#(an excellent series btw you should check it out)

[percabethconvos]

Percy: Every night I dreamed at the Wolf House I dreamed about you.

Percy: Every night.

Percy: When I dreamed about camp, you were there, reading a book, working on one of your projects, but always there with me.

Percy: And I knew that everything was just the way it should be, do you understand?

[angel-sweets666]

Stuck together

Barbarian prince! bakugo katsuki x princess! Reader(fem)

Your parents arranged you to the brash and rude prince of the barbarians to save their own skin. warnings and stuff inside of the story: talks of virginity, talks of a virginity check (its accurate to the time period ok?) a/n should I make this a series? I think it’d be fun but idk ur rich btw so just like there’s rich stuff. Btw if I do make this a series(this is a sneak peak) it’ll be a slow burn

full version here

AGED UP

Mitsuki leaned back, her piercing gaze fixed on your parents. "So, what do you say? You give us your daughter, and we'll form an alliance," she proposed, pausing for their response. "It would offer protection from the Todoroki kingdom Flamoria, no?" The blonde woman smiled at your father, trying to sway him.

Your mother hesitated. "I mean, I dunno…"

"We'll do it," he interrupted, cutting off your mother.

"Huh?!" Your mother turned to him, shock evident on her face.

"Perfect. Sign here," Mitsuki said smoothly, handing them a piece of paper. It was a betrothal agreement, arranging the marriage between you and her hot-tempered son, Bakugo.

Your father reached for the pen, the gravity of the situation pressing down on him. "This will secure our safety and ensure a powerful ally," he murmured, almost convincing himself as much as anyone else.

"But our daughter…" your mother started, her voice filled with concern and disbelief. She looked at Mitsuki, then back at your father, torn between the political necessity and the love for her child.

"We don't have a choice," your father replied firmly, signing the paper. "This alliance is crucial for our kingdom's survival. The Empyrean empire is strong.”

Mitsuki's smile widened as she took the signed document. "Excellent. You won't regret this. Bakugo will make a fine husband, many heirs will come from this, she is a virgin right?” The blonde asks “we can get her checked for it, *name* was very sheltered growing up so we can assure you she’s a virgin.” Your father explains, leaning back in his own chair. His gaze turns to your mother, who seems distraught about marrying off her child to the barbarian prince. Someone famous for being a violent person.

at 17 years old bakugo had brought back the head of a powerful tribe leader and put it on a stick for everyone to see, at 18 years old he had gathered a small army of men and defeated the midoriya kingdom and had a bloody cloak from the one of the dead soilders to prove it. Then at 20 years old bakugo had forced izuku, the Feywood king to surrender his crown. Which put feywood in the empyrean empire. No one knows where izuku midoriya currently is, all the people know is that he was last scene getting dragged by his green locks by bakugo and was never seen again.

Later on

“YOU ARRANGED ME TO WHO!?” You screamed, staring at your parents in complete horror. How could they do this to you? You make one wrong move and your own husband would order your death! “Look it’s not so bad..” “NOT SO BAD? HES KILLED HUNDREDS! THOUSANDS EVEN” “He won’t kill you though!” Your father exclaimed, An attempt to calm you. “Look, bakugo may seem like a man killing war machine of a prince but his parents assured us that he’s very gentle with women.” You scoffed, leaning your weight to one hip “bullshit. He’s gonna kill me.”

Over the next few weeks, you tried everything to call off the arrangement. You attempted to run away before the virginity check, feigned illness, and concocted elaborate excuses. Nothing seemed to work. Your parents were resolute, insisting that you marry Katsuki Bakugo for the strength of their own kingdom.

Lying in bed, you tossed and turned, unable to escape the looming dread of marrying the great, scary barbarian prince, soon to be barbarian king. What if he rips your head off just because you refuse to give him a kiss? The thought made your heart race with fear.

Suddenly, a knock on the door snapped you out of your spiraling thoughts. A maid entered, her eyes downcast. "Your Highness? Tomorrow we will wake you early to help you begin packing for the travel to the Empyrean Kingdom," she said softly, her voice trembling as she tried to avoid any kind of trouble.

You groaned and turned your head toward her. "When am I being sent to them?" you asked

"U-uh, most likely the day after tomorrow," the maid stammered, clearly uneasy with your distress.

You sighed deeply, feeling the weight of your impending fate settle even heavier on your shoulders. "I see… thank you," you muttered.

You looked back at the red headed maid “How far is the journey?” You asked her softly, she fidgeted with her fingers “a-about two days, they live f-far from our kingdom your highness” she stammered. You smiled to the red head and dismissed her.

As she left you stared at the ceiling, your mind racing. The thought of being married off to someone you had never met, someone with a terrifying reputation, filled you with a sense of dread and hopelessness. Your parents decision felt like a betrayal, a sacrifice of your happiness for the supposed greater good of the kingdom

You stood in the corner of your large room, watching as numerous servants took gowns, corsets, shoes, and other clothing items, placing them into bags. "U-uh, don’t barbarians wear less formal clothes? Shouldn’t I bring less?" you asked the maids. All of them turned to look at you, a hint of surprise on their faces.

"Her Highness makes a point," the same red-headed maid from the night before whispered to an older maid. The older maid, seemingly more experienced, turned toward you with a thoughtful expression.

"You're right, Your Royal Highness. They would probably end up burning these clothes or turning them into barbarian-styled garments," she conceded.

You sighed, your shoulders dropping in resignation. "What do barbarian women wear?" you asked the older maid, hoping for some clarity.

"Hm… flowy skirts, I’ve seen a few wear headdresses," she replied, as some of the gowns were hung back up in the closet. The maids began to sift through your belongings, selecting items that might be more appropriate for your new life.

As you watched the process, you couldn’t help but glance out the window. Your mother and father were walking in the garden, deep in conversation. They seemed so in love, so perfectly matched, yet they were throwing you into a marriage that promised nothing but misery. The contrast between their happiness and your dread was almost unbearable.

"Your Highness, we’ll pack lighter, more practical clothing for your journey," the older maid reassured.

"Thank you," you murmured, though your heart wasn't in it. The thought of being dressed in unfamiliar clothes, adapting to an unknown culture, and being wed to a man you feared only added to your anxiety.

As the servants continued their work, you wandered over to your bed, sinking down onto the edge. The weight of your impending departure pressed down on you, making it hard to breathe. You had grown up surrounded by luxury and love, and now you were being sent away, to marry probably the most violent man you’ve ever heard of

Tears welled up in your eyes as you thought about the future that awaited you. Would you ever find happiness in the Empyrean Kingdom? Would Katsuki Bakugo, the fierce and terrifying prince, ever come to care for you, or would you be nothing more than a means to an end?

"Your Highness, is there anything else you would like us to pack?" one of the younger maids asked, her voice gentle.

You shook your head, wiping away a stray tear. "No, just… make sure to leave out a few comfortable things for me to wear until we leave."

"Of course, Your Highness," she replied, her expression sympathetic.

As the maids continued their preparations, you lay back on your bed, staring up at the white ceiling. You tried to find comfort in the familiar surroundings, knowing that soon you would be leaving them behind.

"So, what's the barbarian kingdom like?" you asked, looking over to the maids. The older maid once again turned her head to look at you.

"Most of the people live in either big wooden houses with all sorts of weapons around or in these hut-like tent things. Either way, they have all these symbols painted on them," she described, clearly having been to the Empyrean Kingdom before.

"And what about the Bakugos? Where do they live? You asked

"They live in a stone castle with intricate paintings on it, and there's a lot of security. The last time I was there, they had spikes on the bridge leading to the castle, with people's heads mounted on them," the old maid replied,

"How long ago were you there?" you asked, feeling a chill run down your spine at the gruesome detail.

"When the young prince was about fifteen, so around five years ago," she said, placing one last corset into a bag.

You glanced at the six bags of items packed for your journey, feeling a mix of relief and trepidation. It was a smaller amount than you had anticipated, yet it seemed to signify the end of one life and the beginning of another.

"Did you meet the prince?" you asked, trying to glean any information that might help you understand the man you were to marry.

"Briefly," she replied, her expression softening. "He was intense, even as a teenager. Always training, always pushing himself. But there was a sadness in his eyes, a loneliness."

You sighed, trying to reconcile the image of the fierce, terrifying prince with the glimpses of vulnerability the maid described. "And the people there? How are they?"

"Fierce, proud, and loyal," the older maid said. "They value strength above all else, but they also have a deep sense of honor and community. If you earn their respect, they'll defend you with their lives."

The more you learned, the more daunting your future seemed. Yet, there was a strange comfort in knowing that the barbarian kingdom, despite its harsh exterior, had its own codes and values.

As the maids continued their work, you tried to imagine what life in the Empyrean Kingdom would be like

"Is there anything else I should know?" you asked, your voice softer, almost hesitant.

The older maid paused, considering your question. "Just remember, Your Highness, that if you respect them and they’ll respect you."

Her words resonated with you, giving you a small but vital sense of empowerment. You nodded “alright, seems easy enough..”

The day that you needed to travel to the empyrean kingdom came, your parents watched you walk from

The ride to the Empyrean Kingdom was grueling. As the carriage rattled over uneven roads, you gazed out the window, the lush greenery of your homeland gradually giving way to the rugged, bushy landscape of the barbarian territory. The closer you got, the more your anxiety grew, each kilometre bringing you closer to the empyrean land

When you finally arrived at the castle, you were struck by its threatening look. The stone walls were decorated with weird red painted symbols, and the spiked bridge, as described by the maid, loomed menacingly ahead. Your heart pounded as you stepped out of the carriage, taking in the harsh surroundings.

