#writing style is so fun n whimsical

[roseyodditea]

Hiiiiiii, your works are all lovely! I really love how you potrayed all the characters you write! Send you lots of love!

May I request Harumasa x reader, which reader's job is like in the same division as Jane Doe and reader also have many identities. That somehow stumbled upon a fate meeting Harumasa times to times with their many identities, but with Harumasa's skill, he connect the dots with every meeting with reader no matter how many identities or conditions they met and then gathering her guts to get to know reader more👀

Sorry for bothering! Hope you always in a good conditions!

Failed Investigations - Harumasa x gn! Reader

Summary -> 1.9k Words. You are an undercover officer for Public Security who encounters an unlucky situation named "Asaba Harumasa" in your investigations Warnings -> None A/N -> Sorry it took a couple days! Life got in the way. I got a little whimsical on this one I won't lie. I wanted something fun since classes start soon.

Today was finally the day you could get out of this hellhole and get back to your comfy PubSec desk for a little bit. This undercover mission in this gang of hollow raiders seemed to go wrong at every single step of the way and you were just trying to hold on at this point. Jane owes you so many favors after you took this mission for her. Deep cover was more her style than yours. 

You leaned back against the uncomfortable concrete wall, watching a group full of idiots gamble what little money they had earned from the recent break-ins away on a card game. Standing up and stretching, you take note of the time and know your salvation will be here in less than an hour. Less than an hour and you’d be back on your team, shoulder to shoulder with officers and no longer doing undercover work. 

Down the halls you heard screaming, the sound of the door breaking down, and the sound of weapons clashing. Now PubSec was a mess and a lot of things could change and be different, but them being early was not a possibility in the slightest. You had a choice here. You could either hope and pray to whatever higher power was out there that it was just your coworkers, or book it and have to explain to Zhu Yuan that your investigation was ruined. 

“They’re in the rafters!” The shout from one of the hollow raiders made your decision for you. You were already on the move when you caught the glimpse of an arrow flying and embedding into a canister of ether, exploding to create a cover of ether dust that burned the lungs and eyes. You dash to an exit that wasn’t as well known, only to catch a flash of someone charging right towards you.

You caught the brunt of two blades propelled by the body weight of a man you had dreamed of meeting on your two hunting knives, deflecting them away. You didn’t have time to stagger before he was delivering practiced blows and you could barely keep up. If you were brought into the custody of the HSO, PubSec wouldn’t be alerted for far too long, and you had a bigger fish to catch than what Section 6 was currently flushing out of the abandoned warehouse. 

“Let me go, it’ll be worth it!” You tried to plead as you were on the defence, deflecting blow after blow, thankful H.A.N.D and PubSec training was close enough for you to defend against him. 

“Likely story.” Harumasa scoffs, starting to put more electricity into his attacks. Two more blows and you had a plan, remembering what happened to the canister filled with ether. 

Oh Zhu Yuan was going to kill you for the paperwork you were about to generate. 

“Sorry!” You warn before meeting his electrified blades with yours swirled with ether, the reaction causing a cloud of ether dust to explode and fill the air. Harumasa was caught off guard, erupting into a fit of coughs as he stumbled back away from the cloud of ether, giving you more than enough time to dash out the exit, the rest of Section 6 too distracted with the other hollow raiders to notice you slinking away. 

**********

“I’m sorry Officer (l/n),” your team lead lied to your face. “Your investigation was incomplete so you won’t get the bonus on your next paycheck. We’re also putting you on a different case since we believe you were made by the other hollow raiders.” “You have got to be kidding me.”

**********

Messing up one assignment wasn’t the end of the world. In your line of work it was honestly expected. Maybe having a case ruined by *the* Asaba Harumasa was more of a blessing than a curse. That was the closest you’ve ever gotten to having a conversation with him. 

You looked in the mirror, happy with your new haircut and dye job. You had gotten too good at this, hot swapping appearance between every case. You grabbed the SFX makeup kit and decided that this identity would at least have a cool looking scar on an eyebrow. Pleased with the unrecognizable state of your face you packed everything away and went to your next assignment. 

This was an easy one. You were to take part in some sort of drug ring to try to trace the source so PubSec could have one last public win for this quarter. This sort of cut and dry undercover sting was definitely more your style. You stepped out of your car to go stand by the statue near the Ballet Twins Hollow, waiting for the dealer as you watched the shifting hues of the hollow. Part of you felt like something was wrong. You looked over your shoulder and-

Oh for fucks sake. 

“For what they are, it’s a damn shame they’re so pretty.” Harumasa said as he leaned against the railing. Seems even the ears of a trained PubSec officer were no match for the silent steps of a Scout. 

You stared hard at the hollow, trying not to let your nerves show. Surely you were unrecognizable enough for him to not clock you the second you opened your mouth. “Maybe the bright colors are like the patterns poisonous animals have. Warning about the danger, ya know?” Harumasa looked over and let out a little noise, looking at your face a little too long to be comfortable. “I suppose so. It’s not safe out here this late for civilians.” Your brain kicked into third gear, trying to come up with a believable excuse that wasn’t ‘yeah I’m here to meet a drug dealer and you’re really messing up my investigation right now’. You went to pat your pocket and… oh you didn’t even have your badge on you right now. “Just out here for the view. I like keeping track of how much the hollow is shrinking. You can see more and more of that tower every week.” You tried to sound like a hopeful civilian. “Makes me think that everything is gonna be okay… That all of this is worth it.” Harumasa glanced back at you, a flash of recognition when you said ‘worth it’. Crap. You said those exact words to him back in the hollow, didn’t you? There was no way your accent was that recognizable. 

“Yeah.. It’ll be worth it.” Harumasa said and looked around. “There’s the person I need to meet up with.” He said as an ungraceful exit and just left, walking up to the drug dealer you were supposed to be investigating.

Another investigation ruined by Asaba Harumasa.

**********

“Officer, you’ve really been off of your game recently. Do you need to be assigned fewer cases?” Your team lead looked at you like you were stupid.

“No. Just give me something that can’t possibly be linked to H.A.N.D.”

**********

You brushed the wig into place, settling into your next cover story. This was a simple case another undercover operative had set up for you. In and out, cut and dry, not a chance that you’d see that smug smile and golden eyes. You put down the brush and let out a laugh to yourself. You had met a man you admired and looked up to twice. There had been many events where PubSec and Section 6 were in the same spot and you tried to build up the courage to go introduce yourself to the team, but you never did. You never thought you’d end up having two investigations in a row ruined by the man who made you so nervous. 

You dressed yourself in the dark clothing, making sure your lockpicks were in the case as you slipped them into your pocket. PubSec was going after a corrupt rich guy who was mining in a hollow or something (you weren’t really paying attention to why you were doing this), and you needed to break into an apartment and steal a flash drive so the man could destroy it. There was enough anonymous contact that PubSec couldn’t move in until you handed the drive and could get him on a possession of stolen property charge. Whoever this man was, he was important enough for the commissioner to actually sign off on you robbing someone. 

It took a few hours for you to see your way in. You had changed to wear a maintenance uniform so no one would question you in the hallway. You were sure the apartment was empty, no one was looking… perfect timing. You easily picked the lock, slipping in and looking around at the rather messy apartment. You stepped into the bedroom and started to dig through piles of prescriptions and pill bottles that piled on the desk. You saw a flash of shiny metal before successfully picking up the flash drive. You started to shift the papers and bottles back to where you found them when a label caught your eye. 

Harumasa, Asaba

“...are you fucking kidding me…” You mutter and let out a breath, only to hear the lock on the front door start to click. You were going to kill your team lead. Someone should have told you who’s apartment this was! Who did this get past!?

You ducked through the living room right as the door was opening and slid out onto the balcony, holding your breath as you heard the footsteps. You pressed harder against the wall as you heard the balcony door slide open. 

“...three times is just unfortunate.” Harumasa looked at you smirking. “You’re telling me.” You tried to laugh.

“Should I arrest you?” “Probably not.” Harumasa laughed at that. “Why are you on my balcony?” “That’s classified.” You both looked at each other and down to the drive. Harumasa suddenly changed demeanor. “Who’s side are you on?” “PubSec. You’ve ruined three investigations of mine now, by the way.”

“I’ll make it up to you.” He promises, still with that smirk on his face. The silence between you two was palpable, the air heavy and thick with the same feeling you’d get whenever you tried to gather the courage to talk to him. You cleared your throat three times in the same nervous pattern you had built up by habit and Harumasa’s eyes lit up with the sudden recognition. “That’s why you look so familiar, it’s you!” His tone made you panic, but not in the way you were panicking just moments before. “What do you mean?” “You’re the PubSec officer who always awkwardly loiters around HSO booths during conferences!” In all of your years of being an undercover officer, you had never known shame and humiliation like this. “Oh my god I’m not here.” “It’s you! You’re the officer who once answered ‘newspaper’ to Yanagi asking if you felt alright!” “STOP!” You walk into his apartment to try to leave. 

“I watched you fall off a chair taking down a banner six months ago during the VR event!” “NO!” You shriek in humiliation and get out of that apartment as soon as possible, slamming the door as you hear laughter coming from inside. You got maybe three steps down the hallway when the door swung back open. 

“I saw a rookie officer miss so badly they tased you by accident!” He shouts to you as you practically sprint away from him. 

Additional A/N -> My writings seem to be getting longer and longer... lmk in the replies if you personally prefer longer or shorter oneshots.

