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valeskakingdom · 2 years

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Home Sweet Home (part 23)

It was like the first day she was sent to Arkham Asylum. Horns were honking loud that everybody could hear the police driving through the city, it was raining so you could hear the raindrops hitting the car's roof, and heavy clouds covered the sun making a full atmosphere. It was like Scarlet relived this day, as if fate has decided it. The only difference was the car and the missing S.W.A.T. team. The cops decided to transport her to Arkham in a simple police car with three cops by her side.

"Isn't it fun, guys?" Scarlet sighed with a smile "It's like I'm reliving the same situation like some time ago. Cops sitting next to me, raining, and we're on our way to Arkham. HAHA." Scarlet was more than amused about this. She actually loved it. Why? Simple answer: Coming back to Arkham means she's got the chance to make new partnerships, she could plan a big breakout again, she could make herself great again.

But the cops didn't answer, they didn't pay attention to her even. They simply ignored her, as if she didn't exist, as if nobody sat in the back of the car - they just kept driving silently, the driver being focused on the street of course. Unlike the other days, the traffic was bustling. Many people decided to drive through Gotham's streets for either just visiting people or driving through the city just to get out of town.

"How's been Arkham since I was gone? Was it boring without me?" Scarlet asked kinda curiously "Or are there some bad guys who rob your last nerves?" She chuckled over her own joke "No but for real, any news? I'm just curious."

But again no one answered. The cop next to her just gave her a weird look that even told her to shut up, which was the only attention she's got.

"Fine then," Scarlet sighed rolling her eyes in annoyance "What about Hugo? He's still the asylums manager? Haven't heard of him in a while." She grinned "I'm about to say I kinda missed that little dwarf. I had some short good old times with him. He saved my life, turned me into a marionette-..."

"Shut up, Patel!" The cop who drove yelled at her that she almost flinched a little. His dark and very loud voice sounded very roaring, which could frighten people - but not Scarlet.

"Hey!" Scarlet pouted "There's no reason to be rude to me!" And again no one said a word to her, there was just an awkward silence "I mean, yeah, I murdered a few people, but I'm still a human being like you."

"Pahaha, you're never like us. Not even in your dreams" Another cop scoffed.

"No? But I'm just a human like you. And you know what? We both have something in common. We both kill people, whether men or women, young or old. The only difference between you and me is that you kill people because they apparently don't fit in your system. I kill people with pleasure and to process feelings I can't handle." Scarlet smirked.

"You're just an untamed beast that needs to be behind bars" The cop muttered.

"Nawww, no need to give me compliments" Scarlet smirked me patted the cop's head "Oh! There's one question I've always wanted to ask you guys. What do you feel when you kill people? Do you feel relief? Happiness? Or nothing?"

"Patel, shut the fuck up or I'll every single bullet in your fucking head!" The driver yelled out loud m. He couldn't take her talking anymore. It was annoying, it was tiresome -she should just shut her goddamn mouth! How could that be so hard?

"Woah, fine. No need to become loud" Scarlet rolled her eyes, leaning back into her seat and looked out of the window, enjoying the little drive.

***

The siren's tone resonated as the cell door opened to the rec room and Scarlet entered it. Everybody looked at her, some in shock, some confused, some hust stared without any thoughts. They just stared at her because everybody else did.

"I'm back bitches!" Scarlet chuckled, throwing her arms in the air and danced around while entering the rec room and seeing some familiar faces "Missed me?"

But no one answered, they all just kept looking.

"Aaron? Is that you?" Scarlet let out a slight laughter in astonishment as she walked towards him. She couldnt believe it. Everyone she was working with, was dead - and Aaron, her little bodyguard in Arkham, was alive? That was... fun? Or amusing? "Wow, you haven't changed at all. How are you?" She took a seat in front of him.

But Aaron Helzinger just kept looking at her, wondering who the fuck in the world talked to him? He didn't recognize her at all, she was formally a stranger to him.

"Remember me? Scarlet" She introduced herself again but still, Aaron couldn't remember her, which made Scarlet sigh in annoyance - how could someone be so dumb? "Remember the crazy redhead who played the boss? I was his little friend"

"Yes!" Aaron nodded, saying it out loud. Oh, he remembered Jerome: The little crazy ginger boy, being all lippy, who thought he could boss everybody around and impress them with his false promises - everybody hated him and feared him because they had no other choice "He was mean to me"

"Oh really?" Scarlet spoke to him as if she spoke to an infant or even a baby "That's so rude. What did he do to you?" She was trying to manipulate him in a pretty easy way. First of all, she sympathized with him more than anything. She acted to be his friend, his shoulder to cry out that he placed his trust in her - and in the next moment, she tried to use him for her own good. Like in Arkham a lady like her wasn't safe, so she needed a bodyguard - and that would be him. In the past she had Jerome so she knew no one would ever dare to lay a finger on her, but now everything was different. She needed safety. There was no guarantee to be safe anymore.

"He used me and treated me like a dog." Aaron told Scarlet.

"Well, good that fucker is dead now, huh?" She chuckled about her sentence - she hated to say that. She would never admit that she missed Jerome, but she did. She missed making plans with him, terrorizing the city together - she just missed his appearance and his stupid acting.

"Yeah" Aaron grinned in response.

"Anyways," Scarlet looked around, then back at Aaron and leaned her head forward to him "You know, it's really dangerous for a girl in Arkham. Would you like to be my friend? Who saves me from the bad?" She gave his the cutest puppy look someone has seen, she widened her eyes and pouted like a little baby.

