#this is from the new bender's guide to life book

[evershadevalley]

You heard the robot.

[rpgsandbox]

Ryoko’s Guide is a 350+ page book bursting with incredible kaiju, inspirational player options, and game-enhancing mechanics that revolutionise Gargantuan scale combat in D&D 5e. Stories and folktales of yokai paint a vibrant, dangerous world, giving GM’s the power to breathe life into any setting. Inspired by ancient mythology through to contemporary popular culture, enhance your game and expand the 5e system with Ryoko's Guide!

Kaiju Battles

Conjure stratospheric levels of excitement and panic as players scale, leap, and desperately battle rampaging kaiju. Totally transform combat with a rules expansion to 5e, as adventurers exploit unique vulnerabilities, adapt to chaotic, changing behaviours, and utilise ingenious ninja prosthetics to overcome unbelievable odds.

New Class: Element Bender

Harness elemental forces! Wield pillars of flame, redirect torrents of icy water, and surf on a storm of rising winds. 

The bender class allows you to mix and match elements as you progress in levels. You can specialise in one element or dip into them all to become a master of earth, water, fire, and air!

New Spells! Master over 40 new spells! Enhance your abilities with the full versatility and power of raw, primordial magic.

Immersive Subclasses

Become a master of shadows, stealth, and silent warfare as a shinobi wizard, a living weapon as bones burst from your flesh as the skeletal blade fighter, and Wild Shape into mysterious, spellcasting creatures as the circle of yokai druid. Or embrace any of the other 12+ subclass options for established 5e classes…

Vibrant, Playable Races

Invoke your yokai ancestry, combining blade with spell as a hanataka-tengu. Skip across lakes and oceans as a blossoming fuyo-ren,  or channel the colossal strength and frigid resilience of mountains as a hulking, ape enkoh. Become one with the yokai realms as any one of 10+ races (14 subraces total!).

These lore-rich race options allow the creation of NPCs and player characters that seamlessly blend into any setting.

Dynamic Combo Attacks

How does the world’s biggest collaborative TTRPG not have combo attack mechanics?

Act simultaneously with the rest of your party to unleash devastating combo strikes! Hurl allies through the air, enhance their weapons with bursts of magic, bolster an ally with a defensive charge, and shift the tide of battle as your sword falls in a dazzling strike of flame and steel.

A Full Bestiary of Mighty Yokai

Surprise your players with unfamiliar creatures, where every stat block tells a story, and danger lurks behind every corner... 

Populate your landscape with the magic of tricksy and dangerous yokai, with incredible twists and original mechanics in every stat block. With more than 50 creatures, this book is a bestiary unto itself!

A Menagerie of Cute Familiars

What’s better than defeating a kaiju? Biomancing its blood into an adorable yokai companion that follows you around! Even better, each of the 10 new bespoke familiars comes with a unique tech tree compatible with the Tamer class (first introduced in Heliana’s Guide). Choose your upgrades and craft your ultimate companion to become the very best that no-one ever was.

A Hoard of Magic Items & Prostheses

Unlock your imagination with over 80 new pieces of incredible adventuring equipment, magic items, and Sekiro-inspired prostheses.  Swing, grapple, and launch yourself through the air with a plethora of exciting new gear to expand your combat proficiency.

Harvest and craft using a versatile and deep crafting system first introduced in Heliana's Guide. Transform the remains of defeated kaiju into a vibrant arsenal of magic items, or craft their soul into a living companion. 

Free Playtest Materials!

Dive into the yokai realms early! Explore pre-released player materials or take on a kaiju in the epic adventure: The Ascendant Cascade.

Playtest the Tengu and Atatsu races here!

Playtest the Dodomeki and the Onryo here!

Playtest the Ronin Ranger and the Spirit Caller Sorcerer here!

Playtest The Ascendant Cascade Kaiju adventure here!

Kickstarter campaign ends: Thu, October 12 2023 3:59 PM BST

Website: https://linktr.ee/dnd_shorts

[stedes-tarty-pink-robe]

WWDITS SEASON 5 FINALE PREDICTIONS

Someone asked for bonkers predictions for tonight's episodes, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I doubt the curse of Apollo will strike me, but who knows?

- The Morrigan House is a ploy by Simon the Devious. The vamps obliviously blunder through traps meant to kill them, foiling their host's plan.

- The Guide has been intentionally sabotaging the vampires all season because the housemates destroyed her former way of life and the building she was in charge of. She could have forgiven them if they gave her a new purpose as their friend, but since they're ignoring her, she will become their nightmare instead. She previously hexed Nadja, tried to get Guillermo killed and threw shade at Laszlo's book organization to cause him to hyperfixate.

- Guillermo's been kidnapped but Nandor is too stupid to realize it and thinks he returned to Panera Bread. While he's gone, Nandor can't stop seeing Guillermo everwhere. That rat looks like Guillermo. That bird-frog looks like Guillermo...

- The vamps will comb every Panera Bread, and fortunately for them, Guillermo's kidnapper is dumb enough to keep him at a Panera Bread in Little Antipaxos. Nadja finds out from her diner friends.

- When Nandor finally finds out, everyone tries to take the blame for turning Guillermo. Like Spartacus style. Laszlo, Nadja and even Colin because he didn't want to feel left out. They then try to convince Nandor it was a communal turning of a communal familiar so no one needs to kill anyone else today, but Nandor doesn't believe them. Not because what they say is physically impossible on multiple levels, but because ...

- Guillermo cannot fully change because Nandor made a wish that Guillermo would never be a vampire yet will remain with Nandor. This leads to yet another emotionally cathartic fight between the two. Each accuses the other of using them. The fight only defuses when they see clips from the documentary of the other being mushy about them when they're not around.

- Nandor uses his last wish to make Guillermo a full vampire thus Nandor technically turned Guillermo and doesn't have to kill him. This can't be a completely happy ending so it's Nandor's turn to run away from things he'd rather not deal with, leaving Guillermo behind.

- Guillermo is confident he can track Nandor down. He's still a vampire hunter, after all, and Nandor isn't the brightest prey.

- Laszlo creates a couple of Guide-raven hybrids, so the Guide will always have company. Laszlo is happy his science has worked for once. He ignores the TV reports about the increasing number of Guillermo hybrid sightings around New York.

- Nadja is happy that no hex means she's free to be mean again. She and Dollie go on an insult bender.

- Derek used the money Guillermo paid him to bribe other vampires into talking him up, so now he's considered a cool and legendary vampire. Bonus points if a jealous Nandor is there to call him a fucking guy.

[the-six-fingered-villain]

In what I'm sure is in no way a nod to my current mental state, I've been reading a lot lately! Have been meaning to post write ups for a while... Sometimes I think about getting on Good Reads or StoryGraph, but the truth is I can barely manage posting here... I think taking photos is the best/only tracking for me. Thankfully the filenames are also timestamps...

2023-070- 29 : The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw - oh so very very flowery language-y. Felt like artwork I'd like on Tumblr came to life and acted out a tableau. How many different ways can you describe something as black? I mock it, but I did actually like it. Incredibly quick read, wonderfully gorey, felt different than my usual. Wouldn't want a lot of it, but it's a good dose. Got the title from some random top 10 New Horror blog post.

2023-07-29 : Open Throat by Henry Hoke - Friend mentioned reading a book told from the perspective of a mountain lion and I was, like, "SOLD! SAY NO MORE!" and immediately checked it out from the library. Was not disappointed. Wish I'd bought it? Interesting typesetting, I like the way the language feels very natural/spoken. Good cadence to it. Didn't love it quite as much as I'd hoped to, but still really liked it. Would recommend. Quick read. I didn't cry while reading it, but when I read the Wikipedia article for P-22, I maybe got a bit teary eyed. Features a bonkers interaction/episode that made me think of a Tumblr post/bit explored far more deeply and from the POV of not the Tumblrina.

2023-06-05 : Woman Eating by Claire Kohda - 👏 I 👏 like 👏 this 👏 book! 👏 More specifically, I recall vividly enjoying it while I was reading it. It hasn't lingered on the mind quite as much as I was expecting, but it was a damn good time. I'm absolutely not her, but also felt a strange occasional resonance that I enjoyed. I don't know if I'd broadly recommend it though. It's not action-y. The Patterson of vampire stories?

(I did not enjoy Reluctant Immortals, bailed early and skimmed it lightly. Weaving Explorer was cute and while I absolutely do intend to get into weaving at some point, I realized now is not the time...)

2023-06-03 : The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - as part of horror bender I've been on, have read a couple others by him already. This sounds to be his most popular and 5th one of his I've read (I'll probably get around to My Best Friend's Exorcism at some point) and I feel only so-so about it. Primarily it makes me want a variant of the story from James's POV. There's bits about this that linger, but my distain for Patricia kept me from fully enjoying it... has that tangy sorta' flawed flavor that can induce fandom gnawing though. I imagine when/if the Amazon show rolls out, my interest will be piqued.

I find I enjoy contemplating/comparing both Woman Eating and The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires with each other. The notion of a leech and feeding and social ties and responsibilities. And art and personality and interests.

[lmelodie]

Chance and Choice BTS

Behind the scenes stuff! I have A LOT of notes about the making of Chance and Choice from unreleased Beta to the latest chapter! Please enjoy the notes that simply cannot keep to myself anymore.

Pre CC (Runner-up):

Originally originally, the very first almost beta version of CC was just going to be Jack's origin story lol. Like straight up in chronological order, a series of events spanning his entire life as a closer look into his fall from grace. Really heavy handed on the psychology aspects of how his mind works (because I love nothing more than psychoanalyzing people/characters)

I had a whole idea about if i ever dropped this fic that the accompanying art would just be Jack himself promoting the story as if it was his own autobiography. Celebrity biopic release vibes. Buy my book!

This rough beta version was called Runner-up. And I got all the outlining done when I realized that by the end of the story Jack still would’ve been a villain (and in banishment) and I ended up thinking that the aftermath of his banishment with Lucy would've been a more attention-grabbing story.

