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holylulusworld · 1 month

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BFG (7)

Summary: He’s new to town and just your type…

Pairing: Reacher x Plussized!Reader

Warnings: angst, unplanned pregnancy, lovesickness

A/N: I added the pregnancy because of an ask.

Catch up here: BFG (6)

BFG masterlist

The first days without Reacher were hell. He was still everywhere you looked. His scent lingered on your pillows, and you still felt his hands on your body.

You even dreamed about him. Day and night.

Life moved on while you suffered the worst lovesickness you ever experienced.

Sally Ann offered help and took over your shift for a few days.

Most of the time you had to force yourself to get up and start a new day without Reacher.

That was until you found out Reacher left a sweet little gift for you.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to you that Reacher got you pregnant. You had unprotected sex all the time and forgot about your pill more than once due to the events leading to KJ’s death, and what happened at your diner.

“Y/N, did you hear me?” One of your regulars asked as you wiped the same spot for the third time. “There is a new face.”

“Huh, oh?” You dipped your head to watch the woman step toward the counter. “Hi, welcome. What can I do for you?”

She asked for coffee, and cereal instead of pie. You chuckled at her choice but prepared a bowl with coco pops for her.

“This is a nice place, and the pie looks great. I have a friend who’d love your pie,” she said and watched you pour her a cup of coffee.

“Thank you,” you smiled at her and turned your attention back toward the stain on the counter. “I assume you are rolling through town.”

“I’m looking for someone,” she replied before taking a large sip. “A friend of mine asked me to check on her.”

You tried to end the conversation. The woman was nice but she reminded you of another stranger you met a few months ago. “That’s very nice of you.” You replied and tried to walk away.

“Wait, maybe you can suggest a hotel. I’ll stay for a few days,” she said. “That would be very kind of you. I’m not from around her and wouldn’t know where to look for a place to stay.”

“Oh,” you tried not to give away that there is no nice hotel in town. “We only have a motel. It’s not very nice and-” You leaned closer to whisper the next part. “Most of the guests are prostitutes, and their clients or people cheating on their respective other.”

“Crap,” she said and glanced around the diner. “Anywhere else I could bunker. Maybe someone is renting out a room.”

“You could stay at my place.” Reacher would scold you for offering a place to stay to a stranger. But he was no longer around, and you always followed your heart. The woman in front of you was nice, and she meant no harm. You were sure about it.

“Whoa, that’s very kind of you,” she said and held out her hand. “I’m Frances Neagley.”

“Y/N,” you gave her your name with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Frances. That’s a very nice name.”

“Yours too,” she chuckled. “I’ll pay you, of course.”

“I don’t rent out. If you clean up your mess and eat your food at my place only while you are around, we are good.”

“It’s a deal,” she shook your head and grinned. “I’m glad I came here.”

“Me too.”

Frances helped you clean the diner and followed you home. She eyed you the whole time, as you told her about the town, your diner, and the stray you took in. The dog, not Reacher.

“I like dogs.”

You showed her around the house and introduced your dog to her. Frances was eager to learn more about the town, you, and your life.

“I’m tired, and will retreat earlier today,” you yawned and rubbed your sore back. “There’s food, beer, and water if you get hungry. I don’t mind if you grab a late-night snack. I’m alone again and—” You bit your tongue. She didn’t need to know you bought too many groceries because you forgot that Reacher left.

“Thank you,” she said and gave you a genuine smile. “Really. It’s nice of you.”

“No need to thank me. If you want to you can have all the beer,” you subconsciously rubbed your belly. “I don’t drink.”

Frances watched the motion with concern.

“That’s nice. I’m not much of a drinker myself, though.”

The next morning Frances was already up. She sat on your kitchen counter, eating coco pops when you entered the kitchen.

“Morning,” you chirped and went straight for the fridge. “Damn, I need something fresh but sweet.”

“Can I ask you a question?” She said while you rummaged in the fridge to find anything to satisfy your cravings.

“Sure,” you grabbed an apple and the pudding you were hiding in the back of the fridge for emergencies. Not the best combination for breakfast but these are different times.

Your sweet secret not so well hidden by the thin nightie you wore, caught Frances’s attention. “How far are you?”

“Uh-around two and a half months,” you started to cut the apple to distract yourself from thinking about the father of your unborn child and his absence.

“Does the father know?” she asked, looking you straight in the eyes. “Y/N?”

“No,” you dipped a slice of apple into the pudding. “I don’t know if he’d care or how to reach him. He’s not the usual kind of guy, you know.”

“You think he wouldn’t care about his baby?” She hopped off the kitchen counter to gently touch your shoulder. “I bet he’d love to know.”

“He wouldn’t…” you sighed and shook your head. “You see, the father is not the kind of man to settle down or even stay in one place for longer than a week. If I told him, he’d believe I wanted to tie him down or something. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Y/N, you’re not a burden but pregnant with his baby. He should grow up and take care of the woman he got pregnant,” Frances tried to convince you to call the father of your child.

“I can handle this on my own. I always did, and never needed man,” you stated. “I know you mean well, but begging a man to come back to me is just not my style.”

“Reacher, finally,” Neagley rolled her eyes when Reacher told her he still didn’t have a phone. “I told you to stay in touch so I can report back to you. Is it so hard to buy a burner phone and send me the number?”

Reacher told her to report back and make it short. He asked Neagley to check on you after he left. He knew, that if he came back, it’d be even harder for him to leave again.

“Haul your big ass over here,” she grunted. “You left Y/N with more than a broken heart. I will give you twenty-four hours before I come looking for you. And believe me, you don’t want me to hunt you down, big guy!”

“Finally,” Neagley huffed. “I believe you’ll need longer.” She checked her phone, smirking. “Ten and a half hours. This must be a record for you.”

“Neagley, not now. Is Y/N okay? Is the…baby okay?” He asked and glanced at your home. “Is she home.”

“She is asleep. Don’t wake her,” she softly said. “I hope you came to stay and won’t leave again. You can’t get a woman pregnant and run off.”

“I didn’t know,” he whispered. His features softened while looking at Neagley. “Thank you for checking on her and calling me. I’ve got it from here.”

“If you leave her again, I’ll hunt you down…” She glanced at the two duffle bags slung over Reacher’s left shoulder. “I see you got luggage this time.”

“Everything I own and cherish,” Reacher said his goodbyes to Neagley before he entered your house with the key you gave to him.

He silently stepped inside your house, careful not to wake you.

Reacher didn’t plan to reach your house in the dead of the night, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.

He dropped the bags and kicked his shoes off before silently making his way upstairs.

Reacher entered your bedroom, tiptoeing toward your bed to watch you sleep. He dipped his head and reconsidered his decision to come back to you. He never hung his heart on a place or people except for his family.

For a heartbeat, he was about to leave, but then you whispered his name in your sleep. His heart stumbled, and he took off his shirt and shoved his pants down his legs.

While you turned around to instinctively make space for the huge man, he crawled under the covers to wrap his arms around you. He kissed your temple and murmured your name.

Jack Reacher finally found his home.

