#this isn't about howl's moving castle in particular

[encrucijada]

read a chapter of howl's moving castle for the first time in like a month. mental health restored

[harzilla]

So I got two asks related to the lost sibling AU and I decided to put them together. Nothing is set in stone in this AU.

In the famous words of Bartok the bat, Can only end in tears!

If we're talking the bioparents/bio family then a lot of them are shocked, thrilled, even in tears. The reactions vary depending on the family.

🌹Riddle struggles with actually telling his mother. His relationship with his mother is extremely complicated. He just had his entire world view turned upside down and coming to realize his mother has been abusive, and on top of that he finds out that he nearly killed his twin. It takes a long time for Riddle to finally tell his mother and Yuu's there to support him. The two hold hands as Riddle reveals the truth to their mother along with the DNA test that proves they're a match. Riddle's mother immediately going with the idea of Yuu moving back home and learning to be a proper Roseheart. Maybe even hating Yuu's adopted family and thinking they kidnapped Yuu. It's just snowballs into this huge fight between Riddle, Yuu, and their mother. It takes a long, long time before the relationship between parent and children is repaired.

🦁 The second ask specifically talks about Leona's family. While I think it was never stated if Farena was there(but let's just say he was), we know Cheka was. Cheka is, absolutely thrilled. "Who's this? You're a lion beastman too? Are you from the sunset savannah? You look a lot like Papa and Unca!" Leona pulling him off Yuu and grumbling at Cheka for overwhelming them. When Farena finds out he almost charges into the infirmary but Leona keeps him out. Yuu's been through enough already, they don't need to be dealing with Farena too. It isn't until Cloud Calling that Leona FINALLY introduced Yuu to his family in person and only because Yuu asks him to. He has no interest in dragging Yuu into the royal mess of his life and he's willing to ignore summons from his brother to do it. Farena's thrilled of course but Yuu's not exactly happy seeing the way Leona has been treated by the people he should be able to trust. Leona actually has to reel Yuu back from their anger towards Farena, Kifaji, and everybody else. Farena's feelings are mixed but he's happy to realize that Leona has somebody who genuinely sees him for himself. He realizes Leona's closer to Yuu in the short time he's known them, then he is to Farena.

Oh man. So I headcanon, at least in this AU, that mer mamas are fiercely protective of their kids and bigger then their male counterparts. I think Azul's mama and the twin's mama would both show up at the school because, hell or high water they are going to meet their long lost child! No noisy crowman is gonna stop them!

🦈🐬 The twins mama in particular is downright scary. Imagine this really tall lady showing up at NRC. She's really nice to the kids but when she meets Crowley she gets that look on her face and tone and ohh yes, now you realize that she's far more scary then the twins if she wants to be. She squeezes the twins excited to see them but they absolutely have to bring her to Yuu. I see it like when Sophie and her mom are reunited in Howl's moving castle. Excitedly yelling "my baby!" While practically tackling Yuu, crying her eyes out. Holding Yuu's face and bombarding them with questions. Were you taken care of? You look so small! Were you being fed enough? Do we need to send you an allowance? These clothes look dreadful we must get you a new wardrobe. Worried Mama mode activated. Mama bought ready to drag Yuu home but compromises by Yuu coming home during spring break. At least it gives them time to prepare Yuu's room.

🐍 Now, Jamil's family is probably the only ones who actually don't know. Jamil is willing to bury the fact that Yuu is his sibling because, he realizes that if he tells the truth, he's potentially locking Yuu into a lifetime of servitude. There's only a few people on campus who know the truth. Kalim absolutely knows but he promised Jamil he wouldn't reveal it, but it's like how he was willing to fight against Jade's UM because his conviction to keeping Jamil's UM hidden is that strong. Kalim would love to see the two being siblings openly, but he still tries in his own Kalim way

👑 Ohh, this one's interesting. So we know zero things about Vil's mother. So, in this AU, Vil's father Eric used a surrogate. The thing is, the surrogate hid the fact she was pregnant with twins(listen if Lilia can just find a baby and people are chill with it then we can headcanon how adoption and surrogacy works in Twst). Carefully orchestrating it so Eric only knew about one baby. Thus when the twins were born she handed over Vil and disappeared with Yuu. Nobody can track down this woman or the other baby. Eric and Vil never even knew another baby existed. So, imagine Eric's surprise when Vil calls him after book 6 asking if his father knew about a second child. Yuu finally getting to meet Eric in person, and he apologized to Yuu because he didn't get to see them grow up. Eric asking Yuu if it's okay for him to be part of their life. Probably one of the few times Vil has seen his father cry and possibly vice versa.

💀 Cue another excited mama. Oh Idia wants to not involve Yuu in the mess that is the Shroud family curse. But kind of hard, when their hair ignited into the signature shroud flaming hair during Idia's overblot in the middle of S.T.Y.X. She's so absolutely excited that she's trying to ask Yuu 100 different questions, you mean to tell me the Shroud curse didn't developed in Yuu until almost adulthood? Mama is very interested to know about Yuu and their life. Idia almost pities Yuu and Ortho's so excited because his family is all together again! Papa Shroud is much calmer at least.

🐉 Oh I've delved a lot into Malleus and Yuu. I was actually thinking what if... during book 7 when they're in the memories and meet Maleanor. What if she orders everybody to leave except for Yuu. Yuu's so confused because this woman before them feels so familiar, they just watched her nearly strike everybody down with lighting while she yelled at them but the vibe is completely different now. Maleanor being surprisingly gentle with Yuu. Through whatever magic it may be, Maleanor can tell. Yuu crying because Maleanor calls them her precious hatchling and tells them how much they've grown. It's after Malleus' overblot that Yuu finally gets to meet Maleficia. Maleficia who says that Yuu truly looks so much like Revern. Maleficia who welcomes Yuu home.

[kodydrs]

- make ‘em jealous

a/n : WHERE MY BLUE LOCK BABES AT?? This is a one-shot I wrote abt 2 years ago and it was originally on Wattpad but got removed 😭 I do hope it gets love on here

warnings : cheating!reader, cheating!Rin, aged up!Rin, oral (m. receiving), p in v, riding, cheating, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, not proofread, I’m bad at tagging

Y/n & Rin had dated for nearly a year when she caught him. 1 week off their 1st anniversary. She just wouldn't have expected such a thing to happen with Rin.

'Rin?' Y/n called from the door. After dating for 11 months, Y/n had learned it was usually OK to let herself in. Rin's parents had even gone through the extra work to get her an extra key. 'Rin?'

She took off her shoes and left them at the door, walking onto the carpet in her socks. The house was silent, except for the Itoshi family cat which brushed against her legs.

'Hello, hun.' Y/n cooed, picking up the black feline. 'Where's daddy at?' The cat meowed quietly and headbutted her chin. 'Well, that isn't very helpful.'

Y/n laughed, kissing the cat's head before putting it back down on the carpet. The cat meowed again and walked down the hall towards Rin's room. Y/n smiled, following the animal. As she got closer to Rin's room, she could hear the quiet shuffling of fabric and that confused her. 'What's he doing?' Without a sound, she peered through the crack of his door, her heart dropping and blood running cold. F/n? F/n with Rin? Y/n grabbed her mouth to prevent noise from coming out and she watched silently. Watched as her best friend made out with her boyfriend.

She felt sick. It wasn't until she saw F/n straddle his waist that she finally looked away.

'Fuck. Fuck. What the fuck is going on?' She shook her head as if it would erase what she saw. As if it was just something she was imagining.

'Fuck… Rin~' Y/n's whole body froze hearing her friend moan.

'That dumb bastard.' Y/n looked up, seeing Sae standing at the bottom of the stairs. 'I told him she had to keep her out today.'

