#lol if anyone has any book recommendations it would be much appreciated

[antisocialpanda]

Snowbaird Arena AU fic idea I’ve been thinking about for weeks now but don’t have any writing talent to make it come to life so if anyone out there wants to take this on please do!

In this AU Coryo doesn’t manage to escape the arena when he’s sent in to get Sejanus. Sejanus does get out (because this fic is about Snowbaird and I don’t want Sejanus to be third wheeling the whole time lol) but maybe Coral’s pack corners Coryo and he has to take a detour through the tunnels and Lucy Gray hears him and leads him to safety. Gaul couldn’t care less about getting him out because if he dies at least it’ll be off camera and everyone will be none the wiser.

The majority of the games will play out the same but this time Lucy Gray won’t be alone, when Jessup becomes rabid they bolt into the arena together to escape and that’ll be when the viewers see for the first time that one of the mentors is trapped in the arena (Gauls probably been going around telling people Coryo is off with the flu - Clemmie will be the only one who suspects something shady is at play since that was the same excuse they used for her). Everyone in the Capitol is up in arms about one of their own students being in the arena (Crassus Snow’s son no less!)

Lucy Gray and Coryo survive the games. I know in this AU he’s not around the drop the handkerchief into the snake tank but he’s been with Lucy Gray in the arena the whole time - and maybe to keep her warm at night he’s leant her his blazer (I know in the book he wasn’t wearing it but let’s say’s for this story he is) - so his scent would be on her and when the tank explodes and the snakes reach them they don’t attack. Lucy Gray still sings still because that song slaps and maybe this time Gaul is the one to suggest the singing is calming the snakes because she can’t exactly say “yeah they’re not attacking because they already know Snows scent from that time I used it to test my students honesty which resulted in one of them getting bitten multiple times and almost dying lol” it’s already bad enough that one of the students is in there, can’t let the Capitol know she’s using them as test subjects for her mutts too!

They’re out of the arena and Gauls stuck between a rock and a hard place because she can either tell people she willingly sent a Capitol student into the arena mid-games and left him there to fend for himself OR she can say Coryo broke in himself to protect Lucy Gray because young love blah blah which she’ll absolutely hate but may not result in her getting fired so that’s the story she goes with.

Dean Highbottom will actually for once try and do something decent and sees this as an opportunity to potentially end the games for good by playing up the Capitol Boy/ District Girl in love story blah blah look how District and Capitol can work as a team blah blah we’re not so different you and I blah blah Gaul wants everyone to believe that all humans are inherently monsters but look how these too worked so hard to protect each other…you get the idea.

The games are cancelled, Gaul probably still gets fired (Sejanus and Strabo probably corner the President and tell him “listen, you need to fire this bitch, we all know what really went down”), Snowbaird have their happy ending, there’s an emotional reunion between Coryo and Tigris, the Grandma’m is actually relatively pleasant to Lucy Gray since she saw how hard they protected each other in the games, maybe the covey come to the Capitol and perform and Plubris’ nightclub.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it. If anyone wants to adopt this baby, please do and let me know where I can read it. It would be much appreciated ☺️

I have read Saving Each Other by flipflop_diva (which I’ll include a link to, I definitely recommend you read) but if anyone knows any other similar fics please message me!

#snowbaird #snowbaird fic #coryo snow #coriolanus snow #lucy gray baird #lucy gray x coriolanus #fanfic ideas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #sejanus plinth

[earlgodwin]

okay i know you've mentioned/answered this a million times but i would love to get your top recommendations for borgias published books and content.

i haven't really ventured into those selections but i really want to take the leap into that realm and buy/borrow some books and read them..!

(also i'm curious if you read many fanfictions for the borgias, and if so do you have any good recs?)

💞

hi <33! no worries at all! i love being asked questions about everything related to the borgias, as i get very enthusiastic about them. now, let's start with my favorite borgias biographies:

maria bellonci's 'lucrezia borgia' because i'm very obsessed with accuracy and avoiding cliché biased narratives. it's such a solid read really! it also portrays lucrezia in a way that i've always believed she was—a completely misunderstood woman who is a pawn in the power and ambition games of her father and brother. but deep down, she's just a silly, pretty poetry lover who's guilty by association. this book also debunks cesare's supposed "jealousy" towards juan as the shows how much he loves him (based on the letters to each other) and that rodrigo has always loved his children equally, which is a cherry on top lol.

emma lucas's 'lucrezia borgia.' while it's not entirely accurate because it satisfies my beloved (but not accurate) 'lucrezia is a femme fatale and not saintly' narrative (which i love, by the way), i'm fascinated by how it unexpectedly delves deep into her family, especially rodrigo, cesare, and juan. it also provides great anecdotes about the characters so there's that. despite having negative reviews, the biography is actually very well-written and highly entertaining! fuck the gossip!

christopher hibbert's 'the borgias and their enemies.' for some reason, i keep forgetting to recommend this book to my friends. i tend to get easily investedwith any borgia book that focuses on the pope and his children, providing narratives without forcing you to choose what to believe. the author obviously conducted extensive research before publishing it because when reading a biography (not historical fiction), i prefer to avoid biased perspectives that can be heavily misleading. i also appreciate the fact that machiavelli (and other important figures) plays an important role in this biography because i'm always excited about him.

ferdinand gregorovius' 'lucretia borgia according to original documents and correspondence of her day'. it's also a very unbiased excellent piece of history that is full of validated source. and i just adore how the author is pro-lucrezia as well.

samantha morris' 'cesare and lucrezia: brother and sister of history's most vilified family' is also well documented and well researched! while cesare was given more depth than lucrezia, still, lucrezia's character in this biography is more colorful. obviously the most popular narrative for the borgia family is them being incestuous, corrupt and violent, a family to be feared, but the author suggests otherwise as she sets out to prove this is not the full story and she does make a good argument! as she detailed how they've been portrayed by mainstream media as well as detailing what happened to their descendants.

sarah bradford's 'lucrezia borgia.' okay, so this one isn't a favorite of mine, but i'd recommend it to you or anyone who's a huge fan of ceslu. it's written like a love story biography exclusively about them. while i like how she wrote about ceslu, i heavily dislike how she wrote about juan and rodrigo and how she portrayed them based on narratives from the family's enemies. the author also manipulated a letter about the envoy boccaccio, which is supposed to praise both brothers. but instead, the author just one-upped him with cesare by dunking on him, which i personally find lame and intensely inaccurate since juan borgia was pretty much loved by his wife, his family, and his friends based on the retrieved documents and letters. that being said, i do enjoy the ceslu parts, of course, and i believe any fan of showtime's 'the borgias' who ships ceslu would enjoy this book and its fluent writing and can easily ignore the negatively inaccurate narratives about the other members of the family.