BFG 8

BFG Tags

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@redpool

@maeb99

#reacher x reader #reacher x you #reacher fanfiction #reacher x y/n #reacher x plussized!reader #plussized!reader #tw: pregnancy #BFG (7)

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wearethekat · 3 months

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Anticipated New Releases of 2024

**As anticipated by Me. Mostly SFF. Links are to goodreads because that's what I use, sorry. Anything marked "new to me" I haven't read anything by that author before and therefore can't vouch for the quality. I just think the premise is neat.**

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Heather Fawcett (16 January)

Sequel to the charming novel about the fairy anthropologist.

Exordia, Seth Dickinson (23 January)

Well, it isn't a new Baru Cormorant, but this modern SF about first contact may be the next best thing.

City of Stardust, Georgia Summers (30 January)

New to me. A young woman descends into the underworld in order to break her family's fatal curse.

The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (6 February)

New to me. A sherlock holmes flavored duo solves the mystery of the murder of an imperial official in a labyrinthine fantasy realm.

What Feasts at Night, T Kingfisher (13 February)

The sequel to the mushroom horror book What Moves the Dead.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (13 February)

A ghost story set in WW1 about a woman searching for her missing brother.

The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (13 February)

New to me. A detective in 1908 Manchuria investigates a young woman's death in an area full of mythical foxes.

Redsight, Meredith Mooring (27 February)

New to me. Unpowered priestess and Imperial pawn is set on a collision path with a pirate with a grudge for the Imperium (Gay romance).

Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner (12 March)

Sequel about the professional godkiller Kissen.

Jumpnauts, Hao Jingfang (12 March)

New to me. A SF novel in translation from Chinese, with three scientists joining forces to deal peacefully with a first contact situation.

The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (19 March)

I liked Mandelo's debut novel very much so I'm excited to read this queer horror novella set in 1920s Appalachia.

Floating Hotel, Grace Curtis (19 March)

New to me. A series of cozy character vignettes on a space cruise ship after a murder has occurred. One of the four (!) space hotel murder crimes books coming out this year.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace, Justinian Huang (26 March)

New to me. Reincarnation gay romance set in 4 BCE China, the 1740s, and modern-day LA.

Alien Clay, Adrian Tchaikovsky (28 March)

Far future space xenoarchaeology by a man trapped on a prison planet.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (2 April)

New to me. Bizarre lesbian cannibalism monster romance from the point of view of the monster.

The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (9 April)

Glad to see Bardugo writing more adult fantasy, and this one is especially exciting because it's a fantasy set in early modern Spain with a Jewish main character. Fun to see a more original historical period.

A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose Sutherland (9 April)

New to me. Lesbian selkie romance.

Death in the Spires, KJ Charles (11 April)

Charles branching out from romance into historical Oxford murder mystery about a group of friends with dark secrets.

Audrey Lane Stirs The Pot, Alexis Hall (22 April)

The new Hall thinly veiled british baking show romcom. Libby says it's releasing in April but I've heard nothing from the author so I think it may be Alecto'd (shifted to next year)

Necrobane, Daniel M Ford (23 April)

Sequel to the dungeons and dragons-esque low fantasy lesbian necromancy book.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep, Sylvie Cathrall (25 April)

New to me. Sweet underwater epistolary academic romance.

How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Django Wexler (21 May)

New to me. A young hero caught in a fantasy time loop gives up and tries being the villain in an attempt to escape.

Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel (21 May)

Another woman-centered retelling of Hindu mythology, this time based on the river goddess Ganga.

Escape Velocity, Victor Manibo (21 May)

New to me. Evil and toxic private school alumni jockey for position in a space hotel event in an attempt to escape a dying Earth.

The Fireborne Blade, Charlotte Bond (28 May)

New to me. Gay dragon slaying knight novella.

Evocation, ST Gibson (28 May)

New to me but looks very cool. Attorney and medium David attempts to escape his deal with the devil with the help of his ex boyfriend and his ex boyfriend's wife (Poly romance).

Service Model, Adrian Tchaikovsky (4 June)

In an SF future, a robot kills its human owners and ventures out into a world where human supremacy is beginning to crumble.

Lady Eve's Last Con, Rebecca Fraimow (4 June)

New to me. A con artist seeks revenge on the man who hurt her sister, who's coincidentally also on a space cruise ship (Sapphic romance subplot).

Triple Sec, TJ Alexander (4 June)

An actual mainstream published poly romance (!!) by trans author Alexander.

Running Close to the Wind, Alexandra Rowland (11 June)

Gay! Pirates! Scheming! Alt fantasy world! Monks! I liked Taste of Gold and Iron a lot and I'm very excited for this one.

The Knife and the Serpent, Tim Pratt (11 June)

New to me. Space opera about an interdimensional organization. Also, there's a sentient starship.

The Witchstone, Henry Neff (18 June)

A childhood favorite of mine's adult debut, featuring a demon who suddenly has to shape up at his curse keeper job after eight hundred years of slacking.

Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (18 June)

VERY excited to read more weird queer sff from this author after a fantastic debut. Looks weird. I'm in.

Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova (25 June)

New to me. A witch in a Slavic fantasy inspired world flees her evil ex, the Tsar of Monsters. There's also a plague and a detective.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow, Gabriella Buba (25 June)

New to me. Filipino inspired anticolonialist fantasy novel about a nun who is secretly practicing the religion of her goddess.

The Duke at Hazard, KJ Charles (18 July)

A queer regency with an incognito duke by one of my particular favorite romance authors.

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan (30 July)

!!! Very excited to see a new adult fantasy by Brennan. A reader is dragged into a fictional world and finds herself the villain.

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T Kingfisher (20 August)

A retelling of The Goose Girl from reliably good fairy tale stalwart Kingfisher.

Buried Deep and Other Stories, Naomi Novik (17 September)

Collection of Novik's short stories.

Swordcrossed, Freya Marske (8 October)

VERY excited to see a new book by talented writer Marske. A man falls in love with the duelist hired for his arranged wedding. MEANWHILE. details of the fantasy world wool industry.

Feast While You Can, Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta (29 October)

New to me. Small town queer cave horror.

The Last Hour Between Worlds, Melissa Caruso (19 November)

Multiple reality murder mystery spy vs spy type antics, with lesbians.

#book recommendations #on the tbr #now I would Like to put alecto the ninth on this but as we know. NO news (sobs)#long post #updated 3/8 with more books I've added since I posted this

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lotstradamus · 2 months

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best KJ Charles novels? I have a bunch of long flights coming up…

best standalones:

Think of England - mystery! intrigue! it's safer to be caught in flagrante delicto by one's hosts than to be caught spying, so take your trousers off, my good sir!

Band Sinister - a series of unfortunate events introduces country virgin and landed scoundrel. NO MURDER AT ALL in this one. lowest stakes KJC novel by far (if you don't care about A Lady's Reputation!).

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting - fortune hunter gets sniffed out by his mark's uncle, loses fantastically to him at cards, offers to pay in kind. this one is just. so. horny.

best series:

The Doomsday Books (2 books) - these are so fun. smugglers, hidden treasure, Kent accents, beetles?!, terrible relatives, romance, murder, etc. all that good KJC shit.

The Will Darling Adventures (3 books) - post-war secret society shenanigans, ft. current bookseller, previous vicious killer in the trenches. splashes of PTSD, Bright Young Things, gangsters, the secret service, communists, sidecars. truly rip-roaring. and the sex scenes are top notch.

