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00towns · 1 year ago

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2023: media in review

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I read the Goldfinch earlier this year and enjoyed it immensely, and The Secret History came to me as the natural next pick by recommendation of P. I tucked into the book in the waning days of the summer, and read it in overflowing fistfuls on the train, bus, and at my desk.

I expressed once, in a memory of that same but very different summer that I recall very sharply, that it feels like I have not eaten drywall in quite the same way that I have since I was a teenager. We were in the car, heading back to DC from the Northern Neck. I was driving, which always seems to make the things that I say sling a little looser than they might usually. I remember feeling like I was testing the waters – part of eating drywall is always, of course, the tentative, desperate fear that no one else has.

To me, this is the term that most closely encapsulates the feeling of obsessive fandom behavior that is an almost hyperphysical, overstimulating sensation of fixation on something. I first heard the word from S, who tossed it out in a conversation about our individual yet parallel media consumption viruses almost on a whim, but I remember feeling like I had understood it instantly. There is something so eating drywall about the sensation of eating drywall, perhaps contained in the implication of being locked in a room alone, where all rightful, God-fearing fandom behavior should occur, perhaps in the suggestion of a quiet, personal insanity that isn’t containable by any words except going up to the edges of your enclosure and just starting to chew.

The point that I mean to make is as follows: I think The Secret History is the closest I have felt to the type of unerring, self-evident obsession that I characterize to being a teenager. In a way, the book doesn’t even particularly deviate from the types of tropes that would have made up one of those quintessential franchises (Richard is decidedly Teen Wolf-y at moments), and yet I feel drawn to it because it is such a strong example of an originator text that made way for all the hedonistic, trope-y delights of its contemporaries, and therefore is able to do so without the limitations of more modern cliche or platitudes. The book is indulgent in references to philosophy and Greek mythology, but a shining moment to me is in Julian, who upon discovering the unsettling circumstances around Bunny’s death, reacts with a perverse interest. The moment feels like a meta-reference to the reader themselves, who is having the same experience of hunger for story and desperation for plot despite it all. That – the macabre of searching for the next thing to eat drywall over – is also something to contend with as I consume, and consume.

I ended up discussing the book with P and K a few months later, who I had originally broached the eating drywall with. It was interesting hearing their thoughts on the book and revisiting parts that I had remembered, and slowly reflecting together that this book is really, really excellent. It was strange that it took this long to solidify to me the novel as good as it was, and I can’t help but think that this campus novel about a coastal elite friend group is perhaps best enjoyed with two friends who were part of my own experience of a parallel setting, and who made the novel’s wry criticism cut all the more deeply.

I’ve been up to my ears in Japanese study lately, and in these moments where I struggle through basic interactions I’m additionally grateful for the simple gift of incredibly crafted English prose, and that I have the ability to appreciate it.

Recommended double feature:

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Interview with the Vampire (2022)

NCT 127 – Fact Check (The 5th Album)

Entergalactic

I know that another Spiderverse movie came out this year, but my deep desire to appear introspective prevents me from putting a Marvel IP on my list of favorite things this year (and a sequel, at that), so I’ll put instead another favorite animated film from this year.

Entergalactic is Kid Cudi’s visual companion film to his eighth studio album, and was the first work of his that I’ve ever engaged with. I knew nothing about the Entergalactic concept itself except for the hoodie, and didn’t even find out that the film was a visual album until I had finished it and was looking it up. With a runtime of just over an hour and a half, the film not only covers a lot of thematic ground but also highlights the story of the album in a both visually and sonically interesting way.

Now, quite a few months after watching it, what I remember in most vivid detail is the main character Jabari and his relationship with his original character. Mr. Rager is partly Jabari’s inner voice and partly his own mouthpiece. Originating in the street art space, Jabari’s creative roots personified through this character follow him even as he rides his bicycle through psychedelic music cuts and the comic book-style animated streets of New York City into the ritzy hallways of the expensive apartment he lives in. Through the act of packaging him up into a replicable, handheld, consumer art, Jabari loses touch to the protest and rebellion tradition that made way for Mr. Rager but gains the socioeconomic mobility and upwards trajectory that allows him to meet his love interest in the story and experience creative growth.

Criticism of Entergalactic has said that the project is a visual album attempting to be a fully fleshed-out animated film, and not much advancement to the characters or story actually takes place. I’ll disagree by saying this: with music as medium, the meandering between the love story, the inquiry into the creative economy, and quotidian New York City is what makes it so successful as an extended exploration of the music video form, making the album and film both more interpretable in conversation with each other. I think this is part of the reason that the film appealed to me so much. I love music videos, and Entergalactic blows up the parameters of a typical one, allowing the story of the album to shine while still showcasing an aesthetic appeal of the music. The additional story embedded by the film elements, along with Kid Cudi’s own involvement through the entire production project, lends a sense that the film is Kid Cudi doing interpretive work on his own art. It’s both a visual and auditory feast, and comes with my high recommendation for coastal elite, POC Spiderverse enjoyers.

Recommended double feature:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Beef

After this weekend’s disaster at the Golden Globes, Anthony Christian Ocampo tweeted something along these lines: this is what happens when representational politics in Hollywood do exactly what they’re intended to do. I’ll try to add my own thoughts to his words: it’s the inevitable platforming of some of the worst Asian Americans you’ve ever met.

I struggle to use these words to describe Beef because of just how against a politics of representation the story of the series is, but they still apply to the media environment that it was raised in and the allegations (and inactions) that followed the series’ release. Asian Americans are allowed to be terrible, bad, awful people on screen; sometimes, the people playing them are too.

Representation aside, which I must mention annually at least in passing or I’ll die, Beef is really, really good. Ali Wong’s character takes up Koyohaus like the brand itself is its own being, and I find the idea echoing in my head constantly, especially back at home this winter break in Chantilly and Centreville’s new Asian American yuppie cafes, shoppy shops, and restaurants. Perhaps a bit grossly, I was moved by the cultural anxiety of the things lost with generational upwards social mobility and increasingly esoteric taste, a trait which I share with many of my friends but not much of my family. The show’s depiction of the intersection of East Asian American white adjacency and coastal elite consumer arts makes my skin crawl. I love it.

As we see spring 2024 syllabi for ‘bad Asians’ proliferate on Twitter and laud projects like Beef and Joy Ride (which comes to mind not a representation of bad Asians per se but perhaps a representation of Asians that is bad) for their distortion of representational politics with ‘bad representation’, I wonder how we can think of those whose actual poor behavior and continual platforming have simultaneously undermined and advanced the open-ended possibilities of ‘bad representation’, and if so, if we can consider cultural productions machines like Hollywood as working in any way except as intended.

Recommended double feature:

It’s not out yet but I’m going to say the Mr. and Mrs. Smith reboot with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine

The Book of Mormon

When Ina and I walked out of the Eugene O’Neill Theater, she admitted to having some anxiety about our seats. We had bought them earlier that same day, meaning they were off to the side of the stage and not next to each other but adjacent in different rows. A kind woman instead offered us the empty one next to her, saying her family had caught COVID and weren’t going to be attending.

‘If we hadn’t moved, I was going to ask you to sit in front of me,’ Ina had said.

‘I probably would have blocked your view.’

‘But I wanted to see your reactions.’

I would leave it to her to know me better than anyone else, because I hadn’t had quite the visceral reaction to anything in a long time as I had to The Book of Mormon. I went into the show blind, if you can consider growing up around a lot of Mormons and surviving several intensely awkward proselytization attempts ‘blind’, and had no clue of exactly what kind of parody was awaiting me. The Book of Mormon had me scream-laughing, bodily reacting, and probably exhibiting some extremely poor Broadway etiquette. At the same time, the show is so technically and logistically intense that I was blown away by the simple act of extremely talented people performing to the absolute best of their ability, taste level aside. I feel the same way about liking The Book of Mormon this much as I do about really intensely loving Dimension 20 and collecting stickers, in that it’s the type of thing that I would consider outside my typical taste, but really is exactly within it if I choose to be honest with myself. It's a few hours that feel so intensely funny and perfected that it’s almost outside of time.

The next day, I worked from Ina’s dinner table in Brooklyn and we watched the Mean Girls musical on Youtube, followed immediately by our high school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Jersey, which is exactly what is sounds like and was performed exactly as good as you would think a high school cast of 90% Koreans who have never been to America would. In the recording, you can hear us and our friends scream-laughing in the audience, both at and with one of our best friends as the lead. This is perhaps why I still find myself drawn to musicals: while I might not have been watching the show directly at that moment in Brooklyn, I had been, nearly five years prior in Yeonhui-dong. What I recalled the most was not the players in front of me but that same feeling of being in that body, surrounded by friends, watching what was at the time the funniest musical I had ever seen, embodied, present, and crying with laughter.

(My runner-up for the play or musical spot was Spirited Away: Live on Stage, which I caught at a Tuesday night limited run screening at the Angelika in Mosaic. In retrospect, my reflections on that show are much more admiration for the technical aspects of the show, which I know close to nothing about, so I chose my friends instead, of whom I am ten-thousand-hours-studied proficient and hold supreme expertise over.)

Recommended double feature:

Mean Girls (musical)

Something with zombies

Conclusion

This year has brought immense amounts of change to my life and seemingly everyone around mine as well. The turnover of the year marks the fourth that I’ve been near-obsessively cataloging all the media I read, watch, listen to, or generally consume, and at this point I’d like to think my dataset is big enough that I can say a nice few sentences about how my taste has changed since the waning days of my teens or how I’ve been profoundly affected by how I choose to cultivate my media environment, but the truth is that there’s nothing much to say, no grand conclusions to be drawn, no effectual change. Perhaps the only constant is the person who I was when I was seventeen peeking through, who sometimes feels like the most solidified version of who I am. I wonder if they’d like Hadestown.

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adrianharley · 2 years ago

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My Top 10 Reads of (the first half of) 2023

I have lucked out in reading so far this year, so it is now my duty, nay, my privilege, to insist that everyone else read these books as soon as humanly possible. These are all books I read from January through June--I haven't read a single thing in July yet.

10. The World We Make, by N. K. Jemisin. Everything Jemisin writes is gold, and even though this one didn't quite hit the highs of the first, it was a solid conclusion to the duology.

9. Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo. Early Hollywood, but make it magic--fae magic, where stars become literal stars and a Wild Hunt happens behind the scenes.

8 You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emezi. I will read anything Emezi writes. I would have trusted very few authors with this premise: an artist grieving the loss of her husband starts seeing other men again, but then starts falling for the father of the man she is seeing. The lavishness of the descriptions, my goodness. The book comes alive.

7. Witch Hat Atelier (volumes 1 through 5), by Kamome Shirahama. It's a testament to the strength of the books I read this year that the series with baby penguin-gryphons is this far away from #1. I cannot emphasize enough how cute they are--and in case you care about something other than baby penguin-gryphons, I cannot explain in words how incredible this world is. Just look. You'll see.

6. An Immense World, by Ed Yong. I am an animal nerd. I love sinking into a good nonfiction animal book, and this one is miles above most. I was blown away and humbled by how little I know about animal senses, and I thought I knew a lot. The writing is engaging and charming, too.

5. The Spear Cuts Through Water, by Simon Jiminez. I have never read a book like this before, and that's saying something. The frame structure of the dream theater, the way the narrative points of view flow back and forth, the dips into everyone's (EVERYONE'S) thoughts... this is one of those books that shows how arbitrary some of the fundamental "rules" of writing are, and how vivid a story can be without them.

4. Little Thieves, by Margaret Owen. A good first-person narrator is worth their weight in gold. This was a delightful romp with a selfish protagonist. She's robbing the rich and trying to outwit the fantasy law enforcement! She might have to Learn About Friendship! She's slowly turning into gems! I loved her and all the supporting cast.

3. The Monsters We Defy, by Leslye Penelope. I hope historical fantasy heists keep on coming, but they'll have a hard time surpassing this one. Features a prickly protagonist who slowly learns to trust and folktale-esque spirit magic, with spirits that can't be trusted and bestow a gift alongside a "trick." The pairing of "You will be a flawless actor who can take any role, but nobody will remember your true self" is one that's going to haunt me for a while.

2. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty. An absolutely flawless piratical adventure. A retired pirate captain gets called away from her peaceful life and motherhood for One Last Job. This has everything you could want in a pirate adventure--a crew of lovable characters, a sinister job that's more than it seems, sea creatures, and a rich and teeming world (the better to be looted). In any other year--half-year--this might have been my very favorite...

1. Shubeik Lubeik, by Deena Mohamed. ... but Shubeik Lubeik won my heart and hasn't let it go. You know when you finish a book and want to shove it in everyone's hands immediately? This is that book, and all the more so because I had never heard of it before picking it up in the library and devouring it in one glorious evening. This graphic novel is about a world like ours, but where wishes are real. Three interconnected tales in Cairo follow three people who end up with a first-class wish. If you like graph-based humor about mental illness, gorgeous art, well-thought-through alternate worlds, and getting emotionally torn apart and put back together again, read this.

#book reviews #booklr #bookblr #still don't know why there are two book tags #but just rolling with it

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mysticalrambling · 4 years ago

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Ending It All Part 1 (C.E)

Part 2

Chris Evans Fan fiction (Fan fiction Masterlist)

Summary: Chris wants to end your marriage and you decide to go along with it. You have to be civil for the sake of the kids but you are hurt. This process is too much for the both of you and eventually, it all ends.

Warnings: Angst all the way.

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You had seen it coming from a mile. People say that a woman’s sixth sense is her greatest power. You always took pride in it but in this case, it was a curse. Chris and you have known each other for the past seven years and from those years, you were married for five. He was the love of your life. You thought it was forever but apparently you were wrong. You were wrong about so many things.

From the past six months, Chris has been home for a couple of days at most and then he was traveling. Traveling for work, for friends and whatnot. And for the days that he was here, he didn’t look at you like you were his wife, his soulmate. He looked at you like you were a stranger. Spending time with the kids was all he ever did and then came up with measly explanations to go off to bed early. There was no space left for you in his life. You thought that it was just a rough patch but that was not the case.

“(Y/N), we need to talk.” The determined look in his icy blue eyes said it all.