A group of stern-faced and very attractive guards escorted you inside. The castle's interior was as intimidating as its exterior—dimly lit, with weapons and trophies of past battles displayed prominently on the walls. You felt a shiver run down your spine as you were led through the cold halls

Finally, you were brought to a large chamber where a tall, muscular figure stood with his back to you. His spiky blonde hair was unmistakable. As he slowly turned to face you, his piercing red eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that made you want to look away.

he was tall and about 6ft with messy blonde hair, scars all over his body and face, and peircing

"So, you're the princess they sent," Katsuki said, his voice dripping with disdain. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, his expression one of barely concealed annoyance.

You straightened your back, meeting his gaze with as much confidence as you could muster. "I am," you replied, trying to keep your voice steady.

Bakugo scoffed, looking you up and down as if to check if you were just a weak small baby or strong enough to be a wife and a queen “Great. Another weakling to babysit," he muttered under his breath.

Anger formed within you at his dismissive attitude. "I am not a weakling," you snapped. "And I am certainly not here to be babysat."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "We'll see about that," he said, turning away from you. "Follow me. There's no point in wasting time."

You clenched your fists, biting back a come back to insult him with as you followed him through the castle. Every step echoed in the vast, cold corridors.

Bakugo led you to a large hall where a group of people—presumably his advisors and some of the castle staff—were gathered. He introduced you curtly, barely sparing you a glance as he did so. The looks you received ranged from curiosity to outright hostility, they clearly didn’t want you here. Just like the old maid back had home had warned, these people hated the weak.

After the introductions, Bakugo dismissed everyone, including you. "You'll be shown to your chambers. Don't get in my way," he said, the blonde clearly trying to end the conversation between you two before he could get sucked into some conversation he didn’t waht

You followed a servant to your chambers, a mix of anger and sadness within you. The room was surprisingly comfortable, a stark contrast to the rest of the castle, but it did little to lift your spirits. You sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the weight of your new reality settle over you.

Over the next few days, you tried to find your place in the castle. The people were distant and wary, their lack of trust clear in their every interaction with you. And Bakugo… he was even worse than most . He ignored you most of the time, and when he did speak to you, it was with a cold, dismissive tone that made your blood boil. He always had a tone of sass, trying to get under your skin constantly.

as the days grew closer and closer to your wedding date he seemed to just get more and more annoying, constantly having some tone of sass. Never wanting to talk to you and constantly flirting with your maids

oh you are so done with his bullshit

[liesmyth]

All your TLT posting is making me questioning if I should try it.. The only thing i'm worried is that I don't want to start a series and then finding out in the third bookthat the author made the antiheroic genderbent mao protagonist throw the metaphorical atomic bomb on the japanese because the author is an american descendent of a Chang Kai Shek general and wanted to absolve the yankees to grant herself a career (it worked greatly). So should i still try TLT as an olde commie? Love your blog btw, please continue reblog all those TLT fan art they look great! Thanks!

whew lowkey glad I couldn't get past the first book in that other series. anyway *clears throat*

If you like LESBIANS, Locked Tomb is the fandom for you. If you like BONES and FAILWOMEN and ARE ANGRY AT GOD, Locked Tomb is the fandom for you. If you like BAD JOKES and SHITTY MEMES, we have those in spades. If you love EXCELLENT FANART and DIVORCES that last TEN THOUSAND YEARS and LOCKED ROOM MURDER MYSTERIES, if you think EVIL COUGARS are SEXY, if you think PLUTO totally COUNTS as a PLANET, Locked Tomb is the fandom for you!!!!

[here's the rest of the tlt manifesto on ao3, podficced by @/wilfriede ]

On a serious note! I think TLT is definitely informed by leftist politics, and it has many themes that lend themselves to juicy interpretations on top of a really meaty worldbuilding and characterisation. Also the fanart SLAPS. And if you read the books you can check out my fics which, not to brag, are some of the weirdest I've ever written! featuring such tropes as: "bodyswapped man sucks his own dick" "vagina dentata" "ritual sex to have a baby during a mass death event" "in-universe academia" and "orphan girl meets her parents for the first time and they suck"

tldr please read the locked tomb <3

[beforeiread-studies]

studyblr masterpost jam Day 1: Intro

(Read more about the challenge here)

My focus will be Korean learning, because even if it's not exactly my field it's all I'm obsessed about currently (21 days until I move to Seoul) and it is surprisingly difficult to identify good resources, maybe because there are so many of them.

Some info about me. I'm a native Italian-speaker. I learned English in high school basically by myself and have studied various languages since without reaching fluency. I started learning Korean 6 months ago and I have made some very good progress, in my opinion. I'm currently between A2 and B1, a high beginner.

So these posts will mostly be useful to beginners.

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how would you describe this topic to someone who has never heard of it? Korean is a language mostly spoken in South Korea and North Korea and studied by people all around the world who fell victim to the Hallyu Wave, ie Korean music, Korean TV series, Korean food. (I am personally a kdrama stan)

what careers are available? other than the "i got sold to bts" variety, learning Korean will open a whole new world of job possibilities for you. First of all, you'll be able to move to Korea more easily and find a job there, I guess? You could become a translator or interpreter (if AI doesn't destroy the field before)

what professional organizations/conferences are big? JYP. Big Hit Entertainment. jk, you should check out the King Sejong Institute

what journals do academics publish in? Naver Webtoon. Also the King Sejong Institute.

what are the big questions, goals, or challenges? Why did Koreans feel the need to create so many sentence endings? Also, what's the difference between 오 and 어 and why do they sound the same to me?

what are the sub-fields/sub-topics/areas of specialization? Few people realize that learning a language is actually 4 different sub-fields: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Being perfect at one doesn't mean you are perfect at all the other either. Improving in one will improve the others (maybe). You should also remember that knowing all 4 of them is not a requirement and depends entirely on your goals. If all you want is to read webtoons in Korean, it doesn't matter if your listening skills suck.

btw, if you are wondering "I'm listening and reading Korean stuff all the time! Why do I still suck at speaking??", it's because you did not practice speaking, sill. Input and output are 2 totally different things and you should dedicate time to both (if you want to excel at both).

what are some resources for learning about the field itself? If you'd like to learn more about language learning, please watch this TEDx by Chris Lonsdale, "How to learn any language in six months". I agree with most of what he says about language acquisition and I more or less follow this method.

[sitp-recs]

For honesty hour, how do you decide what to read? There is so much out there and constantly getting added to and only so much time to read and deal with life so how do you decide?

I feel you, the struggle is real 😔 I miss the good old days when I had enough time and energy to pull all-nighters and explore the Drarry tag or venture into 100k+ fics as if it was nothing!

I think the best way to deal with such a massive fandom like Drarry is learning about your fic preferences, and learning how to curate your reading. There are a few strategies I put in place that work for me, like relying on recs from my friends with similar tastes, prioritizing the fics I already have on my “marked for later” list, perusing through my favourite author’s Tumblr or AO3 bookmarks. Again, these work for me but imo anyone can and should find their own ways to curate their fandom experience.

I know it doesn’t look like it because I’ve read so much over the years, but nowadays I’m quite picky about my reads. And I’m not talking about prose style, characterization or popular authors, I’m talking about prioritizing the tropes and themes I’m really interested in. I read a lot, it’s true, but there are many tags (and fic lengths) I don’t actively search for. Some I prefer not to read (like infidelity, domestic abuse, amnesia, to name a few) and some just don’t interest me in general (kid fic, a/b/o, Mpreg etc). I might go out of my way to check it out if a trusted friend sends it my way, or if I read a rec that intrigues me enough, but that’s the exception not the rule. I think all those strategies combined can actually narrow down the pool a lot, and make the “to read” list something more manageable and less overwhelming.

I realize there’s always the risk of living “inside the bubble” and never finding hidden gems this way but like you said, with time constraints and real life kicking our asses, there’s only so much we can do! I try to balance it by checking out older reclists ( @capiturecs and @dictacontrion have EXCELLENT archives) and checking the fic catalogue and bookmarks of authors who are not around anymore. This is (partially) what inspired me to start the Hidden Gems rec series btw!

At the end of the day though, I pick my next bedtime read following my mood 🤣 it might be a fic sitting on my to-read list for months or it might be something I saw recced on Tumblr just a few minutes ago, if it’s under 30k and the tags seduce me I’m game!

[msfcatlover]

msfcatlover: @the-overanalyzer What do you want to know? I have /many/ thoughts for this, and I don’t really know which ones to start with.

the-overanalyzer: @msfcatlover Honestly all of it, this is *such* a neat idea.

All my thoughts? Okay, I’ll do my best.

First, sources. I think my love for the memory-sending version of the time travel fixit trope is blatantly obvious, and I read a lot of them. Then one day, just after I started really getting into Batfam stuff, I read this TMA fic called “Deja Vu” by CirrusGrey (fantastic writer, btw, everyone who likes TMA stuff should check out their fics,) which has all 4 members of the original archives crew getting sent back from their moment of death to just before the series started; the thing is, they all have different amounts of information, so they all have very different priorities. Like, Tim thinks the Unknowing is the biggest threat, so he buckles down trying to stop that, Sasha thinks she just had a weird dream because she died before they really knew anything about what was going on, etc. They might as well be coming from completely different futures, their concepts of reality are so different!

