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nikkisheep · 1 year

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Hey! Can you do a Dean Winchester×Reader smut where the reader is a virgin like the Rick one you did please and thanks!

Dean Winchester x Virgin!female!reader

Warnings: SMUT, virgin reader, body worship, dean is pussy whipped, dean is gentle, oral (f), cursing, kissing, needy reader, make-out, steamy smut, mention of reader being raised in religious home (they never talked about sex)

*never let me write a romance novel cause Idk if I could even handle the smut I write lol*

Summary: Dean and you get a little too heated and you admit that you want to go all the way with him. And he couldn't be happier that you trusted him to do the job.

His hands caressed your sides as his lips slid down the column of your jaw to your neck. Every inch of your body lit with flames as he touched you ever so lightly. His breath fanned across your collarbones as he mouthed at the skin that laid there. He wanted to touch every inch of you, feel every inch of you, taste every inch of your body that you were comfortable with.

Dean knew you were a virgin and he wanted you to be ready. Yes, it was very hard for him to keep himself in control when it came to feeling your body pressed up against his or when you kissed him and it lead to exactly what it always leads up to; you sitting on his lap, rubbing against him, panting as he sucked at your skin. He always waited until you were ready and if you weren't, then he waited until you were. He never wanted to do anything that could ever make his sweetheart uncomfortable around him.

His tongue peaked out to taste the salted skin that was left after your sweat ran down your breast. The moving and pulling against each other and the fact that power had went out because of the storm made it ten times hotter in the room.

"Dean," You pant, mouth open in bliss as he moves his hips up against yours.

"Yes, baby?" He whispered seductively.

"I wanna feel you." He looked up at your disheveled face. Your hair had fallen out of its bun and rested against your body. Your mouth had a bit of spit resting on the bottom of your chin due to his kiss.

"Are you sure?" He asked, wanting for this moment but had not realized that it would be tonight.

"Do you not want to?" You sounded disappointed. You knew very little about sex due to the fact that you were raised in a very religious home and your parents never even spoke of those things. You didn't even know how babies were made until you met Dean and had asked about it.

"Of course I want to, it's just that I want to make sure that this is something that you want."

"Why would I not want this?"

"Well, some women believe that they have to have sex with their boyfriends so that they will be loved and I want you to know that I am perfectly okay with waiting until you are--" He was cut off with the roll of your hips and the press of your lips against his.

"You talk to much," You whispered.

Dean kissed you back before picking you up and moving the two of you to the bedroom you shared. He set you down and you pushed him onto the bed, causing him to be slightly confused.

"What are you doing?" He asked when you slowly started to unbutton the flannel you were wearing.

"Seducing you. Is it working?" You smirk.

"Yes, I dare say it is." Dean laughed before grabbing a hold of you and pinning you below him. He yanked off your flannel and you gasped softly at the sound of buttons flying to the stone floor.

"My favorite," You whined.

"It was mine anyways, I can buy a new one."

His mouth claimed yours as you pushed his shirt off of his body to feel his toned back. His tongue licked your lips as he begged for entrance. He then started to kiss down your bare chest and pulled a breast into his waiting lips. The sudden warmth and pleasure coursed through you quickly, causing you to arch up into him. He moaned around your breast before moving to the other one, a trail of saliva moving in his wake.

Dean finally stopped playing with your chest and moved down your navel. He sucked and bit your flesh before he came in contact with your panties.

"Open up for me, sweetheart." Your legs opened and you were shaking when he pulled your panties down. He could tell you were nervous so he ran his calloused hands up and down your thighs, squeezing so you could feel his touch more.

"What are you about to do?" You asked with big doe eyes, wanting to know what was to happen next but also wanting it to be a surprise.

"Do you trust me?" You nod.

"Close your eyes and just let the feeling wash over your," He then watched as your eyes closed and he moved to where you needed him most.

His tongue then licked a long, wide stripe up your entire pussy. He moaned at the taste of your wetness and he had to place his forearm on your hips so that he could keep you still. He wanted you to lay still and just feel. He sucked on your clit for a little while, nibbling every once and a while but he couldn't stop licking at you. He wanted to taste you in his mouth forever. You were so sweet and tarty at the same time, it drove him mad.

Your moans got louder and closer together so he slipped a finger in to feel your tightness and he nearly choked when your walls gripped just his finger tightly enough to choke him. He pulled his finger out and you whined when he moved away from you.

"Dean," You panted, "Why did you stop? It felt amazing."

"The only way you are cumming tonight is if it's on my dick and honey, you better buckle up because this is going to be a long ride," He chuckled before taking off his pants. He then noticed that you were trying to cover yourself with the sheet.

"Don't hide from me," He said softly, "I will be your cover."

He then draped his body over yours and covered you completely. All you saw was Dean. All you felt was Dean. All around you was just Dean and you loved it. He then looked you in the eyes and told you that he loved you.

"It may hurt for a second but I promise you that it will only be a small amount," He said.

You nodded and felt him line up against you. In one thrust, he filled you completely. His head threw back and the lines in his neck poked against his skin. He looked as though he might have been in pain. You placed a soothing hand on his back and nodded for him to move.

"Does that hurt?" He asked, lowly.

"No, just rather odd."

"Maybe this is more to your liking," He said as he pulled halfway out before pushing himself back in all the way. Your head fell back against the pillow and a soft moan fell from your lips. Dean set a rhythm of deep, hard thrusts that sent you spiraling into pleasure and bliss. His green eyes bore into yours as the two of you were reaching new heights with each other. The need and the want between you was getting to be too much. You needed him more than air. You desired him and he desired you desparately.

"I can tell you are getting closer," He said as his hand went to touch something around the part of where you were connected and you moaned at the feeling. A tightening in your belly started to get tighter and then Dean thrusted one more time and the both of you exploded. It felt amazing as warmth spread throughout your body as you shook against your lover and it felt as though you were floating. Dean rested above you and whispered about how much he loved you and then he got up.

"Please, don't leave me."

"I will only be gone for a minute." He was true to his word and returned shortly after his disappearance. He had a wet rag that he wiped himself off with and then carefully, cleaned the mess between your legs.

"I love you,'' You said.

"I know," He smirked.

"I mean it. I really love you," You said as he threw the rag to the floor and laid up beside you. He wrapped his arms around you and drew circles on your arm.

"I'm glad it was you, I love you." You said before falling asleep in his arms.

"I love you too, sweetheart." He kissed your hair and then closed his eyes to sleep as well.

#spn #x reader smut #dean winchester smut #dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x female!reader #dean winchester x reader smut #supernatural smut #supernatural x reader #supernatural #supernatural x reader smut #virgin reader #dean winchester x virgin reader

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physalian · 5 months

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Character Descriptions 101 (Or, the ugly truth about what really matters)

A lot of the appeal of being able to write your own book is being able to take all the characters you dream about and put them onto paper for everyone else to drool over as much as you do. You might create a character so iconic, they can be recognized by their hazy silhouette alone.

Not everyone designs Sherlock Holmes, though.

Not everyone needs to be Sherlock Holmes.

How well you describe your characters, especially your protagonist/opening narrator, says a lot more than you’d probably like about your experience as an author. I’ve got eight years of practice with my own works, twelve if you include my early days of fanfic – and resisting the urge to describe characters in the tried and true clichés is still hard.

So here’s the ugly truth about describing your characters, and some other pointers curated from the Internet you may have seen before.

At the end of the day, what is really important?

Unless you are writing in the genres of fantasy or sci-fi, or you aren’t writing humans, your character will likely be a very average looking human. Doesn’t matter if you think your special bean’s black hair/blue eye/snow white skin combo is unique – is the shape of his face, curve of his lips, how wide his shoulders are really that important outside of, I don’t know, a steamy romance novel?

I ask this because character descriptions fall into three camps: Thematically important beats, thematically unimportant beats, and “oh damn I have too many blondes, uh, here’s a redhead” beats.

I ask this, because “this character doesn’t look like they did in the book” arguments will never stop happening and we all have our sides on what matters and what doesn’t.

These details can be height, hair color, eye color, skin color, hair style, clothing, tone of voice, accent, birthmarks, scars, and tattoos, and anything in between. Sometimes, this trait is this person’s defining trait. Sometimes, the author just felt like it – sometimes the curtains are just blue.

But sometimes, a lot of times, they’re not.

My two cents: If that piece of their design is thematically important, the adaptation should respect it and include it. If it’s not, who cares?

Thematic Character Design

Thematic character design is the intent behind the choices the author makes when deciding how they will present their character to the world. This is *why* the character looks the way they do.

Visually, you see this in anime all the time. Crazy hair colors and styles help distinguish the cast when their faces might otherwise be too similar, or when drawing them from a distance. Sometimes the protagonist will have the most unique, or the loudest hair style (think Yu-gi-oh). Or the Important Lady Character will have pink hair. Or the sad angsty anime boy will have white hair (see my post about color in fiction).

In the written medium, you can “show don’t tell” a few different ways cliché ways:

Give the villain a facial scar

Make your femme fatale a redhead

Make your hero blonde/blue-eyed

But hey, they’re tropes for a reason, everyone knows what you mean when you write them. You might give your character green eyes like their mother, a trait Very Important when a redeemed-ish villain dies. You might give your character a brunette French braid that goes on to become the style of the rebellion. You might make your Illegal Divine Children the only three black-haired major characters in a sea of brown and blonde because they are the Three Illegal Divine Children. You make all your grisled fantasy men have beards and your elves clean shaven.

The existence of these traits serve the plot and the themes of the story. It matters because these traits make them look like the villain, or the dead legacy they must live up to. These traits ostracize them from their community, or help define their culture. These traits are the hallmark of a chosen one, or a pariah. These traits are emblematic of a special power or handicap, religion, faction, rebel cause.

These are the details fans complain about when adaptations get it wrong, and it’s not without merit. But what happens when those details aren’t all that important, no matter how much you think otherwise?

Unthematic character design

Everyone lost their minds when Hunger Games was being adapted and to everyone’s unnecessary horror, Jennifer Lawrence is blonde. Everyone got mad because it’s the little details you have to get right, otherwise you’re disrespecting the source material, yada yada. Is it really so hard to wear a wig, if you can’t get this tiny thing right, what else will you mess up, etc.

Question: Was the color of her hair more important, or the style that it was in?

She dyed it anyway to stay faithful, but which detail mattered to the plot, versus just being what the author picked for her?