Taking a deep breath, you shakily replied, “Let me just put the kids to sleep.” Your energetic kids had tired out you for the whole day because you were off from work today. Chris had just come back from shooting and he didn’t give you a kiss like he usually did. In fact, he hadn’t kissed you like he meant it for several years now.

“I will be in the kitchen. You want wine?” He was walking away before you could even reply.

“Yeah, sure.” You mumbled out and you didn’t even know that he listened.

“Mommy, we are going to spend the whole day with you and daddy tomorrow?” Mia and Jace have started to pick up on the fact that there was something going on between their parents. You wanted to keep all of this away from your four and two year old but it seems that you might have failed. You were failing at a lot of things right now.

“Yes, we will. Now, go to sleep.” It took you about half an hour to be put them to sleep and during that time, you were a wreck. There were a thousand possibilities running through your mind.

Coming back downstairs, Chris handed you the glass of wine, your favorite as always. He knew every little detail about you. “(Y/N), I don’t know how to say this but-”

“Before you finish that sentence, I just need to tell you that I promised the kids a day out tomorrow. Don’t ruin it.”

“I- I can’t say that.” Fiddling with his almost empty glass, he couldn’t bring it in himself to look at you. He was going to ruin this promise as well just like he was going to ruin everything.

“Just, go on.” You refilled the wine glass as you knew you needed the alcoholic haze to get through this conversation.

“I can’t do this anymore. This is just not what I want in my life anymore.” Your breath hitched and your heart broke into tiny little pieces.

Exact words were what you needed to hear right now. No vague statements. “What do you mean? What can’t you do?”

“This. This relationship. I think I am done. I am truly sorry, (Y/N).”

“Is- Is there someone else?” It was as if a ball was lodged in your throat and you couldn’t bring yourself to talk coherently. Fluently.

Chris looked at you, horrified. How could you even say that? He would never in a million years even think about cheating on you. Dignity was an important trait for Chris and if he ever cheated, he wouldn’t be able to look at himself. It hurt him that you would even consider this as a reason but he couldn’t blame you.

“No! This is not the reason. Not at all.” A defensive attitude was immediately taken up by your husband.

“Then is it me? Am I not enough for you?” Hot tears rolled down your cheeks but you didn’t have the energy to wipe them out.

“It is not you, darling. I just don’t think this is what I want with my life anymore. I want to solely focus on my career.”

“You are choosing your career over your family.” As the realization started to hit you, you couldn’t control the anger that took over you. “Over your family, Chris?”

“(Y/N) I am just done. I want an out and can we please try to be civil about this?” He pleaded.

“You want me to be civil about this? Fine.” You took a calming breath and closed your eyes for a second. “Just explain it to me. Maybe we can work something out.”

“I can’t- I don’t know how to explain it. Seven months ago I just woke up and I didn’t want to do this anymore. I want to start over.” A shocking chill passed through your body and you realized that it was hurt. You were betrayed.

“So you don’t want to do anything with me or the kids as well?”

“No. I want to be a part of their lives and-”

You looked him in the eyes and spoke in a broken voice, “It’s just me that you want out of your life.”

“Darling, no-” Chris tried to reach out for your hand but you placed them on your hands. He had lost the right to touch you from the moment he said that he didn’t want you. You were just a problem for him that needed to be solved.

There were years when he needed you every step of the way. Chris met you at a party that Scarlett threw. You were her best friend so you were invited to her New Year’s party. The moment he saw you, he was head over heels. He followed you around for two months to get you to go on a date with him. You used to tease him afterwards that he was a love sick puppy. But he was your love sick puppy.

That was not the case now and you didn’t know what you will do if he wasn’t in your life anymore. Your world revolved around your family but now it was all falling apart. You were falling apart.

“We can file for divorce tomorrow. Do you want to stay here tonight?” Wiping your tears, you got up from the stool and put the glasses in the sink.

“Uhh okay, okay. I can stay with Scott tonight.”

This was not what he expected. He expected you to cry, fight, scream. He thought there would be more discussion on this topic. Seven years were going to waste and you were treating this as a simple business transaction. Truth be told, you didn’t want him to see you fall apart. Chris had lost that right. If he didn’t want a life with you, then you were not going to beg him to stay. You were going to fulfill his wish and set him free.

“We have to take the kids out tomorrow. I was thinking the park.”

“What?” He was too distracted by everything to even realize what you were talking about.

“We will talk to them about the divorce tomorrow.”

“Isn’t this going a little too fast?”

“We should get this all over with as soon as possible. Goodbye, Chris.” Silently pecking him on his cheek, you went to your shared bedroom.

The moment your head touched the pillow, you were surrounded by his scent. The dam burst and you couldn’t stop the tears from running down your face and getting soaked up by the cushions. What were you going to do with your life now? You had to come up with a plan to manage the kids together with Chris. You had to think about getting a job that would accommodate your kids in to it now that you were going to be a single parent. You didn’t get a wink of sleep last night and you cried a lot.

On the other hand, Chris was not doing any better. Scott gave him the spare guest room to sleep in. He didn’t know what was going on between his brother and you but he knew it was serious. Chris couldn’t sleep last night either because he was not used to. This was the first time in seven years that you both were in the same city and you were not sleeping together. You wouldn’t be sleeping with him from now on. He has to get used to that idea. The idea of you not being there every step of the way because this was his own doing. He was dreading tomorrow as he was the one who was destroying his family.

“Hi. I was just here to pick you all up.” Guilt washed over him when he noticed your red puffy eyes and eye bags.

“You didn’t have to. We could have come there by ourselves.”

“We always go to the park together. It is our thing.”

“We can’t do all of these things now. Everything is going to change.”

“Right.” You moved towards the kitchen and he followed you like a lost puppy.

“Daddy!” Both kids ran up to him and clinged to his legs like two little monkeys.

“Hey babies.” He held on to them a little bit longer because he knew he was the one who was ruining their little lives.

“Where were you? Missed your pancakes. Mama doesn’t make good.” Mia hadn’t learned to make full sentences yet but Chris understood her perfectly.

“I was busy, baby. I- I-”

“Go get your shoes on. We are going to be late.” You saved him from the conversation because he looked like a deer caught in headlight. Chris couldn’t answer his daughter as this was how it was going to be. He wouldn’t be there for all of this. The important phases. Jace’s first soccer win, his first award, or Mia’s first school day, her first break up, her prom. He was going to miss most of them because you would be there with them while he will get them for weekends mostly.

“Let’s go.” Buckling his kids in, he sat in the driver’s seat. When he pulled out of the garage, his hand instinctively went for yours. It was out of pure instinct. You retracted your hand immediately and Chris just drew in a shaky breath, He was not allowed to touch you now.

“I am taking them to the swings. Do you want to come with?”

“No, I am just going to my usual spot to read my book.” There was a maple tree that had been your spot for the past five years. It was where you rested and caught up with your reading.

“Okay.”

The next hour was spent with Chris going on to every swing with his kids. He didn’t want to miss anything. Plus, he didn’t know how he could sit with you under the tree that held so many memories. You told him that you will marry him under this tree and that you were pregnant with Jace. It was all too much. You couldn’t focus on your reading when this might be the last time you get to see him with your kids. The last time you were together as husband and wife. This might be the last time because Chris wanted you out of his life.

“Hey, kids. We have to talk to you.” You finally gathered up some courage when they all came to sit beside you. Chris couldn’t bring himself to start up this conversation so he was glad that you did.

“Yeah, Mommy?”

“So you know how your friend Oliver’s parents don’t live together but they still love him very much.”

“Yeah.” Jace’s whole concentration was on his ice cream but he still nodded his head to indicate that he was listening. Mia was too young to comprehend it all so you mainly focused on your son.

“Well, Daddy and I are going to be doing the same thing. We love you both very much and we will always there be with you.”

“But Ollie’s daddy doesn’t live with him.” His blue eyes focused on the two of you when he made the statement.

“Yeah, buddy. I will be staying at an apartment really near by. You both can come whenever you want to.”

“You won’t be there to read us night stories or make our favorite brekky?” His question threw Chris off guard and he froze in his place.

“He will be there to do everything for you guys. Mia and you can go to daddy’s place and he can do all this.” You jumped in when you noticed that Chris didn’t know how to respond to all this. “Right, Chris?”

“Yes, that’s right. Nothing is going to change, buddy.” Wiping away his tears, your husband placed him on his lap with Mia.

“Promise?” Mia spoke up this time because she understood that her daddy wouldn’t live with her like he always did.

“Promise. Let’s go back to the house. You both look tired.”

You placed Mia on her bed while Chris did the same for Jace. They both were out the moment they were buckled in their car seats. Coming downstairs, you prepared coffee for Chris and yourself. He always liked his coffee black so that’s what you made for him. The cup was placed in front of him and he sighed because no one made coffee like you.

“Our lawyer said that he will have the papers delivered to us by tomorrow.”

“Okay, I saw this new apartment building when I was coming here this morning. I might rent it out. The penthouse has three rooms. One for the kids and one is the guest bedroom. You can stay there when you bring the kids over.” He looked at you with a defensive position.

“I won’t be staying at your apartment so please don’t take me into consideration.” You didn’t understand why he thought you would ever stay over at his place. You would never subject yourself to that kind of pain.

“But there can be special circumstances and my home will always be open for you, (Y/N). We can still be friends.” He was hoping against all hope that you would agree. He still wanted you in his life.

“I don’t think I can do that. Be friends. There is too much history. Let’s just keep it to the kids right now.” You picked on your nails because you didn’t want to cry like a little girl in front of him. “And I am going to change houses as well so do you want to sell this one?”

“Why do you have to move?” Chris was shocked to hear those words come out of your mouth.

“I can’t live in a house that was meant to be our family house. I just can’t.”

He understood where you were coming from but this house held too many memories. He couldn’t think of another family living here. Some couple living in your master bedroom, some kids running around in your children’s playground, some other family’s picture instead of yours. It was just too much to think about.

“Let’s just keep the house. When the kids grow up, they can have it.”

“Okay. I am tired right now so I am going to bed. I will sign the papers tomorrow and send them over to Scott’s.” You placed the empty mug on the counter and stood in a straight posture. “You want the kids this weekend?”

“Yes, I would like that. Do you want to maybe come with us?” He didn’t know why he was not ready to let you go yet. This was all his doing but he just couldn’t accept it right now.

“Umm no. I think we should settle the kids into this new routine.”

“I guess you are right.”

“Goodbye, Chris. I love you and I will always love you.” You regretted the words that came out of your mouth the instant you said them. You were so stupid but you just couldn’t help yourself. This was probably the last time you ever got to say it.

“I- I love you too, (Y/N). I will always be there for you. Goodbye, darling.” The lump in his throat seemed to grow bigger by the second but he had to say this. Lightly pecking you on the lips, he knew this was the last time he ever got to do this. He left afterwards and you couldn’t help but tear up. The same thing happened with Chris. This was it. Your marriage was over but your love would always be there.

Hope you guys liked it!!

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A/N: I literally cried while writing this fan fiction. This one is particularly close to my heart so please let me know what you think about it. If you want to be added to my tag list, message me. I am also open to requests for this series; requests, blurbs, anything.

P.S: There is a part 2 as well.

Tag list: @kalopsia-flaneur, @justile, @iguessweallcrazyithinktho, @jessyballet , @luckyladycreator2

Like, comment and reblog.

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alexissara · 2 years ago

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A collection of Short Yuri Manga reviews I Wrote Recently

5 Star SHWD is an exciting action yuri series which features something most manga and comics typically do not feature, women with actual muscles. There is a good diversity in the range of muscles on women but the story has so far only 4 women in it and like 0 men who matter at all. It's very focused on the characters who matter to the story it's telling.

The story it's telling it a world where eldrich horrors that were made during "the war" appear driving people into killing frenzys and consuming them. Our heroes work at SHWD a private company that disposes of these monsters. The monsters are like ugly slime things they at present exist as a thing for the people to kill and aren't like "villains" they are the nature of the world stained by war.

Politically I am not sure if I am connecting to the plot or theme but I am not totally sure what the story is trying to say other then wouldn't it be hot if a slammer buff woman and a big buff woman kissed on the lips on the battle field and to that end, I agree, whole heartedly and I want to see it. I look forward to future volumes, I am not totally sure if the series will be for me but I am super glad I Picked this up and supported this very original piece of art.

5 Stars Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games is one of the most beautifully drawn manga's I've read. There is fantastically stunning ugly moments for the girls and captivating panels aplenty.

The manga's story follows assimilation, desire, growing up, and more all in fun fighting game action, sparks of romance between the two lead girls and more. There is nothing explicitly, openly gay, yet in this volume but there is many many moments that do read as next and not subtext.

The setting gives them a reason to hide their shared passion for each other, well fighting each other at fighting games. Aya's deep dive into conforming hoping she'll feel the joy she felt as a kid again by becoming a proper young lady is sad, heart breaking and exciting to watch break as she falls for Shirayuri.

I need to read the other volumes stat.

5 Stars Princess Anisphia is a ridiculously charismatic protagonist able to lend emotion, humor and excitement into every scene of this manga. Euphyllia is immediately capturing but the depth they give to her makes her a compelling romantic lead and character for the plot. It feels far beyond the bog standard Isaki story where one's past life makes them uniquely equipped to deal with the world but instead Princess Anisphia is likely actively having her dreams hindered by realizing her past life in the modern world. I think the story has really interesting hooks for later conflicts and great romantic hooks for that building relationship between the two women. It's very good.

4 Stars Black and White: Tough Love at the Office is a wonderfully drawn manga, the tension between these two very fake women as they show their real sides to only each other is fantastic. There is a lot of chemistry in their heated just off screen violent sex scenes. They are the stars of the book but the story does focus on the stakes of their jobs or potential promotions or whatever else and I just can't get invested in that. Regardless, I Would read Volume 2 just for them but I would hope that we would zoom in even more on them, get to know them internally better to understand them. I am detached from office culture and for sure not attached to Japanese corporate culture, like the dorms sounds dystopian to me in a way that I doubt the reality of this fiction, even though it's probably a perfectly normal thing. Regardless, I enjoyed my read of the book and I think there is a particular flavor of sapphics that will have this be their favorite series.

------ That's it for this selection of reviews. If you liked this I wrote some twitter thread reviews I could make presentable for several other manga and a few GNs I read this year. I'll also be writing more of these over time, I decided I like doing little reviews on Good Reads after I finish something, helps with my bad memory.

#Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games #Yuri Manga #Yuri review #yuri recs #yuri #manga #manga review #review #Black and White: Tough Love at the Office #The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady #TMRRPGYL #SHWD

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skepticbeliever-bookclub · 3 years ago

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Hello friends and readers!

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had some modly vacation time, which is wonderful of course, but in so doing, we knew we’d want to pick a fic that would fill up the extra week of time we allotted to this round of reads.

So, we decided to ask our members for fics between 30k to 45k in length, to be read over that period of time, and boy, oh boy, did our book club deliver.

We had the pleasure of reading When the sun sets, we’re both the same by Fraudgara. On the surface, this fic is about falling in love while doing a little light murdering, but underneath, it’s so much more than that, and the book club was thrilled to dig in and tease out the complexities of character, plot and theme. It also features an absolutely titanic sex scene, which our live table read gave all the gravitas it deserved and held us all spellbound while we listened.

Rating: E

Summary:

It happened very quickly, and yet not very quickly at all. Shane was paralyzed as the blade part of Ryan’s katana swiped up when he swung it thoughtlessly—drunkenly—and Shane remembered blinking like the scene would change if he opened his eyes again, but the man was still writhing around on the ground with a stripe of glistening red on his throat and Ryan was staring down at him like he’d never seen anything so horrific or gripping.

They both stared numbly, intently, until the man’s erratic choking spasms on the cement became a haunting stillness in a pool of his own blood.

“Whoops,” Ryan said, the low register of his voice seeming like a shout to Shane in the silence of the night and of the now dead man laying at their feet. --

On Halloween night, Ryan accidentally kills someone, and Shane has seen too many movies to do anything sensible about it.

Book Club Thoughts:

this fic is not a warm hug but instead it's the thrill and satisfaction of cutting up a big slab of meat with a perfectly sharpened knife

banger starting line this. i read it like the voice of ryan justifying himself after the fact

There are pieces of dialogue and word choices that just like...it goes so hard and so amazing. Like oh not only are you gonna write this epic af fic but you're gonna just punch out fantastic prose and dialogue?

I can tell every word of it is very intentional and has been put down as a labour of real love, and it all comes together to be incredibly effective.

one of the best things is the subtle descriptions of Shane and Ryan, their body language, their dialogue, the way their feelings develop over the fic

one of my favorite ever things in fics is weird roland cameos and this takes that and turns it up and up and i just loved it

this was one of those fics where i was, like, filming it in my head as i was reading. and scoring and blocking it.

The really intuitive pacing really carries the action along well.

for me the strongest element of the whole fic is the way they just barely even question the way they are 100% in this together

there is something deeply romantic about showing someone else your worst possible self and them loving you, not in spite of it, but for it. (toxic! but romantic. look it's all fiction here you get me)

every time i reread it, i'm just as gripped by it all as the first time i did, and every time i enjoy the ending so much, as if i didn't know what happens

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE FAQ, AND SEND US AN ASK! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIC RECS, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR READS, NOMINEES AND BOOK CLUB REC LISTS!

#shyan fic #skeptic believer #read of the week #sbbbookclub

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littlepadika · 4 years ago

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Calling Home (1) | Frankie Morales x Reader

Summary: You are a receptionist at the VA. Frankie Morales keeps calling. Yearning ensues...

Rating: M -> E in later chapters

Warnings: fem!reader, age gap (legal), praise kink, voice kink, discussion of addiction/PTSD/trauma, no use of y/n, no beta reader, reader is bad at Spanish, Frankie has a sexy voice 😩

Masterlist here

AN: My first fic. Pedro writers have inspired me to finally start writing again 🥺. Concept inspired by the movie RED. I hope you like it ❤️Set after triple frontier.

Chapter One

~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time he called was an ordinary Thursday.

“Veterans Affairs, how can I help you?”

You had been working at the VA office for about two weeks. Fresh out of college you felt lucky to have a job in the first place. You went to school to be a writer but your big idea for 'The Next Great American Novel' had yet to present itself. At least here you had access to the most inspiring stories and interesting people. Men and women who had seen more and done more than you probably would in your entire life. You loved talking to clients on the phone. It was weird but something about only being able to hear people’s voices excited you. You would sometimes write little stories in your head about the people you'd talk to, filling in the details that were unknown.

Your desk accessories reflected your love of books and writing. You had your growing collection of books sitting on your desk sandwiched between baby pink bookends. Next to them was a matching desk organizer filled with your favorite sparkly pens and sticky notes. You had decorated the plain cubicle walls with posters of quotes from your favorite books. You also brought your favorite candle from home. Even though you couldn’t light it you still liked to lift it to your nose once and a while and smell it between chapters. When you weren’t on the phone or scanning documents you would read. You finished To Kill A Mockingbird in your first week on the job and were now halfway through Murder on the Orient Express.

You were starting a new chapter when Frankie Morales called the first time.

You picked up the phone on the second ring already mustering your chipper 'customer service' voice. “Veterans affairs.” You stated your name. “How may I help you?”

“H-Hi. My name is Frankie- uh-Francisco Morales." A deep voice answered you. "I’m calling because I have gotten my benefits check yet. It’s been a month. I was hoping you could tell me if it got sent?”

“Okay Mr. Morales." You flipped on the computer. "Let me check. Can you spell your last name for me?”

“M-o-r-a-l-e-s”

“Okay... let's see.” You clicked on his account. You were momentarily distracted by his picture likely taken when he graduated basic if you had to guess based off the uniform. He looked sweet. Sharp nose and strong jaw balanced by kind eyes and a shy smile. You could imagine how age would continue to soften his expression making him even more handsome. The image was a strange juxtaposition to the voice you were hearing on the phone which was much deeper and rougher. His profile said he was special forces. A pilot. The rest of the information was blacked out. Something you were used to seeing on many people's accounts but even his years of service were redacted. He must have been involved in some dangerous stuff, you thought to yourself. The dates that were not redacted were mostly in Latin America. You clicked over to processing requests. “Looks like the check got sent one week ago.” You informed him.

"I'll look again but I haven't seen anything-" It sounded like he was apologizing when clearly it was not his fault.

"No no. It's probably a mistake on our end." You interrupted. With how shitty and outdated the payroll interface was you wouldn't be surprised if there was a mix up. "I’ll go ahead and let payroll know to send another."

"Great. Thanks." He replied sounding relieved. The roughness in his voice gave way to a smooth baritone.

“No problem. I'm sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused. We'll get it sent right away." You hoped he was not relying on this benefit check for anything important. While you could promise you'd fix the problem, the administration was notoriously slow. When he didn't respond you asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with today, Mr. Morales?”

“Uh-no" The roughness back in place. "Thank you." He paused before adding your name onto his thank you which made you smile. People usually never remembered your name.

“Alright. Have a nice day and thank you for your service.” You chirped before hanging up. The smile he put on your face lingered for a few minutes as you returned to your book.

The next time he called was exactly twelve days later.

“Veterans affairs” you answered, your routine greeting cut short as your eyes were still on your book.

“Hi- I’m calling because uh I still haven’t gotten my benefits check. This is Frankie Morales.”

“Oh Mr. Morales.” You recognized his voice even before he even said his name. You quickly shut your book, pushing your hair out of your face. Had you been thinking about him? No! Okay maybe you stared at his picture for a few minutes longer after he hung up. Yes, it was probably very unprofessional but you couldn't fight the curiosity. You were trying to rationalize the contrasting sharpness and softness of his features with his voice. How it all worked together. How one person's voice could change textures and colors so easily. You wondered what kind of things this man might have seen on the job. Most of the veterans you would help day to day did not have so many redacted missions and deployments. You were in the middle of Narcos season one so you immediately thought of drugs or something equally dangerous. After much pondering, you had come to the conclusion that Frankie Morales was both insanely attractive and insanely courageous. “Still no check, huh?”

“Nope.” He sighed the sound making the phone's shitty speaker crackle as you held it to your ear.

“Let me just check that it was approved...“ you found his profile again and scrolled to the status page. “Hmm... it says it was sent out last Friday after we spoke. That’s so weird...”

“Yeah. Really weird.” He echoed your frustration on the other end.

Typical payroll, you thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes. “I'll get another one sent to you right away. I'll see to it myself.” You tucked the phone under your chin and typed out a short email to Mary in payroll letting her know you'd be stopping by her office to explain the situation. You realized he hadn't hung up yet.

“Sorry for the back and forth.” You said, trying to fill the silence.

“It’s not your fault." The earlier irritation gone. "You’ve been really helpful.” His voice sounded warm and reassuring. Less gruff than it was last you spoke. Instead it was that rich baritone that you caught of glimpse of last time.

You feel your face warm at his compliment. It was this annoying reflex you had. Praise always made you blush no matter what context but it was worse when it came from a (you assume) gorgeous stranger.

“And just to verify that your address is correct- you’re on Maple Lane in Miami, Florida?”

“That’s right.” He confirmed.

“Okay. Sent!” You clicked send on the email, which caused the window to close and reveal Frankie’s profile page again. “I was curious-" You spoke before you really made the decision to speak. You didn’t want to overstep but once again your curiosity got the better of you. Honestly, you were just searching for a way to keep him on the phone. The day had been so boring.

“Your profile says you were stationed in Costa Rica.”

“For a bit.” He replied after a moment. He didn’t sound too defensive but there was definitely some tightness in his answer that made you feel bad for asking. Like you were scratching a wound.

“Did you like it? The country I mean.”

“Are you planning a trip?” He sounds a little amused.

“Yeah- well- kind of. It's more a trip in my head right now. I’d like to go there one day. It looks so beautiful.” You sighed closing your eyes trying to imagine the heat on your skin.

“It is." He agrees. "Really humid though.”

“Mm that sounds nice.” You would kill for some warm weather after such a long winter in DC.

“It was too muggy for me at times." He grumbled. "If you do go, stick to the costal areas where it’s more breezy or else you’ll just be sweating the whole time.”

“I don’t mind a little sweat” you shrugged, still thinking of the awful east coast winter you were currently suffering through. The sexual connotation of what you said hit you hard as soon as you heard the statement in its entirety. You felt your face flush again, though the man on the other end would never know.

“I’m learning Spanish!" You announced loudly trying to move the conversation past your awkwardness.

“Wow. Muy impressivo.”

“Si” you replied but after a moment you admit “I don’t really know what you said.”

Frankie laughed loudly on the other end and you couldn’t help but join in, drawing dirty looks from the elderly lady, Donna, working in the cubicle across from you. You ducked your head behind a stack of papers to avoid her glare.

“Fake it till you make it.” He chuckled.

“Maybe you should help me out.” You took on an indigent but still playful tone. “You sound better than duolingo” Your smile widened when he laughed again. His laugh was what you hoped it would be, by all your assumptions from his picture. It was an unencumbered, unburdened, rich sound with only a hit of roughness from the air behind it.

“Tell me you’re not using that dumb app to learn.” he scoffed, saying your name in an almost scolding tone.

“I’m got my thirty day streak today.” You boasted.

“You’ll be a total tourist if you go by duolingo.”

“But the owl is so cute every time I get something right!” You argued your voice taking on a more childish cadence.

“That’s how they trap you, silly girl.” He teased right back. Usually such a condescending nickname would piss you off but something about the affection behind him using it made you feel very differently. You felt warm like you were proud to be silly as long as it made him laugh.

“Then you saved me just in time, Mr. Morales.” You bit your lip. His scoffing and laughter died down on the other end.

“Frankie” He corrects you.

“Frankie…” You repeated it, smiling at how well the nick name suited the voice over the phone. Honest, sincere, and not pretentious at all. Way better than the pompous guys you know with equally stuffy names like “Edward” and “Christopher.”

“So what do you want to know?” Frankie interrupted your thoughts. “Dime”

You started asking him questions in Spanish to the best of your ability. Granted they weren't particularly probing questions. What is your name? What is your favorite color? What is your favorite animal? What's your favorite book? I am reading Gone Girl. He answered them all with patience and amusement, occasionally interrupting you to correct your pronunciation or explain what a word meant. Every time you’d repeat the word back correctly he would say something like “good” or “there you go” or “you got it”. You hated to admit that his kind words and his praise was doing something to you. You didn't even realize you were clenching your legs together unconsciously, almost in anticipation of his next correction or next answer. His low voice so sweet and encouraging against your ear, more tangible when he was speaking Spanish. You just wanted to hear more of it. Would it be this sweet in other situations? Would it get huskier or rougher? If you closed your eyes it was like he was sitting right next to you. It would be all too easy to slip into that daydream and escape the dull office.

Suddenly out of the corner of your drooping eyes you saw a flashing red light on the phone console meaning another caller was waiting.

“Shoot- i’m sorry, Frankie- I have to take this call.” You shot forward in your chair, legs uncrossing.

“Of-Of course. I should let you get back to work.” He sounded a little sad or so you hoped. You felt bad for interrupting him after you both were having so much fun. You wanted to say he could wait on hold but he killed that idea when he said, "I have work too. Technically I'm five minutes past my lunch break."

Your pout turned to a smile. He was spending his precious lunch break with you? Get a grip! you snapped at yourself.

“You’re welcome to call again if you want.” You threw out the offer in a small voice, scared you would be rejected. You peered over the cubicle wall to see if you were still being glared at. Thankfully Donna was away from her desk. Probably out for a smoke. “It’s really boring here and usually no one calls.”

“Maybe I will.” He replied and you could hear the smile behind those words. You felt your heart clench weirdly in your chest like it didn't know how to process the sudden spike in emotions.

“Bye, Frankie.” You beamed.

“Bye”

This time the smile on your face lasted for hours. Frankie’s laugh echoed around in your head, taunting you, sending your mind to the gutter. His voice went from grit to molasses on a dime. You wanted to be the one to bring out those sounds. You wanted to hear his voice bend and stretch and strain as you fucked him. What the hell is wrong with me? you screamed internally. You had never been so depraved and with a stranger no less! You clearly needed to get laid fast because this much yearning would not end well.

Frankie got the second VA check a few days later and this time he didn’t even feel bad about ripping it in half. He was already reaching for the phone to call you.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tags: Message to be added 💕 no minors please!

