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kvothe-kingkiller · 1 year

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Edit: No longer looking for Alpha Readers but I’m keeping this up for posterity and info

I’m looking for alpha readers for an ongoing fantasy project which I am currently releasing chapter by chapter. I’ll also make a post when I finish it in case you are the type to prefer to read it in one go.

You do not need to have editing skills or experience. I am only looking for basic commentary.

Blurb: In an unsteady time of peace following a generations-long war, Mila, an 18 year old farmer, finds herself unexpectedly thrust into the world of nobility upon discovering she can wield a power thought only to be possessed by the upper class. Struggling to find her feet in this new environment and shunned by those around her, she juggles learning about her abilities, her identity, and the truth of the war behind the propaganda. When her equally ostracized mentor gets a tip about a plot to assassinate one of the country’s leaders, it’s down the dysfunctional teacher with a shady past and his apprentice who can barely control her powers to prevent the country from falling back into conflict.

(This is adult fantasy, not YA)

tags/highlights/themes: non-european-based fantasy world, adult fantasy, many queer characters and relationships (including aces), discovering sexuality, struggles with mental health and addiction, physical disabilities, dealing with trauma and taking responsibility, race relations, eat the rich, government propaganda, political intrigue, war is for money, war hurts the most vulnerable, etc

more info under the cut but if you’re interested or have questions, please DM me

(scroll down for info about setting, plot, and characters. content warnings and ‘rating’ under plot)

General Info:

Like I said, no experience needed. All I want to hear about is what you like/dislike, what is clear/unclear and any theories you have (for foreshadowing). You can be as detailed as you want or you can leave a single sentence comment for each chapter, anything helps.

This is a first draft to be clear. I want alpha readers so I can make large changes to plot before rewriting everything for the second draft. On one hand it’s still fairly rough, on the other hand you don’t need to know anything to help. I just need opinions on plot and pacing and characters and foreshadowing etc etc. Again I am still writing it, I usually do ish a chapter a month sometimes faster sometimes slower. The chapters are usually ~10k, and I already have 27 out. (it is long)

This is going to be done through google classroom (yes, google classroom) because I need it to be inaccessible to anyone not invited and because I want people to be able to comment without being influenced by others and google classroom was literally the only thing I could find to do that for free. This does mean that whatever name you have on google will be seen by me and possibly others, just as an fyi. Also I have to add you to the ‘class’ but I can send you the prologue first if you want to try-before-you-buy (tho be aware the prologue is a bit more action packed than the start of the plot)

misc. pros for doing this: it already has art! because I do be an artist as well and I only ever draw my characters because motivation be finicky. Also, if you get through the entire thing I’ll do a commission for you (for free). plus I’m always looking for art ideas so if you say ‘it would be funny/cool if x did y’ then chances are I will actually draw it lol. also, free book ig?

Setting:

Magic: Low fantasy with scarce/rare magic. The magic is called forging and is basically element magic but I wanted to explain all the hand movements people do with those so I incorporated more rules and ‘science’ to make it more rigid. there are ten basic ‘facets’ (air fire water stone earth wood iron copper blood bone) and people can be born knowing any number, or special different ones, but it gets exponentially rarer with more facets. the magic is genetic and mostly confined to the upper class and has become a way of oppressing the lower class. this actually gets addressed rather than mentioned then ignored (cough, korra, cough)

Culture: The culture of the main country, Odrad, is based on african, middle eastern, and mediterranean cultures, with a bit of southern asian. However most of that is simply due to the setting being dry and hot, and so developing dark skin and loose clothing and making most things out of stone and plaster due to the scarcity of wood. Religion is polytheistic based around an all mother type goddess and the god of the sun with the biggest festival being the start of the wet season. Other important countries include Acrait, the biggest on the continent, which is more south asian based, and Sheiro, which is steppe-type culture. Odrad is an ex-monarchy ruled by a council that has morphed into capitalism and feudalism’s horrid little baby with ‘nobles’ controlling everything.

Queer Culture: First of all I use the word queer a Lot lol so if you aren’t into that, might not be for you. There is oppression since I am one of the queers who prefers an overcoming story than a setting with no oppression, but it is similar to current western culture in the sense that it’s not Horrible (so no like legal death sentences for gay sex etc), not As bad as it used to be, is worse in rural areas, and is rapidly changing in the cities. for the most part people hide their queerness but there is underground culture. Most of the characters are queer so there’s a lot of rep including ace and nb

Plot:

So far, it is Long. I am 200k words in at chapter 27 and probably only halfway through and this is only the first book. A lot of the first bit is just Mila’s struggles at the school where she’s learning forging. It is taking a turn into much more political intrigue than I planned but I’m leaning into it. so just know that its long and not just constant action, there is a lot of downtime since I enjoy my character interactions and developments and fluff etc.

It is very R rated. Mostly due to dark subject matter, blood/gore etc, and lots of swearing (I come from a family where they’re just used as emphasis words really lol, so that’s somewhat leaked in...and it’s a first draft so I can’t be bothered to spend that much time removing them). There is a Lot of discussion around sex but no actual sex scenes. It has many things which could be triggering so just lmk if you want me to warn you about anything specific. It is dark and has dark themes, however, it is not a grimdark vibe, the vibes are actually fairly light all things considered. The characters have a lot of bantz and mess around and have fun, so it’s much less constantly serious than most ‘dark’ adult fantasy. I wanted to make them more relatable as people rather than just ‘whatever badass magic user’ (they’re actually mostly fairly pathetic pft)

General CW list: violence, gore, emotional abuse, abusive relationships, child abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, frank depictions of mental illness, alcohol/drug use, addictions, intrusive thoughts, self harm, suicide ideation/attempts, war, war crimes, torture, mind control

CW list of things mentioned and discussed or that happen but not shown directly ‘on screen’: rape, pedophilia, forced pregnancy

Characters:

I’ll just give a very brief (and not great) description of the main three

Mila: (pron. ‘mee-luh’) the MC, disaster lesbian but more in a cringe fail way than a messy bitch way. tiny (4′10) but v powerful, just can’t quite use it yet. country kid way behind on the times. needs a break so badly

Ardev: imagine if you gave a wet rat the power to take over the world but he couldn’t be bothered. gay/ace and has so many things deeply wrong with him. short king

Endel: the only competent one. bi. BDE. femme. a slut. perfect at everything. his biggest flaw is that he likes Ardev. also has things deeply wrong with him.

thx for reading and again, DM if you’re interested or have questions <3

#ymg #young mans game #my writing #my characters #i Will be self reblogging this many times so watch out

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joongdokshitposting · 10 months

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So uh remember when I said I wrote an essay on orv for my Communicative English assignment? Well here it is people, in all it's flawed (?) glory (cuz again English is not my first language (it is but it's a little more complex) so my vocab is weird sorta ig) (I literally just copy pasted my assignment btw so if it sounds like an assignment I wrote on at half past 2 in the night,, just look over it please 😭)

Communicative English - Speech Script

Topic: Review of the novel “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.”

