#one student obsessed with the romance elements

[limerental]

actually my idea for a good potential adaptation of the Witcher books would be either a stage play or mini series where the framing narrative is a bunch of students studying the Witcher myth featuring varying primary source documents and unreliable narrators, lots of interjections and debates that get more and more heated and then in the end, it's revealed that ciri is their guest lecturer and after delivering a last poignant joke ahout how unlikely all of that sounds and how shit that whole story is narratively, she leaps out the window and rides off into the sunset on kelpie, accompanied by unicorns. The end

#but that's just me #i think it should be multi-genre #one student obsessed with the romance elements #one with the politics and mystery #one keeps ranting about niche side characters #one of them hates the ending and one of them loves it #someone won't shut up about the versions of the myth they hate #somebody is only taking this class because they thought dandelion was hot #anyway #the witcher books #the witcher

[nana-ur]

Corruption: Intro.

Pairings: Yandere!Taehyung x Reader || Jimin x Reader

Genre: Yandere, Romance (?), Psychological, Angst, Smut

Disclaimer: I do not condone, nor support or encourage anything I write in this fanfiction. It is purely fiction, means of entertainment, and should be treated as such. I do not think any of the BTS members would act remotely anything like what is represented here, which is why it’s called fiction. Other than that, please enjoy, and read at your own discretion. 

Trigger warnings and Tags; +18, Yandere elements, Possessive and Obsessive behaviors, Toxic Relationships, Unhealthy idealization, Drug and Substance Abuse, Mommy/Daddy Issues, Slow Burn, Smut (in future chapters), Artist!Tae, Rich!Tae, Lowkey SugarDaddy!Tae, BDSM, Power Dynamics, Manipulation, Slight age difference, Naive!Reader, Easy to Manipulate!Reader, Virgin!Reader, Virginity Kink, Corruption kink.. (There’s gonna be a LOT of kinks in here for further chapters, so I’ll save the wall of text LOL.) 

Intro  Part. 1   Part. 2   Part. 3   Part. 4  Part. 5  

Boring, he thought.

Everything about this stupid fucking event was excruciatingly boring.

First off, he didn't even want to be here. His mother forced him to come, practically dragging him outside by his own ear. 

"If you still want me to sponsor your pathetic little project, it'd be smart of you to come along with me this evening." Ah yes, the typical threats of estranging him financially in hopes of him spending time with her. Typical Mrs. Kim. 

The outing was a simple event where selected students who had won his fathers Academic Scholarship were rewarded a ‘party’ for their hard work and efforts. The scholarship was offered to college students who managed to make the highest ranking grades throughout their entire university. Impressive, to say the least, which is why each student present was granted $45,000 USD straight towards their college funds.

That sort of funding was simply pocket change for a man like his father.

His father was the CEO of Kim’s Legal Law Firm. It happens to be the third largest law firm in the country. Taehyung’s father has a tender soft spot for college students, especially ones who attend the same school he graduated from. Which is why he did events like this yearly, specifically for them.

But Taehyung? He could give two shits about a "Scholarly Party". He wasn't in school, nor did he want to be tied down by the ropes of education ever again. High School was more than enough, and that was years ago. He barely graduated. Though, after having his parents ``talk" to the principal of his private school, he suddenly went from having a D grade point average, to being at the top of his class in under an hour. He remembers clearly how Kim Namjoon glared daggers in his skull when he walked up the stairs leading to the stage at their highschool graduation, accepting his honors award that rightfully belonged to him instead. Taehyung couldn't really blame him, either. He'd be pissed off too if someone's rich parents paid off a school to make their irresponsible child graduate, whilst stealing his honors award that would've surely benefited him if he tried to enroll in college. 

Taehyung wasn't stupid by all means, no. He was actually pretty fucking smart. It's just he hates doing work, and he hates being told what to do. So instead of attending classes, doing homework, and going to exam days; he skipped classes to smoke weed, do things he wasn't supposed to do, and fuck around. What was stopping him? Surely not his parents. They barely bat an eye when he stayed away from home for days on end when he was only 15 years old. He remembers walking in after being away for 5 days straight to his dad barely sparing him a glance, and his mother wrapping herself up in a scarf so she could go out for the night. She walked right past him, not saying a word. 

Easy to say that his parents had their priorities straightened out already, and Taehyung wasn't one of them. But he doesn't care. 

Or that's what he tries to tell himself when he has emotional outbursts, or when he gets arrested for DUIs, or when he gets questioned for being under the influence, and more outlandish things his parents had authorities shove under a rug. 

His parents had money and generational wealth. Taehyung could do anything, say anything, and be whatever he wanted. So who cares if his parents were a little emotionally unavailable? He didn't care. Nope. Not at all. Not one bit.

But sometimes, just, sometimes, he finds himself yearning for motherly love. He finds himself wishing he had a father to look up to, instead of the stone cold businessman his own father was.

He desperately wanted to be loved by someone.

And he hated that feeling. It made him feel weak.

The feeling that gnawed at the emptiness inside of his own chest. The empty void that hurts and caves into himself whenever he sees someone receive the unconditional love he could only wish for. 

Oh, how he wanted someone to love.

To hold, to cherish, to smother with affection, to be loyal to and never let go. 

Never let go. 

Taehyung has had his fair share of relationships, of course. He was pretty, tantalizing, rich, and he likes to think of himself as quite the charmer. 

Those relationships weren’t too serious or noteworthy, honestly. Most of the women he dated were trophy girlfriends his friends set him up with. Most just dated him for status, sex, and money. Surprisingly, he had no problem with this. 

It's just how the world works, isn't it?

No matter how pretty or sweet, though, he's never fallen in love with any of those women.

He's never been in love at all.

He’s felt the intense feelings of infatuation and lust, but none of those feelings lasted for more than 2 weeks. He often finds himself getting bored of the same repetitive types of women that came into his life. 

There were two categories of women that Kim Taehyung seems to attract. 

One being the typical spoiled woman with daddy’s black card. This type didn’t need him at all for financial reasons, they were set for life, and possibly even the afterlife. They always had a certain aura to them, that look in their eyes, that pep in the way they walk. All of which seems to remind him of his own mother. Yeah, he knows it’s weird. It’s weird to date women that remind you of your mother, but Taehyung was the farthest thing from normal. 

What did Sigmund Freud say? Taehyung would think about the little bit of psychology knowledge he gained when he used to half pay attention in class often. Something about how mommy issues can lead down an unhealthy path of romantic relationships if not addressed in therapy, and so on. He thought it was quite interesting how he felt called out at that moment, which is why psychology became one of his favorite subjects while he was still in school. He may have skipped a lot, but when he was there, he tried to pay attention to the lectures.

The second category of women who Taehyung attracts were models. Not the runway, nepo baby models everyone sees on social media. No, not those. 

The models who were oh so pretty, but also had that vacant lost look in their eyes. They were signed to agencies who barely let them on the runway. Not because of their looks, but because of their raging reliance on drugs and substances. The walking stereotype of a ‘The Weeknd’ song is how he would describe these women. 

These women were with him for a completely different reason than the others. 

Taehyung was a bit guilty when it came to having a “hero complex”. He isn’t a saint by any means; he’s done his fair share of substances. He was peer pressured to do a lot of things when he was younger. 

Though, whenever he gets with these women, his goal is to “fix” them by giving them endless attention, affection, and care. He was always there when they went through withdrawals, when they were puking into plastic bags because they failed to eat prior to drowning themselves in narcotics and powder. He would rub their backs, help them take a cold shower, fix them soup, and hold them until they fell asleep. 

Taehyung had a soft spot for these women. Because he understands.

He understood the pain. The desperation to feel nothing. 

To fill that empty void with something. Something. 

These women were crying for help, so why not help them?

It filled him with a sense of importance after helping these women get clean. It was like he was healing his inner child in a sick, twisted way. Though, like most things, those relationships came to an end.

Although it was never really his fault these relationships would end. 

He was too “demanding”, “controlling”, “possessive”, he’s been told by most, if not all, of the women he’s been involved with.

They never truly accepted him for who he was. They were the foolish ones, not him. 

If they just understood him, if they would just understand.