As much as I enjoy hurting this man, I also want to see him heal, so Runner-up was promptly scrapped (but somewhat currently still used as a rough guide for any of Jack’s inner machinations/past experiences)

In the tail end of planning Runner-up, when Killian was starting to come more into his own and not just a background character, apparently, I wrote it down that him and Jack were only supposed to have romantic tension and for their official relationship to start way later after he’s already reformed. 

I think the idea was to have them just hate flirting with each-other while the whole story goes on around them? But you can also do that AND be bitter exes at the same time. Very glad I changed this little bit.

A concept that also did not survive the Runner-up days was the idea of Jack having some kind of Ice based healing powers! Most akin to the water bender healers from Avatar. 

He would've had this whole thing about swearing off using the healing powers for whatever reason and ends up burying the lead that he ever had them in the first place. Until a situation comes up where he’s forced to use them in front of people, unearthing the secret. This idea was cool, but then I reworked the whole magic system so this idea had to go.

Chapter 4:

Fun Fact! This meeting where Jack and Mother Nature actually talk for the first time since banishment will be the last time they directly speak to one another until the very finale. They will be going another two weeks without talking before reconciling at New Years.

I've had the idea for the Bypass for a while, but the way it looks is closest to The Great Exhibition hall of 1851. Just way bigger and with portal arches and FIVE MORE FLOORS. This place is HUGE you guys it's like a whole town in of itself.

I wanted the teleporters to accommodate a full-sized dragon because as a species they would be very limited in available airspace without getting spotted by humans. So, to quick travel they mostly use the teleporters.

I am going to be very honest with you guys. I really did only give Jack a journal of sorts so that I could maybe spin that off into The Misadventures of Exile kinda thing. Because nothing really physically happens to him (besides the polar bear) but he goes through a lot of mental wear and tear, and I thought I should give myself a little window into his head for possible future use. 

Chapter 5:

The flashback scene with MN and Jacks fight, these exchanges:

“When all the realms turned against me, what did you do? Nothing!”

“You were not meant to have a holiday that is not my fault!”

“Not your FAULT!?”

Is directly taken from Kung Fu Panda, the first movie where shifu and tai lung recount their falling out as they fight. Tai Lung (and his and shifu’s dynamic) is so interestingly complex and served as a HUGE inspiration for Jack’s character and his relationship with MN.

ANOTHER line that I kinda ripped off was this remark from Jack:

“How could you possibly bring me lower than this? What more can you take away from me?!”

That one I got from The Incredibles when Bob threatens Mirage when he thinks his family is dead :)

A line that I also really REALLY wanted to include but didn't was from Steven Universe. Where Amethyst and Pearl are fighting in the kindergarten and amethyst says:

“I never asked for it to be this way! I never asked to be made!”

I wanted to give that line to Jack as he was fighting MN SO BAD! But I just couldn't find anywhere to fit it.

Originally Jack’s visceral injury would have been a single very sharp root straight through the shoulder. Literally clean through him; just one major puncture wound. But I ultimately thought that was lacking something, so i ended up changing it to something way more violent.

That whole fight scene I’ve had in the chamber for A WHILE, before most of the plot of CC was ironed out. And like I’ve said before, legendary fisticuffs are COOL AS SHIT so I have a lot to say about that passage in particular.

Chapter 6:

I had three separate ideas for Jack’s beginning nightmare sequence for this chapter (mostly because i’ve really liked coming up with very metaphorical and emotionally poignant scenarios for Jack to be in (psychoanalyzing yet again) ).

The final one of the following voices was my personal favorite and was planned to be put somewhere far later in the story, but i ultimately decided to treat myself and write in prose about Jack’s internal struggle :)

The other two nightmares I think I will keep mostly a secret if I ever choose to use those for future sequences. But! The other two (in the vaguest of terms) are

Mother Nature Lapis Lazuli inspo

Playing very weird chess and loosing horribly.

The main note that I’ve had for this, and the next few following chapters is just: EMOTIONAL LABOR! And that’s literally it lol. Thats the only note I need for this next stretch of the story lol.

Fun Fact! The weight of Lucy’s staff is actually different depending on the personal harmony of the one who’s holding it! It always maintains a level of heaviness that Lucy doesn't experience, but depending on someone’s inner balance the staff will be lighter or heavier depending on who’s holding it. Charlie has little difficulty holding for its weight in Chapter 5, because he has little to no internal struggle. He’s very confident in who he is and where he’s going in life and all that jazz. 

Whereas Jack in this Chapter, is nearly taken down by the thing because he is all kinds of out of whack internally. Banishment has been nothing but one big internal seven-year struggle and it shows in the weight of the staff. He’s way-out synch and therefore the staff is way heavier than it should be.

Chapter 7:

I had to rewrite the beginnings of this chapter a fair few times with how exactly Lucy finds out more about Frostmas as a thing.

One of the times she would've found herself in the hall of timelines to learn about Frostmas that way. It was a huge room of clouds and different clock faces representing all the major alternate universes. I had a whole convoluted way the books updated themselves by pulling straight from the clocks to double check the series of events that have technically never happened.

But this was WAY too complicated of an idea to execute without having it feel overly clunky. So, it must be scrapped.

AND I KNEW that THIS was the most opportune time to name drop everyone else’s amazing work! As mostly a treat to myself, but I had it penned down to AT LEAST mention CS here. Because I was dying to do that at some point and NOWS THE TIME! THERE YA GO BITCHES! Technically canon? But actually, not really.

Killian and Chimera’s intro was A BITCH AND A HALF to nail down. I went back and forth on the logistics of this scene a lot. Where it was gonna fit in the story and if I'm introducing this new character/element too early or too late. This one was a thinker.

BUT THEN I remembered that there's an actually seven-year-old at the north pole that he could scare! Keep it closer to the main cast and switch it to full nighttime hours at the end of the day and BOOM! He’s here! In the story! Jack and Luce are gonna run into him later for the confrontation OF A LIFETIME. Very hype about that

For Killian’s intro I had an idea for Chimera to call him on the crystal ball, but he accidently left the sound on so it flashes colors AND Toxic by Brittney Spears would start playing very loudly in the middle of the night. This was really funny to me, but ultimately undermined the whole buildup of him being scary and threatening so I had to scrap it.

Misc:

Whenever I get to the redlining stage in the editing process, I try and do it physically as often as I can. I literally print out all the pages, staple them together, get a red pen and go to town! Usually with a lined sticky note as well for when a passage really needs to be deconstructed. I do this because it gives my eyes a break from staring at a screen and helps me spot mistakes easier. I keep them all in a little accordion folder and save them as sweet little mementos :)

(I don't do this for any of the snowdrifts because those are relatively low stakes, but I did do it for Solstice just because it directly ties into CC in a somewhat more important way.)

A couple of key inspo’s for Jacks character in exile (as I imagine him anyway) were Tai Lung (as previously stated), Loki and a touch of Bojack Horseman. I rationalize any out of character things he does with “Oh but he’s in exile, he’s been banished for seven years now, I think he’s bound to act just a little different.”

Some of the names that were in the rotation between Runner-up and CC include:

Polar Opposites

Vice Versa

Hope and Heartless

Flip Side

[itsthebethblogever]

Leo sunrise - morning poetry

7:30am, August 5th, 2023, Belgrave South

A new chapter in a new book, I run away without a look

Songs written for me feed my soul, to leave the past behind is my goal

Living in the present, all too aware

Give more than what’s asked is how I care

But when’s time for me? I set my boundaries

Mama Gaia listens through the gum trees

Crown and third eye chakra highly activated

With Earthly grounding I become acquainted

Moments of pause reveal the bigger picture

Bottomless love is life’s elixir

Breathing, trusting, and surrendering

Replace weekends I used to spend bendering

A third of my lifetime I’ve spent exploring

Active, learning, never snoring

The time has come to take a rest

And feel into which path is best

Letting go is my soul’s mission

Drop into my body and intuition

Surrounded by sweet spiritual guides

Mold the external to mirror the inside

Little by little doesn’t feel like enough

I want the end result now, this journey’s tough!

If growth is uncomfortable, than holy shit

The depths of my shadows hold some wholesome grit

Previously I’d smile through it all

These days I shout for help as I fall

“My truth is spoken through effortless ease”

Dreams materialize at manifestation’s knees

Lessons learned weave into gifts

As treasures emerge from the ocean drift

Treading, thrashing, swimming, flailing

Choppy water is not smooth for sailing

It’s hard to believe, but the sea’s natural state

Is as peaceful as the mind if we meditate

Brain waves, ocean waves, it’s all the same

Earth’s cyclical wisdom is coming back into fame

Not soon, NOW, I am at peace

Kindly show the door to struggle and grief

Reality is what you make it

So let’s all boogie and shake, shake, sh-shake it!