#frankie morales #francisco morales #triple frontier #pedro pascal #frankie morales x reader #frankie catfish morales #pedro pascal x reader #frankie morales x you #triple frontier fanfiction #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x y/n #frankie morales x y/n #catfish morales #calling home series #i would die for frankie #frankie morales has a sexy voice #daddy!frankie

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bria-doublen-a · 2 years ago

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Book Review: Heir of Fire

Non Spoiler Section

If you thought the first two books in this series were amazing, prepare to pick your jaw up off of the floor after this one because Sarah J Maas has been holding back. She demonstrates her immaculate skill in character development here, leaving you itching for more scenes with our favorite gang.

Now, this story does introduce some new characters and we jump around between three different perspectives all throughout the book. If anyone loves Celaena as much as I do, I’m sure you’re going to have periods where you’re feeling impatient and dying to get back to her. But let me warn you now: you’re going to have to learn how to share your time. Give these newbies a chance to surprise you.

In Heir of Fire, now that we know Celaena is really Aelin Galathynius, we get to watch her as she navigates a new land (at least new to us) in Wendlyn. All while she grieves the death of her friend Nehemia, and the loss of a great love with Chaol. And the way grief is described in this book is so beautifully painful. I don’t know how else to describe it.

I definitely had to pace myself with this book. It has a bit of a slower start, which means there’s a lot of time for Celaena to process and feel her emotions. This book is where she is at her lowest, so prepare to feel the secondhand depression. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but it only makes the comeback that much more rewarding!

So, what are you waiting for? Go pick up at that book and read!

Spoiler Section

Y’all this one was the best one yet!!!

I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical in the beginning when Sarah introduced Manon. Well, not skeptical, per se, just kind of...I don’t know, annoyed? I didn’t mind switching POVs from Celaena to Chaol or Dorian, but whenever I had to sit and read scenes with Manon, it just felt like a commercial break in between the scenes of a movie or TV show.

I didn’t understand what her purpose was and I didn’t know why I was supposed to like her or root for her. Do we have any gamers here? Has anyone ever played The Last of Us Part II? (spoilers incoming btw) Introducing Manon kind of had the same reaction I had when I first had to play as Abby, which annoyed the hell out of me because it just felt like it was just to get me to build some kind of relationship with her, only to rip out the rug from under me when Maas tries to surprise us with the reveal that she’s actually a villain.

Obviously, that’s not what happened and obviously, I did end up LOVING HER. Honestly, I don’t know why I expected anything less from SJM! She continues to crash through the barriers of my expectations with her depiction of relatable and complex characters.

That scene where Manon falls in the pit with Titus and the bait dragon and realizes that size and brutality isn’t what matters—it’s the inner strength...*chef’s kiss* That was the moment that I realized that Manon was more than just a murdering psycho without a heart, regardless of how many times she tries to convince us of this. I don’t know about you all, but I’m getting major Zuko vibes from ATLA. Honestly, I’m so excited to see what’s awaiting for her in the next book.

And Chaol—ugh. I never realized how hard I was leaning on Dorian and Celaena to help carry me through scenes with him until I was forced to watch him do his own thing without them. I’m trying really hard to like him, but he makes it increasingly difficult. Once again, I find myself wanting to know what happened before he came to the castle. What made him leave his family in Anielle? I know there’s a story there and I’m so desperate to know it, because I want to feel more than this bland dislike for him.

I know that Chaol sent Celaena to Wendlyn to protect her and I know that he has intentions of staying here in the castle to help keep Dorian safe as well, but I have problems with the way he explains his thought process here. He still so obviously views Celaena’s heritage and Dorian’s magic as bad things. Things he wishes he could change about them, things he wishes he didn’t know. But Dorian and Celaena aren’t the problem, dude! It’s you!

Dorian even says as much in an argument with Chaol, and I was so thrilled by this scene, because I really thought that maybe I’m being too harsh on him. Maybe I’m blowing things out of proportion, but no! Dorian calls Chaol out on his shit, saying, “you only accept the parts of us you want to accept.” And good for Dorian, because I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Speaking of Dorian, can we talk about how he keeps getting the shit end of the stick? My poor, sweet, Dorian! First, he gets dumped by Celaena (I’m still angry about this), then he has to watch his ex and his best friend get all cuddly (grrrr!), while learning he has freaking magic!!. He’s feeling alone and isolated and like his friends have completely shut him out (because they did) and then finally—FINALLY—we think he’s getting a break when we meet Sorscha.

The amount of adoration I had for this girl is unreal. She was quiet and shy and kind and just everything that Dorian deserved...and she was killed by the king. Killed. The king freaking decapitated her. Was that really necessary?

Y’all. I was so stupid mad. If anything, Chaol should’ve been the one to die in that scene. A sacrifice like that would’ve been enough for me to forgive him and help me realize that he at least understands the problems in his choices and their consequences. But no. Chaol’s let off scot-free. Once again. *sigh*

Am I being too hard on him?

But let’s talk about Celaena and Rowan. First of all, I was not expecting to like this guy. He was rude and obnoxious and seemed to only want to hurt Celaena. I was never much of a enemies-to-lovers trope kind of gal, but I immediately caught that vibe when we first met him. Still, I found myself excited to see where it was going, because it was clear that Maeve had led Rowan to believe that Celaena grew up like a princess, never having to do a single thing herself. I can’t blame Rowan’s perception of her given what he thinks he knows and what Celaena refuses to open up about.

Aaaaaand, I was right.

I absolutely loved watching Rowan and Celaena grow closer. Even more, I loved the interractions she had with Emrys and Luca too. Every single character, small or large—even the villiains—had such drastic impressions on Celaena and forced her to address each dark corner of her past she tried to ignore.

The scene where she’s having her burnout while trying to protect the ward around the Mistward, where she’s trapped in her mind and the version of herself that uses Aelin as her name comes to her was absolutely amazing. I loved that this was Celaena’s turning point. I was almost expecting Maas to stop calling Celaena Celaena and move on to addressing her as Aelin.

It was set up perfectly when Aelin came to Celaena, holding her hand out, encouraging her to fight back. The death of Celaena and the rise of Aelin. But I can also understand how confusing that would be. Though, at this point, she already has three names. Aelin, Celaena and Elentiya. I feel like anyone who tried hard enough could keep up.Plus, it would really accentuate the change in her mental state. Celaena never wanted to be queen. Aelin strives to reclaim her land. Meh. Oh, well. Either way, I am incredibly happy with how this book turned out.

All in all, this gets 5/5 stars from me.

#throne of glass series #heir of fire #book review #book rec #sarah j. maas #fantasy #high fantasy #romance #character development #i want to see more nurse rowan

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sangopearls · 4 years ago

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— them in a college au, part one

CW: mention of heavy kissing. mention of drugs (cigarettes).

i’m moving to college tomorrow so here’s a very self-indulgent post that’s inevitably going to encompass more characters !

characters included: childe, zhongli, albedo, xiao

(don’t see your fave here? stay tuned for an upcoming part ;))

childe ✧˖*࿐

the guy you met at a party that you couldn’t stop thinking about.

you only exchanged a few words and fits of laughs before an alcohol-induced makeout session. he was… a business major? no, no, he said he was a sports medicine major. that’s it. but, hell, who cared? he was making your head spin as his lips latched to your neck and you knew you’d be dreaming of this mystery man for the next month.

just your luck, however, it seems your history class’s new TA is this man you met that fateful night.

as soon as the bell rang, you weren’t sure whether or not to chat up the new TA. what if he didn’t recognize you? what if he did and turns out he didn’t think anything more of you than a casual fling? or what if —

“hey, [Y/N], right?” a familiar voice interrupts. you turn to see the tall redhead standing behind you.

“oh, hey!” you reply, trying to contain your visible nervousness, “yeah, that’s me… you’re… ah…” you fumble, forgetting his name. how is it that he was charming enough to sweep you off your feet yet you couldn’t recall his name?

“childe,” he finishes, smiling, “i recognized you pretty quickly and figured i’d say hi. i mean, if it’s not too awkward.”

you shake your head. “no, no, don’t worry. admittedly, i’d be a bit disappointed if you had given me the could shoulder,” you nervously laugh.

childe clearly clings onto this detail, raising his eyebrow with a hint of a shit-eating grin. “hm? and why is that?” he chuckles, and you feel your stomach turn into static, “wanted to pick up where we left off a few weeks back?”

you knew this man’s charm was going to be the death of you, but until then, how dangerous could round two be?

zhongli ✧˖*࿐

the charming student library assistant.

in order to scrape together extra spending money, zhongli helps check books in and out, move stock, etc at the school library. he has this certain aura about him that makes him seem as if he was your soulmate in a past life whenever he speaks to you.

(that didn’t make sense. at all.)

“ah, [Y/N], good to see you again,” the young man greets warmly, accepting the book you slid over to him.

“good to see you, zhongli,” you reply.

he holds the book’s barcode to the device before examining it, sporting a pensive gaze as he reads over the title and description.

“grapes of wrath?” he murmurs, “john steinbeck… his pieces are always a good read.”

“i figured i’d read it after finishing of mice and men,” you explain.

“i see,” he hums, sliding the book to you, “it’s nice to see somebody else our age who appreciates the twentieth century classics. i understand that it sounds pretentious, but i feel that the key to truly understanding the development of human culture lies within the arts.”

everything he says just sounds wise. he could tell you the weather and you’d fall at his feet.

“i’ll have to let you know what i think of it,” you promise, heat rising in your cheeks at the way his gaze hasn’t left your own, “and you seem well-read, so if you ever have a recommendation, i’ll read it.”

“that would mean a lot to me, [Y/N],” he answers, “perhaps our meetings should exceed that of our encounters at the library counter. would you like to accompany me for tea in my residence? i could lend you some of my favorite books from my personal collection at that chance.”

albedo ✧˖*࿐

the reserved yet mysteriously-enchanting artist.

albedo usually keeps to himself. all that students know about him is that he appears flawlessly intelligent and is usually seen wordlessly sketching in the grassy lawns of campus.

you never really spoke to the young blonde man you’d see in various spots around campus with a sketchbook in hand. he seemed like something out of a dark academia novel- the mysterious messy-haired man shrouded in a large coat, an in-depth knowledge of the arts, and a cigarette always pinched between his lips.

“i have to say, i’ve always wondered what you draw,” you say to him on a whim. what were you thinking? he must always be alone for a reason. when did you get so brave?

he glances up at the source of the voice, and, God, his eyes were the most dazzling azure you’d ever seen.

“just candids or landscapes,” he replies. his voice has a certain raspy lull to it that makes you a bit lovestruck, for some unknown reason. “would you like to see?”

you nod, prompting him to flip through his book, revealing pencil sketches of familiar spots on campus or rough drawings of various people. eventually, you recognize a familiar figure in a sea of sketched faces.

“is that… me?” you ask softly, careful not to sound accusatory.

“ah… hopefully you do not interpret this as the actions of a creep,” he shakes his head, “i enjoy practicing facial details by drawing a random selection of passerbys so that i get a diverse pool of looks…”

“no, no, i wasn’t worried,” you assure him, watching as he relaxes a bit, “it’s beautiful. i’m honored, really. you’re a talented artist… erm…”

“albedo,” the young man says, extending a hand to you.

“[Y/N],” you reply, taking his hand and shaking it.

“would you like to sit with me as i complete my sketch of the student hall?” he asks softly, “i usually work alone, but i find your presence refreshing. i hope you do not mind.”

xiao ✧˖*࿐

the elusive wallflower.

xiao’s goal in college is simple - attend the necessary functions to get his degree, and that’s it. he doesn’t care for social events such as parties or extracurricular activities. it’s a rare sight to see the young man outside of his dorm.

very few people knew xiao’s name. he was meticulous in his methods of keeping a low profile. you knew him, vaguely. he lived down your co-ed hall and had been known to hole up in his space to play video games, watch movies, or smoke. as far as you knew, he was happy with his life as it was. passing him as he came back from his class truly was a rare sight.

“xiao, right?” you ask him. the man only returns a half-lidded gaze and furrowed brows.

“yeah,” he replies, albeit confused as to what you need from him, “is something the matter?”

“no, sorry to worry you,” you explain, “i just recognize your name from my hall and i’d never spoken to you. i didn’t want you to perceive me as being rude.”

“oh,” xiao says, “yeah, people don’t usually make conversation with me. i don’t even believe i know my roommate’s last name.”

“oh, i’m sorry,” you reply, “i mean, i live in your hall if you ever need somebody to talk to.”

although he doesn’t show it, he seems touched by your offer.

“it’s not that i’m lonely,” he clarifies, “and i don’t mean to give you my life story. i’m content. but if you ever want to chill or have a smoke with me, just knock, i guess.”

he doesn’t give you much more time than the chance to nod before sliding his hands into his hoodie and continuing on his path. this man truly is like the school’s cryptid.

#moonlit seas #genshin #genshin impact #genshin impact hcs #genshin impact headcanons #genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #childe #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #tartaglia #zhongli #zhongli x reader #albedo #albedo x reader #xiao #xiao x reader #genshin hcs #genshin headcanons

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agirlwhoisaphantom · 4 years ago

Text

To Build a Home - Bucky Barnes x Pregnant!Reader

Summary: Going baby shopping should be a great idea? Right? But things take a turn. You share a cute moment with Bucky as you read the pregnancy book he claims he bought for you. This ends with a moment with you and Bucky in the baby room.

Word Count: 3400

Warnings: Fluff, also a hint of insecurities and thinking about the past. Pregnant!Reader

a/n: This is Part 2 to my one shot. Read part one “Turning Page- Bucky Barnes x Reader” Anyhow, Part two will be taking place when you are 6 months pregnant. You and Bucky get a little bit of help from some friends. Also, I would like to apologize for the first section of this, it might hurt a bit.

Five months later

Blue, Pink, Red, Purple, you could see every color of the rainbow on all four store walls.

Steve thought it was a great idea for you, Wanda, and Bucky to go to a baby store. You and Wanda were so excited to go and look at baby items. Meanwhile, Bucky's face was blank as a ghost. Even though it has been five months since him finding out you were pregnant, it still catches him by surprise that he'll be a dad in a couple of weeks.