'Y-You knew?' Y/n whispered. Sae nodded.

'She's been coming around for a few weeks now. Usually when you're away for school trips or he's at some soccer event.'

'So this isn't the first time?'

Sae shook his head. 'Nope.'

Y/n sworn you could've seen her heart shatter. But she stood up, wiped her face, and with every intention of interrupting them, she turned to their door. She didn't make it because Sae grabbed her waist and pushed her against the wall on the other side of the hall.

'S-Sae? What are you doing?' She still whispered, but a hint of urgency in her tone.

'Don't let them know you're here. Let Rin do his thing. It's his problem.'

'So you think I should just let them have sex as if I'm not even here?! That sounds like a mighty fine idea.'

Sae leaned down till she could feel his breath on her ear. 'Make him jealous.' A shiver spiked down her neck.

'W-what do you mean?' She stuttered.

'You know what I mean.' He whispered, gently kissing her neck. She sighed, her back arching so her ass pressed against his crotch. The soft groan that came from his mouth was ecstasy. 'Let's go upstairs.'

Y/n nodded, following him quietly. Sae's room was different from Rin's, although it had the same design. While Rin's room was overloaded with soccer, Sae had minimalistic posters of artists and movies. Y/n noticed 2 posters in particular that she liked the most. It was a poster of the band, TV Girl, and one of Howl’s Moving Castle. Sae wasn't exactly the type of person you'd expect to have photos of bands and films, but it was a nice touch.

'Do you like their music?' Sae asked after noticing her staring at the poster a little too long. She nodded with a smile.

'They’re an amazing band. And Howl is a beautiful boy.' She smiled. Something about this room made her forget about her problems downstairs.

'Do you like beautiful boys, Y/n?' Sae leaned against his door frame while Y/n was on the bed. She blushed pink but nodded.

'I think most people are pretty in their own way, but there's a few that cut above the rest. just happens to be one of them.'

'Mhmm. Is Rin a pretty boy?'

She hesitated, thinking about what she saw downstairs. 'No. He was, but people lose their beauty if they lose their respect.'

Sae nodded, walking over to Y/n and caging her between his arms. 'So am I a pretty boy?'

She didn't have time to answer before he pressed his lips on her. She reciprocated his movements, both falling into sync. Y/n gripped the hem of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. She could've sworn Sae smiled.

They parted eventually and Y/n looked up at the red-head. 'Do you want me to blow you?' Sae's expression remained calm and he shrugged.

'If you want to.'

Y/n nodded, switching positions with Sae so he was sitting on the bed and she was in front of him. She patiently sat in her knees with her hands gently resting on her lap while Sae undid his jeans.

Y/n swallowed hard when his erection sprung out. He was longer than Rin, but they were about the same in girth.

'It may seem embarrassing to admit, but I do live with Rin, so I know I'm bigger.' Sae said, the usual softness to his voice as if he were talking about the weather.

She nodded, a sign she was agreeing with him. She shuffled forwards and placed her hands on either side of his pelvis before sucking on his tip. Sae watched, admiring her when she started taking more of him.

Y/n hollowed out her cheeks and relaxed her throat each time she took more of Sae's member into her mouth. She could already tell it would hurt her gag reflex, but she could ignore that for now. All she could focus on was Sae.

He moved a hand down to the side of her head and tucked the fly-aways behind her ear. He left his hand there, not forcing her to take more, but to steady her.

Her nose skimmed his crotch and she started moving back and forth. Sae sighed at the feeling of his cock moving down her throat, hot and wet.

Y/n wasn't your typical off the streets whore. She knew how to give a proper blow job. Sometimes she gets creative, going in different rhythms or humming at exactly the right time to send the vibration. She was changing up this time. Instead of constantly taking as much of him as she could, she would slowly reduce how much you had until she would just be lapping at the time before thrusting herself back down and starting again. This was driving Sae mad.

'Y/n…' He groaned. 'You're such a pretty girl.' She hummed, the vibrations making him flinch. 'Such a pretty girl.'

He gently pulled her off, leaning down to her level. 'Will you be a good girl as well and ride me?'

She stared at him, her lips glistening with saliva and pre-cum, but nodded. Sae moved back so he was leaning against the headboard and watched Y/n remove her sweats.

She stood at the end of the bed for a minute before moving next to Sae and straddling his waist. She clenched her lower areas when his cock hit her ass. She carefully lifted herself above him, then slowly let herself down. Her pupils dilated and she bit her lip to suppress a moan.

'You alright?' Sae asked, cupping her face. She nodded.

'It just hurts a little.' She winced. 'So just give me a minute.' Sae was patient. He didn't make her move or do anything she didn't want to. He just waited, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

'You're doing amazing, Y/n.' He whispered. She smiled and began moving. A jolt sent her whole body in shock when she went down.

'It's too fucking big.'

Sae threaded their hands together, continuing to kiss her hand while she squeezed his.

'Fuck~' She sighed, playing with her shirt hem with her free hand. 'It's hot.'

Sae picked up what she'd put down and shimmied his hands up her side. Her shirt followed, the male tossing it somewhere in the room.

'You look pretty hot like this, Y/n.'

'Mhm?' She hummed. Her stomach felt so tight. She looked down at Sae. 'Take your shirt off. It's unfair that I'm here ass-naked while you still have your clothes on.'

Sae laughed. It was a rare sight to see either of the Itoshi brothers laughing, but it was even rarer for Y/n to see Sae laugh. He obliged, pulling off his shirt and throwing it with hers. She took a minute to admire his anatomy before moaning loudly when he hit her sweet spot.

'Hmm? There, is it?' He grunted, gripping her waist. Y/n wasn't prepared when Sae thrust up into her, making her moan loudly. She was quick to cover her mouth, hoping that anyone else in the house hadn't heard.

'Are you embarrassed, Y/n?' Sae smirked. 'Are you embarrassed that Rin might hear you doing it up here with me?'

She shook her head quickly. 'N-No. He deserves it if he hears me.' Sae chuckled softly. He held her waist tighter and flipped them so he was on top of her.

'You won't mind me making you scream then, will you?' She gulped.

Sae Itoshi was known for his flawless appearance and cold personality. Y/n had realized after not long being around him that his personality was more of a lukewarm temperature. But seeing and hearing him now. The words that came from his mouth. Suddenly he was as hot as the sun.

Y/n leaned up, kissing him slowly while he thrust into her cunt. Rough moans and grunts mixed in their mouths, both feeling their climaxes building. She'd long forgotten about her boyfriend fucking her bestfriend downstairs. Now, her attention was only on the male inside her.

Sae had caged her in, one hand on the headboard while the other was beside her head. She'd wrapped her legs around his waist to help him focus on that one spot, and her nails scratched at his back, leaving marks that'd be red for the next few days.

Her back arched off the bed as she whimpered into his mouth. She pulled away. 'Fuck. Fuck. Sae. I'm gonna cum.' She moaned.

'Just a little longer, OK?' He asked, stroking the side of her face. She nodded shakily.

'P-Please don't cum inside.' Y/n begged. He nodded.

'Of course not.' She smiled lowly, resting her head on the pillow and focusing on delaying her climax.

She gathered handfuls of the sheets beneath her, her whole body being shaken from the inside when she came. She felt Sae pull out and cum on her stomach a few seconds after. Her vision went white momentarily, but when she came to, she stared up at him with hooded-eyes. He kissed her slow and gentle before getting up and retrieving a warm cloth to clean her up.

'Hey, Sae.' Y/n whispered, lying on the bed.

'Hmm?'

'You're a really pretty boy.'

He scoffed, helping her sit up and get dressed.

'Whatever you say, Y/n.'

