#I should reread those books lmao

[desperatecheesecubes]

I remember reading through the Black Stallion books in middle school and in book 2 the kid has to give The Stallion back to his original owner and then in book 4 he gets a letter that’s basically ‘the stallion has trampled my father to death 😡 I do not want him anymore 😡 will you take him back’ and the kid is just like ‘oh dope! My horsie!’

[hopecomesbacktolife]

thinking of rereading the entirety of HoME again. for my health

[letapollojusticesayfuck]

smile for the camera (and keep your fingers crossed) Chapter 2: Interrogations, Interviews, and Impromptu Not-A-Dates

So instead of the food trucks, he’d bought a sandwich and a soda from the convenience store (and maybe a magazine too, shut up, he needs the physical proof that yes, he had in fact kissed Klavier Gavin). He’d also bought a pair of nondescript sunglasses and a baseball hat, in the hopes that he’d have a good enough disguise to head back to the office without being recognized. What Apollo Justice had failed to account for, however, was the fact that unlike in the movies, paparazzi aren’t stupid.

Well. Whoops! Didn't mean to take so long to post this chapter, but...here we are, more than a whole year later. Hopefully the chapter's interesting enough to make up for it?

In all seriousness, thank you so much to everyone who's read, commented, and reminded me that there are people out there waiting for the continuation of the story. Somehow I thought I'd already posted the start of this chapter?? Maybe I just thought about doing it so much that I thought it had happened already.

But anyway...I'm going to make sure the gap between this chapter and the next is significantly shorter--you guys deserve to not have to wait for annual fic updates, lmao

As ever, huge thanks to @cubedmango for providing some incredible spot art! And for understanding the "oops, what do you mean i didn't post that?" moment I went through like two weeks ago.

[olenvasynyt]

Top 3 most controversial acotar takes/opinions, now☄️

Uh nooooo only my top three? Alrighty. These are going to be very harsh:

1. I have read the ACOTAR series at least 3 times since 2021 and I very often skim chapters every week for posts and videos. And I will be fully honest, I never want to reread the series ever again because of Feyre. I dislike her biases, her hypocrisy, her habit of ignoring other people’s POVs and the mistakes she’s made. I hate her excuses and her blindness and selfishness and how she treats everyone who is not in the IC. I hate how she treats Tamlin and Lucien. I physically cannot reread ACOWAR without flinching at all of the stuff she does, ESPECIALLY her taking down Spring out of revenge. I do not like her as an FMC and I’m glad we have moved past her story and onto other characters.

2. I think the fanbase’s hatred for Tamlin is so extreme and it is heavily influenced by Feyre’s own biases, as well as stupid memes on tiktok. If you take a second to look at the story from Tamlin’s perspective, you can easily understand his actions. With Hybern, EVERYONE FORGETS THAT 1. He was not part of the Archeron Sister’s kidnapping, that was Ianthe. It’s literally explained by Hybern in the book. And 2. He was playing as a double agent, which is hinted at many many times and it is something we later discover. I would go into it more but I feel like that’s its own post that many people have made before.

3. I don’t think SJM is the best writer. I know writers can retcon, especially in huge series like this, but she uses retconning as a crutch, and it’s very frustrating. She has so many inconsistencies and plot holes and inconveniences that personally bother me. I think her world building in ACOTAR is so flat and not thought out at all, and her magic system is even worse. Most of her villains, not just in ACOTAR but in her other series, are not that good idk. She also has a habit of the typical villain monologue that I am getting so sick of and I literally skip the part of the human queen during the Blood Rite because I think it’s so badly written 😭😂

And here’s some random ones just for fun with no to little explanation (I couldn’t do just 3 LMAO sorry)

4. ACOTAR would be better in 3rd POV limited and we can still get the mystery of the world, Feyre’s biases, etc. A lot of problems I have would be solved if we got the POVs of other characters

5. I would like Rhys so much more if he was revealed to be a villain

6. Lucien is one of the only characters I genuinely enjoy, and I’m holding out for him. If he did not exist, I would not be reading ACOTAR at all

7. The IC are awful for how they treat Nesta and I DESPISE THE “intervention” they put her through. It was not a real intervention and readers should not try to defend it in that way

8. This fanbase is filled with too many straight normies who have never experienced a fanbase before and refuse to broaden their minds and think beyond canon. Tamsand would be the most popular ship in any other fanbase. There would be more sexuality and gender headcanons. Trans headcanons, trans fanfics, m-preg fanfics, etc etc. But I guess this is a very popular fantasy romance so I get why those aren’t popular but I should not have to explain why it’s okay to ship ships that aren’t canon, and why people often insert their heteronormative fantasies in queer ships (looking at you Azris)

[diabolicalworldwriter]

Jesus, I just got to the point in Words of Radiance where Kal is in prison and Dalinar basically says "You're not going to end racism by being radical and acting upset about it. You can't just expect us to treat you like an equal because you're not one. Play nice and maybe the racists will grow to respect you"

I.

