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abigail-nicole · 2 years

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tgcf livetweet

“when the people said you were a god, you were a god. If the people said you were shit, then you were shit.” This is delightful

I read TGCF in spring of 2020, sitting on my porch roof amongst blooming dogwood trees, and it was the most pleasant experience reading a book I may have ever had. I livetweeted and since twitter seems to be barrelling towards self destruction I am archiving the live-tweet here.

this book is hilarious and I am 2 seconds in

“Body in the abyss, heart in paradise” is a cool phrase in translation but I bet the chengyu is better

what say a good crown price you have there—would be a shame if SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO HIM

Crown Prince Is A Total Himbo

“when the people said you were a god, you were a god. If the people said you were shit, then you were shit.” This is delightful

“Blood Rain Reaching Towards A Flower” is a metal af name

I fell asleep during my reading time last night but: team XIE LIAN IS A HIMBO & I’m waiting to be proven wrong about this

this book is funny & xie lian is peak Dumb Baby

xie lian + wei wuxian = forgetting everyone’s names

Xie Lian gets sassy

I love Ruoye. almost as much as the butterfly baby

I too want to be with the woman holding a knife to my throat

PUTTING UP AN UMBRELLA TO PROTECT XIE LIAN FROM THE RAIN OF BLOOD IN THE CORPSE FOREST IS SO ROMANTIC

Wait this is way too early in this very long book for me to have feels about Xuan Ji & Pei Ling

magine if your favorite scarf was also a pet and friend & that’s Ruoye, my new favorite magical accessory

I’m pretty immune to body horror & the Human Face Plague is Not Cool Not Cool Not Cool

Oh Xie Lian was about due for a Himbo moment huh

ten thousand withered bones

OUR LOVE INTEREST IS FIRST NAMED! WE LOVE HIM ALREADY

Among the Four Calamities and Four Famous Tales...there are NATURAL pairings here

But we love every one of His facets, our Demon Lord, Hua Cheng

OF COURSE Hua Cheng lives in a volcano city. I have met him once for three pages & I already know he Respects Aesthetics

Xie Lian sighs, contended, proud of his Demon Crush

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT XIE LIAN WOULD HAVE DONE IF HE COULD NO WONDER HIS CRUSH IS SO STRONG

Xie Lian, after hearing eight pages of description of how everyone is scared of Hua Cheng: mmmm sexy

Ok i got really into this part and fffff i have to be at work in 6 hours. Ch 13 later with more Himbo Xie Lian & Lonely Yet Too Smart For The Room Hua Cheng

Xie Lian....the Himbo who got kicked out in 15 minutes for calling out eerybody.....Hua Cheng who is so fed up he was like “fuck it im out ANd im better than all of u”........energy

Xie Lian replying to all in the email chain & everyone like SHUT UP BOOMER

Xie Lian just wants to be debt free. Millennials would worship at his shrine

Xie Lian eating trash. Man mxtx really loves to drag this guy

I love their dappled sunlit ride in a haywagon together #romance wait what’s their hashtag what’s the wangxian of #TGCF (it’s #hualian)

oh no Hua Cheng is Soft crying emojis

I would apologize but I’m loving my Exquisitely Slow Stop-Every-Page Livetweet read of #TGCF lets appreciate these soft gays

LOVE! SOFT GAYS!

God their dynamic is so sweet and Soft

Scaring away the ghosts for your crush and then telling him “no you did it” #justHuaChengthings

Xie Lian renowned himbo tries to flirt & be smooth

AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED

san lang i love u

Omg these gay babies

gay BABIES who go STARGAZING TOGETHER

(3/26/20) reading tgcf at work is the most enjoyable day I’ve had at work all week and NO ONE GOT STABBED TWENTY TIMES, UNLIKE YESTERDAY

Xie Lian giving up his hat......so soft..... Hualian standing shoulder to shoulder staring at the stars.......soft

Omg Hua Cheng breaking the sword in the sheath....the inexpert power dynamics of Nan Feng & Fuyao trying to trick him & failing....Xie Lian couldnt dissemble if his life depended on it....it’s Good Fucking Food

“WHO THE FUCK DECIDED THAT MY BOYFRIEND SHOULD GET SNAKE BIT IM REAL OVER Y’ALL” -Hua Cheng, probably

Xie “I’d rather die than risk the possibility of my boyfriend getting snake bite” Lian

they’re moving real fast huh

This person buried in the mud who became a demon is also v creepy there’s a lot of creepy stuff in this book!!!

from one demon to another, bro—

XL: I’ve known San Lang for two days and if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself

Even the Pet-Weapon-Fashion Accessory Ruoye ships them

OH MY GOD HE KILLED EVERY DEMON IN THE PIT I

THATS GODDAMN ROMANCE

Murder pit?? But i wanna see my boyfriends new body

Murder pit? 4/10. My hot “friend” 8/10

Okay i did NOT see this twist coming

Lolololol #hualian

Substantial Boyfriend Himbo move by Xie Lian here

incoherent screaming FLOWER UNDER THE UMBRELLA IN THE BLOOD RAIN

Nan Feng: STOP HAVING A ROMANCE ITS MAKING ME FEEL ICKY

incohereNT SCREAMING HUALIAN

Archive note: for interest, this is where season one of the Heaven Official Blessing donghua stopped!

continued in part 2.

#tgcf #tgcf liveread

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clare-with-no-i · 2 years

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clare would you recommend watching outlander??

...kinda!

with Outlander, you have to be a) an enjoyer of romance shows, b) an enjoyer of fantasy-adjacent period pieces, c) prepared to buy into a Bunch Of Things, and d) you should read the triggers for the seasons/the episodes, because there is a lot of shit that goes down in that show that is very upsetting and jarring.

I think both Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan (and!! shoutout Tobias Menzies!!) are really phenomenal in the show, so it's fun to see them do some fantastic character work as Claire and Jamie. and I think it does grapple with hashtag historical feminism in a really interesting way, especially given the premise and the fact that the show deals with two eras that look very different insofar as cultural norms. also they're both super hot, so if you're in the market for staring at hot people having very frequent and notably good sex, ding ding ding we have a winner, go with god

…though granted, Diana Gabaldon made some really infuriating writing choices for her characters, and the show follows the books really closely, so there are lots of times where I'm like uuhghghgh god ok here we go, some More Shit™ . but as far as historical romance shows go, it's (to my knowledge) one of the more popular ones still airing, so that must say something!

also, if you watch it based on my recommendation, you have to solemnly swear to me that you'll never go up to a Scottish person and ask them to say "sassenach" or "mo nighean dubh," because sometimes fans of this show will go absolutely buck fucking wild and act like every Scottish person on earth owes them a free performance as Jamie Alexander Malcom something something something Fraser, which is so secondhand embarrassing for me that even typing this out has me like 🥴

god. this is so long. u did not ask for this I'm so sorry.

tl;dr yes but with many stipulations

#ask #anon #this show is sometimes really good and sometimes it makes me want to put my head through a wall

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edwardskhakipants · 2 years

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I'mma need you to stop putting your amazing opinions in the hashtags, I want to reblog them. this world needs more love towards edward 😢😢

Oh! I agree. The world needs more Edward love. All of the characters in the saga can be horrible people if you pick at them for long enough. For whatever reason, Edward doesn't receive the slack the other characters get.

You cannot say those things, bestie, because this gives me the confidence to share my Edward opinions loud and proud, instead of keeping them to the tags where they belong.

But here we go.

The character is much more enjoyable and lovable if you read him as a sweetheart idiot making mistakes for the sake of love rather than the infallible, perfect genius Bella sees him as.

Edward was absolutely right to leave Bella in New Moon. His brother tried to murder her. Besides, he straight up told Bella that he only planned to stay with her as long as it was what was best for her. So, there was never any "gaslighting", either.

Jumping from that point, Edward had no idea he was using Bella's greatest insecurity when he broke up with her. Every time Bella felt insignificant or self-conscious in Twilight, Edward mistook it for fear in Midnight Sun. Also, he revealed in New Moon he was shocked it worked, because he thought Bella would see through such an obvious lie.

Edward is Ace. There is nothing wrong with the fact that he did not want to have sex before Bella. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with the fact that he wanted to wait until after marriage.

Edward is fun! His dry humor is sprinkled throughout the series. He ran through the woods with Bella on his back! He wanted to show off to her while playing baseball! He wanted to throw her a birthday party and shower her with presents! He gave her a motorcycle and a jacket so she could ride with her friend!

The only reason it seemed like Bella has more casual fun with Jacob than she does with Edward is the pacing of the books. Twilight (Edward's book) happened over a few days whereas New Moon (Jacob's book) happened over weeks. Jacob's book simply had more downtime to fill.

Edward is good. Down to his core, he is good. When he makes a mistake, his apologies are earnest and actively he works to do better. He wants the happiest life for those he loves and will sacrifice his own to give it to them.

#I love him your honor #i will do anything to protect his good name

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edendaphne · 3 years

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“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 19

>>Click here to read on Ao3<<

>>Click here to read on Wattpad<<

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CHAPTER 19: ATTACCA

Music glossary: Attacca - "To attack at once"; used as a direction in music at the end of a movement to begin the next without pause

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(Mood music: "The Conversation" - Pearl Django)

Being mere months away from graduating lycée meant that their group of friends didn’t have as many classes together, due to their diverse individual interests and talents. However, they always made sure to make time to hang out after school before their extracurricular activities began.

And thus, Adrien, Nino, and Alya made their way to the classroom where the art club gathered to meet up with Marinette. From there, Adrien would make his way to either fencing lessons or Chinese, depending on the day of the week. Marinette would join him on days when he had Chinese (as she’d become determined to master the language ever since her uncle visited from Shanghai a few years back), Alya would go to her journalism club, and Nino would travel to his part-time internship at the local recording studio.

“–and the backlogs just keep piling up!” Alya spoke as they walked, voice full of vigor and excitement. “I’ve had to recruit yet another mod to help me keep order in the forums! Especially since the Ladyblog has started going international and we’ve had to organize servers in different languages. You wouldn’t believe how crazy it’s gotten in there recently!”

“Dang, babe,” Nino interjected. “Sounds like things are super rough for you right now.”

“Not really, more busy than anything. Especially because I have that big research article due next week, there’s just not enough hours in the day to try to read everything that goes on in there. But I have my mods report to me daily, ‘cause I always like to stay on top of everything that goes on in the chats!”

“What’s gotten everyone so riled up in the Ladyblog lately?” Adrien chimed in. “I don’t recall it being nearly this busy last year.”

The trio entered the art club’s classroom and settled down at the table where Marinette sat, getting her various sketches organized. The art teacher was quite easy going, so they didn’t have to talk in hushed whispers and could come and go as they pleased.

“Well, to be honest, it’s because of Chat Noir,” Alya replied.

Adrien tried to contain his surprise. “R-really? What– uhhh, what do people have to say about him?”

He winced inwardly. He knew he shouldn’t ask. But curiosity got the better of him today. Maybe learning the news through the filter or Alya’s paraphrasing instead of reading the negative comments firsthand would lessen the sting of what people said about him.

Marinette whipped her head around at the mention of his alter ego. “Wait, what about Chat Noir?” she inquired.

“Girl,” Alya replied, her voice filled with renewed exuberance. “You would not believe how much we’ve had to censor and moderate all the inappropriate things people have been saying!”

Adrien flinched in his seat. “Wow… do people really hate him that much?” he asked, trying to conceal the dejection in his voice.

Alya busted out into loud guffaws. “Hate?! Dude, most people don’t hate him; they LOVE him! By ‘inappropriate’ comments, I mean the kinda stuff you wouldn’t want your grandma to catch you reading! There’s a whole giant section dedicated to his new fan club!” she said as she removed her glasses so she could wipe away the tears of laughter.

“WHAT?!” Adrien squawked in confusion, his face feeling hotter than the ovens back at the bakery. “A fan club??”

Marinette burst into uncontrollable snickering. “Has it really gotten that bad?!”

Nino joined in, “Bro! Adrien, I can’t believe you haven’t heard Alya rant about these rabid fans before! They call themselves the ‘Noir Nation’, and the kind of things they’ve been writing would make adult romance authors blush like schoolgirls!”

Alya nodded, thoroughly amused. “And that’s not including all the fanfiction people have been writing.”

“Wait– the WHAT?! There’s fanfiction?!!” Marinette gaped in shock, as if she’d been hit in the face with an enormous pie. “Alya, how come I never knew about this?!”

“Why? You wanna read em? Girl, you’ll get no judgment from me. If you wanna check ‘em out for yourself, just go check under the hashtag ‘Ladynoir’.”

Marinette stammered as her arms flailed in her bewilderment, accidentally knocking her phone off the table and onto the floor, her eyes bigger and rounder than Adrien had ever seen them. “They have a ship name?!” she screeched.

“Just mind the ratings though,” Alya advised. “Some of them can get pretty steamy. You wouldn’t want someone to catch you reading those in public,” she added with a wink.

Marinette continued to sputter incoherently. “NO, I am NOT gonna read it!! It would be different if they were fictional characters, but I could never read fanfiction about real people!”

Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. “Mm-hmm… Sure.”

Marinette’s hands flew to her face, trying to hide how red her entire face had gotten, and released a long squeak that resembled a hamster on helium. As shocked as Adrien was about these rather unexpected news, seeing Marinette’s over-the-top reaction brought a wide grin to his face and he busted out laughing.

He bent over to retrieve Marinette’s phone, since she was too busy being mortified to notice it had fallen to the floor. As he was about to hand it back, the screen lit up and Adrien saw the lockscreen wallpaper: it was the same photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir that he himself had saved earlier that day. He smiled, not exactly sure what to make of it, but finding it adorable that she’d liked the photo enough to set it as her lockscreen.

He tapped her shoulder, waiting for her to respond. She emerged from behind her impromptu hand shield and turned her head, then her eyes widened once again as soon as she saw what Adrien was showing her. She jolted straight up, stiff as a board, and her eyes met his, cheeks turning tomato red. He winked at her, amused about this little secret between them, and handed back her phone without a word.

Marinette accepted it with a meek-sounding, “Thanks,” looking like she wanted to explain the photo, but not able to do so unless she wanted Alya and Nino to find out that she was potentially a… ahem– “Ladynoir” shipper.

Switching the conversation to something else (which Marinette seemed to be eternally grateful for), the group chatted until it became time for them to scatter to their next destinations.

With a wave, Adrien exited the classroom and headed towards fencing practice, one of the few activities he decided to stick with despite not being forced to participate. Fencing, along with Chinese lessons, were not only enjoyable, but were also quite useful. Sadly, he didn’t have access to a piano anymore, so he wasn’t able to pursue that hobby for the time being. Hopefully later down the line, when things had settled down and he’d found his own place to live, he’d be able to finance one.

Thinking about the future had become an exciting pastime instead of an anxiety-inducing one, and it was all thanks to his friends and those he cared about. He smiled as he reached the door to the locker rooms, continuing to daydream of what was to come.

(Mood music: "Recollection 3" - Shirō Sagisu (BLEACH OST, "The Diamond Dust Rebellion")

Adrien finished getting dressed for fencing, his head still blissfully floating in the clouds. He stored his belongings into his assigned locker, shutting it with a loud clang, which echoed through the empty room.

Huh...? Empty?

He swiveled his head around, surprised that there was no one beside him. He stood up and began walking down the large room, peeking down the other locker rows looking for his classmates; but there was nobody.

Where was everyone? There’s no way that every single one of them was running late. Had his lessons been cancelled and he’d somehow missed a text message or email? He began heading back towards his locker to check his phone for any schedule changes.

Before he reached his destination, however, heavy thudding footsteps broke the eerie silence. Adrien whipped his body around to greet whoever they belonged to.

The owner of those footsteps was one of the last people Adrien expected to meet here.

“Gaspard?!”

Adrien stood agape, face to face with his old bodyguard, whom he hadn’t seen in a couple of years; not since he’d resigned and moved out of the country. Nathalie had mentioned that in his resignation letter, Gaspard said that he’d become involved in an overseas business venture involving the market of rare action figures. Nevertheless, Adrien couldn’t help but suspect that his father’s ill temper and poor treatment of their employees was the true reason for his departure.

Adrien’s first reaction was surprise and joy, and he rushed forward to greet and embrace him. However, as he approached and got a better look at the man’s face, Adrien’s mood instantly morphed into confusion and apprehension. There was something odd about his eyes.

Something wasn’t right. Why was Gaspard here? And why now?

He came to a halt about a meter before reaching him. An oppressive weight seemed to press in all around him, and he had to suppress a shiver. “Wait. Gaspard, did–” he gulped, “–did my father send you?”

His old bodyguard did not reply, but took a heavy step towards him. Adrien stepped back.

“Please… I can’t go back. I live somewhere else now, and I’m very happy there. Whatever he told you about the situation, it’s a lie.”

His bodyguard continued to approach him, his stare vacant and unsettling.

Fighting the urge to panic, he pleaded, “You don’t have to do this. If he’s offered you compensation, I can match it; it’ll just take me a bit of time. But we can work something out, right?? For old time’s sake?”

He continued walking backwards until he bumped into something firm, but it wasn’t a wall; it was another person. Before he could turn around, they grabbed him by the shoulders, detaining him and preventing him from running away.

He was about to shout for help when something sharp jabbed him on the side of the neck, injecting a cold liquid. Adrien’s eyes grew wide in terror.

Shit.

Adrien swore as he jerked away, elbowing whoever was behind him and managing to break free. Rubbing at the spot where the syringe had stabbed him, he glanced back to take a look at his other assailant, only to see... another Gaspard?

Why are there two of him??

This was wrong. Gaspard didn’t have a twin; he knew that for a fact. He’d worked for the Agrestes ever since Adrien was a toddler and was too young to even pronounce his name correctly (hence the nickname “Gorille”, which stuck around for years afterwards). Additionally, there was something uncanny, otherworldly, even, about the way these two men looked and moved.

He shook himself out of his stupor. He didn’t have time to contemplate any possible explanations. He had to get out of there fast.

He sprinted towards the exit, but only managed to travel a few paces before he lost his footing and tripped. He fell to the ground hard, almost hitting his head on a nearby bench. As he struggled to get up, he realized that his fingers and toes had already gone numb.

Not good.

Time was running out. Adrenaline coursed through him and, with a grunt, he hefted himself to his feet and scrambled towards the exit, as fast as he could despite a heavy limp. Though his heart was hammering and his legs felt like they were filled with sand, he pushed himself, concentrating on reaching the door.

After taking a few steps, however, he realized that even if he did manage to exit the locker room, the area beyond was an open courtyard. Meaning he wasn’t going to be able to reach someplace safe before getting caught. He had no choice but to transform into Chat Noir, and hopefully Plagg’s powers and strength could help him escape and find somewhere to hide.

He’d scarcely uttered the first syllable in the transformation phrase when he was tackled to the ground. A giant hand swiftly covered his mouth and Adrien felt his hands get bound together with thick zip ties behind his back. A muffled scream of writhing frustration made its way up his throat as his limbs became more and more useless by the second.

No… This can’t be happening! Please, this can’t be how it all ends!

Just when his life had finally gained a semblance of normalcy and he’d found happiness again, it would get ripped away and he would disappear without a trace, leaving everyone to wonder what had happened to him. Leaving his friends to think that Gabriel had pulled him from school and they would never see him again. Leaving Ladybug to wonder if Chat had abandoned her forever. Leaving her to fight Hawkmoth alone. Again.

He couldn’t let that happen. He thrashed and struggled as furiously as he could, fighting the feelings of overwhelming helplessness that threatened to consume him. Nearing despair, he was too distracted to notice Plagg phrasing through the wall, away from the skirmish, in search of the only person who could save him.

(Mood music: "Run" - Ludovico Einaudi)

Marinette fidgeted with her pencil, her feet wiggled and bounced under her desk. She didn’t understand; when she’d arrived at the art club, her head had been filled with inspiration and ideas that she’d been excited to draw and execute. However, at the moment, her mind was filled with noise and disquietude.

Having had enough, she excused herself to visit the restroom. Once she’d walked far enough from the classroom, she opened her purse to talk to Tikki about her current dilemma.

“It’s the same feeling as last night, Tikki! Except that would mean one of three possibilities. Option A.) It’s nothing and I’m going crazy. And— don’t give me that look, Tikki! I can see what you’re thinking and I don’t have time for your cheeky sass right now!” The kwami snickered while Marinette cleared her throat and continued, “Option B.) that Chat is here, at this school, which is impossible because his school’s on the other side of the city, that’s why he always leaves the house super early for his long commute.”

Tikki opened her mouth and looked like she was about to say something, but then didn’t (...or couldn’t?).

Marinette resumed, “Or, C.) that my–– what do I even call it? My ‘Spidey sense’??–– that it’s got a long distance mode, and Chat is all the way across Paris and he’s in trouble! But what am I supposed to do about that from here?! I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking!”

Tikki shrugged. “Follow your instincts, Marinette. There’s no harm in taking a quick look around the school, right?”

Marinette groaned. “UGH! It doesn’t make sense!! Am I going to get interrupted like this all the time from now on?” She shook her head resolutely. “No. I can’t just go off on random field trips every single time I feel a random fit of anxiety. I’m sure it’s just leftover jitters from last night. I’m supposed to call Master Fu after school anyway; he can help me figure everything out. I’m just gonna go back to class and forget about it.”

Tikki frowned, not quite convinced, but deciding not to press further.

Marinette made her way back to the classroom in a frustrated huff. But as her hand reached to turn the handle, the feelings of danger and urgency multiplied tenfold. Without a word, she sprinted away in the opposite direction, not even knowing where she was running to, only knowing she had to get there immediately.

She reached the large common area of the school downstairs. Her head whipped around, frantically searching for something, anything. In her haste, she didn’t notice a small black creature zoom into her open purse.

A few moments later, she felt a frantic tugging at her shirt from below.

“Marinette!! Over there! Check the locker room, quick!!!” Tikki whisper-screamed as she peeked outside the purse, her tone uncharacteristically frantic.

Marinette nodded, then sprinted to the locker room.

“Wait! You should transform first!” Tikki added.

No time!

“Marinette, wait!!”

Despite Tikki’s protests, Marinette raced towards the double doors, tackling them open.

Three sets of eyes landed on her as she skidded to a halt, but only one pair consumed her entire attention. She gasped in horror, hands flying to her face as she stared at what was occurring in front of her. Adrien let out a desperate, muffled scream urging her to run.

His panicked voice snapped her out of her dazed shock; but instead of running, she stood her ground, eyes darting back and forth across the area searching for something useful. The room was remarkably barren except for a lone broom a short distance away from her. She grabbed it and leaped towards the closest attacker (the one holding Adrien down), swinging it like a baseball bat.

The man didn’t even try to avoid the hit; the broomstick merely bounced off the side of his face where Marinette had hit him. She frowned in confusion, then tried hitting him again, bringing the stick down on the top of his head like an axe.

SNAP.

The end of the broom flew off, and Marinette stared in shock at the broken broomstick.

“What the hell are you?!” Marinette exclaimed, shifting her grip on the shortened wooden stub.

She pounced at the second bodyguard, bringing her weapon down in a stabbing motion; but he swatted at her hand, disarming her. She yelped in pain, leaping backwards to get some distance between them.

She was outmatched. The only strategy available was to use their own size against them. With a feint to the side, she shot at his legs for a takedown, hoping to catch him off balance. He called her bluff and shoved her backwards with his giant palm, then kneed her in the stomach.

Winded from the impact, Marinette doubled over with a gasping wheeze, fighting with all her might to keep herself from collapsing onto the ground. She forced herself upright and attacked again. With a clumsy jerk, she lunged forward, swinging wild punches at her opponent. The shots connected but his expression barely changed; it was like beating a breathing punching bag.

The bodyguard backhanded Marinette across the face. Pain shooting across her cheek, she staggered, almost losing her balance. In her daze, she watched helplessly as the man reared his arm back. There was no chance to dodge. His fist connected with her abdomen, delivering a liver shot that shut down her entire body. She crumpled to the floor as if boneless. She tried to call out Adrien’s name, but her mouth merely opened in a silent scream.

Marinette could hear Adrien’s distressed screaming, but it sounded distant, like they were underwater. The edges of her vision grew black and fuzzy, the entire room dissolving around her. She had to consciously force her lungs to inhale, but couldn’t fill them all the way, as if a boulder had been placed on top of her chest.

Faintly, she felt herself getting picked up off the ground and carried away over someone’s shoulder. Disoriented and semi-blinded, the sudden movement and rough jostling made her head spin and gave her vertigo. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

A few moments later, they stopped moving, and she heard a door burst open. Where were they? Before she could gather her senses, she was in the air, thrown several meters away, landing with a hard thud. A sharp pain traveled down her body as she rolled into the wall across them. The shriek that tried to escape her throat emerged as a strained, shallow whine.

The man stomped out, leaving her alone in the room. “Stop…!” she rasped out, managing to tilt her neck upwards, head pounding.

The bodyguard slammed the door shut, followed by a bang and a clattering sound that could only mean he’d broken the doorknob of whatever room she was in.

Marinette's vision became more and more blurred. At the verge of losing consciousness, she fought to keep her eyes open as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

No, she couldn’t pass out! She had to save Adrien! Stay awake, Marinette, stay awake!!

She bit down on her lip hard, focusing on the sharp sting, on the swelling that was already forming around her right eye, forcing herself to feel the pain her body was in. At this moment, feeling pain was better than falling unconscious. She concentrated on her breathing, slowly regaining her senses.

She reached down to open her purse and get Tikki’s help… only to be met with emptiness. Panic settled in her gut as she realized that sometime during the skirmish, the purse had slipped off her shoulder. She sat up, slowly, so she wouldn’t risk feeling faint again from the change in positions.

She squinted, adjusting her eyesight to the darkness of the room. It seemed to be some sort of supply closet. After a failed few attempts to stand, she crawled towards the door instead, careful not to bump into the crates and shelves that filled the area.