[kurogira]

hellooo, hellooo … taps on mic ♡ ꒰ˆ. . ˆ ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི꒱੭ﾞi just wanted to take a moment to share my appreciation for all of the friends i’ve made on this platform ( oh god, it literally sounds like i’m gonna quit .. i’m not, i promise ! ! ) and for being so patient with me even when things got a little difficult, i know i’m not perfect — far from it, in fact … but practically growing up on tumblr has been such a wild experience ^^; despite how distant i might seem sometimes, i hope you all know how much i care for you ! ! i loveee mentioning you all to each other n rambling about how lovely everyone here is ໒꒰ྀི ․ ․⸝⸝⸝ ꒱ა it’s such a delight waking up to posts from my friends, seeing them constantly spread love & kindness wherever they go !! i’m always going to cheer you on no matter what happens in the future, and i hope that the love i feel for you all doesn’t go unnoticed. i’m not the best mutual, i struggle to communicate sometimes & that’s not the best quality to have especially because i had a lotttt of mutuals here but i think about you all daily, really.

if i see an anaxa fanart or edits of him of tiktok, i think of crow’s crash outs n it makes me giggle every time ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ during my moze building journey, atlys & ayame came to mind immediately because i know how much they love them. isagi’s birthday was more than two weeks ago, i wondered how kayla would respond to it ( your yoichi postings were so cute 🥺💗 ) while watching windbreaker, i thought of all the ways i would explain to rye why i actually loved the anime so much & how im eagerly anticipating season 2 ! ! i rewatched kimi ni todoke, and i got reminded that at some point — that was one of crys’ themes & it was so pretty too ( just like her !! )

i love seeing yuomi post about her selfships because it reminds me that this makes her happy, this puts a smile on her face — one that’s bright enough to rival the sun. there’s this one dan heng gif i like to use, it’s incredibly silly & whimsical but i think of cee ++. mirei whenever i use it because i know they love him endlessly. i love seeing miss catte crash out over sylus, she’s so passionate about her love for him — and i’m certain that he appreciates every ounce of love you give to him. he’s a lucky man, i’m certain he’s well-aware of it too !!

i love whenever ohka barges into my dms out of the blue, even if i’m not the best at conversations or keeping up with one — he still talks to me. he still stops by to check on me, i love you & i get so excited to see you message me :(( i love when gwen texts me the second he notices i’m not feeling well, supports me in whatever manner he can & provides me with a lingering hope that everything will be okay.

to eumy & cid, your writings are some of the best i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading — i love being able to rush to your comment sections the second i get a notification. you two genuinely make my days so much brighter. whenever dresvi starts fawning over baizhu on the dash, i think about how absolutely beautiful her soul is & how well they fit together as a couple. he’s also another very lucky person !! he better be looking after you ^^)

during my chat with stellar and cherie about their selfships yesterday, i felt myself learning a lot of things about them & i’m glad i stayed even if i didn’t type much. i prefer to lurk ++. keep a mental note but it was so nice just to see them ramble about them :(( they looked absolutely adorable & i can’t wait to hear more from them !! i showed cherie’s art to my little brother, who likes sketching anime characters on paper — and he absolutely adored her style even though it’s vv different from hers. i talked to him about her for a little bit, it was a really fun chat !! he wanted to watch tokyrev & i had to explain why he couldn’t do thattt justtt yettt … ( he’s 8. )

sage, chloe, mars, mj … your presences have healed me more than you’ll ever know. it’s so easy to be myself around you, to express my feelings without being judged or ridiculed for feeling the way i do. may, you are so kind to meee 🥺 it warms my heart how sweet you are to me .. and i hope one day i can repay all of your kindness ໒꒰ྀི › ⸝⸝ ก꒱ྀི১ zafieri, your cooking streams are truly the highlight of my days — though i would appreciate it if one day you stopped cooking poison 😔☝️ so then i wouldn’t have to explain to my mom why i’m crashing out while on call w/ the others …

alyssa’s someone who understands me pretty well because of how much we talk to each other, we’re always willing to lend the other a hand — and i love how much closer we’ve gotten ☹️☹️ especially now !! i am so so grateful for your presence, thank you so much. artemis, the second i am free from my scholarly duties i shall dash towards your humble abode ( in minecraft, obviously .. or not? ) & leave a sign full of my love for you !! i am so appreciative of your advice during my times of need & i will never forget how much it helped me.

vera reminds me of strawberry flavored candies, the kind that immediately melt in your mouth. i had a few yesterday, really wished i could share them with her 😔🙏 she’s one of the sweetest people ever, with some of the most lovely platonic fics i’ve ever read !! she’s a superstar ⭐️ n no one can convince me otherwise >:(( i love maru & the fact that we are #family ( dating my boyfie’s father .. never stopped thinking abt that HAHA ) i feel like her whimsical personality is such a refreshing sight, i get a good laugh every time i see one of her posts 🥹💕 love love loveee you !! i adore rei’s academic weapon mindset … despite how challenging it is for me to properly focus ++. keep my eyes purely on my schoolwork, she pushes me to do better & i think that’s such a beautiful thing.

tldr: i love my friends, even if i didn’t mention you in this post. i could keep on typing forever n ever but this post would be so long to the point where tumblr may delete it for how sappy i got during this & i started crying a little. but yeah, thank you so much for being here. it warms my heart so much to know that i have such a supportive community here ꒰ ´ ` ഒ giving each n everyone of you a big hug 🫂

[celestie0]

your choso fic is so underrated!! i feel this way about all your fics but when i read it, it was like watching a movie in a way?? like while i’m reading, i can clearly envision everything in my head like a movie😭 i love your writing style so much !! i’m forever a celestie0 stan

plus bass player choso is so sexy omg

aww this is so sweet thank uuu :””) yes i love the like i guess whimsical ness in the fic? with the whole flashback sequences n jumping from present to past etc, that first chapter was challenging to write for those reasons but still sm fun!! i really can’t wait to write more for it, i think once im done w this current kickoff arc i will get around to ch2

i’m so happy to know u like my writing style aaa :””) when i get that compliment it makes me melt sm n is also really reassuring xD so i appreciate you!! much love <3

he really is. choso fits bad boy bass player so well

[weenwrites]

hello!! is it okay if i ask for a romantic matchup from transformers prime? im a big fan of ur blog!! C:

so a bit about me, im a she/her and an INFP-t like literally everyone else on the internet but thats ok. im optimistic and sensitive and i always try my best to be kind, polite and friendly to everyone. im a bit moody and sometimes shy but nowadays i try to do whatever i want regardless of what people might think of me. im creative and curious and i like having fun!!! my friends often describe me as weird but in a good kind of way, as if im some strange whimsical creature 👽 im super artsy and express my weird style proudly, both in the way i dress and how i present myself. i know u said physical appearance doesn't matter but ive had a buzz cut for around half a year now and it kinda became a part of my personality lol

hobbieees. oh i have many :D overall i enjoy anything creative that requires using my hands, but i mostly spend my days drawing, playing instruments, sewing or studying. i also really like the outdoors and often explore new local and even far away places just for the fun of it. i constantly try and experiment with new things and activities. because it's just fun

i love nature, art, animals, bugs. oh im a huge bug lover. the weirder the bug the better. i like learning new things, i like space, horror movies, sweets, music, fruit, flowers, funky earrings. i like a lot of things. on the other hand there's not much things i dislike, except for the usual like.... idk bad people? violence? drama? but yeah everyone dislikes that. however specific things that i don't like include getting yelled at, being babied/underestimated and ppl who are way too pessimistic.... i don't dislike the people, just the view. it can be so exhausting to deal with🙁🙁

i express my love mostly through words and actions! i like making my friends feel good by complimenting them or giving them gifts like small trinkets and stuff😈 but sometimes i put a bit more thought into my gifts and craft small cards, drawings, bracelets or plushies for them

i like everyone but im not sure how to describe my type. aside from the usual criteria like being kind and caring towards me there's not much that i am looking for specifically. i don't need someone eccentric such as myself i just want someone who likes my weirdness and who looks at me like 😍😍 oh yeahhhh THAT'S my little gremlin

OK SORRY THIS IS SO LONG describing oneself for a matchup feels like opening up to a therapist. anyway thankyou so much for reading this all ily 🙏💞💞 here's a flower for u!!! 🌻

✎ A/N: Aa! Thank you!! I don't mind that it was long, if anything it helped me write some more stuff! Also your forgot to include your sexuality, but I hope you enjoy the match up! The rest is under the cut since it's pretty long ˆˆ

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

Smokescreen

He's rather enthusiastic to have a partner he cares for so much, but if you've told him or if he's noticed that you'd prefer for him to turn down the hype a little, he'll definitely try to be a little more "chill" about it. He's rather inexperienced, but he's always eager to do his best in any situation, and when it comes to you he tries to bring his A-game and do his best to make you feel happy and loved.

He would absolutely love to learn about new things with you! Despite how he may seem, he's actually pretty knowledgable (when it comes to cybertronian artifacts and history, of course) and a fast learner. That isn't to mention that as a new-comer to Earth, he intends to learn as much as he can about the planet, not only because he thinks it'd be good to better understand the species he's trying to protect, but also out of genuine interest himself.

So if there are any interesting facts about the planet that you'd like to share with him, or books you'd be willing to lend him, you'll be his go-to source for everything there is to know about earth and humans. (A brief callback to one of my other things, this of course means that he'll be calling you whenever he has a question about something, but the more he does it, the more it seems like he isn't actually curious about what he's calling to ask you about, but rather he's instead doing it to hide the fact he really just wants to talk to you.)

And of course in exchange for everything you tell him about Earth, he's going to return the favor (as long as you ask him something he actually knows about)... But with your interest in space, he'd be able to tell you a lot of things about the stars and cosmos, all of which he learned about in the academy and from Alpha Trion while he was a guard at Iacon. Or he could tell you about cybertronian history, or cybertronian customs that he thinks you'd find interesting or funny.

But aside from that, he'd strive to impress you in whatever way possible, but unfortunately that's a bit... Difficult for him, since the first things that come to mind include feats of strength and shows of his fighting capabilities, but due to your dislike of violence, he decides to opt for other means instead. He quite literally searches up "ways to impress your crush" online and tries out the ones he thinks you'd like the most, like showing off his smarts, or showing that he's really interested in whatever's on your mind.