Which is why he’s never fallen in love before. 

That was the ‘love’ life of Kim Taehyung. It was sad and depressing, but it’s something he had to get used to. It was all he was ever exposed to growing up. It was all he knew.

Maybe one day, things would be different. Happen differently.

Perhaps, authentically, unlike his past.

Perhaps he could fall in love.

He dreamed about such things. It would keep him up at night with a beating heart.

He was a disgusting hopeless romantic. 

“Are you paying attention?” Taehyung quickly blinked out of his short-lived daze and cocked his head down towards the voice. It was his mother, looking at him with those judgemental eyes he once used to hide from. Now, it doesn’t scare him anymore. 

But it made him feel significantly small nonetheless. 

God, he hated being here. It was so tacky.

Everyone was instructed to wear white. Though Taehyung, obviously, chose to be a little shit to piss off his mom and wore a black turtleneck, with a black blazer and even blacker slacks. His black hair was styled to where his fringe was covering most of his forehead, and slightly his eyes which were a light gray today, due to his contacts. Black on black.

He nodded his head towards his mother, ushering her to continue on with what she was saying even though he dissociated for most of it. 

Something he learned how to do at a very young age with ease.

“As I was saying,” she snapped, “your father wants you to greet some of the students. It would be beneficial for you to ask questions about college life, possibly even make some new friends tonight," Taehyung groaned internally, rolling his eyes in a way that his mother wouldn’t catch on. Here comes the “you need to go to school and study” talk. He would always shut it down. He’s 27 years old, too old to even be considered a senior at this point. 

To please his mother and to make her stop talking, he walked away from the railing he was leaning on and looked down into his wine glass, swirling it around to watch the red liquid create ripples. 

Looking up, he immediately spots his father speaking to what he presumes to be a student. The student was dressed in a plain, silky short back-out white gown with spaghetti straps. 

With her rear side facing his direction, it was hard to make out what the conversation was about. Maybe his father was being the creep he always was when it came to hanging around girls decades younger than him.

He can usually tell by the look in his fathers eyes, which seemed innocent to others, but Taehyung knew better than that. He knew his father well, even if he had no desire to. 

But all he could think about was how enticing she looked, even from behind where her face was hidden. The curve of her torso allowed the silky dress to hug her body perfectly, creating a silhouette that would give any Greek sculpture a run for its money. Dragging his eyes up and down her figure, he finds himself absentmindedly outlining the perimeter of her body with his irises, imprinting it into his own memory. 

Taehyung had an excellent photographic memory. 

It was strange, really. He was never someone to be enticed by “energy”, and he was never one to approach women. Not that he didn’t want to, it’s just that he didn’t have to. Any woman he was interested in came to him first without fail. But something was pulling him forward, beckoning him to approach the mysterious girl.

Which is exactly what he did.

His steps were calculated, precise. Making good first impressions was a piece of cake for Kim Taehyung, something he was often praised for from time to time. Which is probably the reason why his parents forced him to come to this tedious event. They used him as the token golden boy, utilizing his charms and making him talk to perverted, older guests that came to their events, hoping that he’d win their favor in exchange that his father gets to strengthen his connections. They started doing this when he turned 18, making use of his good looks and people skills.

Earning his parents' respect as their son isn’t easy. Especially a son who belonged to the Kim family. He had to attend the same university as his father, and to not make a mockery out of the family name. In which, he failed to do both. Saying he has their respect now is a stretch, but they found him to be useful when it came to winning over disgusting old CEOs and Chaebols. 

His brother, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He graduated from university with high honors, even went ahead and attended graduate school as well, then he went to law school. He completed all of this by the time he turned 30. 

Taehyung appreciates that his brother took up all the responsibility, and the burden of expectations off of his shoulders.

However,

Deep inside, real deep inside, he could only dream of being the center of his parents' life the way Seokjin was. They loved him. Doted on him. Spoiled him. Gave him all the extra love and affection that should’ve gone to Taehyung instead. 

As a teenager, he was resentful towards his brother for the obvious showcase of favoritism his parents did. They didn’t even try to hide it. They would compare the two any chance they got; rubbing in the accomplishments of his elder brother in his face, reminding him that he will amount to nothing in life. 

Nothing but a burnt out artist, is what his father says. 

But whatever, Taehyung didn’t care. Not one bit.

“Hello, son,” His father greeted him once he noticed Taehyung's formidable figure saunter over, the tone of his voice evidently curt and strict in contrast to the lighthearted conversation he was having with the young lady. 

Ah, great. It was just as he guessed. His father was being a creep, and was actively flirting with this poor girl. Good thing Taehyung was here to save her from his fathers inappropriate stares and invasive questions.

Sparing his father a tight lipped smile, he walks past the young lady to align himself right next to his father, finally.

Finally, he could see her face.

And wow.

Everything around him became blurred, every sound that tried to meet his ears became all jumbled together, like indecipherable radio signals.

All he could focus on was you.

You.

You.

With his unexpected appearance, you instinctively looked up at him, his gray eyes meeting your own. He tilted his head to the side and gave you a cheeky grin, in which you reciprocated with your own, skittish smile.

That smile. 

He’ll never forget a smile like that, that’s for sure. 

The apples of your cheeks were rosy with dew and the afterglow of being in such a warm venue. Taehyung thought the sight of it was absolutely breathtaking. 

His gray eyes stayed on yours, unwavering. He intensely scanned your face, jotting down each little detail into his mind. 

Noticing the fervor of his gaze, you tore your eyes away from the fervent unwarranted stare-off and looked down at your feet, your face flushing with heat.

Aw.

He wanted to look into your eyes for a little bit longer. 

But that’s okay, he’ll get your attention one way or another.

After all, he just couldn’t help himself. 

Your face was just his type.

Would it be a stretch for him to say everything about the way you look was just his type? Perhaps, but Taehyung was known for moving extremely fast.

In more ways than one. 

“I’d like for you to meet Ms.____,” his father uttered out your first name. It sounded like a symphony to Taehyung's ears. A pretty face and a pretty name, huh.

How unfair. 

Your name began to replay like a broken record inside of his head. Sounding out each syllable internally, his tongue dragged across the side of his cheek before testing the name out loud in a hushed whisper.

The way your name began to reiterate persistently in his head – It would drive any sane person crazy.

Good thing Taehyung was the latter. 

“Well, Ms.___,” Taehyung scooped up your hand into his own, hoping the abrupt swift action will bless him with your soft gaze once again.

And it did.

With wide eyes, your neck nearly snapped as you rose your head from its previous position of looking down. You stared at him with big doe eyes, confusion swirling in your irises. 

That expression on your face was dangerous.

Especially for a man like him.

He brought your delicate hand up towards his red tinted lips, all while maintaining eye contact. He could feel you trembling in the palm of his hand.

What were you doing to him?

He felt slightly bewitched by you. He’s met his fair share of gorgeous women. Hell, he’s even met some of the world's most infamous models. 

But none of them compared to you. 

None of them had this effect on him. 

None of them took his breath away like this.

None of them at all.

He placed a soft kiss onto the back of your hand, a mellow smile spreading across his face when his lips met your soft, warm skin. 

“It’s a pleasure, pretty girl,” He whispered loud enough for you to hear, his breath fanning onto the skin of your hand. 

He slowly backed away, not letting your hand go just yet, leading it downwards but still holding it firm in his grip. He had to savor your reaction before he retracts completely.

He could tell you were wary with the sudden public display of affection, especially right in front of his own father. But truly, Taehyung didn’t give a fuck. He was someone who didn’t care if anyone was watching, especially his own father. Social anxiety or upholding social status wasn’t something for him to worry about.

And you’ll come to find that out very soon. 

Sooner than you think. 

Your eyes glossy, blown out, and your mouth was slightly gaped open from shock; it sent a concealed chill down his spine. Was a pretty girl like you not used to such things? The thought alone baffled him. 

Impossible, he thought. 

“U-uh–,” you stammered out incohesive words, your eyes darting between him and his father, worry, confusion, and conflicting attraction clear in your eyes. It was cute, how worried you got over something as small as a hand kiss. 