that's all for the biography books! now let's start with historical fiction:

sarah dunant's 'blood and beauty'. one thing about me is that i'm never gonna stop praising this book because it is absolutely my favorite historical fiction book about this extraordinary family! again, i get so invested in any book when the author does extensive research. also, if you're looking for a book about this family that reads like an episode of showtime's 'the borgias,' then this book is your go-to! full of interesting dynamics, and yes, cesare is as cruel and megalomaniacal as history and machiavelli portrayed him, lucrezia as a victim of her father and brother's political ambitions game, and juan as the flawed kid who was eventually sunk deep when he got dragged into his father's ambitions game. while the book doesn't provide a deeper exploration of the characters' psyche, it's more focused on the story by making it very engaging and sheds light on their complex relationships and their rise to power. and every character is highly sympathetic as the author brilliantly humanizes them. in short, it is emotionally intriguing and a must-read for the borgias enjoyers.

mario puzo's 'the family'. you know, i wasn't even surprised a bit that this book's writing and story being groundbreaking because after all, it is written by the author of 'the godfather'. the family is such a compelling book, such tender writing when it comes to lucrezia and cesare. the story becomes intriguing the more you read. i also loved puzo's portrayal of rodrigo as this family man who deeply loves his children yet he uses them as pawns (which is also similar to jeremy irons' portrayal). while i gotta criticize that the characters have no depth and his version of lucrezia as this damsel angel for her father and brother is, uhhh… quite boring. i like her when she's multilayered lol. i also think the way he tried to present cesare and give him the "from zero to hero" trope in order to make him relatable is also lame because cesare's success as a historical figure is because he was calculating and wicked, and definitely not a bitter loser. i mean, i could absolutely ignore the bitterness part, but at least françois arnaud's cesare added so many layers and swag in the characters, therefore you could ignore it. but i can overlook all that when there's an engaging story and great writing, no matter what the characterizations are like. so overall, it's impressive and entertaining, and you will definitely enjoy it.

regarding fanfiction; i'm sorry but i never read any because i feel quite satisfied by all 'the borgias' show canon that we have and all these historical books. i wish i could help with recommending fics :/

thank you very much for the question, and i hope this post answers it. have a great day 💕🫶

#silvermars 💌 #loved answering this one! #book recommendations #the borgias #biography #historical drama #historical fiction #historical figures #renaissance #house of borgia #lucrezia borgia #cesare borgia #juan borgia #rodrigo borgia #mario puzo #sarah bradford #text post

[fairuzfan]

Hi I’m sorry to barge in about this but these last few posts about feeling invalid in ethnicity hit home for me. My grandfather was Lebanese and died before I could meet him, and aside from my mother I have no other Lebanese culture in my life. I have always felt pride in my heritage (especially after learning about grandpas possible skirmishes against the IDF? Unclear) but I’ve always felt like an outsider because I don’t know many other Arabs/SWANA irl and wasn’t raised in a typical Lebanese home. Obviously there are major differences between these two situations, but I wanted to know if you had any more suggestions on how to find community? At least for someone to tell me if I’m appropriating a culture I am only a fourth of. Again Sorry, I know this isn’t what you do here and I understand if it’s wasting your time. Thanks for being on this stupid app regardless

hey your grandpa sounds badass! im sorry you've always felt like an outsider... i will say, i'm not sure if it's cultural appropriation if you have familial ties to lebanon and acknowledge your history there. if anything, i think you still have a right to interact with it as a way to investigate your grandfather's history.

something that really connects me to palestine is literature. books, poetry, essays, think pieces — these expose me to a wide range of opinions and understandings of the world around them. do you happen to know if your grandfather had any writings from back then? or if you can ask your mother for stories about him? i've been trying to get my own grandpa on the phone to hear about his experiences in palestine before the Nakba.

it also might help to look into different writers and artists online and interact with them. I share a lot of tweets from palestinians (doctors, artists, writers) because that's where i learn the most about palestinian culture in palestine and the diaspora. I know I recommended them earlier, but I'd look up Radius of Arab American Writers. Their vibe is something I think you'd appreciate.

if you're part of any distinct groups like medical care or environmentalists, i would google "Lebanese Doctor Association" or "Lebanese Archivists." That's how I found librarians and archivists for Palestine.

but literature is still my go-to either way. I don't know many lebanese writers, but I do know fairuz LOL and she's probably the most famous lebanese person. Khalil Jibran is also a famous lebanese writer you might look into.

if anyone else has any tips, feel free to add on. im sorry, i don't know if i helped too much. i hope that you can reconnect with your grandfather's heritage and learn more about him. good luck and, more than anything, have fun.

[jerzwriter]

Are We Dating the Same Guy? Ethan Edition

There are Facebook groups called "Are We Dating the Same Guy?". They exist to "expose" cheaters and guys who are just creeps in general. Women will post a photo/profile and ask if anyone has any tea or red flag alerts. The other day I was scrolling through a local one and saw a friend of mine. Talk about a WHOA moment. A few days later, the "AWDSG? Boston" group was recommended to me, and my mind automatically went to... what if Tobias and/or Ethan were on this? I ran the idea past @lucy-268 and @genevievemd and asked if I should do it for Ethan or Tobias. Their answer was, "Both is good." So, in honor of them, I'm doing both. I posted the Tobias version here, and now, I present Ethan's.

Book:               Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing:           Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee MacClennan)

Rating:            Teen

Words: 1,723 plus edit

Summary: Sienna's dating luck hasn't been as good as she had hoped, so on the advice of her best friend, Kaycee, she is looking to see if her matches appear in the "Are we dating the same guy? Boston/Cambridge", group on Facebook. But instead of finding her most recent match, she finds... Ethan. Here are Kaycee's (and Ethan's) reactions... as well as the post itself.

A/N: The story precedes the FB post of Ethan on the "AWDSG?" page. *** Participating in @choicesjunechallenge Cocktails (they needed one or two... lol)

“Oh my, God,” Kaycee cringed, her forehead falling into the hand that wasn’t gripping her phone.  

“I hope you’re not upset. I…”

“No! No, Sienna… I appreciate you letting me know. Can you forward the link to me? I’d like to see it before I break the news to him.”  

“Damage control?” Sienna giggled.

“Yeah, well, I’d like to see how much damage there is.”

“Sure. I’m heading back to the hospital, but text me if you need me, OK?”  

“Of course. And Si, thanks again; I appreciate the heads up.”

“Hey, what are best friends for if not for letting each other know when their fiance is on some weird stalker page on Facebook.”

Kaycee was relieved Ethan was still out for his daily run. It would allow her some time to research. The irony was delicious. She was the one that recommended Sienna start checking out the “Are we dating the same guy?” group to weed out potential creeps. After Wayne and a couple of terrible online dates, it sure wouldn’t hurt. The last thing she expected to happen was for her best friend to find her fiancé.

