#(novel in progress written by yours truly :])

[dice-wizard]

Okay writers listen up

I'm gonna tell you about how I wrangled my shitbird brain into being a terrifying word-churning engine and have written over 170K words in under a year.

I wanna be clear that before unlocking this Secret Technique I was a victim of my unmedicated ADHD, able to start but never finish, able to ideate but not commit and I truly and firmly believed that I'd never write a novel and such a thing was simply outside of my reach.

Now I write (and read!!) every day. Every. Single. Day. Like some kind of scriptorial One Punch Man.

Step the First

Remove friction between yourself and writing.

I personally figured out how to comfortably write on my phone which meant I didn't have to struggle with the insurmountable task of opening my laptop.

I don't care if this means you write in a Discord server you set up for yourself, but fucking do it. Literally whatever makes you write!

(if you do write somewhere that isn't a word processor PLEASE back your work up regularly!)

Step the Second

Make that shit a habit. Write every day.

For me, I allow myself the grace that ANY progress on writing counts. One sentence? Legal. Five thousand furious hyperfixated words? Also legal.

Every day, make progress. Any progress.

I deleted Twitter from my phone and did my best to replace doomscrolling with writing. If I caught myself idly scrolling I'd close whatever I was looking at and open my draft and write one (1) sentence until I made THAT a habit, too.

Step Two-point-Five

DO NOT REWRITE. If you are creating a first draft, don't back up or restart. Continous forward motion. Second drafts and editors exist. Firsts are for ripping the fucking thing out of your brain.

If you're working on revisions after an editor or beta readers or whoever has given you feedback, then you can rewrite that's OK (and it counts as your writing for the day!)

Step the Third

Now that you've found a comfortable way to write and are doing it every day, don't stop. Keep doing it. Remember, just one sentence is all you need. You can always do more, but if one lousy sentence is all you can manage then you're still successfully writing.

Remember: this is what worked for me. Try things until you find what works for you.

You can do it. I believe in you.

[magical-reid]

Written in the Margins

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Perspective: Third person limited (from Spencer’s perspective)

Timeline: Early Season 7

Word Count: 1.2 K

Summary: Spencer Reid teams up with you, a sharp and insightful local researcher, to help the BAU solve a series of murders staged like literary tragedies in Glenhaven, New York. As the investigation progresses, an undeniable connection forms between you two, leading to a blossoming relationship that continues even after the case is closed.

The town of Glenhaven was a small, tight-knit community nestled in the hills of upstate New York, where Victorian homes lined the streets like forgotten characters in a half-finished novel. The BAU had been called in after three murders, each victim a young woman in her twenties, staged like they’d stepped out of a literary tragedy. Notes were left behind at each scene—typewritten passages pulled from classic novels, arranged with the unsub’s unnerving precision.

When Spencer Reid entered the precinct, he wasn’t expecting much from the local resources—just the usual flurry of files, hastily snapped crime scene photos, and an overwhelmed detective in desperate need of federal help. He certainly wasn’t expecting you.

You were leaning over a table, a thick stack of notes in front of you, scribbling furiously with an ink-stained hand. Dressed casually but confidently, you looked thoroughly out of place in the harsh fluorescent light of the precinct. The lead detective, Harper, stood over you, looking exasperated.

“Miss Y/L/N, I’ve told you before. You’re not part of this investigation,” Harper said, his tone clipped.

“Then maybe you should stop using my research,” you shot back, flipping through your notes before shoving a page toward him. “See this? This isn’t just a random Steinbeck quote. It’s a clue. A trail. Your unsub isn’t quoting these lines because they’re creepy; he’s building something.”

Detective Harper sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, just as Spencer approached.

“Building what?” Spencer asked. His voice was calm, curious.

You turned toward him, your brow furrowing slightly as you assessed him, clearly wondering if he’d take you seriously. Spencer didn’t miss the faint trace of ink on your jaw, like you’d been chewing on your pen while deep in thought.

“A narrative,” you said, holding his gaze. “He’s telling a story—one murder at a time.”

Spencer hadn’t meant to let you stick around. Truly. But as the hours ticked by, it became clear that you weren’t just some amateur with a theory. Your insights were sharp, your connections logical, and you noticed things even the BAU team hadn’t picked up on.

“We’ve been approaching this like he’s pulling quotes at random,” you said later that day, pacing as you spoke. “But look here. These aren’t just literary excerpts—they’re thematic. Each one is about doors. Opening them, closing them, walking through them.”

You turned to Spencer, eyes alight with determination. “If he’s fixated on this metaphor, maybe the locations of the murders are symbolic, too. The first was near a locked gate. The second, an abandoned church. The third…”

“A condemned theater,” Spencer finished, his mind racing alongside yours. “He’s choosing places where doors—physical or metaphorical—are significant.”

The way you grinned at him in that moment was almost enough to make him forget about the case entirely.

“You’re not so bad for an academic,” you teased, crossing your arms.

Spencer felt his cheeks warm, but he refused to look away. “And you’re not so bad for a…civilian,” he countered, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The tension between you and Spencer only grew as the investigation continued. Every time your fingers brushed while passing notes, every time your eyes lingered a little too long on his, the air between you seemed to hum with unspoken possibilities.

It didn’t help that the team noticed.

“So,” Morgan said one morning, leaning against the precinct’s kitchenette counter while Spencer poured himself a cup of coffee. “You and the writer seem to be getting along.”

“We’re collaborating,” Spencer said quickly, though the flush on his neck betrayed him.

“Uh-huh,” Morgan said, smirking. “And what exactly were you collaborating on last night when I walked in and saw you both leaning over the same file, about an inch away from each other’s faces?”

Spencer didn’t dignify that with a response.

It was late on the second night of the case when the two of you ended up alone in the precinct’s conference room. The rest of the team had gone to get some sleep, but Spencer, as always, was restless, and you seemed equally unwilling to leave the work unfinished.

“You’re staring,” you said softly, not looking up from the sheet of notes in front of you.

“I’m not,” Spencer replied, too quickly.

You raised an eyebrow, finally meeting his gaze. “Yes, you are.”

Spencer hesitated, his mouth opening and closing as he scrambled for a reply. “I was…thinking.”

“About?”

The truth was, he had been thinking—about the way you chewed your lip when you were concentrating, the way your laugh was soft but genuine, the way your mind worked with such creativity that it left him breathless. But he couldn’t say any of that.

“About the case,” he lied.

You tilted your head, unconvinced. “Sure you were.”

The silence stretched between you, charged and electric, until you finally spoke again, your voice quieter this time.

“You’re not like I expected.”

Spencer blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” you said with a shrug, leaning back in your chair. “You’re this genius profiler, right? I thought you’d be…I don’t know. Intimidating. Detached. But you’re—”

“Awkward?” Spencer supplied, the corner of his mouth quirking upward.

“I was going to say kind,” you corrected, your tone soft.

For a moment, Spencer didn’t know what to say. The look in your eyes—warm, curious, and slightly vulnerable—made his heart trip over itself.

“Thank you,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

When the case finally broke, it was your insight that led them to the unsub’s lair—an abandoned library on the edge of town.

Spencer had insisted you stay behind when they moved in to apprehend him, but even after the unsub was in custody, Spencer’s thoughts kept drifting back to you. When he returned to the precinct to find you pacing the room, your hands clenched tightly around your notebook, the relief on your face when you saw him nearly knocked the air from his lungs.

“You’re okay,” you said, rushing toward him.

“I’m okay,” he assured you, his voice gentle.

Before he could stop himself, Spencer reached out, his fingers brushing against your arm—a fleeting touch, but one that sent a shiver down his spine.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “We wouldn’t have solved this without you.”

You smiled, but there was a flicker of something deeper in your eyes—something unspoken but unmistakable. “You’re welcome.”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Epilogue

Weeks later, Spencer was still thinking about you. He’d memorized the note you left for him, tucked inside a copy of your newest manuscript:

For Dr. Spencer Reid—proof that the best stories are written together.

He hadn’t planned to reach out, but when his phone buzzed with a text from you one evening, his heart skipped a beat.

So…dinner?

His reply was immediate.

Absolutely.

[silvernightabyss]

“Who says the protagonist's life has to be happy?” - Prologue

Yandere Elf Hero x Reader

What author's manual says the protagonist is the happiest human or non-human in the world? That's ridiculous. It must be the most miserable creature who suffers all the time. However, if you doubt my unquestionably true statement, you can read the text below. Of course, that's just the beginning. But hey, everything has a beginning. And that includes you, little human creature. In the free giveaway for the isekai, please go here.

предупреждения/теги: упоминания об изнасиловании (не читатель), gn!Reader

Количество слов: 1,6 тыс.

