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death-himself · 4 months

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BRO this episode is definitely my favorite holy shit ok here are episode 4 thoughts

the starting scene of percy learning how to swim was so cute I love every percy and sally interaction

also I kind of love the way they make sally speak kind of erratically and sort of stream-of-thought like, I don't know why but something about it is really interesting and a unique spin on her character

when percy brought up thalia I was BEGGING for a flashback and i'm so sad we didn't get one, probably my only critique of this episode and even then it's not even really a critique

I also love how they're emphasizing grover and annabeth's friendship and history in the series because I feel like it wasn't a thing at all in the books

their dynamic is just getting better and better each episode istg

grover says "2 days until we reach los angeles" which makes me kind of nervous about the lotus casino scene. the whole thing with the casino in the book was that fear realising that they wasted an entire week, so i'm kind of worried that they're only gonna be there for like 5 minutes now, but I guess we'll see in an episode or two

I love echidna greeting them on the train, I think it actually makes more sense than her just being there at the arch at the same time as them

also love echidna's actress she's incredible omg

the arch being a temple to athena is SO FUNNY to me

also love the little hint to annabeth's love for architecture and how she infodumps a bit about it

i love the conversation percy and Annabeth have, them coming to an understanding on the different ways they view their godly parents

also annabeth still worshipping and loving athena because she's both never really had a loving family and because she's been in the godly world for a large amount of her life AND because she doesn't know what it's like to be loved without having to earn it

versus percy not worshipping or caring about poseidon because he's had a loving mother and knows what it's like for a parent to care about him unconditionally and realizing he doesn't need poseidon's attention because he has his mother and she's more than enough

them splashing percy with water in a fountain aslkjdgakljgh

"my impertinence wounded my mother's pride" and she just looks SO DEVASTATED i'm gonna cry

percy tricking annabeth to get her to leave with grover was such a percy thing to do, him knowing he's already dying from the venom

it seems like every time there's a big dramatic fight they always cut the music and i think that's such a cool interesting choice

very sad they didn't just teleport the river over but that shot did look really fuckin cool

i LOVE how they're setting up for percy to have such complex mixed feelings about poseidon, and them ending with him taking a breath and trusting his father was a cool choice

also about that teaser at the end, we're getting the chair hephaestus built in the myth??? i'm so excited to see how that goes

"she said this is what the gods are like to each other. this is the kind of family they are." i feel like that just explains every problem in the riordanverse

with episode 3 probably being my least favorite out of what we have so far, I'm so so happy with this episode. this is the first episode where I don't have a single real critique, and I just know the next 4 episodes are gonna be absolute bangers

#pjo #percy jackson #pjo spoilers #percy jackson spoilers #pjo disney+#pjo disney+ spoilers #percy jackson and the olympians

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markantonys · 4 months

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Idk if you saw the Josha Collider interview but he kinda hints we might get some Randlayne in s3? Which I am curious about that cause I didn't think they'd have time. Also that the Randfear relationship will continue where it left off and get even more complicated (which is very much their Shadow Rising dynamic)

i'm gobbling up these randlayne crumbs!!

but he keeps it very vague here and i don't think there's anything too surprising in what he says - the fact that the show took the time to signal randlayne in 2x08 definitely implies to me that they plan to follow up on it in SOME way in season 3, and given that daniel was already talking about having filmed some lanaeve scenes way back in june which according to the block filming schedule would probably mean those scenes are somewhere in the first block (eps 1&2), i think we can pretty safely assume that the tanchico & waste travel groups won't split up right away, and that we'll see rand and elayne interacting early in the season.

now, that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be making out all over falme or declaring their love for each other already! "a gradual thing which needs to be organic" definitely makes me feel pretty good about my prior randlayne guess, which is that they'll be getting to know each other and building a connection early in s3 and laying that groundwork for romance, but nothing explicitly romantic will happen between them before they split up for their respective journeys. because they wouldn't have included that Moment between them in 2x08 if they didn't intend to build upon it pretty promptly at the start of season 3, so we've got to be seeing SOMETHING more on the randlayne front, but i don't think it will be anything huge. and what josha says here supports both parts of that prediction, i think! his comments on rand's headspace at the start of s3 also make me think it's unlikely rand will be jumping straight into brand-new romance during the first episode block, and since we know tanchico & the waste are both in, i don't think rand would see elayne again until the second half of s3 at the earliest and perhaps not until s4 (in person, anyway; further randlayne development through TAR chats is not outside the realm of possibility!)

and of course, avirand isn't something josha would be hinting at even a tiny bit in interviews since it's way too much of a spoiler, given that the two of them haven't even met yet, so randlayne being the s3 romance he's discussing doesn't mean avirand won't sneak in there and end up happening first! but all this being said, i am always ready for the show to surprise me and prove me totally wrong haha

and he made intriguing comments about randfear too, like you say!

in a couple of today's other interviews he said he wants randfear endgame djkjfg i'd have a shipping war with him about that, but i love how much he's loving digging into this relationship! lanfear positioning herself as ~the only one who understands him~ despite him being surrounded by his friends definitely sets up some toxic shit and i can't wait to see where that goes in s3. i love Mess!!

(..................i'm saying nothing about book!min positioning herself as ~the only one who understands him~. nothing at all!)

wait a moment. literally right here josha says rand is with his friends at the start of season 3, so that pretty much confirms we'll be starting off with the gang all still together!!!!!! (of course, he could mean just that he's with mat & egwene en route to the waste, but given daniel's confirmation of lanaeve scenes, i think at this point we can feel very very confident in seeing the whole gang still together at the start of the season)

#anonymous #answered #wot book spoilers

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galvanizedfriend · 1 month

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Hi Yokan 👋

I have questions

First question - how’re you doing? Hope life hasn’t been too stressful for you!

Second question - have you been reading anything that has really resonated with you in the last couple of weeks/months.

Third (and most weird) question - if you could choose a superpower what would you choose? (Dumb question I know😂)

Fourth question - most proud moment in your writing career.

And final question - how’s writing going with the Wolf? Hope you’ve not struggled too much in starting it!

hope your doing okay! ❤️

Hi, friend! How's it going?

Can I just say, it's so lovely to get all these questions! ✨ I love this so much, thank you! 💝

First: I'm ok! Work is always stressful these days, I don't think it's going to give me a break until at least September. 😂 But it's not the worst right now. Tomorrow is my birthday and I just the best piece of chocolate cake humanity has to offer, so I'm cool right now. 😇 Just wish tomorrow wasn't Monday. 🥲

Second: I have read 7 books this year so far, but nothing that's stood out as being great, sadly. :( Still haven't had a 5 stars. I finished a thriller called None of This is True by Lisa Jewell which was pretty good, if you're into thrillers. 4 stars, maybe.

In terms of fanfiction, I've have been reading random pieces of non-Kc fic, as per usual 😂 But I have also read The Little Wolf by @morningstargirl666, which is absolutely fantastic, if you haven't read it yet. It's a retelling of the show's canon about the Original family and how they were turned into vampires, with special focus on Klaus' werewolf heritage, and it's so, so, so good! And so much better than canon! It actually gives depth to the siblings' relationships, and it has so many little nods to what we know of them in the future. Beautifully woven! I have also read Till I Tasted You by @kirythestitchwitch, which is a canon divergent AU where a spell goes wrong and Caroline ends up finding out Klaus is her soulmate. It's hot, it has absolutely nom-nom-able dialogues and A+++ interactions between KC, it features Damon getting his ass kicked! I don't know, it's just the whole package. 🤌

Third: This would be a very weird question if I hadn't spent an irrational amount of time thinking about that. 😂 I guess it really depends on what kind of universe you mean, because it varies. But I would very much like to have telekinesis like Prue in Charmed.

Fourth: That's a tough one. I'm an extremely critical person of my own writing, so it's hard for me to feel proud of stuff I've done tbh. 😂 But I think I was pretty proud when I finished The Wolf 2. It's not my personal favorite thing I've ever written, but I think it's probably my best written story. I really like the final part of that story, the way I managed to tie it back to TVD, I think it was very full circle and made the story a lot more unique. I also had a lot of fun writing the Mikaelsons and Caroline back in Mystic Falls after the time they spent in Nola. 😂 So maybe that.

Final: It's... going. 🥲 I took a pause after writing two chapters back to back, tried to work on some other stuff, and then I circled back to it. I've actually just started the next chapter, have a couple of scenes. I don't think this first chapter will be a long one, but I think it will take a lot of editing tbh. 😂 I haven't been at most inspired right now, so not sure how much of what I've written will stand the test of a re-read. I had plans to get a chapter out before the end of the month, but I'm not sure I'll manage it. 🥲 We'll see how this week goes. Pray for me.

Thanks for the questions, friend! I hope you have a wonderful week! ✨

#yokan answers #marginally-accurate #nice people being nice

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theselightsareblinding · 7 months

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GMMTV 2024 (part 1) predictions

I can't believe we're here again, I had so much fun speculating and watching last year, it truly is my Superbowl lol.

This year will be way harder to predict anything as we didn't have Safe House nor any new couple, as far as I know, so this will be based on questionable rumours and vibes alone. Also this is only part one, whatever that means, so I expect we'll have fewer series announced than in other years. Aaaand there are still quite a few series from 2023 still waiting to air.

Gemini Fourth series, confirmed by them.

No Jojo series, also confirmed by him.

WinnySatang series. Reason: they have a keychain lol. This may be difficult to explain to someone who's not up to date with gmmtv shenanigans but the company recently released merch with a winnystang's logo, which usually means they are being branded as a couple.

Continuing with this, sadly no logo or merch for GawinKrist, which probably means they won't continue as a couple.