He's also the type of S/O who'd definitely try out stuff that their partner's into, so he's willing to try out a whole bunch of your hobbies if it means the two of you get to hang out together. I'd like to imagine he's particularly fond of listening to you play music, and perhaps he even hums along when he grows more familiar with the tune.

He'd definitely try to help you come out of your shell and he actively encourages you to live life whatever way makes you happy and live life with no regrets. He's also pretty quick to recognize most of his mistakes and make up for them accordingly. He also always emphasizes that he promises to learn from them (and he does for your sake).

Breakdown

He's actually pretty chill and easy-going as a partner. He doesn't usually do any showy romantic expressions of love (unless you like them), but that doesn't mean he takes the relationship lightly. He particularly enjoys just spending as much time with you as he can in your day-to-day lives. You don't have to do anything special like go on dates, he's just perfectly content hanging out with you and doing whatever you can together.

And contrary to how he looks as a "big brutish tough guy", he's actually very gentle and chill when it comes to you. He enjoys joking around and maybe the two of you even have a few inside jokes that you laugh about from time to time.

He's pretty fond of the great outdoors too! And though patrolling may still be tedious work, the scenery makes it all the more worthwhile. Not to mention that it isn't as boring whenever you offer to tag along for the ride. There are other times where the two of you go on foot, and he'll let you sit up on his shoulders to let you get a good view of the area. Or if there are any neat trees you'd want a closer look at, he'll make sure to lift you up there carefully and let you pick a leaf or a flower out of them.

Whenever the two of you patrol sparsely populated areas with lots of wildlife, he'll occasionally point out animals here and there, and he'll sorta make a game out it.

"Oh hey look! Dog! One point."

"That's not a dog..."

"What do you mean it's not—oh, wait, it's a horse, right? The horns make it a horse."

"Horns on a horse would make it a unicorn. That was a moose."

"That's what a moose looks like?"

"Yeah??? What did you think a moose looked like?????"

Of course he isn't any good at naming the animals he sees, but he thinks that it's neat that you get to tell him what those animals are, or what that plant is, or what that other neat thing is that he saw on the road.

And I feel like he isn't that squeamish or disgusted by bugs, and I think he'd find beetles or any kind of resilient or strong bug super cool despite their miniature stature.

Animals aside, Knockout once recommended that Breakdown should take you out to the theater, saying that it was a romantic thing that humans do. So you can expect drive-in theater movie nights to be a frequent thing from time to time. He'll let you sit in his cab and he parks somewhere with a good view of the screen. He claims that he doesn't find horror movies all that scary, and actually nitpicks at the actual details themselves, but from time to time you'll notice the subtle way his frame begin to shake and his tires twist during some particularly scary scenes... Tease him about it if you will, but not once will he ever admit to being afraid.

And also if you're ever interested in learning self-defense, he definitely would step up and offer to teach you how to punch people in the face. "You never know when it'll come in handy" is what he says to justify it.

He's not usually someone who gets hyped over gifts. That doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like them, it's just that he's never received many gifts before, so he doesn't truly understand the hype around them. But once you come around and give him gifts, he gets around to understanding the appeal. He gets happy and a little excited whenever you bring him something, and he also tries to get you gifts to return the favor! But given his situation as a giant robot, he can't exactly do that for you, but what the two of you could do is check out old junkyards to see if there's anything neat to take.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Redemption in Indigo. By Karen Lord. Small Beer Press, 2010.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Genre: fantasy

Series: N/A

Summary: Paama's husband is a fool and a glutton. Bad enough that he followed her to her parents' home in the village of Makendha, now he's disgraced himself by murdering livestock and stealing corn. When Paama leaves him for good, she attracts the attention of the undying ones – the djombi – who present her with a gift: the Chaos Stick, which allows her to manipulate the subtle forces of the world.

Unfortunately, not all the djombi are happy about this gift: the Indigo Lord believes this power should be his and his alone, and he sets about trying to persuade Paama to return the Chaos Stick.

Chaos is about to reign supreme...

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: animal death, suicide

OVERVIEW: This is another one of those books that has been on my TBR for a while. It's a short read, so I figured I'd pick it up and just flit through. Overall, there were a lot of things I liked: I liked the folktale/mythological mood, including the way the narrator (Lord?) spoke to the reader. I also had a lot of fun with the tricksters and the djombi, and the magical realism was truly very delightful. What prevents me from giving this book more than 3.5 stars, however, is the slow and meandering narrative; while I understand that Lord crafts her story this way on purpose, I also think it just wasn't for me.

WRITING: Lord's prose style is fairly heavy on the telling side, but it can perhaps be forgiven because the overall feeling is very oral. Lord narrates the story as if talking to the reader, so there are a lot of second person pronouns, blunt explanations, and self-conscious references to the fact that we are reading something of a fairy tale. Overall, it wasn't a bad style; it reminded me a lot of early folk tales, and there is a playfulness to Lord's tone that makes the narration feel whimsical. I can see how it might bother some readers, though.

My main criticism, however, has to do with suspense. Lord has a tendency to cut off the narrative suspense rather then follow it through, which made it difficult for me to feel invested in the building action. For example, Lord will reach a climax in the plot such as Paama being teleported away by the Inigo Lord, and instead of following them, the narration will focus on side characters and what they are doing. It made me feel like a lot of the most interesting parts were having the legs knocked out from under them, and I sometimes struggled to get excited for the next chapter.

PLOT: The plot of this book follows Paama, a skillful cook who has left her husband and finds herself entangled in the power play of the djombi - spirits who are either benevolent or malevolent. One of the djombi bestows upon her the gift of the Chaos Stick - an instrument that allows Paama to manipulate probability - but a very powerful spirit known as the Indigo Lord desires the power be his and his alone.

The cover and marketing of this book proclaims that the plot is a loose retelling of a Senegalese folktale, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to identify which one(s). I therefore can't evaluate whether or not it does a good job of exploring the themes of the original, so I'd recommend reading reviews by other readers, if you're interested in the folk/mythological themes.

Personally, I felt like the narrative meandered a bit and had a tendency to drag. To be fair, Lord seems to do this on purpose; the narrator (whether it's Lord or not) chides listeners who are eager for a story to get to the end as quickly as possible. While I can understand and respect the desire to break common storytelling convention, the result was, in my opinion, that the story focused on too many things. As a result, the story of Paama and the Indigo Lord felt diluted.

But there were things I liked. I loved the magical realism and the trickster figures who caused light chaos. I also liked the "moral" (or philosophical message) of the story once we learned who the Indigo Lord was.

Still, I think I would have enjoyed this plot better if the focus was more strongly on Paama and the Indigo Lord, with secondary characters doing more to support that narrative thread than they currently do. Maybe that's just a personal preference and Lord is telling her tale very deliberately, but I don't know. I like what I like, I guess.

TL;DR: Redemption in Indigo is a folktale with a lot of compelling elements: a cast of supernatural creatures, magical realism, and an oral storytelling style that is self-conscious and insightful. However, I personally thought the side characters distracted from the main narrative rather than complimenting it, and I wish the heroine had made more use of her unique qualities.

CHARACTERS: There are a number of characters in this book so I'm going to speak of a few and only in very broad terms.

Paama is billed as the protagonist of the novel, but to me, it seemed like she had the least to learn or do as a fairytale heroine. If anything, it seemed like the Indigo Lord had the most character development; he was the one who had to learn a lesson, and while I think he learns it fairly well, I wish Paama had had a little more to do. Don't get me wrong - I liked how she came to pity her husband and how she was always looking for ways to "save" people. But she also does barely anything with the Chaos Stick, and I wish her quick thinking was utilized a bit more.

Side characters, as I stated above, felt a bit distracting. Some of them had a lot of potential to compliment Paama and the Indigo Lord's narrative, but I personally don't think there was enough there to draw from. Ansige's plot was perhaps the most entertaining; his hunger had an air of the supernatural about it, and it was both amusing and sad to see his story play out. His character also has the most impact on Paama, so I felt his thread had the most potential and most revelance; the others (Paama's sister, the House of Sisters, the tricksters) all felt like they could have had more bearing on the plot but ultimately didn't have a strong connection to the message.

[yuezhong]

Cottagecore

a/n: can you believe this has been sitting in my drafts since last year. Anyway, without further ado I present to you my own take on the cottagecore aesthetic featuring Eula,Albedo,Kaeya,Zhongli and Kazuha!! 

Addendum: Dedicating Kaeya,Albedo and Kazuha's parts to my dearest friends <3. Starfell, my dear/p thank you so much for helping me manage my genshin account during my period of absence (due to finals). We have known each other for quite a while now and I have come to treasure our friendship a lot, thank you for everything you've done for me up until now. It's my turn to return the favour <3. 

Rei, I have come to know you for quite some time now as well, thank you for being a good friend and joining in on me and Starfell's shenanigans in our server haha.

Almond gege!! Though it's been a while since we last talked via dms it's still a lot of fun when I get to talk to you!! I adore your writing style and enjoy interacting with you in general :3 I genuinely cherish you as a friend and am hoping for the best for our friendship!! 

And now I'm done expressing my gratitude and platonic lovemail, happy reading!!

warnings: none

notes:© all rights belong to yuezhong. Eula Lawrence, Albedo Kreideprinz, Kaeya Alberich, Zhongli and Kaedehara Kazuha belong to Hoyoverse. Please do not plagiarize or copy any of my works and upload them anywhere. Reblog if you enjoyed! It helps a lot <3. Taglist form is still closed as of now.

☆ EULA LAWRENCE

Born into a life of wealth and luxury, EULA never had to worry about the woes of being in poverty nor fret over being unable to place food on her plate. 

Despite indulging in the multitudinal privileges of a silver spoon, she longs for freedom. She yearns to dance shoeless amongst large, open prairies beyond her comfortable, but stuffy abode. She yearns to run through the village streets, arms linked with friends while laughing heartily without a care in the world.

