#GO read!

[naturallyteal]

Good Omens fic recommendation my “best of September”:

Find the Light by @klikandtuna

“Find the light

But the light finds you

The shadows slide off, no dusk, no dew

Can mar the glory of what you’ve become

Preserved in amber, born anew

From pondwater

Pondwater”

(quote from the song lyrics in this fanfic)

(My fanart for this fanfic based on the painting “Bachschleuse” by Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, 1827-28, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Germany. It’s very symbolic. 😎)

In the ever flooding ocean of stories, there are some that stand out, that I think about days or weeks later, that touch me more than others. Once a month, I make a post about one of those:

This story takes the reader on a journey of hurt and comfort, trauma and healing, fear and courage. Instead of the summary, I’d like to quote the beginning, that told me right from the start that this was going to make a rewarding read:

~

He stood at the window, full in the afternoon sunshine that angled in between the curtains—velvet, once the color of a fine Zinfandel but now somewhat faded on the outer side, with a few trailing threads at the hem that brushed over the floorboards. Every year, Michael would suggest replacing them; every year, he would pretend to consider it. But he loved those worn old curtains. He reached out as he stood there, closing a fold of the fabric between two fingers to feel the warmth that the sun had infused there, the soft prickle as the tiny strands shifted.

The intercom chimed. A pleasant sound—a low, musical chirp. (They had cycled through seven different machines before finding one whose alert had pleased him.)

“Sir, Adam Young to see you.”

~

In 15 chapters and ~ 97 k words, this e-rated Human AU with teacher Aziraphale and rock star Crowley is a story that captured me, that made me think, that is still with me weeks later. It’s so well written that it, again, makes me regret a lot of those “real books” by “professional authors” I bought and read in the years before I found the AO3, a lot of which did not come up to this high quality. There’s music in here, a poetic song, metaphors that really spoke to me, and flashbacks that were expertly handled and used to tell the story the best way possible. There’s also fanart! Needless to say, the characters are relatable and loveable.

One word regarding the e-rating, as this is something many people either love or hate: the scenes regarding sex in this are rather rare, can not be called smut at all, are very tasteful, some are more described symbolically than explicitly, and still manage to be highly erotic.

👍

GO read!

Tagging List under the cut

Let me know if you want on it for future posts of mine!

Let me know if you want off the list:

@echogracebeloved @oxribs @copperplatebeech @thescholarlystrumpet @simonezitrone79

@siriosa @captainblou @alphacentaurinebula @ineffablefool @ashfae

@fellshish @vidavalor @thindarkdukewrites @crowleys-bright-red-hair-streak @kimberleyjean

@dragonfire42 @lickthecowhappy @ineffablenlghtingales @turquoisedata @di-42

@dierama-mojo

[kitsunespawz]

Dramatic fish /aff

It's time for chapter 20! :D

Y'all should go read 'The Beginning After the Bad Ending' by @evilrat-sabre

Go on. Read. /lh

I'm posting this out of my car rn, since I'm onn a roadtrip, hence the delay of this chapter. But soon we shall be back to our regularily scheduled angst :)

[hopepaigeturner]

SHOUT OUT!

Go read this fic by the very talented @holybatgirlz

Blurb:

How is he supposed to tell her? “Well, you see Sophie, I’m not currently speaking to my family after spending the better part of the last seven years of my life addicted to multiple substances that finally culminated in a near fatal overdose. And said overdose occurred days before the anniversary of my father’s death. So, let’s just say I have recently decided to voluntarily estrange myself from them, all in the hopes that I never have to have any tough conversations ever again. Don’t worry though, I’ve been running away from my problems ever since I was sixteen and my therapist has already repeatedly told me it's a terrible way to manage my stress and personal problems.”

Instead, he lies.

(or: Benedict Bridgerton finally finds himself a stable romantic relationship for the first time in his life, only problem is that he’s technically not supposed to date until he’s been sober for at least a year.)

[nonwal]

Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

20: an objectively terrible massage

They walk by a temple with tall windows, two echoes walking in the same direction as them. The image is a little warped, but Bren thinks his reflection looks—happy, even now, in this body he has not been entirely happy with.

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Royal Debut in The Ghost of Benjy O'Neil

One of the most familiar of David Tennant's early stage plays to his fans is 1989's The Ghost Of Benjy O’Neil. Yet, despite its significance, little online documentation of this production exists.

Even David's long-running fan sites - like the unofficial David Tennant website and VK's David Tennant Asylum - have very limited info about it.

But now? You're in luck!

Prepare to find out more about The Ghost Of Benjy O’Neil - and David's role in the play - than has ever been revealed by any other source!

To read further hop over to my Substack, A Tennantcy To Act - and if you haven't already, subscribe for free!

[shadowvalkyrie]

I just started my vacation with the most delightful read! Lord John accidentally ends up in a parallel universe. Highly recommended!