“May as well bite the bullet,” she sighed, about to click the link. But then she thought it would be best to have some support on hand… in this case, a mimosa and Jackie. Once the drink was made, she dialed her friend.

“OK, I just sent you the link,” Kaycee stated. “We’ll open it together on the count of three.”

“I don’t understand,” Jackie whined. “If Sienna found this, why isn’t she stuck dealing with it now? Why drag me in?”

“Because she’s working, and if you think I have the self-control to wait ten hours before she’s off shift to open this, you’re high. Now… open!”  

“Damn, you’re bossy. I don’t know why Ethan puts up with you. But then again… once we check this out, maybe you won’t want to put up with him….”

“Jackie, please…,” Kaycee interrupted. “I’m sure he’s not doing anything wrong. I’m just curious to see what people had to say about him. Now ready… one… two… three!”

“Hmm… decent enough picture…” Jackie started.

“Yeah, it’s not his best, but… oh my God!” Kaycee exclaimed. “This sociopath took his picture without him knowing! Carmen is right! That is creepy! What kind of a woman does that?”

“Who is Carmen?”

“I don’t know… but she commented. The point is, she is right. Ethan was clearly dating a crazy woman.”

“Hmm. That checks,” Jackie deadpanned. “Crazy women are apparently his type because I remember someone taking many pictures without his knowledge… across a crowded nurse’s station, in Donahue’s, when she saw him strolling down the street…. What kind of serial killer does shit like that?”

“That was different!” Kaycee defended. “ I knew him. He was my attending.”

“Yeah! That makes it so much better.”

“You’re not focusing!” Kaycee admonished. “Holy shit, Erin sure had a lot to say!”

“Erin? The nurse on four? Is that the one he used to date?”

“One and the same… you know, maybe I shouldn’t read this. Maybe I should just tell him about….”

“Oh, hell no!” Jackie interrupted, her interest suddenly piqued. “Now I want the juice!”

“Don’t you mean the tea?”

“Juice, tea? I don’t care; it’s all served at brunch. Now what do we have here…. Erin seems cool … girlfriend clearly had some feelings about being dumped, but she still gave him the thumbs up. Wait, who is Marissa?”

“Marissa?”

“Yeah, apparently she banged your man when they were both residents….”

“RAMOS!” Kaycee screeched. “He banged Marissa Ramos?”

“Did you not know this? Shouldn’t you have known this?”

“It’s not like I asked him for a dossier of everyone he ever slept with… or vice versa! But he could have told me about her,” Kaycee sighed. “Then again, maybe it would have been better not to know. Fortunately, we rarely hang around with her and her husband. It will be awkward looking at her over the dinner table now.”

“Will it? Is it difficult for you to look at Harper?” Jackie asked. “Does he have trouble looking at Bryce? Face it, a slight tweak here or there, and your story would have been a hit on any Mexican telenovela.”

“Jackie!”

“OK. Maybe it would be better geared toward an Indian soap opera. Hey, wait! That’s it. I’m taking your story, embellishing a little… I think it can sell! This may be how I pay off my student debt!”

“Jackie!”

“What? Do you or Ethan watch Indian teledramas?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the harm? I’ll give you a cut of the profits.”

“You’re not really helping,” Kaycee groaned, rubbing her temples.

“I know. That’s the plan. This way, you'll wait for Sienna when something like this happens again. She’s the supportive friend; you should know better than to involve me. Although… now that you’re part of my new get-rich-quick scheme, I suppose I’ll have to put up with you.”  She cleared her throat. “So, Kaycee… what do you need from me? How can I support you?”

“By hanging up,” Kaycee spat.

“That’s not the answer I was hoping for… how can I get more material if….”

“Jackie! Ethan just got home. I want to go fill him in.”

“Of course! Any chance you could record his reaction to this? I’d love to use it when I….”

The line went dead as Kaycee ended the call and threw her phone in her pocket as Ethan approached.

“Oh, hey, baby,” she smiled nervously. “How was your run?”

Ethan came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaving a soft kiss on the side of her neck.

“Exhilarating,” he half smiled. “Or as exhilarating as a run can be on an eighty-nine-degree Boston day. What about you?” he asked, thumbing through some mail on the corner of the kitchen table. “Did you have fun while I was gone?”

“I don’t know if fun is the word I’d use to describe it,” Kaycee winced. “It was… interesting? Maybe informative?”

Ethan looked over quizzically, both brows raised. “What, were you watching a documentary?”

Kaycee spat out her tea, wiping her mouth with a laugh. “Not… exactly.”  She extended her hand. “Come… join me in the living room.”

“All right… what did I do?” he asked with a grave tone as they sat on the leather sofa. “You know, I’m already a decade older than you, Kaycee, and when you do things like this, I swear, you take years off my life.”

“Me?” she bleated.  “I didn’t do anything! But… I can’t guarantee this won’t take years off of your life.”

She reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone and handed it to Ethan.

“There’s a page on Facebook,” she started. “Where women post photos of men they’re talking to, or just started dating, and….”

“IS THIS ME?” Ethan yelled.

“It is,” Kaycee said, rubbing his knee. “It’s not recent… it’s from 2019, so….”

“So this has been viewable for the past four years!!”

“Uh.. apparently, it has.  But it’s not as bad as it seems….”

Ethan began to read through the comments rapidly, his face becoming paler by the second until it turned crimson red.

“This… this is … this is an atrocity! Is this even legal?”

“I assure you it’s perfectly legal. I mean, I assume someone could have a defamation suit depending on what is said.  But your former chicks seemed to speak pretty highly of you, so….”

Ethan jumped from the sofa and began to frantically pace the floor. His attempts to speak were thwarted when words failed to come… Kaycee wasn’t sure she had ever seen him this flustered.

“Ethan, you’re going to hyperventilate.  Breathe….”

“How… how did you even find this?”

Her explanation failed to offer any relief. “Great! So Trinh knows. Do you know how many others could have seen this in the four years it was up?”

“Well, it was liked by seventeen thousand people, so….”

“SEVENTEEN THOUSAND!!!”

“What do you expect, babe… you’re hot.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” he whimpered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m feeling lightheaded.”

Kaycee jumped up and ushered him back to the couch.

“Here, baby,” she comforted, trying to conceal her amusement at his overreaction. “Do you need me to get you a glass of water?”

“No. I need a Scotch.  This occasion requires Scotch.”

“Very well…” she said, pouring his drink. “Ethan, I think you’re making too much of this.”  

“I’m not making too much of it.  I like my private life to be, well, private.  And this is not….”

“Private,” she finished.

“This is the opposite of private!” Ethan downed his drink, then held Kaycee closely in his arms. “I hate the modern world,” he groaned.  

“It’s not all bad,” she smiled. “Why don’t you must message the group’s admin and ask her to take it down. NICELY!”

He shot Kaycee a look that made it clear that her statement changed his message's tone.

