#Maggie the Undying

[housebaylor]

[drawingsfromthefrogwar]

Ok but college jack is fucking gorgeous holy shit

hehe weird emo college jack in my heart forever,

[ghostinharrenhal]

love the way that anyone in asoiaf who cares too much about a nebulous prophecy destroys themself trying to fulfill/avoid said prophecy. can’t wait for it to happen to stannis

[chrispleasure]

INTRODUCTION OF dad!matt

the two year old crawled around the room, looking for something amusing to get her hands on. after glancing around the room, she finds her fathers shoes at the foot of the couch. a giggle escapes maggie’s lips as she crawls towards the shoes.

once close enough, her legs squirm around until she is able to sit comfortably on her bottom. at an attempt to be quiet, she begins to play with her fathers shoelaces, untying them, completely unaware of her fathers presence on the couch.

the soft noise of bluey playing in the background, matt to endorsed in his phone to notice his two year old scrambling with his shoelaces. he continues to scroll on instagram, looking through your page while he waits for you to be ready to go.

once hearing your footsteps, he puts down his phone and is immediately met with the sight of his giggly two year old smiling up at him with a toothy grin. giggles escape maggies lips as she scurries away, letting him glance at the mess of the shoelaces. “oh mags.” he grumbles, chuckling despite trying to keep up his stern figure.

matt pulls his legs up onto the couch and begins to fix his shoelaces when he sees you enter the room, gorgeous as ever. “what’s up?” you ask, looking over at him with a confused expression. matt glances at maggie before looking back at you. “maggie decided to play with my shoelaces instead of watching bluey.” matt attempted to say with a straightface, instead failing miserably. he cant help but smile.

“is milo ready?” he continues, standing up. matt walks towards maggie and picks her up into his strong arms, letting her snuggle close to his chest. “he’s trying to use the bathroom by himself now— i remember when he was only in diapers.” you say, talking about the five year old unaware he was behind you.

matt looks behind you, seeing milo stood in the hallway, undies to his ankles, a wet substance which reeked of urine on his legs and a wet face sogged with tears. matt walks closer, putting maggie in your arms, her curly hair brushing against your chest.

without a moment's hesitation, matt kneels in front of milo, observing his troubled expression. "you okay, bud? what happened?" matt inquires, knowing what occurred but wanting to hear his son articulate it. "I was—trying to use the potty... like—like mommy told me to," milo tries to explain but is interrupted by the onset of contagious hiccups.

matt places his hand on the child's shoulder, offering reassurance. "slow down, kid. take some deep breaths while I come to clean you up, okay?" matt smiles, stands up, takes the boy's hand, and leads him toward the bathroom.

he assisted milo in choosing some clothes and led him to the bathroom. matt knelt and began to softly cleanse milo's legs with a damp washcloth. yet, despite the gentle care, milo continued to cry, burdened by a profound disappointment in himself.

"milo, s' okay buddy. im not mad, neither is mommy." matt spoke, putting down the washcloth and dressing his son gently. once the clothes were on, he gave his son a hug. "im so proud of you for trying." matt continued.

once the whole incident was resolved, the family headed out together, going on a simple family walk.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 ꨄ: what do you guys think? i lowkey fw this.

taglist!: @sturnobsessedwh0re @matthewsroses

[faghubby]

Over the road

"Those are some pretty undies you got there" Maggie whispered in Christian's ear. He turned a deep red. And quickly pulled down his shirt as he rushed off to the men's room. Maggie couldn't resist when she saw him lean forward she caught a flash of pink lace. As she told another waitress they both laughed outloud. By the time he returned she had calmed down having other costumers.

Chris debated of he should just remove the panties and go commando or just pull his pants up. He stood in the stall rock hard. Although he wanted to play with himself it was quite a busy at the truckstop and thought he better not. Instead he pulled up his pants and with his head hung low went back to his seat to at least pay the bill.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you" Maggie smiled. He couldn't even look up. Till he read the back of the bill. Said Maggie with a phone number. Chris was surprised, he instantly thought I can't he was married after all. He left in such a hurry he forgot his hat. As he was going back out to his truck.