I am somebody who has never read a web novel, I’ve only ever preferred regular novels. However, I do read webtoons often, and that is how I stumbled across this masterpiece of a story. What started off as curiosity quickly turned into obsession as I spent almost every moment not working on reading this seven thousand page monster of a book. And, see, truthfully, such a huge number would’ve absolutely had me running the opposite way. At least, that’s the case usually. But the prose and narration in this book is genuinely so intriguing that it had me hooked from chapter one. While it does have a slow beginning the wait is very much worth it as the plot constantly keeps moving forward without lagging anywhere. Not a moment is wasted, every single scene contributes to fleshing out the world and its characters and through it all we, the readers, find ourselves falling deeper into the thematic story beats.

But I’m getting carried away aren’t I? Let me step back a little. For starters, what is a web novel? As the name suggests, they are novels published directly onto the internet and can be both free to read or paid to read. The difference between regular/physical novels and web novels would be the publishing aspect. Web novels, unlike the usual novels, are written, edited and published by the authors themselves. Additionally, they can be both ongoing, where the author publishes a chapter on a timely basis, or fully published once completely written.

Now that that’s cleared, let’s move on. The book I’m currently so emotionally attached to, goes by the title “Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint” and is a Korean fantasy web novel. The story follows the life of a 28-year-old contract worker named Kim Dokja (Dokja, meaning both only-child and reader. This also contributes to the greater narrative of both the plot and the character.) whose only hobby is reading web novels.

The setting is as such: He’s lonely, he’s had a not-so-great childhood (as we find out eventually), and his current part-time job contract is ending, meaning he’s knee deep into leading a pathetic life where he has to work hard to survive and afford at least the bare minimum every single day. Through it all, the only salvation for this man is a web novel by the name “Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined world” (it has multiple abbreviations but the most agreed upon is TWSA) that had been running for ten whole years, him being it’s sole reader past the 120th chapter as most people gave up on such a lengthy (hitting an insane 3149 chapter count) and apparently terribly written novel (this further highlights his whole “reader” identity as we will see pretty quickly).

Now, our story begins when the web novel that Kim Dokja has been reading for ten years, becomes the new reality one day while he is riding the subway with his coworker. This dramatically shifts the supposed “genre” of Dokja’s life from “realism” (as stated by him directly) to “fantasy” thereby completely changing his life (and I mean, COMPLETELY) to the point where he becomes an irreplaceable aspect of the story and the characters we follow.

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (ORV for short), despite its dystopian and violent setting, is a book filled with love. And by that I don’t mean romance, god no. If anything, this book has absolutely nothing to do with that genre. No, this book? Oh no it’s not talking about rose tinted cheeks, shy confessions or tragic love declarations. Well, let’s keep that last part because it happens a lot actually. Just not the way we expect it. As mentioned, this book in itself is a love letter to readers and touches on the topic of interdependence between authors and readers. How inevitably one cannot exist without the other. This is most evident in the three main characters of ORV and their roles/powers.

Both thematically and as characters, they’re so intimately interwoven that one quite literally cannot exist without the other two. Kim Dokja the reader, Yoo Joonghyuk (the original hero of TWSA) the protagonist, and Han Sooyoung the writer. Part of what sells their need to depend on each other comes from the fact that all three of them cannot stand one another. At least, initially. Their dynamics are literally just verbal insults, attempts at murder and pathological lying. They genuinely cannot go a minute without feeling the urge to strangle each other. But guess what? While their fiery rivalry and banter remains, it slowly develops into one coming from a place of affection rather than weariness. In that sense, ORV is also a slow burn. The characters take their time opening up, and are more often than not, extremely human. Almost all the characters (and there’s a lot by the way, many surprisingly or not, non-human in nature) always have their very own completely valid and plausible reasons for doing what they’re doing. And sometimes we find ourselves sympathizing with them.

The core of this novel, from what I can understand, is about love. Both in terms of deserving and expressing it. Dokja, despite loving the characters/people in his life so much that he willingly sacrifices himself, not once, not twice, but multiple times, firmly believes he’s not worth saving. It’s heartbreaking, watching this 20 something year old who spent his entire life in isolation, deny himself of love he deserves just as much as anybody else just because he hasn’t received it for so long that he is accustomed to living a life without it. He constantly tries justifying him putting a wall between him and the world; he says it’s his job to be a “dokja”, a “reader”, someone omniscient, someone who supposedly exists outside the story, outside the narrative, and therefore should not be the point of focus at any given time.

Time and again the others tell him, they remind him of his humanity, saying how they wouldn’t have survived without him. But he counters by saying it’s the opposite and that he wouldn't have lived for thirty years if not for the characters and therefore he is only repaying. He speaks of how the ending of the story he wants to see is one where nobody dies. For that, and that alone, he dies again and again and again. And you, you have to sit there watch this mess of a man so unabashedly full of love throw himself death’s way and not be able to do anything because he won’t listen. You feel helpless, just like the other characters, including Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk, and only pray to all things divine that this man also gets the happy ending he’s so desperately fighting to give the others.