“Fine! Hey, out of curiosity, is anyone else we know on this thing?”

“Tobias is,” she smirked.

“Jesus, I can only imagine what people had to say about him.  How many likes did he have?”

“19,500,” Kaycee winced.

“Wait! He has 2,500 more likes than me?”

“That’s unimportant, baby,” she redirected. “What’s important is we get your post taken down.”

“Well, maybe not,” he concluded. “Maybe I should leave it up a little longer. Maybe things will even out – considering our engagement may have this trending.”

“Trending?” she laughed. “Do you seriously want to leave your private life viewable for anyone to see… just so you can attempt to get more likes than Tobias?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” he smiled.  “By the way, what would you have said about me… you know… if you had chimed in on this.”

“Me?” She grinned. “There is none better, but he’s taken… and you don’t want to mess with a girl from South Philly.”

“You know,” he chuckled. “That’s kind of a turn-on.”

“Is it,” she cooed. “Why don’t you head into the shower, Dr. Ramsey… I’ll meet you there in a few?”

“That sounds like a plan, Dr. MacClennan… you know… maybe this wasn’t such a big deal after all.”

“Yeah,” Kaycee laughed. “Funny how that worked out.”

Perma: @a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @differenttyphoonwerewolf @fayeswiftie @gryffindordaughterofathena @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @sophxwithers @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

More tags in reblog.

#choices fanfic #open heart #open heart choices #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #choices open heart #open heart fanfic #playchoices fanfic #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #choices monthly challenge

[our-polyamorous-experience]

Lately I've been craving to read some good polyamorous books but it is so hard to find one that isn't just porn, specially MFM and reverse harem

(this is mostly a rant, but if you or anyone who see this post has any recommendations, I'd appreciate them)

(also, if anyone who sees this has that same issue and can read in Spanish, I would recommend Anne sin filtros by a Spanish writing duo. It has a lot to do with fandom culture and it is super cute seeing those 3 nerds care about each other so much)

so real, anon. currently the only way i ever read polyamorous relationships is in fanfiction, lol.

#sinastre answers asks #our polyamorous experiences

[nightlovers-stuff]

Hey, if the ask box is open, can I have Ruki's ideal type?

Of course, sweetheart!♡

As a ruki simp, I'm pretty excited for this one!!!!

Thanks for your request!

And sorry for taking too long to answer!

Ruki's Ideal Type

Loyal

I always point out loyalty because it's essential in a relationship with anyone, also bc all the diaboys are possessive and have some trust issues

Ruki is no different. If anything, he's even worse. He has several trust issues due to his mother's abandonment, and he doesn't trust any woman. To win his heart, she must be devoted and loyal to him.

Honest

Ruki can read people like a book most of the time, so trying to deceive or hide anything from him would be pointless and could also end up in punishment.

One of the reasons he likes honesty is because it makes it easier for him to pamper his lover. On Ruki's Eternal Blood CD, he tells Yui:

“If you won’t be honest with me about what you want, I won’t be able to give you anything.” (cr: @dialovers-translations )

Submissive

We all know that Ruki calls Yui livestock and refers to himself and her master.

He'd never be in a relationship with someone who wants to be In control. He enjoys when his lover shows their vulnerable side to him.

Obedient

Ruki prefers when his prey is obedient and meek, but that doesn't mean that he'd like them agreeing with every little thing he says.

He's also a brat tamer, he'll make sure they submit themself in the most painful ways. Being a brat with Ruki wouldn't end up well...

Masochist

He's pretty sadistic and on his more blood route, it gets pretty clear. Ruki uses the carrot-stick method when disciplining his prey, which basically means that he'll punish or reward them based on their obedience and behavior.

Though he's always searching for mistakes in order to punish them, he also knows how to reward his lover. Whether is spending time with them, being more affective, cooking a delightful meal and even praise them.

he'll make sure to spoil his s/o once in a while (I personally think that he does that more frequently on some drama CDS or heavens)

Humble

He hates aristocrats and arrogant people (even though he's himself sometimes...)

Yui is pretty humble, so this is one of the traits that makes her so special to the boys. Being arrogant about any of them, especially with Ruki, would end up bad.

Smart

Ruki would like to have a smart partner. Not the arrogant type, though. He likes the idea of being able to have deep conversations with his lover, much better if they are philosophical debates.

He'd also like a bookworm type. We all know how Ruki's always reading, so he'd be the type of boyfriend that reminds all of his lover's preferences, so he would recommend them authors and books that he thinks that would suit their likings.

Neat/clean

Like Reiji, he likes his house clean and organized and enjoys doing housework; he finds their activities enjoyable. I'm pretty sure he spends his days doing housework and reading.

He'll appreciate if they help him with the house chores

Well mannered

Ruki used to be an aristocrat. He had the best education and learned etiquette really early. Even after losing his good life, he kept all his good manners, and taught his brothers them and he's pretty strict with them about it.

If his lover doesn't have good manners, hell teach them like a little kid (he's not a soft teacher though LOL). Just like Reiji, he'll be pretty strict with them, have in mind that Ruki doesn't tolerate sloppiness.

Caring

Now, this is a kind of contradictory.

Ruki would like a caring lover, but not a mother figure. His mother abandoned him, so having a motherly type of partner wouldn't please him at all

In more blood, when Yui starts to worry about Ruki, he gets pretty mad, because he thinks that she pitying him. But as their relationship develops, he finally understands that's just her caring nature.

He wants a relationship where they can rely on each other

Looks

Ruki stated himself that he doesn't care about looks and prefers their personality and what's on the inside

proeminent collarbones

I think he'd like an inverted triangle type of body, mainly because he likes shoulders (it's his favorite place to bite)

He doesn't care about the size of boobs or rear, as long as they look proportionate with your body

Smaller than him

Long slender legs

Medium hair

likes dark eyes and dark hair

likes natural makeup, but appreciate a darker color of lipstick

Likes modest clothes, but wouldn't mind if his lover wore something more revealing for him

Admin:I'm back!!! but i'll be uploading slowly

sorry for any mistakes!

Ask box remains open!

Masterlist

#diabolik lovers #diaboys #diahell #dialovers #mukami brothers #diabolik lovers ruki #ruki mukami #mukami ruki

[thornpuck]

A few questions from a budding merch seller?

I'm trying to work out the viability of selling my art as stickers/tshirts/keychains(?)(other??) at the local markets/smaller artists markets.

(Sigh, minor tangent: I'll be real - doing a kids book was too much for me. Like I don't think making merch is going to be easy, but I do think it plays to my strenthgs more, plus, it seems scaleable. I can start small and experiment.)

So I have a few questions that I'm hoping any experienced merch sellers out there would have time to answer.

Anyone know the legality of selling pokemon/other fan merch? I see it done but I'm like, I don't want to be sued? Not that I think I would sell enough to be on their radar, but still, I'll probably just stick to trying to sell original stuff? But people do be liking their fandoms, so.