"Yes" Aaron smiled at her. He found her cute in some way, especially when she looked like that. It let his heart melt a little.

"Great" At the same time, the siren's tone resonated which meant the cell doors opened. Someone had to enter the rec room again. Was it also a new one? Or a guard? Or just a simple inmate who came back from therapy? Or a doctor?

"Scarlet?" You heard a familiar, quite shocked voice say - it was Oswald. He couldn't believe she was here, in a complete negative way. She was his only chance to escape, his only chance to leave Arkham. And now she was here? What happened? How? Why? His hope to flee was gone now. How would they manage it? It would take days, even weeks to make plans, to arrange people, to even get a phone! They had to be careful that the cops wouldn't catch them. They had to be careful that not too many people would become aware of that all because too many people escaping would ruin the plan"W-wha...I don't understand this. What are you doing here?"

"Ossy!" Scarlet cheered walking up to him "Oh, you know, the cops got me. I directly walked into their arms" she shrugged "You know, it was actually pretty fun. I made my way to my old apartment checking it out and then -..."

"You were negligent!" Oswald snapped "Do you know what that means?! We're stuck in here! No one can help us to escape!" He was more than disappointed in her, clearly. She was always telling everybody that she'd be such a professional and that she only works with professionals - but where is her professionalism now?

"Calm down, Ossy," Scarlet rolled her eyes in annoyance "You worry too much ab-..."

"How should I calm down?!" Oswald almost yelled, that even some inmates frightened "We stuck in a jail full of apes and dumbasses! Who do you want to choose as a partner? There's no one, really no one who'd be capable of planning anything! All these people do, is laughing, eating, and being annoying!"

"What you apparently don't know: Arkham is predestined for making new partnerships. Most of the inmates indeed seem not to be really usable, but that's because no one knows how to treat them. You just need to make them feel understanded, maybe even behave like them, too, to become their friend - and then they do everything you want." Scarlet grinned "You see Helzinger? He's one of the guys"

"He's just a bald and dumb. There's no-..."

"Nuh uh uh," Scarlet shushed him "Not so rude Oswald, you might hurt someone's feelings." She smirked "Aaron is more usable than you think. He's a perfect bodyguard. Everyone's scared of him, and he can perfectly start riots if he doesn't get what he wants."

"He's not more usable than a dog" Oswald muttered. He wasn't really impressed of what Scarlet said. He didn't trust her so called plan like does she really think she can find any usable person in this asylum? Never! They're all crazy! They're all dumb!

"Oh he is," Scarlet grinned "Remember the Maniax' first assassin?"

"The one where they killed 7 people by throwing them down from a high building?" Oswald frowned.

"Exactly" it was her favorite of all memories she had with the Maniax when she thought of all the screams, cries and all the fun she had with Jerome "Aaron was the one who threw them all down the building. He was our bodyguard in here, he always took a look of me when Jerome wasn't around."

"He could be a good Butch exchange." Oswald said thinking "So Aaron does everything we want?"

"He does everything I want. Don't know about you." Scarlet shrugged "He needs to like someone before he does what the other wants."

"I'm sure that would be no problem" Oswald smirked, he already had ideas how to somewhat train Aaron that he would turn into his butler, as well. He'd pretend to be his friend, he would act like his friend, he would promise him several things - and boom, Aaron would be his little Butch.

"We'll see." Scarlet grinned.

***

Some time went by and Scarlet, Oswald and Aaron sat on a table with some others - quiet, bored, either staring at any point in the rec room or playing with their own fingers. It became boring in Arkham. No one said a word, everyone just stared at certain points, nibbled on their fingernails or lower lips, or randomly stood in the middle of the room.

"Wow, almost forgot how boring it sometimes could be in here" Scarlet sighed letting herself fall on the table plate that she stared at the wall. She had no clue what to do right now. She had no motivation to think of any plans, she had no motivation to play stupid games with other inmates or the guards, she had no motivation for anything - not even for a silly joke "Anyone can tell me a joke? I'm bored!"

"I guess, no one's in the mood to tell any stupid jokes, Scarlet" Oswald sighed, being a little annoyed. He wasn't annoyed of her, he was annoyed that there was nothing to do. He had the same problem like Scarlet - pure boredom. It was horrible.

"Woah, no reason to be sassy, Mr. Penguin" Scarlet rolled her eyes annoyed "Just wanted to lighten your mood up"

"No one asked for that, though" Oswald snapped.

"Seems like someone's in a bad mood" Scarlet sang playfully and stood up. She decided to make her way to the entrance to talk to the guards - maybe they were in a better mood than Oswald.

"Hey guys," Scarlet smirked, leaning against the grid "And? How's life? Any news?" But the guards didn't answer her, they just gave each other a questioning look with a slight frown and looked back at Scarlet. Was that crazy kid really talking to them? Pfft, she can talk with the other crazy mates but not with them.

"Isn't that boring for you just standing there for 8 hours and watch crazy people how they do nothing? Like be honest with me. Even I know that it's totally boring." She said "You can't tell me it's fun." But again they didn't say a single word. They just looking at her.

"Hey what about we play a little game? I tell a riddle and you need to guess the answer. The winner can tell another riddle. I'll go fir-..."

"There's no time for any stupid games, Patel" Some other guards came across and walked right in her direction "Dr. Strange wants to see you"

"Dr. Strange," Scarlet said thinking, she knew that name. As far as she could remember, Dr. Strange was was a tiny and baldy Asian guy who saved her life from a bullet in her stomach - and who implanted a chip in her head to control her "Oh! The baldy guy who tried to control me over a chip! I'm glad about that! It's time to finally talk!"

