#FREE rare book catalogue

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

Fascicule #50 is still available! 

50 fifteenth & sixteenth century books : arcane, sacred, sublime & practical. Please email me for a printed copy                     Jamesgray2@me.com Many of these books were on display at the Toronto Antiquarian Book show and the Boston Antiquarian Book Show, in October. TO see it before the printed copy arrives follow this link Fascicule #50 will soon be in the…

[dearmrsawyer]

this is a very niche problem but libraries that use a library management system that doesn't allow marc view to be public who are you helping

[toskarin]

just because I'm thinking about it, here's one of those periodic posts where I list off a few random youtube channel recommendations I've been enjoying lately (or have been enjoying long-term (or for any length of time really))

Masaru. - I like fishing. but I can't do it at the moment. Masaru also likes to fish. he free dives, he brings a fish up, he cooks the fish, then he says how it tastes. sometimes it is an unusual fish. sometimes it tastes good. sometimes it tastes wretched. he will tell you. this singlehandedly solves basically every single complaint I have with most cooking/fishing channels. this is cocomelon to me

MIQ(MIO) - it's MIQ! one of the strongest anison vocalists of... well, basically ever. it's her official channel! she uploads concert recordings, karaoke advice for her own songs, and general updates on what she's doing here. I'm always aghast when I see how low her viewcounts are, given that she's an industry legend who's been going strong for over 40 years.

bellykelly - vinyl collector, uploading some really good cuts that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. one of those channels where I'm always up to date on uploads, and when I fall behind, I just playlist it all to catch up

Xerxes Vinyl Classics - vinyl collector, hasn't upload in a while, but has lots of older releases and remix pressings that are otherwise pretty rare. has some of the higher quality recordings of cantopop releases that are otherwise a little difficult to listen to in acceptable quality

Zuka Zhvania - music-enjoyer and song-uploader with a VERY frequent upload schedule. he's (as far as I know) not an official promoter or anything, but he's pretty damned good at keeping the tunes coming. if you're looking for someone to set you on some obscure industrial and house cuts, check out this channel

LIVING ONLY RECORDS - official channel for a doujin label with some absolutely fantastic noise rock, punk, and shoegaze bands on it. it's my understanding that this is less of "a record label" and more of a way for 群青リボン and friends to book out live houses together while selling merch at one table. which is a pretty noble cause

Someone45356 - probably laying pretty safe claim to the title of "most genre-firsts in the touhou doujin scene," Someone45356 is a strong recommend just for the level of care they put into their arrangements. I love their video thumbnails and their arrangement notes in the video description. a great channel at any level of musical interest (but an ESPECIALLY good channel if you're also a musician)

UPROAR24 - sick and tired of plguin and samplepack demo videos that are 75% ad copy by volume and still don't manage to show you the stupid thing in action? tired of looking at questionably-useful free vsts and not being able to tell whether you're even comfortable having that rubbish on your pc? UPROAR24 runs a channel that's pretty explicitly a reaction to this, making dodgy demos of dodgier plugins. works lovely as a catalogue to browse when you're looking for a new toy

USUDA - the pillar of the Armored Core fan community, USUDA has arranged more Armored Core music than anyone else short of actual FromSoft staff. he also releases his music for free download, including his midi arrangements. very friendly guy in all the interactions I've seen, and also pretty good at remembering people he's seen in other comment sections. I'd honestly shoot him a message first if I had any questions about arranging songs from these games lol

Ricardo Cruz - if you've listened to any portugese (br) covers of anison, you've heard Ricardo Cruz. even if you only listen to originals, there's still a pretty fucking solid chance you've heard him, because he's a JAM Project contributor. absolutely wonderful channel if you like watching skilful singers duet with other powerhouses

Saint Mauve - the best Hellsinker channel on youtube, which isn't an especially competitive title. but I think Saint Mauve would probably still be the best Hellsinker channel on youtube even if there were more than like three. my qualifier for when I've found something weird in the Hellsinker periphery is when I haven't seen Saint Mauve post about it. also plays other (often HS-adjacent) doujin stg and has good opinions on them

Tom Green - this is a weird recommendation but if you don't intuitively understand the appeal of a now-early-50s Tom Green calmly talking about his farm animals and riding around on a horse for hours at a time, I'm really not sure I can sell you on it. oddly calming

mercurytower - this channel is run by Asa, the musician behind Souvenirs to Forget. before they started releasing their original work, this was mostly used to upload guitar covers (which are good, but guitar covers aren't really enough to make me give a glowing recommendation of a channel). Souvenirs to Forget is a really exciting solo project and one I'm personally keeping an eye on. naturally, they upload their releases to this channel

Trance Classics - vinyl collector, records videos to go with the music, focuses more or less entirely on trance. I've got no excuse here. I just fucking love trance and always have, so you can pander to me really easily by just making a channel like this. if you like trance, it has hours and hours of trance

SJ HanStone Lee - the early-gen Mabinogi composer, among a lot of other things. it's been a while since he's posted anything new on this channel, but I check in every now and again. by my reckoning, one of the best mmo composers (and honestly one of the best game composers in general) of the past two decades. there's some stuff on here and his soundcloud that serves as wink-wink-nudge-nudge loveletters to his time working on the early Mabinogi soundtrack

[germanpostwarmodern]

It is almost inconceivable that of any periods in time it was during the years of the Third Reich that sculptor Karl Hartung (1908-67) developed his first abstract works: in 1935 the „Durchlöcherte Form“ marked the beginning of a consequential processing of nature and figure that only ended with his untimely death in 1967. Strangely there is few profound literature available about the artist whose work spearheaded German art in the postwar decades. A rare exception is Markus Krause’s pioneering monograph/work catalogue „Karl Hartung 1908-1967: Metamorphosen von Mensch und Natur“, published in 1998 by Prestel: not only does it contain more than 800 sculptural works but also early works, furniture designs and some commissional works from the 1930s but it also features a detailed account of Hartung’s life and artistic development. Returning from decisive stays in Paris and Florence between 1929 and 1932 that saw Hartung admire classics of sculpture like Maillol, Despiau and Donatello he increasingly dealt with the abstract forms of Arp, Brancusi and Moore. While these works certainly were incongruent with Nazi art politics Hartung kept himself afloat with innocuous plaques or head busts, works that for the first time are presented and analyzed in Krause’s book. With the beginning of WWII Hartung was drafted for the Wehrmacht, a hard time that was only relieved by two travels to Paris where he met Henri Laurens, Picasso and Brancusi. Released from war imprisonment in September 1945 Hartung finally was free to follow the path of abstraction towards his own formal language that conveniently concurred with the Zeitgeist.

Markus Krause’s meritorious monograph and work catalogue for sure is the reference work on Hartung that beyond all obvious diligence also is a well-written, knowledgeable and very convincing piece of modern German art history.

[hyerinrose]

Hello, I'm kinda new to your blog but just wanted to say that I love your work! I love all of your yan characters (Though if I had to pick a favorite it would probably be the fictional character yan. My favorite book is Inkheart for a reason >_<) If you've read Inkheart or watched the movie, what do you think about a scenario where the reader has a similar gift to bring fictional characters into their world. Maybe they read some strange dialog that popped up while they were playing the game and then *bam* he's aliveee. Feel free to ignore this if it doesn't make sense 😅

Tysm!! I haven't watch or read inkheart but i do get what you're trying to convey :D at least i hope i do T-T

Read Zen/ Yandere Fictional Character here!

T/W : Dimension breaking(?)