#special mentions to:#A Charm of Magpies (3 books)#shamans and China and dark magic and all sorts... very Catered To Me rather than Actually Very Good #ALSO A Seditious Affair (Society of Gentlemen book 2)#an amazing book sandwiched in between two bang average books which annoyingly requires the first one as necessary context #very saucy and fun though #HOPE THIS ISN'T TOO LATE FOR YOUR FLIGHTS #answered #books #book rec

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fyeahvarchie · 4 months

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KJ APA attends UTA's Golden Globes After Party (2024)

#kj apa #kjapaedit #kjapadaily #dailyrivermale #kj: events #kj: edits

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alastairstom · 3 months

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Hello!

Welcome to my TSC blog, a place where I cause shenanigans and post fanfiction!

I REALLY like TID/TMI/TEC and the content associated with them, but above all else I am a TLH enthusiast. Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, and (especially) Chain of Thorns are my favourite books. I also love the TLH-related short stories and bonus content.

Here's a link to my TSC-inspired playlists!

My favourite characters are Matthew (my beloved my bestie my very life), Alastair, Thomas, and Cordelia. The ships that live rent-free in my head are Thomastair, Herondaisy, and Wessa. This is mainly what I write fic about!

Art by the lovely @hanelizabeth ♡

You can see all of my fics on my main Ao3 page. I've also gathered them into collections to make browsing for your faves easy!

Matthew-Related Fic Collection

Thomas/Alastair Fic Collection

James/Cordelia Fic Collection

Will/Tessa Fic Collection

A few personal favourites of my own fics:

A Therapeutic Chain of Events (Thomas/Alastair)

A Ribbon of Dream (Thomas/Alastair)

The Name We Give Our Mistakes (Matthew)

The Moon in Her Chariot of Pearl (Matthew & James + Will/Tessa)

Dreamscapes on the Wall and its 18+ companion I'm a Fire and I'll Keep Your Brittle Heart Warm (Thomas/Alastair)

Summer Went Away (Still the Yearning Stays) (Matthew + family)

Click here for a collection filled with great fics from other lovely authors like @vwritesaus and @luciehercndale that I highly recommend.

Other things I like and post about are Taylor Swift, KJ Charles books, Urusei Yatsura, and random shows like Jane the Virgin, Good Omens, XO Kitty, and Crazy Ex Girlfriend.

If you're a TDA fan, I'm happy to have you here, but you may want to block #anti tda, #anti blackstairs, and #anti julian blackthorn. Also, because of weird bait asks and attempts to start nonexistent drama, I will not be answering any asks about Gabrily.

Please enjoy your time here! Feel free to shoot me asks if you want to chat.

#new pinned!!!!#pinned #alastair carstairs #thomas lightwood #thomastair #matthew fairchild #james herondale #cordelia carstairs #herondaisy #jordelia #will herondale #tessa gray #wessa

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hanmegumi · 2 years

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@pscentral event 06: favorite characters/performers » kj brandman yeah, the... the house, and the cars, and the clothes, all... look really nice from the outside, but sometimes you just gotta look a little deeper, and it's just... it's all just really confusing. but i look happy, now, in the future. i think, that... maybe she's sorted some things out.

#paper girls #kj brandman #fina strazza #userbbelcher #uservalentina #userk8 #usermai #userrobin #userhella #uservier #userelio #usernat #userives #usernanda #cinematv #usergif

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whumpsday · 5 months

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btw sorry i havent been posting writing lately, i am currently in the "art low" section of the art cycle

(source)

figured i'd at least give an update on the WIPs i am currently working on:

kane & jim:

K&J #55 (present arc, following the events of #52 trust)

AU drabble where kane spontaneously turns human and jim coaxes him into the sun for the first time

crossover thingy for kj x mmss that prob wont be posted here anytime soon bc i'll only post it once the rp it's an au of gets posted and that'll be a while

bg3 astarion fanfic (sorry i promise im not becoming A Fanfic Guy it's a phase):

astarion and the cleric #2 (disgusting fluff, cuddle time)

astarion and the cleric VERY WHUMPY AU where they're both vampire spawn under cazador, multiple whumpees lots of torture and starvation. balancing out the main story's disgusting fluff

astarion/dark urge fic taking place pre-canon/pre-amnesia, where durge "rescues" astarion from cazador but decides to keep him for themself. whumper turned caretaker

things that are On The List to get started:

more present arc k&j chapters. gonna go heavy on present arc for a while, at least til we see bellamy

other au drabble in my inbox

more k&j aus bc writing aus is like candy to me

lab whump thing for the whumpy printing press anthology

petrichor #2

#txt

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listles-s · 1 year

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jett’s knife necklace

ok i’m probably looking way too deep into this but just hear me out

jett being able to wear one of her signature weapons as a necklace is a dead giveaway that the pov we’re seeing is that of the mirror world (omega) and not our world (alpha) and is a confirmation that though the agents are the same there are still subtle differences between the two that keep them distinct.

if mirror world jett is the one responsible for the venice (ascent) incident, she wouldn’t be proudly displaying her knives, the very weapon last found on site after the radianite exploded, if she were on alpha earth.

she would most definitely not be casually out and about with raze and kj either, and on alpha earth, phoenix and yoru are the ones shown to be going out with them, rather than jett.

while it Has been shown that jett is still able to be out in the public (sage’s lunar new year posts are evidence of that), it’s still significant that she’s wearing her signature knife, as it also shows evidence of pride in herself.

this creates an interesting juxtaposition between the two earth settings:

omega earth’s valorant protocol is seen as a hero organization and, by proxy, its agents as heroes of their own right. it would make sense, then, that jett would be proudly displaying her main weapon of choice, rather than hide it or herself away.

the events and chaos she caused on alpha earth never happened on omega, so why would she ever need to feel shame for something she technically never did?

#also i am aware that the knife is missing the handle part but the general likeness is There and that's what i'm focusing on #i love valorant lore i am normal about valorant lore i don't overthink small details that appeared onscreen for a brief second #also this posits something funny. raze and killjoy are ALSO lesbians on omega earth #some things do stay the same <3 #jett #valorant jett #jett valorant #valorant #valorant analysis #valorant lore

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ikatako38 · 15 days

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Squidmas Special ‘23

Rating: G, Word Count: 4,863

This special was originally posted on AO3 in two parts between Chapter #22 - 1 and Chapter #22 - 2. It takes place 8 years after the end of TPWCH. Ryland, Three, and Captain are all the same person! I also made this relationship chart to help since there’s so many characters being introduced so quickly. And yeah, Koi’s birthday is on Squidmas, so they’re celebrating both events together. The story starts below the cut!

“You’re sure it’ll be okay? It’s just… there’s gonna be so many people…”

“Yes, Capa. It’s gonna be okay. We have to let Tsuku spread her wings. She has to be able to take risks in order to live her life. We took plenty of them.”

“I know, I know…”

“And, hey. If anything goes wrong, we’ll both be there to protect her.”

The Inkling took their husband’s hands playfully. “I think that would just be you.”

“You’re telling me the Captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon wouldn’t be able to hold off a couple of fourteen-year-olds? Because I know they could.” Eight bopped the white puff on the end of Captain’s Squidmas hat.

“I get nervous around little kids! I don’t know what to do or say! You know this.”

“Is that what it is? You’re nervous the kids won’t like you?”

