#Jasmin Evans

[abookwormguidetoagoodread]

Any demon is capable of cruelty, but only an angel is majestic enough to rain down vengeance for the innocent. — Marcus Evans

- Paint It All Red (Mindf*ck, #5), S.T. Abby.

[marvelgifs]

#BSE: Bearded Steve Energy.

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations: queer adult SFF

It's been a while since I did one of these posts but I'm thinking of doing more regularly. I have read a lot more new books that I hope some of you will pick up and I've made another selection. I'm reading more and more adult SFF lately because lots of YA is getting a little too young for me. But I also find that transitioning to reading more adult can be difficult, and it's not always easy to find what you're looking for. I found YA a far easier market to navigate, so I figured I'd make a post featuring some of my favorite adult SFF books.

The Unbroken & the Faithless I read recently.

This is a trilogy, with book 3 coming out most likely in 2025? Not sure actually. The series focuses on Touraine and Luca. Touraine is a conscript in the Balladaire army, stolen from her homeland and trained to fight from a young age. She is originally from Qazal, a country colonized by Balladaire, but doesn't speak their language or understand their customs. In the first book, she returns home for the first time since she was taken, to stop a Qazali rebellion.

Luca is the princess of Balladaire. Her parents both died when she was young, and her uncle is ruling as regent, refusing to allow her to be crowned Queen until she proves herself. She too is sent to deal with the Qazali rebellion. What makes Luca interesting is that she often means well and is definitely more benevolent towards the Qazali, but she's also very power hungry and wants her throne, and no matter how much she does to help the Qazali she is still the princess of the empire that colonized them, and the author continues to hold her accountable for her role in the empire and some of the choices she makes.

Luca is also disabled, she injured her leg when she was young and uses a cane.

There is a sapphic romance between Luca and Touraine. It is not really the focus on the series but at the same time it is what shapes much of the negotiating between them since Luca has a very obvious soft spot for Touraine and Touraine has to use that to improve things for Qazal.

The world is inspired by North Africa and French colonialism (in Balladaire they speak French so I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be France), and the author themself is Black and North African. The series as a whole is very political.

Next is Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans

This is the first in a duology (I think?) with book 2 coming out this November.

This is set in a world where there are four different planes, and Siyon is a poor man who can delve into the different planes to get ingredients for wealthier alchemists. He wants to be an alchemist himself but can't afford the education. There's also the problem of magic being technically illegal, which means rich people can do alchemy but poor people can't.

Then one day Siyon accidently unleashes wild magic and is thrust into the world of alchemists where he wants to belong but doesn't. And there's also the matter of the four planes being instable and at risk of collapsing, and Siyon might be the only one capable of stopping it.

Siyon is bi/pan and his main love interest is a man, though this is not the main focus of the series.

Then Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

I think I had this one last time too, but not enough people are reading it so I'm going to discuss it again.

Check out the summary, but honestly not sure if that does it justice. Some Desperate Glory is the story of a girl who grew up in a fascist cult and was raised to believe in everything this cult stands for.

The earth was destroyed before she was born, and the Majo, aliens, were responsible. Kyr has been training her entire life for revenge. She wants nothing more than to be the perfect soldier for earth. As a result, she is a terrible person and everyone hates her.

Kyr first starts questioning Gaea station when she is assigned nursery to have babies even though she is the best fighter in her mess. When her brother disappears, she teams up with his friend Avi, a queer genius who works with the station's systems and was always aware of how fucked up Gaea station is. They discover Magnus has been sent on a suicide mission and go after him, and Kyr is confronted with the outside world, including a Majo she grows close to, and has to unlearn everything Gaea station taught her.

This book has a difficult to stomach mc at first, though it is very obvious what she believes is not what you as the reader are supposed to think. But there is some wonderful character development going on in here. It's hard for her to change, and she's thrown into lots of difficult situations before she gets there, but in the end you can see she's nothing like the person she was before.

There's an amazing cast of side characters, though not a very big cast. There's her twin brother Magnus who never wanted to be a soldier and is actually very depressed, which Kyr never noticed. Yiso, the cute non binary alien Kyr develops a weak spot for even before she comes to realize Majo are people. And my personal favorite, Avi, who is an unhinged little guy who is way too smart for his own good. He's a great example of how a cult can affect different people in different ways. He doesn't believe in Gaea station like Kyr does and is aware of how fucked up he is, he experienced that first hand as the only visible queer person on the station. But he did internalize their messages of revenge and violence which plays out in interesting ways.

This edition is the Illumicrate edition of the book from April's box, which has the UK cover.

