#the super powered bibliophiles

[littleeyesofpallas]

i present to you here without further explanation...

[semification]

- DIE WITH A SMILE . . . VERITAS RATIO ✧.*

Veritas comes to realize that he loves you, but perhaps he comes to that realization far too late.

content: fem reader, death, penacony quest spoilers, angst with comfort (?), blood & injuries, veritas is a meanie (but he INSTANTLY regrets it!1!), friends to (grins evilly) …lovers

authors note: first fic on this account i hope you guys like it <3 i ran out of motivation while writing this halfway can u tell. anyways go stream die with a smile by bruno mars and lady gaga because i was listening to that song on loop while making this fic and i think its a super fitting song for this hehe

wc: 5.9k (its a quick read i promise)

masterlist

“You’re being ridiculous, Veritas.”

Bickering with Dr. Veritas Ratio was not out of the ordinary. In fact, it was a pastime for the two of you, engaging in various academic debates to see which party presented a better argument. It was seen as a great deal of praise to be able to do such a thing with an esteemed man like Veritas. It made it seem like you two stood on the same ground–the same ground of a man who felt so out of reach.

“Oh, really now? I’m the one being ridiculous? I am ‘ridiculous’ simply because I am looking out for your safety, Y/N?”

This… however, this was not normal. This quarrel felt personal, stemming from your feelings instead of facts and objective data. This felt like an attack on your friendship–but from the amount of vile he’s spitting from his mouth, you wonder if Veritas has ever considered you as a friend in the first place.

The more he speaks, the more you are reminded that you didn’t stand on the same ground as him. You felt terrifyingly inferior, and even though he was right in front of you, you felt like you were miles away from him. 

“No, I’m saying you’re ridiculous for calling me weak and incapable because apparently, I’m not good enough to go on this expedition when it’s my fucking job.”

However, you mostly felt like a fool.

You felt like such a fool for falling in love with a man like him. You fell in love with him because of his neverending thirst for knowledge. You fell in love with him because you were just as much of a bibliophile as he was. You fell in love with him because you wanted to spread your knowledge around the universe as much as he wished to. You fell in love with him because, for a moment, you thought he saw you differently from everyone else, and that he truly enjoyed being in your presence.

You turn away from him, tears forming in your eyes. You stubbornly blink them away, because you think back to what started this argument in the first place.

You had just finished detailing your mission to Veritas, which was your routine every time the Intelligentsia Guild dispatched you on some kind of research expedition. This mission was different, however. You would be gone for three months, longer than usual–and the mission was very combat-oriented and dangerous, which wasn’t like your usual expeditions. Despite the warnings, you still accepted it, thinking of it as something new, but nothing that you couldn’t handle.

Veritas seemed to think otherwise, however, because when you peer over to look at his reaction, he looked very displeased. 

(It wasn’t a very uncommon look to see on his face, but you could tell he seemed more serious–like how the frown lines on his face were deeper than usual.)

You weren’t particularly surprised by the expression on his face. What surprised you the most was the first thing that came out of his mouth after hearing your expedition’s rundown. “Are you sure you’ll be able to go on that mission?”

You look at him incredulously, surprised at the amount of distaste in his voice. His displeasure was directed at… you? “What is that supposed to mean, Veritas?”

“I’m saying that you’re too weak and incapable to go on that expedition, Y/N. I do not know why the Guild would assign you such a difficult mission. They truly are overestimating your power.” The words came out of his mouth so casually, like you had just asked him about the weather. Is this how his students feel when they take his infamous course with a passing rate of a mere three percent? How his students feel whenever they get scolded by him?

You just can’t believe it. He said those words like it were a fact—straight from the myriad of encyclopedias that he’s read. Maybe because it was a fact in his head: he saw you as nothing but “weak” and “incapable”.

A stray tear manages to escape from your eye, and you quickly wipe it away angrily before turning back to Veritas with a sniffle. No. You cannot cry in front of his face. Crying is an expression of weakness–of vulnerability. And what you are trying to prove to Veritas is that you are not “weak”. You are not “incapable” either, and you are going to prove that to him by going on this mission and making him eat his words. 

“I will be leaving in three system hours. Do not bother showing up during my departure.”

You cringe at the way your voice shakes at the end, but you stand firm. Those words were the last thing you said to him before leaving his office with a bitter heart. When you exit his room, you finally let your emotions run free, letting the tears stream down your face without end. You quietly sob as you retreat to your own office, closing the door and letting out a shaky exhale, escaping all the nosy whispers and chatter of the Guild members.

You sob at the heartbreaking realization that just when you think you’ve gotten close to the “untouchable” Veritas Ratio, he pushes you away just like how he does to everyone else… because that’s just simply what you are to him. 

Another person who fades into the background, and nothing more.

Dr. Veritas Ratio is a man who exhibits prestige and greatness like no other. Throughout his academic career, he obtained eight PhDs and graduated with the First Class Honors Degree, which hadn’t been awarded to anyone for two Amber Eras. He was gifted with knowledge, and now he uses that knowledge and spreads it far across the cosmos to “cure idiocy”, treating it like a disease that needs to be treated.

And yet, for once in his life, he refuses to admit it out loud, but he’s acted like the one thing that he completely loathed. The very thing that he was trying to exterminate.

An idiot. He was an idiot, and it was all because he could not word himself correctly when he spoke to you. He has written hundreds of papers, essays, and dissertations, but time and time again, he could not seem to think—to be able to formulate the proper words to say when it came to you.

And now, Veritas has royally messed up, and for once in life, he has no idea what to do.

He was just genuinely concerned for your safety. It was all he thought about once you had finished detailing your expedition to him. He wanted to convince you—to pick the right words to say so he could persuade you not to go, but it seems that his fear of being seen as vulnerable shone through first. It reminded him of the days when you two weren’t close; the days he spoke to you while wearing his alabaster head.

He only wears that head because he “can’t bear to see idiots,” but given how he just called you “weak” and “incapable” in the argument that just transpired, one could almost laugh at the hypocrisy of it all. Veritas may as well talk to himself while wearing the alabaster head.

Because only idiots would address you with those terms. 

You were an enigma to Veritas from the very beginning. People from the Intelligentsia Guild rarely stood out to him, but you were different—sticking out like a sore thumb the moment he laid his eyes on you. 

That’s because your presence utterly enchanted him—you had similar tastes in literary works, you matched his sarcasm and topped it off with even wittier replies, and you also wanted to use your knowledge for other people to learn.

You were not weak and incapable. He saw you as anything but that, in fact. He was at fault for the argument, but he can’t bring himself to say it out loud, for Aeon’s sake.

He knows that he owes you an apology, it’s the least he could do... He just needs to apologize, then convince you to not go on that expedition. You’re scheduled to leave soon—approximately two and a half system hours—he still has time.

And yet, his mind is being stubborn. He knows that he needs to apologize, but he just can’t bring himself to. He can’t remember the last time he’s genuinely apologized to someone—an apology without a trace of sarcasm at that.

“Trouble in paradise, doctor?”

He could recognize the esteemed gambler’s voice from miles away, and it irks him how he always seemed to show up at the worst times. Aventurine’s got a knowing gaze on him—a stare that can pierce through any poker face so he could see exactly what they’re thinking. “I suggest not meddling in any business that doesn’t concern you, gambler.”

Except he’s already got him. “This is about Y/N, isn’t it?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

Aventurine believes that one’s eyes are the windows to the soul–and he doesn’t miss the way Veritas’ eyes soften when he says your name, smiling at the unintentional answer to his question. He definitely doesn’t have the best poker face in town. For such a stoic man, he surely cannot put himself together when it comes to anything that has to do with you.

Aeons. Just what were you doing to him?

There was no use hiding it from him, so he just silently nodded, with Aventurine clicking his tongue. “Rumors fly fast in the guild, especially when Dr. Ratio’s dear friend Y/N was seen walking out of his office crying. I just had to see what this was really about, you know?” 

You were crying when you left?

He doesn’t voice his concern out loud, of course. Instead, Veritas just sighs heavily. “All I wanted to do was convince her to not go on that mission that she’s currently dispatched on. It just seems… far too dangerous.”

Aventurine’s got an idea of what happened next considering how you ran out of this room crying, but he decides to ask anyway. “Oh? And how did that work out for you?”

Veritas refuses to meet his gaze, his heart sinking when he simply thinks about what happened earlier. “…”

“At least humor me, doctor.”