You heard the horns honking again as the cell door opened, the guards grabbed Scarlet by her arms, tied her arms up and lead her to the office of the oh so famous Dr. Hugo Strange.

They went along the floor to a, let's say hidden elevator at the end of it, entered it and drove down to the cellar. Scarlet was somewhat excited to see Strange again. Last time, they just had a short pleasure - and now they had time to talk.

They all went along a dark long floor until they reached a red steel door. This was the door to Dr. Strange's office.

"Sir?" One of the guards said after knocking on the certain door a few times "Patient C156 is ready for her appointment"

"Come in" you heard a voice saying from behind the door - Hugo Strange of course. He seemed to be quite excited to see Scarlet. Maybe he had sone things in mind doing with her? Maybe new plans? New experiments? Who knows?

The guards opened the door, you could see Hugo Strange sitting behind his desk with a slight smile on his face, folding his hands. He expected her coming more than anything. He was glad she didn't resist to come like some others.

"Here we are, Hugo Strange, once again as lively as ever." Scarlet smirked, strolling over to the seat in front of him "Long time no see. How are you?"

"Scarlet," Hugo Strange slightly smiled "I'm glad you came without any impediments. Some inmates have gone wild lately, it would be a pitty otherwise, wouldn't it?"

"Surely it would," Scarlet crossed her legs with a smile "Ah, I remember last time I was in Arkham and you implanted a chip in my head to control me." She let out a slight laughter, but then her face lost all expressions "Do it again and I kill you right here"

"I do not intend to do that. I've learned my lesson" He was lying, he did not. This time he had even more plans with her but these were top secret.

"You better," Scarlet muttered crossing her arms "Anyways, I figured some things changed while I was out?"

"Indeed, we detected new methods to treat criminals much better than before. The test scores were marvelous. We performed much better than before." Hugo Strange explained, he wanted to make Scarlet fell comfortable in his near that she would forget about the past. It should seem as if they were a team since years "We have the others better under control, much less riots, violence and death in here."

"What kind of therapy is that?" Scarlet asked curiously, she was interested in it. What therapy would you use to control people? Hypnosis maybe? If yes, in what way though? None of the inmates would ever just simply sit there and listen to any therapist's words.

"Electroshock therapy." Hugo Strange simply answered "It's for the...uhm... special kind of people to treat them. It seems to be the right way to get them same."

"Let me think, since your last attempt to control me failed, you try it that way." Scarlet gave him a devilish smile. She knew Hugo Strange wouldn't want to talk to her without a reason, he had something in mind. She just didnt know what it was.

"Nah, you get the usual treatment." Hugo Strange folded his hands.

"Why? Am I not special enough for the treatment?" Scarlet frowned, giving him a sarcastic smile. How could she not? She at least was one of the most dangerous criminals in Gotham, the most cleverest and the most famous one. She was a master mind.

"The word 'special' has many meanings. It can mean being a master mind like you, it can mean being chaotic like Jerome or being a little dense if you understand."

"Oh, I see," Scarlet nodded, she understood it immediately "You hope to activate the brain cells in the dumb people." Scarlet chuckled and leaned back into the chair "So what's in for me? Why did you want to talk to me?"

"You're truly a master mind, Scarlet. Who would not want to have the honor to analyze your mind?" Hugo Strange smiled, kind if awkwardly. He tried to manipulate her, obviously. He wanted to let her believe she was the star in the show, she was the special thing Dr. Strange needed.

"But why? If you work with the police, I politely decline. I don't wanna help the police with catching my colleagues because you analyze the mind of a murderer." She didnt want to be the one who helped them all. For that her reputation was way too good.

"I don't work for the police-..."

"Still, whatever goes through my head, stays in my head" Scarlet stood up "So I politely decline. And now excuse me, my back hurts from all the sitting. I need a massage."

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welllpthisishappening · 3 years

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Welllp These Are Books: the January 2021 Edition

Tumblr’s gif search leaves a lot to be desired, so there’s no actual gif of her slamming the book shut, which is—y’know, disappointing. Still, the continued ability of the public library system to send books to my Kindle ensures that I continue to read every romantic comedy and fantasy story I can find. Of which I have plenty of thoughts and opinions. But, like, what’s the point of having thoughts and opinions if you’re not putting them on the internet? There isn’t one, obviously. Books and links and feelings and more ridiculous headlines all under the cut.

BEST BOOK AWARD WINNER OF A VERY WEIRD JANUARY THAT HELPED DISTRACT FROM A VERY WEIRD JANUARY

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

This was so good?!?! I finished the first book and them immediately started the sequel, like no break whatsoever?!! I wish they weren’t teenagers?!! But seriously I wish they hadn’t been teenagers. Like, I get it. It’s YA. That probably sells better, something about markets that I don’t understand. I don’t care. It was weird that they were teenagers. Also, some of the plot points just kind of...happened? And I’m not entirely sure they were ever resolved. (Although there are a bunch of short stories, so. Maybe I just haven’t gotten there yet.) Despite that, the writing was gorgeous, I remain as prone to swooning over sad boys patent pending as I was when I was sixteen and Shahrzad was a fantastic heroine. Nine out of ten (would have been ten if they weren’t teenagers) and have already put holds on other books Ahdieh has written.

OBLIGATORY RAGE-INDUCING ROM-COM

Head Over Heads by Hannah Orenstein The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri. Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she's surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.