The girl eyed the broken doorknob wearily. She was pretty proficient at lockpicking and breaking into things, but not as good at breaking out. Her only hope was that Tikki would be able to find her… if she was even nearby.

She swore to herself. Why had she rushed in and attacked two grown ass men (who, incidentally, may or may not be supernatural to boot!) instead of hiding and creating a strategy?! Now she was useless, Tikki was gone, and Adrien was surely on his way to get auctioned to the highest bidder in the criminal black market and ransomed off for an enormous sum. Great job, Marinette. Adrien’s been abducted and it’s all your fault.

Gathering all the determination she could muster, she tried to call out for help. But her voice was still too hoarse, and only a weak croak came out. She clenched her fists, grumbling irritably. Time for a different approach. Somehow, she needed to make noise.

After a brief search, she found a hard, metallic object that she could use to hammer on the door. She tested it out; it was surprisingly effective. She doubled her efforts, making as big a racket as possible. Hopefully, it would only be a matter of time before somebody heard her, let her out, and she could go find Adrien.

She couldn’t let anything else happen to another loved one. Not again.

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I'M REEEAAAAALLY SORRY FOR THAT CLIFFHANGER JSHDKFJHSKDF ᕕ(╯°д°)ᕗ I tried splitting up the sections differently but it didn't really flow as well.

But the next chapter is almost done, so I'll have it ready by next weekend!!

#Miraculous Ladybug #Ladynoir #Enemies AU #enemies to lovers #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Ladybug #fanfiction #Discordant Sonata #ML AU #aged up #Eden writes

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letoscrawls · 3 years

Note

Hiiiii

I hope you're doing well!

I would like to ask if u have and advise about starting and art account on insta. I have a small one here on tumblr but people say insta is better for art accs. So I just create an account and start posting? Or do I promote myself in some way, maybe taking dtiys and other challenges?

Thanks in advance:D

Hi! thank you so much for checking on me! :)

okay, i get this question quite often and i wish i could give you solid advice, but the problem with instagram right now is its algorithm. when i started my account it wasn’t that fucked up, so i don’t really know how it is for new artists who have just started their accounts now! but i can tell you that it really affected every artist, even the bigger ones, so please keep that in mind. if you “fail” to reach your audience it’s not your fault, instagram is literally sabotaging artists and i don’t know for how long it’ll be “the best platform for art”. so just to warn all of you, i don’t want you to compromise your mental health for a social platform that makes money out of our stress and insecurities, i’ll try to share what i think could work because sharing art can be really rewarding and shouldn’t be an ordeal so i’d be happy to help somehow!!!!!

so this is the “algorithm tricks” part:

when i first opened ig, i remember my stories were viewed by at least 100 people for the first two days even though i had less than 10 followers, so i think that’s instagram way to encourage you to keep posting, so my first advice would be to post your art in the stories too, at least for the first week or something?? now, i know the algorithm is currently promoting reels, so if you’re skilled with those go for it! make videos of your creating process and stuff like that. it’s important to inform your followers when you make a new post bc the chances of it being noticed are higher, you have to do the work bc ig won’t show that post to most of your audience (did i mention that i hate whoever made this algorithm?? yes??) i’m not really sure about this but i think ig prefers the reels you make with their set of editing tools instead of just uploading a pre saved video (i think it’s their way to sabotage those who post their tiktoks), i’ve never tried them so i don’t really know what they’re like, but i’m pretty sure tiktok is way better. i read somewhere that IGTV aren’t ig big thing anymore, so i don’t think you’d get much engagement from them. in general i’d say to always promote your posts in your stories and to wait at least an hour before editing a post bc i think you’ll lose engagement if you edit it right after posting (i know, it’s so stupid).

the use of hashtags is the only thing that i approve, because it’s an helpful tool made by social media before it got so bad and they really help you to reach more people (that’s like their purpose, i just wish there weren’t dozens of other stupid rules to follow in order to be noticed besides hashtags). so using tags like “art”, “artists on instagram” and “daily art” along with tags related to the pic you posted (like the name of the character or the fandom etc) is really helpful, just don’t use unrelated tags bc it’s annoying and idk how convenient it is :P the last thing is promoting your posts by using the sponsored feature; i never used that because i’d rather eat a slug than give money to instagram, but if you have the possibility and you are okay with that then you could try!

now for the “artsy” part

artists have found many ways to bypass the algorithm and keep the community alive over the years, challenges are probably the best way to do so! dtiys are awesome, not only they help you get more recognition, but they also make artists incredibly happy! i should host one very soon myself, i’m looking for a pose and an outfit to draw one of my ocs in, hopefully you’ll see it soon! i cannot explain how happy it makes me to see people draw a character of mine, and it’s great to see them in so many different styles, so i highly recommend dtiys! usually the artists who host them post the entries in their stories too, so yeah, you should definitely try those! there are other challenges like art vs artist, memes etc, it’s incredible how creative the community is despite all! and lastly, draw fan art! contributing to a fandom with your art is so cool, personally i prefer it over original content most of the time, i feel the need to share my point of view and to let out all the idiotic thoughts i have when i consume some kind of media so i’m really biased, but every artist is different, so don’t force yourself to do something if you don’t feel like doing it! drawing something you don’t particularly enjoy because you want to get recognition is gonna make you burnout REALLY BAD, trust me, i personally think that passion>effort, so never forget to put your enjoyment first!!!!

okay this took me a while and i hope it was helpful! good luck!!! i definitely forgot something dskfjhis

#ask #faq #art tips

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btsgif · 3 years

Photo

Hello everyone! There’s many news and changes for this month and most of our followers might not have noticed most of it. Fair warning this is a long post, in answer to the survey results.

But firstly, the whole staff wants to thank everyone who gave us adorable and heartwarming messages in the end of the survey! Admin @eternal-bangtan : thank u so much for participating and answering the survey for helping for following for appreciating and for being a part of this journey! hope our future experience will be even better <3 Admin @mnygs : Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your lovely suggestions and messages, they will all be useful for us to improve our work! Rest assured, we'll continue doing our best into fulfilling this blog's mission — to bring every content creator in this fandom together. Stay safe, everyone! Admin @sugaforyou : Thank you for all the support and for taking your time with the survey!! It brought up more into light what we should work on more, also thank you for the adorable messages. ^^ Moderator @kkulmoon : Hi!! Thank you so much to everyone, content creators and follower alike, for giving us great answers. We'll do our best to apply your feedback so that the network can continue to share great content with as many as possible. Moderator @kooslove : thank you so much to those who participated and left nice comments/responses and wonderful feedback as they were really helpful and encouraging! I hope that in the future with all the changes happening with the blog it continues to be a great source of content for all of you! :D

The first news :

The desktop blog has a new theme and our icon changed its colour.

The member page of the blog was created.

The rules were updated.

The discord server can be found in this post for more informations. Incidently, it’s also linked in the desktop version.

F.A.Q was mentioned and now we have one in our contact page!

A suggestion page is now open to everyone. (although, in the server there’s also a channel)

We now reblog tutorials! So feel free to send us your links! And no, they don’t need to be about BTS.

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The #btsgif tag and queue system

Someone brought up the problem of reposters in the btsgif hashtag

, this is something the staff was aware of and would when it was possible, contact the original content maker and the reposters.

However, the majority of the reposters don’t reply to the DMs and/or simply don’t care. All reposters (and those who don’t follow the rules) get blocked by us, but we apologize for not informing the fandom of it. But yes, it is something we have noticed.

A list of reposters

found in the tags was made for this situation, and you’re free to inform us if we have missed someone so they can be added.

Tagging sources ;

The suggestion has been taken into account and the Admins haven’t reached a final decision. However, do note that adding suchs tags will slow down the queue since the team will have to make sure each time it’s the correct date etc of the DVDs, concerts, MVs, etc.

Posts not showing in the tags ;

We did notice we were no longer receiving asks with links of posts not showing up in the tags. If your post isn’t showing in the tags it’s completely alright to send us an ask (or link in the discord). The only reason you’re not finding it in our answered asks is because we reply by PM once we queued.

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Events

For the events, a majority stated they hadn’t enough time to make the gifs. Apart from Yoongi’s events, we try to have the post made 2 weeks before the birthday.

(In reply to someone for Yoongi’s birthday : it was stated that even if the gifset wasn’t related to the prompt, it would be reblogged if the special tag was used.)

However, the Admins will try to come-up with different prompts too with enough time.

(Note that we couldn’t know when the gifmaker who took the survey had seen the post. We recommend to join the server then, as those with the role “btsgifer” get pinged for the announcements.)

The reason why we haven’t precised previously the timezones is because we have staff all around the world. However, we now suggest the KST timezone.

The events are in fact, repetive. We hope that the themes of the BTS DEBUT ANNIVERSARY are warmly welcome and still enjoyable for everyone.

We read and agreed, in fact, we did discuss previously in hosting events/challenges unrelated to the birthdays. Feel free to send us more suggestions!

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Small content makers

It wasn’t in our intention to make the small content makers neglected. We queue what we find isn’t reposted and is according to our rules. If you felt that way during our events we apologise. (Please do note that “small blogs” are also a very vague term and each one has a different definition. The possibility that such gifmakers hadn’t participated in the events shouldn’t be ignored either.)

Nonetheless, BTSGIF didn’t forget its main objective. There’s still discussions on how to bring the spotlight to small blogs. (Nothing as of now as been stamped yet but~)

Thank you for reading this

#btsgif #admin post

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mshermia · 3 years

Text

Meet Cute - Webpril Day 12: Identity Reveal

summary: After Peter's identity is revealed, Tony's new favorite pastime is to tell the story of their first meeting to everyone that would listen. Repeatedly. Peter knows though, that the day Tony came to the apartment to recruit him wasn't really the first time they had met.

Or: Tony finds out that Peter was the kid at the Expo (tumblr prompt)

Read on AO3

###

It was safe to say that nobody had found more enjoyment in Peter's Spider-Man Identity being revealed than Tony.

Over the past few months since Peter's name had been everywhere from newspaper headlines to trending Twitter hashtags, Tony had used every occasion that presented itself to tell one story in particular. A story he had apparently been withholding from the world at great personal suffering.

"To be fair, I was a bit desperate for help so I had to move fast, but honestly..." Tony arched his brows with rehearsed ease. "...it's not like the kid was hard to track down. It was more like he was begging to be found."

It had been embarrassing at first. Well, truth be told it still was, only Peter had grown used to Tony's performance.

Tony sat up a little straighter, gesturing to himself. "I, of course, had been sitting on his aunt's sofa for the better part of half an hour trying to make small talk before Pete even showed up." With an exaggerated sigh, he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "On time for once in my life and the kid goes dumpster diving on his way home from school."

Thor held his stomach laughing, at Tony's antics or Peter's own face in reaction to it, Peter wasn't sure. Now that he took the time to look around the group, he did notice that there weren't even any new people present that Tony could try to amuse with the story. No, it was only the team and MJ still standing next to him. They had all heard this story before, but apparently, that wouldn't stop Tony either.

"Of course, you know me, I tried to keep things subtle—"

Natasha huffed out a laugh. "Yes. Don't we all know that side of him... Tony Stark, paragon of subtlety."

But Tony wasn't phased by her interjection, if anything he only raised his voice a little to be heard above her bickering. "I did the whole thing, staring at him intently, winking, as I was laying the foundation with the internship. The kid..." Tony laughed like he just remembered it for the first time. "He was just staring at me like all his dreams had just come true. Well," Tony smirked. "Can't really blame him for that, right."

While Bucky looked a little bored, Sam and Wanda seemed thoroughly amused to hear this story for the umpteenth time.

"Honestly, it was just adorable. His little bambi-eyes widened in awe, sparkling. That little smile on his face... like the sun had come up. It was precious." Tony sighed with overacted bliss. "I don't think even Morgan has ever looked at me with that much adoration."

"Jeezes," Peter mumbled. He sucked in a deep breath, trying not to roll his eyes.

"Hey now..." Tony pointed at him. "Don't give me that look. You know it's true. We were both there."

Peter scratched the back of his neck and met MJ's eyes with a shrug. It's not like she didn't know the story. She might have even been one of the first ones to hear it, years ago, long before the public had known about Peter's secret identity. That was back in the good old days when Tony had had a lot fewer opportunities to tell it.

Just then, Barton walked up, his eyebrows raised. "Man, you still not done? I've heard this story like 50 times."

Tony's head spun towards him. "Listen, for 13 years I had to keep this basically to myself!" He pointed at Peter. "That one should be thanking me for all those years of self-control. It's a miracle that it didn't burst out of me somewhere along the way revealing his big secret."

Rubbing a hand across his face, Peter tried to estimate if a trip to the buffet might take long enough to skip the rest of the retelling. He jerked in surprise as a hand clapped his shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, Pete," Rhodey sighed. "He's majorly embellished the way we met as well."

"That's not really..." Peter scrunched up his nose. "I mean, it's pretty accurate, minus the way he talks about how my 'bambi-eyes widened in awe' when I saw him."