Because surely, she was meant for more than just practised smiles, business negotiations, and the inevitable arranged marriage with another influential industrial partner to expand her family’s power? 

Yearning leads to wanting, wanting leads to acting on one’s desires. Eula embodies this by her recent absences in her lessons; opting to go on introspective strolls in the nearby woodland to recollect her thoughts. 

When tutors came knocking on the door of Lord and Lady Lawrence to file yet another complaint of their eldest’s disappearance, the owners of the manor could only release twin huffs of exhausted exasperation; for they knew there was nothing they could do about their daughter’s one-track mind on her quests for freedom, though they were transient. 

The unpredictability of what life had to offer was daunting, yet oh-so wondrous at the same time. Chancing upon you was one of the latter. 

It was just one step of absent-mindedness, an innocent meeting of eyes.

Your congregation with her was fairytale-esque, whimsical with a touch of something reminiscent of a past love story. Perhaps you two were soulmates of a crueller past?; Bound once more by fate’s merciful hand. 

Whatever the circumstances that led to the two of you currently curling into the other’s embrace could not change one thing though: Her family would never approve of the blooming feelings between you two. This you know well. 

After all, why would they give their blessings entailing their daughter’s happiness to an outcast like you? Much less a witch. You are branded a sinner for your practices in sorcery, a cesspool of evil (or that was what most thought).

But in Eula’s eyes, she saw none of that sort. 

You are her safe haven, the fields of elysium where she can frolic blissfully all day long. And to secure the safety of it, she will brave every snowstorm, cut through biting frost thrown against both of you by the rest of the world. 

☆ALBEDO KREIDEPRINZ

As the sole medical practitioner in his village, ALBEDO is exalted for his role.

He takes pride in his line of work; but never exudes hubris for his achievements. Ever the humble worker, he tends to all with kindness: welcoming them with open arms entwined with generosity. 

Other than his amicable presence, his intellect is another one of the driving forces that gravitates people towards him. 

Scholars and members of academia alike sing praises for his sincere manner of speech, his efficacy in carrying out tasks. Cordial words bring the gist of topics in his medical presentations to life; holding candle light to Minerva’s clever hand in weaving embroidered tales. Yet his diligence keeps him on the right path, never straying from his destination. Patients recount his gentleness in treating their ailments, not once uttering words of ill-intent about their pains or the lengthy periods of time needed to guide them to full-recovery. 

Not born a social butterfly, Albedo instead opts to sit in the shade of his veranda⎯⎯ a structure of respite within the large expanse of the garden surrounding his cottage. He’d sit cross-legged with a book in hand on one of the chairs⎯⎯wrought carefully of fine mahogany as he savoured his favourite blend of tea languidly. 

It is only when he hears your voice does his ears perk up (figuratively). Carefully, he slots his bookmark between the pages to mark the passage he stopped on prior to your arrival. 

“Albedo!” 

He could feel the corners of his lips quirk up faintly at the sound of your voice as you jog towards him. Ah, what a lovely day to spend it outside.  

☆ KAEYA ALBERICH

“The word trouble and KAEYA go hand in hand.” These are the whispers of superficial neighbours that often reach your ears.

As his playmate who has seen him through thick and thin since young, you dismiss their hollow words easily. There is certainly more depth to Kaeya than it meets the eye; the many layered undertones of his character and complex past are two of the few clandestine things he entrusts you with. 

As the son of your village’s chief, it is not uncommon to find him out and about. This could be the direct link to the so-called “trouble” he causes, which is in reality just people’s misinterpretations of his intentions; and on top of that he somehow always manages to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

His unintentional penchant for attracting misfortune has left even his close ones baffled. And so, you take it upon yourself to rectify or at least mitigate this inborn unfortunate trait of his. 

“Kaeya!” 

A few soft taps against the glass window of the wooden hut where he shares residence with his father snaps him out of the dazed trance he somehow managed to fall into. Kaeya shifts his gaze to the source of your suppressed cry, grey eye glinting with a fondness only reserved for you and you alone. 

Gingerly, he presses both palms onto the cool, flat surface of both panes. Then after he has made sure you backed away completely from the window, he exerts a little more pressure onto the panes. 

“Hi.” His familiar, half-crescent smile greets you. 

“Hi.” Reciprocating with a grin, you rummage through the burlap sack, sifting through the various items stored away inside which were not visible to Kaeya’s wandering eye. 

“It’s an amulet, to keep you out of trouble.” You smile, cupping the said object in your hand with practised caution before placing it into his. 

Cooing a flirtatious “thank you, darling~ I will be sure to return the favour.” directly into your ear, Kaeya leans forward to press a kiss onto your cheek. He only chuckled at your attempts to hide your flustered state as he slipped off into the sableness of the night, guided by Luna's mellow rays. 

☆ZHONGLI

Toiling away at his crops diligently, ZHONGLI pauses to wipe the sweat away from his brows with the back of his hand. 

“Ah,hello.” He smiles warmly, tipping his straw hat in jest at you. Chuckling at the sound of your laugh at his little gesticulation, he beckons you into his cottage with a courteous hand.

 What awaits you inside are two earthen cups (moulded by his clever hand on his potter’s wheel) of lukewarm tea 𑁋 lavender, he informs. Ever the gentleman, Zhongli pulls your chair out for you as you set your things down by the door. 

An hour of idle chit-chat and degusting his wonderful tea later, he noticed your furrowed brows were directed at something outside one of the windows. Following your line of sight, he instantly knew why as soon as he set his eyes on a cluster of cumulonimbus clouds gathering in the sky.

“Would you like to stay over?” He proffered. 

A timid “yes please, apologies for the intrusion.” draws the smile you love so much from his lips. 

☆ KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

As a wanderer, KAZUHA has acclimated to the various perks and quirks of life on the-go. Whether it be finding lodgings in peculiar places or the capricious storms Inazuma brings.

Occasionally though, he would take a break from his nomadic lifestyle and settle down in small villages or suburban towns bustling with life for as long as he feels like it. 

That was how he was going to spend the rest of his life 𑁋 as a drifter, free as the winds captured by the sails of his raft he always relied upon to take him to new places; or so he thought.

A fond smile replaces his once neutral countenance as Kazuha gazes at the band of his ring resting snugly around his fourth finger. It has been a year since he became wedded to you and settled down for good. Yet, it still feels like a dream to him.

Kazuha’s mind couldn’t help but navigate its way back to the day before his promise of devoting himself to you as his bandaged fingers traced over the ring’s cool surface. You and him met by mere happenstance, it was as if fate had woven this indeterminate path for him and you were the one who lifted the mist that veiled it. 

Your magnanimity is something he will be eternally grateful for. Had you not offered to share your cottage with him when it was peak tourist season, he would have been homeless. 

Ah, your profession of your feelings to him is another one of the memories he holds dear in his repertoire. 

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” If you had been any softer, the words that slipped from your lips would have been whisked away by the tranquil night breeze.

His eyes fluttered shut in content. Kazuha nodded in assent.

“Indeed. I would be delighted to watch it together with you for as long as we shall live.”

You are half his soul, his north star and his inspiration for the poetry he waxes.

➵❁Taglist: @almond-adeptus @scribs-dibs @s4egusas @lilikags @thesapphirecake

[justfangirlstuffs]

FNAF DCA QUESTIONNAIRE I decided to fill out for funsies. Link to the original is here.

1. How did you get here?

That is a great question. Honestly I feel like I stumbled ass first into this fandom and now I'm just kind of here to stay for a while.

2. Why these characters in particular? What was the hook for you?

I think the hook for me personally was the fact that the DCA is, in essence, a caretaker, which oddly enough called out to the inner child in me.

3. How long have you been here?

In this fandom specifically? Only a few months at this point.

4. Have you actually played FNAF sb?

Yes and it was a frustrating ordeal. I got lost multiple times because the map was absolutely useless and at times I got confused as to what my next objective was. But I did manage to eventually get to 6am.

5. If you make content what is your favorite piece you've contributed?

My favorite so far that I've contributed personally is my AO3 fic, The Daycare Attendant's Little Assistant, where you the reader are a kid who befriends the DCA. It takes place before the events of Security Breach and just has a lot of wholesome fun as well as some hurt/comfort.

6. What's your favorite sort of art or fic? What genre/flavor/style?

I love me some wholesome content. Give me all of the hurt/comfort and warm fuzzies.

7. What's your favorite au?

There is this one Cowboy Au that looks like a lot of fun. I believe it's by @castercassette .

8. Do you have any OCs, or have OCs that you are fond of?

This may be a little biased but I'm rather attached to my y/n from TDALA. They are just so grumpy and salty about life (for reasons) and they do not start off on the right foot with Sun and Moon at first.

9. What do you think of the dca's Canon appearance? Scary? Cute? Something else?

I know I'm probably in the minority on this but I absolutely love Sun and Moon's canonical appearance. It's the perfect blend of creepy and whimsical, a combination I enjoy playing with when writing them.

10. What keeps you in this fandom despite the small amount of Canon content the DCA had?

A combination of things. One of which being the there are a lot of fun and awesome people I've met through this fandom in just the short time that I've been here, but there's also a lot of fun and creative stuff to he had here. And there are no shortages of lore and theories revolving around these two.

11. Be honest: if you had to pick only one, sun or moon?

I cannot put into words how much I hate being asked this. But fine, gun to my head I would probably pick Sun because he's the one least likely to kill me.

12. Thoughts on eclipse?

Again, I feel like I'm in the minority on this when I say that I really don't have strong feelings towards Eclipse. Cool concept, the art surrounding him is pretty neat, but that's about it.

13. Thoughts on pre-glitch sun?

So many. And the fun part is I get to explore them in my fic. Before the glitch, Sun is a lot more put together. He still has his overly zealous tendencies but a lot less of the anxiety and clingyness we see in game.