He turns away from Aventurine completely, a deep shade of red coating his cheeks. Was it out of embarrassment? Shame? Whatever it was, he didn’t need him to see it. “…I called her weak and incapable.”

When Aventurine doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, Veritas speaks to fill the silence. “I admit, I did not know what was going through my head when I addressed her with those words.”

The uncomfortable silence drags on for a little longer until it’s interrupted by the piercing sound of Aventurine’s laughter. His laugh makes the red spread across Veritas’ cheeks even more—uncharacteristically so, especially since he’s normally so put together. He doesn’t even have the heart to tell Aventurine to stop laughing, because a small huge part of him feels that he deserves this.

He deserves to sit through this feeling because he knows you faced the same humiliation when he shut you out.

“Hahaha! I can’t—“ Aventurine’s nearly keeling over in laughter, and the gambler swears he could feel tears build up in his eyes. “Oh, please! You have such a way with words, don’t you?”

Aventurine continues, failing to conceal his hysteria. “Weak and incapable? If anything, that’ll only fuel the fire. She’d want to go on that mission just to prove you wrong.”

“I’m well aware. It is exactly what happened after all.” You’re leaving soon. The thought of you leaving makes Veritas’ stomach churn, and he has no idea why. Out of all the many expeditions you’ve been sent on, this is the first time he’s felt this way–been filled with so much dread.

“Well,” Aventurine pretends to think for a moment, putting his hand on his chin. “It won’t hurt to sacrifice a little bit of your already enormous ego to apologize to her, no? There’s enough of your pride to go around.” 

I don’t know if I can bring myself to.

Veritas doesn’t say those words out loud. Instead, he masks his worries with a scoff. Aventurine doesn’t have to know. “Watch your mouth, gambler.”

“Oh my, I really struck a nerve there, did I?”

“Researcher Y/N? I’m sorry sir, she just departed a few minutes ago.”

You left.

The three system hours hadn’t even passed yet—there were still two hours before your scheduled departure—and you left early.

You left, and he didn’t even get the opportunity to apologize. 

The researcher could only watch as the great Veritas Ratio, normally so composed, looks away from him wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. He’s utterly dumbfounded, a look that is never seen on his face. What is he supposed to do now?

You’re too late.

For the next several weeks, Veritas could only wait anxiously for your return. Worry follows him like a cloud, and even his students pick up on his weird behavior. It’s all so grueling—waiting for you without so much of an idea of how you’re doing or if your expedition is going well. 

While waiting for your return, he plans out his actions for the next time he sees you. He doesn’t want to apologize over text–Veritas sees it as inappropriate and prefers to show his sincerity in person. Face-to-face is how he is going to do it, and he sends you a message in preparation for that. “I’d like for us to talk when you’re back. Please message me immediately upon your arrival.”

…Except an error message stares at him back when he presses the send button. It’s almost mocking him in a sense, like the universe is doing everything in its power to prevent him from atoning for his mistakes. Of course you weren’t going to have signal when you’re so far away from him. Just what was he expecting?

You were scheduled to return after another few weeks, and Veritas could only prepare for the days to pass by excruciatingly slowly. Until then, he thinks over what he’s going to say for his apology. Maybe he could give you something too. He thinks that finding a way to get your favorite flowers is a nice start.

You’re tired.

Exhaustion envelops you like a blanket, and after trying your hardest to resist, you just can’t anymore.

You’re so tired. 

You finally succumb to the fatigue, falling onto the ground as your sword clatters with a thud. You lay there, lying in a pool of your own blood, accepting that this was the cruel fate that the great Aeons above bestowed upon you in the end. You laugh at the absurdity of it all, but it only comes out as a weak cough, which quickly transitions into a fit of hacking up crimson droplets—lighting your throat on fire.

It was a fragmentum monster ambush. The planet you were exploring contained a lot of them–mainly due to the Stellaron corrosion that it was experiencing. After three weeks of exploring, it was supposed to be just another day of collecting data and extracting information for the guild. You’ve done this countless times already–anything out of the ordinary happening was beyond you.

The ambush had occurred when you least expected it–you barely even had the time to draw out your sword. One thing led to another, and at some point, there were just too many of them that leaving the battle unscathed was out of the question. And at the end of it, you were a mess, standing in a field of bodies with blood sticking to your clothes–a mix of the fragmentum and your own. The worst part was that it was mainly your own, with the source coming from a deep gash in your abdomen. You were losing blood at a terrifying rate.

Panic fills your veins once you fully process the gravity of the situation. Heart thumping, you realize that you’re going to die–and you are going to die alone.

What a pitiful end this was.

You’ve sent a distress call to the guild, but you know that your fate has been sealed already. You’ll be long gone before anyone will be here to help you, and they’d just be here to clean up your remains. You hope that the guild would at least grant you a proper funeral.

It’s truly comical how fate works. People your age are usually too busy thinking about marriage, or deciding how many kids they want to have in the near future. And yet, here you are, on the precipice of reaching death’s door, thinking about your funeral. 

Your vision turns blurry, and you sniffle as hot tears begin to roll down your cheeks. Fuck, you don’t want to die. There are far too many things that you haven’t done. And yet, you can’t find the strength to continue on either. You’re just so, so tired.

In the midst of your cries, you softly mumble out a name. A name that you love, hate, and everything in between with a passion.

“…Veritas.”

You initially wanted to go on this mission with the intent of exploring this planet, but after the argument, you know you went mainly because you wanted to prove him wrong.

You wonder if he truly meant those words. Even if he didn’t, maybe he was right, because look at what your determination had cost you–lying in a pool of your own blood, all because you wanted Veritas to see that you weren’t weak and incapable.

Even though you went on this expedition angry at him, (a part of you still is angry) you’ve never wanted to see him so badly in your life. You were going to die with many regrets–perhaps the biggest one was that you never got to tell Veritas how you truly feel about him.

You just want to see him once last time. Is it selfish to ask for one more day with him? One more hour… or to engage in at least one more heated debate. Hell, you’d even take one more minute with him. And in that minute, maybe you’d slap him in the face for what happened. But maybe you’d tell him you love him and kiss him over and over, apologizing for even thinking about slapping his stupidly perfect face. 

Despite how much of an asshole he can be at times, you love Veritas Ratio. You love his snark and sarcasm and everything about him, and you’re going to die without even knowing if he loves you back. This is your biggest regret.

No, you can’t die like this. You need to tell him. You have to.

As darkness starts to cloud your vision, you use all of your remaining strength to pull your phone out from your pocket despite the wound in your abdomen screaming in protest. Your fingers shakily make their way to Veritas’ contact, and with a pained breath, you begin to type.

“Take me to where she sent the distress call, now.”

There was a bunch of commotion in the guild—too much commotion considering how early it was. Veritas could only wonder what all the clamor was about, but he froze once he heard your name leave one of the researcher’s mouths. 

And his biggest nightmare is now a reality once someone finally fills him in on the situation: Your signal had disappeared off the radar, but not after you sent a distress call to the guild. You needed help, yet you were so far from his grasp. “But Doctor, we-“

“I need not repeat myself. Her life is in grave danger, and yet here you are, arguing with me and wasting precious time when this time could be used saving her.” His words surprised both himself and the guild member, who shakily nodded at his request. Veritas was certain that if you were just anybody else, he could have less of a care about your distress signal. But no, this was you—and he needed to make sure that you were okay.

Veritas looked calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, he was falling apart. Calm yourself, you need to be the strong one in this situation. She’s the one in danger here.

Aeons, all he had to do was convince you to not go on this expedition. Instead, he made everything worse with his poor choice of words, and now he’s paying the price for it. He could only hope that he wasn’t too late.

Wait for me Y/N. Please. That’s all I ask.

In his office, there’s a bouquet of your favorite flowers resting on his desk, and they’ve slowly begun to wither away.

When Veritas finally arrived at where you were last seen on the signal, there were bodies littered everywhere, and he could only hope that none of them were yours. Paired with those bodies was the color red—crimson was scattered all over, and it was practically all he could see. Did you take all of these fragmentum down by yourself?

As Veritas inspected all of the fragmentum bodies, all slain by a single blade, one of the researchers accompanying him pointed out a trail of blood leaving the site. It makes him freeze, because it might be…

“Y/N.”

Shit.

He immediately goes after the trail without an ounce of hesitation. The scene laid before him is something that has only haunted him in his nightmares, yet at this very moment, it lies before him as a terrifying reality. 

