#ugh ignore me I'm having a moment lol

[campingwiththecharmings]

How can I feel both lonely and like my social battery is completely drained at the same time? 😩

[forcebookish]

i keep looking at topmew giggling in their sex scene and tearing up... like... i held it together for so long and then the dam broke and i'm being swept away...... i fucking love them........ they're so sweet together.... i hope i drown.........

[myownwholewildworld]

wherever you go (a joel miller’s ff) - chapter 7

chapter 6 | series masterlist | main masterlist | chapter 8

pairing: outbreak!2003!joel x f!reader. (it's actually 2004 now)

summary: as idyllic as chicago may seem, the world around you is still in shambles. your duties to the community take you on a rescue mission, one you think will be easy. but will it?

a/n: hiya! we are soooo close to the vision i had for this series, i'm literally shitting myself with nerves but also excitement, ugh 😫 i really hope you like this one! i do appreciate any comments, reblogs and/or likes you may want to leave! even asks/requests if you want to! take care lovelies <3 x

warnings: 18+, mdni. a smidge of angst and fluff. filthy smut (don't you know me by now?). unprotected piv. masturbation (f receiving). oral (m receiving). spanking and one account of pussy slapping. joel's a boobs' guy in this one. soft!dom!joel. pet names (darlin’, sweetheart, baby). then clickers, clickers everywhere. death & violence. swear words. i'm sure i'm forgetting something lol. reader is female, no other description given. reader is mid-late 20s, joel is 37. no use of y/n.  joel’s and reader’s pov.

w/c: ~4.7k.

tags aka the drama wagon (let me know if you want to be added/removed from the list pls!):

@yesjazzywazzylove-blog @pedrospurplerain @missladym1981

@fancyyoouu @smolbeanzzz @guelyury @bishtrouille

“Joel Miller”.

Was that a suicide mission? Probably, but you hoped not.

It wasn’t like you had a choice anyway. The moment you heard Joel’s name being called for this rescue mission, you knew you were going to volunteer to go with the party. Yes, he was going to get angry and try to talk you out of it, but it would be in vain. You would follow him to the end of the world if necessary.

You stood there by his side, the canteen rammed with people ― all of you looking towards the platform in the north corner. One of the leaders, Troy, kept on shouting names to the void. You glanced up at Joel, who was completely still, his eyes fixed on the podium. You couldn’t tell if he was upset or not, but he would soon be for sure.

Once Troy finished talking, an uncomfortable silence ensued, only broken by the quiet sobs of a young fellow whose named had been picked. Eric, you remembered. He must have just turned eighteen, because he looked so damn young. His mother was by his side, hugging him with tears on her eyes.

That scene broke your heart a little.

“Any volunteers?”, said the leader after a minute.

You looked around. No one was talking, everyone pretending they didn’t hear the question.

You felt Joel’s hand firmly grip your left wrist, silently asking you to remain quiet. He knew what you were about to do, but he couldn’t stop you.

You raised your right hand, eyes to the front, avoiding visual contact with him.

“I’ll take Eric’s place”, you said with a steady voice.

Joel grunted audibly, his fingers tighter around your wrist.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”, you heard him mumble under his breath.

You ignored him.

“Great, thank you. Y’all are dismissed, except for those elected. Come forward”.

Before Joel had the chance to even talk, Eric and his mother approached you. She hugged you, still sobbing, and you palmed her back in a calming manner. The young bloke stared at you, silently crying and mouthed a “thank you”.

“I’m eternally grateful. Eric is the only person I have left by my side. My husband, my daughter… everyone is gone”, whispered the woman in your ear.

You held the tears by gulping down the knot in your throat. Although you didn’t necessarily volunteer for his son originally, her emotion was so sincere it tugged at your heart.

The woman broke off the hug, touched your forearm in gratitude, and then walked off with her son.

You turned around to face Joel. His jaw was so clenched you worried he was going to chip a molar.

Joel wanted to shake some sense into you so badly, he had to tightly close his fists. He couldn’t comprehend why you would do that. He wanted to keep you safe, and you were not making it an easy task. What if he lost you? What would he do then? That simple thought made him feel sick. You were the glue holding him together, the only reason he woke up every day and didn’t give up.

The mere thought of losing you consumed his brain, whether he liked it or not. He… he loved you, all of you, but was too afraid to speak his mind, to jinx it. Because he was cursed. Saying it out loud would put you in the universe’s bullseye, he was sure of it.

When the woman and his son left along with almost everyone else, Joel pulled you from your elbow, slamming you against his chest. He really was trying not to lose his shit in public, but fear was gripping him by his neck, the grim reaper’s noose strangling him.

“You ain’t coming. I don’t fucking care if that kid dies, you’re staying right here. Tell Troy you have changed your mind now”, he muttered, teeth gritting, his fingers sinking around your flesh.

“You’re hurting me, Joel”, you whispered, and he relaxed his hand’s grip, although he didn’t let go. “Look, I know it’s scary, but if you’re going, I’m coming with you. You won’t get rid of me so easily”, you taunted him.

The joke wasn’t welcomed, which you expected.

“If you get hurt, even a tiny scratch ― I’m gonna fucking kill you myself”, his head was bowed towards yours, his mouth too close, your palms on his chest.

So close you couldn’t refrain yourself from placing a gentle kiss on his lips. That soothed him, but just a bit. You glanced at him, containing your amusement.

“Well, that’s a paradox, don’t you think?”, you spoke softly before taking a step back, holding his hand. “C’mon, they are waiting”.

“We’re not done talking about this”, he grunted.

You dragged Joel to the circle where the other six lucky people were standing around Troy, in time to listen to whatever he had to say about this mission.

“As I was explaining at the beginning of this meeting, our most experienced medic, Sasha, and her team, have not returned from their scavenging run. They went out a couple of days ago looking for medical supplies and we have not heard back from them in the last twenty-four hours. We must bring them back. That is, if they are still alive”, Troy explained while he flattened a map of the city on the table in front of him. “Their last contact was from Illinois Medical District, somewhere around Ogden Avenue. We assume they went in John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County”. Troy laid out the plan to follow, before finishing with a, “You’re leaving in three hours, good luck”.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?”, Joel growled as soon as the door closed behind him.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. The memory of almost losing you still haunted him. The overthinking, the fear, the irrevocable doom ― it all made him feel uneasy. He just wanted to keep you away from all harm. That fateful night Joel swore to himself he would never let anything happen to you ― not while he was still breathing.

He had lost too much, but also gained so much ― he could not, would not, lose you too. Even if it was the last thing he did in this world. Over the last year, he had grown attached to you. You taught him there was light on the shore ― that life didn’t have to end the moment he lost Sarah, as much as he wanted it to. You showed him he could still care, laugh, protect, cry, worry, relax, feel. Feel so much, so vividly.

Joel could have said all that to you instead of his scolding question, but he didn’t know any better. His feelings were an entangled mess, one he didn’t have the experience to unravel.

His anger shimmered when you rolled your eyes at him.

“Honestly, I don’t know what you worry about, Joel. It will be fine. We’ve been through worse than this puny, little rescue mission. We’ll be okay”, you downplayed with a sweet smile, your hand stroking his forearm.

“What if we aren’t? What if you get hurt?”, he muttered, his jaw muscles rigid.

Your features softened; your sweet lips pursed.

“I can’t, you’ll kill me yourself, don’t you remember?”, he deciphered your joking tone, but to him this was no laughing matter. “Your paradox?”, you added cocking an eyebrow, mistaking his silence for forgetfulness.

“I know what I said. And I meant it. You can’t get hurt, got it? I forbid you”, his voice was serious. He knew you couldn’t make such a promise, but he insisted anyway, “Promise me”.

Something in you shifted because Joel saw your expression change from amusement to understanding. You got closer, sliding your arms around his waist. Joel draped his around your shoulders, his heart beating loudly in his ribcage. He held you tight, your nose poking his chest, your palms resting on the small of his back.

He shut his eyes, counting his blessings.

“I promise”, you conceded in a hushed tone.

His reply was simple ― he pressed his lips against your forehead as his body relaxed into yours.

At midnight, both you and Joel walked towards the 1999 Jeep Cherokee you had parked on South Damen Avenue. You had just done a reconnaissance mission around the hospital’s west wing. You had been in there for two full hours and didn’t find a living soul, just clickers. You were sweaty because of the physical effort, your gun still hot. You cleaned the blade of your knife on your jeans before sheathing it in your belt. You trotted to the passenger’s side while Joel headed towards the driver’s, both of you jumping in the car.

Two members of the team, Jordan and Margaret, had just taken over you after you reported back to them what you encountered inside. You saw them walking towards Winchester Avenue to sweep the north wing of the building. Daisy and Adam just returned too and headed towards the second car in West Polk Street ― they had explored the south wing at the same time as you had been inside. Luke and Taylor had just taken over them to inspect the east wing of the hospital.

“That was… interesting”, you said while closing the passenger’s door. “If they really went in there, there was absolutely no trace of them. It’s like they have vanished”.

“Yeah, it’s weird. Not even one clicker was dead before we entered. If they had encountered any issues, surely they would have killed some of them. We should have seen bodies or something, I dunno”, Joel thought out loud, leaving his firearm on top of the dash at the same time you did.

“Let’s see if Jordan and Margaret, or Luke and Taylor get back with news, otherwise this is going to be boring as fuck”, you commented as Joel leaned towards you to open the glove box. “What are you doing?”, you asked him out of curiosity.

“Looking for entertainment”, he then pulled a pack of cigarettes with a smile on his face. “You smoke?”, he asked while breaking the plastic seal around it.

You shook your head. It wasn’t a habit you wanted to pick up now, although you didn’t mind others smoking. Joel rolled down his window while pressing the car’s cigarette lighter against the tip of the fag. He then put the lighter back in its slot and laid his right hand on your left thigh ― his fingertips stroking your inner thigh. So possessive, your temperature started to rise, a slick warmth pooling in your lower belly.

You glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, but he didn’t notice ― Joel was looking through the driver’s window, his elbow poking out and resting on the door frame while he took a puff. You hovered your fingers over his on your thigh, your palm against the back of his hand, your digits intertwined in a fist as you slid them closer to your crotch.

“I could entertain you, if you wanted me to”, you whispered when his knuckles nudged your cunt.

Joel turned to look at you so fast you thought he might snap his neck. His eyes drifted down and darkened. He poked your pussy with his knuckles again, this time of his own volition.

“We shouldn’t”, a muscle twitched in his jawline.

You smiled.

“I’m sure Adam and Daisy can keep watch on their own for a while”, you bit your bottom lip as you flattened his hand against your belly and guided him down, underneath your jeans and panties. His palm flushed against your mound. “Please?”, you added, flashing your eyelashes at him.

