#the oldest who i call by name is 27 and its kinda amazing how the new nickname is a shortened ver of full sister term. if i used her actual

[vyinter]

the sudden jerk reaction when your younger sib stops using sister/brother term and use the name is aksjdhskdjxjkd it's not even a respect thing it just feels like you're being misnamed.... that being said when maknaes call their eldest informally>>>>>>>>>>> standup comedy

[stan-and-the-newbie]

A kpop newbie’s reaction to MAMAMOO

Alexa: bold

Alex: italic

today you’ll react to Mamamoo even though you technically already know them

i mean, i don't know all that much about them, really. so this should still be interesting

well, as before, first thing that comes to mind

should i do the top one or

they’re in the same order. we love consistent queens.

hmm... wheein? then uhhh, s-solar..? then moonbyul and of course my queen.

did you guess them or. you got two of them right !!

i did in fact guess them. oh. fuck it, i'll take it

hwasa and solar, m-my baby. the first one is moonbyul and the third one is wheein

i figured

and apparently this is their formation in every group photo ever

oh, good to know

so, the first one is moonbyul. how old do you think she is and what’s her personality

she's 23 or 24, and she's a lovable goofball

is she a singer or the rapper

f uc k uhhhuuhhhhh singer

smol baby child. yeah, she's born in 1992, so she's around that age in this photo i think. i’m not sure when it was released. she's the rapper in the group, so her image on stage is cool

i knew it was either her or solar, smh.  i remember it distinctively from that height song.

but irl she's greasy and flirts with everyone, tomboy-ish and probably gay idk

alright, so she's the cool one

yeah, she's also the tallest, staying proud at 165 cm

that image was misleading smh. she looks like a silly nerd in it/ are you trying to sabotage my score, miss <-<

i mean, she Is a silly nerd. she usually makes lives with solar and flirts with her all the time and gets herself some slaps on the arm. and she gay panics on stage every time hwasa is in her close vicinity. and she's known for having heart eyes every time a girl talks and she's also the Girl Crush of the entire industry lmao

first we had heart smile now we have heart eyes soon enough you'll be describing a monster from soma. a walking blob made of exposed, beating hearts.

oH SHUT UP

*then i showed him the Wonderful Confession Immortal Songs performance*

that middle aged lady fangirling after hwasa goes "look at me now" lmfao

sadfrghgfdsDFGHJK ME.

this is fokin great. i just got to the rap part. fam they're genuinely talented don't @ me

mamamoo are known for making every show their concert lmao

pff. it do be like that, and i wouldn't have it any other way. a bunch of girl dancers suddenly appeared and i thought my vision was going blurry and i was seeing double. anyway, the rap works surprisingly well, considering the general tone of the song.

moonbyul also has two tattoos. i don’t know what one of them says, i think its just her family portrait.

w h o l e s o m e

but the other one says “N'oublie pas de t'aimer”

alrighty my grill next up is your bias

give her an age

i'll say 24. and she's a singer

she is 27 :)

oof, can you really blame me tho

i can’t. she has an actual baby face. what’s her personality?

i imagine she's sweet and soft, but can be jokingly sassy and teases the others sometimes

oof, she wishes. she’s the oldest, and the leader, but the other members always bulli her. she’s the mom friend though, and the best at english, even tho her english isn’t all that good anyway sdfghds. and shes a complete goofball

awh ;; is she the short one, then?

nop, shes the second tallest

wait hold up how can the leader be the one who gets bullied this doesn't add up

*then i showed him this marvellous video*

2 seconds in and i've seen enough

*then i showed him the Passion Flower Immortal Songs performance*

solar doesn't have any tattoo but she's scared of bugs so there's that

wholesome. she's a quality idol i like her. this song is dope yo.

the one wearing a hat there is wheein

the wheeout puns are overwhelming ngl

,,,,,,,,,,they fucking are. once u wheein u cant wheeout. she's the same age as hwasa, but a few months older, so hwasa is considered the actual "maknae" (which means youngest member

that much i know. mainly because i googled it a while ago

and here's wheein with short hair cuz fuck yeah

whats her personality?

she's uhh the Short One (tm)

yes, that too. she is Evil

idk, she seems like a sassy singer, but that's just a shallow impression. does she tease the other members a lot, or..  <<

tbh, she is pretty sassy. she's also very carefree and a derp. but she does tease the other members a lot and laughs when something funny and unfortunate happens to them. she's been friends with hwasa since middle school, and they have a couple tattoo

ooh, noice

on their ankle, they both have "resonance"

i've seen a picture of that somewhere, if i recall..

she has two other tattoos. one she drew herself, and one that says "la vie est courte l'art est long"

what's with the french affiliation. should i be learning french instead of korean?

probably.