14. Thoughts on pre-glitch Moon?

Another fun concept that gets explored in my story. Moon has always been a bit of a gremlin, but he plays into it for fun. He's fully aware that kids find him slightly more unsettling than Sun but he tries not to let it bother him and instead uses that to his advantage.

15. Do you interpret sun and moon as two sides of the same person, or truly two separate beings in one body? Does it matter?

Oh I absolutely believe that Sun and Moon are two different personalities in one body and good luck trying to convince me otherwise. I don't know, I just think it's more fun that way.

16. What's something in the fandom you like to see more of?

I always love seeing new theories, not just about the DCA but security breach as a whole. The FNAF franchise is fun but dang do they just love to leave things vague and leave it to the fans to pick apart everything.

17. What's something in the fandom you'd like to see less of?

NSFW content. This is merely a personal preference and no judgment to those who do enjoy it.

18. Anything you're looking forward to?

The DLC as well as the upcoming series of books featuring The Pizza Plex.

19. Do you think you'd actually get along with the DCA if you met them irl?

Oh, absolutely. I would probably have to take Sun in small doses because I'm just eternally tired, although who knows maybe he could just spot me a few Sundrop candies and I'd be fine. And if Moon is willing to help me sleep (like just night time sleep and not the eternal kind) then we'll be best friends forever.

20. Free space! Talk about whatever is on your mind!

I'm really glad I joined this fandom. I've been having a lot of fun so far and it's gotten me back into writing and drawing two things that I both agonize over and find a lot of joy and comfort in. I hope to make more friends and fun times while I'm here.

Tagging: @lovelymoonmagic @thewordofm @yes---but---no @theohnocorral @jess-themess05 @jaythejokerfan @sharpmarble76 @certified-handler @feralmoonlight @sleepyjuniper and anyone else who wants to fill this out! I'm curious to know what y'all will answer.

[roobylavender]

haven't done a fun little tag challenge in a while!

tagged by: @mchiti ty hala omg 🥺

name: faatima

birthday: n/a

zodiac sign: aquarius

hobbies: literary analysis, writing, cooking!

favourite colours: sea foam green, salmon, periwinkle

favourite books: bruiser by neal shusterman / melina marchetta's entire catalogue, but if i had to pick one book the piper's son

last song you listened to: fascination by tamino! it's on the bruce and dick playlist i'm curating and i love the new album in general

last film you watched: i'm in the middle of watching fried green tomatoes but the last full film i watched was big eden and it made me cry! beautiful beautiful depiction of middle aged gay love that was so tender and reassuring, i highly recommend it!

something that helps people: disclosure. i think something that's really held me back over the years is my inability to really talk about my issues with people and using that as an excuse to let them compound on each other until the situation is much worse than it was at the outset. talking things out with my mom has really helped me address my anxieties about certain things and helped me be more proactive too

meaning behind url: one of my favorite childhood books is love, ruby lavender by deborah wiles! it's part of a series written about various middle schoolers living in a mississippi town in the 60s. i really adore wiles' whimsical writing style and how she addresses children's struggle with the grief of losing a loved one

tagging: @briarhips @lateafternoonsunlight @griefporn @loverhollic

[raeynbowboi]

Cartoon Comparison: Craig of the Creek

Honestly, I really like the idea behind Craig of the Creek. The idea of kids basically making their own society by the creek is really fun and imaginative, especially when there’s basically a friend group for every hobby and interest. While I’m grown now, it’s not hard to imagine if I’d seen this as a kid, it would have been fun trying to figure out which group of kids I might have hung out with. The tone is really relaxing and cute, but I love the use of unreliable narrators because in some of the best episodes, it creates really great uses of misunderstandings to create two different stories. A perfect example is “Doorway to Helen.” Craig finds his math homework done by a girl who writes in cursive and who he never meets face-to-face. She talks of the creek as always deserted, and has a special place that’s warm when she’s there, but is cold when Craig and his friends go. It’s clear to an adult watching that Helen is homeschooled, and goes to the creek while the other kids are in school, thus why it’s abandoned. But Craig and his friends believe that Helen is in another dimension. So, the story is set up where a child watching likely things the same thing, that Helen lives in another dimension, but can come back to the show years later, and realize Helen never lived in another dimension, she was just homeschooled. That sense of whimsy and innocence, coupled with the idea of playing as whoever you want to be makes Craig of the Creek really smart as a cartoon.

ED, EDD, ‘N’ EDDY

I don’t know how many (if any) of my followers are younger, but if you grew up on Craig of the Creek and want to watch similar shows, one good starting place is Ed, Edd, ‘n’ Eddy, a Cartoon Network cartoon that ran for 6 seasons from 1999 - 2009. The show starred the Eds, three young boys with the same name, Ed, Eddward, and Eddy. Like Craig of the Creek, the Eds are imaginative and creative, building elaborate sets, props, and even entire cities. The tone is different, much more of a whacky slap-stick style that thrives of surreal humor. Adults are rarely seen in the show, making the Cul-de-Sac kids feel like their own society, free from the demands of parents and school. Most of the series takes place in the summer, with the kids going back to school only in the later seasons. The Eds are more antagonistic, as they are constantly trying to scam the other kids out of their allowances, so they frequently get their comeuppance. But it’s still entertaining to see what crazy thing the Eds will try next to get money for candy.

CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR 

Whereas Ed, Edd, ‘n’ Eddy matches Craig of the Creek’s carefree days outside of school vibe, KND leans heavily on the society of children angle. It aired on Cartoon Network from 2002 - 2008 for 6 seasons. The comedic action adventure series stars Sector V of the Kids Next Door, a secret organization of child agents who work together to combat the tyranny of adults and the teens who side with them. The show features whimsical inventions like sticking a pepper in a jar, taping it to a hairdryer, and somehow turning it into a heat ray, or turning a bottle of mustard into a gun. If you liked the trading tree or all the side groups and the little societies they made, then KND will likely scratch that same itch, though KND only has the one gimmick as a secret organization of child super spies. Sector V has 5 main characters: Numbuh 1: Nigel Uno, Numbuh 2: Hoagie Gilligan, Numbuh 3: Cookie Sunbun, Numbuh 4: Wallaby Beetle, and Numbuh 5: Abigail Lincoln. Craig of the Creek is very diverse, and similarly, all five of the main characters are the children of immigrants. Numbuh 1 is British-American, Numbuh 2 is German-American, Numbuh 3 is Japanese-American, Numbuh 4 is Australlian-American, and Numbuh 5 is African-American. They have a number of memorable villains, including Mr. Boss, Grandma Stuffem, Captain Stickybeard, The Cat Lady, The Common Cold, Father, and the traitorous Delightful Children From Down the Lane, a group of kids who conspire with the adults and brown nose them for favoritism. Compared to the other two shows, this one has the deepest plot, as Craig of the Creek and Ed, Edd, ‘n’ Eddy are more episodic, while KND has a larger story at play. It’s not as serialized as modern cartoons, but there’s still a progressing story in KND that the other two don’t have.

Likewise, if you’re one of my older followers, and grew up watching Ed, Edd, ‘n’ Eddy or Codename: Kids Next Door, you should give Craig of the Creek a chance, I think you’ll like it. It’s not as absurd as Ed, Edd, ‘n’ Eddy, but it’s just as imaginative, and has a similar spirit to the show’s atittude toward school and parents. It doesn’t focus on one gimmick as much as KND, but it’s also kind of cool seeing all of the unique societies that use the creek as their playing grounds. All three shows are available on HBO Max if this piqued your interest in any of these shows, or you just want to relive a childhood classic.

[chiefbeifongcanrailme]

H, N, R, and Y please!

H: How would you describe your writing style? I think my writing style is very reflective of my mood. It's never consistent- in the sense that it never follows a given format or structure. I just write as it comes to me- that's the expression and premise, and then I shake my head like a boggle tray for vocabulary and construction. In short, I guess my writing style is just chaotic fun.

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share? I haven't found the leisure to actually formulate and pen this down, so consider this as fickle smoke coming out the chimney that's my head: A re-write of Lin & Tenzin's relationship, wherein they start of fake dating only to break-up because Tenzin finally comes out of the closet as gay. (Lin knows of this since they were teenagers, and went in because them dating was a symbiotic relationship, you know, with the legacy, airbender, beifong name etc). Meanwhile, romance is brewing between Lin and Bumi- but nothing can happen because 1) Bumi is older and in the UF and 2) LIN IS MARRIED TO HIS BROTHER! This would be be a total AU of course, but oof, I hope I get to write this someday.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing? Okay now this is hard. I grew up reading a lot of Jane Austen, Enid Blyton, Sidney Sheldon etc. but I would only have spurts where I'd call myself an "avid reader". In retrospect though, I would passively read a lot without realizing that's what I'm doing. Being multi-lingual with a lot thoughts, opinions, and feelings, I liked being adept at English Language/Literature (you don't wanna hear me speak anything else, I promise), and being able to articulate myself satisfactorily. With fanfic writers though, I really look up to a lot of them. It's only with re-reading their works and imbibing their skills have I been able to write any of what I've written thus far. Because that's the only time I found myself reading with the intent to write. Having my background was a great foundation, but you fanfic writers really are the real heroes. I don't wanna name names and tag them and stuff- but I'm sure you know who you are <3

Y: What are your thoughts on your personal satisfaction with something you’ve written vs. the popularity of your stories?  Do you tend to be most satisfied with your most popular stories?   Ah this is good. No, I don't tend to be most satisfied just because a given story is the most popular one! Oftentimes, stories that wind up being really popular don't necessarily mean all that much to me and that baffles me. Like, "no I didn't put my whole Katussy into it stop liking it so much I have better stuff!" And then there's the opposite where I could be super proud and satisfied with a certain fic and sometimes my regular readers even end up missing it or not thinking much of it and I'm like "REALLY?? I bore my soul into this!!". Which is why I've learnt that liking my own work, popularity of the fic and satisfaction from both those things are all mutually exclusive events. Sure, it's amazing when the stars line up, but other times, it's better to be whimsical than cynical about these things.