Is there a high-quality print-on-demand service around anymore? My medium term plan is to take stickers to the markets. I'm really enjoying being inspired by my local scenery and culture, so people from my hometown are more the target audience. But I mean, people in my hometown still like "cool stuff" so I want to design "cool stuff" to sell online first, and see what does well before committing to getting inventory for markets.

If there's no print on demand and you make your own stickers, how do you know how much inventory to order? Like I don't wanna order 600 of a sticker that won't sell. But I also want to have a market stall that has range.

Lastly, I'm aware my work is not exactly out-of-the-box apparel and merch friendly. I'm experimenting with some things. I think my lines are a bit thin? Need things to read better? IDK how much of that is up to style and how much is just git gud lol. But yeah, any suggestions experienced sticker makers can recommend to make my art more sticker/shirt friendly I'd be all ears.

So yeah, that's a lot. If you pass by and have the time to comment, I'd appreciate any tidbit of info you might want to pass on.

#merch #merchandise #stickers #tshirt design #apparel design #text #self

[tepid-judas]

Hey~~ one good question deserves another right? 😁💖

If you could only read one genre of books, what would it be and why?

(If you're not a book-person, you can answer for movies instead)

I love my friends in my ask box. I'll wrap y'all up like the gifts you are lol (I'm not super coherent/rational rn because it's been a looong week and im tired so don't come for me if I say weird shit like that xD)

God I wish I read more, but my brain hasn't been able to engage with anything written other than fanfics in so long lol

I do love sci-fi and fantasy stories equally, I think. If anyone has any single-book recommendations, I'd appreciate it! (don't get me hooked on any multi-part series just yet lol)

And movies... hmmmm, I've been watching a lot of shows lately, not so much movies. I think my answer is similar to books: I like sci-fi and fantasy with a good helping of adventure/tension and comedy. If the characters can't make even a single dick joke, I don't want it xD

#tj answers #books and reading #movies #ask box #idk how to tag this #lol

[stormblessed95]

Heya Storm,

here's the one that suggested you No. 6. I'm really happy you like the anime.😊 I love the story and it's one of the few mangas I own. I'd love to watch a sequel to see how the characters evolve and how the city develolps. Unfortunately, since hardly anyone of my friends or familiy is interested in anime/manga, I'm particulary pleased. So if you want someone else to talk about, I'm really happy to be the one. By the way... do you know Uragiri wa Boku? 😅 And wich of the other proposed animes do you already know? Do you plan to watch one of the others?

Anyway, i finally had some time to catch up since I joined tumblr (by the way, I joined because i looked for others who love BTS and Jikook as I do and stumbled about one of your posts. Thank you for that! Your masterlist is georgeous and helped me a lot as baby army but it is soooo much. 😍🥲) and was shocked and sad how toxic my timeline has become. I'm so sorry you're being attacked and I feel I didn't/couldn't support you and other bloggers. I am sorry for that and try to be a better person next time.😓 I think you doing amazing. I really enjoy every one of your posts, especially those that are long, and I can't understand at all how someone can blame you for anti-behavior or somthing like that. All I see is how much you love BTS (and books/animes). Your posts about the diffrent albums are also great, I really hope you will do it in the future too. In general - I really miss reading your point of view about current events, etc. so much that it surprised me. Of course I unterstand what led you retreat and I think you're very strong that you post again. It hurts me that tumblr is no longer a safe place for you and I hope so much that this will change again some day or that you may find another good platform (if so, please take me with you🥺). I'm glad you have your family and wonderful friends.

I've been thinking a long time about whether to send this message at all. After some of your posts, I feel that I really don't have the right to do so and I shouldn't bother you. Finally I will send it to you, because I'm really happy you like No. 6 and I want to recommend Uragiri. Feel free to ignore the other part. Furthermore, I just want to apologize and wish you all the best. Sorry for my long message, please answer only if you have the time and desire. Not important if its here or as a DM. I would love any answer.

I hope you could enjoy Yoongis concert and/or can (re-)watch it next weekend.

Have a nice day/evening/night - Lyn

Hi Lyn! Thanks for reaching out. I appreciate your kind words. Thank you so much 💜 I'll DM you after posting this so that my DMs will be open to you there as well to continue to talk books/anime if you want! And thank you for the rec for No 6! I loved it! And I recommended it immediately to another friend, who I force her and her fiance to watch everything I like 🤣

(literally I message her edits of animes to convince them to watch what I want them too, I've taken over their TV and I'm not sorry 🤣. Z, when you read this, know im waiting for yall to tell me which anime ive mentioned you are watching next!)

I've added all the ones you rec'd in the comments that I haven't seen yet (and now also Uragiri!) To my crunchylist to watch! I'm just blind faith trusting you (and other people who've messaged me/commented) lol on these recs so we shall see how it all goes!!

As for what I've seen so far? Here is my list:

- Attack on Titans (watched through Season 2 then DNF, too much graphic gore and blood and it scared me, im a wimp lol)

- Ouran High School Host Club (cute but sooo tropey lol)

- Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood (LOVED)

- Demon Slayer (LOVED - but haven't seen season 3 yet because I watch with my husband and I have to wait for him to be home for us to watch together)

- Yuri On Ice (LOVED)

- Your Name (made me cry!)

- Naruto (amazing)

- Naruto Shippuden (LOVED)

- Sasaki and Miyano (so cute I died)

- Buddy Daddies (tons of fun!)

- Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting (cute!)

- Haikyuu!! (Love!)

- The Ice Guy and his Cool Female Colleague (cute and fun, but kinda bored lol)

- Sk8 the Infinity (LOVED)

- A Silent Voice (sad but great)

- No. 6 (sooo good, so interesting, I want more)

- Given (love it, so cute)

- Hunter x Hunter (In Progress. I'm like 40 eps in and Watching with husband)

I have read the Manga for Yona of the Dawn, Spy x Family, Inuyasha and Haikyuu too. And I've read the first volume of the Manga for The Case Study of Vanitas so far! And for my birthday I got the entire Demon Slayer Manga box set so I'm excited to read those soon!!

#storm recommendations

[orangesunsets12]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

Thanks so much to @mentallyundone for the tag, I appreciate it! This was super fun!

Are you named after anyone? No, I don't think so, and I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not. I love having a unique name in the family, but being named after someone is so cool!

When was the last time you cried? I think...yesterday? I don't cry too frequently, I usually get upset about things by panicking a lot and overthinking, but yesterday was a hard day

Do you have kids? Nope, I haven't even went on a date yet lol. I'm a single pringle, and I always have been! Though, it would be nice to have a boyfriend lol. All of my friends are dating and here I am being all alone lol. But it's not too bad...then I have more fanfic writing time! So, yeah, no kids.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Occasionally, but not too often. I'm not a very sarcastic person.

