support its transformation into books form!!

If you havent read the glass scientists you are missing out!

A little ramble about how much i love this comic and what it means to me if you are interested:

I started reading this comic in november 2021. I read the original book when i was 13 and proceeded to hyperfixate on it and read lots of other Victorian horror literature, going so far as to later steal my name from a side character from the portrait of Dorian Gray. So when via scrolling on Pinterest i found images of the comic, i was instantly hooked and read it all in one. On the first of January my dad walked out on me and my mum. My self being a very confused and angry teenager spent a lot of the first months of 2022 feeling utterly rejected and a mess, throw in the fact that i was struggling with constant pain from migraines caused by long covid, back issues and crippling dysphoria i was not the most well put together person. I barely made it through the first few months with-ought breaking into tears once a week. Thats where the glass scientists came in:

I loved this comic (still do). It became the highlight of my week and motivated me to get through school and general life because i knew i would have it waiting for me on a Monday afternoon. Im honestly just so thankful to Sadge and for this comics existence it kept me going through a really tough time in my life and im just so so grateful it exists and also really really exited to get my hands on a physical copy!!!

Ramble over: READ THE GLASS SCIENTISTS!!! (Please)

[monsieuroverlord]

Hellverine #1 2nd printing 1:25 Cassara Virgin Variant

My goodness, do I have a mini rant about this (I'll keep it under the cut if anyone wants to skip it):

It was such a pain in the ass trying to get ahold of a copy of this!

I saw it when it was first announced a little over a month ago, right?

So, I'm like okay, it'll probably be posted on my usual ordering site (no physical shops near me, but if you follow me, you know I got a pulse on the solicits. My pull list is immaculate, things are planned and preordered MONTHS in advance).

I check every day for a week. No dice. Not posted for pre-order.

After the first couple of days during this week, I'm also casually checking other comic book sites -- either already sold out or going for a minimum of $65 to $100. Ebay pre-sales are pretty similar.

So I'm like, screw that, it isn't even out yet! The official catalog price is like $9.99, I can wait.

A month goes by, I'm checking diligently every day. There are no changes.

Then I'm like, "Okay, I just have to wait until it actually comes out" and I'm sure the shops will be selling their extra incentive copies at a more reasonable price.

Tuesday night, I'm pulling out all the stops, I'm deep-diving. I'm utilizing all the secret advanced search commands I learned in college. AND I thought I found one!

It was a listing on Google shopping for $4.99, so I'm like "Jackpot" and click "buy now" so I do, and it redirects me to checkout on the website, and I think to myself "sweet!" so I buy it.

I get my order confirmation, and IN BIG BOLD LETTERS at the top, it reads:

"PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST BUY ALL INCENTIVE QUALIFIERS TO GET A INCENTIVE COPY"

(I'm paraphasing a bit, and there was a bit more after that, but you get the idea)

So, I'm thinking "what?" and I go and actually browse the site I ordered from, and I somehow stumbled upon a wholesaler store, like the kind a comic book store would use to order bulk copies for the store.

Essentially, if I was a store, I would've placed an order for 25 main 2nd printing copies, and then I would've qualified for this incentive variant.

I was quick, and sent and email request to cancel, and got my money back, no problems. (I don't have the budget to but 25 copies of one book just to get the one I want. That's the whole reason I'm not paying $100 for a copy)

So its the day of release in my timezone. Everywhere is still sold out. Slowly but surely, the Ebay resellers begin to trickle in. Its averaging about $70 to $80.

Then I see it! By sheer luck or diligence or a wild combination of both -- there's a $20 copy. But the listing says "DEFECT" in big bold letters.

Undeterred, I think "How bad can it be?" as I don't really need a flawless copy, I just like collecting my pretties, you know?

There were pictures provided, along with the description: some of the color is faded off around the lower left staple

(circled below)

That's not shininess, its actually faded white.

So I bought it. And it arrived today. Its my wonderfully imperfect copy and I'm so happy.

As of today, the lowest is like $49.99 + shipping o Ebay. All the online shops don't have it, even though it came out less than a week ago. And its still not on my usual pre-order site.

Like, I dunno if the 2nd printing didn't sell as well, or maybe there was a manufacturing delay, but good lord, I did not expect this particular variant to be such a pain to obtain.

