#A to Z Book Rec Tag

[rainbow-arrow]

i'm gonna write and publish a book that begins with x just so people (me) have a good book to read for their alphabet challenges

[aziraphales-library]

Hello,

Thank you so much for your valuable work! Do you have any recs for fics where Aziraphale is secretly drawing pictures of Crowley and then one day Crowley finds them?

Thank you, we love you !

Hi. We have an #artist aziraphale tag, and in particular this post, so check that out. Here are more fics to add in which Aziraphale draws Crowley (not all of them secretly, but there are only a finite amount!)...

French Girls by Specter_Ross (G)

Crowley is Aziraphale's favourite drawing subject, but only in secret. One evening he gets the courage to ask him to pose for a drawing.

Artworks of You by TheBestEverDuh (M)

Crowley finds a hidden compartment in Aziraphale's desk that leads to sketches that lead him to the realization that his angel is not as innocent as he had assumed.

art imitates reality by rainbowumbrella (M)

Peace is destined to be broken, is it not? The door to Aziraphale’s bookshop is flung open, and just as he’s turning to announce that they are, in fact, quite closed, he comes face-to-face with the drawing of the meteors that he did for last month’s periodical. It’s a miracle that he can even recognize them, Aziraphale thinks to himself, considering how close the page is being shoved to his nose. “Get out of my periodical, angel,” seethes Crowley. *** After their argument at St. James’ Park leaves Aziraphale feeling the need for something new in his life, he decides to take some art classes. They lead to a job with some rather unexpected consequences.

Drawings by rockinellie (G)

Crowley decides wallowing alone in misery isn’t as fun as wallowing while sitting with Aziraphale, so he heads to his shop to see what the angel is up to. In the process he catches the angel doing something he’d rather not have been found doing.

An Artist and His Muse by Sexy_Lil_Emo (E)

One of Aziraphale's hobbies for centuries has been drawing, and Crowley, the love of his life, is his greatest muse. Crowley just doesn't know it. What happens when Crowley catches Aziraphale sketching him during a nap? Will it bring a new aspect to their relationship, or will Crowley run away from it?

Borrowed Words by sunrisesinthesuburbs (M)

Anthony J. Crowley, best selling author, has writer's block. He could blame the Accident, but deep down he knows his block started way before. He hasn't written anything in too long, if we choose to ignore the dozens of unsent letters addressed to the angel he lost two decades ago, when he moved to New York City. When his best (and only) friend convinces him to take a little vacation in a small town in Connecticut, he expects peace and quiet. He doesn't expect to see the smile that still haunts his dreams again. Apparently, small towns are full of surprises, and how late is too late? The world stops spinning on its axis or, at the very least, Crowley stops breathing. This is absolutely impossible. He forces himself to swallow, to take a deep breath, as he doesn’t want to scare this girl off. Muriel, who is still smiling, all bright and wide and just like- Oh, God. “A bookshop, you said?” He chokes out. This is impossible, and he’s being ridiculous. He is in London, this is just a sick coincidence and his stupid brain playing stupid games. “Yes, you can see it if you turn around.” Crowley doesn’t move. “It’s called A. Z. Fell Books.” Now, the world definitely stops spinning.

- Mod D

[mysticstarlightduck]

Late Writeblr Intro!

Hello, friends!

I figured it was about time I made an actual blog intro of my own since I forgot to make one when I started this blog last year. Better late than never, lmao!

Pls, reblog, like, and/or reply to help boost the blog! 💕

Let's get started:

Personal Stuff! 💜🩶🖤

My name is Anna/Anya but you can call me Mystic, Ducky, or just Anya on this blog! My personal nickname is Ani and I adore it (:

I am an Asexual woman (my pronouns are she/her!) and I'm also personally an atheist who puts my faith in the spirits of Mother Nature, though I respect all other religions equally!

I'm Gen Z and Latina (Brazilian). I was raised bilingual (Brazilian Portuguese + English) and I love learning languages - currently, I'm working on learning French and Spanish! Career-wise I am studying in college to become a character designer and hopefully animator, as I want to pursue a career as an artist and writer! I also wish to have my WIPs published in the near future (:

Some fun facts about me!

My favorite shows are Critical Role, Game of Thrones, Castlevania, The Legend of Vox Machina (animated series), Star Wars, Voltron, The Dragon Prince, Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and DC Comics content, as well as many more lmao. I love watching movies and series!

My favorite Vox Machina characters are Vax'ildan and Percy (:

I am a younger sister 💖

My hair is short and curly (pixie style, similar to the haircut Rapunzel has at the end of the Tangled movie!)