“I mean…” Captain shrugged. They hadn’t been consciously thinking about that, but now that Eight mentioned it, maybe that was part of their hesitation.

“It’s all right to feel nervous… but kids always love you! Remember that one at Tako Bell who—”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I’m probably worrying for no reason.”

“Such is life.”

“And… what about the other parents? They’re probably all cishet Inklings, and we’re so much younger than everyone else…”

“If anything goes wrong, we can leave, okay? Or you can leave and I can stay… or whatever works in the moment.”

Captain nodded, and after a moment he raised his head to kiss Eight. “Okay, now where’s Tsuku?”

Captain made their way to their daughter’s bedroom door. “Hey Tsuku, it’s about time to go!”

“Ah, sorry, sorry… just five more minutes!”

“Okay koko, just come out to the living room when you’re ready!”

Returning to the living room, Captain saw Eight waiting, now with his shoes on.

“Tsuku’s still going to be about ten minutes,” Captain explained.

Eight checked his phone. “We’re going to be late…”

“That’s okay.”

“Yeah. Yeah it is.”

Captain ended up opening one of the dumb word games on their phone, and Eight did his best to help, until Tsuku appeared in the hallway. She was wearing a cute little red dress with white flats. Captain bent down closer to her and gushed, “Myushi-myushi ba~!

“Oh my cod, Fufu.”

Captain kissed the top of Tsuku’s head. “C’mon, let’s go!”

It was only a short train ride, and then they were standing at the front door of Koi’s family’s house.

“Um… do we knock…?” Eight murmured.

They looked at each other, and Captain shrugged. Then they both jumped back when Tsuku stepped up between them and gave the door a confident rap. Koi opened the door a few seconds later, and her orange pigtails flopped over Tsuku’s shoulders as they hugged tightly. Captain and Eight threw each other an awkward glance as they waited in the blocked doorway, and the two young Cephalings didn’t separate until another voice from inside the house called out, “Tsuku! You made it!”

The Inkling who had just started going by KJ ran up to them and hugged Tsuku too, although—both Captain

and Eight noticed—this one was much shorter.

Meanwhile, Koi stood on her toes and said, “Hello, Mr…. um… and… uh… sorry, are you… Tsuku’s parents?”

“Yep,” Eight said. “You can just call us us Eight and Captain… or Tsuku’s dad and parent, if that’s easier. The last names are sort of complicated.”

“Oh, okay! Welcome to our home… sorry again.”

“It’s totally okay! No harm done.”

As they entered, following behind the girls and KJ, Captain made a whining sound and whispered to Eight, “That was so awkward…”

Eight gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I know it’s hard. You’re doing great.” Eight also slipped his hand into Captain’s for support.

A few seconds later, they arrived in the kitchen, where René was at the dining table trying to explain the rules of chess to Cody, seemingly rather unsuccessfully. Beyond that was the living room, where eight adults sat on several sofas and armchairs arranged in a U-shape around a low coffee table, conversing in groups of two or three. A Squidmas tree in the corner glistened with ornaments and tinsel.

When René and Cody saw them, they both got up and raced toward them. Cody got there first and gave Tsuku a quick hug before rattling off a long stream of almost unintelligible words while bouncing on his heels excitedly. Then René hugged her too, but, unless Captain was mistaken, it seemed a bit more awkward than the others had been.

“Hi boys, nice to meet you. I’m Eight, Tsuku’s dad.” Eight shook each of their hands.

Captain just kind of smiled at them.

Thankfully, Cody interrupted: “René was just showing me this game called chest!”

“Chess,” René corrected.

“And there’s all these little figurine things that are so cool, my favorite is the little horse!”

“Knight.”

“And to win the game you have to trap the other player’s king, and it's called a checkmake!”

“Checkmate.”

“C’mon, René can show us how to play, he’s so good at explaining things!”

Tsuku, Koi, and KJ looked at each other, shrugged, and then started to gather around the table.

Eight squeezed Captain’s hand. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be…”

They hadn’t stepped two paces into the living room when a woman with long orange tentacles jumped up from a sofa to face them. “Oh, welcome! You must be Tsuku’s parents, then? Eight and Captain, right? Here, take our seats!” She started tugging at the arm of the man next to her until he stood.

“Oh, no, it’s okay!” Eight tried.

“No, I insist. Have a seat.”

So Captain and Eight scooted in next to a pale woman with frizzy purple tentacles, just like her son.

“You must be Cody’s mother?” Eight said.

“Yep. Alicia. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” said Eight.

“And you’re Tsuku’s parents?”

“Right. We—”

“Oh, of course!” Koi’s mother interrupted, now sitting on the floor with her legs folded. Her voice was so strong that the other conversations quickly fizzled out. “Everyone, these are Tsuku’s parents, Eight and Captain. Eight and Captain, you’ve just met Alicia.” She pointed to a Black family with green tentacles sitting together on the sofa against the left wall. The husband and wife seemed to be the oldest out of everyone there, while the third person was the youngest. “These are Atlas and Jeane, René’s parents. And Atlas’s son Alex, just next to them.” Now she gestured toward the couch on the right, where another couple sat, this one with magenta tentacles. “And KJ’s parents, Vanessa and Robert. Have I missed anyone? Oh, of course! I’m Koi’s mother, Amanda, and this is my husband Glen.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Eight said.

“Nice to meet you,” Captain managed to squeak out, adding a little wave.

“You know, you both look so young for your age,” Amanda continued. “I’m so jealous!”

“Actually, I’m only 26…” Captain explained.

“Oh!” Captain could see the gears turning in Amanda’s head, trying to do the math.

“Um… we adopted her when she was six. I was only eighteen, so it was a hard decision, but she didn’t have a home, and we were the only ones who could take her in. I’ve always been… something between a sibling and a parent to her.”

“I see. Well, from what I hear from Koi, you’re doing a great job.”

Captain thought of several things to say, but he couldn’t get his mouth to form the words.

“Oh… have I said something?”

“Sorry, sorry! That just… means a lot, is all. Thank you.”

Amanda directed her next question at Eight, which Captain was grateful for. “So how long have you two been together?”

Eight looked at Captain with such a reminiscent, loving expression that it nearly made Captain blush in front of everyone. “We met each other eight years ago in July, and we started dating in November. We got married three years later, and we just had our fifth anniversary in August.”

Captain was frozen the whole time, staring down at a certain spot on the carpet. But when Eight shifted and leaned into him slightly, it broke the trance, and Captain looked up at him. They shared a smile.

“Remember our fifth anniversary, hun?” said Vanessa. “That feels so long ago.”

“Well, we are getting dangerously close to our twentieth, aren’t we?” Robert said back with a chuckle.

“At least you’re not staring down your fiftieth birthday,” Atlas remarked, with such an even tone Captain wouldn’t have known what to make of it if the smile hadn’t given it away.

“Fifty? No~!” Glen said with incredulity.

“Only two months left. I might as well start digging my grave now.”

“Oh my cod, dad…” the son, Alex, groaned.

“Oh, like you’ve never been dramatic about your age. I’m 14, I’m basically an adult,” Atlas mocked, using a deeper voice.

Alex rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling on his phone, but just after the conversation picked up again and everyone else had turned their attention elsewhere, Captain noticed that Altas nudged his son, and they both shared a smirk that somehow seemed to convey a strikingly strong bond of love between them.