Buddy what the fuck

In general I think I've found that I'm... Not as fond of Dalinar as I used to be. Don't get me wrong, he does some great things and he's constantly trying to improve and I appreciate that. Flawed characters make stories interesting and I think Brandon does a fantastic job of writing him. However, he is overly strict and judgemental (Still not forgiving him for hating on Adolin for trying to express himself a bit more through style in ROW; let my boy dress up a bit if he wants), he struggles to accept other ways of doing things (we could look to Adolin again, being "too friendly" with those he commands and Dalinar going "noooo they might respect you less if they think you see them as an equal individual"), and while he talks about how he wants to change how everything works, if someone tries to defy convention in a way he doesn't approve of he shuts them down. (Kaladin pointing out very fair issues with how dark eyes are punished severely and light eyes get away with everything only to be talked down at until he shut up and fell in line, for example.) He wants change and has power to bring it about but won't do anything too radical for it, I guess, and that frustrates me. He tends to support systems as long as they work for his own goals, even if they're still exploitative and deeply unjust, while also complaining that everyone else is being exploitative and unjust. I dislike that he acts like he's doing Kaladin such a favor by treating him as almost an equal. "I'm sticking my neck out by treating you like a human, act civil and don't try to speak too loudly about the injustices yet, you might make the others uncomfortable." Dalinar isn't like other light eyes, he's so quirky and different and sometimes acts a bit less classist and racist!!! Aren't we lucky!! Idk maybe I'm stating my point a bit too strongly but damn. He's giving "yeah I'm a stubborn old man but really I'm quite progressive, I don't even go out of my way to hate crime people"

Words of Radiance, while I enjoy it, is rather difficult to get through because it's just so many main characters who I generally appreciate being awful to/supporting or ignoring awful behavior towards Kaladin and if he reacts they're like ":0000 how dare he attack first" (I appreciate Zahel chewing out Adolin for antagonizing and then fighting Kal in shardplate because goddamn Adolin I love you but that sucked.)

I'm finding Elhokar a lot more unlikeable on this reread as well. He's meant to be unlikeable of course, so good job on that, but Jesus he can be the worst. Honestly standing beside my past thoughts that what Moash did wrong was not in turning on the system that oppresses him and all the dark eyes, but just that he knowingly hurt Kaladin and other people who cared about him repeatedly and severely to do so.

I'm on board with killing horrible leaders (especially if it seems the only way to remove them and stop them from causing harm: people shouldn't have to suffer and die as part of a leader's learning curve and character growth, and going "they're working on it" when people are actively suffering is garbage. I'm still sad at Elhokar's death but I'm not sad that he's no longer king) but I draw the line at abusing and killing one's friends and I am just hoping he comes to terms with what he has done wrong and improves in book five.

Anyways that was long and scattered I'm sorry lmao you should have heard my rant to my poor cousin, I was rambling for like half an hour.

[ganondoodle]

i kinda want to read books again, i havent read any in .. more years than i know to remember but idk how to find anything i like, especially these days (i dont read fanfiction either .. , i tried a few times but it never really caught me q-q)

even when i was young i was somewhat picky (though there are plenty books im sure i finished but just .. dont remember) the last series i think i read was skullduggery pleasant (as i said, its been many years) but dropped it after it got a little 'weird' (in like .. i guess the shonen powerscaling problem, at least thats how it felt back then) and the annoying love interest boy that was seemingly only introduced so protag girl could do what normal girls do tm (i know theres many more books in the series so idk if hes actually more than that but eugh)

funnily enough i only seem to remember the books i loved so much i kept rereading them (the bartimäus trio, though i loved the forth prequel more than the others .. still sad i lost my copy of it in school) or the ones i stopped reading bc something completely threw me out of it-

there was one i literally only remember it was a protagonist (teen?) girl (is that a general common thing for the fantasy genre?) and she was travelling via a ship in that scene, idk if it was a flying one but something was different magical tm i think; and left it or ran away or so and sought shelter from the rain at some point and annoying boy caught up to her and they uuh .. started making out of nowhere?? (im sorry i literally only remember i felt rly uncomfortable and awkward, didnt like the boy, thought they had zero chemistry/felt forced AND i did NOT see it coming, like at all, maybe its my aro/ace/autism .. ness (that i wasnt aware of except being def different for most of my life, haha fun.) but i rememebr feeling like i got flashbanged by what i read, the only actual sentence i (think i) remember was "she felt the weight of his hips shifting onto hers" bc it weirded me out so much and i might just have stopped reading it at that point and never looked back lmao)

another one was one with a setting of having dragons and they were used like horses, also feathered! (though the cover picture, i think, was a big dragon eye surrounded by scales, pretty sure it annoyed me constantly but i might missremember, again its been so long and i went through things my brain wishes it could unlive) and the protagonist worked at a stable or soemthing (also girl? idk), last thing i remember was that all dragons started to go mad and kill themselves .. idk if i read any further

(honorable mention to uuh .. dämonenzeit (demon time), was a demon protagonist and it was a little brutal for my taste but when do you get a demon as the main guy, apparently there were two entries and i only read the first one, also lost that copy- Xarors (an OC of mine) first designs were based on the cover of that book and the thing the band 'disturbed' tended to use (the hooded guy with red glowing eyes) i was very original)

maybe all those were super well known ones and i just never knew (grew up without/extremely limited internet and tech in general after all.... the only one i knew was popular and also read all of it and had all parts .. was a certain bad wizard series that should not still be so popular *watches in horror as my niece gets into it and wants nothing but merch for it*) or really bad peepoo baby books, im possibly confusing or mixing some things bc i read quite a few ones with dragons and similar themes, but thats just what i remember/remember feeling like

(maybe i should see if i still have them somewhere and see how much is true of any of this .... though a part of me also doesnt want to)

[tragedycoded]

writeblr interview tag!

Thank you to loves @the-golden-comet and @sableglass for tagging me here and here. I need you know I made a serious effort not to be a sarcastic asshole as I answered these questions... four days ago. And then forgot to post them.