•┈••✦ 🎀✦••┈•💌•┈••✦ 🎀 ✦••┈•

You were gifted, though not in a way that many assumed. Your gift comes in a form of being able to bring characters out of their books.

When you had first discovered this talent of yours, you were of the age of 7. While reading a book that your parents had given you to practice your reading skill, the character in the page suddenly come to life.

Terrified by it, you slammed the book shut and only opening it back after you had calmed down. Thankfully, the character were back in their place and not squashed by the page like you thought they would.

From then on you had rarely ever read aloud, fearing it happening again and having no clue how to explain yourself. It was especially hellish for you in school but you somehow manage to get by without reading aloud in class.

🎀Present time🎀

"Aghhhh! This game is so stingy with gems! How else am I supposed to buy more Melted Sundae for Zen??" You yelled out angrily while furiously scratching your head.

Exiting from the item catalogue, you were greeted with Zen's model facing you. The two of you were on a date of sort, this part being important as you have to level his love meter in order to not get a bad ending like you in your last playthrough.

However, with the lack of his favourite items in your inventory, your chances of getting a good ending were slim.

"Guess I'll just have to use my rizz to get that ending I wanted!" Smirking to yourself as you jump into a dialogue with Zen, their purple orbs lighten up uncharacteristically.

"Hello, [MC]! Where had you been? I missed you lots.." Zen said while pouting their lips which made you raised your eyebrows.

'That's weird.. my character should be there with him but he's saying that I've gone somewhere, huh'

You shook your head, dismissing the odd dialogue. 'Must've been a new update to immerse the players' you foolishly thought. You then tap the screen for the next part of dialogue to appear.

"Anyways, I'm glad that you're here now. Though.. I wish I am there with you when we spend time together" Their face fell as they begun twirling their white hair subconsciously.

Textbox appears as the game present the choices for you to choose. Strangely, none of them were the ones you remembered from your last playthrough.

Chose : 💌What do you mean? We're on a date aren't we?

You picked it as it felt like the right one and you had trusted your rizz to guide you towards a good ending.

Zen however frowned and looked at the screen, which surprised you. His love meter dropped to 0 and you regretted your choice immediately.

"No, I meant being with you as in physically being there. There with you, [Name]" The screen begun glitching along with Zen's model.

"What the fuckkk..?" Was all you could say as confusion consumed you.

Is this one of those games that had access to the user account to find their real name? Because if it weren't the case you would be shitting bricks by now.

"Don't yo-ou want t-to be with m-me, [N-name]?" Zen's voice comes out corrupted as the game continues glitching.

Another textbox appears and you were greeted with another strange choices. You decided to read the choices aloud while clicking it.

Chose : 💌Yes, I feel the same way!

Your screen then went black for a second before you were blinded by a white light. You shielded your eye with your arm, however you felt someone grabbing it causing your eyes to snap open.

There, Zen in all of their glory was crawling out of your screen. His grip on your arm tightened as a lovesick smile spread across their lips.

"Finally.. I can feel you, touch you, breath you in, [Name]! Oh I love you so much it hurts! Let's be together forever now"

•┈••✦ 🎀✦••┈•💌•┈••✦ 🎀 ✦••┈•

Reblogs and notes are appreciated! - Ai

[monstercampus]

hello darlings! i have some rare free time today which I'm going to use to (hopefully) make some progress on a few features for the monster compendium--particularly a Monster Masterdoc with monster profiles (since my pinned is starting to get cluttered LOL) as well as a Forbidden Book Catalogue! so if there's anything you'd like to see or something you want me to put in specifically (ie. new monsters you wanna see, specific personal bio tidbits, portal book ideas, etc) drop it in the inbox and I'll put it to work!

[douglas-rain]

Top Five Douglas Rain Recommendations From Yours Truly

You want to see more of Douglas Rain, but you're not sure where to start? Well, do I have the thing for you! As the internet's most preeminent Douglas Rain expert (except for Gerry Flahive I guess, but he's kind of slow at answering emails and more focused on other stuff these days. If he wants to reclaim the title, he can meet me in the parking lot <3), I've made you a handy little list of some of my personal favourite performances by DR that I think you should see and/or hear!

And by 'little' I mean 'I got way too into this, so it's pretty long now'. I put it under a cut; you're welcome.

In the interest of fairness, I've chosen one performance from each of his fields of work (namely: ON STAGE, RADIO WORK, DOCUMENTARY NARRATION, TELEVISION and FILM). Please know, however, that I can give reviews of basically everything in the masterpost, so if you're interested in hearing about any of them, feel free to shoot me an ask!

Without further ado, let's get into it...

-

ON STAGE: Henry V (1966)

Okay, this one's teeeechnically a TV movie, but it's adapted from Stratford's staged production, so I'm counting it. It's also a rare treat in that we get to see DR in colour! (Everybody say THANK YOU to David Rain, his son, for bullying the Festival into restoring this production and adding it to their online catalogue. I owe him my life.)

This is one of Shakespeare's histories, part of the Henriad (aka the collection of plays about the accomplishments of various English kings). Henry V, the main guy in this one, is actually the crowned version of Prince Hal from both parts of Henry IV, a role that DR had played previously at Stratford, so this is a fun bit of character continuity for him! The play centres around the king's invasion of France, with a lot of ruminating on hope and despair and duty and bravery. Harry - as he is affectionately referred to on occasion - is really going through it, and DR portrays him with such emotional intensity. He's proud, he's fierce, he's clever, he's a BITCH and I like him SO MUCH.

The book has been edited down slightly to fit into a two hour runtime for television, but beyond a few... very funny jumpcuts, it's not really noticeable at all. And while the sets are kept mostly simple, the costumes are gorgeous. I went in not expecting much (a mistake I keep making when approaching Shakespeare plays, for some reason lol), and was thoroughly entertained the whole way through!

It also contains the transcendentally funny line, "Tennis balls, my liege!" because Shakespeare was the most hysterical motherfucker on planet Earth. It makes sense in context, I promise.

Can be found on Stratfest@Home, the online streaming service of the Stratford Festival (there's a 7-day free trial period if you sign up). You may also check my masterpost of performances for a possible alternative, but shhh.

-

RADIO WORK: Fifth Business (1980)

I love this one; it's literally so fucking funny. This radio play is a dramatisation of the 1970 novel of the same name by Robertson Davies. Fifth Business recounts the life story of Dunstable "Dunstan" Ramsay, from his boyhood in an idyllic (on the surface only) Canadian village to his experiences in the First World War, his career as a teacher and all the loves and complications he runs into, and the formative experiences peppering his life where he's never quite the main character. He is instead 'fifth business' - neither hero nor villain, but still integral to resolving the play's plot. Ramsay is clever, sarcastic and a goddamn weirdo who's obsessed with saints for non-religious reasons. He dodged a snowball as a kid and the consequences of that haunt him throughout the entire book.

The radio drama features a whole cast of actors, including of course DR as the protagonist (who also narrates everything btw), doing an absolutely delightful job. Fellow Stratford actress Martha Henry, who also happened to be his wife at the time, is in it too!

The entire drama is delightful, honestly. I liveblogged my experience listening to it for the first time, and man there is some wild shit happening in this novel. The entire things is about three and a half hours, but it really doesn't feel that long.

Can be found (in eight parts) on YouTube or on Archive.org. (Or in a junkbox on a sidewalk in Toronto. I'm still baffled by that.)