Witch King by Martha Wells is next

This is a confusing book for people who do not have a lot of experience reading adult fantasy. It has a lot of world building that is explained gradually, the book doesn't really hold your hand, so be prepared for that.

Kai is a body hopping demon. He has been betrayed, killed and entombed under water. When he is freed by a lesser mage hoping to hone his power, he kills them and frees himself and his friend, the witch Ziede.

Together, they have to uncover what happened to them, who betrayed them and what is going on with the Rising World coalition. He's not going to like the answers.

Alternating is a past timeline in which Kai and his band of allies rebel against the tyrannical rule of the Hierophants, which happened decades before the present timeline.

The strenght of this book is really in the characters and how they grow and the bonds they have with each other. I loved the relationship between Kai and Bashasa, who is the rebel leader in the past timeline in particular. It's not quite clear what the nature of their relationship was, though it is implied to be romantic and I do think Kai is supposed to be queer. He is a body hopping demon after all, and spends his early life in the body of a girl. There's also a sapphic side pairing between Zieden and her wife Tahren, who they spent much of the present timeline looking for.

The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach

This is a science fantasy set in a world inspired by New Zealand and Maori (I think? The author is Maori and a trans woman herself)

The main character is a police officer from a poor background who believes she's making the world better for people like her. She's already been demoted for being queer but believes she can make the police force better from the inside.

Then she's murdered by fellow officers and thrown into the harbor. Unfortunately for them, she comes back from the dead with new magic powers.

She teams up with a pirate crew with similar powers and has to stop a plague from being unleashed on her city.

This book focuses on how police functions in many modern societies to protect the wealthy and harm and restrict poorer, non white communities. The main character doesn't believe this at first but it's obvious to the reader that they're not helping anyone doing their job. Next book is coming out next year.

Last is the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Two books are out and book 3 is coming sometime in 2024.

This series is set in a world inspired by India. Priya is a maidservant with a secret. She is one of the few surviving temple children and still has some powers from being once born.

Malini is the princess of Parijatdvipa, the empire that conquered Priya's land. Her religious zealot brother has taken the throne and imprisons Malini because she refuses to be burned alive.

Priya is one of the maidservants sent to take care of Malini in her prison, which is the old temple where Priya grew up. Together, they can change the fate of an empire, but they can never quite trust each other.

This is a sapphic fantasy with magic but also lots of politics and I think if you like this series you'd also like the Unbroken and vice versa. I've talked about this one before but it should definitely be included on a list for adult fantasy.

I hope you can find something you like on here. All these books are not super well known and deserve a bigger audience

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @aliandtommy @ikissedsmithparker

[tlfrary424]

Dr. Matthew (Matty) Goodson & Lisa Evans ||| PLATFORM-7

[enthusiasticsincarazshipper]

Bloody hell it seems I missed some tennis after I went to bed last night. I can't believe Djokovic is out - I'm thrilled, don't get me wrong but... WOW. I shall have to find a replay of that once it's up online.

The matches I'm hoping to watch today are:

16:00 PAOLINI 17:30 Draper 18:30 SINNER 00:00 Evans 01:30 Medvedev

I probably won't get to watch the Evans or Medvedev matches because of that whole sleep thing, though

[abookwormguidetoagoodread]

The wicked can fake nobility, just as the damned can fake innocence. But only the truth will rise from the ashes when we all start to burn. — Victoria Evans

- Paint It All Red (Mindf*ck, #5), S.T. Abby.

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

The Boy Who Broke His Own Heart [Epilogue]

Fandom: Harry Potter [Marauders Era]

Pairing: Sirius Black x Original Female Character

Characters: Sirius Black, Original Female Character, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Jasmine Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Marlene McKinnon, Lily Evans, Mary MacDonald, Euphemia Potter, Filius Flitwick, Fleamont Potter,

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1503

Summary: Sirius would rather break his own heart than hers.

LINK TO ALL PARTS

‘Where are they?’ Lily asked as she stepped out onto the back patio, raising a hand to her brow to fend off the glare from the sun which had impeded her search. It was a warm summer’s day in June and seeing as the weather was nice she had decided dinner in the garden was the only way to go especially seeing as Jasmine and Sirius had come over for tea. Jasmine stepped out of the back door not a moment later and casted her eyes up the garden expecting to see James, Harry and Sirius playing as they’d been instructed to do so after getting underfoot far too many times. However they were nowhere to be seen though given they could hear distinct sounds of giggling from just around the side of the house the pair didn’t see cause for much alarm.