Big cast assemble featuring Off, Sea and possibly others like Gun, View, First, Dunk. Reason: they were seen together without any other explanation so maybe they were filming a trailer.

I think KhaoFirst talked about another project together.

I also heard some rumours about EarthMix and them talking about working together next year.

Two GLs. A bit generous, I know. I expected GMMTV to air 23.5 in the first half of 2023 as a test of how the public receives GLs before going for another but that didn't happen. So my guesses now are a) they don't care that much about 23.5 numbers because they're already planning on doing more GLs or b) they don't care because they don't plan to make another GL this year. I'm going for the former on faith alone and also I faintly remember a photo of Aof's office with one or two GL books which weren't 23.5.

ViewJune becoming an official couple and starring in another series together, hopefully as mains. They're already paired for Dangerous Romance and 23.5 and this happened with MilkLove so.

PondPhuwin and JoongDunk together in a series in some way. This is more of a wild guess but the fourth of them are quite good friends and had a few events together and have spoken about working together in a series. Fans love it and ask for it a lot so maybe GMMTV has seen it and decided to capitalise on it.

No Tu or Fah coming back yet, but expected to happen later in the year. I'm quite sad about this because they are some of my favourite actresses from the company.

I'm guessing it's less likely we'll have OffGun, TayNew, MilkLove or JimmySea projects as two series of them would have to air in the same year.

If we talk about rotation, the pairs that would be more likely to have a series would be GemFourth, PondPhuwin and EarthMix.

As for side pairs who could become main or official couples we have Aou Boom, Winny Satang, Ohm Fluke, Mark Ford, Mark Neo, Marc Pavin comeback. My guesses are Winny Satang, and Mark and Neo. In my opinion Mark has three possible candidates whom he could form a couple with: Neo, Ford and Nanon. Why Nanon? Mark and Nanon had a couple of events together and are really good friends, GMMTV loves that. But I pray they'll go with Neo, they had some work together and it's been a long time since he had any appearance with Ford, so it could happen.

The Enigma season 2

I expect an OhmNanon comeback TayNew style but not for one or two years, so no OhmNanon together, not even in a hetero series.

There are at least 4 hetero romance series I have not heard from yet which were announced for 2023, two with Dew, one with Win. Are they being cancelled? Gmmtv has only ever cancelled one announced series since I started watching but idk, we have a lot to go through yet, I don't know where are they going to fit. And they won't stop airing reruns on the days this type of series usually goes.

I expect another rookie series, especially seeing how well MSP did.

I'm trying to think of a hetero male or female lead but I can't come up with anything. My guess was Luke but he hasn't posted the gmmtv2024 announcement. Maybe NanonFilm again? I really have no idea.

Only two days to go!!!! I can't wait. And if I'm lucky with work I'll be able to watch it somewhat live and blog about it, so I'm even more excited.

This list is already too long so I'm thinking of doing a separate one for what I wish would happen (edit ➡ HERE)

#gmmtv2024 #gmmtv 2024 #bl series #thai bl #thai gl #thai drama #thai ql #firstkhao #geminifourth #pondphuwin #ohmnanon #milklove #gmmtv 2024 predictions #my thoughts

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editorialsonlife · 8 months

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22.08.23

Well well well

I'm 2 weeks into 2.5 weeks of stress leave from the office while I try and get myself together again and man has it been a super needed break from the office and all its toxicity. It's been so good to be able to catch up on sleep and have some slow days and have some super good girlfriend time which has been sorely lacking as of late.

I spent all of Saturday catching up with Freya who is the queen of reinvention and so good to talk to and so reassuring Her and Laurence have lived so many lives and careers paths and its so nice to hear from people who have done it and what's been good and what's been bad and how she's navigated it and for someone who really struggles with being decisive in this kind of stuff it was just great to catch up.

I caught up with Lynaire briefly on Sunday and went and saw an open home as well which was fun. house was terrible but it's nice to be like, poking around the edges and seeing what might be out there for when we move I guess. Still don't know how finances are going to work out for everything but we'll see as time goes on I guess.

I spent this morning in bed brainstorming all the big questions that I have that are just sitting out there and stressing me out and emptied them onto a page. I linked together the common themes ones into to do lists and health and money and tomorrow I need to tackle the work stuff as well and come up with a bit of a plan there about how things are going to change when I go back and where other people need to step in to help and step up and do their jobs so I'm not covering everything while they're being shit.

I came up with a mini to do list under each of the headings so I know what my next little baby steps are and then wrote a list of all the things that are outside of my control as well - what I can't control, what I can influence but not decide and what is just going to have to wait as well so there's that.

I've set up a couple of APs into different bank accounts to save me some money for an emergency fund (somehow I'm 33 and still never had one) and I'll rebuild all my holiday savings budgets and our mortgage account budget and write them down so I can be confident in them and start tracking against them. I know this is probably a double up with YNAB anyway but I'll feel better about it so I'm gunna do it anyway. I need to go to the bank to set up some more accounts in our joint account for stuff as well so I'll get that sorted too. Need to pay the truck registration and get a new headlamp put in it as well (snore). adulthood man.

I've also deleted instagram off my phone to try and curb the time wastage and scrolling. Likely just means I'm gunna read more smutty novels on kindle unlimited but oh well LOOOOOLLLLLL.

I've been seeing a different counsellor as well who I don't love but has been useful. I know I need to work on setting better boundaries in just about every aspect of my life so I need to clock on and do that. Classic me I got a couple of books to read on the topic so we'll see how those go.

One of the really nagging questions that keeps hanging round and I keep circling back to is 'When is it all enough?'. and Enough in everything - when have I earnt enough money, when have I climbed the career ladder enough, when have I delivered enough, when will I ever be enough. So that's one of the things I really need to work my way through. I spent some time this morning writing down all the ways that I have enough already - and it just became a really nice gratitude list so I'm going to keep doing that a bit more often I think. and try and remember to build in some little celebrations at work as well for things that I've covered.

Contemplating quitting the current job to go and be a programme coordinator with my friend Katherine. Would be the same money mostly but way less responsibility and more flexibility. I feel bad ditching work when the boss has been good to me but also, if nothing changes then nothing changes and I'll be back to being a burnt out mess pretty quickly tbh. Unideal. I think we'll just have to see how we go overall once I'm back. September is going to be an interesting month I think.

Ok that's enough of a brain dump for now I think byeeeeeeeeee

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jeffersonseaplane · 1 year

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okay I have way too many thoughts about sab season 2 so here goes *deep breath*

on the "main storyline" side: as someone who hasn't read the sab books but has read soc duology, I rlly liked alina's storyline this season and thought it was decently paced for how few episodes there were. i loved mal and nikolai being friends and not having a random awful love triangle and that alina didn't love nikolai except for platonically! made sense.

baghra kicked ass and ben was again amazing as the d*rkling. loved seeing alinas struggle and his side even though i hate him, because we got to see genya. (SIDE NOTE GENYADAVID WRECKED ME.)

mal being sturmhond was actually a nice twist imo. the twins ROCK and i love tamar and nadia sm. adrik too he's so cute.

on the crows side: even though i adore the crows (and there were zero faults with the cast's performances, as usual), i found myself a little disappointed with some of the writing. some decisions to put book scenes in early made sense (MORE SENSE THAN SOME OF YOU WILL GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR, considering they want to feed us crumbs IF the show gets cancelled), but generally it was disorienting to see the ck plotline, or at least part of it.

i think that the one great thing abt the ck plotline is that it opens up new implications for matthias and pekka's motives, both towards each other and towards kaz, and i love that idea. it's something i'm the most excited for, honestly.

kaz's backstory was well-done and well-acted by jordie, young kaz, and current kaz! freddy continues to be an absolute superstar and one of my favorites in the cast. one thing about kaz, tho: i HATED that the dregs weren't already his crew...like girl who tf is running the crow club. kaz is older in this iteration but not by THAT MUCH...anyways i do think it'll provide basis for the big bolliger/not trusting kaz scene at the beginning of the real soc plot but i still didn't like it.

the other major thing i hated was how rushed wesper was (this one is pretty obvious), but let me also volunteer this: it made sense. of the crows, they have the least traumatic relationship (even tho they have personal traumas yk), and because we can't guarantee that the show will get a spinoff, SOMEONE has to end up happy. thus, no slow burn. annoyed about it, but it's not unreasonable + i adore jack and kit together.

kaNEJ THIS SEASON OMG. the scene in the chapel at the end of the season...wow. i thought it was superbly done and made sense in the storyline of the show, despite being from the books. yes, they had some slightly rushed moments, but again, no guarantees for another season. also this means they're probably planning even more development for a spinoff!!

helnik...cal and dani blow me away even when they're not together?? how do they do that?? amazing. i loved the tension; it was just like the books.

jesper's powers becoming stronger after he hallucinates aditi were a nice touch imo. when colm comes around he'll have to reckon with himself even more now, so that's actually interesting + good setup. he was amazing in episode seven!!!

INEJ SAVING ALINA AGAIN. the implications it has for her religious beliefs are so wow. also, her looking for slavers with sturmhond (MAL!) and the crew is great bc we'll see her again, but it also gives her a minor amount of closure. not full closure, but enough to keep fans wanting to see her again.

on a general note: my favorite episodes were five and seven. i thought five did character interactions super well (specifically nina/kaz and kanej), and seven brought the characters from both storylines together in a way that was, imo, better than last season. also, in episode eight: ALINA USING THE DARK CUT ON THE PAREM SOLDIER?? WOWOWOWW I LOVE THAT I'M SO EXCITED. people will be mad kaz knew about parem before van eck told him but my guess is that the van eck kidnapping stuff DID happen and we just didn't see it yet (wait for spinoff!!)

i'll definitely have to write more posts as it settles in, but yeah...that's the gist of it lol. basically: i will always be a show defender, even if there's clumsy writing and some hamfisting!! i love that damn show!! i am really excited to see them again (praying for a spinoff) and i loved the way the season ended tbh.