I adore listening to music, especially songs that can inspire me to write my WIPs! Playlists are a huge part of my writing process and something I really enjoy making.

I'm currently rereading Shadow and Bone (+ Six of Crows) and I am always looking for more good dark fantasy/historical fantasy books to read so book recs are always welcome! I also am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series and Trials of Apollo (by Rick Riordan), though I'm usually more of a gritty/dark fantasy fan (like Game of Thrones)!

I have three dogs and two cats!😺🐶

I know how to play the piano, though I haven't done that in a while because things have been chaotic for me, but I'd like to start playing regularly again in my winter vacation.

I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old and have terrible eyesight without them (and some days with them, lol, so bear with me).

My friends and I are doing a DnD campaign every Sunday, where I play as a half-elf rogue named Aeryn (he/him). I'm adoring this adventure so far, it's so fun!!!

I love to bake and am rather good at it, but am a painfully average cook lmao (some specific recipes I make are actually rlly good, but it depends a lot on my mood and the 'alignment of the stars' lol)

I want to learn how to knit/crochet! 🧶

I'm a theater nerd and love musicals (:

About my Writing!🏹⌛

I write fictional works mostly in the genre of fantasy (high fantasy/epic fantasy/dark fantasy/historical fantasy/urban fantasy, etc. You name it!) and science fiction (space opera/cyberpunk/superhero, etc).

My works usually revolve around themes such as epic quests, secrets, adventure, rebels fighting an oppressive system, sibling bonds, acceptance/respect, outcasts, and much, much more! I love fluff and whump equally, and though my stories tend to focus on serious topics (or at least darker/heavier themes) within a fantasy/sci-fi setting, I like to have a good bit of humor, lighthearted fun, and comedy to my stories to lighten up the mood!

My main WIPs:

Song of Thorns

🌹WIP Intro: (here)🌹

Genre: dark fantasy, medieval fantasy, adventure/mystery, dark fairytale, eldritch horror (mild)

Style: Standalone (possible Trilogy)

Tags: #wip song of thorns #song of thorns

Short Summary/About: "A peasant girl moves with her siblings from her struggling seaside village to the kingdom's glittering floating capital, but after her older brother is kidnapped, she ends up discovering the dark, bloody secrets hiding behind the long-lasting royal family of the town and must team up with a young dhampir thief, the exiled prince, and a lonely druid girl to save the dying kingdom from this web of lies".

Supernova Initiative

🎇WIP Intro: (here) 🎇

Genre: space opera, adventure, exploration, laboratory whump, heist, thriller/mystery

Style: Episodic book series with an overarching plot (each chapter/group of chapters equivalent to an episode in a TV series)

Tags: #wip supernova initiative #supernova initiative

Short Summary/About: "A young intergalactic thief and his crew are captured after a heist gone wrong and forced to accept a strange deal - complete a mission for the Junction, retrieve important missing files, and get their freedom back. All the while that is happening, Jack Tithus, the protagonist, finds himself trapped as a test subject to an immoral, and elusive, man known as the Director."

Enchanted Illusions

💀 WIP Intro: (here)💀

Genre: Victorian fantasy, adventure, mystery, gothic fantasy, dark fantasy, crime-solving

Style: Possibly a trilogy

Tags: #wip enchanted illusions, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "On a magical setting inspired by Victorian times, a group of strangers and outcasts must work together to thwart a powerful secret organization and stop a murder spree that could lead to another civil war between myths and humans."

Of Starlight and Beasts

✨⚔️WIP Intro: (here)⚔️✨

Genre: medieval fantasy, epic fantasy, adventure/quest, dark fairytale, sword and sorcery, prophecies

Style: Book Series

Tags: #wip of starlight and beasts, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "A young knight in training and an amnesiac star mage embark on a quest to prevent an ancient prophecy from coming to fruition as a vengeful sorceress queen's army marches relentlessly onto their land with the intent to destroy all their kingdom has built."

The Last Wrath

🔥⚔️WIP Intro: to be made...⚔️🔥

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, political intrigue, espionage, adventure/quest, medieval fantasy, whump

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip the last wrath, #the last wrath

Short Summary/About: "In a land torn by an ancient war between two sides of a continent, a mageborn girl finds herself trapped amid the bloodshed after her past comes back to haunt her and her family. Now, stopping the war may be the only chance she still has to survive."

Tales of Wilted Flowers

🥀WIP Intro: to be made...🪻

Genre: RPG-inspired fantasy, high fantasy, adventure, fairytale, epic quest, heist story, whump, light fantasy

Style: Trilogy (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip tales of wilted flowers #tales of wilted flowers

Short Summary/About - "A group of youths rejected and betrayed by society in many different ways come together due to unexpected circumstances and must rely on each other to prevent the kingdom's corrupt Head Sorcerer and the King from reviving an ancient evil."