A few hours later, Y/n and Sae sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee while talking about whatever when Rin and F/n came out laughing.

'Hey, Rin.' Y/n welcomed joyfully. Both froze, staring at her with shock. Rin looked from her to Sae and back to her.

'Y-Y/n. I thought you had classes today?' He stuttered.

'I did. But I finished and I've been here for about 3 hours.' She smiled behind him at her best friend before taking a sip from her mug.

'Oh. Ok.' Rin couldn't come up with a lie. He's put himself into a hole. 'F/n was just helping me with something.'

'Mhm.' Y/n nodded, placing her cup on the table. 'Was that something your raging boner?'

Both flushed red. Y/n just smiled. 'I'm breaking up with you, Rin.'

'What?! You can't do that!'

'I can do whatever I want.'

'Y/n.' F/n finally spoke. 'Please don't break up with him. I don't know what I was thinking. You guys are way too perfect for each other to break up.'

Y/n stood up and walked over to her friend, taking her hands. 'It's OK, F/n. You can have him. At the end of the day, I got the better Itoshi.' She winked and moved back to her seat.

Both Rin and F/n stood speechless, Rin staring at Sae. Y/n finished her cup and murmured, asking Sae if he was done with his. He nodded and she took both cups over and rinsed them.

'Anyways, I think that's me for the day. I'll let you 2 sort it out yourselves. Oh, and F/n?'

'Y-Yes.'

'Don't ever talk to me again ♡.'

Y/n left the house and walked down their street before turning back to see Sae standing on his balcony.

'See ya next time, Pretty Boi.' She shouted.

'It's bold of you to assume there'll be a next time.' Sae grinned. Y/n shrugged. She was his problem now.

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Just watched Howl's Moving Castle for the first time last night and I have thoughts! Specifically on Howl's living space, which represents a lot about him as a character.

When we first meet Howl, his house is a shambling mess. The inside is in total disarray, and only a child (Markl) is left to care for it. Howl gave up his heart when he was a child, so in a sense, Markl is a representation of Howl--a child that has to look older than he is, overwhelmed by his responsibilities and feeling quietly abandoned. The state of the house makes that very clear: it's too much for Markl (and Howl) to handle.

The castle also illustrates Howl's facade, hiding his depressive tendencies. It has many entrances, the outsides of which are well-kept and presentable, but false; the buildings which the house occupies are actually ramshackle and ruined. Inside the house, there's a mess that is never cleaned--dirty dishes, filthy bathrooms, dust and cobwebs--which may well occur when someone is depressed. And since the house is deeply tied to Howl, this is also a reflection of how Howl sees himself: beautiful on the outside, disgusting on the inside.

Sophie first helps Howl by coming in (uninvited) and cleaning the inside of the house. She isn't off-put by the state of it. Howl resists some of the changes, which immediately have an effect on how he sees himself (the hair scene in particular shows how vulnerable--and childlike--he is when his space is changed), but her cleaning is what enables him to finally be open with someone about his fears. She is removing the clutter and helping the real Howl to shine through.

It's telling that the most concentrated vulnerability for Howl happens in his room. He first confesses to being a coward while snuggled up in bed (much like a child with their mother, a role which Sophie does fill for him at points). Sophie's dream vision, in which she speaks to Howl's monstrous form, also occurs in his room. These are both further indications that the house represents Howl himself; his room represents his heart (or the place where it should be).

Howl's room is cavernous and filled with many shiny trinkets. This connects to multiple aspects of his character: first, his monstrous form is based on a corvid, a type of bird which has a penchant for collecting shiny things; the trinkets he collects are flashy but empty of value, much as Howl presents himself. Second, it illustrates how Howl feels the space where his heart used to be and is compelled to try to fill it--this is clear especially in Sophie's dream, where dark tunnels stretch back into blackness and trinkets line the walls. Nothing Howl collects can really fill the hole within him. In fact, the only thing which takes up space in the tunnels is himself--a monster, hiding in the darkest recesses. He feels that deep down he is the monster he fears himself to be, so he collects things to cover it up and put on a show.

This is also why Howl's castle is made up of so many parts, shambling along. His instinct is to collect and to cover, almost hoarding whatever he can find. These things also happen to be everyone else's leftovers. (It's telling that even the people who end up with Howl seem to be outcasts or forgotten. We don't even know how Markl comes to be with him.)

This touches on the underlying reason Howl is the way he is, as we see at the end of the movie: he has felt abandoned by everyone in his life. It's implied that Howl gave up his heart because carrying it was too heavy: he was alone, without companionship, without anyone to value and love him. This created a deep feeling of inadequacy, which makes him both compulsively collect things, and preemptively push people away.

But Sophie, sitting alone in the hat shop, has shared that feeling and can see through it. She refuses both to abandon Howl, and to allow him to abandon himself. She removes his things and clutter, and collects people instead--people whom Howl almost immediately calls "family." And because of this, his house changes. It becomes cleaner, with her help. Calcifer becomes more cooperative. Howl adds new rooms, making space in himself for more people. But even in this, it's still a house which isn't what it seems on the outside.

So, in the end, Howl's home is destroyed--and rebuilt--just like Howl himself. He is completely broken down by what he's had to do, and he collapses on the last remnants of his old castle, which has been increasingly falling apart the more he pushes himself. But Sophie, and the rest of the family, work together to restore him--they all see him for who he is, and all choose to stay and to help. When he accepts his heart and wakes, it is somewhat of a rebirth. And after this, his home is remade too! There is room for all of the people he loves, no longer a desperate cramming together. And his castle still moves, but he's not running away anymore. It flies, like he can, because Howl is finally free.

[kimbapisnotsushi]

some of the best/funniest moments in house of many ways, the final book in the howl's moving castle trilogy:

charmain convincing peter that waif is magical just so that he HAS to share food with her

when aunt sempronia and mrs. baker check on charmain after a few days and mrs. baker says that she feared charmain left a window open, charmain goes "no no i closed it" and then IMMEDIATELY goes, in her head, 'fuck. peter is DEFINITELY opening it'

peter nearly coming in on aunt sempronia's and mrs. baker's visit and being HORRIFIED by their "respectability" and charmain shooing him off by pretending he's waif, made even funnier when you remember that at this moment the kitchen is being invaded with angry kobolds and peter had to WAIT with them for charmain to finish

honestly the entirety of the visit had me in hysterics it was amazing

okay this isn't even funny but when you reread and realize aunt sempronia was 100% serious when she said nobody needed to fear for charmain when waif was around --

"i told them that you were in charge and they had to wait until you had finished being polite to those witches." "witches!" said charmain. "one of them was my mother!" "well, my mother's a witch," peter said. "and you only had to look at the proud one in silk to see that she was a witch."

peter getting defensive about gardening i LOVE this kid

charmain suggesting that peter sit on the trolley to find out where things disappear to when they put stuff on it

the supremely random fact that, for some reason, people of high norland are great on clocks and charmain's house itself had seventeen of them

waif running after charmain every time charmain tries to get her to stay at the house on her first day of helping the king in the library

the fact that princess hilda and the king wanted to poach HOWL?? howl jenkins pendragon??? the most pathetic cringefail man in all of ingary??? which sure they don't realize. but the idea that they want to after everything WE know is so fucking funny

sophie struggling with the butter dripping down her fingers

"charmain could not think why mrs. pendragon was staring at him in such horror. he was surely a truly enchanting child. and what long, curly eyelashes! 'with my husband and his fire demon,' mrs. pendragon finished. her face had gone fiery red, and she glared at the little boy across the toddler's head."