Joel dunked his middle finger in your wet slit and stroked your clit. You pressed your lips, gazing at him like a needy puppy. He didn’t break visual contact as his index joined the middle finger, both digits tracing your damp furrow. You sobbed quietly as Joel took another drag, submerging his long finger until it disappeared in your weeping hole. He moved it in a circular motion, and you gasped.

“Is this what you need, sweetheart?”, he murmured. You nodded frantically. “Always so needy for some cock, aren’t you?”.

“Not just any cock, yours”, you emphasized with a stuttering voice, your insides melting for him.

His eyes flickered with lust, a sinful grin taking over his lips.

You whimpered, tilting your head backwards to rest against the headrest, as his index joined the middle one in your warm pit. You started panting when he caressed your g-spot non-stop while he finished his cigarette nonchalantly. Joel stubbed it out when he was done with it and then pushed his fingers in your cunt as far as he could take them, bottoming out, to the point where the force he was using made you lift your hips off the car seat.

You were so close to coming ― your sleek pussy beating for him, clasping around him. You were so soaked, his digits were drowning inside of you, making squelching noises as Joel fingered you relentlessly. You held on to his torturing wrist, feeling the rhythm he was imposing on you. Your drenched pussy palpitated, your clit on fire ― and so you came with a loud, prolonged moan, your knees shaking.

Joel rubbed your clit one more time before removing his hand from your underwear.

“C’mon, be a good girl now and do your job”, he ordered, cupping his swollen groin.

“Yes, sir”, you murmured, your cunt still gushing, deluging your panties.

He took your right hand and placed it on his bulge, rubbing your palm against the zipper of his jeans. You grasped the metal rod of his headrest while you leaned forward and ghosted his mouth, your playful hand kneading his erection. Your lips crashed and the kiss got sloppy ― his tongue wrestled with yours, while you unbuckled his belt and undid the zipper.

The palm of your hand slid off his length over his briefs. Then you pushed down the elastic of his underwear and his cock popped out. You ignored his shaft to massage his ballocks. You squeezed them gently and Joel let out a horny moan in the middle of the messy kiss. The most perfect melody you ever heard.

You broke off the smooch to catch a breath, your hand still holding his balls, your thumb rubbing the ridge in between his nuts. You pecked his Adam’s apple as you wrapped your fingers around his shaft, moving your hand up and down slowly. Joel sat up a bit to remove his shirt and then rested his back against the car seat again. You kissed the centre of his collarbone, your lips drifting southwards on his skin.

You bit around his belly button when you heard him lit another cigarette, the smoke filling up the cabin. You finally went down on him and showered his cock with wet licks. Joel sighed audibly, relaxing on his seat, which made you smile. Your tongue twirled around the tip of his dick once before you backed off and spit on his erection. You slathered your saliva on his steely column, then bente forward with your mouth open to imprison his glans with your plush lips.

A controlled groan escaped Joel’s mouth ― squirming in place, trying to make himself comfortable when you took his dick in your mouth. He looked down, your head bobbing up and down on his lap, your lips pressed around his cock, creating a seal. He felt himself trapped in your throat, his tip touching the back of your wet cavity. His left hand put the cigarette on his lips and took a long puff as he placed his right hand on your neck. You were wearing a ponytail ― in a moment of weakness he grabbed it resolutely, forcing you down on him.

Your eyes watered, your gag reflex being tested, your chin caressing his testicles. You retched a bit, your throat adapting to his massive girth and length. He had gotten rough for a second, which meant you were pushing him to his limits. When Joel realised that you were struggling a bit, he quickly let go of your ponytail.

“Shit, sorry, darlin’”, he growled.

You freed his cock to breathe and giggled, your mouth full of sticky precum. You started pumping him, kissing the velvety skin on his balls, while his right hand travelled down your back until he seized the back of your underwear and yanked it. The rims of your panties slid over your skin and got stuck in your slit and butt crack, as if you were wearing a g-string. The clothing caught on your clit and you gasped as he pulled upwards, the garment scrunching in your fold, causing a delightful friction against the centre of your pleasure.

Joel stirred his hips, which told you he was close to coming. You sat back up, your teary eyes meeting his lustful ones. He wiped away a tear off your cheek.

“Come sit on my lap, baby, let me fuck that pussy of mine”, he offered, tapping his left thigh, and putting out the cigarette butt on the car’s ashtray.

Before you happily obliged, you pushed down your jeans and panties to your ankles and kicked your feet until they came off. Your t-shirt quickly followed, no bra. Then you hastily straddled him as commanded. Joel set down his hands on your ass and abruptly spanked one of your buttocks. You jerked your hips up at the surprise ― your cunt above his belly button.

Holding you there, he lapped your right nipple with the tip of his tongue. The tight button shrunk in excitement as you whimpered. Then his lips closed around the puckered teat and sucked it in in his mouth. This time you whined, the sound reverberating in your throat as you slammed your eyes shut. Your wanton pussy was dripping on to his belly while he alternated between your boobs to eat them like a glutton ― the discharge of your passion running down from your leaking hole on to his belly button, then pooling on the tip of his manhood, sliding off his happy trail and length to finally gather on his balls.

His tongue gave you no truce ― licking, sucking, taunting, smothering your nipples. You dug your fingers in his hair, pressing his gorgeous face against your breasts. Joel palmed your shivering pussy from behind, his fingertips caressing your clit, which he started tapping sweetly. Your head leaned forward in awe, eyes closed, to kiss his crown. His fingers became more intrusive, his mouth more demanding, until you couldn’t deal with it anymore. You wailed his name as you came, your knees quivering. Then he slapped you hard on your pussy ― one of your hands flew to your lips to stifle your own scream. Joel immediately massaged your puffed-up flaps, his cold skin a calming balm on yours.

“Good girl, sweetheart. Now fuck yourself with my dick”, he instructed you before trapping your nipple in between in his teeth and pulling.

You saw stars behind your eyes.

You let go of his hair, curved your back and cradled his face with both hands, tilting it up towards you so you could kiss him fondly as you dropped your hips. His cock found your pulsating opening ― it was like his body knew its way to yours blindly. Your palms flat against his cheeks, your breath and his collided like a tornado when you both moaned in each other’s mouths. You plummeted on his lap, burying him completely inside of you. Your hips rolled of their own accord. Slowly you rode him, up and down, back and forth, your lips attached to his at all times. The tip of his cock kept stroking the right spot over and over again ― every single time it would drag along your anterior wall, driving you crazy.

You felt like riding a rollercoaster ― your orgasm building up as you approached the top and then you tipped over with no warning. Your lips parted as wave after wave washed over you in bursts. Your cunt narrowed down, choking his dick, palpitating, involuntarily pleading for him to come with you.

“Fuck, fuck ― FUCK”, he groaned painfully, lifting your ass off his cock rashly.

Just in the nick of time, he came ― his cock twitching against your belly button, you wielding him, gently pumping his shaft as the last shots of cum spurted out the slit on his glans. You squeezed his erection one last time, kissing him lovingly on the chin.

Labouredly breathing, both of your hearts slowed down together as you recovered. His gaze darkened ― you could see the longing, the yearning in his eyes. The care, the affection, but also the fear. Your heart swelled at the realisation ― he hadn’t said it yet, but you knew, even though you thought he hadn’t realised it himself. You just needed to be patient with him. You had time.

With a doting smile, your thumb hovered over his lips before you pressed them with yours.

An hour had gone by, and there was no news from Jordan nor Margaret. You had radioed the second car ― they hadn’t heard back from Luke and Taylor either. The pack of cigarettes was only half full now, Joel chain smoking, both of you watching the building attentively. You tried to contact Jordan over the radio, but there was no reply.

You clicked your tongue, handing Joel the radio and grabbing the gun off the dash.

Joel’s eyes darted to you.

“Where do you think you are going?”, his brows furrowed.

“I’m just gonna have a quick look around the corner, that’s all”, you said, opening the passenger’s door.

“Then I’m coming with you”, he grunted.

Joel grabbed his firearm and left the radio on the dash. Both doors shut silently, the night was so eerily calm you could hear a pin drop.

The chilling early December air greeted you as you stepped out. You started walking towards Winchester Avenue, where Jordan and Margaret had disappeared from sight. Joel was a few metres behind you, covering your back.

Then you heard it before you saw it. You signalled for Joel to stop in his tracks. A quiet sob, a thud. With your back against the wall, you sticked out your head to sweep the entrance to the emergency room. Sasha was on the floor, all bloody, Margaret crouching over her. You couldn’t hear their whispers. As Margaret helped Sasha to her feet, the medic whimpered and hobbled, her knees touching the pavement again.

“Shit”, you cursed, running towards them, Joel on your heels. “What’s happened?”, you questioned, putting your gun away, grabbing Sasha’s left arm to drape it over your shoulders.

Sasha just wept, shaking uncontrollably, so you looked at Margaret for answers.

“Where’s Jordan?”, you asked before she shook her head with pouty lips and mournful eyes.

Fuck, you thought, the weight of a massive stone grounding your stomach.

As Sasha stood with you, Joel clutched his fingers around your left elbow, yanking you away from both women. You lost your grip on Sasha as you stumbled with your own feet, Joel’s hand steadying you to prevent you from falling.

You wanted to shout at him, but you refrained. He had drawn his gun and was pointing it to Sasha’s forehead.

“You’ve been bit”, he sentenced, unruffled, his hand still.

You looked down and then you saw teeth’s marks on Sasha’s forearm. Your eyes jumped to hers, a mixture of fear and sympathy.

Margaret sobbed, her hand flew to Joel’s wrist, trying to push down the gun.

“Joel, please, she’s my best friend, we can’t just―”, before she was able to finish, a commotion caught your attention.

Both you and Joel looked up at the same time, a clicker dragging its feet towards you. In its past life, it had been a teen girl, brunette, curly hair. Had it not been for the fungus growing around her mouth, her decomposed expression and awkward walking, you knew she would have been beautiful.

Then it lunged forward towards you, but Joel was quick enough to shoot it right between its eyes. You gasped, clutching onto him. You had a glimpse at his face ― he seemed to have seen a ghost, but the moment was fleeting, his demeanour composed again.

He turned his gun to Sasha once more. You really thought he was going to execute her there and then.

More clicking sounds, dragged by the wind. You could see movement through the glass doors.

“Are you coming or not? She’s staying though”, Joel repeated, his tone soulless.

There was no time to respond, as a small group of clickers tumbled through the emergency doors, throwing them open and running fast towards all of you, as if they had awakened from their lethargy.

Joel reacted before you did ― he snatched you and pushed you in front of him, urging you to run.

“Run! Run!”, he screamed at you, your legs taking you away as fast as they could, Joel racing behind you towards the car.