Realms of Loss

🍂WIP Intro: (here)🍂

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, medieval fantasy, high fantasy, ancient times fantasy, Viking-inspired, prophecies & curses

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip realms of loss #realms of loss

Short Summary/About - "In a continent destroyed by the fall of the Old Gods, and trapped in an endless toil for survival, a cocky young prince discovers his role in an ancient prophecy after his brother, the King, is murdered and assassins come for him too. Running away into the forsaken land beyond the walls of his kingdom, he'll have to learn to be a leader and save his people as a dead, murderous God awakens."

Mutant Inquiries/Open Secret Files

🤖 WIP Intro: to be made..🤖

Genre: superhero, cyberpunk, futuristic, dystopian, science fiction, urban fantasy

Style: Episodic Series, still in development

Tags: #wip mutant inquiries #wip open secret files #mutant inquiries #open secret files

Short Summary/About: "In a dystopian, high-tech future, a group of mutant teenagers become vigilantes and crime fighters to rebel against the oppressive government regime and survive their crime-ridden city."

I have a few other smaller-scale WIPs I occasionally, less frequently work on, such as Lies Untold and Jade Ruins, but those up above are the main ones that I wish to publish. I've also got a big, secret extra WIP I'm working on for fun and will share it with you guys soon!

[antigonick]

seeing your input about horror... what are movies / books / any media of the genre that you like or would recommend?

Hmmmm... so, these aren't necessarily horror media I love in a "simple" way, but they stayed with me / affected me like I described—they achieved what horror can do when it's really good, which means pulling you out of yourself and roughing you up. This is going to be just off the top of my head because I have to run 🏃‍♂️

Movies: Raw (Julia Ducourneau), Nope and Get Out (Jordan Peele), The VVitch (Robert Eggers), The Night House (David Bruckner), It Follows (David Robert Mitchell), Hereditary (Ari Aster), The Descent (Neil Marshall), Possessor (Brandon Cronenberg), Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett), Candyman (Bernard Rose), Ex Machina (Alex Garland — barely horror but something horror adjacent about what it leaves behind). I think Mindhunters (David Fincher) could also make the list, and Interview with the Vampire (Rolin Jones) is doing something with perception and the gothic and the baroque and transgression that's a clear homage to horror.

Books: the actual Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson), the actual Turn of the Screw (Henry James), House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski), The Other (Thomas Tryon), Carrie (Stephen King), Black Leopard Red Wolf (Marlon James), The Fallen Hero series as always (Malin Rydén), Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer); if you look in my book recs tag you'll find others!

[blood-mocha-latte]

~ HBO WAR ASK GAME ~

created and chosen by poll vote. for band of brothers, generation kill, the pacific, and masters of the air. if you haven't seen one of the shows, do not include them in your answers :)

a. make a moodboard/edit/headcanon for who you think is underrated for any of the shows.

b. between all four shows, which one do you think did the best job of creating a storyline?

c. which show did you enjoy, but don't engage with the fandom of?

d. what was a character arc in any of the shows that left you unsatisfied?

e. what was a character arc in any of the shows that you loved?

f. rank all four shows in order of favorite to least and explain why.

g. masters of the air and generation kill both seem to have more discourse surrounding them than the other two. which did you enjoy more, and why?

h. if there was going to be another hbo war show, what would you like for it to focus on in history and why?

i. tag some of your closest mutuals and choose a show portrayal from any of the miniseries' that reminds you of them.

j. do you read fic for any of the shows? if so, rec a few of your favorites.

k. which books, if any, have you read for any of the shows?

l. would you say the hbo war fandom is more or less hectic than your previous/other ones?

m. what do you think is the best quote of each show?

n. if you create content, which show do you have the most wips for? choose one to talk about in depth.

o. say something nice about a ship that you don't understand.

p. what's a headcanon you have for any one of the shows?

q. acknowledge something nice about your least favorite of the hbo war shows.

r. do you engage in overall fandom events? (gift exchanges, appreciation weeks, etc.) why or why not?

s. tag a blog you don't often interact with, but love the content they make.

t. if you had to name a pet after any one character from any one shows, what would it be and why?

u. acknowledge a flaw in your favorite of the hbo war shows.

v. post a snippet/wip/headcanon involving any one of the shows.

w. what's an hbo war url that you like/would change to? if you have an hbo war url, why did you choose it?

x. choose one screencap of any of the shows that you would frame and put on the wall.

y. what's a wip (edits, art, fic, etc.) you have for any of the shows that will never see the light of day?

z. tag some of your favorite artists/writers/editors in the fandom and give them a compliment.