Which got me thinking: What if they were? What if you genuinely had a fixit in the memory time travel vein with multiple protagonists being sent back to before everything went awful, but every single one of them is from a different basically apocalyptic future, so they all have completely different priorities on what needs to be fixed? All tripping over eachother’s plans, not realizing they’re not alone… and at the same time, being so truly, completely alone, because they’re the sole survivors of their individual timelines, and no one really knows what they’ve gone through; even the people they love most and want to rely on are going to be dramatically different from any version of those people each of them ever knew.

And, um, the Batfam is kinda perfect for that setup, isn’t it? But, obviously, I can’t find that fic. It doesn’t seem to exist. (Although, if you like the concept of multiple characters trying to fix the same timeline, “Time to Protect You” is a really excellent read. Also, if you like Dick having a worse adoption addiction than Bruce does, read “Time to Protect You.” It’s fun.)

Ever since I had that thought, I have been brainstorming. This. Monster. Because, y’see, I have to at least rough-draft each of their future timelines to know what each of their priorities would be. So there’s like, five full fics worth of content in the backstory for this fic. (I have made myself cry doing this. More than once. Lotta… lotta funerals & heroic self-sacrifices while loved ones watch helplessly in these WIP notes. And one formal “identify the body” scene that is somehow worse than all of them.) And that’s before they all start meddling in the timeline!

But you asked this on the Damian post. So, everything about Damian?

…This is gonna get long.

.

Damian is undergoing one of the most dramatic time shifts of all of them; he was in his late 20s when he got sent back. Since all 5 affected Robins are being sent back to the day Jason & Bruce were supposed to meet, that puts Damian somewhere between 4-6yrs old on arrival.

Another fic I really love from the TMA fandom (whose title I can heartbreakingly not remember right now) had Jon sent back to his first supernatural encounter, and one of the things that fic emphasized was this dichotomy between Jon’s decades of lived experience and the fact that he still has the body of a child. Which means he has the brain chemistry of a child. Which is going to impact his behavior.

So, in my story Damian’s not just a 28yr old stuck in a 5yr old body trying to get people to take him seriously, he is a 5yr old with 28yrs worth of memories, and that is a huge difference. (That’s not going to show much in this post, since I’m summarizing grand scale things with a few short scenes, and also Damian’s instincts are different from most 5yr olds thanks to, erm, everything. It would mostly be in the minutia of his behavior. But it is important to me.)

.

Is the rest of the family worried about Damian? Yes, obviously, that’s their baby brother. But none of them can rescue him alone (most of them need to completely retrain their bodies, even before gaining allies & equipment,) and as depressing as it is, they all believe he should be relatively safe where he is until they can assemble what they need to go bring him home. After all, both Ra’s & Talia need Damian healthy & intact for their plans to go forward.

Damian on the other hand, is now stranded on the other side of the world from all of his most trusted allies (even if they don’t know him yet,) and trying to hide his sudden shift in personality & priorities while surrounded by people who are very invested in his personal development. Hell, even Damian’s workouts & warmup routines have changed since he was a kid; how is he supposed to explain where he learned Dick’s balance exercises or Tim’s post-computer hand/wrist stretches? And on the other hand, Damian’s not used to a body with these proportions; how is he supposed to do anything like this?

(Damian did come back at the tail end of a fever that left him bedridden for a long while, so at least he has a short-term solution for that last problem.)

And remember: none of them know the others came back. As far as Damian’s concerned, he’s on his own.

.

What Damian does is steal tiny bits of equipment to dissect for parts, and recreates the sound-emitter from Jimmy Olsen’s watch. It’s a huge gamble, because Damian can’t test it. The sound should be outside of human hearing range, but if anyone hears/detects it before Damian’s ready to escape, he’ll be caught. Even if the emitter does work, Damian can’t risk calling Superman to Nanda Parbat; the League has measures against kryptonians (Superman’s timeline is somehow even messier than the Bats’ at this point, so I’m going with Clark & Kara both being fully established heroes already,) so if Superman did come to investigate, he could get hurt or captured, and if Clark gets away or stops to analyze where the sound is coming from then he might realize it’s just a test and assume it’s some sort of trap when Damian does set it off

Basically, Damian has one shot at this, and he just has to trust his own tinkering skills are good enough because a test-run could ruin everything.

.

Damian’s future was an alien invasion that left the Earth like a wasteland, the remaining heroes leading the resistance. He had more relaxing nights then than he has now, constantly monitoring his own words & actions, surrounded by enemies, with no allies to fall back on, in a body that seems more weak & helpless than it ever has before.

(Part of me also thinks Damian might’ve lost a limb in that war? It’s tripping him out—possibly literally—to have it back, when it’s only been phantom pain for so long.)

So, y’know, it’s not just that Superman is the only hero Damian can call who will both probably hear him, get there in time to actually be backup, and won’t be immediately suspicious of Damian (probably.) It’s also that Damian needs access to interstellar resources if he’s ever going to stop that invasion, and even with nearly 2 decades to plan it, the better Damian’s starting point the faster he can do that. (It definitely has nothing at all to do with how much Damian’s missed Clark, Jon, Lois, the whole extended family… it’s been years since Damian’s spoken to any of them, even the survivors off fighting on other fronts. And there were not a lot of survivors; the enemy knew to target their most powerful warriors first.)

.

People who say you can’t lie to kryptonians are idiots who don’t know them. Here’s the secret: have a good excuse for a raised breath/heart rate and make sure the emotions of your lie match what you’re actually feeling in that moment. A stutter, skip, or mild increase will be lost in the racing, and all your pheromones will agree with your words. Easy. (Cass could tell the difference, but she’s not here, is she? Damian has no idea where she is—but she’ll be fine. It took a crashing spaceship to kill Cassandra Wayne, and she survived just fine on her own before joining the family. Damian doesn’t need to worry. She’s fine. She’ll definitely be fine.)

Damian waits for the next time they move him, waits for the first big city, and makes a break for it. He slips through the guards’ fingers with skills they didn’t know he has, and proceeds to make one of the most illogical choices for a normal escape attempt: Damian heads for the tallest building he can get to the top of. As soon as he reaches the roof, even before picking the lock, Damian activates his emitter. He barricades the door behind him, and stands there, buffeted by wind, struggling to stay upright.

Damian can’t hear the emitter. Damian can’t hear his own voice when he raises it against the wind, yelling to Superman for help. Damian thinks he can hear his guards running up behind the door, but that’s impossible; it must be his own blood pounding in his ears.

The wind changes direction, and Superman is there.

Damian knows the picture he paints: a too-small child with too much scar tissue, eyes wide & wild, panting & terrified, still dirty from the run through the city below, clutching a device he shouldn’t have. (A stranger Superman has no reason to trust, even though Clark was always more credulous than any of the Bats. A boy wearing League garb under his clothes, even if Clark might not recognize it.)

(Damian doesn’t remember Clark ever being this big, but it is Clark, cracking through the Superman mask in confusion & concern.)

Damian’s never been one to leave things half-finished. “Please,” Damian begs, glancing back at the door behind him, “I’m running from the Shadows. They’re after me, they’ll be here any moment, they’ll kill me if they do! Please, help me!”

The door jumps in its frame. The barricade holds.

Clark opens his arms. “Of course, son. Where do you want to go?”

Damian leaps into Clark’s arms (and oh, oh, he has missed this. The soft strength & nearly overpowering warmth all kryptonians have. Arms that fold around Damian’s back like a shield—because they are, because Clark & Jon & Kara & Kon know their own strength and would rather risk being hurt themselves than let their charges be hurt. Being held by his uncle, who died over a decade ago and has never met Damian, but still holds on like Damian is something precious & important. Yes, Damian can admit he missed this.)

“Anywhere,” Damian whispers, wrapping his arms around his uncle’s neck. “Anywhere they can’t find me.”

(That last part is lost to the rush of speed, but Damian knows Clark heard it anyway.)

.

Here’s what Damian is counting on: Clark Kent is not a stupid man, even if he can be swept away by his emotions. Superman does not often fight the League of Shadows and will not know where necessarily would be safe from them, so he will take Damian to a secret base. Superman would not expose another hero’s identity without asking first, so it will either be a Justice League base or somewhere safe for Clark. Damian is still dressed like an assassin under his travel clothes and is still very much armed, so hopefully Clark would not bring Damian anywhere Damian might pose a threat.

So, a Justice League base, the Fortress of Solitude, or (if Clark is critically underestimating Damian) the farm.

Damian knows he’s struck gold when temperature drops. The Fortress makes this so much easier than having to find some way to hide Damian’s connection to Batman from the entire Justice League, and Damian never wants to bring trouble to Ma Kent’s doorstep. Damian’s relief is genuine, and he doesn’t bother trying to hide it when Clark sets him down.

The next part is the tricky bit: Damian has to sell his cover. A League-trained child assassin defecting would not know much of the outside world, would not know what was expected of him. Damian knows all that from experience. After months of hiding in Nanda Parbat, it’s not hard to slip back into that mindset, those mannerisms. They’re almost comfortable; hopefully the cold & alien environment will cover for the rest. Damian drops to his knees as he would before any significant authority (his mother, his grandfather, his family when he needed them to understand his remorse was full-hearted & genuine,) and begins with, “Thank you. I owe you my life.”

.

From there, Damian begins spinning the web that he hopes will save the world, rather than collapse & take Damian down with it. Truths & half-truths, genuine emotions, flickers of vulnerability, and a demeanor far too formal & professional to belong to anyone having a proper childhood. Fear of both the League & its enemies, any of whom would kill to have Damian back. Full, open acknowledgment of the suspicions Clark really ought to have, because the second Clark mentions the League to anyone who knows, Clark will receive the full run-down of how dangerous any League operative is.