Like, it's only a 1:25!! I dunno how many 25s were actually printed, but my goodness. I know this is such a first world problem and I recognize at least half of the drama is self-inflicted by my own hubris and dedication to also getting a good deal.

But I'm just trying to buy a little treat for myself. damn.

[moriche]

Hello!! For the firsts ask: 2, 4, C, R, 🐣 and 🖌️!

Aaah thank you for your question! I shall delve right in! 2 - First time meeting their best friend

Logically, Veryn probably had a best friend in the orphanage he grew up in - but I'm going to pick one where he's older. He went to the Arcane University at 17, on a scholarship. This meant money was scarce for him, and he often picked up small odd jobs to supplement his income. One of those jobs was at the University library, stocking books and copying lists. That's how he met Henantier, an older student who, like Veryn, loved to delve deep into the possibilities of magic. They became best friends, and in the end, briefly lovers. 4 - First time experiencing grief While celebrating the Old Life Festival as a child. Veryn never knew his parents, being left outside the orphanage of Saint Alessia at a few months old. During the Old Life Festival, it's a tradition to write letters and notes to the dead and to reflect on the past, and this tradition was something he grew up with. It's also something that left a deep impression on him - he wrote messages for his parents he presumed might be dead, but might just as easily be alive. C. First physical contact (handshake? hug? something else?)

I'm shipping Veryn together with Sharn Gra-Muzgob, your Friendly Neighbourhood Necromancer from Morrowind. His first physical contact with her is probably a handshake when they first meet each other - though I haven't actually written that bit in my fic :p R. First time cooking for the other

Ohhh, the first time he cooks for Sharn! I admittedly don't have a specific moment in mind - I'm thinking he cooks for her the first time when he's waiting for her to come home and her work at the Mages Guild runs overtime. What I do have is a little scene of him actually cooking for her in a situation just like this!

Veryn left before dinner, his freshly restocked potions carefully wrapped inside his bag, roaming around the market until he decided on a large kwama egg and some greens. He headed for Sharn’s apartment, letting himself in with a key of his own. The door creaked open, and he chuckled to himself. No more breaking in. He left the food simmering on a low fire, stirring it every so often while he waited for her to return. She was home late, arriving with her jaw clenched and fire in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked while embracing her, breathing in the subtle scent of her magic, standing on his toes to nuzzle her forehead.

🐣 - First piece you ever wrote (share a snippet or description)

I still got that! So the very first stories I wrote in Dutch are from 2003 - but I also have my first snippets of fic I wrote in English from 2007 - and how fitting that they are for Oblivion! I'm proud to say my grasp of English has made leaps and bounds since then (it's a foreign language for me).

She screamed when she saw the scamps coming again. And again. Would this never end? One moment she was at the fields of Kvatch, another moment she just stepped into the Gate. And now she was in that tower. Again. The soldier ran to the scamps to fight them, but she just stood there. She must have panicked, she realised later. When a scamp came running at her she shot a fireball at him. Two fireballs and a few slashes with her sword did the trick. She had readied herself to cast another spell at the second scamp. She released the fireball, but suddenly the air had felt thicker. The scamp didn’t flew through the air as the other did. The soldier had taken its place. She remembered everything becoming black, but in dreams, reality is different. Someone shook her shoulder and when she looked behind her she saw the dremora. Its terrible, distorted, humanlike face stared at her. Again. She started to scream. “Calm down!” A spell was cast at her. The dremora changed into a hooded man, bended over her. “One of the few who have a nightmare, it seems.” She withdrew from the man. “Who are you?” The man smiled benign. “I am a Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood. The Night Mother called you to become one of us.”

🖌️ - First character you created, or first character you wrote for I've been creating characters as long as I can remember. As a child, I had some kind of fantasy world with elves who lived in treehouses, and I used to draw them a lot. Princes and princesses and knights and adventurers, modelled for example on Ronja the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren and later on books like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The first fanfic I wrote was in Dutch, in 2003 for Harry Potter - and it was Marauders Fic. I was hip almost two decades in advance 😂 There were a few Oblivion characters too, some concepts for Fable, but I've forgotten a lot of that, and they weren't very rounded or deep. First serious, in-depth character I created was Aleksej, a vampire who got into trouble with the Russian mafia who fled to Amsterdam. There he got into trouble with a Dutch criminal mastermind, and ended up working for her after saving her from a drive-by shootout. I was 15 or 16 at the time, and my best friend and me were playing a roleplay campaign based on Vampire the Masquerade, with a dash of GTA Vice City and San Andreas on top.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

The Yatagarasu OST is here. I am holding it in my hands. Though I’ve listened to it countless times (even created my own Yatagarasu-inspired playlist while waiting for the OST; if you are interested, you can find it here) before I got my physical copy today, it is so fulfilling to listen to the CD in big speakers.

