#📘 = fiction

[i-am-still-bb]

april 2024

01 - Americana by Luke Healy (5/5) 📙🌈

05 - The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (3/5) 🎧📘

09 - Weyward by Emilia Hart (3/5) 🅱📘🌈🎯

16 - The Fury by Alex Michaelides (4/5) 🅱📘🎯

22 - Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson (3/5) 📘

24 - The Unquiet Bones by Loreth Anne White (3/5) 🎧📘🌈

30 - Winter Palace by Dennis Jones (3/5) 📘

[ninja-muse]

2024 Release TBR

🏳️‍🌈 - queer MC     🇨🇦 - Canadian author    ⭐️ - BIPOC MC 📘 - have an ARC bold - newly added

The Secret History of Bigfoot - John O'Connor (travel/history) - February 6

Ending the Pursuit - Michael Paramo (sociology) - February 8

Tomorrow’s Children - Daniel Polansky (post-apocalypse) - February 27

The Baker and the Bard - Fern Haught (YA cozy fantasy) 🏳️‍🌈- March 5

The Tower - Flora Carr (historical fiction) 📘 - March 5

Parasol Against the Axe - Helen Oyeyemi (literary fiction) ⭐️📘- March 5

Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson (science fiction) ⭐️📘 - March 12

The Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis (cozy science fiction) 🏳️‍🌈 - March 19

The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones (horror) ⭐️ 📘- March 26

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances - Eric LaRocca (horror) 📘- April 2

Catchpenny - Charlie Huston (science fiction) 📘- April 9

The Proper Thing and Other Stories - Seanan McGuire (fantasy) - May 1

Plain Jane and the Mermaid - Vera Brosgol (YA fantasy) - May 7

Dreadful - Caitlin Rozakis (fantasy) - May 28

Tidal Creatures - Seanan McGuire (contemporary fantasy) - June 4

Echo of Worlds - M.R. Carey (science fiction) - 📘 June 25

Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle (horror) 🏳️‍🌈 - July 9

I Was a Teenage Slasher - Stephen Graham Jones (horror) - July 16 📘⭐️

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop - Emmeline Duncan (cozy mystery) - July 23

The Wordhunter - Stella Sands (mystery) - August 6

The Dollmakers - Lynn Buchanan (fantasy) - August 13 📘

Radiant Sky - Alan Smale (science fiction) - August 27

Buried Deep and Other Stories - Naomi Novik (fantasy/short stories) - September 17

Nightstrider - Sophia Slade (fantasy) 🏳️‍🌈- September 17

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society - C.M. Waggoner (fantasy) - September 20

Villain - Natalie Zina Walschots (superhero fiction) 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈 - October 1 suspect this has moved to 2026

The City in Glass - Nghi Vo (fantasy) - October 1

Swordcrossed - Freya Marske (fantasy) 🏳️‍🌈 - October 8

My Kind of Trouble - L.A. Schwartz (romance) - October 8

Shoestring Theory - Mariana Costa (fantasy) 🏳️‍🌈 - October 8

Sorcery and Small Magics - Maiga Doocy (cozy fantasy) 🏳️‍🌈 - October 15

We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord - Garth Nix (middle grade fantasy) 📘 - October 15

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door - H.G. Parry (fantasy) - October 22

Usurpation - Sue Burke (science fiction) - October 29

The Improvisers - Nicole Glover (historical fantasy) - November 5 ⭐️

Inkworld: the Color of Revenge - Cornelia Funke (middle grade fantasy) - November 12 📘

The Rivals - Jane Pek (mystery) 📘🏳️‍🌈⭐️- December 1 🏳️

[sunscreenstudies]

📚Bookish Asks📚

📕 What book has had the biggest impact on your life, and why?

📖Do you prefer physical books or e-books? Why?

💛How do you organize your bookshelves? By genre, author, color, or in a completely unique way?

���What quote from a book resonated with you deeply?

🤎Are you a one-book-at-a-time reader, or do you read multiple books simultaneously?

📝What fictional world would you love to visit and explore if given the chance?

💚Which book character do you relate to the most, and why?

📙What’s your favorite genre to read, and do you have any recommendations within that genre?