Prologue/Chapter 1

“Who says the protagonist's life has to be happy?” That's the title of a series of novels you've been reading for the past two weeks. True to the title, the protagonist's life was anything but happy. It was dark romantic fantasy with detailed descriptions of rape, blood and guts. So vilely written you'd never dare read it yourself. Unfortunately, your best friend could make the most pitiful puppy dog eyes, and you had no choice but to keep reading. In fact, you were ready to swear to god that the author was not all right in the head. You had to be able to mock your own creation like that.

Evan, the protagonist name, was taken from his parents as a baby and raised by the church, because of a prophecy that said that only he could defeat the Demon King. Since childhood, he was subjected to grueling training, tirelessly developing his magic. Often his teachers brought him to such exhaustion that he passed out on the training ground. He had no close friends, as there were no other children in the temple, and the adult priests kept telling him that the only goal in his life was to kill the Demon King. As you can imagine, it wasn't exactly conducive to forming close bonds.

And so he grew up in the capital's temple, but fate author was truly a cruel thing. From the moment Evan turned fourteen, the head priest began giving him inappropriate signs of attention; overly long touches, lustful smiles, adjusting his clothes even when it wasn't necessary. Your heart burned with the blazing fire of righteous anger as you read these scenes. Often while reading, you would stop and start hitting your pillow, imagining the priest in it place. The worst thing happened the day Evan turned sixteen. That scum in the robe molested the poor half-elf. You screamed and swore with every profanity you knew, but Evan was there and not real, and you were here and could not affect anything. After that scene, you left the book dusting on your bedside table for days. It was too hard, but the desire to know what would happen to Evan next eventually overcame you. With all your heart, you wanted to believe that after all the misfortunes, the main hero would find his happy ending.

And oh boy, there was a little hint of that at the end of the first volume. Evan, began to develop a relationship with the princess. She seemed kind and sweet, genuinely caring for the hapless half-elf. So it was with great anticipation in your heart that you bought the second volume and spent all your free weekends reading it. Their relationship developed slowly but so tasty. You wanted to believe in the feelings that blossomed between them. You were on a tear the moment Evan told the princess about what the head priest was doing to him. She was so understanding and immediately began to devise a plan to break the half elf out of the church's grip. Things were heating up as the story progressed, but it was obvious that a good ending was at hand. Just grab it by the hand.

Evan got his freedom, and all that was left was to kill the Demon King. The battle was hard fought and thrillingly written. With difficulty and loss, the Demon King was killed. It would seem that this is it, but… Loud thunderclap. Evan dies from wounds received in the battle. As soon as you read those lines, you threw the book at the wall with all your might. And what was the character development, the slow carbing out of bad circumstances into good ones. The series taught you not to give up. And what happens in the end! Evan dies without ever marrying the princess or finding his happy ending. That's bullshit. You spent hours that day berating the author with a friend, wanting to vent your frustration.

Unsatisfied with this ending, you went on the internet to look for fanfics. You wanted to read some fluff about the half-elf you were so attached to. Was it any wonder that the most popular pairing was Demon King/Evan? No. Fanfics certainly helped a little from your heartbreak, but the ending of the original novel remained the same. The story hit your heart hard. Its unfair ending, and there was no other way to call it that, made you want to find out the author's home address and visit them late at night. You were sure you could be persuasive enough for the author to rewrite the ending. Unfortunately, your common sense still existed and influenced you. The idea had to be abandoned with a heavy heart.

After engaging in a couple of tumblr and reddit wars about Evan's character and devouring all the content on the series in a matter of weeks, a feeling of emptiness came into your life. The greedy phase of absorbing all available information has ended for lack of it. It wasn't the first time you'd dived headfirst into fandom, but it was the first time coming out was so painful. Every day you desperately refreshed your newsfeed, hoping for another piece of content, but it was in short supply.

Gradually you began to let go, the difficulties of everyday life didn't leave you much time for social media, and the next fandom you entered made you completely forget about your recent favorite blorbo. Only your favorite art with Evan on the lock screen evoked a slight nostalgic feeling mixed with a rush of fondness. Six months later and it was replaced.

But one fine or terrible day. You will be able to decide which one it was only at the end of the story. Don't jump to conclusions halfway through.

So on Friday, nothing was going to go wrong. Just a normal day, filling you with anticipation for the weekend. Perhaps you had a few drinks with friends and on your way home you decided to cross the road in the wrong way.

Now, you're probably expecting me to write that you got hit by a truck and were reborn or isekai'd. But no, you weren't!

You quietly found yourself on the other side of the street in front of your house, and you didn't have to walk a whole street to the crosswalk.

Wonderful. Is there a crazy maniac waiting for you in the elevator? No. Shame. Well, let me continue with a retelling of the events that will draw you into the biggest adventure of your life.

Tiredly, you entered your apartment and began to look for your slippers. Why you did it in total darkness, instead of just turning on the light in the corridor, God only knew. Finally, having coped with the difficult task and having taken off your outer clothes, you went to the kitchen for a drink of water. Divine cool liquid washed your parched throat and you stopped dying of thirst.

I'm proud to put a star sticker on your forehead. Taking care of yourself is important, don't forget that. Uh-oh. I got distracted. Where's my script?

The night sky was beautiful, thick and dark, like a can of ink accidentally swiped onto paper by someone's clumsy hand. The stars illuminated the earth with small lanterns, watching from the heavens for the only two intelligent beings in the world. They were very interested in what the young god and the angel were doing.

Irin, with infinite adoration in his eyes, approached you timidly holding out the handmade cupcake. Soft wings more airy than the clouds themselves fluttered behind his back. Could he really afford to hope that a god as perfect as you would accept his gift?

Ugh. Ugh. Wrong story, forget it. It's not even finished yet, don't be fooled.

Your head began to ache, the pressure pressing on your temples, and you headed for the bedroom with a spinning head. For some reason, the bookcase, or rather the Evan series of books, caught your eye. With a sudden glare, you pulled out one of the book and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall.

I know the bed is for wimps. I do it a lot myself, but it's so much nicer to cry on the floor. It's cold and it sets the mood. I'm sorry. I've been distracted a lot. I promise you won't read about me again until the end.

Your fingers gently stroked Evan's face on the cover. It showed him very happy with a bright smile on his face and flowers in his hands. Unfair. Terribly unfair that such a good main character ended so tragically. Tears rolled down your cheeks in large drops coming off your chin. One of them fell directly onto Evan's face, and you hastily wiped it away with your thumb. How you wished you had the chance to change his fate. To save him from an ignominious death when he was so close to his true freedom and happiness. You clutched the book tightly to your chest. The minutes spent in grief went by unnoticed and passed smoothly into sleep. It was the last night you spent in your world. You woke up in a completely unfamiliar environment, you had no idea where you were. But that's a story for another chapter.

And that's how you isekai'd in the novel, “Who says the protagonist's life has to be happy?” As its author, I wish you strong nerves, don't go gray before your time!

P.S. You're on your own from here. I'm on vacation in Hawaii. Be gentle with Evan, because I'm the only one who has the right to make fun of him. Kiss.

The world's evilest kindest author.

Reblogs, comments, are always greatly appreciated! ヽ(o^ ^o)ﾉ

[andvys]

it’s crazy the way some people act when it comes to fics. getting upset because the story isn’t being written the way you want it? here’s a thought: write your own fic then! i can only imagine how it feels to put so much work into writing something and then be excited about posting it, just to end up having someone come in your asks saying they’re not excited about this series anymore or won’t read the next chapter because of a character... whatever happened to if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it at all? it’s so easy to just not read something anymore that you have an issue with. and coming to you just to announce that they don’t care about your work anymore is so rude. i’m so sorry you have to deal with these kinds of people. please know that sooo many of us love anything that you write! thank you so much for even sharing your art with us in the first place!! this series is truly so exciting to read and i can’t wait to see more of what you have in store for the gang at the community 😊

it is very frustrating! I am honestly kind of used to it though, it happened in all my series' so far, so it isn't really much of a surprise to see people not liking where this is going -- I saw it coming actually. I knew that once Aaron would appear, some people would start hating it and hating sunshine too but like... I'm not gonna rewrite and change up ideas just because some people don't like how it's progressing. You can't message an author in the middle of reading a novel and ask them to rewrite a story that's been written already either so like...

some comments get so mean and salty too, like do I have to remind people that me and @hellfire--cult are the ones writing this story? This story wasn't a request, it was our idea and Aaron was planned before we even started working on this story. The warnings say 'slow burn' and 'happy ending', and it will always be Steve x sunshine...

but I'm glad that you are enjoying this! and thank you so much ♡

[thelordofgifs]

Friday Fic Recs: Long WIP edition

I’ve been thinking a little bit about the (very arduous) process of writing longfic, and how much of a difference support and cheerleading can make on that particular journey; so, although it’s been a while since I’ve made a Friday rec list, I thought I’d put one together celebrating all the incredible in-progress longfics in the Tolkien fandom I’m keeping up with at the moment!