[eybefioro]

Weekly fic rec, by yours truly...

Even after all this, you still have time. It's cold, but soon enough, the season will change. We watch the snow fall, the days going by. We share stories, we get warm by the fireplace. There's still time, and there's still your favourite restaurant down the road. There's still your favourite show, there's still the hug from a loved one. There's still everything that makes time worthwhile.

on the same page by Chekhov

Rated E, ~118k words.

My tags: satisfying, entrancing, hopeful.

Summary

Aziraphale Z. Fell is a rising star of the spiritual literary genre - the next Eat Pray Love guy - and his version of Chicken Soup For the Christian Soul is flying off the shelves. It's not that he's not grateful, but it's one thing to enjoy a career in writing and another completely to be pigeonholed into a specific genre, so much so that you are almost forbidden from writing anything else. So yes, maybe he has a bit of a secret. An outlet for his less... appropriate urges. And yes, if his typical readership got word of the sort of paragraphs he could put out on a particularly inspired night, they might suffer some form of heart attack typical for their age. But all of that is well hidden, and there is absolutely no way anyone would ever find out about his Arrangement with A.J. Crowley - the most debaucherous romantic fiction author of the decade. That is... until they have to pretend to be married to each other.

I love me some long human AU. I love to read these long ones and let myself just fall into the story, see how everything develops, really dedicate some time to it, and immerse myself in this new universe. See the characters that we know so well in a complete different context but still being somewhat the same.

And this one does it so, so well. Crowley and Aziraphale are so true to their characters in this fic, and it's spun in such a way that even though it's a completely different background and situation, it's still so them. It's still the same story. Still the same absurd longing and dancing around that we see, and that's so wonderful! Idk how the author did it, but it's so impressive. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's necessary to be accurate to the characters for a fanfic to be good. I feel like in every fic, they will be different, and that's GOOD. Fandom is a sandbox for us to play in. Nonetheless, I will say it again, this fic is impressive in that sense; their motivations, their story, their situation, the way they talk, how they think... it's very true to them. Besides that, the characters are all so well written. They feel real.

I love how the story is told. You don't get the whole picture at first, you don't understand their whole situation and relationship. You get feed details slowly, in the moments where they are needed, and just by the end you actually are able to sit and see it all. It's so engaging, and makes you understand both points of view. Why and how they endured all this time, all this longing.

Also, the thing about both of them being authors and writing each others books, and meeting through fanfiction? That was so genius. It scratched my brain so well. It's just so fitting, the whole arrangement is so well constructed. Aziraphale’s relationships with Gabriel, church and family is so well described. You can really get his way of thinking, and the choice he and Crowley constantly make to Not Talk About It, the one that makes you want to shove them in a room and make them fucking communicate, is... is totally understanble by the end. I was like, yeah, if I was in this situation I'd probably do the same, even if it makes me mad. I could relate a lot to Aziraphale and understand his thinking (although that may not be a surprise lol).

On that note: the use of the fake marriage trope is so well implemented and fits with the characters in the story in such a way that is uncanny. It really feels like something they'd think it's reasonable to do. This is such a idiotXidiot story it's infuriating in the best fucking away. It's so in sync with both seasons of the show, and it was written before season 2! But don't worry they end up together. It's like the author spun that and actually gave some closure, and made them fucking talk LMAO

Also, this fic deals with some sensitive topics, especially homophobia and its consequences, but it's done in such a sensible manner. Yes, they face some pretty bad shit (especially Aziraphale in the past), but they aren't told in a violent (?) manner? Like, the violence is not romanticised, it's not there for us bawl over. The characters deal with it and are triumphant in the end. They are resilient and strong, and even if they suffer because of homophobia, they get to rebuilt their lives and be happy. They get their good ending, and they win.

The writing in this fic is also incredible. I metaphors are delicious, the way the feelings are described, and how everything develops. It's just such a good read, keeping you on your toes. It's funny, it's sad, it's infuriating (as I said before, in a good way), it's hopeful, it's beautiful, it's hot. It's many things at the same time, but above all, it's satisfying. It makes you go through all those emotions with the characters, but by the end, you get to see them happy, free, and communicating. It's delightful writing. Really. There are some paragraphs that I will be thinking for a long time because they hit HARD.

This fic is like balancing craving and indulgence, like having a bar of chocolate that you just eat a little piece every day, because you want to make it last, only to then notice that you can buy more if you want to. It's like a good, deserved piece of cake that tastes like happiness.