📑Hardcover, paperback, ebook, or audiobook? Which format do you prefer?

🤍Do you have any reading goals for this year? How are you progressing so far?

💙 What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation, and why?

📚Do you have a go-to reading spot or do you read everywhere?

❤️Who is your all-time favorite author, and what makes their writing so special to you?

🧾What is the most memorable book ending you’ve ever read? Did it leave you satisfied or wanting more?

💜What book did you initially not enjoy but ended up loving? What changed your perspective?

📗If you could have a conversation with any author, living or deceased, who would it be and what would you ask them?

🖤 Are there any book series that you’ve been meaning to start but haven’t gotten around to yet? Which ones are they?

📔Do you have any bookish rituals or habits that you follow before, during, or after reading a book?

🧡Is there a particular book cover that you find absolutely stunning? Share a picture or describe it!

📘Which classic book or author do you think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime, and why?

[stepswowdsen]

【FGO】 AnKia Meme 🩷💙🪷📘

AnKia Meme 🩷💙🪷📘

Credit to my friend Aya (@/slurpn00dles) for the 1st one for sending the meme and captioning it with Andersen and Kiara in the first place 💗

Did a quick meme edit LMAO. These feel very them

"You should be addicted to shutting the fuck up"

"You wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid"

This is a Sen-core ship trope tbh.

This is so many of my ships, it's crazy 😭😂

Classic Sen-core ship trope: Evil Meow Meow Mf with sadistic tendencies x Morally Questionable (or Morally Agreeable) person 🐈‍⬛😈🫡

Evil meow meow mf who gets mad/exasperated by their yapper S/O (CEO of yapology) who cannot stfu /pos

Kiara has been my no. 1 FGO wife and fave Fate femme character since 2019 💗💘💞 So I feel many things about them. I love their relationship. I love how heartfelt and tender their dynamic is, and their comedic bickering/banters 🥰🫶

Andersen loving Kiara, a monster, someone who's inherently doomed, who had no place to belong from the very start...

They're also insanely funny. Two mega tsunderes in a room, both insanely emotionally repressed, what are they going to do? /lh

They both have a very special relationship irt love, and a very personal connection with each other… They constantly bicker with each other, while having subtle ways of expressing care.

It's just so interesting to think about each of their own personal feelings, wishes & grievances about love...

Also, I love Narrative Opposites, but I'm also big on the "Seemingly Opposites, Deep Down So Similar" ship trope too <3

"Deep down, in a way you are like me"

Kiara is so unstable, dangerous, and deeply agonized... The horrific upbringing she had, and descent from "a human to a monster," which led to her developing these twisted views on what "salvation" and "love" is...

I'm just inherently drawn to these characters who crave the pure, genuine love that they've never known... She makes me so emotional for real 😭🥹 I love her with my whole heart 💗💘💞

Me: AYA LMAO

C: LOL

S: LMAOOOO

Me: Aya ty for your service 🫡

A: HAHA I REMEMBER SENDING THAT

I didn’t know if I wanted to say that because I wasn’t sure and didn’t wanna take credit

Me: Team effort 🤝✌️

A:

(X)

Misc Rambles

Side note

I've always been rather private about my interests mainly keeping them to private Discord servers with friends

But I want to talk more about my love for Kiara <3

Cuz I realized I don't post much of my FGO rambles here so I should start doing that.

AnKia and KiaKama's designs are so hard for me to draw for some reason... Hopefully I get good at drawing them one day 💗🙏

For now have this lil meme edit <3

...

So my fave taste in fictional charas is Meow Meow Mf ™️

"Meow meow mf" is an extremely specific character type that the majority of my top faves, including Kiara, fall under.

I named it myself cuz it's the no. 1 Sen-core character type

Meow Meow Mf: Morally Bankrupt and/or Morally Questionable Evil, (Optional: Black and White colour scheme), has sadistic and bloodthirsty tendencies, has emotional issues, is distanced from humanity and/or human social interactions in some way (estranged from normal people due to their childhood upbringing, or being non-human or divine, etc.) which gives their ego this "Sen-core quality"

I think the qualities of their arrogance and ego are what defines them as Meow Meow Mf.