‘I don’t even want to know,’ Lily said, rolling her eyes as she carried a bowl of salad to the small patio table.

‘It’s the absence of noise you should be concerned about,’ Jasmine said, putting her own bowls down beside it just as the three of them emerged from around the side of the house. Harry appeared first, barely three years old and yet zipping forward on his broom with more grace and poise than she’d seen in some adults. James hurried behind him, cheering encouragingly, though keeping a hand out just in case he should fall even if the drop would be from less than two feet high onto soft grass. Or he may have landed onto Sirius who was running beside him in dog form, eagerly chasing the little boy as he raced him, laughing and shouting as Padfoot responded in barks.

As Lily headed back inside Jasmine took a seat and watched them, the race neck and neck until they got close to the patio where Sirius pulled back allowing the toddler to win. Harry immediately began to celebrate letting go of his broom which made it clatter to the stone floor though fortunately he didn’t go with it, James’ arms already scooping him onto solid ground as the boy beamed, ‘Harry won!’

‘Harry did!’ James chuckled as he moved the broom away lest Harry fall over it not watching where he was going from excitement. Harry didn’t seem bothered about where his broom was as his focus was back on his uncle who had transformed at once, the shaggy black dog returning to the handsome twentysomething. Though for all his suaveness he was still a sucker for the messy haired tot who put his arms up immediately before he begged, ‘Uncle Padfoot up!’

‘First you beat me and then you demand to be carried,’ Sirius chuckled as he took the boy in his arms. The three of them meandered towards where Jasmine was sitting, mountains of food out in front of her even though it was only the five of them.

‘A winner deserves to be carried,’ James chuckled as he followed.

‘Don’t say that you’ll give him a complex!’ Lily chastised, catching the conversation as she appeared out the back door with another plate.

‘Oh I can see it now. Harry Potter the boy who demanded to be carried around the quidditch pitch,’ Jasmine chuckled.

‘Well if he never loses I don’t see a problem with it,’ James said, sparking a hushed debate between him and his wife as he followed her back inside for drinks.

 Fortunately neither Sirius nor Harry were paying much attention to them as they got to their seats too focused on Jasmine who seemed excited to see both of them, smiling as she said, ‘hi you two.’

‘Hi yourself,’ Sirius said leaning down to kiss her, Harry still on his hip which meant that the moment he pulled back the boy was pushing in between them.

‘Hi sweetheart,’ she smiled, giggling as he laid his own sloppy kiss on her cheek, ‘oh thank you.’

‘Jazzy guess what?’ he beamed, as Sirius took a seat beside her, slinging his arm on the back of her chair as Harry got settled on his lap.

‘What darling?’ Jasmine asked enthusiastically as if she had no idea what was coming.

‘I raced Padfoot and won!’ Harry announced.

‘I saw! Well done,’ Jasmine smiled. Content that everyone was now aware of his flying prowess he settled back into his uncle’s lap, playing with the necklace Sirius was wearing like he always did.

 ‘You two have been busy,’ Sirius said gesturing to the mountains of food already laid out.

‘Lil could cater for an army,’ Jasmine smiled.

‘Good I’m starving,’ he said, nicking a couple of pieces of cucumber from the bowl of salad which was just as well as Harry immediately opened his hand for one, munching it contently after Sirius handed it over.

‘From all that messing about,’ Jasmine mused, earning a smirk.

‘Harry requested it,’ he said seriously as the tot giggled at the mention of his name.

‘Nothing to do with you and James being big kids then?’ Jasmine asked with a quirked eyebrow.

‘Not at all,’ Sirius said, ‘Besides, it’s all good preparation isn’t it?’

‘For?’ Jasmine asked.

‘The baby obviously,’ Sirius said.

‘Obviously,’ Jasmine mused.

After that James and Lily emerged taking their seats at the table as dinner was declared to begin. The foursome chatted and ate, enjoying the warmth of a summer’s day even though the sun had started to dip along the horizon causing the sky to turn a mixture of pink and orange. Harry spent his time between them all though admittedly due to the size of Jasmine’s ever growing bump he struggled to get near her, much to his annoyance and in those times opted to stand on Sirius’ lap, his arms wrapped around his aunt’s neck with his head on her shoulder.

 Yet as dusk rolled in he started to yawn more frequently his little face looking sleepier and sleepier by the second though as Lily dared to mention going to bed he sat bolt upright in his father’s lap and protested, ‘m’not tired.’

‘But it’s late kidda,’ James said, nudging his plump cheek with his finger.