#six of crows #shadow and bone #shadow and bone season 2 #sab s2 #spoilers #sab spoilers #six of crows spoilers #be nice to the cast pls they are so hard working and did an amazing job with what they were given

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 7 months

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A New Chris Sanders Animated Movie

Now you're talkin'!

He's back at DreamWorks Animation, tackling an adaptation of THE WILD ROBOT, based on the book of the same name by Peter Brown. From the synopsis, it screams Sanders all over. Sci-fi, a weirdo non-human, "misfit" animal friends, all set to survival on a deserted island. Right up his alley.

I have a feeling this one's a bit of a while off, because DreamWorks did have some not-sequel projects lined up for after BAD GUYS and RUBY GILLMAN, the latter they really kept mum on until 3 1/2 months before release. So unusual.

Next year, DreamWorks has a picture called ORION AND THE DARK going straight to Netflix, while sequel KUNG FU PANDA 4 occupies the spring 2024 slot. What they'll release in later 2024, in keeping with their supposed "1 sequel, 1 not-sequel every calendar year" plan, is unknown. I have a hunch that it's that RONAN BOYLE film that has had a director attached for a while. Maybe DOG MAN, based on a book by CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS creator Dav Pilkey, is around the corner. They're very secretive these days, which is probably a good thing. Either that, or ORION is the not-sequel movie for 2024... It just won't be going to theaters. I kinda hope we get a theatrical original to accompany KUNG FU PANDA 4 next year. I certainly hope this new Sanders endeavor goes to theaters, too.

Otherwise, I'm happy to hear that he has finally returned to the director's chair. His last film was the live-action adaptation of THE CALL OF THE WILD starring a CGI dog, which 20th Century Studios released. His last all-animated film was THE CROODS all the way back in 2013. Over ten years ago. He and his CROODS co-director Kirk DeMicco were supposed to direct the CROODS sequel, which got shut down following the Comcast acquisition of DreamWorks. Chris and Kirk went elsewhere, Chris landed CALL OF THE WILD, Kirk landed VIVO at Sony Animation. DreamWorks restarted the CROODS sequel a year later under Joel Crawford, Chris and Kirk were credited as "Story" on the film, and were said to have contributed a lot to the movie. From my understanding, the basic structure and outline of Chris and Kirk's CROODS 2 was also the framework of THE CROODS: A NEW AGE. Kinda the same premise, but different approach.

I also remember that there were rumblings that Chris Sanders was looking to turn his comic KISKALOO into a feature, but that appears to be on the back burner. KISKALOO uses an element or two from his unmade Disney Animation film AMERICAN DOG, which John Lasseter had retooled into the much different BOLT. If KISKALOO ever becomes a feature, that would be a nice substitute for not getting AMERICAN DOG. (And don't get me wrong, I quite dig BOLT for what it is.)

So, it's nice to hear that there's a new DreamWorks not-sequel in the works, and that it's helmed by none other than Chris Sanders. That'll be his third for that studio, after HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and THE CROODS. I'm curious to know what the slate/release order all is, going forward. My wild guess is RONAN BOYLE next year, DOG MAN in 2025, and maybe this in 2026? We'll see. After KUNG FU PANDA 4, in terms of sequels, I reckon next up are THE CROODS 3 and THE BOSS BABY 3, which were on various DreamWorks' staffers' resumes floating around online. SHREK 5 is a little ways off, I reckon.

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veliseraptor · 1 year

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1 and 11 for the reading ask game!

What are 2-5 already published fiction books you think you want to read in 2023?

easy for this one: I can just look at my shelves. the hard part is picking just between two and five

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee. I've had this on my shelf for so embarrassingly long you guys, initially I had to wait until I had a chance to reread the first two books (because I'd been too long away from them and needed a refresher) and then I got a case of the "my favorite character is going to die again, I think" willies, and I just have to suck it up and take the plunge because I will almost certainly love it and even if Fonda Lee does kill my fave I will forgive it because Fonda Lee gets to do that to me.

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. Another one where I've had it sitting on my shelf for a while because I loved A Memory Called Empire but probably have to now reread A Memory Called Empire in order to read this one, so it keeps ending up getting deferred. But it's time, you guys. It's time.

Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Another sequel! The conclusion to this series is coming out this year but since I'm only reading it in paperback I'm woefully behind. Very excited to read this, though, Adrian Tchaikovsky has earned a spot in my fave scifi writers pantheon by now.

The Glory of the Empire by Jean d'Ormesson. This one's a weird one relative to the first three on this list, but it has been sitting unread on my shelf for a long time and the concept is sooooo fascinating to me, and I've liked the NYRB books that I've read...so here goes. If anyone else hasn't heard of this one (I hadn't before kind of accidentally tripping over it), the conceit is that it is a history of an empire that never existed.

The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough. I read The First Man In Rome a couple years ago kind of on a whim and kinda loved it; I've had this one waiting for me since then and the stars just haven't aligned correctly (and also it's an intimidating brick of a book, even for me). But I am feeling like this might be my year to read more stuff that isn't just SFF, tbh, because while there is a lot of SFF on my TBR list I've also been kind of on the outs with it lately. So returning to my other love (historical fiction) seems like maybe a good move here, and I am a sucker for writing about Late Republic/Early Empire times. (We're still in the republic for now, baby, but boy is it not looking good!)

but this is like. a rough list, because as I was writing it I went "oh but also Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and also King Hereafter, and I'd love to start the Niccolo series," and so on and so forth. consider this a snapshot of what I'm thinking as of january 22nd at *checks watch*

How do you plan to keep track of your reading? E.g., goodreads, bullet journal, tumblr, etc.

Currently I still use Goodreads though I might make another go at weaning myself off and moving to Storygraph again. We'll see. Also since I am now doing monthly recaps of the books I read on this blog (and I do want to keep doing that) I guess that's me keeping track of what I'm reading, too.

#conversating #cigaretteburnslikefairylights #lise memes #sometimes i read things #going to try to wring some fic words out of my brain...let's see how it goes

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cephalog0d · 1 year

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It's time to play the intro solo adventure from my 1989 Batman rpg book!

This game uses dice, but only 2 d10s, so for this I'm using the d10s from my black and grey set and my shiny new liquid core set.

We've got Bat Stats! I feel like Bats is pretty OP based on flipping through both this and my other book on the same system, but I guess he is the main character. The stat system is exponential, so the higher numbers are, uh. Pretty ridiculous, honestly.

For anyone who's curious, the actual gameplay for this relies heavily on the use of ~matrices~. Because old school ttrpgs were kind of just like that sometimes.

I think I understand all of it but we'll see how it goes! (Actual adventure under the cut, I'll transcribe stuff instead of trying to take pictures of the pages).

ADVENTURE START:

Gotham City, 12:17 am. The night wind cuts across your face as you dance over the urban jungle to the rhythm of the crisp clear evening. At night, the city has a life all its own. Its life is your life. Gotham is all yours. You swing over the Bowery and its hundreds of hungry mouths, flutter across the Sommerset rooftops, and bathe in the light of the Coventry street lamps. It's quiet tonight. Too quiet. Turning, you pounce on the harbor, then turn over the rock of Lyntown. Nothing scurries out. You glide over the furnace of Charon, heart racing. Yes, it's quiet tonight. Thank God for silence. But then comes Manchester. Always Manchester. As you weave your way in and out of the factories and tenements, a tiny hint of inconsistency catches your eye - a window, and a freshly broken window at that. Shards of broken glass are rudely scattered across the pavement in front of the Hernandez Brothers Warehouse. Time to punch the clock. This is why you are here. The warehouse itself is a drab, three-story, prefabricated building. There are windows circling the building at waist level, and a series of large loading doors, one of which is slightly ajar. A huge skylight runs the length of the warehouse. So much for silence.

The options are to look inside, or look around the broken window for clues. Who needs clues, there's probably plenty of those inside anyway, so I'm doing that.

You cautiously approach the shattered window and look inside. You spot a lone thief within, rooting around in the boxes stacked upon the warehouse floor.

Now my choices is to attempt to grapple up to the skylight (well, batarang-with-a-rope up to the skylight but whatever) or just go through the door. Because I will never not climb everything in any given game at any opportunity, we're doing the first one. Which means it's dice time!

You unhitch the Batarang from your utility belt and cast it up into the night.

I rolled 9 total so after consulting the multiple tables required that does mean success, so yay! Not failing as Batman immediately!

The Batarang twines itself around a chimney, and you quickly make your way up to the roof and skylight. Looking down through the dirty glass, you see a lone thief rooting around in the boxes stacked up on the floor. He's armed, but it doesn't look too bad - just a baseball bat. Definitely an amateur.

Unlike me, a professional crime fighter. My options are, and I'm quoting this because the writing is extremely funny to me, to "strike an imposing silhouette against the moon and come crashing down through the skylight in hope of scaring the bejeezus out of the thief", or just crashing in and attacking him. OBVIOUSLY we're choosing the scare the bejeezus one, why would you ever choose otherwise.

The brittle glass shatters beneath your knees as you drop to the floor with an unholy shriek. As you fall, your cape billows up about you, casting the shadow of a bat over the thief below.

I don't typically imagine Batman shrieking (unless maybe it's the glass doing that?) but hey, whatever works. Intimidation check! I got 11, consulted some tables, got to utilize the weird column shift mechanic (which is basically just a way to do more damage/effect the higher you roll above the minimum needed to succeed), and basically I do in fact manage to scare the bejeezus out of this dude.