“Nice… to meet you too? Mister…” you were dodging every attempt at eye contact Taehyung was throwing your way, but he wasn’t having it. Wherever you looked, his head would follow with a tilt and a smirk, teasing you in a playful way you weren’t used to. 

“Taehyung, but for you? My name can be whatever your heart desires.” 

He’s used that cringy pick-up line many times. Most of the time it was just to please the other person, give them something they want to hear. Usually never what he wanted.

But he meant it when he said it to you. 

That same, irresistible nervous smile crept back onto your face at his words. Your neck once again flushing hot. This time, though, your eyes were focused on how his hand was still grasping yours. 

Taehyung took this as an opportunity to grab another reaction out of you, he began rubbing soft circles on the back of your hand with his thumb.

At this, you jumped softly, clearly not used to someone touching you like this.

Or touching you at all.

And for some reason, that thought alone excited him like nothing else. 

Suddenly, Taehyung felt his fathers hand creep onto his shoulder.

Unexpectedly this annoyed him.

More than it usually does. 

“It seems like you are already acquainting yourself with Miss.___,” his father spoke in a way that seemed placate to others, but Taehyung knew better. He was being a passive aggressive shithead. 

“Oh you know, just doing what you wanted me to, Father,” Taehyung quickly retorted back, a tight smile forming on his lips. 

His father had the nerve to get pissy as if he didn’t force him to attend this mundane event in the first place? Yeah, sure, Taehyung was grabbing the attention of the girl his father was openly flirting with, but didn’t he see how uncomfortable you were? 

He could tell how tense the mood was when he got closer to the two of you earlier. The way you were holding your left arm with your right hand, folding into yourself as his father got closer and closer to your personal bubble. 

You clearly weren’t interested.

At Taehyung’s smart aleck comment, his father shot him a look that only he caught, and walked away slowly after retracting his hand from his shoulder. 

It was better to not make a scene where people were watching. His father was extremely anal on how he was perceived; he wanted others to see him in a specific type of light. He was probably on his way to bother some other college student, anyway. Either way, Taehyung was glad he left.

Finally, old fuck. 

It’s about damn time he developed erectile dysfunction or something, how old is he again?

Regrouping himself, he finally let it sink in that you two were finally alone. 

Finally,

“Oh god, did I,” you stammered, “did I just make it really awkward? Oh my god.”

How peculiar. It was obvious that his father was the one who ruined the mood to begin with, but you resorted to blaming yourself instead. 

How peculiar. 

“Sorry I’m just not, you know… used to this,” you gestured your free hand around the venue you two were currently in the middle of. Everything was glistening with marble, glitter, blinding shades of white, and overly priced furniture. To anyone not used to such a lifestyle, it would of course be overwhelming. 

But to Taehyung, it just seemed tacky. 

Tacky and distasteful. 

If it were up to him, the whole idea of everything being white would be thrown out the window.

What’s up with rich people and their odd obsession with things white and marbley?

“Not used to try-hard rich people and their shitty interior designing?” Taehyung quipped, a smirk present on his lips as he raised his wine glass for a sip.

“What?! No! No. I, well… no!” the screws in your head were visibly malfunctioning, fighting with each other, trying to decide whether or not you should directly insult the interior of the venue right in front of him. Given the fact that he was the son of the man who invited you to such an event, and granted you a scholarship.

And possibly the son of the man who came up with the interior design of everything you’re looking at.

A chuckle rumbled in Taehyung's chest as he watched your internal and outward struggle. He could tell by the quick glint in your eyes that you agreed with him, but were too afraid to say something that would cause conflict. Tilting his head to the side, he raised his wine glass once again to his lips, taking a swig of it while he looked you up and down over the rim.

To his surprise, you still haven’t retracted your hand from his.

Lowering his drink, his tongue pressed to the side of his cheek once again out of habit. 

You still weren’t looking at him. 

“You know, it’s rude to refuse eye contact, pretty girl,” he said matter-of- factly in a teasing tone, fauxing disappointment.

“Oh,” you breathed out, clearly flustered at the recurring pet name and with the fact that he just called out your inability to maintain eye contact. 

With hesitancy, you looked up at him, your eyes shifting left and right a few times before settling on his intense gray orbs. 

It seemed to have surprised you that he was staring at you intensely this whole time because the moment your eyes connected with his, your body shifted. To his disappointment, you slowly retracted your hand from his, putting it back to your side. 

With his now free hand, Taehyung lifted it towards your face. And like any normal person, you flinched and moved backwards a bit. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Cute.

But, he couldn’t hold himself back.

He had to do something. 

He tested the waters first, nudging his fingers against your jaw, caressing the outline of the bone before cupping your right cheek. His hand gently melts onto your warm, soft skin. He looks at you intently, deep in thought.

You were so beautiful.

Dangerously so. Taehyung wasn’t the type to be bewitched like this. 

His fingers caressed your warm face, your wide eyes trembling at him with uncertainty, confusion. He dragged his thumb from your cheek down to the supple lumps of your lips. He began gliding the digit left and right on your bottom lip before slowly pulling down on the muscle, revealing just a peak of your bottom teeth and the soft wet flesh on the inside, your gums a pretty pink. 

Even with all of this going on, he still maintained eye contact with you. His gaze never wavering. 

And his mind began to wander. 

It began to wander to menacing thoughts. 

Taehyung was known for having… an acquired taste, when it came to certain things. He’s been told so by many women in his life. It’s not like he wanted to like those things, it just happened by default. Things that excite him, that shouldn’t excite him. Things that he likes to do to others, to the people he’s interested in. Things such as bending and twisting them at his will, pulling a leg here, doing a thing there, just to pull a reaction out of them. He knew such things were red flags, concerning even. But if it was between two consenting adults, what was the problem?

Which is why he began to envision this woman he just met a few minutes ago sucking on his thumb. He imagined the look you would have in your eyes; innocent, glossy, excited, scared, unsure. He imagined the soft, spongy texture of your tongue, slick on his finger, how you’d open up for him like a good girl. And those eyes. They were dangerous, Taehyung decided. Looking at them for too long already had him spiraling with these thoughts.

You knew what you were doing, didn’t you?

Like a twig, he snapped out of his daze. His eyes finally focusing on you quickly taking a step back, wiping away the inkling of spit that dripped out of your mouth as a result of your bottom lip being pried open. With a red face, you looked at him, completely disoriented and confused.

Taehyung didn’t even notice the wetness on his thumb, or the spittle that trickled down the digit onto his knuckle.

Ah, oops.

“W-what was that-,” you stuttered out, your hand clasping against your mouth in shock, eyes frantically looking around, relief sagging on your shoulders when you noticed no one was looking. But there was a cloud hanging over your head, weighing down on you. 

A cloud you didn’t quite understand.

Just yet.

“Become my muse.”

“What-,” You blinked at him, completely caught off guard.

“Let me paint you. Be my muse.” He cut you off before you could question him any further. 

Taehyung had already made up his mind the moment he set eyes on you. Even when your back was facing him; he already knew what he wanted.

And Taehyung was a man known for getting exactly what he wanted. 

#bts yandere #male yandere #taehyung #yandere taehyung #yandere #yandere x reader #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #bts fic #yandere bts x reader #kim taehyung #taehyung fanfiction

[siennasfix]

Pareidolia

Summary: This story is set sometime in the future. Hyunjin is a claimed son of Aphrodite. Y/n and her sister are the only unclaimed children who know the identity of their godly parent. They’re college students in Camp Jupiter. A new streak of murders takes off and all the tracks point to Luna, Y/n’s nine-year-old sister, which leads to Y/n making it her mission to prove the little girl’s innocence. One mishap leads to another and Hyunjin and Y/n find themselves working together to find out what they can do to solve the mystery.