"i have no opinion of men's ability to manage anything." - princess hilda 2023 (or 2008, when this was published)

anyways this entire thing with 'twinkle' was fucking hilarious oh my god

SOPHIE STAMPING HER FOOT AND CALLING HOWL "disgustingly pretty" WHEN HOWL ASKS HER IF SHE THINKS HE'S PRETTY AT ALL

the whole pipe scene when charmain gets home and everything is flooded. also, charmain using a bath brush as a wand

howl sitting very politely on the roof waiting for charmain to rescue him while charmain is panicking about getting him down

THE FACT THAT HOWL IS APPARENTLY SCARED OF HEIGHTS BUT CLIMBED THE ROOF ANYWAYS JUST SO HE COULD TALK TO CHARMAIN IN PRIVATE

bakery apprentice timmy cuddling waif when charmain comes back out to the front and her thinking it means they won't be lifelong enemies after all

all the rocking horses. for protection, obviously

prince ludovic using the kobolds to steal the money from high norland and timminz going "well, nobody asked" when charmain wanted to know why he hadn't told anyone

when all the lubbockins reveal themselves and literally everything dissolves into absolute chaos, particular moments including: - the king and princess hilda shouting "not in the library!!" so imperiously that the lubbockins actually changed direction - "i had a miserable childhood, nobody loved me" and "don't listen to him it's all a pose" - morgan revealing that prince ludovic wears a wig - HOWL SWITCHING PLACES WITH MORGAN, NOT AS TWINKLE BUT HIMSELF, SO THAT LUDOVIC FINDS HIMSELF WITH AN ARMFUL OF HOT WIZARD WHO IMMEDIATELY PUNCHES HIM IN THE FACE. FUCK YEAH HOWL - to which ludovic whines "how DARE you do that!" and howl goes "bad luck" and punches him AGAIN - waif committing murder, twice

peter barreling into the room long after everything had ended and feeling quite proud of himself for finally getting some magic right, about twenty pages from the end of the book

and when he DOES come barreling in he immediately narrows in on charmain ("i knew she was making a stupid fuss, she's never sensible about things")

[louisrarepairfest]

LOUIS RARE PAIR FEST 2024

— Prompts —

[Submit a prompt you'd like to read or write here!]

🫐 The prompt can specify a particular pairing or can use Louis/Character B as the pairing.

🫐 Writers can sign up with one of these prompts or sign up with their own prompt not on this list.

🫐 Prompts will be crossed off as they are chosen during sign ups.

⬇️ Possible prompts below ⬇️

(A) Louis/Character B are uni roommates

(B) Louis/Greg James - Louis takes Clifford to a secluded park and lets him run free for a few hours. A few weeks into going to a park, a friendly dog (Barney) Louis assumes is a stray comes over by him with a stick in his mouth and Louis plays fetch. This becomes a Thing every time. Louis notices Clifford has been gaining weight and can’t figure out why. One day, Clifford doesn’t come back like he usually does. Louis goes looking for him with (Barney) trailing on his heels. He’s just about to give up when (Barney) sprints away and Louis can’t stand the thought of losing two dogs in one day so he runs after him. Cut to…Louis finding a very tall, very handsome man, very excitedly welcoming Barney back with Clifford barely looking up from the almost gone bucket of dog food said very (very) handsome man clearly brought to the park. Confusion ensues since each thinks the other’s dog was a stray. Wild accusations from Louis about Greg making Clifford fat, jokes from Greg about how Barney has taken up finding perfect sticks and running away with his best one. They fall in love and become one big happy family.

( C ) Louis/Character B are musicians vying for the role of band leader at their former high school. They went there at the same time and were rivals then too, though for a totally different reason: they both had secret crushes on one another. When I've of them learns this, it changes everything.

(D) Girl direction! Louis/Character B are star athletes on the college (you choose the) sport team. They're both on the butch side, and it takes them a while to figure out that they're into one another and don't need to femme it up to get the other to like them.

(E) Omegaverse: Alpha Louis has never questioned who he is, a strong Alpha loving Alpha who defies stereotypes. When he meets character B, a beta, he certainly doesn't expect to fall for him (and hard)

(F) Famous Louis returns to his home town for his sister's wedding. When he sees his non-famous ex-boyfriend at the first wedding event of the weekend, sparks fly. Cue a whirlwind romance and a lot of big decisions about what they're both willing to do for love.

(G) Louis is a werewolf who's gotten good at hiding his nature in order to make a quiet life for himself in a small town. Character B is the vampire whose arrival coincides with a couple of murders that threaten his peaceful existence. When it becomes clear that B isn't behind the murders, he and Louis team up to find the real culprit (and maybe accidently fall in love along the way).

(H) Louis/Liam - Bros who get married for insurance purposes and then decide divorce isn’t worth the hassle.

(i) Louis/Charlie Lightening…no plot but sex on the ping pong table. Obviously. 

(J) Louis and his bandmates/opening band let off some steam by having a circle jerk. It might turn into more for some of them.

(K) Ever since Character A was a kid they wanted to climb on a fire truck and one day they decide to just walk over to the fire station and ask if they can get on the truck. Character B is one of the firefighters.

(L) M/M Louis and Taylor Swift are rival quarterbacks for their town's 2 high school teams. Nobody knows that they've been secretly dating since sharing a NYE kiss. 

(M) Louis/Liam - everyone thinks Louis and Harry are together but it’s actually Louis and Liam

(N) Lilo hot water maintenance au based on this tumblr post

(O) Lilo Robin Hood AU

(P) Lilo Howl’s Moving Castle au

(Q) Louis and either Charlie or Nick from Heartstopper (the Netflixshow), friendship fic. Would love Louis either helping Nick through his sexuality crisis or Louis being there for Charlie through the events of the first season

(R) Omegaverse: Louis is about to turn 25 without having presented. As he debates undergoing the risky process to force a presentation, he meets Character B who helps him realize he doesn't necessarily have to "present" to be the alpha he know he is. (Omegaverse but make it trans and powerful!!)

(S) Bread van fic reimagined with all the guys in Louis' band

(T) Louis plays on the uni football team and Liam is on the athletics team. they pass each other to and from training all the time. cue attraction. they are or become friends and are secretly pining for a while before they eventually start dating

(U) Edwardian era Lilo au where they’re both working class. maybe one is a servant and one is a shop assistant, or both servants.

(V) Louis and David Dawson bond over their time with Harry

(W) Louis/Oscar Isaac- edwardian AU where Oscar is a poet and Louis is his muse

(X) Louis/Pedro Pascal AU where Louis is exploring in the arctic and needs a guide

(Y) Louis/Pedro Pascal Gladiator AU

(Z) Michael B. Jordan as a boxer and nurse Louis

(AA) Louis/Sebastian Stan arranged marriage royalty AU. Louis is betrothed to King Sebastian Stan, a widower with two kids who aren't to keen of the King's fiancé.

(BB) Louis/Sam Claflin - something based on the interview where Sam says Louis follows him on Twitter and that they've had a conversation but he doesn't want to get into it.

(CC) 27 dresses take off where Niall is always the best man, never the husband, and Louis is the snarky reporter.

(DD) Zouiam, uni AU - Zayn meets Liam at the library and falls halfway in love during a single conversation. It’s a fairy tale, only back home is Louis - his FWB, the most important person in Zayn’s life, and someone who doesn’t take well to losing out on attention. Louis' a bit put out when he meets Liam at football practice and this annoying, bossy, fit as all hell guy slides right in under all his defences. It could be the start of a beautiful term of fighting and fucking, only back home is Zayn. Zayn not only needs Louis - he’d become a full-time hermit otherwise - but it’s damn convenient having sex on tap right there in his own flat. And, oh yeah, Zayn’s like, his reflection or his shadow or his other half or something. Liam’s quite confused by having two drop dead gorgeous guys alternately sending him go signals, then just as quickly, stop. He figures if either of them settle on go, he’ll be batting a thousand. Then he realises they know each other. Biblically.