Let's ggo!

Short stories, novels, or poems? I published short stories in a previous life, but I suck at following prompts or instructions and have accepted my fate as a novelist.

What genre do you prefer reading? Horror. I'm in my post-cosmic horror era right now. Existential. Yeah. Although I don't write folk horror myself (I'm thinking Laird Barron, T. Kingfisher, Stephen Graham Jones) I do enjoy folk horror v much. Bonus points if the protagonists are middle-aged and it's not about how apartments/houses or children are scary. (No hate to domestic horror, I'm just not the target audience.)

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person? The first draft is me explaining the Situation to myself. If it happens to make even a tiny bit of sense, we're all lucky. Like, that almost never fucking happens. I didn't show Doom Metal Love Story to anyone until the third/fourth draft because any sense it makes came from me rambling at my roommate in the kitchen while high off my ass at ten in the morning last autumn.

I'm a rambler, baby~

What music do you listen to while writing? That depends! Most of the time it's the soundtrack of whatever video game I wish I were playing instead of working LOL. I've always been like this, it's not cute. Sometimes I rotate in a specific heavy metal album I've heard a million times if the vibes aren't right. If I'm really having a good day, it's '80s music.

Favorite books/movies? Yeah man I have some of those!

Favorite book is House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Yes I realize this is a corny and uninspired answer. This book whipped ass when it was published and it whipped ass when I reread it in 2014 and I'm willing to bet money it would whip ass if I reread it in [current year].

Favorite movie is Aliens. The second one. It's the perfect movie. I refuse to acknowledge any film in the series other than Alien and Aliens. Corporal Hicks and Newt are still alive, you sons of bitches.

Any current WIPs? Yes.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be? A hooded sweatshirt, jeans, no shoes unless I'm out in public. Then it's flip flops. Fingerless gloves if it's chilly and muh arthritis is acting up.

Create a character description of yourself: The smell of pot smoke and the clicking of keystrokes barely penetrates the unopened window. Occasionally, they step out onto the back deck to smoke a cigarette and simultaneously praise and complain about the sun. They might be in their forties. They might own a cat. No one can agree on their height or their gender or whether they actually exist. Can only be contacted through instant message or email. Might be a ghost.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing? Hell, no LMAO. When I realize I've done it accidentally, I feel like I just got read by a therapist.

Are you kill happy with your characters? I may have killed all three main characters in DMLS multiple times, killed Khalid (from A Living Machine) when he was 12, in front of everybody, and I may intend to kill every character who appears in The Cave Dive, but...

... yeah OK there's something wrong with me.

Coffee or Tea while writing? Coffee all day every day.

Slow or fast writer? I type like someone is threatening to tickle my feet if I stop.

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from? Uhhhhhhhh...

"OK yeah like that initial idea would be cool and all but make it worse."

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche: This author comes from the land of "all cliches suck and should be avoided like the plague."

Least favorite cliche: Like the plague.

Favorite scene to write? Fight scenes. If I can't write a fight scene, let me write a fuck scene.

... why do I not write hockey romances, again?

Reason for writing? I've tried all other legitimate forms of occupation. This is the only one that rewards me for my ability to make shit up and type 40 wpm in first draft mode.

Tag! Usual apologizes for double-tagging go here, Jamie is silly.

@lychhiker-writes @cowboybrunch @finickyfelix @saturnine-saturneight

@ashfordlabs @autism-purgatory @noblebs @aintgonnatakethis

@the-golden-comet @asablehart @mauvecatfic @leahnardo-da-veggie

@sableglass @gioiaalbanoart @words-after-midnight

@lavender-bloom @jev-urisk @wyked-ao3

[sapphosdickandballs]

WAIT omg. im not gonna answer that ask you sent just yet about the book recs so they remain fresh in my mind omg. thank you!!!! AHH. im still very new to finding wlw books so like im trying to consume and find as many as i can?? like if it seems fruity im down. that sort of thing.

ive read a couple so far but nothing has really gripped me as much as "she gets the girl" and "one last stop" has. for some reason i just love those sapphic meetcute romcom feels idk lmao. def do rec. "She gets the girl" btw its literally so cute??? and i love molly and alex so much???? i could go on about their dynamic but most of it would consist of me just screaming (/pos obv)

for some reason its always just been such a struggle to find wlw books. ESPECIALLY as i was growing up and first realizing i liked girls. i ofc wanted to read ya wlw but the majority of what was out there felt strongly of just mlm rep. which isnt bad!! i understand thats needed for those who want it, but in terms to wanting to find something i can find relatable and enjoy thats not necessarily the content im trying to seek out.

which brings me to your ask!!! thank you!!! im definitely gonna see if my libby app has any of these. if you have any more recs LET ME KNOW TOO omg.

have you ever read gideon the ninth/tlt series?? i must know since we are on this subject.

I have been in a terrible reading slump lately mostly cause I like just reread seven husbands so I wanna take my time to find a good book, but if I read anymore wlw books I like I’ll tell you! I believeeee I read all of those books on Libby but she could be spreading misinfo

and yeah I feel you! I feel like a lot of the wlw books are like fantasy? And I like fantasy don’t get me wrong but I wish there was more rom com type books

Gideon the ninth is on my list, as is the criers war which I’ve heard from many people is good. I just need to get into a reading mindset (I say as I close out of my ao3 tab)

I haven’t read she gets the girl yet! I tried to start it but i was in a weird headspace so. I should try to read it again tho!