Atandil series by @eilinelsghost. Such a gorgeous graceful moving exploration of Finrod and his relationship with Men, and the slowest and most sensual of slow burns in his romance with Bëor. The amount this series has made me THINK – about love, and hope, and memory, and Taliska grammar – is off the charts, and to top it off it’s written in the loveliest most Tolkienesque prose.

we will make this place our home by @leucisticpuffin. Ohh this AU is just like a warm gentle hug after a long day. The “kidnap fam but make it a classic children’s novel” concept is so so inspired, all the characterisations are so nuanced and moving (Maglor my beloved!!) and the OCs will steal your heart.

And Love Grew by @polutrope. On the other end of the kidnap fam spectrum, this complex and careful examination of the time after the Third Kinslaying is SO brilliant. Incredible characterisations of all the key players, some truly fascinating OCs (Dornil!!) and of course beautiful graceful prose.

tongues of the sky series by @welcomingdisaster. The first fic in this series, seabird, was written for me and I can be SO obnoxious about this :) but also it’s a wonderful moving ultimately hopeful fix-it AU with note-perfect russingon and m&m dynamics. The sequel, sparrowhawk, is currently in progress and soooo good.

ashes, ashes, dust to dust — the devil’s after both of us by @that-angry-noldo. This is SUCH an original and fascinating take on an AU where Maedhros and Maglor take Finarfin captive to bargain for the Silmarils, featuring incredible character dynamics and a terrifyingly eldritch Eönwë.

and all his towers cast down by @actual-bill-potts. What if Finrod survived the events of the Leithian? Well, angst and trauma, to start off with. And also beautiful beautiful writing, impeccable characterisation and a Maglor-Lúthien teamup!! I adore this AU.

All That Glitters Gold Rush AU series by @allthatglittersisnotgoldrush. This one is LONG LONG LONG, but also SO worth it. Ever wanted to see the entire Silmarillion retold as a western, complete with a terribly tragic and complicated Maedhros, Morgoth the terrifying slave-owner, and a beautifully multicultural Doriath? The authors have you covered.

And the Stars Shine the Same series by @runawaymun. OC-centric fic is such a rare delight and this series set in early Third Age Rivendell is just wonderful, tender and complicated and with a truly incredible Elrond.

Retelling the Hobbit comic by @retellingthehobbit. Something a little different, but I binged all of this comic retelling of The Hobbit on a plane recently and GOD it’s so so beautiful. A truly gorgeous art style, and slowly converting me from a Bilbo/Thorin sceptic into an enjoyer!

In Heart by @tanoraqui. An AU where Fëanor takes the Doom of the Noldor as a what-not-to-do manual and ends up making better choices! Featuring incredible worldbuilding and fantastic characterisation.

Please add on the longfics you love in the reblogs! Let’s get some love going for these difficult beasts!

(Couple of incest recs under the cut.)

naught green upon the oak series by @welcomingdisaster. A CoH-inspired Maedhros/Maglor AU in which Maglor winds up with amnesia after his encounter with Glaurung. I’m SO insane about this series that I can’t be coherent but it is fantastic and chilling and devastating with the most beautiful prose aahhh.

Strange Currencies by @jouissants. Maedhros is re-embodied at last only to learn that he is married to Maglor: a touching and painful post-canon fic interleaved with incredible flashbacks to the First Age.

[ranthebow]

On Writing and Hand Binding Your Novel

I've been given the wonderful opportunity to talk about a personal project completed last summer, one that took over a year to finish actually! It's what made me get into writing and book binding.

So, without further ado, last year I wrote a novelized version of the homebrewed dnd campaign I was in for about two years. And not only did I write it, I illustrated a cover, made a pretty typeset, printed the pretty typeset, and hand bound two copies of what eventually became titled "That Time I Nearly Broke Down & Cried (and other such stories)".

For some progress shots and more about what I put into it:

The Story

Near the end of the campaign, I decided to take my notes and write them as novelized journal entries from my character, Casrius Diki's, perspective (this man right here)

This ended up taking me over 6 months to complete as I started to enjoy the writing more and, thus, each journal entry got longer and more complicated. During that time, our campaign also imploded in a fairly soul crushing way. So there I was, with all these feelings and a creative project half done that brought up these feelings, and a general sense of no closure for anything. So, I decided to change that. For both.

I was already interested in book binding. And I had a novel length book almost-written. Why not end the campaign for me, on my terms, with a project I could be proud of?

So, the writing continued, followed by some serious editing.

And before long, I had formatted my writing for printing, and it was off to be bound.

The Creation

My novel ended up having enough words for 327 pages when formatted for printing, or 17 signatures to fold and sew together, the largest book block I have ever worked with.

(don't mind my non-setup, this was done over many days, and even involved a move to a new apartment.)

The book press is plywood from Home Depot that was cut into 12x12" squares, then clamped with plastic clamps. String, beeswax, needle, bone folder, PH neutral PVA glue, and headbands were all purchased from Hollander's. I used normal printer paper for the pages to attempt to keep the thickness down.

For the cover, I had previously drawn the illustration of the team in the forest as an anniversary drawing for our first year. But it didn't have the proper dimensions for a book cover, so I had to expand the illustration and give it more space for the title and such.

The text was done in Canva, then the whole cover was printed on 13x19" Canon Matte Photo Paper. I had read that this was a good paper to use for book covers, but I don't know if I would use it again in all honesty. Any glue that came into contact with the print rubbed it away, making the whole cover feel a little fragile.

For a final touch, I painted the edges of the book block a solid turquoise. This was done just as sprayed edges were starting to become popular for books, so I thought it would be cool and make this feel more special, but now it is so mainstream that I honestly don't know if I like it on my book anymore oops

The Fun Stuff

Here's where I show off the parts of the book that make me really happy!

The endpapers feature paintings of the group that I had done as another gift. They are in ornate frames and "hung" off the endpaper - I actually cut them out of a thicker cardstock and glued them onto the book so they have a little depth to them!

This specific page ( a fake copyright with lots of fun goodies)

The list of contents, both for the fun chapter titles (one chapter for one session) and for a playlist created during the campaign

Speaking of the music, the footnotes on each page where a song is relevant, explaining where and why it is relevant:

And finally, the typeset itself, which is peppered with illustrations I did at the table for fun little moments in the campaign

All in all, truly a labor of love for my character and for the campaign. regardless of other emotions attached to it. I gave myself, and the dnd version of Cas, closure. I also discovered how much I love writing and making physical copies of my writing. Is there another personal writing project of mine that ended up in a book that I have not ever mentioned? 100% yes. Maybe one day it will get its own post.

Anyways, thanks for sticking around! I hope you enjoyed/maybe even learned something about bookbinding. I'm pretty new at it, but if you have any questions, I will do my best to answer lol. And if you have ever thought about book binding or writing or any other creative endeavor that you have wanted to try but just haven't, in the most immortal words of all...

[writingmochi]

ｌｏａｄｉｎｇ ｉｎｔｅｒｆａｃｅ．．．

you have reached year 3

lissie: greetings! this is your flight director speaking~ welcome to the third anniversary of this blog. with so many changes in the trends of fics posted here and such, i'm surprised how this blog perseveres through it. first, thank you so much for reading, indulging, and/or interacting with this blog, me, or my works. the sentence before cannot describe the gratitude i'm expressing towards all of you.

second, i know updates are slow right now. much of what i promised from the previous november 15th didn't happen, especially terra incognita. many experiences have happened to me such as moving to a new country even for a short stay and my dwindling interest in the kpop fandom space in general with how i focused more on my other hobbies such as discovering new mediums. i would like to say that even with the minimal works posted here, i'm still gonna be here and write stories i'm proud of that you will be ready to read. i won't be quitting until i don't know what to write for these groups anymore. but, with art, it takes time to create something that i can be truly satisfied with, especially because i write novel-length works with intricate worldbuilding and narrative.

that being said, even if i'm not proud because i didn't meet the target that i wanted to meet, things still happened to this blog that i do believe has been the most growth i've seen now. and this is a yearly recap that allows me and you all to see the progress of this blog!

vvv

all research done (read: works written and released)

subterranean homesick alien | txt's soobin (52.7k [novel])

laurel hell | enhypen's heeseung (2 parts; 60.5k [novel])

besok mungkin kita sampai | enhypen's niki (13k [novelette])

total: 3 works (1 two-shots, 2 oneshots) and 126.2k words written

all the navigators connected (read: mutuals i got within the year. check last year's recap if you didn't find yourself!)