[the-voltage-diaries]

THIS! Exactly.

The problem with not just Voltage Inc games, but a LOT of romance-centric media we consume such as popular rom-com novels, movies, Wattpad stories, and even Choice and Episode games. The commonalities include the main characters (both FMC and MMC) looking a certain way, acting a certain way [FMC is 'shy', 'not like other girls', 'gets embarrassed easily', is a klutz/falls in problems and the MMC saves her, the MMC is 'tall', 'built', 'dominant', 'rude' etc etc], and their attributes in general.

Unfortunately with voltage, there is also a certain strain of conservative beliefs that reinforce gender and sex roles in a relationship. With the (rare) appearance of any diverse caste, such as homosexual characters, or persons of colour, their personality is also highly stereotyped.

THAT ASIDE, you're absolutely correct! As of now, most of the rom-com content out there (not all) focuses on romance and just unconditional romance while pushing aside very real opinions, as if they don't matter to the story. Which is kind of ironic, since this media DOES itself inherently contain a lot of political beliefs just by the sheer way the characters behave (for example, Voltage has this trend of glorifying/heroifying the MMC's deeds and over-romanticising the bare minimum. You'll also notice that women dress a certain way, are almost always of a particular weight range - unless they have a plus-size FMC or MMC. In cases of harassment, a male figure is the one stepping in to have a conversation with the harasser; basically the idea of men only willing to listen/see what the problem is if a MAN is the one telling it to them, and so much more).

Every story, if read critically enough, will show such problematic behaviour on both FMC and MMC's end, which is concerning because so many young adults consume this media without realising how it influences them. I've read a lot of their titles and I notice some of these common trends in MCs (both male and female) across the stories. Even Kings of Paradise (one of my would-be favourite titles), where these rich men indirectly, subtly use their monetary power to make an emotionally and financially vulnerable MC do their bidding. More or less. LOL. But yeah i've got so many opinions and this post is already longass enough, so maybe I'll save them for the future.

Thank you for reposting/commenting! I loved hearing your thoughts. Feel free to add more if you feel like! This convo is super fun. <3

3am thoughts but imagine if any of the voltage games had an mc who was really passionate about any issue in a really in-depth way, i'd love to sit and have convos with them no but a feminist mc who was well read and addressed very-real wage gaps, invisible labour, traditional roles, consent (or its problematic lack thereof), problematic depiction and reinforcement of stereotypes in novels/other media, intersectionalities, etc (before anyone tells me these games are for "fun" and "lighthearted" - these are the bare minimum conversations that CAN be made lighter and that can be normalised - in fact, they need to be)

[stellewriites]

questions about books! thanks for the tag @mikichko @pricegouge 🫂

1. the last book I read

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

so fucking tough but i really enjoyed it

2. a book I recommend

the martian by andy weir

i’d previously struggled with first person in books and i was never into science but this changed my whole view on both,, mark is so funny and down to earth (badum tss!) you can’t help but get invested and the science is so easily explained - also i liked that a lot of it could genuinely be done except the initial sandstorm like it wasn’t bullshit for the plot. if you’ve seen the film then still give the book a go bc it goes a different way and it’s worth it imo

3. a book I couldn't put down

the book thief by markus zusak

it’s been a fair few years since i read this (ten i think? shit) but i remember coming back from college and reading it every day as soon as i got home and absolutely bawling all the way through. it’s on my reread list

4. a book l've read twice or more

despite watching things over and over i struggle reading things twice even when i really want to - but!! if graphic novels/comics count then ive read the watchmen a few times

5. a book on my tbr

my family and other animals by gerald durrell

one my grandma recommended years ago that i never got around to but im determined to read at some point. only short but it’s meant to be funny

6. a book l've put down

the first harry potter - tried before all of the author’s bullshit but i really struggled to enjoy it as much as people said i would. didnt even get halfway

8. a favorite book from childhood

a lot of these have been from my childhood lmao that’s when i did most of my reading but ill go further back into my niche zombie phase as a young teen and say world war z by max brooks (also loved his zombie survival guide,, it was like a special interest pls don’t ask)

9. a book I would give to a friend

i don’t really read anything similar to my friends? they either like practical craft books or band biographies,, i recced im glad my mom died to a co worker if that counts?