You've managed to scare the thief completely out of his wits. He drops his baseball bat and shield his eyes in horror. Dropping into the shadows, you reach down to your utility belt and toss the thief a pair of Batcuffs. "Put them on," you growl, "now!" Quivering, the thief quickly slaps the cuffs across his wrists.

Batcuffs. XD I now can either search the thief himself or the warehouse for clues. This dude didn't seem particularly effective at the thievery and I don't think he's going anywhere atm since I successfully put the fear of the Bat into him so I'm gonna look around first.

You step around your young opponent and make your way through the warehouse. Cautiously, you begin searching behind the piled-up crates - rats usually travel in packs. Behind a half-ruined desk you finally find him - the accomplice. He's big, but scared. Kid's got a knife. He's making a move.

I know "kid" in this context probably means, like, young adult, but I'm just picturing Batman fighting children. And specifically thinking about the post-crisis 80's origin story for Jason where he thwacks Bats in the gut with a tire iron and calls him a big boob. Iconic. Anyway, time to try and not get stabbed!

First actual fight, very exciting! I rolled max on the initiative, but also I'm Batman and this dude is Not so like. He probably wasn't gonna beat the innate Initiative rating. Let's try to punch a dude with a knife. As one does in Gotham.

And hey, I get to experience this game's version of a critical! In this game, if you roll a double number (other than 1's, double 1's is just an auto-fail) you get to roll again and add them together. Which is kind of neat in conjunction with the whole column shift thing. I think I'm about to fully annihilate this thief, though, because I ended up with 30 for my total and he is. Not particularly tough.

(Which, yeah, my damage was so high the dude went to -5 immediately, whoopsie, that's probably a little excessive. Although I guess if I'm playing post-dead-Jason Batman that kind of excessive force is not entirely out of character.)

Anyway, I won the fight! ...obviously. Which also means the adventure is over and the bad guys are subdued. (I feel like the second dude is "subdued" in the same way that the dudes I drop on their head in the Arkham games are "unconscious", like, we'll pretend that for the sake of the story but.)

You've subdued and cuffed both thieves. A search of their jacket pockets reveals that neither of them is carrying any identification. A quick call to Commissioner Gordon and you can be on your way. Another job well done. Welcome to Gotham City.

Ta-da! Successful night of Batmanning, I guess.

Gameplay thoughts: If I ever actually want to play this I definitely need to make loose copies of the tables so I don't have to flip around to look at them every time I need to do an action. And have separate character sheets that aren't just a page in the book. (Which, like, I normally do that anyway for in-person games, I just didn't for this because it was a short tutorial sort of thing.)

It's not too hard to get the hang of, although I've definitely gotten spoiled by the simplicity of more modern games, and I could see with multiple people it might slow the pacing a little to have to do the matrix math for everything. That and having to assign values to actions. Some stuff obviously has built-in stats, but a lot of stuff is just whatever the GM thinks a reasonable AP value is. On the one hand, that's a lot of freedom to do whatever you want for the story, but on the other that could be a lot of on-the-fly number assigning. The reference table they give you is pretty neat, though.

The column shift thing is kind of neat as a way to have scaling success. Obviously a lot of games do that to some degree with ability checks (if you roll higher on your Insight check you get more information, etc.) but having it for things like attacks is kind of cool, too. (At least, it is when you're the one getting to use it. I guess if the enemies are doing it that might be less fun. XD)

I do kind of genuinely want to try and rope some of my friends into playing this, either this smaller Bat specific version or the bigger one that should be arriving in the next couple days. We'll see!

#batman rpg #if i do get people to play this i am absolutely narrating everything in I AM THE NIGHT over the top fashion #which tbf seems to be kind of the style the actual book is going for #i'm still laughing at 'batman will be operating solo from now on' like lol you have NO IDEA past rpg writers #'main characters don't often die and when they do it's a big deal' oh you sweet summer child

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kaikama · 8 months

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Today is a confusing day for my gender. I want to (genuinely) thank some people on Tumblr for that, but I don't know how. I know many people consider their blogs as being a sort of public diary, but I've never used mine like that before. I reblog art and memes, and sometimes ramble in the tags, but almost never make posts of my own, and certainly don't talk about anything important when I do.

However sometimes the best way to get ahold of something slippery that's swimming around in your head is to first get it out of your head. I may not even post this, though contrary to how I present myself on this blog, I do very much love talking about myself (especially when I can indulge my inner 12yo-fanfic-author and be a bit dramatic and poetic about it) so we'll see.

However, to the anxiety of making a long, eventually emotional post I will cede the small victory of a readmore:

I guess the place to begin is with the lovely @dduane. In particular with the recent post she reblogged talking about @redgoldsparks's book Gender Queer. I was reading through the comic therein when I remembered that I actually had the book e was talking about sitting on my "to-read" shelf... okay, one of my "to-read" shelves. No avid reader with disposable income should be surprised I have so many such books, nor that any book could get lost in such a pile, no matter how... personally relevant it is.

I picked it up one day, not at my usual book store, but actually at a local comic book/board game store. It caught my eye of course by presenting the words "GENDER QUEER" in big, bold letters, and and further enticed me when I flipped through it briefly and saw it didn't censor itself unnecessarily. In a graphic novel that's largely about gender, it was relieving, for example, to see bodies being addressed without fear that showing them was too obscene.

So I bought it but, as I mentioned, it sat on my shelf for at least months, probably a year or more, if the time dilation typical of the pandemic period can be assumed.

Then today, after seeing that post, I decided to finally take it out. It only took a short while to read, maybe an hour or so. Unless you include the time it will spend lingering in my mind, in which case I may never finish reading it.

I related to it in many ways. In ways that were the same, but upsidedown – since I was amab, but could still feel a connection to the ideas within. Technically a different wavelength, but... a harmonic of the original. But one point in particular is the whole reason for this post. Page 189.

If you don't have the book, well firstly I highly recommend you go get it now and simply read through it to see the page in question. But in case you can't, I'll describe it here:

In panel 1, the author laments about wanting to switch pronouns, but that "they/them" doesn't feel quite right. In panel 2, e asks eir conversational partner what e uses. In panel 3, as you have probably guessed, e tells the author that e uses "e/em/eir" and, important to my story, uses them in a sentence: "Ask em what e wants in eir tea." In panel 4, e reacts with a huge smile and starry eyes.

Here is where I'll pause and mention that reading that passage gave me a shiver down my spine. I love seeing people explore their identities – or in this case, eir identity – and that especially goes for things I could never wrap my head around, such as neopronouns. As much as I respect them, I never could understand. To me, gender has usually been a nuisance. Something that I have to perform. If I don't, people will assume some performance anyways, one which is usually wrong. I wish I could just work backstage. Or maybe it's more like I wish everyone had a program guide, so instead of having to constantly tell people I'm not a man, they can just see the description in the guide for themselves. I'm just so tired of it. So tired.

But! That's why I get shivers like this, since it warms my heart to see people like me, also pushing through. E shouldn't have to struggle to be known. E does. But that strength inspires my own, which I hope inspires others, in a cycle of propping eachother up!

Then in panel 5 e says "I love those pronouns! I just got the biggest tingle down my spine."

And I recall my spine tingle.

And I'm really confused.

Do I want those pronouns? I've been using "they/them" for a while now, and I've known about (and had friends who use) "e/em/eir" for some time now. Surely I would've realized they fit me sooner than this, right?

Then again, I think, I have been kinda growing dissatisfied with "they/them" for a bit now. But I always just felt tired of gender as a whole. I don't want pronouns that even fewer people will understand, I said. At least with "they/them" I can point at the neutral usage everyone uses them for. Anything more obscure would just be all the more effort. All the more tiring.

...but does that make it untrue? Or simply unfair? Everything to do with being queer is unfair, sorta' by definition. If I wanted it to be easy, I could stick to "he/him", but that would only really be "easy" for other people, I realized. Neither "he/him" nor "they/them" are easy for me. Neither "male" nor "female" nor "non-binary" are easy for me. Neither the old gender binary nor the new gender trinary are easy for me. I'm just so tired.

I wish I had an answer to finish with. Not for your sake, but for mine. I have a sort of modus operandi I like to use: "prepare for the worst, but hope for the best, and expect something in-between." It's a bit of a compromise between the phrase"high hopes, low expectations" and my optimism. Well, I forgot to do that here. I had hoped that I would've found my answer by the end of this post, but I forgot to "prepare for the worst," and as such had no middle ground to set my expectations.

Maybe the answer is to stop caring so much? But that seems like it would be a disservice to myself and my wants and needs. Also it seems impossible. Or at least like clinical depression, which shouldn't be anyone's goal.

Maybe I should try using different pronouns? None of my friend would care. But they would make mistakes. It's extremely rare for one of my friends to slip up now, but it does still happen. And using something new would give me those small rock-in-the-shoe, scratchy-shirt-tag irritations that @redgoldsparks mentioned in eir book all over again.

...or maybe "they/them" is dorta' doing that now, and I've just gotten used to it? I remember when I switched I hadn't realized that "he/him" wasn't great until then. Not because I felt bad hearing it, but because I suddenly felt good hearing "they/them." I still think I don't feel especially disphoric over "he/him," but now that I know the euphoria I could have, it feels worse in comparison. Maybe the same would happen if I switched again?

My how many thoughts I have about this. I want an answer. There is no simple answer. Life is work. I love life. I hate work. I'm so tired. But it's worth it.

I think that's most of my metaphorical brain-fish on the topic disgorged for now. If you listened, thanks for listening. If you're confused, imagine how I feel. And if you think you felt like you resonate at some harmonic of this, please go read @redgoldsparks's book Gender Queer. It probably won't have clear answers, and the feelings it evokes probably won't be exclusively positive ones, but if you've read this far into my ramblings, then I can promise you it will be a valuable read.