I stopped reading it. Honestly. I got, like, 46% of the way through, kept complaining to Justin about how goddamn annoying Avery was and how no one had any personality and I wanted them all to fall off the beam and he was like—stop reading it, then? And I was like—I can do that? And then I did! Also, I understand it needed conflict, but the “shocking scandal” in the description is a sexual assault that was not only NOT my cup of tea, but felt like a massive attempt to be topical by using what happened at Michigan State without actually saying it was about Michigan state.

PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW SPORTS WRITE SPORTS AND DO IT OK

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them. Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future. When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

I am admittedly a sports snob. Writing about sports is my thing and I’m super particular about reading about it. But this sounded good and for the most part it was good. Emotional, too. Like, “jeepers, that was intense” kind of emotional. But also some of the things Dean talked about were just...not how sports work and that drives me nuts. Also another story that was, as mentioned, super emotional only to get tied up in this nice little bow. Which, cool, but also...not? Just felt rushed at the end.

IN WHICH SHIPPING IS QUESTIONED AND I JUST LIKE BEN BARNES

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country's magical military elite—and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation. Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

I wanted to like this so much. So, so much. And sometimes I did. Sometimes I did not. At all. World building is my weakness and this has got it in spades, but the characters are kind of—boring? I couldn’t really bring myself to care about Alina and I wanted to kick Mal in the shins sometimes. The only interesting one was The Darkling who’s like the embodiment of all evil and I am not here to ship-shame anyone, but it’s kinda weird to ship him and Alina. I pictured Ben Barnes the entire time. I’m still excited for the show. I’ll read the sequel at some point, probably.

BEING A JERK IS NOT ROMANCE, YOU’RE JUST A JERK

Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters It's Evie Summers's job to find out. Because if she can't convince her film agency's biggest client, Ezra Chester, to write the romantic-comedy screenplay he owes producers, her career will be over. The catch? Arrogant Ezra thinks rom-coms are unrealistic—and he'll only put pen to paper if Evie proves to him that it's possible to meet a man in real life the way it happens on the big screen. Cynical Evie might not believe in happily ever after, but she'll do what it takes to save the job that's been her lifeline . . . even if it means reenacting iconic rom-com scenes in public. Spilling orange juice on a cute stranger? No problem. Leaving her number in books all over London to see who calls? Done. With a little help from her well-meaning friends and the adorable father-daughter duo who keep witnessing her humiliations, Evie is determined to show Ezra she can meet a man the way Sally met Harry. But can a workaholic who's given up on love find a meet-cute of her very own?

I love cliches. Love ‘em. Want to read about ‘em, want to write about ‘em. Here for happily ever after. Much less here for the overused and antiquated cliche of dude doesn’t believe in love like girl does, dude ridicules girl’s belief, dude was secretly in love with her the whole time. It’s super dumb. And we should stop writing it. Also really done with rom com girl can’t figure out her life! she’s overworked! she doesn’t have time for her friends! Super duper dumb. I don’t know guys, this book happened.

FAST-PACED ROMANCE ISN’T AS WEIRD WHEN IT’S WELL WRITTEN AND THERE’S A MOOSE INVOLVED

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler He had a strict "no tourists" policy...until she broke all of his rules. When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he's stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless parade of resort visitors who couldn't interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way...

Two weeks in Alaska isn't just the top item on Zoey Caldwell's bucket list. It's the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she's smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham's world, she may just find there's more to the grumpy local than meets the eye...and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.

This story of Alaska marries together all the things you didn't realize you needed: a whirlwind vacation, a friendly moose, a grumpy diner owner, a quirky tourist, plenty of restaurant humor, and a happy ending that'll take you away from it all.

I’m not one for slow burn, but I also have a hard time believing romances that happen in, like, a blink. Not the case here! It was so goddamn cute! There was a moose! Graham kept calling Zoey darlin’ and it made my heart try to explode in my chest! Stars Hollow-levels of small town with lots of side characters and a good plot and a restaurant that everyone always went to! You guys know I’m trash for everyone always going to hang out in the same restaurant! I’m reading the sequel now, so that’s how much I enjoyed it.

AMAZON BOOKS THAT CONTINUE TO BE WAY BETTER THAN THEY SHOULD BE

Elodie of the Sea by Shari L. Tapscott (part of the Eldentimber Series) Eight years have passed since the marriage tournament that decided the fate of Princess Pippa of Lauramore and strengthened alliances between the kingdoms of Elden. The competitors have moved on with their lives. Some have found adventure; some have found love. Prince Bran of Triblue, however, has put his life on hold, preparing for his father's crown. Two days before Bran's winter coronation, just when the prince cannot afford distractions, a girl washes onto the Triblue shore. She has no memory of her past life, no clue who she is or where she belongs—nothing but a ring on her finger and a peculiar marking on her cheek. And the newly crowned king has more than a mysterious girl to worry about. The sea has become unpredictable. Storms claim ships in the dead of night, and sailors return with horrifying stories of monsters from the deep. It soon becomes clear the girl and the bizarre events are connected. The girl came from the sea... and the sea wants her back. But Bran isn't willing to give her or his kingdom up without a fight, even if it means he must request help from every corner of Elden.

Listen, sometimes you have to read about a mermaid who lost her memory and the soon-to-be-king who’s, like, immediately in love with her. I mentioned Tapscott’s books in the 2020 post and the sentiment remains the same. You ever read a book that reads like fic? Lots of banter, some romance, steady pacing. That’s what her books are like. There are five in the Eldentimber series, all about a different princess in a different kingdom, but they all connect so characters pop up again and again and then they kiss. It’s real good.