Captain snapped to attention when they heard their name; it was coming from Amanda again: “Thank you again for coming, Captain, Eight. I’m sure Koi will love having Tsuku here. And it’s so nice to finally meet you both! And the same to you too, of course, Atlas and Jeane.”

A knock came from the front door. Captain whipped their head around toward it and made a confused face. They were sure that their family had arrived last, and everyone who they had expected to to come was already there. So who could this be at the door? Perhaps a pizza delivery or something?

They all already knew that the kids would beat any adult to the door, so they just waited, and Captain watched the archway to the kitchen anxiously, until finally someone stepped through—

“Lyle? What…” Captain couldn’t stop the exclamation before it was already out of their mouth.

“Heya, Captain. And everyone,” Lyle said with a smug grin. Eli stepped into view a moment later, holding his husband’s hand, and with his other hand he towed little Tempest behind him.

“Hi Amanda, thank you for having us!” Eli said.

“Also, um… Tempest’s bio moms wanted to come too at the last second, I hope it’s all right that we brought them along.”

And now the Meer-Hannon family stepped forward to reveal Agents Four and Neo Three—but they really should be calling them Aubrey and Yuki in a context like this. Each one was holding an infant with yellow ink.

Amanda jumped up from her seat again to greet them. “Oh, of course! Thank you so much for coming, I’m sure Betta will be delighted to see Tempest. She’s outside with Ava and Kate.”

“Do you wanna go outside?” Eli asked Tempest.

Tempest looked toward the sliding-glass door but shrunk back away from it, into Eli’s body. “You don’t have to,” he soothed. “You can stay in here if you want.”

Then Koi’s younger sister Betta poked her head in from outside. “Tempest?”

“Betta!” And any apprehension disappeared.

Captain jumped when Alicia called out from right next to him, “Kate? Is everyone doing okay out there?”

Now the older Larsen’s face appeared in the door. “Yep, all good, mom! Betta bit Aaron’s finger, but he’ll survive!”

“Aaron, are you sure you’re okay?” Alicia called back.

“Yes, Ms. Caruso, I’m fine!” a slightly strained voice called back.

“Betta!” Amanda called over them, jumping up yet again and heading for the door. “We do not bite our guests!”

“You want me, you get the whole package,” Kate joked.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Aaron said, coming just far enough into view that Captain could see him staring into her eyes. The scene was sickly sweet. Cod, had Captain and Eight been like that when they were younger?

Yes. Yes, they had been.

Then Captain’s thoughts were interrupted by a desperate cry of “FUFU!”

“Koko… woi’e bare?” Captain responded instinctively. Then they froze. Terrified, they shot a quick glance back at the other parents. None of them seemed to be staring at him—at least not directly—which he took as a good sign.

“What is it, Tsuku?” Captain said, hoping it would encourage her to respond in Inkling.

It worked, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway since Tsuku got close and whispered, “I forgot the gift for the Secret Snowsquid!”

The gift… had they left it at home? Wait. Captain felt his pocket and, sure enough, he felt a small box covered in wrapping paper. “Oh, I have it here! I grabbed it just in case.”

Captain held it it to her, and the distress was replaced by a huge grin of relief as she took it. “You had it the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me!”

Captain lifted their hands in a shrugging pose. “I forgot.”

They both giggled. “Thank you, Fufu!”

“Of course, Koko. Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah! I just beat everyone in Super Splat Squids!”

“I’m glad all the years of indoctrinating you into video games paid off.”

“Okay, I’m gonna go back now. Thank you!” She gave them a quick hug.

“Of course.”

And now everyone was staring at them.

“Aww, you have such a cute relationship with her!” Vanessa said.

“Oh. It’s uh… nothing special,” Three murmured.

Now Amanda returned from outside.

“I’m so sorry about that again, Alicia.”

“Oh, I’m sure Aaron will be fine. As long as Betta doesn’t have rabies!”

Everyone laughed except for Amanda, who gave a tight-lipped smile. Then she seemed to notice Lyle, Eli, Aubrey, Yuki, and the twins. “Oh! Please, come sit! Oh… oh dear, we really should have planned for this better… you know what, I’ll go get the lawn chairs!”

“No no, don’t bother! We’ll manage. I think Mako wants down, anyway,” Aubrey assured her.

Amanda looked frantically around her before finally managing to calm herself down. “Very well, then. And you must be…?”

“Aubrey. And this is my girlfriend Yuki.”

Yuki braced Seki against her chest with one arm and raised the other hand in greeting.

“Good to meet you! Good to meet you…” Amanda seemed on the verge of a panic attack.

Four and Yuki took up spots on the floor and let Mako and Seki start toddling around them. Meanwhile, Eli sat on the arm of the sofa right next to Captain, and Lyle gave everyone an almost defiant look before plopping down right on Eli’s lap.

“Wow Eli, thanks for the up-close view of your ass,” Captain murmured.

“No, thank you! That’s the first time you’ve ever complimented my ass before.”

Captain gave a clearly forced smile.

They got along fine with Eli nowadays, but they couldn’t completely ignore the small part of them that got nervous every time they were around Eli, or even Lyle. It just dug up too many old memories.

The group got to asking about the twins, and how one of the hardest times was right after they start walking because you have to chase them around everywhere, and Jeane said something about how lucky Aubrey and Yuki were to be young and agile. Aubrey seemed to relax more after that.

“You seem awfully quiet. Yuki, isn’t it?” Atlas said eventually, holding eye contact with the Octoling.

Noticing his stare, Yuki signed I’m deaf with one hand, sort of dismissively.

Aubrey nudged her and explained, “Yuki is deaf.”

“Oh, my sister is deaf, so I know some of the local sign! Um…” Robert then signed something Captain didn’t recognize, probably in Inkopolis Signed Vernacular.

“Um…” Aubrey began, also clearly not recognizing it.

Japen. Japen! Japenese Sign Language! Yuki signed to her fervently.

“Oh, we use… uh… Japenese Sign Language, since Yuki is originally from Japen. It’s… an obscure local dialect.”

Yuki signed something else Captain didn’t recognize, looking a bit less confident with the hand movements, and Yuki and Robert conversed for a few minutes.

About two hours had passed since the Meer-Hannons and Kekoa-Johnsons’ arrival when the doorbell rang again, and this time it really was just pizza. Everyone gathered around the kitchen counter, where Amanda was frantically trying to set out plates and plasticware. “Okay everyone, if you want a drink, write your name on your cup with this Sharkie, and be sure to put it back when—” But the rest of Amanda’s words were drowned out by the commotion.

Captain hung back a ways away from they’d had the the first chance crowd, figuring they’d let everything die down before going to get their food. Eight waited with them, and a moment later his hand slipped into their hand. “Doing okay?” he whispered.

“Yeah. I think so. I wasn’t expecting to see Lyle and all of them.”

“Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise! Is it okay that they’re here?”

“Of course! Of course it’s okay that they’re here. It’s nice to see everyone.”

Eight met Captain’s eyes, and he didn’t look away until he seemed satisfied with Captain’s reassurance. “You can always step away if you need to, I’ll cover for you.”

“Thanks.”

They shared a smile. “Pizza?”

“Sure.”