MJ turned to him, eyebrows raised. "That's what you think is embellished? You still look at him like that whenever he enters the room."

"Oh, shut up," Peter mumbled into his drink.

As Rhodey broke out in laughter, MJ moved a little closer. "It's really cute," she whispered in his direction.

Peter frowned, stealing a glance at her. "Huh?"

"You know..." Her hand clasped his, their arms entangled, her voice still low, only for him to hear. "All his teammates had abandoned him, he was separated from the woman he loved, and then he found you and fell in fatherly-love with you. You were like..." She tilted her head a little, before the smile on her lips widened. "...like his life raft. And here he is, bragging about it in front of them. It's adorable."

Peter grimaced, eyes shifting back to Tony. "That's so not..."

He hesitated, not sure what he felt. Tony was just reenacting the part of the story when he had found Peter's suit hidden in the hatch on the ceiling of his bedroom. There was something about the broad smile on Tony's face that Peter couldn't argue away.

"It's adorable," MJ repeated, squeezing his hand.

"Yeah, well..." Maybe... maybe she wasn't wrong. There was something about how much Tony seemed to love to tell the story, not even just when Peter was around. At one dinner party, Peter had walked in on a group of research assistants clinging to every one of Tony's words while he was already in the middle of telling the story. And as much as Tony tried to make it sound like a joke, his eyes were always soft, the smile on his face genuine.

No, MJ wasn't wrong. And Peter couldn't deny that he too enjoyed that part. Not the story, really, but the sense of enjoyment as he watched Tony's animated gesturing. As he watched how content Tony seemed, telling it.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well that might be the reason, I haven't said anything about how this wasn't even the first time we met."

"Wait a second," Steve called out so loudly, it didn't just stop Tony but every other conversion in the room. He pointed at Peter. "You're telling me I've had to listen to a story that has Tony fawning over how much his kid fawns over him for like 10 times and it's not even true?"

"Er..." Peter's eyes went wide, painfully aware that the attention of the room was suddenly squarely on him. Super-senses were really no fun when you were on this end of it. "I mean, it's just.... I was definitely surprised to see him then..."

"Underoos!" Tony's hand clutched his heart, but his eyes sparkled with humor. "There's no shame in your adoration for your old man. You don't have to lie about how much it meant to you to meet me!"

His lips pursed, cheeks a little hot, Peter shook his head in irritation.

Rhodey frowned at him. "Wait, so you're saying it did happen like that?"

"I mean, yeah..." Peter shrugged, avoiding Tony's eyes. "It's just not like it was the first time I had ever laid eyes on him or whatever."

Next to him, MJ gasped. "Oh please, please tell me that it was at like an autographing session that you camped out in line for!"

"No..." Peter scratched his head.

"Go on, go on." Clint leaned a little towards him now, waving for Peter to continue. "I do want to hear that story!"

Peter's eyes flickered over at Tony but his face had gone blank. He didn't remember. Of course, he didn't. Peter had never expected him to. It had been a long time ago and it would be absurd to think that Tony could have picked him out from a crowd of people like that, that he could remember with all the people he had saved over the years. Peter bit the inside of his cheeks. It wasn't even a great story. In fact, objectively they hadn't met-met then just like... stood close to each other. It didn't even really count and—

"Hey, stop..."

Pulled out of his spiraling thoughts by Tony, Peter looked up, finding everyone's eyes still on himself.

"It's okay, kid." Tony's voice was surprisingly soft. "It's nobody's business, okay? And you..." He pointed at Natasha, no trace of the softness now. "Stop giggling like that, will you?"

"Oh, come on, you're just worried you made an ass of yourself." She leaned back in her chair, head cocked to the side.

"He didn't," Peter swallowed hard. "It wasn't like that, just..." MJ shifted next to him, her hand slipping back into his. "It was just a long time ago and..." He blinked up at Tony. "You wouldn't remember. It's fine. It's not a big deal. Your story is... is a lot more amusing and..."

But Peter still had the room's full attention on him, some eyes now narrowed, some eyebrows raised. His face had only grown hotter to the point that Peter could feel the heat in the tip of his ears.

"Well, erm..." He grimaced, giving in after all. "You, er... you remember the Stark Expo? Few... few years ago."

"Oh, do I..." Rhodey groaned.

"Yeah, well..." Peter struggled not to trip over his own words. "It was that. I... erm... I was there with my uncle and... and that's where I saw Tony for the first time."

There was a moment of silence.

"Yeah, no," Clint called out. "Doesn't count."

"Stop!" Natasha signaled for him to be quiet, then pointed at Peter. "You said met. So, did you see him or did you meet him?"

Peter blew out a low breath. "I mean... it was just... there was a whole lot of stuff going on with Hammer's soldier thing-ys and then stuff started to explode—"

"Hold up." Rhodey sat up straight all of a sudden. "That's the day you were at the Expo with your uncle? The night Vanko tried his little revolt?"

"That wasn't a revolt," Tony interjected, his face a little paler. "He made a bit of a scene, that's all."

Rhodey huffed, then mumbled, "Don't let Pepper hear you call it that."

But Tony's attention was squarely on Peter, along with everyone else's. "You were at the park that night?"

"Wasn't that in like..." Clint looked over at Natasha. "Like, in '09? Or '10?" His eyebrows raised, his gaze shifted back to Peter. "Weren't you like 5 then?"

Peter pulled in a long breath. No longer getting flustered by the other Avengers had taken him some time to learn but now, he had almost mastered it. "I was 8, actually."

Waving both his arms, Rhodey signaled for him to stop. "Let me get this straight. You met him during the attack? But Tony was—" Rhodey stopped himself, then cast a glance at Tony in turn. "That must have been during the evacuation?"

Tony didn't react at all though. He was still looking right at Peter, just sitting there almost eerily quiet.

"Yeah, well..." Peter cringed at the memory. He hadn't even realized then how real it had truly been. It had all seemed like part of the show. "Things got a little crazy and people started running. I lost Ben for a bit." It was easier looking at Rhodey, like he was speaking just to him, not a whole room full of Avengers, including Tony. "One of Hammer's drones landed right where I was standing and then Tony swooped in, came to stand right next to me, and blew that thing to smithereens."

Nobody had to know that Peter had thought it was just a show, raving to Ben about it all the way home.

There was a beat of silence until Clint slapped both his thighs and burst with laughter. "Oh god, that's epic."

Just like that, the rest of the group joined in, exchanging laughs and looks of disbelief.

Steve held out his hands in a futile attempt to shush the chatter and hearty laughter. "That can't be everything. You're trying to tell us, there was nothing dazzlingly smart-ass he said?"

"Well, actually," Peter bit his lip. "He said 'nice one, kid' and then just flew off."

Spluttering with amused laughter, Steve turned to Tony. "Do you even remember that?"

Carefully, Peter glanced over at Tony as well, finding his eyes still waiting. "Hey, if I had a list of all the heroic deeds I've done..." He shrugged, lips pulled into an crooked smile but Peter knew him well enough to recognize that it didn't hold the same ease as it had before.

With a couple more quips from Thor and Clint, the mood in the room quickly shifted back to it's prior camaraderie, but Peter didn't miss it when Tony got up. Without any fuss, he gestured to the door that led out to the balcony. Peter gave MJ's hand a soft squeeze before he followed Tony out there. It was a balmy late August night, the air so much purer, the sky a lot prettier than it was in the city.

Tony had his arms braced against the balustrade, looking up there with the serenity like they hadn't once see space up close and personal.

"Why did you never tell me?"

Peter shrugged as he stepped up next to him. "It's not important, is it? It was so long ago and I knew you wouldn't remember so—"

"Oh, excuse me!" Tony squinted at him from the side. "Who said that I don't remember, huh?" He tilted his head, one eyebrow raised. "Very sneaky by the way to leave out the ultra cool Iron Man mask and gauntlet that you tried to fight the evil robot with."

Peter's jaw dropped. "But... that's impossible."

Lips pulled into a soft smile, Tony looked at him with something in his eyes that had Peter blush once again. "You know, it's pretty adorable that you think I meet a lot of kids who put themselves on the line like that, breakneck as that particular fever dream was. Granted, I didn't put it together until just now but..." Tony blew out a soft laugh as his hand came up, squeezing Peter's shoulder. "Yeah, you really always have been that hero at heart, kid, hm?"

His eyes stung and he looked down at how his hands clasped the railing, trying to blink the emotions away.

The room behind them had gone back to normal. There was roaring laughter from Thor that drew everyone's attention and Tony was good enough to look away as Peter wiped at his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Tony cleared his throat. "I'm gonna petition the court to add this to the rescue tally."

Peter snorted out a genuine laugh. "It's so cute how you still think you'll even have a chance to beat me."

"Hey, I'm still in the lead! 54 to 36." He pointed a finger at Peter. "55 now!"

Peter smirked. "Yeah, whatever. I'm catching up quick and you don't go out there anymore, so it's only a matter of time when it's only me rescuing you anymore."

Tony gasped. "Did you just call me old?"

"I think I called you a pensioner. If you want to jump to the being old part, well..."

Biting his lip like it would stop him from grinning, Peter shot a couple of glances at him until Tony simply shook his head. He waved Peter closer and Peter went without a second thought. Tony's arms pulled him in a tight hug.

"It was a pleasure saving you from your overachieving kamikaze mission, kiddo," Tony sighed. "Again."

Peter laughed into his shoulder. "Yeah, thanks, dad."

"You keep using that word like it's a big gotcha," Tony mumbled.

Peter chuckled, couldn't even really pretend that he was embarrassed being called out like that.

"Alright then," Tony clapped a hand on his back but didn't loosen his hold on Peter at all. "Let's go and tell them all about your Iron Man merch, hm?"

"You wouldn't dare..."

At last, Tony pulled away from him, the smirk on his lips dangerously sparkling. "Oh, wouldn't I..?"

A nervous giggle bubbled out of Peter. "They'd never believe you though." He would have to act fast and destroy all the photographic evidence that May had surely still stored in some of the boxes of old prints.

"Yeah..." Tony pursed his lips. "Too bad that I don't ever keep the footage from old missions..."

Peter's jaw dropped. "No..."

"It's alright," Tony grinned. "I'll let you bribe me with cookies and hot milk."

"Isn't that Morgan's deal?"

"Hey," Tony shrugged. "I'm all for treating all my kids equally." Then his grin widened. "We can make it cookies and egg nog for you."

As Tony's arm came to rest around his shoulders, still joking about how cute he had looked in his Iron Man mask, Peter already knew what his next mission would be. Now all he had to figure out was how to bribe an AI.

#iron dad #irondad fic #identity reveal #webpril 2021 day 12 #webpril 2021 #webpril #peter parker fic #adult!PeterParker #tony stark lives #tony stark fic #humor #spiderman fluff #fluff #no hurt #no angst #avengers fic #avengers family #found family

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honeymoonjin · 4 years

Text

TGM Bonus Content #11

HELLO folks this was a long time coming but here is the week 2 elimination from Tae’s perspective ;;;-; also i know BC are usually irrelevant to the main story but this one has some pretty important info so i suggest you read,,,,, it’s only 1.8k

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Everything feels way too official.

It makes Taehyung’s throat dry. It was a little easier to say fuck the competition earlier with Y/n. Now, after being properly voted out and Sejin directing him to the confessional shed, things were different.

It isn’t that he regrets his decision either; it’s just a little scary leaving everyone else behind. The loneliness feels almost tangible, like a film of sweat on his palms that he can’t wipe off.

He stands outside in silence for what feels like a icy eternity. He knows what he has to do, and yet he waits at the door of the confessional instead of going inside.

Eventually, Sejin returns. He’s quiet for a moment, clearly trying to give the recently eliminated contestant space, but that’s exactly what Taehyung’s stomach turns over. His heart skips a beat when the producer gestures towards the shed, and Taehyung forces himself to speak up.

“What changes now?” Taehyung asks, voice croaky. “I can’t have sex with Y/n, I know, but what else?” He eyes the door of the shed warily. “Is this the last time I’ll use this?”

Sejin shrugs. “The confessional booth has never been an enforced requirement, it’s just preferred for the players in the show. You don’t have to come here anymore.”

“No, that’s not-” Taehyung forces himself not to feel too nervous, aware that his anxieties are making this bigger than it needs to be. “...I like kinda talking to the fans, that’s all. I wanna come back.”

“Then you’re welcome to,” the producer responds easily, before his face softens. Reaching out to place a hand on the younger man’s shoulder, Sejin gives it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re no less important on the show, and certainly no less valued amongst Y/n and the others just because you’re eliminated, okay?”

Taehyung narrows his eyes, even as the warm touch soothes him. “But you were going to send us home once we get voted out.”

Sejin breathes out slowly, lips moving silently like he’s deciding whether to speak or not. His eyes lift towards the cameras attached to the exterior wall of the house, before using the grip on Taehyung’s shoulder to step inside the shed. Kang and Shin are nowhere to be seen, and the small room is cool and quiet. “A lot of things are changing on the show,” Sejin answers carefully after he slides the door shut again, flicking the light on. “Partly because of the viewers’ response; partly because of all of you.”