What sports do you play/have you played? I don't really play sports, I only did gym in high school and nothing more. Though, I do enjoy basketball (I'm not very good at it) and I like curling, too.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? Probably their hair. I love seeing the different styles of hair people have, I'm not sure if it tells me much about them, but it's still something that I notice pretty much right away.

What’s your eye color? Blue. It isn't a vibrant blue, it's more dark, and it's not too noticeable.

Scary movies or happy endings? Probably happy endings, as much as I want to, I don't really watch horror movies, I've actually never watched one. But I still want to see some eventually. If anyone has any horror movie recommendations for newbies to the horror genre, please let me know! I don't want anything too scary to start lol. For the question, happy endings 100%, but I love a sad ending, too.

Any special talents? Not really...the only one I can think of is being able to drink super cold drinks faster than most people. Is that a talent, or just a sign that I need to stop drinking sugary, cold drinks and stuff?

Where were you born? I was born in my family home, not a hospital, which I learned early on is a bit strange. Apparently being born at home is rare?

What are your hobbies? I love writing, playing Minecraft Skyblock, and reading, but lately I haven't been reading much.

Do you have pets? Yup! I have three dogs, and they probably my best friends. They're all mixed breeds, so they look a bit goofy, but they're really cute.

How tall are you? I haven't measured myself in a while, but I think I'm 5 foot 9 or 5 foot 10.

Favorite subject in school? Either English or a media class that I took, in which I learned how to edit videos, make movies and stuff like that. It was really fun! As for English, I've always had incredible teachers, so they made it super fun! One of my teachers actually let me write a fanfic for a final assignment lol. But, I don't understand Shakespeare at all. That was the worst part of English class for me.

Dream job? I really, really want to be a full time author. I really want to write books for a living...it would be amazing. But, for now, I'll be working in retail

Thanks again for the tag, @mentallyundone, this was super fun! I may have overshared...but it was fun!

No pressure tags: @idiot-stevie @rockfact @ducky-died-inside @icedteaandoldlace @amethystandemma @angstydeaddragon @outlawcare @targetf0rce @blueskiesandstarrynights @strangerthingfanfic (I didn't know who else to tag , so anyone else who isn't tagged but wants to do this feel free to!)

[ferociousconscience]

Hey there dear Sir!

I've recently felt the urge to get obsessed with yet another thing and have decided that Les Mis does look quite interesting, so I wanted to ask where you would suggest one starts getting into it, there's a bunch of movie adaptations that have released within the past almost century, are there any outliers that are particularly good? Do you have a favorite play of it that you can recommend watching, if it is to be found somewhere in the depths of the Internet? Any input is appreciated really!

A wonderful day to you

a friend, enemy and lover

Good sir!!!! My friend! My enemy! My lover! You want to get into Les Mis!! This is an admirable endeavor and I wish you the best of luck. You have at your feet 161 years of love, fandom, and adaptation to dive into, which in truth is my favorite part of les mis. I will answer this ask in some semblance of order. Have a look under this readmore!! (karate chop motions)

I often think of the question of where would be a good way to start too. I myself got into it in a weird way. I tried to read it when I was young and had energy to devour huge books, but the translation I got was honestly abysmal and hard to read. I put it down pretty quickly. Later, I was part of a theater troupe for a handful of years, and while we never end up doing les mis (our director hated mainstream musicals LOL), I was pretty immersed in the fandom after the 2012 film came out, left the fandom after much lurking, and only rejoined recently after reading the book again. (Different translation this time!) I do think that for the general public, the musical is a great starting point, even if it changes a lot and musicals can be a hard sell for a lot of people. HOWEVER, I do not think the 2012 film is a good adaptation in any sense, and I do not think anyone should start there. This is perhaps a controversial opinion, but I do genuinely believe that one should avoid it at the start for various reasons. In the interest of keeping this reply short I'll save my opinions on the 2012 version for now. If you do want to get into the musical, a 4K re-upscale of the 10th Anniversary Concert is free on youtube (tho it is cut down, an older version of the present day musical which has many revisions, and lacks a lot of staging because it is a concert as opposed to an actual stage production). I think this version has a fantastic cast with talented performers. Also free on youtube is the admittedly kind of silly and yet still very compelling 1978 film, a non-musical cinematic version which is near and dear to my heart,. It also cuts down a looooot, drastically changes the ending, and is more focused on the Valjean and Javert side of things. As for the particularly good ones, I have answered that in a recent ask. Please do take a look there, and I hope it answers your question! Generally the older french adaptations are better and more faithful, lol. If you cannot find a particular adaptation of les mis, feel free to DM me, and I will either send you files, torrents, or I will hunt them down for you myself. As always, feel free to DM me here or on Discord (username is @vondieerde). I can also recommend reading the book once you feel you have a good grip of the story and you want more! So much more!!! Please do, though it is sort of a monolith (we in the fandom call it "The Brick" because you can make a sturdy house with copies of it lol). I will firmly state that I think the Julie Rose translation is the best, and can also really really recommend the Audiobook of it narrated by George Guidall, who has a wonderful voice and is a natural storyteller. If you were to read the book, reading one chapter a day (the chapters are pretty bite-sized), you would be done in exactly a year, 365 days (funny how that works out). I would love to do a book club style discussion of any chapters you read, should you really want to sink your teeth into the story and learn as much as you can. I've spent the last few years studying the heck out of the book and I want to talk to as many people I can about this thing I've fallen in love with again. message me on discord you fool i know who you are

#fc consternation tag #thank youuuuuuuuuuUUuuuuuuaaahhhhh #rly message me tho i will send you so many files.

[earlymodernbarbie]

hi! i was wondering if u had any recs for ways to learn more abt tudor history? i've really been wanting to get into it but i have no idea where to start

Hmmmm, I’m not super good with recommending things, but I’ll try! I started when I was like 11 and I found that TheAnneBoleynFiles website had a lot of great info on a bunch of different Tudor topics, though I would ignore the articles on Jane Seymour as one is guest written and very biased against her.

For Catherine of Aragon I would suggest reading either Garrett Mattingly or Giles Tremlett’s biography. I wrote a paper on Catherine when I was in high school and those were the books that helped me the most.