Everyone huddled in the kitchen, making use of any chair, barstool, or—in Mako, Seki, and Eli’s case—lap that they could find, while Captain and Eight leaned against the kitchen counter, putting as much distance between themselves and the commotion as they could. Captain nodded in Eli and Lyle’s direction and scoffed. “How are they so confident? Lyle didn’t figure out he’s gay until like five years after I did. And Eli took even longer!”

“Yeah, but it went over a lot better for them. They don’t have the same trauma. And besides, it’s Lyle and Eli. Did you really expect anything different?”

Eight reached an arm around them and gently pulled them in closer.

“Merry Squidmas, Capa.”

After a glance to make sure no one was watching them, Eight gave Captain a quick kiss.

“Merry Squidmas, Eight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was followed by Koi opening some presents from her family and sharing some hugs with her parents.

Finally, Amanda announced that it was time for the gift exchange. They all gathered in the living room again, with Tsuku, Koi, Betta, René, Cody, Ava, Kate, and Aaron sitting in a circle on the floor near the tree. Each held a gift wrapped in colorful paper, ranging in size from the wallet-sized rectangle Tsuku was holding to a box as tall as Betta. Captain found themself staring at each of the wrapped gifts, as if staring hard enough would allow them to bore through the wrappings and see their contents.

Who had drawn Tsuku’s name weeks ago? What would they have gotten her? What if something went wrong?

Captain somehow missed Amanda’s explanation of how the gift exchange would work and the first few gifts being given. He didn’t even notice what the gifts were, only that Betta was shouting in joy, and everyone was laughing, and everything had suddenly become very, very loud.

Captain made eye contact with Eight, who was already giving him a concerned look. Eight nodded, and Captain got up, trying not to seem too hurried as they made for the bathroom. They sunk to the floor and put their head between their knees, left by themself with their thoughts, and took several deep breaths to try to calm down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fourteen years ago

Ryland stared listlessly at nothing in particular as the students around him filtered into the classroom and found their seats. He didn’t even notice when someone sat just to his right.

“Hi, Ryland!”

Ryland snapped out of his daze. “Oh, Ophie. Hi.”

Ryland's and Ophelia’s fathers knew each other from work, and Ryland was pretty sure his father was trying to set him up with her, but she had always been nice to him.

She leaned toward him conspiratorially. “Who did you get for your Secret Snowsquid?”

“We’re not supposed to tell,” Ryland said.

Ophie giggled. “That’s the right answer!”

Ophie seemed to be waiting for a certain response, but Ryland had no idea what it could be, or what she had meant from her last exclamation. He just kind of smiled awkwardly at her.

Luckily, a few seconds later, the teacher saved him from having to respond. “Good morning, class. Does everyone have their gift?”

“Yes, Mrs. Ippy,” chorused about a quarter of the students. Most of the others did have gifts; they just weren’t paying attention. “We’re going to be gathering by grade, so everyone find the others in your grade and sit in a circle. First graders, up here by me…”

Ryland automatically tuned out the extraneous information, but by the time he tuned back in, it was too late, and everyone had already started moving. Ryland just followed Ophie back to the corner of the classroom near the door, where they sat on the carpet. About thirty of them gathered around in a circle, out of whom Ryland recognized Billy and his clan—Lyle,

Eli, Clyde, and Blitz. Ryland and Billy made eye contact, and the smirk on Billy’s face turned Ryland’s stomach.

Instead, he scanned the rest of the circle, trying to remember which one Cairo was—that was the name he had drawn a week ago.

“Okay everyone, put your gifts in the middle of the circle. The Class Leader will go first, and then go around the circle one at a time,” Mrs. Ippy called from somewhere far away.

Billy was up in an instant and making his way toward the growing pile of presents.

“Hey! It’s not your turn!” shouted one of the girls—Emily, he thought.

“Hmm, I’m sure the Class Leader doesn’t mind, right?” he glared at Blitz, who quickly shook his head. So Billy sauntered up to the pile and dug around for a while before finally pulling out a package. He tore it open and revealed a box of chocolates. Ryland thought he heard Ophie gasp next to him, but she didn’t say anything.

They continued around the circle, and eventually Ophie tore open her gift to reveal a pack of orange gummy candies. She frowned, probably because she didn’t like orange flavor. She looked at Ryland, and he just shrugged. “I’ll swap with you if I get something you like.”

“Oh. So… you didn’t get me?”

“No, I got Cairo. I don’t know who got you.”

Then Billy’s perpetually whiny voice interrupted them. “C’mon Ryland, that’s enough chit-chat! You’re holding up everyone else.”

Something felt wrong as Ryland got up and walked to the center of the circle. He squirmed as he felt everyone’s eyes on him. The whole room seemed more quiet than it should have been. It felt like it took an eternity to dig through the pile of presents in search of one with his own name.

And there it was: a small box about the size of a pack of playing cards. And for a minute he thought that might be what they were. He went back to his seat and sat down with it, hoping that that would reduce the number or eyes on him, but it was no use. Everyone was staring at him, as if expecting something to happen. Finally, Ryland realized he couldn’t stall any longer, and he slowly began to tear open the package.

But it wasn’t a pack of cards at all.

It was a pack of cigarettes.

It only took Ryland a few seconds before he understood what they meant. He started to shake, staring uncontrollably at the pack of cigarettes in his hand until it fell to the floor with a crash, spilling some of its contents.

Ryland could feel Billy’s triumphant glare on him, and he didn’t dare look up.

“Ryland! Are those cigarettes? Hand them over!” Mrs. Ippy was glaring down at him with her hand outstretched. Ryland shoved the cigarettes back in then grabbed the box and tentatively raised it toward her until she snatched it away. “And what were you doing with these?”

“They’re not mine! Obviously someone gave it to me as their Secret Snowsquid gift. I don’t want them!”

Mrs. Ippy just kept glaring down at him with a suspicious look on her face. Desperate, Ryland looked around and saw Billy staring directly at him with a malicious grin. And he gave Ryland a small nod, as if saying Go on. But Ryland didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, and even if he had there was no way he was letting Billy get away with this.

“Like I said, the person who brought them in the classroom was whoever got me for Secret Snowsquid! It was B—”

“Fine, then I’ll go check the lists,” Mrs. Ippy said, spinning on her heel and always making it halfway back across the classroom before Ryland could finish. Ryland looked to Ophie for comfort, but she looked just as nervous as he was.

A moment later, Mrs. Ippy was back, this time holding a clipboard. All she said was, “Ophie, I’ll be accompanying you to the principal’s office. You’re being expelled.”

Ryland was barely able to put any words together as he stared at Ophie. “No! No, it was… wait… Ophie? It wasn’t you, right?”

But Ophie was already standing. “It’s okay Ryland, don’t fight it or we’ll just both end up expelled.”

“Wait… Ophie…”

“I’m sorry, Ryland. I hope I see you again.”

But he never did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Captain groaned and slowly pulled his hand back from his head as the memory finished playing.

Of course, that night he had remembered Ophie’s gasp and had realized that the chocolates had been for him, which of course meant that Billy had swapped out the gifts—perhaps just the tags. But Ophie had already been expelled, and who would have believed him, anyway? Ophie had been right. Mrs. Ippy had already been suspicious enough of Ryland, and Billy hadn’t left any traceable evidence. Ryland probably would have been expelled, too, if he had tried anything.

But maybe that would have been for the best.

Captain pushed themself back up into an upright position and took a deep breath.