My fave charas often operate on "Evil/Shadow/Darkness" or Yin/Yang and Light/Darkness principles (usually embodying one of, or both aspects)

I love my black cats and tux cats 🐈‍⬛🖤🤍

[edible-emerald]

gonna try and make a proper pinned post lmfao

LINK TO A THERIAN DISCORD SERVER THAT I OWN THAT'S SUPER COOL AND AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD JOIN

SYSCOURSE CODE: 👍/❤️🗯/📘/🔺🔶/🔵/🌘🌕/🟧/🌲/🌥️☀️/💭/🐊/🐌🐞/🐳

PLURAL CODE: ❓/❓/🔥/🌴/❓🐏/❓/⚡/ (We're still figuring a lot out)

A LOT OF THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE WE KNEW WE WERE PLURAL WE'LL UPDATE SOON I PROMISE MOST OF THIS APPLIES TO THE HOST

Howdy. You can call me Emerald, Calypso or Syren. My pronouns are she/they/xe/it. (Girlflux) Usually any are fine to use but they do fluctuate, so ask. Even if you use listed pronouns when I don't want you do I don't usually care all too much. I'm aromantic/asexual, possibly hypersexual, EXTREMELY romance repulsed, and a minor.

Because I am a minor, I ask that adults respect their own DNIs if they have that. If you don't, you may interact; but I get defensive, argumentative and anxious very easily, especially around adults.

Idk how I never added it but my mental disorders and disabilities are: ADHD (Diagnosed at age 9) Depression (Diagnosed at age 11) Social anxiety (Self diagnosed) Autism (Highly suspected/in the process of pursuing a diagnosis) Some sort of trauma disorder (Suspected, talking with my therapist about possible PTSD) OCD (Suspected) DID/OSDD (We're a sys(let) so the chances are relatively high, plus other symptoms)

We're desirdae! We use a lot of desirdae & dissomei labels, however some major ones are desirfakesui, desirpermateen, desirworsen, desirpermadaydream, and a few others.

On most websites I use the username edible_emerald, including discord and ao3.

Plurallet. I'm still figuring out this identity and questioning it so it's kinda a placeholder but keep that in mind. Simply plural is calypsoooo, if you friend me tell me your tumblr username when you do (I may decline sorry)

We're a Mixed Origin system! More specifically, Esogenic and our term, Hexabyssgenic. if you have a problem with it than block button is there for your convenience <3

I'm a therian, my theriotype is Northwestern wolf. I'm questioning Mermaid/selkie/siren and Lynx/wild feline, along with something winged. I’m also mermaidhearted and have other hearttypes that I’ve been too lazy to figure out but I will eventually

I post art sometimes

Also I like to write!! :3

I'm currently hyperfixating on MCYT, specifically KSMP, LSSMP, UU, Park/PVPciv, and Whitepine. Some previous hyperfixations include LU/TOTK/TLOZ, TOH, CSMP, KOTLC, TADC, HH, HB, MD, TOS (1 and 2), and chess. I write fanfiction a bit and you can find my writings on my ao3 account (edible_emerald)

I run a plethora of sideblogs, ask if you're curious

I can reclaim the slurs faggot, retard and tranny but I don't really use them very often, unless you talk to me in dms/discord than I do a little bit more lmfao

I will update this when I remember stuff lmao

I will try to respect your boundaries, but I may forget and accidentally misgender you, etc. Please correct me if I do! Also I tend to be petty a lot, so I will probably argue with people. If you'd rather I just leave it, you can let me know and I'll drop it. I'm too autistic to realize otherwise lmao

My only DNIs are that bigots and radqueers DNI. I also ask that Harry Potter and DSMP fans DNI *UNLESS* I interact first, then you're welcome to.

Also, astrothetherian supporters go the fuck away. We've been harassed by them and sent literal SA threats by them. If you think that's acceptable than stop pretending you care about trauma survivors BECAUSE WE ARE ONE.