*i showed him that infamous “mamamoo sold their friendship for ice cream” video*

"hyejin-ah, you know your thighs are the size of your face, right?" i told you, wheein is evil

c r i t i c a l   h i t

hwasa :) what do you think her personality is like lmao

she's the serious one (sarcastic humor <<3), the lead rapper but also sings (i noticed this by watching some performances)(edited)i also know that she cooks for them, so extra mom friend points there and she's very independent, but also warm 

omf u really are whipped for her

<-<;;;

apparently she really likes beyonce, so some fans call her ahn-yance

yep, shes also a big rihanna fan, and work is her hoe anthem

that's dumb, on one hand because it kinda sounds like "annoyance", and on the other because bey-ahn-ce is a much better pun. i would perform umbrella for her like tom holland, don't @ me

oh, also, hwasa has four tattoos. the "resonance" one, one on the back of her neck, with "maria", her christian name, cuz she is Holy

oh shiet. that name fits her well actually ;;

one on her arm saying “Paradise is where you are”

if she's in your immediate vicinity, then obviously

and one right above that one, that’s a triquetra

mamamoo are well known in korea, and most of their fans are girls!! i think theyre the group that appeals the most to girls there actually

oh, that's interesting

and here are some songs

*i showed him “Words don’t come easy”*

this is what we call  s m o o t h   g u i t a r. and that sexy sax, oh boye (and here is where alex’s inner Shiverbert Creepstein came out, god bless, the only writer i stan) this one's really nice, i'd love to listen to it in a cafe. there's this really nice mental image that you'll never achieve, but it's nice to think of anyway. just sitting alone in the corner of a dimly-lit cafe, watching the performers on the stage sing as you down another shot, people taking quick glances in your direction and wondering what it is you're thinking about, when in fact you're just listening to the music mix in with the raindrops hitting against the windows. i got carried away, oof

o damn, mister shiverbert

<-< hey, nobody clapped

its a nice lil image, though

anyway, that was a great song

*and here i showed him “Decalcomanie”*

oh, this one's more i n t e n s e. the translated lyrics without any rhyme sound like some sort of strange poem

i know;;

noh-noh is apparently knock knock. the vocals are fokin great

:(((((( stop slandering them, theyre trying

i'm not roasting them, i just find it cute ;;that was a nice song. in fact- (he pinned it)

so, last thoughts on mamamoo?

god bless them best kpop idols out there hwasa please sit on my face

amazing

ayy, that was this week’s reaction!! alex was actually more excited this time because it’s his ultimate bias’ band

there are some things i (alexa, cuz alex never edits these posts) didn’t mention, im sorry if i missed anything important;; i decided to focus more on what alex thinks and says this time, rather than ramble about stuff y’all already know

i hope y’all enjoyed this reaction and if you want, you can leave suggestions!! buh-bye~ ^ω^

[yeoldontknow]

ayo bae it’s time to get lit~

what follows below is an introduction (attack) post for @igot7bangtanbaes, who has dipped her toe into the EXO water and now i would like to drown her. :3

as light of my life Kim Junmyeon once said:

LET’S GET HEATED

when EXO debuted, there originally were 12 members and they were divided into two subgroups: EXO-K and EXO-M. three members have left, so now we are left with an OT9 (but i still cherish the hell out of the past three members, they are important). eight of the members are korean and only one is chinese, so now it is time to meet your new kings. going youngest to oldest (and also because you seem hella hyped for sehun so imma start there)

Oh Sehun

the king of hearts (everyone’s heart tbh)

Name: Oh Sehun

Stage Name: Sehun

DOB: April 12, 1994

Position: (1/2) main rapper, (1/3) lead dancer, occasional vox (least we forget when he sang baek’s part in I Sing For You??)

facts as stated in the GC: maknae of the group, but also a model like he’s a prince from a different time. he often models for louis vuitton and has had spreads in vogue and marie claire, and like...he’s a king. actually, he is the lord to a small plot of land in scotland because his fans are The Most Extra and bought him goddamn Title for his birthday i cannot even. loads of people think he’s really cold and kinda stand-offish because he has the strongest resting bitch face, but he is The Biggest Softie and so Sweet. once got injured during a tour and cried, not because he couldn’t perform or that it hurt but, because he absolutely did not want to let his fans down and felt horrible. dog dad to Vivi, a white fluff made of joy. if you throw vivi replica plushies on stage at him, he will make it a point to collect them all like they are pokemon. dances like an actual rent boy and is overall, an Excellent Bias (im 90% sure this is where you will live but imma keep going to be sure).

Kim Jongin

the king of hell

Name: Kim Jongin

Stage Name: Kai

Birthday: January 14, 1994

Position: (2/3) lead dancer; rapper; vox; visual

a devil/demon here to wreck your life and smile while doing it. tbh, jongin aka nini and kai are two very different people. jongin is a soft boy. he has a silly low laugh that vibrates through his whole body and turns his mouth into a massive circle. he gets shy super easily and is always smiling. loves teddy bears, flower crowns, and fried chicken. is father to three dogs that he calls his children (no subs here just look at the smiles and cry a lot). kai on the other hand is just a torpedo of sexual tension and muscles on his abs where i didn’t know muscles could be. will smirk at you and watch with a grin as you light on fire in the aftermath. once danced so hard he destroyed his shoe. moves his hips like its a gun and you are his target. studied dance for years because that’s all he wants to do, is best friends with SHINee’s taemin. recently started acting because LOOK AT HIS FACE?? like, wow so beautiful. he is art. also super proud of how dark his skin is, which is considered v-dark culturally in korea and hopes that his children will have his skin tone, what a babe. 