(Damian insists on being locked up, telling Superman that his allies will only suspect Damian more—rightfully!—if he’s not. Clark is horrified by the idea of imprisoning a child who can’t be older than 6. They compromise with a guest room in the Fortress, the alien architecture as good as any lock any hero could cook up.)

(Damian insists on being disarmed, despite his own obvious discomfort with doing so. Clark tries to tell Damian that’s not necessary, and Damian points out how easy it would’ve been to slip a kryptonite blade into Superman’s chest from the second he let Damian into his arms. Clark looks a little green himself, and lets Damian finish.)

(Damian does not lie about lineage, at least not on his mother’s side. He does make it very clear he is not interested in meeting his father, confirms that his father is a very dangerous man, and heavily implies that his father’s displeasure with Damian’s upbringing might be dangerous to Damian himself. Damian also heavily implies his father knows of Damian’s existence and chose to be distant, drawing on the lingering, long-stifled bitterness of those early awkward days at the manor—wounds that don’t hurt anymore, not really, but that Damian can never forget—to really sell it.)

(Damian knows better than to try to convince anyone he’s had some sort of miraculous change of heart. No hero with experience with the League will see that as anything but a trap. Damian instead simply says he doesn’t like killing, expresses discomfort when pressed on his morals, and implies his escape has to do with a personal betrayal of some kind. Much easier to believe.)

.

The most direct lie Damian tells is that he got the frequency from his grandfather’s notes on known kryptonian biology. Damian drowns that in his own self-chastisement, admitting the inability to test the device in any way that mattered and Damian’s lack of an exit if the plan went wrong. Damian calls himself reckless & stupid for not having a backup. Clark catches Damian’s eye, and tells Damian he’s wrong; that Damian’s not stupid, Damian’s very clever for putting that together.

“You did good, son,” Clark says, Superman gone and replaced with only the kindness & pain of a man with a heart too big for this world, and a father with a boy not that much younger than Damian. “You did the best you could with what you had, and what you pulled off was pretty amazing. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”

“…Oh,” Damian says. He blinks. He breathes. And for the first time since Dick died, Damian cries. For everything he’s done, and everything he’s lost. For the family he’ll never have, and the childhood he never did. For a world that will—hopefully—never be. No wailing, no screams. Just soft, hitching breaths and tears that don’t seem to stop.

Clark pulls him close, and Damian buries his face in his uncle’s chest. And cries.

.

Damian knows the picture he paints:

Here is a boy, running for his life. A dangerous boy. A frightened boy. A boy who’s so alone, he has to rely on alien strangers for help. A boy desperate to be trusted, to not be seen as a threat. A boy who already knows there’s nowhere safe for him in the world.

An abused child will tug at any hero’s heartstrings. But Damian knows exactly which ones to pluck to stay safe under Clark Kent’s cape.

It’s intentional. It’s manipulative. It needs to be done. Damian has 17yrs to win trust, to build a network, to stop the invasion. The longer he can stay off the Bats’ radar, the better. He knows he has to play the long game.

(It doesn’t matter that it’s all true.)

[kmrstudios]

KR’S LIST OF 6 UNDERRATED HORROR FLICKS FOR HALLOWEEN

Hey, gang! Burned out from repeat viewings of the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series, Friday the 13th series, or even the Halloween series? Never fear, because I’ve got recommendations for some of the most underrated and quite frankly, often overlooked horror flicks to check out this Halloween season. So in no particular order, this is my list of 6 underrated horror flicks to check out during Halloween!

6) VAULT OF HORROR

Despite the wraparound story, the lack of an actual Vault-Keeper, and the fact that none of the stories are adapted from the actual EC horror comics series of the same name, 1973’s follow-up to “Tales from the Crypt” by Amicus might as well be considered a superior sequel to the first film. With 4 out of 5 excellent stories that capture the feel & tone of the comics as well as excellent performances from Terry-Thomas & Doctor Who alumni Tom Baker, Vault of Horror is a criminally underrated anthology film that I can’t recommend highly enough.

5) SILENT RAGE

Chuck Norris fights Jason Voorhees. I can’t describe this movie any further than those 5 aforementioned words. A movie where Chuck Norris fights a unstoppable killer resurrected through the wonders of science. Despite lacking a good soundtrack (aside from the closing credits) and somewhat slow pacing in the middle, the mood & suspense makes this early Norris flick an excellent movie if you dig horror movies and/or if you wanna watch Chuck Norris roundhouse kick a genetically altered killing machine into oblivion on Halloween night.

4) TETSUO: THE IRON MAN

This tale about a salaryman slowly turning into a metal being may possibly be the most twisted horror movie hailing from Japan that I’ve seen in recent memory. And I’m not kidding when I say that. It’s a crazed fusion of Cronenburg body-horror & psychological horror that will leave you blown away or comatose upon witnessing the insanity this film has to offer. While I wish the movie was longer, Tetsuo the Iron Man is one wild ride that’ll keep you glued to your seat until the movie ends. Recommended if you like body-horror flicks or want to see a guy’s particular body part turn into a power drill (Again, I’m not kidding).

3) DEEPSTAR SIX

From the creator of Friday the 13th comes a pleasant surprise of a monster movie that was released in 1989 where you had 5+ underwater sci-fi flicks. With good performances from the cast including Miguel Ferrer & some awesome creature effects, Deepstar Six, despite me preferring Leviathan over this, has a lot of positives going for it that I cannot ignore adding this to my recommendation list. Watch it!

2) H.P. LOVECRAFT’S FROM BEYOND

Following off the heels of his earlier hit by the name of Re-Animator, the late Stuart Gordon once again brings one of Lovecraft’s short stories to the big screen (which is only the length of the opening scene in the movie btw). Where Re-Animator felt more like a splatter fest of a horror comedy, From Beyond is true Lovecraftian horror strengthen by performances from the cast including the underrated Jeffrey Combs & Ken Foree, awesome special effects, and a creepy soundtrack. Oh, and Barbara Crampton in a dominatrix outfit. Highly recommended for fans of Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon & H.P. Lovecraft.

1) THE BURNING

While the slasher genre has Freddy, Michael Myers, Chucky & Jason, nobody ever talks about Cropsy, based on the urban legend. Enter 1981’s “The Burning”. This movie has everything: Dimwitted campers getting hacked with gardening sheers, Tom Savini doing the special effects, early film appearances by Jason Alexander & Holly Hunter, a soundtrack composed by Rick Wakeman of Yes fame, and the list goes on. The one thing that kinda holds it back nowadays is the fact that the movie was produced & written by the notorious Weinstein brothers, which is unfortunate because this is a good movie. But if you can get past that, “The Burning” is a true slasher classic that you should watch.

And with that, I hope you get some enjoyment out of these horror flicks. I may have some more underrated flicks to recommend that were left off the list, but the aforementioned titles should get you started.

Until next time, this is KR signing off!

And happy Halloween!

[gunsatthaphan]

Doreen!! Have they announced the special episode yet? I'm seeing a lot of people saying something about it but idk where to check. I loved the storyline and although it got a better ending (I'm so happy that sky finally got his "end of all the endings and his broken bones started mending/got mended") But I want few more ep!!!🙈 🥺

Btw, What all shows are you currently watching? And can you recommend me series which are airing or recently finished airing? Ever since the eclipse ended I was watching only LITA and now this is ending/ended and I don't wanna watch between us till it reaches the finale.. so, idk what to watch anymore. 🙈

anon!!!!!

the special episode will air on November 26th on vimeo on-demand. here is the official announcement 😊 I'm not sure if it will also be released on iqiyi though.

the finale was tough and there were a few moments where I was close to tapping out lol but I liked how it turned out! It's been a loaded story and it wasn't a 10/10 for me overall but I did enjoy it and I'm excited for the special episode!

I'm currently also watching Between Us, which had a pretty good start, Remember Me, which is a cute little gem but nothing too special, and then Mama Gogo, which aired a few months ago but I'm watching it now. It's fun lol.

And then I'm also watching the Cherry Magic movie which has magically appeared on youtube lmao. So far it's okay but doesn't compare to the show imo.

Since the eclipse ended it's been a wasteland in my watchlist lmao but the ones I mentioned are all quite nice. I hope the upcoming months have some highlights in store though 😉

One show that recently finished that I highly recommend is Roommates of Poongduck 304, which is a very nicely produced kbl with excellent writing and acting. You should check it out if you haven't already!

xxx

[jennibeultimate]

Personal recap Skate America 2022 - Men SP

GP series is back! And I am back to personal recaps! I emphasize the word "personal" as in it's not something anyone has to agree on...I just catched up on the Men SP much later...

Kao Miura was amazing! He is a force to be reckoned! His jumps are tremendous, he obviously needs some work on expression and spins but the speed and energy of his program is really fun to watch. 🔥 🔥 🔥 Kao in first place at the end of the day, who would have guessed?

Junhwan Cha, my love ❤️ This Michael Jackson program has everything you want from a skater. It's fun, it's has brilliant choreography and it's very difficult with the connections between elements (except for that 3A setup that is still much too long for my liking) and on top he excels in execution. He had some minor jump issues, that's why I think 2nd place is completely fine. (Last season Jun really turned me into a huge fan of him, I hope he makes the GPF!)

