#I need to reread the book to give better examples but

[mikodrawnnarratives]

Me, before finishing Renegades Trilogy: Oh okay! This series shows complexities on both sides but over all it echos anti police brutality shown in the "heroes"

Me, after basically reading "the anarchists were completely in the wrong and being a renegade was the 100% path the whole time": I'm sorry w h a t

[warrioreowynofrohan]

While rereading Rhythm of War, it really struck me how much this book is about the “Strength before weakness” part of the Radiant oaths. That was always the part out of the three that I felt I understood the least - I was in accord with the idea of “Life before death” meaning “Don’t throw your life away; courage is about being brave enough to live, not seeking out a self-sacrificing death,” and with “Journey before destination” meaning “The ends do not justify the means”. But “strength before weakness”? I wasn’t comfortable with reading it as “the strong should defend the weak”; that felt too facile.

Rhythm of War expressed two much better ideas on what it means.

First, strength in the face of weakness. This is using ‘before’ in a different sense than the usual temporal one; for example, a person on trial can be described as ‘before the court’, meaning that they are facing the court. This is expressed in Adolin’s words of encouragement to Shallan, later echoed by Veil: a person who has had to struggle against their weaknesses is stronger than someone who never had those weaknesses. Even if the person without the weaknesses accomplishes more, it doesn’t make them stronger; it just means they had less obstacles. Kaladin’s depression doesn’t make him weak. Shallan’s trauma doesn’t make her weak. Dabbid’s cognitive disability doesn’t make him weak. Those things make them stronger - even if it’s not visible from the outside - because they’ve achieved what they have even in the face of those challenges.

Second, everyone is strong at some times and weak at some times. The times when you are strong, when you help others, enable those people to help you when you are weak. This really comes out in Kaladin’s arc - by Part 4 of the book he’s absolutely spent, unconscious, and being psychically tortured by Odium. He’s given absolutely everything he can. And every chapter involving Kaladin in Part 4 is other people returning that - Wit gives him the encouragement he needs; Dabbid cares for him and goes to the clinic to get help; Venli rescues Lift, who heals him. Throughout, the ordinary people of the tower rally around caring for the unconscious Radiants; the example of Kaladin’s courage and perseverance inspires them to defend the Radiants against armed Fused. Dalinar gives Kaladin what he needs to be able to swear the Fourth Ideal; the Fourth Ideal’s Shardplate then enables Kaladin to protect the people of Urithiru.

The same is true in Adolin’s arc. Adolin uses his strength in combat to save Notum, and his emotional strength and compassion to support Maya; he lends Maya his own strength at his trial, and that enables her to speak and to save him. He doesn’t win the trial because he is strong and effective or skilled during it, he doesn’t win because he develops legal skills - he feels himself floundering all through the trial - he wins it because the ways in which he was strong before it enable other people to be strong for him at that moment.

It’s not a few people (Radiants) carrying everyone else; it’s everyone carrying each other.

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 22: Earendil (and very vague Elwing)

Earendil rules the people in the area. Elwing, despite being the heiress of the crown of one of the two groups who joined in there, is simply his wife. Huh.

Also, he's got sea-longing and wants fo find his parents (not a good reason to leave your wife and kids) and find Valinor and ask the Valar for mercy (ok, this is a better reason). So, Círdan makes Vingilot (from birch tree) and Earendil sails off. Elwing is sad.

But… his sailing is still a good thing, because he wants to ask the Valar for help? I guess? I have a hard time with Earendil, I'm not a fan of absent husbands. But I guess his mission is important.

And also, maybe they did discuss it with Elwing before they got married ("I dream of sailing far and for long periods of time." "ok, I may be sad with it but I still want this marriage.")…. You know what? I am going to HC that they did have this talk. It makes him 20x more sympathetic to me.

Meanwhile, among the Feanorians… Maedhros is restraining himself (again!) because he is remorseful for Doriath. But. the oath tornments them all (ok, so it is a compel, but not absolute. Not "dominate person", but it does give them mental damage for not following it. Unless it is just honor and stuff, but it doesn't sound like it.)

The Feanorians gather. (Which is a bad sign). They send messangers to Elwing, demanding "politely but clearly", the Silmaril. Well, you should have tried "politely" with Thingol, now, after Doriath, your politeness feels a bit empty.

[Also, Maedhoros' life would be much, much easier if he had the ability to just throw C&C under the bus and blame everything on them. It was even mostly true! And might have worked. But he is loyal to his brothers. And this is a good thing. This is tragic: he has one good trait, but can't manage another (not murdering people), and so he fails both morally, and fails at his chosen goal.]

Elwing, and the people of Sirion didn't want to give him the Silmaril. Because:

people have died and suffered for it (the usual argument, which I feel is increased by the nature of the Silmaril)

their ruler was not home, and they didn't want to make the decision without him (this is stupid, on a very mundane level. Earendil should have chosen someone to make important decisions when he's away. Also, Elwing seems either very indecisive / shy, or not respected by the people. My bet would be on "shy", or eldritch/shy, somewhat Varda-style)

it seemed to them that the Silmaril was the reason of their health and prosperity (this is a new idea)

So: it is not Elwing's decision. And it is not based mostly on "we hate them, they killed our people", but on survival needs (and a misconception). And again, there is no textual evidence that the people of Sirion know about the Oath.

Yes, there are people from Gondolin there, but who exactly? Turgon died. Idril was a child when the Oath happenned. They may not know, or they may not share the knowledge (but the later would be unwise).

Based on what the people of Sirion know and assume, their reply makes complete sense to me.

(Also, it seems like it was less a clear "nope" and more of a "umm, let's wait till Earendil returns, but we can't give you an ETA for that".)

The remaining soF suddenly attack the poor people of Sirion and the book is pretty clear that this is bad. It's so bad that some of their followers change sides and die trying to protect Elwing (because of course they do die, we can't have any characters getting any sort of redemption… yea, I understand, it makes sense realism-wise that they all die. But still, non-lethal wounds causing unconciousnes are a thing and I think it was a thing among the Elves? I can't remember an example)

Anyway, A&A die (because this is the unburned version).

Oh, and also Gil-Galad comes to the (too late) rescue (with Círdan). Which means that the mainstream Noldor are (for the first time) willing to fight the Feanorians. They just miss the party. Hmmm, this one detail makes me more fond of G-G son of Fingon. Because: think of the angst. (Or even better: G-G son of one of the Feanorians. But this has other problems)

There are a few survivors who join G-G.

It is told that E&E were captured. It is told that Elwing jumped to the sea with the Silmaril.

For the capture we later get a confirmation. But not for how exactly Elwing landed in the sea.

No info on how much she knew about her sons (already captured? assumed dead? hidden? whatever?). No info on whether she panicked and run blindly, or tried to distract M&M from killing other people, or wanted to maneuvre them into falling into the sea too, or one of myriads of possible scenarios. Or just even fell by a lucky "accident".