In the store, Bucky and Steve were together looking at furniture since they were the 'strong one' out of the group. Meanwhile, you and Wanda were looking at baby clothes, plushies, blankets, and decorations. Without hesitation, you gravitated more towards the boy section than the girl section. Even though you and Bucky wanted to wait until they were born to find out their gender, deep down, you knew they are a baby boy. The first thing you get is a pair of suspender top and bottom set that came with a bowtie. The shorts were the color khaki and the shirt was light blue. You turn to Wanda to show her what you found. "Look what I found for him." your heart filled with joy and happiness. You had a soft smile on your face.

Wanda grabs the piece that you were holding and places it against your stomach "he is going to look handsome" she smiled and scrunched her nose. She was truly happy for you and glad that you picked her to help you throughout this journey.

Across the store, where the furniture was located, Bucky and Steve were looking at furniture. Bucky was tense; he wasn't sure if he wanted to be there looking at baby items. He stared at the same baby crib for the past 3 minutes when Steve notices that he wasn't doing anything "hey, is everything alright?" he pauses to place his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I know this is new to you and something you least expected to happen. But you deserve this."

Bucky started to shake his head, and slowly tears form in his eyes "are you sure about this, Steve?" his voice gets small and shaky. "Just a decade ago, I was murdering people without my own will. Do I deserve this happiness? What if they don't like me because of my past?" His lips were trembling as if he were to let out a sob- but he never did. His nose twitched as his mouth suddenly became agape, and he drew in a breath of air sharply, turning his neck towards the entrance. He started to pull on the sleeve of his left arm, trying to cover his metal hand. "I can't do this. I need to get out of here" He rushes out of the furniture section towards the store's entrance.

Wanda notices that Steve and Bucky were walking fast out of the store. Steve gives her a look and holds up a finger. She tried reading his mind to see what was going on, but all she caught was "give me a moment to calm him down, he had a panic attack" she had a concerned look on her face, but she knew Steve would be able to handle it.

You notice that Wanda had a concerned look on her face as she wasn't paying attention to what you were saying. "Wanda, are you okay?" a frown formed on your face as you were looking around the store looking for Bucky. He was gone. "Where is he?" you raise your voices a bit. "Wanda, where is he?" you were demanding her to give you an answer. She points towards the entrance. You gave her the clothes that you were holding. You sped walk towards the door.

Outside of the store, Bucky was sitting on the floor, knees by his chest, heavy breathing, hiding his face from the outside world. You could hear Steve trying to calm him down, telling him things that would usually calm him, but this time it was different. Steve notices that you were there and gets near you to hug you. He leans forward "are you sure about this? I tried everything I could. He hasn't been able to calm down," he whispers into your ear. Letting go of his hug, you have a brief smile and a nod. He walks back to the store to find Wanda and let her know what is happening.

You kneel, placing your hands on his knees. You were now able to hear how heavy he was breathing. “Bucky?” you slowly move your thumb against his knee, trying to calm him down “what’s wrong, my love? What’s going on?” he lifts his head and looks at you, his face red and his eyes puffy from the crying he had been doing for the past couple of minutes. Moving your hand from his knee, you place it on his cheek, wiping the tears from his face using your thumb. “hey, hey, Bucky, it’s okay” Your eyebrows knit together. You hated seeing him like this.

“I don’t deserve this happiness, not after everything I’ve done” his lips were quivering, his voice became small “they aren’t going to like me. I’m just a monster.” tears falling down his cheeks. He pulls you in, holding you, wrapping his arms around you. He was sobbing on your shoulder. Now the material of your shirt was soaking wet. “I’m sorry. I’m so-“

You interrupt him. “James, what you did. That wasn’t you, that was never you. One thing I’ll tell you is that you deserve every little inch of happiness; you deserve to be happy.” You take a pause holding him tighter and trying to stop your voice from being shaky. “I know this is scary. I’m scared as well. But one thing I know for sure is that even though we will try to be the perfect parents in the world, we aren’t going to be, and that’s okay. They are going to love us and our imperfections” you gently pull away, still holding him in your arms, you softly press your lips against his forehead to calm him down.

You held him for a couple of minutes. You wanted to make sure that he was okay. There was silence between the two of you, but you didn't mind. Within minutes, his heartbeat slowed, and he started to breathe normally. He turns his head, giving you a brief kiss on your cheek. “I appreciate you so much, doll” he takes a big gulp before continuing talking. “Should we ditch them and go somewhere else?” a soft giggle escapes his mouth. “I’m kidding. Let’s go and pick things for our little one.”

With your sleeve, you wipe the tears from his face. He grabs your wrist and stops you from continuing. He brings the palm of your hand and softly kisses it, then he lets go of it, so you can continue.

As he was getting up, he helped you get up as well. He was grabbing your hand and pulling you upward. Every little move that he has done with you, he has tried his best not to hurt you.

You both stood outside holding one other for a couple of minutes until you were able to notice that Bucky’s face didn’t look like he had been crying for the past couple of minutes.

Once you walked into the store, it was fast to locate Steve and Wanda, as Steve had a pile of clothes over his shoulder, a mixer of girl and boy clothes. And Wanda with a cart full of baby items. “Are you sure we are having a baby and not them?” you and Bucky were in synch “jinx, no, you jinx.” you both said that once again. This caused you and him to laugh out loud. Wanda turns around and rushes with the cart in your direction. She seemed like a little kid showing their parents the toy she had just found. Steve was getting the clothes that were on his shoulder, placing them all in his arms.

Once Wanda was near you, her face lit up as bright as a firework. “I and Steve both agreed that for this trip, we are buying all of this plus whatever you guys want.” Wanda was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath “consider this as an early baby shower gift” she starts pulling out items from the cart and showing you her favorite items. Once Steve got to where you all were, he dumps the pile of clothes in the cart. “Steve! I was still showing her thing” she rolled her eyes, and this made Bucky and Steve laugh.

Steve looks at Bucky. “I’m guessing you are feeling better, aren’t you” Bucky gives him a brief smile and nods.

You grab Bucky’s hand and start to walk towards the furniture section. You pointed at a white three-in-one convertible crib “Honey, We should get this one” your voice was small yet soft with sparkles in your eyes. A smile formed on his face, and he nodded in agreement. Anything that you liked, he would usually like it as well.

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

What a long day today was, you thought to yourself. You were now home resting. Wanda, Steve, and Bucky made sure to put everything away in the baby room.

Every little chance that Bucky gets, he can't keep his hands off of your stomach. He wanted to be there for everything, the first kick, the first movement they ever make. He didn't want to miss anything.

You were sitting on the bed, back against the headboard, reading a pregnancy book that Bucky decided to buy for you. He bought it for himself since he wanted to be prepared for everything that might happen. But he is too stubborn to admit it, so he bought the book for you.

Bucky was sitting right next to you, laying his head on your right shoulder, trying to read along to what you might be on. His right hand placed on your stomach, moving in a circular motion.

Page 34

Around 18 weeks of pregnancy, your little one hears their very first sounds. By 24 weeks, those little ears are rapidly developing. Your baby's sensitivity to sound will improve even more as the weeks pass.

"Did you know that he can hear you already?" you asked. You were looking down at him, and his ocean blue eyes were looking back at you. You pointed to the location where it stated that they were able to hear at certain weeks.

With a small smile on his face and his left eyebrow risen "he? I think they are a girl" he giggles a little "but if my baby girl says we are having a boy, then I believe it's time for me and him to have a one-on-one talk" he leans in forward to kiss you on your cheek.

He slow removes the blanket that was covering your stomach and kisses your stomach, placing his right hand on your lower stomach. “hey, I don’t think mommy can hear us,” he was whispering while looking up to you. You had a smile on your face while you shacked your head. “I can’t wait to have you in my arms, little Leo” he pauses for a moment and has the biggest smile on his face, “When you grow up, I’m going to tell you so many stories about my adventures with your uncle Steve and uncle Sam. I can’t forget about those stories with your beautiful, strong, amazing mommy” He looks up at you with a smirk on his face. You started running your fingers through his hair, feeling how soft it was. “Leo, could you believe it that right now, the world is a crazy place to be at? But at this moment, you are safe in there. Mommy and daddy will always keep you safe. No matter what happens, we will always protect you.”

He moves back to where he was resting his head on your shoulder, not moving his right arm from where it was located. “How was your talk with baby-“you pause for a moment, trying to process what just happened. “Leo?”

Bucky looks at you, slightly shaking his with left eyebrow rose. It looked like he had a soft disappointed face. “Doll, you weren’t supposed to listen to me and him having a boy talk” he stops shaking his head, and gradually a smile on his face started to form. “Yeah, Leo. I’ve always liked the name Leo” he paused, and a small frown started to show. “You don’t like it. If you don’t, we can-“

Pressing your lips against his forehead, you interrupt him. You knew what he was going to say “No, I love the name, Leo.” It seemed like he had read your mind. That was the name that you had a plan on naming your future baby boy. Removing your lips against his skin and a soft giggle escapes your lips “so are you planning on telling him about your little rolling over with Sam that one time?”

Bucky looks up to you, and he had an offended look on his face. “I’m certainly not telling him that,” he pauses to place his head back on your shoulder. “There are things he doesn’t need to know, and that is one of them.”

Out of a sudden, you can feel a sharp pain on your lower stomach where Bucky’s hand was placed. This caught him by surprise. “Did Leo just kick?” you can feel the excitement from his voice. You giggled a little in agreement “he kicks hard, aww, he is a strong boy. Just like his daddy” his voice went high pitched as he was talking towards your stomach.

Minutes pass by from the last time they kicked, and Bucky felt every little kick they did. It pained you but seeing him and the reaction he had on his face. The amusement written all over Bucky’s face was worth it, the pain they caused you. You have always thought of naming your baby girl Rebecca. You have liked that name for years. Also, you knew how close Bucky was to his sister, and you wanted her to be named by someone he holds dear to his heart.

You take a deep breath, unsure if you wanted to say anything. “Honey, if we have a baby girl. What are your thoughts on the name Rebecca?” you tense up a little, not knowing what other words to say. “I know how much your sister meant to you, and I just thought that-“

Bucky looks up at you and places his hand on the back of your head, pulling in you. Pressing his lips against yours, he gently and carefully kissed you. Pulling away from your lips, he had the biggest smile on his face. “Doll, I love that” He moves his hand from the back of your head to your lower stomach once again. “Rebecca isn’t allowed to date until she is 30,” he laughs, scrunching his nose. He loved that you considered naming her Rebecca. Bucky never thought about naming her that. He slowly moves his hand in circular motions. “Our little princess is going to be such a beautiful little girl, just like her mom.”

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

“Come on, cyborg, use your metal arm. You have it there for a reason.”

“Do you think that most of the time I remember that I have a metal arm? I’m fucking right-handed, Sam, not left-handed.”

“I swear to god if you guys wake her up. I am going to quit. Buck finish building the crib, and Sam paint the wall.”

Suppose the walls couldn’t be any thinner. You could hear Sam, Bucky, and Steve arguing in the room next door. You lay in bed for a couple of more minutes just listening to them. You were covering your mouth, trying your best not to burst into laughter. Before getting up, you took big breaths trying to control your laughter.

As you were opening the door, you notice Steve leaving the baby room. “See what you both idiots did? You woke her up” he sounded annoyed and irritated. He walks into the kitchen, grabbing his cup of coffee that he left on the counter. “Good morning, did you sleep well last night?” He takes a sip of coffee, placing his full attention on you.

You had the biggest grin on your face, and you tried to compose yourself, making sure you didn’t laugh. “I slept great. What are you guys doing at 9 am” you walk to the kitchen opening the fridge and gathering the ingredients to make a sandwich.

“What do you mean what we both did? It was all- oh” Bucky notices that you were awake preparing yourself food. He gets near you and wraps his arm around your waist, pulling you closer so he can give you a brief kiss on your head. “Good morning, doll. I’m sorry if we woke you up” he takes the sandwich that you prepared and takes a bite out of it.

Watching him take a bite from the sandwich you had prepared yourself made you a bit upset. You crossed your arms and walked away with the sandwich he just bit. “First, he wakes me up, and then he takes a bite of my sandwich.” you thought to yourself. You had a frown on your face.

Steve looks in Bucky’s direction continuing drinking the last bit of his coffee with his eyebrows lifted. Then it clicked to Bucky that he had messed up, so he quickly turns around and prepares another sandwich. He opens the fridge and grabs your favorite chocolate, and speed walks in your direction. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken a bite” he hands you the sandwich he prepared and the chocolate “here you go, doll. I’m going to go finish up the crib.” He points to the direction of the bedroom.

Before he could walk away from you, you grab his wrist “can I come help with whatever you guys might be doing” you knit your eyebrows together and push your bottom lip forward, making a pouty face. “Please” you knew that he couldn’t say no to you when you did this facial expression.

He takes your hand and starts walking to the bedroom. You see Sam on a ladder with a paint roller in his hands “sorry, we woke you up” you go near him and hand him the sandwich that Bucky made for you “thank you, you didn’t have to make this for me.” he gave you a brief smile.

Bucky had a blank stare, and his facial expression read ‘really.’ You giggled a little “I didn’t make it. Bucky did,” you whisper and placed your hand on your cheek, trying to cover your lips and from what you were going to say next “so if it tastes bad, that’s why,” you whispered and scrunched your nose.

“I heard that” Bucky sounded annoyed and had a frown formed on his face.

This made you and Sam laugh for a couple of minutes.

You walk towards Bucky wrapping your arms around him and getting on your toes to kiss him on his chin. “You know I’m just messing with you.” Still pressing your lips against his skin, “You are an amazing cook, and your sandwiches are always going to be my favorite” a little smile formed on your face while your lips were still pressed on his skin.

You walk towards the dresser where a bag full of baby clothes was at and you start organizing them by pajamas, formal, underwear, casual category.

Sam and Steve both left to take a mini-break. But Bucky, he stayed with you, he wanted to make sure that you were safe, and if you needed anything, he would be there for you. Looking through the bag, you found the pair of suspender top and bottom set that came with a bowtie. You turn around to showed Bucky the little outfit. “Honey, look, Leo is going to look so adorable in this” you place the outfit against your stomach.

He had a smirk on his face and nodded. You couldn’t wait till the day comes where you can hold them in your arms.

#bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #bucky #bucky x reader #bucky x pregnant!reader #james barnes #the winter soldier #bucky barnes one shot #pregnant!reader #bucky fiction #the winter solider fanfiction #avengers x y/n #marvel x reader #bucky oneshot #fluff

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edens-pen · 8 months ago

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okay, read below. @ramonathinks (all for you babe!)

book recs:

days at the morisaki bookshop : super easy and cute read bc it broke me out of a reading slump! i finished it in an afternoon. it's so summer-y and fun!

one of us is lying: okay. listen. super basic YA read, but still fun! like, a little bit of a mystery but nothing too heavy, very easy to pick and put down and remain invested in it.

the midnight library: so lots of people have called this book shallow and stuff, but i quite liked it. it's a lot about decisions and the way they affect our lives, and how even when we think something is better that might not be true. the intro is kind of dark, but the book gets a bit funny and more interesting.

tv show recs:

suits: harvey specter. that white man has such AURA. and mike ross??? AURA. and when mike's character gets with Rachel (meghan markle)? ohmygod they are hot. like i want to f*ck at least 8 of the people who come on screen (especially jessica pearson, i need her so bad). it's a legal drama, but it's mostly mike and harvey in suits and rachel in tight pencil skirts and i'm still gay asf, so i love it.

the bear: SYDCARMY. i'm sorry. but boss-employee to friends to business partners to best friends to lovers pipeline is actually way too real. i haven't watched season 3 yet, but there is so much chemistry between sydney and carmy. the premise of the show is actually super interesting, a little painful and heartbreaking. deals heavily with themes of family and grief and addiction and ultimately how much of who and what you are being determined by how you were raised and what you'll do with that.

blue eye samurai: one of the few asian shows where the white people are not lauded as some prophesied savior that everyone bows to. the main protagonist is revenge filled and goal oriented. everything else is really subplot. MIZU on top.

music recs:

brat (album) by charli xcx: okay, this one i'm kinda nervous about bc charli has a very specific sound and some people really love it and some people really hate it, but honestly it's fun! she's always put out bangers and this album is no exception. faves for you: "i think about it all the time;" "everything is romantic;" "girl, so confusing;" "mean girls"; "symapthy is a lie"

((sympathy is a lie: "cause i couldn't even be her if i tried, i'm opposite, i'm on the other side i feel all these feelings i can't control"))

cowboy carter by beyonce: i really hope you've been eating this album up because it's honestly one of my favorite bodies of work by her. the sound is so new interesting, but still get the beyonce you know and love in there! she's still that girl! faves for you: "16 carriages;" "bodyguard;" "most wanted;" "ameriican requiem"

((16 carriages: "at 15 the innocence was gone astray, had to take care of home at an early age...had to sacrifice and leave my fears behind"))

what a devestating turn of events by rachel chinouriri: this album. this f*ckin' debut album. turn it on. NEOOWWWW. it's so amazing, i've been listening to her singles waiting for her to drop an album and i'm not disappointed, her music is so beautiful. faves for you: "all i ever asked;" "robbed;" "garden of eden;" "never need me;" "my everything;"

((garden of eden: "no point in trying to prove yourself to them, why question who you are from deep within?"))

movie recs:

rye lane: when i say ROMCOMS are back? they are BACK. two black leads in the very fun, super light romcom. honestly nothing heavy, super cute and easy watch! both very likable. they have really cute chemistry, and watching them get their lick back! oh yeah, i'm into it.

theater camp: ayo edebiri, the people's princess. i think comedy (especially in movies) is rarely actually funny, but this is actually hilarious to me. molly gordon is kind of hilarious in this.

elemental & inside out 2: two animated "family movies" both made me cry and/or feel things i hadn't thought about in a while. i think people ignore the way that kids' movies address things and make you feel things you try to push away and ignore, but it does it in such a raw and honest way, that it touches something tender inside you.

hope you enjoyed!!

have you read any books, loved any new songs since you been away !!

omg so i have consumed so much media, it’s actually probably scary and insane, but i just have this desire to read/watch/see everything i might ever love.

i have so many book recs, tv show recs, and song recs to give you !! lemme compile a list, but i definitely think there’s some music you’ll really like !!

what about you? what have you been watching/listening to/reading?

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alltooreid · 4 years ago

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I Think He Knows

Y/N has a huge crush on Spencer Reid, so huge she embarrasses herself every time she tries to talk to him. She is convinced he is aware to all her pathetic attempts at flirting and just chooses to ignore it, but turns out Spencer may be a little more clueless than she thought.

A/N: Hope yall enjoy this cute fluffy fic! I’ve been having a rough couple of days so writing a fun fluff like this was really comforting :) yes it is inspired by the t swift song, but you don’t need to know the song to read and enjoy! also my requests are open so let me know what you want to see! (also sorry if this is kind of short, but i’ve been super busy and wanted to put something out :)))

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Type: a cute pining fluff fic

Word Count: 2.3K

Content Warnings: mentions of alcohol, otherwise none.

“He got that boyish look that I like in a man I am an architect, I'm drawing up the plans It's like I'm seventeen, nobody understands No one understands”

“He has to know Penelope, I’m not exactly subtle.”

You and Penelope spent the majority of your lunch breaks in her office, discussing anything and everything. Recently however, the point of contention had been a certain young genius. One who you had a huge crush on.

“Spencer Reid may be a genius, and one of the best profilers I have ever seen but he most certainly does not know,” she said, as she drizzled more dressing on her salad.

“He has to, it feels like everyone knows. . . Do you think everyone knows?”

She shrugged, “They might, I know my Chocolate Thunder hasn’t picked up on it yet.”

“You haven’t told him? It’s already been a week since I’ve told you! How did you keep it a secret for so long?”

“You asked me very nicely not to tell anyone! Plus this one seems really important to you. I don’t want to go around telling people and for Reid to hear it in office gossip.”

You smiled, “Well you Penelope Garcia are the best, best friend ever.”

“You know it, now I know you desperately want to repay me for my services, and you can by giving me those exact ranch packets you have in your bag,” she said.

“They’re all yours, now let’s discuss something other than my pathetic schoolgirl crush. Like how stupid Kevin’s sweater was today.”

“Kevin? The other internal affairs technical analyst? Yeah what the heck was he wearing?”

“You know, I’m tired of having to carry the weight of the brains, looks and fashion sense out of the two of us,” you said. “Though, that is a good way to gather attention . . . I wonder if Spencer would actually hold a conversation with me if I wore something as ugly as that.”

She laughed, “You know I think that might send you backwards.”

You stabbed your lettuce, “At this point I’ll try anything.”

Before Penelope could respond, someone interrupted your lunch, your only other friend on the BAU team, Emily Prentiss.

“Oh hi Y/N! How are you!”

“I’m good Emily, what kind of gross things are you here to deliver today?” you and Emily joined the FBI at around the same time, and found comfort in the fact that you were both total try-hards. Emily was going to eat lunch with you and your fast friend Penelope, at least on days when she was in the office for lunch, but you and her both agreed that she should eat lunch with the team so that they can get used to having her around.

“Just some paperwork, no cases yet, knock on wood. Also I just wanted to say hello! What are you guys eating?” she asked, pulling up a chair.

“Some salads from that takeout veggie place PG is always talking about. I told you I was going vegetarian right?” “You did not! That’s great Y/N! We need to talk more, like we used to when we first started here,” she sighed, then perked up, “We should have girls night! Remember how fun it was that night at the bar? With Brad the real FBI agent?”

“Yes! We should! You know, Gideon’s replacement comes tomorrow, we should celebrate!” Garcia said.

“You know, I don’t know if the best way to celebrate a new agent is by drinking without them, but I’m down. We’ll toast our girls night to agent Rossi. Someone ask JJ if she’s busy.”

JJ was not busy, but when you and Emily asked, Morgan overheard.

“So am I not invited to the party?”

“Well it was supposed to be girls night . . . but I think PG would throw a fit if I turned down her 2nd favorite person in this building, so I guess you can come,” you teased. “You should come too Spencer!”

“I don’t know, that’s not really my thing . . “

“Oh come on! I know I would love to see you there,” you then realized that you were embarrassing yourself being so forward. “And I’m sure everyone else would too!”

“Alright, I’ll come, but I’m not drinking.” he said firmly.

Before you could respond, Penelope magically appeared. “Good, you can be completely sober when Y/N gets wasted and embarrasses herself,” she said.

“PENELOPE! I’m not the light weight here! you’ll see Spencer, she’s actually awful. Two shots in and she’ll be on the floor,” this was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Spencer grimaced. “But it’ll be so much fun! You have to be there! You already said yes!”

“I just don’t know if seeing all of my coworkers get drunk while I watch is my idea of a fun evening. . .”

“Trust me! I’ll even stay sober with you, so we can judge them together. It’ll be a blast.”

“Ok, I’ll be there . . . but for now I need more coffee,” he pulled his chair out and walked towards the office kitchen. You silently cheered, forgetting how people were still standing around you.

“Well,” you awkwardly laughed, “um, I guess I better be getting back to my neck of the woods. I’m not a hot shot profiler like the rest of you guys . . . so see you all later!” You tried to escape before anyone interrogated you about your conversation with Spencer. However, a certain profiler followed quickly behind you.

“So. . . you and pretty boy huh?”

“Shut it Morgan.”

{⋅. ♪ .⋅}

You stayed true to your word that night, Spencer stuck to water and you enjoyed a diet soda. The bartender, who you had grown fairly used to seeing on your many nights out, was shocked to hear you didn’t want any alcohol in it.

It’s probably a good thing that you didn’t drink, you already embarrassed yourself enough in front of Spencer fully sober.

“So Spencer, you know that new bookstore you said you were going to go to after work a couple weeks ago?”

“New bookstore . . .? Oh yeah! What about it?”

“Well after I heard you talking about it I decided to check it out . . . It’s really nice there! I go like every other night now! We should totally go together sometime.” Luckily, you were sober enough to keep a secret: the fact you were only going so much in the hopes of running into him.

“Oh really? If I’m being honest I wasn’t super impressed with their selection, it was mostly contemporary fiction. And all in English . . . Not really my thing,” when he saw the way your face dropped he quickly changed his tone, “but it’s great if that’s your thing!”

This. Is. Humiliating. The amount of times you had gone and bought books from the bookstore, you were there almost every night hoping to run into him after work and start a conversation. You felt stupid, of course he wouldn’t want to go on a book store date with you. If Spencer Reid didn’t like you so much that he wouldn’t even go to a bookstore with you, there’s no chance at a relationship.

“Oh haha, yeah you’re right it’s totally lame. . .”

“Didn’t you just say you went there all the time?”

“No! When did I say that? You must be drinking Dr. Reid,” you said, quickly hopping off your bar stool, and running towards Morgan and Garcia, not turning around to see how confused Spencer was, but only being able to imagine him as relieved. Relieved he didn’t have to make conversation with you anymore.

“I’m blowing this PG, he totally hates me.”

Morgan laughed, “Y/N, you’re acting silly, this isn’t high school, we aren’t seventeen, stop dancing around it and just go ask him out.”

“Morgan, he doesn’t want to go to a bookstore with me, no way he’s agreeing to a date.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, maybe he’s just not in the mood to go?”

“You go ask him then, 20 bucks he says yes.”

“You’re on Y/N/N.”

7 minutes later Morgan returned and without a word pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and deposited it into your hand. “Sorry, Y/N.”

Penelope then piped up, “I’m telling you Y/N, he just doesn’t know. That boy is clueless.”

You scoffed, “I think he knows Penelope. I’ve made it pretty clear.”

“Have you told him?”

You were thrown off, “Um, no but-”

“Well then you haven’t made it clear enough, have you sugar?”

You almost said something, but you couldn’t really think of a good rebuttal for the argument. So instead, you downed Penelope’s half dranken frozen margarita, and headed back over to Spencer.

“Hey!” he said as you made your way back over, “I was wondering where you went, after you left Derek came over and asked to go to that bookstore with me, isn’t that extraordinary. . .”

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?” you blurted out.

“What?”

You sighed, “I’ve had a crush on you since like, forever, and I keep planning all these ways to ask you subtly but it’s just not working so I’m asking now. Do you want to go on a date with me?”

“You like me? I didn’t know that . . .”

“You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not, I thought you were just being nice. You’re nice to everyone and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

You smirked, “Get your hopes up? Does that mean you’re obsessed with me too Dr. Reid?”

He laughed in response, “Yeah, you could definitely say that.”

You dug through your purse and pulled out your keys, “Ok, then let’s get out of here.”

He paled, “And do what?”

“We’re going on our first date.”

He smiled, and you both got up off your bar stools and headed out the door, ignoring Morgan’s snide remarks as you passed.

{⋅. ♪ .⋅}

You couldn’t help but smile as you drove. Every couple of seconds you couldn’t help but look over at Spencer, getting lost in his brownish hazel eyes, which looked indigo in the night. He would smile, the kind of smile people write silly little romance songs about and spend verses to describe, and tell you to pay attention to the road before you run off of it. You would laugh, tell him to calm down. Although originally you had an idea of where you were going, now you just wanted to drive in circles, to bask in this memory.

“So where are we going?” he asked.

“Think about it Doctor Reid . . .” you replied, teasing him in the way you’ve imagined since you met him.

You pulled up to that little bookstore on 16th avenue, the one you couldn’t stop going to out of the sheer chance Spencer might be there, the one that was obviously closed this late at night, but was too perfect not to spend your first date at.

“Although this is beautifully symbolic, it’s almost 2 in the morning, this place closes at 8. We’re 5 hours, 49 minutes and 17 seconds late.”

You smiled and pulled out your ring of keys, “You know, when I spent hours a night hanging around here after work, hoping that you would happen to come shop for books and see me here too, the woman who owns this store got pretty curious. So I told her why I was here, and after she got done laughing at me she offered me a key, so that if I ever had the guts to ask you out, I could take you here no matter what.” You turned the key and swung the door open, gesturing him inside and locking the door behind you, “but we have to keep the lights off, so no one comes by and tries to get in.”

You and Spencer sit in the non-fiction section, and enjoy the silence for a few seconds before you have an idea, “Read me something Reid.”

He reached up, pulling a book off of the shelf without looking, “Are you sure, A Brief History of 1491: Life in America Before Columbus, is first date material?”

“Although that book is anything but brief, anything you read to me will sound stunning coming from your pretty mouth.”