10. a fiction book I own

my best friend’s exorcism - i couldn’t tell you if it’s any good, ive not yet read it. a lot of my books are bought for me and it takes me like at least five years to get around to them

11. a nonfiction book I own

battersea’s a cat a day

a book where this pet charity has put together 365 tiny true stories about different cats to read every day 🥲🥲 it’s very cute

12. what I am currently reading

none atm - need to get on one i’ve been recommended soon

13. what l am planning on reading next

the one i’ve been recommended as mentioned above! it’s a romcom so a lil new to me for books,, i usually stick to fics for this type of thing and go more sci-fi/horror in published books but i think ill enjoy it

14. my shelfie

not an accurate shelfie on the left because it’s about 5 years old but i wanted to include my cat here

the covers are so sun bleached now in comparison on the right ahsjajkls - got maybe three shelves for books and one for art books/comics?

no pressure tags: @jackrabbitem @sentientcave @madstronaut @valkyri @boolger @noicedog @w00lgathering @xxdrixx @ohlawdthebirds

[pixel-bloom]

Tag Game Questionnaire!

Ty for the tag @zosa95 ❤

🎵 Last song I listened to: Skinny Ape - Gorillaz. I was listening to a meme song (I am Rectangular...) and it sounded just like Gorillaz. Had to go and check and yep, they're basically the same beat lmao

🌊 Favorite place: I love a good shady spot. Under an umbrella at the beach, under a tree camping in the mountains. Any place where I can take a nice nap.

📚 Currently reading: I am slacking, but the last book I read was Red White & Royal Blue. Planning to re-read World War Z but I might read an old favorite for comfort this week.

🧾Favorite book(s): the Goldfinch, Jurassic Park, the Outsider, East of Eden (classic John Steinbeck!!), and lots of sci-fi/fantasy. OOH i also love most detective or mystery novels.

📺 Favorite TV show: the Office, it comforts me. I also love Parks & Rec! Recently I've been into anime, like Dungeon Meshi (SO good).

💗 Favorite food: an everything bagel with cream cheese (vegan preferred but I'll take an angry stomach for fantastic cream cheese), french fries, korean fried chicken, and watermelon or strawberries. Yum!

I'll tag @natolesims @payte @potential-fate @sparkiekong & anyone else who wants to do so~

[thebestestbat]

@twinkubus tagged me for book recs!! i'm going to go back to my 2022 reads bc i haven't read enough this year to get a full list i think. i'm tagging @hyumjim @rootbeerqueer @shield-sheafson @ravenkinnie @raven-harlot @bronanlynch if you wanna!

Books of Blood by Clive Barker

in order, i liked In The Hills, The Cities (dang), The Yattering and Jack (probably going to be the one I re-read the most), Pig Blood Blues (thinking hard about this one's characters and imagery), The Midnight Meat Train (good but forgettable)

Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke

this was pretty short and pretty fun? if you like descriptions and don't like plot, i recommend it.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

my favorite stories: Mothers, Inventory, The Resident, Difficult At Parties. 

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

this is a YA book. it's very good. it's about sexual assault and recovery.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

the ending of this turned more scifi which i didn't like, but the majority is amazing horror.

The Between by Tananarive Due

REALLY RECOMMEND THIS. it's a very sad story first, and a horror story second. it's kind of like the shining but i like it more.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

i only read the first book. i don't want any explanations. it's great.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

sisters who are friends <3 it is a happy ending if you are crazy

Drawing Blood by Poppy Z Brite

i have to. i read this in 2022 so i have to rec this again. sorry.

[aziraphales-library]

Hello! Thanks for all the fic recs! They’re really helpful

I apologize if this has been asked before and I didn’t see it, but do you have/know of any Wing fics for the ineffable pairing?

Perhaps where one of them’s wing is injured and the other cares for them?

Many thanks

: )

Hi and you're welcome! We have a #wingfic tag in our masterpost—please remember to check that first! Here are some wing injury fics to add to the collection...

Broken Wing by Wyns_Old_Fics (T)

Years of being left un-preened leaves Crowley’s wing hurt and broken. Aziraphale is there to take care of him, and heal both physical and mental scars.

Hazardous Reading by EdosianOrchids901 (T)

Aziraphale tends to get too distracted by books and not watch where he’s going. One day, he makes the mistake of reading on the bookshop stairs and loses his balance. He’s too hurt to heal himself, but luckily Crowley is in the area.

Feathered Downfall by fractalgeometry (T)

Crowley doesn't usually fuck up this badly. Hell isn't usually this mad. It hurts.

He didn't think he wanted Aziraphale to show up at his house afterwards, either, but maybe...maybe that part is all right after all.

His Own Kind Of Angel by Z A Dusk (E)

After Armageddon't, Aziraphale and Crowley think they're safe.

They're wrong.