Thanks for your time! -Kai

#yes I realized I signed off on this like it was a letter or email when tumblr posts are anything but #however when I rant for long enough I feel like it turns into something more formal in my gut which makes me what to do so lol #but ya I had a lot of feelings. and feelings are hard. and tiring. but important #so please do with this what you will #and if by some chance the author or dduane read this – thanks so much to both of you for all you've done for me!#I barely mentioned dduane in this post for lack of immediate relevancy but she's been such a force in my development!#the yw series did wonders for my current fierce optimism and love for life #but the most recent tornado in my brain is reading Gender Queer today so that got the spotlight here #anyways I usually follow my tag rants with tracking tags but I'm not so sure what to put when it isn't fanart #I guess #gender queer #maia kobabe #books #gender #genderqueer #my ramblings #my posts #my feelings #diary entry

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elisaintime · 2 years

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Wait so IWTV (the show) is only going to be about the first book and the other books are going to be a separate show?? I read an article that said they bought the rights to all books and want to do all of them which would mean they are gonna have 13 shows or are they are gonna combining some?

Also thank you for your time and sharing all your info with us.

They do have the rights to ALL the books (18, which is 15 Vampire Chronicles and 3 Mayfair Witches), and they said at SDCC that they'd LOVE to make ALL the books into TV series. The TV series currently called "Interview With the Vampire" is just about that book, though. And if they do more series off the other books, they'll probably be called after those books' names. Very similar to how Marvel or Star Wars are making many separate series for each of its characters/properties with universal overlap between them, but they all have their own names and production teams. Since the Mayfair Witches series they're currently filming has that title, I'm guessing all 3 witch books will be under the same series, though they are changing a LOT about the first book in their current first season of that series, so they might go off the books entirely if the series gets picked up to continue.

That said, despite the showrunners' enthusiasm to make ALL the books into TV, they currently don't even have the green light to make the second half of the FIRST book into season 2 of IWTV. It's one step at a time here. We don't even know yet if we'll get to see the full story of Interview, much less ever get any of the other books. This franchise does NOT have the power behind it that Marvel or Star Wars do, and it's going to be a "we'll see how it goes!" every single step of the way.

Aside from the IWTV season1 and Mayfair Witches season1, they've also told us they are making a spin-off show called Night Island, which will have Original Characters in their own Original Story that are both vampires and witches based on the combined Universe of both series--taking the Anne Rice sandbox worldbuilding and creating an entirely new story with new people within it (possibly with tiny cameos of Canon Characters along the way, but focused on the OCs). And if this show ends up being more financially lucrative than adapting the rest of the books in the series, then Night Island and other such spinoffs may very well end up being the entire future of the TV series, only picking and choosing tidbits from all 18 books to use in it at whim.

#amc interview with the vampire #vampire chronicles #interview with the vampire

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pagesandpothos · 9 days

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May Aardvark Book Club Predictions

Last month, I predicted 3 out of the 6 books that Aardvark Book Club chose. That's pretty good but I'd love to do better! Unfortunately, I'm not very confident only my May picks, but we'll have to see how it goes. Here’s my listing of what I think could be Aardvark Book Club’s May picks and why I think these are the most likely choices.

First, here’s what I look for when guessing Aardvark’s picks:

The Most Important Factors are the Imprint & Publishing Date!

Aardvark uses a few publishers more often than others. All books listed here are published by an imprint that Aardvark has worked with before.

Secondly, Aardvark almost always chooses books published in the second half of the previous month (normally 3-4 books) to the first half of the current month (normally 1-2). There have been some exceptions (like an occasional early release) but this fits most of their picks. For this month’s picks, I considered novels published from early April through early May. I’m expecting 3-4 of those to be April releases and 1-2 to be released in early May (probably published on May 7th).

The above two points really help narrow down the list of possibilities. Once I factor in dates and rule out books from Imprints that Aardvark doesn’t work with, I then use all the below factors to make my choices:

Aardvark picks often overlap with Indie Next Picks. Many of the books I have listed here are on the April or May lists. The celebrity book club picks sometimes overlap with Aardvark’s choices too.

Aardvark seems willing to work with more established authors who have never been featured in other book boxes. They’ve also recently grabbed a few authors who are former Book of the Month regulars. On the other hand, they also choose a lot of debuts and lesser-known/upcoming authors.

The cover. This sounds silly but some covers just scream Aardvark. I guessed Rabbit Hole in January and Come And Get It in February by their covers. Aardvark really likes quirky and eye-catching covers. I have a few books on this month’s list that have covers that fit the aesthetic that Aardvark seems to go for.

Aardvark seems to love books that have something to say about important social & political topics: gender equality, racism, religion, climate change, and homophobia are all topics previous Aardvark books have dealt with. Those books have also been really successful for them.

More edgy or racy books are far more likely to be an Aardvark pick than a Book of the Month pick. You can see this, especially in their romance picks: BOTM chooses rom-coms that may or may not be a little spicy. Aardvark sometimes picks romances that are very spicy and include tropes (such as Omegaverse) that BOTM would not.

Aardvark’s monthly picks are often a mix of hidden gems and really buzzy books. I’ve noticed that many of the books that people on social media are most excited about often end up as Aardvark picks.

Genres: Aardvark doesn’t adhere to a strict formula with their book genres every month. They won’t have a historical fiction novel every month, for example. They do almost always have at least one Literary/Contemporary, one Thriller, and one Romance though. Other regularly picked genres include Horror, Gothic, Science Fiction, and Magical Realism. They also pick books that overlap/blend genres a lot. As of yet, they have never picked any Non-Fiction or Young Adult books.

With all that said, here’s my list of books that I think could be potential picks for Aardvark Book Club in May of 2024:

Books marked with a ⭐️indicate that I think are the most likely options of all the books I have listed. These books fit the criteria I listed above the best. ✨ Indicates books that are almost 100% certain to be featured. These are known thanks to hints or spoilers.

Contemporary / Literary Fiction

Real Americans by Rachel Khong. Releases April 30, 2024 by Knopf.

"From the award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin: How far would you go to shape your own destiny? An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family, and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures?"

An Indie Next Pick in May.

Whale Fall: A Novel by Elizabeth O'Connor. Releases May 7, 2024 by Pantheon.

"A stunning debut from an award-winning writer, about loss, isolation, folklore, and the joy and dissonance of finding oneself by exploring life outside one’s community"

Another Indie Next Pick for May.

The Limits by Nell Freudenberger. Releases April 9, 2024 by Knopf.

"The most thrilling work yet from the best-selling, prize-winning author of The Newlyweds and Lost and Wanted , a stunning new novel set in French Polynesia and New York City about three characters who undergo massive transformations over the course of a single year."

Romance

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman. Releases April 16, 2024 by Berkley.

"Just when she thought she’d gotten far enough away . . . a life-changing phone call throws an antisocial scientist back into her least favorite place—the spotlight. A hilarious and insightful new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill."

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields. Releases May 14, 2024 by Redhook.

"The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all."

Funny Story by Emily Henry. Releases April 23, 2024 by Berkley.

"A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common."

This might be a longshot, but Emily Henry would be a big get for Aardvark. They had Ali Hazelwood's latest in February, so we'll see if they get another big-name romance writer's newest release. This is an Indie Next Pick for May.

Historical

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton. Releases April 2, 2024 by Berkley.

"As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel."

A gothic historical novel that sounds like something Aardvark would be interested in carrying.

Thorn Tree by Max Ludington. Releases April 16, 2024 by St. Martin's Press.

"Terrifically vivid…Remarkable." --The New York Times Book Review: A beautifully wrought novel on the aftershocks of the heady but dangerous late 1960s and the relationship between trauma and the creative impulse."

Clear by Carys Davies. Releases April 2, 2024, by Scribner.

“A stunning, exquisite novel from an award-winning writer about a minister dispatched to a remote island off of Scotland to “clear” the last remaining inhabitant, who has no intention of leaving—an unforgettable tale of resilience, change, and hope.”

This was on my list last month and I think it may also be a possibility for this month. This is an Indie Next Pick for April.

Horror / Gothic

⭐️ Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina. Releases April 16, 2024 by Berkley.

"All Noemi Broussard wanted was a fresh start. With a new boyfriend who actually treats her right and a plan to move from the reservation she grew up on—just like her beloved Uncle Louie before her—things are finally looking up for her. Until the news of her boyfriend’s apparent suicide brings her world crumbling down. But the facts about Roddy’s death just don’t add up, and Noemi isn’t the only one who suspects something menacing might be lurking within their tribal lands."

⭐️ The Garden by Clare Beams. Releases April 9, 2024 by Doubleday.

"The discovery of a secret garden with unknown powers fuels this page-turning and psychologically thrilling tale of women desperate to become mothers and the ways the female body has always been policed and manipulated, from the award-winning author of The Illness Lesson."

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry. Releases May 14, 2024 by Berkley.

"A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets."

Thriller / Mystery

⭐️✨ You Know What You Did by K. T. Nguyen. Releases April 16, 2024 by Dutton.

"In this heart-pounding debut thriller for fans of Lisa Jewell and Celeste Ng, a first-generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares past and present"

Aardvark's monthly Early Spoiler may hint to this one.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton. Releases May 21, 2024 by Sourcebooks Landmark.

"From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution."

This is probably more likely to be a pick for June, but I'll list it here in case Aardvark gets an early release. I really think this could be possible since it is a blend of several genres and has a lot of buzz surronding it!

Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett. Releases April 30, 2024 by Mulholland Books.

"A "propulsive page-turner" (Alyssa Cole) and "thriller not to be missed" (Michael Connelly) from the award-winning author of Like a Sister, in which a woman thinks she’s waking up to a romantic vacation—only to find a body in her rental home and her boyfriend gone."