You heard the loud shrieks as both women were torn apart. You blinked to keep the tears at bay, and you didn’t look back.

Joel skidded through the mud, his hand grasping the handle on the driver’s side as you jumped inside. He swiftly put the keys in the ignition at the same time the radio went off.

“Abort! Drive! GO! THEY ARE HE―”, you both looked towards West Polk Street, the headlights of the other car blinded you as they turned the corner towards South Damen Avenue.

Three clickers were on the roof of the car, two on the hood. The driver steered the wheel to the left abruptly to get rid of the infected, but lost control of the car quickly ― and then hit a tree. Both Daisy and Adam jumped out of the car, horror folding their faces.

You opened the passenger’s door, standing on the edge of the car. The whole scene was hectic, your heart pounding so hard you feared it was going to explode inside your chest. You waved at them.

“RUN! OVER HERE!”, your screams drowned by the characteristic sounds of the clickers. And then the infected caught up with them, knocking them to the ground. “NO!”, you squealed as their deathly screams filled the air.

You froze in place, in shock. You couldn’t look away ― Daisy’s hand emerged from the mass of bodies she was buried under, her fingernails digging the ground to get away. You caught a glimpse of her imploring eyes, a silent plea asking you to save her.

Bile travelled up your throat, but you swallowed hard.

Joel grabbed the back of your t-shirt to pull you back inside the car and pointed to the crushed car, now on fire, the motor of yours roaring awake. Then you saw them. Dozens of infected coming towards you. Your eyes widened, but you managed to slam the door shut as Joel drove away towards Interstate 290.

His driving was manic, as if the devil himself was following you. He turned the wheel so harshly, so many times as he dodged anything and everything in his path, that you had to hold on to the grab handle.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. You surveyed the outside world ― your forehead almost touching the window as you saw herds of clickers in motion. Hundreds of them pouring out of the buildings. You scanned the landscape in terror ― there were so many.

Now you understood why this was no man’s land.

Joel laid his hand on your left thigh, a soundless beg to look at him instead of out the glass. So you did. You gaped as if you were about to say something.

“It’s okay, we’re okay, baby”, he whispered, his eyes never leaving the highway.

You both were okay. But at what cost?

Sasha and her team. Adam and Daisy. Margaret and Jordan. And Luke and Taylor, most probably dead too.

So was the world you lived in. So fucking dead.

But you kept your promise, the paradox forgotten. You were okay.

[keitorin3]

Picture this~

The Marvel Multiverse thing about your dreams but with Merlin.

So I rewatched the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and had this thought about what if Merlin had constant dreams of his alternate future-self before he came to Camelot.

And I don't mean his future-self in S5 but himself in the 21st century.

Like, this would confuse young Merlin who lives in medieval times and has these fantastical dreams where there are moving metal contraptions and steel birds and towering crystal-like buildings.

But most of all, I think that he'd dream of himself as an old professor or doctor. Like, we know Merlin knows how to read and write in S1 and that it was most definitely thanks to his mother, but what if he was more advanced then that?

What if seeing these dreams of another version of himself as a professor or doctor made Merlin truly want to be a physician with Gaius?

But what's more, he brings with him his 21st century mindset into his life like...

*Merlin hearing Kilgharrah*

Kilgharrah: Merlin~

Merlin: Yeah God? I'm kinda in the middle of a midlife crisis you know. Got tossed into prison by a gorgeous blond bimbo who will most likely be my crap boss in the future, so can't be insane right now sorry.

Kilgharrah: ...

Gaius comes in looking cross: Merlin you idiot!

Merlin: Nevermind, god take me now please.

*Merlin meeting Kilgharrah*

Kilgharrah: How small you are for such a great destiny.

Merlin: Holy shit, is this like Braveheart? Wait, no, sorry wrong movie I mean Dragonheart?

Kilgharrah: What?

Merlin: Are you gonna tell me we have to ban together to stop the King from doing something terrible because some dumbass stupidly gave him a gift or something to do with Life or Death and now the king is out of control and must be stopped?

Kilgharrah: ... *after a moment of self doubt and contemplation* Yes... After freeing me, yes. It is your destiny.

Merlin: Hmm, your kinda sus. How do I know you aren't lying to me? And if I have to kill some king can it be someone like Cenred? Total dick king, honestly.

Kilgharrah: *Ignores that for now and will debate destiny later* Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason.

Merlin: So there is a reason for my dreams.

Kilgharrah: Yes-What? No, I meant your magic.

Merlin: But that's forbidden in Camelot, and besides, I need my head for when I become a physician!

Kilgharrah: You were made for a greater purpose Merlin. Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion. But he faces many threats from friend and foe alike. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion.

Merlin: Riiight... And then he and I marry, have brilliant blond children and live happily ever after, while working as a Physician.

Kilgharrah: ... No

Merlin: Then nah, blondy can fight his own battles. Been training to kill since birth I hear.

Kilgharrah: There is no right or wrong, only what is and what isn't.

Merlin: *mutters* What are you, a fortune cookie?

Kilgharrah: None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it.

Merlin: OK, fine. I'll bite into the forbidden apple, but I'm most likely not bringing an Adam down with me. Arthur is a idiot but I don't see him changing within this century.

Kilgharrah: Perhaps it's your destiny to change that. *Then proceeds to fly off*

Merlin: Wait-! Ugh, thanks for nothing you useless reptile.

Lol, I can just image all the possibilities where Merlin makes a reference to something and everyone around him are just completely confused and just writes him off as a fool with a wide but intelligent imagination.

This was also greatly inspired by @theroundbartable post (here) of 21st century Arthur as King.

So much fun, like I think because of Merlin able to kinda see into his alternate self's life he has the modern perspective but still have the medieval stomach to survive. And, he goes about figuring out his magic using the scientific method of Question , Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Analysis, Conclusion, and Communication. Like why does he not need to speak words? Is magic spells like coding? Or is it a force? Is he a Jedi or a Sith?

Considering flowers bloom when he's happy but rain and storms pour when sad or angry, he is likely neither a force of good or evil.

Merlin has all these internal thoughts and with Gaius, finally has someone to bounce theories off of (that's not Will of Hunith) and share knowledge with.

At some point Gaius would just suggest Merlin write them down (because Gaius is too old and can't keep up as fast). Taking his advise and spends his next pay check on a brand new journal.

And I can see Merlin and Arthur being the same old same old, but Merlin is more concerned for Arthur and Morgana's well being seeing as their only role model is emotionally abusing (and confusing) Uther.

So he'd team up with Gwen and set about trying to make both Pendragon Siblings happy.

And I better end here or else I'll go on and on.

Til next we meet fellow dreamers~! ✨

[heartssatoru]

Sukuna in itadoris body wanting to cuddle with the reader but doesn't want to say it ?

I could imagine this😭😭 so many anons! I dont mind thank you for the requests :) my inbox is empty😭

Pairing:sukuna x reader

Warnings: Not proofread, bad grammar, and just fluff! (Maybe a bit of threatening lol) <3

Cuddling with him? More like strangling.

But if he really does want to cuddle he'll hint it. He'd rather die than actually ask.

Don't take it hard though, that's just how he is.

Also as soon as you two are cuddling he wont let you go

"Come here brat" sukuna pointed at his lap. Waiting for you to do what he said. You simply grinned at him.

"Aww king of curses need attention?" He scoffs at your words. Clearly annoyed. "Not from you. I'm simply bored" he clearly wants your attention

"Thats what you always say" you fix up your desk before heading to itadoris bed, the bed he was laying on.

"Is this all you do when your in itadoris body..?" You question him. Giggling. "I mean, I wouldn't hesitate killing a few people." Your smile faded.

But he smiled at that, infact he was laughing at that. "I'm joking, for now. Atleast." He snickers.

You just rolled your eyes. "How about you stop with your unfunny jokes" he smirks at your reaction. "Getting all worked up over a joke?"

He was clearly just playing with you, so maybe just ignore it for a bit. If your even able too anyway..

Sukuna simply laid there. Waiting for your next move. Smiling. Just for you to turn around and walk to the door.

Are you dumb? Yeah you definitely are. Did you just walk away from the king of curses? Also, where the hell are you going?

"Oi, where do you think your going?" He asks, clearly unamused from what you just did. But you didnt respond.

First, you walked away from him. And now your ignoring him. Did your parents not teach you manners?

before you could touch the knob you feel yourself being carried. Back to itadoris bed..

"Your such a baby. Couldn't even handle a joke" he scoffs. Throwing you onto the bed. "You realize, I could kill you right now. But you decide to walk AND ignore me?"

You simply chuckle "are you upset over me ignoring you? Aww, you actually want my attention." His eyes widen a bit. Was that what you were doing?

"I dont dumbass. Stop jumping into conclusions." He glares at you, debating if whether he should kill you right now

He wouldn't kill you

I think

"Ugh come here" you grab his arm pushing him onto the bed. Pulling him towards you.

"What do you think your doing, brat?!" He yelps silently. "Hush, you clearly wanted to cuddle me"

"No I didnt, get your arms off of me woman" he curses as you just smile. Taking your arms off him. "Alright then"

He get's a bit surprised "What do you think your doing?" He asked, missing the warmth of you. Never admitting it though

"Well you told me to take my arms off you, so I did" maybe that was a bad idea. Who knows

"Do that again brat." He waits for you to do so. "But you sa-" before you could finish your sentence his arms were wrapped about you tightly

"Sukuna I can't breath" "shut up brat. Let me have my moment goddamn"

[allwormdiet]

Sentinel 9.6

Well.

At least we're not as fucked as Brockton Bay.

"Ugh, how dare crime be prevented so I can't beat the shit out of the people doing the crimes for my own catharsis" - sentiments of the utterly normal

This glimpse into the inner workings of these two has not endeared me to them any further, tbh. I think the time in which they can actually turn these impressions around is starting to dwindle.

So. Here's Sophia's worldview laid plain, and it's about what I expected. Might makes right, violence and desperation and greed are the true nature of humanity, everyone can be divided between sheep and wolves and she refuses to be a sheep.

Mostly I think I'm just curious as to what, exactly, shaped her to be this way. Like obviously whatever caused her to trigger is a factor, but I don't know if any parahuman has had a complete overhaul of their personality brought about by their power coming online; I suspect that she'd followed some version of this mentality before the worst day of her life (so far) proved her right.

I can't imagine Piggot would be thrilled that Shadow Stalker thinks so highly of her, or at least the why of it.

This is cool, though. Give Wildbow credit, he can make just about any sensation of using a power sound rad as hell.

*sighs* Fucking Nazis

At least Sophia is sensible about what to do with them

Another neat fight scene, this one is a bit quicker than the Travelers tussle so I kinda like it more. That and it involves beating the shit out of Nazis.