Dare I wade into the “this character was white in the book” cesspool? Reluctantly, yes. And all I will say is this: Does their skin color serve any legitimate purpose to the plot or how they define themselves? No? Then shush and let the actors do their thing.

… But what if race *does* matter?

Is this a slice of life novel about some plucky high schoolers in your average American town? If the story isn’t any deeper than prom dates and football games, the skin color of your character is not important. Is this a treatise on segregation and the struggles of womanhood in repressed societies? Then yeah, the skin color of your character might affect their outlook on life a little bit.

In other words: Does your character care what they look like, and does their appearance affect the trajectory of the story?

Yes, it’s disappointing when you see your favorite character on screen and have to be told that’s them because it just doesn’t look like them. But what’s important is if they fit the spirit of the character, even if they don’t quite match their looks (a lesson I, too, need constant reminding of).

Character Descriptions in Fantasy and Sci-Fi

If making sure the adaptation stays faithful to the character design matters anywhere, it’s in these two genres. Why? Because you have free reign as an author to describe your mythic creatures, your aliens, your supernatural entities however you choose, and you worked hard trying to make them distinct from every other fantasy series out there.

But hold your horses on how specific you get.

Generally speaking, the traits that most authors describe first are hair, eye, and skin color, because it’s the easiest to get out of the way and everyone knows what humans look like to fill in the blanks. When you enter the realm of non-human characters, you have a lot more legwork to do to make sure your audience imagines what you want them to.

Maybe they have slit pupils like a housecat or a snake, or they have really floppy elephant ears, or they have antennae that twitch when they’re angry, or they have wings like a bat, a bird, a dragonfly. Or they have distinctive tattoos from their tribe. They have scales or feathers or fur and you want everyone to know how fluffy it is. You want your audience to know how tall they are, how heavy, how lanky, how robust. The shape of their face, their hands, if they have fingers like a pianist or a catcher’s glove.

Or, it matters because you’ve written an allegory on race, class, colonialism/imperialism, a World War, Apartheid, what have you, and your made-up nationalities need their own traits to be bigots about.

Answer: Hire a sensitivity reader before you design an insulting stereotype.

Otherwise, feel free to add as much fluff as you’d like. You go out there and you give exact measurements, constant similes about the textures of their skin, write an essay on cultural wardrobe, take two paragraphs to describe that ballgown and masquerade mask… and accept the fact that your readers will happily go SKIP!

Because description and exposition are also entwined with tone and the purpose of the story. I am writing an 18th century royal ball scene in a steamy romance novel and my hero is about to get her man – my audience might care about things like a sweetheart neckline, perfume, what kind of flowers are in the lacework, how it hugs her body, how the pink looks so damn sexy in the candlelight, how the skirts sweep so elegantly, every piece of jewelry she's wearing and how expensive it is and exactly how she did her hair.

Or, I am writing a fantasy adventure that happens to feature a pitstop at a royal ball – Your audience does not give one flying f*ck about what flowers are on that dress. Describe the color and something cool and eye-catching and move on.

The Ugly Truth: Does. It. Matter?

You can wax poetic about the minutiae of your absolutely unique and like no other fairies no one else has ever written before. Maybe you designed them less like Tinker Bell and more like anthropomorphised flowers – that matters!

You want your hot love interest to have a cupid’s bow and to remind the audience of that detail at least four times throughout the narrative? Not important unless the narrator is weirdly obsessive over it (or, again, romance/erotica).

The same thing goes for fantastical settings.

At what point are you describing the color of the grass, the kind of marble in the walls and floors, the exact shade of blue paint they used, the gables and the roofing tiles and the scalloping on the columns to unnecessary ends?

This also affects pacing.

If your entire story is set in a beautiful castle and the heroes never leave? Describe as much as your little heart desires. Is it just a pit stop on the way? Call it a castle, maybe it’s in ruins, give one uniquely defining trait that’s thematically relevant, and move on.

Side characters too: If you don’t even bother naming the poor schmuck, give their gender and maybe one fun fact and move on.

You’d be surprised how little character descriptions, or lack thereof, are even noticed. The amount of fanart head-cannoning a character being Not-White because the author technically never clarified is everywhere. I just reread the first two PJO books and Chiron’s human half is never described beyond his age and his beard. Everyone who read it filled in the missing details with what they wanted or expected to see and that doesn’t impact his character one bit.

Pacing your descriptions

See this post about how to pace your narrative.

Everyone knows the trope of the narrator waking up, gazing into a mirror and describing themselves to the audience. It’s cheap, it’s fast, it’s dirty, it’s effective.

So why do people hate it?

I think it’s less because it’s overdone, and more because it’s robbed of potential. When I wrote about pacing, I said every scene should be pulling double duty – character descriptions fall under exposition, and should do the same.

If you really want to have your hero describe herself to you via mirror, don’t just write a textbook, give it flavor. Is she self-conscious about her looks, saying she has choppy blonde hair but wishes it was some long, luxurious brown like some girl she’s jealous of? Does she have a big nose and wish it was smaller because she’s bullied? Or, does she love her green eyes, because her late father had them and she loves the connection they share?

Good pacing isn’t about how many or how few words you take to describe something, it’s how efficiently you use those words. Short doesn’t always mean it’s bland, long doesn’t always mean it’s profound. Don’t take 300 words to say something that could be said in 30 – but some things do deserve 300 words.

Examples:

A: She woke and rolled out of bed and stared at herself in the mirror. She had hazel eyes and blonde, curly hair that she pulled up into a ponytail.

B: She woke on the third alarm and rolled out of bed. Staring back at her in her vanity were tired hazel eyes beneath a mop of dishwater blonde curls and crease marks from her pillow.

C: She woke on the third alarm and dragged herself out of bed. Her vanity mirror glared back at her – a rats nest of dishwater blonde and crease marks from her pillow. She scowled and rubbed the sleep from her hazel eyes and raked her curls up into a messy ponytail to be dealt with after coffee.

Or, go even longer, really weave those details into the action of the scene, I didn’t here because this is a blog, not a book.

No matter what, best practice is to not infodump the description, spread it out – another criticism of the mirror trope. There is no one size fits all for any writing advice but if you’re spending more than four consecutive sentences describing a single character, object, or building, break that hot pile of exposition up and look how much better it reads.

Similes for describing your character, like any comparison, should serve a purpose. Think about describing an intimidating queen with snow white skin versus bone white skin – what vibes do you get from one simple word change?

You have a long time to describe your narrator, it’s okay if we don’t know what they look like on the first page. Give the details as they become relevant. If you open en media res and the hero is in a nasty fight scene – describe their hair as it flops in their eyes, describe their skin as it’s covered in sweat or scratches or bullet holes, describe their eyes as they patch themselves up and one is now black and blue – or describe their color full of fear, hate, malice, grief.

Describe them against another character so you get two birds with one stone. Whether the narrator is jealous of, attracted to, or appreciative of their fellow character’s appearance. Describe them self-conscious about trying to impress a crush, their spouse, a superior, interviewer, parent, the public, the press. Or describe them unhappy about how they’re being forced to look compared to how they usually are, e.g. a school uniform, prisoner’s uniform, fancy dress/suit, skimpy undercover costume, bargain bin, ugly hand-me-downs, holiday costume, sleepwear, full face of makeup, or no makeup.

All of these are motivated details that will read better than halting the narration to drop textbook lines of exposition.

Lastly, do not let your characters get side-tracked describing themselves when they have more important and prescient concerns. In the above hypothetical fight scene, a “she swept her blonde hair from her eyes and got back to her feet,” is going to read smoother than “she swept her blonde hair aside. It was short and choppy, cheap highlights fading and flyaways tickling her face. She got back to her feet.”

And even then, personally, I think this reads better still: “She swept her hair from her face and got back to her feet, sweaty blonde tangles stuck to her skin.”

Have intent, make it motivated, and the less it feels like awkward exposition.

Pitfalls to avoid

Full disclosure, I am white, from a long line of the whitest white Europeans. I do not write a pasty white cast of characters. Boy, was it an eye-opening experience realizing how harmful my earlier descriptions used to be, just from the books I grew up reading and through no ill-intent of my own.

So another detail in the realm of “does it really matter”: Not all brown skin is the same shade of brown, but resist the urge to compare it to any flavor of food or chocolate. I just reread a favorite kids’ book of mine and saw “chocolate milk” and as a kid, I never noticed or cared, but you bet I zeroed in on that little beat as an adult.

Is this hard? Kind of, yeah. I suppose you could go scorched earth with the food comparisons and describe all your characters in their flavor of milk. Pale skin has a lot of options: Snow, frost, paper, bone, fair, pale, lily, sandy, fawn, etc. and of course, milk, cream and sugar to boot.

The “brown skin like milk chocolate” is tempting, but dehumanizing particularly when only brown characters are described with food. Decide if the exact shade of brown is important, then get respectfully creative with the comparisons. The same goes with hair styles and textures.

Related to skin color: Be careful with what idioms and metaphors you use when describing characters who aren’t supposed to be white, doing things only possible or noticeable with light skin.

A certain famous author really tried to tell the world Hermione wasn’t *technically* white and the HP fans went and pulled page numbers proving that she has to be based on the behavior of her skin.

I’ve caught myself (and had to be told) a few times describing a not-white character “white-knuckling” something as shorthand for being stressed and tense. Faces blanching, paling, reddening, blushing, turning green, looking sun-burnt and bruised and scarred all look different depending on how dark their pigment is.

I am not at all an expert on what you *should* do for non-white characters so I will say this once again: Do your research and get a small army of sensitivity readers. Even if you don’t think you’re being racist, you might be. Accept the constructive criticism, and change it without complaint. Do not lie down and die on a milk-chocolate hill.

The Beautiful Truth

In the written medium, unless you canonize character art and take no constructive criticism, all your audience has to go on is suggestion. That means that your audience has the freedom to imagine their favorite characters however they want.

That means you get a million variations of the hero in their fan art – that’s amazing! If you never described the protagonist’s skin color? You get an audience that makes him or her or them the hero that they want to see and how you’ve inspired them – that’s amazing!

That’s what I mean when I ask if it really matters. You will always know how your literary darlings look. Is it more important that everyone else draws a million different paintings in their mind of the exact same face like a photocopier, or that you now have an audience giving you a million unique paintings of your life’s work immortalized in the grand literary canon?