#book reviews #the wrath and the dawn #laura reads books #i'm making my way through some of the recs you guys sent last time around too #but don't hesitate to send more #seriously i am down to read anything #welllp these are books

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yehet-me-up · 3 years

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*busts through the door like I'm the Kool-Aid man* BONJOUR FUCKERS I'M BACK!!! It is I, the Theatrical Gay Anon™! I hope you're ready to endure my endless babbling for a bit cuz I've got lots to say holy shit. Consider this part 1 of like, 1000 cuz I think Tumblr got rid of the submissions feature. I apologize in advance for the spam hehe.

Okay, with that out of the way. Ms. Yehet-Me-Up, may I call you Sarah? Sarah, what the fuck!? I can't even rn. I I give you a simple suggestion, no expectations behind it. I say "Hey, don't you think it'd be cool if Zitao was in the Exodus Mall universe?" to which you said "Yeah, that'd be neat, I might do that. Perhaps make him work at an Irish pub or something" and then I flip out with gratitude and excitement thinking you're gonna do like, a DRABBLE. 500 words at MOST -Theatrical Gay Anon

Imagine my SHOCK, my STUPEFACTION, upon realizing that you wrote OVER TEN THOUSAND WORDS about Huang Zitao aka the wind beneath my wings, the rain to my drought, the corny joke to my Junmyeon. And not only that! But you did this A MONTH AGO. I could've been reading this for so long and I had no idea! How foolish am I? I can't believe you wrote all of this based off of a silly little suggestion I made. I feel like bowing over how not worthy I am Wayne's World style -Theatrical Gay Anon

NOW IN REGARDS TO THE CONTENT OF THIS MASTERPIECE OH MY GOD WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN!? I am floored by your preeminence. First things first, the title? Perfect. Full disclosure, I suck at titles. I've been writing for over a decade now and I'm still shit with titles. It's so hard to come up with just a few words to encapsulate everything you wrote but you do it SO WELL. The moodboard? Amazing. I've always loved that picture of Zitao and it fits so well with the pub setting -Theatrical Gay Anon

I'm afraid you've written "Fractions of Tomorrow" so well that I don't see there being a need for anyone to write anything else...ever. Stories? CANCELED. Poetry? CANCELED. Biographies? CANCELED. It's all over folks. Sarah has written The Best Thing Ever. We've peaked as a society. After I finish writing these asks I'm gonna become a hermit in the woods and make friends with all of the woodland creatures that inhabit it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

But seriously though, I love absolutely everything about this story. As a Zitao fan, I'm used to getting breadcrumbs. Not a lot of ppl write fics about him. I can count on one hand how many long fics of his you can find on Tumblr. But THIS?? This was no breadcrumb, this was a whole fucking bakery. And it all appeals to me so much oh my god? The sappiness of it all, the flowery prose, the rebellious rejection of cynicism, it's all so beautiful I want to marry it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

If I discussed all of the sentences in this fic that made me giggle with joy and kick my feet around I'd be here all day so keep in mind this is just a FRACTION of the ones I loved but I couldn't go without mentioning at least some of them so here we go. "It’s not his first time here, but it’s his first time paying attention" SHUT UP this line is go good it's so simple yet so nuanced I adore it. Seriously, why hasn't anyone hired you to write a screenplay? -Theatrical Gay Anon

"He wonders if you ironed the collar of your shirt to be that precise or if you simply move through the world without acquiring any wrinkles" God, this line is so CUTE it's DISGUSTING he's fond of the reader's un-wrinkled clothes that's such a specific thing to like and is totally the type of thing I've done with the ppl I've crushed on throughout my life. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Zitao,’ he says finally. ‘Cute.’ You say" this is such a little thing but I love that you included his full name in this. I love his full name so much it sounds really pretty. Whenever I hear him refer to himself as "Huang Zitao" in interviews my heart soars. Hearing him speak Mandarin in general is a delight as well. It's an audibly gorgeous language and any racist who says otherwise can EAT MY ENTIRE ASS -Theatrical Gay Anon

"For someone who’s been in love for as long as you can remember she fights awfully hard against Baekhyun’s romantic nature" DEAR GOD I LOVE THESE TWO! I love these movie loving lovesick fools. I love that everyone in the world knows they love each other except them. I love seeing bits and pieces of their story throughout this written universe. I can't wait to see it all come together in Baekhyun's Exodus Mall fic. It's gonna be GLORIOUS -Theatrical Gay Anon

Also! I know you enjoyed my song recs that I thought fit perfectly with All Our Broken Places so here are some for when the Baek x Hitchcock fic drops. I know it's not done yet but I just *know* what it's gonna be like I can feel it in my bones. "Sidekick" by Walk the Moon and "Tongue Tied" by Grouplove. As for Fractions of Tomorrow I knew right away what songs I'd pick. "Dreams" by The Cranberries, "Jumpstarted" by Jukebox the Ghost and "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey -Theatrical Gay Anon

Gosh, this fic filled me with so much energy and joy I feel like a toddler on caffeine. But I really should sleep now though. It's gotten so late that I can see the sunrise peaking up sdksdksl. I'll see ya soon! I will be spamming you with more compliments about this fic once I wake up though! - Theatrical Gay Anon