Ruh roh Raggy

hiimdaisy_adachi_murder.mp3

Oh yeah, why eliminate the villain who you know is a particular threat to you, specifically, when you can try to torment her first?

This isn't even me saying that Sophia should try to murder Skitter, bc obviously I prefer the latter to the former, but taking the whole thing of seeing her secret identity into consideration, the response to crossing paths should be "take her down fast and hard," not "put her back against the wall and make her panic"

It's gonna fucking break her brain when she realizes Taylor is Skitter, huh?

There's something really funny about how basically every outsider POV we've gotten on Skitter involves hating her ass. Truly cursed to be unpopular.

I like the logical weaknesses of Sophia's power so far. Things getting into her shadow form, like bugs, fuck with her ability to remanifest because she has to "shove" them out of where she's going to solidify. The electricity I'm less clear on, maybe just some quirk of what she's "made" of in her altered state, but it's a good way to explain why she can't just leap through buildings willy nilly. The thing with the gas/vapor absorption that gets mentioned in a second also makes sense and is pretty neat.

Hey Sophia do you maybe regret playing with your food a little bit

Also still cool to see Skitter's powers from the outside POV

God that's so cool

...Y'know, if these two could get over their bullshit for like, a minute, they could probably have some very cathartic hate-makeouts. More blood than normal for kissing but less blood than normal for their usual interactions.

Lol

Lmao

Nuts that what threw her off in this moment was looking for a secondary murder weapon to cover up her power's tell.

Also: get fucked Sophia.

And you fell for it hook line and sinker, because you're a petty tunnel-visioned sadist.

Got the whole crew doing the group pose, love to see it

Also: hi Aisha, glad you get to join the team, sorry you had a trigger event, hope the future scenes with you are less uncomfortable than your first one

Skitter is so fucking good at playing up the villain role, she really should be proud of the work she puts into it.

Not entirely sure why they're kidnapping Shadow Stalker, but I'm sure it's going to be another photo album moment for the Undersiders and their rise to prominence.

Concluding Thoughts

Y'know, a lot of trouble could've been avoided if Sophia just ignored that impulse to play with her prey. I'm not gonna be like "oh why can't she just rein in the violence" because every parahuman we've met so far is either a participant or facilitator of violence, but the cruelty is what's gotten her in trouble here. Not only did she only get baited into this trap because she refused to make an earlier attempt at the killing blow, not only did she take the bait of hunting down a lone villain while a PRT convoy was under attack by fucking Nazis, but the hostility might have been avoided if she hadn't gotten her kicks from tormenting and assaulting Taylor. If Sophia was just Emma's friend who hung back and watched as she tormented Taylor, things might've differently all the way back in the medical tent, but alas, she was a willing and gleeful participant.

Little concerned about what the fuck they're going to do to her, but there's nothing to do but wait and see.

Also, cautiously glad that Imp has arrived, she seems fun from what I've picked up via osmosis, again fingers crossed that her continued presence in this story doesn't involve nearly as much wincing as Tangle 6.3 because holy shit.

[fascinatedscrawls]

A Nice Day

"I don't know about this, Tucker. I just feel so," swiping another hand through the waist high water, Danny wrinkles his nose and fumbles for the right word. Not slow like when he can't keep up with Dash (ha, accidental pun!) at PE, but more, "Sluggish."

"Dude, it's just water." His friend points out unnecessarily before splashing a bit at Danny just to see him sputter. "How is this any worse than when you fly around in the Zone? Don't you, like, swim around in ecto?"

"No," well, actually, "kind of, but not really. It's more like flying - I will it to happen and the ecto responds."

Halfway through another splash, Tucker pauses. "Wait, if that's how you fly then how do you do it without ecto everywhere?"

Not waiting for him to recover, Danny retaliates by swiping an arm through the water. It feels even heavier at this speed, but it sends a respectable wave at Tucker who sputters.

"He uses his ecto, duh," Sam answers from under her dark umbrella a safe distance from the pool. Her boots are missing, but she looks even paler than usual as her dark clothes clash with the bright summer day. Pulling down her sunglasses she grins at them before asking, "how does it feel flying around in all that ghost blood while in the Zone?"

Tucker makes a grossed out face, but that thought occurred to Danny ages ago so his mind immediately applies that logic forward instead.

"I wonder if swimming in actual blood would be easier?"

"Come on, man," Tucker complains, "I'm trying to have a nice day!"

Conversely, Sam perks up. "Well, considering we're mostly water, I'd guess pretty similar to the pool, right?"

"Probably a little more like a salt water pool," Jazz chimes in from where she's sunbathing, an activity Danny's convinced she's doing wrong considering how much sunscreen she put on. "That wouldn't help Danny's 'sluggish' issue as I believe that's denser."

"Ugh, no thanks. I'll take normal pool water over that."

"Why not go intangible then?" Tucker asks, exasperated.

Well, it's worth a shot. A moment later and the pool water goes rushing into where Danny's standing. Swiping a hand through the water, he frowns as it meets no resistance.

"This is somehow worse," he complains, then gives Tucker a flat look when he tries to splash him again. He gets an annoyed look in return when the water goes right through him.

"Yeah, how am I supposed to win the splash fight like this?"

"You weren't going to win anyway," Danny refutes before abruptly turning tangible. All the water that rushed in immediately displaces itself and Danny uses Tucker's flinch to press his advantage, ignoring how Jazz and Sam complain from the poolside as they both get some splash damage.

"Oh, yeah?" Tucker finally manages, spitting out a bit of water before grinning back at him in a way that has Danny wondering what the trick is. "Well, at least I won't be the loser!"

Danny doesn't understand how that's possible before two more fighters enter the pool looking for revenge. He yelps, but can't quite go intangible fast enough to dodge all the water coming his way.

When he resurfaces it's to laughter and more blessedly cool water on this hot summer day.

He might lose, but Danny thinks it's still one of the nicest days in a while.

—————————

Thanks again for voting on the prompt! This one may be a little long, but I typed it on mobile and Tumblr won't let me check the word count lol

I'll be putting the next poll up shortly if you'd like to help me pick my next prompt!

[oflights]

I just found Glory today and I love it so so much I’m obsessed!!!! I’ve always found that the authors I love the most also have excellent taste so do you have any bloodweave recs for me to devour while I pine away for a new chapter?

hi! ahh i'm so happy to hear this! thank you so much, i'm incredibly pleased you're enjoying Glory. 💕

recs!!! i definitely have recs *cracks knuckles*

disclaimer: a lot of these are bookmarked from when i was still shy and just reading and getting into this pairing on my own and very New (though i am still very New, to be fair) and basically i need to get better about commenting lol. but i rec these wholeheartedly! and also obviously these are just my opinions, i am still reading lots but haven't read everything.

these are all complete; i might do a separate post with wips i'm following if there's any interest!

in absolutely no order, and below the read more for length:

The Fourth Ring by Vamillepudding; this is the first fic i immediately sent to all of my friends and forced them to read because i loved it so much. inspirational, hilarious, beautiful. no tadpoles AU, my beloved

We're Here and It's Now by houseofthestars; one of my favorite bloodweave authors, i recommend basically all of houseofthestars' fics but this one is a fave. mind the tags/kinks but ahhhh. this is also my absolute favorite descriptions of a beautiful post-game underdark life for them, it's so perfect. one of my favorite gale voices, too, he is everything to me

Might Just Make It by lavvyan; another favorite author of mine!! this is an absolutely adorable and heart-wrenching little AU that was one of my major "oh" moments for these two. love it

Corner of Sail Street and Sea Lion by lavvyan; again, lavvyan, truly a fave!! this is such a fun, frantic post-game fic where astarion races to waterdeep to rescue gale from a calamity. i simply love when astarion is forced to confront the fact that he cares UGH like he's kicking and screaming and stamping his feet about it but he cares, damn it! it's so good

Weakness Coming On by bloodweaving; one of my fave in-game fics; it's just so incredibly plausible and hilarious. astarion absolutely tortures gale in this because he just cannot deal with how much he likes him and that is just. yes exactly perfect, no notes

you might love me to death by tuffgreg; this in-game dynamic is incredible and complex and delicious. amazing use of the act 2 backdrop, aka my favorite act.

Dysfunction by nematode; god i could read 100k more words of this version of them! the exploration of these sex dynamics is sooo good. they are just perfect here, i adore this fic.

embracing the sun by vannral; reccing all of vannral's bw fics but this one has my heart. it's gorgeous and funny and so sweet. also shadowheart is my secret second fave companion and the use of her in vannral's fics is always wonderful.

if my heart stops beating, we'll bleed the same way by AgentBuzzkill; angsty hurt gale is an obvious fave of mine but the astarion in this fic is who really kills me; i have so many feelings about him immediately post-cazador and the weight of what he has to deal with, and this makes it so much heavier

Bliss and Ignorance by ultranerdyandiknowit; i'm still drafting a comment for this fic because i love it so much. heed the warnings and tags but please give this one a read. it's gorgeous and heartbreaking and the miscommunication just makes so much sense. again, act 2 is my favorite part of the game and this leans into act 2 gale so well and i love it so much

wow okay i will be shutting up now 🙈

[romaine2424]

For the Love of WIPs (Drarry style)

There's a lot of things I miss about LJ, but right up there was the weekly posting of the H/D Prophet run by @sassy-cissa and groovelover at the conclusion. It began posting in 2005 and It stopped posting in 2021. I know it was a ton of work for the mods to run it, but it truly kept Drarry fandom informed of all the one-shot fics, art released that week, and chapter updates for current Drarry WIPs, recs, etc... Also listed were the fests and what state they were in. Take a look at the links I posted above and see all the goodness. It was very centralized. *sigh happy times*

What made me think of this was I love reading Drarry WIPs but keep finding recent chapter fics that I missed while being posted and only found them completed and others that I'm currently reading but found by chance.

So, I thought I'd share the WIPs I'm keeping track of and those that have been completed recently that I've read.

Notes: Most WIPs (chapter fics) are long fics (over 50K and up to 1M). There are readers that see some lengths of completed fics and wince. That is one reason why chapters are often released weekly or whenever, so you have digestible amounts (5-15K). Sometimes as an author I feel in a Catch 22, readers don't have time to read long fics, but then won't read a WIP until completed. LOL

Below the cut are WIPs that I've read and that have been recently completed. I'll post ongoing WIPs that I'm reading tomorrow! I'm not listing the Warning and Tags for these fics as I'll leave that up for you to decide on what to read or not. But, there are a few here that do have strong warnings in the tags and/or Author Notes. One final note: I'm listing WIPs (chapter fics) that were posted over a time period, not completed chapter fics that were listed on one date as a whole. OMG this is a long post!