(EE) Louis is an actor in a murder mystery troupe. Character B (maybe Nick Grimshaw...?) is the audience member who’s clearly too cool for all this but giving joining in his best shot anyway. Louis is distracted by him all night, and then after the denouement they meet in the bar.

(FF) Louis/Greg James - Louis won’t stop whanging on about not getting to do the breakfast show with his new album, and character X (maybe Niall, or Oli?) eventually realises it's less career-related jealousy and more about who sits behind the mic. He hatches a matchmaking plan.

(GG) Character A does embarrassing things when interacting with Character B because of their massive crush. Like Character B reaches out to do a fist bump and Character A thinks it's supposed to be a microphone and says hello into their fist.

(HH) Character B joins local amateur dramatics society and suddenly Louis is no longer a shoo-in for every lead role. Cue the drama!

(ii) AU. Preschool teacher Louis / Boxer Sebastian Stan

(JJ) Yellowjackets AU! Girl direction, any pairing from the show, cutting from 1996 to present.

(KK) Louis/Cillian Murphy - 1970s criminal au (preferably with Louis as the criminal), based on this photo: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FvyDkCnWAAk1UwS?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

(LL) Louis/Isaac: Louis and his band Rogue Direction are doing their first tour in their beat-up van at questionable bars across the country. One night, Isaac is hurled into his life, fleeing from an abusive boyfriend in parking lot of the band’s gig. Louis can’t help but feel..protective of the scrappy tagalong who’ll do anything to earn his keep.

(MM) Louis/Isaac: Louis fucks Isaac’s gauged ears.

(NN) Omega Louis / Male Alpha / Female Alpha polyamorous relationship

(OO) Louis/Patrick Dempsey. AU Patrick is Louis’ dad’s best friend. Possible tags: age difference, secret relationship, feminine Louis, hung Patrick

(PP) Louis Tomlinson/Alex Turner AU. Is basically based in the Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino where Louis and Alex are imprisoned together; so they must find a way to escape. But while they try to escape they begin to fall in love with each other however it will be difficult for both of them to escape.

(QQ) Louis and Rob Pattinson are in a secret relationship during the 1d days (around 2014 or 2015) unknown to everyone but then louis gets pregnant.

(RR) Beta Louis with alpha whomever, not established relationship.

(SS) Louis and Michael are secretly dating and navigating the resurgence of the Larry rumor mill. Larry was once real, Louis has insecurities about secretly dating another band mate, and Michael has some insecurities over Harry being Louis ex. Maybe an awkward run in or two with Harry trying to get him back but Michael and Louis being endgame.

(TT) Louis tomlinson/Dev Patel- second chance romance

(UU) louis/charles Leclerc, could title the fic as -my good luck charm- (or some such since charles won the race when louis was there etc) and or u could have charles say that to louis and louis getting smug and or bashful & giggly!

(VV) Charles Leclerc at one of Louis gigs? Or him joining the band onstage?

(WW) Louis had to wear multiple badges to have F1 access, so Louis makes Charles wear multiple badges to have VIP access to his concerts. All’s fair…

[shionzeroart]

I've seen this template and wanted to share this info about my The Arcana OC too! If someone is interested in more, just let me know 😘

So, let's get started.

1. Haku, Spirited Away.

He was the very first reference, and Salem took from him the vibes of determination, strength, generosity, sense of justice and kindness. Green colour, one of Salem's theme colours, is also from him. I don't even mention his blunt bob and magic forces, except that Salem isn't a dragon.

2. Howl Jenkins Pendragon, Howl's Moving Castle.

The next I thought about while creating Salem's appearance was Howl. I recalled that particular scene where Howl shows Sophie renewed exits from the castle and they stand together at the bright green meadow. Howl wears there a plain loose shirt, tight black trousers, earrings and a pendant made of green gems, and this kind of his appearance I like the most, so I've decided to make Salem look similar. The only thing is Salem's earrings and pendant aren't simple jewelry. They're magical amulets that his closest people, his first teacher of magic and the closest friend from magic academy, gave him. I think the only common things that Salem and Howl have are their appearance and magic powers. Their personalities and backgrounds are really different. But it's always really funny to me when I see fanarts with Asra and Howl :D you know, I can just imagine that it's Salem dressed as Howl haha 😌

3. Toph Beifong, Avatar: The Last Airbender

And here we have an opposite situation. Because in this case their backgrounds, their magic types, even some personality traits like rebelliousness, are really close to each other.

Salem also had strict overprotective noble parents who wanted their only son to have a brilliant noble future, which he didn't want for himself. Just like Toph, Salem should have escaped to have a freedom for doing magic, the only thing he considered as his vocation.

Also Salem can rule some nature forces, such as growing trees and plants, making them grow faster and better and making the soil fertile. But what's more important, he can do the same earthbending as Toph can. So their types of little slender people who can easily throw an entire rock at you are similar too.

Guess when I've noticed all these common traits? Right after I created Salem's type of magic, personality and background, of course 😅

4. Bill Kaulitz, Tokio Hotel.

Bill is a voice headcanon to Salem. I gave my precious OC the voice of my childhood icon and I regret nothing 😌

Maybe they have one more common thing, it's that Salem is as cute and handsome as Bill was in his prime lol

5. Sable, solo hypermetal musician.

It's more about modern rock AU that is by my friend @justmaryo and a bit by me. But one day I saw some Sable's tiktok in my timeline and thought: "Omg is my OC came alive???" Back then Sable had some kind of blunt bob similar to Salem's, that's why it was a little shocking haha

6. Me irl.

Even Salem's green plain blouse that he likes to wear most I've brought from my own wardrobe. I've only changed the colour and this blouse came out really suitable for him.

And the source of Salem's rebelliousness, politeness, empathy and kindness is likely inside my own personality. As well as some interpersonal conflicts in his life. But I wouldn't say that it's some kind of self insert. I've just took something for inspiration, and his personality started to develop on it's own.

This is it. If you want to ask something, I will be glad to answer!

[thebarontheabyss]

Hey! How are you today? I have two questions for you:

1) What stories (books, movies, tv series, videogames, ect.) did you take inspiration from for your game?

2) Where there any ideas you had for the story that you ended up not using? Why didn't you use them?

Thank you for your work!

Hey there, lovely soul! Thanks for dropping by with your questions.

1. In no particular order of influence: Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki (all his work, actually), The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, The Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft (may he rest in piss), Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, The Left Right Game by Jack Anderson, the Forgotten Realms & Pathfinder settings, Sleep No More, Kubo and the Two Strings, Disco Elysium, Dragon Age series, The Elder Scrolls series... This is getting too long, isn't it?

2. About ideas left on the cutting room floor… It’s a bit tricky since the story still extends its branches. But, there are several plot threads I’m holding back on (with active effort on my part) for another tale I’m brewing. It’s an adaptation of a book I started threading about a decade ago – kind of my magnum opus, you could say. TBOTA, in a twist of fate, evolved into a prequel of sorts to that tale. The game is titled "Awakening: Tehomot". That's all I can spill for now - as I’ll start the writing only after this game is finished.

[theonceandfuturequeenoftarts]

1. What inspires you to write? (fanfic or otherwise, just in general)

2. What do you like most about writing and its process?

3. What are your current favorite movies?

(I know I’m supposed to send this anonymously, but who cares lol)

But now that I know it's you, I can send extra love~ 💙💙💙

Listening to music and reading (other fanfic, manga/manhwa, fiction, research papers and news articles sometimes) are the answers that jump to mind (edit: also, tea). I'll read a clever turn of phrase and it'll spark an idea, or a song will put me in the right mood to put the words for a story in the desired order. Most of my writing is a collection of snippets jotted down while doing something else that eventually takes shape enough for me to write the connective tissue (the parts that tie the bits I love together). It feels wonderful when it works, but it's very inconsistent, so I have to give myself a lot of grace when I want to write but can't.