Help me procrastinate!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

If you get this, answer with 3 random facts about yourself and send it to the last 7 blogs in your notifications, anonymously or not. let’s get to know the person behind the blog!!💕

Ahhhh, I finally finished writing for the Malleus birthday takeover, so now I have time to take a break from writing and respond to something fun~

1. I like earrings a lot! Not so much studs; I prefer the long, dangling kinds n-no, it’s not because of J Leech, I SWEAR IT’S NOT and asymmetrical pairs. I think they look very aesthetically pleasing~ I can’t actually wear “real” earrings since I don’t have pierced ears, but recently I have started collecting, wearing, and making clip-ons (using invisible resin converters, sandpaper, glue, and jewelry pliers).

2. My favorite drink is milk tea! I tend to have it while I write or do assignments for school despite being lactose intolerant. Toppings I enjoy on my milk tea include cheese foam, fruit jellies, and tapioca pearls (or boba for you cool kids). I’ve tried so much milk tea chains that I have to keep notes on what I like best from each. (My friends usually come to me asking for my recommendations on milk tea places, ahahah...)

3. I’ve been teaching myself how to use watercolors during quarantine! The style I like to go for is very loose and sketchy with offset lines. It gives my works a nostalgic and whimsical feeling, kind of like looking at an illustration in a picture book. I’ve mainly been painting fruit, but one day I’d like to try Twisted Wonderland characters...

Random bonus fact: I like J Leech and Mr. Hunt a normal amount.

[13tinysocks]

syg honestly got me through a really ruff time, i honestly thought All Was Lost.... like every day was just the same you kno? but then i saw this one tiktok talking about syg, had my obsession with creepypasta reawakened, and with every chapter i read i just got more and more excited, like down to my BONES

i began to look forward to waking up the next morning, so i could read more LMAO

the writing style is just so fun and like??? whimsical? but also Dark and Gorey at the same time and i fucking luv it so so much!! you guys inspired me to start writing my own stuff too :3 n e wayz... syg will always always hold such a special place in my heart and im so excited to hopefully get my paws on a physical copy!!

Hi!! I thought I answered this last week sorry!!

It always warms our hearts to hear that syg was a good thing for people just as it was 4 us. Sorry not sorry about dragging you ass first back into creepypasta. Hope you're doin alright!

The style crept up on me honestly before syg i only roleplayed as a young teen. But I'm glad I write how I talk because that mean people think Reagan funnie 🐌 Thank u (all of u) for the support it's kept me writing through the year and motivates me a lot!

Dunno when physical will be ready for release but I plan on working on it a bit every day to get it there! Gonna finish chapter 3 tonight. Then onward !

[koinoyokvn]

*  /  𝐈 𝐍 𝐓 𝐑 𝐎 𝐃 𝐔 𝐂 𝐓 𝐈 𝐎 𝐍

* JOSHUA HONG, CISMALE + HE/HIM  | you know CHANHEE ‘SOUR PATCH’ BAN, right? they’re TWENTY-TWO, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, THIRTEEN YEARS? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to OCEAN DRIVE BY DUKE DUMONT like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole glitter stippled onto his cheeks, swinging at the playground at midnight & neon lights at a nightclub thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is july 1st, so they’re a cancer, which is unsurprising, all things considered.

hewwo everyone !! i’m kacchan n i, personally, am a bit of an idiot but !! do not let that distract u from the fact that i hav a few fun muses to write w !! i’ve been out of the rp scene for about a year but i’ve been spurred by rekindled inspiration !! i’m rlly excited to meet everyone n i hope we can get some delicious plots n connections that r chef’s kiss <3 

trigger warnings: death tw, fire tw, alcohol tw

*  /  𝐁 𝐀 𝐒 𝐈 𝐂 𝐒

hair: blackest brown

eyes: chestunut brown

build: slim & active

height: 5′9″ or 177 cm

weight: 127 lbs or 58 kg

distinguishing features: two lobe piercings on each ear, three helix piercings on each ear, an industrial piercing on his right ear, and a small tattoo with the roman numerals “XXIX - MMIX” written on his left wrist

distinguishing style: pastel colours & sparkling pieces make up most of his fashion, very bright jackets and very blushed makeup, designer outfits when he’s told to be on his best behaviour

*  /  𝐇 𝐈 𝐒 𝐓 𝐎𝐑 𝐘

chanhee was born along the coast of north carolina, though not quite irving. he was born to a head butler and head nanny of a wealthy estate on irving. very old money, invested in the surrounding agriculture and lumber of the area. his parents were live-in employees, constantly tending to the estate. chanhee lived on the estate as an infant but, as soon as he was old enough to go to school, he lived with his aunt in the city he was born in and only spent summers on the estate.

his mother was kind and charming, graceful with the way she tended to the children of the wealthy family. she always had stories and was filled with compassion. his father was surly and deadpan, a cynical man that always saw the worst in things. but it’s his cynicism that allowed him to thrive as the butler, as he feared the worst, he prepared for it, and all his father’s plans would turn out seamless. chanhee loved the summers. he loved spending every day with his parents. when he was at school, he told everyone that he would become the head butler of the estate just like his father. the family career, so to speak.

chanhee quickly befriended the children of the estate. when they would go to tutors, he would go to the laundry rooms and the gardens. but whenever it was free time, he was stuck to their side. he would join them on their fishing adventures and beach escapades, but he didn’t know much about irving beyond the estate. he was just a visitor, a tourist, every time he would go downtown. 

he though life would always be like this. going to school and being with his aunt during the winter, and enjoying every moment of the day during the summer. and when he would finish school, he would move to irving and work under his father’s eyes. that was his destiny... only, it wasn’t.

his father loved stage plays. it was the only thing that could make him smile, other than his family. when chanhee was 10, he was having a “sleepover” with the children of the estate while his parents took the night off. they drove to chanhee’s hometown, met with his father’s sister, and they all went to a stage play. but they didn’t come home. the theatre caught on fire and the building was brought down. eight casualties, three of them being chanhee’s mother, father, and aunt. chanhee wasn’t the wiser until the next morning.

chanhee had no grandparents. his aunt was his only immediate family. he had an uncle from his grandmother’s brother in korea. the only extended family he had. chanhee... to go all the way to korea? and if his uncle was contacted and said no, he would be placed into the foster system. this wasn’t supposed to be the way his life panned out. he was supposed to be the head butler of the estate, wasn’t he?

the wealthy wife hadn’t stopped crying since the funeral. and the wealthy husband, holed up in his study and only coming out to get more drinks, muttering how he only trusted chanhee’s father to hand him things. the wealthy family was mourning, too. while chanhee’s custody was in limbo, he was staying with the wealthy family. an act of compassion brought him to hold the wealthy wife and weep with her, telling her that everything would be okay because his parents are still in every inch of the house. they made their life here and that can’t be taken away. very profound words and chanhee was speaking each from the memory of his mother and what she would always say. that was it!

the next weeks were getting the paperwork settled. the uncle from korea was never contacted. instead, the wealthy family adopted chanhee as their own. that way, chanhee would never be far from what he knows and the wealthy family would have always have his parents’ spirit with them. chanhee was now a permanent residence of irving. he was allowed to keep his surname, a request from chanhee himself. 

the transition was a little rocky. chanhee would always drift away from his lessons to help around the estate and get caught by his tutors, disciplined for being tardy or absent. he was critical of food being cooked for him as he learned how to cook quite young and would always help his parents. this transition created a sort of dependency on chanhee’s favourite treats: sour patch kids. he would always have a bag near or around him. when he was upset, some would be brought to him. it got to the point where his newly adopted siblings would call him “sour patch”. eventually, the nickname stuck and never left. he was now sour patch ban, newfound heir. 

he never meant to be unruly. but when his troublemaker sister asked him to join her on a party, he couldn’t let her go alone. he wouldn’t be a very good brother if that were the case. it quickly escalated, however, once he let alcohol into his system. soon, it was him and his sister, sneaking out every weekend to find trouble. high school was spent falling asleep in classes but doing stellar on tests and assignments, many thanks to private tutors. it was spent dreading his extracurriculars, though it helped him learn how to play piano, guitar, and the drums. he was also a talented singer, though he does get a bad case of stage fright if he’s asked to sing in front of a crowd.

now that he’s graduated high school, he’s kind of drifting. not sure where he wants to go or what to do. his parents always assured him that he would be loved and taken care of no matter what he decided to do. so for now, he takes a lax business course at the university, just to say he’s trying. otherwise, he’s out on the town, drinking and smoking and laughing and playing away. sometimes he thinks about making his music career, even joining a band with his friends, and maybe making that his life. but something always gripes about him, how that estate is supposed to be his life. anything beyond it almost seems... inauthentic. is that why he spends so much time drinking? never committing to anything? hm, who knows.

*  /  𝐏 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒 𝐎 𝐍 𝐀 𝐋 𝐈 𝐓 𝐘

sour patch is definitely someone who tries to make everyone around him smile. he’s kind, affable, super sweet, and thoughtful. he makes an effort to remember the small things people tell him. he’s a bit of an over-analyzer this way, trying to figure out what people want. his motif is to always help people.

but that’s not to say he doesn’t have problems of his own. he’s scared of commitment in any regard and he hides his true feelings quite a lot. he doesn’t want to seem a burden or something to invoke pity, so he never lets on how much something hurts him. he’s quite emotional and can cry at the drop of a pin. he just invests a lot of himself into other people and, of course, that never bodes well.

he’s also a huge romantic. now, mix that with his commitment issues and his mask-wearing, it’s not a pretty trait of his. he has a tendency to fall in love with anyone who shows him a remote kindness. he scoops up opportunities to be intimate while he’s partying because they simulate true affection just enough for him to get addicted to it. but, he’s sensitive and noncommittal, so he can fall out of love just as easily.