Anyway, this is so amusing, Yukiya’s image(s) smacked between the princesses’ just goes to show he’s also a contender. I love it.

There’s also a message from Chisato Abe:

For the first time it was decided to be animated, “What do you expect from anime?" I was asked, and as a particularly strong request, I said, "I want you to do your best with the music." In the past, I had an experience in the animation of my favourite work, and I couldn't enjoy it at all because the sound didn't match my image even though the picture was beautiful. I was worried that I would be sad if the same thing happened to the original author's anime, but this ended up being unfounded.

This is because I witnessed that sound directors, voice actors, and other sound-related professionals are doing their work perfectly as professionals at the after-play site I visited. And during the tour, it was none other than Eishi Segawa who was sitting next to me. He answered amateur questions very kindly, and the fact that this anime is a full film scoring, that Mr. Segawa himself is present at the afterplay every time, and that he makes music while having a thorough meeting with the people at the scene. I was taught and so on. At that time, I was sure that this would definitely be a good thing.

The results are as you heard.

Mr. Segawa, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me wonderful music. Thank you very much!

The words from the Director Yoshiaki Kyougoku:

I can't forget the time when I received a demo song from Mr. Segawa that evoked the world of Yamauchi.

Music that is heavy and strict, yet colourful. The long history of the mountain and the drama of the eight people living there seemed to appear in front of me, and I was sure that this would be a great play.

In addition, the film scoring that is composed according to the video is a feature of this work.

It is a method that is quite difficult to achieve in a TV series without time, but Mr. Segawa showed up at the production site surprisingly vigourously and made all the songs while communicating. By composing while considering the balance of all elements such as pictures, dialogue, and sound effects, it has become an ideal theatre partner of "directing drama with music".

Especially in the scene of choosing episodes 12 and 13, it feels like a first book. Despite the lack of big movement, I can't take my eyes off the tremendous tension. This would not have been possible without Mr. Segawa's music.

Every time a new song arrived, I thought, "I want to take more videos and listen to this music carefully," so I'm really happy that you released a soundtrack.

Please feel the rich worldview of Yamauchi created by music.

And from the composer himself, Eishi Segawa:

Is animation directing a technique that moves intermittent fragments of still images in the mind of the viewer? Then, the theatre partner should also be more likely to play a role in assisting the production in all scenes. If you actually write music along the scene, you should be able to participate in the strangeness of careful superposition more than ever before, and then you can decipher the contrast with adjacent scenes, and the composer will also explore the moment when the absence of music complements the dialogue. You can do it. In addition, it was certain that if you abandon the music and stick to sound design, you should be able to express the loneliness, which is very important to this story, more boldly.

These thoughts were the intuitiveness I gained when I read the original work, and in the interaction with the directors in charge of each episode, I realised that it was inevitable to choose.

As expected the tracks “The Golden Raven” and “Yukiya of Taruhi” have notes that are similar. It is like an overlapping theme. Both “Sumio’s theme” and “Rokon’s theme” give you an impression of danger, threatening, grandiose. Although Rokon’s theme lasts 7 minutes. The longest track in the OST. BUT my most favourite of all is “Hope.”

This piece is playing when Yukiya told Wakamiya:

“You leave yourself wide open.”

Reminds me of my favourite Arvo Pärt composition, “Summa.” That kind of thought-provoking, emotionally satisfying piece of music that pierces you. Waxing poetry here I know. Apologies. I got carried away. Anyway, I love the soundtrack. So listen to it if you can in any platform that you can, you won’t regret it.