Hi! I'm back. Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah, I was talking about some of my favorite lines from the story. "‘Hey man, how’s it going?’ Baekhyun reaches out and does a complex handshake with the man before you. ‘Oh, you know. Just working at the salt mines,’ Tao says with a laugh." I LOVE that you made Baek the one Zitao was close with. I miss the beef brothers so much. I'll never forgive SM for what they did to OT12. They were all such good friends 😔 -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘I’m not sure.’ For a flash Tao’s eyes linger on you once more. ‘I think it would depend on the person.’ And then the bastard goes and winks at you." GOD, HE WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! HE'S SUCH A SHAMELESS FLIRT I HATE HIM *narrator voice* This was of course a huge a lie, he in fact loved Zitao immensely -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Sweetheart, I’m everyone’s type.’" You've captured Zitao's unlimited confidence so well and that makes me really happy. It's one of my favorite things about him. The man truly loves himself and I think that's awesome -Theatrical Gay Anon

"Tao looks at you through his lashes, bending close enough that you can feel his breath on your lips when he speaks. ‘Words are just the appetizer, darling. I prefer to have an entire feast.’ 'Any other questions or can I grab your orders?’" ASDKDSDSL SO YOU'RE JUST GONNA SAY THAT PANTY DROPPER LINE AND GO BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL ZITAO???? HUH??? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO??? -Theatrical Gay Anon

"‘Oh, nothing.’ He looks like the cat that caught the canary. ‘I just love being right.’" Something I love about EXO fic writers (myself included lol) is that despite all of the different ways they'll write the other members, there is one member who is always written the same and that's Baekhyun. He will always be written as a cheeky little shit cuz he *is* a cheeky little shit. That's just who he is. Messing with ppl is a favorite past time of his. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"'So, love, huh? There’s not some girlfriend or boyfriend of yours waiting for you at home?’" Thank you for not being heteronormative with the "are you dating someone?" convo. I know it might not seem like much but I really appreciate it. -Theatrical Gay Anon

"The beginning of love is always a lightning bolt. If that’s all it ever is you never have to deal with being knocked on your ass by the resulting thunderstorm" OOF, this one got me. So very true. The beginning of love is so scary! -Theatrical Gay Anon

"I could argue that anarchy still is love. Love of your beliefs and love of a person or a place or a thing so much that you’re willing to fight for it" OKAY BUT PASSIONATE LEATHER JACKET WEARING ANARCHIST ZITAO IN A ROCK BAND IS SUCH AN ATTRACTIVE CONCEPT!!! There's nothing sexier than a bad boi that will hate capitalism with you! He'd probably be the one to give ppl rides to protests and stuff I LOVE IT -Theatrical Gay Anon

"If we say love is a feeling, who’s to say that we aren’t in love? If we decide it’s an action then which one is it? A kiss or a commitment or - maybe it’s nothing more complicated than putting words to the way I feel when you look at me?" Listen I don't mean to be dramatic or anything (wait, who am I kidding? I'm literally the Theatrical Gay Anon being dramatic is like my Thing) but if a guy ever said that to me my trans boi pussy would be open for business IMMEDIATELY

Alright, so, uh Final Thoughts. This may be my new favorite work of yours, and no it's not just cuz it's got my ultimate bias in it lmao. This year has been so shitty and it's made my depression + anxiety reach the highest possible levels but reading this, this love story filled with hope and certainty despite not knowing what the future will hold for them, made this year seem easier to cope with. Thank you so much for making this, it means the world to me. -Theatrical Gay Anon

ALRIGHT, LAST ASK AND THEN I'LL SHUT UP I PROMISE but I personally headcanon that Double Shot + Zitao stayed together till the very end. They didn't get married cuz they hate formalities but they got matching tattoos and even when they're old and grey you can still them clear as day on their wrists. When they're asked how they met no one believes their answer lol. And when Double Shot died of old age before Zitao he would sing her favorite song by her grave every Saturday -Theatrical Gay Anon

OKAY SO I know I said I was done and I know I've already sent in like, 30 bajillion asks but I'm curious does Yifan or Luhan also work at the Irish pub?? Or do they work somewhere else in the mall? Inquiring minds want to know -Theatrical Gay Anon

When I tell you this made my entire month (when you sent it weeks ago, I’ve been hanging onto these because they seriously bring me SO much joy holy crap) I am not remotely kidding j;oaisjdflkasdjfa

I am absolutely going to put on these song recs while I work on the next chapter!

a;osdfjlaksdfjasl the fact that you stayed up late to read this warms my heart so much. It reminds me of all the times I stayed up til the ass crack of dawn reading fanfics because I simply could NOT stop reading, so the fact that you enjoyed this like that makes me helllllaaaa emo 🥰

I just??? 2020 was indeed such a long year and affected my energy and creativity and honestly don’t really remember writing this hahaha. I kind of go into a fugue state with these longer fics and they just EMERGE. So to see you reflecting back some of what I wrote allows me to enjoy the process so much more. Makes writing and tumblr fun and I seriously wish everyone writing and creating could have someone as passionate and thoughtful and hilarious as you hyping them up 🌟 it honestly feels like a GIFT and I will absolutely keep writing this series and hoping to be worthy of it 😘

We will definitely get to see more of these two in the finale fic! I got into EXO after Tao, Yifan, and Luhan left so I’m not quite as familar with their personalities, but I could definitely see Yifan working at the US Bank haha. Business suit by day and partying/flirting by night. As for Luhan I feel like he’d work somewhere like the bookstore or the music store?? somewhere quieter and more contemplative.

Thank you again for sending this and for being you <3 I hope 2021 is a wonderful year for you and that you know how AMAZING you are 💖💖💖💖💖

#asks #theatrical gay anon

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jinxofthedesert · 4 years

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Hi there!!! It is the same anon that requested some fic recs ☺ Thank you so much! I may give them a read! They look very interesting! But tbh I'm looking for fics that deal with some more in-depth approach to the twins' psychology and character (I don't mind the romance. In fact, I think it's a really interesting plus to the story when handled well).