Anne Boleyn is harder to recommend for because books on her can be so divisive. I read Alison Weir’s biography on her when I was in 8th grade and it really helped me understand her better. I went from being a bitter little girl to someone who appreciated Anne Boleyn, but a lot of very devoted fans of Anne hate that book. It’s been over ten years since I read it so it really could be that awful lol. Ives is always a good place to start with Anne, but he’s a bit of an ass towards Jane Seymour and that always turns me off. I would also recommend staying away from books by Hayley Nolan and Joanna Denny. Denny’s book is heavily biased against Catherine of Aragon and any Catholic at the Tudor court and Nolan’s book is just bad. (I have a lot of feelings about Nolan, but this article sums up a few of my thoughts: https://www.englandcast.com/2019/11/anne-boleyn-500-years-of-lies-isnt-worth-your-time-or-money/) I’m also not a fan of how she has this set up where Protestantism= progressive, feminist etc. when in reality Protestantism is just as oppressive and violent as Catholicism (ask anyone who was historically oppressed by Christians. They don’t give af if their oppressors believed in the Pope or not. They all thought they sucked)

I’m not really sure what else to recommend, maybe Whitlock’s book for Mary I? I read David Starkey’s book on Elizabeth I many years ago, but he is not a historian I would recommend. I’m sorry I don’t know if I was much help, but this is what I could think of lol

[ave-atque-vale-herondale]

also (same anon as before) tell me how you felt about qoaad!! any predictions for twp?

if you haven’t, i recommend reading the novella books:

- the bane chronicles is fun especially if you like magnus.

- tftsa was so cute i loved her (read nothing but shadows before you read tlh)!!

- ghosts of the shadow market is definitely super important for world building for tlh and twp, so i strongly recommend reading it before them (it could be a little boring at times, i admit. but jessa is adorable). read cast long shadows and every exquisite thing before you read tlh. the rest is a lot of world building for kit’s background and jessa.

- OH OH also read the tec series if you haven’t (it follows malec) and i think it’ll eventually connect to twp.

- i believe cassie has these short stories about the tlh cast set before chain of gold. i remember reading them every month on her newsletter before the book came out. i think you can find them on her website? they’re not super important but they do get referenced once in a while in tlh

you probably know all of this and i probably mansplained (can you do that if you’re a girl?) everything 😭 but it’s better to be safe than sorry!! i hope you had fun reading everything and def let me know if you have any questions!

I'm gonna do my best to answer this in a comprehensive manner (let's see how long that lasts lol). You're my fave! (feel free to pop into my messages if you ever wanna chat or anything)

Okay I'm gonna start by saying that I had a strange relationship w TDA. I mentioned some of this in my initial post but I'm just gonna go through everything for continuity sake, if you will. Last summer I intended to finish the 3 series before my semester started. I got through all of TMI and TID but finished only LM and 150-ish pages of LoS. I waited till this summer to pick back up. I remember feeling bitter when I started LM because it was strange to have a modern-set book that didn't focus on my fave TMI gang (I watched the CoB movie religiously when I was younger and, before I knew better, watched the show weekly). It took me a while for Emma to grow on me and I initially had a hard time keeping track of all of the Blackthorns because there were so many of them. What kept me going were all of the connections to Mr. Poe (yes, I just called him that. deal with it.) I've started rambling so let me summarize this portion by saying that TDA didn't snatch me up until mid-LoS. okay, onward.

QoAaD was so reminiscent of CoHF and I loved it very much. WARNING SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO MAY READ THIS FOR SOME UNGODLY REASON. I appreciate the importance of the Thule portion and know the book would be shit without it, but, despite it still being fantastical, the apocalyptic vibe was not my fave. It was nice to get Livvy back for a bit (can I just say how shocking it was to have her death right after Robert? cause I feel like cc v rarely kills important characters so I thought Robert was fulfilling the death requirement yk?) and I LOVE to hate Sebastian. I'm gonna say something crazy here. I love Kit and Kieran more than I love a majority of the Blackthorns. Kit has been my fave character from this trilogy and I am not ashamed to admit it. The entire Ty Livvy spell shit was crazy because I completely felt Kit and wasn't angry at him for not outright saying that it was a bad idea, especially given the situation. I just can't believe cc had me expecting them to be fully in love with each other by then end, ONLY FOR THEM TO NOT EVEN BE ON SPEAKING TERMS (yes I know I need to be up to date w SoBH, I just need business day or two to marinate in my TDA emotions). The battle was epic, Julien's meeting was genius, Kieran is a great king, and the Malec wedding nearly had me sobbing. I'm gonna stop here w my thoughts on QoAaD cause it's getting out of hand. I am so sorry I am typing you up a full essay.

Predictions:

watch cc give us a 3rd plot that gets crazy because of some questionable heavenly fire incident (I mean, technically all three series plots that I've read have involved it if you count Jace's affect on Jem).

I'm super worried about a main character death because I think it would shatter me but it's also probably necessary? idk I dont wanna think about it

I also feel like something crazy is gonna happen to Aline and Helen because although they were literally exiled, nothing too traumatic happened to them in the main line of the story that the reader got to directly experience

not a prediction but truly me BEGGING ON MY KNEES for Jace and Kit content. I need them to be drama Herondales together. Also, Jace literally told him to come to him for personal advice so Jace helping Kit deal w his relationship w/feelings for Ty would be ideal (I really don't know how that would happen but let a person dream)

Final Segment:

Don't worry about mansplaining, youre good bae. I'm in the loop but I'm also not at the same time, if that makes any sense at all (there goes my promise of writing in a comprehensive manner). The only reason I haven't purchased the novellas is solely because it's more efficient for me to purchase a box set of a trilogy. (I do have the Codex and The Denizens of the Downworld books though). CC has done her best to make her world make sense but that woman writes up a storm and no matter what I'm always behind lol.

#wren answers #tda #the shadowhunter chronicles #tsc #tmi #the mortal instruments #the dark artifices #1st anon #I hope you don't hate me for writing so much in response #I have absolutely no one to discuss any of this with

[blairwitchapologist]

Hiya! I wanted to ask you or your followers for some advice since you're a reader. I want to get into reading but I'm having a hard time starting.

Idk really what kind of books I like. I've read articles talking about reaching out to people who may know you (me) and have them suggest something, but idk anyone who reads, lol.

I have a pretty bad attention span, so I feel I have to write about the book as I go (to make sure I'm understanding it or remember what's happened), but I also feel that will push me away from reading more.