This book has genuinely impacted me in a way no other has. And that is saying something because it’s so easy for me to jump from one interest to another. It has been two weeks since I finished this book and yet it refuses to leave my mind and heart. It stays there adamantly with the same stubbornness with which Dokja denies his well deserved love. Every moment not spent working, I spend thinking about stories and readers and writers and heroes. I look to the stars and think of all the stories in the world I don’t know, stories written with such tender love that only certain readers can ever truly embrace them. I think of how, perhaps, this is how humans are too. I think of how maybe we’re all made of stories waiting to be read with love by others the way Dokja read TWSA thereby giving life to Yoo Joonghyuk and purpose to Han Sooyoung.

Sooooo is this still enough to encompass my thoughts on orv? Absolutely not :D

#long post #orv #orv analysis #??? i think #Bro idk I'm just constantly thinking about orv okay

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callipraxia · 10 months

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oh!!! this is a few hours later, but i also wanted to ask what the lost-but-recently-revived project actually is, because i've never thought to ask in an ask box until now. when my tablet is dead. eugh. it must've been mentioned before, but if you'd like to say more, i'd love to learn about it!!! i feel like i've been talking too much about my own things lately, and i wanna read about others', specifically yours >:] (i remember something about gideon and the axolotl, but that might have been a different project---regardless that sounds whimsy af) if you dont feel like it or anything, you can ignore this :^

The lost project actually hadn’t been discussed much, if at all; it’s a post-canon one-shot where Stan and Ford go back to Glass Shard Beach, reasoning that Stan probably needs to see the place again for the good of his memory and that Ford should probably pay some form of respects to their deceased parents. Stan has a video camera. He ends up documenting just how much everything has changed. He and Ford have Feelings about this, and then they run into someone unexpected. It’s...hardly high drama, so it probably doesn’t make sense that it’s taken this long to start rewriting it, but so it goes with my short pieces.

The Gideon thing is a spinoff/sequel to FWJB I’m considering – specifically, what happened to him after the final battle. It begins ten years later, with Gideon waking up to discover that someone appears to have recently jammed the majority of a tube of drugged lipstick down his throat. Since said lipstick would knock someone unconscious and induce mild amnesia in a much smaller quantity, it’s done a real job on him, which leaves him trying to figure out where he is, how long he’s been there, who drugged him, why that person drugged him, and, in fact, most of who he is – he knows his name is Gideon, he knows he should really not tell anyone that, and very little else. Not even why it’s so important to hide his identity.

Naturally, once he figures even a tiny bit of that information out, he promptly finds himself with even worse problems than he started with.

Other ideas...what the heck, I might as well talk about them a bit, not least to, er, document them in some fashion. Been thinking that writing them down might be a good idea anyway, so here we go:

1) You once suggested I kill Ford and make Stan have feelings about it. I’ve started that one, too; it’s the one I wrote down a lot of and then typed up and then lost...last week? Week before last? Week before last, I think. In this sad little universe, Ford manages to break his neck and die like six months after Weirdmageddon. Stan takes this poorly.

2) In other possible returns to old stomping grounds, I’m intrigued by the idea of going further into how Agent Trigger, of all people, somehow managed to slip under the radar, climb the ranks of the DFSI, and end up recruiting Dipper. Similarly, I’d like to do at least a short return to the IG Epilogue situation, if I can think of a good plot for it beyond Dipper’s initial reaction to “...did that guy really just take his face off like a pair off sunglasses and call me by name??” Plus, of course, if I’m ever in a fluff mood, I gotta write what happened when Soos made good on his promise to loan Ford the deeveedees.

3) Road trip time with Fiddleford and the Stan Twins! What could possibly go wrong?

4) So, Powers. Tell us more about how your agency spotted signals from Gravity Falls thirty years ago. What did you guys do then?

5) Writing more of McGucket’s memoirs, and/or the horror novel about the building of the Portal that I’ve had in mind, and/or a between-the-episodes incident where Fiddleford, struggling to remember who the Author was and why he’s so darn difficult to remember, convinces Tate to talk to him about the past, resulting in them going over a bunch of letters Emma-May had kept and Fiddleford struggling to figure out what was real vs what he was lying about, all while he and Tate are having feels (and sometimes explosive arguments) in the present.

6) Some college years stuff. I have vague ideas for something about the construction of the mind-control tie, and for something else about That One Time Fiddleford Convinced Ford To Come With Him To Tennessee Over The Holidays.

7) More angsty one-shots...stuff like Stan pretending to be Ford at Filbrick’s funeral, and the first day Ford went back to high school by himself, and some stuff with small Tate, and...you get the picture.

8) I will admit this only because of your current tagline – I, too, have entertained the idea that Stan has actually read Moby Dick. Specifically, that in his last months in school, he and Ford ended up in separate classes for part of the day because Ford was taking calculus or something, resulting in Stan having to take the standard-issue American Lit class by himself, and the teacher essentially annoying him into making a good-(ish; it is Stan we’re talking about) faith effort to do his book report properly...only for it to all end on the most depressing note possible, of course. I’ve told myself I cannot actually write this, but… *shrugs*

9) Early in his years in Gravity Falls, Stan visits the library. The librarian is someone he finds attractive. Somehow, one thing leads to another and he finds himself being strong-armed into helping with the town science fair, despite a) him not really being a scientist, only playing one in front of tourists and b) his very specific hatred of science fairs.

10) It is September. Everyone is going back to school. Wendy discovers that Tracey and Quattro exist. This is the one that had me complaining about how I missed the apocalypse not long ago – it’s harder to 99% ignore their infatuation with her in a lower-stakes scenario, and I have no idea how to handle that.

11) It is the academic year. Pacifica struggles to deal with her new social milieu.

12) Some other AU ideas...mostly “what if someone didn’t think of [clever thing] in time” disaster scenarios. There’s also the Better World AU, where...let’s just say it’s not a very nice place at all, at least for some people.

So, there you are! It’s...the majority of the ideas floating around my head at the moment. Some could merge together into one project. Some might not ever see the light of day. But I’ve got plenty of material to work with, just have to get my head back in order for writing, and I’m pleased to say that my head is getting closer to order by the day.

#gravity falls fic #gravity falls fanfic #gravity falls au #too many gravity falls aus

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nebulaleaf · 6 months

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Y, L, E, A, F GO. DO IT.