#writing advice #character design #character development #exposition #writing resources #writing tools #writing

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kakusu-shipping · 2 years

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Like an open book

It is 4:30am, my Air Conditioning unit sounds like a washing machine on full power, and it is simply impossible to sleep, so let’s write a Nook X Reader, hm?

Tom Nook X Island Rep/GN!Reader

In which you eat dirt

“I see you...innocently running in a great field...”

“They respond right away this time...”

Another quiet day was slowly winding to a close outside Resident Services windows as Tom Nook relaxed back into his chair, stretching his paws over the desk.

Across from him, his peppy assistant Isabelle was taking the down time to catch up on some novel one of the residents had recommended to her. Just watching her expressions, Nook had picked up the plot considerably. It was a romance, never too steamy and hardly sweet, somewhere near the middle the main hunk had betrayed the story’s maiden in some major way, and now, three chapters to the end, he way dying.

Tom was never sure if he was just remarkable at reading faces, or if young Isabelle was just too easy to read. He’d wondered if he was once that expressive, wearing a story on his face and he walked naively through life.

Looking back, it was probably fine that he had, and would have been better if he’d continued to do so.

Movement outside the front window pulled Nook from memory lane; The Island Rep was whizzing through the main plaza, a to-go coffee from Brooster’s in one hand, a gift from one resident to another in the other.

Now that was youth, Tom thought to himself, acting to stretch as he stood and made way to get closer to the window. The rep had practically built this island with their own two hands, and now spent their time running from one corner to the next, filling the museum with every bug, fish, fossil, and painting they could get their hands on.

They were quiet the feat, weren’t they? So vibrant, goal oriented, and caring to the other residents. They didn’t complain about the ludicrous amount of work assigned to them. If Nook were a younger man, he might have helped share that burden more evenly, spent less time in the tent and more time in the grass pulling weeds, planting flowers, and picking fruit.

Tom was once again snapped from past regrets by swift movement out the window. Still hot coffee spilled across the brick of the square, seeping into a gift wrapped apology gift that would probably have to be returned to the sender.

The Island Rep lay face down in the center of the square, still and flat. No one else was around to see them trip and catch the ground with their face, only Nook, who stood frozen at the window.

“Mr. Nook? What happened?” Isabelle half closed her book and looked up, sensing the sudden stillness.

Tom didn’t answer, instead rushing as fast as his old but not quiet middle aged old joints were willing to let him go. Isabelle, who’d at most seen Nook pretend race walk after his boys, was reasonably startled by his hurry, and quickly followed him.

Outside, the Rep had finally recovered enough to start pushing themselves up on their hands. Tom stood by to offer assistance, a quiet “Are you okay?” on his lips, though overly concerned thoughts of bruised ribs and knocked out teeth ran through his head at mach speed. They didn’t have a doctor on the island, why didn’t they have a doctor on the island?

The Island Rep pushed themselves to their feet, smiling and waving off Nook, “I’m fine, I’m fine” They said, which was simply not true, as it normally isn’t when one catches themselves on rough stone chin first.

Tom was rather surprised Isabelle hadn’t shrieked loud enough to alarm the entire island.

The Rep’s chin was gashed, bleeding down on their shirt. The cut matched their smile, wide and red and prominently centered in the face. It was the kind of wound that’d probably need stitches, not something one should just walk away with.

Which they almost did, mind you.

The Rep laughed off their fall and thanked Nook for checking on them all while picking up the trashed to-go coffee cup and delivery. If the adrenaline from the fall had worn off, they sure didn’t show it, as they continued on about having to bring the gift back to it’s sender, the clothing inside completely ruined with coffee.

“m-Mayor...” Isabelle looked as though she might faint, which was a fair reaction to have to such a mess on their peaceful town, “Y-You-r.. Your ch-chin...”

The Rep, or as Isabelle may address them as a left over from their previous town together, The Mayor, began to reach up to their chin, a question on their face. Tom stepped in quicker than expected, pressing his personal pocket hankie to the wound instead. The Island Rep flinched at the pressure.

So they can feel pain. That’s a good sign, probably.

“Hold this here.” Tom Nook spoke in a tone that held no room for argument, as his rep did as they were told, pressing the cloth into their chin with enough force to stop the bleeding.

“Isabelle,” Nook addressed, the younger jumping to attention, finally taking her eyes off their mayor, “Can you handle resident services alone for a bit? I’m going to take the rep to the HHP island, they have a hospital there.”

The words of protest started on the rep’s lips, and were stopped dead in their tracks by a look from Tom. They swallowed, and looked anywhere by at Nook, shifting the cloth on their chin.

“O-Oh. Y-Yes I will be fine!” Isabelle stood to attention and saluted, eyes shut firmly in a fit of determination.

Tom nodded and placed a paw on his rep’s shoulder, turning them to the airport, “I’m counting on you. And please return this if you have a moment.” He spoke, handing Isabelle the ruined present the Rep had been delivering.

Isabelle nodded, taking the coffee soaked gift, “I’ve got it! Have a safe flight!” She waved, beaming with confidence at being left alone in Resident Service.

Nook never took his paw off The Island Representative’s, his representive, your shoulder as he spoke to Orville about booking a flight. The flightless bird having much the same reaction as Isabelle to the gash in your chin, which you’d shown him unprompted by uncovering Nook’s kerchief just enough when Orville caught your eye.

On the plane his paw was on your knee, then thigh, into your hand. The whole time his leg bounced as he stared out the window. You wondered what kind of crazy nerves were rattling in that fuzzy head of his. What loops was he taking himself through scared for you, the island, poor Isabelle and Orville. What would Lottie say, he must be asking himself.

Perhaps he was planning to have the pavement in the plaza evened out, shaved down, or even pay to have it full repaved more flat. No more loose, uneven bricks, smooth clean concrete. But that wouldn’t look very pretty would it? And it would take time, and bells, and inconvenience those who needed Resident Services at all hours.

You leaned ever so slightly onto Nook, holding his paw between your fingers, watching him mentally go over every possible option to make sure a disaster like this never happens again, that everyone involved was properly compensated, and that you, oh so important you, recovered comfortably so you could be back on your feet, sprinting from here to there however you pleased as soon as possible.

“I see you...innocently running in a great field...” Katrina’s fortune from this morning played in your head as you closed your eyes, “I see a lost seagull sailor in need of help...” She’d said. You didn’t quiet understand at the time. Luck in Friendship, Misfortune in Health.

With Tom Nook’s paw finally relaxing in your hand, the flight calming the Tanuki’s anxieties, you supposed now it made a bit more sense.

#Emile's Writing #Tom Nook X Reader #Animal Crossing X Reader #Finish time: 5:30am #WHOLE ASS HOUR BABY I HAVE THINGS TO DO TOMORROW #This is now where I thought I'd be tonight but I could not stop thinking about face planting it in Animal Crossing anymore #My Yandere Nook thoughts have left my brain I am on about to have an internal panic attack at all times Nook now #APPARENTLY #Old man Nook thinks he's so stoic and old and worn out #He's just the same 'ol Nook #Still over bearing and caring and considerate and a little in his own head about things #He's getting better he's getting better but her certainly thinks he's past his prime #'You could do better than an old worn out Tanuki like me' he'd say #He doesn't see the way he lights up at every big accomplishment you two share in #He doesn't hear his laugh with your ears or see his smile with your eyes #He sees a worn old man who spent his youth hating a world that's tricked him #'It's rotten work' 'Not to me. Not if it's you.'#I'm sorry I'm having weirdly soft for Tom Nook hours tonight it's almost 5:40 now I have to go to Church in the morning with this brain #My AC was making a scary noise alright???

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birchbow · 9 months

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Do you think Auspistice porn is a thing? Like are there steamy romance novels based around it? Been feeling the desire to write some with a specific trio and wanted to hear your potential thoughts.

I would assume that it's a thing, but I've never managed to find my in with auspistices the way I have with moirails! It doesn't help that the closest we get to ashen content in canon, the people being auspisticized mostly seem like...dismissive or resistant to it. Is auspisticism supposed to settle into a mutually acknowledged situation at some point? Do the two parties on either side at some point consider themselves in an ashen relationship with each other, with the third party being a legitimate part of that? I have to assume so! I just don't really know what that then looks like, what actual day to day actions are involved...

....i mean tbh both because it makes sense and because this is a porn blog, it feels like more than any other quadrant, auspisticism probably comes with a D/s-lite power dynamic built into it. If you're going to accept this person as your auspistice, you're accepting their authority. They're the person who sees you making a bad decision and tells you "NO". It seems like power and submission must come up a lot in ashen content??? But also I have never written any so.

I guess this probably isn't all that helpful, sorry! I got sidetracked into my general thoughts about auspitices, which are "????" lol. But good luck with your fic!

#I mean it seems pretty obvious to me from the writing I've posted on here that I do find smut with some amount of D/s undertone tasty #so this concept has in fact piqued my interest conceptually which is more than my musings on c3< usually manages #I certainly don't think I'm going to get into it like I'm into moiraillegience but I'm moderately interested which is new for me haha

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cupids-chronicles · 8 months

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Hades X Persephone Saga: A Touch of Ruin #2

Author: Scarlett St. Clair

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Mythology

My Rating: ⭐⭐/5.

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

Goodreads rating: 3.8/5

Pages: ‎‎448

Published: 22 April 2020

A Touch of ruin Review

Note: This book is intended for mature audiences over the age of 18 due to explicit content (steamy chapters).

Sequels. They're a tricky business, aren’t they? To quote an entirely different universe: with great power comes great responsibility. After finishing the first book one would assume that the sequel would carry the same electricity. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

If you ever imagined the powerful Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, being chased by paparazzi in high heels and a toxic taste in relationships, then "A Touch of Ruin" is just the novel for you. At 448 pages, Scarlett St. Clair presents us with the much-awaited sequel to "A Touch of Darkness", and I’ll be frank: I have some feelings.

To start with the positive, Scarlett St. Clair's writing is, as always, engrossing. Whether you love or hate the story, you can't deny that she has a way with words that just pulls you in. I was captivated, even as I rolled my eyes. My favourite line, “Create the life you want, Persephone, and stop listening to everyone else,” echoes throughout the book as Persephone struggles with external and internal pressures.