His blood runs cold, and for the first time in his life, Veritas Ratio is rendered speechless.

Your limp body lies in front of him, in a pool of so much blood that just seeing it sickens him to his stomach. He can’t feel his own body as he falls to his knees, paying no mind to the other researchers around him. No, right now, it was just you and Veritas. Nobody else.

With trembling hands, he pulls your body close to his own as your blood taints his clothing. Even though he knows you’re too far gone already, he can’t help but try to feel your pulse, because there’s a part of him that just refuses to believe that he’s too late.

There was nothing.

It probably hasn’t been beating for a while, and that thought leaves him utterly empty, with a single stray tear rolling down his cheek.

If he were just a little bit faster, maybe he could’ve saved you. If he could’ve just formulated his words correctly so he could convince you not to go on this expedition. If he could’ve just apologized…

If he could’ve just been… a better friend.

All these could haves, yet Veritas didn’t act on any of them.

Pathetic.

Your phone is beside you, and Veritas gingerly picks it up. The screen was still lit, despite it being shattered to oblivion. It was open to the messaging app—specifically his contact.

It was never sent due to poor signal, but you were messaging him before you died. He was your last thought.

“I’m sorry Veritas. I just don’t want you to think I’m weak and incapable.”

“Still, I want you to remember that”

You were the one apologizing to him, even after everything was said and done. He can’t even fathom that.

And weak and incapable, huh. You were anything but that. If anything, Veritas was the weak and incapable one. He was weak for not being able to swallow his pride even if he was the one in the wrong—and he was incapable of simply apologizing to you.

And the last message… What is it supposed to mean? 

What do you want him to remember?

When Veritas was sent to Penacony and matters with the head of the Oak family, Sunday, had been dealt with, he was finally allowed to leave. It was the first mission the guild had assigned him since you left, and his efforts to prevent Aventurine from going on an all-out suicide mission helped Veritas take his thoughts away from you, even if it was just for a moment.

And yet, you always find your way back to haunt him. Not even the Land of Dreams could prevent that.

Still, he had done his part, sorted out his deals in Penacony as a representative sent by the guild, and it was time to go.

It’s been a few months since your death, and Veritas thinks that living without you is like living without the sun. It’s funny how he’s only realized how much you’ve changed his life only after you’ve gone. You lit up his life, both metaphorically and physically—and now, everything feels so dull, and he constantly longs for your presence in the darkness. 

But now you’re gone, and he feels so terribly lost, even now as he does paperwork in his office. Life became way more monotonous after you had left. The quiet is suffocating, because Veritas can only think about the times that the quiet office was filled with your voice instead. 

Even now, in the rare moments that Veritas picks up a book nowadays, he thinks about how much you would have enjoyed it as well.

Paperwork is one of the few things that he finds solace in anymore, as it helps him drown out his thoughts so they don’t end up drifting back to you.

…You.

His eyes land on your sword before he can even do anything about it, and he swallows thickly. Your blade is displayed on his wall, another way for Veritas to show his honor for you. 

The blade you singlehandedly used to defeat all those monsters, and the blade you’ll never be able to wield again.

He tears his eyes away from it before his thoughts can spiral again. He can feel his vision start to blur, and he blinks the tears away before they escape. He wonders how many tears he’s shed for you since you’ve been gone.

Veritas tries and fails to focus on his paperwork once more until he’s interrupted by a knock at the door.

He thinks a walk will do him good.

He stands up from his desk and slowly walks over to his office door, wondering who it could be. He rarely gets visitors nowadays, unless it’s something that’s of utmost importance. Everyone else is afraid to talk to him, as Veritas became… colder after your death.

If anyone were to ask why—it’s because when you died, a part of Veritas did too.

He turns the door’s handle, only to see…

You.

You were standing right in front of him, in the same outfit that you were in the day you left for your mission. Except this time, you were alive, and Veritas has no idea what to think.

You’re the first one to break the silence, whispering his name. “Veritas?”

Hearing you say his name feels like he can finally breathe again. “Y/N? Is it really you?”

Before you can even answer his question, he engulfs you in a tight hug, breathing in your scent. Veritas held you like his life depended on it—because at this moment, it felt like it did. He says the words that hve been on his mind for the past few months. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry darling. If only I hadn’t-“

You pull back from the hug, putting your pointer finger against his lips as a signal for him to stop talking. Barely even registering the endearing name that he called you, you smile, cupping his cheeks before sighing tenderly. “I’ve forgiven you a long time ago, Veritas.”

He only hugs you tighter, coming to a revelation that only makes the pain in his heart ever worsen. He saw your lifeless body himself, he paid respects to your body at your funeral… and he laid your favorite flowers on top of your gravesite where your body rested, even though those flowers were supposed to be an apology gift. “You’re… not real.”

“I’m still in Penacony, right? This is all a dream.”

You smile, nodding in conformation. “Nothing truly gets past you, does it? You’re dreaming what you desire the most right now.”

“I promise you that we will meet again, Veritas. it will not be today, but the day will eventually come, and I’ll be waiting for you every step of the way.” You breathe in deeply. “But right now, you need to wake up from this dream, before it's too late.”

He’s not sure if he wants to wake up, though.

“But what if… I just want to stay here with you?”

“We both know it’s not what you really want.” You can see right through him. “If you stay with me in this dream, you’ll be living nothing but a simulated life. I may be here with you, but you’ll never truly fill that hole in your heart, because I am not Y/N. I’m just a creation of your deepest desires, and you know that I’ll never be her. That is not a life worth living.”

“I know she would want you to live your life to the fullest, to truly experience things, to teach your students unforgettable lessons… so they become great people like you.” You pause, looking right into his eyes. They’re filled with pain, sorrow, and the desire to cling on to the past. “And when your time comes eventually, she will be waiting for you. You will apologize once again, because you never got to apologize to her before she died, but she has forgiven you long ago, and it’s all because…”

Despite that, you have to teach him that it’s time to let go. “She wants you to remember that she loves you, Veritas Ratio.”

“Still, I want you to remember that… I love you.”

A tear rolls down his cheek at your words, and then another…. and another. “Even if I don’t know how to apologize?”

You let out a watery laugh, nodding your head. “Even if you don’t know how to apologize.”

“Then… I will do as she asks. It is the least I can do to make up for what I’ve done.” He says, and he takes a deep breath before his next words. “Can I… hug you one last time? Even though you aren’t… actually her.”

“Go ahead, Veritas. But I’m afraid that after this, you have to let go.”

You need to let go.

He nods before wrapping his arms around your figure. It was such a vulnerable act, like a man putting the entirety of his heart and soul out for you to take. He breathes in your scent, wanting to take it in once last time before he has to bid you goodbye. You feel a few of his tears staining your clothing, but you pay it no mind. 

How many tears has he shed for you since you’ve been gone? Not enough. He doesn’t feel that it’ll ever be enough.

When he opens his eyes, you’re slowly fading away from him. There’s a melancholic smile on your face, your eyes meeting his—filled with pain, sorrow, a desire to cling onto the past, and yet… a hint of acceptance.

“Still, I want you to remember that… I love you.”

Yes, he remembers. And he’ll remember your words for the rest of his life, until the moment that he leaves this cosmos on his deathbed. He’s just hoping that you’ll wait long enough for him to say it back.

Before you’re about to fade away completely, you lean in one last time and whisper to him…

“It’s time to wake up, Veritas.”

He wakes up from the dream pool with a gasp. The water splashes around him, and a few stray tears roll down his cheeks. 

The rest of his actual Penacony trip went by surprisingly smoothly, and he doesn’t mention the dream that he had to anyone. It was like a secret shared between you and Veritas–and he was going to treasure that secret forever. 

And now, the Charmony Festival has commenced, and the fireworks have begun. As he watches the sparks explode into thousands of dazzling rays of light above, he pulls out his phone to text you. Almost like one final goodbye, because he knows it’s what you would’ve wanted.

“I love you too, Y/N. I will love you my entire lifetime–past beyond the boundaries of eternity, even after all the stars long die out in the cosmos.

I long for the day that we will meet again… because then, I’ll finally be able to tell you this confession in person. For now, I hope you can continue to find the patience to keep waiting for me. 

…Until the stars align, and we’re able to see each other once again.”