I love when there's an idea that hits me and just comes together and I can't not write it (looking at you, thrown into the nest). I love when the image of an action or beat in my mind translates into words on the page and it feels right, it's accurate and isn't a vague approximation of what I hoped it would be. I like writing something, then coming back to it days or weeks (or months) later and tweaking it and putting it in a new place where it suddenly makes the story flow where it hadn't before. It's kind of like working on a jigsaw puzzle that didn't come with a picture of what it's meant to look like when finished, so when you match the pieces up finally, it's such a rush of relief and satisfaction.

In no particular order, Howl's Moving Castle, Madoka Magica: Rebellion, Shawshank Redemption, Crazy Stupid Love, Singin' in the Rain, You've Got Mail

[our-grey-experience]

do you headcanon any characters as grey aro or grey ace (or both)

Well, this isn't really what this blog was meant for but I sure would love to answer this anyway.

The two that I can actually make a textual case for are Lorenz fire emblem and Howl moving castle. Don't mind me using some noncanon pronouns. I'm also very attached to some gender headcanons.

Early on, Lorenz tries very hard to flirt, but it always comes off as shallow and performative. However, she gets very sweet and sincere with some of her potential partners, Marianne and Byleth being my favorites. She initially thinks Marianne needs fixing to be a proper noble girl, but ends up falling in love with her as she is. And Byleth is a commoner. Lorenz wasn't thinking of her as an option at first, but then oh, feelings. The real thing seems to creep up on Lorenz accidentally. Demiromantically.

As for Howl, he literally has a pattern of losing interest in someone as soon as she starts reciprocating. (Talking about book Howl. Idk if this is in the movie or not.) Textbook lithromantic. Possibly lithsexual too. He is Sophie's qpp. (Queer platonic problem)

And of course I have a few "idk just vibes" headcanons from the current special interest, Genshin Impact.

Lynette is similar to me, greysexual and greyromantic in the way of occasionally feeling something but still being very particular about what he's comfortable with.

Neuvillette is a 500 year old greyromantic falling for the first time and having no idea what to do about it.

Zhongli is recipromantic and few are brave enough to show interest in them.

Kaveh is demisexual. He definitely did things to make partners happy for some time before feeling it and realizing "Oh so this is how it's supposed to be."

Others feel free to share your headcanons too.

[novelmonger]

Book Review: The Magician's Daughter by H.G. Parry

Quote that should have been on the back of the book: "Magic isn't there to be hoarded like dragon's treasure. Magic is kind. It comes into the world to help. Our job is to make sure it gets to where it needs to go."

Premise: Set in the early twentieth century, sixteen-year-old Biddy has lived her entire life on Hy-Brasil, an island off the coast of Ireland shrouded in enchantment and inhabited by rabbits. She has been raised from infancy by the mage Rowan, who travels to the mainland by night in the form of a raven, accompanied by his familiar, a spirit named Hutchincroft who takes the form of a rabbit. Biddy's whole life consists of reading in Rowan's extensive library and exploring the island, but one day everything familiar is thrown into turmoil when Rowan doesn't return home. Soon, she strikes out into the world she has only read about, to rescue her adoptive father and maybe even restore the magic that is fading away from the world.

Thoughts: After The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't disappoint. While I think I prefer Uriah Heep because it's a story about stories and focuses on two brothers (both things I have a particular weakness for), this was still a riveting, emotionally engaging read. I grew to love all of the characters (especially Hutchincroft) very quickly, not least because Biddy is well-read and often relates her experiences back to her favorite books--many of which are classics that I've loved and read myself! I could definitely see H.G. Parry's fingerprints all over that ;) Ultimately, this story is about the relationship of a father and daughter, and it's so sweet and so strong, I love it :')

I found this book to be a real page-turner. I read it over the course of a couple days, and while that was primarily because one of those days was spent sitting in a very boring waiting room, I think the plot would pull me along regardless of the circumstances. There's always another secret, and every time I made a prediction about how things were going to turn out, I ended up being wrong about it, in the best possible way. Characters I started out hating because they were selfish and cruel ended up being sympathetic or at least understandable. Those I trusted as whole-heartedly as Biddy herself were revealed to be more dishonest than I would ever have guessed. It really does serve the coming-of-age story Parry weaves, because isn't that what it's like to grow up? The things we relied on or took for granted turn out to be much more complicated than we ever realized, and navigating the world is fraught with perils we never imagined when reading about them in books.

But what I loved above all was how Parry ended the book. It was very satisfying to see things come to fruition, to watch Biddy find the strength to do what needed to be done even though she isn't a mage and thus might be discounted as a threat. I felt that every character got what they deserved, good and bad, and the triumph of the ending wasn't spoiled at all by them facing realistic ramifications for what they'd been through. The book could easily have ended a chapter earlier than it did, but then we wouldn't get to see the characters that have been through so much figuring out how to go about their lives now that everything has changed. It was realistic, but not in such a way that sucked all the magic out. The characters will suffer pain after all the trauma they went through, and they'll have to learn how to navigate a new life so different from the sheltered status quo of the beginning of the book. But there is hope. There is a future. And they have each other. That's what's important, and I just love that Parry emphasizes that.

P.S. I happened upon a review that described this book as a mix of Howl's Moving Castle and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and I think that's a brilliantly apt description. So if any of this sounds appealing to you, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Magician's Daughter!

P.P.S. This book also has the distinction of being the only one to have ever made me cry over a character talking about chocolate chip biscuits and bacon :')

[dogspeaker]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks..

This ask could not have come at a more perfect time, I am so deep in fictional character brainrot and this gives me such a great outlet for it :,) hope you're ready lmao

In no particular order:

Klaupacius and Trurl — The Cyberiad, Stanislaw Lem

These two are the main characters in this set of short stories. They are the greatest constructors in the universe — they can make anything and everything, to a fault. They're always at odds, but they are fundamentally inseparable; there isn't ever even a question in-universe of whether they'll come back together, because they always do. They have seen each other's greatest triumphs, and they have fixed each other's most egregious mistakes.

I have to put these two together; it just doesn't feel right to separate them into two entries. Even though there are some stories in the anthology where only one of them is acting, the other always makes a cameo by the end. I joke a lot about media altering my brain chemistry when I get obsessed with it, but this book truly did do something powerful to me. They exemplify the quintessential asexual queerplatonic relationship in my mind, and they have become everything I wanted for my own future long term relationship.

This book contains the most beautiful love poem I have ever read.

2. Selina Meyer — Veep

I'm obsessed with this show, and I quite literally rewatch it on a loop, only sometimes buffered by watching something else. I have a giant spreadsheet with every episode and every character listed where I am working on outlining exactly what I think every character's "rule" is, and where in the show they finally break that rule. Everyone breaks their rule — except for Selina Meyer.

Without spoilers: Selina Meyer is a masterclass in writing an in-universe anti-villain. Her (public) goals are, at face value, incredibly noble: she wants to dedicate her life to serving the public in political office. However, due to her deep personality flaws, she ends up being one of the most morally reprehensible characters ever written.

3. Howl Pendragon/Jenkins (movie) — Howl's Moving Castle

What can I say? He's gender. He has the life I want. I watch this movie to live vicariously through him. His growth is beautiful; it inspires me when I feel like I'm running from my responsibilities and loved ones.