As for my other DNIs, I don't have any, anyone can interact. You will want to keep in mind that I'm:

Pro endogenic/tulpamancer/willogenic systems

Neutral on the whole 'the term tulpamancy is cultural appropriation!' argument because i've seen different accounts from different people and some of them are Tibetan Buddhists and some of them aren't and idek what to believe atp

Pro self-diagnosing (with research)

Anti proship/conship <- shipcourse is really really stupid btw. Unless you say "fiction doesn't affect reality" i do not give a shit like at all. and if you respond "all proshippers think fiction doesn't affect reality" i will probably block you (unless we're moots) BECAUSE SHIPCOURSE IS STUPID AND I REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED.

Neutral on lesboys

Click the link below to help Palestinians in need. It's free and only takes a few seconds!

I really love these userboxes :3 below the cut is just a bunch more userboxes

[goodmorninglovelies42]

📘

So this is likely a very unpopular answer because people have strong feelings about kidfic, and I doubt I’ll ever get to this, but sometimes I think about established Roy/Jamie/Keeley finding out Jamie has a surprise kid from his post-Keeley, pre-return to Richmond days (because that was when he was at his most reckless).

Unclear how he finds out. My instinct is to have the mother die, because it makes the plot easier, but that seems unfair to the fictional mother and lightly misogynist.

But I love the idea of Jamie, who is absolutely wonderful with children, but who has such complicated dad feelings, coming to terms with being a dad. Learning to take the best of his mother and ignore the shit from his dad and incorporate it into his own parenting.

I love the idea of Roy, Jamie, and Keeley kind of all freaking out, because this is a huge change, but they know that they love eachother and they’ll make it work. How will Jamie parent, yes, but what are Roy and Keeley’s roles going to be? And how are they going to explain that to the kid.

Mostly I’m just a sucker for family fics and building the family you want, no matter how non traditional or odd it might seem to others.

[fictionadventurer]

🖋️, 🖍️, 🖊️, 📚 , 📘, and 📙, for the Inklings Challenge asks, please?

🖋️Which team are you hoping for?

It'd be fun to get Team Tolkien and complete the set, but I've also got Team Lewis and Team Chesterton ideas that I'm excited about.

🖍️Which of this year's theme/s do you find most challenging/least likely to try and incorporate?

"Warn the sinner" is the only one that I don't have a specific story idea for.

🖊️ If you’ve previously participated, has your preferred team changed? Or would you rather always end up on the same team?

The Team Chesterton genres have changed, which have changed my thoughts about the types of stories I'd write if I wound up on that team.

📚 If you’ve previously participated, have you ever been excited by which team you’ve ended up on?

I was hoping and praying and desperate to get on Team Lewis in 2022 because I was so excited about and so attached to a story idea I spent September developing--only to struggle through several different drafts and finally post a fourth draft that was only, like, a page or two that barely introduced the premise.

📘 If you’ve written multiple stories (finished or not) for the challenges, which is your favourite?

After The True Story, Fable is the most complete story, though I go back and forth about how I feel about the finished project (I'm currently very fond of it). Letters from Athelor might get second place; it remains an extremely intriguing opening, and I loved the story that would have been written. Unfortunately, at this point, I'm so unlikely to actually write it that I stole the name of the nation for a different fictional universe.

📙 If you’ve written multiple stories (finished or not) for the challenges, which is your least favourite?

I'm kind of embarrassed that I posted the unfinished draft of "The Sylph in the Storm" last year, and can't even bring myself to read it.

[just-emis-blog]

ABOUT

Howdy all! Just call me Emi🌺✨. I have been writing fiction and fanfiction since I was about 12 years old. I love stories that have elements of horror, found family, hurt/comfort and comedy, so it is likely you will see some if not all of these aspects in my own works. My goal with this blog is to meet new writer friends and engage in the writing community, as well as forcing myself to stay the course with my small and larger projects because, as I am sure we can all relate to, I have a tendency to procrastinate.

Updated: 10/29/24

Shorties 📘

My works that are 2000 words or less

Rabbit Simon is the last member of his team on a mission gone to hell, all the while he is haunted by their memories, and what got them in the first place.

The Okayest Adventures of Bunny Guy A series of shorts about an overworked and curmudgeonly vigilante and his (mostly) reformed villain boyfriend. Issue 3#

Short Stories 📚

My works that over 2000 words

Searching After being awoken in the middle of the night by the supposedly inactive lighthouse, Anthony Battaglieri thinks nothing of it until the following day, when he finds the small town of Soker is subjected to a mysterious ailment, that only he - as the only one unaffected - can figure out.