He looks up to the endless bursts of blazing rays lighting up the night, mixed with the eternal shine of the cosmos. It was truly a sight to behold. And for a split second, he could feel someone by his side watching the fireworks with him. It warmed his heart, even if it were just for a moment. 

“Aren’t these fireworks beautiful, Veritas?”

“They will never be as enchanting as you, Y/N.”

[rayshippouuchiha]

So I blame you for the fact that I thought the Apothecary Diaries was finished and so I binged watched all 12 episodes only to find out that it was only the first half, so in revenge... I have another recommendation: The Bibliophile Princess or Mushikaburi-hime. It's cute, it's finished and honestly the main couple embodies a lot of those romance tropes but like, they're actually people??? The main character is a shy and naive girl who likes to read, but she's actually... smart? And she is timid but she's still got, like, a personality?? And the prince is super powerful and manipulative and hides things from the main character, but it's genuinely to protect her??? And be acknowledges that he's kinda an asshole but he does really love her??? And even tho it seems like a generic romance anime, there are some deeper plots going on??? But nothing too heavy that it brings the mood down?? It's great, I love it, and I hope you do, too

[ridley-was-a-cat]

This is the half-way point of the season, so here are my half-formed opinions on some of the stuff I'm watching.

I wasn't really feeling Chainsaw Man in the beginning, but ever since Power showed up, it's been much more enjoyable. She plays well with Denji's character, making him more likable, and is a lot of fun in her own right.

Of the four (4!) shoujosei anime this season, Bibliophile Princess is kinda meh, while I'm the Villainess, Raven of the Inner Palace, and Play It Cool, Guys have all been super good. Let's hope this leads to even more shoujosei adaptations in the future.

I feel like I would enjoy The Eminence in Shadow a lot more if it were not a comedy. It's basically a straight-up power fantasy isekai with your standard harem of big titty girls, but it keeps acting like it's too good for the tropes it's using. Like, stop lying. You are what you are.

I came to it late, but oh my God, is Bocchi the Rock fantastic. So damn stylish.

Usually at this point in the season, I'm behind a few episodes for two or three shows. The surprising thing this season is that the shows I'm behind on aren't the mediocre isekai I usually get bored with. I'm behind on Bleach, My Hero Academia, and One Piece, which are all well-produced shows I enjoy. For whatever reason I just haven't felt like watching.

Idolish7 is giving me an ulcer, but in a good way. Tragically underwatched.

Like Birdie Wing a few seasons ago, I had no plans to pick up Akiba Maid War because it looked like the kind of SOL anime I haven't been in the mood for lately, but whoops it's actually about mobsters and kind of awesome. I'm not sure what the lesson is here.

[storiesbyt]

Not baby Percy strangling a snake and talking about it like it’s nothing. My man this was literally what Herakles did he was one of the strongest demigods give yourself some credit!!!

[jammybearie]

What would your superpower be? ⚜️ I would want the ability to control time so I could live in the good moments just a little bit longer.

[noveltyreads]

Whisper (Whisper #1) by Lynette Noni Book Review

And that my friends is just how I found my favourite novel of 2019 (so far) What a rollercoaster! I just cannot describe this one I was hooked from page 1 and it went places that I was just astounded by! The characters, the deception, the lies, the storyline... everything has been executed so perfectly! With a plot like this one there could've been so many loopholes or loose ends but Lynette Noni, the writer had tied it all in so well! It's inspiring to see given I myself want to be a writer when I'm older or at least have published a book. Now with Whisper I just randomly picked it off the shelf. I was going to meet Lynette Noni the following week so I thought I better buy something for her to sign. So I picked this book up and honestly didn't think highly of it because of the blurb on the back which goes as follows: __________ “Lengard is a secret government facility for extraordinary people,” they told me. I believed them. That was my mistake. There isn’t anyone else in the world like me. I’m different. I’m an anomaly. I’m a monster. For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four — ‘Jane Doe’ — has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word. As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new — and unexpectedly kind — evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world. _______ But I decided to "stuff it" and just read it. There was a small part of me that did indeed want to read it and I'm glad I listened to those instincts because I ended up loving this book SO MUCH! From Ward to Kael to Jane Doe everyone was so perfectly complex and the whole thing about speaking... KWFWKWFF is the only way I can describe my sheer joy and wonderstruck at reading about it. I can't describe much because of spoilery reasons... in fact I realise now why the official blurb was so vague it was because so much of the book if told can be a spoiler. I'll leave this book a mystery as it should be that the reader should unravel him or herself. Just know you wont regret it. You're going to thank me!! ACTUAL RATING: 4.9 STARS

[buckystevelove]

Three Musketeers

Part 9

Pairing: Stucky x reader

Warning: fluff

A/N: sorry for taking so long in this part, life has just gotten in the way. Please reblog, I really love when you write comment, that is what make my day. So please! Comment

——————————————————————————

Steve opened the door of your side and gave you a hand to help you come out. The place was amazing, it has so many green areas, and there were some soldiers and recruits jogging. When they passed near you they saluted both Steve and Bucky.

When you enter the building, you heard the voice of a woman sound through the walls.

“Welcome back Captain Rogers, Sargent Barnes. You must be Ms. YLN.”

You were surprised and confused. Never had you ever heard a voice come through the walls, not a voice that knows exactly who you are.

“Don’t worry honey, that’s Friday. The compounds AI, Tony designed it before… you know. Jesus Its going to be two years soon.” Steve said lowering his head, he had a sad look in his eyes you hadn’t seen in a while.

“I am so sorry sweetheart, he must had been a good man. I know the three of you had some problems in 2016, but he was you friend. I am sorry.” You gave him a side hug and did small patterns in his arm, kissing his shoulder.

“He was a good man, he had his flaws like any other human, but he tried to learn from them.”

The three of you were in the common room of the compound. Sam, Nat, Thor, Vision, Clint, and Bruce were in the dining table. Wanda was on the kitchen finishing the dinner.

You were beginning to get nervous again. You really wanted them to like you, they were the only family you boys had. This was literally like meeting the parents.

You knew that Sam was their best friend, Nat was really close to Steve, she was kind of Bucky’s ex. Well, not Bucky´s, more like the Winter Soldier. Bucky had told you about how the two of them that fallen in love a many years ago while both of them were in Hydra, but when they had officially met as Bucky and Nat, not as the Winter Soldier and Black Widow, things didn´t felt right. They weren´t really in love with each other. Still, they were friends.

You were shy, making yourself smaller the closer you were to them, both Steve and Bucky were holding your hands.

“They guys “Steve greeted them, grabbing all their attention. All the eyes were immediately on you. You could felt yourself getting hotter the longer their stare linger on you.

Nat was the first one to stand up and come closer to you.

“You must be the famous YN this men can´t stop talking about.” She said, you extended your hand to her, but she pulled you to give you a hug. When she was close to you she whispered in your ear. “Thanks for making them so happy, there has been a real change in them since you came into their lives, you are definitely a keeper.” Her word make you smile wide and fell proud, you friends had also told you that in the last months you were happier, that you seem to be glowing all the time. Hearing all this people say that your relationship was making the three of you so content, made you feel good, really good.

“I am glad to be good change in their life, I can assure you that they make me happy as well.” You said to her before pulling apart.

You looked at up at both of them ad they had the biggest smile on their face. Obviously they had heard what she said to you, dam super soldier hearing.

 They introduced you to the rest of the team, you immediately clicked with Sam, you get why you boys liked him so much. You loved Wanda, maybe had a tiny little crush in her, she was so beautiful and strong, who wouldn’t like her really, though you knew that you were going to be best friends.

Wanda cooked an amazing pasta for dinner, after a couple of glasses of wine you were no longer shy and self-conscious. You laugh and joked with them, you were like longtime friends.

After you ate the dessert that you has brought, you moved to the common room.

“You know, we should play UNO.” Sam proposed.

“Yes!” You said, you loved playing this game, and the more people the best it was.

Nat tried to argue, to warn you that all the Avengers were very competitive and normally the game nights in the compound turn very heated, sometimes they would even use their powers, but you were so excited that she let it pass.

Clint looked for the card and gave each of the players 7, and the game began.

Five rounds later things were getting really heated, Wanda was angry at Nat because she had made her draw 8 cards in the last two rounds, you were starting to get annoyed at Bucky because he hadn´t let you play in the last three rounds.

Shit was starting to get real.

When your turn finally came you placed a reverse the order, and gave a malicious smirk to Bucky. “Get ready handsome, I am going to destroy you.”