Notes:

 This fic is inspired by the world of Percy Jackson and will contain many elements of the Hunger Games franchise. I’ve been a fan of both for years and I thought I’d try my hand at weaving both of these universes so that they flow seamlessly. Regarding mature themes and violence, it will definitely lean more on the Hunger Games side of the spectrum.  This fic is going to be long af so buckle up. There will be 3 books, the final chapters of which will be marked in the endnotes. I have an idea of how many chapters the entire fic is going to be, but of course, it might be longer than I have planned because I want to describe everything in such explicit detail that it WILL drive many of you nuts, and there's also the thing with me wanting to give the characters their chance to shine and develop properly. The girls that get it, get it. The point is; this fic might take not months but years to finish and the finalization will keep me from ending it all so I’ll try my best not to die before then.  This fic will contain mature themes. There will be many lighthearted moments but it’s more of a reprieve from all the heavy shit going on than anything. So do not read this if you’re expecting a cheerful romance or a happily ever after for every character. In addition to this, there will be depictions of death, torture, assault, sex, and so on, things that not everyone can stomach, which is more than fine but just be sure that this is your cup of tea before starting to read it. I will try to tag it as well as I can for each chapter and include the TWs in the beginning notes so don't skip them. • An array of power dynamics will be depicted as the story progresses. • The romance ranges from sweet to radioactive so keep that in mind. • Romance tropes: 1. Hyunjin x Reader- enemies to lovers, annoyances to lovers, mutual pining, dark romance, obsessive lovers, don’t blame me love made me crazy coded 2. Jisung x Minho- mutual clowning, friends to sort of strangers to fwb to lovers, they got that 80s rock aesthetic vibe going on 3. Seungmin x Jeongin- initially unrequited, strategy meets theatre, friends to lovers  I’ll try to update regularly, maybe once every two or three weeks. This is more for me to be honest as I’m a major procrastinator and this might help me sit my ass down and WRITE.  Make sure to always read the opening notes as many warnings pertaining to the events of the chapter, ones I have been unable to include in the tags above, will be revealed there.

Book I: Part I, Part II, Part III

Book II: Part I, Part II, Part III

Book III: Part I, Part II, Part III

#stray kids #skz #hwang hyunjin #hwang hyunjin skz #hwang hyunjin angst #hwang hyunjin enemies to lovers #hwang hyunjin x reader #skz godly parent au #skz godly parent #stray kids godly parent au #stray kids godly parent #skz pjo #stray kids pjo #minsung #lee know #han jisung #kim seungmin #yang jeongin

[keldae]

The Mistletoe Trap

Drastic times called for drastic measures. Or that's what Jonas insisted from his precarious perch atop a pilfered desk chair that he was currently standing on, in the middle of the dorm lounge, stretching to drive a thumbtack into the dorm ceiling. “Trust me, this will totally work!”

Lana dubiously looked up at him, arms crossed and blonde eyebrow raised. “Are you sure it won't just make things awkward with them?"

“Even those two idiots have to clue in with this!” Jonas hopped off the chair and stepped back to survey his handiwork. “I mean, this is a central element in every cheesy romance movie set around Christmas. Guy encounters girl, guy and girl both look up and realize they're under thr mistletoe, guy and girl kiss, guy and girl realize they're in love…”

“And are you an expert in Hallmark movies?” Lana asked, brushing a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes.

“I have a mother who's obsessed with those movies,” Jonas answered. “I learn things by osmosis. Besides, you only need to see one Hallmark movie to figure out the plot for all of them…”

“You're not wrong,” Lana conceded. She looked over her shoulder as Koth emerged from his room, shrugging his jacket on. “What do you think? Do we have a chance of setting our favourite idiots up with this?”

Koth craned his neck to look up at the mistletoe and frowned. “Isn't it supposed to be in a doorway, instead of the middle of a room?”

Jonas groaned. “I spent long enough fighting to get it to stay up there without falling! Can't we break tradition just this once?”

“Nope. If we're doing a mistletoe set-up, we gotta do it right.” Koth jumped up on the desk chair and pried the thumbtack, with its precious burden of mistletoe, out of the ceiling. He paused and dubiously eyed the little pin. “... This will be a pain to stick into the doorframe.”

“Nothing some tape can't fix,” Lana said with a nod. She hurried down the hallway to her room, and returned a minute later with a roll of tape in her hands. “Just don't use all of it, mind.”

“You're the best.” Koth dragged the chair over to the entrance of the dorm lounge and clambered back onto the seat. “Am I centre-ish?”

Jonas stepped back and tilted his head. “Bit to the left… no, no, my left… smidge more… there, that's about as centred as you're gonna get. I'm too lazy to find a measuring tape to make sure.”

“Works for me!” Koth started taping up the mistletoe, making sure to leave most of it dangling in the doorway. “How's the rest of the decorating coming along, do you know?”

“Mako and Vette were working on what they say will be the most epic paper chain to grace a dorm floor,” Lana said. “And I think Kira and Xaja are in charge of paper snowflakes. A pity we have no space in here for a tree…”

“Or budget,” Jonas added. “Being that we're all broke college students.” He watched as Koth jumped back down from the chair, mistletoe in place, then grinned. “Shall we find covert watching positions so we can observe our handiwork?”

“Great, give them both performance anxiety,” Koth snorted. “They'll both appreciate that so much.”

Jonas snorted a laugh. “That's why I said covert, moron.” He sharply looked to the front door as he heard the sound of a keycard on the security panel. “Quick, that might be them!”

The trio scrambled for the shelter of the couches, and by unspoken agreement, all pretended to be intently interested in their phones. They could hear the sounds of two pairs of feet coming down the hallway, around the corner, and pausing at the entrance to the lounge…

“Oh, hell no,” Thexan's voice sounded. “Go ahead, Arcann, I insist.”

“Why do you insist I–?” There was a pause before Arcann groaned. “Ah. Yeah, there is no way in hell I'm kissing you, Thexan.”

Suppressing her disappointment that the intended targets weren't the ones who had arrived first, Lana looked up. “You know you two would have gotten a pass, right?” she asked. “Being literal brothers and all.”

“I dated a girl in high school who was really into a particular subset of the Supernatural fandom,” Thexan answered. “And I don't mean the Destiel shippers. I've had trust issues ever since I caught her quizzing Arcann on some very personal questions.”

“Ewww.” Jonas looked up from his phone. “Yeah, valid. Now shoo so we can wait for the actual targets.”

“You mean the two who were walking back from the cafeteria?” Thexan grinned. “You guys are not subtle at all about this. I mean, waiting for them?”

“Subtlety isn't working!” Koth complained. “We gotta go for the obvious now.”

“I still say we should lock them in a closet,” Arcann commented as he dropped his book bag by Jonas’ couch. “Or set up a blind date for each of them.”

“If they haven't figured it out by spring break, we'll try the closet,” Lana promised. “By then there should be enough sexual tension pent up…”

“What are we talking about with sexual tension?” A horned head poked itself into the lounge, a huge grin on its face.

“I thought I told you to fuck out of here and not come back again last week, Gault!” Lana snapped, amber eyes flashing angrily.

“I'm an invited guest!” Gault protested. “Hylo said I could come in!”

“Not if you two are going to lock me out of my room for three hours while you have sex and then have a blow-up fight!”

“That was one little argument–”

“At one in the morning, that woke both me and Torian up,” Koth interjected, scowling.

“So the timing wasn't ideal,” Gault said with a shrug. “Sorry for disturbing your beauty sleep.” He glanced upward and grinned. “Awww, but you lot can't be that hard-up about it! Look what's on the ceiling!”

“Not for you,” Jonas interrupted. “It's a trap for Theron and Xaja!”

“We’ll break it in for them!” Gault cheerily grinned, then darted through the lounge to Hylo and Lana's room, pounding on her door.

Lana sighed in frustration, jaw visibly clenched. “If he turns up dead one day, I had nothing to do with it,” she growled.

“We'll help with the alibi,” Koth nodded, watching as Hylo emerged from the room with her brow wrinkled. The frown turned into a grin from the Mirialan as she followed Gault under the mistletoe; the Devaronian took the opportunity to dip Hylo for a passionate kiss.

“Get a room!” Jonas hollered over when the kissing didn't seem to abate after a few seconds.

“And not mine!” Lana added indignantly. “Again!” She looked over at Jonas. “I'm much more sympathetic toward Theron now…”

“I don't lock him out that often!” Jonas protested. “And the one time I did led to him meeting his soulmate, so…”

Gault finally straightened up from the kiss and let Hylo up to catch her breath. “See? We're wingmaning for you, Lana–” His eyes suddenly went wide, and he booked it for the safety of the front door, fleeing Lana's wrath as the blonde started to get to her feet.