So he begins to read, attempting to slow down to a reasonable pace but still going abnormally fast. You didn’t care though, more than you listened to the history of the late fifteenth century you watched Spencer’s hands. They’re really nice hands.

His right followed the words as he read aloud and his left helped hold the book. He wiggled the fingers on his left hand unconsciously as he spoke, getting into the words of the book.

After about 25 pages he glanced over at you, and you could almost hear the gears turning in his head. After a second he went back to the page, and continued reading. You didn’t think anything of it until a couple minutes later, when his hand made its way to your left thigh.

He held it and you leaned into him, and you both stayed like that until you fell asleep hours later, with his head resting on top of yours.

At 8:30 Mrs. Betts, the owner of the bookstore, found you and Spencer, arms around each other, the book thrown aside. She smiled, glad to know you had taken her up on her offer. She went to go wake you up but glanced at her watch. She didn’t have to officially open until 10.

She could definitely spare a couple of minutes.

“I want you, bless my soul I ain't gotta tell him I think he knows”

- Thank you for reading! Please reblog and let me know what you think :))

ATR’s tiny taglist: @reidingmelodies

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luvyanfei · 4 years ago

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anon said. how about fluffy hcs with xiao, zhongli and xingqui taking their s/o out on a first date?

XIAO.

he already finds it difficult just to ask you to hold him without losing his cool, so how can he possibly bring up the idea of inviting you on a date? actually, he probably never knew the word ‘date’ even existed until he heard a passing couple staying over at wangshu inn dreamily talking about how they wish they could go to see the lantern rite festival in liyue harbor together for their first date. a first date, huh? now that he thinks about it, xiao never did properly try to court you, did he? it was always you who approached him first, who held your hand out to him, who confessed that you love him. you’re already giving so much dedication in this relationship. it’s the least he can do to return your affections, not just because he’s feeling a bit indebted, but because he’s your lover. unfortunately, being the awkward yaksha that he is, xiao overthinks the situation and complicates it more than he should.

every chance he gets is blown up by his anxiousness. whenever you come and visit him at the inn, you almost think that he’s angry with you from the way he throws you vicious glares. unbeknownst to you, xiao is actually making that tense face because he’s trying very hard, too hard in fact, to think of the best way to ask you out on a date and seeing you just makes him all the more nervous. he regrets it every time you step into the elevator while giving him a goodbye wave and saying you’ll come visit again. sure, he gets another chance to try and ask you out again, but he also has another chance to fail as well.

when you visit him for lunch, xiao quickly rehearses the words he wants to say to you in the back of his head before coming to greet you. ‘i overheard from a guest in the inn talking about a lantern rite festival. if you mortal, no, [name], desires to go, i can possibly set aside time to accompany you.’ keep it cool, yet short. taking a deep breath to compose himself, xiao walks over to greet you, er, well actually, you’re the one doing the greeting instead, and you settle down to eat. the sweet taste of the almond tofu that you generously bought for him blossoms in his mouth and he loses track of time till your departure. before you leave once more to allow the poor yaksha to wallow in his self-regret again, you stop yourself and turn around to face xiao. tucking your hair behind your ear and giving your best, most radiant smile you can offer to him, you shyly ask if he’d like to tag along with you to the lantern rite festival. “we’ve never been on a date before and i’d love to go to the festival with you and release xiao lanterns together.”

... what? how? his mouth almost opens up in disbelief, as he struggles to keep a stoic expression. ex-excuse him?! that’s supposed to be his line! he’s in shock at how easily you were able to say something that he’s been having trouble sputtering out. you mortals never fail to surprise him. he shakes his head and bitterly scowls, that you almost step back in fright. almost, until he starts speaking, that is. “why is it you? i should have been the one to ask you on a date first, not you!” he’s almost on the brink of tears from the frustration he currently holds on himself.

a relationship is always about give and take, no? it’s like when zhongli has so kindly decided to save him from the clutches of the cruel abuse he endured endlessly, of course he was forever in debt to rex lapis. surely, it’s the same with you, isn’t it? when xiao tells you this, you immediately start laughing. you calmly explain to him that your relationship isn’t like a form of contract where he’s expected to always repay you back for every gift you give to him. as long as he’s there for you, that’s more than enough of a reward, you say, before plopping a chaste kiss to his cheek.

“finally, you’re here. what took you so long?” xiao speaks to you with indifference concealing the relief that you actually came. he trails his sharp eyes to inspect your dressed up form and blushes slightly. “you look nice.”

immediately, your eyes widen at his underhanded compliment. did- did you hear that right? biting his lower lip gently, xiao clasps your hand in his, ignoring your astounded reaction, as he squeezes it reassuringly while watching the colourful fireworks light up the murky night.

without thinking, he turns to you when you’re focused on the display of bursting lights reflecting in your eyes, and murmurs to himself softly, “i hope you’ll spend the rest of your time with me, for however long it’ll last.”

XINGQIU.

of course, a date with xingqiu has to be extravagant and sophisticated to the last touch, right? guess again. he may come from a wealthy family, but that doesn’t mean he shares the same interest a selfish, pampered noble may have. he prefers something more simple, yet sentimental. confined in his household with nothing to do but bury his head in a book, he’s picked up some ideas for your date from the romance stories he’s read. surprisingly, they’re all rather cliché.

the first thing he makes you guys do is go out in the blazing summer day to get yourselves a cool beverage. he explicitly asks the cashier to give him one straw [do they even exist in the game?] and smiles slyly as he thanks them and brings the drinks to you. when you ask about it, thinking that maybe he forgot, all he does is smirk before saying, “there’s no need, my liege. we can share, unless you’d rather melt in the sweltering sun, that is.” he winks teasingly. you... don’t really have much of a choice in the matter. as you stroll around the harbor together, you take turns drinking from the only straw and a wave of consciousness washes over you gradually. wait, isn’t this like an indirect kiss? you place a hand to your gaping mouth after sucking on the straw that xingqiu pressed his lips on merely seconds ago. you should know by now, how bold he is underneath his polite façade.

after you finish sipping your drink - tediously at that, you both agree on going to the library to read books together since the heat is pretty unbearable to do anything enjoyable. xingqiu recommends you to try reading some of his personal favorites and you do the same as well. he’s thrilled to have a reading buddy now since it’s boring being here by himself.

while you’re immersed in the novel that you randomly picked from the bookshelf, every now and then, xingqiu will look up from the pages of his book and faintly smile to himself, glad that you’re enjoying yourself.

the sun was setting and the stars started to appear in the pastel pink and orange of the evening sky. you place back the last book and stretch your arms, before turning to xingqiu. sighing, you give him a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek and softly say your farewell.

as you’re about to make your leave for the day, xingqiu halts you with his words, “wait. there’s something i need to do before we can end this date.” nonchalantly, he plucks a book from its shelf, opens its pages, and uses it to block the sunlight drifting through the transparent window glass, effectively shielding his vision from the public eye as he pulls you in for a passionate kiss.

his free hand finds its way combing through the back of your head to deepen the kiss. when he’s satisfied enough, the boy detaches his lips from yours and lightly rubs the flesh of your cheek with a finger, while placing the book down on a nearby table. you keep your eyes fixated on him as he licks the edges of his lips.

“that felt nice,” xingqiu murmurs, “you’re so sweet, i’d hate for anyone else to savor in this pleasant moment with you other than i. shall we continue this again on our next date too?”

ZHONGLI.

the first thing he does is make sure to bring mora, this time. it would be highly inconsiderate of mr. zhongli to have you pay for the expenses of this fine date. he’s one to take things nice and slow. sure, time is unfortunately measured and limited, but he wants to make the most of it with you, a mortal who, just like any other being, has a beginning and end to your life. zhongli wants to shower you in all the beauty and joy this world has to offer while you’re still here with him.

he may be a gentle-spoken and polite individual, but please don’t mistaken him as being shy in any way. he shows up to your residence one afternoon and presents you a bouquet of your preferred flowers while he asks if you would consider accompanying him on a date. you take the bundled up flowers, carefully stroking a petal as if it’s made of fragile glass and accepts his proposal with open arms.

he takes you out to an expensive restaurant in the night of liyue and helps you select the best dishes. after you’re finished with your lavish and sophisticated meals, zhongli ushers you outside where you’re greeted with fresh air, a contrast to the suffocation you felt back at the restaurant. sure, the place is grand and your hunger is well-satiated, yet despite wearing your best clothing, you felt out of place there, like a commoner surrounded by nobles.

when you express your earlier discomfort to zhongli, his eyes are filled with shame and he’s already apologizing like the gentleman he is. guiltily, you tell him it’s fine and you ask if you can show him something before you have to head on home. he ponders in thought before agreeing, walking hand in hand with you to your unknown destination.

the chilling night breeze bites at your bare skin as you instantly shiver. this doesn’t go unnoticed in zhongli’s sharp eyes and he’s already unbuttoning his jacket. he drapes the coat over your shoulder blades and rubs his gloved hands on your cold fingertips to preserve warmth. “are you feeling cold perhaps? maybe we should head back?” you stop him before he can guide you back to the harbor.

“i’m okay now. thank you for your concern.” you say to ease his poor mind. he nods and you both continue on. the walk uphill takes a while, but it’s worth it when you finally reach the top. your eyes widen in amazement as you witness the glimmering stars splayed across the pitch darkness of the sky. “zhongli, look. do you like it?” he simply nods, but all of his attention is focused on you.

zhongli grins down at your childishly excited face, pausing for a hesitant minute before he carefully places his hands on top of your shoulders. you look up at him in confusion and is about to question him, but any sound that comes out is cut off by his lips ensnaring yours in a kiss. you’re astounded by his intimate move, but you revel in his touch in a matter of seconds.

he hopes, as he tightens his hold, that you’ll stay with him always, till your last breath.

tagging. @scarymoosh

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #zhongli x reader #xingqiu x reader #xiao x reader

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innaminitus · 4 years ago

Text

Gingerbreads

Pairing: George x reader x Fred

Request: WEASLEY TWINS CHRISTMAS SMUT YES PLEAASE where they both like the reader but like make a deal that it’s either both of them for her or none of them? THANK YOU

Warnings: smut, no twincest

Word count: 2671

A/N: BIG NOTE: if you are not okay with this kind of fic, you are free to not read it. there is plenty of similar fics all over tumblr, you can avoid them, too.

first fic from my Christmas at Hogwarts series! Feel free to send requests!

The hallways were filled with candles and glittery chains, on every corner there was a Christmas tree, decorated with all kinds of ornaments, gingerbreads and dried oranges, filling the air with the specific scent of holidays.

Disgusting.

You hated the so called ‘holiday spirit’ and basically everything that involved anything associated with Christmas. It wasn’t your fault, really. You remembered times when you actually quite liked Christmas. Not much of it you remembered, though, since you were just a small child when it all fell apart. It was Christmas, after all, when your father murdered your mother right in front of you. Cinnamon and oranges only made you anxious now.

Suddenly someone bumped into you from behind.

“Hey, Portkey!” The Weasley twins blocked your view and both walked backwards in order to see you.

“Stop calling me that…” You furrowed at the nickname, but couldn’t help but to smile.

You got the nickname after the circumstances in which you met the twins.

You were scrubbing the cauldrons in Snape’s office as your detention when the door opened and Filch jumped on his chair in which he has been snoring for at least half an hour now. Snape stormed through the door, dragging two boys by their collars. You saw them before, the famous Weasley twins, the jokers of Hogwarts.

“Messrs. Weasley will help Miss Y/L/N clean the cauldrons. I expect them to be clean enough to see my own reflection.”

“Of course, professor!” Filch nodded his head. “I’ll make sure they will!”

But despite what he said, right after Snape left Filch sat back on his chair and started snoring once again. Fred or George laughed at him and grabbed one of the sponges you were using to clean one of the cauldrons from something thick and sticky.

“I’m Fred” one of them said “and this is George.” He pointed at his twin who cringed at the sight of dirty cauldrons.

“I’m Y/N,” you murmured without taking your eyes off a particularly dirty place.

“And how did you end up here?”

You smirked and looked up.

“I turned Filch’s mop into a portkey. He ended up on the roof every time he touched it.”

They both laughed at your words.

“Brillaint!” said George. At least you thought it was George. “We gave the whole first year Fainting Fancies.”

“Only to test them, of course.”

“But Granger ruined the fun.”

You stopped scrubbing for a second and looked at them with dismay.

“What on earth are Fainting Fancies?” you asked, not sure if you actually want to know the answer.

“Ah!” Fred straightened, obviously very proud of himself. “Our invention! We are working on sweets that make you ill.”

“Sweets that make me ill?” You raised your eyebrow.

“Exactly. You take one and have, in example, instant fever. Perfect before an exam you forgot about.”

“You guys are really something else.”

It was in the middle of September. You have become quite inseparable ever since, the jokes and hours of detention really brought you together.

“Ready to leave for Christmas?” asked Fred, almost tripping over an old rug.

You dragged his arm and forced him to walk next to you, afraid he might actually fall next time. George also joined your side.

“I’m not leaving. I always spend Christmas here.”

“Well, actually that makes sense. I wouldn’t like to spend Christmas with a Slytherin either,” Fred laughed, but George stormed him with sight. “What?”

You only talked to George about what happened to your family. One night you were changing the lenses in telescopes in Astronomy Tower, so instead of stars they would show a giant eye of a person who would use them and ended up looking at the night sky filled with dark clouds. You were talking about everything and nothing, and from word to word you ended up confessing it to him. How your father killed your mother, because she wouldn’t join him as a Death Eater. How you run away through the back door of your house and, swallowing tears, stormed to your neighbors. How the Aurors would take your father to the Azkaban and leave you at an orphanage. How no one would adopt you.

“It’s just… Celebrating Christmas in an orphanage is never fun. I much prefer it here than there.”

Fred’s smile fainted. “I’m- I’m sorry, Y/N, I had no idea.”

“That’s fine.” You waved your hand at him. “You couldn’t know.”

He looked at his twin, they exchanged looks that seemed to say more than any word could.

“Alright, that’s it,” George said. “You have to come with us for Christmas.”

You shook your head with a faint smile. “It’s alright, boys. I’m fine on my own, really.”

“Well, we’re not.” Fred stopped, blocking your way up the corridor. “That’s it, you’re coming with us. I already told mom you would.”