DO Kyungsoo

the king of souls

Name: DO Kyungsoo

Stage Name: D.O

Birthday: January 12, 1993

Position: main vocalist

nicknamed satansoo because he takes no shit and always looks like he’d happily kill a man if it meant he could have one day of peace. very close with jongin, has a large soft spot for him (jongin may be the only person soo hasn’t actively wanted to slap). called satansoo but actually a Soft Boy; domestic AF. boy cooks (often cooks for the members), loves to read, routinely dates himself, and is very humble and kind. has a smile that can light up the earth with the force of its power. sings like an angel but is also seductive like a demon. rich chocolate vocal tones and a soft speaking voice, amazing actor. out here winning awards for his acting in recent films like boy!!

Park Chanyeol

the king of the chogidab

Name: Park Chanyeol

Stage Name: Chanyeol

Birthday: November 27, 1992

Position (under me): (2/2) main rapper; vocalist; the voice of exo; songwriter!!!; general overall talent

i will do my absolute best to keep this brief. this boy is my ult and i could wax poetic about him until the inevitable heat death of the universe. part of the beagle line with baekhyun and jongdae, cannot sit still nor control his limbs. generally is the no dance line but tries His Best and is so adorable while doing it. might not be able to dance well but does literally everything else. piano? you got it. guitar? he literally played radiohead. moog synthesizer? bought one because he could and thought it would be cool. vocals? allow me to show you his soundcloud. please live and die here. writes songs, is working his way through the athletic alphabet, raps like A Man, famously said ‘you lovin’ the size.’ once said ‘i’m yours’ on a radio station and the entire country got pregnant. overall soft boy who looks like it hurts to laugh, like it causes him physical pain to keep joy inside. amazing with kids. 

Kim Jongdae

the king of smiles

Name: Kim Jongdae

Stage Name: Chen

Birthday: May 6, 1992

Position: main vocalist

A TRUE KING OK. part of the beagle line with PCY and baekhyun. when he smiles his face is literally :} = has The Best Mouth. doesn’t think junmyeon is very funny but is simultaneously really soft for him, and will usually be among the first to praise him. is actually married to minseok - super close and have the most beautiful friendship. a literal actual ball of energy, loud as shit, and usually yelling WHY?? when he has no liquid left in his body and is sweating out his soul, he will still scream. insanely strong, stable vocals. i repeat: insanely. strong. vocals. also, coming hard for dance-line. part of EXO sub unit EXO-CBX with baekhyun and minseok. 

Byun Baekhyun

king of hoeing (idk ask @kpopfanfictrash)

Name: Byun Baekhyun

Stage Name: Baekhyun

Birthday: May 6, 1992

Position: main vocalist; also coming for the dance line

proudly gets to hold the position of tallest member of EXO-CBX. auditioned at the same time as jongdae and is know for his enthusiastic dancing. jongin once said that when he saw baek dancing it was a mess, and baek confirmed this by saing ‘it looked like mollusks dancing.’ body is double jointed and when he extends his arms it, they look like lightning bolts; thinks this might also be a disease but is ok with it. voice of literal, actual angels. looks better in smoky eye makeup than most models and is king of selfies. literally taught fans how to take a selfie. once was on instagram live and made me stare at a damn wall for 30 minutes before playing yixing’s solo album. 

Zhang Yixing

king of the entire universe

Name: Zhang Yixing

Stage Name: Lay

Birthday: October 7, 1991

Position: (3/3) lead dancer; vocalist; light of everyone’s life

even if you aren’t a soft person, you are soft for yixing. it’s one of the laws of the universe, you will always be soft for him. im going to raise an unpopular opinion and announce that i often find i prefer watching yixing dance over everyone else. when his body moves, it’s perfect into a literal art and i cry every time. the last remaining chinese member of EXO and must be protected at. all. costs. was a child actor in china before wanting to become an idol. if he could play any character in a movie, he’d like to play a dinosaur or the villain. was once told that if he wanted to improve his korean he needed to get a girlfriend. writes his own songs and plays guitar. his solo debut was the highest sales of a solo album in south korea, can you even believe. generally made of sunshine and light and love and MUST BE PROTECTED. 

Kim Junmyeon

king of money

Name: Kim Junmyeon

Stage Name: Suho

Birthday: May 22, 1991

Position: leader of EXO; vocalist

trained the longest of any member! trained for seven (7) years before making his debut with EXO, resulting in him training with most of SHINee. makes awful dad jokes and has an oddball sense of humour, but we cherish him anyway. secretly keeping abs beneath his soft tee shirts. nicknamed junmoney because he treated a lot of the members in their early days when they didn’t have money, and now they all think he’s rich. the doorman at his apartment calls him Handsome Man. messiest member but also among the most humble. always makes sure to thank everyone at awards ceremonies, refusing to leave anyone who helped them out. great at math. has a solo song called curtain that literally brought me and most of the people i know to tears within the first 90 seconds. 