However, it seems like our Protagonist, Persephone took a detour through Teen Angst Town and stayed there. Throughout the novel, her behavior is erratic, impulsive, and well, very human. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but for someone who's on the way to becoming the Queen of the Underworld, one would hope for a bit more maturity.

Hades, on the other hand, while alluring with his mysterious persona in the first novel, now seems more like a puzzled lover than the powerful god of the dead. Their relationship seems to rely more on makeup sex than actual communication. And this tragic lack of communication results in some utterly avoidable drama.

The plot, if we can find it between the lustful gazes and angst-filled outbursts, seemed lost. There were several subplots that felt more like distractions than genuine additions to the story. This series had such potential to delve deep into Greek mythology, but instead, it often felt like it was skimming the surface, using familiar names without embodying the weight they carry.

However, not everything is a miss in this book. The secondary characters shine bright, providing some much-needed humor and depth. Hermes, with his sass, was a much-needed palette cleanser, and Apollo, once you warm up to him, offers layers that make you question your initial judgments. It's these characters, alongside the hints of a more enticing plot for the upcoming book, that will likely have me (somewhat masochistically) coming back for more.

In conclusion, while "A Touch of Ruin" does justice to its title with the chaos it presents, it does remind readers of the pitfalls of love, the weight of insecurity, and the importance of, well, good communication.

If you're here for the drama, angst, and a sprinkling of Greek gods in modern settings, dive in. Just maybe keep a stress ball handy. And for those looking for a deep dive into Greek mythology, perhaps look elsewhere, or at least manage your expectations. For now, I'll be waiting to see if Persephone finds her way in the next installment or if we'll be plunged further into ruin.

P.S. Scarlett, if you ever wanted to write this series in Hermes' POV let me know because I am HERE for it. Maybe some of the humor and sass will bring some light into the dark (pun intended) story that you've woven.

Please note that this book is part of a series and can not be read as a stand alone. Lucky for you this can be your little weekend binge as almost all the books in the series has already been released !

Wait a minute boys and girls, check out these trigger warnings first:

Kidnapping

Mental illness

Sexual Assault

Suicide (off page)

Death

Getting Drugged

Alcohol use

Torture

Prostitution

Romance Tropes, you ask ?

Miscommunication

Retelling

Marriage

Who do we meet in this book ?

Hades

Persephone (Perri)

What to read next:

Neon Gods (Dark Olympus) by Katee Robert.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Drag Me Up (Gods of Hunger) by R.M. Virtues.

Or just like read the next few books of this series.

#book review #books #romance books #book recommendations #bookstagram #review #books and reading #bookworm #a touch of ruin #hades #persephone #hades and persephone #romance #romantic #booktok books #bookish

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abronzeagegod · 2 years

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The Writing Works of Mine That I'm Actually Proud of

These here things are a bunch of things that I wrote that I’m particularly proud of, and if you want to get to know me/my writing style, these are the things to read.

The Novels, a.k.a This is Gonna Take a While To Read

Waiting for Ragnarok (Amazon link): the published book; Immortal Viking Anders gets reincarnated a high school girl Cecile in 2008 where life isn’t as violent as it usually is and oh hey that history teacher is super attractive.

Waiting for Someone Else’s Apocalypse: side-quel to Cecile’s WfR adventures as told through the perspective of the love interest Kate Barrington.

False Prophets (draft 1)/finished novel can be found here for purchase: the best book I've written so far. There is a prophecy about the end of the world and it is here, darkness creeps across the land and only the chosen one can stop the rapidly approaching apocalypse. It's just too bad that he's dead. Lucienne Prophet is the only one willing to go out swinging, and she'll have to work with some truly dangerous and unsavory people if she's to survive and save the world. This is where you can read a much longer version of this explanation on my website. This is where you can read the spoiler version of the same thing.

Short Stories, Fan Fiction, and Others

Shorts

The Riddles of the Sphinx: the whacky adventures of Eli the man who can’t solve a riddle to save his life and his companion Klea the Sphinx who will only help him out if he solves a riddle.

Cold Black Iron and Green Fire: a detective fiction story set in a strange and magical world. Detective Saint Felix is a broken woman trying to put herself back together as she solves various magical crimes in her city full of the supernatural and the dangerous. I'll finish up that next story starring her one day.

The Queen of the Kill: an assassin that has popped up in a few stories for some reason. I don't know what to do with her or her stories, but I do like them.

Fan Fiction

Mass Effect

Mass Effect: Control Lost: what Crimes of War turned into. My attempt at the story for Mass Effect 4, dealing with consequences, indoctrination, the Reaper remains, the impossible shadow cast over the galaxy by The Reaper Killer herself, all of that fun stuff as seen through a couple of OC’s working for the Mysterious Shadow Broker. The ultimate goal is to turn this thing into a fully fleshed out Choose Your Own Adventure Game and I make some progress every couple of years but it's a massive undertaking and I need to pay the bills.

An Epilogue to Destroy: what happened to Commander Shepard after the Crucible blew up and the Reapers all died.

Mass Effect Andromeda 2, Hypothetical Design Doc: I liked Mass Effect Andromeda, it was fine. Not terrible, not great. Shame we'll never get a sequel. Unless someone at Bioware reads this hypothetical design doc and likes what they read and lets me in as a writer. That'd be cool. But it won't ever happen so here's this instead.

The Legend of Korra

Old Souls: Asami’s quest to get reincarnated with the Avatar, also one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written

The Colors I See: everything is black and white until you see your soulmate, sucks for bisexual Korra

Love Isn’t as Easy as the Books Make it Seem: Korra as a harlequin romance novelist, Asami as herself, they met once and had hot, steamy sex only to disappear into the night never to reunite, until Asami picks up a copy of her favorite romance novelist to find the story was about her.

The Podcast

I write a podcast (and do the audio editing). I sell it as Law and Order: Sword Coast. It's a crime fiction podcast done in the style of a narrative true crime podcast but set in a homebrew dnd world. How do you get away with murder when a suitably powerful cleric can just as the dead who killed them? How hard is it to get away with murder when you can cast fireball? All these questions and more will be answered in various ways through out the lifetime of the podcast. Transcripts are being posted slowly on my website.

#i write a lot it seems #when you step back and look at all of it #and this is just the stuff i like #there's a lot i don't #but thems the breaks #reblog if you like i'm not your dad #bronze writing masterlist #there's some absent things and they're absent for good reason

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anitabyars · 1 year

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A Cruel Arrangement by Tijan is now live!

This was my place. My business. Easter Lanes.

Then a guy comes in, trying to rob me, daring to take it away from me.

My home. My life.

Hell no. I won't let my livelihood be threatened.

No one knows what I've done to build this life for myself.

Except he might.

Ashton Walden, a man I remember from when we were kids.

Even back then I could tell how dangerous he would be one day.

He's now the head of the Walden mafia family, and my father is so in debt to them that they practically own him.

My dad and I are estranged and I want nothing to do with him or his debt, but the day after the attempted robbery, I don't wake up in the hospital.

I wake up in Ashton Walden's home. And he drops a bomb on me.

If I want my livelihood back, I need to earn it back.

And thus begins our cruel arrangement.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3D8g10k

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/CruelArrangement

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3wp933c

Meet Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing after college and once she started, she was hooked. She's written multi-bestsellers including the Fallen Crest series, Ryan's Bed, Enemies and others.

She is currently writing many new books and series with an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4851199.Tijan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tijan/e/B00DJG52QE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tijansbooks/

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/tijansreadergroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tijansbooks/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tijansbooks

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@tijan_author

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tijan

My Review

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get ready! This story had me on the edge of my seat, unable to stop reading from the beginning until the end. This author brings pure perfection in this intense, powerful, mafia world/enemies to lovers romance story, that may be unconventional but it was oh so captivating. Action packed, full of thrilling danger, violence, death, cruelty, ruthlessness, as well as filled full of a sizzling, steamy romance.

This is Molly Easter and Ashton Walden journey to a HEA and I was mesmerized by every word of this romance! These two have been part of a world that was not of their choosing, but one they were born into. Meeting each other at a young age, they never were close until one night when Molly’s world, Easter Lanes was threatened and her switch came into play. Usually she was kind and pure but not when backed into a corner and over reacted or irrationally overreacted or worse.

Ashton was the complete opposite to Molly. He was now the head of the Walden Mafia family, and he was dark, intense and cruel and he loved that part of his world. But now she was part of the war that his family was involved in which meant she was his business now. And the forced proximity that it created made the itch he had for Molly keep intensifying! And Molly well she had her own attraction for him as well. It was so amazing to see them both change and be so tuned in to each other becoming what the other needed.

“Unlike Trace, I liked being cruel. I liked killing. I liked the ruthlessness of this world, but I’d been holding back for him, for my brotherhood with him, for his woman, for my very delicate relationship with Jess, but Molly-she was a whole other factor.”

This was so well written and I loved how this all played out. I also loved all the secondary characters and getting more of Trace and Jess. I hope there is a spin off from this world, and if there is I will be anxiously waiting!

Received an early copy and this is my honest review.

#newrelease #tijansbooks #Tijan #Kings of New York Series #A Cruel Arrangement #mafia romance #netgalley #valentine pr #acruelarrangement #ashtonandmolly #spreadsomeashton

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rockislandadultreads · 2 years

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Celebrating Black Authors on Black History Month: Romance Picks

Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson

Meet Nora Hughes—the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now.

When Nora landed an editorial assistant position at Parsons Press, it was her first step towards The Dream Job. Because, honestly, is there anything dreamier than making books for a living? But after five years of lunch orders, finicky authors, and per my last emails, Nora has come to one grand conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist.

With her life spiraling and the Parsons staff sinking, Nora gets hit with even worse news. Parsons is cutting her already unlivable salary. Unable to afford her rent and without even the novels she once loved as a comfort, Nora decides to moonlight for a rival publisher to make ends meet…and maybe poach some Parsons' authors along the way.

But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling Parsons author no one can afford to lose is thrown into the mix, Nora has to decide where her loyalties lie. Her new Dream Job, ever-optimistic Andrew, or...herself and her future.