Recently completed Drarry WIPs

Passing Stranger (53K) by @lettersbyelise This just completed yesterday! I have 2 chapters left to read. :) Summary: Five years after the war, Harry, listless and depressed, stumbles upon Draco Malfoy playing the violin in an underground bar in Muggle London. The catch? Draco lost his memories five years ago. Ignoring his friends’ advice, Harry befriends an unwitting Draco, overlooking the fact that their mutual attraction might not survive if Draco’s memories return. Comment: Haven't quite finished but I love, love, the Draco in this fic. You could feel that this is Draco stripped of all the heavy responsibilities he grew up with including having a bigoted father. The tension is palpable with Harry being attracted to this Draco but feeling that Draco needs to be Draco Malfoy to move forward. *ugh*. 2. The Boy from the Piano Shop (90.5K) by @soliblomst completed 2/25/24. Summary: After going blind in a reckless attempt to avenge Ginny's death, Harry battles with severe depression. One day, he stumbles upon a quaint piano restoration shop in the heart of London and meets the owner, a kindly old man, and his introverted young apprentice, whose voice sounds strangely familiar. As Harry and Draco slowly reconnect through private piano lessons, the small workshop becomes Harry's refuge, offering him a glimmer of hope in a world without eyes. Set five years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Comment: I binged this fic bad!!! There is so much to love in this fic but one of the standouts is the OC Richard. You will love him, too. The gradual build up of Drarry is so well done. The dealing with Harry's depression is so raw and real. No cutting of corners. The ending was one of the best I've read in celebrating what is to come for Harry and Draco. And Draco, in the final scene will make you cry *happy tears*. 3. The Star Splitter (219K) by @oflights completed 3/22/24. Summary: On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival. Comment: I think I followed this one from the start as I do everything @oflights! OMG the action, the tenseness, the magical lore, the worldbuilding, and the sweetness of Draco raising young Harry will have you banging that "next chapter" button. The Drarry in this happens slowly and has its ups and downs but so so worth the wait. The bond is strong and at the end and you will recognize and cheer for this Harry who says Fuck it all, I ain't letting this go.

4. Spotlight (All Eyes on Us) (58K) by @pixiedunhoff completed 3/15/24. This is the 5th and final installment of the Dark Arts to Dance Floor Series (317K) which began posting in July '23. Spotlight Summary: The spotlight can scorch.

“Has the wizarding world ever seen a couple quite like Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter? Though the pair remain frustratingly private and out of the spotlight, hardly ever seen in public together, our readers understandably demand to know more.

‘They’re happy together,’ Minister of Magic Hermione Granger exclusively tells the Prophet, before quickly ducking into a meeting for Squib Rights. ‘They’re so very happy.’”

- Daily Prophet, 2 February 2018 Comment: Pixie says in the notes, you may only need to read the 4th installment to completely get this fic, but hell, I say read them all. Pixie is newer to Drarry writing (longtime reader). I love the casualness and realness of the characters and how they interact. In Spotlight they so capture the feel of being backstage to a 'music rock star' (in the Muggle world) and on the rise in the magical one. As you're reading this fic, it might come across as being a lighter AU type fic, but don't be fooled there is much depth and layers upon layers to both Harry and Draco. Pixie just eases you into it. There were points that I just had to stop reading for a moment and digest exactly what was going on. Pixie will be on my Current WIP list, too! 5. Skybound (61K) by @xanthippe74 Summary: No matter how much Harry Potter wanted to believe he’d left danger behind when the war ended, it found him again anyway. All he had to do was step out his own front door on a Tuesday morning. A Drarry re-imagining of Howl’s Moving Castle.

Comment: I haven't finished this one, yet, but wanted to list it here. It's 6 chapters and I'm only 2 chapters in, but holy hell what world building and magical lore (and one very nasty curse). I'm not familiar with the original source, but that's okay. I'm very happy being carried along in one floating house! I'm a big fan of @xanthippe74 and am fully confident I'll love this as much as the author's other stories. Okay, I'll be back tomorrow with a list of currently posting Drarry WIPs, including two stinging hot A/B/Os, but in very different ways.

Enjoy!

Rom

[soaps-mohawk]

RE: chapter 22

First of all, Kyle and the reader falling asleep in THAT position?! 11/10 writing. They must have been beyond exhausted to end up like that, and I can almost feel the back and leg pain.

Also, can we get a professional pedicure session with the reader and all the guys soon? A little self-care/funny moment (and probably some ticklish feet) would be perfect after all the angst. They definitely deserve it! And taking care of their omega by going to self-care appointments with her sounds adorable—like those little acts of service, such as filling her plate for her. Still hoping Simon will start doing that (or other similar acts) soon. I would just MELT.

The training scene? I’m DECEASED. SCRUMPTIOUS. There’s definitely drugs in your writing. Impatiently waiting for my next dose, but please take your time to marinate the next chapter in your wonderful brain.

Can‘t believe Simon couldn’t be late just ONE TIME? Like, PLEASE. What’s going on in his brain? (Not so subtle request for more Ghostly thoughts.) (I wouldn’t say no to Soapy or Gazy or Pricey thoughts either—I just want to dig into all their brains and soak up everything. How did they all feel when the reader and Simon came into the mess? No jealousy at all? Not even Price? Any reactions from other people that the reader missed but they noticed?)

Anywaysss - Back to the topic: Ghost definitely knows what he did, right? There’s no way he doesn’t notice her scent when walking to the mess, especially after inhaling it so directly from her neck for what felt like quite some time. You can't tell me he didn’t get a little drunk off it (as Price later mentions, "a mixture someone could get drunk off of"), but apparently not drunk enough to be just A LITTLE LATE. UGH. WHY?? (You’re torturing us!) (Price ignoring his alarm made up for it slightly (also him being in charge so he can be late without consequence, YES), but pleaseeee gimme more Simon pls pls pls)

The last scene? Straight out of a movie. Heavy pouring rain, unsaid feelings, the angst. Loved it, hated it, need more.

He’s so straightforward and quick with how he’s telling her and just leaving right after, not wasting a second. Painful, but it makes me wonder if he’s almost "fleeing" to avoid dragging it out and making it harder on the reader—or even himself. Maybe he’s trying to just focus on doing his job and coming back as soon as possible?

And then the reader trudging back, soaked and miserable, with Johnny holding the door open…he definitely saw the tears, right? Even though her skin was already wet from the rain. Plus, the reader was probably giving off some scent of sadness. So hiding the tears wouldn’t really do much. What happens after??? And when will she finally tell SOMEONE about the cameras that were in her room?

Can you tell I live for this story?

💚

Aaah first of all, thank you!!! I'm so glad you've been enjoying it so far!! 💚💚💚

I've fallen asleep in a similar position (not doing that) back when I injured my back and 0/10 would recommend. The cramping and pain in the hips and back and legs is not worth it 😭

Omg that would be so cute. Just four big, buff men walking into a nail salon wanting pedicures 😂 I love it. Ugh it's the sweet little things that get me (can you tell my love language is acts of service??)

Would you believe the training scene was one of the first I wrote for this chapter?? It was like the only idea I had for it when I started writing lmaooo. Oh trust me, it's marinating. I also think about this fic 24/7.

Simon has a schedule to keep, ya know?? Lmao I'd write the entire fic from Simon's POV in a heartbeat. 😂 I'd probably write it from all of their POVs if I had enough time and energy.

Simon may have been a little scent drunk 🤭 that's why things got as far as they did. (I realized I'd been neglecting Price for a while and had to throw in a little tidbit for him to make up for it lol)

I may or may not have been channeling The Notebook (which I've only seen once believe it or not) a bit in that scene. Pouring rain, strong emotions, someone leaving for an unknown amount of time. Delicious.

Oh Simon definitely wanted to stay and he was rushing to avoid talking himself out of leaving. He knows he has a job to do, and he's a loyal soldier, but so soon after he finally allowed himself to develop this relationship with the reader? Brutal.

They'll find out the whole truth soon, don't worry. It is coming...soon. Soon. Soonish. Ish.

Eventually.

[campingwiththecharmings]

when you're in the group chat but you still don't feel like you're a part of the group 🥲

[fatuismooches]

SMOOCHES!!! Hii my cutie patootie!!! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

It’s been a while since I last sent something here and I’m so sorry about that!! I’m doing a lot better now (although I never got my test results back to see if I had that syndrome or not LOL) and I almost have the two new Fontaine regions 100% oopsies! But I have like serious brainrot (but school is so tiring I usually just nap the whole afternoon) anyways!! I listened to one of mitski’s songs called “Once More to See You” and ugh it honestly just reminded me of Dottore and fragile!reader. The beginning makes me think of how fragil!reader and Dottore (especially) having a reputation and being looked as “weird” or as students who don’t belong in the Akademiya. The rest of the song just reminds me of Dottore being alone once fragile!reader fell into their coma, and him longing to feel your hand against his. To have your warm touch, caress his cheek, kiss his lips, embrace him, and to say his name, “Zandik!” In that lovely tone of yours. ouuughh I love fragile!reader and Dottore so so much just Dottore having to wait so long for them to wake up. Like imagine having to wait hundreds of years for the only person who’s every shown you affection and love. The only person to hold you so lovingly, say your name with love and not disgust, or with horror.

And after waking up??? Oughhh I know I say this a bit frequently but Dottore would become so so protective and possessive. I mean, you’re the only thing he has left, and he almost lost you once. He won’t spare to almost lose you another time, especially after centuries went by without your warm touch, or your voice. He defff savors every moment you two have together when he’s available. And especially when he becomes so used to having you on his lap and him being able to feel your heartbeat. Sometimes he may unconsciously tighten his grip on you when he’s holding you.

okieokie I think that’s enough for today!! I hope you’ve been doing amazing smooches again I’m so sorry I’ve been away I always wanna brainrot but sometimes I think my ideas aren’t that great compared to anons (YOUR ANONS ARE SO AMAZING I LOVE READING EVERY POST, AND KAI’S WRITINGS <333 MWA MWA!!) But i hope you’re getting lots of rest and staying healthy!! A bunch of chu chus n hugs, n maybe a few cuddles ! hehe!!