"Hey sweety" he heard behind him as a hand slid across his ashe turned and Maggie put his hat on his head.

"You better call me" she smiled and went back to work. He went and sat in his truck. He couldn't get Maggie out of his head. She was properly late 30s maybe 40. Obviously a mom he thought. He found himself going back inside a few hours later and sitting in her section. He just ordered coffee. And sat quietly watching her.

"I get off in 30 minutes" Maggie told him. He just nodded shyly. She motioned for him to follow her as she left after clocking out. He caught up to her in the parking lot.

"So panty boy show me" Maggie smiled they where on the far side of the parking lot. Chris looking around undid his thick belt and big belt buckle and open his pants showing Maggie his pink panties with little hearts all over them and a delicate lace border. She had him get in her car. He pulled up his pants.

"I'm married" he spit out the first words he had said other then his order.

"Does your wife know you wear her panties?" Maggie asked. He mumbled no as he shock his head. Maggie reached into his pants. And grasped his dick.

"No wonder you wear panties, I bet my 12 year old has a bigger dick" Maggie laughed. This only made Chris harder. Maggie drove to secluded spot a few miles away. She got out of the car. It was a rather warm night. As Christian watched her hick up her dress and remove her panties. She laid across the hood of her car.

"Do you want to lick my pussy?" Maggie teased. Chris dropped to his knees.

"Wait strip, I want you in just your panties" Maggie smiled. As she watched him strip down to just his tiny panties. His dick struggling to escape. He knelt and went to lick her.

"Lick my ass, first" she ordered. He did just that he even drove his tounge into her hole. Maggie cooed as he did whatever she commanded. She loved having this power over a man. He didn't even try and stop licking her ass, pussy, thighs his tounge was magical Maggie thought. Until Maggie came loudly all over his face.

Chris thought now he could fuck her. Bit Maggie got up and pulled his panties down. She stroked him with two fingers.

"How do you even fuck your wife with this little thing?" Maggie teased. Chris just moaned. "I bet she has real men that please her when you are on the road" Maggie told him. He was gone for weeks at a time. He had never thought about his wife Kelly cheating on him. But now as he thought about it he came all over the front of Maggie's car.

"When are you getting back on the road?" Maggie asked.

"In the morning" Chris replied. Maggie returned him to her truck. And before she left added her number to his phone.

Chris woke early to a text from Maggie. /send me a pic of you wearing panties/ he did as she asked not even knowing why.

Maggie continued to text, call, even face time him several times a day. She would talk dirty to him, called him a sissy, encouraged him to buy panties. He only had two pairs he had stolen from his wife. It was two weeks when he came back thru town. He again met up with Maggie. But this time renting a motel room.

"I got you some things" Maggie told him. As she produced a variety of things. First woman's deodorant, body wash, body spray. Hand lotion.

"You need to smell like a sissy boi" she told him. Then pulled out a bottle of hair remover, pink razors and ladies shaving gel. "Litle bitch boys are always smooth as a baby ass" she told him. Producing hair products next, his hair was already long. Bit he needed to take better care of it. That night Maggie let him see her naked. But only after he had agreed to remove all his body hair. Maggie told him it would grow back in a few days. He would soon learn that wasn't true.

"Christine, you need to buy sexier panties" Maggie told him. She had said this when he had first bought some. Buying pastel colored cotton panties. Chris physically flinched hearing her call him Christine. Maggie had him orally please her again but as he did she got in a 69 position. But ignored his throbbing dick instead she applied lube to his smooth ass.

"What are you?" Chris gasped. As Maggie pushed two fingers into his hole.