[zepskies]

Hey, Yep! Have you ever had writer's block? And if so, how did you break it?

Hey, Arty! 💜

Oh, definitely. 😅 No writer is safe from the dreaded state of "writer's block," but I do have some tactics I use to get through it...

5 Tips for Beating Writer's Block

Start plotting with an outline. ✍🏽

There are two kinds of writers, in my opinion:

Architects: writers who outline.

Adventurers: writers who freeform.

In most respects, I consider myself an Architect. My brain craves structure. So the way I beat writer's block while working on a project is by having a roadmap of what's going to happen next. That's thanks to my outline.

Even freeformers can develop some kind of pre-writing plan, whether that's creating a list of character bios, starting with the basic 3-Act triangle, or writing out a handful of bullet points to get you going.

For my personal process, I'll go from creating the basic premise/summary, to some loose bullet points of the story structure, to then fleshing out into full outlining of each chapter and scene, and finally drafting (and editing).

While I'm outlining, I'm also doing research and fact-checking as needed to get me through to the next scene and the next, until the end. My "roadmap" tends to be very detailed, so when I get to the drafting part, all I should have to reference is my outline.

Now, this doesn't mean that plot points won't change, or get switched around, or get chucked entirely. But if I have the blueprints of the house, I can change a window or a door, or even a whole support beam here and there, so to speak.

2. If I get stuck at any point during the outlining and/or drafting phase, I'll often go back and reread what I have already. 🧐

I'll edit and tweak as I do those readthroughs, whether it's my outline or drafted chapters. It freshens up the earlier scenes and plot points in my head.

In doing so, it'll hopefully unlock ways I can continue the later plot points, and even tie them back to things I'm setting up earlier in the narrative.

3. Revisit the thing that gave you inspiration in the first place! 🍿

Rewatch, reread, revisit the episode, movie, book, story, artwork that stroked your muse and had you daydreaming and brainstorming about the WIP you're working on. That can be a good way to revitalize you when you feel you're getting stuck on something in a plot point, or lacking motivation.

4. Create a music playlist. 🎶

I love doing this, especially for a series. I often create a playlist of songs that remind me of the setting, the characters, the overall story, or the romance I'm trying to create. Whether it's the words or the tone/rhythm that get me going, music inspires me greatly.

5. Go for a walk. ☀️

I walk for exercise, but it also gives me time to daydream and run through scenes in my head while vibing to my music (sometimes looking like a crazy person as I nod and make hand motions lmao).

This helps me clear my head, get some fresh air, then come back to my laptop with a little more pep in my brain, ready to pick up where I left off while writing. 👌🏽

Thank you so much for this question, @artyandink! (Sorry, meant to tag you when I originally posted.) I hope these ideas help you beat writer's block. 💕 Let me know if you have any additional questions!

[1425fivefive]

Fic Writer Interview 💕

tagged by @lovelylotusf1 & @foggieststars tysm for the tags 💕

How many works do you have on AO3?

9, which is a surprise to me. I swear I can only remember 3 things I've written at any given time. Every other fic does not exist to me.

What's your total AO3 word count?

126,149. I don't wanna talk about how much time I've spent writing this year (I haven't finished a book since July 🙃)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Don't Want Your Sympathy, Just Your Company (1,259)

Sexy to Someone (Is All I Really Want) (631)

Be Sweet for Me (Only Me) (631)

Feline Fever (575)

I Wouldn't Ask You (To Take Care of Me) (496)

To this day, I'm so surprised by how popular Sexy to Someone is (my first completed fic, featuring Carcar). Like the fact that it has equal kudo to my most popular Lestappen fic shocks me every time.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, always! I'm always so stunned and grateful someone's taken the time to leave a comment about my writing that like ... it would make me so sad not responding to them.

Sometimes it takes me longer, especially when they're comments on older fics, just because I don't really remember fics after I've written them (object permanence issues I guess) and I have to go back and reread a bit of it, especially if the comment is engaging with something specific about the fic

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Lmao as if I could write an angsty ending. Maybe Sexy to Someone, because it's sort of ambiguous what Oscar and Carlos's relationship is at the end of the fic (even though the sequel makes it clear these two bitches are certainly mutually obsessed and made for each other). But I just need people to be happy. I didn't realize I was such a romantic until I started writing fic

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Don't Want Your Sympathy. Oscar asking Lando, "I'm hoping to have you forever, if you'll let me," and Lando saying, "Forever sounds pretty good to me"?? This is the closest I will ever get to writing engagement or marriage in any of my fics

Do you write crossovers?

No!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Never, probably because I lock all my fics. I only receive hate for the opinions about drivers that people project onto me lmao

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I recently posted about how I feel like I should only write smut, so. Yes. I genuinely tried writing a fic without any smut (my Landoscar genie fic which is only 1,000 words away from being finished) but I got so bored and fed up I had to shelve it. I just. Love writing about sex and desire and shame and wanting someone so badly it makes you kind of wretched and pathetic. I would describe most of my smut as dealing with the mortifying ordeal of being known. Like the terrifying intensity of finding someone who fully matches your freak

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

This is so insane, but my friend and I in uni wrote joke fanfic about ... our lives starring like vaguely fictional versions of ourselves and people we had crushes on. We only shared it with each other and honestly like ... lock us up. She wrote me a fic for my birthday about me having a threesome with Aubrey Plaza and Adam Brody. Like we were really unwell

What's your all-time favorite ship?