-

DOCUMENTARY NARRATION: Universe (1960)

A classic. Documentaries make up a sizeable chunk of the masterpost (thanks to the NFB website and archive channels on YouTube), so there were more options in this category than in any of the others. But I decided to go with this particular gem of a documentary.

It's about - who would have guessed - the universe, featuring the most advanced scientific knowledge of planets and stars at the time. The special effects are also quite impressive - if you move around Space Odyssey circles, you may have heard that the visuals of this documentary were a major inspiration for 2001. Also, DR's narration in Universe is what brought him to Stanley Kubrick's attention. You can probably guess how that ended. (Gerry Flahive has some articles about the whole thing if you don't.)

Anyway, Universe is a beautiful and meditative look at our galaxy and the many things it contains, and DR's narration is absolutely lovely. It clocks in at just under half an hour, so not that big of a time commitment either.

Can be found on YouTube or on the NFB website.

-

TELEVISION: William Lyon Mackenzie: A Friend To His Country (1961)

It's so hard to find old Canadian TV shows anywhere online and I'm forever bitter about it. Our options here are incredibly limited as a result, so you're just going to have to accept that I'm recommending you a historical short film from 1961, alright? This is as difficult for me as it is for you.

Unsurprisingly, this movie is about William Lyon Mackenzie, who was... *checks Wikipedia* "a Scottish Canadian-American journalist and politician." Yes, DR is doing a Scottish accent in this role. Yes, I adore it. I know very little about Canadian history, so I can't exactly speak to the film's accuracy, but I found it charming and DR is doing a very good job. Most of the half hour runtime is spent on Mackenzie's various political struggles (some sort of failed revolution, I gather, followed by exile in the United States and some jailtime) and him trying to protect his family. His wife is played by Canadian actress Kate Reid in this movie, which I personally find very funny for... reasons. IYKYK.

Can be found on YouTube or on the NFB website.

-

FILM: OEDIPUS REX (1957)

I'm sort of cheating again, but the only other options in this category that I have access to are the two Space Odyssey movies, and they seemed like too basic of a choice. So have some more drama instead! This is also a filmed version of one of Stratford's plays, but released in theatres this time.

Oedipus Rex is a breezy 87 minutes and adapts the English translation by Yeats of the classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles, with a little added prologue to set the scene. It was directed by Tyrone Guthrie, who you might remember as the Big Man from The Stratford Adventure. Or from the fact that he was a pretty famous theatre guy. If you need a refresher on your Greek myths: Oedipus was the guy who was prophesised to kill his father and marry his mother. He got done dirty by Freud somewhere down the line.

DR plays the role of the Messenger, a minor part who recounts some of the most famous plot points of the tragedy of Oedipus, which they couldn't show onscreen/onstage. Granted, he's only in this one for like five minutes, but he really rocks up to crash the party wearing the coolest outfit in the entire show. And yes, everyone in this production is wearing Greek theatre masks, so you can't see his face. You get to hear his voice though - and watch his captivating body language!

Can be found on YouTube. Or you can probably buy it on DVD if you really want to; idk, I'm not the boss of you. (I've also clipped his scene if you really, really don't want to watch the whole play. I get it's a big ask. Really beautiful production though, seriously!)

[gaensebluemchen]

Interlude

Fandom: The Last Door Rating: G Relationship: Jeremiah Devitt/Alexandre du Pré Word count: 392 Summary: Jeremiah and Alexandre spend a quiet evening together. Jeremiah plays piano. Warnings: Nothing I can think of

Inspired by this wonderful prompt list.

crossposted to Ao3

It had been a while since Jeremiah had last played the piano. Teaching philosophy was rewarding, but preparing lectures, reading essays, and all the other things that came with his position also meant a lot of work. His private studies consumed most of his free time, and then there were also the Playwright's gatherings. Unfortunately, this left him little time to practise music.

In fact, it had been Alexandre who had convinced him to play a short piece this evening. Alexandre had come over to visit him for dinner and a bit of pleasant company. Jeremiah was awaiting a rare book he had discovered in a catalogue, whereas Alexandre needed to restock his chemicals before he could continue his latest experiments. Neither of them would make any progress before their orders arrived, and so they could simply take the evening off and enjoy a bit of leisure.

As he sat at the piano, Jeremiah's fingers stumbled over themselves a few times, but he did not stop, determined to finish playing this piece. He had played it quite well once, but had by now almost forgotten it.

Eventually, the final note faded away, and the sounds of London were audible in the room again. Outside, they were just beginning to light the street lamps, and it would take a few hours until the city would settle down for the night – not that London ever was particularly quiet.

“This was lovely,” Alexandre commented, rising from his chair, and came over to the piano.

Jeremiah turned towards him, raising an eyebrow but not quite managing to hide his amusement.

“Please stop flattering me.”

Alexandre looked at him, his head tilted slightly to the side. A smile, just a little bit lopsided, played around his lips and twinkled in his eyes.

“That's not my intention at all,” he said. “It's just that I'm always happy to spend time with you.”

Jeremiah smiled back at him and rose to put his hand on Alexandre's shoulder. The dark blue fabric of his coat felt smooth and warm beneath Jeremiah's fingers. He tilted his head, and Alexandre, understanding his unspoken invitation, bent down to kiss him softly on the lips.

When they parted, Jeremiah looked up into Alexandre's eyes.

“I'm happy to be with you, too,” he said quietly, not breaking their eye contact. “And I'll always be yours.”

[alchima-the-witch]

Being cursed by an angry demon wasn't the worst thing that had happened in your centuries long "life". After all, you had dedicated your life to collecting and cataloguing all arcane knowledge. It WAS far simpler now that you were a book that could summon to text every arcane arithmetic and Eldritch riddle.

Over the many centuries you were lovingly cared for by many a witch, wizard, sorcerer and collector. Many hands had caressed your cover and gently thumbed through your pages. Although you often were the reason for their demise at the hands of a thief or your next owner.

And then you sat alone, neglected, unopened for decades in a forgotten collection of a rarely used library.

That is until SHE stole you for herself. By comparison, she was a novice compared to all the previous owners. Her understanding/delusions of magic were limited to candles, tea and spells drawn on bay leaves. When asked what she was she had responded with "anarcho-socialist witch-maxing girl pulled vibe goddess" and none of those words were in your lexicon.

You tried to show her true magical power. The sum total of all arcane creation at her fingertips!

But she couldn't understand the basics. Not that it bothered her. She was just glad to have gotten you out of that stuffy abandoned collection of rotting tomes.

To feel a thousand lifetimes of purpose evaporate was... Difficult. But a book cannot free itself from its circumstances.

She knew you were magic of course, and even if she didn't understand basic thaumic script she was caring and used her magic slate to look up tutorials on book restoration on some sort of tube.

She began to talk to you, and after centuries of only answering questions with information, purely data, it felt good to speak to... a friend.

She even gave you a shiny clear dust cover to adorn with colorful stickers. And for a time you were happy, happier than you had ever been with your previous purpose. What good was it to know all arcane knowledge of no one in the modern age could understand or use any of it?

But to be able to talk, to laugh, and to craft stories tailored to an individual's wants and needs.

Now that was truly magical.

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

New catalogue Fascicule 52

Early Printed BooksSpring 2024. Part A These 19 books are the authors whose names begin with A from Fascicule Nº 52 1) 508J Thomas, à Kempis, 1380-1471, attributed name.The following of Christ. Writen in Latine by Thomas of Kempis Canon regular of the order of St. Augustin. Translated into English and in this last edition, reviewed compared with several former editions. Together with the…

[i-am-the-oyster]

Accessing the Stowe School Recording

What is the Stowe School Recording?