"Do you think Kelly let's men fuck her ass?" Maggie asked as she finger fucked him. He moaned as he continued to lick her clit. Again he now thought of his wife getting fucked, over the last week he had pictured the farm hands, the neighbors, even thier pastor fucking Kelly. He couldn't shake the idea of her riding a big cock. Maggie spent the night with him cuddling in the motel room. In the morning Maggie woke him by pushing a vibrator up his ass.he woke with a start and first tried to stop her. Till Maggie turned it on. He fell silent.

"All the real men out there are going to smell how sexy you are and want to shove their big cocks in your ass" Maggie told him. Maggie didn't stop until his little dick stopped leaking all over his stomach.

She even had him paint his toe nails before he hit the road again. Again they spoke several times a day. Maggie now called him Christine exclusively. Encouraging him to buy a bra, and a nightie.

"It would be so hot if you got stopped by the police and they jumped up on the truck to see you just wearing your pretty panties." Maggie told him. The very next day she had convinced him to send her a pic of him driving wearing just a tiny thong and a tee shirt. Maggie continued touch his homosexual thoughts. And that he wasn't man enough for any woman. Especially his wife. She would FaceTime him as they both masterbated. But only if he used the vibrator she had given him.

By the time they met face to face again, he had been home and back on the road for week.

"I swear I didn't even try and have sex with my wife" Christina wimpered as Maggie squeezed his tballs lightly.

"Good, I have a surprise" Maggie pulled out a flower print sun dress. And made him put it on.

"I bet you been sucking cocks all across the country" Maggie said as she straightened his dress. "Are you some kind of faggot lot lizzard?" She teased. "Show me" she produced a black dildo and had him suck on it. She took his phone and took pics.

"Do you think Kelly likes big black cock? Or is that just you?" She asked as she played with his little dick. When he came she caught it a

In her hand and pulled the toy from his mouth coated it in his cum and had him lick it clean.

Maggie demanded more pics and images, more risqué acts. And made him tell her how he was a pretty sissy faggot that wanted to suck cock. And get fucked in the ass. It had been months and when he returned home again it was impossible to hide the changes. His hair rested on his shoulders now. But also had blonde highlights. He smelled like a woman, not to mention the thinned eyebrows or the manicured hands. He wore a bra and panties everyday. Yet when Kelly saw him she didn't seem shocked.

"Maggie was right you aren't a man anymore" Kelly told him. Christina looked surprised. "Maggie gives me daily updates" Kelly smiled.

"OH and no not big black cocks, well not black at least" she smiled and smacked Christina's ass. "I'm going to get fucked be a good girl and do the dishes" Kelly laughed as she grabbed her keys and left Christina standing alone in the kitchen.

Hope you like this Roaddawg. Maybe when the wife's comes back she bends that cute girlie ass over and shoves a nice big dildo in it for you.

[cultofdixon]

A peaceful moment

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • When the chaos settled, the two finally got to as well…preparing to bring a little one into the new world • ANGST/SFW/NSFW - Nudity • TW: Pregnancy / Anxiety

Requested by: Anon

The archer quietly enters the house expecting no one and nothing going on, and for the most part that was true. He placed his crossbow by the door before making his way to the bedroom. To his surprise his partner was awake and he immediately brought himself up behind her wrapping his arms around her.

“Why are you awake?”

“Why did you come home late?”

“Don’t turn this on me, woman.” Daryl scoffs, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before pulling away about to lay in the bed when he noticed everything scattered on the mattress. “What’s all this?”

“The maps are of the communities. A few books on farming, composting,…uh. Infrastructure…”

“Why yea taking on all this stress when we’ve got somethin’ coming in two months?” The archer pointed to the belly on his now annoyed partner as she tosses the books she was holding onto the mattress, the baby books that Maggie has found/given to her. “Yeah Carol gave me one, but should’ve gone to yea if you had so many”

“Why are they all different! They all have the same scary things that could happen to me or the baby—-LIKE THE APOCALYPSE WASN’T ENOUGH” She snaps only for Daryl to push aside everything on the bed and making her sit down.