*  /  𝐂 𝐎 𝐍 𝐍 𝐄 𝐂 𝐓 𝐈 𝐎 𝐍 𝐒

save your tears — sour patch went all in with his chips with this relationship. he really thought that he could unlearn his life of flimsy whimsical habits. but, that’s not the only thing that’s stopping him from being a good partner. maybe it was the nonstop drinking, the hesitancy to show vulnerability, or his inability to get out of his daydreams. but it fell apart. sour patch never stopped caring about this person, however, and he wants to try and be better for them. but will they let him? ( 0/1 )

banana brain — sour patch isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. although he’s always kind to everyone, he can come off ingenuine. however, he’s determined to be this person’s friend. he feels like he can help them, even though he knows that his presence is unwanted. extravagant gifts, surprise visits, the whole shebang. sour patch is persistent even though it’s a futile mission. ( 0/3 )

i wonder — the current pinnacle of sour patch’s affections. maybe this person is a classmate, or a regular at one of his regular spots too, or just happened to perform a random act of kindness. sour patch is quite the romantic individual and overthinks any minute interaction. this is amped up with this person. be prepared. i would prefer if this is unrequited but we can see how it goes, too! ( 0/1 )

eyes closed — sour patch is using this person to distract himself from something he can’t attain. does this person know that? well, only time can tell. it’s hard to see beyond sour patch’s masks sometimes. maybe it’s mutual and this person is also distracting themself from something else. however, it almost feels real. every touch and whisper. it’s just missing some sort of spark. that inescapable romantic ideal that it’s meant to be. ( 0/1 )

SPECIAL MENTIONS: sour patch adores having friends and is a very social creature, he wants to be close with everyone. sour patch also has his share of one night stands and drunken encounters, and not all of them are good. these connections won’t have limits because i’m a fiend for friends/fwb/rivals. 

[hanhhoas]

college au! kim seokjin

(loosely inspired by love playlist; check it out on youtube!)

you’re a sophomore in college in new york 

studying biochemistry 

you didn’t know if you fully loved biochemistry but it was interesting at least

plus you knew that you were probably not more passionate about other subjects anyway (or good at them but that’s another matter)

so your freshman year ended up being a LOT of intro classes; intro biology, intro chemistry, etc.

not that you minded, it seemed like other biology or chemistry majors had very similar schedules, so you at least knew a few kids in each class just from that

but it definitely made you more open to taking more artistic style classes

since you knew looking at numbers and graph over and over again did drill into your brain a bit

after asking around, you heard that one class was pretty fun and relatively easy on the workload

love and relationships 1101

so in the midst of four science/math classes, you added love and relationships 1101 onto your schedule 

lectures only once a week? sounded great

plus, you were able to add it on thursday nights, so it was sort of a relaxing end to your week and you could have a three day weekend to catch up on work

that night, you had just come out of a *extremely* long organic chemistry lecture and a biology 1201 recitation

in which you, quote and quote, were NOT ready for the pop quiz

so needless to say, you were a bit out of it

you walked into the classroom for lr1101

about half the class was full, most kids sitting with two or three other students

and as you quickly scanned the room, you felt a bit disappointed that you didn’t recognize any of the students.

and you found yourself sitting in the front

you started to reach into your bag to pull out supplies when someone spoke to you from your right

“is this seat taken?”

you turned and found yourself looking at a boy about your age, hair slightly windswept and judging from his short breaths, probably from running to this class

“no,,, go ahead” you nudged to the empty seat next to you

the professor walked in and started teaching; it didn’t seem to be too much that was new to you about relationships

to your surprise, she ended the lecture by saying “you’ll need to find partners now; for the next few weeks in this semester you’ll be responsible for completing a few of the assignments together”

and you remembered with a jolt that you didn’t know anyone

and as you began to mentally prepare yourself to talk to a random person about being partners, the boy to your right tapped you on the shoulder

“would you like to be partners?.. i don’t know anyone else in this class” he asked sheepishly, his hands clutching his phone with his address book open

you internally cheered and quickly agreed, taking his phone and entering your phone number and name into his list

later that night you got a text

‘want to meet at omelas on saturday to talk about the hw for next week?- kim seokjin from your lr1101 class’

you texted back that you could meet him in the morning at the local coffee shop

saturday came by soon enough and you got ready to meet seokjin as you woke up

walking into the coffee shop you saw him at the counter, chatting excitedly with a staff member

although as you came closer, the person opposite seokjin nodded his head in your direction, to tell seokjin you had arrived

he turned to you

‘hey! i put my stuff at the table in the back!’ 

you followed him to the corner of the coffee shop, where the bookcase, for the most part, hid your table from view

you sat down, and he took the silence as perfect timing to pull a notebook out of his backpack

he flipped to a page and started talking about the week’s homework

‘since this week’s assignment is to get to know each other, what icebreaker would you prefer? there’s 20 questions, 36 questions to fall in love…’

honestly, you were surprised at his enthusiasm, you had expected to simply ask each other a few questions and jot down a few things to turn in 

you chose 36 questions to fall in love

you had tried it a few times before with friends and liked the questions 

you cycled through a few of the questions, and found out some more about seokjin

he was a junior and a business major with a minor in psychology 

he was from a few hours outside of the city and had six best friends, four of which went to the same university, whom he described as both “my family” and “those idiots”, although lovingly

and to each question he had a well thought out answer, or at least is what it seemed like

eventually you got about halfway:

‘question 14 -  is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? why haven’t you done it?’

seokjin nodded a bit as he heard the question, his lips pursing 

‘well… i’d love to open a coffee shop with my friends, we’ve talked about it for a while now’

‘why haven’t you?’

‘well, my parents want me to finish university first… and plus, the youngest of my friends, jungkook, is just in high school. knowing him, he’d drop out of university if it came down to supporting us or finishing school. and i wouldn’t want to drag him out of university for that’

you were a bit confused

after all, with what you could tell, seokjin didn’t strike you as much of a ‘coffee shop owner’ type of person

you imagined him more as a ceo/boss sort of character if anything

with how outgoing he seemed and how he held attention when he talked

he seemed to notice the confusion plastered on your face

‘i know it seems a bit whimsical - but wouldn’t that sound amazing? having a place where kids can come and relax with their friends? and the guy i was talking to outside- his name’s yoongi- he’s a music major and he has music created and everying, for that perfect ‘coffee shop’ vibe” 

he began to talk more excitedly, hands waving around, describing how the coffee shop would work (with his friend taehyung’s eye for design) before looking at you sheepishly

‘it must sound a bit boring to you, right?’

but it was exactly the opposite

you were amazed he had his dream sorted out, and that he knew what he wanted to do after university

while you weren’t even sure what you wanted to do that following year

seokjin was a gentle person, you decided

he wanted to make people smile, and wanted to help up and coming kids in the community

and the way his eyes lit up when talking about his younger friends, you could tell how much he cared about them

but before you knew it, the two of you had talked for nearly four hours

you wouldn’t have noticed if not for your stomach grumbling 

‘ah- i didn’t even notice- it’s nearly two; i’m sorry i had plans to get lunch with yoongi’

you started to pack up before you realized that for the last third of the questions, neither of you had written anything down

you had been so engrossed in each other’s conversation

seokjin seemed to come to the same conclusion, before he suddenly said

‘hey, i’l write up what we missed and send them to you tomorrow? as a thanks for meeting me here’

you tried to refuse, after all, it was a partner assignment, and you enjoyed talking to him

but seokjin evaded your attempts to get him to agree to split the work

and grabbed his bag before turning to you 

‘it was really nice getting to know you, y/n. truly’

leaving you in such a daze that you didn’t respond

the next day, your face smiled at the text you received

‘to y/n, thanks for hearing my deep dark secrets and making me feel like they’re not so outrageous  ♡’ as well as a attachment of handwritten notes 

over the next few weeks, you and seokjin began to complete the homework with ease

you were grateful that he had asked to be partners that day

the two of you got along so well you that you had stopped asking each other to hang out to finish assignments

but ended up just texting each other to hang out or even grab food

and then finishing the work when you felt like it

he began to meet the few friends you had on campus, whom he quickly befriended with his light banter and easygoing personality

and you met his friends as well

he introduced to you to yoongi, the boy working at omelas, who said he was a total homebody but was super sweet once you got to know him

although he did warn you that yoongi took some time to warm up to people in general

and over thanksgiving break you even got to meet the other five friends he talked so much about

although it was slightly rushed since your schedules only overlapped for an hour

before you had to catch a flight back to california

you had already met yoongi

so you were only introduced to hoseok, namjoon, jimin, taehyung, and jungkook

‘ah… so this is the y/n you keep talking about’ namjoon said to you

to which he was quickly elbowed by seokjin, covering it up with ‘of course.. we’re such close friends’

you didn’t know why your heart dropped a bit at hearing that but you blamed it on the stress you had for your first flight home 

jungkook looked at you with wide, innocent eyes

‘wait… so this is the girl that you want to -’

seokjin had quickly moved from namjoon to cover jungkook’s mouth with his hand

‘ah… kids these days… don’t know what they’re saying half the time with all the mumbling haha’

‘i’m nwot numbling’ jungkook retorted, trying to move seokjin’s hand away

you made some small talk with the boys, before seokjin started to shoo them away

‘i have to walk y/n to the station to catch her flight’

he was met with whines of ‘but we just met her’ and ‘hey why can’t we go too?’, mostly from the youngest four of the group

yoongi stood slightly away from the younger boys and simply smirked

‘let seokjin be, kids. after all, it’s y/n’

and by that point you were even more confused

but that aside, you bid your goodbyes to the boys and started walking with seokjin to the station

he carried your suitcase for you, and started to ask you what you wanted to do the most when you got home