THAT'S ALMOST HALF MY NAME! (moss)yleaf... Y - What are your secondhand fandoms? Uhhh. Do Darksouls and Bloodborne count? Or league of legends? no? okay uhhh. ummm.. hatoful boyfriend? does that even have a fandom?! wait I think final fantasy 7 counts. i've played bits n pieces but im not huuuuuuuge into it (bcos im not done playing) so im more into it for friends sakes. L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. I hate kasumi yoshizawa with my whole chest but i love her character design so much, (NOT THIEF FORM.) and i think a lot of the symbolism around her false awakening and other aspects of life/gameplay are very intriguing and delicious! mmm foreshadowing, yummy! conceptually its very cool that her pt fit mimics joker because she's always basing her self image on someone else, like a mirror. but. well. [folds hands politely] conceptually. E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what? Morally I can't answer that for old fandoms. It's all been deleted now anyway. I can finally rest in peace. For p5 i've made one crack fic but it's not like... Big or anything. i've made a few shitposts that have popped off ig? cunty little akira fig, oug oug? is that anything? A - Ships that you currently like a lot. Ahhhh the classic. I will always love pegoryu and shuharu. and, well, pegoryuharu. them in a post-game domestic setting is really big in the neb economy rn. listen i know im just smushing my faves together but SH. i can see ryuharu working in a romantic setting but ngl? fine ill admit it. i like it when it's just them both dating akira. they can share and hang out but not kiss about it. s'called being really goog friends lea me alone. F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

[withers to dust] t-ten years i guess. sighs

#ask meme #long post

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stickyspeckledlight · 18 hours

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wait. Kuja?????? I mean he’s pretty but he got no pants

When I first saw him, I was like: ergh…

Like chief???? This wasn’t it. He looks cringe and like a generic “if only the world was as beautiful as me.” An asshole but a really generic and boring one. Ten year old me was sad abt it esp since I’d just finished playing FF7, and really liked sephiroth’s design (mostly cuz boy does he look sinister at time) And the fucking cod piece. Even now I still have trouble getting over it. But then I started playing FF9 (for Vivi! He’s the best ❤️ ) and then got…got hit with this:

youtube

Instantly got me wanting to beat the shit out of him for acting all arrogant even tho he didn’t do anything. But then as ff9 goes on…he just seemed increasingly more and more desperate. Not to mention he has a literal torture chamber and was hella sadistic.

So. I was intrigued but didn’t quite know why. All I knew was that I wanted to beat the shit out of him, but also kind of wanted to see him get worse…and then I thought a little bit about getting killed by him and stuff, so……….

In any case being back kuja with soft fluffy hair. I am not a big fan of how they made his hair so spikey and stuff in dissidia. I mean, ig they made it so it was more similar to his concept art:

BUT COME ON!!!!

LOOKIT HIM. LOOK AT THAT SINISTER LIL GRIN. HOW DRAMATIC AND BEAUTIFUL HE IS WHILE LITERALLY DESTROYING THE WORLD

Idk. He’s a very sinisterly beautiful theater kid with abandonment issues. Dramatic yes but in like a…graceful way. So yeah. Petition for fluffy and floofy haired kuja to come back.

#speckled answers #yeah I’ve always been a little ‘silly’ I think #even when I was in elementary I think it was there #cuz I kept wanting to watch Star Wars ep6 #because of the palpatine interrogation scene and stuff #and you know Vader dying for Luke and stuff #but also #there was something about leia becoming a slave and getting chained up #FFS #now that I’m older it’s very weird to me now but when I was younger??????#speckled dumps lore #yeah #ig I was always just a freaky little cinnamonroll #speckled talks ff9

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faierius · 6 years

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In His Shoes (12. The More You Know)

Chapter One (Can’t We All Just Get Along?)

Chapter Two (Out Of Body Experience)

Chapter Three (We Don’t Talk About That)

Chapter Four (My Body Won’t Change My Heart)

Chapter Five (Myth and Mystery)

Chapter Six (Baby Steps)

Chapter Seven (Sleep on it)

Chapter Eight (Seeds)

Chapter Nine (All About Perspective)

Chapter Ten (Sweet Dreams are Made of These)

Chapter Eleven (This is Not Our Name)

Achoo!

“Was that the ninth or tenth?” Gladio chuckled, glancing up from his book.

“I lost track,” Noctis grumbled.

“I believe that was the tenth,” Ignis commented, peeking up at the others.

“Can’t help it!” Prompto whined with a nasally voice. “Gladio’s allergies are outta control.” He sneezed again.

“These books are pretty dusty. At least I don’t have to deal with it for a change.” Turning the page, a small cloud of dust puffed off the book.

“C’mon, I’m sufferin’ over here!” A chain of sneezes brought the total to fifteen. “My eyes itch, my nose itches, and I feel like I’ve got a head cold.”

“Any excuse to get out of reading,” Noctis sighed, shaking his head as he turned his page.

Prompto pouted, his face twisting up comically as the itch of an impending sneeze filled his sinuses. “Yeah, because I’m totally gonna learn anything in,” –Prompto peeked at the cover of his book— “Marine Biology of Eos, 726 Edition.”

Noctis stopped reading and raised his eyebrows at Prompto. “Why did you even take that one?”

“There’s like, twenty books in that box. I grabbed one at random,” Prompto replied with a shrug.

“Maybe pick one with a relevant title this time,” Gladio advised, reaching across the coffee table and plucking the book from Prompto’s hands.

“So I can sneeze all over it?” Prompto asked, rubbing his nose. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat and sneezed yet again. “What’re you guys reading?”

Tossing the biology book aside, Gladio turned his own over to read the spine. “Duscae’s One Hundred Most Influential Individuals. Published in 719.”

“Myths and Monsters; An Unofficial Bestiary,” Noctis replied.

“Fabulae et Vita: Viribus Gelida.”

“That sounds important,” Noctis commented, raising his eyes from his volume.

Prompto leaned over to peek at Ignis’ book. “Can you read it? Is it in Lucian?”