All-time ship for me for years was Veronica and Logan from Veronica Mars, and it probably still is if I manage to completely ignore season 4. Within F1, my favorite ship to read is probably Galex or Maxiel (the quality of fic is just so high in those ships), but my favorite to write is Landoscar. I just think Landoscar are kind of pathetic losers (affectionate) around each other and it suits so many different tones in fics. A rich canon to draw from etc. etc.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Too many. Probably my Lestappen exes-to-lovers vacation fic. I realized it was just like ... too much work for a fic I wasn't that invested in. I might condense it and turn it into a oneshot with a few flashbacks interspersed.

What are your writing strengths?

Characterization and smut. Like I truly find writing sex so easy. And characterization (for most people, I find Charles weirdly hard) comes pretty easily just because I watch a lot of videos and like imagining how people would respond to different situations

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot plot plot. I hate planning fics. I have vibes and ideas and scenes and themes, but I despise figuring out how to get from point A to point B. Especially because I'll be writing a fic and think, "He would not fucking say that," but I need him to say it to make the plot work. So then I end up scrapping the plot because I can't bear to have people act out of character

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Lmao I get such secondhand embarrassment when I read my Carcar fics. Why was I having Carlos say those things? (My excuse is that my partner speaks Spanish and uses a lot of those nicknames for me so ... write what you know and all that)

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Trek Next Generation. I wrote a full screenplay of an episode when I was like nine where the ship computer became sentient and took over the ship

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Norstappen. I need it. I need to write it so bad. I just wrote a scene between Lando and Max in Learned Behavior (my current wip) and ... oh my god their dynamic is so awful and weird and delicious to me

What's your favorite fic you've written?

Don't Want Your Sympathy is the easy pick, just because it was so much work and I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, but so many people love that fic and reading it back I realized I also really like it, even if I felt an insane compulsion to edit it.

But my secret pick is Feline Fever. Like the porn in that is literally all of my kinks, and it was my first truly rarer pair to write and I felt like I was trying to dig for treasure with no map. It was so freeing to realize I could just do whatever I wanted with them because people didn't really know what to expect!

No pressure tagging @disarmd, @wedriftlikelonelyplanets, @utopiastri, and @beensinning if you all are interested!!

[thatdesklamp]

lol my bad, sweets.

When I asked for fics I was mostly asking about jjk fics, but since you don't have those, maybe just what fics really REALLY does it to you in general. Personally I'm in multiple fandoms and I'd appreciate a good read. so really, anything. Like ur fav fics ever and ever.

Muah muah 😚😚

AHHHH I see I see

Yeah I don’t really read many jjk fics! Shocker, lol. Mainly because none of the main ships have really reeled me in (this includes satosugu… sorry, I’m just not a geto girlie…)

As for some general fic recs, I can happily oblige! (Most are haikyuu. That fandom shaped me as a person.)

‘campfire in your chest’ by deanpendragon: my all-time favourite fic ever. The fic that started it all: this is the reason I love friends-to-lovers, folks. Slowburn, mutual pining, everything I’ve tried for with IW was done first and done best here. I have reread this fic so many times that it feels nostalgic now. So, so incredibly beautiful. I will read anything by deanpendragon, but especially recommend ‘the certain things we lack’.

‘Then, Now, and Again’ by buttonstuck: I love so many of buttonstuck’s works but this is probably my favourite: poignant and so realistic, about getting together post-breakup and exploring what lead to the breakup in the first place. I loved the way it used time, and its structure was a huge inspiration for my other fic, ‘Soli Deo Gloria’.

‘Close to the Chest’ by darkmagicalgirl: Again: slowburn, coming of age, and really candid explorations of grappling with homophobia as a teen that did, in fact, make me a lil teary eyed.

‘Written in the Stars’ by Quixoticity: the pining. The pining. I remember reading this and thinking—oh, God, this is what I was going for with IW. I love soulmate aus with worldbuilding and angst and complexity (again, if you’ve read SDG you’ll know lmao) and this fulfilled everything.

‘Hemingway Can Suck It’ (orphan account): okay, this is just so funny. The premise is just giggle-inducing and I had to stop so many times to do the whole kicking-feet thing.

‘Spite’ by wellitcouldbeworse3: if you’re looking for a Levi x reader, literally look no further. I have such a soft spot for this fic (spot me in the comments!) but it truly is *that* levi fic from *that* levi author. A plethora of other fics, too (let me recommend ‘As The Spark Dies’ if you enjoyed the angst of IW).

There are so many more but these are the ones I’ve got off the top of my head. You’ll be able to tell that I have a genre of fic that I like, lmao. (I’ve also done a book rec list if you’re interested—it should be under the ‘book rec from me’ tag below) <3333

[reigningqueenofwords]

Fucks

I've been trying to work on my mental health and shit lately. Part of that includes doing a reread of a few books I own: Unfuck Yourself, the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, and You Are a Badass.

Not getting into detail about all of them, but one main point of the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is actually choosing what to give a fuck about. It's not saying be an indifferent asshole. It's saying that you need to make your fucks count. Like, do you really need to give a fuck that some guy online thinks you're weird? Not really. There's no point. But should you give a fuck about that weird thing your back has been doing? Probably. See what I'm saying?

My entire life I've given too many fucks about shit that I have no need to give a fuck about. What's that gotten me? Anxiety. A lot of fucking anxiety.

Last night, as I cuddled Xena in bed, I was thinking this over.