Btw happy birthday! 🎉🎂🥳

Daniel Grassl...anyone who read my previous personal recaps is aware of my dislike for Grassl's skating...but I think he improved drastically in the performance department and skating skills department and the choreography by Jason Brown suits him quite well. I will probably never be a huge Grassl fan but he did well. Bravo.

Ilia Malinin...where to start? I really thought that this SP could go two ways, clean or failure simply because of the huge pressure he is under. Still I was kinda surprised that he was left with place 4, which should not be surprising judging the performance. Ofc he can still win with his arsenal of quad jumps but I am pleasantly surprised at the judges not giving him higher PCS than Roman Sadovsky or Junhwan or anyone...I still think he would deserve less, but contrary to what I was expecting (judging him on top of everyone) I take that as a good sign. Don't get me wrong, Ilia is not a bad skater but he lacks the connection to the music in most parts of the program and you can clearly see the jump focus. Also if he does difficult steps like in his step sequence he is pretty slow and reminds me of Alexander Majorow who also always got Level 4 on his step sequence but was just really slow to hit all the right edges. The strategy is not per se wrong, but for me it just lacks the flow and connection to the program as this seems more of a check off of requirements. Ilia is young and he can learn, I just hope that his PCS scores give him a reason to improve. (We all know that with high TES the PCS are quite whack especially coming from a political powerhouse country, but atm I am ok with how it turned out, it's not good but better than expected and this is the mindset I have for judging atm 🙈...my standards are very low by now 😅)

Ilia is without a doubt one skater with a possibility to be the leader in this cycle with his technical content, but I think the pressure is too much and I fear that he may not live up to the expectations that are set on him. No other US man has the capability to get medals at world stages and I can see it go two ways...he can live up to that in the competitions leading to Worlds or he crumbles...I just think it's not fair to have a 17 year old with that burden, no matter if you personally agree on his attitude or not. I personally don't like his attitude but I guess much of it is for show and because of his age and the hyping of his persona as a "quadgod". (Btw I am also sceptical he will maintain that easiness on his quads because he is far from done with growing and puberty I fear with the way he is build, let's hope I am wrong though)

Roman Sadovsky is a great skater and this program is so good. I saw his clean performance at Nebelhorn Trophy live and can tell you Roman has everything you want in a skater, BUT he so seldomly gets it together. 😩😩😩He always makes stupid mistakes. It's not even the quads that aren't working, but the rest is bound to be mistake ridden as well, which is such a shame. I really love Roman's skating but his huge talent is overshadowed by stupid mistakes. *sigh* Still managing 5th place is a small consolation prize.

Sena Miyake has a nice program and I liked the movement of his costume. Pretty skater. He definitely needs a bit more consistency but you can say that about almost everyone. 😊

Mikhail Selevko is a great jumper. Shame about the mistake on the Axel. I think on the European level, he can get very far. Still needs polish on his performance and skating abilities, but he is young and I am sure he can learn that.

Liam Kapeikis played safe. At Nebelhorn he went for a quad in the SP,but he fell. I think this strategy works better for him. He skates lovely but isn't one that I will remember much. The US men except for Ilia don't look as if they could make a name for themselves in the season... Liam definitely has more capability than Dinh Tran but still this isn't the level the US men used to show in the past years with Nathan, Vincent and Jason. And ofc they are all still young and can improve but I just feel like it makes the pressure on Ilia to leave off were Nathan left even more difficult. (I mean I love Camden Pulkinen's skating but he isn't reliable either and also lacks the difficulty for winning medals, same goes for Jimmy Ma...)

Wesley Chiu has lovely lines and good skating skills and nice interpretation of music, but he definitely lacks the quads and consistency. Still knowing how bad his skates in the most part of the year were, I think this one was one of the better ones for him.

Donovan Carillo is just fun to watch. I always have a smile on my face watching Donovan. ❤️ He came so far in the last years. You cannot help but wish him well.

Koshiro Shimada...he still sold that program well, but last place is really yikes especially in a field like this. As much as I like Koshiro he is very lucky that so many skaters left the field (intentionally or unintentionally) that he can compete at the GPs. And I fear with performances like this he will have a hard time to get selected for anything at all...Koshiro is very charismatic and also fun to watch, but all of that won't help if you can't deliver and I really don't know why he still went for two quads? You could say he has nothing to lose because he is not considered a favorite anyway, but I do think he loses reputation inside Team Japan to get selected for big events and also on scoring. Not sure how his practices are, but this doesn't seem to work...I really hope he can redeem himself a bit in the free...🙏

Good luck for the free skate to all skaters! 🙏🍀

This was a very typical men SP, many mistakes and some good performances...it can only get better...

Actually I wouldn't mind if the SP results would be the final results tomorrow...sorry Ilia...

[chaoticportalfan]

Portal 2 Community Chambers recomendations!!

I can finally make this post!! These are P2 community chambers that I really love and think everybody should play:

Gelocity Time Trial - Track 1, 2, 3, by Radix: It’s a multiplayer race :D It has a singleplayer map too, which is good because I don’t have friends to play with. It’s a three map collection at the time of writing this, and the three maps are epic!!

One door opens (abstract), by Unusual Developments3001: This map is not Portal related. It’s about... opening doors. And looking for ways to open said doors. It’s good, believe me!! It has an eerie aura. There’s a secuel, R-G-B, which is equally good.

Neurotoxic disaster, by Tewan: One of my favourites! Your objective in this one? Escape alive. It’s a bit confusing at some moments, but without that, it’s very easy. 

Steins;Cake, by Gezzabeast: My second favourite!! It’s about reapiring an elevator. With portals<3. It’s fun, and I really enjoy playing it over and over again.

The lone future starter, by Sejievan: It’s a seven map series. And it’s excellent!!!! It has a story and two endings!! I want to talk about this one but I don’t want to spoil anything to anyone. The only thing I will say is that you are a time traveler :0 epic.

P2MA, by Antek1234: “Portal 2 Main Aesthetics” is a 5 map series. It doesn’t have a storyline (I think), it’s more of an exposition of, well, P2 main aesthetics. It’s super well done.

Power mugs, by Shinval: Is a three map series at the moment of writing this. It’s so good? The attention to detail put by this dude is excellent. 10/10. I mean you guys can’t imagine how happy I felt when I opened the community chambers to see what to put here and found out there was a new map of power mugs!! Go play this one!! Do it now!! Finish reading later!!

Unseen Aperture, by Shinval: Yeah, Shinval again. Everything made by this person is good, sorry. Go check them out, they have more maps. Anyway, this is a four map series (+ an interlude). The difficulty is medium, but I mostly played it for the aesthetic. Hmm. Actually I play everything for the aesthetic.

The office prank, by Allison Ghost: Ohhh a horror map! And a three map series. Is it scary? Yeah. Yeah. Is it good? FUCK yes. I played it a long time ago, I don’t remember exactly how it was, but I remember it was one of the best!! Maps!!

Chell commits tax fraud, by Allison Ghost: Allison Ghost again. This person makes some really goos maps sorry!! I can’t explain this one. I can’t explain what Chell commits tax fraud is about. If someone can, please do it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable. Because it is.

Triple horse phase, by Allison Ghost: I wasn’t going to include this one but I need someone to explain me how not die every time. Why do the horses hate me??

Wheatley style hacking, by Lord Von Adel: The first one I ever played! Instead of a cube, you have... Wheatley. And Wheatley hacks the door open for you :0 Wheat orb lovers can get close and kiss him, Wheat orb haters can drop him on the ground >:)

The Duke, by Jofish: This one is not Portal related. The setting is white, very bright, it can be eye straining. It has music playing in the background, there is not a clear objective I think. I love it anyway.

Stay, by KazerLight: I love this dude maps, go check them out. This map is not Portal related. It does have a storyline, and it’s weird. It has the eerie vibe I love so much. Go play this one.

Cold, by KazerLight: KazerLight again! I like this one specially because it has different endings depending on the dialog you choose :0 It’s not Portal related btw.

Throw it!, by KazerLight: This one IS Portal related. It’s a simple test :) Fun and easy. :).

Pinball PORTAL2, by tuleby (CZ): It’s literally Portal 2 pinball!!!!!! What else do you want??? You win when you kill Glados. I think. I never finished it because I suck at pinball and nothing can get my attention for more than three minutes straight.

Odyssey, by SkyFerret: It’s a three map series. I can’t tell if it has a storyline or if I just made one in my head :) Anyway, the visuals are excellent!! And the test are really fun, not that difficult but it can get confusing at times.

After hours, by ABNT: This is a 14 (!!!) map series. It has a storyline and custom voicelines!!! Like!! There’s cool characters with custom voicelines aaaaaaa play it !!!

Lemonade, by Annabortion: It’s a destroyed aesthetic test chamber!! I finished it once and then forgot how to do it again. Sad. The visuals are really good I love it.

sp_outlast, by Anachronist ALLOS: You are trapped in an asylum, look for the way out. It’s a fun map :) The only thing, the lighting it’s very low and it’s difficult to see, specially if you are playing in a very lighted room. I recommend playing it with the lights off.

re:Escape from Aperture, by Anachronist ALLOS: :) It’s a five map series, and as title says, your objective is: Escapr Aperture!! You make the mistake of putting Wheatley in charge of the facility, and now GLaDOS has to help you get out.

And the abyss gazes back, by Osko: Visuas. Aesthetic. I love this one. I really do. Sadly it has only one part, which was uploaded in 2016. I’m sure there wont be a secuel :(

Shooting stars, by SunnyOst: :). It’s good.

Watch your step, by SunnyOst: This map is short, but is hilarious. If I said more I would spoil it. Check it out.