I do also have a lot of love for book Howl, though he didn't make the cut for this list. He is a picture perfect blorbo. I'm glad they changed him deeply and fundamentally in the interest of making the movie that I know and love, so that I could be deeply and brutally shocked by how low book Howl will stoop to continue to be worse.

4. Kikyo — Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi

She was my first character love. Kikyo is uniquely tragic, and I haven't found another character who makes me feel the same way she does.

She's undead, doomed to wander a place where she doesn't belong until she is finally put down again. However, instead of laying down again willingly after being resurrected, she chooses to continue walking amongst the living, and by doing so endures unimaginable emotional and spiritual suffering, and she chooses this for two reasons. One, because she is still dedicated to defeating the evil that stole her life from her. Two, because she is still hopelessly in love with Inuyasha, and takes every available opportunity to have him again.

Kikyo is sympathetic, but deeply flawed. Despite knowing she is doomed never to live, she can't help but grasp at anything close to the life she desired for herself and Inuyasha, as equals and lovers. And despite knowing her turn at life is over, that she is no longer a factor in the ultimate fate of their world, she still believes that she is the only one with the power to defeat the evil that they are facing.

She dies after a life/undeath full of suffering, without reaping any of the rewards she wanted for herself — the only thing she gets in the end is a peaceful death in her lover's arms.

5. Nux — Mad Max: Fury Road

I'm such a sucker for someone who was raised in a cult, who comes out of it and comes to love the beauty they found in the world outside of their lifelong beliefs. I have so much I could say, but Nux is just so much better experienced than explained in my mind. I wish he could have lived forever.

6. Todd Chavez — Bojack Horseman

Every time I try to write paragraphs about him, it just doesn't come out right. He's the unsung hero of the show. He's a beautifully portrayed asexual character who finds fulfillment after setting hard boundaries. He has compassion for Bojack to a fault, but in the end is still able to set and keep meaningful boundaries. I just love him so much.

7. Jobu Tupaki — Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

I could write so many paragraphs. When I watched this movie for the first time, a hole in my heart was filled. There is not a single other piece of media I can think of that treats a godlike character like EEAAO treats Jobu. Being all-knowing and essentially omnipresent has rendered all material goals pointless, and relationships with people who aren't like her have no benefit in the end.

The movie has a great ending, showing that she and her mother must choose things that matter to them, to give them purpose. To me, though, there's still this big question mark in the background — it's entirely possible that they will end together in the same place that Jobu was in when the movie started, simply because that might be the ultimate final state of omniscient beings.

8. Frankenstein's Demon — Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

I didn't say "monster," because Shelley refers to him almost exclusively as a "demon/daemon" after Frankenstein learns how educated he is. He is first a monster, bumbling around committing murders and doing things without knowing the suffering he's enduring. But after he reads the books and encounters the family in the cottage, he's able to act with intention, and put words to his suffering, and all of a sudden in Shelley's words, he becomes a demon.

Essays have been written about what makes the Demon such a great character. I love him because in the end, seeing his creator's dead body, he tries to tell Frankenstein that he forgives him for his hubris. He is the first true android character in my heart of hearts.

9. Kusuriuri / The Medicine Seller — Mononoke

God, this show is a masterpiece. Kusuriuri represents a type of character that's pretty rare: he has no agenda, and in the end I don't think he even necessarily has fundamental beliefs. His mission is to resolve the turmoil of the dead which create the monsters he fights, on their terms, using "lessons" they can understand. He is entirely neutral but for that one goal. It's awesome to watch, and I absolutely CANNOT wait for the movie!!!

10. Dave Strider —  Homestuck

Listen. I hid it at the bottom of the post like a respectable, shameful Homestuck of old. He’s the best. He’s the worst. He’s transcoded. I love him. What do you want from me. I’ve clearly got some complex feelings about transmasculinity seeing as Howl is also on this list. Leave me alone. But also, I have paragraphs ready to defend this man against all wrongdoing; the only issue is that he has so many timelines, and I don’t want to subject any of the readers of this post to such things.

In all seriousness, his character helped me reckon with some very major changes in my life. For those who need it: sometimes it’s okay for your authority figures to become peers. It’s part of becoming an adult. There are just some things that are not properly articulated in short form fiction; the change from “parent/authority” to “peer/parent” is one of those things. Idk what else to say here.

[lifethroughrainbowglasses]

Eva Evergreen, Semi Magical Witch by Julie Abe

Category: Middle Grade Fantasy

Author: Julie Abe

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

“To show that I deserved this. That I'd fought for this with my blood, sweat, and tears, through the most frightening of storms and against even the most skeptical of mayors or meddlers. To show that someone like me could make her own dreams come true.” ― Julie Abe, Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

Summary: Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch is about the young witch Eva Evergreen as she embarks on her quest to earn the title of Novice Witch. Eva is the daughter of one of the most powerful witches in the country but possesses only a little bit of magic herself. Despite the sneers from witches above her, she finds herself serving her year in a whimsical town along the coast helping people with her unique skill set. Suddenly a terrifying storm threatens the town and Eva worries her "pinch of magic" isn't enough to stop it.

Justification: Middle-grade fantasy is one of my favorite genres and age categories which is one of the reasons I decided to review it for class, but I also think it's important to review and evaluate books that aren't as well-known within the middle-grade fantasy genre. Students often read Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and are looking for something similar to read and this is the perfect book for those students. Middle-Grade fantasy is a relatively new genre and so many librarians and teachers haven't read and reviewed more recent books. I think it's important to include recent books written by diverse authors as options in curriculums and this book in particular is a great read-alike for students who love Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle, or has an interest in Studio Ghibli films.

Writing: Eva Evergreen is well-written and accessible to upper elementary and middle school students. The text is easy to read and whimsical with little spurts of sage advice sprinkled in throughout the text pulling readers of all ages into the story. Abe's description of the world makes the world magical in and of itself. “The scent of ink and freshly printed paper swirled invitingly in the air as I followed my parents into the bookshop.” The air moves and swirls around Eva, and the world reacts to her and her unique magic making her all the more special.

Characterization: I read a lot of middle grades and of all the middle grades I've read, Eva was one of the most wholesome and sweet characters so far. The characters in the story were dynamic and interesting and they felt unique to the world. Everyone had a story and meaning within the story. Ember, Eva's flamefox companion, was brought to life with their actions and reactions. Rin, Davy, and Charlotte were all fully realized and interesting with intriguing backstories of their own. This series has a second book and I'm planning on picking it up partly to know what happens to the side characters as well as Eva.

Theme: Eva Evergreen has a few central messages. The first of which is learning to love ourselves and our unique "pinch of magic." None of us do the same thing in the same way. We all have strengths and weaknesses and part of being human is learning how to make both of those work for us. The second message is the importance of friendship and the joy that relationships with others can bring us. There is so much that we can gain from being kind and friendly to others. That kindness almost always returns to us when it is right.

Abe, J. (2020b). Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

[booksanimeandtea]

since I don't have that many moots/followers/whatever they are called here, I'm gonna answer them myself...enjoy (seen by @the---hermit)

1: Harry Potter series definitely, Pride and Prejudice, some childhood books by Geronimo Stilton, the book series of Valentina by Angelo Petrosino and Bianca Pitzorno...Heart of Darkness too because of school

2: Harry Potter series (favs are 1, 3, 5, 7), Anne of Green Gables series favs are 1, 3, 5), Pride and Prejudice, Howls Moving Castle, La bambina della sesta luna series by Moony witcher, The Secret Garden.