@galaxystardragoness (via @umbralhelwolf)

hello haru! i don't think we have interacted much other than things related to cult of dionysus network. i do have rb a few of your posts on my other blogs (fandom and random) so i'm very glad to see your posts on my timeline! cheers~

@14raeriluv

rae! genuinely, your tags make me remember that people do care about me outside of my writings. you've been a gateway to the other sides of enhypen fandom that i'm not in so looking into your blog helps me keep up with enhypen~ thank you for that!

@enluv

hi coco! i don't know if you're still lurking here, but hope you have a great time offline!

@seolboba

hey mako! you're the one who introduced me to a wider kpop oc community here on tumblr, alongside sof! it's been a long time since i've been thinking about street spirit, but i do have some ambitious plans about them as the street spirit project can be a gateway to improve my art portfolio. so glad to see you on my timeline when you update your ocs!

@bandzboy (via @pionas)

tris! the advocate and voice you are!! gosh i'm so glad i linked up with you because, honestly, you are one of the voices of reason for me to think about kpop critically, especially in the social and political side of the industry. so proud of you for being the voice of the kpop boycott for gaza that i'm still following today. all the best for you~

@thelargefrye (via @smallfrye)

smalls! gosh how are you? i love how you refer to yourself as the yoko taro of atinyblr 'cause i can definitely see that (as a self-proclaimed annapurna interactive of my side of the kpop ficblr). your stories are so creative and out of the box that i am very much inspired to make more fantasy fics instead of grounded fics because of them. i hope you are doing well right now!

@prodsh00ky

hello sam! glad to be able to link up with you and thanks for joining my collab~ hope we can talk or discuss more cause i am planning to be more active here, especially nearing the end of the year...

@hyukassubi

subi! so glad to see you here especially since we've talked before on the txt fic hub discord server. so glad to know that you're getting in the groove for writing. i am interested in your kai fics, so i'm might reblog something about it in the future. p.s. will be answering your rb after this

director's journal entries (read: all the rants i have thought out the past year. some are genuine, some are sarcastic):

finally i can post a continuation of time wave ahh

why am i making such a romcom fic so melancholic(?)

oh shoot

where did yall come from??? *panic*

i hate myself for not being able to finish another fic

pls let me finish a fic :[[[

i'm so sorry. but ever since laurel hell, why is there an abundance of enha parent au on the tags?

freaky ahh...

in the clerb, we all fam... ig

i have so many ideas. thank you other mediums!

spoiler: i went a place where my future fic will be set in ohoho

i literally just hear someone copulating a floor above me when i wanna write smut. bro if it can reach me, i’m horrified for their next-door neighbours

re: above: that's my ace side showing up ^^

it's been year huh and how did i still am able write more than 100k words

wow!

notable moments from the past year

the first time a fic has reached 1000 notes!

reaching 300, 400, and 500!

what’s next?

lissie: i mostly plan on focusing on the fics that i am working for currently (i only said, terra incognita act 1, loomer) that will posted this year and other things such as the 400 milestone collab!

i *might* make a poll about fics from my wip page that you are interested in reading the most but like it's still hard 'cause i have to be in a certain mindset to write. i will try to be active here more, especially with mutuals and in regards to @a-dream-bookmark. i will be a bit more low-key because i believe in a more thorough process that is quality over quantity. so, i hope you can be patient with that...

lissie: with all of that said, i thank all of you once again for another year of support. cheers!

[hyuuukais]

.・゜-: ✧ :- FICTIONAL REALITY .・゜-: ✧ :-

pairing • bang chan x fem reader

synopsis • fiction or reality? y/n preferred the former, escaping into another world, escaping her problems. so what happens when reality takes that away from her; wiping her own story-in-progress off both her laptop and beloved usb? and what happens when she opens the door in the middle of a crisis to none other then the love interest of her novel... and he's holding her usb?

warnings • general, y/n is lowkey scared of storms

MASTERLIST | NEXT

CHAPTER ONE • REALITY CHECK (1.4K)

Living in a small town meant knowing everyone, and everyone being known for something. For Mrs. Yang down the street, it was her sassy attitude at the ripe age of 85 made you forget she wasn't a young lady anymore (her words). Or the Hans on the other side of town, always having something going on in that little house of theirs. At this point, they were considered daily entertainment for their neighbours or whoever else they ran into that day.

For Y/N, it was being a bit of a recluse.

Holed up for days on end doing God knows what, only leaving to go to work at the little bookshop on Main Street. People wondered what you got up to in your big house, much too big for just one person. Did you ever get lonely? Did it ever feel like too much? How in the world did someone so young manage to buy such a property?

Having lived in the town for just over a year, and working at the bookstore for a few months less, one would think you'd have made at least one friend.

Wrong.

Of course, you had regulars you'd chat with, or people around town to share a casual conversation, but no one to really hang out with. You didn't mind. All it meant was more free time to work on your novel.

Tonight, in particular, you didn't mind. Outside was dark, rain pouring and hitting your windows harshly. Thunder booms, and lightning blows up the sky. It was a wonder anyone still had power. Tornadoes weren't common to this town, but it was still a worry for you, occasionally glancing uneasily out of the window directly behind your desk.

Hunched over your laptop and typing furiously, you only flinch slightly at the next thunderclap, too invested in your own writing to pay attention to the outside world. What was out there right now that you couldn't conjure up yourself?

(...maybe a social life).

It was getting late, and knowing that you'd have to succumb to sleep soon, you save the latest draft onto your trusty USB. Like yourself, the USB had been through some shit, any design originally on it wiped clean, leaving a plain, scuffed-up silver body. Dangling off of it was a small keychain with your address written on it, just in case.

As if the universe saw you click save deciding, alright, we're in the clear, the house went dark.

"Good timing," You mutter, swiveling your chair around and preparing to get up.

Shoving your feet into some plush faux-fur slippers, you turn around to grab a long-forgotten coffee cup, illuminating the desk with your phone's light.

"Wait-" You pause, hand outstretched. "Did my laptop die? Really?"

You groan, throwing your face into the palm of your hand. Last time you checked, the battery was nearly full, and you intended to keep it that way in case sleep escaped you. It was also just a weird coincidence; your laptop dying at the same time the power went out?

Just... pure coincidence, right?

Right.

The pounding against the house draws your attention away from the mystery, shrugging it off. Creaks sound as you walk down the long hallway, toward the master bedroom. Having an old house meant being unable to walk quietly; you knew this all too well.

Hand against the wall, you feel for the doorknob to the room. Despite owning the house, it never truly felt like yours, and you still struggled with the concept of having your own bedroom again after-

"Stop that," you scold herself. "Don't think about that right now. You've done so well today."

You sigh wearily, crossing the floor and flopping onto your bed, sinking slightly into the mattress. The lightning grew more frequent, and although you lay in the comfort of your blankets, warm and safe from the outside world, unease settles in your stomach. Eventually, you struggle to sleep, but only to be plagued by visions of the past.

•

You woke in a cold sweat. Your blankets were thrown off halfway to the floor, and you gripped a pillow so tight you didn't know how it was still intact.

A headache formed under your brow bone, eliciting a groan. Carefully, you stand, taking a deep breath before moving out of the bedroom. Your morning ritual was more or less the same every day; it started with tea, a book, and feeding the stray cat that lived in the forest nearby. However, today felt off, even more so when you look into the home office to see your laptop open to the login screen.

"Didn't you die last night?" You question the air, heart pounding in your ears as you approach the seemingly haunted laptop.

But there it was- battery fully charged.

"There's no way..." You log in, face going pale.

The screen was blank.

All your files gone.

Your novel gone.

"No, no, no, no!" You shout, hands raking through your hair. "This cannot be fucking happening!"

You click everything you can, but to no avail. Nothing worked. Tears brim at the corners of your eyes. This was the second time losing your work, barely making it through the first time. But back then, you were only halfway through. Now?

All you needed was your perfect ending.

Trying to keep calm, you remember- you always keep a backup on your USB. The one that's supposed to be in your laptop. The one that's missing when you look down.

"Are you joking?" You barely choke the words out.

Panic was starting to overtake you, arms numb, chest tight, fingers gripping the edge of your desk. Calm and collected was no longer an option; you needed to find that USB and you needed to find it now. Papers flew as you ripped your desk apart in a frantic search, drawers open, stationary everywhere.

A knock on your door, barely heard over your own heavy breathing, ripped you away from your thoughts. It was only now you could see your destruction. You can't help but laugh, picturing your future self groaning at you now for making her have to clean up this mess.

You jog downstairs, ready to tell whoever it is they caught you at a bad time, but when you open the door, you're rendered speechless. Why? Because standing in front of you is a man who looks exactly like the main love interest of your novel and-

What the fuck?

"Hey!" The man holds his hand up. "Sorry to bug, but I found this while cleaning up last night. I always see you with your laptop, so I figured it was pretty important to return asap."