Tsuku’s gift exchange wouldn’t be like Ryland’s. She was surrounded by good friends and responsible adults. Tsuku may have a secret just like Ryland had, but maybe Captain could muster the optimism to believe that, unlike Ryland, Tsuku would be accepted.

Captain’s hand rested on the door handle. Yes. Everything would be okay. They truly believed it.

And they pushed the door open. A few strides, and they were back in the living room. It was still chaos, but the smiles on everyone’s faces reassured them. Especially Eight’s.

They sat down next to their husband, and Tsuku ran up to them almost immediately. “Look, Fufu! Look what Koi got me!”

Tsuku was bouncing around with such excited energy that Captain couldn’t discern the object in her hands until they reached out and held the corner to steady it. It was a sketchbook, and on the cover… a silhouette of an octopus.

“Oh… that’s great, Tsuku…” Captain tried to muster enthusiasm in their response, but they just couldn’t stop staring at the octopus emblazoned on the front.

“What is it?” Tsuku finally asked.

“Tsuku… does Koi know you’re an Octoling?”

Tsuku looked at him curiously, almost confused. “Yeah, of course! All of them do. They’ve known for a while.”

Captain looked around the room at everyone, beginning to question his original impressions of each of them. “And their parents…?”

Tsuku nodded. “As far as I can tell. It’s not really a big deal.”

Captain suddenly pulled in Tsuku for a tight hug, and they were holding back tears. “I’m so glad you found them. I’m… so happy for you, Koko.”

Tsuku started pulling back after a moment, and Captain realized that they might have hugged her for too long. But she still had a big smile on her face. “I love you, Fufu. Merry Squidmas!”

“I love you too. Merry Squidmas.”

They shared one more smile.

“Now go have fun with your friends!”

Captain watched them all for a few minutes, seeing René blush as Tsuku asked whether he liked the Tableturf cards she had gotten him, seeing KJ make a remark that they all laughed at, seeing Cody wow them by doing tricks with his new yo-yo, and seeing Tsuku wrap Koi up in another hug.

“You did this, you know,” Eight said, leaning into Captain. “I mean, Tsuku deserves some credit, and I guess I was there, too. But you made all this possible.”

Eight was right, wasn’t he? Nothing could ever be perfect and easy, but Tsuku was never going to have to endure the hardships that they had.

They had broken the cycle.

“Yeah. I did it.”

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mediawhorefics · 29 days

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hi, i saw you recommended some lgbtq books a while ago but it's impossible to find anything from tumblr later on, so do you know any good fantasy/sci-fi/action/contemporary m/m books? like with actual plot instead of just romance and also with characters and (platonic) relationships other than the main couple. thanks!

hiiiii, sorry this is super late, but of course i can!

(apologies in advance cos some of these are prob books i’ve recced before 🤪✌🏻)

-> captive prince trilogy (cs pacat) | if you’re looking for something with actual plot, cp has a big political overarching plot that’s super compelling about the two princes of neighbouring enemy kingdoms trying to reclaim their respective thrones. there’s lots of triggering content so do look it up before… but while the romance is the main event, the political aspect of the book is really detailed and engaging.

-> dark rise trilogy (cs pacat) | 2 out of 3 books are out currently and the m/m romance is not the focus so far though it’s been well teased/a good slow start. the whole trilogy is a subversion of the classic medieval chosen one trope ft. an old world of magic being reawakened, a dark king’s return and an order of knights trying to prevent it. great found family vibes. ya historical fantasy.

-> hither page (cat sebastian) | a jaded spy and a shell-shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar england. historical murder mystery!

-> big bad wolf series (charlie adhara) | an ex fbi agent gets transferred to a secret agency dealing with werewolf crimes after being attacked by one of them. human and werewolf relations are tense and he ends up paired with a wolf agent from the wolf agency that echoes his to solve a series of brutal crimes. ok, i know this sounds like straight up werewolf porn, but i was really surprised by how engaging and well written the mysteries were in this series. i’m talking twists and shit, compelling/complex side characters…. this series completely took me by surprise.

-> seven summer nights (harper fox) | post war england, a shell-shocked archaeologist and a vicar fall in love while trying to uncover a small town’s archaeological mystery in the south downs.

-> the last binding series (freya markse) | edwardian magical mystery series, each book focuses on a different queer couple while following an overarching mystery/plot that threatens the welfare of magical britain. big found family vibes, lots of great side characters introduced in each book that then become leads in later books, beautiful writing.

-> a taste of gold and iron (alexandra rowland) | ottoman empire inspired fantasy world, a prince and his bodyguard must investigate a break in at one of their guilds, the results of which could save their queen’s reign.

-> the will darling adventures (kj charles) | 1920s mystery adventure series. great side characters, insp by 20s pulp novels. a wwi vet turned bookseller get swiped up in mystery and a spy he’s not sure he can trust. first one is a bit slower, but it picks up in book 2 & 3.

-> the kingdoms (natasha pulley) | 19th century alternate history mystery. an amnesiac journeys from london to a scottish lighthouse to try and unlock the mystery of his forgotten past. complex narrative and extremely immersive storytelling. the romance is central but subtle.

-> the binding (bridget collins) | 19th century historical fantasy. emmet is training to be a bookbinder in a world where books contain people’s memories and are highly controversial… eternal sunshine of the spotless mind vibes.

-> less (andrew sean greer) | arthur less is going on a worldwide literary tour to avoid going to his ex’s wedding. this book really took me by surprise, it was so delightful.

-> the house in the cerulean sea (tj klune) | linus baker, a case worker for the department in charge of magical youth, gets sent to an orphanage for so labelled 'dangerous' children in order to evaluate whether they're about/able to end the world and if the orphanage/the man in charge of it is best for them. big feel good book, really funny, great found family vibes, subtle love story, wonderful side characters.

-> the bedlam stacks (natasha pulley) | merrick tremayne is called upon by the india office to go on a dangerous expedition deep in peru to fetch quinine (essential for the treatment of malaria) despite the debilitating injury that almost cost him a leg. every expedition before his has yielded no results apart from dead bodies, but merrick has family history deep in the country so he goes against his better judgement. there, he meets raphael, a priest surrounded by strange stories of disappearances, cursed woods and living stones, and who might hold the key to his family’s past. really cool world building, really immersive writing, very subtle romance. more plot heavy than romance heavy, but it's still !!!!

-> salt magic, skin magic (lee welch) | lord thorny is cursed and can't leave his father's estate. trapped there for over a year now, he is slowly losing his mind. until industrial magical john blake arrives on the land to investigate an unrelated case involving witchcraft. soon enough the men get closer and must work together to figure out a way to break thorny's curse. historical fantasy, good mystery, fun twists. i haven't read this one in a while, but i remember really enjoying the mythology.

-> the watchmaker of filiigree street & sequel (natasha pulley) | telegraphist thaniel receives a mysterious watch on his birthday whose pre-set alarm saves him from a terrorist bombing on scotland yard. since the bomb was made with clockwork parts and only the bomber could have known when to set the alarm, thaniel is sent by a detective investigating the bombing to live with the suspected watchmaker to figure out what’s going on. sherlock holmes vibes. slow burn/subtle romance. delightful writing.