You want a perfect, flawless Elwing? The text doesn't contradict it (though she is at least a bit indecisive or not in such a position of power that would make sense given her parentage).

You want a stupid, indecisive Elwing who does a random thing? The text doesn't contradict it.

You want a young, lost, completely panicked Elwing? The text doesn't contradict it.

You want Elwing putting the prosperity of her people (which is assumed to be based on the Silaril) and them not dying of hunger above her own children? The text doesn't contradict it.

(No, we can't have a canon-compliant terrible mom Elwing, we'll get a counter for this.)

She joins Earendil and they are really terrified about their captured sons. So yes, they do care about their sons. they fear that M&M will kill them.

Kidnap fam mentioned, Maglor is sad and tired because Oath. :,(

Earendil wears the Silmaril on his forehead. So… what happenned to the necklace? Did Ulmo take it when he shapeshifted Elwing? The text very much sounds like the necklace is now gone, it's just the gem.

It is said among the gnomes wise, that the Silamril was what guided them to Valinor and let them pass all the magic barriers/traps.

Elwing has Lúthien vibes of "No, I am your wife, you aren't going to do the deadly risky thing alone!"

Earendil comes during a celebration and we are reminded that it's just like Morgoth and Ungoliant did (but he does it by accident). Nice bracketing, I guess? He is scared that even if Valinor something bad happenned. I like this scene.

Eonwe gives him a really cool (however very formal) greeting. "the looked for that cometh at unawares, the longed for that cometh beyond hope." I love this line. Yes, a lot of Tolkien's good lines give the vibe of "wrote it as part of a prayer, rewrote it to fit in his fantasy book". It's not a flaw. But I do find it a peculiar kind of funny.

Anyway, stuff is happenning. The Valar summon even Ulmo for a conversation. They talk. Námo plays the bad cop, which peronally I don't like but ok. I guess somebody has to, it is his job.

Manwë goes "we won't punish them, because they took this risk out of love" which is a solid argument. Earendil&Elwing (and by mention their sons) get the choice.

Also, interesting wording (or translation): they will be judged according to the laws of the species they chose. Huh. Interesting phrasing, I'm not sure what to think of it.

I totally forgot Elwing chilling out with the Teleri in the meantime.

Anyway, Vingilot gets an upgrade, the three sailors get a new ship. Also, doors of Night mentioned. Also, Earendil comes back to Valinor at sunrise and sunset. And it does seem like he does land, he is banned from the mortal lands, but not from Aman? So I guess he does spend some time home with Elwing. When she flies to him it's just to meet him earlier.

But I may be wrong.

Estel / "High Hope" mentioned.

M&M notice a new star. Confirmation that they saw the Silmaril sinking in the sea. Mae is like "Sure it's the silmaril." Maglor is like "we are supposed to rejoice." Anyway they do, at least they are no longer despairing.

And Morgoth is freaked out. :D But he doesn't expect the war (as they say), because the Valar were upset at the Noldor, and he doesn't get what pity is.

The army has white banners, the Vanyar are there (all of them? I suppose Ingwë stayed with Manwe, because before we were told he never went back to ME? Maybe only some Vanyar went to war.) And so are the non-Exile Noldor.

There are some Teleri in the army of the West!!! Just not many. At least that's how the Polish text reads. "Not many wanted to go to war" — so, some did want? some went?

More Teleri (convinced by Elwing) join as sailors, but those Teleri stay at the ships and don't touch tha land. (So yes, it seems there were other Teleri there)

I will leave the War of Wrath for later, maybe for the Morgoth into the Void day 1. Maybe not. Maybe i will do it sooner.

[leojurand]

so i finished my to lie with lions reread yesterday and i really don't know how to talk about it because i think it's a perfect book.

there's just nothing i don't like about it. i can't even nitpick. to me, it's +600 pages of as close to flawless as anything can be literature. it's crazy that someone can write a perfectly paced and executed long and dense 6th book in a series but dunnett did it.

and it couldn't have been easy because this is probably the most chaotic book when it comes to characterization, specifically that of nicholas and gelis. they're not simple characters at all. they have very complex and layered motivations and emotions, but especially on reread i feel like they were written masterfully.

nicholas de fleury is truly one of a kind. there's no protagonist like him in any genre. getting to a point where you understand him is not easy at all, maybe even close to impossible for the first half of the series (a feature, not a bug!), even though you follow his pov very often, unlike francis. but he still hides things from you, and from himself, and he surprises you all the time, and you have to judge for yourself and decide which actions or feelings are genuine, and what is a part of a scheme, maybe both things at the same time. and that to me is one of the best things about this series, because nicholas himself is a puzzle you have to try and solve, and it works because he's one of the most complex and interesting fictional characters of all time.

and if nicholas is complicated, gelis even more so. it's genuinely so hard to get her and the reasoning behind everything she does. in fact, i don't think you can really know 100% of the whys of gelis, just like with nicholas you have to pay attention and decide the truths and the lies. and she's so fucking good, man. i love that she's allowed to be so messy and flawed and entertaining. and still live, you know lol

the culmination of everything nicholas and gelis go through and do to each other is, again, masterful. an incredible pay-off that i don't think anyone else could have written better. the heightened emotions, the reveals, the insanity of it all... peak literature.

there's just too much i could praise this book for and i can't do it all in one post but of course i need to mention iceland.

part 3 of this book is almost like its own novella that can exist by itself, and i love that so much because in a way that's also how nicholas feels about it. this beautiful adventure away from the chaos of his life, untouchable, untainted, that he will never forget.

the beauty of the prose matches the beauty of the land. i adore the comparisons to nordic myths (the baldur light, and loki fire). i love that you can see how much iceland affects nicholas because he compares things that happen to the volcano hekla, or gelis's eyes to the icelandic glaciers. the language in this part of the book is gorgeous and intentional and it has weight, if that makes sense.

from the start, with the excitement of the trade scheme and the battles on ship, to the beautiful bond nicholas forges with kathi (and that is, honestly, the main event of the whole thing), everything about iceland is perfect. and i've used that word so much throughout this post that maybe it has lost its meaning, but really. if someone asked me to give an example of what dorothy dunnett is capable of doing as an author, i'd show them iceland without a doubt.

and that's it! maybe! next is caprice and rondo and i'll get to it whenever... but i'll keep talking about house of niccolò of course, that's my whole brand 🫡

[pseudowho]

hellooo Haitch, how are you ? Wanted to drop by and tell you that I enjoyed rereading some Nanami pieces from you now that you've been reblogging them with new headers Also wanted to ask you 2 things : 1. Tips for becoming a better writer ? As in how to improve flow, narration, description (without becoming overbearing), how to make characters more human and less unidimensional 2. Favourite books you've recently read and that you'd recommend ? i've been rereading old favourites like Lolita and the Catcher in the Rye and I desperately need something new :( Thanks a looot

Hiii! I'm having a hard week. It's my grandmother's funeral tomorrow, and I'm horribly afraid. I'm getting by, though. Thanks for asking 💕

TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER WRITER:

Read more, and read-- I cannot stress this enough-- challenging and variable material. Difficult books. Classics. Crappy chick-flicks. News articles. Thrillers, romances, murder mysteries, philosophy books, fantasy books. Research pieces. All of them add to the reference library in your mind than you can use to compare to. These all help with flow, narration, description, because they all give you styles of writing to imitate.