Science Fiction

Loneliness & Company by Charlee Dyroff. Releases May 7, 2024 by Bloomsbury Publishing.

"A timely, beautifully observed debut novel set in near future New York about a young woman who finds herself tangled in a secret government project combating loneliness."

A literary science fiction which Aardvark seems to love.

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger. Releases April 2, 2024, by Grove Press.

“Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of Rainy, an aspiring musician setting sail on Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. An endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, he seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea.”

A dystopian science-fiction that is an Indie Next Pick for April (and another that I had on my list last month). This sounds like the exact kind of thought-provoking speculative fiction that Aardvark often picks.

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes. Releases April 9, 2024 by Tor Nightfire.

"A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence."

Fantasy / Magical Realism

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall. Releases April 25, 2024 by Orbit.

"Dive into the curious correspondence of Sylvie Cathrall’s delightful debut novel, A Letter to the Luminous Deep. A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other."

An indie next pick for May.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez. Releases April 2, 2024, by Algonquin Books.

“Literary icon Julia Alvarez returns with an inventive and emotional novel about storytelling itself that will be an instant classic.”

This is another that was on my list last month and is also another Indie Next Pick for April.

#aardvark book club #book box predictions #books

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willowhaired · 6 months

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Secrets - Chapter 2: Moon calendar

Remus Lupin × Adrienne Macmillan

Summary: Adrienne Macmillan is a Slytherin student in Hogwarts, who gets curious about his fellow classmate's, Remus Lupin's scars. Upon finding out their meaning, what will she do with this secret and the feelings she begins to feel towards the boy?

Word count: 1,782

Keywords: Marauders-era, Remus Lupin x Slytherin girlfriend, secret relationship

Trigger warnings: scars, "hate speech"

Author's note: To be honest, this might be the last work I post; recently I've been having a hard time and I even considered deleting my account. So we'll see how that goes. If anything happens and I disappear this story might be continued on AO3. Sorry for the ranty rant, hope you'll enjoy this next chapter!

Previous chapter: A rainy day

Taglist: @errruvande

The very same night Adrienne returned with her friends to the dark, green-toned common room after dinner. She spread her books on the floor and settled down herself. 'Don't tell me you are going to do homework still,' Rachel sighed. 'It's this Divination crap… Don't worry, I'll be done quickly.' 'I'm curious what Professor Trelawney meant by those transits in your chart,' Chloe said as Ada flipped to the back of her book to the moon calendars of the year. 'Probably nothing,' Ada rolled her eyes. 'Remember how she predicted Anderson to be dead by the end of last semester? Seems to be in perfect health to me.' 'I was kinda hoping for it,' her strawberry blonde friend scoffed, and the three girls chuckled. Anderson was clinging constantly to Rachel's boyfriend; not that it mattered, for Rachel was a lot prettier, and, if nothing else, "exotic". 'Still,' Chloe pressed on. 'Astrology is a lot more exact branch.' 'I'll look into these moon phases then,' Ada joked and pointed one out at random. 'Oh, it says I shouldn't go to high places next week, cause Mars makes a challenging aspect to the Moon and I'm more likely to fall. I guess that rules out the ladder to Divination class.' Rachel laughed and Chloe threw a pillow to Ada's head. 'Just get your homework done quick, I want to tell you about Lucius.'

However, Ada found it difficult to focus. The murmured conversation of her friends, and the splashes against the underwater window, which were usually soothing, now annoyed her. The water reminded her of the rain that ruined her notes; she pulled it from her pocket and smoothed the parchment on the floor. She was replaying the Divination professor's words in her mind, the woman's big glasses, the heavy fumes of sage, the twinkle of her many and long necklaces. 'The 25th of February, my dear, the 25th of February,' Trelawney egged her on and Ada had to shake her head to wake from her stupor. With every word she wrote on the parchment, the same date flashed before her eyes and she couldn't figure out why - she checked on the moon calendar. It was a day after the full moon but of no importance to her. Then, she glanced at the notes next to her homework: still a blotchy mess, but almost clearly, the 25th of February was there.

Ada pulled the notes closer and ran her fingers across it. Now, under the warm light of the fireplace it was clear that, though the ink itself ran across the paper like many tiny spider legs, her writing left indentations into it. It was a terrible habit of hers, pressing the quill into the parchment with such force it carved into the page - not only did it make quill purchases more frequent, but also rendered any eraser spell ineffective for her.

Finally, it played into her hand.

February 25, the date that was nagging at her, was marked as one of the days Remus turned up to class with new scars. Half-heartedly, Ada checked the dates against the moon calendar. There were some days when he appeared sick and others when he missed class and stayed at the hospital wing. Huh, what are the chances, a boy syncing up with the Moon?

A boy syncing up with the full moon.

Blood flushed from her body. Surely it was a coincidence. They wouldn't let…

'I've gotta check something out in the library,' Ada jolted up, swiping her books and papers into her arms. 'What?' Rachel sounded like she had a very bad cold. 'It's late, the library is almost closed,' Chloe reasoned, but her friend was already out the door.

'Please,' begged the brunette later to the librarian. 'I have a very important essay tomorrow.' The librarian, although with her mouth pulled to the side, allowed her in, if she'd be quick. Ada didn't have to be told twice: she pulled a few volumes about magical creatures not to make it too obvious. On her way back, she steadied herself. After all, she couldn't be sure. Lupin was a quiet kid, nice, even. He can't be a bloodthirsty werewolf.

She snuck into an empty classroom and got to reading. Her own reassurance dissipated with every page she flipped, leaving no doubt when she finished all her books.

She pushed the last dusty volume close and stared into the dark classroom. The moon was waning, casting a pale veil of light on the desks. Ada turned her Lumos spell off without saying a word (she used it so often to read or study after her friends went to bed, she needed no incantation).

During the first month or so, she devoured every book that was available in the library about werewolves. She learned of the signs, of the condition, the history, and the remedies - she'd read how vicious and dangerous these people can be, but she couldn't help thinking how unfitting it was to her classmate.

She kept this discovery to herself, although everything afterwards proved her assumption to be right. A few days after the next full moon, Lupin finally returned to class after a few days of "being ill". He was still slimmer and his face sickly, with dark circles under his eyes. He just about fished out a niffler from Ada's hair (it was trying to steal her earrings) when she noticed, that, however healed they seemed, there were new scars on the boy's otherwise delicate hands. It puzzled her; why would he always get new scars - she couldn't tell, why, but she felt a pang in her chest.

A year had passed and Adrienne made no mention of this to anyone - although being close to Remus or seeing him left her with an uneasy feeling she couldn't quite explain. She tried to chalk it up to fear. It made sense with how her heart was racing every time the boy caught her staring at him, or how she trembled ever so slightly when they had to work together during a lesson. It did not, however, explain why she always hoped to bump into him.

Well, her wish was soon granted.

They were headed towards the Great Hall after a long session at the library. Chloe was in the midst of an animated retelling of a dragon sighting around the Hebrides as they descended the staircase, when Ada spotted the Marauders, as the four boys (James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus) liked to refer to themselves, around the end of it. She half-registered the boys being there when her friend turned to her: 'What do you think, Ada? Are there still Hebridean Blacks left in Scotland?' Adrienne felt her foot stuck - she forgot about the enchanted step and her left foot was now swallowed by it. By reflex, she tugged on it, only to then be sent flying ahead the last few steps. She tried to grab onto the handrail, but her hand slipped on the smooth marble as if to hasten her fall. She braced herself for the inevitable impact, yet she felt two hands on her waist, and her upper arms, instead of the cold, hard floor, were stopped by someone's chest.

She carefully looked up but forgot all about her absolute humiliation when she saw Remus' face. It was in terrible shape, with a long scar stretching across his face and his eyes were still red. 'What happened to you…?' She blurted out, but, feeling the disapproval of her friends burning her sides, she adjusted her robe and added: '…freak.' Remus' surprised expression turned to a frown, but it was Sirius who jumped between the two of them: 'What did you say?' 'Khm, what, Black, are you deaf?' Ada did not want to repeat that word. It just felt… Wrong. 'I can make you to be,' the boy aimed his wand at her without missing a beat and Adrienne pulled out hers in return. All the students around them took a step back in shock (and unconcealed anticipation). Upon this, James also joined to support his friend. 'I wouldn't go around saying things like that if I were you.' 'Hey,' Chloe stepped to Ada's side and grabbed her shoulders. 'Cut it out, you two.' 'Take it easy, Avory, or you're gonna be next,' Sirius' grey eyes were burning. If looks could kill… 'What is the meaning of this?' Came the stern, croaky voice of McGonagall from the other end of the hallway. She hurried to the scene to dispel the onlookers (unsuccessfully). 'Black, Potter! Why is it always you two? Miss Macmillan!' 'Professor she stated it!' Claimed James. 'This is unacceptable! Lower your wands, all of you! Five points from Gryffindor and Slytherin and all of you get detention.' 'What? It's not fair!' Even Pettigrew joined in the commotion of pleas: 'But she was calling Remus…' 'Professor this is outrageous!' 'Yes, she should definitely…' 'Silence!' McGonagall said gravely. 'I don't want to hear about it. Potter, Black, in my office. Miss Macmillan, go to Professor Slughorn's office, and don't try to sneak off. I will get his account after dinner.'

Adrienne felt horrible as she walked away from the scene, even more so as she caught a glimpse of Lupin. He seemed down and would never look towards her again.