“Yes, and yes. It appears to be—”

“Huh,” Gladio interrupted, flipping his page. “Did you guys know a hundred years ago there was a man who lived out near Alstor who farmed— raised? —cactuar?”

“That hardly seems to be a rewarding profession. Why?” Ignis humored Gladio, looking up from his book.

The man scanned a few lines of text. “He used their needles to create poison antidotes.”

Ignis raised his brows, impressed. “While that does sound like an intriguing read, it hardly pertains to our predicament.”

“Well I’m not done reading, just thought it was an interesting face to mention.”

“Oh, yeah, totally!” Prompto agreed. “Y’know, now that I think about it, have you ever seen a baby cactuar? Like, do they all come in one size?”

Noctis smirked. “Getting a little off-track, Prom.”

“One day I’m gonna find a baby cactuar and snap a picture of it!”

“If anyone can do it, it’d be you, Prompto,” Gladio assured him with a nod.

Prompto beamed at the approval.

Shaking his head, Noctis’ smile slipped as he turned his attention back to Ignis. “What were you saying, Specs?”

“This book seems to be a biography of sorts,” he replied.

“Well, yeah. The title itself pretty much means life story. Who’s it about?” Noctis asked, pulling his feet up into the chair and crossing his legs.

“Insomnian born twins Eyoralin Viribus and Timorea Gelida,” Ignis answered as his eyes continued to move across the lines of text.

“Never heard of ‘em,” said Gladio.

“If they were important enough to have a book written about their lives, you’d think at least one of us would know who they are. Any ideas, Iggy?”

The man shook his head. “I can’t say I’m familiar with the names. Perhaps they earned their reputation outside the city.”

“That makes sense,” Prompto agreed, nodding.

“Prompto?”

“Yeah, Ig?”

“Describe the woman you saw in your dream for me, please.”

“With or without the grody daemon ooze?”

“Without, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Uh…She would have been drop-dead gorgeous when she was alive. Dark red hair, scary blue eyes. Or, eye. The other one was black, but I think that had to do with being a daemon. Old fashion armor…I was kinda too scared to absorb much else.”

Gladio turned his book around, holding it in one hand. “This her?”

Eyebrows raised, Prompto looked up at Gladio’s book. As soon as his eyes locked on the portrait, he felt an icy hand grip his heart. Unable to form words, Prompto nodded emphatically, sinking as far into his chair as he could.

Setting his book on the coffee table, Noctis got up and circled around to Prompto’s chair. Perching on the arm of the chair, he slipped his hand across the man’s shoulders. “You okay?” he asked, voice low.

Heart pounding hard in his chest, Prompto couldn’t even nod as he stared at the image of the woman. Wide eyes locked on the picture, the same fear and pain he experienced in his dream trickling through him. Everything around the picture faded out of focus and black ooze dribbled from her right eye. The image shifted as she turned to look directly at him. That same fury he saw before burned in her good eye.

Prompto spat out a curse, shooting out of his chair and rubbing his hands over his face. “Guys, I can’t. She’s in my head and she’s—” Sighing out a heavy breath, Prompto disappeared into the bathroom.

Noctis glanced at Ignis, eyes filled with concern.

“Gladio, may I see that book, please?” Ignis held out his hand, lips pursed. “I believe with these two books, I have plenty of research to do. Perhaps you should take Prompto out, help him relax.”

“I’ll stay here and help,” Gladio stated.

“You sure you want to let us off the hook?” Noctis asked, clasping his hands between his knees as he met the man’s eyes.

“There is no hook to be let off of,” Ignis replied. “We have two books and four sets of eyes. Prompto is clearly disturbed by what he saw, so I won’t force him to help. And you are a greater source of comfort to him than either of us. That eliminated two superfluous sets of eyes.”

Noctis blinked. “Wow. Cold.”

“Just take the kid out for a few hours. Stop arguing.” Gladio told him with a shake of his head.

Crossing his arms, Noctis slowly rose to his feet and narrowed his eyes. He flicked a glance toward the bathroom door. “You trust us alone together?”

“You and I both know how little any of us pay attention to that rule, so I will redact it. However, that being said, I trust you to understand appropriate boundaries. Remember, those are not your bodies to do with as you please.”

Chest swelling with a deep breath, Noctis dipped his head. “Got it. You don’t have to worry about us doing anything like that.”

“Good. Go enjoy yourselves, Highness. Gladio and I will do what we can here.” Ignis offered a half smile before turning his attention back to the books. Looking at the lines of text without actually seeing it, he listened to Noctis coax Prompto out of the bathroom, then leave the suite.

“I get kicking Prompto off research duty, but why Noctis?” Gladio asked when the door closed behind the pair.

Handing one book over to Gladio, Ignis met his gaze. “Between what happened this morning, and the way Prompto is behaving now, His Highness’ concentration is severely lacking. His attention is better suited to calming Prompto at the moment.”

“What did happen this morning?”

“Do you recall the events which led to my not speaking to you for two days?”

Brow knit in a frown, Gladio thought for a moment. When he located the memory, his face lit up with a bright grin. “Oh, yeah! It was worth it. That was a good night.”

“Noctis experienced those events through a dream.”

Gladio’s jaw dropped.

“He was rightly upset.”

“W-w-what do you mean by experienced?” Gladio stuttered out, swallowing hard.

Ignis’ cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat. “He’s in my body, Gladio.”

“And he was with me in the dream. No wonder he wanted to avoid Prompto,” Gladio groaned. “We need to fix this now. I really don’t want to deal with something like that.”

“Then I suggest you start reading.”

Nose wrinkled up at the prospect of having a dirty dream in the role of Prompto, Gladio opened his book again. Turning the page away from the portrait of the woman, a new face greeted him. This was an official-looking image, like one used in records, or on ID badges.

“Hey, Ig?”

“Yes?”

Gladio put the book on the coffee table and spun it toward Ignis. “Does he look familiar to you?”

Ignis studied the image for a moment. “Yes, I do believe I’ve seen this man before. He was a member of the Crownsguard under King Mors, was he not?”

“Yes! That’s where I saw him. Hall of Records,” Gladio answered with a nod. “My dad made me study up on notable members of the Guard. Mors favored him because he was some sort of magic prodigy.”