Seeing. Believing After a long day of studying at your school's library, you are more than ready to go home. However, things start to go awry, in a way you very much don't expect.

Currently Working On 📖🖋️

TOABG A series of shorts about an overworked and curmudgeonly vigilante and his (mostly) reformed villain boyfriend. Status: Bunny Guy and Plague Master's first meeting

Artificial Bonds Novel length. A sci-fi horror where the two main characters (best friends) are trying to escape a hellish facility, while one of the friend’s has a horrible secret that is slowly being unraveled during the course of their stay. Status: Outline, complete. Word Count, 2867

[i-am-still-bb]

june 2023

09 - She’s Gone by David Bell (3/5) 📘

16 - What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall (4/5) 📘🌈

20 - Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough (1/5) 📘

21 - The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean (3/5) 📘🌈

22 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (3/5) 🎧📘🌈

[mossyivy]

Blue = Requests 📘 = Started

One-Shots

• Leon x Reader argue (coworkers) (makeup sex) 🌶️

Drabbles

• N/A

Series

• My Wildflower (Outlined) (On Hold)

• Project Porphyria (Outlined) (On Hold)

• Redfield Reads (Whenever I get inspiration)

All content on this page is fictional and I do not condone the acts I enjoy in a fictional sense. I don't concent to my work being reposted or translated.

[navybrat817]

Seeing quite a bit of entitlement going around, lovelies. We don't need that in our inboxes. Don't need it on our dash. Shall we try and have some fun?

Fun Friday Asks!

💌 - Send a love letter for a blog.

🖊️ - Ask about part of the writing process

📘 - Ask about a posted fic or AU

🥵 - Send a thot about a fictional character

🥰 - Send some fluff about a fictional character

😈 - Send something a little dark about a fictional character

🎤 - Tell me something good! Anything good that happened recently. All the good vibes.

For the character asks besides my normal Seb and Evans characters, that includes "newer" characters like Jax Teller, Raymond Smith, William Miller, König, Ghost, etc.

Lovelies, feel free to reblog and encourage your readers and followers to play! ❤️

[pinespittinink]

🎭 THE GREAT GLAVENISEAN THEATER BETA CALL 🎭

It’s here! The time has come! With a complete and polished first draft, I am looking for betas to give reader feedback on TGGT. What I am looking for primarily are thoughts and reactions to the plot, characters, and relationship dynamics, and not line editing/grammatical work.

Before we go any further, here are the basics~

📕genre: speculative fiction in the vein of The Night Circus (fantasy elements in a historical setting) 📗audience: adult 📘wordcount: 94k 📙wip tags: #the great glavenisean theater #tggt excerpt (where you can view writing samples mostly from tag games) 📖summary: 

When Morgan arrives in the infamous City of Spires with his twin sister, the last thing he expects is to be swept up in a glittering world of velvet curtains, beaming lights, and gleaming interdimensional portals in the belly of the stage of the Great Glavenisean Theater. Thank goodness for Zachary, who’s lived his entire life in the rigging and knows the ins and outs of the theater better than anyone—anyone, except maybe Ariel, the ethereal prima donna. But someone—or something—is creeping around the theater causing dissent, and the longer Morgan spends in the theater as their new seamster, the more he suspects that Ariel isn’t of the same plane as the rest of them—that maybe, they came out of the portal one night and have yet to go back.

If you want to see if my writing style is for you, you can read the first chapter of TGGT here, (thank you very much to @theskeletonprior for formatting this!). The version of this chapter in the beta draft has undergone some minor alterations, but it’s nearly identical. The gist of it is all the same. 

Content warnings are available upon request, though I can safely assure you that there is little to nothing in TGGT that would be found outside a PG-13 movie. Gore and explicit sexual content is absent. It is friendly to teen readers, though this book is absolutely adult and not intentionally geared toward a YA audience.

If you’re interested, go ahead and fill out the google form here, and I’ll be in touch with you shortly!