On the 4th of April 1963 (two weeks after the release of Please Please Me) the Beatles played a gig at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. One of the students present (John Bloomfield) recorded the gig, and recently rediscovered that recording. He donated it to the British Library, which means anyone can go and listen to it (see below for details).

Is it worth it?

Obviously your mileage may vary, but for me that answer is definitely yes. I wasn't expecting the recording to be over an hour long, but I stayed and listened to the whole thing. I reckon I'll go back again if I can fit it in next time I'm in London.

Alright, how do I listen to it?

The recording is free to listen to, and is available in the Sound Archive at the British Library in London. The building is about 2 minutes walk from King's Cross St Pancras. (map)

You need a Reader Pass to access the room. If you're a UK citizen you can just get one on the day, but if you're not then I recommend starting the process online before you go.

You will need:

Photo ID

Proof of address

They give you an ID card that's valid for 3 years. The process was pretty straightforward and the staff are very helpful. They have very good cloakroom facilities and free secure lockers, so if you have carry-on sized luggage with you, you can store it there while you visit.

They're very strict about what's allowed into the reading rooms, so plan to use the lockers.

Once you have your card, go to the Rare Books and Music reading room on Floor 1. Marvel at the ancient tomes people are carefully examining. Find a computer with a set of headphones attached (towards the back right of the room) and set yourself up. If you have your own laptop you can use one of the empty spots in that area.

Search the catalogue for something like "Stowe Beatles". There are pages and pages of other recordings you might also like to listen to.

What's the playlist?

I Saw Her Standing There Too Much Monkey Business Love Me Do Some Other Guy Misery I Just Don’t Understand A Shot of Rhythm and Blues Boys! Matchbox From Me To You Thank You Girl Memphis Tennessee A Taste of Honey Twist and Shout Anna Please Please Me Hippy Hippy Shake I’m Talking About You Ask Me Why Till There Was You Money (there's a section here where the tape got recorded over with an incredibly annoying song) I Saw Her Standing There (reprise)

My highlights

Stowe School was an all-boys school at the time, but it's clear from the recording that there are girls at the gig.

Boys! gets a huge response, and I'm pretty sure it's Ringo singing Matchbox immediately after. Later (around 55m) the crowd starts chanting for Ringo to sing again.

There's a good amount of banter between John and Paul, not all of it very clear. I'd love a chance to sit and listen to those parts over and over again, and see what I can make out. Alas I didn't have time, and I only had the in-browser audio player, which made it basically impossible to hop around.

The crowd starts shouting out requests at some point, and some boys shout for A Taste of Honey. There's some laughter, and the timing of it sounds to me like John is mugging.

Towards the end someone shouts for How Do You Do It and one or John or Paul sings the opening phrase, with an audible smile, but they don't sing it.

Anything else?

If you can, I recommend bringing your own laptop and headphones. There are computers and headphones there, but the browser interface is not ideal for going to specific timestamps, you have limited control over volume, and I think you'd get more out of it with medium to high end headphones.

If you want to skip the truly awful song that got recorded over a section of the tape, the original comes back in around 1:01:25.

In the same building they have some of Hunter Davies's donation on display in the Treasures Gallery. This was a small selection on the day I went, and I was pretty disappointed, but they do rotate those displays every six months. It may also be possible to access the other items for research purposes, I haven't investigated that yet.

[jamgrlsblog]

Tagged by @emberfaye 😄😘 (thank you for the tag, I love this!!)

hardcover or paperback (I honestly prefer how a paperback feels in my hands) // bookstore or library (I’m all about those free books babeeeyy!! I do like a bookstore specifically to look at/buy graphic novels, but the vast majority of my reading is library books) // bookmark or receipt (i love a good bookmark and I have too many laying around everywhere 😂) // standalone or series (I read a lot of standalone books, but I love having a series to dig into and a series tends to stick with me more) // nonfiction or fiction (I like the occasional nonfiction but the vast majority of what I read is fiction) // thriller or fantasy (literally my number one most read genre) // under 300 pages or over 300 pages (Both!!! I really love a novella, especially a novella series, but also getting to get really into a long book is excellent) // children's or ya (I love ya; something about coming of age and revisiting those big huge teen emotions is really powerful for me) // friends to lovers or enemies to lovers (I mean, I love a good rivals to lovers particularly, but friends to lovers is my sweet spot; I love seeing people know each other really well; also I’m totally biased bc my spouse and I were friends for two years before we got together)// read in bed or read on the couch (I like reading before bed; even audiobooks, sometimes I’ll lay in bed and listen before I go to sleep) // read at night or read in the morning (if I can get myself to wake up early enough to read before work, that is such a lovely start of the day, but I rarely do that 😂; daytime is best honestly because I get sleepy at night, but outside of listening to audiobooks while I’m doing stuff— which I do all the time— I mostly read before bed) // keep pristine or markup (I struggle to write in books; I did it with some of my Harry Potter books as a kid because I wanted to emulate the Half-Blood Prince book, but then I hated the markup)// cracked spine or dog ear (I don't intentionally crack spines, but as a paperback lover it comes with the territory, and sometimes I really like the floppy nature or a book that’s a bit cracked; I dog eared all the time as a kid and now I just hate it).

Currently reading:

On audiobook: Hunger Pangs, True Love Bites (Fluff and Fangs edition), Joy Demorra

On paperback: A Catalogue for the End of Humanity, Timothy Hickson

AND

On Writing and Worldbuilding, Volume III, Timothy Hickson (intermittently)

(I am very active on StoryGraph if anybody wants to follow me; you will be shocked, I’m sure, to find out that my handle is jamgrl)

@madeofmydreams @blondeforyou @saecookie @the-stolen-century @forevermagik @daisybrien @therivergirl @larkfeather1153 @litfeathers @tawnyontumblr @lsoer

[spotofmummery]

FFXIV Swap Meet Main Interaction List

-Rent Your Booth Here!- (Just send me an ask with the info in the linked post.)

Because there is interest for light RP with those opening a booth at the Swap Meet, I'm putting together this main info post.

Below is a list of renters who are willing to engage in RP around the wares and services they are bringing to the market. Feel free to contact them through tag or ask!

Please consider tagging with #FFXIV Swap Meet so we can all see your posts. I'd love to read them!

Have fun at the Swap Meet! (I will update this post as we get new vendors who wish to RP!) ---------------

@cadrenebula

Name: Nebula Carina

Wares/Service: Charms and card readings.

----------------

@celestialspark | FFXIV blog: @heiress-incognito

Name: Vallencia Lotus

Wares/Services: We'll be showcasing and selling our finest clothing with the newest design and trends. You will also be able to buy a wide variety of fabrics and raw materials. If you wish to, at the third booth, we will also take measurements and you may order tailored versions of the attires in our catalogue.

----------------

@pinxli

Name: Inxli Ijinixxi

Wares/Services: All sorts of rare books, cursed and blessed items (armor/trinkets/weapons and house decor). As many little knick knacky things as we can overflow one booth with! If you need it we probably have it! But look at our amazing things. You need all of them, I promise! Also, we have snacks. Can I interest you in a cake sample? How about a dozen? Buy something will ya!

(A small sampling of goods from our Curiosity Shop! We did dust it all off!)