Escape the office, by Batcat: It’s a maze!! An epic one. It’s difficult, I couldn’t complete it :(

Diverse Remastered, by Skairul: This map uses a mechanic that wasn’t in the game. It’s very fun, and I play it all the time!! The chambers are easy :)

Basement horros, by kyloX: Another horror map! It’s not Portal related. The position of the jumpscares changes everytime you die!! The surprises never end. 

Gnome story, by jp: This map is not portal related. I don’t know what this is about and I don’t know how to finish it. Please help me with this one. It’s hilarious.

Fluid, by MisterLambda: It’s a short test chamber!! It’s difficult, too. But I really enjoyed playing it!!!!!

Timetravel concept, by DaMaGepy: It’s a time travel map! It’s just a concept, I’m sure this person other maps have this too. It’s easy and short.

Behind the waterfall, by Lord_kardok: I’m in love with the visuals!! This one has the same problem that sp_outlast had, it has very dark parts that are hard to see. But other than that?? Very epic.

The corrupted core room, by Murugo: This map is :00. Thats my reaction. :0. It’s simple, you pick a core, it start speaking. All the dialogs!! There’s a bottom somewhere to shut them up. Don’t commit the same mistake at me and make them talk at the same time!!

That it!! Feel free to add more maps :0 I may add more later.

[wuxiaphoenix]

TV Series Review: Liu Yong Pursues the Case

I’m only about half through; there are 45 episodes total. But so far I’d give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you’re looking for an older lead than most in a series that still has plenty of just-slightly-fantastic wushu action, definitely check this c-drama out!

Liu Yong himself is like what Lt. Columbo might have been like in the Qing Dynasty. And any character that successfully evokes the disheveled detective is worth watching.

Liu Yong is good, moral, decent, slightly frazzled at the edges; he never gives up on a crime and pokes, pokes, pokes events, places, and people until the truth comes to light. He is that rarest of birds, an upright official.

...So of course he gets demoted and sent off to be the magistrate of some small province beset by bandits and corruption. And the cases and bodies start piling up....

(He’s based on an actual historical official, BTW. Known for being incorruptible.)

I would love to pick the show writers’ brains. I may have a grump with some of their portrayals of the Princess (Liu Yong’s wife - yes, he’s married to a princess and that has Issues), but they made an excellent decision in plotting that lets this show really shine. Namely, while Liu Yong is the lead and does the investigating and mental chess games with the corrupt officials, he has younger supporting characters who do most of the action. You know, like a real leader would delegate responsibility!

So two younger guys are our heroic wushu experts. Imperial Guard Ho Zifeng, who’s technically assigned to guard the Princess, but practically speaking looks after the whole household; he’s good, young, and arrogant. Which, realistically, does get him in trouble from time to time, because he’s better than any one guy, or any ten for that matter, but twenty or more in an ambush with control of the terrain can be a problem....

And then there’s local Constable Qin. Who we meet as a local ex-constable and troublemaker - he’s gone through some bad times, particularly under the local corrupt officials, and starts out believing Liu Yong’s no different. It takes him a few eps watching Liu Yong work to change his mind. Even after that, you see him grow into trusting that Liu Yong is, in fact, out to uphold justice and bring even the most powerful bad guys crashing down.

You get to see all the characters grow over time. It’s awesome. Seven, the maid rescued in the very first episode, butler Xi’er who seems like a spoiled brat but has surprising courage sometimes even if he can’t fight, coroner Mengnan who’s investigating the subtle murder of her father. Even the Princess who starts out absolutely sure the world should revolve around her - that takes at least 12 eps and can be painful to watch, but she does end up realizing the situation is more serious and complicated than it looks. And she sincerely loves her husband, even if they have problems communicating.

Two particular action scenes made me laugh. First, Constable Qin and his runners (think deputies or patrol cops) are after a martial artist murder suspect. The runners rush into the abandoned house the fugitive has been hiding in, and the martial artist goes crashing out through the window.

Me: “Right, cue the chase scene-”

Martial artist comes crashing back in through the window, obviously tossed by an aggravated Constable Qin. Who was waiting out in the alley. Like a sane cop.

Second - there’s an assassin who uses killer bees. (Yes, wushu, deal.) He’s killed a lot of people silently through the series... until he met Constable Qin, who’s got a knack for taking down things flying at him. Assassin lifts the tiles off a roof to peek in, spies his target-

Sees the Constable is there.

You can pretty much feel the assassin say “screw this”. Knife time!

Note, you might want to avoid younger kids watching this. The Qing Dynasty legal system is a big part of the story, and torture shows up. But if they’re old enough to see fictional murders... well, you be the judge. There are smart good guys, plenty of smart bad guys, and a lot of learning experiences. Political machinations are just as important as fists, and Liu Yong is a stickler for getting evidence for crimes, not confessions. At one point three grains of rice become crucial evidence - because they’re different types of rice, and the fact that grain supposed to be issued to soldiers is with that meant for famine relief points to a lot of embezzlement going on!

All told, I think this one is awesome. And it’s fan-subbed on YouTube!

[catofadifferentcolor]

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

"Apollo is hot." "He's the sun god," I said.

After recently having gotten back into PJO via Lorixjake's excellent Reading Percy Jackson fics, I decided to try rereading the books for the first time in well over a decade.

I'll admit half the reason I've been so excited to reread this particular book is that Lorixjake and stardustupinlights have converted me fully to the Percy/Apollo ship. At least a full quarter of this reread has been dedicated to finding proof of ship. (Given the remarkable and varied number of times Percy notices a guy is attractive, I'm definitely checking the yes box for would kiss a guy.)

Another reason why I like this book so much: this is where things get going. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot going on in Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters that's important for later in the series, but like HP before the graveyard, it doesn't have as much weight.

Plus - and I know I'll get some flack for it - I enjoyed not having Annabeth around for much of the book. Don't get me wrong, she's not a bad character, but her tendency to take charge and put everyone around her down keeps other characters (cough Percy cough) from being allowed to shine... Although Aphrodite popping on the scene and going, "BTW you have a crush on Annabeth! That's why you want to save her, not because she's your friend, never mind that's what you did with Grover 6 months previous," seems a little out of the blue. Especially since Percy doesn't really give off any signs he's crushing on Annabeth, unless one counts justified annoyance she is still crushing on Luke even after he's gone evil as crushing. Which I don't.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, probably more than the last two combined. It's probably my favorite story of the series. Baby Nico? Adorable. Zoë's death? Still makes me cry. But it could have been just as good - if not better - without the random love interest. Sigh. But that is YA for you. I suppose I should be thankful it's not a worse love triangle than it is. But a girl can dream.

[nemuitoka]

What are your favorte jshk fanfics? also where do you like reading them the most?

Hi Anon!!! today is the day I can finally answer this question😈 ahaha you know how much I enjoy making fic recs so 👀 Let’s go!!!

To answer your second question first, I like reading them on AO3 the most! Mostly because I get almost unlimited number of characters to rant in the comment section........... 😆but also the tagging system is very helpful.

Okay, now to the fun part of this ask😏

You said JSHK, but I mostly read Hananene ones so all of my favs include that pairing... as  I already did a fic rec here of my favs, this list will continue that one, so please check that one first hehe ((I apologize in advance..., I would love for people to recommend me some mitsukou ones tbh... I’m really lost when it comes to other pairings orz)) 

If I’m completely honest with you anon-san, my favorite JSHK fic right now is the one Roxanne ( @istoleyourboat )  wrote based of my art and her snippet:

Star-Crossed and Falling- Where Stars Go to Die by lilaflo

Hanako is Princess Nene’s personal knight 👀. A tale of forbidden love. They slowly fall in love as they exchange a series of gifts, one that includes a pair of matching earrings that remind them of their love when they’re apart. Also, jelly Hanako of Nene’s suitors😏... Oh, but nothing lasts forever and those sweet moments will come to an end when they have to face their cruel reality, in this world, they don’t get to choose neither their battles or the ones they love.

Now more of Roxanne, because I seriously enjoy her work so much (I’m sure everyone knows by now lmao sdkj) 

Night of the Phantom King by lilaflo 

This one is a spooky one. Nene’s regret for never realizing who she truly loves takes her to mourn her deceased friend Amane and cry on his grave in a Halloween night, then suddenly the Phantom King comes to take her away👀 & he looks suspiciously familiar... Beautiful world building btw, also the ending is just, excellent. 