[nardonotes]

16 sep '24

8:18pm

IM SO TIRED!!!!! MY BODY HURTS!!!!!!!! I WANT TO SLEEP BUT I ALSO HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO DO!!!!!!!!!! (ᴗ_ ᴗ。) but today my alarm woke me up at 7am but i stayed in bed till 7:40... i slept well too and had a crazy dream but i forgot what happened,,, i just rmbr it being crazy (good-ish?) to the point where i wanted to go back to sleep to finish it but ended up just forcing myself out of bed,, fufufuff~ and THEN i went to class :< which is actually a :> cause it was fun! i did some black and white designs for design class and the two hours passed by so fast,, after that i had a 3 hrs break and just walked home, rest for a bit, then went out to town to send my cv to this photo printing shop (fujifilm) for my work experience. they said they dont usually take work experience (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ ) but it's ok cause i have two other places i can apply for work experience (it's mandatory in my course) i been going to fujifilm for years now, literally since it opened too, they know my name and email off by heart cause i always get my film develop there so i really hope they let me in!!!! it's only till christmas sniff.... BUT ANYWAYS, after i gave them that- i went to buy a sketchbook cause my lecturer said it would be a good idea just to have one where i can draw whatever and i bought one (1) pencil LOL.

then had a 2 hours class right after, but it was chill. nothing too serious and just worked on updating my cv and cover letter :3 after class, I WENT HOME AND ATE :D i dont usually like chicken but THIS CHICKEN WAS REALLY FUCKING GOOD MAN,,, i had it with rice and it was so filling. and while i was washing my dishes, my sisters arrived home and AFTER THEY ate,, we went to the park with my sisters friend and her baby. he's so big now sniff,, i rmbr when he was literally a few months old and tiny af. now he looks about 3 years old but hes only 1 years old. they're leaving to live in amsterdam in a month or two and it's so sad cause i only just got closer to her. it's ok tho cause amsterdam is close enough, and her parents still live here so she'll be in and out i think :)) we got gelato before going home and i got kinder bueno flavoured (THE LAST SCOOP TOO) it was so good. i dont usually eat ice cream out of the blue like that, i usually get a drink instead but since it was just a scoop i had some.

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

what a long ass day fr,, i know im going to sleep good tonight too. i bought Notes of a Crocodile, The Analects of Confucius, and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion on my kobo (ereader). I do plan to buy the physical copies of all three, but not right now and it was just cheaper to buy it on the ereader.. I've read a few chapters of the temple of the golden pavilion before but never continued but my bestiana spoiled the ending and now i want to finish it bc the ending was a good ahh ending (imo). i can't wait to read before i sleep tonight,, reading so fun huhuhhu..... (⸝⸝⸝╸▵╺⸝⸝⸝)

these days, i've been really into my lil tech stuff again and i really want to homebrew a ps vita. i homebrewed my old nintendo 3ds but sold it for a [REDACTED] reason lol. i think a ps vita is cooler anyways. i also been really into micro journalling and coding. btw i cant code but i do like listening to ppl talk about coding and what they've coded. i wish i was smart enough to do allat.. i think i could if i really put my heart to it but right now i'm really liking my course. ill probably talk about it some more in the future but for now, i have written a fucking book and nobody reading allat!!! so im going to do my little me time before bed time and then go to sleep ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

goodnight to me, and my precious bed, and my precious favourite girl in the world and and and- [GUNSHOTS]

[monobmp]

buzzes around annoyingly in ur ear

any billford thoughts to share with the class… I HUNGERRRRRRR

BOY DO I!!!!!!!!!!! You know I was about to post about how I go about with my BillFord stuff but I just didn't have a reason to, but now I do LMFAO. Big warning, I'm a big yapper. They call me yapmaxxer

I don't know, this might not be exactly answering your question but with the BillFord in my mind, I wanna try to be strictly close to canon as possible. But with some stuff I wanna draw of them, it doesn't really align?

Like I love drawing Bill being physically clingy to Ford but I want to portray that in a way where it's not like... Traditional romantic gestures?? If that makes sense? I don't think this is canon (which is why I'm a little mixed on uploading stuff like that because I love sticking to canon!!!) but in my world where I can put a crumb of my own thoughts into it... I think it'd be like that.

What I'm saying is that I think Bill doesn't truly grasp how human romance works (especially emotionally), so he's just copying what he see's from human memories, which is just mostly, if not all, physical gestures from his POV. Mixed in with the fact that I also think Ford is a little socially awkward in more of the romance side. So mix in those two and you get a margarita mix of awkward romance I suppose.

ALSO while he does copy those mannerisms, I do think that (in my version) he would like to feel that type of contact, since he is a mind creature thing and it took him 30+ years to actually meet face to face with Ford. And might I say, probably touch starved but that's going way off canon but IT MAKES SENSE RIGHT.