And I realized...I am not going to give a fuck about my writing anymore. I'm not going to stress over it. I get so worked up about getting work out that I get writer's block. I get so worked out to keep updating things ASAP. And why? For 4 likes, MAYBE a reblog, and the rare comment? "Write because you love it!" Because I know I'll hear that tired ass line. You know what? That's only part of it. You know what I love? Honestly (because one thing I will keep giving a fuck about is honest, but like...being totally honest), the validation. I love when people interact with my work. I love when I put something I worked on out where and people go bonkers over it. Why would I keep giving a fuck when I post it and get...crickets?

I'm not saying I'm quitting, either. I'm simply just choosing to write when the mood hits. No more sitting here and going "I need to write 500 words by tonight". I'll still update fics that are already written, though. That takes no fucks and no efforts lmao

I had another thought, but I have other things to do. And, frankly...I'd rather go do those things.

Also, rewatching Supernatural for the millionth time. I think the boys would be proud of me for choosing to not stress over silly shit. :)

[mermaidsirennikita]

Dearest rogue in your recs and mentioning the dry humping YEEES!! Dry humping is so underrated and unappreciated, it's so hot and fun I wish there were more books with it

Could you rec some?

Honestly, I think dry humping is in general something people should get more on the program with because society needs to get away from penetration being the only source of pleasure.... and in romance novels it's SUCH a good way to ramp up tension and conversely, because of how society is dumb about it you can have the leads be all "it's not sex it's fine". Like. Okay sure.

Historical:

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare has a famous scene where the hero (a rake) and the heroine (a nerd) are in a room together on a roadtrip deal and hear the couple in the next room having loud sex, and she's all "gross" and he's like "AU CONTRAIRE SHALL I DO A DEMO" and they get off with a sheet between them. It's one of those "well that escalated quickly, that got really out of hand" scenes, which is what dry humping scenes SHOULD BE.

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long has a scene where I think she's grinding on him when they're on like a bench outside? And she's a super inexperienced virgin so she's on a "if it feels good go with it" kick and he's much older and is like "oookkaaaaaaay simmer down there".

It Had to Be A Duke by Vivienne Lorret has another "she uses him to get off" dry humping scene, we love to see it.

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley. Ian introduces Beth to dry jumping by having her get on his thigh in like... his brother's living room I think lmao? When there are people that could come in at any moment? Tbh, after reading somewhere around 7 books in this series, I feel like the MacKenzie brothers just give each other a 30 second delay before walking into any room and if it smells like sex they're just like "FINE. PLEASE CLEAN MY COUCH AT LEAST". They're usually all at Hart's house at some point. His Victorian dry cleaning bill is probably fucking insane.

Grace Callaway often has this, I think--I feel like Olivia and The Masked Duke has a scene.

I could be wrong about this but I thiiiink The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe has dry humping. It's a sex lessons book, and they often do; I need to reread it.

Contemporary:

The Professional by Kresley Cole has a scene where the hero and heroine start grinding while he's like on top of her in a cornfield lmao. I think this is their first experience together. He's trying to haul her off to Russia to her mob boss father and is all "I CAN'T TOUCH THE MERCHANDISE" but he does touch the merchandise a LOT and she touches back.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan. The setup is that the hero and heroine are roommates, she finds out he's a well-known porn star, she's super repressed and they get an idea to work with other adult film people to create like, sex and sexual health resources for people, and there's a sex position they're trying to like demo together when they're alone to attempt to explain it to people, and it turns into a friend-on-friend impetuous dry hump.

Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli has an excellent scene where Enzo finds Gia chilling Platonically with his brother in the hot tub (a hot tub, where, I might add, Enzo's brothers would just FUCK GIRLS SIDE BY SIDE) and is super ticked about it so he gets in the hot tub and is like "okay babe if you're so hard up for it just hop on my lap and take it for a spin". Which she does. Shamefully lmao.

Paranormal:

Lothaire by Kresley Cole. In general, I think several IAD books have dry humping, but this one is SO FAMOUS and the best dry humping scene I've ever read. Lothaire has Ellie captive because he's, you know, evil, and she's decided to offer him sexual favors in order to get the upper hand (after sagely noticing that he's HARD UP). She's a virgin... but she's not without experience lol, so when he's all "fine blow me" she's like "actually.... I'm an EXPERT at dry humping, and I was FAMOUS in my high school for that" and he's like "lmao sure" but within minutes she has him DYING. She also gets mad at him after and finds him having an existential crisis about it in the shower and throws his cum-soaked jeans at him like "HAVE FUN WASHING THESE ASSHOLE" which I adore. Ellie is my fucking favorite, there are some God tier heroines I will defend to the death and she's one of them.

And in their "own damn thang" castegory....

I mean, all of Sierra Simone's books probably have dry humping at some point, but standouts include:

American Queen: MMF. Ash (President Sexy) makes Greer (his girlfriend at the time) hump his leg to climax while Embry (Vice President Sad Horny) watches because he can Sense The Vibe. And Embry and Greer are all "nooooooooooo :(((" about it while also being very "if you say so :)))))".

Salt Kiss: MMF. After Mark (daddy dom) sends Tristan (bodyguard sub/mild switch?) to guard Isolde (knife sub) on her journey to marry Mark, Tristan and Isolde, who are both very fucked up about Mark but also wildly into each other, have a sparring session that turns into a MAGNIFICENT dry humping scene. I reread it this morning, actually, and it's.... a lot.

A Lesson in Thorns: MMF, FF. A very special scene where during a game of spin the bottle one person makes another person spank the third person, all fully clothed, and perhaps there is some dry humping and perhaps some delicious embarrassment occurs.