And They Lived Happily Ever After by Therese Beharrie

One unexpected kiss . . . Successful romance author Gaia Anders has a secret: anything she dreams at night is magically written into her bestselling novels. After a lonely childhood in foster care, her dream life is the only one she trusts. Gaia’s waking life just can’t compare—until she gets caught in one utterly surprising, crazy-passionate, real-life kiss . . . One near-perfect guy . . . Workaholic businessman Jacob Scott has had a crush on his brother’s best friend, Gaia, since forever—but he never expected to literally share her dreams. Living out their magical nighttime fantasies is explosive, but it’s their waking desire turning his single-minded ways upside down. It’s making him want a future he didn’t think was possible . . . One dream that could come true . . . But Gaia has secrets from her past she won't reveal. And Jacob's attempts to keep the peace in his own fractured family puts him up against her deepest fears. Soon, they’re facing hard truths about who they are and what they’re running from. And the only way to break this curse is realizing true love's real-life power . . .

Rebel by Beverly Jenkins

Valinda Lacey's mission in the steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life—and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq. As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda's determination. And he can't stop admiring—or wanting—her. But when Valinda's father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn't love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite

When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime… You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything? Actually, a lot. Thanks to “the incident” (don’t ask), I'm spending the next two months doing what my school is calling a "spring volunteer immersion project.” It’s definitely no vacation. I’m toiling away under the ever-watchful eyes of Tati Estelle at her new nonprofit. And my lean-in queen of a mother is even here to make sure I do things right. Or she might just be lying low to dodge the media sharks after a much more public incident of her own…and to hide a rather devastating secret. All things considered, there are some pretty nice perks…like flirting with Tati’s distractingly cute intern, getting actual face time with my mom and experiencing Haiti for the first time. I’m even exploring my family’s history—which happens to be loaded with betrayals, superstitions and possibly even a family curse. You know, typical drama. But it's nothing I can't handle.

#Romance #contemporary romance #to read #black authors #black history month #black characters #tbr #booklr #booktok #book tumblr #ebooks #reading recommendations #Book Recommendations #valentines day

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nautilicious · 2 years

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fic love

Fanfic has gotten me through These Trying Times (tm). Hope this fic brings you joy.

K'diwa: A Steamy Novel of Interspecies Romance, by Jim Kirk by @branwyn-says

Since the story is set at the Academy, before the events shown in the recent movies, it does not require much canon knowledge.

Jim Kirk writes a Human/Vulcan romance novel, and then it gets anonymously leaked. Most Vulcans who read it suddenly have ideas about wooing humans. Spock, however, responds differently. He relates strongly to the events and emotions presented in the novel, feeling seen and understood in that way that one does when engaging with powerful stories. He also gains insight into the mystery author. Spock is captivated, and desperately wants to find and befriend whoever wrote this book.

This story is funny, in a number of places (McCoy is done especially well) but it's not a humor fic. The release of the smutty novel begins the action in an amusing way, but then events unfold which rapidly and profoundly impact both Kirk and Spock.

@branwyn-says uses the tastiest parts of Kirk's AOS backstory and then expands on it with some of my favorite Kirk tropes, including Tarsus IV trauma and an extra shitty childhood (none of which is shown explicitly). Kirk has Survived Some Shit and really, he Don't Need No Man. Yet he keeps finding himself in trouble and needing help. At one point he actually does swoon! -- and Spock, of course, is there to catch him. (Spock is just lovely in this fic. Also, very protective. Not controlling, but like, Gold Star, I will protecc)

I love the way that Kirk gets taken care of in this story. Not just by Spock, who treats him with wisdom and gentleness, but by everyone else who cares about him, as well. So we get Pike as a mentor, and Bones as a devoted bestie, and Gaila as a soul-sister/fellow survivor and Uhura as a smart and staunch friend. Kirk is loved by these people, despite his certainty that he doesn't deserve it (because we recognize that brainweasel, don't we?) You can't love someone out of their trauma, but gosh darn it, it sure helps.

Another thing I loved is that Kirk has a familiarity with Vulcan language and culture that works great in this story (and which is one of my favorite things in Star Trek fic, full stop -- rec me your faves!! (Yes, I've read Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit, and Linguistic Ambiguities in Vulcan Ethical Codes -- I could read Vulcan-influenced Kirk all day)).

Speaking of Vulcan business going on, there's also cool telepathy, worldbuilding about bonding and courtship, and a delightful look at Vulcan society. Not to mention the moments of Surprise Competence when a characters reveals hitherto unknown skills or baddassery -- that, too, is my jam.

Overall, this is a gentle story where Kirk comes to a place of comfort and healing through his unexpected connection with Spock. It's a fantastic read for when you want a plot that moves along nicely but doesn't cliffhanger you at every turn, to see hurt people find caring, and lonely people find connection.

Ship: Kirk/Spock

Word Count: 103,987

AO3 tags under the cut.

secret romance author Jim Kirk

Smart James T. Kirk

Possessive Behavior

Non-Consensual Drug Use

Past Abuse

fanboy Spock

Academy Era

Secret Identity

fake novel excerpts

Vulcan Language

Vulcan Culture

Protective Spock (Star Trek)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD

Jim is a sweet sad bottom and Spock can't stand it

Past Rape/Non-con

Vulcan foster family

Chris "Captain Dad" Pike

BAMF Gaila (Star Trek: Alternate Original Series)

BAMF Leonard "Bones" McCoy

telepathic assault

black Vulcans

Adoption

past intimate partner abuse

#fic rec #star trek fic rec #fic review #kirk/spock #star trek fic review

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bridgertown · 4 years

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How Bridgerton is poised to revolutionize romance on television

Lace up your corset and put up your dukes.

Words by Maureen Lee Lenker, November 13, 2020

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Regency romance must be in want of glittering ballrooms, witty banter, a dashing leading man, and a piquant heroine.

Bridgerton, Netflix’s first scripted title with über-producer Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland production company — under its headline-grabbing $150 million deal — has all of this in abundance. Not to mention a diverse cast that’s a far cry from the typical lily-white hues of Jane Austen adaptations and their ilk. Oh, and the narrator is a Regency-era Gossip Girl voiced by Julie Andrews. As showrunner Chris Van Dusen puts it, “It’s not your grandmother’s period [piece].”

Based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn — beginning with The Duke and I, which offers the season 1 blueprint — Bridgerton follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), a debutante who’s thirsty for a love match. Buoyed (and slightly overprotected) by her family, including her marriage-obsessed mum, Violet (Ruth Gemmell), and her seven siblings, Daphne embarks on a fauxmance with Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). “When we first meet her, she’s this young, naive woman who’s been in this little bubble and doesn’t know anything about love or sex,” says Dynevor.

Simon, meanwhile, is hell-bent on avoiding matrimony, as part of a vengeful vow he made to his execrable father. Page drew inspiration from the classic Romantic poet Lord Byron to craft a character who is part aesthete, part brooding enigma. “You have this beautiful, shadowy, broken, thoroughly complex man, who is as glamorous as we all wish we were on the outside,” notes Page. “But [he’s] trying to figure out who he is.”

It’s standard fare for Shondaland: men and women looking to find themselves within the social confines of their reality. This time it’s in a completely different world, one that shares the female-gaze ethos that often defines Shondaland series — think Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and more. Romance novels account for nearly a quarter of all fiction book sales, yet they’re rarely fodder for splashy screen adaptations. “I never thought this would happen to me,” Quinn says. “Nobody was adapting romance novels, and if somebody was going to do a period piece, they wanted to do another adaptation of Jane Austen or the Brontë sisters.”

That prestige gap between Austen and mass-market historical romance was something executive producer Betsy Beers admits she bumped up against when Rhimes first recommended the novels to her. “I didn’t take what the books were as seriously as I could’ve initially,” she says. “But there should be no pejorative association with romance novels. Nobody sneezes at suspense, at action, at true crime. These are just good stories about relationships, about emotional politics, about how you juggle duty, love, and lust.”

For Van Dusen, the 280-year evolution of romance writing was something to exploit. “I wanted to infuse everything with my own unique, modern lens,” he says. “The tone is very spirited and daring. Everything’s fresh and youthful. There’s a little effervescence to everything.”

That freshness manifests throughout — from the score, which features classical string arrangements of contemporary pop songs (Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” Shawn Mendes’ “In My Blood”), to the costumes (“Jane Austen loved her bonnets, but Bridgerton is a bonnet-free world,” quips Van Dusen). But nowhere is it more evident than in the casting.

The series looks like any Shondaland show: multi-hued and reflective of the world we live in. Romance novelists like Vanessa Riley and Diana Quincy are challenging the established narrative of who inhabited the 19th-century aristocracy. Austen herself featured a mixed-race heiress in her unfinished novel Sanditon. But such a cast is still dismayingly rare in period pieces.

Though the casting here is a far cry from the source material, Quinn wholeheartedly endorses it. “Bridgerton isn’t a history lesson; it’s a show for a modern audience,” she notes. There were, of course, people of color who existed in this time and place, but the show hands them more power than historical assumptions allow. It imagines a British aristocracy where Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is of mixed race (a fact some historians suggest there’s evidence for), thus elevating other people of color to dukedoms and positions of status. “It’s not color-blind casting,” explains Beers. “We try to imagine history and the world in the way we wanted to see it.”

It’s what allows Page to play the powerful, devastatingly handsome duke, a role that previously would have been the exclusive domain of white actors. For Page, who made his U.S. TV debut as Chicken George in the 2016 remake of Roots, it makes Bridgerton’s romantic narrative even more potent. “With color-conscious casting, I get to exist as a Black person in the world,” he says. “It doesn’t mean I’m a slave. It doesn’t mean we have to focus on trauma. It just means we get to focus on Black joy and humanity.”

That joy opens up another narrative component often left behind closed doors in period drama: intimacy. Typically, the Regency’s idea of sexual tension is the brush of a gloved hand, but in the world of Bridgerton, audiences find themselves in an opera singer’s boudoir within the first 10 minutes. “The sexiness and the steaminess was always going to be there,” says Van Dusen, adding that it’s core to the “education of Daphne Bridgerton.”

Dynevor echoes this, explaining that the show’s sex scenes, overseen by an intimacy coordinator, were as intricately choreographed as a fight sequence. But for Dynevor, it was a key part of Daphne’s arc, one that foregrounds her character’s wants above any objectified desirability. (What other Regency literary adaptations feature a heroine experimenting with self-pleasure at the suggestion of her suitor?)

“It’s not often you see sex [treated] in that way,” Dynevor reflects. “It wasn’t gratuitous. It was so essential in Daphne’s journey and sexual awakening. I love the fact that it is very much the female gaze.”