Ignis quickly flipped through his book, finding a section pertaining to the skills of the man known as Timorea Gelida. “How unusual,” he muttered, scanning the page.

“What?”

“As we all know, only members of the royal family and those blessed by the family can use the power of the elements. Timorea, with no connection to the throne, was able to use magic from a young age.”

“You can use magic, too,” Gladio pointed out.

“I believe my skills come from my close connection to Noctis and His Majesty. It is also theorized I may be very distantly related to the Lucis Caelum line,” Ignis replied.

“Maybe it’s the same for Timorea?”

“I suppose it’s possible. There had to be many branch families over the years. Either way, the fact that he can use magic isn’t the unusual part. He can only use one of the elements. Apparently, he was very strongly tied to ice elemancy.”

“That’s…weird.”

Ignis nodded. “I cannot say I’ve ever heard of such a case. Even members of the Glaive, who tend to favor certain elements, still have the ability to use others.”

Gladio scoffed. “Did he make some deal with the Glacian?” he joked.

“At this point, I won’t rule anything out.”

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f4-of-lucis · 7 years

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Oh goodness >w< And since we’re talking about the older version of Iggy, Gladio, and Prompto, I’m assuming that it’ll be the 10 year timeskip of themselves (meaning a Blind!Ignis as well).

This is gonna be really, really long, I tell you XDD Why? Because that’s an amazing idea right there and I over-elaborated the story— perhaps, too much.

I’m sorry it took a while, though!

And because this became a reader-insert, try out the module below :D (NOTE: It might not work on dashboard and mobile, so you might need to be in my actual blog site.)

Your name: submit What is this?

// <![CDATA[ document.getElementById("submit").addEventListener('click', myHandler); function myHandler() { var v = document.body.innerHTML; var input = document.getElementById("inputTxt").value; v = v.replace(/\by\/n\b|\(y\/n\)/ig, input); document.body.innerHTML = v; } // ]]>

Time and Love don’t go well together, it seems (Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto)

There was once a myth passed around the kingdom of Lucis. An old lore to the commoners; an urban legend to the servants of the Lucian Royal Family— especially those directly connected to the Crystal, such as the Crownsguards.

The myth has varied over the time, but essentially stated the following:

“Every hundred years, a strange phenomenon happens within the walls of the Citadel, home of the Lucian Royal Family. The Crystal— bestowed upon by the Divine Beings to humanity, casts its mystical powers to the worthiest of its protectors.

What happens to the chosen is unclear. Some had disappeared and caused unexplained anomalies, yet some returned with gifts of knowledge of the distant future.

A dangerous power the Crystal grants to the worthy outside of the Royal Family. The reason is unclear and unknown to humanity yet known only by the Crystal itself which shall be recognized by the compelled.”

Sounded like a bedtime story. With the strange phenomenon happening once every hundreds of years, no one had solid proof it actually happens. Not even to the Lucian Royal Family, though they know of its existence.

... Not for long, I tell you (otherwise, this long-ass fanfic/scenario won’t be here XD).

Shortly after the restoration of Light to Lucis and the reclaim of the Insomnian throne, the Crystal had decided to reward its devoted protectors: the three Crownsguard who stood by Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV, current King of Lucis, since the beginning: Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia, and Prompto Argentum.

With Noctis crowned as the new King, all that’s left to do is serve him— as Crownsguards and as devoted friends. For Noct, it was the end of his adventure. For the three men? It obviously wasn’t. A single night and a dream was enough to spark a new adventure for Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto.

One they wouldn’t expect— not even in their wildest of imaginations.

In the morning following that night, the three men met by the Citadel hall, each not knowing the dream of the other, until one obvious someone spoke up about it. Prompto talked about his dream, which matched with both Gladio’s and Ignis’ own dreams. They were rather intrigued, especially the Crystal were “talking to them” through their dreams.

The morning after the second night was when their adventure began.

Instead of waking up in their respective quarters, the three men found themselves in the Crystal Room, all suited up in Kingsglaive attire. No wonder a certain someone complained about how heavy he felt waking up.

The three were undeniably surprised upon fully waking up and realizing where they were. Ignis didn’t need his sight to know he wasn’t laying down on his bed in his room (like waking up on a cold, hard ground wasn’t enough XD).

It was the room where the Crystal was kept, but something was... different about it. The machines were more sophisticated at best. “What are we doing here?!” asked a slightly panicked Prompto. “We didn’t sleepwalked here, did we?!” he continued. “Even if we did, that wouldn’t explain how we got past the tightly-secure vault!” answered Gladio. “And like hell I sleepwalk!”

Unlike the two, Ignis remained calm and asked, albeit with a slightly louder voice to catch Gladio and Prompto’s attention. “Where are we, exactly?”

“In the Crystal Room!”

And just then, a group of men, presumably guards or soldiers, entered the room. They were of military attire. Neither Gladio nor Prompto recognized anyone in the group.

“These men must be what the Oracle was talking about. Bring them to the Queen”

“The Queen?” Ignis asked, which was met with a quick answer by one of the guards. “Yes, the current queen of Insomnia.”

The three were taken aback. Queen? But Noctis was crowned as King not long ago. “What’s going on?” Well, their question was then again met with an answer as they were escorted to the throne room. The Citadel was similar yet different in more ways than one. Not long after, they reached the throne room.

On the throne sat a young woman clad in an attire visually similar to that of the former King Regis, except it was designed in such a way it was a dress. Her physical appearance uncannily resembled that of Noctis’, especially the eyes. Yet what set the two apart, other than their genders of course, was that the female had a much more gentler face.

“Whoa...” said Prompto with a low voice, bewildered by the sight before him. Gladiolus was just as equally as baffled as the blond man. As for Ignis, well, while he can’t see the very person the other two men were shocked to see, he knew it wasn’t Noctis on the throne. It was someone else.

“Three men clad in Kingsglaive attire... just as the Oracle had said. I welcome you three to “future” Lucis, as you might say.” started the young woman, her gentle voice soothing the three men but still confused once “future Lucis” was mentioned. “Future Lucis??” whispered the blond man to Ignis, to which latter replied with “It would seem we traveled to the future, just as the Crystal in our dreams said.”