[productsreviewings]

After we named HBO Max the perfect streaming service, we did so with a number of confidence. And even after they dropped massive motion pictures on-line the identical day they hit theaters (like The Matrix Resurrections and The Suicide Squad), it held that spot, as HBO Max nonetheless presents essentially the most constant number of high-quality TV reveals. And but, right here I'm, holding a replica of Station Eleven (the most effective HBO Max reveals) within the Max authentic (nonetheless with a bizarre and clunky branding) on ​​4K Blu-ray. And I paid $40 on Amazon (opens in new tab) For this, from my very own pocket. Sure, I purchased a replica of a TV present that's at present accessible to stream on HBO Max, every time I need (Picture credit score: Henry T. Casey / Tom's Information)On high of that, Station Eleven is a present I in all probability will not watch on a regular basis, as a result of it is not what you'd name "consolation meals TV" (extra on that beneath). Nonetheless, after I noticed that it was accessible on the market on-line, I did not suppose twice and hit the pre-order.Why? It isn't that I am careless with my cash. I all the time attempt to not spend cash on any streaming service and I am at present advising folks to cancel Netflix for March 2023. I purchased Station Eleven as a result of I do not belief HBO Max. Here is why:HBO Max has been on the working desk since final summer timeAfter the merger of Discovery Inc. with WarnerMedia (which seems to have been acquired by the previous), a significant firm referred to as Warner Bros. Discovery goes by means of one million cuts. Final August, all the pieces turned clear, because the nearly-completed Batgirl film was dropped attributable to a $90 million price range, and Max authentic motion pictures started disappearing from the service — all to stability the books. And whereas the cancellation of the present really appeared regular, the removing of the TV present hit subsequent - the beginning of a really unusual development. (Picture credit score: HBO)Minx, Made for Love and Love Life have been three early kills, however all appeared like small potatoes in comparison with the cancellation of Westworld and the announcement to purchase into ad-supported streaming providers. Westworld, an HBO present (initially seen as a first-class citizen subsequent to the Max authentic that was deleted with out warning) was leaving. Sure, that big-budget brain-bender (which undoubtedly fell off the rails) goes away. And when an government used Warner Bros. Discovery's Q2 earnings name to announce that they'd be "downgrading" HBO, those that love HBO and HBO Max started to fret about their alternative.Why I am apprehensive about the way forward for Station ElevenAll of this has me (and others) apprehensive in regards to the unbelievable limited-run sequence Station Eleven. This Max authentic sequence (which hails from Paramount Tv Studios) feels as susceptible as any present as a result of it can by no means get a second season. It isn't canceled, thoughts you: it is an adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel's guide of the identical title. However that implies that the dialog about it's minimal, and folks aren't actually buzzing about it. In different phrases, with out rumors of a second season, it solely comes up in dialog when folks rave about how good it's and the way bizarre it's that HBO Max has it and The Final of Us (two of the perfect post-apocalyptic reveals in latest reminiscence) in back-to-back years.(Picture credit score: Ian Watson/HBO Max)Happening simply earlier than, throughout, and after a flu pandemic ravages the world, Station Eleven is not a present I'll rewatch typically, says Group (the most effective Netflix reveals till this deal expires). As unbelievable as Station Eleven is — and we are saying it was the most effective TV reveals of 2023 — it is a present you are not all the time within the temper for. All of this provides as much as a sequence that I am unable to assist however suppose Warner Bros.

Discovery's C-suite grim reaper shows that ax will see Station Eleven as an expense they'll dwell with out. They're already poised to throw HBO Max customers beneath the bus in an incoming HBO Max and Discovery Plus merger that can in the end result in worth hikes that HBO Max customers who do not care about Discovery Plus will undergo.Enter Patrick Somerville, creator and showrunner of the Station Eleven sequence, who implicitly acknowledges my issues. Twitter (opens in new tab). There, he addressed the problem, starting by acknowledging followers' curiosity, saying "I do know it is come up lots for followers of the present, and I apologize for not chatting with it." He additionally defined that optical media variations of Station Eleven have been occurring (information to me on the time), and have been being produced in an odd on-demand means. After they lastly turned accessible, I hit purchase.Outlook: Save reveals it can save youIn The Final of You episode 2, when Tess advised Joel to "save who you'll be able to, save" I instantly considered how I'd order Station Eleven on-line. Watching the packs of followers clamoring to save lots of their favourite reveals from cancellation — and typically ending up with nothing to point out for it — made me understand that we're all lots much less highly effective than we might prefer to consider. I might, say, arrange a laptop computer to play Station Eleven on a steady loop, however who is aware of what that might do. I purchased the sequence on-line as a result of media preservation is one thing bean-counters do not care about. (Photograph credit score: Saeed Adiani/Netflix)And Warner Bros. Discovery is not the one one, as Netflix is ​​eradicating all 5 seasons of Arrested Growth from its servers, and there is not any phrase on the place the Netflix-distributed fourth and fifth seasons will find yourself. They will in all probability be on Hulu with the remainder of the sequence, however they are not even on the market on-line. I am not a fan of these seasons, however I perceive the plight of the completists on the market. In an age when it looks like streaming providers do not care about something except it helps their backside line, it is as much as us to maintain the trade we love protected. After all, I might pirate Station Eleven. However I haven't got a house setup for Plex Media Server that might be an enough substitute, nor do I wish to make that effort. I simply need a high-quality model of the present that I can watch. And that is not one thing I belief HBO Max to provide me.As we speak's Finest Streaming Field Offers

[laceyrowland]

2022 Readings Wrapped Part I

This year I decided to participate in the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge put on by the Boise Public Library. 50 books in 50 categories in one year.

I completed the challenge in August.

I'm a textbook overachiever.

As of writing this, I've read 77 books in 2022. I'm set to read a couple more by the end of the year, to hopefully end on a nice round number.

For those of you wondering how the heck I did it, here are some of my "secrets" to reading a lot of books:

Audiobooks 100% count as reading. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I listen to them when I walk, when I'm cooking, exercising, and sometimes when I'm doing tasks that don't require a lot of attention at work. Also, roadtrips. I don't recommend audiobooks for short car trips if only because it is hard to follow a plot when you're constantly stopping and starting. If that's something you're into, then go for it.

Graphic novels, comic books, poetry collections, novellas - these also count as books. I like to keep a nice balance of shorties and fat books in my reading practice. It's okay to read little quickies. Reading is reading.

Actually make time for reading. When I put it on my to-do list and made it a priority, I got the reading done. If at first it feels like a chore, keep at it and let your brain be tricked into the habit. It'll eventually kick in, I swear. It also helps to pick something that really grips you. Which brings me to my final tip...

Be ruthless with the 30-page rule. Life is too short to be reading what you feel obligated to read. If you want to read trash, go for it. No one has to know. If you don't want to read The Classics, don't. There are millions of better books out there. Don't let what you "should" read get in the way of what you want to read. If it doesn't blow your hair back in the first 30 pages, don't feel bad for putting it down and maybe never coming back to it. Not every book is written for every person. The book will be read, even if it's not by you. Let it go.

And now, for Part I of The List. Here's what I read January through March of 2022:

The Guide to Superhuman Strength - Alison Bechdel*

Proxima Centauri - Farel Dalrymple

This is How I Disappear - Mirion Malle

How to Read Nature - Tristan Gooley

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender*

New Kid - Jerry Craft*

Redbone - Christian Staebler

Dear Ijeawele - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Undoing Depression - Richard O'Connor*

Intimacies - Katie Kitamura*

Yellow Bird - Sierra Crane Murdoch*

People from My Neighborhood - Hiromi Kawakami

The Man in the High Castle - Phillip K Dick

The Mist - Ragnar Jonasson

Imagine Wanting Only This - Kirsten Radtke*

The Art of Living - Thich Nhat Hanh

Trust Exercise - Susan Choi*

The Longer We Were There - Steven Moore*

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nahesi Coates*

Red at the Bone - Jacqueline Woodson

Good Talk - Mira Jacob

Stay tuned for Part II!

*Books that blew my hair back.

[stedes-tarty-pink-robe]

Alright. Here goes.

- The Morrigan House is a ploy by Simon the Devious. The vamps obliviously blunder through traps meant to kill them, foiling their host's plan.

- The Guide has been intentionally sabotaging the vampires all season because the housemates destroyed her former way of life and the building she was in charge of. She could have forgiven them they gave her a new purpose as their friend, but since they won't, she will become their nightmare. She previously hexed Nadja, tried to get Guillermo killed and threw shade at Laszlo's book organization to cause him to hyperfixate.

- Guillermo's been kidnapped but Nandor is too stupid to realize it and thinks he returned to Panera Bread. The vamps will comb every Panera Bread, and fortunately for them, his kidnapper is dumb enough to keep Guillermo at a Panera Bread in Little Antipaxos, which Nadja is able to figure out with the help of her diner friends. Bonus points if the Guide is his kidnapper.

- Guillermo cannot fully change because Nandor made a wish that Guillermo would never be a vampire yet will remain with Nandor. This leads to yet another emotionally cathartic and homoerotic fight between the two. Each accuses the other of using them for their selfish gain. The fight only defuses when they see clips from the documentary of the other being mushy about them when they're not around.

- Nandor uses his last wish to make Guillermo a full vampire thus Nandor technically turned Guillermo and doesn't have to kill him. This happy moment is short-lived because it's Nandor's turn to run away from things he'd rather not deal with, leaving Guillermo behind at home. Guillermo is confident he can track him down. Vampire or not, he's still a vampire hunter and this isn't the brightest prey.

- Laszlo creates a couple of Guide-raven hybrids, so the Guide will always have company, but mostly so she'll leave them all alone. Laszlo is happy his science has worked for once. He ignores the TV reports about an ever increasing number of Guillermo hybrid sightings in New York parks.

- Nadja is happy that no hex means she's free to be mean again. She and Dollie go on an insult bender.

- Derek used the money Guillermo paid him to bribe other vampires into talking him up, so now he's considered a cool and legendary vampire. Bonus points if a jealous Nandor is there to call him a fucking guy.

was gonna post this day of the finale but fuck it

[queen--of--shadows]

Healing Shadows: Part 4

Azriel x Reader

Summary: Reader is a gifted surgical healer and water bender. Rhysand needs her help when he finds out about Feyre’s risky pregnancy. Azriel finds out reader is his mate.

Warnings: mentions of surgical wounds and scars

Word Count: 1,896

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

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

Part 4: Truth

Nuala and Cerridwen cleaned up, removing any trace of the traumatic morning, while you and Rhys set up a cozy array of soft quilts, plush blankets, and thick pillows in Feyre’s old room so she could nest with baby Nyx. “Feyre, let me know if you need anything, I’ll be in my--” You stammered as you felt the heat rise to your cheeks.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” Rhys questioned, raising a brow.

“Nothing, I’m sorry. I was about to say my room, I didn’t mean to assume I could just take over the guest room. I…Is there somewhere else I should bring my bag?” You only had your supplies with you, not foreseeing that you would end up moving in so soon.