“Us?” Almost like instinct, Taehyung finds himself going to sit on the stool. Sejin’s ruggedly handsome face is a little pinched as he double-checks the confessional camera is turned off, and it makes the boy worry.

“I’m telling you this because I trust you with the information, but do not forget you’re under a legal non-disclosure,” Sejin warns. After receiving a bewildered nod, he continues. “All of this was a gimmick,” he explains wearily. “The higher-ups told us our viewership was tanking due to bigger competitors and that we needed something to capture the attention of younger demographics, the 18-30 bracket, and I know from my girlfriend how addictive those reality shows on television can be. All of this - the big house, the pool, the prompts - it was all just a marketing gimmick.”

Taehyung doesn’t know how to respond. Sitting there with his mouth open like a fish seems sufficient, as Sejin continues.

“My boss just wanted all the pretty visuals and clickbait to get people’s attention. He couldn’t care less about the show or the people on it as long as the viewership increased. I don’t believe I ever told you this, but I’m from the HR department. I’m not even meant to be working directly with shoots, but the original proposal was so shocking that I applied to take it over. I tried to budget in for things like proper food and personal items, adjusted the application form to try and get genuine and safe people.” Sejin sighs out, arms crossed tightly in discomfort at the honesty. “My boss wasn’t happy about cutting corners in other areas like expensive sex toys and cameramen, but once the views started skyrocketing and the fanbase on social media began to grow, he became a little more comfortable with the idea.”

Taehyung closes his mouth with a small frown. “And now he’s happy with it?”

The producer laughs without humour. “He doesn’t get it,” Sejin admits, “can you believe that the views peak when the eight of you are together? Every breakfast, lunch, dinner, or meeting, they shoot up. Sometimes more than the actual sex, the viewers want to see you. So that’s why it’s not important that you’ve been eliminated. We made the decision to keep everyone around because I don’t think it’s wise that we separate you. And my boss wants fatter pockets, so he can’t afford risking the view drop if the house gets emptier and emptier. Do you understand?”

The masseuse nods mechanically. “Yeah, I think so.”

The uncertainty isn’t enough for Sejin, who purses his lips, brows knitted together. “Taehyung, I’m telling you this because I want you to prioritise your enjoyment here. I can see you are becoming close with some of the people in this house, and I want to encourage that. Not because of the views, but because I know they’re all good people that care about you, and you deserve to get something out of this experience. The CEO and main council of Bangasm would wring you all dry if they could, so don’t feel guilty about taking full advantage of whatever they’re giving you, whether it’s food or WiFi or, I don’t know, the pool. And please don’t forget that I’m on your side.”

Sejin clearly isn’t expecting the hug, because when Taehyung launches off the stool and wraps his arms tightly around the larger man, he stumbles back a few steps. After a moment, though, he brings his arms up to return the embrace, and Taehyung tightens his grip and savours it for a moment longer before letting go.

“I knew you were a good egg,” Taehyung announces proudly, setting himself back on the stool. “Let’s do this exit interview!”

As he sets up the camera and pulls out his phone to find the questions, the producer tries to hide his fond smile. He doesn’t do a very good job, but Taehyung chooses not to point it out.

“Okay, Week Two exit interview, Kim Taehyung,” Sejin announces in the smooth tone he always uses for anything official. Taehyung prefers his regular voice, but decides not to mention that either. “First of all, how do you feel now?”

Taehyung hums. “Should I pretend to be sad for views? I can fake cry if you want.”

Sejin sends him a warning glare, but that smile hasn’t left. “Honesty is preferred.”

“Okay,” the younger boy allows, deflating a little. “I feel okay. I was sad before, but I want to turn this into something positive, like an opportunity instead of a loss, you know?”

“And were you surprised about Y/n’s choice?”

“A little.” Taehyung pouts at Sejin’s raised brows. “I’m not lying this time! I know that I told Y/n to vote for me and we decided it, but I guess I kinda thought maybe she’d change her mind and save me. But now that it’s done, I’m really glad it’s not the others. I don’t want to see them upset.”

Sejin’s head drops, almost seeming touched by Tae’s response, though he busies himself with reading off his phone. “Is there anything you would have done differently if you could start the competition again?”

Taehyung bites his lip, thinking hard. After a few moments, a frown has graced his features. “I think I would’ve been a bit more selfish if I knew I was only going to get two weeks when everyone else got more. I just kinda wanna go back in there and kiss Y/n, but I can’t. That part definitely sucks.”

“What are you going to do now that you’ve been eliminated?”

At this question, Taehyung brightens back up again. “I want to spend time doing the things I love. Watching anime, gaming, I wanna train Mango so that maybe she can become an inside dog. And I want to get closer with the others now that I don’t have to worry about competing against them.” If Taehyung is honest with himself - which he does prefer to be - he’ll admit that he never felt like he was competing against anyone.

“Finally, since your elimination, the fans have been tweeting their reactions real-time, and the #WeLoveYouTaehyung hashtag has actually entered the trending tweets for South Korea. Is there anything you want to say to the viewers of the show, to those that support you?”

It’s hard not to tear up at the thought of people at home, cheering him on and supporting him. He blinks hard, nose twitching. “I’m sorry I couldn’t win for you. But I hope you continue to support me, and I’m going to try and chat with you all on Twitter more now. Thank you for the love.”

Sejin smiles sadly, reaching up to switch off the camera. “That’s all, buddy,” he says in a small voice, “you did well.”

Taehyung waits for the disappointment or the cold realisation to creep up inside him at those words - that’s all. But they never do. Yes, maybe Taehyung is done with the competition. Maybe he wouldn’t win the mysterious unknown prize, and maybe he’d have to restrain himself from kissing or touching Y/n like he wanted to. But there was a kind of liberation in not having to worry about that stuff anymore and just focus on enjoying himself.

An idea lights up Taehyung’s head suddenly, making a grin stretch across his lips. “Thank you, PD,” he says with a small bow, “I’ll go head upstairs now.”

Sejin reminds him that he’s in the bunks from tonight onwards for the week, but even that doesn’t damper his excited anticipation. He dashes inside, catching sight of the guys and Y/n in the kitchen, clearly preparing a meal of sorts.

Everyone’s staring at him, probably waiting to see if he’s going to put on a smile or burst into tears. Taehyung chooses the former. “I’m going upstairs to have a shower,” he says, “don’t wait up. I’ll come back down when I’m done.”

Y/n bites her lip, guilt stricken on her face, but before she can pull him into a conversation, Taehyung hurries back out and up the stairs.

For the first time in almost the whole two weeks, Taehyung locks his bedroom door.

It takes barely any time to open his computer and load the site he wants. Down the sides of the page, sponsored ads mingle with genuine ones, but the top banner is exactly what he’s after.

He clicks through, enters his credit card details, and grins when the confirmation comes up, displaying the purchase information and a link.

Thank you for your purchase! The order was successful.

Click here to go to the Bangasm TGM livestream site.

#ps that link isnt real i just wanted the underlining for aesthetic purposes #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #bts x reader #the gentlemen

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az-ryzhik · 4 years

Text

Dumping some Naegami headcanons on you cuz I’m so pissed that the Naegami hashtag is now hidden in Instagram. Pt 1.

So there are some Naegami headcanons of mine. This is how I see their relationship uwu 1. Byakuya was the first to fall in love, but Makoto was the first to confess. Once Byakuya realized that he had feelings for Makoto - he tried to deny it for the first 50 minutes by making up excuses in his head. The reason for that is basically his family traditions for the most part. First, Byakuya can’t marry anyone and he must have children with A LOT of women and second, Makoto is simply not “the type of person” a Togami could have something with. Even “friendship” sounded impossible back then. He dealt with it once he realized that the denial will not help. It’s just running away from a problem. And a Togami simply CAN’T run away from their problems. Eventually, they got closer as friends (even if Byakuya refused to say “friend” out loud). His feelings didn’t go away but he never planned to confess. Because of the situation, he was in, Togami started to contradict himself. On the one hand, he couldn’t ignore his feelings. So every time he saw Makoto - he couldn’t help but think how precious Naegi is. On the other hand - his duty as an heir will forever be with him. He must fulfill it no matter how he feels about it. Especially after the Tragedy, because Byakuya must restore his name and company. And if he will not have children - Togami name would die sooner or later. In this situation he couldn’t simply say “eff those family traditions, I will marry whoever I want!” So his feelings were kept secret. Makoto, however, had a different idea. When he realized that he probably had a crush on Byakuya - he planned to confess it after some preparation. He felt awkward and scared as hell, of course. But Naegi couldn’t even begin to imagine how Togami felt after hearing his confession. And Byakuya thought that the situation couldn’t be worse. He didn’t want to reject Makoto, but he couldn’t accept his confession either. He just froze for some time and didn’t respond to anything. That was a mistake, because Makoto thought Byakuya was ignoring him on purpose. Naegi was very upset by it and left without a word, locking himself in his room. This could be the end of their friendship and relationship if Aoi hadn't overheard it, step in and made Byakuya do something about it. Togami was forced to confess his love and apologize for ignoring Makoto (well, he is not good at apologizing at all, so it was something like “It’s... not what I wanted... I will explain, but I want you to stop looking at me with your big sad eyes”. But honestly, that was enough for Naegi to feel a lot better). _______________________________________________________________ 2. They will never marry each other. Byakuya explained that the reason he didn’t want to confess is Togami family traditions. Makoto knew about it, but didn’t think that it could prevent Byakuya from being together with somebody, because Naegi found a loophole in it. He didn’t mind being Byakuya’s lover and not husband, because there are no much difference. Also he didn’t mind if Byakuya will have children with someone else. Even though Togami was really unsure about it, they decided to at least try to live like that. _______________________________________________________________ 3. Byakuya thinks twice before making any move. It’s true that Byakuya is an asshole, but he really don’t want to be a bad boyfriend. Because he had zero romantic experiences, he asked Aoi to help him. Asahina took it seriously, At first Togami didn't want Makoto to know that Aoi gives him romantic advises, but Naegi ended up learning this fact really soon. Makoto find it really cute that Byakuya is trying to be better for him, so of course he didn’t mind Aoi’s help. Togami learned that his actions have consequences and his words can hurt people. The last thing he wants is to be too straightforward when he really shouldn’t. That’s why at first he began to be quiet when he doesn’t know what he should say. He relaxed a bit once Makoto noticed how hard it is for him and they talked those things over because it’s important to be nice AND honest with each other. After some time Byakuya became a lot more confident, but he still thinks that he should be careful. _______________________________________________________________ 4. They don't live together. Byakuya is too busy leading his corporation and Future Foundation (after the last killing game he was one of the few leaders who stayed alive, so he took over it). Makoto is also busy with the new Hope’s Peak Academy. Not only that, but their lifestyles are also completely different from each other. It will be very hard for Makoto to permanently stay in the “elite” environment because he is still a guy who finds happiness in simple “peasant” things. The same with Byakuya, but the other way around. They’ve come up with an idea that will satisfy both of them. After they have done their jobs - one of them will go to another’s house. They will spend some time together before going to sleep. They can read together or watch the movie (Byakuya will never just watch TV, only high-class movies or shows) or play a game (starting from card games and ending with video games that Byakuya will tolerate. He doesn’t really like it, but if Makoto really wants - why not giving it a shot?) or just walking together somewhere and chatting. If Makoto have too much work to do - Byakuya will come and help him with it so they can still spend some time together on that day. But sometimes they simply can’t see each other because Byakuya is too busy. Unlike Makoto, Togami never wants Makoto to help him with his work. Because first “I am Togami Byakuya and those papers are MY responsibility. I don’t need help with it” and second “Didn’t you had enough paperwork today, Makoto? You better go home and rest, because tomorrow Hope’s Peak Academy will need all your attention”. In this situation all Naegi can do is text Byakuya before going to sleep and wish him good night. _______________________________________________________________ 5. Byakuya can’t stand fast-food. Togami might learn how to respect Makoto’s music taste, movie taste, etc. but he will NEVER let Makoto eat junk food on his watch. It doesn’t matter how enjoyable it is for him - “it will end up effect your stomach in a VERY bad way!” Chips, instant noodles, burgers all of this will end up in a garbage bag, because “this is where it belongs”. The only exception is Makoto’s birthday (Byakuya still hates this type of food, but it will not hurt too much to let Naegi eat this once a year). Aoi really dislikes the fact that Togami is having that much control over it, but this is the subject where Aoi’s or Makoto’s opinions don’t matter to him. “This is garbage food that is having a negative impact on the body. Makoto deserves high-class food that will never cause him any problems once he reaches 40. Junk-food is objectively bad. End of story”. Makoto did find it annoying a first, but he did understand why his boyfriend doing this. Makoto still secretly eats junk-food sometimes, but he agrees that it would be better to stop and listen to Byakuya. This is the main reason why Togami likes more when Makoto is coming at his place because Byakuya knows that the dinner (and the breakfast in the morning) will be 100% healthy. _______________________________________________________________ Okay, that’s all for now! Have a nice day ~

#naegami #makoto naegi #naegi x togami #makoto x byakuya #Byakuya Togami #Togami Byakuya #danganronpa #Naegi Makoto

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paperbackrevolution · 3 years

Text

“Book People”: a response

I have been thinking about an essay I read on Jezebel for the last while. It fit in so nicely with something I have been mulling over for months: readers. I mean serious readers. The kind of people that track their reading, that keep up with the publishing industry, that can relate to bookish memes, that overthink how their bookshelf is organized, and that seek out like-minded readers to interact with on social media. This essay, by Joanna Mang, uses a phrase for these kinds of readers: ‘Book People’. Mang uses it in a derogatory manner, and I have heard it used as such before though in those cases I believe the phrase Book Snob would have been more fitting. For Mang, Book People, are not the good sort of reader, but I want to unpack that in a bit.