[obstinaterixatrix]

also went on a paddle boat with sister, it was fun I haven’t done it in like 7 years. we stopped by a book store, and

1) there’s a physical copy of A Hero in the Demon King’s Castle which was surprising to me because syohei(/inutoki)’s got really off-beat style so I’ve figured they’d be too niche to be licensed, plus it had a dust jacket WITH author/artist bio AND the extra comics on the actual cover… I didn’t get it because I’m not quite ride or die for it, but I am reconsidering because syohei’s art is just really fun. plus it’s just a well-printed book, how often do you see manga printed in eng with dust jackets? I’ll probably reread it and see if I Really Do Want It. if anyone wants a bit of a wacky read with interesting art, give it a look. I actually… really like inutoki & syohei’s other anthology more because I really like the love interest of the main oneshot but it also has one oneshot that’s pretty vicious to the point I’m not sure I’d actually get a physical copy lol

2) speaking of pretty vicious, a physical copy of one of asada nemui’s works was there which I think is pretty cool, her art is sooo interesting to look at. it’s not as crazy as syohei’s, but it just feels… direct? impactful? just an appealing style. I wouldn’t buy a physical copy of that one, but I’d get one of sleeping dead… I’d consider getting the anthology but she really paired two of my favorite oneshots while having the main story have My Hardline Exclusion Criteria 😞 I’d get the other anthology tho, no hard no’s in that one. where was I going with this? well, if you like strange morose rancid toxic romances, definitely look up asada nemui and also a list of content warnings

3) on that note, it made sense to list manga alphabetically by title back when it’d take up a single shelf max, but I think book stores really need to rethink manga shelving, especially since more bl with smut/het with smut/yuri with smut is getting licensed and distributed

3a) by the way there were quite a few yuri titles, which is a cool change! I already had the one I liked

3b) buy ‘5 seconds before a witch falls in love’ it’s so good. I LOVE the main story. I am lukewarm on the other oneshot. the main story is SOOOO fun, zeniko sumiya has kind of a more shounen-esque art style and she usually draws bl so you need to treasure her fun & dumb witch/witch hunter shenanigans

3c) I mistyped shenanigans as shenanigals lmao that kinda fits still

3a) and the other ~15 I’ve read and dropped because I wasn’t interested in them (I showed sister the cover of SHWD—like, I also want muscular women but I cannot get over some of the anatomy, those are beach balls attached to her chest? like it’s not the aesthetic of Anime Titty Jiggle Physics but I really cannot get over it) but I’m glad there’s more yuri. mostly. I hate that the gamer one is there, the art and writing is so weirdly uncomfortably… H for something that is a SFW slice of life, and I didn’t like a few of the other series that sister pointed out because they were really. too long with not enough sense of direction/momentum to have satisfying character/relationship progression. BUT IT’S GOOD THAT MORE YURI IS BEING LICENSED.

3) anyway I was thinking that there should probably be more a delineation between either genres or age of audience, but at the same time, that’s tricky—having an 18+ section could make it uncomfortable for folks who enjoy being able to browse without a glaring neon sign that indicates they’re looking at smut, dividing by genre can make it tough for folks who want to take a look at gay romances/lgbtq autobio more surreptitiously,

3d) well, I would imagine it’s less of a huge deal now than it was ~15 years ago, but homophobia still is a thing

3) so in the end I have no defined conclusion to my thoughts on manga shelving in english-speaking countries

4) I saw several copies of nagisa furuya’s works! I might go back for number call, that was the first one of hers I’ve read and it’s really cute. I was telling sister, this might sound bad but I like how… standard her art & writing is, it’s very clean and pleasant, her low(ish)-stakes slice of life fluff is really good. also nice to have sfw options for introducing folks to bl

5) this is completely unrelated to this bookstore trip but a couple of weeks ago I saw an m/f romance and was like. do I know this artist from bl??? but I looked up the artist and didn’t see anything I would recognize, it’s just… the way older men is drawn is so…

5) like I know I’m stupid biased because I read an inadvisable amount of bl but he looks like a guy straight out of my miserable office worker bls. I feel like I should know him from bl. I guess I just forget that m/f fans also like older men because all the josei romances I’m involuntarily exposed to are very (…) Like That

5a) mangaplanet REALLY needs to reorganize its genre divisions. hardcore josei smut shouldn’t be lumped with shoujo. hentai should not be lumped with shounen. guys what is going on there

5) but I’ve been thinking of reading it because even by style alone it looks like it’ll at least be unique m/f (though, if I’m gonna read m/f, my preference would be for a miserable older office lady and kinda punk-ish younger guy, but oh well…) it’s just, the cognitive dissonance of squinting at this guy and being like. you belong in a bl.

6) I need to get back out of the habit of reading bls to pass out at 2am 😔 for a while I finally dragged myself back to sleeping at 1am with my baby leash (screen lock) but I’m back in my bad habits. I could at least look at the unhinged horror m/f racher’s been begging me to read just to diversify what I’m pouring into my brain. oh, also sister gave me night is short walk on girl to read and the writer really did deserve all his awards, his character voice is extremely arresting

[laufire]

march reading meme!

BOOKS

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle. Letters from Watson sent this from January to March, alongside a couple of other shorts ("The Field Bazaar" and "The Man with the Watches"). An interesting thing about it is that Sherlock was portrayed as somewhat bitter on the issue of credit (he does all the work, subpar investigators take underserved glory), while he's usually, in both ACD's later works and adaptations, portrayed as ~above such feelings. "The Field Bazaar" was interesting in that, in describing why Watson is a good "foil" for Sherlock's smarts in the books, actually illuminates why I think the smart investigator/fumbling idiot dynamic just. Fucking sucks for me lol. I don't get a kick out of it, I much prefer when they pair two investigator of different talents and portray those as both interesting and helpful in their investigations.