“Y/N, everything is different cuz of the apocalypse. But everything right now is fine” Daryl frowns sitting beside her trying to soothe her anxiety by rubbing up and down her leg. “Shouldn’t take on any extra stress, there’s a fuckton of people to take care of everythin’ else”

“I’m usually the one preaching that to you” Y/N giggles for a short lived moment as she looks down at her belly resting her hands on the bump. “…I just..”

“Hm?” Daryl gently nudges her, not receiving the rest of that sentence for a while as he brought himself closer. “Sunshine?”

“It’s just hard…having all this control back when he’s still around” She frowns feeling her hormones get the best of her, making the tears fall on the matter.

“He’s not gonna come anywhere near yea, unless he wants a death wish. You’re safe, we’re safe…he’s locked up and we gotta enjoy these moments”

“Before your attention is only on our son or daughter?”

That made her partner glare for a split second before bringing his arm around her shoulders pulling her in.

“If they’re anythin’ like you, it might be difficult to give yea both my undying love” Daryl jokes listening to her giggle as she smacks his chest.

The next morning came and the static from the radio picked up the voice from the other line. Daryl groans slightly when he heard it go from nothing to a clear voice.

“Daryl? You copy?”

“What” He sighs holding the radio up to his face as he returned to his laying position.

“You helping us today on the runs or the farming plans—-“

“Nope” Daryl cuts him off tossing the radio back on the nightstand before turning away wrapping his arm around Y/N who was half awake for that short lived conversation.

Then the static from another radio made both groan to the sound.

“Y/N, you around? Daryl cut me off. Was it poor connection?” Rick voices came through Y/N’s radio that she only had for emergencies or when she was a bit more involved in the rebuild since the Savior’s war ended. “I could really use him today. So please chime in. He’s most likely—-“ Y/N took her radio, turning her channel off before tossing the radio into her nightstand then returning back on her side already uncomfortable.

“He’s going to come to our door”

“I’ll punch him if he does” Daryl mumbles into her shoulder once he brought himself back against her.

The two slept in for a little while longer until Daryl got up to go make breakfast for his partner. He approaches the front door looking through the peep hole seeing the retired sheriff approaching, only for him to lock the door and continue on with his day.

Once Y/N eventually made her way to the kitchen after smelling something good, even if it took her a few minutes just to get out of bed. She noticed the front door was forcefully opened that when she rounded the corner to see Rick’s apologetic expression along with a red blotch getting worse on his face. She debated turning around and leaving.

“I thought y’all got hurt for ignoring and cutting my channel off”

“So…you broke in…with known residents that have PTSD?”

“When yea put it like that, then I don’t gotta have Daryl apologize for punching me in the face” Rick scoffs as Daryl came into view with a plate of food for Y/N noticing her debating expression.

“I’ll apologize when he fixes the door—-and yea ain’t eating this in bed” Daryl states setting the plate down and smacking Rick’s hand when he tried taking a piece of toast as Y/N quickly (in her own way) swiped the plate and eating her food in the kitchen.

“If y’all wanted a day off. Yea couldve—-“

“I’m seven months pregnant I shouldn’t have to ask”

“And I’m her husband”

“So you don’t have to ask because you’re the baby daddy?” Rick asks as he watches both of them turn toward him with an immediate glare. “Alright. I’ll fix the door tomorrow, give y’all the day” he got up from the table and went on his way, not knowing how he’ll explain the growing bruise on his face to Michonne.

Y/N started to laugh at the situation while eating the breakfast of toast, eggs, and fresh vegetables, Daryl prepared for her. “You should’ve asked, he would’ve said yes”

“I asked Michonne, she should’ve told Rick”

“She was most likely watching Judith, and forgot. I wonder how she’s going to react to the wound on her man”

“Like yea when I’d come back hurt”

“…I do hope Michonne doesn’t kill you, because that’s what I did last time” Y/N reminds Daryl as she brought herself back into the dining room taking a seat.