Kim Minseok

king of kitties

Name: Kim Minseok

Stage Name: Xiumin

Birthday: March 26, 1990

Position: vocals; sometimes rap; moving up on the dance line

oldest member of EXO while simultaneously refusing to age. honestly, he has not aged at all. he might be a wizard. hugely popular in korea and is also holding abs of steel beneath his soft tee shirts. member of EXO subunit EXO-CBX. literally can rock any hair colour. currently getting his Ph.D and will be called Doctor Kim, i die. a general soft boy who is also a cat, but WILL WRECK YOU. boy is a pimp and will come for your ass if he detects even a moment of weakness. 

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY GIRL.

[stvrmwitch]

50 Bookish Questions Tag!

Thanks to @enogreads for tagging me :)

1. What is your favourite book and/or book series of all time?

All-time favorites are always a stretch for me because the books that matter most to me shift based on what I need at the time, but The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and We Are Okay are books that make me feel at home. And the child in me is saying, “don’t forget to mention the Wayside School books!” so you know, those too.

2. What is the longest book you have ever read? How many pages?

Maybe Deathly Hallows? gr says it’s 784 pages.

3. What is the oldest book you have ever read? (Based on its written date)

I don’t have a lot of interest in old books, but probably Gulliver’s Travels.

4. What is a book series that everyone else loves but you do not?

Divergent. Though my main frustrations are with the writing not the story I guess. Other than that I never caught onto the Percy Jackson train. Don’t hate it, just don’t love it. 

5. What book or book series would you like to see turned into a film/ TV series?

Ah yes. So many. Screenwriting is not something I’m pursuing but it’s a hobby, and everything I read gets the “could this be adapted” thought process. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet would make a perfect limited miniseries, but could also be serialized based on the concept. Beauty Queens would be great as anything from a musical to a tv show to a movie to a comic book tbh. Ramona Blue has a “shot over a long weekend with unknowns and maybe one biggER name star who’s also producing” indie vibe. Ditto for We Are Okay. The Song of Achilles should be a miniseries as well; one of those massive budget, A-list cast, premium cable shows. I could go on, but I’ll spare you.

6. What is your favourite stand-alone book?

Ari + Dante

7. What is a book that you feel glad for not reading?

None I can think of. 

8. What is a book that you feel guilty for not reading?

I feel somewhat guilty for not finishing The Dark Wife because it feels like I’m not showing wlw solidarity, but as much as I go hard for the concept, the execution was so disappointing to me.

9. What is a book you have read that is set in your country of birth?

Fun Home

10. What is a book that you own more than one copy of?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the only one except for plays. Like I have Shakespeare anthologies plus some individual plays. And I have the off-Broadway and Broadway copies of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

11. What horror book made you really scared?

I don’t read horror!

12. What book do you passionately hate?

Ok so I’m like passionately not impressed by this book that I’m also lowkey obsessed with. It’s not good. Elements are but overall I don’t like it. but I’m just so intrigued that I’ve read it multiple times and made a million notes. It’s Fated by S.G. Browne. Every time I hope it will be less not good and it never happens.

13. What is the biggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?

There’s no way it’s not Harry Potter.

14. What book gives you happy memories?

On the Banks of Plum Creek 

15. What book made you cry?

Y’all I cry so easily. The Song of Achilles tho...... sobbed.

16. What book made you laugh?

When Dimple Met Rishi is really sweet and pure and I’ve literally lol’d a few times.

17. What is your favourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?

Ramona Blue, currently. I’m also a big fan of The Sidhe.

18. Have you read a book with a male protagonist? What is it?

Lmao aren’t they all... um yeah idk I just looked over at my bookshelf and one of my new faves is Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

19. Have you read a book set on another planet? What is it?

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. (The Barsoom tales were, like, a thing for me after I was assigned that one in college.)

20. Have you ever been glad to not finish a series? Which?

Not really? I’m kinda keeping The Last Star at arm’s length because The 5th Wave was such a terrible movie and made my excitement for the series disappear. But I’m also trying to get over that because one shouldn’t necessarily impact enjoyment of the other.

21. Have you ever read a book series because you were pressured?

Probably the Hunger Games. I really wanted to get them read before the movie came out and I couldn’t avoid spoilers. Plus my college roommate was reading them at the same time so it was a good time to squee together. So pressured, but not in a bad way.

22. What famous author have you not read any books by?

Douglas Adams. Hitchhiker’s Guide has long been on my tbr but I’ve been itching to read it lately. 

23. Who is your favourite author of all time?

Oscar Wilde.

24. How many bookshelves do you own?

Just bought two last week, so now I have six.

25. How many books do you own?

dont make me admit that. More than I’ve ever properly budgeted for, let’s say that.

26. What is your favourite non-fiction book?

Save the Cat! My interest in screenwriting led me to it, but it’s a really useful tool for novelists as well and anybody telling stories.

27. What is your favourite children’s/middle-grade book?

Hmmm... The Little Prince perhaps.

28. What is your next book on your TBR?

My library hold for Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari just came through this morning, so I’m going to get to that when I finish When Dimple Met Rishi.

29. What book are you currently reading?

When Dimple Met Rishi. So good. So sweet. And it features a girl in STEM wow amazing five stars for that.

30. What book are you planning on buying next?

Noooooooo. I just spent so much last week, and now that I’m apartment hunting, no more books. Tragic.