Onomatopoeia is your friend. Not just, in individual words (crash, plop, honk!) but in sentence structure. Someone who is angry but calm may sound staccato, crisp-- their words, their sentences, should snip accordingly. You're describing a slow-flowing river? Languid, lazy, loose and fluid rolling sounds bring it to mind.

Trust your reader. Show them, don't tell them. If your setting is a coffee shop, with bright yellow walls, sunflowers outside, and wonderful coffee that always wakes them up, at their favourite table by the window? Don't TELL them the coffee shop is that way. Show them through the way your character interacts with their environment. For example: "Kento's hands grazed those sunny petals, always reminding him, curiously, of a Van Gogh piece his grandmother displayed in his childhood. Stepping into the shop, blinded by the sunshine splashed on the walls and the earth-roast aroma, he spotted his regular table overlooking the street, still free; his barista seemed to have anticipated his arrival, sliding his drink to the front of the queue with a smile." See? The story is moved along AND the reader can picture the environment. Trust them to see the things you infer, without having to DIRECTLY SAY "the walls are yellow, there were sunflowers outside, and this was Kento's regular coffee shop". Capiche?

Some idiot once said to keep everything to the point. Whilst this is true, to some extent, your words choices should be luxurious, in that there is ALWAYS the perfect word for a mood, a smell, a taste, a touch, a feeling. Each word you choose being just so makes a story feel rich and flavoursome. The fact is, if you are struggling to describe something and you find yourself piling sentence after sentence of almost correct words...leave it. Come back when the correct word is there.

If you Selfship, SELFSHIP HARDER-- talk to these people in your head. Build scenarios with them. Savour their reactions and their responses, don't see them through rose-tinted lens either. Cross-reference them with people you know, people you HAVE KNOWN, find the perfect words to describe them to other people.

Empathise harder. Empathy is the core of understanding someone's character. Walk a mile in their shoes. It helps, trust me.

FAVOURITE STUFF I'VE READ LATELY:

I adore Natasha Pulley's "The Watchmaker of Filigree Street" and its sequel "The Lost Future of Pepperharrow". The Ben Aaronovitch "Rivers of London" series is also excellent. If you want a great atmospheric, beautifully perfect scene-setting ghost story, go for "The Haunting of Hill House" by Susan Hill. "Pachinko" (I can't recall the author and I'm away from my bookshelf) is another favourite of mine. "The Poppy War" is the first in a trilogy by R.F.Kuang, and although it was her debut novel and there are traces of immaturity there, she is blossoming and I genuinely threw the second book across the room at one point because the angst and plot-twists hit me so hard.

Phew.

I'm no professional writer, so these are just my thoughts.

Mr Haitch lectures in English Literature and Creative Writing, so the "trust your reader" is one that he offered.

Good luck, thanks for thinking I'm good enough to advise you on this.

-- Haitch xxx

[sunflowergraves]

Will Character Analysis: Panic Attacks

I did a breakdown of Will's character a few weeks ago after my first read-through of TSATS. I went back and reread the book (mostly because I'm obsessed), and I noticed something that I don't think a lot of people picked up on. Will was having panic/anxiety attacks throughout the course of the book.

I think this is extremely important to recognize because it gives us a better understanding of why Will was reacting the way he was during the entire quest. It also answers some questions that I previously had.

As someone who has severe anxiety and suffers from panic/anxiety attacks, it makes complete sense that Will would also. He is forced into uncomfortable and challenging situations that he can't control. He feels useless and incompetent, especially when it comes to helping his boyfriend. And he already felt lonely, scared, and unsure before they even started. Combine all that with overstimulation and stress and you've got yourself a great recipe for mental disaster.

If you don't want TSATS spoilers, I suggest stop reading here. I'm going to provide some examples from the book to help me out. This will also be pretty long tbh lol.



The Subway Ride:

As they were leaving the station, Nico asked Will to stop shaking his leg (an anxious habit). Soon after this, Nico noted that Will had closed his eyes and started using a breathing technique. He also said that Will did this often to calm down and decided to leave his boyfriend alone.

Breathing techniques are a very common way to help prevent an attack or calm them down. I've had it drilled into my head that breathing techniques are one of the first things to do when I feel overly anxious/upset.  

As a healer, Will most likely knows about these and uses them to help keep calm. He had just experienced a very stressful taxi ride (which he is described as clinging to the seatbelt for dear life) and is now on a train to start his journey to Tartarus. I'd be freaking out too.



The Trog Tunnels:

The second time Will exhibited an attack was when they were crawling through the tunnels with the Trogs to get to Menoetius farm. Will was complaining about feeling closed in and felt like the tunnel would collapse. He also started feeling nauseous, woozy, and forgetful. The second they left the tunnel, Will immediately needed to rest. He kept his eyes closed and felt better once he had a minute to breath.

These are all symptoms of a panic/anxiety attack. While symptoms definitely range based on the severity of an attack, the most common ones are dizziness, nausea, and brain fog. This is because your brain is tricked into thinking what is happening is a life-or-death situation. It's pumping adrenaline into your body, but there's nothing happening physically to you. This leaves you with a body filled with energy and a mind screaming with chaos.

The only way to really stop these attacks is to sit down somewhere you feel comfortable (literally anywhere but a tunnel in Will's case) and calm yourself down.



The Tartarus Argument:

The fourth example is the argument Will and Nico had after the whole pigeon fiasco. The power of anxiety leads you into overthinking and what was Will doing? He believed that Nico was going to abandon him and that he deserved it. He was 100% convinced of this despite Nico's very stubborn loyalty trait. Will literally broke down in gasping sobs, unable to think of anything but being left behind.

Will had been facing attack after attack since this moment that he finally just broke. When faced with doubt and fear and panic towards the one he loves, towards the person he trusts, coming back from that brink is almost impossible.



Tartarus:

Will was basically in a constant state of panic during the entire Tartarus trip. He was pale, shaky, loopy, and irritated. The rational brain train had left the station and it was not coming back.





As a fellow struggler of anxiety and attacks, I'm glad they added this side of anxiety, even if it was never explicitly stated. I believe that it was purposeful that both authors didn't state that Will was having attacks because it is a sensitive and heavy topic that is hard to discuss, especially when they were covering a bunch of other bases.

The main reason I wanted to make this though was again to drive him the point that Will was not a whiny, weak-spined character. He was struggling with his own anxiety and fears which drove him to act the way he did. I always see people preaching the importance of supporting others, yet my dash is filled with angry, hateful comments towards a character that is meant to represent people like me.

[johnnylandslide]

Day 5: Stamp

“Dear Cid Garlond, thank you for the refined adamantite, and for your help with the Ragnarok’s engines,” Aurora said as she etched her quill across the letter in front of him. “How’s that?”