‘well i’m super excited to see my high school friends, we’re planning on meeting and maybe having a movie night-’

seokjin suddenly stopped

‘you know that i really care about you right’

you stood a bit in front of him, frozen to your spot

‘of course, seokjin you just said we’re really good friends’

he let out a breath 

‘yes but i-’

and he looked at you before shaking his head softly, his cheeks tinged with pink

‘it’s nothing’ he said quietly

and he began walking again

the silence between you two was new, after all, you had never had to try to hold a conversation with seokjin before

you reached the station faster than you thought you would, and seokjin turned to you, 

he face crinkled a bit, as if he was contemplating something 

but he simply handed you your suitcase, before saying ‘stay safe! these creeps on the subway might try something when i’m not there with you’

you nodded, flashing him a small smile to convince him you would be okay

so you waved goodbye before walking to the station 

you reached the stairs before you heard a shout 

‘Y/N!’

you turned, only to be met with a body slamming straight into yours and strong arms wrapping around your shoulders

seokjin was slightly out of breath, like he was when he first met you

you could feel his short, quick breaths on your shoulder

he took your silence as approval to start talking

‘i’ll miss you, please text me when you land’ seokjin mumbled into your shoulder

you were praying he couldn’t feel your heart pounding through your sweater

coming out of shock, you pulled away, but not too far

after all, he was still holding you flush against his body

‘i’ll miss you too jinnie, and i’ll text you, i promise’ 

he seemed to be satisfied with your answer before placing a small kiss on your forehead

‘i wouldn’t want my favorite person to get hurt and not be able to be there to protect them’

sorry for the slightly rushed ending - i honestly started this as a short bulleted au but it slowly turned from 500 words to… well you get the point. plus i was worried it came off as word mush after a too much. i’m planning on writing a part two to be posted by the end of the week!

constructive feedback welcomed ♡

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Alienist. By Caleb Carr. New York: Random House, 1994.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction, mystery, suspense

Part of a Series? Yes, The Kreizler Series #1

Summary:   The year is 1896. The city is New York. Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler—a psychologist, or “alienist”—to view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy abandoned on the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge. From there the two embark on a revolutionary effort in criminology: creating a psychological profile of the perpetrator based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who will kill again before their hunt is over.

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: ableism, homophobia/transphobia, racism (including slurs), sexism, rape, abuse, child abuse and sexual assault, child prostitution, animal cruelty, blood, gore, violence

Overview: This book has been on my TBR list for a while, so I figured I’d finally get around to reading it. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed the reading experience. Carr writes in a way that pretty closely imitates 19th century detective fiction, and while such a style might not be for everyone, I thought it went a long way in creating atmosphere. My criticisms have mostly to do with pace and the creative decisions that probably didn’t have to be made (such as depictions of child sexual assault, use of slurs, etc), but even with those faults, I have to give Carr’s craft and research a lot of credit, so this book gets 4 stars from me.

Writing: As I mentioned above, this book mimics detective fiction of the 19th century. If you’ve read any of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, you might get the idea: first person, characters displaying almost whimsical behavior, stuffed with contextual details that may or may not be relevant. At first, I thought the reading experience was going to be a slog, but once I realized what Carr was trying to do, I readjusted my expectations and found the prose to be quite engaging. If you like 19th century literature, you might appreciate what Carr does, but if you find older lit to be a challenge, this book might not be the thriller you’re hoping for.

That being said, I do think there were some areas where Carr could have picked up the pace or even cut some of the contextual details. It’s obvious that Carr did a lot of research before writing this book, and it’s understandable that he would want to show off some of that research, but there were times where I felt like it was a little much.

I also think there are a lot of things in this book that will offend modern sensibilities. I recall at least one use of the N-word (which is spoken by a racist minor character) as well as remarks that make it clear that characters think same-sex intimacy is “deviant” or abhorrent. I can understand why Carr put them in his book; if we’re trying to evoke an atmosphere and make the story feel like it’s set in the 19th century, it’s not realistic to expect everyone to be accepting of gay sex or treat POC with respect. But also, I think it’s on Carr to bear the responsibility of creating plot points and characters that have those attitudes in the first place. The character who uses the N-word could have easily not done so, and characters could have been more clear that their revulsion was at child prostitution rather than same-sex relationships.

Still, I was able to follow the plot with no problem and the sentences flowed in a way that made the reading experience feel quick (no 10-line sentences, thank god). So while there may be some things I would have liked to see adjusted to fit my own tastes, I think Carr did a wonderful job of making me feel like I was reading an older work.

Plot: The plot of this book follows a group of investigators as they try to use psychology to catch a serial killer. As far as being an “original” or unique thriller, this book doesn’t necessarily deliver a plot we haven’t seen before; but what made it so interesting (at least to me) was that it was less interested in the thrill of catching the killer and more interested in thinking through the “whys.” Why did the killer do X? Why did he do Y and Z when he could have done A or B? In this sense, the suspense doesn’t come from the action or the “chase,” but from the building of ideas and a foggy picture becoming more and more clear.

If I can fault Carr for anything, it’s that I think he crafted his mystery around some subjects that are... touchy (for lack of a better word). Most of the murder victims are children - specifically child prostitutes - and a lot of the killer’s motivations are rooted in some combination of racism and exposure to abuse. If you’re looking for a book which handles these issues with sensitivity, I think you’ll be disappointed. But I have to give Carr some credit for not overly sensationalizing these things; for example, while he did include characters who were racist towards Native Americans, he also included characters who were sympathetic and who insisted on not judging tribes for their defensive violence. Not everything is perfect, and there were some moments that made me uncomfortable, but I felt like Carr painted a complex picture of 19th century America, so I was able to keep going.

Characters: The plot of this book is told from the perspective of John Schuyler Moore - a newspaper reporter who teams up with his friend, eminent psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, to catch a serial killer. As a protagonist, Moore isn’t overly compelling - he’s more like a neutral, blank slate that the reader can project themselves onto. He serves much of the same function as Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories: to be a witness to other characters’ brilliance while occasionally making some helpful insights. Still, I didn’t outright hate Moore - he was kind and loyal, and I admired how he went out of his way to try to help people.

Kreizler, the psychologist (or “alienist” as they were called in those days), is somewhat of a Sherlockian character in that he’s eccentric, confident, and had abilities that stun the people around him. For the most part, Kreizler was fun to follow. I think the only times I got truly frustrated with him were when he would allude to some knowledge and then leave Moore in the dark - like “aha! This thing is obvious!” “What thing?” “No time to explain! I’ll tell you at dinner!” Those moments were a little irritating.

Sarah, the most prominent female character, was more complex than I expected her to be. She has clear career aspirations and doesn’t let anyone hold her back, and I liked that she was presented as this kick-ass woman who still felt human. She struggles when faced with the horrors of the murder, but she doesn’t let the horror put her off of her task. She’s confident and never seems to have a moment of self-doubt (which is refreshing). She notices interpersonal things without being boxed in as “the woman who notices emotions.” Granted, Sarah does serve some token function - she’s brought on in order to provide a “female perspective,” which was a little frustrating, but she held her own so well that my annoyance melted away.

Marcus and Lucius, the two brothers who work for the police department, are also quite charming characters. I loved how they brought technical expertise to the group by being knowledgeable about anatomy, fingerprints, photography, and the like, and I especially enjoyed the way they bickered with one another. Their presence immediately made scenes feel lighter, and they brought something of a family aspect to the whole band.

Supporting characters were well-crafted in that no two felt quite the same. Teddy Roosevelt (yes, that one) was cheerful and warm while still demanding absolute cooperation and loyalty from his men. Cyrus and Stevie - two of Kreizler’s employees - were charming, though I wish Cyrus had gotten to do more than just kind of silently stand by awaiting orders. Mary - Kreizler’s maid - was a lovely character, and I appreciated the positive disability representation we got with her, though I do not like how her character arc ended and how it related to the main plot. The crime bosses were intimidating without feeling too much like stock characters, the thugs did their job. I don’t think there was a character that was poorly written, just characters who served purposes that may or may not have been needed.

As for the murderer... we don’t get to see him very much, but I felt like I got to know him because so much of the book was focused on mapping out his life and psychology. It worked much better than books where the antagonist is looming off to the side, acting as a vaguely threatening force but not really a character, and one that doesn’t even show up until the last quarter of the book. When the killer finally does appear on page, I felt like he had been involved in the story, even without being physically present, so I was able to accept him as an active force on the narrative, not just a surprise twist at the end.

TL;DR: The Alienist is a well-crafted mystery that uses atmosphere and psychology to create an engaging mystery. While some readers may struggle with the period-like prose or the more disturbing aspects of the story, Carr creates a compelling narrative by focusing on understanding and knowledge over spectacle and action, and by using well-developed characters.

[bl1ndbraavosi]

Hiiiieee, your writing makes my brain go ✨🌺✨ so if you have time, I hope you can answer 7, 11, and 25 re: the writing asks!

hehehehe HI UR SO LOVELY THANK U FOR THIS

7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

mmmm id say my personality kinda manifests itself in a snarky narrative? i love a good ongoing commentary, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE banter so i HOPE that others agree bc i try v hard to inject that into my writing

11. What do you envy in other writers?

whimsical writing!!! i feel like my writing is so literal and on-the-nose, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes i just read these pieces that r so whimsical and fantastic and im like W O W i could never

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

hmmmm details. stupid little details that are like, why do we need to know this? why is this relevant? but they add to the individuality of the person/place in question, n i just think that shit is so so so rad. for ex in my current wip “come  away to the water” i repeatedly mention bb sakura HATING chickens, and its just. just a lil break from all the darkness n a reminder that she is just a girl on a farm that fkin hates! chickens!

i hope i answered these questions properly looool my attention span is null