“She better be as feisty as you are” Daryl sat beside her resting his hand on her belly while she continued to eat.

“Think it’s gonna be a girl?”

“Mmm. I’d like a girl”

“Not a boy?”

“Well, do yea want me to tell yea I’d like one of each with yea when we haven’t even experienced one yet?” Daryl smirks with a bit of a head tilt as Y/N thought about it before smacking his forehead gently with her empty hand. “Yeah. We’ll see if she’s a monster and that’ll determine—-“

“He will not be a monster! May have your attitude but—-“

“Oh I’ve got an attitude?” Daryl leaned back crossing his arms as Y/N gave him a look that made him fold. “Alright. Sometimes. But she’s gonna come out more like yea”

Y/N snickered a bit, setting down the fork as she gestured for him to give her his hand which he did. She immediately places it on the part of her bump that is feeling a lot of the baby’s kicking.

“She is kicking the shit out of me—-and you are a feisty over-protective beast of a man, she’s turning out like you and I’d prefer it”

“So…we are agreeing on she?”

“If you agree on her personality being more like you” Y/N smiles taking another bite out of the tomato.

“She will have my strength, our feistiness, and if she’s over-protective with whatever it may be when she’s around? It could be either you or me” Daryl kept his attention on the baby as they continued to talk.

Once breakfast was done, Y/N made her way to the nursery while Daryl filled her canteen up again before meeting up with her.

“Should we get started on this?”

“Nah, no ‘we’”

“Seriously?” Y/N laughs, taking the offered canteen as she watches her husband push the rocking chair that Ezekiel gifted them into a clear corner. He then gestured her to come sit which she’ll happily do at this stage of the pregnancy.

“You direct and I’ll do. But I gotta get my tools for half of this” Daryl states taking a quick note of everything he’d have to hang up and as he did so, Y/N went through the basket of toys gifted and what Daryl has found on runs. “Alright I’m gonna—-“ he stopped when he noticed Y/N start sobbing while holding a plush bunny.

“Look how cute it is”

“Y/N…”

“It’s gonna be our baby’s! She’s gonna snuggle it at night and cry to you to check for monsters in the closet, reassure her and her bunny.” She continued to sob as she played with the bunny ears on the plush, feeling Daryl’s presence over her as he leans down just enough to wipe away her tears and give her reassuring kisses. “Oh my god we better have a girl”

“And why is that?” He says softly, brushing the hair away from her face and the stray tears.

“Daddy’s little girl…I can just picture it” Y/N smiles through the joyful tears. “This sweet little girl just attaching herself to you…always being held protectively by her daddy…you reading her bedtime stories, checking for monsters under the bed, always making sure she has her favorite plushie with her…you’d even cave when she has nightmares and wants to sleep with us. Her just fast asleep on your chest while you rub soothing circles on her back…”

Daryl can definitely picture it now, and this baby better be a girl. He’ll always make sure both his girls are perfect.

“You’re gonna make me cry if yea keep going”

“Okay…okay, go get your tools and let’s get some of this room done so we don’t stress later”

“Mhm. Not like she won’t be in a crib in our room for the first few months of her life”

“Oh I know she’s going to be on your side. You’re going to hog our baby” She laughs wiping away the dried tears as Daryl kisses the top of her head.

“Only seems fair cuz you’re carryin’ the little pumpkin for nine months”

“Oh I know my love. But unlike you? My breasts are useful” Y/N adds only to laugh after when he scoffs to that comment.

“Instead of us fightin’ for the baby, it’s gonna be me and the baby fightin’ over yea” Daryl made one last comment before going to get what he needs while Y/N continues to laugh and think about their little girl.