He gave you a kiss on the cheek and looked at you dead on the eyes. ”We will see babydoll.”

The game continue and Steve had been really merciful to you, that helped you take an advantage against the rest because they were trying to destroy each other. You only had 3 card left, two of them were a choose color plus draw 4 and a skip turn, you were going to finish Bucky.

When you turn came you placed the skip and Bucky gave you a sad puppy face, you innocently kissed his nose and said sorry.

Sam made Steve draw 4 cards, your blond boyfriend was definitely losing, he preferred to draw more cards than giving you a skip or draw 2. He was so adorable. You placed the draw 4 and said UNO. Everyone immediately gasped, they could believe that you were going to win.

“You hurt me dollface, you really broke my heart.” Bucky said pouting his lips, Steve got up and gave Bucky a kiss on his lips.

You finally placed you last card and jumped.

“I win!” You were so happy, you had already drink more than you would normally, feeling yourself a bit tipsy you almost fell from your sudden outburst, thankfully Steve was there to catch you.

“Very good honey.” He gave you a kiss on the cheeks and on your forehead,

The rest of the team congratulated you, you decided to sleep at the compound because it was already too late. You said goodnight and Bucky guided you to his bedroom, Steve walking behind the two of you.

They gave you a new toothbrush and Bucky let you borrow one of his t-shirts, you loved how it felt to your middle tights and smelled like him, like home.

The three of you curled up in the bed, you were in the middle of them both, Steve and Bucky were holding their hand. They gave each other a kiss and then they kissed you.

“I really liked you friends, now I get why you are all so close, I´m glad you have so nice people as your family.” You mumbled half asleep.

“I knew you would like them, I am sure they loved you.” Steve said to you, you were already asleep.

Bucky smiled at you and kissed your head. “I love you doll.”

“She really is the one Stevie.” He said looking at his boyfriend.

“She is.” He kissed you temple.

“Sleep well baby, I love you.” Steve said squeezing Bucky´s hand, he was already asleep.

The three of you fitted together perfectly, you were made to be together. You were the definition of soulmates.

Tags: @tenaciousperfectionunknown @bibliophile-life @classyunknownlover @authentically-rue @commonintrest @alina02

[teaandinanity]

Day Three - Food

Y’all this is so long I do NOT know what happened.

I have broken Lyon’s date into more than one because a) the current mechanics do not actually make temporal sense, and b) they get engaged SUPER-fast as it is as an approved match so they NEED to spend more time together.

Fic under the cut.

It is marvelous to let herself be more, at the Summit; more present, louder, larger. She has spent so much of her life biting her tongue and making herself small for her own safety.

Now, she walks with long, leisurely strides, letting herself take up space and refusing to give way. She speaks in measured cadences, still quiet, but letting herself take up time and ensuring she is understood, refusing to be spoken over.

She feels somewhat smug about this, although she keeps the warm ember of it safely hidden away.

She eats slowly, too.

That requires far more will than the rest; a part of her still fears food will be taken away. 

But manners require her to take dainty bites and set down her fork between them, to sip slowly at her drink, to make pleasant conversation and not fix awed eyes on her improbably full plate. 

Manners dictate a great many things she would rather not do. She does them anyway, because they enable her to do the things she needs to do. She is making good progress with her goals, she thinks - so she can take a break to go and bother a certain library ghost.

–

The Duke is not visible from the door, which is probably by design. He is still not difficult to find.

She settles at his table, even though he has certainly not made her welcome. This is a public space, and she very much doubts the librarians will allow him to take his entire hoard of books back to his room. That will probably deter him from simply fleeing. So they’ll have a chance for conversation, however little interest he may have in it. For her own part, she is very interested in it; he was the most interesting person she spoke to at the welcome feast, so he will have to chase her away if he wants her gone.

She feels a bit like she’s ambushing him, but even just a few days in, everyone knows she doesn’t experience guilt or remorse when going after something she wants; she’s sure he won’t expect mercy on that front.

He looks up and his expression is not nearly resigned enough to make her apologetic. He even lowers the book! That’s practically an invitation. And because she’s curious, and it seems a reasonable opening gambit with another bibliophile, she asks,

“What were you reading, before I so cruelly interrupted?”

If he had not stopped reading, this would indeed be cruel, but he made eye contact and stopped reading before she even said anything, and thus the word is pure levity.

He still looks like he’s not sure why she’s here, but she really was just… seeking him out, to spend time with him. Which is idiotic - she very clearly heard him state an absolute disinclination to marry for politics (or even to have come to the Summit at all), and rumor already says he’s equally uninterested in forming diplomatic ties, or politicking.

He doesn’t strike her as the sort of person who says anything other than exactly what he thinks, so he can’t be a prospective match and he won’t be a useful contact.

And yet, here she is, all the same.

And he does, in fact, answer her question, so she’s being granted the conversation she wanted with substantially less invested effort than expected;

“The Historian Kellem Ives’s philosophical treatise on the ethical impetus upon those with the power to act upon significant events to intervene versus maintain neutrality to allow for unbiased documentation in terms of the impact on perdurable public good.”

She blinks, but that - makes perfect sense, actually. Maybe he’s more inclined to take an active hand than she’d thought, or others expect. He’s considering it, at any rate, or there’d be little point to reading such a treatise.

“Does Historian Ives have anything interesting to say on the subject? I can think of few people for whom such considerations would be more relevant than to delegates at the Summit.”

“It is an interesting discussion, but I’m uncertain as to its pertinancy in this case. It seems to me more of a treatise on regret, having made a decision he tries to justify living with.”

“Ah. And it is too soon in our own sagas for most of the principals to be burdened with an excess of regret. Do you have concerns about your own role here?”

She wonders if he’d admit it, if he did. If he’d tell her, when history tells her she has to overcome hurdles to persuade others to give her anything at all. So she adds, to soften that, to offer an alternate path for the conversation,

“Else it seems unlikely that you should coincidentally be reading something so potentially applicable to our present situation.”

“It isn’t coincidental at all. Unedited first edition copies of Historian Ives’s work are almost impossible to find, even at the Jiyel Royal Archives.”

He hasn’t quite answered her question, but that’s a kind of answer in and of itself. He’s hungry for knowledge the same way she is for safety and softness. For the rest - she laughs.

“I see; you are more interested in taking advantage of the Isle library than your position as a potential agent of change.”

“I… I confess, I haven’t become of one mind on the matter. And you, Lady Valeriya?”

She’s been told that when she smiles like this, she looks like a cobra spreading its hood, like a grinning jackal ready to crack bones in her jaws. Duke Lyon does not seem alarmed or intimidated in the least, and she likes him all the better for it.

“I am usually a creature of many minds, thank you for asking.”

Not alarmed at all; he looks impatient. It’s delightful. No one with sense has been impatient with her in ages.

“No,” he says, refusing to be diverted, “what are your thoughts on this matter?”

It’s inexpressibly strange that she finds it reassuring to be put on the spot and not allowed to escape, just because she’s so certain that he will not use her truths against her. She’s rarely ever been so certain of anyone so soon after becoming acquainted, but she feels very sure of him. The rabbit-flighty fear in the back of her mind is flopped belly-down and sprawling, utterly exposed and entirely unworried.

She hums, considering, letting her expression melt back to contemplative neutrality. It’s a good question, really; self-interest is all well and good, of course, but that’s not why any of them are here - not really. Even those who consider themselves entirely self-interested are here in the broadest historical sense because Princess Katyia brought seven nations to the table in pursuit of peace.

This is a novel situation, though; no one’s asked her to debate ethics in…

Ever? Possibly ever.

She wanted to take this opportunity and grow beyond herself, and here is a sterling opportunity. Something entirely, delightfully fresh and new.

“Well,” she says slowly, “I think the idea of maintaining historical neutrality makes a poor substitute for creating history you can be proud to own, instead.” She warms to the subject and her hands get involved. “Accurate accounts are all well and good, that future generations might learn from them, but they do nothing to address the ills of those suffering in the present. Present harm must take precedence over a hypothetical future in which an unbiased account of said harm could potentially be of use. That is only deferred action, and such a deferral allows things to worsen in the meantime.”

If she had done nothing, only accepted her lot and noted it down in a diary, she would be a shade of herself. She might be dead in truth, but even if her body lived, her spirit would have been broken by the life others meant her to lead. And no one would ever read that diary, because she would never have mattered enough to be worth taking note of.