[flourmelon]

“So you will take me to die with you?” he said. He had seen little that made him believe they had any sort of friendship, but this seemed little thanks for it.

RJ Barker, The Bone Ships

01.17.2024

🏴‍☠️🪶🍺🐉⚔️

[sparks-olivarpente]

Shit, man… whistled Max. Will’s a cowboy. – Will’s hot! Lucas squeaked. – Will’s a hot cowboy, concluded Dustin. What the fuck? Mike's thought exactly. What. The. Fuck. "

------------------ After six months apart, the Party plans a visit to Texas in order to see Will. But Will has grown up, and Mike is still stuck trying to navigate their friendship, more fragile than ever. It doesn't help that his best friend is more attractive than ever.

Based on the "If you wear a cowboy hat then you're in a romantic relationship with them" trope.

[dr-runs-with-scissors]

My GF updated her mermaid au fic!! Go check it out! It's been such a fun project to work on!

[starsarefire824]

Chapters: 1/4 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler Characters: Will Byers, Mike Wheeler Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Codependency, Anxiety, the mortifying ordeal of being a people pleaser, Neediness, Will Byers's Painting, Mike Wheeler x excessive heart imagery, POV Mike Wheeler, but what if we took the painting as a symbol of something worse, Title From a boygenius Song, Post-Season/Series 04, Unresolved Tension Summary:

He swallows down a flurry of all the things he wants to say – every moment and untold truth and aching thought that’s bruised his mind for years – but it comes out so plain, so stark and oddly-jagged in the silence following the lighting, taking up space where thunder should be:

“I meant it, Will. You’re not an inconvenience.”

Will shakes his head and turns.

Mike wants to feel like he's meaningful, like he's an active part of his own life - worthwhile.

It's a good thing Will needs him now more than ever.

Right?

[naturallyteal]

Good Omens (pod)fic recommendation for July

The Voice of the Lion Was Heard in the Land

by A_N_D @madenthusiasms

Summary: Everyone said that working on the "Leo and Friends" cartoon was like heaven, it was so much fun… until a homophobic campaign attacks Tony Crowley (voice of Simon the Snake) and he is cast out.

As paradise crumbles, Az Fell is faced with a dilemma – can he save both Tony and Leo? Or is he going to have to choose between his heavenly job and the man he loves?

~~~

I’ve always read a lot. Since I saw Good Omens S2 last Fall, I read a lot of Good Omens fanfics, and listen to podfics of them.

Some stories stay long and live in my heart, and one of those I want to recommend today especially.

It’s a beautiful, heartwrenching but also heartwarming story. It is deep and I learned from it and it helped me deal with things.

👍

GO read!

Or

Here is @skyasimaru ‘s original tumblr post for the podfic.

👍

GO listen!

In 7 chapters, the Human AU is ~22 k words and the podfic ~3.5 hours.

It’s rated „Teen and Up“.

A little warning: Might result in crying a lot, so keep your hankies close!

More about the picture (that I tempered with) and it‘s artist, Rene Magritte, below the cut, if you’re curious:

The original is called „Homesickness“, by Rene Magritte, 1940

Fun fact: Magritte originally thought of calling it Menopause (a period of depression) but his final title is Le Mal du Pays (Homesickness).

Both titles fit wonderfully with the story.

I changed the blackwinged person‘s hair to red, and added the snake tattoo and glasses, so you can more easily imagine it’s Crowley. Here’s the original version:

[naturallyteal]

Here’s a different interpretation. It’s a great, mindblowing story!

@gingiekittycat

🔥👍

GO read!

Have you ever wondered why Crowley chose to present himself as a woman during Jesus' crucifixion scene?

This is just my theory, but during Jesus' time, there were strict rules on how men treated women. One of them was that Jewish men would never greet or speak to a woman in public unless they were their wife, daughter, mother, or sister.

Since Crowley wanted to keep himself as low-key as possible (and probably hide his strange eyes from humans), he presented himself as a woman so no one would approach him.

[kvothes]

so true

[elexuscal]

"it's concerning if university students are genuinely struggling to read full adult-level books for class" and "don't overstate the reporting of a single news article" and "if this shift is genuinely real, it's reflective of broad curriculum changes in lower education levels, probably at least in part due to remote schooling during COVID, and doesn't mean the new generation is being willfully Stupid and Vapid" and "when reading for personal pleasure people should read whatever they like without shame" and "reading from a broad variety of genres, styles, and authorial backgrounds will improve your understanding of both literature and the real world" and "actively mocking people for their tastes in books does not encourage them to become more adventurous you're just being mean" and also "but seriously adult books are not just boringly pretentious nothingburgers padded with pointless sex scenes, and claiming they are just shows how little you've read" all can and should co-exist.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I can behave normally around books