‘Wanna stay with you,’ Harry pouted. His parents shared a look knowing a fight was coming if they denied him but he’d become overtired just as quickly if they didn’t get him to bed soon. Seeing the predicament Sirius weighed in.

‘How about we have one last race eh?’ he said smiling at the green-eyed boy opposite him who seemed to be contemplating it.

‘On Daddy’s broom?’ he asked.

‘Yep,’ Sirius nodded, ‘but after that you have to promise me you’ll go to bed. Promise?’

‘Promise,’ Harry smiled, sliding from James’ lap and offering a hand up for him to be led to the shed. James sighed and stood up, taking his son by the hand so he could fulfill his end of the bedtime bargain.

‘Listen to you eh,’ Lily chuckled as she stood up to start clearing away the remnants of their meal, ‘baby’s not even here and you’ve got this parenting lark down pat.’

‘Not going to lie I’m hoping turning into a massive dog gets me out of most sticky situations,’ Sirius chuckled before she headed into the house. When he looked at Jasmine she was watching  him closely which made him ask, ‘what?’

Of course there was nothing wrong with him but sometimes she couldn’t believe how far they’d come. She was sure that even if she was able to tell teenage Sirius just how his life had panned out he wouldn’t believe her. But he had come so far. The boy who would’ve broken his own heart to prevent breaking hers was now a husband, soon to be father and immensely good uncle. He loved with every fibre of his being and in turn was loved to the fullest. He’d allowed himself to be part of a family and even when it wasn’t all smooth sailing that was never in doubt.

 ‘Nothing,’ she shrugged, ‘I just love you.’

‘These baby hormones are making you dopey you know,’ he teased, though he leaned in close enough that their noses brushed against one another and said, ‘I love you too.’

Jasmine pressed her lips to his, though she could still feel him smiling which turned to an audible chuckle as she heard Harry’s singsong voice call, ‘Uncle Paaaadfooot.’

‘You better go,’ she giggled, pushing him away. Sirius nodded dutifully and stood up.

‘See you soon,’ he smiled, quickly kissing his fingers and placing them on top of her belly, ‘you too lil one.’

 And with that he was gone joining James and Harry on the grass immediately earning a shriek of laughter as he transformed into a hulking black dog, darting around the boy in circles as they headed to the back gate, broom in James’ hand. Jasmine watched them go, her hand on her bump. Teenage Sirius may not have believed her but she wasn’t so sure her teenage self would either.

Sirius Tags

@caitlin1996 @imthebadguyyy

[thewayhomehallmark]

1999 | 2023

[fandom-joiner]

Petunia: Do we have any orange juice left?

Jasmine: *pours the remaining juice into her cup*

Jasmine: Sorry, we're all out.

Master List

[vazaha-tya]

it's funny because most people who write self-insert fics don't like that it's called SI and actually object to the name but we just kinda all adopted it to spite the snobs who think it's only about writing a mary sue who is loved by all the characters and has no flaws at all. the name was reclaimed very reluctantly but here we are

[oldhallgardens]

January 2023 photos by Glyn Evans

Snowdrops Crocus Aconite Winter jasmine

[celebsaesthetic-blog]

Hi, I don’t know how active I’ll be on this one but I’ll try to aleast post when I can or answer questions and what not 💕

[tlfrary424]

Toby Regbo as Dr. Matthew Goodson in Platform-7

[elliehallers]

Working on some gratuitous next-gen X-Men OCs!

So far, I have...

Greyson Robert Allerdyce (John & Madison's eldest son/child):

But imagine him with a weird, tattoo-like birthmark on his face (that covers the whole left side of his body). It's a physical mutation, though I'm not sure what his mutation is yet. (Maddie was not happy when he was born and she saw it. As I said before, she's a self-hating mutant because mutation and the hoopla surrounding it ruined so much if her life when she was young.)

Jasmine Allison Allerdyce (John & Madison's first daughter/second child):

She's 2 years younger than Grey, the lead-singer of a little indie pop-punk band, and her mother's favorite child.

Harper Madison Lace (Evan & Jasmine's eldest daughter/child):

She and Grey will have a thing because I'm a cringey little Hookheart shipper! 🫶🏽

I don't know anything else about them, these babies are BRAND spankin' fresh! 😮‍💨

[abookwormguidetoagoodread]

One person cannot change the world. But one person can strike terror into multitudes. — Robert Evans

- Paint It All Red (Mindf*ck, #5), S.T. Abby.

[padfoot-and-leo-ao3]

WHY DOES THIS DAMN POST HAVE SO MANY NOTES ISTG

The Harry Potter Wiki page for Crookshanks acknowledges the theory.