Alphinaud leaned over. “It’s the right sentiment, certainly, but it’s a bit direct. When writing thank-you notes, it’s better to not be excessively brief. How about I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for the aid rendered to us from Garland Ironworks during the recent crisis?”

Aurora nodded, picked out a new blank piece of paper, and did her best to transcribe the words Alphinaud had just spoken. About halfway through, she forgot exactly how the second half had gone, and turned back to him for advice.

“How did you do that?”

“Do what, sorry?”

“Come up with a line like that just off the top of your head,” Aurora said. She hadn’t learned to read Eorzean script until she was at least Alphinaud’s age, and she hadn’t read many books since then regardless. Flowery language and epistolary communication had always been Alphinaud’s wheelhouse, but they’d never been Aurora’s.

“Oh, that,” Alphinaud said with a short laugh. “In truth, it’s just practice. I first started writing like that when I wanted to curry favors from the instructors at the Studium, but it was also a skill I used regularly while working as a Scion.”

Putting the thank-you cards on hold for a few years until she could write like Alphinaud seemed like a bad idea, so she didn’t mention it. She wasn’t sure what the next step should be, though.

“How should I come up with them myself, then? I’m not sure if I’m up to the task,” she said.

“That’s nonsense!” Alphinaud said. “I find it hard to believe there’s any task you’re not up to, to be quite honest.”

“I’m up to tasks that involve fighting, and I’m good at finding things, but it’s always other people writing the letters and doing diplomacy,” Aurora sighed.

Alphinaud had a sly smile in the corner of his mouth as he thought of his objection. “What about the Dragonsong War? I seem to remember you doing just as much of the talking with Vidofnir as anyone else. It was much the same with the Mol when we were at the Azim Steppe.”

Her apprehension began to fade as she considered the examples he’d brought up, and as her expression softened, Alphinaud’s smile only grew wider. “That’s true, I guess… What about letters, though?”

“I don’t believe you would think so lowly of your letters if you knew just how much my mother treasures the ones you’ve sent her,” Alphinaud said, staying on the offensive. “Many of the letters we’re writing today will likely receive similar treatment, as well. You have a lot of friends who would doubtless be overjoyed to have your words written down in a note they can reread whenever they like!”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Aurora said, slightly embarrassed.  The number of people she’d identified as helping with the Ragnarok and thus needing thank-you notes suddenly seemed intimidating. She picked the quill back up, staring down at her still-blank paper. “I’ll give it another try.”

“Full glad am I to hear that,” Alphinaud said. “And don’t hesitate if you want me to read any part of the ones you’re writing. I can check for spelling, and add any of that ‘flowery language’ if you’d like!”

Aurora nodded to psyche herself up, and once again put pen to paper. “Dear Cid Garlond, thank you for you and your company’s help during the Final Days…”

[cabeswaterdrowned]

book recs? My fav books are trc, aftg, soc, shadowhunters/riordanverse etc and the likes (so basically the most basic literature taste known to man) thanks!

well I enjoy all of those and trc is my fav series so will give you a couple of my main fantasy recs along those lines or not dissimilar and throw in one of my fav thrillers which is very gay and explores dark themes for aftg adjacent rep, and then another suspense book i love. I sort of went with books i could draw some type of lines of comparison to at least one of the books you mentioned.

•The Diviners series by Libba Bray — this is my go to ya fantasy rec these days, it’s historical urban fantasy with some horror and mystery elements. It’s set in 1920’s New York, book one opens focusing mainly on Evie and a specific case of a ghost serial killer but introduces other chars, after the first book it becomes more about an ensemble cast of Diviners who have different supernatural powers and their dynamics, also the main antagonist is bigotry and hate which I’m aware is a concept that can be done poorly in fantasy and I won’t pretend every beat of it is flawless but it is my favorite example of a fantasy series take on that concept that I’ve read. More importantly stunning character work I especially adore the female chars among the diviners Evie Theta and Ling, Ling is one of the most special characters ever and these books should be worth reading because of her INTP canon ace lesbian with autistic swag realness alone. 

I definitely would recommend it to TID/TLH fans for the historical setting and atmosphere as well as some of the playing with man vs machine + to TRC/TDT fans for the characterization and also the second book is largely about Henry and Ling learning about their dream powers and developing a friendship through this and also Ling has a narrative foil in dreamspace she’s gay with just think some of those idea would resonate with trcers + to SoC fans for the ensemble dynamics. 

•The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

This is one I used to describe to people as The Gangsey all girls au set in Victorian London and that’s not fully accurate but it works enough to be a pitch, but basically it’s about this group of four girls who go to a boarding school together and discover a sort of parallel world where they can bee free and realize their ambitions detached from society, but in the real world they’ve awakened horrors they must deal with too. I need to reread this one but it was deeply formative, if you love messy complicated female friendship dynamics and paranormal/mystical plots that are just creepy enough this is for you. Also my favorite character in it is a gay blonde mean girl character who is ambitious and wants autonomy above all else but does also love her friends fiercely Felicity Worthington you will always be famous <3 if you enjoy Jessamine Lovelace and Grace Blackthorn from TSC she has strong parallels to both those chars imo and is better written/handled arc wise. But I will tell you that the other wlw char in the book who is her love interest dies there is byg, just so you no one gets mad at me for that. But still very worth the read imo. 

•The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

this series is a mix of urban fantasy and high fantasy, the first book is set mainly in Prague but large parts of the other books take place in a fantasy world called Eretz so there is a fun parallel worlds element. But it’s about Karou who is one of theee protagonists of the 2010s yet got paid dust justice for my girl, and she’s an art student in Prague who was raised by a family of monsters (chimeara), her surrogate father is Brimstone and he has a business of selling wishes for teeth that Karou sometimes helps with but is frustrated that she isn’t allowed to know why or what they’re for. Karou’s dynamics with the chimearas and with her best friends Zuzana who is also a wonderful character and inspo for my letterboxd url rabidfairy09, are really lovely and the prose is so beautiful… but the story really takes off when the love interest Akiva is introduced I won’t go into details about that because spoilers, but they have one of my absolute favorite romances in the genre that does subvert and play with those paranormal forbidden star crossed romance tropes in ways I think are quite fascinating. Books 2 and 3 are more complicated to describe there is an essential conflict between chimeras or devils vs angels in this world so there’s your modern tsc connection, and very lyrical prose although I find Lainis even lusher and more elegant than trc prose. 

• Sawkill Girls by Clara Legrand 

Ya horror book that I remember reading over the summer in high school and I think it’s a good summer read tonally, part of the plot is one of those stranded on an island survival stories but it’s less intense than like Yellowjackets (no cannibalism), I don’t actually have much to sell about the plot I just enjoyed the vibes and also there are lesbians one of whom is an ambitious driven abuse survivor who had an arc I remember really liking.

•Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie Mclemore I actually really love all the books by her I’ve read but I think this is a great one to start with. Basically there are multiple generations of women who are all witches living together (300 fox way vibes), and Estella has several cousins and she and them are all in love with the same woman who is the daughter of the man who owns the estate, and there’s a thing where boys and this family keep disappearing and then one of them shows up and resulting drama. The main romance is m/f but like all the female chars being bi, it is a good romance from my memory but the main event is the familial dynamics, the main character Estella’s arc around dealing with her internalized self hatred and a lot of anti colonial themes those anti colonial themes and themes of multigenerational trauma are very relevant in all the Mclemore I’ve read so yes, very much would read her starting with this book. Also very gorgeous prose as is in all her magical realism stuff. 

•this one is already quite popular on tumblr so you may have read it but The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, if you enjoy the cutthroat gang in SoC and that high fantasy world I think you would enjoy it I also get some Zoya vibes as well as Kaz vibes from Jude the main heroine. Won’t bother with detailed description because again, very popular books. 

•Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

basically a series of portal fantasies or fairytales for adults, they are all novellas and it’s an ongoing series following several different chars not all of whom appear in each book. But I enjoy them and I think if you like Riordanverse this is like an adult fantasy take on similar concepts in a way, even though it’s not directly mythology based.

•The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

This is the other tumblr popular series on the list and has a good amount of overlap with trc/aftg/soc fans so will only give the brief pitch that it’s adult sci fantasy and about lesbian necromancers in space. You will be very confused at least some of the time but it is worth it, trust me. 

•Black Iris by Leah Raeder 

new adult psychological thriller with a sapphic romance that slaps so hard. Delaney Keatings is one of my favorite unreliable narrators and also just an A+ character, there’s not a lot I can say about the actual plot because a lot of it is psychological but will give one other plot hint: vigilantes. Definitely look up trigger warnings before reading this there’s a lot about homophobia and also references to sexual violence, drug use a lot more it’s very in line with Aftg in terms of like, grittiness in that regard. Do highly recommend. 

•Dare Me by Megan Abbott 

like with Mclemore I love this author in general and would recommend everything I’ve read by her but this was my first book of hers so it’s a good introduction, and also a lot of it is about girls on a cheer team having homoerotic psychosexual dynamics as well as the murder, so it’s also in line with aftg thematically in that way. gay sports media. 

There are a lot of others but I don’t want to make this list ridiculously long so… here are some recs <3 thank you so much anon for letting me ramble and I hope you like them!

[rekishi-aka]

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

So somehow...I managed to finish the book already? Not sure how, actually. (Well, I sort of do, I spent a few hours in bed with a hot water bottle on my chest to relax the muscles in case that's causing some of my issues.)

Anyhow!

In a way, it was a very typical and also a very un-typical Pulley book. I like her style a lot in all her books (we shall not speak of the Pepperharrow book and I have not read the Bedlam Stacks) and there are enough twists in the story to keep me entertained. Some of it was utterly predictable, but in a good way where I want to know how they pull off a trope.

I've been rereading some of the Pulley books recently and they're all much more minimalistic than I do remember them after the first read. Which is...weird, sort of, but I think is actually a perk of her style. It looks like a hole when you scrutinize it, but your mind actually makes up for it.

The Mars House is a bit denser written than her previous things, but in a good way, it's fun.

It has a lot of Mandarin (and footnotes!!), but often the hanzi are missing in favour of only giving the Pinyin. As someone with a basic language and C-ent background, this is mildly annoying. I think the random Pinyin would drive me even more bonkers if I didn't have that background. I like it! I genuinely do and I think it's nicely done. But also...I'm not sure how people other readers are experiencing this.

The characters are nicely drawn, I like them all even if I want to bash January over the head sometimes.

I especially like the gender abolition topic and the friction it causes within the society, but also the display of how if a non-issue it is in the end.

I do recommend it!

Spoilers under the cut

A list of thoughts:

January. I love him. He has no clue what kind of story he's in. Which is fair! But he makes some Really Dumb Decisions, which are understandable in his position - he's not a politician, he has only been paying surface attention to the politics, Gale is being cagey about a lot of things, he's traumatized, marginalized, and has good reason to believe he'll meet the same fate as Max - but argh. January, honey, get with the program and pay attention. (He comes around.)

Gale (River) is a smart idiot. I love them. But for all their intelligence, they are a bit stupid. I get why. It makes sense for them. But they could have made this a lot easier on everyone if they'd just come clean to January.

I wish we'd learned more about the naturalization process, because it sounds fascinating

I expected the Canadian shack (or well..tent in the cold wilderness), but not like this, that was nice twist

It's also quite meta since it references both a certain shop on Filigree Street, as well as radio-dosimetry on film

As I said, I need to suspend my disbelief here, simply because I mean

Mammoths?!

What do the mammoths eat and drink, if water is the limiting factor? How do they have pine forests, if they are low on water? I mean I get it, pine do better in cold climate, but pine also needs water. There are examples of arid cold climates on earth, but....hrm idk. Weird.

Why are mammoths relevant for the ecosystem anyway?

The resistance cages are such a central part and idk if it really makes sense. Like yes, gravity is lower on Mars, sure. And yes, people will probably grow taller in lower gravity. But one the one hand, evolution doesn't work that quickly (sure, they do genetic engineering), but also people who come to Mars will have less muscles after a while. We see it with ISS astronauts and they exercise a lot up there. So the danger would actually be less after a while if they just left people out of cages. There's even a point of that in the book, where Sasha and his staff train with the cages.

[firesign23]

Can you tell me about The Queen's Thief at middle? (at length might be too much for my currently achievable level of attention 😅)

WELL, good news, I did something very stupid yesterday and mid-length is probably the most I can type right now 😂

So, my caveats I always supply before starting my rec:

The first book in the series is middle grade fiction. It’s good middle grade fiction with a lot of the same skillful execution that makes me feral for the series, but there is a maturity jump from book one to book two, and I recommend you read at least a little into book two before deciding if the series is for you. AFTER book one.

GO IN BLIND. I cannot stress enough how good it is to go in blind. No art. No reviews. Just buckle in and see where you end up. The series is good even when you know what is coming--and that’s a whole point later on--but that first exquisite moment where all the threads pull together? Experience it, you’ll thank me

Now, to keep this short I shall bullet point. Or try to. Parts of this will require a lot of “Trust me, it’s worth it” because, well, see above re: spoilers.

The series is set in a historical pseudo-Mediterranean locale, which is honestly fantastic. Really sort of blends the worlds of Greek myths and Tolkien bucolic fantasy that was many fantasy fans gateway drugs, while also feel entirely distinct. I know fantasy has spread out its influence to cultures beyond western Europe nowadays, but the first Queen’s Thief book was published in 1996 so it was definitely early to adopt that. 

The actual fantasy element is handled in such a fun way? To say too much means spoilers, but it is a story about people first and foremost, and the fantasy elements just give the plot a push from time to time. 