Rhys and Feyre shared a sympathetic look. “Y/N, please, consider the House like your own home. Take whichever room you prefer. If you want to stay in the guest room, by all means, do,” Rhys continued, “We have no problem using another room for guests.” He gave you a warm smile, and you knew he meant it.

Your chest swelled with joy and gratitude at their generosity. Turning to Feyre, you said “I’ll be in my room. Shout if you need me.”

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

It was late and although you were physically and emotionally exhausted from the day’s events, sleep escaped you. Soaking in a long steaming bath usually helped, but maybe it was the nerves of being in a new home. And not just any home, but the High Lord’s. You still were having a hard time believing the trajectory of your life changed so drastically in just a few days.

You paced in your room, read a few chapters of the book Nesta had lent you, trying to tire yourself out, but after a half hour gave up. Maybe I just need some tea, you thought, grabbing a robe from the dresser and making your way downstairs.

The House was dark and dim, save for the faelight torches along the length of the stairs. You were already familiar with its layout, or as much of it that you’d seen so far. Nesta had mentioned she would give you a tour of the Library tomorrow, and Cassian offered to show you around the rest of the House and the training ground on the roof.

With one hand against the wall, you made your way into the opulent kitchen. Beautiful white marble glistened underneath the iridescent faelight. You grabbed one of the torches to guide your path to the end of the room, pulling back the thick curtains draped around giant floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing the famed starry Velaris night sky and a full moon. Even though you had spent most of your life here, the sight still took your breath away.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Azriel whispered.

You jolted back and turned to face him, not realizing he was in the kitchen before you had come down.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he chuckled, bringing his hands up in innocence. His deep, breathy laugh caressed your soul. Azriel was donning a simple black ensemble, the V-line cut of his sweater showcasing dark sweeping tendrils of his tattoos across a broad, muscular chest. Your heart began to pace and you were sure he could hear its pounding. Moonlight shining bright on him from the window, you couldn’t help but marvel at his perfect features. The sharp angle of his jaw, his soft, full lips, and gorgeous, blazing hazel eyes. His shadows slithered around his arms and shoulders, and you looked down to see one of them wrapping up your leg, like a cat brushing and winding against you. A cheeky smile spread across your face as the shadow slid up and around one leg, then the other.

Meeting his eyes again, you realized you hadn’t said a single word.

“Yes, it’s beautiful,” you breathed. Turning back around, you continued, “I’ve loved the night sky since I was young.” Azriel hummed in agreement, taking a seat at the oak table in the center of the kitchen. You just noticed the odd-shaped chairs, and as he sat down, it made sense that they were fashioned to accommodate their massive wings.

“I was going to make myself tea, would you like some?” You looked to Azriel for his response, but he just stared at you, as if searching for an answer from you in turn. His cold, beautiful face yielded no emotion.

“Sure, thank you.”

You worked in comfortable silence, steeping the tea, unsure what to say or how to make conversation. He was the notorious Shadowsinger, and although that alone didn’t scare you, you had just been invited to move in and were still getting to know everyone.

Straining out the rich chamomile drink into two mugs, you handed him one before deciding to head back upstairs. You wanted to stay, some feeling in your gut telling you to take a seat, but figured it would be better to avoid any situation that would cause you to gain feelings for someone in the Inner Circle. The few moments you’ve had with Azriel thus far already had you in bed at night, imaging his tall lithe body, pushed up against yours.

Azriel wrapped his hand around the mug and your fingers, warm and strong. He looked up at you as if expecting more, but you instead pulled back with a soft smile and mumbled goodnight.

You didn’t notice the shadows that followed you back to your room, slithering along the cold stone floors in the darkness.

You were kicking yourself as soon as you shut your door.

How will I ever fit in around here?

The tea worked its magic to clear your mind, and with heavy lids, you drifted away into a deep sleep.

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

The following day, you were awoken by a loud knock at your door. “Come in,” you grumbled, eyes still half-closed.

“Morning, Y/N!” Mor squealed as she let herself in, her citrusy cinnamon scent filling your room. Jumping onto your bed and propping her head on one elbow, she asked “How did you sleep?”

Her eyes sparkled as she awaited your answer. “Fine,” was all you could manage. How did she look so good this early?

“Madja is here. She said she wanted to come check on Feyre and Nyx.”

Rubbing your eyes and pulling on your robe and slippers, you followed the tall blonde downstairs.

You entered Feyre’s room to find Cassian holding Nyx with Azriel seated next to him, both cooing over the baby. He was looking healthier and stronger by the day. Rhys was helping Feyre out of bed and onto the couch so you and Madja could look at her wounds. Madja slowly peeled back the bandages and gauze from yesterday morning. She whipped around, meeting your eyes with a menacing gaze that made you want to shrink.

“Why do her cuts still look so fresh?” Madja’s words shook you out of your sleepy stupor, and an icy fear mixed with rage washed over you.

No…please, please don’t say anything.

You didn’t respond.

“What does that mean? Are they not supposed to look like this?” Rhys asked, his night-kissed power slowly thrumming throughout the room. All eyes were on you, again.

“Madja? What are you talking about?” Feyre protested.

She didn’t shift her gaze away from you.

“I thought you were going to tell them. When I asked for your help, I meant all of it.”

You threw your head back in frustration. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Madja,” you replied coolly. “I performed the surgery, Nyx is healthy and Feyre is healing appropriately. Her wound is already closing.”

You prayed that everyone would believe you, despite Madja’s death stare.

“Y/N, what are you hiding from us?” Rhys knew how to sound like the High Lord when he needed to. Guilt and shame-- you suddenly felt horrible for not telling them the whole truth. Fine, they offered you their home and trust, the least you could do was give them this.

“Rhys, Feyre, I’m sorry. I haven’t been completely honest with you. I…” You were having a hard time putting your thoughts into words. “I have healing…powers? Magic? Something beyond just my surgical skills. I’m not entirely sure what to call it. I learned a lot from studying medical texts, but my healing power is similar to...” 

They all stared at you, awaiting your explanation.

“It’s hard to describe, and I haven’t fully mastered it yet. I need to practice more, but essentially I can heal using water.”

The blank stares you received in return had you stumbling over your words as you continued, “I think it would be better if I just showed you.”

Focusing on the glass of water next to Feyre’s bed, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes to center yourself. You searched deep down in your core for that power, that magic that hummed along your veins, allowing you to bend water to your will. Opening your eyes, you lifted one hand with a flicking motion of your wrist, the water following, easing out of the glass and into the air like a fluid rope. You turned your palm towards the water to stop it, and then continued to bend and twist your wrist and fingers, weaving and dancing the water through the air, not unlike Azriel’s shadows when they wreath around his neck and limbs. You were so focused, you didn’t notice the multiple sets of eyes darting back and forth between the water and you.

“Incredible…” Azriel all but whispered to himself.

Halting the water above Feyre, you motioned for her to lay down on the couch. The room was silent as if everyone was holding their breath, watching you command the element to your will.

With one hand holding the water still above her, you used your other to lift Feyre’s tunic above her abdomen to reveal the site you had cut into just a day ago. Using both hands, you twisted the water into a circle and brought it down above her wound. “This may tickle,” you warned. Feyre nodded, and you were grateful for the trust shining bright in her eyes.

You slid the water across her abdomen, willing the magic from deep inside you into the liquid. The water began to glow a soft blue, illuminating Feyre’s belly, and you moved it in long strokes across her wounds as if you were washing and wiping with a towel. You continued for a few seconds, the redness from the stitches slowly subsiding, and the wound fully closed. You were done with a few more strokes, then eased the liquid back into the glass on the nightstand and reeled your power back in. The water stopped glowing.

“That was…unbelievable,” Rhys muttered. “Y/N, it seems you have a sort of elemental magic. Have you tried using your power with other materials?”

Already following his pattern of logic, you responded with a sigh and shook your head in disappointment, “I have, but for some reason, I’m not able to connect with the other elements. I don’t know why, but it seems I’m only able to do this with water or other fluids that contain water, like--”

“Like blood,” Azriel finished for you, wearing the cold mask of the Night Court’s Spymaster.

“Yes, like blood.”

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

[swordgayist]

cultural appropriation in ATLA (hinduism edition)

i’m sure there’s already a ton of posts about this, but whatever, i’m still making one idc. 

ATLA’s cultural appropriation, everyone knows about it, the white people don’t speak about it, and the asian and indigenous people get ignored. we know the cycle. but i wanted to come here and highlight some of the most prominent examples of ATLA abusing hinduism, as i am kinda sorta hindu (i was raised in a hindu household, i go to chinmaya mission, that kinda shit). i might forget some things so keep that in mind.

this is gonna be divided into 3 main sections, since there are different ways that they disrespect hinduism that i don’t wanna lump together.

and i’d say i know a lot about hinduism but that doesn’t make me an expert, obviously, so if other hindus have anything to add and/or correct then please do !! and if anyone else wants to share how their cultures were appropriated then please do that as well !!

so let’s get started shall we?

appropriating hinduism

1) the avatar

we’ll start with the most obvious example: the avatar itself

i know that there are parts of the avatar mythos that are taken from other cultures as well but the idea of the avatar itself is primarily from hinduism.

basically in hinduism, the term dashavatara refers to the 10 reincarnations of lord vishnu (the god of preservation), with avatar(a) meaning form or incarnation in sanskrit, and das(a) meaning ten. it was said that whenever the world was out of balance, lord vishnu would come down to earth in a certain form to restore balance. Each reincarnation is considered a different life with a different story. the avatars of lord vishnu are often considered the saviors of the world.

so basically, the central idea of the show and the actual name of the show is largely based on hinduism.

2) chakras

many different indian religions have a concept of chakras (chakra meaning wheel or circle in sanskrit), but hinduism is the one that primarily preaches the system of seven chakras, the version used in ATLA.

chakras connect the physical body to the ‘subtle’ body (referring more to the spirit and the psyche) by connecting parts of the body to aspects of the mind. the idea is that through different forms of steady meditation you can manipulate the different chakras and allow the pure flow of energy through the body.

the whole idea of chakras on ATLA is that aang has to unblock them all to let the cosmic energy flow through him so that he can go into the avatar state at will. so yeah, pretty much that whole idea was taken from hinduism.