That gaze is the connective tissue between Shondaland and romance publishing, a match so fortuitous it could only end in happily ever after. “[The show] is not going to be so different from the experience of reading a romance novel,” Van Dusen concludes. “It’s sexy and a little dangerous and fun. It leaves you a little hot and bothered and breathless.” Fetch the fainting couch — and the remote.

Bridgerton hits Netflix on Dec. 25.

#long post #bridgerton #the bridgertons #bridgerton netflix #netflix #netflix bridgerton #daphne bridgerton #simon basset #julia quinn #ew #entertainment weekly #article

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austennerdita2533 · 2 years

Note

What are some of your favorite “underrated” books??

Had to think about this for a bit!

Anything by Natalia Jaster. Not only does she write steamy fantasy romances but her writing is lyrical and evocative and lovely. She deserves a broader readership.

VIP series by Kristen Callihan. It’s probably my favorite rock star/celeb contemporary romance series out there

Stardust by Neil Gaiman. He has a lot of reputable literary works, but this one reminds me of being a kid, tucked in bed, listening as my parents read me fairy tales about far away magical places.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. The author is known primarily for her gothic novel, Rebecca, which I also love, but this book is fantastic in its own way. You’re left hanging on the ambiguity, never knowing for sure whether Rachel was genuine in her love or not.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It’s a kinda-sorta YA Beauty and the Beast retelling, and idk, I just thought it was neat. I got lost in the language. Ignifex was an enigma, too.

The Regency Vows series by Martha Waters. It’s historical romance but with modern sensibilities. So much fun!

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones. It’s a wedding weekend murder mystery

The Duff by Kody Keplinger. There’s a movie by the same name but the book is a lot different and made me lol multiple times.

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. It’s beautiful in its minimalism. You, as the reader, end up filling in the spaces where you’d expect description to be but that’s okay because the sentiment, the connection the characters share, is never lost.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. As an introvert who can adapt to social situations and feign extrovertedness when the occasion requires it, even though it costs me substantial peace and energy, this book helped me understand myself better

The Lady’s Handbook for Mysterious Illness by Sarah Ramey. Perfect for people who want to understand better what it’s like for those of us who suffer from mysterious/invisible disease.

The London Celebrities series by Lucy Parker. There are some modern Jane Austen vibes ✌🏼

I could go on probably, but I think that’s a good list for now. ❤️

#anonymous #replies #the loveliest of lovely people #ashlee bree talks books

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vesuviannights · 3 years

Photo

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→ SEVEN SIRENS: A Firentian Firebrand Novel

While on a tour of the palace to interview Count Lucio about the novel 365 Nights, a magician and his snake is spotted poking around in the Countess’s study. Lifting a purple book with silver gilding, he turns it back and forth, then shows it to his companion, whose tongue gives a flick of approval.

“Nadi!” He calls. A moment later, the Countess appears in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“Are you reading this?”

The Countess’s lip curls. “I should hope I never do.”

“Huh.” The magician flicks the first few pages, and when his white-lashed lilac eyes lift to glance the Countess, they are filled with a devious sort of purpose. “Can I have it?”

With a great sigh, the Countess waves it off to his care. “Do as you wish, Asra. I have no time for such propogandist filth.”

READ ABOUT THE FIRENTIAN FIREBRAND PROJECT AND SEE OTHER NOVELS HERE.

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SUMMARY

Seven Sirens is a harem romance not for the feint of heart. One Sacrifice, seven sirens to please, each with their own unique desires and whims. In this novel, Nyx works through the seven towers of the (absolutely fictitious) Papess’ fortress island, and the sexual acts she performs with each of the sirens build power for the Papess to use to continue her supreme reign. At the end of this novel, there is a particularly steamy scene where Nyx pleasures all seven of the siblings!

This copy was originally gifted to Countess Nadia by her sibling Natiqa. Despite her love for the other novels in the series, the Countess loathed this particular book due to its alleged links to her own family of Prakran royalty. As such, she owns it but has never touched it, despite Natiqa amusedly bringing it up every time they write. Asra subsequently found it while poking through the palace one day, and Nadia was glad to be rid of it.

The Royal Firentian Publishing House would like to state that any similarities found between works of fiction published under their brand and persons or situations found in real life are completely coincidental, and everything published under the name of The Royal Firentian Publishing House is in fact a work of fiction and in no way associated with the royal family of Prakra anyone at all who is actually alive.

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CHARACTERS Nyx, a lost soul who is hungry for purpose and human touch. Nyx is female, uses she/her pronouns, and identifies as pansexual as well as hypersexual. She has enjoyed a very healthy and unashamed sex life, and has a comfortable relationship with her body and self. She is also the little sister of Callista, one of the protagonists in the novel Batten Down the Hatches!

The Seven Sirens, the seven individuals assigned to guard and collect power for the Papess’ island fortress. The seven sirens and their kinks/preferences have been left deliberately ambiguous (on my, Claire, end) so as to give the best opportunity for anyone of any kink, sexual preferences and perhaps even romantic preferences, to gain the most they can from this story. There are seven of them here after all!

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PLEASE NOTE If you wish to use any of these novels or characters for fic, art, or other purposes, you are welcome and encouraged to do so. Everything above is free to be interpreted however you please. This includes looks, personality, backstory, and any details in the plot not mentioned above. What is NOT up for interpretation is their gender, sexuality, or pronouns. Please respect the diverse experience being created here.

#the arcana #the arcana game #thearcanagame #nyxhydra #nyx hydra #firentian firebrand novels #asra alnazar #nadia satrinava #count lucio #lucio morgasson

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katcadecascade · 4 years

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Reader Study (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Oneshot)

*spoilers up to chapter 79

Summary:

“Your face is getting red, Kim Dokja.”

“No it’s not.”

She didn’t need to use lie detection.

Han Sooyoung clapped her hands, peering down at him with a wide grin. “What kind of fanfics did you read?”

Kim Dokja is both impressed and exhausted by the fact that he’s surviving in the apocalypse.

Most of that credit is due to him being the sole reader to know about the webnovel that just happens to become is new reality. There’s still a lot of confusion on how that came to be. Kim Dokja has encountered character from the novel, the deadly scenarios, and even people who were never a part of this once fictional world.

“Are you finally taking a break from your airbending training?”

There were other readers. They didn’t stay with the novel like he did so his title as sole reader remains.

Techniqually…

“Stop ignoring me.” Despite that, Kim Dokja tried his best to ignore his current companion. She continues, “I know what you’re thinking. ‘Why can’t I learn the Way of the Winds skill?’ Its because you’re not the protagonist Kim Dokja.”

Han Sooyoung. The first Apostol, she read the most of the original Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse aside from his truly. Except she does know a lot more about the novel than others.

Because she plagiarized it.

Or not as she claims every time he calls her out.

Either way she knows about the world. That means she’s dangerous if left alone. Hell, she’ll gather up another cult like what she did with the Apostles and Prophets.

So since Kim Dokja has been separated from his companions, living in the consequences of a kingless world, he struck a temporary contract with Han Sooyoung until the next main scenario.

He’s really regretting his decision.

“Maybe I’ll ask Lycaon to teach me to be an airbender since it’s so important to you. I probably have the SSS grade talent you lack.”

“No.”

Someone needs to learn the Way of the Wind skill to go against the Disaster of Questions. Kim Dokja doesn’t trust Han Sooyoung with that power and the original protagonist is nowhere nearby to get this skill in time.

Logically, he thought he should get the skill but apparently, Lycaon has deemed him void. Despite that, Kim Dokja tried to train with the wolf monster. So after a good few hours of nothing, he finally took a break and is lying flat on his back in the remains of the business district.

“You’re a real rat bastard, Kim Dokja.”

“And you’re a real rat plagiarist.”

“I didn’t plagiarize!” She’s sitting away from him but close enough to kick his foot. “Everything I wrote I saw in a dream and from that point on my novel became popular due to my own writing skills. It became so popular I even got fanfics!”

“I can’t believe you’re bragging about that. They’re probably not even good.”

[Han Sooyoung has activated the skill ‘Lie Detection.’]

[‘Lie Detection’ has verified his words as false.]

“Oh?”

Why did he open his mouth? It’s been a long day of (futile) training under Lyacon. The world is in more ruin because of his choice at the Absolute Throne scenario. He’s away from his friends. The Disaster scenarios are arrive in a few days. Kim Dokja is with the one other person who has read his favorite novel in depth.

Ways of Survival didn’t get popular, it lost a lot of readers. In other words, it never got any fanfics.

But Han Sooyoung’s SSSSS-Grade Infinite Regressor did get a plethora of fanart and fanfics.

So maybe one night curiosity got the better of Kim Dokja and searched for some fanfics of a protagonist very similar to Yoo Jonghyuk.

“Your face is getting red, Kim Dokja.”

“No it’s not.”

She didn’t need to use lie detection.

Han Sooyoung clapped her hands, peering down at him with a wide grin.

“What kind of fanfics did you read?”

Kim Dokja has been lying back, slowing regaining his breath from training. He only has enough stamina to simply roll over and face the opposite direction.

Han Sooyoung merely scooted over to his other side, still grinning.

He turns again.

“You read the steamy fics,” she accused.

“I did not.”

[Han Sooyoung has activated the skill ‘Lie Detection.’]

[‘Lie Detection’ has verified his words as truth.]

“Boo.”

“Did you read your novel’s fanfics?”

“Of course not! That goes against an author’s ethics of copyright.”

He just stares at her.

She glares, “I’m not a plagiarist.”

Kim Dokja would love to have the lie detection skill right now.

Han Sooyoung rolls her eyes and offers up, “Occasionally I’ll check the number of fics and see what the most popular tags is. That’s about it.”

A dangerous expression washes over her face as she remembers what exactly the most popular type of fic is. He can see her calculating the probability of Kim Dokja ever reading those type of fics.

Han Sooyoung stares at him with an open mouth smile.

“You, Kim Dokja, may be one of the strongest incarnations, a pain in the ass to me, the dokkaebi, and the constellations, but in reality,” she snorts at that word, “you are weak.”

She didn’t even need to ask. And yet Kim Dokja already feels defeated.

At least he did not admit it aloud.

No way will Kim Dokja verbally admit that he read self-insert fics as the protagonist’s lover.

It gets a little more worse when he remembers he read female self-inserts before finally scavenging the he or they pronoun fics.

But look at him now.

He’s in his favorite novel and met its protagonist.