You furrowed. “No, you didn’t.”

“But I will, so you better go pack yourself.”

You sighed. Would it really be so bad? Would you go down memory lane and get fifteen panic attacks by the time you step through the door of their home or would you finally soothe the horror you’ve been living in for past twelve years? There was only one way to find out.

“Alright. I’ll go.”

***

You were nervous during the whole train ride, and now you felt as if you were about to jump from your own skin because of anxiety. With the rest of the Weasley siblings and, of course, the one and only Harry Potter you were waiting outside the King’s Cross station for Mr. Weasley, who was going to pick you up. In a car, they said. You couldn’t possibly imagine how exactly you would fit in a car with all the baggage, but magic surprised you way too many times for you to still question everything. This time it was no different – although Mr. Weasley parked a simple black car, he supposedly got from the Ministry (it had something to do with Potter, but you didn’t ask too many questions) inside it was as big as a van. Every single one of you could fit inside, and you still had plenty of room left. They all chattered and laughed during the way, but you were too stressed to even listen to them. You regretted your decision already. You should be at Hogwarts, in your dorm room, alone, reading a book and drinking unholy amount of hot chocolate with marshmallows. The elves would always bring you some food and this perfect beverage since you never joined the rest of the students which stayed as well. But it was too late now.

The car stopped before an old, weirdly crooked house which looked like a patchwork blanket you had when you were little. Somehow it made you feel warm inside.

You got out right after Ginny, with your bag in hand, unsure what to do. You locked your eyes on flying lights around the roof of the house. Could it be fairies? Or just enchanted string of plain lights?

All of the sudden you felt heavy arm around your shoulders. “Hey, Portkey, you alright?” Fred asked, his sight following yours. “Yeah, I know it’s not much, but–“

“It’s perfect,” you interrupted, smiling.

His face brightened and you noticed sparkles in his eyes. Pretty.

“Go on, lovebirds!” Ginny waved at you and you noticed that it was now only you and Fred standing outside. You blushed suddenly and hurried inside.

“Oh, hello, dear!” Mrs. Weasley smiled at you and grabbed your arms, squeezing them lightly. A big warm smile bloomed on her face. “You must be Y/N! How lovely to finally meet you, I’m so glad you’ll spend holidays with us!”

“Thank you for having me.” You smiled back. This woman just greeted you like an old family friend, not an orphan she sees for the first time in her life. It was… oddly nice.

***

You were sitting on a sofa, your knees under your chin, staring blindly at the yule tree, your sight blurred to the point where you only saw points of colorful light. The dinner was wonderful. Mrs. Weasley asked George in a letter what your favorite food was, and of course made it just for you. She also made sure there was no scent of gingerbread spice. It was just a little too much for you.

“You’re not asleep?” Someone’s voice interrupted your mindless procrastinating.

You blinked and turned your head to look at George walking down the stairs.

“Not yet… I’m a little overwhelmed. Don’t mind me.”

He sat next to you. The sofa was quite small, that’s why you put your legs down, and now his thigh was touching yours.

“I know my mum can be… intense. To say the least, but she means well.”

“I know that, and she’s lovely, really, it’s just… I don’t know. A lot to process for me. I haven’t had real Christmas since I was a kid. And you are all trying to make me feel welcome…” You turned your head from him, suddenly ashamed. “I feel like I don’t deserve any of it.”

A second passed, then another, and you felt his warm fingers under your chin. He gently turned your face back to him.

“You deserve everything, Y/N.” He moved so close to you that for a second you were sure he was going to kiss you, but he hesitated mere millimeters from your lips. Hotness flushed your cheeks. He smelled like pine tree and suddenly you decided it was now your favorite scent. You waited for a second that felt like an hour, and slightly moved away in the same moment he moved forward. A small gasp escaped your lips, he leaned even more, undaunted, and kissed you gently. No tongue, not even opened mouth, just lips touching lips. It was a long kiss, though, and when he moved away you felt uncomfortable chill on your mouth.

“George–“

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t–“

“No,” you interrupted. “Do it again. Please.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. His hand landed on the back of your neck, he pulled you to him, and butterflies erupted in your stomach. Enough with the gentleness, he was needy, as if he’s been waiting for your lips his whole life. His other hand was on your thigh, he was turning you more towards him as his tongue slid into your mouth.

“Well, well, well.”

You parted immediately, somehow ashamed. Fred slowly walked down the stairs, a hint of smile on his face. “What do we have here?” He stood before you, hands crossed. “I thought we had a deal, Georgie.” Wait, what? “It’s either both of us or none of us.”

You blinked once, then twice, but couldn’t understand the situation. You looked at George, hoping that maybe he would make it clearer.

“I know, I know,” he sighed “but I couldn’t help myself.”

Your heart missed a beat, but not in a pleasant way. Were they… making a bet?

“Can any of you tell me what the hell are you talking about?” you asked, lovely moment from just a mere minute ago long gone.

George rubbed the back of his head and exchanged looks with Fred. They were doing it again, communicating without words.

He sighed. “We– we both like you, okay? And we agreed that none of us will be with you… unless the other one would also be involved.”

You swallowed hard. Did he mean… to be with them both? At the same time? It seemed crazy but… you liked them, too. They were both handsome, obviously. Would it be so bad?

“Okay,” you said, the steadiness of your voice surprising you. “We can– we can try.”

They seemed as surprised as you were, looking at each other once more.

Fred was the first to speak, after he cleared his throat. “Then maybe… let’s go to our room?”

You nodded and followed him up the stairs, feeling the warmth of George’s body behind you.

It was oddly arousing. You had to be quiet, to not wake anyone. You knew you’d have to be quiet later when… When what exactly? Were you going to have sex? Or was it just your hope?

You entered the twins’ room, bathed in moonlight. It smelled like pine here as well…

Suddenly a hand was on the back of your neck, Fred’s tongue first, a split second before his needy lips landed on yours. You didn’t think, you didn’t wait, you gave back every kiss, your tongue next to his. While his fingers were tangled in your hair another set of hands played with skin under the hem of your shirt, bolder with each passing moment. He traced the curves of your body, shamelessly traveled up, and up, his soft fingers caressed the side of your breasts only to finally land on your hardened nipples. You moaned in Fred’s mouth at which he bit your lower lip.

“You like how he touches you, huh?” His voice no more than a whisper, sent shivers down your body. “Wait till I touch you.”

George rolled your nipples in between his fingers, but soon his hands were gone, because Fred lifted you up. They seemed to have one mind, what one thought the other acted. George sat on one of the beds, Fred seated you between his brother’s legs. His fingers hooked on your pajama pants and your panties, but before he took them off he took a look at you, one eyebrow raised in silent question. You could go back now, they wouldn’t blame you. Only… you didn’t exactly want to go back. You lifted your hips, your answer just as silent as his. He grinned and slid your clothes down your legs. George gripped your shirt and soon it was also gone, but you weren’t cold. You had two bodies to warm yourself and you were gladly going to use them.

George’s soft lips traced the curve of your neck while Fred was watching your arousal grow under his brother’s touch. His hands slowly parted your thighs, showing your already pulsating pussy. His twin’s fingers were kneading your breasts and mercilessly pinching your nipples while his mouth landed on yours, kissing you passionately.

He caught you by surprise, really. Almost making you jump when you felt warm tongue spreading your folds, surprise quickly turning to pleasure when Fred’s tongue started to, gently at first, play with your dripping pussy. Oh, but he was impatient. Soon you were a moaning as he was sucking on your clit and slowly pushing one finger inside of you. George wasn’t planning on being any worse than his brother – his skillful fingers could probably make you come just by playing with your nipples and soon you were biting your lips almost till they bled, only to not moan their names.

The pleasure was unbelievable. Feeling of two bodies against you, flicks of Fred’s tongue and moves of George’s fingers and his lips on yours – it was all too much to bear, too much for one person to experience. And you found yourself lost in this pleasure when Fred joined another finger deep in your pussy. Your muscles clenched on him, he started sucking on your clit, George’s fingers pinched hard and all of the sudden you were almost knocked out by the most intensive orgasm you’re ever had.

They gave you a moment to come down from the high and slowly started to undress when you suddenly heard a knock on the door.

“Can you wrap it up?” You heard Ginny’s whisper. “Mom asked me twice already where you are, Y/N, I’m running out of excuses.”

You got all red and slapped your hand over your mouth, looking at the twins who tried very hard not to laugh. Fred handed you your clothes and George leaned to your ear “We’ll finish it tomorrow.” A shiver went down your spine. Well, now you’ve had new Christmas memory to hold onto.

#george weasley x reader #fred weasley x reader #george weasley x you #fred weasley x you #weasley twins x reader #weasley twins x you #george weasley smut #fred weasley smut

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anotherghoul666 · 2 years ago

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To be fair I only read the 1st book in French probably too close to when it came out for comfort in terms of my own age range but oh my god did I love it and did it change and rearrange my molecules ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I have an undying amount of love for this book still and it's in my reading goals to pick the series back up and actually read more than book 1 some day. That Which Yields Is Not Always Weak ❤️ MELISANDE SHARIZAI OMFG ❤️ Dude the unbearable duality of not knowing wether I wanted her or I wanted to be her back then?!?! (that was my sign I was gonna turn out as a switch, turns out XD why are we not surprised hahahaha). Dear lord this WOMAN.

There's a decent percentage of the kink community that has read Kuchiel's Dart, as it's kind of heralded as one of those cult BDSM pieces of media that a lot of us consumed when we were developing? Classics like Story of O or The Secretary or the Gor series or whatever else we could latch on back then (for me Outlander was another big one, I've not met anyone else yet that has associated their life path towards BDSM and this book series as intensely as I have though but that's a story for another day). All pieces of media with massive problems in terms of taking them for actual "kink manuals" like we unfotunately had to do before we had legitimate avenues of education available to us, but cornerstones of our psychological and sexual development all the same. We tend to hold Kushiel's Dart in high regards for the diversity of kinks and fetishes explored and how respectfully they were explored (while also acknowledging the absolute massive problematic areas of the book like, you know, the fucking age of the characters o h m y g o d anyway). So hey, if you wanna find some fellow Kushiel's Dart enthusiasts, you know where to find us XD I have not met anyone else who loves this series outside of the community, so there's that haha.

Now onto music stuff:

Feuerschwanz' covers are fire dude XD I love that, 10/10 would accept as a roadtrip song!

Oooofffff that Respite moment man. Wow, goosebumps just thinking about it. What a timing!

BITCH (respectfully, affectionately) YOU DID NOT PLAY AR TONELICO TOO?!?!? Now it's my turn to go "you're the only person I've ever found i the wilkd who knows about these games". I mistly played 1 and 2, I did not keep up when they switched to the 3d graphics but oh lordy those SOUNTRACKS! Some of my all time favorite video game OSTs. Gold all around.

@anotherghoul666 I AM STILL CONSUMED BY THIS TRILOGY I RE READ IT SO MUCH. It has me in such a fierce chokehold. Melisande??? The Bridge Scene in the 2nd book??? THE THIRD BOOK ENDING LIKE THAT?? Keeping things vague in case anyone wants to read it and doesn't want spoilers. AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! I've only met one other person who's read it so I am VERY EXCITED RIGHT NOW :D !!!

And here's the Music Eras of my life. Mostly. Thank you for the tag again! I should probably figure out how to do a read more on mobile one of these days.

First song/artist you remember liking: We were a pretty strict household in terms of music, so probably some kind of religious hymn of I'm being entirely honest. I was permitted whatever played on the Christian radio station. I think the first CD I ever got was Hilary Duff from a cousin!

Middle school anthem: Still not allowed much variety in music...but I had my very first crush on someone who's nickname was "Bumblebee" so when I found Bambi's - Bumblebee, I thought it was a sign.

Road Trip Must Have: Dragonstea din Tai. No explanation needed. If you can't handle me at my numa numa then you don't deserve me anywhere else on my music taste. I will be generous in case I'm traveling with a metalhead and put on the Feuerschanz version. I found them on TikTok recently and they are delightful.

Guilty Pleasure Artist: I second the opinion about nothing being "cringe", but there are a few considered so just because of the fan base around it being weird teenagers. Who cares. Teen years are for being really weird and finding out who you are so you can refine that weirdness blob into a fun personality. I got really into Vocaloid and honestly? A lot of it still hits. And (about to show my entire ass here) Homestuck music. (Gold Pilot 👍) If you know, you know and I don't have to explain myself. We have An Understanding. The Undertale OST by Toby Fox as well by extension. (Bless everyone who got us Muffet and Spider Dance.)

know all the lyrics to: The entirety of the Electra Heart album. I view Lana del Rey gays with mild fascination. Same genus, different species.

A song that makes you cry: Respite on the Spitalfields has hit different since the Ritual back in September. It came on shuffle as I left: We're leaving the city/So this is farewell/ as I merged on the interstate and the tears would not stop coming as I careened down the highway, screaming myself hoarse. How I didn't get into an accident, I will NEVER know.

A song to yell to: Amon Amarth has slowly crept their way into my playlist and I'm very fond of screaming to any of their songs in my car before I put on my "Respectable and Closed Off Worksona"... I really like Heidrun and Shield Wall! So I was really happy to see those pop up in my shuffle game!

Current favorite music video: I'm still obsessed with the animation for Autoheart's Hellbent. My gender crisis has been over for a while but that's what the beginning of it looked like back in high school.

Current favorite Band: Ghost/Sleep Token/ Amon Amarth/Please don't make me narrow it down any further.

If I had to listen to one song for the rest of my life: That would suck. Do I really have to answer it? Alright fine. EXEC_FLIP_ARPHAGE/. - Shikata Akiko from the Ar Tonelico 3 soundtrack. Only because there WAS a period of time where I listened to it on repeat for a week straight. It's my happy song.

Stuck on repeat: Moscow - Autoheart, because it's the designated song of a very fluffy SwissAlps fic I have about 700 words on. It's also another happy song of mine.

Would Kill to see them live/Again: I have Ritual tickets so. No murder. But if Sleep Token comes my way? Watch out. Also would like to see In This Moment, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Dorothy, Autoheart. Ke$ha. Mad Gallica if she ever gets her stageshow dream come true. Would like to go to more concerts in general.

#asks

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