The Queen stood up as she introduced herself. “My name is (Y/N) Lucis Caelum, CCXV. Might I ask yours?”

Before answering the queen, the three men were taken aback once again. How far into the future did the Crystal threw them into? CCXV? As in the 215th Ruler of Lucis? They were sure as hell Noctis is only CXIV, the 114th Ruler.

“O-Oh uh, Prompto Argentum, your Majesty.” “Ignis Scientia, your Majesty" “Gladiolus Amicitia”

(Y/N) nodded and wasted no time explaining the situation to the three men. “Allow me to explain the situation. Over a century ago, the empire Niflheim has seized almost all of Eos with the exception of Insomnia, the Crown City. I trust you know of this?”

They nodded respectfully. Of course. The three knew that full well. They were there the entire time it happened to Lucis.

“Niflheim was supposed to annex the entirety of Lucis, had it not been for the intervention of the 114th King of Lucis— Noctis Lucis Caelum, and thanks to him, the Niflheim empire has fallen apart since then. Yet, according to written records in the archive, Lucis still succumbed into years of darkness.”

Iggy, Gladio, and Prompto were there too. Those agonizing ten years of night.

“Fortunately, Noctis seemed to have saved all of Lucis from darkness. He’s indeed such a noble King. But now, I fear the same thing might happen soon. It seems that Niflheim has returned from its ashes. The Oracle has warned me of its coming, and predicted that ‘help will come from time’s past’. I figured it was help from the past, and she was right. The Crystal has taken you from your timeline to aid us and warn you of a coming trouble in your time.”

Their purpose was slowly being revealed to them, just as the Crystal said.

“And so I ask you, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto. Will you lend us your aid in defending Lucis?”

Who were they to turn down the plea of the Queen and the will of the Crystal?

Prompto Argentum Oh Lord, let me tell you— Prompto fell head over heels for (Y/N) the moment he laid eyes on her. She seemed like an angel to the poor blondie. Anyways, Prompto served the future Kingsglaive, actually being one of the most talented long-ranged fighter. Ten years worth of practice and this was the fruit.

Much to his surprise, Prompto found himself in the presence of the Lucian queen most of the time. Especially during camping. (Y/N) had enjoyed Prompto’s company, seeing how the blond man always seemed to be full of energy, a slight contrast to her more gentle self.

Since he knew that (Y/N) knows they were from the past, Prompto would show the young queen pictures of him and his friends with her predecessor, Noctis Lucis Caelum, much to (Y/N)’s interest in seeing the savior of Lucis during their time.

Alright, the pistol-wielding blondie knew he liked Lucis’ Queen. Like, a lot. Of course, he knew how (Y/N) deserved better. She’s a queen for crying out loud, and he’s just... a commoner. A Kingsglaive, sure, but still just a commoner. Not only that, she’s from the future.

Prompto has the habit of looking at other girls, sure (especially Cindy), but never did his heart completely loved a woman. He badly wanted to stay by her side and make her smile, but Ignis had pointed out (time and time again) that doing so would cause anomalies in the present day. He knew that. He watched one too many movies to know how changing the future would also change the past.

The day before he and his two other friends returned to present day Lucis, Prompto just had to say it.

“(Y/N), you know I have to go back tomorrow, right? Before that, I wanted to tell you something. You’re the most amazing person I’ve met. I mean— you’re really sweet and kind, you know? But your also really gentle and elegant. And you laugh at my jokes. Not a lot do that! And you made me feel like.. I was at your level. You didn’t look down on me. For once in my life, all my insecurities disappeared when I’m with you. You’re...perfect. I-I guess what I’m saying is... I really fell in love with you, (Y/N). I really love you.”

Mustering all the courage he can get from all the deities (thank Bahamut he actually mustered any strength XD), Prompto— as he embraced (Y/N) albeit tightly, gave her a kiss full of genuine love.

Before he left with Ignis and Gladio, Prompto decided to take one last selfie with (Y/N). One that would serve a memento of their bond.

Ignis Scientia He served as the strategist of the future Kingsglaive and royal adviser to (Y/N). The young woman was actually amazed at how well Ignis can do his role perfectly even without his eye sight.

... much more when (Y/N) found out Iggy could cook without his sight.

Ignis found himself cooking for the young Queen once in a while during his free time and camping times for when (Y/N) decides they needed the four of them (herself included) in the field. It brought happiness to the mother hen of a cook, seeing how the young woman enjoyed his cooking.

Often, the two would end up cooking together. Ignis personally enjoyed teaching (Y/N) the recipes he knew, even more when he discovered new recipes as well.

Overtime, Iggy realized he had developed feelings for (Y/N). He knew it was wrong. He’s from the present and she was from the future. The very flow of time separates them form one another. If he decided to stay, time and space will be messed up. Only then he realized the meaning of that one line in the myth: Some had disappeared and caused unexplained anomalies.

Meaning, some of the chosen had actually decided to stay in the future, therefore changing the present forever. Along with this is the series of unforeseen events.

It pained him. Ignis had loved (Y/N), the Queen of future Lucis, but he had to do the right thing. A long time had passed since the three of them left the present day Lucis. They’ve left Noctis far too long. So he decided to return once everything was over.

On the day of their return to present day Lucis, Ignis made sure he told (Y/N) how he felt. How he loved her. How he was truly happy to find a woman who cared for him just as much as he does for her despite his inability to see.

“I’m genuinely happy to have found a woman who loved me despite my inability. I’ve spent the last ten years of my life in darkness, but you came into my life and became my light. I truly wish I could stay with you, but... I can’t. But you must know that I love you, (Y/N).”

Lastly, Ignis cupped (Y/N)’s face with his hands and planted a long kiss on her soft lips (I mean, if he can cook without his eyesight, definitely he can kiss you XD). That was his first and last time he’ll be able to do it, for the woman he loved lived in a different timeline.

Gladiolus Amicitia Similar to how he served Noctis and— in his youth, former King Regis, Gladio acted as (Y/N)’s shield whilst serving the future Kingsglaive. He wasn’t explicitly told to do so, but the man felt like he should. Whether it was his bloodline as an Amicitia or his personal choice that made him do it, only he himself knows... maybe both.