-from your dear boo boo bear 🎐 anon! ౨ৎ

🎐 ANON MY BELOVED!!! Oh my gosh I'm so happy you're back and alright, I missed you, and I'm so happy to hear your health has gotten better ❤️ Congrats on your Fontaine exploration and omg i totally understand, take those naps if you need to 😭 I'm not much of a napping person but those few times that i do nap, feel so good lmao. Okay brainrot time~

WAH THANK YOU FOR INTRODUCING ME TO ANOTHER MITSKI SONG... omg i love this so much. Dottore was definitely ostracized and excluded in the Akademiya, everyone thought that he nor his crazy ideas belonged there. And you, I imagine your reputation start to get dragged through the mud the more you hang out with Dottore. They just don't understand. Why would you ever want to even sit in the same room as him, much less befriend him? You started to be labeled as the same things as him. You don't mind (most of the time, sometimes it still gets to you) because you think those people are just shallow compared to your friend. But Zandik himself doesn't understand you either? There's no way that his "friendship" (your words, not his) is worth the stress of all this. He doesn't understand, it's not like you're using him, if anything he's the one using you instead. Zandik doesn't understand... but he's not going to admit that the fact that you chose him over everyone else makes him feel a certain way. And that tingly feeling only grows and grows. And he refuses to acknowledge it... until you leave him and suddenly everything he's chosen to ignore hits him at once. Everything that Zandik's been trying so hard to deny, he admits to now. He misses you... he longs for your touch, your kindness, the way you treat him with such love, your voice... as horrible as this is, it really did open his eyes. Made him realize that living by himself again in the dorms is slowly making him even crazier without you. Made him realize that he's willing to do anything, and i mean anything, to get you back.

OH YEAH Dottore is extremely protective over you when you finally wake up. See, Dottore isn't really scared of someone else hurting you. He knows that he and his segments would never let that happen. Rather, he's scared of other things. Like your illness. Things he can't control. Dottore is a man who's used to being in control now, so when he can't predict things? When he can't see them coming? He doesn't like that. Not one bit, especially when it comes to you. He needs to know everything, otherwise, he won't be satisfied. He can't risk you being hurt again, not under his watch. You're very confused in the beginning because hello? This is the same guy who used to let you go out and do all these crazy tasks on his behalf? But yeah, he can't help but be very possessive. It's very Dottore like of him.

Thank you for the delicious brain rot 🎐 anon!! I enjoyed it tremendously :3 AND SHUSH YOUR BRAINROTS ARE AMAZING AND I LOVE THEM. But yuppp my anons and Kai have such yummy writing!! I am doing well, thank you :) just busy but I'm fine! Giving you lots of my hugs and kisses to you toooo <33

[mirikitakato]

[TRANSLATION] OWEN 4TH ANNIVERSARY SSR CARD STORY “TOGETHER IN A WORLD ADRIFT” AND CARD EPISODE “OWEN AND THE DOOR OF DAYS BYGONE…”

Owen, I feel like you can't stop mentioning Cain in everything you say lol I love it though

Characters: Owen, Akira (mentioning Cain)

Episode 1: A Sweet and Salty Moment.

Owen: Ha. It's been quite a while since I last had such a dull mission...

Owen: It's not merely a bit dull; it's being exaggerated to an extreme extent. You can just ignore it, you know?

The mission assigned to the Northern wizards that day was a result of the Great Calamity's influence, leading to a house cat turning aggressive.

Akira: It was utter chaos.

Owen helped a bunch by talking to the cat and calming it down.

Owen: Those guys are useless, I have no choice but to talk to it.

Owen: Well...the twins tried their best to act like super cute kids, but they were thoroughly disliked, Mithra and Bradley even got threatened by the cat. That was genuinely amusing and fun to watch.

Akira: Ahaha...Once the mission was over, everyone immediately disbanded.

Akira: I wished we could have gone to the shop together. You all came all the way here, but I couldn't offer anything as an apology. I'm truly sorry.

Owen: Doesn't matter. Besides, you don't get rewarded for being the first to run away.

Owen: Instead of that, don't you think you owe me for this mission? Take me to that store quickly.

Akira: Of course! Let me treat you as a token of appreciation.

Akira: That café is recommended by Cain. The decor is very stylish, and the atmosphere is great.

Owen: Heh...Is there a sweet treat that looks like someone's brain has melted and blended into a gooey, sugary snack?

Akira: Pr-probably...? The menu of that shop is very rich, and their most famous item is the baked sea salt cake.

Owen: Salt…? Cake with salt?

Akira: Yes! The salty-sweet combination is addictive.

Akira: You should give it a try...It should be nearby, I'll lead the way.

Owen: Hey... we've been walking for quite a while. Are we there yet?

Akira: Huh? That's odd...

Ten more minutes passed as we continued our search, but the desired café with its blue roof and round sign remained elusive.

Akira: With its blue roof and round sign, it should be easily recognizable...

Owen: ....

Episode 2: A Sweet and Salty Moment.

Akira: Owen, sorry for making you wander around like this. Are you tired...?

Owen: ...Not really.

I thought he'd be in a bad mood since I got him lost, but surprisingly, he wasn't unhappy, which confused me.

Owen: But, I'm thirsty. So, just continue looking for that store alone. Call me if you find it.

Akira: Eh? Ah, Owen!

Owen: Blue roof and round sign…

Owen: (I guess it's this one…)

Owen: ....

Owen: (I can see them clearly from the window seat. That person is still searching for this store in a daze.)

Owen: Amusing. Sir Sage doesn't have a clue that a camouflage spell has been cast on them, and they're still wandering around the same place over and over...

Owen: Haha... Let's just sit back and enjoy the spectacle for a bit.

Owen: (Although they occasionally gets angry, that person is surprisingly tough and won’t break easily. A very good toy indeed.)

Owen: ...Now you mention it, they said the sea salt cake in this store was delicious.

Owen: (Salty cake, but I doubt it's yummy...)

Owen:....

Owen: Oh well, just one bite.

Akira: This path isn't right either...ugh, so confusing.

I tilted my head in confusion and looked at the map in my hand. Still couldn't find the destination, I sighed countless times.

Akira: (It feels like I have been wandering in the same place since the beginning. I don’t even know where Owen went...)

While thinking this, I looked around again and turned the corner of a certain building, then...

Akira: Ah.........I found it!

A store with a blue roof and a round sign. The exquisite and lovely decoration is exactly the same as when I visited before.

Akira: Owen, Owen. I found the shop!

Akira: (He said to call him if I find it. Guess he didn’t go far...)

Akira: Ah...

Seated by the window in the café, Owen rested his chin on his hands, casting a look as if he was watching a show.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me; it felt like I had witnessed this scene before.

Episode 3: A Sweet and Salty Moment.

Akira: Owen!

Except for Owen, who was sitting alone by the window, there were no other customers in the shop. He slowly blinked his different-colored pupils, before casually directing his gaze toward me.

Akira: Great, you got here first. I have no idea why I've been lost for so long...

Owen: I know. I have been watching.

Akira: Eh? Have you been watching me? Since when…?

Owen: Right from the beginning, I used a camouflage spell on you to prevent you from seeing the shop and made you roam in circles, all while observing your bewildered expression.

Akira: So that's why!? When did you cast that kind of magic...?

Owen: Who knows. Thanks to this, I can see your embarrassed and stupid look.

I sighed, wiped sweat off my forehead, and saw Owen happily lift the corners of his mouth. His eyes, concealing their true meaning, formed a curve. It brought back the familiar sensation from when our eyes met outside the store.

Akira: (Speaking of which, when I first met Owen, I was searching for him too... I glanced up, and there he was, staring at me in the same way.)

Akira: (Gazing into those different-colored eyes that seemingly smiling, left a profound impression...)

Remembering the purple sunset on the castle balcony and the enchantingly eerie purple clouds from our initial conversation, I suddenly felt nostalgic.

Akira: (Reminiscing about our first encounter and now sharing afternoon tea like this...it makes me so happy...)

Owen: What's wrong with you? Why are you still laughing when I've obviously made you walk around in vain?

Akira: Ah, no! It's nothing...Oh, Owen. Is this the salty cake?

There sat a small round cake in front of Owen, with some of its white cream already devoured.

Akira: You ordered it! How do you like it? In my world, this kind of dessert is quite popular.

Owen: Yeah. A salty cake, I don't know how to describe it...

Lifting up his chin, Owen thrust the fork into the cake in one swift motion. He then slowly brought the forked piece to his mouth.

Owen: ...But it's not bad.

Licking the cream from the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue, Owen tilted his head slightly and shook his fork.

Akira: (Although there are times he is inconsistent and difficult to get along with, but I can feel that we are getting closer little by little.)

Akira: (It would be great if I could share more and more things with Owen like this.)

Owen: Huh?

Owen slowly raised his eyelids. Then, with a somewhat mocking look, he gently pointed the tip of the fork at me.

Owen: You can try it. But if it doesn't suit your taste, don't blame me.

This movement, along with the slightly narrowed eyes behind the brim of the hat, seemed a bit different from when we first met.

Card Episode: Owen And The Door Of Days Bygone...

Akira: I heard that on the shores of Borda Isle, there is a door that allows you to see the past.

Akira: Speaking of the past, when I first came to this world, I still had a lot of uneasiness in my heart. Once I recall a certain memory, I feel at ease.

Owen: A certain memory?

Akira: Yes. The memory of a trusted adult reading a book to me as a child.

Owen: Hmm, sounds dreadfully boring.

Akira: B-boring...

Owen: It suits you, though.

Akira: How do you usually comfort yourself when feeling lonely?

Owen: Think of you.

Akira: Eh...

Owen: I think of...

Owen: Your scream as a gigantic dog almost gnawed you to bits and your teary face when abandoned all alone...

Akira: Ple-please stop talking.

Owen: Don't like it?

Akira: I don't. If you suddenly decide to act on those thoughts, I'd be in deep trouble.

Owen: Exactly the kind of thing I'd do.

Akira: Is there nothing else? Ways to comfort loneliness…

Owen: Who knows. I've never known loneliness or anything of the sort.

Owen: If you don't want to feel lonely, why not just be with others?

Akira: Do you mean making friends?

Owen: Of course not. I mean toying with people for my amusement.

Owen: Because there are plenty of humans and weak wizards that can be treated like playthings.

Owen: Threaten them, watch them squirm in terror, and you won't be bored anymore.

Akira: That's too extreme...Have you really done that to someone?

Owen: Of course I have.

Akira: Who...

Owen: The owner of this eyeball.

Akira: Ah...

Akira: …But, you two are friends now, right?

Owen: As if!

Akira: But if you can begrudgingly become friends despite all this...

Owen: I said no. We won't be friends. Are you stupid?

Owen: I've always done things that Sir Knight hates. Same goes for you.

Akira: Eh...?

Owen: I only do nasty things to you. I won't do anything good in the future either.

Owen: Whether I'm alone or you're alone, what you said just now was incredibly stupid.

Owen: Can't believe you said that having someone read a book to you can alleviate your loneliness.

Akira: Ah…No. I mean it's a memory that can comfort…

Owen: Same difference.

Owen: Even without an adult reading to you, you'd still find comfort in an imaginary character within a book, right?

Akira: Eh?

Owen: ...Incredibly boring.

[apperiti]

source: sohnhj11 on twitter

I'm posting this translation. Please help spread the word about the dangers and horrors of Korean men to the world.