----------------

@ainyan

Name: Kal'istae Miurani

Wares/Services: Kali tugs her backpack off of her shoulder and opens it up, pulling free a few well-made plushes - one of a certain white-haired miqo'te, the other of a sylph with a playful smile. "I make plushes," she explains cheerfully. "I've got several dozen that I've available to trade, and I can make more on request. Scions, Alliance Leaders, tribal peoples - I'll even take custom orders, but you'll need permission if it's to be someone who hasn't already said I can use them as a model." It's probably better not to ask exactly how she got permission from so many to begin with. She gives a winsome smile and her lavender-edged eyes sparkle with glee. "Please?"

----------------

@jhola-ffxiv

Name: J'hola Fointeaume

Wares/Services: [[J'hola has scrawled 'BUNCH OF STUFF. SONG REQUESTS. I HAVE A RAT4SALE (CHEAP)' in huge letters on her form. She seems to be armed with a mishmash of goods. A cracked geode with sparkling pale white crystals within, a tiny rat in a handmade cage, rocks she's painted to look like frogs, jars of rich honey and jars of dried+ground mugwort, bags of candied nuts, wax candles, and many small, seemingly handmade kalimbas.]].

----------------

@scholars-of-nym

Name: Setoto Seto

Wares/Services: Setoto and Alka Zolka walked up to the little stalls together. Setoto was carrying a tray filled with cookies, while on her side a bulky bag with a few books peeking out. Alka Zolka, walking behind her, was pulling a large cart filled to the brim with books. The books looked to be quite old, yet still in good condition.

"Hello!" Setoto said cheerfully. "I heard about the swap meet, so I brought a few things." She put down the tray of cookies on top of the cart of books and pulled out one of the books from her bag. "If it's alright, I would like to sell these books we recovered from the old castle library. Most of them are about applications on aether and arcanima, as well as ancient strategems - well, ancient by Nymian standards." Setoto smiled sheepishly. "And I brought a few cookies for the customers to enjoy."

----------------

@windupadventurers

Name: Einar

Wares/Services: A modest offering of adventuring and bodyguarding services, rendered by Einar themselves. They will act as a retainer for the right fee, join a party of like minded adventurers, or simply work to guard yourself and your posessions!

----------------

@echoes-of-blue

Name: Eisha Pantera

Wares/Services: A build-your-own-ramen bar! Eisha will provide different broth choices as well as a variety of toppings to choice from, all including her specialty homemade noodles. Each ramen bowl includes 1 meat (or egg) and 3 veggie options in the base price, and additional toppings would be 25gil each. Soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sesame seed toppings available for free!

----------------

[maideninorange]

for the ask game, not sure what you would do with this prompt but i'm curious anyway!

16. “You don’t have a choice.”

Oh my! I wasn't sure either for a while there! Sorry about the long wait (even by my standards)! But I came up with a decent idea in the end, so here we go!

(TW: Just some somewhat graphic death threats, choking imagery, and mild blood. Nothing too dark here for this one, because I was more in the mood for something humorous. Also, Maiden getting too into her worldbuilding, even by her standards.)

It was a little embarrassing, in Tenkai's humble opinion, to get so absorbed in their grumbling over misplaced things on the shelves that it took them until the knife at the back of their throat presses in for them to realize it was even there.

They raise their arms up, "Not even gonna bother by the spell card rules?"

"And put myself at a disadvantage? Why would I do that?"

Ah, they recognize that voice. So they've been ambushed by that scoundrel? Well, it was only a matter of time before they got the bright idea to try picking on them. This was gonna be fun.

"Ah, the Black Shitodo has finally decided to threaten me? Remaining a scoundrel I see," Tenkai can't help but smirk as the knife presses a little further into their neck, "Still 'accquaintances' with Saragimaru there?"

"I don't exist." And the snake is here too then. This oughta make their week.

"Shut up and keep watch," Kuroji's attention turns back to Tenkai, "Now Zuifeng, if you don't comply, no amount of danmaku will help against a simple knife. You'll-"

"I'll be nothing but a mere corpse on the floor? Have the snakes been rubbing off on you or something? You can't even be creative in how you're gonna kill me like Orochin usually gets!"

"...?!" Speaking of snakes, that must've got Saragimaru's gears turning. This'll make screwing with these scoundrels extra fun.

"Unlike Yaorochi, you'll find that I prefer much more simple measures of murder. So do you truly want to test me?"

Ouch. And now there's some blood gushing out from where Kuroji pricked them, making their point. They let out a nervous chuckle, "Geez, not gonna even give me the illusion of free choice?"

"You don't have a choice."

They gathered that much. But confirmation is always nice.

Tenkai takes a step forward, not quite sure what direction they wanted them to go in yet, "So what are you guys after this time? Money? Powerful artifacts? My pride?"

"Knowledge, actually," the scoundrel answers with a light hum, "Sources say Azumaterasu has a rare book cataloguing the Senri family line all the way back to the very first priest of Mugenri."

"And by sources you mean some poor village historian you extorted that information out of."

"He didn't even try to fight back. Just gave in begging for his wealth to be spared," Saragimaru grumbles, confirming what they already knew.

Tenkai was even pretty sure they knew who that someone was. Always was a snivelling coward. How anyone could've entrusted him with such important information is beyond them.

But even so...Ooh, this was definitely going to be fun!

They bite down a mischievous grin, "Let me guess, trying to one-up the current priest? I never knew you had any sort of interest in history!"

"I don't," A low growl hisses in their ear, "I simply see the value in learning all I can about this world. The rarer information I know? The more of a bargain it will be, if you know what I mean..."

"And to make that worthless priest they won't shut up about jealous. Or something." They can just hear Saragimaru shrugging.

Tenkai suppresses a loud chuckle at Kuroji's annoyed shout. Oh, make no mistake, it would be awful if they got ahold of it. The untold havoc that scoundrel would wreck simply by having one of the most important pieces of documentation the Senri clan ever entrusted to their family cannot be underestimated. And their superiors would have their head. That too.

But that implies they plan on letting them get ahold of it in the first place.

"Can't let ya pass on that one," they exclaim, trying to sound at least a little worried, "Even if I wanted to, that book is under lock and key. Sorry!"

"Allow me to repeat myself, just this once: You don't have a choice in this."

"Or what? You'd actually slit my throat? I mean, you are a scoundrel, so..."

And there's the knife drawing blood again. Ouch.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Yes I would. So start marching."

Tenkai obeys, legs automatic, "Sheesh! Someone needs to learn better manners!"

"Don't you know manners and this scoundrel don't mix? Not that you would know much more about manners yourself."

Tenkai can only click their tongue at that. Tsurubami would've been proud.

Kuroji drags them deeper into the bowels of the shop. The "Employees Only" scroll on the door was cheerfully ignored, and they were taken in and out of various rooms in less a sinister waltz and more a clueless stumble. They even start making low growls as the charade goes on. They oughta be glad Tenkai was left to their own devices (miraculously) today, otherwise they would be very, very dead right about the second room. Maybe the third if they want to be generous.

Oh, make no mistake, their superiors are gonna be pissed if they find out Kuroji decided to break into Azumaterasu, and at them especially if they find them compromised like this. The aftermath would not be pleasant if they get caught.

But then again... it's been a good while since someone tried to knock those arrogant asses down a peg. So why not give them a little helping hand, by a certain definition?

The dizzying constant shifting of their surroundings only stops when a loud crack rings out, causing both of them to look in its direction.

...Oh darn, the snake knows a thing or two about picking apart barriers. Not much, clearly, as Tenkai can easily bypass that particular barrier without busting it so loudly, but they did know how to destabilize the inscriptions at the very least.