Hylo watched her boyfriend escape, then shrugged at Lana. “He's not wrong?” she said with a little chuckle. “It's just his way of helping – and look at that, I need to be in the library right now!” She fled after Gault, with a bit of a laugh, as Lana snarled something entirely unprintable at her back.

“... The library?” Thexan asked as the door slammed shut behind the couple. “She hasn't set foot in the library since term started!”

“You'd know, considering you live there,” Arcann commented.

“Very funny,” Thexan muttered, then looked over as the front door opened and closed again. “Is that finally them?”

“Get over here in case it is!” Koth hissed. “Act natural!”

“Gawking is natural, for having just watched Hylo and Gault apparently make back up,” Arcann commented with a grin. Still, he sat down on the arm of Jonas' couch, as Thexan hurried over to flop beside Koth. Still grumbling, Lana sat back down and scowled at her phone like it was responsible for her roommate woes.

And not a second too soon – Theron Shan was the next person to poke his head into the lounge, not realizing he was directly under the mistletoe trap. “Well, don't we look conspiratal,” he commented, looking at the cluster of students on the couches. “We planning evil things here?”

“Just concerning my roommate and the douchebag she's dating,” Lana grumbled. “Do you know of a good place to dump a body?”

“Xaja says she watches true crime shows,” Theron suggested, as the aforementioned redhead popped up beside him. “You got an idea for a good place to dispose of Gault or Hylo?”

“I owe Hylo one for that troubleshooting with my car the other week, so I can't help murder her,” Xaja said. “Gault, on the other hand, I can definitely help dispose of.” She paused, frowning at the widening grins being sent at her and Theron. “... What? Do I have something in my teeth?”

“Theron could help with that, if you do,” Jonas innocently suggested.

Theron promptly sputtered in mortified indignation. “I – what?!”

“Look up,” Thexan said with a smirk.

Both Theron and Xaja glanced upward – a second later, Xaja squeaked, her cheeks going as red as her hair. “Is that… which one of you assholes hung up mistletoe?!” Beside her, Theron seemed to be at a loss for words, eyes wide and mouth dropped open.

“Doesn't matter,” Koth said, grinning impishly. “To quote from the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie – just kiss!”

“It needs to be cleansed after watching Hylo and Gault make out under it,” Lana added in a mutter.

“But– we're not–!” Xaja yelped. “Hylo and Gault are at least a thing! Theron and I aren't!”

“Being a ‘thing’ isn't part of the mistletoe rules,” Arcann retorted, laughing. “Or are you two chicken?”

“We aren't chicken!” Theron piped up, indignant despite the flush to his cheeks. “We just… uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “... Which one of you assholes had this idea?”

“Does that matter?” Jonas all but cackled. “Kiss her already!”

Theron softly groaned, then turned to look at Xaja, who seemed to have become very focused on a random spot on his hoodie shoulder. “Erm… listen, I'm sorry about this…” he started to say.

“No, uh, it's… it's okay. It's definitely not your doing.” Xaja looked up from her visual examination of his hoodie, still bright red. She hesitated, then glared in the direction of the couches and the pair's eagerly-watching audience. “Do you fuckers have to sit there and watch like that?”

“What, do you have performance issues?” Jonas grinned evilly. “I'm reasonably sure Theron won't care about that–”

“Forget Gault – I'm murdering you,” Xaja growled. She looked back up at Theron. “You can look forward to a single room next semester.”

“Works for me,” Theron agreed, giving Jonas a malevolent glare. He shifted awkwardly, then quickly stooped to give Xaja a brief peck on the lips, seemingly before he could lose his nerve.

“Awww, come on!” Koth complained. “That barely counted as a kiss!”

“If you dumbasses weren't fucking staring at us…” Theron snapped.

Koth sighed dramatically. “Fine, if we all look away, are you two actually gonna kiss properly?”

“You know,” Jonas commented, “if you're the one with the performance issues, Theron, I'm sure Xaja will be happy to help you out with–”

“I will kill you dead, Balkar.” Theron glared at his roommate and former best friend, then caught Xaja in his arms and stooped to give her a dramatic, lingering kiss. She squeaked as she was pulled into his embrace, then seemed to wrap her arms around his neck and return the kiss, apparently trying very hard to ignore the whistles and chorus of “Awwww"s from their dormmates.

They finally came apart after a few seconds, seemingly trying to regain both breath and coherent thought before Xaja looked over at their audience. “Happy now?” she growled, more than a little bit of bite in her tone.

“Immensely,” Lana answered with a little laugh. “Now shoo so we can wait for our next victims. If that pre-med student Archiban comes in here next with this week's girlfriend…”

“We hate you all,” Theron announced, as he and Xaja tried to make their way to their respective rooms with as much dignity as they could muster. “Sleep with one eye open until the end of term.”

Jonas laughed, then as the pair vanished into their rooms, sobered up slightly. “I'm gonna die, but this was totally worth it.” He looked over at Arcann and Thexan. “Hey guys, can I crash with you for the rest of week so Theron doesn't kill me in my sleep?”

“As long as you're prepared to deal with Arcann's snoring,” Thexan said with a grin. He paused, looking at the mistletoe contemplatively. “... Did we overdo it?”

“Nah.” Koth laughed and stood up. “Someone got a picture of that, right? Kira will be so pissed that she missed it.”

Jonas grinned and flourished his phone. “Sending it to the group chat as we speak. And if they aren't dating officially by the end of winter break, I may smack Theron upside the head until he comes to his senses and asks her out.”

#theron/xaja #swtor #college!AU #the mistletoe trap #truly a staple of Hallmark movies #when the entire dorm is trying to wingman for you #theron shan #xaja #lana beniko #koth vortena #jonas balkar #thexan #arcann #hylo #Gault #idiots in love #mutually pining idiots #slow burn #helped along by helpful friends #kel writes

[absolutebl]

Reveal your watch, rewatch & excited about BL list

@iankuea thanks for the taggage 

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

 Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (Japan) - Shin is my PRECIOUS baby stalker seme edgey honeychild and Minato is going to break that desperate 17 year old need open like a balut egg. I just hope we get at least some kisses before THE PAIN. 

Triage (Thailand) - OMG SO GOOD, the tension, the twists, the flips, the acting the CAN THEY END IT HAPPY???? 

Love Mechanics (Thailand) - messy cheating chaos queers of epic stupid but SO WELL ACTED - can’t stop the YinWar 

KinnPorsche (Thailand) - I like 1/5 of it more than I should and the rest of it less than I ought 

Unforgotten Night (Thailand) - for a kinky BDSM there is not enough kink, B, D, S, or M sadly, still it marks the return of the trash watch! 

Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! (Japan) - my least favorite dynamic but watchable 

Love in Spring (Korea) - rumors of no kiss/bromance abound, it’s dumb, I love the psycho character... of course I do... I AM the psycho character

Check Out (Thailand) - messy cheating chaos queers of epic stupid

Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart (Thailand) - yawn fest 

My Secret Love (Thailand) - it’s absolutely terrible

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (Japan) - I magically got ahold of it but haven’t had the courage to watch it yet 

Not BL... 

Alchemy of Souls - it’s CW level Kdrama historical craptastic and I have been waiting for this all my life. 

Love the Way You Are (China) - NOONA ROMANCE! basically China doing a remake of Something In The Rain only sappier, softer, and probubly with a better ending 

REWATCHING:

DNA Says Love You (Taiwan) 

Love Class (Korea) 

My Esports Genius Brother (China) 

Long Time No See (Korea) 

Old Fashioned Cupcake (Japan) 

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAILAND:

609 Bedtime Story - OhmFluke but not sad, I hope. 

Bed Friend - I’ve wanted James to get his own BL since Oxygen 

Between Us - of course

Chains of Heart - new premise, intriguing 

City of Stars AKA Fueangnakorn - An actor falls in love with a programmer and the narrative intends to “explore the ramifications of being public figure in the social network era who must endure critics, bullying, and defamation.”