(Below this is the rest of the messages, put together. Farther down, below the line, are my responses)

I’ve usually seen that the twins are portrayed as soft, loving and caring guys with their partners without real motives for such drastic change of dynamics in their twisted personalities. I mean, the usual Valeska centered fic goes like this: they meet the OC in Arkham or during their childhood in the circus and for some reason they reunite in the present, and then it is just the twins somehow falling for them, changing their whole way of being and only wanting to bang the OC the whole time (without taking into account the lack of the OC's inner conflict about loving such twisted men, because these OCs usually are "sane" and good people that somehow are dragged into the twins' world and for some reason they just fall in love with them without questioning it). But for me the least realistic thing about these fics is that the twins become super nice guys all of a sudden. I mean of course there can be character develoment and growth (up to a certain point), but I haven't really found a story that contains such deep explanation. Let's face it, they're still psychos no matter what, even if they have a partner. In the last season we get a glimpse of how Jeremiah treats Ecco, someone that he used to appreciate and care for deeply, and she still meant little to him. So it doesn't add up to me when the twins are magically turned into these super sweet caring guys while their twisted, evil and manipulative side is completely ignored. I am not saying they can't love, I am just saying that they surely have their own twisted perception of what love is 🤔 Sorry for my rambling, damn, it took soooooo many comments hahaha!!! OMG, Sorry!😂😂 I had a LOT to say 😂😂😂 But I just find these characters very interesting and I would love to read a story with a more realistic approach to the construction of their personalities (and their twisted way of loving too!). Let me know, please, if you happen to know about some fics/authors 😘 thanks again!

- - - - - - - - - Hi again, anon! I’m sorry my list of content in the previous ask wasn’t exactly what you were looking/hoping for. As of right now, besides the ones I sent you that may delve a little bit below the surface, I can’t think of a true ‘character study’ type story that I have read so far. But, again, I usually stay in the area of romance so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are such fics out there under a different genre.

I’ll be quite honest, it’s been a very long time since I’ve read any oc/(input character here), including ones with the twins. Normally, I forget they exist until someone brings it up or I stumble across one on Tumblr accidentally. I do agree, the twins suddenly changing for an OC (or anyone) can be a bit unrealistic but from my years of reading and writing, creating stories with such things is a bit of ‘wish fulfillment’ which, to be honest, isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes a reader just needs content that is kind of good-feeling type fic (though not in a sense of how murderous the twins can be but in them getting some kind of positivity in their lives, whether it be through an OC or another character in the universe). When I wrote Oc’s at the beginning, it was either wish fulfillment for me or simply just wanting these characters I adored to finally have some kind of happy ending which they probably did not deserve, at all.

A reason you might not find such content is also because, character studies are hard. Especially if you don’t have a complete picture of the character. With the twins, a lot is just coming up with stuff, imaging their past and how it still affects them, even if, on the upper layer we’re shown, doesn’t portray those scars left behind.

With Oc’s, they can usually be pretty hit or miss. It’s not like you’re taking an already known character with known flaws and putting them in your story. Those characters have a foundation already built. For an Oc, the writer has to literally make someone from the ground up, which is equally as hard without making them seem too whiny, too mary-sue like, or just too problematic. This can leave a lot to be desired which can create something unrealistic as well. That’s why I usually only look for content centered around characters from the show, instead of Oc’s; like with Bruce and the twins because canon-wise there is already something there (depending on how you look at it and write it).

In regard to Ecco: firstly, I think it’s arguable what type of relationship she even has with Jeremiah when we first are introduced to them. We’re shown some concern on his end when she’s clearly been hypnotized but this can be seen as a boss concerned for an employee, an employee who he’s probably had for awhile now and is one of the very rare few who he trusts to an extent. However, we just don’t know much of anything about their relationship or past together. She might have hardly seen him, only contacting him through phone calls and text messages; she may have only brought him supplies through the maze and never was in his inner personal areas. This treatment is all possible given how Jeremiah is quite literally a paranoid mess before the spray, no matter how well put-together he appears. And, if we’re to compare this to his eventual obsession with Bruce Wayne, we can take a guess that Jeremiah and Ecco probably didn’t get very deep with this connection they had. Mainly because with just a few compliments, Jeremiah is invested in Bruce, something we don’t see with Ecco before or after the spray. So we have Bruce enter the picture (someone who has run into his twin on multiple occasions, a fact Jeremiah must know to some extent with his paranoia probably leading him to constantly check newspapers and the news for info on Jerome) and, if you look at things from Jeremiah’s perspective, besides complimenting him, Bruce looks at him and only sees Jeremiah. And this would be baffling to Jeremiah if he knows the affect Jerome has had on Bruce, for him to look at Jeremiah and not see his twin after everything would be just as big a compliment as anything because it’s differentiating him from his twin. Someone who has probably feared being compared to his brother, for people to look at him and only see Jerome (such as what occurs with Jim and Harvey only hours prior). Because of this, when compared to Ecco, we can deduce that either their conversations never went in such a direction, or she hardly had the extended physical contact to ever bring up Jerome or compare or compliment. If so, it’s possible with how Jeremiah is that something similar could have happened with Ecco. And this eventually leads into the spray where his only true attachment is not Ecco but with Bruce, especially, after his initial spray, Jeremiah’s hatred for Jerome is far worse than it had been before, making Bruce’s assessment of Jeremiah simply being himself and not his brother, far more endearing as well. So, in comparison to Bruce, Ecco means absolutely nothing to him, a means to an end.