31. What was the cheapest book you bought?

There’s a great used bookstore in Boston with an outdoor bargain area and I think I’ve picked up stuff for $3 and under.

32. What was the most expensive book you bought?

Alright. Y’all already might’ve peeped me revealing that back in the day I was superwholock garbage. WEll. I have this “The Essential Supernatural: On the Road with Sam and Dean Winchester” donkey ass book that is $50 and I probably got a little discount but still paid really close to that amount.

33. What is a book you read after seeing the movie/ TV series?

Big Fish. I’m genuinely astounded that that movie came from that book. Like, the leaps from page to screen y’all. 

34. What is the newest book you have bought?

these are all the books I bought at B&N last week

35. What three books are you most looking forward to reading this year?

Radio Silence, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, and The Princess Diarist.

36. What is a book you love that has a terrible trope? (Love triangle, etc)

Ugh this is such a good question and here I am drawing a total blank.

37. Have you read a book in a different language? What was it?

Only some basic Spanish books when I took classes in middle and high school. Though my niece is in a bilingual program and brings home a lot of books with English and Spanish versions.

38. What is a book you’ve read that is set in a time period before you were born?

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 

39. What book offended you?

WE ARE OKAY. ARE WE, NINA? ARE WE OKAY? nOPE

‘kay but I genuinely was offended because Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is compared to diner coffee and legit like.... no???????? Dunks never did nothin’ to you and ur rly gonna come for it like that??? ok, Nina. ur wrong, but ok.

40. What is the weirdest book you have read?

Uhhh. Yet again, she draws a blank!

41. What is your favourite duology?

Isn’t Strange the Dreamer meant to be a duology? The second book’s not even out and that’s my favorite.

42. What is your favourite trilogy?

Answering this question, I’m realizing that I haven’t read many trilogies in my life. Definitely The Hunger Games though. I just gorged myself on all three during a weekend-long summer storm.

43. What book did you buy because of its cover?

Wuthering goddamn Heights. I don’t even like that book, but the cover was phenomenal and I was like ok yeah Camille, let’s fkn do it

44. What is a book that you love, but has a terrible cover?

Aww that’s mean. I can’t think of any. I usually go for pretty covers and forget the rest. But I have the edition of Radio Silence with the cover I like less if that counts?

45. Do you own a poetry anthology? What is your favourite poem from it?

I don’t have an appreciation for poetry, sorry! I do own anthologies because I majored in English and had a writing concentration, but that’s literally the only reason I have them: they were assigned. So no favorite.

But since that seems lame and I haven’t been asked about short stories, I have a favorite from the 2013 Pushcart Prize XXXVII: Best of the Small Presses. It’s called “Juniper Beach” by Shannon Cain and it’s so wonderful. Really tight narrative woven together with zero snags along the way.

46. Do you own any colouring books based off other books?

Nope. Really wanted the Fantastic Beasts one but my wallet said ho don’t do it and for once, I listened.

47. Do you own any historical fiction?

I do not own any, but -and this feels totally like someone else’s memories- when I was a teen, I was all over Harlequin historical romance books oh my god.

48. What book made you angry?

See #39. I put that book down for weeks over it and told everyone I knew about the slanderous lies within.

49. What book has inspired you?

Paint It Black and White Oleander both make me want to be that good of a writer. 

50. What book got you into reading?

Honestly my mother got me into reading, not any particular book, though imma single one out in a moment. Like my mom has literally never gone a day that I’ve been alive not spent reading. She got me started at the library young and I read my way through the whole children’s section. The Boxcar Children and the Baby-Sitter’s Club books were a big draw. And the one I’m singling out is On the Banks of Plum Creek which was a library discard. I read and reread that one about a million times. I’d loved books and reading but I’d never feasted on a book before that one. I never read the Little House series, my obsession was limited to that one book.

I’m tagging: @ozzery, @anassarhenisch, @midnightinkspill, @mariedtofiction, @rawr-booklover  @booksandsweettea, and @thewizard-ofbooks

As usual, if you’re tagged please feel no pressure to play! And if you’re not tagged and you wanna play, please go forth and do so!

[positivelyamazonian]

Hello my dear friend/author. My question is about your sequel Golden Seal. I remember there were 7(?) religious symbols they encounter to, ehem do something. (Lets not give spoilers :D) What are they exactly and what are their connections with the Golden Seal on Kurtis' ring? Thank you so much for taking your time :D

Oh, wow, I love this ask! What an insightful question! :D I’m a bit sorry the answer might not be as detailed as you might expect, because The Golden Seal was my first fanfic, my first time trying to write a TR fan story, and as you know, back in those days I didn’t have Murti’s notes, and being my English language skills very limited, I wasn’t even awate of most of the information concerning the cancelled sequels.

So I had to create a complete background storyline almost from zero, being totally blind to information that was already accessible for the international fandom, and also, tothe most recent uncovered information, of course. So if you excuse me… concerning this, the storyline is pretty limited. But I’ll try to answer my best :)

So, you’re asking me about the Periapt. Or at least, my version of this artefact, which I developed just taking into reference the Periapt Shards (Fragmentos del Orbe, in Spanish) as crystal daggers carved from an original source. Looks like, according Murti’s notes, the Periapt(s) was not exactly an orb (Orbe, in Spanish) as I understood from the Spanish translation, but some kind of disc. Anyway, just a proof of how lost I was when writing this fanfic 10 years ago and how much I had to rely on just my own imagination.