Coffee Melody - Pavel MY LOVE 

The Eclipse - First + Khaotung at a sinister boarding school, haze the one you love, good boy/bad boy, suspense & horror elements, self acceptance themes, a curse, enemies to lovers

Fahlanruk The Series - one night stand, friends with benefits, pining seme, high heat

I Feel You Linger in the Air - from the producers of Lovely Writer. This is a time travel historical romance. FROM THAILAND!  H I S T O R I C A L ! ! ! 

My School President - It’s Love Sick meets the whipping boy trope. How exciting. Yes, I know, we’ve seen it all before. But this is me. I never met a high school set BL I didn’t want to grant a fair shake (even one that centers around singing). And I love me some whipping boy. 

Never Let Me Go - PondPhuwin in a decent show? Sign me up: mafia, attack dog (whipping boy + bodyguard), love triangle, obsession, suspense

Vise Versa - proud member of Jimmy nation here and this is alt reality, bodyswap, soulmates. Soem trope I love, some I don’t 

FROM KOREA 

Eul's Love - Reunion romance office set.

The Circumstances of Pungdeok Villa Room 304 - Same pair as Kissable lips - Korea’s first example of this kind of casting. Rich kid lay about meets poor nerd, cohabitation. 

Heesu in Class 2 - high school shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend. 

Comfort the Boy adaptation of Dongmul's manwha webtoon A Shoulder to Cry On. Teasing confident gay, fake dating, rich/poor, school setting, homophobia/gossip puts scholarship in jeopardy. Stars idols Jaehan & Yechan BOTH from Kpop group OMEGA X, 12 eps. MADNESS. 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner 

Love Tractor asame production house as Semantic Error, stressed-out law student meets hunky young farmer. This is a very underused romance trope in BL.

Oh My Assistant - sexy one for Korea about an artist who draws adult webtoons and spends most of his time horny because of it, who hires an assistant that turns out to be his biggest fan. We’re gone see how Korea handles thirst.

PT is Love - friends of 10 years who’ve been hiding feelings for each other enter the same university. Plus MURDER.

Love is like a Cat: A new star, called the Cat Prince for his cold arrogance, goes up against a charismatic puppyish director. Korean Thai colab project will feature Mew Suppasit. 

Space Bakery: A spaceship crash-lands into and destroys a small bakery shop. Of course this means the alien and the baker end up living together. At the same time, other aliens-in-hiding all around the city start hunting for them.

FROM TAIWAN

I Secretly Fell in Love with Student Council President (let the dumb titles continue) - director of H2: Crossing the Line; Love Is Science with possible alternate title: About Youth. 2 high school boys with different backgrounds, personalities, and values compete for student president, but have more attraction than animosity.

My Tooth Your Love (from Result Entertainment - We Best Love peeps) with script by Lin Pei who loves VERY traditional yaoi tropes, she’s the writer of mush HIStory stuff. 

FROM JAPAN

Bokura no Shokutaku AKA Our Dining Table - I LOVED THIS MANGA. Lonely salaryman (talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his baby brother. They build a family together. This is a sweetly gentle and cozy manga and it will make a GREAT live action piece. 

Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru - starring Matsuoka Koudai (I know him from Five) and Nakao Masaki (Kakafukaka, Bow Then Kiss - he’s a BIG DEAL ya’ll) slated to be released in October. 

Copy and paste and play if you want. 

#tag game #reveal your watch and rewatch list #thai bl #kdrama #kbl #k-dramas #kBLs #watchlist #currently watching #korean bl #k-bl #japanese bl #japan drama #jdrama #jbl #Old Fashioned Cupcake #adapted froma manga #live action yaoi #strongberry #Long Time No See #My Esports Genius Brother #chinese bromance #chinese BL #Cdrama #Love Class #DNA Says Love You #taiwanese bl #Love the Way You Are #noona romance #Something In The Rain

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book blurb:

Unforgettable, snarky, and romantic, I Hope This Doesn't Find You is Never Have I Ever meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters.

Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.

All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft . . ."

Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them . . . that is, until they're accidentally sent out.

Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate . . . .

Review:

Rival academics with a touch of To All the Boys I've Loved Before in this story about a girl who's emails about her rival and the entire school are sent... and now she has to deal with the fall out of it as well as possibly falling for the one guy she never thought she would. For 10 years Sadie Wen and Julius Gong have been competing against each other. They've made everyone at school's life a bit difficult with their extreme need to beat each other. Sadie hates Julius, she hates how perfect he is, how handsome he is, how smart and mean he is. The only way to vent her angry? Draft up emails to him and everyone else whenever they make her angry... except now suddenly all those emails have been sent out. Now everyone is getting to see the real Sadie, and the careful "perfect" image of herself is going up in flames. Yet one person seems to appreciate the real her... and it's none other than Julius. The more Julius and Sadie begin to talk to each other after the truth is revealed the more complicated the feelings begin to grow and Sadie is starting to realize that maybe the boy she's been obsessively trying to beat... the one person who is constantly on her mind might be the perfect person for her. This one was meh for me, I had really high hopes for it but it kind of fell flat unfortunately. I just couldn't really vibe with Sadie and the situations she ended up in just didn't make sense. Sadie is suppose to be super intelligent but can't even keep a diary or oh I dont know, a word doc of letters but saved a ton of draft emails and then doesn't make sure that they are properly locked up and can't be sent? I don't believe it. Also she goes from being outspoken and to being walked over by people, she'll want to out do Julius but never speaks out about people using her and letting herself be a pushover to please people? Pick a lane girl, either you can stand up for yourself and are a go getter or a timid people pleaser. Also the romance with Julius barely even felt there and I love academical rivals to lovers stories. It literally barely happens by the end of the book. I wish I liked this book more, it had the elements of all the things I usually love, but it just missed the mark for me sadly. If you enjoy academic rivals to lovers give this one a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Scholastic, Scholastic Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #book #i hope this doesn't find you

[blues-valentine]

the new ships/couples for S4 (rina, jetney and madlyn) seem promising. rina was the only ship that made me feel some type of buzz but if delivered right jetney and madlyn can add another fun/teen age romance element to the show

You’re right, anon. I think the show developed some great potential couples on season 3 that if executed right can be so interesting. As I’ve said before, what set Rina apart from the other couples was that they didn’t feel like a Disney cookie cutter couple but more like a new teen age ship with a really good level of plot/angst.

I don’t know what status Maddox will have on S4 but it’s safe to say she’ll be there. To me, the show is building Madlyn to be a thing. I can see Maddox pinning a little on season 4 with Ashlyn being unaware of her own feelings. They were one of my favorite dynamics last season, them being a good slow burn has potential. Julia and Saylor worked so well and I wouldn’t waste it if I were the creators. I think it was well thought out that it was Val the one Ashlyn developed a crush on and not Maddox because it makes it easier to deal with because Val wasn’t someone tangible since she was a college student with another life so Maddox transferring to East High could create a very interesting dynamic.

Jet and Kourtney was a dynamic I didn’t expect but I’m so glad because I am obsessed. Howie wasn’t interesting and I can see them breaking them up off screen on season 4 so they can explore Jetney. For them, I imagine friends to lovers. Give me Jet having a huge puppy crush on Kourt and admiring her talent. Give me Jet embracing more of his threater self. Give them a duet because the best voices of the show. Give me Ricky and Jet being puppies because they both have two beautiful girls to impress.

Frankly, Rina, Madlyn, Seblos (althought I hope they give them a little more to do) and Jetney seems like a solid group of endgame couples.

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #gina porter #ricky x gina #rina #ricky bowen #hsmtmts season 3 #madlyn #maddox hsmtmts #ashlyn caswell #kourtney greene #jet hsmtmts #jetney #seblos #kourtney x jet #ashlyn x maddox #asks

[brightbeautifulthings]

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith

"He made it sound so simple--a girl there one moment, gone the next. But if this trip had taught me anything, it was that people didn't disappear. Things happened to them. Usually bad things."