Aziraphale has heard stories of angels with their wings cut off, thrown into a sealed room and left to die. The rooms were soundproofed, because the inmates’ screams of agony were so horrifying that it was believed other angels would go insane just from hearing them.

But that was all rumour … wasn’t it?

Blood Makes Noise by rattatatosk (M)

She seems to have noticed his discomfort, because her grin only widens. “You look nervous,” she says sweetly. “Didn't think anyone was reading all those reports you filed, did you?”

Crowley doesn't bother replying to that. They both know the answer.

“I wonder,” Lissek muses, tapping her lip with a single neon claw, “how long you thought you would be able get away with this.” She hums, flicking another paper to the floor. “Looking at these... you've been getting sloppy, haven't you. Did you really think no one would notice? That no one would ever check?”

Wings of Porcelain by Dickenangelo (T)

"I think they're pretending it didn't happen." Good Omens, p. 218.

Not everyone is happy to pretend that the failed Apocalypse never happened. Some of those unhappy entities pay a short visit to Aziraphale’s bookshop, a visit that would cost him not only his wings but also his newly regained confidence, as well as his favourite mug – and that is completely unforgivable.

His demon is there for him. Of course he is!

But what can he do when the angel’s mind seems to turn against him?

Mind the tags on most of these!

- Mod D

[suzy-queued]

Game of Five

I was tagged by @look-i-love-u @francesrose3 @depressedstressedlemonzest

Rules: 5 comfort shows, 5 new shows you want to watch, 5 comfort characters, 5 characters you love to hate or just plain hate, 5 tags.

5 comfort shows:

Shameless

Dragonball Z

Umbrella Academy

Brooklyn 99

Hannibal

5 new shows I want to watch:

The Changeling (one of my favorite books)

Castle Rock (because Noel and Stephen King)

Our Flag Means Death

Midnight Mass

The Summer I Turned Pretty (also enjoyed this book series)

5 comfort characters:

Mickey Milkovich

Ben Wyatt (Parks and Rec)

Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)

Tahani Al-Jamil (The Good Place)

Jim Moriarty (Sherlock)

5 characters you love to hate/just plain hate:

Madeline Wuntch (B99) - love to hate

Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things) - hate

August Horn of Årnäs (Young Royals) - love to hate

Monroe Fuches (Barry) - love to hate

Cigarette Smoking Man (X-Files) - hate

5 tags: @silvanshadow @sleepyfacetoughguy @mzshko @gingit-cake @sweetbee78

[wellhalesbells]

TAG SOMEONE YOU WANT TO KNOW AND/OR SOME OF YOUR BESTIES

Tagged by @kikiroo - thank you, my darling!!! *friendly shark bites at you*

Last song: Probably either The Man or Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift. I just spent a week with my sister on vacation and she had just watched the Eras Tour movie so she was getting both of those stuck in my head all the time, and then we'd have to listen to them ofc.

Last movie: It was Host by Rob Savage (or at least it was when I started this, lol). I watched it 'cause I saw something on Insta about the Top 10 Scariest Movies according to what the average resting heart rate is for it. I didn't find it very scary (got me at the end though, woo boy) but I did love it - but then I love things that use the pandemic well and this definitely did imo. Plus it's all structured around (and shot through) a Zoom interface so it's only, like, fifty-seven minutes long because that's all you get when you don't pay for Zoom, haha.

Currently watching: Goosebumps, Last Week Tonight, The Fall of the House of Usher, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Our Flag Means Death and Ghost Files and I am half-assing all of it. I've either only started the first episode or only watched the first episode on all of those. I have no staying power these days. Though I am only one ep behind on Last Week Tonight \o/

Other stuff I watched this year: Unfortunately for you guys, I write fucking everything down and it is now the tenth month of the year. I GOT RECS. Well, Meg 2: The Trench, which is a cinematic masterpiece and I will take no questions on that (unless they're Joming related). (Cognizant of the month) Here are spooky things I watched this year and liked a lot: X, The Black Phone, The Menu, Terrifier and Terrifier 2 (this is definitely only for gore fans though), Bodies Bodies Bodies, Cocaine Bear (also a cinematic masterpiece, also not taking questions), Interview with the Vampire, Wednesday, Severance, Evil, The Last of Us, Over the Garden Wall, Magpie Murders, What We Do in the Shadows, and Shining Vale (haven't started the second season yet!). Also really liked: Paddington, Nimona, Barbie, Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, Vivo, Derry Girls, The Bear, The Boys, Mythic Quest, Only Murders in the Building (I haven't watched the new season yet though but I expect great things), Reboot, Tuca & Bertie, Los Espookys, Barry, Extraordinary, Crashing (I literally watched it three times in a row - watching Sam and Fred fall in love 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 plus I fucking love Jonathan Bailey - I consistently find him ridiculously charming), Hacks, Avenue 5 (so sad this got canceled when I feel like it just hit its stride), Staged (I've watched it probably six times now), Abbott Elementary, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Ted Lasso, I Think You Should Leave Now (just for that one sketch, you know the one and, if you don't, I am HAPPY to tell you about it!), Unstable (petition for Fred Armisen to be in everything though, right?), Black Mirror, Central Park, Elite (I haven't watched the new season yet!), Reservation Dogs (ditto), The White Lotus, Good Omens, Letterkenny, Minx (what's ditto but for the third time?), Heartstopper, Sasaki and Miyano, and The Other Two.

