#I NEED TO CHEW ON A BRICK

[angomay]

wife returned from the war today who cheered

[jmkho]

U THINK IM OK AFTER THIS?! HA!

[megamindsecretlair]

If yall would've seen this nasty ass Terry fic in my head, yall wouldve chase me off the innanet 😩

[ywnzn]

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: July Wrap-Up.

This month, I picked my knitting back up with a vengeance, started a Three Sentences Writing Challenge, AND participated in several work-adjacent Social Events (who am I, even), On Top Of accidentally nerfing myself with several brick-like books, so! This little stack isn't half bad. Photos and/or reviews linked below:

ORDINARY MONSTERS - ★★ This was a miss for me, y'all, AND it was a brick, so it took a hot minute to read. I wanted it to be better than it was, but it rambled and wandered Too Much (which, coming from me, you KNOW is bad). Salty also-rambly 1.5k review linked.

IF FOUND, RETURN TO HELL - ★★★½ Way cuter than I was expecting!! I had a good time with the second person. Hugely relatable (which. wild. all things considered.).

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE - ★★★½ Funnier than anticipated, and very readable for something out of the '50s! I see why it's a cornerstone of the (sub)genre. Glad I have a copy on hand now.

THE ACTOR AND THE TARGET - ★★★★★ This Rewired My Brain. It took me three (3) weeks to get through. It was so good. If you're a writer, definitely check this out, 10/10 recommend.

WHEN AMONG CROWS - ★★★½ I checked this out from the library because hardback novellas are Expensive if you're not sure you vibe with the author's style, but I had a good time! Witcher fans should descend on this, I think.

ALWAYS COMING HOME - 76*/618 pages read; will report back later. I asked the People about this one, and the People have Spoken (read: this won my What Do I Read Next Poll), but I may or may not have miscalcuated how many brain cells I have available lately between work and writing, so I may or may not be cutting this with library books. I'll finish it. Eventually. (*asterisk because she keeps referencing Other Pages In Line, and every time she does I jump ahead to read those pages instead and then come back to where I was. I'm dual wielding bookmarks through this tome, it's an Experience™ so far!)

Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~

Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. I am refining this as I figure out my wrap up posts (epiphany of this month: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[laudnumdrinker]

In season 2 we see Crowley introduce the pleasure of food to Aziraphale.

What if in season 3 it's reversed and we see that it's Aziraphale who introduces the pleasure of affection to a somewhat reluctant Crowley? I know Crowley was the one who kissed Aziraphale first, but the kiss was a last ditch attempt to communicate, not a gesture of intimacy. What if after their reconciliation Aziraphale is the one who not only gives Crowley his first tender kiss, but also gently guides Crowley into intimacy beyond kissing? I don't know if Aziraphale has ever been with another person before, in fact I highly doubt it, but as a being of love affection would come to him naturally. He could be the one to ease Crowley into hugging, cuddling, and gentle touches. Crowley, as a despised tool of satan, is definitely not inclined to tenderness the way Aziraphale is, and in an interview David once said that Crowley finds affection laughable. I think Crowley might tense up the first time they truly embrace one another, but Aziraphale would show him that it actually feels good to be soft.

The more I think about it the more inclined I am to believe this is going to be the case. Aziraphale is the one who needs to bridge the gap between them, anyway.

[chaoticfandomthot]

See usually i tend to want to strip the stories i like until they're bleeding chunks of angst when i write but orv makes me want to put everyone in a warm fluffy bed and tuck them in (and tie dokja down so he can STAY PUT GODDAMN) and give them forehead kisses

[roe-and-memory]

in the case of strip and cal, i think a little bit about bill and chase elliott — specifically the pictures and silly interviews from when chase was a baby. except, in this case, cal is the itty bitty nephew that strip wants to show off to everyone because “this kid is gonna continue my legacy one day, i just know it”. and i just think its adorable. but i also just think about strip and cal a lot in general.

cal grows up on the track, his parents are super close to his aunt and uncle and they basically do everything together, and cal gets so many cool opportunities to see how racing works from the pit crews pov. he gets to wear headphones, sit beside strips crew chief in the pit box, and he gets to watch the races up close and personally. i dont think anyone ever pushed racing onto cal, but he did know he wanted to be a driver and everyone made sure he didnt feel pressured to be one.