Year Read: 2023

Rating: 2/5

About: Liv is the only scholarship student aboard the cruise ship, Eos, for an educational program called SeaMester that could be her ticket into a good college. The first night, her best friend, Will, becomes sick enough to be quarantined. The more days pass without hearing from him, the more convinced Liv becomes that something terrible is happening on the ship-- and that Will may no longer be aboard at all. As her paranoia increases, she fears that even the staff and her cohort may be part of a conspiracy of human sacrifices and old gods. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Delacorte Press. Trigger warnings: human sacrifice, abduction, injury, illness, gaslighting, classism, threats, bullying, underage drinking.

Thoughts: Everything about this, from the title and the description to the tentacles on the cover, said this book should have been for me. Watching The Beast (1996) as a kid with my dad instilled an early love in me for water monsters. Unfortunately, Those We Drown promises way more than it delivers. What little ocean horror we have is sadly underutilized, and the plot is much more focused on spiraling into paranoia and conspiracy than it is on diving into its world-building in any depth. By the time anything remotely full of teeth and tentacles appeared, not only did I no longer care, I had no idea what basis it even had for being there. Something something old gods and sacrifices. If you have a giant squid on the page and it doesn't attack anyone, what was even the point?

Instead, most of the page-time is devoted to Liv hating her rich cohort, obsessing about her ill-fated romance with Will, obsessing about yet another love/hate potential romance in Con, and chasing around increasingly ridiculous conspiracy theories. Does she have good reason for that? Yeah, absolutely. There is something nefarious aboard the Eos. But the reader came into the novel with that knowledge, and the whole is she being gaslit or is she genuinely unhinged cycle gets tired quick. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: paranoia is a difficult mood to sustain for any length of time, and it didn't endear me to Liv. Pull it together and have a little dignity, girl.

On a writing level, it reads like a first novel. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and the target YA audience probably won't be put off by it. Adult readers like myself might struggle a bit more. The descriptions are frequent and a bit forced, and there are some grammar and continuity errors. The first I can never help noticing (sentence fragments for days, and not as a style choice), but the second have to be glaringly obvious for me to pick up on them, since my general attitude is that time is more like a soup than a line. It makes Liv's character seem wildly inconsistent at times, though, when she walks into a glittering party going yes, this opulence suits me, to scorning it the next morning.

As I said, there's little coherent explanation of the supernatural elements, and the finale is left hugely open-ended, as if Goldsmith got so deep into her plot conspiracies that she couldn't write her way out of them. Given the complete lack of closure or explanation, I would say it reads more like the first book in a series than a standalone, but it's not billed or listed as such. Regardless, if books don't have plot closure, they should at least have thematic closure, or some general sense of why the readers and characters went through all of this. Those We Drown has none of those.

#book review #those we drown #amy goldsmith #ya horror #netgalley #delacorte press #2/5 #rating: 2/5 #2023

[darkdoverpseeker]

hey hey, 23+ looking for someone to play the worst, most vile man against my FtM oc in a MxFtM thread. i can go more in depth in dms but i am looking for dead dove 🕊️ elements such as mindbreak, nc/dc and (legal) age gaps, someone preferably old enough to be his father. forced feminization is also on the table for him but run it by me first. my guy's a bit flirty with everyone even though he's never done more than be kissed. i am begging for his dumbass to absolutely get his shit wrecked. it's pretty obvious this is smutfishing, but i would definitely love to further expand this fucked up romance. 🩸 general environment is a college setting, maybe your guy is a professor, and my guy is one of his students that he gets an unhealthy obsession with. idk, let's plot.

like if interested !

#oc x oc #fandomless rp #1 x 1 rp #spicy #dead dove #dead dove do not eat #m x m #m x ftm #18+

[thechanelmuse]

My Book Review

This book is...something. Sometimes when people give novels rave reviews that I end up feeling differently about, I close my book half-squinting in confusion and wonder "Is it me?" This time? Nah, it ain't me for a fact. It's them.

Here's the blurb:

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel. Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability. But be careful what you wish for. . . .

Feels all innocent and shit. Does it tug at your heartstrings?

Good things: I like the story within a story aspect of The Wishing Game that delivers a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-esque journey for adults filled with riddles and childlike wonder. A writing factory.

But, at the same time, 👀...there's some weird stuff going on here. Forget about the unpredictability within the story that aims to be a heartfelt, feel-good tale with serious themes of foster care and childhood neglect. For one, our 26-year-old main character, Lucy, displays an obsessive relationship with Christopher, who she longs to adopt, that readers may dismiss as inappropriate behavior because of the whimsical elements 🥴. Keep your lips to yourself and sit that boy in a chair.

And not to mention the budding romance between Lucy and Hugo, the illustrator of the fictional Clock Island series within this book...who first met when they were 13 and 25, respectively 🥴...and whom young Lucy found to be a "sexy punk artist" 🥴. I need you to understand this book has time jumps from past to present. *squints*

It ain't me. *bangs gavel*

SN: This is my 108th book this year.

#the wishing game #meg shaffer #book reviews #thechanelmuse reviews

[prpfs]

hey hey, 23+ looking for someone to play the worst, most vile man against my FtM oc in a MxFtM thread. i can go more in depth in dms but i am looking for dead dove 🕊️ elements such as mindbreak, noncon/dubcon and (legal) age gaps, someone preferably old enough to be his father. forced feminization is also on the table for him but run it by me first. my guy's a bit flirty with everyone even though he's never done more than be kissed. i am begging for his dumbass to absolutely get his shit wrecked. it's pretty obvious this is smutfishing, but i would definitely love to further expand this fucked up romance. 🩸 general environment is a college setting, maybe your guy is a professor, and my guy is one of his students that he gets an unhealthy obsession with. idk, let's plot.

like if you're interested and op will get back to you

#mxftm rp #oc rp #ocxoc rp #oc roleplay #fandomless rp #dead dove

[findroleplay]

hey hey, 23+ looking for someone to play the worst, most vile man against my FtM oc in a MxFtM thread. i can go more in depth in dms but i am looking for dead dove 🕊️ elements such as mindbreak, nc/dc and (legal) age gaps, someone preferably old enough to be his father. forced feminization is also on the table for him but run it by me first. my guy's a bit flirty with everyone even though he's never done more than be kissed. i am begging for his dumbass to absolutely get his shit wrecked. it's pretty obvious this is smutfishing, but i would definitely love to further expand this fucked up romance. 🩸 general environment is a college setting, maybe your guy is a professor, and my guy is one of his students that he gets an unhealthy obsession with. idk, let's plot.

.

#roleplay #oc rp #rp #original rp #fandomless rp #dead dove rp

[shyvisual]

Devlog #2: Game Intro + Character Intro: Tira!

Hi everyone! 

Today's devlog will be introducing the game and the main character: Tira! 

What is 'Runic Link'? 

Runic Link is an otome RPG made by a one woman dev team...team? Is there a singular form of team that works when talking about game dev? Heh. I've been a lifelong gamer, especially drawn to JRPG's and otome visual novels. As much as I love otome visual novels, I always wished for more gameplay in them! Playing JPRG's is great but 99% of them have stories involving a male main character and you can only romance female characters. Which of course is fine, but I wanted to make a game that is for those of us who would love to play a female character and romance the male characters. :D

After many iterations of Runic Link, I settled on making an old school style JRPG style game, mixed with the visual novel aspect of otome games! There will be two routes available to play, each with a different love interest and story. The bulk of the game will be going through the two character stories, with side quests available for additional gameplay. I'll talk about each of the individual gameplay elements in further updates!

The Story of 'Runic Link'

Runic Link follows the story of Tira: A university student who feels her dreams of another reality are real. She sets out to prove so, despite the relentless critiscm of her roommate and best friend, Devin. When she finally does find another world, will it be the one from her dreams? Or will her actions cause her to be thrown into a different version of reality? Will she first meet Matus; the magical boy on a quest to save his homeland from the oppressive forces of an evil sorceress, or Ashen; the mysterious, intimidating and loyal knight of that sorceress? Your choices will change Tira's fate! 

Character Intro: Tira!

Age: 22 Weapon: Claymore 

A university student determined to travel to other realities or worlds, a big dreamer yet prone to dark thoughts and easy depression. Tira lives in a luxury high rise apartment with her roommate Devin. An apartment they can barely afford... Also an obsessive plant mom, much to the annoyance of her roommate. 