Saragimaru turn to look at them, the blue glow at their fingertips fading away, "...Found it."

And by the grin returning to Kuroji's face, it seems Tenkai's reaction had given it away.

"Oh my oh my Saragimaru, how did you ever know the entrance was right there?"

"The melon took me into this very room when we met the first time. Something about the inscription working best in that room... though they were lying so..."

Saragimaru fixes them with a harsh glare. Tenkai can only give a half-hearted shrug, unapologetic, "So you can remember how to break the barrier like I showed you, but can't keep track of prices. Suits ya pretty well if you ask me~!"

"...! Why I oughta-"

"Put the sword down. We still need them to bypass whatever traps these old farts put in order to gatekeep us."

Saragimaru lets out a loud groan as they sheathe their kodachi, their jaw clenched. Kuroji hums in their ear a moment later, "But don't worry! Once they disable all the traps it should be perfectly alright to take care of them then!"

... Okay, now this is just downright hilarious. Last time they got held at swordpoint, the youkai were all cheerfully talking about dismembering them once they served their purpose. These guys are just being more polite about it!

Needless to say, Tenkai bursted out laughing. As if these two could ever be the death of them! They kept laughing as they were ushered through the library doorway and down the stairs.

It wasn't until their laughter became full blown wheezing that they were asked by their current captor, "...What's so funny?"

"You..." They wipe a tear from their eye, less walking down the steps and more skipping down them, "...You plan to kill me once I've outlived my usefulness. Are you sure you won't consider a career as a comedian?"

Judging by the low hiss, like a little bird trying to sound bigger than it really is, Kuroji was making, they weren't too impressed by their wit. The knife presses into their back, forcing them down two at a time.

"...Huh. I now see why you want to kill them. All this time I thought I was craving bread, not blood."

"I told you they were better off dead!" Their eyes bore into them from behind, "So don't tempt me! I will if I have to, consequences be damned!"

"Bloodthirsty now, I see?" Tenkai snickers, "See what I mean? Utterly hilarious! Seriously, both of you might have a future in comedy!"

"Shut up..." They both mutter in unison. That will probably be the first and last time they ever agree on something, to boot.

Tsurubami would definitely be proud. They've come a long way since...

Their feet touch down on smooth stone. They swallow hard, knowing where they are and what they'll have to do.

"March," Kuroji whispers in their ear. The knife digs into their back, and Tenkai obeys.

Tenkai roams the long corridors of books and scrolls, one foot firmly in front of the other. They knew exactly where the book in question is. Tsurubami had quite a few suggestions for it when they stole that very book the third time they met. Their superiors didn't know it, but they had gleefully heeded their suggestions.

Not that Kuroji knows that. Nor do they intend to let them know and ruin their fun.

Tenkai guided the scoundrels over to the bookcase in question. The one at the very back, the oldest and mustiest.

Oh, and the only one concealed behind a very obvious and visible barrier. Can't forget that part!

"...So what happens if you touch that barrier there?" Saragimaru asks.

"You rapidly age as your future death plays out right before your eyes."

"Even to the ageless...?"

"Then just the vision of your future death," Tenkai smiles as a loud sigh rolls by their ears.

Okay, they've never actually seen what happens when an actual intruder like these two tries to touch that barrier in question before. They do remember only getting a small shock as a kid when curiosity got the better of them though. One of their...more overdramatic caretakers did spin that story to scare them away, so perhaps there's a grain of truth in it?

Not that it really mattered. They aren't hearing any protests from them, that's for sure.

"Well I happen to like being the age I'm at," Kuroji huffs, "So...? Are you going to grab the book or not? Because if you're not, I presume you know-"

"You'll slit my throat and then leave me to bleed out and die. Yadda yadda yadda," Tenkai rolls their eyes, "If you're gonna actually go ahead and kill me, at least do something more fun than a simple knife to the throat."

"Believe me, the possibilities for me killing both of you are endless if I had it my way," Saragimaru deadpans, as if they actually had the power to follow up on that particular threat.

"I'm well aware. You've told me plenty of them already," Kuroji sounds way too chipper when refuting their wayward servant in Tenkai's opinion, "But unless you would rather be the one to try and break that barrier there, I would -"

"I lost the right to share my opinion. Got it," The butt of a wooden pole jabs against Tenkai's back, making them take a step forward, "...Hey melon, if you find a way to throw this scoundrel into that barrier, please do. Preferably at once."

A huff, "Ignore them. Try that and I'll show you 'creative'."

"I make no promises!" Tenkai grins, flexing their fingers, warming up with power, as they strut towards the barrier.

In theory, this barrier, designed to keep important books under lock and key (and far away from the nose of their least favorite apprentice), is one of the sturdiest, most complex constructs second to only the Great Barrier itself. It contains dozens of inscriptions, and many riddles to keep intruders (and certain smart alecks) from easily confusing and breaking it. Few should be able to access it without an elder's say so.

Keyword: should.

In practice, this barrier was merely further proof that their superiors have never actually fashioned a complicated barrier in their lives. Perhaps it was Tenkai's genius getting the better of them, but this barrier was about as complex as the one on their safe box of gag gifts ill fitting for someone like them to hold onto. It does it's job against one who knows jack about breaking barriers, but only serves as a fun puzzle for a professional barrier breaker.

Tenkai just so happened to be one such professional barrier breaker.

The runic inscriptions light up with a quick swipe over the barrier's surface. Glowing orange fingertips scrawl over it, seeking out the vaguest, frailest sentences.

...Found one.

A twisted grin sprung to Tenkai's face as they began to pour all their energy into it. The inscription glowed brighter and brighter, until it was almost blinding. And then, right before this section could crack, disabled, under the pressure, they let up.

They then reach inside the glowing section of barrier, and yank the target book out.

"You insult me," They huff as their handiwork fades, leaving the barrier like it was never touched, "I could break barriers like that in my sleep."

"...All you did was reach through the barrier and make the room smell like melons," Saragimaru pinches their nose, "You less broke the barrier and more bypassed it."

"And alert my bosses that they were being robbed the moment it shatters? You really ought to be thanking me for not blowing your cover!" They let out a small chuckle at Kuroji's low growl, "Breaking barriers is child's play. Now bypassing barriers? That's a completely different skillset! I put in all this hard work for you guys, and you're too greedy to even thank me?"

"The book. Now." Considering the knife now back at their throat, they guessed so. Kuroji is, at least. Saragimaru is more easily manipulated than greedy.

But nevertheless, Tenkai deposited the book into Kuroji's waiting hand, whistling a small tune as they cast their glance at a nearby bookshelf. It immediately vanishes into their electric purple jacket, never to be seen again.

"Thank you. Cooperating wasn't so bad, was it? Less painful," Kuroji's focus turns to Saragimaru, "Now tie up this loose end here. We don't need all of Azumaterasu coming down on our heads, now do we?"

"On your head. This feels a little too easy, knowing Tenkai Zuifeng. Don't you think they got something else up their sleeve? And don't mix me up in the consequences of your own actions!"

"Oh no, they'd definitely come after you too," Tenkai clasps their hands together, doing their best imitation of the grin Tsurubami typically wore when about to discipline troublemakers, "An excuse to go after one of the last remnants of Yamata-no-Orochi's lineage? It would be a crime to let it go to waste! And then both of your families for good measure! ...Just speaking from personal experience here."

They conveniently left out the time they went after Tsurubami once, for the exact same crime by raw coincidence. They were pretty sure Saragimaru and their beloved Yaorochi would be able to keep their hubris unscathed (unfortunately). Now Kuroji? ...A little more debatable. But that scoundrel's upset worse people before and their superiors are all old farts, so who knows?