strip taught cal how to drive in the fields behind the farmhouse, and although these lessons were rare because cal lived in a city three hours away, he picked up a lot of information fast and started karting.

after the accident however, when his parents passed, he lost his hearing, and he was placed in the care of his aunt and uncle, a little bit of that spark died and became fear. he’d put so much effort, so much of his life, into racing already, that it felt near impossible to choose something else. he wanted to do it, but he was so terrified of the crashing aspect, and so heartbroken because everything happened so damn quick, that he almost didnt tell strip. almost.

it was nerves more than anything, the first practice in the fields since everything happened, and he’d already been strapped into the car and was about to be on his merry way when he abruptly blurted out that he was terrified and he didn’t know if he could do it anymore.

strip kind of paused, but understood where he was coming from and decided he would vow to protect cal from any crashes, no matter what it takes. he taught the kid defensive driving, how to drive in a pack and avoid the big ones, and any skills he would need to stay safe, alert, and unharmed.

obviously, racing careers are lame without crashes, but by the time cal is 19 and having his debut race in the piston cup, the 2007 fireball 500, that fear of crashing is almost gone. hes a grown up now, the accident was 6 years ago, and he feels much safer in that car than he wouldve in a regular car driving down a highway. he will continue strips legacy.

[salon-maiden-anabel]

I am once again begging people to tag their horizons spoilers/leaks for the love of god

[dandyshucks]

This is gonna sound rude as hell but i do not mean it that way: are you currently medicated? My meds have helped me a lot with my own physical responses to anxiety and yours seem severe so that’s why i ask

this is the funniest ask i've ever received in my life and also incredibly kind, thank u anon fjdskl, my anxiety really is severe huh LMAO (not laughing at you!! laughing at myself and my situation fsdjkl)

yes i am medicated but ... not well LOL. i live rural in an area that is infamous for having poor healthcare (plus canada's healthcare system is kind of broken lately RIP) so my medical team is pretty useless and incompetent to say the least fdsjkl. plus unfortunately my entire situation is just... really difficult to fix (and cope with) in many different ways fdjsjkl, and this makes medicating me properly kind of impossible ^^;;

i appreciate the concern and inquiry/suggestion though, genuinely !!! and i've got the heart pounding/palpitations i struggled with under control with a relatively recent addition to my medication cocktail, so its not all bad !! :]

[bredforloyalty]

now that i'm back at my apartment i wanna say, that sure was an episode

[dabe-strudel]

Aggressively following as many blogs as I can in this fandom because there’s not enough regularly produced content to satisfy my horrid gremlin brain

[international-repeater-station]

i think i'm getting anemic from my period time and time again. whys it gotta be like this. imagine an organ that's straight up stealing blood from your body‼️

[pissfartboy]

sometimes I see a fandom/media-related opinion that is so just objectively wrong from my perspective that I wanna scream bloody murder and foam at the mouth like a rabid dog, but I have to contain my rage because it isn't "cool" or "hip" to get involved in unnecessary online discourse about stuff that doesn't matter

[leahcee]

The way my heart drops anytime I get an email from one of my superiors at work… like what did I do wrong babe? Am I getting fired for forgetting to input my lunch time correctly? Am I going to get called in and written up for forgetting to email you back by 5pm?

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

yes yes yes

i need people to understand how innately queer-coded Jeeves & Bertie Wooster are. this is the sort of media where if they made a shiny new tv series, tumblr would absolutely obsess over these characters.

two men living together in unconventional domestic harmony, constantly scheming to maintain their bachelorhood. that is quite literally the plot! half the stories are about Jeeves helping Bertie escape the looming threat of matrimony. the other half are Jeeves winning arguments about Bertie's terrible fashion sense. and it's such a fun dynamic! the good-natured, happy-go-lucky himbo in constant need of rescuing! the stoic all-knowing genius who quietly masterminds mayhem in order to protect this one moron he's devoted himself to for some reason. the humor. the wacky hijinks.à the Camp. the cross-dressing!

the gay subtext is there! the gay subtext is canonical!!! this fandom is ripe and ready for picking. this sucker is locked and loaded. and the book club starts on Valentine's day of all days.

Jeeves & Wooster Book Club, let's GO!!!

i vote that next year instead of reading Dracula we do a Jeeves & Wooster Book Club. those two never got the rabid tumblr shipping fandom they deserved (disqualified for the sheer technicality of being published a century too soon). we must correct this injustice