Investigating Lois Lane: The Turbulent History of the Daily Planet's Ace Reporter by Tim Hanley. Amazing read. It takes you through the history of the character, often looking at it through the lense of real-life issues and movements, getting into the different eras, adaptations, etc. It's giving me a lot to think about, both within the dc fandom and outside it.

Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. This one I also read in substack newsletters, going for about a year, the last one being sent in March. It was a reread, and I maintain it's a book everyone should at least try to read. Inferno is by far my favourite part (the theology lessons in Paradise grate on me, in comparison).

Batman: The Ultimate Evil by Andrew Vachss. This book was written by a crime fiction author and attorney that specialices in representing children and in child abuse cases, who was approached by DC to write a book featuring Batman facing child sex trafficking. In the book, Bruce ends up discovering that his mother, Martha Wayne, was a sociologist who was investigating a child molester ring, and that's what caused their deaths. That's what caught my eye first, because really, how many canons give any weight and importance to Martha? If they opt to make the Wayne murders a conspiracy, it's always about Thomas's actions. I also appreciated that, even though the author clearly had to follow some dc-mandated lines (fictional country, individual villain), he practically hits you with a hammer when it comes to dispel a lot of the myths we have about child molesters and how they operate, specifically to challenge those dc-mandated lines. I wish we'd seen more of the social worker character, but I liked her as it was.

Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. I picked this novella exclusively for vibes and not plot, and it's what it gave me. It's also made me think a lot about how men see women, and how through their eyes our selves are twisted. Komako and Yoko are fascinating characters in part for how inescrutable the male lead finds them and how he might be misunderstanding them. There's so, so much hinted under the surface, about their persons and about their relationship.

The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal. Short novelette I picked on a whim. A 60+ yo astronaut is offered a chance to travel to space again, her dream come true. She has to choose between taking it, or staying with her ailing husband, who has little time left. The story apparently later expanded on some novels/prequels, I might pick them up.

COMICS

Secret Origins 80-Page Giant. I picked this one up for Steph's story (I'm going through her comic arcs), but ended up reading all the others. It's cemented my desire to pick up the Young Justice comics. These teens are sooooo chaotic and fun lmao, all of them (back then) with such weird and interesting backstories.

Lois Lane (1986). A two-part issue that shows Lois getting in deep in an investigation about child abductions. It's gets gruesome and heavy at times, but it's a great read, specially for her character. It shows Lois at a moment that the mainline comics seem to have ignored (she missed out on a great professional opportunity due to Superman), and it shows how obsessive she gets and how that is what makes her a great investigator and reporter. I also liked the glimpse at the dynamic between her and her sister Lucy there, how dismissive Lois was of Lucy's stewardess' job, for example.

DC First: Batgirl/Joker. I don't like it as much as the early-Batgirl (2000) run but it's kind of on that vein. Barbara tells Cass about her first encounter with the Joker, and Cass is determined to prove herself against him. I loved the art as well (very different than in the cover).

[pygmi-cygni]

That is excellent advice too, thank you so much! But I was thinking more like this: I am waking up, spending time with a pet, driving home from work/an outing, washing dishes, (scrolling Tumblr 😉), what have you. I want the next thing I do after one or more of those tasks to be sitting down and wrestling with that blank page. Do you have any tricks for making that happen a little more often?

ohhhh so like a motivation thing? ok lemme try again ( i just woke up lmao she's still rebooting)

writing is sometimes intimidating, which can be why a lot of people have a hard time 'getting started.' like in the previous post, it's very altered to the author, so blanket organization tips and motivators might not work.

this is something I do:

before i start a story, i pick a colored notebook and a pen color that match. this is the color of the stationary i use to draft/edit/etc. I like the colors, it's fun and it makes it feel more exciting to plan out the gross stuff. also, if I scribble down notes somewhere random I can remember what story they go to based on the ink color.

I also make a playlist, and I'll take a walk while listening to it to get myself in the mood for writing. maybe certain songs I associate with certain parts, and I'll loop those if I need to figure a scene out.

make a list for everything you want to happen to finish this piece of writing. I mean like

pick title

write draft 1

edit

write draft 2

make a header/banner/cover etc

design fanart

taglist (tumblr specific)

Like I said a couple of posts back (i don't remember which one) productivity is productivity. if you really feel like writing is the last thing you want to do, don't force it out of yourself. you'll grow to resent it. pick something that is productive to the end result of publishing and do that. maybe design a banner/cover/art piece for it. draw your own fanart. it's not cringe. pick a title. draw a map. it'll help you think about your story more deeply without grinding words out of you.

pinterest boards are also fun for me! i like picking the pictures, sometimes I'll see a post and think 'oh that could be a cool setting' or something like that. sometimes I get overwhelmed and end up scrolling for cool jewelry so it's a dangerous choice lmao.

read a book or piece of writing that mimics a style you want to write with. tab dialogue you like and setting, and then while you're writing revisit that to jog your memory. If there was a book you were reading that inspired your current project, reread a couple parts.

writertok compilations are my favorite lmao it's a guilty pleasure. I like hearing about other people writing to make me realize I should get back to it and stop ignoring my 7 wips

xox that's what I got for ya