He holds his palm out to you, and sitting in the center is your missing USB.

"How did you..." You grab it from him hesitantly, confusion written all over your face.

"I gotta get going to open, see you around?" With his final words, he smiles and waves goodbye, descending the front steps before you can reply.

Baffled, you shut the door, trying to process what just happened.

"How is that possible- that's literally not possible," you speak to yourself, voice barely above a whisper. "He's... no way? Nuh-uh. I have to be dreaming."

But you're not- after hours of your master plan to fall back asleep and wake up in the real world fails, you finally accept it. Somehow there's a man walking around town you've never noticed before who's exactly like the love interest you created (right down to the Australian accent!) and somehow he acquired your USB during the night and-

Wait.

"The USB!" You nearly shout, covering your mouth.

You rush into the other room where you're laptop sits in sleep mode. After clicking a few buttons, it turns back on, and you're quick to plug your usb in. Anticipation runs through your veins as the folder pops up.

"No," you breath, defeated, shoulders sagging. There's a document, but it's not your novel.

Although it's not what you're looking for, the document piques your interest. It's labeled "OPEN ME!" and you, being you, click on it. Yeah, it could have been a virus, or just something gross, but hey. After everything? How could you resist? The document loads, showing a mostly blank page save for one sentence in the middle;

"CALL HIM! XXX-XXX-XXXX."

And when you open your phone, he's already in your contacts.

"Cafe guy?"

•▪︎•▪︎•

notes • first chapter 🙊 i can't wait to write & share more of this story !!!!!!!! :)

taglist • @yongbbokkie

TAGLIST CLOSED

[ellehavenwood]

Transferring the Training Montage to Writing

I love the training montage scenes in movies and TV shows, all the clips stuck together with a great soundtrack? Yes please. But it can be hard to translate that into narrative form for stories, especially in the fantasy genre. Because we want to show all these training things yet how could we in an interesting way?

Well, remember that the purpose of training montages in movies is to do two things.

Convey the Passage of Time.

Show the Struggle and Overcoming of It by a Character.

The first is something that there’s lots of advice out there on how to do, so you can use that to convey how time passes between each major training section that shows the struggle and overcoming.

For the second part, it’s actually easier, I think, in some ways to show this because we can get into a character’s head in most cases. It’s just that for this purpose you need case studies while in a movie you’re looking at statistics. Yep, we saw them flop on that five times and get back up on the sixth. But in a book we need to see maybe three scenes of the full thing rather than glimpses of nine or so smaller incidences.

In particular, when thinking about fantasy writing and having either magic or magical beings/creatures, I think it’s a great time to really show case your characters learning more rules, subtly or overtly, and by extension your readers can feel like they’re truly experiencing the worldbuilding through the limitations and challenges that the characters have rather than it being told outright.

So, the basics (I use) for turning the training montage you visualize for your book’s TV show/movie into scenes for your book?

Choose a few key moments, gloss over the rest noted in the passage of time (or in memory mentions, etc.)

Make those moments struggles yet still progressions. Maybe they still win them all in some way but not everything is okay until perhaps that big battle. It could also be just they win each time but the toll it takes on them worsens until they have better strength to handle things. Who knows, this is entirely up to you.

Remember that it’s going to look longer because it’s all written out and you’ve been laboring over each scene for a lot longer than any reader is going to read it for.

So, in conclusion, in a novel, it’s not quite a training montage in the traditional sense we think about it, but it’s still pretty fun and cool to read (and write!).

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

___

289. Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In my attempt to read more of my physical books, I have finally made my way to this book. I'm glad I have gotten back into this small town because this one was such a sweet read.

I love stories where one of the characters moves to a small town to, essentially, start over, especially after a bad breakup or big life event. Call me a hopeless romantic because that moment that the MC moves to the small town and immediately meets the love interest, I am HOOKED. There is, as a romance reader, very little else in the genre that makes me feel the way I do when we have the two characters meet (particularly in small town romances where one of the MCs is seen as an "outsider", but is still welcomed.)

Both MCs had some personal roadblocks to overcome. To be frank, the MMC had a bigger one because he is dealing with his grief and the idea of change in the form of the new town doctor. I did love, though, how she was the one to break through his walls and how surprised everyone was when she was the one he talked to.

I also love small town romances like this because of how kind everyone is to the new townie. They were all just so grateful and the whole vibe was cutesy and welcoming. Save for the heartbreaking climax between the two MCs, this whole book was like a warm cup of tea on a cool Autumn night. Their romance steadily grows, the sexual tension rises to a breaking point, and we get to learn more about their respective lives outside of their connection throughout the whole thing.

While there are definitely grief-heavy moments sprinkled throughout the book that will pull at the heartstrings, the imagery of the town, the welcoming atmosphere of Jenny Holiday's writing, and the two stubborn MCs who find love when they least expect it, PARADISE COVE was truly what the title states: a small bit of reading paradise hidden in a sea of romance novels. Books like this one always fall to the side, but I'm glad I finally picked it up! (And I DO have the third in the series on standby!)

___

290. Lockjaw by Matteo L. Cerilli--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a wild ride. If you love IT by Stephen King, but want a YA version then this is a must read for you!

I went into this completely blind and never knew what would happen next. There were so many twists and so many heartbreaking moments, but also that kind of horror in a small town that makes you want to make sure your doors are locked at night.

The story starts with the mysterious stranger who finds their way into this small town that gave me the creeps--especially when said town is essentially shunning a young character and is run by a creepy cop who wants the town to be "perfect". The way the story is told, braiding all of the eerie moments in with the seemingly more "normal" ones was done really well.

There is this underlying tension as the story progresses of a town that is truly hiding many secrets. The mysterious deaths and the haunting of the past and "lies" that fills the pages is what made me think of IT. There is something that is stalking the kids of the town and the way the story is written, full of red herrings and foreshadowing, helped create this atmosphere of terror that was building from the moment the MC drove into town. We also see the horrible side of racism and homophobia in a small town and that added to that already tense atmosphere of the story.

This book was just an unexpected ride and so perfect for the Halloween season. If you're a fan of IT, or scary stories about smalls towns full of uncomfortable vibes, then this might be your next read!

___

291. A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really wanted to love this one and at some points I did, but it didn't quite reach that standard I was expecting!

I had written a whole ass review and it got deleted. Sigh.

One of the issues I had with this book was that it was overhyped for me. I love going into books by authors I've never read completely blind because then it will set expectations way too high for me. And I fear that this happened with A LOVE LIKE THE SUN. I went in expecting something that would leave me feeling some sort of way about the romance, but it just left me feeling meh. It felt very surface level and anytime the story started to get deeper into the romance, it would crumble because of the MC's stubbornness.

And I get that the MC is dealing with the trauma of losing her father and of the love her parents shared, but I think that if she was afraid of having that kind of love, she would have also noticed how important communication is in a relationship. Her lack of communication with her love interest at the end of the book was what further pushed this book into a lower rating for me.

And while this book had a lot of things I would normally love in a romance--like the sexual tension, the spicy situations, the friendship turning into a lover situation, the fake dating, the obvious attraction that the love interest held for the MC, and the relationships between the MC and the people around her--I never fully connected. I don't know if it was the pacing or the frustrating MC, but something kept me back from fully connecting with the story.

I DID appreciate the callout on how Black women are treated by medical professionals, the success that the love interest finds in art as a Black man, the representation of working with textured hair since I've been trying to figure out my curls for the majority of my life, and the close connection between the MC and her mother. But these were all things that took a bit of a backseat to the frustrating MC's decision making.

I think this book could have been amazing (for me). Especially because all of the pieces were there, but it felt like they were put together just a bit off-kilter. I would have hoped that a friendship as old as the one the MC and the love interests had, they would have better communication, or a better sense of understanding. But it wasn't just that climactic moment that kind of ruined it for me. The whole thing was kind of underwhelming and unfortunately, I think this will be one of those books I won't really remember two years from now.

I can understand why so many people loved it, truly, but it just wasn't for me.

___

292. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this--it was so whimsical and fun.

THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON is another one of those books that have been on my shelves for YEARS. I was surprised by it because it felt like a hidden gem on my shelves and I'm even more excited about reading more of my older books.

Allen's book was such a sweet and surprising read. It felt like the perfect kind of book for a late summer night of reading. I loved the small-town feel of it and the surprising level of magical realism. If it wasn't for the older characters experiencing their own moments, I would have almost called this YA. But I did really like the multi-generational storytelling. It felt weirdly cinematic?

I would have loved reading more books set in this small town, especially because there were so many potential stories to tell.

I think if you like stories with interesting and unique paranormal aspects, a bit of magic, a newcomer in a small town, and a second chance romance for two unlikely characters, then you'd like this one. It's not super long and holds a lot of charm. Perfect, like I said, for a warm night of reading!