She meets his eyes when she stops, realizing she’s looked away, that she’s breaking a great many conversational rules; talking too quickly, by the end, looking away from her conversational partner. He meets her eyes evenly and says,

“You speak so passionately on the subject, I can almost forget your argument is essentially flawed.”

She thinks she might have been less shocked if he’d slapped her, and she finds herself grinning again, too many teeth and leaning forward as her pulse ticks up. Why does anyone say Jiyelians are cold and boring to talk to? This is better than piquet.

“How so?”

“We do not have the power to predict or control the ripples and after-effects of our decisions. How can we in good conscience play with hypothetical fire, knowing full well that not only can we be burned by it, but so too can anyone who is around us, or even many innocents we will never see or meet?”

She relaxes back into her seat again, more thoughtful. He IS worried about his role here - and it’s reasonable for him to be so; there is a great deal of weight given to the word of a Duke. She has to fight to take up space; he has very probably had to fight not to be given more than any creature could want. If he does exert the power he has, it will be considerable, and he’s plainly unused to the application of it. But the sort of people who ought to worry about how their actions will affect others are always those least likely to do so; the ones who cause the most collateral damage so often simply don’t care who they hurt.

He cares enormously. And with so much power, perhaps it is true that a poorly-chosen action could cause greater harm than allowing a current wrong to go unchecked. Perhaps.

But then again - perhaps not.

She stares too long, studying him. He doesn’t look at all discomposed by her scrutiny.

If he’s inclined to act, she thinks Duke Lyon will do it for the right reasons - and do it with the care and good sense to minimize consequences, however uncomfortable he is with politics.

“To be human is to err,” she muses, “but I truly believe that it is only in doing nothing that we could truly fail. When our fear wins, we leave the field clear for those who do not care what damage they wreak. To be wise enough to recognize the weight of the responsibility, compassionate enough to care what results, and brave enough to try, regardless - that is what we should all aspire to. We owe our best to the people who are depending on us, but no one can reasonably demand that we be more - or less - than human in the attempt.”

There’s a turn of something almost distressed around his mouth, at that.

“How can you speak of failure so lightly?”

Oh, she doesn’t. Failure is terrifying, and she has spent her life walking on the narrowest rail above it and praying her balance holds. She is here for the sake of her own ambition, true, but -

Not only that. No one will ever believe her, but she is here for more than that. She wants so much, and much of it is selfish. But it is, she thinks, possible to be greedy without wanting to hurt anyone. Covetous without being cruel.

She does not want to take the things she needs away from others who need them more. She does not want to eat the world, only to find enough comfort and kindness in it to see herself happy and safe. Failing in that means misery. Failing in her other goals may mean war.

And yet:

“The worst failure of all is the failure to try. History looks kindly on those who have tried to do the right thing for the greater good. They do not always succeed, and sometimes their success comes at great cost, but even in their failures they give us something to aspire to. We all wish to believe that no matter how dark things may get, however viciously selfish those around us may be, some people will always be brave and good and just.”

It may be a lie, but it is a beautiful one; she retreated into stories and history to hide, first from her mother and then from her marriage, for a reason.

She concludes,

“So even the failures inspire and teach the future, like your historian’s accounts - but they don’t need some mythical ideal of neutrality to do it.”

She’s not sure he’s persuaded. He doesn’t look sure either, though, which is more consideration than she expected to win. He hasn’t dismissed her argument entirely out of hand, at least.

Things draw to a close not too long after, but this certainly hasn’t put her off seeking him out again. She feels invigorated and relaxed the same way one does after a brisk walk or a long ride; she’ll sleep well tonight, mind sated and full.

–

Her next trip to the library sees Duke Lyon in the same spot. If she hadn’t seen him at lunch, she’d think he hadn’t moved at all. Regardless, he has, quite plainly, been here for a while. He is thoroughly entrenched, well-defended from attempts at socialization between the book battlements and his own intimidating aloofness.

Or, well, she has heard people gossiping about his intimidating aloofness; that seems to be the prevailing perception of his quiet. He has not seemed aloof to her, only shy and perhaps a little bored - and both vanish quickly in the face of any expended effort, because she’s found him unfailingly delightful to interact with. 

He certainly doesn’t look bored now, devouring the library as if he fears the knowledge they contain will be withheld unless he swallows it all down in one great gulp.

That does make her wonder. She approaches without an invitation she will certainly not get, absorbed as he is, and then compounds her rudeness by opening with a question rather than a greeting:

“If I ask you something, will you promise to answer honestly?”

He glances up at her but does not put the book down. It is refreshing to talk to someone who isn’t snubbing her out of spite when he makes it clear she is not the most interesting thing in the room.

"I prefer to be honest in general. Yes, I promise to be honest, but I don't promise to answer."

He is so precise in his language, and it sends a little frisson of delight up her spine; he says just what he means, and means it whole-heartedly, and so everything he says is true. She wants to settle in more comfortably, but this is important;

"Seeing this pile has given me a sinking suspicion. When was the last time you ate anything?"

He doesn’t respond. His expression suggests that he is having to give actual thought to the question. This is not him withholding an answer, it is him refusing to offer a vague approximation of the truth or a white lie.

Right. She nods decisively and turns for the door, saying,

“I'll be right back."

She steps out of the library again and catches the eye of a passing servant. There won’t be a proper meal ready, not this long after dinner, but that shouldn’t be a problem. 

“I imagine there’s some kind of soup or porridge going in the kitchen - could you bring a bowl for Duke Lyon? I would not normally ask for such a thing to be brought around so many books, but he isn’t sure when last he ate, and I’m sure none of us want him to pass out. If that isn’t practicable, perhaps some nuts or dried fruit and a bit of bread and cheese?”

That should be a sufficient list to make something perfectly edible appear in short order - none of it requires preparation, and all of it should be immediately to hand in any large kitchen that isn’t egregiously mismanaged (which Vail Isle’s certainly is not).

She strides back into the library with the satisfaction of a task efficiently dispensed with.

Lyon is exactly as he was when she first entered; ensconced amidst the books, reading at an improbable clip and only very occasionally slowing down - probably when he encounters something new. She watches for another moment, but he does not look up. Her mouth wants to curve into a fond little smile, and since there’s no one here to see but him, and he is too distracted to notice, she allows it out onto her face.

She modulates her expression to something more socially appropriate before she steps right up to the table, making herself a little more obtrusive. His head comes up and he blinks at her, clear perplexity on his face. 

(It’s adorable.)

“...you are back.”

Yes, obviously. She lets her own confusion wrinkle her brow.

“I said I would be.”

She’s sure she did - ‘I’ll be right back,’ and then she stepped out into the hall. She didn’t even go very far.

He’s studying her, as if she’s said more than that. As if there’s some deeper meaning to be gleaned from such a superficial exchange. He said what he meant, she said what she meant, she left temporarily, she came back. Why would it be more than that?

Well. It could have been. Certainly, some people excuse themselves ‘temporarily’ when they really mean to escape a conversation; she did it herself the first night, aiming Princess Ana’s somewhat overwhelming enthusiasm at Princess Gisette simply because that lady happened to be looking their direction when Valeriya cast about for a reason to cut the exchange short. But she didn’t lie to him, and she thinks he would have known if she did.

She’s still frowning at him in confusion when he finally says,

“...iit wouldn't be the first time."

She manages to keep from laughing, but she knows her eyes must be curved in mirth. Ah, expectations! Well, she’s been determined to prove herself more than she’s been allowed to be; it will be a far more pleasant pursuit in this case. She lets the smile out a little more and teases,

“Ah, do your literary fortifications tend to deter people from laying social siege? Do you chase the young ladies away with intellectual debate?”

 "...not usually on purpose."

She wants, desperately, to keep teasing him. It would be deeply improper - would, in fact, be outright rude - but she wants to. It’s almost a compulsion. Thankfully, that’s when the food arrives, so she doesn’t have to consider the matter further.

The servant she originally flagged down has brought assistants, and the trio are laden down with silver platters filled with food and a pitcher of iced-fruit drink. It’s far more than she asked for, a considerable spread, and it certainly cannot be permitted on top of the manuscript mountain Lyon has accumulated around himself.

So she gestures to one of the empty tables near the great windows, instead, farther from the shelves. It still feels almost sacrilegious to have so much food near books, a feeling she’s sure the Duke must share. The spread turns out to be comprised largely of what she’d asked for, just in greater quantities than expected, with the addition of some cold meat and leftover pastries.