I DON'T KNOW It's hard for me to describe the BillFord-isms in my mind, but I hope that gets the point across on how I think of them. If not, I will be happy to explain it in more depth.

Uhmmm aside from that, I think it's interesting how Bill is kind of held back when he talks to Ford pre-betrayal. Like, playing Chess and asking for his company and riddles and such... LIKE WITH GIDEON AND DIPPER, HE DGAF, HE WILL PULL OUT TEETH AND A HUMAN HEAD FOR THOSE TWO. But with Poindexter over here, he gets somewhat more human treatment.... Maybe he just hates kids LMFAO

I think a bulk of my BillFord interest lies on the pre-portal time (before Ford went into the portal, but still knew of Bill's betrayal). I haven't read the Book of Bill properly (I'M STILL WAITING ON MY COPY THAT MIGHT ARRIVE IN 2 WEEKS GRRRR) but I find it interesting how Bill SEEMS (not sure because I didn't read the full book) to still like Ford fondly even after everything, especially in comparison to how he acts towards Stanley LMFAO, HE HATESSSS THAT MAN. LIKE ONE OF THE PASSWORDS ON THE "https://thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com/" ABOUT HOW STANLEY BEAT BILL AND HE WAS KIND OF GLAZING FORD A BIT FOR BEING THE BETTER TWIN. IDK maybe he still thinks of Ford as his boy toy or something. He does seem to take the world unseriously until something bad happens to him

Anyways, I could go on and on but it's just me recanting canon info 😭 Sorry it's been mostly Bill centric. My interest in Ford only popped up recently. Back when the show was airing, I kind of hated Ford because he was mean to Stanley 😭😭😭😭😭 and now I'm like damn he can get it LMFAO

[televinita]

Reading Triage

Well it's been almost a month since the last (library) one, so off we go; lots to be immediately excited about!

1. Hurricane Summer - Asha Bromfield: current read, roughly 50% in. It's painful how awful some of her relatives are, and I'm baffled that she gets so upset about her aunt calling her a slut for super innocent behaviors only to...immediately get frisky with the first boy who charms her?? Truly not beating the allegations here -- but it's also incredibly beautiful writing about a setting and culture I truly don't think I've read before (Jamaica, especially from the perspective of a Canadian citizen).

[edit: loved it]

2. Even If It Breaks Your Heart - Erin Hahn: 60% done but I've been working on this one for 3 solid weeks now, struggling thru first audio and then ebook on phone, then learned that county next door FINALLY bought a physical copy after all. Part of the struggle is formatting, but the rest is that it wants and deserves to be 4 stars so bad, but the You'd Be Mine-levels of jackhole in this love interest are dragging it down.

[edit: it did not get better but I finished]

3. Queen of Junk Island - Alexandra Mae Jones: so damned pretty that I'm reading it despite the fact that it's literally just a mid-2000s queer YA novel that had to wait until its author was old enough to publish it in 2022, in terms of both being set then and having its entire focus on becoming aware of/coming to terms with her non-straight sexuality. Which was absolutely never the kind of book I looked for. But I REALLY want the story of them cleaning up the family cottage from all the trash a previous renter left there. (side note: how did I manage to randomly pick two Canadian authors from my shelf browsing??).

[edit: worst book of the year with zero competition]

4. The Wishing Game - Meg Schaffer: I kicked it back unread last time but my request in the county next door has just come through. I really hope I love this one. Everyone I trust does, and it really seems up my alley, but I'm so terrified of reading this at the Wrong Time and it coming up short that I'm actually scared to start.

[edit: it was really lovely! glad I got to it]

5. Liar's Beach - Katie Cotugno: seems like a good summer YA thriller, and it has a sequel (companion book?) coming out in August.

[edit: I have read so many YA horror/thrillers this summer but I didn't quite get to this one. Later!]

6. The Dare - Natasha Preston: I'm expecting even less from this one than The Haunting, but it was available so what the hell. And at least this one actually takes place in summer.

[edit: least interesting of the 4 I've read from her, and an I Know What You Did Last Summer knockoff, but still worth it]

7. Between You, Me & the Honeybees - Amelia Diane Coombs: I don't like "our families are business rivals" stories, but I DO like stories about teens who would rather stay home and work for the family business than go to college, and this cover is so pretty that I'm ready to give it a shot.