3) terminologies

these are just a few terms that were taken from hinduism. i’m pretty sure there are more that i can’t think of right now but yeah.

“agni” kai 

i’ll be honest i don’t know where the ‘kai’ part is from, i don’t think it’s from hinduism but if it is well fuck me i guess.  ‘agni’ in hinduism is the god of fire, so the creators used it in ‘agni kai’, the name for a firebending duel.

“bumi”

this is in reference to the hindu word for ‘earth’, which is bhoomi. this is also in reference to our goddess of earth, bhoomi devi. also this doesn’t really bother me but i wonder if the creators knew that bhoomi is a name typically used for women (as are most hindi names ending in ‘i’/‘ee’).

in general, concepts like having multiple complex gods (the spirits) who are capable of good and evil and the reincarnation cycle are prominent in a lot of asian cultures, including (and arguably primarily) hinduism.

mocking hinduism

now we get into the mockery of hinduism in ATLA, because it is very much there.

1) whoever the fuck that baboon guy in the spirit world was

now what the fuck was this.

i mean i wouldn’t say this is the most egregious example of them making fun of brown people but lord why did this even need to be there? this random guy from the spirit world has an indian accent ? and is fervently chanting ‘om’ for some reason, and it’s clearly meant to be seen as comical. also portraying brown people as monkeys....... really.

2) combustion man/sparky sparky boom man

when rewatching ATLA in 2019 i actually had no idea that this was a thing, because the last time i had watched it was as a kid and i didn’t finish it.

so lord was i in for a surprise when i saw...

now... now what.

if you didn’t know, combustion man’s ‘third eye’ is designed to replicate the hindu god of destruction, lord shiva. right down to the vibhuti on his forehead (referring to the three line markings around the third eye).

in hinduism, lord shiva’s third eye is used to reduce people to ashes, though as far as i can recall, not very frequently. the primary significance of the third eye is that it represents the ability of higher spiritual thought and higher consciousness.

the ATLA writers take the ACTUAL significance of the third eye, throw it out the window, and then take its destructive abilities to make a super duper cool and dangerous new firebending technique.

and if that wasn’t bad enough, the actual person who uses this technique, and is meant to emulate a GOD who is PRAISED, is a scary, burly, half metal man who is a villain and an assassin. not to mention the design of his facial hair replicates that super duper scary “terrorist” depiction of brown people, particularly of muslims, that white people are so thoroughly terrified of for no reason. 

this is a parody of a god, and they portrayed him as this terrifying, maniacal fucking assassin who, along with p’li, the combustion bender from LOK, is constantly referred to as a “third-eyed freak”. i’ve made this analogy before and i’ll do it again, this is like making jesus into a hitman.

now onto my favorite example...

3) guru pathik

ah, this motherfucker.

i don’t really have any problems with him as a character, i mean hell, must’ve taken a fuck ton of patience to handle aang’s “why would choose cosmic energy over katara” bullshit.

but we all know it, we see it plain as day, don’t even try to deny it.

“guru” literally just means teacher or guide, so i don’t really know why pathik needed to be referred to as “guru” so distinctively from aang’s other teachers and guides, but that’s just extremely trivial compared to all the other issues with this character.

first of all what is this character design? what is he even wearing? if they’re trying to replicate the clothes of swamis and priests and stuff this is already wrong, realized people don’t dress like this. and why the fuck does he have an indian accent? and why was this indian accent done by a non indian (brian george)?

once again, the poor but extremely heavy indian accent is clearly meant to be mocking, if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t’ve gone out of their way to get a non indian person to DO an indian accent, and instead they would’ve just gotten an actual indian person to play the role. 

and oh yeah, the onion and banana juice. because hindus just eat weird shit right.

whether it’s actually weird or not, the show certainly portrays it as weird. and as far as i know no hindu actually fucking drinks onion and banana juice.

ironic because brown people can absolutely destroy white people in cooking. but i digress.

i know what you’re all waiting for. because the guru apparently didn’t have enough fun with guru pathik, so they just had to come back to him in book 3:

where do i begin.

so this is obviously john o’bryan’s super funny and hilarious depiction of pathik as a hindu god.

usually when a god has multiple arms it’s to carry an array of things, from flowers to weapons to instruments, and one hand is typically free to bless devotees (ie. goddess durga and lord vishnu respectively):

but of course white people see this as weird and so they make fun of it, hence guru pathik having multiple arms just flailing about aimlessly (save for the two that are being used to carry the aforementioned onion and banana juice).

then there’s the whole light behind pathik’s head which is usually depicted in drawings of hindu gods to show that they are celestial.

also what the fuck is he holding? is that supposed to be a veena? because this is what a veena looks like:

and i assume the reason this was added was to mock the design of goddess saraswathi, who carries a veena:

but that right there in the picture of pathik looks more like a tambura than a veena. 

and it also just kinda looks like a banjo?

but i guess the animators just searched up “long indian instrument” and slapped it on there. actually no, that’s giving them too much credit, they probably didn’t search it up at all. 

and then the actual scene is pathik singing crazily about chakras tasting good or something while playing the non-veena and it’s all supposed to be some funky crazy hallucination that aang is having due to sleep deprivation. just some crazy dream, just as crazy as talking appa and momo sparring with swords or tree-ozai coming to life.

our gurus and swamis and sadhus and generally realized people are very respected in hinduism, they’re people we look up to and honor very much. and our GODS are beings that we literally worship. and the writers just take both and make caricatures out of them for other white people to laugh at.

4) other shit

before we move to the next portion i just wanna mention there are also smaller backhanded jabs that i can’t really remember now, but one example was when zuko was all “we’ll be sure to remember that, guru goody goody”. or when a character would meditate and say “om” only when the meditation is supposed to be portrayed as comical or pointless. or in bitter work when sokka was rambling on about karma. small things like that. but moving on.

south asian representation, or lack thereof

now i finally get to the “losing” hinduism part. by this i mean the lack of actual representation there is of south asians (the region where hinduism is primarily practiced) despite the fact that hinduism plays such a big role in the show’s world design.

i think it’s safe to say that broadly the main cast consists of aang, katara, sokka, zuko, toph, azula, iroh, mai, ty lee, and suki. 

a grand total of none of these characters are south asian. the writers don’t even attempt to add any south asian main characters. 

there are characters with dark skin, like haru and jet, but a) they’re not confirmed to be south asian and don’t have any south asian features or south asian names, b) they’re side characters, so they don’t count as representation, and c) even if they were south asian and main characters, jet wouldn’t even count because he’s portrayed as a terrorist.

the ONLY truly south asian character we get is fucking guru pathik. so yeah. not representation.

i don’t get how the creators of this show rip off of hinduism (among many other south asian cultures they rip off of), mock indians, and then don’t even have the decency to HAVE a main character who is south asian.

i’ve never gotten a chance to compile all this, and this definitely isn’t all the creators have done, but i hope this was somewhat informative.

[richincolor]

New Releases for the Week of April 18, 2022

We found quite a nice collection of books releasing this week. Several of them have been on my TBR list for quite a while. Do any catch your eye?

Flirting with Fate (Flirting with Fate #1) by J.C. Cervantes Razorbill

Ava Granados will never forgive herself for being late to her beloved nana’s deathbed. But due to a flash flood that left Ava in a fender bender with a mysterious boy, she missed her grandmother’s mystical blessing–one that has been passed between the women of her family upon death for generations.

Then Nana’s ghost appears with a challenge from beyond the grave. As it turns out, Nana did give Ava a blessing, but it missed its target, landing with the boy from the night of the storm instead. Was it fate? Ava refuses to believe so. With the help of her sisters and Nana’s rather bumbling spiritual guide, she’s determined to reclaim her share of the family magic and set Nana free.

For guarded Ava, befriending some random boy is the last thing she wants to do. She’s gotten along just fine protecting her heart–keeping people at a distance is a great way to ensure no one ever hurts you. But as Ava embarks on her mission to retrieve the lost blessing, she starts to wonder if getting close to thunderstorm boy is worth the risk. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta Scholastic

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Leela Bose plays to win.

A life-long speech competitor, Leela loves nothing more than crushing the competition, all while wearing a smile. But when she meets the incorrigible Firoze Darcy, a debater from an elitist private school, Leela can’t stand him. Unfortunately, he’ll be competing in the state league, so their paths are set to collide.

But why attempt to tolerate Firoze when Leela can one-up him? The situation is more complicated than Leela anticipated, though, and her participation in the tournament reveals that she might have tragically misjudged the debaters — including Firoze Darcy — and more than just her own winning streak is at stake…her heart is, too. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel Amulet

Zurika Damani is a naturally gifted violinist with a particular love for hip hop beats. But when you’re part of a big Indian family, everyone has expectations, and those certainly don’t include hip hop violin. After being rejected by Juilliard, Zuri’s last hope is a contest judged by a panel of top tier college scouts. The only problem? This coveted competition happens to take place during Zuri’s sister’s extravagant wedding week. And Zuri has already been warned, repeatedly, that she is not to miss a single moment.

In the midst of the chaos, Zuri’s mom is in matchmaking mode with the groom’s South African cousin Naveen—who just happens to be a cocky vocalist set on stealing Zuri’s spotlight at the scouting competition. Luckily Zuri has a crew of loud and loyal female cousins cheering her on. Now, all she has to do is to wow the judges for a top spot, evade getting caught by her parents, resist Naveen’s charms, and, oh yeah . . . not mess up her sister’s big fat Indian wedding. What could possibly go wrong? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

QueenQueen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

CATALYST 13 points noun: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change

When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.

But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.

As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Genesis Wars (The Infinity Courts #2) by Akemi Dawn Bowman Simon Pulse

It’s been ten months since Nami narrowly escaped the Four Courts and Ophelia’s wrath. Ten months since she was betrayed by someone she once considered a friend. Someone she poured her heart out to. And now her family here in the afterlife are gone, captured, and Nami is utterly alone.