-> under the whispering door (tj klune) | an unpleasant and selfish man in life, wallace price meets his reaper at his near-empty funeral and gets taken to a whimsical tea shop where he meets hugo, the ferryman whose job it is to help him move on and crossover into the afterlife. a task that becomes complicated as wallace starts developing feelings for hugo. found family vibes.

#about me #books #book rec

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mezzy-1 · 7 months

Text

OMEGA VALORANT AGENTS AND THEIR COMICS

In an effort to convince the public of the necessity of the Omega Protocol aka. Legion, the world governments on the other Earth commissioned a number of artists and writers to create propaganda pieces for the Omega Agents. A few agents opted out or provided direct input as to what they wanted.

“Threat in the Mirror” is by far one of the most famous copy of the Legion produced comics and most popular

A four part saga with the agents all starting out with fabricated origins to make them more like characters than they really were

Phoenix was literally a student but they wrote in that had powers since birth and was a vigilante in London

Skye was helping with environmental sciences as a surveyor but the comic changed it to her communing with nature itself in some kind of temple

Fictionalizing the lives of agents was part of the deal

The ‘Alpha threat’ is presented as Kingdom executives that cloned the agents and stole radianite to create doomsday weapons. Not entirely true but not too wrong

The 1st part is them working together to beat some Kingdom grunts and getting enlisted and by the 3rd part they detonate a spike successfully at the end

They don’t show the after effects of the spikes at all, just showing them ‘absorbing the radianite in a harmless flash’

The epilogue is them gearing up for an all out assault on Kingdom HQ which hasn’t happened yet

A lot of crossover events in this comic between other previous issues of other comics

Pure insanity with weird science and geek romance, this is the ultimate nerd comics with the strangest concepts ever

Microverses, aliens, mutant creatures, giant bugs, and all sorts of silver age comic weirdos are the typical threats but are often coupled with KJ and Raze’s relationship going through change

Yeah the shipping is ongoing but it's pretty uniform at this point, especially cause both Omega agents are engaged

There was an issue commemorating it, with them kissing on the cover

The ‘tentacled terrors’ in this copy were some kind of octopus alien thing that were created in some kind of experiment

They quickly became a popular symbol and to make some money off of the merchandising rights, the company manufactured plushes of them

The plushes serve as the Omega version of the squid plush Neon owns

Friendly Fire is full of romance tropes cranked to 11 because of the comic’s pulpy nature. This extends to the side characters like Gekko, Neon, Jett, and Phoenix

Omega Yoru is included in the Japanese spin-off version, making those issues a collector’s item

In terms of propaganda, it functions ok by making the audience like the agents more and sympathize with them. Most of it is made up but the KJ and Raze stuff is 100% true

It's pretty much the Spawn comic but less edgy and more story driven and a little more toned down

The whole origin of Omen is unknown to everyone but the fans have speculated on what is canon or not

Viper’s involvement in his creation was understated in the comic as to maintain secrecy and keep herself from feeling too much guilt

Current story is that Omen was an scientist studying a ‘shadow world’ who had his experiment sabotaged that came back to avenge himself by attacking Kingdom and threats

Most stories are mostly an overpowered badass with issues massacring nameless soldiers and scaring the hell out of the villain of the week

Viper is sort of a confidant and source of advice in the comic, while Cypher is sort of the ‘guy in the chair’ for all of them

From time to time they focus in on Omen’s lack of mercy and loose connection to humanity, which forms most of the drama that keeps readers invested

When Fade allowed herself to be illustrated in the comic, it was an instant match made in heaven for her to be Omen’s sidekick

A bounty hunter was the perfect foil to someone who had lost all direction and needed help. In the comics their powers come from the same accident

Overall it's a great antihero comic but the Omega Omen could not care less about it and neither does Fade

The first draft of the Valorant Legion’s comics

It was created by a legend in the illustration community that used to make classic superhero comics. The author was like a mixture of Ditko and Eisner in terms of comic genius

Propagandists working with the Legion had a meet and greet with many of the agents, and from then on the the author elected a few agents to follow

KJ was obvious as a protagonist, seeing as she had a relationship with Raze adding some motivation and she was young like the target audience

The bots and her technical genius were definitely an important choice because they could easily symbolize the efforts the governments made to protect people, especially places like Pearl

Brimstone being the good-cop leader was a choice made because of the fact Brim’s image was already iconic as a hardworking soldier and great leader

Viper was a foil to the group, which helped balance the complexity of the crew and added some variety to personality

Omega Viper was mostly indifferent to the author, but did want her comic version to exclude some of her background

She is usually the lancer of the group, and willing to do the more extreme things

Cypher was a hard character to introduce, his relaxed nature but sharp intellect made it difficult to decide if he should add more darkness or be more witty

It was settled that he’d be a clever wordsmith and the group’s heart to an extent, but the author left out the parts of Cypher’s life he’d rather keep quiet

He became one of those joke-like characters who are competent but get into funny situations. One liner and wordplay king.

It’s played for laughs to cut dramatic tension but Cypher coming back from the dead is a common story beat if he disappears somehow. Cypher keeps things upbeat

Omen is like the opposite of this idea. He is the group’s strong, silent one who much is not known about

His origin is kept secret but it’s made clear he wants revenge on Alpha earth

What makes the character work well with the comic Protocol is the fact he serves as an outsider at times and lets other characters play off his condition

KJ as the newcomer, Viper as the lancer, Brim as the leader, Cypher as the heart, and Omen as the emotional core felt correct for a comic in the author’s eyes

With the team assembled, the comic launched with incredible success and totally hit with most teens and young kids

As more issues were printed, more characters like Raze, Sage, and Sova saw more appearances and got storylines

It was a hit to say the least

This comic is part Captain America and part Suicide Squad, but the two protags also have a rivalry going on

Sova is a side character in this and gets a lot of fangirls much to Omega Sova’s annoyance

Breach and Brim are placed on missions to demolish terrorist groups and cybernetic armies. They blow shit up and walk away like the A-Team in a lot of the stories

KJ and Raze are the tech people and there are often many panels dedicated to the badass inventions in action. Lots of cool lasers and rockets

Playtime’s Over is a new issue that has them fighting against a newly formed militia that has allied with Alpha Earth and is using android soldiers to steal radianite

The leader of the group is a sort of like a doll maker, hence Playtime’s Over

It’s got Metal Gear inspired parts for certain, especially when Breach suplexes a mech and Brimstone uses stealth tactics by hiding in a box

The bickering the two have is fodder for the fans to create god knows how many rivals to lovers fics. Omega Breach constantly teases Brimstone about this, much to his chagrin

It’s cheesy action and explosions with two badasses that one up each other, so it's not super well written in terms of plot but is beyond entertaining

Comic Headcanon at Alpha Valorant

After the siege on Pearl and any time after where they visited it, the younger agents would loot that one comic store

They were weirded out by the stories being of them at first, seeing media based on you is quite jarring

Eventually many of them started to read through the boxes that were brought back as ‘recon’

It’s become a ritual to sneak into the store and see what issues are available to take and who’s in what comic

It leads to so many in jokes

One right of passage new duelists have is finding their first appearance in the Legion comic book series

#valorant headcanons #valorant breach #valorant brimstone #valorant killjoy #valorant sova #valorant cypher #valorant omen #valorant fade #valorant agents #valorant phoenix #valorant skye #valorant yoru #valorant neon #valorant viper #valorant imagines

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