___

293. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've been hearing such great things about THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE US, so I went into this with a wary mindset, but came out thoroughly entertained.

First off, this is such a fun and unique (to me) storyline. The way it was presented was also great and made for an interesting experience the first time that big twist was introduced. It created this weird sense of urgency that had me craving the next page. It was also kind of creepy because it feeds into that fear so many of us have of technology and what the future of tech looks like.

The romance was sweet and surprisingly honest in the way it is portrayed (but then again, teenagers aren't as innocent as adults tend to think). I liked that someone who might relate to the relationship or the feelings it brings out in readers could relate and feel a sense of comfort in seeing these two teen boys fall in love and experience that love. I like that it was built out and developed well before the twists started coming. It acted as a nice base for their ever-growing relationship as they learned to trust each other and really work for their happiness and futures.

I wanted answers throughout the whole book and while we definitely got a chunk of them, I really want to read the sequel! The way the story left off felt like it could have been the end, but I think that sequel will add that extra touch that will make the story feel whole.

I highly recommend this if you're looking for a bit of an exciting read where something is always happening and you never really know what's coming next. I also recommend it if you were a fan of ALL THAT'S LEFT IN THE WORLD. Similar vibes, but different survival genres.

___

294. Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I find the overall rating interesting but also not surprising. This was an underrated work of art and I took my sweet time with it.

PATRICIA WANTS TO CUDDLE is one of those books that feels like a slow cooker--you take your time with it while it's cooking, and then when it's ready to be devoured, Allen throws all of the flavours at you.

One of the best aspects of this book is the commentary on gender and how it is portrayed in media. We get the stereotypes of a reality tv show and the behind the scenes reality so we can see how easy it is to warp a narrative to fit what is expected for the audience. It was interesting seeing the different POVs of the girls because we get to see how they think of each other and what they think of the CATCH (the knockoff Bachelor contestant). It's always so fascinating to me to see how characters see each other, especially because it always makes it more realistic for me.

Also, we don't get any POVs from the male characters--which adds even more to the commentary on sexism that this book presents. But also, it makes it clearer that this is a girls' girl type of novel (especially with those twists). We see the men in this book constantly expecting certain things from women, or twisting narratives to fit them but make it seem like it's for a woman's benefit, yet the greatest irony is that none of them get a POV in the book.

I kind of wish I'd listened to the audiobook for this one because of the multimedia parts of the book. Those were a fun addition!

I was genuinely so entertained and I loved how gruesome and jarring it was. The ending was great and I'm so glad I finally picked up this awesome queer horror novel! I know it won't be for everyone, but I think those who are looking for horror novels with some great commentary on gender roles and the media's perception of women will really enjoy this one.

___

295. Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MONSTRILIO is one of those books that by the end you know you enjoyed it, but you're also questioning why. I knew it was going to be something unsettling from the very beginning when the grieving mother pulls out her deceased son's lung from his body. That whole scene set the mood and I didn't know what to expect moving forward.

At its core, this is a book about grief and the power of growing and moving forward with that grief. It was done in such a unique way that it might take a moment to realize the grief aspect, but it's weaved so well into the story that by the end, you might realize that Monstrilio is the embodiment of that grief. He is that walking, talking sense of loss that so many people wish didn't haunt them every day of their life.

The story was told from multiple perspectives in chunks of time. The last perspective was from M and it was so incredibly interesting to see how he viewed the world, especially knowing how he came to be and watching him grow into himself. It was also interesting to see how his parents viewed him after so many years and knowing the truth of his existence.

The conclusion felt like the perfect circle-closing moment. Everything came together into a powerful moment that I didn't know I was hoping for until it happened. I was not expecting to feel so many different emotions while reading this book. It was definitely a horror story, but it felt almost like the sweet side of horror (if we ignore all of the blood).

___

296. Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by M.J. Wassmer--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ah, this book.

ZERO STARS, DO NOT RECOMMEND was a bit of a trip. It was giving my anxiety a lovely workout. I don't even know how many times I almost DNFed because of the MC's stupid decisions and actions. And I DO understand why he was the way he was, but man, he was all over the place.

One of the best things about this book that kept me reading was the writing. The story is told in third person, but the narrative voice was so sassy that it had me laughing every once in a while. And while the MC was making stupid choices, the narrative voice kept me hooked.

Almost all of the characters in this book need some sort of therapy, or were such assholes. A few people definitely deserved a punch or two. Although that ending made me feel a little sorry for some of them.

This was addicting and unique. The whole concept of it was interesting because I really had to suspend my disbelief to just enjoy the book and the plot line. I also really liked where the story was going because I am honestly all for survival books. This story felt like a human experiment of survival and what happens when one person is given too much power. It was just such an entertaining experience (even with the MC).

But with all of that being said, there was some great character growth and it was fun watching it happen. Once we get to the key reason of why the MC is the way he is, it made the story more enjoyable and I could empathize with him a lot more. Also, I loved his relationship with his girlfriend, even if at times he went a little macho.

Anyway, if you want a unique end of the world story set on a tropical island, then I think you might like this one! This is NOT a horror novel, but it is satirical and at oftentimes pretty funny.

___

Happy reading!

[lovewash3d-doll]

Summer Novel Writing Challenge: Intro

Dear fellow writers and readers,

For the past year, I have been attempting to self-publish a novel: a collection of fairytales woven into a fairytale of itself— something inspired by the creations of Hans Christian Anderson and Andrew Lang. In the past four years, I have written numerous fantasy narratives in my Creative Writing classes. As a recent graduate, I want to honor my teacher, time, creations, and ambitions by publishing my first novel.

Last summer, I created a month-by-month plan with allotted time periods for writing, editing, and the publishing process. However, I became very busy, a little uninspired, and frankly idle, and pushed my plan further and further until I reached this summer and today. Despite my nervousness, agonizing perfectionism, and lack of work ethnic, I want to prove to myself that I am capable and that I can reach my goals. I have decided to take my ambition seriously, and, to the best of my ability, finally publish my novel this summer. I have created a somewhat unrealistic three-month plan, where I will idealistically spend three hours a day finalizing my stories. I currently have about 7 to 10 fairytales and poems to either finish, severely rewrite, or edit to my level of liking. Counting the calendar days, I am slightly discouraged by the comparison of my workload to my time. Although I would love to divide and assign each writing piece to a number of days, I refuse to call a story done until I’m proud of every single word. I once heard a quote that goes “Whether or not you think you can or you can’t, you are right.” Hopefully, with my many free hours and dedication, I can achieve such a thing.

My plan follows as:

💗June & July: Writing, Rewriting, & Self-Editing

💗Late July/Early August: Professional Editing + Cover & Illustration Commissions

💗Late August: Formatting & Self-Publishing

💗September: My Release Date

To hold myself accountable, I want to blog my progress and achievements. Every two weeks, I plan to post an update on how many pages I’ve written or edited, how much time I’ve spent, and how much progress I’ve made. I hope this will extrinsically encourage me to focus and provide me with maybe some consequence if I fail. Please feel free to leave encouragements or even hate comments if I don’t stay on track! I want to be as authentic as possible because writing is hard and you can’t just “sit down and write” to create something beautiful and meaningful. It takes time, love, many crumpled pages, and a lot of thought. Through my posts, I hope to connect with other writers and maybe even encourage you to reach your goals as well.

Yours truly,

lovekissed doll💗

[justforbooks]

Where to start with: Edmund White

After the news of White’s death, here is a guide to a foundational writer of gay lives and elder statesman of American queer literary fiction

Edmund White, who has died aged 85, was born in Cincinatti, to conservative, homophobic parents. Although he soon rejected almost all his family’s cultural values, he retained their work ethic: White published 36 books in his lifetime, and was working on a tale of queer life in Versailles when he died.

Starting out his career in New York, during the magical and radical years that fell between gay liberation and Aids, he then worked hard and long enough to be eventually acclaimed as the “elder stateman” of American queer literary fiction. White’s most characteristic trick as a writer was to pair his impeccably “high” style with the raunchiest possible subject-matter. When talking about gay men’s sex-lives, the goods have rarely been delivered so elegantly. Author and director Neil Bartlett suggests some good places to start.

The entry point

A Boy’s Own Story (1982) was White’s breakthrough in the UK. A wonderfully well-told and clear-eyed chronicle of one young man’s progress though the 1950s, it was streets ahead of any other queer “coming of age” novel that had appeared up to that point – and changed British publishing. This was the novel that finally proved to the industry that if your sentences are beautiful and true enough, then book-buyers of all stripes will love you. And not despite the fact that you’re gay, but because of it.