It felt weird at first for Gladio that someone who looked like Noctis acted like Regis. Because the Noctis he knew was a tad bit different from the Prince’s father.

Even with her shield, the Queen still needs to defend herself, and so Gladio and (Y/N) would often train together. The young woman admitted to learning much thanks to Gladio’s training, much to the man’s content. Despite her calmer demeanor compared to Noctis, (Y/N) still had a form of friendly rivalry with Gladio. A proof of a growing bond between them.

As time went by and the tension between Lucis and Niflheim growing, Gladio couldn’t deny he started to love (Y/N). He wanted to continue being her shield, being by her side to protect her, especially with the war drawing closer between the two nations.

Ever since he arrived in future Lucis, Gladio’s been loyal to his duties to protecting the Lucian Royal Family, and (Y/N) was no exception. Perhaps, his want to be by her side was something beyond his duties as an Amicitia.

It was his true feelings. Gladio knew he had to go back to his original timeline, but he also knew he couldn’t just leave (Y/N) without telling her everything he felt, lest he’ll find himself contemplating to why he didn’t.

After the battle between Lucis and Niflheim, the victory of Lucis is ensured and so is its future. During those times, Gladiolus took the opportunity to tell (Y/N) what he needed to get off his chest. He tried to take it lightly... tried. Gladio found it hard to get his feelings off his chest, which is surprising for a confident man such as himself

“You know, (Y/N), you’re an amazing queen. You’ve risked everything for your kingdom, even your own life, so don’t go looking down on yourself, alright? And don’t put yourself in too much risk. Heck I had to save you almost all the time, and I’d stay by your side as your shield if I could, but we all know I can’t do that. Alright, I‘m just gonna say that I love you, (Y/N). I meant it when I said that if I could stay by your side as your shield, I would. That’s how you mean to me, ‘my queen’.”

On the day of his departure from future Lucis, he gave (Y/N) a passionate parting kiss. He loved her, but he knows he shouldn’t further mess up with and time and space. ____________

... I’m sorry it didn’t end a happy ending ; A ;

#final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #prompto argentum #prompto #gladiolus amicitia #gladio #ignis stupeo scientia #ignis scentia #ignis #spoilers #ffxv scenario #reader insert

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readymade-journal-en · 6 years

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Monique Lee / Shimokitazawa Co-Founder Adults, Please Don’t Hate Growing Up

Monique told us a story about growing up.

She used to believe that with her partner, they could spend their lifetime on perfecting just one thing. And all that mattered was perseverance. They thirsted for the latest knowledge, and went after everything they cared for. They made a name for themselves with unapologetic passion and Shimokitazawa developed into one of the most acclaimed independent bookstores in Taiwan.

Yet, at some point, she found out that thirty years have slipped, and it’s time to face what growing up meant. It was an epiphany to see more of herself, and a reflection of what kind of person she wanted to be. Growing up also came with responsibilities for her family and others, among other things, which were added to become the whole of her life. It was this sense of responsibility that urged her to conclude the ten-year-old Shimokitazawa, as she could no longer provide as much as they did before.

Some say growing up is an isolation and solitude. But what I learnt from Monique is just the opposite—growing up stands for looking more deeply into our world and connecting. It signifies that we no longer live in a world so full of ourselves, but one that includes people who we love, and who love us. It is one of the universal stories we hear every day, and also a unique story we create for ourselves.

youtube

What do you feel about concluding your ten-year-old Shimokitazawa bookstore?

I am having mixed feelings, because I still have dreams to realise. Before that my partner and I went through all things together, it has already been four years since my partner left, and my life has altered a great deal. We used to believe that we could spend our lifetime on perfecting one thing, and all it took was perseverance. But as I grew older and when I was thirty something, I had my responsibility for family and others to consider. All these things have then become the whole of my life. I was forced to face and reflect on what I want myself to be. I think Shimokitazawa had a very enthusiastic start. We pursued endlessly the new knowledge and our latest, favourite things. We followed the strategy of being at the forefront of circulating progressive thoughts, and yet, the markets have gradually undergone a transformation.

Can you tell us more on how independent publication has transformed the Taiwan’s markets?

The popularisation of the internet allowed publishers to sell their books online by themselves, and actually they could skip the bookstores and distributors. This fact itself has already made quite a change. I observe that now we all build our worldview on facebook and instagram. Back in the day when information was not so easily obtained, we dug up facts through travelling and read relevant news. I think Taiwanese people like following the crowd. There is a piece of passion missing in me. After all, I have experienced quite a lot. But young people are just having their start, full of eagerness and power. They might not see the whole picture for now, yet they continue to explore tenaciously. However, their events and ideas may not have an impact on me or people of my age. Besides, publication in Taiwan is well developed, and our generations become weary almost immediately. In the past it took us ten years to complete a thing, and now it only takes a month to do the same. But their readers and clients also get bored quickly. It is common for young people to learn about arts and independent publication, which is amazing.

Are you going to bring Shimokitazawa bookstore to an end and develop a new brand?

I am undecided about it, because I still care for Shimokitazawa. But I think a brand should exist to bring something to people, so if I failed to provide things to others, I didn’t see why it should go on. And also because Shimokitazawa marks a precious stage in my life, I am hesitant to close it. The new brand will have a new name and a new face, and it is not connected to Shimokitazawa. I started to contemplate why I would collaborate with Washida, and why I would be so into these things. They have something to do with books, and although books are the main focus in the past, arts are also some of the elements. I am intrigued by the ambiguity between arts and objects. I wish that our new store could be opened in a year or two, and the project details will be released on this December.

Shimokitazawa Facebook Page

Shimokitazawa IG Page

Video Interview by Sabrina Li

Text by Sabrina Li

Shimokitazawa

Rm. 2, 2F., No.141, Sec. 2, Heping W. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City 100, Taiwan

#readymade people #readymade journal #readymade people taiwan #taiwan #taipei #independent bookstore #independent publication #exhibition #artisroom #interview #2018

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