The Periapt in my universe is, then, a crystal orb, big size, carved entirely in religious symbols - yeah I know the photo doesn’t fit, I’ve never drawn it because I suck at drawing. But the size fits, anyway. - You have to imagine it completely covered by those symbols, and they are little carvings as it have to fit all the cults a religions in the world - really, so big deal.

Some of the symbols are mentioned during the fanfic, but, of course… I don’t mention it all. I’d have been impossible, being preferable to leave it at the reader’s imagination :D But let’s stick to what I mention:

Lara caressed the Periapt while copying itssymbols on a piece of paper. They were neither letters nor hieroglyphics, justa messy map of signs with no relation between them: mystical, religious,natural… An Egyptian Ankh. An Isis’ Knot. Horus’ Eye. The Christian cross. The Muslim crescent. TheChinese Ying and Yang. The Lux Veritatis’ anchor. The symbols of the pagangods: Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury…the Jewish star. The Hindi Eye. TheIlluminati’s triangle. The swastika of the Celts. Lucifer’s pentacle.

The symbols were endless and different, such afascinating mixture that Lara felt puzzled. For the first time in her life shehad in her hands an artefact depicting the symbols of all religions, cults, andmyths ever existed on Earth.

THE GOLDEN SEAL, chapter 15, Putai

What Lara does basically during all the adventure, while fighting and travelling and running and exploring, is to copy all the symbols in papers and discard them one by one, as she finds out that the True Option consists in choosing the oldest symbol, the one which depicts the oldest cult/religion on Earth (yeah, I know, it lacks depth. But at that moment it’s all that came to my newbie’s mind.) 

“The True Option,” muttered Lara. “The motherof all religions.”

Sitting on the windowsill of her cell, not caring the least about thehuge abyss that was right next to her, the explorer crossed out symbols and letthe papers fall at her feet, forming a scattered pile of sheets.

Focused on the task, she barely heard Kurtis arriving and leaningagainst the door frame, watching her in silence. She was now used to hisdiscreet and reserved manners.

“Look at this,” she said, pointing to the sheetin which she was working. The last symbol left was the Cross. Lara crossed itout with a jerk of her pencil. “Bang. Goodbye Christianity. Centuries ofspirituality and faith destroyed in a second.”

“Don’t let the monks see you,” he said, lookingover his shoulder.

ُTHE GOLDEN SEAL, chapter 24, The Angel’s Oracle

In the end, she remains only with the Olympic gods and, after them, the Titans or which is the same, the basic elements/forces of nature.

Lara walked towards the altar and placed the Periapt in the hole. Aftera couple of steps back, she began to write the remaining symbols in the dustysteps, while she quoted one by one. “Aphrodite…Uranos…Poseidon…Gea…Helios…”

THE GOLDEN SEAL, chapter 27, The True Option

In the end, the True Option consists in the oldest of all them, the basic, primigenic force of nature, of creation itself, worshipped by mankind (let’s not gonna spoil this here, okay? ;) 

Why I choose those symbols? I’ve been fascinated by cults and religions since I was a child, being myself raised as a Catholic Christian. In a religion there are a lot of symbols who speak to you in so many ways, and when you move to other religions/cults to wide your horizons, the thing becames even more fascinating. I wanted to know them all to understand what I was seeing. And I guess from this enthusiasm come this little, clumsy tribute I made to them in The Golden Seal.

There are universal symbols, generally acknowledged as them. They can be called with several names, tracked down until several sources and origins, and collect several meanings or even taking variations depending on the culture/civilization or the historic period, but in the end, the symbol is what remains. So I limited myself to them, in a very basic level, and avoided to go further.

What’s fascinating about it? The Periapt is an artefact, in my universe, who belonged to the Lux Veritatis since the beginnings of the order - XII century - but it’s older, in fact. And despite being older, it has carved some symbols of cults/religions that DIDN’T exist in the moment the orb was supposedly carved - which is what amazes Lara so much. Together with its ability of not remaining shattered when destroyed ;)

“The Seal is not an artefact of your Order, noris the Periapt. It had been here since ancient times. Traditions state that itwas given by one of the four archangels to the first hegumenos of thecommunity, with the following words: Ifever the Light of Truth and the Fallen Angel clash and balance their forces sothat only one of them will prevail, this ring will lead the way. Today,nobody believes this. But indeed, the Seal has led you here, back to its home,after you knew Lady Loanna’s tragic story and she put the Periapt in yourhands.”

THE GOLDEN SEAL, chapter 23, The Seal’s Story

There seems to be a connection between the Golden Seal (Kurtis’ ring) and the Periapt, but this connection was ignored by Kurtis while being only known by his father, Konstantin Heissturm, and the community of Orthodox monks in Ayios Stefanos’ in Meteora. Apparently, the Periapt is not an earthly artefact. Of course, looks like it being delivered by one of the four Archangels (namely Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel) is just a legend… or maybe not? But in any case, the origins of the Periapt can’t be tracked.