If you want to get to know the author

White wrote six volumes of autobiography; in addition, almost all of his fiction has clear autobiographical roots. For its lavishly deadpan evocation of a truly appalling childhood – and especially for its brutal takedown of White’s own trainwreck of a father – try starting your relationship with the man behind the fabulous sentences by sampling My Lives. And to get his view on Aids and its aftershocks – the context of almost everything he wrote – read The Married Man, his autobiographical novel, which ends with an only very lightly fictionalised account of the death of White’s lover Hubert Sorin from Aids in 1994. The heartbreak that lies at the heart of the last 45 years of gay life has often been written about, but rarely so dispassionately or powerfully as in those pages.

The groundbreaking one

White’s book that almost no one now talks about is one of his most important – and enjoyable. The Joy of Gay Sex is a gloriously sex-positive, wise and witty compendium of advice about how to get the best out of your body – and your heart. The term gets used too often, but this is a groundbreaking volume.

The one to drop into dinner-party conversation

White wrote as he talked: unstoppably, generously and at speed. The exception to this rule was his magisterial 1993 biography of Jean Genet, which took him seven years to research and finish. The result is a heartfelt tribute to Genet’s own art and a scrupulously well-organised account of how a gutter-born queer outsider became one of his country’s greatest literary stylists – and one of the most risk-taking political provocateurs of his century. Genet was about as unlike White in his background and life choices as a fellow gay author could have been; nonetheless, the fact that this book was a labour of love shows on its every page.

The most quotable

Forgetting Elena (1973) was White’s first published book. A scrupulously enigmatic account of life on Fire Island, off Long Island, it somehow manages to transmute its bewildered young protagonist’s doubts and fantasies into something as elegant, beautiful and mysteriously meaningful as a Japanese folding screen. Its opening also features my favourite sentence of White’s: “I am the first person in the house to awaken, but I am unsure of the implications.”

If you only read one

Any claim that White was a “great” writer as opposed to a merely brilliant, sexually explicit or culturally pioneering one – all of which he undoubtedly was – has to rest on his two “big” novels: The Farewell Symphony and The Married Man. The Farewell Symphony, which came out in 1997, is an account of one man’s experience during the almost unbelievable transformation of gay male life that happened between the 70s and 90s. Rooted as it is in very specific times and places, this book couldn’t be more deeply felt, more ambitious in its sense of contested cultural history – or simply better written. The Farewell Symphony and The Married Man, published in 2000, are a definitive refutation of the canard that “gay” writing can only ever really be of interest to a “gay” audience – and a significant part of the reason why that tired old argument is now so rarely heard.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[kirloris]

Hi, guys!✨

Let me introduce myself—I’m Kirloris, and I ended up on Tumblr because my teacher suggested I start a blog. She didn’t say exactly what it should be about, but from the way she said it, it was pretty obvious she meant writing. So here I am, ready to share my words with the world.

I’ve noticed that Tumblr is mostly in English, and even though Spanish is my comfort zone, I actually really like English and want to learn it. One of my goals for 2025 is to reach an intermediate level (right now, I’m somewhere between A1 and A2, so there’s still a long way to go). But I see this as a chance to grow—I get to improve my English while sharing what I love.

You could say I’m an artist in progress. I still have a long way to go before I can call myself one, but I truly believe that art is meant to be shared, and I want my words to reach as many people as possible. I know adapting is key to growing in this community, so even though I’ll be relying on translators for now, I’ll do my best to post in both languages.

That being said, I’ll never stop writing in Spanish, because that’s where my ideas really flow. So, without further ado, here’s my original introduction… now in English! 🌍💫

Here’s your text translated into natural, everyday English:

I have to be honest—I have no idea how to write a blog. As I’m typing this, I can feel a slight knot forming in my throat from the nerves. What can I say? You can call me "Kirloris." For privacy reasons, I won’t share my real name. I’m just a teenager who decided to dive into the world of art. It’s my passion, and I won’t stop until I reach my goal.

Why am I writing this blog? I like having things planned out, and I wish I had planned this better, but right now, motivation is what’s driving me. I’m in high school, and on January 24, 2025, between 10:00 and 10:30 AM (yes, I’m being this specific because if I stick with this long-term, I want to look back and remember this moment), my Language teacher—whom I had approached for help writing a story for a contest—suggested I start a blog. And now here I am, writing one without having a clue what it’ll be about.

I wouldn’t be doing this without her. Last semester, I entered a writing contest held by the Navy just for the heck of it. I didn’t win, but my teacher told me my story was well-written and on a higher level than my classmates’. Even though I didn’t win, hearing those words, seeing the excitement from my friends and some classmates when they read it, made me feel motivated.

This semester, there’s another contest—not from the Navy, but a statewide school competition open to both students and staff. I chose the short story category, though I would’ve loved to enter photography or drawing as well. Writing is something I’m better at, and during the last school break, I studied a bit on my own. Plus, it’s been my hobby since I was 11.

At first, I decided not to participate because I felt like I wouldn’t have enough time and didn’t want to overwhelm myself at the start of the semester. But then my Language teacher became our group’s advisor, and when she told us about the contest, she asked if I would enter. It seemed like such short notice—today is January 26, meaning I only have four days to write the best story I can before the teachers decide which one moves on to the regional level on February 1. I want to turn mine in early.

I found the courage to say yes. That day, I was feeling bold and confident—some things had happened earlier that really boosted my ego.

The truth is, I’ve never written a great short story before. I actually know more about novel structure than short stories. But I decided to take this on anyway. Right now, I feel like I’m sailing through a stormy sea, with multiple goals and paths in mind. It’s chaotic, but with planning and good habits, I know I can pull through.

If my dear teacher Yolanda ever reads this, I just want her to know that I’m forever grateful for giving me the wings I needed.

As you might have noticed, I’m a huge fan of art and literature—or at least that’s what my family and friends would say. The truth is, I tend to stick to my comfort zone. I only read the types of stories I like and drop the ones I don’t. I want to change that about myself.

Even though writing comes naturally to me, I actually prefer visual storytelling, like manga and comics. I love drawing—a lot. When I was four, my dad had a stack of printer paper with a printing error: a black line across the top. He couldn’t use them for serious documents, so with my mom’s permission, I grabbed my markers and started doodling like any preschooler would. Then, I set up a tiny table and chair in our front yard, made a sign, and proudly announced my own little art gallery. I tried selling my drawings for 20 cents. No one bought anything. In fact, I ended up regretting even trying to sell them because they were too precious to me.

I was always told that being a doctor was an amazing career choice, but a part of my heart has always belonged to art.

I consider myself someone who wants to break the mold and carve out my own path. Life is hard no matter what road we take, so if people think I should choose an easier one, that won’t stop me from choosing my kind of hard.

As I was writing this as a reflection exercise, I realized that I just want to achieve my goals. My dream is to help people through art and storytelling, just like artists have helped me. Doctors heal the body. Psychologists and psychiatrists heal the mind. Artists heal the soul.

I love how art can communicate so many things. It doesn’t have just one meaning. For the creator, it’s one thing; for you, it’s another; for me, something else entirely. Art can raise awareness, make you reflect, teach you lessons, and even heal you. I love it with all my heart. Whether you’re the creator or the audience, if a piece is made with intention and emotion, and we see it with that same passion, it can be the medicine we never knew our soul needed.

Through this blog, I want to share pieces of my world with you. I know Tumblr isn’t the biggest platform anymore, but it felt like the best choice. I want to tell my stories to more than just two people—I want to share them with a whole community.

I have to admit, this whole thing makes me nervous. But here I am, about to hit “publish.” I’m not a writer, not an artist, not a professional—yet. I’m working toward it, one step at a time. The thought of sharing my views on artists, paintings, drawings, writers, books, and songs excites me.

I love art in all its forms, including fashion. I haven’t been able to express myself through it yet, but I dream of doing so one day.

It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Can I call you cherubs? I feel like it adds a romantic touch to this blog.

That’s all for now, my dear cherubs. Signing off—your inexperienced blogger.

P.S. I might post every weekend.

[mormonbooks]

The Bishop's Wife Review

4/5 Stars!

This book was nothing like how I expected it to be and everything I needed and wanted it to be. I expected the kind of novel you could recommend to your mom for a bit of light reading on a Sunday afternoon. The Bishop's Wife. She's a mormon woman who is doing her best to take care of her ward.

I was pleasantly surprised at the moderately progressive tone the book took within the first few chapters (asking questions about the sexism in the church, the fear of judgement 'imperfect' families face, etc) but I soon realized that it there was much more. This novel is a deep commentary on Mormonism, digging into the deep and unpleasant parts, and asking difficult questions that most members like to avoid. It does it all through the eyes of a faithful middle-aged woman, who knows what she believes and uses her faith to bring justice to her community, even when she has to struggle against the church institution and her own husband to do it.