[edit: the rivalry wasn't even an issue for me, and though I did have other things that weren't my favorite, this was an incredible YA contemporary]

8. The Spellshop - Sarah Beth Durst: releases in 2 days and will be bumped to IMMEDIATELY NEXT in the queue as soon as my library makes it available (I'm first in line). I'm trying to contain my excitement and moderate my hype levels but it's too pretty!!!!

[edit: five solid stars, everything I hoped for and more, one of the best books of the year]

9. (MAYBE) The Middle of the Night - Riley Sager: I don't think I'm high enough up in the request line to get this by the end of the month, but if it does happen to come in, this is the other book I'll drop everything for to read ASAP. My interest in this is mostly FOMO, and I'm kind of annoyed to have been caught up in it because EVERYONE reads his books immediately upon release, but I do generally enjoy them.

[edit: didn't arrive in time but definitely coming in August]

10. (MAYBE) Out On A Limb - Hannah Bonam-Young: I have read surprisingly little straightforward adult romance this year and I'm kind of missing it. I've had this hold paused for a bit but I might be ready to un-pause it soon.

[author's note: but then I wasn't!]

BONUS: AUDIOBOOKS

The Hundred and One Dalmatians - Dodie Smith (it is so hard not to shorten the title to 101!): a reread of a book I remember surprisingly little from for something I put on my "Top 100 Books Of All Time" list at age 19, but still remember fondly, because I got desperate & squirrelly for something to help me fall asleep.

[edit: not sure it would still make the list now but still really enjoyed]

2. Marvel's What If... Loki Was Worthy - Madeleine Roux: library doesn't have a physical copy, which is annoying because I hate reading on my phone but I also don't know if I can tolerate an audiobook that doesn't have the Correct Voices (though I really liked the 5 minutes of sample I heard), so I've been having to juggle this one until I can get both formats at the same time on Libby, to switch between them.

TBQH, my excitement for this has died down a little since I found out about in December (didn't release until April), but at this point I've been waiting long enough that I just kind of Want To Know.

[edit: what a fun cracky time, recommended]

[thebellekeys]

I haven't read The Inheritance Games yet, but a couple years ago I read The Naturals series and description seemed intriguing, but I restrained myself from having high expectations. In the past so many descriptions sounded promising only to end up as mixture of romance and fantasy and somehow managed to make me disinterested in both until I found refugee in Brandon Sanderson's books to restore my faith in fantasy genre. Jennifer's writing made me invested from the start. Characters were well written with their own stories, insecurities and demons. The cherry on the top were dialogues. Recently I realised how dialogue could either make story great or make me cringe. I've realised this while reading Demon Copperhead. I gave this book 4 stars only because 5 stars go to my absolute favourites, books closest to my heart and Demon just didn't stole my heart, nevertheless it's good book. Sometimes dialogue, the way characters are speaking, words they're using just seems off to me. I can't imagine x words being spoken under y circumstances by z person. Great dialogues can stay with me and resonate with me long after I finish reading. I still remember Elektra half asking half stating Clytemnestra wished Elektra had died instead of Iphigenia. Did I wish for Clytemnestra to deny it, to say her daughter was wrong? Yes. Was I mad at Clytemnestra for not denying it? Also yes. Did I realise this conversation couldn't take different turn? Painfully so. Costanza Casati wrote one line that made me speechless. That's the beauty of literature to me. I can read book with hundreds of words I'll forget 2 days after I finish reading, but sometimes I read book with one sentence or dialogue that stays with me for long period of time.

I completely understand the love for good dialogue. It's part of why I've gravitated to playwrights a lot, like Sartre or Wilde, despite my general focus on prose during my studies. Good dialogue sticks with you and deeply reverberates.

I will say, The Inheritance Games is a clever YA mystery story. There is romance, but the mystery plot is a at the core of the story and personally, I loved how the many riddles and puzzles in the books kept me on my toes. You can read a book in the series in a day because it's really fast-paced.

Clytemnestra and Demon Copperhead are currently very high on my TBR. I may start Clytemnestra in November on ebook. I'm waiting for a physical copy of Demon Copperhead to arrive so I can really own it (Pulitzer and all). Try out Jennifer Saint's Elektra if you enjoy Clytemnestra as a character as well!