It did the trick though. Saragimaru's eyes widened a little, "They'd go after Yaorochi-sama?"

"Loose end. Tie it up," Kuroji deadpans, their gaze flitting between Tenkai, Saragimaru, and the room all around them."

"So I can finally kill this obnoxious melon?" Saragimaru's voice lightens notably, a fang nicking their lip as they bite it.

"Tempting, but no. Leaving a body behind is the exact opposite of a clean break-in. You're going to tie their tongue up so they can't say we were here."

They put their naginata back in its sheathe, restrapping it to their back, "Ugh...Why do I always have to cast the curses? You can cast them too. I've seen you do it."

"...Because your curses are more effective, obviously," Kuroji's gaze turns back to Tenkai, nostrils flared.

"Translation: They can't cast magic like you and I can there, Saragimaru," Tenkai jeers, snorting at the death glare Kuroji then gives them.

"I mean, we all know that...I was just wondering why they weren't gearing up to-"

"Shut. Up. Both of you. You've lost the right to speak," They turn their back towards Tenkai, "Now curse them. Then let's get out of here."

"... Yes Your Excellency," Saragimaru grumbles, stepping towards Tenkai. A blue glow, like rainwater, emits from their fingertips, ominously pressing closer and closer to them.

Or at least, it would've been ominous if they haven't been so desensitized to the dark side of magic. Thanks Tsurubami.

"Sheesh, you guys are so mean! Can't take a little joke or-"

The glowing blue hand closes in around their throat, "Shut. Up."

Tenkai suddenly felt like they were choking on something. They tried to laugh through the pain of talons digging into their nape, but every sound they tried to make sounded garbled. A small white cloud puffs from their mouth, like breath on a cold winter day. Saragimaru's teeth gnash together, and soon enough Tenkai's throat felt clogged with them.

They gargle, clouds bursting from their mouth in a rapid stream like bubbles, purging their tongue of what occurred in this library. And then, just like that, it was all over and the magic all dissipated, their windpipe clearing of misplaced weather.

Saragimaru lets go, the glow of their magic fading, and Tenkai's body drops to the floor with a thud, as if they had dropped them. Air flows through their lungs like sand, black spots dancing in the corners of their vision as they watch their tail sway gently from side to side.

"There. If they say anything about our robbery and hostage taking, the heavens shall rob them of the ability to speak the truth. ...Poor thing, I'd feel bad if it wasn't for them being Tenkai Zuifeng..."

"Good enough. We got all that we need, so let's leave them here."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? People are going to know someone was here once they notice your stupid book is missing..."

"But will they be able to tell it was us specifically? Besides, it's not like we can't pin this on Tsubakura when all is said and done. They say the Senri priest has some kind of right to this book, don't they?"

"I thought this whole pointless excursion was to make that dumb priest you are so obsessed with jealous. Blaming them for your crime sounds very counter-intuitive."

"And that's enough out of you. Let's make our exit while this place is still clear of those elders we're supposed to fear."

"...Did I actually curse the right person?"

"Oh you're such a tease! Didn't you know my body can be just as loose as my lips?"

"Ugh..."

Tenkai clamours to their knees, watching the scoundrels march up the stairs, bickering all the way there. Right as they both reached the top, Kuroji whirls around, and tips their hat to them.

Then, the scoundrel and their swordsnake vanish.

Tenkai pushes themself to their feet, coughing up one more cloud as the curse rolls around their throat and onto their tongue, tasting of smog. It was a pretty unpleasant feeling actually, but Tenkai has been under enough of these sorts of curses to know a strong one from a weak one. And if Saragimaru really wanted them to shut up, they'd be coughing up clouds and hail for weeks on end for daring to think of the forbidden object in question.

It would also be much harder to unravel than this, going by the magical handiwork now decorating their throat and along their chin. Though going by their few unpleasant encounters with that scoundrel, that wrench in their plans was well deserved.

Not as good as the one Tenkai threw though. They can't wait to see the look on Kuroji's face when they realize they handed up a rulebook instead of the history book they were actually after.

Tenkai wobbles over to the bookcase off to the side. They pluck a certain book off the shelf, and with a wave of their hand, the barrier vanishes, revealing A Brief History of the Senri Clan in all its musty glory.

(It hasn't been updated since the fifth priest before the current ones. Tsurubami had ranted to them long and hard about that once they finally got their hands on the book.)

Like Tsurubami had suggested a long, long time ago, Tenkai had the book swapped out for a conveniently dense decoy, disguising both with a cloaking barrier as the other. Not even their superiors had figured out the swap, but that won't last much longer once someone finally realizes they're missing a book or two.

Especially not after Kuroji's plan blows up in their face and they inevitably throw caution to the wind over it. Tenkai can just picture their rage now. The way their cheeks puff up and turn red when angered had always made them snicker.

They blow the dust off the cover before tucking it under their arm. Oh, they couldn't wait until their little prank is discovered. People like those two are way more fun to manipulate than some of the other idiots that occasionally try to make use of them. It's going to be great.

But right now...What exactly should they do? Their superiors are going to be pissed either way, even though they have dozens of those bloated rulebooks lying around in here. Should they put this book back and let sleeping dogs lie for a little while? Hm...

Their attention turns to the old forbidden bookcase it should be on. A smirk plays at their lips.

Perhaps the scoundrels can serve one more use to them after all? They may not know it yet, but they've already humiliated their superiors once today with their crime. What's a little more to teach those hags a well overdue lesson?

...Tsurubami would definitely be cackling at what they've done if they were still here. They'll definitely have to tell them about this when they meet again.

[indigoinka]

Hi! I’m finally getting around to that intro post I promised months ago, and honestly, you could be here for some time.

I’m squatting on a whole bunch of social media accounts, but this is the only place I feel safe anymore, though I do have a little reader group on the Meta-hole (🤢). I wish I could get my AuDHD head around Discord, but it feels like the old Yahoo boards mated with a speeding train, and I'm just too tired for that. 

Wherever you look, I’ll be indigoinka or Inka York there.

This is me:

About me, then:

I love tea. Would I even be British if I didn’t?

I love cake. British.

And cider. British.

Yeah, and pie.

Food. I like food.

Please rec queer TV shows to me because I don’t watch as much as I should, and sometimes I just need to refill my crusty old well.

I love supporting indie authors, and rarely read trad stuff these days unless the blurb and sample are god tier.

Feel free to ask questions and tag me in writing games, or whatever shenanigans you get up to around here.

What do I write?

I write queer books, mostly urban fantasy, and usually set in the same storyworld. I also write contemporary gay romance, sometimes with an alien twist. And I’m wide with my books, so you can find them at all the major online retailers and in library catalogues.

I write what I like to read, which sometimes includes problematic tropes, but mostly includes wholesome shit like twin stories, sibling banter, ride or die friendships, a hearty mix of fluff and angst, found families, annoying ghosts, salty supernaturals, cinnamon rolls with knives, and sentient vehicles. Oh, and goats. I love me a judgemental goat.