“Thank you,” she tells the servants with a smile, and they file out after politely bowing or bobbing a curtsey. She supposes she’ll have to find another member of staff when they finish eating, to take the dishes away; they certainly can’t just leave them here to attract pests.

She turns back to Lyon and finds him examining the now-well-laden table and her with equal surprise.

Ah. No, she didn’t explain what she was leaving for, did she? She’d thought it was obvious, but perhaps not.

“Come,” she says, ignoring that and plucking at his sleeve, “I’m sure you’ll remember how hungry you are once you’ve had a few bites.”

A mind can be very good at ignoring the body, when it needs to be. Sometimes even when it doesn’t need to be. And she gets the decided impression that Duke Lyon lives primarily in his head.

He does, in fact, devour three entire plates before he even looks up; she, meanwhile, has pulled a bowl of almonds close to hand, and pinched a few of the dried apple slices (how is she meant to ignore so great a temptation? She’s already resisted teasing, she cannot reasonably be expected to resist sweets as well).

She sees him glance over and stills her hands. Ladies are not supposed to snack outside of meals; she always has, usually surreptitiously and quickly. Anything she got needed to be eaten quickly to make sure Maryusa didn’t take it or tell their mother, who insisted her firstborn should miss more meals, that she was too fat.

(In hindsight, she realizes that she was a healthy child, round in the way of most children; they carry a little padding because their bodies are growing, because they will need to store energy for the process.)

She smiles, tries to keep it light but not entirely vapid, and excuses herself with the truth; 

“I’m afraid my noisy seatmates rather spoiled my appetite at dinner this evening."

Lyon takes another bite, contemplating, and then asks,

"What happened at dinner?"

She playacts at shock that he’s initiating conversation, gasping theatrically, but when he seems genuine in his desire to know, she launches into the tale of how she (a much-put-upon heroine!) had to prevent her seatmates from murdering each other.

Whoever is responsible for seating clearly has it in for her; the only one of her quartet of seatmates who wasn’t actively escalating was the young man from Skalt, who only got riled because everyone persists in calling the whole delegation barbarians to their faces. Nearly everything that was said by the other three was rude, counterfactual, or both.

Eviscerating their opinions (almost entirely wrong) for an attentive and apparently amused audience is the most fun she’s had all day.

–

She thinks nothing of it when, the next time she joins him in the library, there is a little bowl of almonds on the table. They are appropriate snacks for a library (dry, tidy), and certainly by now the servants know that to get the Duke to eat you must put food near him, because he will not voluntarily interrupt his seclusion within his book fortress.

She takes a handful automatically, quieting the anxiety that hovers in the back of her mind, delighted to have both the reassurance and such excellent company.

–

When she joins him in the library at midmorning, a few days later, there is a little bowl of shelled hazelnuts waiting where she usually sits, and this time she considers its presence more carefully. It is not at Lyon’s shoulder, where he can absently reach for it. It is not the almonds that were here last time.

It’s hazelnuts - her favorite. They’d had them at a group breakfast the day previous and she’d had to forcibly restrain herself from taking the rest of the bowl with her when she left the dining room.

She blinks up and finds him watching her, rather than looking down at his book. Studying, still. Looking for a reaction.

So she lets herself beam at him, and pops one into her mouth, savoring it.

[jenanigans1207]

Hi!! This is about your recent post about bsd. So glad you liked it and are looking for more content!!

Beast is the alternate universe of bsd. It was released as a light novel and has since been adapted into a four volume manga and live action movie (though sadly the movie was just recently released, and I don’t believe there are any english translations for it so far).

I’m not sure on the exact number, but there are also 9+ other light novels for the series. 2 of them have already been adapted in the anime (Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era arc from season 2, and Dazai and Chuuya; Age Fifteen, from season 3). And Dead Apple was another adapted light novel!! (I believe all of the translated light novels and manga are on Amazon, though there are 1 or 2 that don't have official translations yet)

BSD Wan! Is another bsd anime that has a bunch of little short comedy sketches of the characters interacting and being super cute. There’s ten episodes of that anime I believe, and over 100 chapters in the Wan! manga.

Season 3 of the anime leaves off at chapter 53 of the manga. And the manga currently has 101 chapters (102 is actually coming out in a day or so- which is exciting). The next arc that starts with chapter 54 is my personal favourite arc so far, so if you are interested in reading manga, I’d definitely recommend it. There’s even a blog here on Tumblr (bsd-bibliophile) that has a catalog of free english fan translations for all manga chapters, light novels, wan!, Gaiden (which is another spin off story), the Dead Apple manga, and the Beast manga (bsd honestly has so much content it’s insane lmao).

Also, if you are interested in mobile phone games, there is a bsd game called Bungo Stray Dogs: TotL (tales of the lost). It’s one of those games where you complete levels and collect bsd characters to use as members of your team. The developers are extremely active and there are always special events going on where you can get characters in different outfits with different power ups to help you beat the levels! It’s super fun, I’ve been playing for over a year and it still keeps my interest.

I hope this helps!! And season 4 has also been announced recently!! It most likely will not be released for another year, but at least we know it's in the works, which is nice!

I want you to know that I love you.

Seriously, thank you for this!!! This is so helpful and informative! It really makes me feel like I will be able to consume all the content for this series and gives me a super good guide of how to do so! So really, I love you. I cannot express that enough!!!

Also thank you for telling me about the mobile game because I have been playing it and it’s super, super fun! I really like going through the story again but at a slower pace so I can really appreciate all the dialogue and nuances of the scenes! It’s been really awesome!

You’re the best ❤️

[thereaderbee]

Q: Who is your favorite superhero?? And what super power would you love to have?? . . . Happy Wednesday, Bookworms! Do you have a favorite superhero? Or would you love to have a super power?? If speed-reading counted as a super power, I would love to have that, please. 🤣 But running fast would be awesome too … it would make my morning runs so much easier! 😂 And Captain Marvel and Captain America are my favorite super heroes! What about you guys?? . . . And this was the first series I thought of for super powers … I haven’t finished the series yet … but I definitely need to do so soon. 😄 . . . ☀️ Super Power. #AlltheBooksJuly21 📖 Hardback. #MyFictionalMusings . . . #marissameyer #bookstack #tbrcart #bookshelves #shelfie #yabooks #toberead #summerreading #currentlyreading #bibliophile #bookstagram #booksaremagic #totalbooknerd #bookcommunity #allthebooks #bookseries #ireadya #igreads #igbooks #booksofig #booksofinstagram #booklove #bookish #readersofinstagram #bookobsessed #bookdragon #avidreader #bookphoto . . . ☀️ . 📖 . ☀️ . 📖 . ☀️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CR3h7HhpMbu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 3/10/21

SEAN: Has anyone else run out of time to read things? You’d think I’d be reading MORE in a pandemic, but…

MICHELLE: I have run out of brain to read things.

ANNA: My non-work reading and writing have suffered.

ASH: It’s strange but true.

MELINDA: What is time?

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells. Also in print is the second ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!, and digital-first gives us the 2nd Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs.

Dark Horse has a 7th Deluxe Hardcover edition of Berserk.

ASH: It’s probably no surprise that I’ll be picking that up.

SEAN: Drawn & Quarterly has a biggie: the late Shigeru Mizuki’s adaptation of Tono Monogatari, a famous collection of folklore. It ran in Shogakukan’s Big Comic.

ASH: My recent brief doesn’t truly do it justice, but I love this book.

MELINDA: Ash is persuasive!

SEAN: No debuts for J-Novel Club, but a lot of new volumes of beloved series. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm 11, Bibliophile Princess 5, the 2nd manga volume of The Engagement of Marielle Clarac, Girls Kingdom 2, Infinite Dendrogram 14, the 5th manga volume of The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar, and Slayers 6.

ASH: Yay, Bookworm!

SEAN: Kaiten Books has a debut with Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant, a manga version of the light novel we’ve seen released here by Tentai Books. A strong adventurer, banished by his party, starts a restaurant, and has to deal with his customers’ varied issues.

ASH: There seems to be a surprising number of these types of restaurants.

SEAN: Kodansha has some print. There’s Grand Blue Dreaming 12, Rent-a-Girlfriend 5, Saint Young Men 5 (in hardcover omnibus), and the 14th and final Waiting for Spring.