On the run, only steps ahead of the AI forces pursuing her, and desperate to free her friends, Nami must take the allies she can find, even if she doesn’t fully trust them. And as she tests the limits of her own power, she must also reckon with the responsibility that entails.

Stakes are high as Nami navigates old enemies, unexpected allies, and an ever-changing landscape filled with dangers and twists at every turn. Along the way, she’ll learn powerful truths about who she can trust and the sacrifices that must be made in order to fight for a better, freer world for all. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[theomnilegent]

2021 Upcoming LGBTQIA Fiction I’m Excited For!

This is my top nine for women-led queer fiction for this year! I am so excited to read each of these books. Each of these books features lesbian or bisexual women and most are romances or coming-of-age stories. A lot of these are #ownvoices stories and many are by authors who already have proven themselves as great writers of LGBT fiction.

Below you’ll find titles, summaries and goodreads links to the above books. This year there are plenty of tropes to be found in these stories, including enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and starcrossed lovers! I’m so excited for all the enemies-to-lovers stories there are this year, and I can’t wait to read everything on this list.

Bruised by Tanya Boteju To Daya Wijesinghe, a bruise is a mixture of comfort and control. Since her parents died in an accident she survived, bruises have become a way to keep her pain on the surface of her skin so she doesn’t need to deal with the ache deep in her heart. So when chance and circumstances bring her to a roller derby bout, Daya is hooked. Yes, the rules are confusing and the sport seems to require the kind of teamwork and human interaction Daya generally avoids. But the opportunities to bruise are countless, and Daya realizes that if she’s going to keep her emotional pain at bay, she’ll need all the opportunities she can get. The deeper Daya immerses herself into the world of roller derby, though, the more she realizes it’s not the simple physical pain-fest she was hoping for. Her rough-and-tumble teammates and their fans push her limits in ways she never imagined, bringing Daya to big truths about love, loss, strength, and healing.

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t fix. Her best (and only) friend is pulling away. Her mother’s drinking problem is a constant concern. She’s even running out of outlandish diseases to fake so she can skip PE. But when Aideen stumbles on her nemesis, overachiever Meabh Kowalski, in the midst of a full-blown meltdown, she sees a problem that—unlike her own disaster of a life—seems refreshingly easy to solve. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help. By pushing Meabh down the stairs. Problem? Solved. Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule. But when another student learns about their little scheme and brings Aideen another “client” who needs her “help,” it kicks off a semester of traded favors, ill-advised hijinks, and an unexpected chance at love. Fixing other people’s problems won’t fix her own, but it might be the push she needs to start.

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop. Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along. Hijinks, heartbreak, and gay fake-dating scheme for the ages.

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin Teen lesbian Mara joins her rural high school's football team, and in doing so inspires four more girls to join, upending the boys' club culture and sparking a mini-revolution.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston A 23-year-old realises her subway crush is displaced from 1970's Brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her - and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time - before it's too late... 

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne Ash Persaud is about to become a reaper in the afterlife, but she is determined to see her first love Poppy Morgan again, the only thing that separates them is death. Car headlights. The last thing Ash hears is the snap of breaking glass as the windscreen hits her and breaks into a million pieces like stars. But she made it, she's still here. Or is she? This New Year's Eve, Ash is gets an RSVP from the afterlife she can't decline: to join a clan of fierce girl reapers who take the souls of the city's dead to await their fate. But Ash can't forget her first love, Poppy, and she will do anything to see her again...even if it means they only get a few more days together.

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school's code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can't deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan--out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start--doesn't want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn't ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?

I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre Arch-nemeses Emma, a die-hard romantic, and more-practical minded Sophia find themselves competing against one another for a coveted first-prize trip to a film festival in Los Angeles...what happens if their rivalry turns into a romance?

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar Everyone likes Humaira "Hani" Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita "Ishu" Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl. Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.

[transuncletaylor]

Kanna knows the North is not her home. When the pain of staying outweighs the pain of leaving, she takes her courage and her strength and her love and builds herself a new life on her own terms.

Yugoda Loses a dear friend, choosing instead to devote her life to healing and teaching. Sometimes she wonders if Kanna is happy, at peace with her life in a way she never was in Agna Qel'a, and if they will ever see each other again.

Pakku lets his betrothed slip through his fingers, and the hurt makes him cold, entrenched, and bitter. Until a young bender from the south shows up with a familiar glint in her eye and an even more familiar necklace.

Hama guides a ship into port, not knowing it carries the woman who will become her anchor, her lifeline. When she is snatched away and forced to become someone else - someone cruel - she wonders if she could ever bear to let Kanna see what she has done.

Things Unknown but Longed for Still by neighborhoodcatgang

[ID: pictured is Kanna on our left and Hama on our right. They appear to be young, in their 20s and sitting inside a Southern Water Tribe house on a white and grey fur rug. Kanna has her hair styled like book 1 Katara and wears a blue and light purple overcoat trimmed with white fur. Hama sits with one knee up and her arms resting on the knee. She has long brown hair and a similar overcoat with white trimmed fur. The two women are looking at each other with soft smiles.]

[nova-is-a-writer-now]

Fools

[[zuko x reader]]

->next

Summary: Zuko and Y/N had liked eachother for a while even though neither of them knew it. Y/N tries to get over her crush for him, failing miserably. So just when she decides to let go and embrace her feelings, the new Fire lord finds himself feeling jealous and decides to take matters into his own hands

A/N: this is the first Zuko/ATLA fic i’ve ever written, so go easy on me plssss, i just finishes the show a couple days ago (a little late ik) and ever since then i’ve been OBSESSED with this man (if he’s too ooc pls let me know) . This is set a while after the coronation and it’s an AU where zuko and mai were never a thing. Hope y’all like this <3

ps: this may get a little long, i’m writting this before i finish it but i get a feeling it’s gonna be a long one so be prepared lol also it will most definitely have a pt.2 if y’all like it.

Warnings: Angst but it’ll end well i promise, swearing

-IF YOU HAVE ANY REQUESTS DONT HESITATE TO ASK-

Things after the war ended had been chaotically peaceful. Turns out that leading an entire nation, specially when it was the one that caused the war, and reuniting the lands that had for so long been against eachother was harder than all of you thought. The fact that a group of teenagers were the head of the operation wasn’t a big advantage either.

Sure, Aang and Zuko, who were the ones who had the most important positions when it came to politics and diplomacy, had advisors and people around to help guide them, but it was still a hard job. Nevertheless, without a war or fighting, you were sure it was good for the entire group to keep busy. They’d kept a lifestyle of always moving around and being on guard for so long it would’ve been a big shock to be forced to stay still after that.

Katara and Sokka travelled back and forth from the Southern Water Tribe to the Fire nation a few times, not too often though because of how far apart the two were. That was a shame because of how close you’d grown to Katara and her motherly self, her advice and her unconditional friendship, and even to Sokka and his bad jokes, his way of teasing everyone and how he could make you smile even when you weren’t in the mood, you even missed how mad he made you sometimes. Suki went with them to spend some time away from everything, she loved her life as a Kioshi warrior but she decided she needed a break after everything she had gone through.

Aang, on the other hand, was traveling all over but mostly between the Earth kingdom, were he would very often meet with Katara, and the Fire nation. You got to see him way more often than you got to see Katara, Suki and Sokka, although he tended to be busy with avatar business. He was doing a great job, you had to admit. The people loved him, he found a way to spread his teachings and the teachings of the Air nomads to the world and uniting others helping them put aside their differences seemed to be his thing now more than ever. But most importantly he seemed truly happy, one time he even told you he finally felt like he was making all the air nomads proud, wherever they were.

Toph still wanted to be away from her parents, so she refused to go back to the Earth Kingdom. She hated the cold, not being able to use her seismic senses in the snow and being bossed around by katara, so she refused to go with them too. So when you offered her to stay with you, she accepted. She made it seem as though it was her last choice because she had to keep her tough girl reputation, but actually she liked you a lot, she saw you kind of as a big sister. You took care of her in a way no one had before, not seeing her as helpless and weak but still being there for her when she needed you. Though she’d never tell this to anyone aloud.

And Zuko was still Zuko, just that now he was a Firelord. He took his job very seriously, determined to prove wrong everyone who had said he was too young or too weak for it. He knew the big responsibility he had in his hands and he seemed to be doing really well. He had his moments, of course, where he would have outbursts of emotion and anger, but he always found his way back to being who he needed to be for his Nation, and you always helped with that. He was the one who suggested you stayed in the Fire nation as a representative of the Northern Water tribe. You were hesitant at first, but after thinking the idea over you realized you had no business up in the tribe, you’d been away for a long time and you weren’t ready to go back just yet.

The two of you had never been incredibly close in the time since he joined the gaang, but you couldn’t denied there was a connection between the two. You got his humor and he got yours, you could tease eachother all day without getting butthurt, you could open up and talk about deep stuff under the stars on a sleepless night, and spending time with him seemed easier to do than with most people. You’d brushed this off as the two of you being good friends for a good while, even after you moved into the palace and started to hang out with him more, but for the past few weeks it’s been getting harder to do.

Every time Toph, him and you ate lunch together and he sat in front of you, you couldn’t help but end up staring at him, not in a weird, creepy way but in a ‘I’m mesmerized by you why am i mesmerized by you and since when are your eyes such a beautiful shade of gold’ way. You were in denial about it but deep down you knew you were starting to have a crush on him, and eventually Toph caught up to it too.

One night after diner she pulled you into her room, closed the door and said “Listen, Snow queen, I’m kinda tired of your heart going crazy every time mister flaming pants is around so you either get over your little crush, tell him how you feel or I will personally snitch on you directly to him, understood?” You didn’t even have the guts to deny it to her, specially since she’d know if you were lying, so you just heavily sighed and looked at the floor. She must’ve felt bad for you cause she took your hand and dragged you to sit on her bed to interrogate you about the situation.