This is probably a lot to put on you or anyone, so I do apologise, but any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance if you do answer! 🫰🏽

ok ok i actually feel kind of weirdly qualified to answer this question bc i do read a lot but i am So Fucking Bad At It. like unless i’m reading a book that i had been anticipating for a while, i have the hardest time motivating myself to just pick up a book and fucking read it, even if i’ve already started it and am enjoying it lol

so my go-to ways to find something new to read are:

1. my best friends wife is a librarian so i will just ask her what she’s been reading lol but you don’t have to be friends w a librarian to ask that question!!! if u go to a library and tell them your dilemma they will be thrilled to give you recommendations

2. i use the app storygraph to log the books i read, and they have a pretty good system for recommending books based on what you’ve logged!! i don’t think you can access that without paying, but a) i think they offer a free trial every year and b) it’s a really great alternative to goodreads (not owned by amazon but still does the same thing lol) so i personally don’t mind paying for it

and i also wanna say that it’s possible you do know people who read, they just don’t talk about it!!! a few years ago i put out an instagram story asking for book recommendations and i got so many responses from people who i just didn’t expect to answer and they had really great recommendations and i was thrilled to have something new to talk to them about hehe

and in terms of my attention span, the reason for my solution is a little embarrassing to admit lol but whenever possible, i will go out in public to read bc i am so self-conscious about looking at my phone too much when i’m surrounded by people lmao like i know that no one actually cares but i have this idea in my head that people are judging me if i sit on a park bench staring at my phone for half an hour, but no one will look at me if i’m reading a book. idk if it makes sense but it has worked for me!! i also love to read at bars (though i haven’t done that since i quit drinking so idk if it’s the same), i can’t really explain it but i kind of thrive when i’m surrounded by people who are talking near me but not to me/at me i guess lol. i also like to read in parks, and usually on saturdays while my boyfriend is at work i’ll go to lunch by myself and read while i eat :) i know this kind of solution might not work for you but that’s what’s worked for me!!!! good luck, and also feel free to send another message if you wanna tell me some stuff and see if i can recommend any books for you!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

[gothamscormorant]

this is how i imagine damian wayne…

(a lot of this is also canon/inspired by canon)

click here for the other boys

- brings home stray/sick animals he finds on patrol or just during the day.

- is very well known by the local shelter and vets for bringing in animals to be looked after or “just browsing” the strays at the shelter on weekends.

- he had a pretty shitty start to life, so through his tweenhood the rest of the batfam have slowly introduced him to their favourite shows, movies and childrens books from their childhoods.

- he always protests but ends up enjoying a lot of them.

- dick was the one to introduce him to anime and manga and damian has been hooked ever since.

- barbra introduced him to boy meets world and fuller house, which he wasn’t that big of a fan of but (internally) appreciated her introducing him to sitcoms.

- tim got him into geronimo stilton and 80s family/friend films like parenthood, goonies, stand by me, etc.

- tim and damian both have a really strong love of the parenthood movie and i think it’s because both of them come from extremely dysfunctional or “different” families and watching an average american “dysfunctional” family is comforting.

- it’s the only thing they will voluntarily do together, and it’s always tim sending damian a blunt text message, or damian will put it on tv when tim walks past and he’ll see and sit down with him.

- their relationship is… strange, to say the least, but they both have a terrible past relationship and this is their only way of not being awkward with each other and trying to mend that.

- damian is a very creative person, so on top of drawing i always feel like he’s is obsessed with music; any and every genre.

- the way it all comes together and makes people feel or react a certain way i think he finds fascinating, especially since he would never have been exposed to it all before.

- constantly listening to music while he’s painting and sketching, even while he’s reading he occasionally likes to listen.

- always in headphones though, no one ever knows what he’s listening to and he never lets anyone know his spotify.

- he takes song recommendations from everyone (not directly). people will say “hey this is my favourite song!” when it comes on the radio and he’ll add it to his playlist to see if he likes it later.

- or he’d hear someone listening to songs in their own room and use shazam (the app, not billy lol) or look up the lyrics to find the song.

- or someone would actually tell him to listen to a song and he’d “tt” and write in notes to remind himself to listen to it when they’ve forgotten about asking him.

- he likes to wear headphones/earphones while he’s walking around gotham or into/out of wayne ent. so he doesn’t have to listen to the paparazzi and journalists hounding him.

- which means there’s lots and lots of candid videos of damian wayne walking around with headphones which tik tok loves to guess the songs he’s listening to.

- damian finds it amusing but pretends he’s never heard of it when anyone asks and only has a secret stalk account on tik tok to watch his siblings and friends videos even though he pretends he doesn’t care.

- there’s a lot of “pretending he doesn’t care” with damian.

- he can’t show weakness. let people know he cares. he hardly knows how he’d even tell them or show them that.

- he’s troubled and lacking in social queues and skills, but he’s trying, thought he finds i very hard to let himself relax and “be a normal kid for his age” which is what people often tell him.

- he knows they don’t mean harm but i reckon that hurts him to hear that.

- he has no idea what “being a normal kids” is, but everyone’s slowly trying to help him.

- jon helps a lot unknowingly too.

- obviously at first they hated each other but after they became friends, i think jon would introduce damian to his favourite tv shows and comics and books which would help damian understand what kids his age actually like.

- he’s been surrounded by adults/much older people his whole life so even though they’re trying to help, their recommendations are often things that are “out of date” for his age group.

- like for example, 80s, 90s, 00s. they’re amazing and timeless but not always known or liked by other 10-13 year olds.

[realribs]

Thoughts on Books from a Non-Reader

How Do You Live by Genzaburo Yoshino

As you read from above, I call myself a "non-reader", but really what I'm trying to communicate is that I don't think I've read books for fun since the fourth grade. I've had spells here where I've tried to read extensively but after one book I just never got back into it. These set of notes I'm going to make will hopefully keep me motivated to read more! These notes aren't for critical analysis of a book (although hopefully it's a skill I develop), but instead are just my thoughts on what I've read. Spoilers ahead...

Now on the book: WOWZA! I think this has to be my favorite book I've ever read (which is not saying much lol since I don't have a lot to compare it to). This book was written to be an ethics book that ended a series of books referred to as Nihon Shosan Bunko Bunko. The story follows Copper, a 15 year old boy who has recently lost his father, and how he develops as a young adult morally. He is supported by his uncle, who writes journal entries giving advice to Copper on how to lead a great life. The story alternates between the lived experiences and reflections that Copper has and journal entries that his uncle writes for him. As someone who thinks a lot about the kind of person I want to be, I really appreciated the lessons on "Copernican" ways of thinking, relations of production, poverty, and regret. Even if some of the lessons shared in the book are things that I feel to be true for myself, it makes me really happy to know that Copper has someone as kind as his uncle helping him develop as a person (I know these aren't real people but it still made me really happy).

"I think I have to try to be a truly good person. As you said, I am an expert consumer, and I don’t produce anything. Unlike Uragawa, I couldn’t produce anything even if I wanted to. Still, I can become a good person. I can become a good person and create one good person for the world."

I really loved Copper as a character. He is extremely conscientious and really thinks about the impact of his actions on other people and the world at large. How he grieves for his father wasn't explored all that much in the story, but I imagine that his father would be extremely proud of the life Copper is choosing to live. Before he passed, Copper's father wanted him to become "a fine example of a human being". To know that Copper is working so earnestly towards fulfilling his father's final wish fills me with an indescribable joy.

Overall, this book is a 10/10 for me and I think it was the perfect start for me to get back into reading! I'm currently in the middle of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura. If anyone has any book recommendations for me, I would love to become a mutual and hear them from you! I would especially love the recommendations of any South Asian authors (as someone who is South Asian myself). Please share whatever thoughts you have!

#asian literature #book reactions #book reccs #mutuals #how do you live #book review #booknerd