Nor are the Seal’s ones.

“And how did the Seal come to my father’s hands?”

“I gave it to him. As I said, Eckhardt attackedour monastery and set it on fire. Then he began to kill our brothers, one byone, waiting for me to reveal where I was hiding the Seal. We would’ve alldied, and me the last of them, if your father hadn’t arrived then, confrontedthe Black Alchemist and defeated him, saving our lives. That’s why I gave himthe Seal. That’s why we saved your life. I thought he was the chosen one, thatthe Archangel was referring to him as the Light, and the Alchemist as theDarkness.” He looked down and caressed his long beard. “I was wrong. Evil wasn’t Eckhardt, but Karel.The last of the Lux Veritatis wasn’t Konstantin Heissturm…it was you. His onlyson.”

THE GOLDEN SEAL, chapter 23, The Seal’s Story

At the end of the day, both the Periapt and the Golden Seal were associated. Both were in Ayios’ Stefanos since the beginning, despite their real origins can’t be tracked. Both played a relevant role in defeating Karel, though Konstantin didn’t understand it totally when taking the Seal and then, giving it to Kurtis together with the Shards carved from the Periapt’s unbroken crystal. 

I think you can see the relation. The symbols? Sadly, I can’t tell there’s a direct link to the symbols with the ring itself. The symbols are a riddle, an enigma, a puzzle, which I designed for Lara, basically, to prove again she’s not just a shooter, nor just a killer or a tomb raider, but also a brain, a puzzle-solving mind adorned with a deep cultural and educated background. 

As for the rest, there are just a pile of coincidences which lead to the desired ending, apparently planned for higher forces, despite it could have been perfectly Karel the one to win, defeat Kurtis and then take Lara for his breeding project, as once Drakul tried to do with Loanna. Fortunately things went in the opposite direction ;)

And this is all I can say! Of course, reading the fanfic is something I always recommend if someone finds all this gibberish quite weird. I excuse myself again for the lack of depth of this storyline, but as I said previously, I had to write without any kind of reference and support, and I was totally a newbie in the fanfic world. Today I’d have done things differently, but quod scripsi scripsi… I won’t change a single word. This is what I wrote, this is what remains.

I hope I kinda solved your question and you find my answer satisfying. :)

[ravenreadsrapidly]

~BOOK TAG~

50 Bookish Questions

Gonna start off the blog with this because... Why not?

1. What is your favourite book and/or book series of all time?

Ummmm..... Honestly? As much as I’d love to answer the first f*cking question I really just can’t because hi, I love way too many books to have a favorite m’kay?

2. What is the longest book you have ever read? How many pages?

Okay, probably... High 500′s-Low 600′s? I mainly read YA novels so I mean... Yeah, nothing too long or too profound I guess.

3. What is the oldest book you have ever read? (Based on its written date)

Honestly- Ummmm... Probably some school mandated book that I had to spend way too long analyzing because ya know gotta love the curriculum man but yeah, probably, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” by Zora Neale Hurston.

4. What is a book series that everyone else loves but you do not?

Okay, getting into some shade now. Um... I remember when like, the matched series was so hyped up and I just... Didn’t like it too much? The selection series wasn’t too amazing or anything either but I mean that’s just my opinion. Props to you if you loved that book.

5. What book or book series would you like to see turned into a film/ TV series?

Okay, House of Night as a TV series would be so good, just... Yes.

6. What is your favourite stand-alone book?

Probably... Ooo this is a good one. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is pretty good, it’s also the first one to come to mind so we’ll go with that for right now.

7. What is a book that you feel glad for not reading?

Honestly? Fifty Shades of Gray can stay FAR away from my ever growing TBR pile

8. What is a book that you feel guilty for not not reading?

... The 50 books that are on my TBR pile that I just haven’t gotten to yet.

9. What is a book you have read that is set in your country of birth?

Ummm... A majority of the books I read are set in the United States so heck yeah man. For an example... I guess I could say the majority of the Mortal Instruments series?

10. What is a book that you own more than one copy of?

I feel attacked... The Mortal Instruments series. How many copies I have is nOne Of YoUr coNcerN

11. What horror book made you really scared?

Hm... I don’t read horror all too often but The murder Complex by Lindsey Cummings was pretty unsettling?

12. What book do you passionately hate?

OkAy. There’s one book I just... I couldn’t get through without feeling... entirely disgusted. It was... I believe it was... Yeah! All the Rage by Courtney Summers. It was just... So graphic and I suppose the things depicted in the book were too inaccurate and played off for me. It upset me in ways I don’t really like discussing, so I’d just... Yeah I’d say that’s probably the book I hate the most.

13. What is the biggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?

Okay. Here’s the tea. I suck at reading series. I’m currently reading House of Night and Throne of Glass but I mean.... They’re both on my TBR right now since I’m rereading the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout so I mean... I guess the longest series that I’ve finished is The Mortal Instruments Series WhOoPs.

14. What book gives you happy memories?

Okay, this is an amazing question. It’d have to be... Hm... Okay, Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn. I don’t have the slightest clue why, I guess it’s a book I read during a hard time in my life and it was just so sweet and pure and wholesome and just thinking about it and reminicing gives me warm, fuzzy feelings.