12 Year Romance by lilaflo

Amane meets Nene at the Tanabata festival, she’s older than him, but he falls for her instantly, fast forward, Amane is now in middle school, he’s a troublemaker, & gets constantly into fights, but he swears the new school nurse looks familiar... he then realizes it’s her and thinks it must be fate!!!... This one hits close to home bc I’ve been in this situation irl, so I can confirm all of Nene’s struggles are real (and ofc how a love with an age gap should be handled the correct way, this fic really teaches you many life lessons hahaha) 

took a sip then another sip, then you turned and said to me by chivalrousamour 

This autor has a bunch of good JSHK fics!! I recommend you check their AO3 out, bec you may find something you like for sure! But, this is my absolute fav from them. Nene is a mangaka, celebrating the finishing of her long serialized manga, while Amane is a delivery boy who happens to find her in a very questionable state in her house👀 (it’s all family friendly ofc, anon, I’m not a slimy pervert like some ghost boy)

Maid for Each Other by corologs ( @corologs )

Courtney has this amazing College AU collection series that I encourage you to check out!!! But Maid for each other is my fav!!! So it’s the Yugi twins birthday, and it’s Tsukasa’s turn to choose where they go to celebrate it... you can already tell where this is going... (let the chaos begin) & as the title said, it involves maids!!! (it has Kaicho wa maid sama vibes if you liked that anime~~)

If I Could Tell Her by corologs

What if the picture perfect arc plan was successful??? Well, this fic explores this idea, and it’s very interesting to read. I like how Amane and Hanako are two separate people here.

the horizon tries but it’s just not as kind on the eyes by sincerelyand ( @sunlightinourheadlights ) 

(Oh my sweet Karen, she writes such good fics, so go check her AO3 out as well!!) Amane and Yashiro are friends that share an apartment (& they were roommates-- OMG they were roommates), even if Amane has its complains, because Nene can be a handful sometimes (and in denial of her true feelings as always, are we even surprised at this point?) he loves her dearly anyways😭.

for real, this time by sourlemoncandy  ( @sour-lemon-candy )

Did somebody say fake dating AU?????? Because hell yeah I did asajj I loved reading this so much!! Nene and Amane are childhood friends, and Nene overhears some girls talking about Amane and how one of them plans to ask him out... but she senses these girls are up to no good so she... well, you gotta read it to find out more~~ it’s no fun If I tell ya everything hehe... so go go go!!

lemon cream by sourlemoncandy

Amane and Nene, just two good friends having a road trip and sharing donuts... what could go wrong??  😏 seriously, I loved this fic so much!! Instant fav! Also makes me wanna try some good sweet donuts...

Trip Down Memory Lane by insipidenvy ( @insipidenvy )

This fic is so sweet. I have such a huge attachment to it, because I read it when I really needed some fluff in my life hahaha. It’s sort of a collection of memories between Amane and Yashiro’s relationship over the years. So heartwarming... if you need the fluffs you’ll enjoy this very much!!

The Radish Princess and the Toilet Prince by insipidenvy

This is my favorite fic from insipidenvy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know how I am a slut for Royalty AUs so that’s why!!!!! Also Toilet Prince!! hahahaha such a good nickname lmao. I love how they bond over their insecurities, it’s very relatable tbh. 

Between Wind and Water by WingSongHalo  ( @wingsonghalo )

My beautiful Wing always delivering the good Hananene content, as she should!! This fic is so fun to read!! I laughed so hard at Nene and Hanako being awkward with each other!!! So you know how Hanako is super clingy with Nene, he’s always touching & hugging her, but this time something weird happens and he’s so distant~~ Nene doesn’t want to admit it at first, but she misses his clingy ghost boy~~ you’ll have a good time reading this for sure!  

The Monster's Bride by Hammsters ( @uglierdaikon )

Have you heard about the myth of Cupid and Psyche? Well this fic rewrites it in a very Hananene way <3 hehe I loved it so much (as I’m a huge fan of mythology~) To sum it up, Nene is fated to marry a monster that lives in the mountains so she’s devastated... to her surprise, her husband is far from what she expected... she only had one rule to obey and well... we all know how reckless Nene is so... you go find out what happens next now!! hehehe

Morning Reflections by FalalalaLa  ( @miss-sternennacht )

So you’ve heard of Hanako watching Nene sleep, but what about Nene watching Amane sleep???!! this fic offers you this and so much more fluff <3 Also Nene remembering how they met and how their relationship evolved during the years, aww <3 

Cursed Coin by DaikonSenpai  ( @daikonsenpai )

There’s a school dance, Yashiro’s supposed to be dancing with Kou (since she can’t go with Hanako, which causes him to be jelly~~ and bitter), but she loses a coin Aoi gave her for good luck so she goes out and searches for it on the last place she saw it, the school fountain. Suddenly Hanako spots her, what’s she doing outside??? is she drunk or something?? what happens next you may find out when you read it~~~

Between Love and Hope by Baronesscmd (SweeterThanYourDarkestSin) ( @baronesscmd )

Oh to be Nene and get to sleep between the Yugi twins... God really has favorites uh... ISTG, this collection of fics is so cute. I love how Nene loves the twins so much in this AU, they have their little cute family. She ofc is in love with Amane, but their relationship with Tsukasa is so tender... it’s mostly this trio having fluffy moments together to heal your soul... if you need some, you’ll get it here for sure hahaha. 

Ghost of You (And All the Futures We've Forgotten) by Indigo_Floof  milkteamoon  ( @indigosienna , @spades-queen )

So anon you may have been wondering, well this bitch likes fluff only???? how about some angst for a change, uh? DAMN, OKAY THEN, here you have some angst to rip your soul out and wish you never sent me this ask in the 1st place, bec of the emotional damage this fic will leave you sdajjsa, also if you liked “Erased”, you’ll love this fic too! 

Hanako of the Opera by zxrstan

Finally, but not less important, me being annoying about Hanako of the Opera & POTO AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! This fic is based of the AU Aidairo created mostly, it’s really fun to read if you didn’t get much of what was happening during the Hanako of the Opera event, it has a nice ending also! very satisfying I must say. 

AAAAND THIS IS THE END OF MY ALL TIME FAV LIST OMG;;;; Kudos for me for searching through all my damn AO3 and Google Chrome history (from both my PC and phone, since I am a FOOL and forgot my AO3 password so I read a lot of these in the past as a guest before recovering my password LMAO, please be patient with me omg, and also if you see me bookmarking them now, you know why 😭) 

Kudos to all of my writer homies as well, I love and appreciate all of you so much!! you have no idea! 💖

I hope you find this list useful, anon!! Thank you for sending me this ask and have a wonderful day! 

Ps. Please everyone feel free to add more fics to this list if you want! this is all my personal picks, but I’m aware there are a lot more fics that I haven’t read and deserve as much recognition as the ones I listed!

[aeneaamoretto]

Thanks @serenesavagery for sparking all of this.

She really didn't do anything much other than leaving a passing comment that 'Brandon is a legend btw'.

That made me curious...

(That's never a good thing.)

So, I wanted to know what was his total written word count, what was his longest book and his shortest book...

And because I'm stubborn, I was going to do it myself. So armed with his official website, a calculator, a notepad and the internet, I began my quest.

Three books in, I switched to an Excel sheet because I am an idiot for even considering my first method was a good idea.

Here is where my overly investigative self went slightly off the rails. So not only did I have the book titles and the number of words in each book, I went on to include what category they fell under based on his site, if they were apart of a series, what type of book they were and their earliest publication date. I said earliest because some had two under different companies so I just went with the first one.

I'm here to share my findings after 2 days of research...

I mostly used the list of books from his website. So Arcanum Unbounded and Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds were used over the standalone versions. It saved me time in hunting down the others and calculating the overall word count was much easier if I didn't have to some subtractions along the way.

His four graphic novels were excluded from any of the final calculations because I couldn't get any accurate word lengths for them. For similar reasons, the audio book book he worked on was also excluded. I still put them on the list though.

The only other exclusions I had were his additions to the Unfettered, Unfettered III and Armored anthologies because I couldn't get my hand on those numbers.

I'm honestly surprised that I managed to get the one for Dreamer.

(If any of you do have them, could you please send them my way. Thank you.)

Also, I included the tentative word counts for Dawnshard and Rhythm of War because I wanted to include them in this crazy list...

There's also a fake release date for Dawnshard because I needed something there if I wanted to plot it later.

So feast your eyes on my crazy masterpiece

Yes, I also did a graph because I'm extra.

(Those sharp crazy increases were mainly due to Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, Warbreaker or The Wheel of Time. I checked.)

So the longest book he has ever written is undecided. It'll depend on how long Rhythm of War actually turns out to be but for now it's at number 1.

So his current Top 10 longest books:

Rhythm of War - 460,000 words*

Oathbringer - 454,768 words

Words of Radiance - 403,736 words

The Way of Kings - 383,181 words

A Memory of Light - 353,906 words

Tower of Midnight - 327,052 words

The Gathering Storm - 297,502 words

The Well of Ascension - 249,522 words

Warbreaker - 243,849 words

The Hero of Ages - 241,889 words

Since I don't have all the figures, his Top 10 shortest stories are up to deliberation but I do know that it'll take a lot of work to dethrone Dreamer at number 1.

Brandon Sanderson's Top 10 Shortest Works

Dreamer - 4,365 words

Mitosis - 9,034 words

First Born - 14,051 words

Defending Elysium - 14,743 words

Perfect State - 18,268 words

Snapshot - 25,079 words

Dawnshard - 35,000 words*

Infinity Blade Redemption - 37,681 words

Infinity Blade Awakening - 39,040 words

The Dark Talent - 51,711 words

Bonus: Here are the random calculations I did because I was bored and this is Excel...

(Again, his works from Armored and the Unfettered anthologies were not included in these numbers except for the final tally of works. That number is still inaccurate because I didn't get around to adding the shorter stories that became apart of Arcanum Unbounded and Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds.)

Can we take a moment of awe for this man? In the last 15 years, he has over 50 works credited to his name.

(My list only says 46 and I think like 10 of his other works didn't make the list because they were absorbed into the collections.)

He has published like 17 FREAKING EPICS !!!!!!

These lovely monstrosities are so long and he has released 17 of them.

His average word count for a single book, with the numbers I found, amounts to 149,147 words... I found the average of 39 different works and that still classifies as an epic.

What is he doing with himself? What am I doing with myself?

We need to applaud this man for everything that he was written for us and continues to write for us. He's written about 5.7 million words already and with Stormlight Archive not even halfway done, I'm not even going to be surprised if that number reaches 8.5 million. Especially considering that he has other active series going on and sequels in the works.