And oh god, the people. THE PEOPLE. I love these characters. I named my cat after one of them. My youngest child has decided that Gen is his favourite character of all time and dressed up as him for a school event. But the characters in this series are just… they’re wonderful. They are complex, with their own motivations and histories and views. My kid went from hating to loving a character in the second book in a single chapter because we got to see who they were and how they came to be that person. There are disabled characters and queer characters, but never in a way that feels checkmarky. They are funny and harsh and kind and just… human, in a way that brings me so much joy.

And not only are the characters great alone, their relationships? Again, spoilers, but this series has so many good relationships. Romantic and platonic and antagonistic. Family of choice to the EXTREME. Unlikely friendships. There is a moment in a later book where two characters hold hands and I teared up. 

THE. WRITING. I could go on and on and fucking ON about the writing, whole post in itself. But it makes me feral. The books’ use of perspective are art, absolutely exquisite. Each book does something unique with the narrative point of view, and does it deliberately. The first person perspective is telling us a story, and tells us what he wants us to know. The historical record makes the characters the most human by letting us see behind the Great Events. It’s just one of my favourite examples of POV I’ve ever read.

The narrative never lies to us, but trusts the reader to draw connections. This is one of those “Makes more sense with spoilers” moments, but the writing is incredibly good at telling us everything we need to know exactly when we need to know it, and not before. And it results in this fantastic joy when it all pulls together--it’s not really plot twists, because we have been told (almost) everything, but you get an incredible payoff.

The books get better with every reread. I was recently working through the second book with my kid, who devoured The Thief two years ago (and probably a dozen times since) but wanted to be a bit older before tackling the rest of the series, and I was still catching details that I had missed or forgotten from previous reading. 

The contents of the stories are just… there’s war and grief and rage, politic machinations, trauma, betrayal. And the narrative doesn’t handwave those things, but it doesn’t wallow in delight in them either. It’s just a series that takes you by the hand and says “Bad things happen, and we will live with those things forever, but it doesn’t have to define you. What’s important is the connections we make with other people, who will catch you when you fall.” Reading the series leaves me with that same hopefulness that drew me to Discworld? I may not be explaining it well.

The actual writing style, on top of being masterful, is so much fun. It’s sparse, but in a way that makes every word feel important. It’s delightfully funny, heartbreaking, evocative. Just a joy to sink into. 

And I just realised this is definitely getting long, so I’ll stop for now. But I highly, highly, highly recommend the series. And hey, if this made anyone want to vote for The Queen’s Thief, the poll is here!

(Also, if you do read it and like the series, the author is on tumblr and is an interesting person to follow. Just don’t do it before reading, because occasional spoilers)

[tattooeddeadtreelover]

How I Annotate Books:

Here's a little tutorial that nobody asked for 🤭🤭 on how I annotate my books because it's fun and I'm obsessed!!

Firstly:

Get rid of that "books are sacred" mentality - or just learn to be okay with only the books you've annotated being a bit messy. (There are also other ways around this: like buying two copies of a book, but im too broke for that 😓.)

Annotating Materials:

You don't need an excessive amount of expensive materials to annotate: a pen or pencil would be perfectly fine!!

However, I usually use:

Black Pen - I would recommend a nice one but like I just use any shitty little pen I can find.

Highlighters - You could use any colours I would either match it to the cover art or to the different tabs I use. (ALSO USE A RULER PLEASE 🙏 🙏 IM BEGGING IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER)

Sticky Tab Things - Yk what I'm on about I match mine to the cover cos the neon ones make me violently ill 🤮🤮❌️❌️❌️. But anyways...I usually just use nice coloured ones to match my highlighters or the cover design.

Post It Notes - Again, I always colour match but I found this nice brown ones on amazon which like match the bookish vibe 🤭🤭 so I use them if I don't have any other option.

That's mainly what I use but you could also experiment with colourful pens and gel pens or pencils!! Do whatever you want, but I do advise that it looks best if there is some kind of colour coordination.

Annotating:

Tabbing System: I'll usually have tabs for characters and analysis (dependent on how rich the book's language is) and fave quotes🥰🥰. I know that some people like to tab emotional or romantic parts but I'm not really big on that.

What I Write: Usually dependent on the book, but most of the time its just my stupid little commentary on everything. Sometimes I may actually form an eloquent analysis but that's like once in a blue moon type shit. If I'm feeling smart ig...Anyways some more examples (from my beloved..)

Some of my more stupid notes: featuring me simping over Henry Marchbanks Winter (this is a judgement-free zone!!).

In contrast, more in-depth analysis, or waffle idk?? Depends on your perspective.

^^This is the paragraph for context. 🥰🥰

What I Highlight: Any pretty quotes or prose (Donna Tartt's writing>>>), key plot points or information about characters, or just anything I want to make a note about.

I circle, underline, and draw throughout my books, again, it all really depends on the book and it's genre (A romance is more likely to have doodles and less than intelligent remarks, whereas, literary fiction may have analysis and more detailed annotations).

In summary, you can write, draw and scribble whatever you want in your book: it doesn't have to be an amazing analysis on similes and metaphors (unless you want it to be). Just do what you feel is necessary or what you think suits the book!!! And make sure you're having fun!!🥰🥰 Annotating should be an enjoyable experience not ruining the reading in itself.

Annotating on the first read VS Rereads:

Most people don't like the idea of annotating the first time you read a book because it "ruins the flow of reading" or something along those lines. I personally don't believe that to be the case, but I understand why people feel that way 😁😁 . Like most things related to annotating: it's all based on your personal preference. I like to think that annotating on the first read almost captures and records your live reaction to the book, whereas annotating on a reread gives a chance for more in-depth analysis. They both have their benefits, and it usually depends on how I feel. Just do what you think is best 🥰🥰.

This is a really long post damn....and I think that's everything??? If you have any other questions, then please feel free to ask!!

And yeah,

Have fun annotating!!!

[starsreminisce]

Is society moving backwards? The way I see fandoms behave is so off putting

It does feel that way when reading about how Gwyn's SA history doesn't excuse her predatory behavior towards Azriel. When I call out the person, they insist they didn't mean it negatively.

ACOSAF, released in 2018, shows Lucien giving Elain space, and Azriel and Elain growing closer. ACOSF develops the triangle, with SJM barely giving Elriel moments but reminding us that Elucien still exists, renewing my hope. The blasted Az BC complicates matters, featuring Gwyn prominently and Az's feelings for Elain, albeit framed as purely sexual with resentment toward her bond. The lack of new info for five years keeps us relying on the existing narrative.

Half the time, it’s just pinpointing why engage in content someone doesn’t agree with?

Therapy has taught me two things: if I can let it go, let it go. If I can't, is it worth my time to engage with someone who won't agree with me? If I choose to, I express it solely to avoid dwelling on it, understanding that my goal is not to change your mind but to clear mine.

Honestly, I struggle with this, particularly in the beginning, which is why I've revived my Tumblr.