ꕥ  ꕥ  ꕥ  ꕥ

TGGT taglist 🎭 Ask to be added or removed!: @sentfromwolves​ @cabaretofwords​ @antique-symbolism​ @muddshadow​ @florraisons​ @flowerprose​ @bebewrites​ @hysteriwah​ @the-void-writes​ @carrotblr​ @tananaphone​ @mr-writes​ @monstrousfreedom​ @phantomnations​ @inkingfireplace​ @saphoblin​ @theskeletonprior​ @midnight-and-his-melodiverse​ @perasperaadastrawriting​

[beloved-daydreams]

Folktober2023 Prompt: "Coraline AU" 🚪🍷

An attempt by

Hosted by @jurdannet and @jurdannetrevels

📘 1 400+ words

😎 Characters: Cardan, AU "human" Jude, Jude

✒️ Tags: drunk Cardan, silly, sweet, hallucination (?)

📢 Summary: Cardan finds a mysterious door while drunk and decides to walk in. What he didn’t expect though, is that on the other side he’d end up in the human world, meeting a Jude that grew up there and has no knowledge of Faerie. A silly conversation ensues.

✏️✏️✏️

Cardan had made it past a mysterious door in the palace. He had never seen it before though, maybe he was just so drunk out of his mind that he had imagined it. Yet past the door, there was the human world. Okay. Well now there’s no doubt about it, not only is he drunk, he’s also high off his ass.

The door behind him had disappeared. Now, how to make it back?

As he was quietly freaking out, a girl appeared out of the not so dark shadows of the human world (because of the light pollution) and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yo, you good?"

The girl looked exactly like Jude, well, aside from not having a missing finger. But somehow he could still feel that this was Jude, not Taryn. She was wearing jean shorts, high boots that ended just under her knees and a huge red and black sweater that had a stylized "Brooklyn" print on the back. She looks like what Jude would’ve looked like had she grown up in the human world away from Faerie, Cardan thinks.

"...Jude?"

At his question, the girl looked surprised.

"Yeah? Sorry. Do we know each other?"

Cardan blinks. The very "overly-human" looking Jude blinks.

"Uh you just seemed really lost there, and it’s late. Oh wait, I know. You must be someone from my school, right? I’m really sorry, I’m bad at memorizing faces and names… Though with how handsome you are, I’m surprised I forgot."

Cardan has no idea how to react or even what to say. Should he even say anything, actually? She looks him up and down, almost scrutinizing his clothes before something seems to click in her brain.

"Ooooh so you’re like, cosplaying, right? Nice. What character?"

Under the streetlights, despite not being his Jude, this Jude is also incredibly lovely and pretty. Oh well. If this is a dream then Cardan will at least enjoy himself, why the heck not. What is she talking about? Cosplay? Cardan digs his mind and remembers his nephew Oak desperately trying to explain to him some human words and terms. He’s pretty sure cosplaying was something like a roleplay.

"Um. I’m Cardan. Cardan Greenbriar from…" He pauses. If he were from a story what would the name of the book even be? "...I suppose The Queen of Swords would be the title." Jude blinks at his peculiar way of phrasing his answer but she shrugs it off. When Cardan had first read Alice in wonderland, Alice seemed to obviously be the Jude of the story. Now, knowing her better, she might actually be the Queen of Hearts. Though swords might fit her better.

The Jude from the human world hums.

"Never heard of it. Sounds like a fantasy type of story though, with like- love, war and betrayal. Lots of frustrating betrayals that end in more wars, then more love."

Cardan laughs awkwardly. Why is she nailing this? This Jude’s fiction literacy must be high, unlike his Jude who’s less interested in books than scheming. She then asks for his real name, in a panic, since he cannot lie on his identity, he asks her to call him by his "cosplay name" whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean. Hornless Jude laughs at his dedication to the character. Then they walk, she explains how he must sober up so she can lead him home to safety.

"Why don’t you think about your safety first, Jude?"

The girl looks up to the starless sky.

"Hmm. I’ll be fine, I’m familiar with the surroundings. Also…" She punches the air in a couple of swift motions. "I’m trained in MMA! Pretty cool, right?"

Cardan’s confused at whatever those letters mean, unfortunately Jude takes his confusion as disbelief.

"Oh come on, I’m serious! I know it doesn’t look like it because my sweater is hiding my upper body but- Agh. I’ll just show you!"