15. What book made you cry?

WhAt bOoK hAsn’T?!?! Um... I guess in all seriousness though... Okay, avoding the basic answer of, “ALLIGENT” I’m gonna go with... Okay Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. That book is definitely one of my favorites 10/10 would recommend it’s gr8

16. What book made you laugh?

Hm... The Vampire Academy series overall is pretty funny, Rose is a riot.

17. What is your favourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?

Y’all. Listen. I’m gay as f*ck. My boyfriend is great just a subtle PDA because I so love that man. But um... okay The Mortal Instruments series again but not because Alec because f*ck Alec. Magnus Bane is my spirit animal.

18. Have you read a book with a male protagonist? What is it?

Good. Question. Ummm.... Hatchet! by Gary Paulsen, hell yeah. I didz it.

19. Have you read a book set on another planet? What is it?

Does outer space count...? Um... SKSKSKSKSKSKSKS gah, I’ve read books with Aliens... But on a different planet...? I guess I started reading These Broken Stars. That should count... Right...?

20. Have you ever been glad to not finish a series? Which?

OkAy No! I refuse to DNF books, I’m sorry but I will not. They just get put onto the TBR list.

21. Have you ever read a book series because you were pressured?

Pffff ummm.... Probably not! None of my friends read so I mean hahahahahahaha ow

22. What famous author have you not read any books by?

Sksksksksks um.... I have a few Rainbow Rowell books but I sadly haven’t gotten to reading them yet don’t kill me plz plz plz I promise I’m plannin on reading em

23. Who is your favourite author of all time?

Of ALL TiMe?!?! Gahhh! That’s so hard!!!! Um... Okay. I’m committing. Cassandra Clare and I’m so not sorry.

24. How many bookshelves do you own?

Two big bois~~~ Mmmmm I love looking at my books.

25. How many books do you own?

Um... E-enough... Not enough. Must buy more. Must buy more book babies <3

26. What is your favourite non-fiction book?

Okay, not a huge fan of non-fiction. Not gonna lie about that. Not one bit not at all. But probably... Grrrr.... Nope, can’t do it. I can’t read non-fiction I’m sorry man.

27. What is your favourite children’s/middle-grade book?

Basic bitch answer but: HaRrY PoTtEr

28. What is your next book on your TBR?

SKSKSKSKSSKSKSSKSKSSKSKSKS LEMME FINNISH THE LUX SERIES STOP JUDGINGGGGGGGGG!

29. What book are you currently reading?

... The Lux series

30. What book are you planning on buying next?

Honestly? I have no idea. I just kinda... Let myself go into a book store and browse for hours until my wallet is empty.

31. What was the cheapest book you bought?

Bruh. Used book stores that you find next to libraries are a God sent. Some are like... 25 cents? And they’re in Godly condition? It’s amazing.

32. What was the most expensive book you bought?

Um... Manual wise? Like $70, but book book? Maybe $40 on a pre-ordered, signed, hardcover...

33. What is a book you read after seeing the movie/ TV series?

Mortal Instruments! I’ll admit it! It was still fucking better than the movie, fight me. Books are 99.99999% of the time always better.

34. What is the newest book you have bought?

Recently I got, “The Sun is Also A Star,” and, “The Cruel Prince.” So.... Yes. I’m excite.

35. What three books are you most looking forward to reading this year?

Honestly? I have so many books on my TBR and I’m so excited for all of them.

36. What is a book you love that has a terrible trope? (Love triangle, etc)

Twilight. Enough said. Don’t @ me

37. Have you read a book in a different language? What was it?

Nope! I’m not bilingual but I’m learning German because yes.

38. What is a book you’ve read that is set in a time period before you were born?

The Infernal Devices Trilogy, mmm yes feed my soul with perfection.

39. What book offended you?

Um... Thirteen Reasons Why was offensive for five billion reasons tbh.

40. What is the weirdest book you have read?

OOOOOOOOH okay, honestly? Charming by Krystal Wade was pretty weird.

41. What is your favourite duology?

MMM I’ve read a bit of Six of Crows and it’s pretty good but idk, that’s probably it tbh.

42. What is your favourite trilogy?

... The Infernal Devices.

43. What book did you buy because of its cover?

The thousandth floor.... Don’t judge me.

44. What is a book that you love, but has a terrible cover?

ALL THE TEA IN THE WORLD, but I think any book that has a Movie Tie in Cover just automatically is unattractive... My bad.

45. Do you own a poetry anthology? What is your favourite poem from it?

I don’t! But I do want to start exploring books written in Verse

46. Do you own any colouring books based off other books?

Hm... No... But now I want some...

47. Do you own any historical fiction?

I don’t think so? But the “And I Darken” series has been calling my name for a while so...

48. What book made you angry?

Honestly? The last book of the Divergent series. It was just.. No. It was a let down. And I loved that series with my whole heart.

49. What book has inspired you?

Hm... probably... in all seriousness? It’d probably have to be the shadow falls series. I can’t explain why but... It helped me keep going and pushing forward.

50. What book got you into reading?

Definintely The Mortal Instruments Series. No doubt about it.