“Out of anyone you could’ve ended up liking I never saw this one coming” she told you taking a seat on the opposite side of the bed

“Don’t get me started” you threw yourself back to the bed and stared at the ceiling for a second before speaking again “Like how dumb do I have to be to crush on someone who isn’t only probably the busiest man on all kingdoms right now, but also royalty and... well Zuko. He would never like a girl like me and even if he did, he probably has to end up with a princess or something.”

“I’m not letting you drown in a pity party here, ok?” Toph pulled your wrist and forced you to sit back up and look at her. “He’s lucky a girl as decent as you is willing to put up with that temper of his and how annoying he can get. Now what are you gonna do about it?”

“Nothing?” You replied in a low voice not taking a second to think about it. Toph punched you in the arm in response “Hey, what was that for?”

“What I said before still stands, I can’t deal with you being all flustered every time he’s around, so get over it or tell him how you feel.” She spat and all you could do was grunt and throw yourself back into the bed

So you were gonna get over it then. Easy task. Never done anything easier before.

It wasn’t.

Turns out that by trying to avoid Zuko at all costs you ended up stumbling into him even more. Around the corners, in the hallways, everywhere. The plan was to just avoid him as much as possible until eventually your feelings faded away, you couldn’t have a crush on someone you didn’t even see right? Wrong. Even when you weren’t around Zuko he was still on your mind. You tried to go to the palace library and distract yourself with literature, but reading romance books only made you feel more miserable and the only other option there was were war strategy books which you weren’t very interested in. The next distraction you chose was gardening, you loved nature and you were a water bender, it was the perfect task you thought, but once again you were wrong. You turned out to be such a bad gardener, Kya who was the one in charge of the royal gardens (and who was the sweetest lady) ended up banning you from messing with her flowers ever again. The last thing you could think of to stay away from Zuko was feeding the turtle ducks. It seemed like a good idea and on the few occasions you’d been in the pond before, the little animals seemed to be very fond of you. You couldn’t mess this one up, anyone could feed the ducks, but there was a little problem as it seemed to be the theme of that day, the Fire lord had forgotten to tell you that the pond was his place of choice when he needed to clear his head.

You didn’t even notice he was there until you heard his voice behind you. “Keep feeding them like this and they’ll get obese”

You jumped a bit out of surprise and turned around to face him with your palm pressed to your chest. “Spirits, Zuko, don’t do that to me, you’re gonna kill me one of these days” It was a bright and sunny day, the heat of the Fire nation weather made his face glimmer a little, his hair was up held by the royal Fire lord hair piece and he was wearing a version of his formal attire made for a hotter weather, leaving his muscly arms on display. As soon as you realized you were staring once again, you turned your attention back to the pond in an attempt to hide the blush that was slowly conquering your cheeks.

He took a sit next to you and waited a couple seconds before breaking the silence. “Hey... um... I don’t know if this is just me but you’ve been acting weird lately, is everything ok?” He asked looking at you.

“Everything is fine, definitely just you.” you replied not taking your eyes away from the shining water of the pond. The ducks had grown tired of waiting for you to keep feeding them and swam away.

“I... don’t think so. You didn’t come to breakfast today, everytime we’re together you seem to wanna leave as soon as possible and right now you can’t even look at me.” He paused before taking in a deep breath. “Did... did I do something to upset you?”

You finally turned around to look at him and the look you saw in his eyes was heartbreaking. Ever since he joined Team Avatar, Zuko had been making a huge effort to be good. You could see how sometimes he struggled to pick being kind and gentle over being erratic and explosive, and you also knew that had a lot to do with his childhood. But he had been doing such a good job at it, specially since he became Fire lord, he was so much more friendly, better at socializing and overall improving. And right now it was clear to you that you had made him feel like he was failing at being a good person and he’d somehow messed up with you.

You turned your body around slightly and put a reassuring hand on his knee before saying “Oh, Zuko, no. You haven’t done anything and I’m not upset at you, I mean that. It’s just...” coming up with lies and excuses had always been your strong point but having Zuko there making you ridiculously nervous wasn’t a factor that helped. “I.. uh...I’m getting a little homesick, you know? With Toph gone most of the day and you busy, I’ve been feeling a little melancholic about my home, but it’s nothing I promise. I’m just trying to find something to do with my time.” You we’re impressed with yourself with this one, it actually sounded pretty convincing.

You thought you had the situation handled until Zuko spoke again a few seconds later. “Y/N, I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized until now with all the chaos of being Fire lord but I asked you to stay here and represent the Northern Water tribe and I haven’t even given you time out of my day. I haven’t been the best host, have I?” Before you could even reply he widened his eyes and said “I have an idea, tomorrow I’ll take the day off and we can go on a small field trip to this cabin my family has on the ourskirts of town, there are some nice fields and it’s very peaceful, we’ll have a picnic lunch there and just relax. You can even ask Toph to come with. How does that sound?”

He looked at you expectantly and you started to look for reasons to turn him down, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. It was true that you hadn’t had much time to spend with him ever since he took his position, and in all honesty, crush or not you really did miss him. Your weakness for him won the battle and you ended up accepting the plan saying it was a great idea. The regent stood up from his place and assuring you he’d have everything ready for the next day he left.

You really had messed up this time.

—————

The next morning you put on a flowy, flower-print dress. It was classy but at the same time comfortable and light enough to handle the summer weather. You had nervously been looking at yourself in the mirror for way too long now. Before dinner the past night you at least had hopes that Toph would come with to the field trip and she would help you contain yourself when it came to Zuko, but of course that wasn’t the case. When he had brought the topic up at the table Toph limited herself to look at you knowingly and say “You know what? I happen to be very busy tomorrow, you know, I’m trying to get a name for myself in the Fire nation’s fighting scene and I have a fight tomorrow, sorry.” You knew she was lying because she had told you about her fight but instead of the next day it was three days from then. All you could do was look at the little devil and make sure you wrote a mental note of getting back at her as soon as you could.

So here you were, minutes ago from embarking in a field trip with the person you were supposed to avoid, and you had no idea how you were gonna get out of this one.

A knock on your door startled you and took you out of your worrying thoughts. A few seconds later a maid’s head popped in as she said “Lady Y/N, Firelord Zuko and the carriage are ready for you.” You took a deep breath and walked towards the door while replying with a soft “Thank you, Yun”

The carriage waited for you in front of the palace and so did Zuko. He was already inside, sheltering himself from the unforgiving sun, so you startled him when you hopped inside. “Y/N, you look...nice” he complimented you, a faint blush running through his cheeks making him gain a more childish and youthful look.

“Thank you, Zuko. Likewise.” You responded attempting to stay as calm as you could. You hated that he had so much power over you.

He ordered for you to be in your way before the carriage started moving swiftly. Your eyes flowed to the window, looking out at the capital city of the Fire nation. “You’ve done a great job leading this people. They look... so happy.” You drew your eyes back at Zuko as he stared at you. It was you who was starting to blush now.

“I hope so. I’ve done everything I’m capable of to change the old ways of this nation. I hope I’m making the right choices.” A worrisome look took over his eyes as he let his own attention drift towards the streets.

“Hey” you called to him as you stretched your hand to cover his. “You’re doing just fine Zuko. You’ve done so much for these people and all the other nations as well, I’m sure you’ll do even more good.”

He faintly smiled at you as a response and you could tell that although he did worry about the future, your reassurance helped.

The rest of the ride was spent pointing out the animals you saw on the road, sharing childhood stories about when Zuko and his mom used to come here when they both needed to get away from everything, and a bit of teasing about how Zuko had no idea what to pack for a picnic and had to ask the head chef of the kitchen for help. Luckily you had become friends with chef Karou in the time you’d been living in the palace and he knew your taste rather well.

When you finally arrived there was no sight of the usual movement and noise proper of a big city, the air was filled with the peculiar scent of flowers you couldn’t recognize just yet and grass. In the distance at your left you could see a small cattle of Hippo cows and Komodo chickens. And at your right a long field of grass and flowers that seemed to go up in a small and almost unnoticeable hill.

You and Zuko stepped down the carriage just as a guard handed him the picnic basket. The tall regent turned to you and ordered “Follow me, I wanna show you something”. You did as you were told, being led by him all the way up the hill until you were at the very top. When the two of you got there your breath was taken away by the beautiful view you had in front of you. A huge field of flowers layed gracefully at the end of the hill and extended far enough that it connected to the horizon.

“This is...” you started but were so taken aback by the view you didn’t finish your sentence.

Zuko seemed to understand regardless and replied “I know.” Behind you he started to set up a cloth for the two of you to sit on. You forced yourself to remove your attention from the field and place it on what was going on behind you. Taking a seat on the opposite end of the cloth you helped him take out all the items chef Karou had packed for you. When you were done you looked at Zuko and said “Thanks for this. It’s really nice.”

“No need to thank me, I’ve been leaving you alone so much time lately. I know aside from Toph I’m pretty much all you have here so take this as a ‘Sorry I’ve been a terrible friend’ offering.” He smiled wide expecting you to do the same but that smile faded away as soon as he saw the expression on your face.

‘Friend’

The word echoed in your head as your eyes dropped to the food you had in front of you. Of course he saw you as a friend. You had almost convinced yourself you should confess your feelings to him and he goes on to call himself your friend. A knot in your throat started to form and you did your best to show it as little as you could. But you obviously failed.

“Everything ok?” Zuko asked tilting his head to catch your eyes.

You looked up and faked a smile. “Yeah... just thinking how far we’ve come.” You lied through your teeth before continuing. “Anyways, enough of all the cheesiness, I’m starving.”

“Agreed” He replies picking up something for himself. You chose a small salty biscuit with a mix of meats on top and decided to distract yourself with it. “Chef Karou said you’d like that one. He also said you hated onions and peas. What type of weirdo hates peas?”

You chuckled a little, the feeling that oppressed your chest fading away quickly. “I do. They’re disgusting and if you like them I don’t trust you.”