In my opinion, it's a great work of mormon feminism, that allows our culture to shine through in all it's glory and with all it's flaws. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, genuinely. The mystery is engaging, the community is loveable, the plot twists are gut wrenching. Truly a work of art. I'm excited to read more of Harrison's work

Breakdown under the cut

1. Well written - 5 Stars

Yes. The prose is beautiful. The plot is engaging. The mystery is complex and the new information always threw me. It was gut wrenching at times. It was comforting at others.

2. Fun level - 5 stars

It's a slow-paced story, with many moments that skip weeks or months where not much happens. But I enjoy stories like that. It gave breaks between the page-turning mystery solving moments.

3. Complex faith - 5 Stars

This is probably my favorite part of this book. The villains and the heroes are all mormons, and they all approach their faith and their religion in different ways. Linda obviously has more progressive views, and is enraged by the misogyny of many of the men in this story. Those men are not shown to be anamolys per se but they're also not shown to be the norm. Many women in the story have opportunities to voice their questions and doubts but it never makes them any less mormon. People exist all over the scale of mormonism and it feels like the most honest portrayal of our culture that I've read so far.

4. Homophobia scale - 3.5 Stars

It's not a major plot point, but it's mentioned that Linda's son Samuel joined the GSA at his school and she is proud of him for that. She also suspects that her other son might be gay, and worries about how that will affect his relationship with his father. I imagine this will be explored further in the series. It's refreshing that Linda is pro-LGBT but it also seems to treat the church's heteronormative stance quite naively and I'd love to see Harrison really dig into that topic in the future.

5. Mormon weird - 4 stars

Realistic Fiction, but definitely uniquely mormon. The characters in this book could not be swapped out with "generic christians." some of the problematic and dangerous beliefs are uniquely mormon, but so are the beautiful and comforting ones. There is a lot of discussion of the plan of salvation, that I appreciated. I also liked Linda's realistic approach to faith, and her honest moments of doubting, or referring to things as "legends" and "myths." Things don't have to be doctrine to be important in our culture

6. Diversity of characters - 2 stars

I don't think race is ever touched on in the novel, and they all live in Utah and have typical european-american names, so it's easy to assume they are all white. And despite being essentially a work of mormon feminism, a very small percentage of the speaking cast are women.

7. Other problematic stuff - 4.5 stars

I deeply enjoyed the novel as a snapshot of a mormon town, however that does mean that, despite her progressiveness, Linda has a realistic understanding of gender, as a middle-aged mormon woman. She has some beliefs and attitudes toward men that I found frustrating, although understandable.

Conclusion:

I gave this book 5 stars on goodreads but that was before I did my breakdown. I wish it had been more diverse, but I think Harrison explores race in the church in future novels. We'll see.

I LOVE Linda Wallheim. I LOVE the way Harrison talks about Mormon communities and Mormon faith and Mormon culture. I love how much this book made me feel. This is decidedly GOOD mormon rep, with all the determined faith mixed with struggles against flawed systems and truly terrible people. like. I cannot express how much I hate the villains in this book.

I can't wait to see Linda's next adventure.

[sebastianravkin]

Book review (recommendation?)

CW: mention of rape

This is a review of The Book of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe, including The Shadow of the Torturer (1980), The Claw of the Conciliator (1981), The Sword of the Lictor (1982), The Citadel of the Autarch (1982), and The Urth of the New Sun (sequel written in 1987). I have read the series twice.  Once back in the early 1990s, and then again in December 2024.

This series of novels are supposedly the autobiography of Severian, who outlines his life from simple journeyman torturer to Autarch of Urth to becoming the New Sun.  Severian is an unreliable narrator, which becomes more and more clear as the story progresses.  

Gene Wolfe won both a Hugo and Nebula for the work.  It is praised by many science fiction authors as being foundational for the genre and inspirational in their own writing.  Ursula K. Le Guin has called this series some of the best science fiction ever written and she (as well as other authors) have called Wolfe the ‘Melville of science fiction’. 

The primary Pro of this series is that, given its importance in the history of science fiction genre, it is an interesting and possibly fun read. As with Tolkien and Peake, as you read Wolfe’s series you can see how his work is a cornerstone for his genre, including delving into the line between science and magic, playing with timelines, viewing the story through the eyes of an unreliable narrator, creating post-apocalyptic settings, and suggesting dark religious overtones. 

The primary Con of this series is the treatment of women is painfully dated, consistently offensive, and sometimes violent. I am not opposed to violence in writing if it is integral to the plot or to character building. I am also not opposed to sex in a story and happily read erotica and explicit fanfic. But Severian’s interaction with almost all women in this book can be summarized as gratuitous, sometimes violent, always poorly written, sex.  While this is addressed a bit in the sequel, where Severian muses over his various ‘relationships’ (even considering that maybe he did rape one of the characters before dismissing the idea), it is too little too late.  If a female character is introduced then within pages Severian will usually be having sex with her, and at least three of these episodes I would define as rape. Now this all could relate back to the concept of the unreliable narrator, but that rarely felt like Wolfe's intention to me.

This series is all about atmosphere - the plot is not complex, the characters are not well developed, and the dialogue is not great. But the atmospheric writing is on par with Peake and Lovecraft.  I love atmospheric writing, and so found this to be the main reason I hung on to the end.  The writing is dense and highly stylized; some readers may want a dictionary on hand. One of my all time favorite comments about this series by online reviewer Sailorven is “The Book of the New Sun (1980) series is gothic, seedy, and tortured, with prose that are [sic] impassable at times. Reading his books is like being in a dark catacomb and feeling your way against a mossy wall to the center.” This was a positive review, and I totally concur. 

Do I recommend reading it?  Maybe. I would potentially recommend this book to science fiction fans who enjoy the history of the genre.  I would potentially recommend this book to readers who, like me, really love world building and atmospheric writing.  I would potentially recommend it to folks who are interested in books with dark Catholic overtones. But it is a tough read, both for the language and the treatment of women.  Does a science fiction fan have to read this series to enjoy the genre?  No.  Should a newcomer to the genre read the series? No. I will not be reading it a third time, but clearly I felt there was enough there to read it a second time.  

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Exploration, New Lands - Firebird

Let's continue with the rarepair of my heart! <3

To Eönwë, herald of Manwë, owner of my blackened, petrified heart and soul.

My sweet bird,

Please accept my apologies for the soot and the ashes staining my haphazard confession—I must burn this letter as soon as I’m done writing, as I have no way of getting it to you safely and I can’t let it fall into the hands of any who’d wish you harm.

Isn’t it funny that there should be no trustworthy messenger for an irreproachable herald such as you and no dutiful foot soldier willing to accomplish in my name the humble service I fulfil so unerringly every day? Don’t we deserve better?

Despite all that has happened lately, I still remember how fond you ever were of new, exciting sights and novel experiences, so I yearn to tell you about the paradise of exile.

No doubt, your Master speaks of flight and cowardice—exaggerating the squalor and misery in which he surmises we must be duly writhing—and you’ll flinch violently in a valiant effort to dissimulate the instinctive reaction of your generous essence.

Worry not, my dove, for Endórë is beautiful. Wild, churning, alive, it is blooming with potential and progress!

I know that you’ve always been frightened of anything boundless—be that the land or the extent of my affection for you—but you must believe me when I swear that I’m happy here.

There are warm springs like pools of precious tears, shed by an unseen power deep within the belly of this foreign land, and I often visit them and think of you.

Also, I have a favourite spot—high upon the jagged cliffs, overlooking the seemingly endlessly vast terrain—in which I like to sit, imagining you tumbling through the crisp, cool air in unbridled joy.

After an eternity of stale mediocrity within the golden cage of the Blessed Realm, I revel in the sharpness of this unconquered world which bends and bows to my will like nought I’ve ever known before except your pliable, sensuous flesh.

Of course, you’d probably scoff at the asseverations of a deserter and traitor, but, Eönwë, my love, I truly am convinced that you could love this savage realm of prospects and perils—it was made for you, and I sorely regret that you can’t be here with me.

It would be despicably wrong of me to now claim that I miss you, wouldn’t it?

Irrevocable and grievous choices have been made, and we both need to accept the consequences. Were those not your parting words?

You shan’t ever receive this missive, written in the blood of one who’s paid his morally dubious or even reprehensible freedom by sacrificing his true love, and so I don’t hesitate to confess that I have hope still.

Brighter than the flame within Arda, more enduring and endless than the Void, my faith expands to caress your soft face once more.

Maybe, one day, we shall be reunited again. Until then, I’ll see you in every starlit night sky and feel you in every stormy breeze.

I’ve lied, my sweet, righteous beloved, for my felicity shall never be anywhere near complete or satisfying in your absence.

Thus, I’ll work harder in the ruthless, selfish pursuit of my most intimate wish: getting you here, by any means necessary.

Link on Ao3