I genuinely appreciate reading differing opinions; healthy discussions help me reconsider different perspectives, expanding my world. However, I prefer seeking them when I'm in the right frame of mind to receive them. If you're in my inbox seeking to change my mind, be prepared that I won't. Personally, it took a bonus chapter for me to even acknowledge Elriel.

And that’s lowkey worse because all I see are red flags for both Elain and Azriel.

Here's hoping the new ACOTAR book is announced in around six months, and a detailed blurb about the featured couple is provided, allowing readers to adjust their expectations accordingly.

However, the Bryceriels has taught me that people will believe what they want, and sometimes they think they know better than the actual author.

Cut because now I’m just venting to vent

I enjoy revisiting passages and discovering new Elucien parallels or details that discredit an Elriel endgame. A point against Elriel is still a point towards Elucien for me. Sometimes I worry about coming off as a hater, but I prefer pulling examples from the actual books rather than labeling fans of a certain ship as misogynists, illiterate, lacking reading comprehension, or delusional. We've all read the same books, and I just don't see Elriel the same way they do.

Even though I'm the one providing quotes that Elucien's bond snapped, emphasizing that Lucien and Tamlin weren't involved in their kidnapping, clarifying that Azriel didn't lunge for Elain, and pointing out that Azriel did care when Gwyn was taken, it's frustrating to encounter absurd nitpicking. Responses like "the thread is on the lower rib and that doesn't feel like where it should be," "they were still involved with Hybern," "that's because of the ash arrow," "Emerie is there too," and "Madja overheard them talking about it, that's how she knew Lucien is Elain's fake mate" make it challenging to have constructive discussions.

If there's a need to prompt people to reread the series with a focus on specific clues, it suggests that those details weren't initially apparent or obvious from the beginning.

[arlincsolis]

How do you stay motivated to keep writing when you have no inspiration??

How I Stay Motivated

Staying motivated to write takes a lot of work. Motivation to write will come and go. For example:

The Kingdom of Misfortune (TKOM): It took me 6 years to write this book, mostly because I wasn't motivated. I was in high school, then college, suffering through an illness and losing an entire organ in my digestive tract. But I now know tips that would've saved me so much more time if I had just followed them.

The Whispers of Eternity (TWOE): It took me a year to fully finish this book.

The new secret series: The first book took me three months.

So, I have some tricks I've learned since 2021, when I released TKOM, which I will happily share.

Outlining.

When I wrote TKOM, I did it entirely off the dome. At the time, I didn't see a problem with that, but I experimented with some outlining with TWOE and learned that it really does wonders. It does more than I thought it would. Outlining sets an expectation. It allows me to know where this chapter will start, what it will contain, and where it will end. Of course, sometimes my characters throw me a curveball, and we go off the outline. That is okay because outlines can be adjusted. Another thing outlining really helps me with is if you go a few days without writing and need help remembering precisely what a character says, you don't have to go hunt for what chapter it's in. In my outline, I give a brief one-sentence description of a conversation. "They talked about his childhood," for example. That tells me if I need to remember what was said, that is the chapter I need to reread. It saves me so much time. You just need to be good at summarizing the entire chapter within one short paragraph.

Set Goals.

You can set goals that you want to meet and hold yourself to it. Could you start with small goals that you want to accomplish each day? This could be as simple as writing 3,000 words a day. Could you give yourself a time limit each day to achieve these goals? I set harsh deadlines for myself to follow with TWOE. I wanted the first rough draft completed within five months. I accomplished that even though I wasn't motivated each day because I stuck to my goals. Do not set yourself up for failure by setting unreasonable goals. You know yourself better than anyone else. What works for some people will not work for you, which is okay. Just because I wrote the first draft of a book in three months does not mean that's reasonable for you. This is my third one, after all.

Take Breaks.

Taking breaks is essential. It keeps you from getting burnt out on your ideas. Sometimes, you cannot force writing. It's okay to put a project down for a little bit. You must be confident in your ability to shelve something to work on something else. For example, I shelved book 3 of The Western World Chronicles for an entirely new series. I knew I wasn't in the right place to write it. Don't force it. Return when your mind is fresh and ready to continue. Breaks don't have to be long, either. Short breaks are just as helpful. Days, weeks, months. They're all valid.

Avoid Distractions.

Sometimes, you just need to lock yourself in a quiet room with no TV, music, or anything else. I can't write if my husband is in the room. He's my biggest distraction, and multiple times, I have had to lock him out of the room. Of course, this requires money, but some people work best if they travel to a remote place specifically to write. I would love to be able to afford to travel to the places where my new series takes place. It has multiple settings all over the US and even the rest of the world. I'd love to write these chapters in these places and experience what life is like there. Greece and Dubai are two areas directly mentioned in the new series. I've never been to either.

Reward Yourself.

Each time you meet one of your goals, reward yourself. Go get ice cream! Order a new book! Set up a gold star chart for yourself like they do kindergartens. Do whatever will make you feel accomplished.

Write Everyday.

I don't mean to write your story every day. Just write something every day. There are multiple places to go to get free writing prompts. Do one every day. Make it a habit and stick to it.

Enter Writing Contests.

Shockingly, I still do this. Reedsy, for example, has writing contests. You do have to pay to enter for a chance at a prize, but if you just want to enter a story for others to read but not to be judged or do the prompt, it is entirely free. You can enter hundreds of other contests; you just have to find them.

Find Inspiration.

Sometimes, inspiration doesn't flow. In the writing space, there is no such thing as a completely original idea. There are too many books and authors for that. If you've drawn inspiration from something for your current project, please feel free to soak it up. Each time you're feeling unmotivated, return to it. You can also look for similar titles in the same genre and check them out. Do not copy, though. Copying and taking inspiration from are two different things.

Take Care of Yourself.

My most important tip is that you should ALWAYS take care of yourself. Make sure you've eatenand drink water or another liquid while you write. Take care of your body. Take a shower. Go to the gym. These things help you not only physically but also mentally.

There are more tips. I am sure I could come up with another five, but these are the ones I use daily. I think they are the most important ones to follow.

I hope this helps :D

-Angela

[ajeckaea]

I hate when authors "update" older stories, or the stories are "updated" for them. I am specifically going to use Lois Duncan as an example, and more specifically, Down a Dark Hall.

This book was written in 1974, and "revised" by Duncan in 2011 to add cell phones, internet, and make other edits that were, as far as I can tell, supposed to make it more appealing to modern youth and reduce the likelihood of questions like "well why didn't they just use a cell phone".

The example I recall best, although it's been a couple years so I'm fuzzy on the precise details, is that one of the characters makes a comment about there being no ethernet hookup (possibly it was wifi service? but I'm pretty sure it was ethernet) in her room for her laptop.

I looked at that line and instantly said to myself "That was a landline telephone in the original version. I just bet it was a normal telephone." Because it just didn't fit quite right.

But I was reading this in January 2022. And teenagers in 2022 did not use ethernet cables with laptops when they wanted to connect to the internet for fun. They used wifi, but more than that, they used smartassphones. I also have a vague sense that there were references added to chat rooms or chatting applications in the book. Perhaps even MySpace.