Zuko laughed loudly before remarking “Its not like I like them, Y/N. It’s just a weird thing to be picky over. They’re peas, they don’t really taste like anything.”

You widened your eyes and quickly swallowed the bite of biscuit you had taken. “What do you mean they don’t taste like anything? They taste disgusting and they are mushy and just... gross”

Zuko replies with another laugh. His laugh made you feel warm inside, it could make you forget about everything, Toph’s threats, your previous plans and even the now faint voice poking the back of your mind telling you to be careful or you’d get your heart broken.

The two of you kept eating and chattering at the same time. You’d finished the salty food and it came time for the desert. Chef Karou had made a type of cake and stored it inside a small glass jar. You tried opening the lid but it was too hard. You heard Zuko in front of you offering you help but you refused it telling him you could do it on your own. After a couple minutes of struggling , Zuko took your deep sigh as a sign of defeat and scooted closer to you. “Here, let me.” He took the jar from your hands and quickly opened the lid, handing it back to you. You looked up expecting to find a smug smirk that felt way to familiar to you at this point but instead you found his serious face dangerously close to yours.

You took the jar back and set in down. “Thanks” you muttered softly and quietly. His only response was to slowly but firmly raise a hand up to your face to put away a strand of hair that had fallen. His touch sent shivers down your spine. All thoughts of caution escaped your mind as you felt his face so close you could feel his warm breath mixing with yours. The tension between you seemed to almost be to much to handle when you thought you saw Zuko lean in a little. Before anything else could happen, one of the guards that had come with and stayed back where the carriage was spoke. “Firelord Zuko”

The golden eyed boy dropped his hand from your face and turned around to face the guard. “Have they not taught you to not interrupt people when they’re talking privately?”

“I am very sorry, Firelord.” The guard bowed in sign of respect. “But we have just received a messenger hawk with a letter from the palace. The Avatar and you other friends are here.”

[reinerispretty]

Hello!! I am absolutly in love with Rotations and I'm always so hyped to see another chapter posted! Zuko working at the tea shop was my favorite part of book 2 and I'd love to request maybe a Zuko x reader where the reader was a peasant girl who stumbled into the tea shop one day and loved the tea and talking to Zuko she kept coming back and with each visit and conversation with Zuko he starts to fall for her, maybe even takes her on a date? Either way I hope you have a wonderful day!

thank you so much for requesting this and for reading rotations!! i really love this request :) 

---

(Y/N) had, quite literally, stumbled into the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop one day. She hadn’t meant to; but there had been some traffic happening outside of the tea shop (something about cabbages? she couldn’t quite catch everything) and somehow she had gotten physically pushed into the establishment. Its attendees stared down at her and she instantly felt embarrassed and out of place. It was obvious that the kind of people who came here were government officials and wealthy aristocrat. (Y/N) was neither of those things. 

She stood quickly and turned on her foot to make her way out. “Wait!” A jolly voice called out to her. She turned to see an old man standing behind her, a menu in his hand and a big smile on his face. “Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! Please, have a seat!” Before she could say no, the man guided her over to an empty table and practically forced her to sit down. “What kind of mood are you in today?” 

“Uh-”

“Perfect! I know just the tea to get.” He snatched the menu away from her hands and moved back into the kitchen to prepare her tea. (Y/N) felt a bit disoriented. She wasn’t quite sure what just happened, but she assumed now she would have to buy tea. 

The old man came back to the table with a kettle of tea and a teacup. “My name is Mushi,” he told her as he poured her tea. “I gave you Oolong tea today. You seem like an Oolong girl.” 

“I’ll drink any tea,” she said with a smile, taking the hot cup into her hands and sipping. It burned her tongue but the flavor was so nice that she didn’t care. “This is really good!” 

“Only the best at the Jasmine Dragon!” Mushi smiled. “What is your name?” 

“I’m (Y/N),” she said. “I’ve never seen this shop before. Are you new?” 

“We’ve been around for a few weeks,” A younger, dark haired boy cut in from the table across from her. He rubbed it clean and had his eyes trained very intensely on the table. 

“That’s my nephew, Lee. Not much of a talker.” 

“That’s okay. I’m sure I could talk enough for the both of us.” She finished her cup of tea and stood. “I should get going, but I’ll definitely be back. How much for the tea?” 

“First time is free,” Mushi said. “But it’s so good, you’ll keep coming back.” She giggled. 

“Bye, Mushi! It was very nice meeting you.” She hesitated at the door before calling out, “Bye, Lee!” 

(Y/N) returned the next day and asked Mushi to surprise her. Lee set down a kettle and teacup on her table. 

“It’s green tea.” He said, before turning to walk away. 

“Is it your favorite?” 

“No.” He walked away to help another customer. That was the extent of their conversation on that day. 

Every day, (Y/N) returned, and every day she tried to get the quiet boy with the scar to talk to her more. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to know him as more than the boy that served her tea sometimes. She thought that underneath all of that lack of emotion, he might have an interesting story to tell. 

Zuko did not like the girl that kept coming to the tea shop. And it wasn’t because she annoyed him, because she didn’t, or because she was rude, because she wasn’t. Zuko didn’t like her because he found her to be too easy to talk to. From the first day he met her, he wanted to share a cup of tea with her and blurt out his entire life story. That was incredibly dangerous, and therefore made her incredibly dangerous. He tried his best to brush her off, to make it obvious that he didn’t want to talk to her, but she kept coming back!

“You’re relentless,” Zuko said to her one day when she was the only one in the shop. She looked up from her teacup, surprised that he was actually initiating conversation for once. 

“Me?” She asked, looking around at the empty shop. “Are you talking to me?” 

“Is there anyone else here?” He winced. Maybe he had said that a bit too harshly.

To his surprise, she laughed. “Do you think you could take a break for a bit and sit with me? You could have some of my tea! It’s Jasmine today.” 

Zuko begrudgingly sat at her table. She poured him a cup and slid it over to him. “I think Jasmine is my favorite so far. It’s just so fragrant!” 

“It’s my favorite,” Zuko said as he sipped his tea. She smiled at him again. Why did she keep smiling? He didn’t think he had seen anyone smile as much as she did. 

“Thanks for sitting with me. I’ve been trying to get you to do it for weeks now.” 

“Why?” She shrugged. 

“I wanted to talk to you. So!” She leaned forward on her elbows, propping her chin up on her hand. “Tell me about you.” 

“Uh...what do you want to know?” 

“Only your deepest darkest secrets.” The surprised expression on his face made her giggle. “I’m kidding! How about...what’s your favorite color?” 

“Orange.” 

“Ooh, interesting! Why’s that?” 

“The fire lilies, in the Fire Nation. They’re orange.” He panicked, trying to come up with an excuse for why he had said what he did. “I’ve seen them in a lot of books.” 

She hummed in agreement, nodding. “I’ve seen Fire Lilies in books, too. I think I’d like to see them in person one day, if this war ever ends.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Oh, shoot! I really have to go, I’m sorry!” She scrambled around in her coin purse to find the exact amount to pay for her tea. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. She smiled in thanks before leaving. 

They continued like that for a while. She would come in and, if Zuko wasn’t busy, he’d join her. He had learned a lot about her from their little meetings. Like how she was the oldest of five children. Her father was a bender who was off fighting in the war. She couldn’t bend, but she loved watching others do it. 

“I’d love to see a waterbender in action!” She had said one day. “I think it’s one of the most beautiful forms of bending. Don’t you?” 

Zuko shrugged. “I guess.” She continued talking about her family and her life within Ba Sing Se. Zuko didn’t say much during their conversations, but he preferred it that way. He loved hearing her speak. He didn’t think it was possible to enjoy someone else’s voice, but here he was, hanging onto every word that she said. 

“Would you like to come with me?” 

Zuko blinked. He had been so focused on hearing her voice that he hadn’t been listening for the past few seconds. “What?” 

“To the festival! It’ll be so fun. Please?” She stared at him, her eyes bright and shiny, and well, how could he say no to a face like that?

“Okay,” he said, standing to take another customer’s order. She blinked at him in surprise. 

“I wasn’t really expecting you to say yes.” 

“Do you not want me to go?” 

“Of course I do! Meet me in front of the shop tonight, okay?” Zuko didn’t respond, but she knew he would show. 

He hadn’t expected to actually have fun at the festival. It was full of people and vendors and dancing monkeys, but (Y/N) held his hand tightly as she weaved through the crowd. She had to lean in close to his ear to talk to him and the closeness of her voice made a chill go down his back. 

“They’ve got some of the best popcorn here! You have to try some!” 

They purchased their popcorn and sat on the ledge of the fountain, watching as the festival occurred around them. Lights had been strung up in celebration and earthbenders created clay molds of animals for children. (Y/N) dug a handful of popcorn out of the bag and offered it to Zuko. He took a piece and munched happily. 

“Do they have celebrations like this back where you’re from?” 

Zuko shrugged. “Sometimes, I think. It’s hard to remember them.” 

She nodded, taking another handful of popcorn and shoving it into her mouth. “You know, I don’t want you to feel pressured to tell me where you’re from. But, if it happens to be a place that rhymes with Smire Dation, I won’t be upset.” 

Zuko turned to stare at her. His eyes were wide with surprise. “You wouldn’t?” 

She shook her head. “No. I know that the nation doesn’t define the people.” 

“What gave me away?” 

“The comment on the fire lilies was pretty obvious.” 

“So you knew this whole time and you just kept it to yourself?” She nodded. 

“You and your uncle have a great thing going here. It’s not my business to ruin it and it doesn’t seem like you’re hurting anyone, except maybe Mrs. Fong but that’s just because she can’t wait for her tea to--” And then right at that moment, Zuko did something that surprised even himself. 

He kissed her. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t help himself. He never thought that another person could be so kind. 

When they pulled back, (Y/N) smiled. “I liked that.” 

Zuko looked away and blushed. She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers between his. “More popcorn?” 

---