Her friends waited for her when she emerged from Slughorn's office after a detention was assigned to her. 'Miss Macmillan, I'm very disappointed in you!' Slughorn had said just minutes before, and he was baffled, especially once he heard the full tale from McGonagall. He did not go easy on her - he hoped to discourage one of his finest students from ever acting out like this. Without any background knowledge, it seemed disproportionate and her friends weren't shy to point that out: 'Are you serious? Cleaning the hippogriff stables for a week?' Chloe asked angrily. 'For calling that freak what he is?' 'Sush,' Ada gestured with her hands. 'Don't make it worse.' 'Serves him right with all those scars. He looks hideous,' Rachel added with a giggle. 'Rachel!' the brunette scolded her friend. 'What? You're already converted to freaks without starting detention?' She giggled with Chloe but Adrienne did not feel like laughing. How could she tell her friends that mentioning "freak" every time caused her shame and that she did in fact think that she deserved her detention? That she did kind of find Lupin's scars cute and him avoiding her after this incident hurt more than shovelling hippogriff poop for a week?

Part of these, she learnt later, but she knew it must be another secret she kept from her friends.

#harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfiction #marauders #marauders fanfiction #marauders era fanfiction #marauders era #remus lupin x oc #young remus lupin #remus lupin #andrew garfield #secrets #slytherin

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lookinggood-livingbetter · 2 years

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Podes responder a todas ?

1. cereal for sure

2. jupiter

3. compliments about my work

4. spotify, tumblr, watching videos on youtube, series

5. mint

6. sunsets way prettier

7. tripas idk how to translate that

8. oh im obsessed with board games, i love them all but maybe monopoly, scrabble and quizzes

9. hibiscus and green tea

10. oh god they were light green and im the one that chose them, that was my fav color at the time

11. biology/science and history

12. amsterdam

13. keyboard and mouse, i like typing

14. backpack maybe

15. shrink

16. going to a cinema for the first time

17. any pretty island

18. "be happy" x3 whatever happiness stands for, this has been my wish in every ocasion as new year's wishes or birthday's wishes since i can remember

19. maybe Tris from divergent cause i see myself pretty fearless and always up to try new things and im also very stubborn and always go through whatever to reach my goals, i also have this toxic trait where i have to be the best in everything and every situation in my life and i can see this in her too

20. acting maybe, i've never done it in my life but i can express my emotions pretty well and i can feel other's pain too so i think i would be able to relate with my character and do an amazing job, or not guess we'll never know

21. when i was young i was a huge fan of one direction. my second name is Filipa. im a huge fan of linkin park.

22. i dont have enough knowledge on this topic but please choose one and do it

22. a7x

23. park maybe

24. really dont feel like sharing this one

25. if it all goes wrong, darling just hold on

26. chester

27. at the moment lilac but i also love neutral colors in general

28. the one i appreciate the most is heavy mental but i enjoy literally every type of music

29. oh god too much, i would say 45 min

30. i dont do fiction, it was probably an education book on cardiac echocardiogram

31. sexy bitch

32. pretty little liars (rewatched) / purple hearts

33. @my-0wn-feel1ngs

34. pasta all the wayyyy

35. europe interrail

36. so many, i wanna travel the world baby

37. vigo, spain

38. spain

39. buzz junior on playstation 2

40. i enjoy all sports to be honest so, acrobatic gymnastics, volleyball and basket may be my top 3

41. the sims, is also the only one that i play so

42. now you see me 1

43. snickers and kinder bueno

44. i love em all but french toast

45. her soup is the best and white rice, i usually dont eat white rice i dont appreciate it but her's i do eat

46. i would say january, i like fresh starts

47. fall for sure, i love rainy days and the wind since i was a little kid

48. frost

49. im so a dresses girl, i think its my brand

50. its depends, high heels 35 and sneakers 36

51. dylan o'brien / nina dobrev

52. Favorite artist

53. im ok, thank you

54. halloween and christmas, cant decide

55. june

56. inês

57. gotta go with spiders cause they dont bother me

58. be in the picture even tho im pretty good at taking

59. cats and butterflies

60. i was dancing (working)

61. check my phone

62. lettuce and avocato (im not sure if it counts as a vegetable)

63. strawberries

64. savory always

65. in a parade dressed as a ledlight butterfly

66. im not committed to any one in particular but i always give something when someone ask me, just cant say no

67. all family together

68. chicken, lettuce, avocato, fried egg and just a little bit of mustard

69. not really

70. pizza caprese

71. i was really afraid when i was young but nowadays im more comfortable with it

72. no

73. i really like my lips, my hair, my waist and my ass, thats my top 4

74. water

75. white

76. bitter

77. salty

78. spicy

79. water

80. apple but only the green ones

81. cat for sure, i have a terrible dog phobia

82. skiing, id love to try that

83. coat

84. hood

85. car

86. Bus or on foot?

87. yes a calendar that its also a diary

88. @my-0wn-feel1ngs

89. cards, i love playing cards and im actually good at it

90. board game always

91. pen

92. i hate it

93. by hand

94. through speakers in home

95. pasta obviously

96. alcoholic: gin; non alcoholic: lemonade

97. no coffee at all for me

98. without sugar

99. the vampire diaries will always have my heart

100. i really dont like jeans so im gonna say tracksuits even tho i dont wear them outside my house

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withcreamandsugar · 2 years

Text

Stray | SeolA

🚬details: (M) reader mending a broken SeolA

🚬word count: ~3k

🚬a/n: hihi!! remember how i promised i wouldn't be gone long lmAO i swear my writing process is literally just a burst of h*rny energy every few months i'm so sorry. anyways i hope you enjoy this one, i've been hyperbolic time chamber training my writing (cringe) and i hope it shows. without further adieu...

*flick... flick... kshh..."

Rotting wood and melted plastic. Something else... maybe a hint of old leather boot? You had a faint idea as to what cigarettes tasted like just from the smell, but tasting it for yourself left an unbelievably foul bitterness in the back of your throat. You watch as the burning edge smolders on, a single ticking fuse out of the 20 in the pack in your pocket. Halfway ash at this point, you go in for another puff.

Ah, you got it. The haze of a boys locker room.

You stumble to the trash can to put it out, eager to replace the taste in your mouth with, say, old malt liquor or urine. You toss the pack of cigarettes into the trash, crashing into it's walls with a loud bang. A muffled yelp comes from behind it. Curious, you walk around to see a woman sitting down with her arms wrapped around her knees. She looks up at you, dried mascara stained, streamed down the side of her face. Her lip quivers.

"Are... are you alright?" you bend down on one knee out of sympathy, eliciting another jolt from the girl. "It's alright, it's alright..." Bruises paint her arms, her legs, there isn't an inch of skin uncovered. You notice she's shivering. You take your jacket off. It's tattered, probably needs a wash or two, but it's better than the sheer one piece she had that probably wasn't middle of winter appropriate.

You carefully hand the jacket over, but she doesn't reach for it. She didn't jump this time, which was a win in your book. "Well," you slowly take a seat, jacket in hand, next to the woman. "I'm not wearing the jacket. So I guess we'll both freeze." No response. "C'mon, before you freeze to dea-"

"Smoke. You smell like smoke."

She had a warm voice, warmer than any jacket could muster.

"S-sorry. I don't usually, I just wanted to try tonight."

She takes one look at the jacket, then at you. She pensively reaches for the jacket, and drapes it over her shoulders.

"I hate smoke," she mutters.

"Me too."

The two of you sit in silence for a while. You didn't know if it was helping her, but you stayed anyway just in case. Her stomach rumbles, and she looks up in an embarrassed panic.

"When was the last time you've eaten?"

"...one or two...

days."

Fuck.

You stand up and dust the grime off the butt of your jeans. "You like chicken?"

"H-huh?"

"Fried chicken. There's a place I've been dying to try down the street. I'm headed straight there, I'm starving."

"Your jacket-"

"It's coming too." You hold your hand out to help her up. She doesn't take it, but she begins to follow your lead.

"Right. 24 piece bucket here we come..."

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You watch as the dainty girl in front of you scarfs down piece after piece of chicken, picking the bones and licking her fingers clean as she goes like a machine. You've had 2, she's had 15.

You exaggeratedly pat your stomach. "I-I'm stuffed, would you like the rest?"

She eyes the rest of the chicken, then you. She shyly bows her head in thanks, and slides the box in front of her.

You reach into your pocket for your wallet. She looks down in dismay. "I-I'll pay it back. In full- no, more."

"Mhm." You pull a $20 out of your wallet, leaving it about as empty as the box of chicken in front of you. "Worry about getting full first. Where're you going after this? Got a place to stay?"

"Um, I'll find someplace..."

"The street doesn't count. Listen...I've got a reaaaally comfy couch in my living room... tuscan leather! Well, just regular old leather. But it's yours if you want it."

"I couldn't."

"It's either that or I book you a hotel. Your choice." The woman eyes your already thin wallet.

"I... I promise I won't stay long."

During your short convo she had finished off the chicken and started cleaning up the crumbs at the bottom of the box. You take the box away from her. "C'mon, I've got leftover ramen in the fridge."

"But I was eating that..."

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

You open the door to your rather tiny studio apartment, dirty clothes littered the floor and trash piled up on the kitchen counter. You panic a little at the sight.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting guests. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable while I clean."

"The least I could do is help." The first thing she picks up is a single dirty sock.

You rush over to take it from her, stumbling over a pizza box in the process. "D-don't worry about it, I got it. Uh... you probably wanna shower. The door to your right. Help yourself to anything in my closet, I don't mind."

You speed up the cleaning, hoping no more erotic landmines lay bare on your living room floor. A voice calls out from the hallway. " I-Is this okay?" The woman pops out holding one of your white T-shirts and a pair of shorts. "It'll be a tad big, but I'm afraid everything will. Go for it."