“There was a time when my younger brother, who's just a year younger than me, made me feel so awful that I wanted to die. We were both in middle school at the time, and we were so close that people were even jealous of us. The first time it happened, I was so shocked and didn't know what to do, so I just pretended not to notice. I really regret that. One weekend afternoon, while I was taking a nap and our parents were home, my brother touched me and even tried to film it. I woke up and caught him in the act."

"I was so shocked at the time. I couldn’t think straight at all. Even though he was apologizing and acting like nothing happened, I felt so embarrassed and couldn’t stand even looking at him, so I just sent him away. My mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts.

Did he post it online anywhere?

How many times has this happened?

Who did he send it to?

Did he sell it somewhere?

Did he use it to pleasure himself?

What did he really think of me? "

" I went into a panic, my hands and feet were shaking, and I couldn’t even cry or breathe properly. I never thought my brother would do something like this, especially not my brother."

"My parents went out for a bit, and after about two hours, I thought something was wrong and sent a message to my mom. I asked her not to tell my dad because he really cares about me, and I was so embarrassed. About an hour later, my brother left the house. When my mom came home and asked about it, she said that Dad had called for my brother. So, my concerns were completely ignored,lol"

"Did they say something like 'Your brother needs to talk to Dad'? I was really anxious, worried that Dad might end up hitting him or something serious like that.

But I think it was all just in my head. They came back laughing and chatting like nothing happened. Ugh, at that moment, I really felt like I wanted to die. Damn, it felt like such a nightmare."

"So, my family is usually pretty close and gets along well. We’re financially comfortable and have a good time together. But that evening, my mom had been drinking and ended up hitting my brother a few times. What really got to me was that I heard everything, and then my mom said, “You’re part of the problem too. Who wears such short pajamas at home? I’ve never dealt with something like this before, so I don’t know what to do.”"

"My pajamas back then were just these short-sleeve, short-pants ones that were pretty trendy at the time. Yeah, I guess you could say it was all my fault. I was pretty slim and my chest was a C cup, so it wasn’t exactly small.

But does that really mean it’s okay for something like this to happen?"

"Was it really my fault?

I was just wearing normal pajamas, in my own home, and went to sleep comfortably.

Does that mean it’s my fault? After that day, I couldn’t really live a normal life for about a year.

Even when I was in class at school, or eating a meal, or even at home, and especially when I was showering, those moments, feelings, and sensations were so vivid, and I just wanted to cut myself out of my own body."

"My family? They all seemed to be doing just fine. It was only me who felt like a complete mess, while everyone else acted as if nothing had happened. It felt like they were too afraid to even talk about it.

Later, I had to go on a family trip that was already planned. It was less than a week after the incident, and since it was a trip with my grandparents, I couldn’t say no to my mom’s request.

But that wasn’t the end. Throughout the trip, my parents kept trying to get me and my brother to make up, and they looked like they were having a great time, laughing and enjoying themselves.

Is this what you call making up? It felt like I was the one who had to forgive everything."

"In the end, I reached out to my brother first and we became close again, like nothing ever happened. Everyone around us was praising him, saying things like, "He's such a great brother. You’re so lucky to have him."

Seriously? I once brought up the whole situation in front of the family again. My mom said, "I didn’t realize how far it went. I’m sorry." (But since this was during an argument, it didn’t feel like a genuine apology.)

My dad was like, "How long are you going to keep talking about this? Are you going to bring it up every time you’re in a tough spot?" This was the first time I had mentioned it to my dad since the incident, but he acted like I talk about it every day.

I’m still struggling with it. Even after years, it’s not something I can just forget. What is he trying to do?"

"MY dad called my brother and me ‘fucking assholes,’ and then he couldn't control his own anger and took it out on us.

That day, my parents ended up apologizing to me.

That was about 2 years ago. I’m not sure about other cases, but honestly, I don’t know. If you talk to your parents about sexual abuse within the family and end up in a situation like mine, what I want to say is that no matter what the person who did wrong says, you’ll never find comfort within yourself. Even if they beg for forgiveness, it really doesn’t feel like real forgiveness.

If you’re thinking about reporting it to the police… well, I’m not sure. If your parents are covering up for the criminal and the offender is a minor, the outcome might not be much. Honestly, I even thought that I should've just ended it back then."

"I thought that if I had ended things back then, maybe my family would have finally felt some guilt and blamed my brother more. But, honestly, saying this feels really bad, especially since my family views the whole thing as my fault and even turns their back on me. I just can’t think of a clear solution. The only thing I can do is try to get through it myself.

I still think about that time sometimes. But, honestly, I’m kind of dumb. I still get along with my brother.

Maybe he’s the one who wants to avoid thinking about it the most.

I’m no expert, and even though I’ve experienced family sexual abuse from my brother, I still don’t know how to truly comfort myself or find a real solution."

"Honestly, I wonder if there's even a real solution, haha. But anyway, my family and I are just living like everything’s normal from the outside. I’m still fooling myself with the word "family." And I’m still a minor, so I can’t really cut ties with them..."

[original thread here]

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE.

___

232. The Quarterback by Tal Bauer--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

THE QUARTERBACK had some of my favourite tropes, so I initially started this duology with the excitement of getting to this book in the mini series. While I (surprising myself) enjoyed the first book more, this one still kept me fully engaged and in love with the characters.

One of the things I really liked about this was how both characters were essentially at a point in their lives where they had to figure out who they were and what they wanted for their lives. Obviously one character was more at a crossroads than the other, but their mutual attraction was definitely something that set off their introspective search for who they were and who they wanted to become.

The age gap was expected and one of the reasons why I was anticipating this read, even if at times it felt a little questionable because one MC had very, very clear daddy issues. But besides those moments where I was wondering if this relationship would have happened if there weren't any of the aforementioned issues, there were some seriously sweet and romantic moments.

Bauer is really, really good at creating relationships that form over time, where love just naturally becomes a comfort blanket for both characters. Bauer's grasp on romance and how to make the reader feel that palpable connection has always been masterful and THE QUARTERBACK was no different in romantic levels than his other books. And one of my absolute favourite things is when we, the readers, are wholly aware of that creeping love but the characters are ignorant to their impending romantic doom (LOL). There's always this sense of "finally" when the characters look at each other in a certain way, or finally just give in to what they're feeling.

Anyway, this book had a lot of tender moments and some surprisingly spicy ones (even though it was a lot tamer than I was anticipating). The love between the two characters was very different from the first book--where the first couple's love was a whirlwind of desire, this one was the slowly growing ember of love that has to be stoked over a period of time.

The biggest conflict of the book had me frustrated, so that also affected the rating. But other than that, this book was such a perfect summer romance read.

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233. The Day Tripper by James Goodhand--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE DAY TRIPPER blew me away and I wasn't expecting it to. While the beginning took a bit to get into, the body of the story had me completely hooked.

I love the concepts explored in Goodhand's book: time travel, speculative fiction themes, cause and effect, and the play on the concept of Schrödinger's Cat. I love the idea of what if and the exploration of everything surrounding it. I was just so deeply fascinated by it and how the MC's actions could have certain consequences.

I also enjoyed that the MC's character had so much character growth throughout the book, whether it was self-realization of the flaws we're aware of from the beginning, or the ones he slowly reveals that traumatized his life enough to have a negative effect on his choices. I like that he forged a new life for himself DESPITE the things that plagued him in the past.

Ugh, I'm just so in awe of this book and how much I enjoyed it. It was fun, but heartfelt; hopeful, but terrifying. I loved it, so much.

I need to read more books by this author!

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234. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had a lot of fun reading this one! I really enjoyed finding out what was going on with the MC alongside him, especially because of the memory loss. The adventure, the humour, the artwork in the physical book, and the fun interludes in between chapters made this such a fun and memorable read.

I think that also because of the way this book is written and the world the MC lives in, this kind of book could technically branch off into a bunch of other books. A world where people can travel to different dimensions that sometimes mimics our owe history? I'd read another book set in this world!

The mix of fantasy and sci-fi was also a lot of fun because there was that typical fantasy aspect of magical beings and fae-like creatures and gods, but then you had nanotechnology. I was surprisingly entertained by it!

Finally, this MC experienced one of my favourite tropes in fiction: people underestimate him, A LOT. And as we learn more about him, it all makes sense why, but the important thing is his character growth showing him that he can be more than the perceived image of him just beyond his memory's grasp. I REALLY enjoyed that.

Sanderson's novel caught my attention from the beginning and the adventure, humour, and the underestimating of the MC made this a really, really fun read for me!

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235. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm a huge fan of Katherine Center. Save for two or three of her backlist titles, I've read most of her books and have enjoyed them all. THE ROM-COMMERS wasn't a different experience for me--I enjoyed this new book by her immensely. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect, the concept of it, the slow fall into romance, and the forced proximity.

Both characters brought a lot to the table and I loved that they embodied the definition of rom-com while actively trying to write one. Watching them do really adorable things with each other made me feel all giggly and excited for them. Especially because the FMC slowly brings the MMC out of his shell--but at the beginning, this is the very definition of "don't meet your heroes".

One of my biggest issues, however, with this book that I was kind of surprised by, was one situation where the FMC refuses to apologize for some pretty cruel things she said to her sister. THIS MAY BE A SPOILER SO BE WARNED: the sister apologizes profusely and it's reluctantly accepted, but other than a reminder that the FMC should apologize to the sister, she never does. It sat so wrongly with me for the remainder of the book that a part of me stopped enjoying the story as much. It was like, trauma inducing level of bad if the sister were a real person.

The majority of the book was enjoyable and was that typical Center cute and clean romance between two people that didn't like each other at first, but that blip near the end made me so uncomfortable.

I'd still recommend this cute read, but be aware that there are definitely some darker aspects of this book that could be triggering.

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236. Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've gotten to the point with Hazelwood where I tend to sort of feel on the fence whenever she releases a new book. I initially loved her first series because it had stem and some good romance between enemies, then promptly DNF'ed the third in that series because it all felt so...similar.

NOT IN LOVE is like that strange middle-ground between those very similar books in that first series, and different enough to break up that monotony. The differing factor in this one? Every time the characters met up, they had some form of sex. They were like the horny teenagers who are always off somewhere "discovering different parts of each other", even though they swear up and down that they hate each other.

While I'm normally a huge fan of smutty romances, this one felt a little forced at times? Don't get me wrong, these two had some good times. And if Hazelwood had gone through with it, it would have been an interesting exploration of a type of sex we don't typically see in smutty romances, but of course, he was "not like other men" and proved that she could indeed enjoy the typical sexual acts.

Their sexy rendezvouses WERE fun though and I remember listening through my audiobook and thinking, "Damn, okay, Ali." I liked watching these two take down each others' walls and fall into their love. Even if it was forbidden.