Mang’s article is titled “We Have to Save Books from the Book People”. I actually only found it through a response written at Book Riot by Tika Viteri (“Back-Talking the Tone Police: Book People are Not Your Enemy”). Essentially, after rereading Mang’s essay a half dozen times (to try and follow the meandering argument and to seek what the point was) I think Mang is arguing a few things: that classics should still be taught in high school and not argued about on twitter, that English teachers bear no responsibility to encourage reading, and that Book People are bad for liking books a whole lot and have a Secret Plot to keep the publishing industry running. What any of this has to do with the title of her article remains unclear.

Mang opens her essay by complaining about people complaining on twitter. Specifically, people that are complaining about the classics they had to read in high school. The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, and Catcher in the Rye are all mentioned. Even more specifically Mang is upset at the redundancy of these arguments, that they come up again and again. I mean she is definitely correct, because once someone talks about something no one else is allowed to talk about that thing ever again. Ever. Right? I doubt it is the same person rehashing this conversation daily, more likely Mang has stumbled across or perhaps actively searched out these conversations as they are being had by different people. I mean as far as I know there are more than a handful of people using twitter, right? And if it is the same person dredging up this conversation daily, I have a suggestion: unfollow them. Problem solved. But then if that had happened, we would not have this essay to unpack.

Mang seems upset that people on twitter say that they felt forced into reading books that they did not enjoy. According to Mang anyone that disliked these books did so because these books are classics that they just failed to understand. Mang mentions that with a good lesson plan anyone can like classics, but perhaps they did not have a good teacher with a good lesson plan or maybe it is because they just did not connect with the book. Not everyone must like classics simply because they are part of the canon. A book’s inclusion within the canon does not mean that it is necessarily enjoyable to read or study for every single person. It simply means that it was influential in some way. I can recognize and value the significance of a classic novel and still also dislike the reading experience.

I did find it ironic that these conversations on twitter are doing exactly what Mang says she encourages her students to do: “When I teach literature, my goal is to give students the tools and confidence they need to attack and write about texts, to “talk to” the text rather than receive it passively” (Mang 2021). On these twitter threads we have people reflecting back on books that they were required to read in school. But because they are engaging with these texts on twitter it cannot count as the same thing? I have come across some fascinating analysis on classic books on social media that would have made my English professors proud. I fail to see the problem here.

Mang then goes on to speak about the notion of whether certain books should or shouldn’t be taught in school to avoid “turning kids off” reading, since this is often an extension of those twitter conversations. This is something that people in education have been honing for years. A quick google search reveals many theories, pedagogies and lesson plans that can help encourage reading. Teachers and other education experts are out there exploring options to encourage reading in their students. Why though? Why do we want turn children in to readers? Mang suggests that Book People have an odious plot to save the book-as-object which I will unpack in a moment. But maybe it is actually because it increases empathy? Or because it builds vocabulary? Because it prevents cognitive decline as we age? Because it is a stress reducer? Might even make you live longer? Improves general knowledge? Improves writing skills? Aids sleep? Could even help prevent alzheimers? I think it could be at least one of those reasons, especially since most of these studies explain that these benefits do not come from reading those three books back in high school but as a sustained habit over a lifetime. Though Mang, an educator, also states in her article “It’s not an English teacher’s job to make students love reading; an English teacher’s job is to equip students to read and communicate” (Mang 2021). Which I think is certainly true, but (thankfully) many other educators are attempting to go beyond the pressure to yield good test results and are still trying to help their students become readers. Of course, as Mang does mention, the formation of a sustained reading habit is based on more than a single factor (Mang mentions “parental attitudes, family wealth, the student’s disposition and other sources of stimulation”). Why this should excuse English teachers from even trying to encourage reading is lost on me. Further I also wonder what the point there is in teaching students how to actively engage with books if they are not continuing to read outside of school? Why bother with English class at all if this is the case?

I am not here to say that schools should not teach classic literature or should not encourage students to engage with the canon, I am here, however, to say that we can also all go on to complain about it on the internet afterward. If someone does not find value in these conversations, then they are free to tune them out.

After talking about education and American schools’ reading lists, Mang finally gets to the part about Book People. Mang differentiates between readers and Book People stating:

“A reader is someone who is in the habit of reading. A Book Person has turned reading into an identity. A Book Person participates in book culture. Book People refer to themselves as “bookworms” and post Bookstagrams of their “stacks.” They tend towards language like “I love this so hard” or “this gave me all the feels” and enjoy gentle memes about buying more books than they can read and the travesty of dog-eared pages. They build Christmas trees out of books. They write reviews on Goodreads and read book blogs and use the hashtag #amreading when they are reading. They have TBR (to be read) lists and admit to DNFing (did not finish). They watch BookTube and BookTok. They love a stuffed shelf but don’t reject audiobooks and e-readers; to a Book Person, reading is reading is reading” (Mang 2021).

Let’s dig into this before we get to the conspiracy. Just because I am baffled by the snobby tone of this paragraph, and I do not understand what is wrong with any of this.

A Book Person has turned reading into an identity: Just as many people do with any hobby, they tend to entrench themselves within it. People who hike seriously can and have turned that into an identity, they’re hikers. But just about everyone can walk so hikers should then not make their hobby part of their identity? Sometimes people really, really enjoy something and it becomes a big part of their daily life. What is wrong with that?

A Book Person participates in book culture: A culture can form around a social group. So, if we have a hobby group, which is a kind of social group, it is not hard to imagine that eventually a culture would build up around it. So then, yes, people would then also participate in that culture.

Book People refer to themselves as “bookworms”: What I am most puzzled by are the quotation marks, as if this nickname is something strange and new. The first known use of the phrase bookworm dates back to the 1590s and is defined as “a person unusually devoted to reading and study”. Yeah, it is a little dorky, but many hobbyists across various hobbies have silly names for the people of their hobby. Star Trek fans call themselves Trekkies or Trekkers and apparently train enthusiasts call themselves railfans. It’s a hobby thing.

and post Bookstagrams of their “stacks”: As for this, I think this is an example of a fascinating development among readers. Robert A. Stebbins, a scholar of leisure activity and hobbies, has long denied that reading could be considered a ‘serious’ hobby or what he refers to as a Serious Leisure Pursuit (SLP). He has maintained that reading is a prime example of a casual pastime, and even explores his stance in more depth in the book The Committed Reader: Reading for Utility, Pleasure and Fulfillment in the Twenty-First Century. He argues that reading cannot be a SLP due to the solitary nature of reading and the lack of a social world. To Stebbins a social world is a social network group made up of hobbyists and others connected to that hobby. Social media has changed that, however, allowing serious readers to form a social world and also find ways to make the act of reading more social itself. Book clubs have always been an attempt by readers to make reading more social. But social media allows these attempts to get closer to the mark. Readers on twitter host reading sprints to encourage people to read together at the same time. Others host read-a-longs on various platforms such as instagram to encourage a more engaging version of a book club that invites readers to read the same book section by section. And some booktubers (Book People on youtube), host live videos that invite their subscribers to grab a book and read with them. I will digress here for now, but this is something I plan on exploring more on this blog in the future. Put simply, what Mang is disparaging here is actually evidence of reading achieving SLP status under Stebbins’ hobby model. This is simply an active social world of readers.

They tend towards language like “I love this so hard” or “this gave me all the feels”: This is simply how people tend to talk on the internet? Especially amongst fandom communities, of which there is huge overlap in bookish communities. This is hardly exclusive to Book People.

and enjoy gentle memes about buying more books than they can read: memes are things people share on the internet. I am failing to see the issue with this. Again, not something exclusive to book people. What I am starting to see here is that Mang seems to take issue with internet culture in general, more so than with Book People.

and the travesty of dog-eared pages: Only Book Snobs care if other people dog-ear their own books. I am using the phrase Book Snob to distinguish between avid readers and people that find the book-as-object almost sacred. There can be overlap, certainly, but not all Book People see books this way.

They build Christmas trees out of books: No books were harmed in the making of those christmas trees. Oh, is this where the title comes in? Are we saving books from becoming christmas trees? I promise it doesn’t hurt the books.

They write reviews on Goodreads: I am confused by what is wrong with this. Mang stated earlier in her article that and I quote again, “when I teach literature, my goal is to give students the tools and confidence they need to attack and write about texts, to “talk to” the text rather than receive it passively.” How is reviewing a book not doing exactly that? Not all reviews are as aggressive as an essay can be perhaps, but it is still an act of engaging with a text rather than simply consuming it. Further, many Book People likely either have access to or want access to ARCs (advanced reader copies) from publishers and part of that deal is writing an honest review in exchange for the free copy of the book. So that would be them holding up their end of that deal. I am uncertain if Mang takes issue with goodreads in particular or with writing reviews in general.

and read book blogs: People that are active within a hobby often seek out other like-minded individuals. And beyond that most book bloggers are reviewers. Meaning people may be seeking reviews of a book to help them curate their reading selection.

and use the hashtag #amreading when they are reading: another example of Mang’s dislike of internet culture. People use hashtags to help get their media piece to others that may enjoy it or find commonality with it. They are using this form of metadata as it was intended.

They have TBR (to be read) lists: I think non-serious readers have TBR lists as well, but I think they tend to be more unconscious in nature. For example, a non-serious reader may vaguely know that there are some classics that they want to get to, or maybe the latest hyped general fiction novel. Book People are hobbyists, and if we used Stebbins’ model, they are serious hobbyists. They take their chosen leisure pursuit seriously and as such it is on their mind a lot because they intend to spend a significant amount of time pursuing that activity. So, it seems only natural that they may want to organize the content that they want to consume. It appears to me that Mang is more upset that this hobby group has formed in-group vocabularies. This means that only people residing within the group will understand some of the words or phrases used. This is a natural progression of language. You need words to succinctly capture the meaning of something. In this case, many readers have lists of books they want to read, rather than saying all of that it gets shortened down to TBR.

and admit to DNFing (did not finish): Are we saving books from not being fully read? Many of the books that Book People are reading are for enjoyment. If you are not enjoying something, why would you continue it? Do you watch the entirety of a season of a tv show that you are hating? No. Finish a snack that is making you want to vomit it back up? No. Same logic for books. To suggest you must complete a book simply because it is a book is more like Book Snob behaviour. This seems so common sense that I am again inclined to point to this as evidence of Mang’s distaste for in-group vocabularies more than the idea of not reading a book.

They watch BookTube and BookTok: This is further example of the community and social world that readers are setting up on the internet. People typically like making connections and further, making connections over something you share in common is natural. The internet made this easier, and social media has made it easier still. This is just evidence of readers seeking connections with other readers.

They love a stuffed shelf but don’t reject audiobooks and e-readers; to a Book Person, reading is reading is reading: This line is fascinating. Because following this, Mang’s article takes a turn toward a conspiracy about how Book People are trying to save the book-as-object since ereaders have threatened the physical book. And yet here, as part of her definition of Book People, she disparages Book People for finding value in ebooks and audiobooks. Mang herself becomes the Book Snob here, rejecting other book formats. Ebooks are convenient, you can have access to hundreds of books from your chosen device (I like to use my phone personally not an ereader). And audiobooks are great for when you are performing another task such as chores or driving. Both formats also allow people with disabilities better access to books. Audiobooks are perfect for people with visual impairments or who struggle to read. And with ebooks the size of the font can be changed to allow the book to be turned in to a large print book as needed and can even allow the font to be changed into a dyslexic-friendly font. To suggest that ebooks or audiobooks are not real books or don’t count as books is just blatantly ableist.

Let’s get to the conspiracy now. Mang claims that reading became an identity and a culture in response to the decline of interest in reading. She also continues on to say that not only is reading threatened by other media and diversions, but that ebooks and audiobooks distract from physical books. And so with the book-as-object threatened by television and alternate book formats, physical books became more precious. She even goes as far as to say books are fetishized. And then Mang says, “This could be why those arguing that classic books alienate young readers suggest 21st Century titles as substitutions: if we want to keep the book alive, we have to read, and more to the point buy, the books being produced now” (Mang 2021).