The archer worked on the nursery for a couple hours while listening to his girl talk about their baby and following her occasional instruction. She continued to talk about how this little girl will be his little princess that he wouldn’t dare let anything happen to her and a few moments he would have to stop to console his wife when she would start crying all over again at the thought. He even started to go on about how overwhelmingly in love he’ll be at the sight of both his girls together. Even in the apocalypse, he will try to get both his girls to match because he always thought that was a cute idea.

For someone whose exterior is mean and scary, he’s a total softie inside and that will only ever be shown to his girls.

“Think we should stop here”

“Yeah, thinkin’ I’ll shower before making yea dinner”

“Or…we could take a bath together and make dinner together after”

Daryl pondered the thought for a moment before ultimately agreeing, even if it’ll be a bit of a squeeze getting both in the tub.

Once they eventually got in and relaxed, Y/N leans back into Daryl after a moment in the bath looking up at him comfortably as he presses a kiss to her temple.

“You think…I’ll be a good mom?”

“Of course I do” He frowns wondering where that came from. “Everyone’s seen how you were with Judith…and Carl…even Sophia back then…”

“Yeah…but this is our baby, it’s going to be different”

“Yeah, it is…but just like the others, we have a village in case we need anybody. You’ve got me first though. Not like you’d need my help anyway”

“I’ll always need you, D” Y/N shifted slightly feeling Daryl’s arms wrap around her and continuing to leave occasional kisses to her temple. “It’s just scary. You’re a natural with kids, and you’re saying I am too…but this is going to be our first baby. I’m just scared of messing it up”

“Y’know messing up comes with the parenting job right?” Daryl chuckles lightly resting his cheek against her head. “It’s okay to fumble. We’ve got each other and we’ll be great in our own way. Baby ain’t even here and we love her to pieces”

“She’s going to be perfect”

“Yes she is…”

She’s going to be perfect because of you Daryl thought as the two were now back in their bed hours later, Y/N fast asleep facing her partner as he had his hand on her belly keeping an eye on her for a little while.

Before falling asleep himself and keeping close to the both of them. He really enjoyed these peaceful moments…

And can’t wait to spend it with both of them.

[thrakaboom]

Undying Avengers Issue 2: Lighthouse Siege! by Conner Thrakaboom and Gene @avengerphobic

Faiza Hussain waves back to the girl with a smile as she comes up to the Braddock Lighthouse. She has both her medical bag with her and the sword Excalibur in its disguise as a backpack.

Dane happily welcomes Faiza at the entrance to the Braddock Lighthouse. 

“Hi. You look…” Dane struggles for a word to describe how captivating she is. It is hard to look away from her as old feelings come rushing back like his heart had been stone again until this moment. He settles for a word that barely scratches the surface of how lovely she is. “Wow. Is that a new hijab?”

Faiza realizes that they haven’t seen each other in person since Dane ghosted her. They’ve started talking again since then, but only as friends. Dane wasn't on the MI13 anymore, meaning they didn’t even see each other as coworkers. She had missed him. 

“I wore it when we played cricket,” she says and resists the urge to tell him he looks healthier than the last time she saw him. Instead, she asks after her newest patient.  

She is somewhat flustered, picking at the sleeve of her floral top. It isn’t every day that she is asked to help Captain Marvel. Faiza may have always preferred the British superheroes, but Captain Marvel was always her favorite of the yanks. She had the action figures and everything

 “She’s not Captain Marvel anymore,” Dane tells her as if she isn’t still Captain Marvel to him, forever and always. “You can just call her Monica. You’re going to love her. And she’s going to love you, of course.”

Read the rest of the issue on AO3!

Lighthouse Siege! Monica is brought to the Braddock Lighthouse for examination, but trouble follows in the form of an attack from Thelius. But where is he leading them?