Shows I dropped/didn’t finish: I'm behind on everything all the time so I'm only going to answer for shows I dropped and I don't think I've dropped any this year?

Currently reading: The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey (about halfway through), House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (I'll be reading this until I die, I think), Cunk on Everything by Philomena Cunk, The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab (nearly finished!), The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon and The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (decided to do a reread of the IwtV series this year since I never actually finished it and only got to book ten and I read it way too long ago to remember anything that's happening if I just picked it up now).

Currently listening to: My calendar alarm telling me to go to my dog's vet appointment.

Currently working on: getting at least a third of the way through My Darling Girl

Also absolutely no pressure tagging @andavs, @callunavulgari, @piratefalls, @clotpolesonly, and anyone else who wants to do this!

[msmargaretmurry]

LMN! XYZ!!

l. Which of your fanfics was the most emotionally challenging to write?

head above water for SURE. just kind of a weirdly lonely writing experience and i had some stuff going on that made it tough to believe in my own writing abilities sometimes! but i got through it 🫶

m. What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with?  Did it turn into a story?

the two that come to mind are both apocalypse-y aus, neither of which i have turned into fic — firstly this climate apocalypse au, which i still think would be wildly fun from a worldbuilding perspective, and also the ai apocalypse au based on that weird little video the canucks posted at the beginning of the season. i don't feel like finding it rn but if you know you know. mostly it would be about quinn hughes leading his little band of survivors across the desolate and dangerous canadian prairies, trying to get back to michigan in hopes that his brothers would be there, and also pining deeply for brady the whole time.

n. Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

since grad school is eating all of my time and i haven't finished writing anything substantial in ages, i unfortunately have the same answer for this as the last time i talked about wips 🥴 which is: the brady/quinn haw sequel, the girl!quinn cisswap fic, and the matthew/leon edge-of-retirement futurefic. those are still my main guys!! hopefully one day i will finish all of them so i can get some new ideas to talk about, haha.

x. How would you categorize your fanfic reading?  Are you a voracious reader?  Do you carefully pick and choose?  Something in between?

i definitely go through phases where i read a lot of fic and phases where i hardly read any fic and am reading tons of published books instead. i do a LOT of fic reading off of recs from pals and rec blogs/lists because i'm lazy about going through the tags 😂😭 and i would say that i'm a little picky but open to a lot of things! pickier about long fic because it's more of a time investment, but i will forgive writing mistakes, etc, for a fun and interesting fic premise.

y - answered here!

z. Is there a story you’ve written that doesn’t seem to get much love?

honestly i don't think i can complain on any level about the amount of love my fics have gotten! people have been been very kind and generous across the board! my older fic obviously gets less attention but i am exremely fine with that because it a) is not as good as the newer stuff and b) i wrote a lot of it while deeply depressed and don't remember it well anyway LOL. so that's fine! i think maybe my most recent matthew/leon fic got a little less attention, but it's such a bite-sized little character study pwp that i really didn't expect a ton of attention, so that's also fine!

[heavenlyyshecomes]

Do you know where I can download free books from? Z-lib for some reason asking premium or stuff

zlib is still free u just have to make an account bc it gives u personal links basically otherwise it's perfectly safe ! would also rec libgen and anna's archive ! I rbed a few posts that detailed more websites u can find it in the 'ref' tag <3

[thatbanditqueen]

Here, this is hilarious lol! (Also, check the "Jodie posting" tag on their blog; it's got some cool stuff.)

https://www.tumblr.com/star-shard/712457919674859520/now-just-imagine-jodie-reading-the-babies-a-story?source=share

This is wonderful, I am picturing him reading Green Eggs & Ham for the first time himself and talking back to the book as he reads it! I'm definitely going to go look through Z's stuff :) Thanks for the rec!

Try this link to read Z's Post