So let’s make this clear. According to Mang, Book People are people who have made reading an identity and revel in book culture. And Mang also already said that Book People “love a stuffed shelf but don’t reject audiobooks and e-readers; to a Book Person, reading is reading is reading”. But then Mang changes her argument and says that all of this is about the physical book. So, the people that complain about classics they read in high school on twitter, some of which are Book People, are all actually attacking classic literature because it may turn children off reading which would be bad because that would mean that less people are reading books regularly which is bad because then it means that less people are buying books which is bad because the book-as-object is precious and must be protected and perpetuated.

Riiiiight. I believe Mang conflated Book People with Book Snobs partway through this essay. They are not one in the same and by Mang’s own definition, Book People see any format of book as worthwhile. Meanwhile a Book Snob would uphold the physical book-as-object as the supreme format. So saying that Book People are behind this conspiracy simply does not hold up under scrutiny. Not that this conspiracy should carry much weight at any rate.

But then Mang wipes that argument away, saying that Book People are not that practical. That actually their purpose in complaining about classics books on twitter is solely to revolutionize American schools’ text selection policy. Further Mang seems to think that people ranting about their least favourite classic novel on social media is all about putting pressure on teachers and public education to shape their students into model human beings. When in reality, sometimes one simply needs to whine about a bad book, even if it’s a classic.

At the end of all of this, I am left simply confused about this essay. Firstly the title: “We Have to Save to Save Books from the Book People”. What books are we saving from Book People and how exactly do we go about doing it? Are we saving classics? Or are we saving the current school reading list books? Or physical books? Or ebooks? Perhaps it is that books are somehow being ruined by those that worship that book-as-object? I propose that Mang just thought it sounded good, especially seeing as how it does little to pertain to the wandering argument of this essay.

Secondly, I am also confused about what exactly is the point of this essay. The three main conclusions reached at the end of it seem to be that 1) arguing about classics on twitter does not impact text selection policy in schools, 2) teachers bear no responsibility in encouraging their students to make reading a habit, and 3) that books are not sacred objects. So what?

While I disagree with Mang’s essay, I do still find value in some of the points she brings up, and in her definition of Book People. I have been casually curious about the leisure studies, and where committed readers fit within leisure studies, for the last couple of years. Mang may not understand what she sees before her, but she did see something. It is that insight that has finally spurred me to dig into the social world of committed readers, or as Mang calls them, Book People.

#booklr #book blog #readers #bookworm #bookstagram #booktube #amreading #bookish #book people #paperback revolution

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kyndaris · 3 years

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When embarking on a new venture, one normally does not think whether or not it will be an inspiring feat to others. Starting out, I looked to my blog as a means to collect all my thoughts and ideas to help with my writing of stories that will never see the light of day. As I’ve said in an earlier post, I’ve always entertained the idea of keeping a diary. Except, of course, there’s nothing all too exciting that happens in my daily life. But by chronicling all the things of interest to me, perhaps I could make something of this space that I’ve eked out on the internet.

Several years later, my blog has still remained fairly small and unknown to the masses. True, I’ve amassed a number of followers (most of them my friends that are now essentially inactive on websites such as Tumblr to help inflate my actual number of followers) and a smattering of likes on posts. In fact, when I started out, I refused to use hashtags. Why?

Well, surely there was nobody that would be interested in reading my screams and rants into the void.

Imagine then, my surprise, to find people discovering this humble little blog on the internets with nary an assistance on my end. Of course, most of them were gaming related. In particular, niche titles that had captured the hearts and minds of those that flock to blog sites to find like-minded individuals. Off the top of my head, the two that grabbed the attention of so many were Tales of Berseria and Vampyr.

But even this cold dark heart of mine could not help but twitch in excitement when I saw the number of notes climb in number. I might have started this blog for my own benefit but it warmed a little part of me to see that there were people who seemed to like some of the content. In fact, I even had someone start asking me questions about Concrete Genie (as if I were actually one of the developers and knew all that there was to know about the small indie title).

I say this because there are times when I want to shut it all down and return to my little hobbit hole. The insidious and critical voice in my head often tells me that my efforts, both on this blog and my other side projects of story writing are meaningless endeavours. Nobody will ever read my works. Nobody cares. Why do I even try and write stories that no-one will read or appreciate? People are just making small talk.

‘You write stories? That sounds interesting. What’s your pseudonym?’ And after that first question, it all falls away. There is no sudden bump in reading numbers. The fact that I update on a weekly basis is forgotten.

Still, there have been moments when what I do in my free time seems to catch the eye of another fellow human. Take, for example, one of my work colleagues that actually seemed intrigued and almost invested in some of my stories. Every time, for a good month or so, I’d walk past her table, she’d have a grand idea for one of my short stories to be made into a short film.

Alas, my lack of equipment and actors on hand made it a difficult enterprise.

But even though I knew that such a thing would not come to fruition, I did feel seen. She even said, as an aside, that some of my work had inspired her to write more songs. That, in and of itself, made it feel like what I did was worth it.

Now, I’m no vainglorious social media hound with a YouTube channel or Tik Tok (though I swear I have some good ideas!). I doubt I’d be able to live such a lifestyle. My self-esteem, as it is, would hardly be able to survive the barrage of hateful comments that so many have had to endure. Nor do I have a Twitter account.

I may be a Millennial but there are times I feel that social media has gone out of control. Call me an old soul, I dare you. I probably am (though not old enough to desire a typewriter or a period where the internet was not so easily accessible).

Barring all of that, I have thoroughly enjoyed some of the rare comments that have peppered my stories and blog posts, the likes and favourites on FictionPress and the addition of another follower.

And though I’m not the type that feels like my entire life would be turned around just by watching shenanigans on a YouTube channel, I like to think that my presence here - chipping away at my creative projects and writing blog posts that are enjoyable to read has touched someone else out there in the world. Or that it might have inspired other fellow amateur writers to start their own personal blogs to document the ups and downs of life.

You don’t, of course, dear readers, have to credit me with pushing you to greater heights than even I could achieve. I’ll just leave that to my imagination. After all, as an only child that sought solace in books and video games, I’m quite comfortable with diving into rich fantastical worlds of my own making.

But sometimes, and only very rarely, do I feel a pang of loneliness. That this was all for naught and I ought to scrub my hard drives of anything creative and burn it all down.

So, should you ever feel the urge to reach out and encourage a Millennial that has no self-confidence and her only brave moment was going to the United States of America by herself at the tender age of 24, I’d like to hear something from you.

And if you don’t feel that niggling urge in the back of your head...well, that’s all right too. This started off as a means for me to vent into the aether and was never about seeking an audience. I’ll keep on carrying on until the day that the novelty of writing and maintaining a blog finally fades.

#personal blog #own worst critic

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sanstropfremir · 3 years

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I absolutely LOVED reading your kingdom review. You gave me such an insight in things I never even considered, especially since our rankings are so different from each other. The Boyz was my favorite, the narrative was about RTK. How they felt bad for having to compete against their friends but eventually the groups only lifted each other up and it helped TBZ grow into the group they are now through the hardships and mental dilemma, falling into the next challenge right after they reached the top. It should have been more obvious though, I agree, it wasn't really visible for anyone who didn't know. I was wondering how you felt about the dancing in general? my reason for not ranking BTOB high was lack of choreo (and Peniel's verse), same goes for SF9. Mostly because I don't feel the hype when watching, it doesn't keep my focus on the stage. As a baby-performer myself, my goal is to make the viewer curious about what's next. is that the wrong way to look at it? that's what I've always been told, building the tension up and down to create focus. would love to hear your feedback on that! thank you so much for sharing, we need more reviews of people who actually know what they're talking about.

i'm glad that you got some insight from it! like i answered in the previous ask im here to hopefully bring some more depth and understanding for people that care and are curious!

you unintentionally proved my point about tbz’s performance: that is way too complicated! even the most talented solo dancers i can think of would have trouble distilling that down to something readable in 100 seconds, much less a group of like, a dozen people! the introductory stages are meant to show us the character of the group and their abilities in the most concise way possible, it's not the stage to do deep philosophical and emotional introspection. for a full stage? absolutely, go hog wild! but for this stage it was too ambitious and ultimately was ineffective to anyone that isn't a fan of them specifically.

by dancing in general do you mean like, every group? i put most of my opinions on the dancing where i had them in each of the individual rankings but honestly? unless there is something that really stands out positively or negatively, a lot of ‘average’ kpop dance looks the same to me. i know it’s not, obviously, and if pressed i probably could do a more serious breakdown, but dance is only one element of performance. it has equal weight with all the others in my mind, and therefore i notice when it is either

very good

does something unique

very bad, or

interferes with another element

which is the same as how i evaluate every element, if that makes sense.

hmmmm. i thought about this a lot in the shower and turns out i had more opinions that i expected so i'll put them under a cut.

firstly, i don't think lack of choreo should be penalized or considered an ‘incomplete’ performance. at the end of the day, these are bands, and a part of their brand/product they sell is the music. complex choreo does not need to be attached to that to make it a successful performance. also, btob did have choreo. any movement on stage is technically choreography. but this terminology can cause confusion so usually non-dance choreo is referred to as ‘blocking.’ but they also did include the song’s original point choreo at 1.41. the blocking in their performance was well thought out and suited the arrangement, by placing spatial emphasis on each part of the song that needed it. obviously it comes down to personal taste if the performance is ultimately ‘successful,’ because all art is subjective, but just because something isn't as visually complex as something else doesn’t mean it doesn't have the same level of thought. think of it like this: one is a super clean-lined post-post-modern grey/white living room, and the other is a kitsch goth basement. both share interior design principles and have obvious care put into the space, but they are vastly different styles that appeal to different tastes.

part of the job of production designer/AD is to decide what gets emphasis. a question you're always asking yourself is ‘is this important to the story that we’re trying to tell?’ and btob/their AD made a very smart choice with their introductory stage because it says a lot about them and their abilities in a short amount of time. that stage said ‘our foundation is strong, we have the training and experience and confidence to be up here and not rely on visual tricks.’ because they know they physically cannot do the things the 4th gen groups can; they're a decade older and they only have four members, it's just not feasible. something you learn with experience is the power that specific and pointed emphasis holds, which segues into my answer to your last question. i don't necessarily think that ‘building hype’ is the wrong way to perform something, but i do think it is a flawed way to approach creating a performance.

i think that ‘hype’ is flawed concept at its core, and one that focuses on the idea that there’s always being something more, something next, beyond the work itself. now there’s nothing wrong with playing with tension within the internal structure of a piece, that's exactly how constructing a narrative happens. however, the flaws come once we extrapolate beyond the boundaries of that individual work. the idea of ‘whats next’ implies that you have to constantly be promoting, have a sequel coming, building hype etc so people will keep engaged with your work. which is deeply capitalistic in nature and operates on the assumption that art exists purely as a product to be sold. and in order to keep selling you need to keep making a bigger and better and more spectacular product. and this is not the case at all. marketability is not the essence of art, it merely a factor of creating it under this insufferable system. kpop in particular suffers from this because the industry is specifically fabricated to produce capitol. we can have discussions all day about idols and their artistic integrity but at the end of that day, they are all cogs working with a system that was specifically made up by essentially one person to be culturally exported and to just print buckets of money. so in following that train of thought, there is a constant attitude of bigger and better because shock value (whether positive or negative) gets social media attention and therefore it sells. and it has become exponentially easier (and also seemingly required) to make things that are bigger and better than ever before. i remember being blown away by the projection floor at the sochi 2014 olympics because something of that scale and complexity would never have been possible without literally having the funding of the olympics. now that technology is easily accessible to anyone with an amazon account and the time to learn how isadora works. in comparison, it took 2400 YEARS for just the job of a ‘theatre designer’ to be even become a job at all.

because of kpop’s fan culture it is especially prone to ‘hype’ behaviour. in general with the accessibility of the internet and social media, everything has turned into a competition, and who can generate the most buzz ‘wins’. but ultimately that has taken away the general public’s ability to recognize that you can enjoy something quietly and you can enjoy something slowly. that the enjoyment of something doesn’t need to be all exclamation marks and keysmashes and trending hashtags on twitter. there is value in a work engaging in an emotion within you that is not just excitement. most of the artists and companies that i consume the work of i don’t do so because their work makes me excited, i do so because i liked the experience of engaging with that work. several years ago i saw the eternal tides by legend lin dance theatre, which you can watch a really short clip of here. that is not slow motion, that is actually how slow the dancers are moving. and 90% of the show is performed like that. and its two hours long. and it was one of the most incredible performances i've ever seen. if i ever get the chance I will go see another one of their shows again, not because i care about how they can top that experience i had, but because i know they can produce that experience, and that is enough to make me want to seek them out again. the speed of the internet has also loosened the general public’s understanding of just exactly how long creating a performance work can take. the lead dancer in the eternal tides was with the company for eight years before she and the piece were ready enough to be performed. large scale operas, musicals, and plays often have a year or more of pre-production before they even get to rehearsal. smaller theatre companies workshop new pieces for years at a time. performance is hard and it takes time. you can eliminate some of that with sheer amounts of money and people, which is what the kpop industry has done, but it speeds up the cycle of consumption to a degree that is not sustainable, especially for companies and creators who do not have that kind of access. performers and performance makers often don't put enough trust in their audiences. if they like what they see, they will come back. they dont need to be constantly bombarded with content at all times.

now that i’ve said a bit about why i think hype is a flawed concept, let's bring it back to kingdom. sf9 did something very interesting with their stage in that they actively chose to limit their dance time. and this plays very well off the performance film stage that taeyang did a couple of weeks ago. taeyang is talented and confident (for good reason), and his solo was incredible. but when it came to the intro stage, instead of trying to one-up the solo stage, the group instead said ‘well people are going to be looking at us because taeyang is insanely talented, so let's show them that we ALL have the confidence and the attitude to be up here.’ no need for flashy theatrics, they had the foresight to do something that would make them stand out from the rest of the groups. even if i was just casually watching the stages without doing any analysis on them (like i did for rtk), i would still be able to distinguish them because they had the stones to stand around for half their stage time. now i recognize them and would like to see what else they can do. same principle as what btob and also what ikon did. there is a fine line between anticipation and hype that gets equated in media consumption nowadays, but the two are not the same.

i think the tldr on this is that you dont need to ‘build hype’ or ‘go all out’ to make an interesting work. just focus on telling the narrative that you want to tell, and the people that recognize that will come. i could have a lot more things to say about peoples shrinking attention spans and the constant stream of information that we consume on a daily basis that devalues the labour done by artists in the eyes of the public and promotes hustle culture that is burning out and damaging creators at a rate that is both exponential and frightening, but that’s probably for another time, because this is SO LONG

#kingdom #kpop questions #this was a very interesting ask thank you anon!#the consumption and production of art is fascinating and also as an artist it gives me a fucking headache #many thoughts head too full #i hope this provided you with some more insight anon #none of your opinions are wrong i just have different ones and thats ok! i love discussions like this #Anonymous #kpop analysis #text #general design questions #kingdom review responses #answers #kingdom asks

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khoc-week · 4 years

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Mod Spotlight

Today’s mod spotlight is for:

Mod Amy!