Tira is a character I've been working on for many years, through all the iterations of the game.  Tira's final in game design can be seen above! She's quite different from previous designs, however some elements do remain. I wanted her to be a very feminine character, with somewhat of an ethereal beauty to her. This is what lead to the change in hair and eye colours from previous designs. 

Here's the old ones!

The first design was just a fun sketch, then she became a character in my game! The next 3 designs with pink hair were when I wanted her to be very magical girl. The last design was just a concept for an otome visual novel, where I stole Tira's original colour scheme for one of the boys I sketched out. The blonde, overly tan colour scheme was definitely not going to stick for the final game, hah. Not quite flashy enough for a main character!

That's all for this post! Next one I plan to show off a bit of the map progress. I'm also posting a devlog and additional things over on Tumblr and post on Twitter and Threads as well, if you'd like to follow there! 

Thanks so much for reading and hope you have a lovely day!

-Mandi

#game dev #indie dev #otome #otome game #otome dev #runic link #shy visual

[authentically-unreal]

Jujutsu Kaisen Live Rewatch Season 1 Ep 2

Since Season 2 has officially begun its release, I decided to rewatch Season 1 with all of the critiques and admiration that have developed since the shows conception.

Jujutsu Kaisen is a refreshing take on the shonen genre with seinen elements. The animation is amazing, the action is consistent, and the chemistry of the characters already challenges it predecessors. JJK also avoids some of the pitfalls of shonen such as the overuse of fan service, romance obsessed female characters, and unrealistic motivations.

Watching this episode, I remembered a critique someone shared that made them hesitate to finish the show. No judgement, I've writtmw off many an anime I've come to enjoy or even favor (My Hero Acadmeia and Naruto, for sure). Their problem? Yuuji is a "coerced" hero.

Now, I understand the moral conundrum of the forced hero who is pulled into a mess not of their making and has no choice but to deal with it, or face the consequence. Where's the consent? Is it heroic if someone else made the choice for them?

But by the 2nd episode, there are several examples of how Yuuji enthusiastically and determinedly accepted his new path to fight curses and save lives.

1. In episode 1, Yuuji jumps into the fight to save his friends with little hesitation. After his grandfather's death. He was committed to using his strength to help others. That motivation remained consistent throughout the series. He could have ran home or waited outside the school like Megumi told him. Instead, he tapped in and tapped ass. Then, he stayed to help Megumi.

He ate Sakuna's finger willingly in order to have the power to beat the curses. And he was agreeable to joining their cause when he was finally given an ultimatum which already aligned with his motivations.

2. Yuuji is tested to see how committed he is to being a jujutsu practitioner. It's not an easy life, and the typical shonen "I want to save people" does not fly with the senior sorcerers. They did not admit Yuuji as a student until he came up with his own reason to fight curses outside of someone final death wish. Because at the end of the day, he's the one who has to live with that decision.

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen yuuji #yuuji x megumi #live blog #anime #crunchy roll #shonen #gojo saturo #megumi jjk

[adxmparriish]

Book recs?

hi! I can absolutely give you some 🖤

if we were villains by m.l.rio — favorite book of all time, it’s dark academia with some mystery and thriller elements. seven students who study shakespeare find themselves trapped up in a murder and it’s fantastic. the prose is to die for. I can’t properly explain how much this book means to me, it literally rewired my brain chemistry.

stalking jack the ripper series by kerri maniscalco — this is a 4 book series following a couple who perform autopsies and try to solve murders. the main couple is FANTASTIC and has one of my favorite fictional men of all time. the banter and love declarations are to die for. there is also plenty of angst and gothic atmosphere, too! all around amazing series, and do NOT forget to read the novella!

the folk of the air trilogy by holly black — I will never shut the fuck up about this series. wicked boy meets monster girl in a battle for the crown of elfhame and it’s fucking phenomenal. jude and cardan are one of my favorite fictional couples but don’t go into this series expecting a full blown romance. there’s a lot of political conflict with a romance splashed in, but when you do get those moments, boy… they’re juicy. enemies to lovers done right.

the raven cycle series by maggie stiefvater — codependent teenagers love each other so much it makes me sick. that’s basically it. oh, and one of them is doomed to kill her true love when she kisses him. oh, and there’s tarot and a dead welsh king and boys who bring things back from their dreams and a magic forest and a girl with hooves and just. read this? please?

these violent delights by micah nemerever — it’s hard to explain this book accurately but two boys find themselves so deeply obsessed with each other and wrapped up in their own game and it leads to absolute insanity. this book is dark though, so be warned. definitely check trigger warnings.

six of crows duology — fantastic books set in the world of “shadow and bone” about six teenagers on a heist. you don’t HAVE to read shadow and bone first but i’d recommend it. there are slight spoilers for that trilogy and elements you may not understand if you don’t. but I love these characters so much more and this story is amazing. there’s diversity and romance and tragedy and just!!!! so much!!!

the locked tomb series — these books are IMPOSSIBLE to explain but trust me when I say they are AMAZING. it’s got necromancy and love in its purest form and complex story arcs and impossible scenarios and HUMOR, SO MUCH HUMOR, and just. I can’t recommend this series enough. I will say though, prepare to be confused a lot until the writer finally lets it all come together, because that’s just how the books are. I promise it’ll all make sense.

[unwelcome-ephestion]

It was Barricade Day on the 5th and 6th, and my obsession with Les Mis was rekindled so much that I went out and bought a ticket for tomorrow’s show... so in honour of that, let’s analyse my favourite song.

Drink With Me has four verses, as follows: 

Drink with me to days gone by

Sing with me the songs we knew

Here’s to pretty girls who went to our heads

Here’s to witty girls who went to our beds

Here’s to them and here’s to you

 Drink with me to days gone by

Can it be you fear to die?

Will the world remember you when you fall?

Could it be your death means nothing at all?

Is your life just one more lie?

 Drink with me to days gone by

To the life that used to be

At the shrine of friendship never say die

Let the wine of friendship never run dry

Here’s to you and here’s to me

 Do I care if I should die now she goes across the sea?

Life without Cosette means nothing at all

Would you weep, Cosette, should Marius fall?

Would you weep, Cosette, for me?

Initially, it feels like quite a long song that’s saying not very much. Four verses to say “we’re having a drink on the last night of our lives”? Seems overkill. But placed like this without character names etc., an interesting dynamic emerges. The first and third verses match - they are all imperatives sung by the group. The second and fourth match - they are all questions sung by individuals. (Eagle-eyed E/R fans will instantly spot that this mirrors Marius and Grantaire in their devotion - yes!). Until reading the layout like this, I always thought that Marius’s bit felt a little tacked on the end, pulling us away from the students and back into the romance plot. But actually, it’s vital to the students’ plot - because Marius and Grantaire are the only two students who acknowledge the possibility of death. The probability, even. The closest the others get are ‘never say die’. Marius and Grantaire, meanwhile, are joined so closely that their central all/fall rhymes match.

One of my biggest pet theories about the musical is that it uses Marius and Cosette throughout as a parallel for Enjolras’s devotion to Patria (and Eponine and Grantaire as further mirrors). Marius asks Cosette - will you weep when I die? Will you remember my devotion? Grantaire, more pessimistic, asks Enjolras (because this verse is almost always directed at Enjolras) - will the world weep for you? Will Patria remember your devotion? And the answer is given to us by Marius - yes. Just as we know Cosette will remember Marius, we know that the world will remember and honour the sacrifices made in the name of freedom. Les Mis itself, a paean in this element to Hugo’s own time in the June rebellion, is proof of this.

The juxtaposition of the student certainty to the loners’ (and lovers’) questioning makes it all the more heartbreaking for me. So too is the fact that Marius has to survive, because Cosette does, meaning the opposite is true for Grantaire. Patria will weep for Enjolras, but so will he.

It’s a phenomenal piece of writing, and one I love. A small song that does so much - and I’m so glad it has never been cut from the show in service of length (boo Tom Hooper!). 

#les miserables #les mis #claude-michel schoenberg #alain boublil #jean-marc natel #herbert kretzmer #victor hugo #drink with me #marius #enjolras #grantaire #cosette #patria #e/r