My favourite tropes

Well, it started as a love triangle/square/dodecahedron, but now everybody's fucking (I don't know what this trope is actually called)

Forced proximity/only one bed (or coffin, in my case)

Friends to lovers (AKA idiots who took too long to notice how perfect they are)

Grumpy/Sunshine

Secret twins

Rivals to lovers

Hurt/comfort

My storyworlds

Cascade Apocrypha (queer paranormal/urban fantasy in many subgenres from pirate adventures to cosy mysteries to paranormal romance)

Feverish (contemporary gay romance)

Dracate System (AKA Gay Space Bridgerton)

My books

My first series, Not the Same River, is urban fantasy, upper YA/crossover, set in the Cascade Apocrypha storyworld. It features angels, demons, vamps, vaewolves, goats, succubus nuns, and villains to cry over. Book five is out this month, and the final book is out in February. This is the story of my heart, and the one that spurred a thousand spin-offs that I'll never have time to write.

The first book in that series, A Storm of Paper Starlings, is complete on Wattpad and Inkitt. I was gonna put it on AO3, but it feels weird because I tore all my Potter fics down when JKR started flashing her arse at the entire world, and everything I had on there felt dirty. Anyway, I digress. I might go back. Talk me into it.

I also have two other books updating on Wattpad:

🩷 Victorian Vampire Daddy (MM historical romantic suspense/Cascade Apocrypha)

🩷 My Ex & His Boyfriend (MMM/Feverish storyworld)

My other current series, Tales from the Noctuary (Cascade Apocrypha), has two books out at the retailers:

🩷 Secrets at the Door (historical mystery/suspense with lesbian romance): fat, beekeeping lesbian vampire, queer well-demon with a bad haircut, nonbinary treasure who sometimes makes bad decisions, everybody be gay.

🩷 Puddles in the Pavement (historical mystery and outright shenanigans): queer archangel brother detectives, a perky butler, an escort of indeterminate gender with the worst singing voice in the known world, a vampire duke with terrible table manners, and a Home Secretary with an unasked for appendage (let's hope that doesn't get around).

I have two more books written for this series so far, which will likely debut in my subscription.

Getting to that...

My subscription

13 Club: After Dark is hosted at Ream Stories, the only subscription platform designed specifically for authors and readers, and it is amazing.

You just click on the book cover you want, and the app will drop you into the social e-reader right where you left off, so you can comment right there inside the story. It’s like Patreon + Wattpad + a community board + extra sauce.

Honestly, I could gush about it all week.

This is also me:

So, what’s there?

Well, first, you can follow me there (which is free, obvs) and get access to:

The Weakest Link (Not the Same River #0): features the series MC’s twin sister and the coven she grew up in.

The Cursed Bones of Sergeant Boom!: a contemporary paranormal mystery involving a ghost who gatecrashed a funeral and got followed home by a necromantified corgi (as one does).

Pride’s Treasure: a series of mini adventures with characters from all the stories above, where all the chaos is your fault, because the MC of this story is YOU!

In the paid tiers, there’s 8 weeks early access to the two stories updating on Wattpad, the whole Not the Same River series so far (book 5 is updating now, before it hits the retailers at the end of October 2023). There’s also a 13 Club exclusive story called Earth Render, which is MMMMF (but not reverse harem), again set in the Cascade Apocrypha storyworld. That one features a witch with no beginning, a raven shifter with the best taste in pets, a vampire with memory issues, a vaewolf who can’t control his wolfism, and a nephilim with a huge secret. I promise not to give the Archangel Gabriel a horse penis in this story 👀

There are also physical welcome packs for some of the tiers, and all members are rewarded with After Darkling points, which they can save up each month for sweet treats, like a personalised drabble, or a one-shot featuring their favourite character, or some mystery merch. I love my After Darklings and my little club so much.

My main WIPs at the moment are:

Earth Render serial (mentioned above)

The Dryad's Curse: Pirates of Siorai trilogy (paranormal pirate adventure with romance/Cascade Apocrypha)

Gay Space Bridgerton (space fantasy romance with interplanetary political intrigue and hapless humans/Dracate System)

Almost done... maybe

That was a whole lot of intro (mate, do I love the word shenanigans), but I’m a busy goblin, and though my days are only marginally more comfortable than my painful nights, I still feel grateful that I get to do this every day.

I’d love to chat with you here, on Wattpad,  in my FB group (same name as my sub) or over at 13 Club: After Dark. My subscription is what keeps me and my writing going, so if you’re here because you already love my stories, and you have the means, I’d love to see you over there. Your support would mean the world to me, whether it’s a follow or more. I love in-story comments more than life.

I’d love more friends on here, though. So if you’re into queer media and love reading, feel free to follow and I'll follow back.

That’s it from me. I’m finally shutting the fuck up.

Come chat with me whenever you want.

Stay safe!

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[grandhotelabyss]

Do you have any "must-read" literary magazines/book publishers/blogs, etc.?

I think the best literary coverage in magazines these days is in Compact and Tablet, because whoever's putting up the money and whatever their agenda has evidently and wisely decided to keep the cultural coverage much more free of overt politics than other venues. I'm not only talking about "wokeness" here but also the nonsense we find in the "anti-woke" venues, like, just to give an example, this tacky "Zombie Reagan" complaint in Quillette that English departments are dying because they teach, and I quote, "Foucault, Judith Butler, Kant, and Gloria Anzaldúa," yes, I repeat, Kant. Whereas Compact gives Gasda free rein to take it to the Oxfordians (not least Yarvin), and let the tech-adjacent neoreactionary politics fall where they may, just as Tablet lets Blake Smith chart the uncharted middle course in subtle essay after subtle essay on queer theory and politics, the very subtlety itself guaranteed to offend activists of all camps. Not to mention that both venues publish interesting free agents like Valerie Stivers and Naomi Tanakia. In the same vein, Unherd is good for political and cultural commentary—pretty unpredictable, if convergent upon what we might call the new center. The Mars Review of Books also seems interesting, but it's too soon to tell. There's still good material in the usual places like LRB, NYRB, The Nation and Harper's—Will Self almost (almost!) persuading me to read a book I've privately been calling Adenoid, for example—but it's been more mixed since the commanding heights crudely tried to requisition the whole of humane culture in reaction to Trump. (Full disclosure: I've written for Tablet a time or two myself.)

In our agitated and ever-shifting media environment, one would have to cover Twitter accounts, Substack and other newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube channels too, across the cultural and political spectrum, so I have both too much and not enough to recommend. I've always thought Katherine Dee had her finger on the pulse of the culture, so her work in various venues is a longstanding recommendation. The renegade and provocateur Justin Murphy is always interesting if often silly or willfully offensive. The aforementioned Matt Gasda's Substack "Writer's Diary" is always compelling. Lately I've been admiring Emmalea Russo's tour of the Divide Comedy with reference to cinema and astrology and modernism and theory and what have you, also on Substack. The collected 1990s-era YouTube lectures on great books and intellectual history by Michael Sugrue and Darren Staloff are also recommendations of long standing, and Sugrue and Staloff also now produce new material, if more casual. My favorite podcasts specifically for literature and the arts are Manifesto! and Art of Darkness.

Favorite book publishers? Not exactly. The go-to answer is NYRB Classics; they publish a lot of stuff that interests me, including things I didn't know would interest me until they published it, especially their nonfiction catalogue, whether Simon Leys's collected essays or Simone Weil on the Iliad or Gillian Rose's incomparable Love's Work, and their attention to major world fiction neglected by other publishers (Platonov, Jünger, Salih). But as I believe Ann Manov once Tweeted, some of those midcentury novels might have been deservedly forgotten; hate me if you must, but I never did finish Stoner. They should reprint the whole of Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage, though who knows what the copyright situation is there. Another publisher recommendation: you'll rarely go wrong reading a classic in the Norton Critical Edition.