You may recognize her OC, Touma, from her own artworks on her tumblr: @amyhayanora. While Mod Amy won’t be directly reblogging or retweeting posts, she is still a crucial part of KH OC Week and has created some very gorgeous artwork for us we can’t wait to showcase!

Read below for a short interview with Mod Amy!

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1. What do you enjoy most about Original Characters?

Maybe naive, but they are my most enjoyable way to interact with my crushes favourite charachters. They help me to see the story from their p.o.v. and it's always something different depending from the OC itself.

2. Out of all the fandoms, why did you decide to create an OC in the KH universe?

KH is just one of the thousand fandoms I've created an OC for, but one of the very few I did in my adult age. I've built these twins differently, a lovely mix between random ideas and ponderate attention, and that's why they are so close to my heart.

3. Why do you think OCs are so important?

Speaking for myself, every OC of mine shares some traits with me, positive and negative. I can deeply relate to them, and they help me immensely to analize situations, explore myself and release my social anxiety stress in general, especially in roleplay.

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

And here is Mod Amy’s question for all of you! You can reply to this post, send a message to our ask box, or make a post of your own to give us your answer!

How do you choose the name of your OCS? Do you search for a specific meaning or maybe just let yourself be inspired by how it sounds?

We look forward to seeing your answers! Make sure to tag your posts with our hashtag: #khocweek2020.

-Mod Amar

#KHOC-Week #khocweek2020 #Kingdom Hearts OC #Kingdom Hearts

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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 4 years

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3. Upon Further Research

Simon was fine. That’s what he kept having to tell himself. It wasn’t like he truly wanted to date Grace St. Catherine. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. He had far too many habits and personal ways that made others uncomfortable or annoyed.

The last woman he attempted to date didn’t like the fact that Samantha had her own room and that she was only allowed to enter it if Samantha had approached her to be friends. If Samantha was uncomfortable, she would mewl about it and he didn’t want that type of upset over someone who didn’t have to live with her adjusting to something she didn’t like.

The last man he dated had an irrational hatred of the fact that Simon purchased multiple types of milk for different times of the day or different kinds of enjoyment. He never thought he would see someone have such a reaction to the fact that he wanted whole milk for cereal and to warm up at the end of the night before bed, low fat milk for milkshakes and accompanying a grilled cheese or a cheese and egg sandwich, and skim milk for drink mixes and casual throughout the day enjoyment. “Just buy one kind of milk and stick with it!” Truth be told, sometimes, Simon also bought 2% milk whenever he wasn’t feeling that great and nut milk for cooking. He just… couldn’t explain that it made a difference to his consumption and couldn’t understand why it made someone else so frustrated.

But, it reminded him that he had unique quirks that people found basically unacceptable. Grace seemed like a cool person, but she probably would be irritated to open his fridge and see 6 different types of milk too. Or to have Samantha refuse to acknowledge her and therefore not be able to enter Sam’s Sanctuary… or even just be annoyed that there was a room with cat trees, a little playground, cat toys, waterer, feeder, etc, and a cat that spent most of her time in the windowsill instead of acknowledging all of the luxury that had been collected for her.

Then again, it was unfair to assume what people might not like about you or your life. He couldn’t know for sure. All that he knew was that she wasn’t interested in going out with him.

That should have been the end of it, but he was very curious about that comment that her coworker made about “another hot date.” Did she have a lot of hot dates? What exactly constitutes a hot date?

Going through her photos didn’t help with that. If she regularly dated, she certainly didn’t like anyone enough to put them on her social media. Though, she did see in one of her comments she said something about VDay “my hands will be full. Worry ‘bout yourself," she’d told somebody who asked if she was trying to get “wifed up for VDay,” as a response to a photo of her in a stunning red dress, captioned with “Beneficiary Gathering #GraceLoveTheKids” She didn’t have a location, so he searched “beneficiary gathering” and came up with SO MANY things. He sighed and went back to her hashtag, wondering if it was common for her.

She used it pretty frequently! There were photos of her at a children’s hospital, photos of numerous kids, some at some center, some at parks and stuff… She really didn’t put a lot of information into her captions. Most people loved to tell you location and event and every single detail. The fact that she didn’t made her more appealing to Simon. She liked her space. He liked his too. He could relate… but also… he needed to know more.

It’s not a violation of her privacy if I don’t use anything against her. I'm just intrigued...

A few days after the date debacle, Simon found his way back into the coffee shop, this time with Samantha with him. Grace noticed him come in and sit down, but she was at the cash register, helping a customer out. When she finished, she waved to him, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was petting his cat and scrolling something. She let out a disappointed sigh. Of course, Simon had noticed her. Every single detail, including that sigh. That made him a little hopeful that perhaps she would come over and engage. Maybe meet Samantha, even. She didn’t, though. She worked as usual and didn't seem to even glance his way again.

Grace went across the street for lunch. The little deli had a small selection, but they had something that she couldn’t get anywhere else in town - chicken taco pinwheels - and she was hooked on them. She’d order a dozen of them with two pickle spears, homemade potato chips with cracked pepper and sea salt, and ginger ale with cherries. It was one of the highlights of her day to get that very same lunch any time that she worked. When she was leaving today, she almost ran into Simon. She gasped and hugged her lunch to herself. “Mr. Laurent. Sorry. I’m usually pretty aware of my surroundings. You didn’t sneak up on me, did you?” she teased and winked an eye at him.

“You know… People usually call me Simon,” he said, smiling.

“People call you?” she asked. He blushed and laughed. “Of course I’m kidding. It’s just easier to call you that because of the policy and stuff.”

“The policy?”

“At the bookstore. Normally, they don’t care if you get familiar with regulars and they share their names, but since it’s you, we’re not supposed to bother you and were told that we were to refer to you as Mr. Laurent. It’s part of orientation. I remember very vividly saying, “Well excuse me, Mr. Laurent!” She exaggerated the Frenchness of his name and he chuckled at it, then stopped and looked serious. “Because, I’m kind of a goofball. Didn’t mean anything by it..”

“No, no. It’s fine. I just think it’s weird that they do that. I don’t mind being spoken to like a normal person.” That wasn’t completely true. He hated being interrupted if he was working or doing something with a hobby…

“Okay… Simon, then,” she said with a smile. He could only give her one back in return. “And who is our little pristine friend?” She asked. Samantha was on a leash, and standing, staring, almost as though she were waiting to be introduced to this strange new person.

“This is Samantha.”

Grace stooped down and Simon tensed up. She smiled and said, “Hi, Samantha. I’m Grace. I work at your daddy’s favorite bookstore. I’ve seen a lot of photos of you, and might I say, you are radiant! Exuding opulence! You own EVERYTHING!” Samantha stepped forward and rubbed herself against Grace’s knee. “Oh, you are so adorable, but I can’t pet you right now! I’m holding stuff.” Grace stood up, looking sad as Samantha continued to rub against her shoes until Simon gathered her up.

“She never does that. Sorry..”

“No, she’s majestic. Maybe Daddy will bring you around to see me again some time, sweetie!” She blew kisses at Samantha, nodded her head to Simon, called out, “See you tomorrow, Chief!” (to which the deli owner waved).

Simon came up to the counter and noticed the man staring at Samantha. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought her inside of here. “I’m going to have whatever she just ordered, to go, please?” He waited out of the way, just in case having an animal in their eating space might bother someone.

Her deli order was better than her coffee order, that was for sure, though that wasn’t hard to beat. He shivered thinking about it. He ate in his car and pulled up to a trash bin to discard things. Samantha was sleeping very comfortably in her safety carrier.

Grace got off of work and danced out of the door, holding her perfume laced coffee. She looked up at the sky for a moment, checked her phone. He looked up too. It might rain. She didn’t seem too bothered, merely curious. She walked through the neighborhood, the wind was blowing her sweater and she was drinking her coffee, speaking to various people as she passed them. How did she DO that? Simon barely liked speaking to the people that he knew. She couldn’t have possibly known most of these people, though maybe she saw them everyday, but that meant nothing. Was she cordial and warm all of the time?

She stopped at a florist and he watched through the window as she seemed to know the guy in the flower shop too. They chatted for a while until someone came from the back with what looked like a package. It was one of those big yellow mailing envelopes and the woman who gave it to her walked her over, away from the counter to speak with her before handing it to her and hugging her. As Grace came out, she said, “Thanks! See you next time…” The guy behind the counter rushed to hand her a flower and she hugged him too. Simon… didn’t like it, even though it seemed perfectly friendly and she seemed like one of those people who probably hugged her friends and stuff. Maybe. He didn’t know enough yet. Hadn’t collected enough information.

She slipped her package into her bag, handed her presumably empty cup to the guy and he went inside and threw it away for her as she left. Simon lost her once she went into the train station. But, he felt like he collected enough information for the day. He wondered if this was daily, or if she deviated what she did after work. He continued driving past the station and headed home to work on all of his notes and more research.

One thing that he noted was that aside from her social media, he couldn’t find much about Grace St. Catherine. And, that wasn’t even much to go by, because aside from everything being private, what she shared was still limited.

But. The guy at the florist shop followed her. Simon checked his page. Heath Farmer *152 Simon didn't think much of it whenever he read the generic name, just scrolled through photos. None of them had Grace in them, but she was in his comments a lot and vice versa. It led to nothing.

He clicked on someone else's page who was speaking with them in the comments. Jalicia Barrett * 227 "Huh." He went to find others that he saw speaking in similar circles and several had no numbers there, but there were quite a few others that did have a number listed, and some were kids or teenagers. Maybe something to do with some of Grace's child benefits? He couldn't find what tied them together… But then he saw someone's page and Grace was actually in photos ON it. "Xander Helstrom *747…"

His profile pic was a younger photo of himself with pink hair, wearing a chin guard on his face and a bandana on his arm.

But, all of his current photos indicated he was older now, probably early 20s or late teens. He and Grace seemed close. There was a photo of him with her pet turtle and sliding through the set, it was the day that she bought it. So… they were most likely really good friends, or something else… Simon found himself looking at every interaction between them that he could find. They spoke like they had known each other a long time and from what he could see, this was the only person who had photos of her in her space. Maybe they were in something complicated? He searched Xander's other accounts. His Tweets were mostly about child welfare and social justice. His Facebook seemed similar, but also had memes and photos of himself and memorials for children. One caught his attention. The drawing looked similar to Grace's art style and it was of a little girl with the caption, "In honor of Hazel. She was never a number and she changed us for the better."

There were several people who commented. "To Hazel, never a number." But, then Simon saw Grace's comment.

"Hazel taught me not to worry and not to rush. She helped give me empathy and a reason to fight. I never would have made it without her. To Hazel, never a number. Always a friend."

Simon looked at the time on his phone. "Crap." It was 2 am.

He finished compiling all of his notes and went to bed. He was very curious what those numbers meant, but he couldn't dwell on it at the moment. He'd have to sleep well into the day to make up for staying up tonight. Tomorrow, he'd have to leave his car behind. He needed to know what happened when Grace got on the train.

04. Date Night

#AU Infinity Train #Infinity Train #Nesha Fanfiction #Infinity Train Fanfiction #fics #People Watching

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