Kim Dokja wouldn’t call their first introduction a ‘meet cute.’

No way does any of their encounters qualify as romantic. They fought and disagreed and their last encounter ended with Kim Dokja punching Yoo Jonghyuk into unconsciousness. If anything, Kim Dokja’s aim to be Yoo Jonghyuk’s companion is a fantasy.

Han Yoosong apparently thinks otherwise.

She mockingly pats his shoulder with comfort, “You must be living your fics. Charming your way into Yoo Jonghyuk’s cold barriers.”

“He wants to kill me.”

“Yeah but has he yet?”

Despite the fact that Kim Dokja could come up with many reasons, he says nothing.

Yoo Jonghyuk could’ve killed him at the bridge, at the stations, and, well maybe not at the Throne because of Kim Dokja’s strategy. Every time Kim Dokja said something or did something to convince Yoo Jonghyuk that they are equals and needed each other for upcoming scenarios.

They have yet to ever be on the same page without annoying the other.

And yet Kim Dokja expected this.

It’s the one thing many self-insert fics lack.

As much as Kim Dokja secretly enjoyed the gooey romance orientated stories, none ever measured up with the real stubbornness of Yoo Jonghyuk.

He’s a protagonist who has suffered and thrived and flourished and dealt with impossible odds and despaired and will eventually reach the ending of this story.

Kim Dokja stayed with him for three thousand chapters. Now he wants to stay with Yoo Jonghyuk to… to…

Ah… he got too caught up with the self-inserts fics. A lot of those ended with marriage or something equally domestic.

That’s not an ending deserving of Kim Dokja.

All he wants is for Yoo Jonghyuk and the tohers to make it to the end of this story.

“Hey, you lost in thought about kissing Yoo Jonghyuk?”

“No!”

[Han Sooyoung has activated the skill ‘Lie Detection.’]

[‘Lie Detection’ has verified his words as false.]

She raises an eyebrow, smirking.

“Only because you just said it.”

“Sure,” she smiled like a liar.

Somehow it is the opposite smile of Yoo Jonghyuk’s smile when he threw Kim Dokja off the bridge and into the sea serpent’s mouth.

It’s frustratingly easy to remember how the last sunrays of the normal world is casted behind the protagonist. Seeing that damning smirk finalized the reality Kim Dokja is in.

This wouldn’t be Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse without Yoo Jonghyuk.

This wouldn’t be Kim Dokja’s favorite novel without Yoo Jonghyuk.

This wouldn’t be Kim Dokja’s life without Yoo Jonghyuk.

So if Kim Dokja indulged into a few reader-insert fics where Yoo Jonghyuk fought by his side, survived by his side, was happy by his side, then call Kim Dokja a hopeless romantic.

“You are a hopeless romantic.”

“Why?” He demanded, less embarrassed and more worried if Han Sooyoung read his thoughts.

“I was there when Yoo Jonghyuk came bursting through the room before the Throne scenario. His eyes were only on you and you just exploded with sunshine.” She sticks her tongue out in disgust.

“I did not,” he shuttered, finally sitting up to defend himself with the little dignity he has left. “Sunshine?”

Han Sooyoung nods as if her words are obvious. She crossed her arms and scowled, “You read too many self-inserts.”

Kim Dokja shuts his jaw. If he says nothing she would not use lie detection.

The results are the same though.

Han Sooyoung laughs meanly, “I don’t blame your taste. Well he’s not for me but I guess he could be a real heartthrob.”

Kim Dokja sighs instead of agreeing.

Technically, all those fics were derived from Han Sooyoung’s protagonist.

As for Kim Dokja’s protagonist, he never got the creative drive (or sacrifice his dignity) to ever write his own self-insert with Yoo Jonghyuk.

Kim Dokja is a reader first and foremost.

And yet he still ends up inserted into Ways of Survival trying to overcome the scenarios, to outsmart the dokkaebi, and to eventually face off against the constellations.

All the while being Yoo Jonghyuk’s companion.

That last one is a work in progress.

“How many fanfics I’ve read doesn’t matter,” Kim Dokja says to Han Sooyoung, but it’s mostly to remind himself too.

“Oh I don’t know about that,” she smirks. “I think we’re in a classic canon divergence story.”

He scratches his chin, “That could be true.” As Han Sooyoung grins triumphantly, he says, “Maybe you didn’t plagiarize. You just wrote a big fanfiction.”

“Hey!”

He slow claps, “What a devoted fan.”

“At least I’m not in love with the protagonist.”

Kim Dokja nearly chokes, “I’m no-“

He shuts up before the display message appears.

[Han Sooyoung has activated the skill ‘Lie Detection.’]

She bats her eyelashes. “I’m waiting.”

“I hate you.”

[‘Lie Detection’ has verified his words as truth.]

“Because I’m not Yoo Jonghyuk,” she said, undefeated.

“Would you drop it?”

“No because it’s kind of flattering. You read fanfics of my novel and it has prepared you for the real deal! So what have you’ve done so far to capture his heart?”

“I’m not going to capture his heart.”

“Why not? He’s already obsessed with you.”

“Why would you think that?”

Han Sooyoung shrugged, “I’m a writer. I see things.”

Kim Dokja just blinks and lies back down.

“Don’t you want to know what I see?”

“Absolutely not, Han Sooyoung.”

“Imma tell you anyway.” His cry in protest is ignored. “In a crowded room where nearly everyone is killing each other, the time limit for the qualifying kings is ticking away-“

“You don’t have to describe it. I was there.”

“…and there! Fashionably late and very dramatic, the last king arrives but he pays no mind to anyone except one-“

“That was the one and only time you’ve seen us together and it was very short.”

“Nah uh,” she shakes her head, “My beheaded avatar. Yoo Jonghyuk practically presented it to you like a cat presenting their kill.”

Kim Dokja opens his mouth and closes it, having nothing to counter that simile.

“If you think I know little then what does that say about you?” She counters as if this is a riddle. “Kim Dokja believes he hasn’t made an impact on Yoo Jonghyuk? The only one who dares to upstand him, shouldering on herculean challenges, and hindering the plans of a great author?”

He frowns, “Are you insulting me or complimenting me?”

“Insulting because you’re too stupid realize that not only are you in a fictional genre, you will easily fall into a romance genre.” She angrily clicks her tongue, “How did an ugly guy like you get a hot harem?”

“My friends are not a harem.”

“Sort seems like it.”

Kim Dokja rubs his eyes, too tired of all this nonsensical conversations.

“My point is,” Han Sooyoung pokes his forehead to make sure he’s paying attention, “that you’re really becoming a reader-insert story. That usually leads to getting dicked down by the protagonist.”

Kim Dokja buries his red face in his hands.

“I’m just saying!”

“Then stop talking!”

“No way,” she pauses for a moment and taps her forehead, “where was I going with this again?”

“You decided to stop talking,” Kim Dokja said in hopes that this conversation will end.

“Nah,” Han Sooyoung waves her hand flippantly and then suddenly snaps her fingers with a grin, “Oh yeah, I was going on about the fact that Yoo Jonghyuk is in love with you like how you are in love with him.”

He just stares at this awful woman and quietly says, “He wouldn’t.”

“Must I repeat all the things I’ve told you?” Fortunately, she doesn’t but instead says, “You’re becoming way too important to a lot of people, including your protagonist.” Han Sooyoung grins, “I’ve read enough fanfiction to know where that goes.”

Kim Dokja unfortunately has read enough fanfiction too.

“Well Han Sooyoung, you’re wrong because the next time I see Yoo Jonghyuk he will likely kill me.”

His confidence does not change Han Sooyoung’s mind. “I think he’s trying to find you at this very moment.”

“To kill me,” he reinstates.

“But,” she flashes a smile, “if he doesn’t kill you immediately, it could be a sign.”

Again, Kim Dokja says nothing to argue against that because… well…

Han Sooyoung interrupts his thoughts with a singsong voice, “Sign of love!”

He stands up and goes back over to Lycaon to try training again, thoroughly ignoring the woman’s complaints.

Everything Han Sooyoung said has some misguided truths. This is the apocalypse. Everyone is depending on someone stronger to survive.

But this isn’t just any other apocalypse, this is the a story Kim Dokja knows from beginning to end. In spite of whatever future awaits them, he will do everything he can to use his knowledge to save everyone.

It’s almost expected that there will be moments where he did not see things coming.

For example, Yoo Jonghyuk showing up and not killing him.

It’s mostly because he’s poisoned.

Oh and the fact that the Disaster of Questions is waking up.

After buying their Midday Tryst and agreeing to the Oath of Existence, Yoo Jonghyuk agreed to not harm and instead cooperate with Kim Dokja for the time being.

All at the price of that Yoo Jonghyuk can hit Kim Dokja once.

Kim Dokja has no idea if this is a sign of love or not.

Maybe he’ll find out once that hit comes.

#my fic #kim dokja #han sooyoung #omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv #orv fic

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writingdotcoffee · 4 years

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#150: The Business of Making Art

Last week, I wrote about turning your art into a job. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. But I get it that that’s what people want. I mean, I’d love it too if I could just write and not worry about anything else. At the end of every month, I’d receive a fat check in the post. I'm loving it already!

Of course, there’s a lot more that writers and artists do on top of working on their art. And that’s what I want to talk about today.

Behind the scenes, many successful creative people run a business. They seek publicity and run promotions to make sure that when they make something, there’s a demand for it. They negotiate contracts to ensure that whatever they make can be distributed as widely as possible at a reasonable cost. They work with a team of collaborators – editors, designers, managers – so they can get things done more efficiently. And when the money comes in, they have to make sure taxes are paid and accounts submitted to the government.

A lot of artists learn these things the hard way. This is very common in the music industry. Young, talented hopefuls get signed on by a major record label.

‘You focus on the music, we’ll take care for the rest,’ the management says.

The band works for years and years until they blow up and learn that they’re being thoroughly ripped off in the deal. Lawsuits are filed. The argument culminates on the front pages of every possible tabloid after which the band announces the creation of their own record label.

Anyway, my point is that running a business is a skill. It’s not easy, but it also isn’t rocket science (particularly for small businesses). It can be learned, and you will most likely need to learn it at some point anyway. Why not do it at the beginning of your career and reap the advantages from the get-go?

Below are a few areas to think about when it comes to the business of making art.

Branding

Your brand can be many things, but they all really come down to one thing: what do you stand for? When someone looks at your work or comes to your social media profile, does that come across?