She takes the sweater off, revealing her abs and firm arms. She was only wearing a sports bra underneath… Cardan is unsure if checking out this Jude would be cheating but he can’t help himself. Satisfied with how the boy looks bewildered, crownless Jude puts her sweater back on.

"See? Anyway. I don’t know what you were smoking but it’s gotten you high as fuck bud. Still can’t remember where you live?"

Cardan shakes his head since he can’t open his mouth to lie. He does remember where he lives with his awesome and hot wife but he’s not sure how to make it back.

"I’ll be fine. There’s no need for you to lead me anywhere, I’ll find my way back once I’m sober."

"Uh-huh. You say that but you were getting high. Alone. In an empty street while cosplaying some ethereal elf prince."

"King now. Not prince."

"Gee, sorry." Very human Jude rolls her eyes with a smile on her lips. She must be thinking that the guy is cringy for committing to the bit so hard. Nonetheless she’s amused by this encounter as well. Cardan looks at her relaxed smile in awe, he wishes he could also make his Jude smile like this. Unfortunately, his Jude is much more difficult and shy with her smiles.

"... And you know, that King has a very amazing wife. Thus the title."

"So the wife is the main character?"

"Mh-hm. She wields a sword and is skilled in the arts of war. And she rose to power in a land where she didn’t belong at first."

Hornless Jude whistles.

"She sounds like a badass."

Now that’s a word Cardan knows. Again, thanks to Oak but this one was way easier to grasp and remember.

"She is."

"Is the King any good then?" She asks half-mockingly, yet her tone is gentle.

Cardan ponders.

"He’s… a great pillow to sleep with."

"Wooow."

"A clever and funny boy."

"Uh-huh. And let me guess: he’s fun at parties?"

"Oh, absolutely. He’s the King of revels."

"So, with a bit of an alcohol problem? It checks out."

"It checks uh- yes?"

Cardan is not sure what checks exactly, all he knows is that the alcohol problem is in fact there and oftentimes, the only way for him to not drink at all in a day is to make a promise to Jude after she scolds him about it. His Jude. Now that he thinks about it, just before he walked through that door wasn’t he drinking again?

A voice rings out in his head. Cardan Cardan Cardan. He looks at crownless Jude and his vision blurs.

The next time he opens his eyes, he’s lying on his bed, probably looking like he’s completely out of it while Jude is calling out for him, slapping his cheeks not so gently and tugging at his clothes. Probably trying to take them off so he can sleep tight.

"Cardan." Jude utters, clearly unimpressed by his sorry state.

"My Jude!" Cardan cries out happily as if he hasn’t seen his wife in days, despite him literally dreaming of her any day she might not be home in his arms. But there she is.

"God. I was gone for only a day and one night, is it really so unbearable to be without me that you absolutely need to get drunk?"

"Ahaha, you have no idea!"

She rolls her eyes, exactly like the Jude in his dreams. My recollections of her are so accurate. Cardan tells himself, proud of his visions and vivid manifestations of her. Needily, he pulls his beautiful wife towards him.

"Come here…" His eyes are sparkling over the haziness, no matter his state, Cardan always lights up at the sight of his wife in front of him. Jude thinks he’s silly but enjoys it nonetheless. Giving up, she joins him.

"You have an alcohol problem, Cardan, please try to cut down on it."

"Yesss anything for you, Queen of swords. But oh- Whenever will you call me by a sweet nickname???"

Jude laughs under her breath at how ridiculously cute her husband is.

"Yes yes hubby. Anything for the King of getting shitfaced."

Cardan snuggles in his wife’s arms and an image of the other Jude flashes in his mind. I’m trained in MMA! Pretty cool, right? It’s a comforting thought to believe that a Jude who would grow up in the human world would also have arms as strong as his Jude. But still, this is truly home and she belongs here. Not anywhere else, not in a world where he wouldn’t have been able to meet her.

✏️✏️✏️

That moment when you realize that this fic is just Cardan bragging about his wife... to his wife from another world 😂 God this is just- well, it’s so very Cardan.

And don’t forget: If you’d like to decrease the amount of my sad girl hours, please consider leaving comments/tags! 💖

[goodwomanbadlady]

I started watching NYE on YouTube to try and escape everything and stop doom scrolling. I am sitting here absolutely sobbing over the library scene.