You finish cleaning about 30 minutes into the girl's shower; the place hasn't looked better since you moved in. You hear the shower shut off as you plop down on the couch, a job well done. You turn on the TV, hoping to find something that'll pique the girl's interest. You find it's a bit hard to appeal to the tastes of a stranger. Romance movie, no, that's awkward... horror slasher, god no, the girl's spooked as is... you settle for music. You put on your favorite Jazz album, Stoneflower by Antônio Carlos Jobim, as the bathroom door opens. Without taking your eyes off the screen, you ask, "so how'd the clothes fit?"

The T-shirt and shorts plop down at your feet, thrown by the girl. Your eyes dart towards her, hair still damp and body only concealed by a towel wrapped around her waist. She lets go of the towel, revealing her tight, toned body, her supple breasts, and hips satisfyingly thick.

"I can't pay you back now... but in the meantime..."

Your eyes wandered her from tip to toe - a slight blush on her cheeks, her arms trying to cover her breasts but failing, maybe intentionally, her toned abs despite her lithe physique, her... bruises. All over her arms and legs. Too many to count. You couldn't.

"No."

"H-huh?"

You pick up the shirt and shorts and place them in her hands. You pat the seat next to you as you return to yours. "Get dressed and sit down, this man is about to blow your mind with trumpet alone."

"B-but-"

"You heard me. Quick, quick! You're about to miss the solo!"

Some time passes, with the two of you sitting on the couch, just enjoying the ambiance. At the end of the album you stand and clap jokingly. "A masterclass in bossa nova. We didn't deserve Jobim. How'd you like-"

You look to the girl to see her fast asleep, curled into a ball on her side of the couch. Guess only you could enjoy fine art. You reach into your closet to find a spare blanket, draping it over her and turning in for the night.

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

You crack a couple eggs into the medium hot pan, sprinkling some salt and pepper right when the yolk begins to denature. Another sunny side egg from the gods, as you like to call it. You didn't really know how to cook anything else, but you had eggs down to a science. It was all you could afford, anyways. It seems breakfast had woken up the girl for you, who's head darted up at the scent.

"G'mornin. Breakfast'll be ready in a bit. Mind grabbing the leftover rice from the fridge?"

The girl yawns and groggily rubs her eyes awake. Cute.

"I have to go to work soon, so I won't be eating with you, unfortunately. What do you want for dinner?"

"I'll be off soon you don't have to-"

"What. Do you want. For dinner?" you repeat gently with a smile.

"...beef. Grilled beef."

"Noted." You grab the jacket she was wearing last night and begin to head out. "Watch the house for me, uh..."

"Seola." she says without hesitation.

"Watch the house for me, Seola."

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

You exit the grocery store, 2 pounds of sliced beef in hand. It was your 11th grocery trip that month for brisket. You were getting a bit tired of it, but Seola wasn't and that's all that mattered.

You shake the bags in your hand as you open the door to your apartment. No response. Strange, considering the sound of grocery bags sent her running to the dinner table eager to dig in.

"Seola?" you whisper as you gently knock and peek into your bathroom. Not there.

"Mm." You hear a voice come from your bedroom. It wasn't the first time she's been in there; you caught her once trying to clean one day as "payment" again. You had rushed her out before she found something of your "manhood" in there.

"Seola I told you not to-"

You open the door to find Seola on the floor resting against your bed, nipples protruding out from your borrowed shirt, your borrowed shorts drooped to the floor around her ankles, her hand sandwiched between her legs, and a pair of your unwashed underwear held to her face with her other hand. Seola's eyes widened at your sudden entrance, quickly hiding your undergarments behind her and closing her legs together.

"I didn't- I wasn't- It's not what it looks like..." Seola's face went beet red.

You walk over to Seola and crouch down, not knowing what to do with the briefs-stealer in front of you.

"...lemme see your hands," you say, after a short awkward silence.

Seola hesitates for a moment, thinking she knew what you were looking for. She sheepishly offers up the tidy-whities, avoiding eye contact as she did.

You scoff, grabbing them and tossing them off to the side. You hold her hand instead, interlocking her fingers with yours. You stroke her forearms, now free from any sign of bruising.

"You've... We've come a long way, stray. I, uh... feel the same way...but... I wanna take things slow. For your sake."

Seola places her free hand on your cheek. You couldn't tell who's, but someone's heart was pounding out of their chest, loud enough to hear. You move to plant a kiss on Seola's awaiting lips. Your passionate, aggressive kisses are stark contrasts to Seola's gentle, reciprocal kisses. You had to stop yourself as Seola places a hand on your chest to take a breather. She nods, reassuring what you were doing was okay. Seola takes ahold of your hand and moves it between her legs, her folds scorchingly hot to the touch. A gasp escapes her lips, your hands were still cold from the weather outside. Her legs clamp around your hand, slowly reinvigorating the warmth in your hands.

You part her legs with your newly warm hand, as you move to position yourself face to face with Seola's inviting slit. You plant dozens of kisses, along Seola's inner thigh, above her pelvic bone, dangerously close to her vulva, before finally landing one final one on the tip of her rose bud - sending waves of electricity all across her body and eliciting a yelp from the overstimulated girl.

You snap out of your aroused trance and look Seola in the eyes.

"Everything okay?"

"J-just too much at once is all. But... I don't hate it..." Seola cups your cheek again with her hand. "I'll let you know if I want to stop so... keep going..."

You sit up and begin to lift Seola's shirt off as she reaches for your belt buckle. The two of you fiddle around in blind enthusiasm, a deep haze washing over the two of you making it hard to even think. You pull your own pants off as Seola watches intently, eyes locked on to the bulge in your briefs. You sit still for a while as Seola does the same, admiring each others bare bodies.

You break the standoff by pushing Seola down against your bed, kissing her more aggressively than ever before. You move to her neck, sucking as hard as you can, desperate to form hickeys, replacing her bruises with ones of love, of lust. Seola moans directly into your ear, a siren's song taking over your conscious. Her fingers trace the back of your neck, making their way upwards to run through the back of your hair. You pull back for a moment to purvey your next fare. Your eyes lock onto Seola's nipples, homing onto one with the cusp of your mouth. You suck, hard.

"AH!~"

Your eyes look up, still vacuumed to her breast. She bites her lip and nods.

Green light.

You continue sucking, raising your hand to grasp the unattended breast. Your thumb rubs circles around her areola, the rest of your fingers resting against the side of her breast. You get a little carried away and lose your balance, causing you to stumble a bit. For stability you move your knee closer to Seola's crotch, heat emanating, almost burning your leg. Seola slides down slightly, enough so that her soaked underwear makes contact with your knee. She grinds. Up and down, at a sedated pace. You feel her steamy slickness, almost as if she wasn't wearing any underwear. Another moan lets loose from the girl's lips.

"Mnhh... fuck..."

You unhinge from her nipple, now as red as her cheeks. "Didn't know you had a sailor's tongue, stray."

Seola weakly grasps your cheek, looking into your eyes. "Shut up..."

She looks away shyly, visibly steeling her self to say: "...and fuck me..."

Green. Green all the way.

You pull your aching cock through the hole in your boxers, seemingly putting Seola in a trance as her gaze locks onto it. You snap her out of it by pulling her chin in for one more kiss, before beginning to rub against her slit with your entire length, the two of you sharing each other's smolderingly hot erotic cores. Her breaths turn from deep, heavy sighs to shallow, more shaky breaths, the pleasure almost too much to handle.

For you too; you can't hold back anymore. Slick with precum and Seola's nectar, you position yourself to finally enter the source of her wetness. Your member begins to pervade Seola's walls, an indescribable tightness encapsulating your cock, your lower body, your entire brain, slowly inching your way forward until you have nothing left to give.

You lay still, fearing that any more movement could send you over the edge. Seola notices the strained expression on your face, and doesn't care. She pushes you down to the floor, a deep want on her face. She lifts herself up, a vacuum trying to milk you dry, and crashes down with her entire body weight, breaking your resolve.

Seola tries to brace for impact, her eyes clamped shut and a hand over her mouth. But to no avail. A pressure with the force of a nuclear bomb erupts from your cock inside of Seola, flooding her with seed with every pulse. Seola collapses midway, her cheek face down on your chest as a deep guttural moan escapes her throat. Your cock continues pumping, a seemingly endless stream of semen bursting from your dam.

The two of you lay breathy, still connected, not a single thought being able to be formed between the two of you other than, "Fuck."

Seola pushes herself up against your chest, an erotic drunkenness making her stumble a bit before sitting up. "Fuck. More." She rises, a thundershock rippling through you from the sensitivity. Seola lowers herself again, buckling her knees, too shaky to even continue. She collapses against your chest again. She mutters, motionless, "More...more..."

You pull energy from every last reserve from your body to hoist the girl up and plop her onto your bed. You've given this girl everything she's wanted, now's not the time to stop. You push past your hypersensitivity and slide into her once more, and again, and again, each thrust a devastatingly lustful gut punch that sends your instincts into overdrive. Her walls, now slick with cum, convulse and contort around you, signaling to you once more what she wants. You look into her eyes, glazed over in pleasure, as you lean down and kiss her one last time, sending you over the edge as you pump the last of your reserve, every last drop, into her needy pussy.

You pull out and collapse next to Seola, not a single inch of your body able to be moved. You feel Seola place her hand over yours, taking every bit of her energy even just to gently squeeze. You reciprocate with every bit of yours.

————————————————————————————

You wake up, after god knows how long. Seola's cuddled up to your chest, almost purring with content after the night before. You pet the back of her head, wondering what you did in a past life to be this lucky. Seola groggily nuzzles up to your chest, not wanting to let go.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." You assure her.

"Mm." Seola groans and grips you tighter, despite the affirmation.

"I fucking love you."

"Love you too. Sailor." Seola whispers, as she drifts off back to sleep.

#wjsn smut #seola smut #kpop fanfic #kpop smut #male reader

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