The problem with "updating" technology and terminology, you see, is that in another few years it will be dated again--except now you've sacrificed the authenticity of the book. It's no longer a book from the 70s, but it can never be a book from the 10s. You've mishmashed it into an awkward chimera, and it's not better. It can never be its old authentic historical snapshot self anymore--it will always give off "hello fellow kids" trying-too-hard energy. You know that thing about putting new wine into old wineskins? Yeah.

And this is a me thing, I know, but here's the thing--if a book doesn't mention cell phones or computers, I don't miss them. In the absence of any hard historical references, the story just naturally settles into my perception as being set in Comfortably Ambiguous Time. In fact, unless the author clearly sets the story in the Modern Tech Age and brings up technology from the start, the first time a cell phone is mentioned it will jolt me entirely out of the story.

There were people who thought it was stupid and unrealistic that in 2005, highschool student Bella Swan didn't have a cell phone. I never once questioned it--highschool student Aje didn't have a cell phone until 2009.

This entire post was inspired by the fact that I'm rereading a book right now that was written in 1961, and I would never have guessed it was that old, because of Comfortably Ambigous Time. If you'd told me it was set in 1980, I'd have believed you. 1950? Sure. 2010? Absolutely. The lack of technology is not a stumbling block for me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that books should be left as they were written. It's okay that tech and slang were different. It's okay if the plot wouldn't work in a world where people keep 911 in their pockets. It's okay for books to be historical snapshots. That's what they are, and they should be left authentic. An authentic 70s book that reads like an authentic 70s book is always, always going to be better than a 70s book mutilated in an attempt to fit some later standard. Also, any reader who actually picks up a book and judges it negatively because its plot wouldn't work if set in the present day needs to be sent back to grade school until s/he learns how history works.

Some people being idiots is not a valid reason to mutilate books.

[sable-dream]

Here’s my problem at the moment

I can’t tell my mom that I am an fictionkin

How do I act like my kin without being caught

The biggest tip I can give you here is: have a perfectly innocuous excuse excuse for whatever you're doing. "They're my favorite character" is probably the best one, but it can be helpful to have a few hanging around just in case you get asked. Don't attract attention if you don't want attention either: follow the rules and follow the law and do the best you can to fly under the radar. If you're a well behaved and quiet person you have a better chance at getting away with acting like your kintype.

Act more like your kintype when you're not home/around her or when she isn't home. You can shut yourself in your room or go to a park if you need to. Keep a journal or a blog somewhere so you can write about your experiences - this helps keep it more private from irls because you've got a place to talk about it where they can't see it.

Depending on your kintype, it can actually be really easy to subtly dress like them. Look up stuff like 'Disneybounding' for inspiration (even if you don't have a Disney source) on how to dress in more 'modern' versions of your kintype's clothing, or work their design elements into your outfits.

As an example, if you have a Freddy Fazbear kintype you could wear a black bow in your hair to mimic his bow tie, or button earrings or a button necklace for a Coraline kintype. Merch is a great idea too because you can just say it's of your favorite character(s). So are enamel pins to go on your bags or on your clothes.

Of course, re-engaging with the media you're from can also be helpful. Rewatching shows, replaying games, rereading books. I'd suggest fan content like fics and art but be aware that not all fans are going to portray your kintype the same way and it can be distressing to engage with fanworks that you feel don't depict you correctly. Just be cautious with it is all I'm saying.

Finding an accepting friend irl can also be really helpful - just someone who knows what's up and is cool with you the way you are. It's really really hard to find friends like that, I know, but it's extremely nice to have someone you can be yourself around without fear of judgement.

I hope all this helped!! I'm not fictionkin myself but I actually went through a few months of REALLY heavily questioning a fictionkin type so I did a lot of these things to slide under any questioning directed at me lol.

[daily-clace]

Hi!!

Don't you just love it when you read about Clace as side characters and they're just being a cute couple?

I've been reading TDA, The Tales from Shadowhunters Academy and the extras and just enjoying seeing Clace from the other characters pov, just them being "Jace's expression softened looking Clary" or "Clary and Jace are weirdly good together" etc, "Jace sleeping on Clary's lap" or "I've never seen anyone else in love like them (....)" or "Jace and Clary can always be persuaded to go together" or when Jace says "where Clary go I go" in TFTSA

I'm paraphrasing obviously cuz i can't remember the exact quotes but yeah 💖💖💖

And I've also noticed how they're actually quite a playful couple--outside of their own books, cuz when we're reading from Clary's and Jace's perspectives, they seem quite serious sometimes since we're reading their thoughts basically

But i love how to other characters, they're portrayed as still acting like teens and early adults later on. I just--Cassandra Clare *chefs kiss*

Closest example i remember rn since I've just finished TFTSA is when Sizzy and Clace had this double date and Clace is just playing footsie under the table (and Jace may have accidentally rubbed his leg against Simon's) xDD

They're just---Clary and Jace are so cute individually and also in love i just 🥺🥺🥺💖

This is not an ask or anything but i just needed to write this down somewhere cuz I have all these new feelings about them from rereading xD (I read TMI years ago but only just started the other series now)

I'm sorry for the long 'ask' and thank you for your daily Clace quotes! 💖🦆

Hi, love! :D

I'm so sorry for taking so long to answer!! But my life was chaotic this week and I didn't have a lot of time on tumblr and I didn't want to give you a lame answer of three words or something like that 🫣But it's finally saturday and it looks like my life it's back under control, well mostly anyways, so I got some time to fangirl now 😌

Yes!!! I totally do!! I mean, I love TMI of course, but my kids suffered a LOT on those books, so reading about Clace from different characters' perspective on other books it's so refreshing! I love it 🤩🥰

Like how they notice the way Clary touches Jace or how Jace looks at Clary, the way some people is even jealous of their relationship or think they would never fit with someone else the way Jace and Clary do, how in love they are, I'm all here for it!!! 🤩🤩💕

And yes! The playful part 😂😂 I agree, they seem a lot more serious with each other on their books. I love their dynamic in CoB because they got more into each other nerves in that book 😂 But I can't blame them, I mean, CoA and most of CoG was pure hell for them. CoFA wasn't much better. CoLS wasn't really Jace and CoHF (my favorite btw) they were a little more playful in that one. Point is, they were facing some serious problems in TMI, I understand Cassie didn't portrayed them more playful with each other on those books 🫠 So I'm so happy to see them in the other books, happy and confident in their relationship 🥰🥺 I mean, it’s also canon that they are playful with each other even during sexy times 😂😏🔥

And bestie, how they seem to be able to have sex on almost every place? Like on the floor in faerie? They can. On the floor in the greenhouse? They can. Let's not even start talking about caves in Hell. They have no chill 😂😂😂

Also Clary smacking Jace every now and then is so funny to me, they're that kind of couple 😂😭😂

BESTIE NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR A LONG ASK ON MY BOX. I love to receive asks!!! Especially about some fangirling about Clace 😌😌✨