I grew up very much in a library. My aunt was head librarian for 40 years. We had family dinners in the meeting room. We were allowed to check out books when the library technically wasn't open. I knew then how lucky we were. Not lucky in many other respects, but in that I knew we were.

I'm seriously trying not to imagine my country without that. I know that what we are facing is so much more than that. It's people's lives. It's a possible dictator regime. The people that chose that potential future weren't the ones taking advantage of libraries. They couldn't have been. A library opens your eyes not just to the endless other worlds out there, both fictional and not. It opens your eyes to your community. To the people who are different from you but share commonalities like where you call home. I can't imagine someone actually going to our local library regularly and seeing all the people who live here and hating them.

But I know they do. I've seen the unhoused around our library and the ugliness they received both from the public and our pigs. I've seen the looks people give to those with a different melanin or culture. Never a word spoken but the resentment of people for just existing. And I think to myself, how? How do you share a community and read/watch/learn about other people's lives and not recognize the same in your neighbors?

Recently, I was considering downsizing my personal library to spread for others. Now, I have to protect them for our future. I have an entire fiction collection written to address how to cope with grief. I thought I didn't need them anymore. Now I think they'll be needed by many.

Y'all, I'm sorry this post is so hard. I live in a red state. I live in a college town with so many different people. We've already lost people to this. Please please please don't give up. Hell, reach out and we can commiserate and then build each other back up.

Gonna go try to watch some more now. If you got this far, thanks for listening/reading. 🫂 📙📘📗📓📕📔📖

[dearearlyarchaeologists]

my favorite fictional archaeologist 2/? 📘🪛

[turning-pages-seeking-sages]

📖✨ Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

August 2024 Edition

📕 The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Fantasy/Mystery | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) A complex mystery unfolds in a world where magic is part of everyday life, forcing detectives to unravel the truth behind a series of high-profile murders. Review: A delightful mix of Attack on Titan, political intrigue unraveled by an autistic Sherlock Holmes-like character and a queer magically-augmented dyslexic sword-wielding sidekick.

📗 The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo Historical Fiction/Fantasy | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) Set in 19th-century Malaysia, this tale weaves folklore with history as a woman discovers the magical secrets of an ancient spirit. Review: A beautiful tale of grief, love, magic, and myth that kept me thoroughly engaged.

📘 The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell Historical Fiction | ★★☆☆☆ (2/5) This novel explores the violent and turbulent times of England’s Viking invasions through the eyes of a dispossessed nobleman. Review: Uhtred is a Mary Sue and I don't know why more people don't call it out.

📙 Fifth Sun by Camilla Townsend Non-fiction/History | ★★★★★ (5/5) An enlightening account of Aztec history, told from the perspective of the Mexica people themselves, challenging commonly accepted narratives. Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan on reading more historical nonfiction about Ancient Mexico.

📕 Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Contemporary Fiction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) A multi-generational family drama unfolds as siblings discover hidden truths about their mother’s past and inheritance. Review: This book landed a few emotional punches, and I was not prepared.

📗 Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas Horror/Historical Fiction | ★★★★☆ (4/5) In 19th-century Texas, a young healer battles supernatural forces as the undead rise against the living. Review: I enjoyed the historical context of the backdrop but I wish there was more healing magic and horror.

📘 Slewfoot by Brom Horror/Fantasy | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) A Puritan widow in colonial New England makes a pact with a forest spirit to reclaim her land, but dark forces are at play. Review: It had promise but the pacing was off and Abitha made some infuriating choices.

📙 Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson Fantasy | ★★☆☆☆ (2/5) In a world of magical seas, Tress sets out on a perilous journey to save her friend, navigating dangerous waters and an evil sorceress. Review: I tried to read this book at least three times, but it just didn't click with me.

📕 Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist Fantasy | ★★★★☆ (4/5) A family moves into a rural house, only to find themselves entangled in an ancient faerie conflict that threatens their world. Review: Eerie and oddly nostalgic, this book reads more like a movie.

🔮 Reading Challenge Progress:

2024 Book Reading Challenge: 45/52 Progress: 87%