So, Brandon is a legend btw.

Next on my list of things that I'm going to research for the hell of it is Szeth's timeline... I really should do that before Brandon decides to alert me on exactly how much more complicated he wants it to be.

[raeofalbion]

Having read "Noctuary" and been completely enamoured (art pending) would you recommend any other fics for this fandom? Yours or otherwise.

Sorry this took so long! (And thank you so much for your lovely words! <3) I wish I had an elegant, well-documented rec list but I've been reading a lot of Assassin's Creed fics on the rare occassions when I feel like reading and my Ao3 history is in tatters I don't, so sorry if this is messy!! (There's no particular order to this, btw, but most of them are Jim/Sheriarty-centric because...yes.)

First off, I would recommend @like-the-direction's fics, particularly the Circadian Disruption series and Corpus Callosum.

- Circadian Disruption is a Westworld AU--but no cowboys, just robots and a lot of really interesting details that weave together in a lovely way (also Molly and Jim's sorta-friendship is excellent).

- Corpus Callosum is an AU that answers the question of "what if Jim had contacted Sherlock right after Carl Powers's murder?" and it's probably one of the most beautifully written things I've ever read?? I don't want to spoil too much, though I will say it focuses on them growing up through the years, and -gazes affectionately at it-

I would also recommend @jamlocked's fics...it’s difficult to just pick a couple cuz Jam’s awesome, but Between Shadows and Sunlight and Not Until Then are probably the ones I’d recommend most (they’re all good, though, and you should look at all of Jam’s stuff >_> ).

- Between Shadows and Sunlight is an AU alternate ending for S2--with as minimal spoilers as possible, Sherlock and Jim spend a week living together, while Sherlock tries to convince him not to kill his friends or himself. It’s not that simple, though.

- Not Until Then is...oh boy. -internal screaming- Post S4, Sherlock goes to visit Jim’s brother. This fic...is fantastic and fucks me up every time I read it. It’s so good, and I have a bunch of theories about [redacted] and I...I... -lays on the floor- h e l p.

There’s a wonderful little oneshot series by @jimswestwood called Inevitable Destruction which has philosophical themes and existential ponderings.

Not a fic, but @dynamics-of-an-asteroid has wonderful, amazing, life-saving list of Sheriarty fics and you should absolutely check it out. You can find it HERE--it’s at least a couple pages long, so make sure to hit the next page button.

--

With regard to my own fics...I have a hard time recommending stuff? So. -settles in- Lemme give you a walkthrough of them all.

- Hiraeth - Oneshot. Mycroft reminisces on his and Sherlock’s youth; just soft sibling times. (For some reason this is my third most popular fic on Ao3, after Blackout and MoI?? So?? -incoherent noises-)

- Ghosts - Oneshot. The night after the Fall, Sherlock has a drunken chat with Jim. (The first BBC fic I did, aww...probably needs a rewrite but I think it’s similar to Noctuary in the sense of “is this happening or not?” vibes.)

- Two - Oneshot. ...this one is hard to explain. It’s basically a rewrite of the rooftop bit, but with a focus internal monologues. (It was experimental and a bit pretentious, but then again so am I.)

- Seven - Oneshot (sorta). The seven deadly sins + domestic Sheriarty fluff = bastards in love, continuing to be bastards. (Basically seven drabbles from different points in Jim and Sherlock’s relationship, each corresponding to a different sin and smooshed into a single fic. I’d really like to expand on a couple of them one day...)

- Observer Log - INTL - 9145 - Currently a oneshot, but I have more parts planned. Crossover with the Horizon series. Far into the future, Sherlock, Jim, a robotic cat, and a medical AI embark on a quest for answers. (It’s long. It’s...appallingly long, but it made me so happy to write and to explore something seemingly so far out of the show’s canon.)

- In The Darkness and Howling - Multi-chapter, wip. Bloodborne inspired. Many years ago, the Nightmares came and blanketed the world, turning men into monsters and sending others into a dreamless sleep. While investigating the murder of a witch, Sherlock begins to uncover the mysterious origins of the Nightmares and runs afoul of a conspiracy to use the Nightmares for personal gain. (This would have more chapters posted if Sherlock hadn’t essentially thrown himself on the floor of the plot and sat, obstinately pouting. But that’s what he’s doing, so... :/ I just really wanted to write a magic AU, tbh. Something fun and dark and brutal, with a bit of smooching later on.)

I hope that’s of some help!

[austennerdita2533]

Yes! I had heard about the spin off about their kids it’s on my tbr! Not sure when I’ll get around to it but I’ll get there eventually. But ooh their other series sounds interesting too I’ll put it on my tbr too!! But that’s exactly why I loved Coballoway too (plus I’m also similar to Rose so their love story felt more personal that way)

Yay!! I’m glad the atlas six interested you, I hope you like it when you get to it I’m really loving it so far! I can already tell there is at least one ship I’m going to love it just hits all of my favorite tropes/things I enjoy. But the magic system is so cool and they are all so powerful.

Also glad you want to know about my reading too! I will keep you updated I have some books/series I really want to read but I try to be good and not read more than 2/3 at a time (and not buy anymore till I’m finished). Right now I’m also working through the throne of glass series which might take me awhile but I’m enjoying that too! Right now the books up next on my list are: Ugly Love, The Ravenhood Series, The Hating Game, Zodiac Academy, and Twisted Games (it’s the second book in a series that come out this month I loved Twisted Love by Ana Huang-highly recommend it if you love grumpy/sunshine and brother’s best friend tropes plus the twists were amazing-this one is a different couple but I’m excited!!)

Also! Don’t think I mentioned it yet maybe I did but I also read the Folk Air Series that you recommended! It took me a little while to get into but I ended up really loving it and Jurdan. I loved loved loved Jude and how power hungry she was and how Cardan was just obsessed with her. Their relationship build up was so good too.

All the best!!

-ACOTAR Anon

I keep meaning to get around to the Like Us series myself but I haven't managed it yet. It's been sitting on my tbr (and my Kindle) for a good couple of years now. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I know I'll read it eventually...but when eventually will be is anybody's guess.

(This is a good commentary on my reading life in general, I think. It's impossible to keep up with everything!)

The Atlas Six is pretty fascinating so far! I'm only about 25% into it but the magical world building is unique and I like how the narrative switches between the different POV's. Usually I don't care for more than 3 or 4 alternating perspectives in books because it makes it harder for me to invest in the characters, since I don't have as much time with them, but it works exceedingly well in this one. Helps to preserve the mystery of Atlas early on. And also allows readers to see how different all of the characters are in magical skill, background, personality, etc. I can't wait to see what unfolds!

I'm also currently reading Anxious People by Frederik Backman. I don't know if you've read anything by him before but he's such a good storyteller. Grabs you by the hearstrings. He's funny as hell, too. I've loved everything I've picked up from him so far. He has a knack for crafting beautifully flawed relatable complex characters. And this book is no exception. It might end up being a 5-star read for me, which is rare.

The next books on your to-read list sound fantastic, btw! Some I have read already or have them snuggled on one of my many wishlists. Like the Zodiac Academy and the Ravenhood series. And The Hating Game is one of my contemporary romance obsessions. It's just so enemies-to-lovers charged and fun. That book is packed full of a bunch tropes I adore. I've already read it twice and will likely revisit it again in the future. Thanks for mentioning Ugly Love (I need to get off my butt and read Colleen Hoover) and Twisted Love because those are definitely right up my alley. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite romance tropes. I live for it!

And yayyy! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed The Folk of the Air! It does take a bit to settle into the world of that story, as well as to become engrossed in the characters, but once you do, it's full speed ahead. Jude is such a badass. I love that she's ambitious to the point she's willing to take people out/down to get what she wants. Her fraught relationship with Madoc is fascinating to me as well. And Jurdan is just such a delicious ship. I love it so much. It's true enemies-to-lovers excellence. They have so many quotable lines!

I'm excited because Holly Black has a new adult fantasy series coming out next year, in 2022. It's called Book of Night and the premise sounds cool as hell. I've already been stalking NetGalley in the hopes that I have a chance at first dibs on an ARC lolol.

Also, if you can find self-restraint enough not to buy any more books until you've read most of the ones you have then I salute you! I try oh, so hard to enact this rule upon myself...but it never works. Like ever. 😂

It's my own fault, really. I get daily emails/alerts from Kindle, BookBubs, etc. letting me know about titles that are on sale for less than $5, and when they're that cheap, I can't seem to justify NOT buying a whole hoard of them even though I know they're more than likely to remain unread for a long, loooong time to come. Better than paying full price, though. Right?

If you haven't email subscribed to any of these sites, and you're looking to save some cash on audio or e-books specifically, you should. I'd spend a whole ass fortune on books if I didn't use them. (I check out a lot of books from the library, too.) I dropped the links to some of the ones I use in case you or anyone else who reads this is interested and doesn't know about them:

Book Bubs (you can set preferences/alerts based on your favorite books, genres, authors; you can rate stuff and curate your own wishlist too)

Early Bird Books (I use this one a lot to find classics that are on sale/free)

Book Riot (this site has a lot of book sweepstakes you can enter for a chance to win gift cards to Barnes & Noble, Book Depository etc.)

Kindle Book Deals (there are tons of deals offered daily, weekly monthly; I'm not a Kindle Unlimited member but there's that option, too)

NewInBooks (new releases; has links for Kindle, Apple, Audio, and hardcover)

Anyway take care, sweets, and happy reading! 💜