MICHELLE: I’ve been waiting for Waiting for Spring‘s finale for ages!

ANNA: I have the first volume and I still haven’t read it!

ASH: I’ve liked what I’ve read of Waiting for Spring so far, but Saint Young Men has most of my attention from this batch.

MELINDA: Same here!

SEAN: For digital, the debut is Shaman King: Marcos, which runs in Shonen Magazine Edge, and is MORE SHAMAN KING.

Also digital: A Couple of Cuckoos 3, Ace of the Diamond 31, Peach Boy Riverside 5, Saint Young Men 10, Seven Shakespeares 15, and We Must Never Fall in Love 7.

MICHELLE: A baseball binge is in store for me!

SEAN: Seven Seas has two debuts. The first had an anime recently, and it’s called Super HxEros (Dokyuu Hentai HxEros). Despite the Japanese title, this isn’t quite porn, but it does run on fanservice. Aliens are sapping the world’s lust, and only superheroes who can use their own lust to power up can stop them. This runs in Jump Square, home of Blue Exorcist, believe it or not, and is 11+ volumes in Japan.

The other debut is Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan (Fushigi Neko no Kyuu-chan), a 4-koma about an office worker who finds an abandoned cat that proves to be… a wonder cat! This looks very cute.

ANNA: That does sound cute.

ASH: It does.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor 11, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 6 (manga), Arpeggio of Blue Steel 17, Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 4, The Ideal Sponger Life 8 (manga), The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent 2 (manga), and We Swore to Meet in the Next Life and That’s When Things Got Weird! 2.

SuBLime gives us Caste Heaven 5 and the 2nd and final volume of Toritan – Birds of a Feather.

MICHELLE: I need to check out Toritan. Caste Heaven was not for me.

ASH: I haven’t tried Caste Heaven yet, but I really liked the first volume of Toritan. I didn’t realize it was only two volumes long.

SEAN: Tokyopop has Katakoi Lamp, a BL title from Rutile. A young man working at a coffee shop falls for a customer, but can he work up the courage to confess?

They also have the 2nd volume of Ossan Idol!.

Vertical has a 9th volume of Flying Witch and a 3rd With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun.

Viz has Tokyo Fashion: A Comic Book, an illustrated guide to building your wardrobe and looking good.

ASH: Oh, that could be interesting!

SEAN: We also have Fly Me to the Moon 4, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 8, RIN-NE 38, and Splatoon: Squid Kids Comedy Show 3.

Yen On has a debut, with The Executioner and Her Way of Life (Shokei Shoujo no Ikirumichi), about a woman whose job it is to STOP isekai protagonists – they keep bringing chaos whenever they arrive! Unfortunately, the girl she meets may be more than she can handle. Nice seeing more yuri light novels.

ASH: That is kind of a delightful and cathartic twist to the isekai deluge. And it’s yuri, too? I may have to check it out!

SEAN: Yen On also has Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 5.

Three debuts from Yen Press. I Cannot Reach You (Kimi ni wa Todokanai) is a BL series from Media Factory’s Gene Pixiv, and is a childhood friend romance sort of story. It looks sweet.

MICHELLE: I’m really looking forward to this one!

ASH: Me, too!

MELINDA: Okay, yes, THIS.

SEAN: SEAN: Play It Cool, Guys (Cool Doji Danshi) runs in Square Enix’s Gangan Pixiv, and features a bunch of cool guys who are secretly… awkward dorks! This seems more on the funny side.

ASH: Could be fun!

SEAN: Penguin Gentlemen (Penguin Shinshi) is a done-in-one hardcover about a group of penguins who run a bar. Sometimes they’re drawn as penguins… and sometimes they’re drawn as buff hot guys. This ran in Kadokawa’s Pixiv Essay.

ANNA: This sounds hilarious.

ASH: It really does, in the best sort of way.

MELINDA: This sounds amazing.

SEAN: Lastly, Yen has Happy Sugar Life 8, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years 5 (manga), Kakegurui Twin 9, and Restaurant to Another World 4.

What series are you falling more and more behind on?

MICHELLE: ALL OF THEM.

ANNA: SO MANY SERIES!

MELINDA: I REPEAT, WHAT IS TIME?

By: Sean Gaffney

[libraryinthecountry]

★ Have you read any #Shadowhunter books?      I’ve read all of the Shadowhunter books and short stories, with exception of The Lost Book of the White, which I hope to listen to next month.      Shadowhunters is absolutely one of my favorite bookish worlds, with some of my favorite characters. I’m really excited for Chain of Iron and (eventually!) The Wicked Powers.     This is a another super late post from me today, only because I’ve (again) been so focused on schoolwork today – but I did hit 27k followers today and wanted to say thank you to everyone. This week is also my three year bookstaversary and I’m still a little shocked that I’m still here. 😂      ★ HASHTAGS //   #bookworm #booknerd #prettybooks #bookstagram #vscobooks #bibliophile #cozybooks #booklover #bookstagrammer #fantasybooks #bookmail #bookaholic #ofquietmoments #simplelife #simplethingsmadebeautiful #instareads #myfavoritethings #bookphotography #fantasybooks #shelfie #cassandraclare #theinfernaldevices #bookshelves #shadowhunters #themortalinstruments #bookstack https://www.instagram.com/p/CGjVuaQgW1X/?igshid=1ltdv8zuf8n9

[pawswithprose]

Happy #Caturday from Pasha in the plant jungle! I actually convinced him to pose for me. Now I feel like I have super powers and can do anything. Pasha is posing with two of the new books I got this week. The I-5 Killer is a @spookishmommy made me do it because I saw her talking about how great the book was and I always listen to her recommendations. None Shall Sleep is a book I’ve seen so many times in my feed and it sounds exactly like my kind of book. I mean it’s like a teen Criminal Minds so yes please, that goes right to the top of Mt TBR. Today I’m going to get some more plants, I’m sure I can fit a few more in here. Desks aren’t for actually using, they are for plant display and book modelling with Pasha. What are your Saturday plans? #books #bibliophile #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #bookish #booklove #bookishlyengaged #bookishlove #bookishlife #bookstagrammer #booknerd #booksharks #booknerdigans #booknerds #bookworm #cats #blackcats #catsofinstagram #blackcatsofinstagram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catscatscats #plants #plantstagram #plantsmakepeoplehappy #truecrime #booksbooksbooks #pawswithprose https://www.instagram.com/p/CM6xs8Hrfxq/?igshid=14580woz4qedu

[thereaderandthechef]

Would you rather have a stone that let’s you travel anywhere OR one that answers any question imaginable?! 📚👀🙌 . It would be nice to have a small stone that would let us travel anywhere we want. 😂Imagine such a portable yet powerful mode of transportation?! ✨👌 Would also save a lot! 👀🙌 . But in The Name of All Things (sequel to The Ruin of Kings) there is this one stone that allows you to ask any question and it would be SO USEFUL. Could ask for the location of a secret treasure or a cure. But you have to be super specific or else you might find yourself writing down the answer for a looooong time. 🙊👀📚 Would still love it! 😌👌 . . . #bibliophiles #bookflatlay #bookstagrammers #fortheloveofreading #booktography #postitfortheaesthetic #biblio #lovereading #bookalicious #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookworld https://www.instagram.com/p/CEZ7bbQBwrn/?igshid=1j9s3wb2o5pyn

[starlightbooktales]

☾ 𝙦𝙤𝙩𝙙 | what series did a bookstagrammer recommend to you that you ended up loving? ☾ Hello there, friends! I have been given so many wonderful recs over the years, but hands down Mistborn wins. Mistborn was my second book from Sanderson (Skyward was first) but Mistborn WRECKED me in the best way possible. ☾ Some other wonderful recs I recieved are, Red Rising, City of Brass, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Diviners, Scythe, and Illuminae. ♡ ☾ ☾ ------- ☾ Challenges:. ♡ #tumblesoverbooks | read because of a friend ♡ #allthebooksjune20 | super powers ♡ #intothemists2020 | badass women ------- ✧ ✧ ☾ Hashtags:. #bookishfeatures #booklover #bookphotography #readersofinstagram #bibliophile #vscoreads #bookstagram #bibliofeature #igreads #bookaesthetic #bookstagrammer #readersofig #bookcommunity #booknerdigans #bookaddict #amreading #bookstack #stack #brandonsanderson #cassandraclare #mistborn #shadowhunters #themortalinstruments #mortalinstruments — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/305rvyV