I’ll admit, reading content where the twins are somehow in a relationship (with an oc or canon character) while still being rather insane, are quite interesting. However, for stuff like that to work in a compelling and ‘actual’ way, characters like that have to be bent because these characters logistically working in that kind of environment may never be realistic anyways. This can be worked around of course, but it takes so much time and effort; even now, as I write my stories for Gotham, I’m still trying to work around how to make these ships work for the twins because they’re stubborn and although they have obsessions they, at their cores are not good people and while they may try, seriously try to better themselves, there will always be slip-ups.

I do agree, they can love but it would always be twisted in some way or another (look no further than Jeremiah with Bruce). They’re also a lot of fun to take apart and analyze or try and come up with a type of background that works with all the hints we’ve been given. Background-wise, the twins are really something a writer can make their own which is an interesting concept.

This turned more so into a long ramble of writing and Ocs and lots of Gotham lol but anyways, I wish I could give you a story to fit your needs. I quite hate when I have an itch for certain fics and I either can’t find them or the number of fics is so daunting that I don’t dare even try. I would recommend just going through them, possibly looking for complete content first, or ones with high hits or kudos (depending on the site you’re searching on) because I don’t have any at the moment I can suggest.

(Honestly the ideas for the twins never stop coming lol, perks of their backgrounds and everything else being so hazy.)

I hope some of this message was at least interesting lol and I do wish you luck in finding good twin content that delves into their character or, maybe you’ll get lucky and someone will publish something like that soon! Either way, I hope you find something 😘

#anon ask #anon #Gotham #I don't even know what this became to be honest #I had wayyyy to much time to just think on this answer all day long since i had no access to my computer #and this is what I got lol #Valeska twins #Jeremiah Valeska #Jerome Valeska #Ecco #Wayleska #character study? A little?#oc's #writing #basically oc writing can be really difficult or not #Jeremiah maybe could've had a deeper relationship with Ecco or maybe she just wasn't his type. Who knows #I do stand by my thoughts on him first meeting with Bruce though cause it just adds another layer to his character that I rather like #Gosh I hope this entire message makes as much sense as my brain thinks it does

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realtalk-princeton · 6 years

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thoughts on gap years Nick? I know you aren't taking one and I didn't want to, but I'm thinking it may be my only option at this point and want to get an idea of what other premeds think of doing one, specifically competitiveness during the cycle

Response from Nick Carraway:

I think gap years only make applicants more competitive! Highly recommend and think I would have more acceptances if I had taken a gap year. A gap year can really only improve your application in a lot of ways (unless you spend it at home doing nothing, which no one does):

-you can get more research (often really cool clinical research at a school that has a med school which could increase your chances at that school!). You also can definitely get published (which I think I was super lucky to have gotten out of a summer internship). This can also get you a great rec letter from your advisor.

-you can improve your volunteering hours (both clinical and non-clinical, you can especially find time to volunteer in some area you’re passionate about when you’re not stressed about academics here).

-you can take the time to take the MCAT between junior/senior year (or later if you want to take multiple gap years). I was very stressed last year with studying for the MCAT during junior year on top of classes/joining a new lab and keeping up with all of my other commitments. Obviously it all worked out well for me, but I think it can lower stress if you want to really focus on academics at the same time you’re prepping for the MCAT. Keep in mind that many people study summer between soph/junior year of during junior year and do very well!

-you can also take time to really refine your application (as in, the writing on your application). Working during a gap year would give you a lot of time to refine your personal statement and prewrite secondaries before sending them in, which I think can make your application stronger. I felt that I was rushing through a lot of my secondaries when applying this summer and didn’t have any time to really prewrite (because I went from MCAT –> finals for classes –> getting my primary together –> attacking secondaries for a month).

Are you worried that other premeds look down on people that take gap years? That’s absolutely not the case. HPA says that about 75-80% of Princeton premeds take gap years (I think we had 25 or so seniors apply this year and about 90-100 non-seniors apply, AKA people that took a gap year. Some of those older people are reapplicants, but regardless you see my points). At interviews, most of the people I met were on gap years. They were having great cycles.

It’s a completely personal choice that you should be making for yourself (and with HPA’s advice if you like them). If you want to improve your application in any of the ways I wrote about above, take a gap year. If you want to decrease stress during your junior/senior year, also take a gap year. If you’re worried about your candidacy, taking a gap year can be great. But I have a friend who was worried about her candidacy (and who HPA strongly advises to take a gap year because they were also ‘worried’ about her candidacy), but she ended up getting into WashU and other top20s. If you want someone to talk to that isn’t HPA about this (in person), feel free to reach out to me. You can also reach out to any of the other peer application advisors (I believe HPA sent you guys all a PDF with all of our bios?).

I guess I’ll end with why I didn’t take a gap year. I wasn’t burnt out (I’m still loving school and don’t feel like I need a break). I had “checked all the boxes” for the different parts of a successful med school application and my stats are around the median or above for all the top20 schools (for Princeton applicants). The way I’m paying for med school (pretty specific to my family so not something that would factor in to other people’s decisions) works out better for me if I go straight through.

I guess a few other things (sorry this is so long). I’d also weigh if you’d be happy at a ‘lower-tier’ school vs. a top-tier school. If you are really gunning for top20, your candidacy is something to think about more. If you’d be happy at any MD school in the US (which is really all that anyone should care about in the grand scheme of things, you’ll still be practicing medicine!), then maybe you don’t need to wait. If you’re in no rush to start practicing and don’t mind an extra year, and if that extra year would help your mental health/burnout, by all means take a gap year.

Hope this helps!

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