3: fantasy for sure, magical realism too, and detective novels..I love me some mysteries

4: always check fantasy and detective sections, the manga one too (love reading mangas), children section (always so colourful, and I love reading children books) and lastly young adult section (which are mainly fantasy but I like contemporaries too, and especially queer novels)

5: everywhere 😂, bookstore, online (Amazon, Mondadori), second-hand stores, Vinted (a second-hand app)

6: er...just one and still reading because I was sick for a long time, it's Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith, which I'm really enjoying btw, leave here the plot https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51989589-bloodleaf, also read volume 1 and 2 of Gakuen Alice (Alice Academy)

7: definitely the books by Geronimo Stilton, Angelo Petrosino, Bianca Pitzorno, as well as some children classics such as Little Women, The Secret garden, Pollyanna, Mary Poppins...

8: no one ever read books to me, but I remember this collection of books, which I started reading when I was 6 years old, my fav out of it:

9: late night, because there is silence, and I'm in my bed

10: guilty fav? uhm probably twilight? the first book isn't that bad, if you forget about all the red flags, the others...

11: Matt Haig's Reason to stay alive, because it tells about his stuggling with depression and how to survive daily

12: yes, I did...mainly Italian literature classics

13: yep!

14: nope. never.

15. *setting a reminder to do it when I finish Bloodleaf*

16: 7 😢

17: Coraline, Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone, Whispering to witches, Matilda, Charlie and the chocolate factory, Percy Jackson and the lightning thief

18: tbh I think I've read very few ...though I like history...my fav time period is 1700 till 1900

19: oof A LOT, but two in particular are: The elegance of the hedgehog and The cruel prince

20: I look for a good plot that is a must, I always read the plot and buy/read books that truly interest me, then good solid characters that change and maybe have a self-discovery, character similar to me and my life/story, mysteries, magic, some nice tropes like: setting in school, teenage/children friendships, from childhood friends to lovers, if well written even enemies to lovers, slow-burn. I absolutely avoid: instant love, romance books in general, toxic characters that enjoy being toxic in a toxic plot, stories full of trigger warnings like r*pe, forced romantic relationship

book asks:

book you’ve reread the most times?

top 5 books of all time?

what is your favourite genre?

what sections of a bookstore do you browse?

where do you buy books?

what books have you read in the last month?

is there a series/book that got you into reading?

what is the first book you remember reading yourself?

when do you tend to read most?

do you have a guilty fav?

what non-fiction books do you like if any?

did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

do you have a goodreads?

do you ever mark/dog ear books you own?

recommend and review a book.

how many books have you read this year?

top 5 children’s books?

do you like historical books? which time period?

most disliked popular books?

what are things you look for in a book?

[merpshire]

Wow haven't made a reading post since November... I used to do one per book. XD I should try to get back to that for 2025. Alright here we go!

Since last post, I've read a couple books! First was finishing Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. The plot in the book is pretty different and I think the movie hurt itself with the changes it made. The whole bit at the end where Sophie is the only one who can put Howl's heart back w/o killing both him and Calcifer has a meaningful explanation in the book. Book Sophie is explicitly a witch who does magic by talking to things and imbuing her wishes into them. To avoid killing book Howl and Calcifer she does magic. The movie just has Calcifer say she can do it and the audience is left to ascribe their own reason for why. If you've read the book before watching the movie, there's a bunch of subtext in the movie that Sophie is magical, but it's pretty weak and isn't specific enough for the audience to understand WHY she's the only one who can do the thing. This is by no means the only difference but since it's the ending emotional climax of the movie it's the easiest to discuss. I don't really wanna go into the rest so I'll stop here. The book is good, 8/10, and I'd recommend it!

After HMC, my book club decided on A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. THIS DISCUSSION HAS A MAJOR PLOT SPOILER. The book is ostensibly the memoirs of famous natural historian Lady Trent and details how she became a famous natural historian. I honestly thought this book was a standalone and was SHOCKED to discover it's the first of six books. This cleared up some confusion for me. In the beginning, Lady Trent talks about how her readers might know of her numerous exploits and she highlights several in particular. Thinking this was a standalone, I was increasingly confused as to the pacing of the book when 2/3rds of the way through she was still 19 and doing 1 thing. Knowing it's a series makes the pacing much more sensible. It's a cutely written book and the idea that it's a memoir is what really makes it enjoyable. If it were a typical 3rd person fantasy story I don't think it'd have worked as well. My only complaint is that the author kills off the love interest we spend the whole book growing to enjoy. Near the very end of the book we've finally grown to like the guy and appreciate his and lady Trent's romance when the author just kills him and moves on... I had just accepted this was a 6 book series and was getting ready to settle in with familiar characters when this happened so I found it really jarring. Maybe it plays better if you know it's a 6 book series from the start but, I didn't like it. Still a fine book and worth reading if you like fantasy and/or Regency era romance.

The first book club book of 2025 is The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin, second in The Broken Earth Trilogy. Having read it, I further understand why every book in the trilogy won a Hugo Award. The second in the trilogy continues to follow main character Essun as she settles in to Castrima having lost track of her missing daughter Nassun and husband Jija. The first book switched perspectives between Essun as an adult and her experiences as a child and teenager to set the stage for who the other characters are and what they know. The second book does away with that and instead gives us Nassun's perspective in addition to Essun's. In book 1 we learn a fair bit about the magic system but it's left with room for expansion and oh boy does book 2 take advantage of this in a good, fun way. The pacing of the book is incredibly well done and it feels like not a word is wasted. You can read it just to follow the main plot or you can deep dive into the other themes about family, love, domestic violence, discrimination, community, etc. I give the book 10/10 and I think everyone should read the series. I can't WAIT to finish it out with The Stone Sky and if my book club doesn't pick it for March or April I'm just going to read it on my own.

Speaking of reading on my own, I'm currently reading Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (not a book club book). Reading it after The Obelisk Gate is a little painful. I think this is the author's first published series and the writing is... Fine. It's not nearly as polished and I'm struggling a little bit with it. This book is the second in a series. The first was a cute romance first and foremost and I thought that's how this would go as well. Unfortunately, the author is focusing MUCH more heavily on the overall world and the fantasy plot of the story. I think this choice was made to stretch the series out to three books instead of two. The romance in the first is a sunshine/darkness, will they/won't they pair and by the end of the first book it's very WILL THEY when the darkness guy is kidnapped. The author tries to reset us in book 2 to will they/won't they and it just doesn't work for me with the way book 1 went. It's still cute and I'm going to finish it but... I suspect I'm gonna give this 5 or 6 out of 10. If you devour romance novels, you'll PROBABLY like this.

After this, book club has chosen Onyx Storm for our February book but since that doesn't come out 'til MLK day weekend, I might have time for another personal book before I have to read it. That book will be Elantris and w/e of the Ars Arcanum by Brandon Sanderson that I can get to before having to switch back.

Phew, long post. I'll try to do one per book from now on so I can avoid dumping like this. XD

[matthewgoatstoryfan]

ABOUT ME!! THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THIS BLOG!

Howdy, I'm Noa Rivas (Not my actual name don't look for my actual name) And I am the main character of this AMAZING blog that I frequently forget about! So, I know most of my followers are--cough--umm accounts, but, that isn't stopping me from talking about myself!

Fandoms: Despite this blog pretty much only having sonic, i am in the ROTTMNT TMNT 2012 TMNT 1987, Mario, Regular Show, DHMIS, TBHK, Pokemon, Muppet, and Animaniacs fandom! I usually like those stuff on other accounts since I mainly use this for Sonic, yknow

Favorite TV shows: URGH So many

I love all the tmnt shows yk um the muppet show is a goodie, the dhmis tv series, adventure time, regular show, season 1 of steven universe, ok k.o, otgw, pokemon, animaniacs, the simpsons and more

Favorite movie (S): So i love 3 movies in particular: Puss in boots 2 Scott Pilgrim, and Howl's moving castle, all are good, scott pilgrim is annoying but it's beautiful you can't deny it