The MMC of course matched the physical descriptors of previous Hazelwood MMCs, and the FMC was also that quirky, slightly bitchy, curvaceously gorgeous FMC that Hazelwood also loves to write about. And I mean, I don't dislike that because I love some good rep for curvy girls, BUT it's also like falling into that Hazelwood formula that has become her character standard.

One of the main things, however, that I discussed with others who'd read this book is how STEM, the one thing that set Hazelwood's romances apart from all others when she first debuted, took a backburner to the smut in this book. Sure, it made an appearance every once in a while, but it was definitely a background character.

Look, my review nitpicks this book but you know, *shrug*, I actually enjoyed this book--for what it's worth. It was entertaining, sexy, and SLIGHTLY different enough from her previous stuff that it kept me wanting to read the rest of the story. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun for the summer. I'll still be wary of her future books, but this one was entertaining in its own way.

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237. This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN was an incredibly powerful book, but it was also from the perspective of a very young MC--yes, she's a senior in high school who was about to graduate, but some of her decisions felt very young and it was jarring, especially when those said decisions happened alongside her more mature moments.

But keeping that in mind, some of the adults in her life also let her down intensely--which, to be honest, is very realistic, especially with how North America is right now.

I wouldn't be surprised if this book gets banned because it focuses so much on what is happening right now. The racism in small town America, the idea that certain people have the power to control what other people do with their own time and what they read, and the threats that minorities face when they stand up for what is right was all scarily timely. And this made for a very uncomfortable read. Add to it that this is all from the POV of a teenager who was originally from an incredibly diverse city/school and is also dealing with the grief of her father's abandonment.

There was also such an underlying current of animosity in this book that breached the seemingly calm waves every so often, until the bigots and racists felt comfortable enough to come up for air more often. The one character remaining silent proved that silence was also the perfect example of how evil can flourish when there isn't anyone or anything stopping the abuse.

While the ending of this book is incredibly idealistic, I thought it was perfect because it adds that touch of hope that we are all wanting in such a difficult time. Real life may be a shit show of lost expectations, but at least fiction can show us what it COULD be like.

At times hopefully (because of the allies that find their bravery to stand up), and at other times terrifying, THIS BOOK WON'T BURN will definitely leave you thinking after the last page. And if you're an adult reading this book (like I am), it will make you wonder what you would have done if you were a teenager during this current political climate.

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238. The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ugh, this sequel was soooooooo good!!

When I read the first book in this series years ago, I thought that it would have been great to get another book because I wanted to read about more adventures. Erik J. Brown definitely delivered in THE ONLY LIGHT LEFT BURNING and I'm so, so, so happy we got to have this conclusion!

One of the things I'm so grateful for is that this is a dual POV story. There are so many moving pieces in this book and so many instances where the MCs need to grow as characters on their own, that having dual POVs allowed for us to get the full stories.

I had forgotten how addicting Brown's writing is, too, because I was immediately hooked with this one. And there is ALWAYS something happening. There were some wild moments in this book and some that genuinely made me so itchy with anxiety and fear. Add to those scary moments a group of small kids and that's an extra level of horror.

But probably the thing I love the most about this duology is the love the two MCs feel for each other. They're young characters--I think sixteen?--but the love they share and the care they have was perfect. Plus, the guilt and PTSD of survival and past actions/choices haunting them was realistic, especially when putting into consideration just how young these two boys are (even if they're put into mature situations that challenge their survival).

I can barely put into words just how much I adored this book and how great it was. I definitely see myself re-reading this series in the future! The characters, the situations, the survival, and the adoration from one character to the next--this series is a MUST read.

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239. Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West & Graham Howells (Illustrator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ADORABLE.

I've been wanting to read this one for a while because of how popular it is with the littles who come into the bookstore to buy this series. And I have to say that I can understand the hype. It's obviously simpler because it's for younger readers, but it's a fun adventure with characters who slowly gain confidence in their abilities.

I think young reader me would have devoured these books!

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240. Nanny Negotiations by Merry Farmer--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quick, fun, dramatic, and caught my attention quickly.

NANNY NEGOTIATIONS was a surprising read because while it was entertaining af, it also read like a Harlequin novel. It was quick on the romance, deliciously spicy with drama, and an adorable toddler to off-set the tension between the characters and the antagonist.

I loved the idea of this single dad returning back to a gentlemen's club after a nasty divorce. And that club? It's exclusively for queer people. This club was like a safety net as the single dad MC meets and hires a new male nanny and then, of course, falls for said nanny.

While the romance between the two MCs was a little insta-lusty for me, I still liked seeing this cold and jaded man bluster his way through a conversation with the nanny because he's nervous af. I will say, though, with the size of this book and how quickly paced the story was, insta-lust to love made sense.

The drama was telenovela-worthy. It was ridiculous but I couldn't look away from the book. You know those really bad ads for those reel short videos? The acting is questionable and the climax of the story is over-the-top? Yeah, this is like the novelization of that, but more entertaining than cringe.

Anyway, I enjoyed this for what it was. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a romance book with the nanny trope, especially if that nanny is a man and the parent is also a man.

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Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?

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Happy reading!

[whirlwindimagines]

I'm shy asking about this because I love the scene were the love one tries to revive their other half like with cpr

So...*aehm*

Wolfwood doing cpr ...on y/n who saved them under water by giving their air to wolfwood but drowning in the process? And wolfwood takes them out of the water and tells Vash,meryl and Roberto to give him space to proceed with the cpr?

Since y/n are wolfwood lover can u do it like ..wolfwood saying,while he's doing it,to wake up and breathe and all, meanwhile the others are watching with a sore expression like pain or something? And Vash tells them to stop because y/n is..gone and wolfwood just cries holding their body....

But y/n suddenly gasp,hitting their head on wolfwood's nose, and cough up all the water(this will be fun:)

U can decline this if it's not your comfort

Thanks in advance stay hydrated and relaxed buddy! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍

Wolfwood simp forever!! I will always live and support for the deranged priest!✝️✝️✝️

I'm not super familiar with Triguns planet and if there are even bodies of water, but we're just going to stretch the imagination here! But thank you for the request, and I hope you enjoy it! I doubt this is realistic lol

Edit: UGH THOUGHT OF A BETTER TITLE

‘Last breath, first kiss’ 

Nicholas D. Wolfwood x Reader

Wolfwood was right, instinct was going to get you killed. You never thought before jumping into action, it's why you and Vash got along like a house on fire and it's why you were making Wolfwood turn gray early. You don't even know how you all ended up here, the gunfight led into the building where they kept the plants. Vash insisted he had to protect them, running head first into the gunfight, which meant you followed in without thought and that caused a reluctant Wolfwood to follow after the two of you. 

You lost sight of Vash; you were sure he was fine while Wolfwood stuck to you like glue. You rushed up a catwalk, Wolfwood right behind you. The catwalk shook for a moment, but it would hold. Looking over the railing you spotted the pool of water below, the blue so bright. You were mesmerized, by the sight. 

You were startled as Wolfwood dragged you behind some containers, you gave him an easygoing grin. You turned aiming and shooting your own gun when needed, Wolfwood settling at your side holding his giant machine gun to him. “We should have ditched you on the side of the road. We didn't need two suicidal idiots” He grumbled out, you rolled your eyes playfully, blowing the man a kiss. “You’d be bored without me lover boy.” 

Wolfwood let out a scoff aiming his weapon and firing, the catwalk shook again. You ducked behind the container when something landed on the ground between the two of you. You looked at the object and then at Wolfwood in horror, his expression mirrored yours. You moved diving out of the way, praying that Wolfwood did the same as the grenade exploded. 

The catwalk dropped, and you hit the water hard. It made you gasp, water rushing into your lungs forcing your way to the surface you gasped coughing and looking around frantically. Had Wolfwood gone in the water as well? You looked up the whole catwalk was gone. “Wolfwood!” you called frantically, someone called your name, and you turned wading in the water. It was Vash standing on the edge of the container of water, no Wolfwood beside him. 

You ignored Vash, “Nicholas!” you tired out again, panic filling your voice. Without thinking you dove down, forcing your eyes open and frantically looking around. By luck you spotted him, trapped under the debris of the catwalk. You swam to the surface quickly, taking in as much air as you could before diving down again. 

You managed to reach Wolfwood, he was pinned. You tried not to think how long he was down here, adrenaline raced through your veins as you grabbed Wolfwood trying to pull him out. You were running out of air, you stopped thinking while you moved toward him. Pressing your lips to Wolfwoods, you breathed into the rest of the air you had. You watched as Wolfwood opened his eyes startled.

As quickly as you could you yanked him free, you had no air your mouth opened involuntarily and water rushed into your lungs. Panic set in, you could feel Wolfwoods arms around you, but you were blacking out. Your gaze closed in on Nichola’s frantic eyes, before nothing. 

Wolfwood had dragged you to the surface, holding you close to him. He dragged you to the edge of the container, shoving you up toward Vash’s waiting hands. Wolfwood grabbed the edge pulling himself up, as Vash laid you down gently on your back. Wolfwood shoved Vash out of the way, placing his hands together to start chest compressions.

“Come on you idiot!” His tone was aggressive, but Wolfwood was panicking tipping your head back to begin CPR as well. Still nothing, you weren't breathing. He didn't even know what he was saying, just begging at this point for you to just breathe. 

Too much time was passing, Vash carefully placed his metal on Wolfwoods shoulder. The undertaker brushed him off ignoring him, and Vash’s grip tightened. “Enough Wolfwood.” his tone was quiet and sad, it just pissed Wolfwood off even more. Wolfwood stopped, he barely heard Meryl’s soft voice tell Vash to back off, he didn't even know when the two reporters had gotten here. 

Gathering you into his arms, he holds you close forcing the tears back. This is why he didn't get attached, but you had wormed your way into his heart so deep it had scared him. But this is what he feared more; losing you, he couldn't hold back the tears anymore as he cried. 

You gasped rearing forward and fully knocking your head right into Wolfwoods nose, hard enough for him to see stars. He dropped you, but it didn't matter when you leaned over and threw up some water. Gasping for air, you spotted Wolfwood holding his nose and looking at you in shock. “Hey if something happened it's a good thing, we got an undertaker right.” 

He didn't laugh lunging forward to grab you and shake you by the shoulders, “You fucking idiot, always jumping in with no thought.” He kept yelling at you, but you only smiled at him letting him get it all out. You didn't point out how red his eyes were, or that his hands were shaking. Instead throwing your arms around his neck to hug him. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around you, “I need a smoke.” he said tone defeated.  

You pulled back, moving your hands to cup his face. “So do I.” with a soft smile, you leaned him giving him a kiss. You may joke in the face of death, but you were scared and Wolfwood had saved you. The two of you would be just fine.