When artists become famous, they usually become known for a single thing. Stephen King – horror. Tolkien – high fantasy. VE Schwab – dark YA. Agatha Christie – detective novels. When you think about these authors, you instantly associate them with specific niches of the literary market. Sure, they might have written other things, but this is what they’re known for. It’s what most of their readers expect from them. Let’s say Stephen King puts out a short-and-sweet reverse harem steamy romance – people probably wouldn’t be thrilled.

So what do you want to be known for? And how to best put it across to people? That’s the challenge of branding.

Marketing

Marketing gets a bad rep because of the lazy and annoying tactics that many marketers use – including advertising – to sell subpar products that people don’t need. But marketing is so much more than that.

Marketing is about making the ideas spread – ideally ideas that you firmly believe in.

Every day, millions of people finish reading a book. They put it down and begin to wonder, ‘What should I read next?’

When you’re marketing yourself as a writer, your task is to figure out how to reach those people that would love what you wrote and help them discover your book. It’s not an easy one to crack, unfortunately.

The best place to start is yourself. Where do you find new books to read? What makes you pick up a book from a new author? What would an author have to do to make you read their book?

Selling

We’re selling something whether it’s your time or art. Why not learn a bit about that so that you can leverage that in your career?

You don’t have to be sleazy or pushy. Selling is about being confident in making an offer to the right people and getting used to hearing no.

The truth is that most people won’t want to read your book. Most people in the world also never read any of the Harry Potter books (The Philosopher’s Stone sold around 120 million copies worldwide – 1.6% of the current world population).

In fact, the best sales pitch is the one that doesn’t seem like a sales pitch at all. This video illustrates it perfectly:

youtube

Joe isn’t harassing anyone or begging people that aren’t interested to buy. He’s sat down in the street – people can just walk off (many probably do, and that clearly doesn't hurt his feelings). As the author of the video points out, he never even directly asks people to buy his peelers. He makes people interested so much they want to buy them from him. That is selling at its best.

Business Admin

When you’ve done all of the above and the money starts coming in in buckets, you need to figure out what to do with them. You won’t have an employer that will sort out all the paperwork for you anymore.

Would it work out better to be a sole trader or set up a limited company? Do you need any insurance? How will you do bookkeeping and accounts? How will you pay yourself?

These things look pretty intimidating at first (and there’s a fair bit of red tape). But unless you’re funnelling billions through various loopholes and offshore tax havens, you should be fine. It’s something that comes with the territory.

If you want to earn a living as an artist, your art will become a business. 30 years ago, publishers held all the leverage. But these days, things are different. As many successful indie authors and creators show – it’s perfectly possible to make a living with your art on your own. You will need to learn a few extra skills, but it’s worth it.

When you can make something and make it spread. You have true power.

Want More?

My email subscribers receive a notification when I publish these posts along with a few things I found interesting or helpful on the literary internet every week. Click the link below to join the club.

(I won’t spam you or pass your email to a third party. You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Past Editions

#149: All That Matters Is What You Leave on the Page, July 2020

#148: Keeping a Victory Log, June 2020

#147: Finishing things is a skill, June 2020

#146: Black Lives Matter, June 2020

#145: Creativity Doesn’t Have a Downside, June 2020

#144: Lots and Lots of Bad Stories, May 2020

#writing #writers #writer #write #writing tips #writing advice #amwriting #writing life #writing udpate #update #personal #personal update #me #writeblr

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goddamnelsa · 3 years

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Liz’s Top Books of 2020

blatantly stolen from @alamorn but also i wanted to feel accomplished that i did in fact read published books this year before descending entirely into mdzs/the untamed fanfiction :) :) :) :)

In two parts! Books I read that actually came out in 2020, and then honorable mentions of books I read in 2020 that were published in previous years. Enjoy!

Top Books Published in 2020 (which are not in any kind of order because I can’t like rank stuff, I’m not that kind of person)

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

What can I say except it’s N.K. Jemisin who wrote my favorite high fantasy series (The Inheritance Trilogy), won three consecutive Hugo Awards for her The Broken Earth trilogy, and she’s writing urban fantasy with Lovecraftian and superhero team flavor. I mean....obviously I was at the top of the wait list for this once my library ordered it. And it lived up to the hype!! Because of course!! It’s fabulously fast-paced with amazingly smart and interesting characters of diverse backgrounds. I kept thinking one of them was my favorite, and then another would have a great line and I would change my mind. It’s fine, they’re all technically one entity with several parts, so I can love them all and not choose (but it’s probably Bronca, let’s be real). And it’s the first of a series! And I’m counting down the days til there is more!

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

I definitely picked this up simply because Lindsay Ellis, one of my favorite video essayists, wrote it, and then ended up loving everything about it. I’m not usually one for First Contact stories, but I appreciate the very human-focused approach here, sticking solely to an ordinary girl’s perspective as she navigates being the person first in contact with a very alien alien. Cora’s attempts to humanize Ampersand are relatable, but I appreciate Ellis reminding us at almost every turn that Ampersand is super Not Human, no matter how much Cora reads into his actions. Ellis doesn’t gloss over the Science part either, especially when it comes to the race of aliens Ampersand belongs to. Again, the first of a series, and you will absolutely be screaming for the next book when this one is over.

You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria

Insert my obligatory “I don’t usually read romances blah blah blah.” Though, during lockdown, I attempted to branch out beyond my usual genres when I was attending a ton of publisher webinars about upcoming books. This one stood out to me because of its Latinx cast and the whole behind-the-scenes of a Jane The Virgin-esque show, based on a telenovela (of course). It is fantastic, a quick read with instantly likable and fun characters. And the tropes! We’re playing love interests but we have insane chemistry! A sensitive, traumatized male lead who learns to open up again! A sassy but insecure female lead who learns to let loose and love again! Hooking up, but we have to keep on the DL or else scandal! And of course, the extended families add to every scene they are in--I loved every interaction Ashton and Jasmine had with their families, it was the cherry on top of a fantastic read. Also the sex scenes are steamy.

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

I got this graphic novel as an advanced reader copy well before it came out, and after reading it, I was sCREAMING because I couldn’t tell all my graphic novel, queer coming-of-age-with-magic loving friends to immediately pick up a copy!! So thankfully, it’s out now, so I can scream to the heavens to please read this!!! It is such a sweet story with beautiful full-color art and fantastic world-building. It has the same silly, referential humor you see in a lot of kids/YA graphic novels these days, but Beetle packs in a lot of heart as well.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Like many people in May/June of this year, I was reading, reading, reading a lot of books about racism from as many Black authors as I could get my hands on. There were many not published this year that should definitely be read (So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo being among the top), but this book really stuck with me because it is written specifically for a younger audience, and Jason Reynolds knows how to talk to kids about tough subjects. Stamped gets across difficult concepts like assimilationists and segregationists in an easy-to-understand, conversational style that doesn’t take away from any of the important history and nuance. This certainly is not The Book of antiracism studies, but it is a good starting point if you are daunted by lengthy title lists and aren’t sure where to begin. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, read by Reynolds himself.

(Side note: I watched this keynote address with Reynolds and Kendi which is an excellent primer into the background of how this book came to be. Reynolds is also just very interesting to listen to)

Honorable Mentions aka Books I read in 2020 that were published in previous years again, not ranked because I CAN’T, OKAY

White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

I read this book and then wanted to go back and read it immediately again, not necessarily because it was so amazing, but because I felt like I would get it even more if I did. This is a haunting little book that took turns I was not expecting, even with the book synopsis I read. It is disturbing and features descriptions of an eating disorder, so proceed with caution. However, if you like Gothic tales of haunted houses and the trauma inflicted on us by those who came before, I can’t recommend this one enough.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My last book club read before the pandemic D: We didn’t actually get to meet to discuss this book, but my club (all librarians) were working at our emergency call center at the same time and all reading it, so we KINDA got to discuss it, if not in a formal book club setting. ANYWAY, it’s a thrilling jaunt through 1920s Mexico, following a fantastic Cinderella-esque heroine who makes a deal with a Mayan god to retrieve his body. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson-brand of mythological adventures, this is definitely one to add to your list, especially if you are looking for something a little bit more Adult.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

Okay, I know it’s a young readers/middle grade book, but HEAR ME OUT. This is whimsical and haunting tale about seven little fox kits who set out to scare themselves shitless by hearing scary tales. Only one kit will remain when the night is over, but the one who does will get to hear a surprisingly sweet, and well-earned, happy ending. If you are a Neil Gaiman-esque horror fan, I recommend picking this up. Its scares are fairly scary, especially for its audience, but it’s an engaging story about the lengths we will go for the ones we love.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Did someone say Navajo monster-hunting heroine with magic powers navigating a post-apocalyptic world, oh and also saving it??? Look, Maggie is My Kind of Hero, in that she’s damaged, she drinks too much, she’s surly, but she has a seriously gooey heart of gold underneath all that armor. Navajo mythology is woven into this tale of monster-hunting, surviving. If you’re in Supernatural-disappointment-land, maybe give this a try! It has that Western-y, road trip feel to it, and again, I love the lead character. (It also has a currently published sequel and a soon-to-be-released third book as well!)

This is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This was rec’ed to me by a librarian friend, with the words, “Oh, Liz, you’ll really like this.” And she was RIGHT. Red and Blue are on opposite sides of a war waged across time and decide to send letters to each other, at first, to taunt, but then, to understand, to learn, and to love. The details of the war don’t matter much, but what does matter is the achingly beautiful poetry with which Red and Blue reveal themselves to each other. I was told to listen to this one, but I’m glad I read it myself instead. The prose is very purple at times, and I appreciated being able to go back to passages to reread again and again. Oh, and it’s queer (Red and Blue are both female), and SPOILERS SPOILERS has a happy ending.

(also there is a wangxian remix for my mdzs buds. and also a semi-officially sanctioned fanfic sequel???? at least amal el-mohtar linked it from goodreads so whoo! also also it’s very funny)

And that’s my Year in Books 2020! Seeing it laid out like this, I had a surprisingly good year for book reading even though I felt like I barely read anything. For awhile, reading was Hard, and I just wanted to consume fluffy, sweet fanfiction, but I’m getting back into it. Oh, and please let me know if you check any of these out!

Here’s to a good year for books in 2021! ✨

#books #book recs #2020 #book reviews #personal #liz reads

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