Main Characters: Monica Rambeau, M-11, Jackie Chopra, Kyle Gibney, Simon Williams, Brian Braddock, Faiza Hussain, Dane Whitman, Thelius, Faerie Queen

Cameo: Maggie Braddock, Jimmy Woo

[blairwitchapologist]

do you have any recommendations for someone interested in memoirs? I’d love to read one but I’m not sure where to start

yessss okay i feel like we’re in such a good era of celebrity memoirs specifically and i feel like they all get talked about a lot and for good reason (my faves have been julia fox’s down the drain, elliot page’s pageboy, jeannette mccurdy’s im glad my mom died, michelle zauner’s crying in h mart, little weirds by jenny slate etc etc etc all of the obvious ones) and also less recent but carrie brownstein’s hunger makes me a modern girl and kim gordon’s girl in a band are two of my all-time favorite musician memoirs

but then also there’s a lot of good non-celebrity memoirs that i’ve read over the last couple of years that have stuck with me since i read them (i recommend looking up trigger warnings for most of these since they all deal with pretty heavy subjects)

the collected schizophrenias by esme weijun wang

jane: a murder by maggie nelson

molly by blake butler (especially big trigger warnings for this one!!)

never silent: ACT UP and my life in activism by peter staley

strip tees by kate flannery

being lolita by alisson wood

the undying by anne boyer

grief is for people by sloane crosley

and also most obvious answer of all time but both the year of magical thinking and blue nights by joan didion really truly do live up to the hype!!!!

and one more thing is that my favorite podcast of all time is literally called celebrity memoir book club and they have gotten me to read a lot of memoirs i probably wouldn’t have picked up otherwise!!!! they cover just about every celebrity who has a memoir (good or not) and they’re very fun girls and i enjoy listening to them a lot!!!! i haven’t read it yet but their episode on britteny griner’s memoir made me cry and i’m really excited to get into it once my library has it available lol

[ohmeadows]

Do you have any author/book recs for literary fiction? Or recs for beautiful writing (i.e. poetic, thought-provoking, interestingly structured sentences, haunting vibes, etc) in general?

tons, but i had to think on this so sorry it took me a while. i'm not including trigger warnings because honestly i'd forget half of the stuff others might find triggering, but you know. stay safe and research.

maddalena and the dark by julia fine had extremely poetic and beautiful writing, as well as a haunting vibe echoing through the pages.

the lonely city by olivia laing is a series of essays on art and artists and loneliness. probably one of the most thought-provoking books i've read on loneliness and the lengths we go to over it, as well as having an artistic practice rooted in it. highly recommend.

mourning diary and a lover's discourse by roland barthes. master of short fragment form, of turning just a few words into something you digest for days afterward. his theory books are rather heavy for me, but these are precious.

greek lessons by han kang. i love han kang's writing and this one delves into language in a very gentle, soulful way. painful and beautiful. probably a top 10 read of this year for me.

y/n by esther yi. i'm of two minds on this one. i wish it had been braver and weirder, but it is also really weird. it's about a woman who gets obsessed with a kpop band and it's very trippy, in the most positive way. i rated it a 3.5 because i felt it didn't carry itself to the finish line in a satisfying way, but it left me thinking.

love me tender by constance debré. on the limits of love in a corrupt system; debré came out as a lesbian and lost custody of her son because of it after her ex-husband made false accusations about "degenerate actions". she processes the slow, systematically enforced loss of time with her son and realizing he's a stranger to her now.

anything by maggie nelson, annie ernaux, édouard louis, sarah manguso, vivian gornick, anne carson. they all have very prolific releases to their names, i prefer their creative non-fiction/autofiction. i'd suggest looking through what's available and seeing if something grabs your interest here.

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong. masterpiece. i admire vuong's style and way of storytelling so much, i think he said "tell it true but tell it a slant". either way. love it.

natalia ginzburg is going through a revival as of late. i love her writing for the atmosphere, but think i prefer little virtues the most.

and for a tenth and final recommendation (for this round) the undying by anne boyer. nonfiction memoir/essay at its finest imo, she's unpicking illness and particularly her own cancer while exploring the cultural and historical aspects of illness, connecting it to other bodies of works. (can you tell i read a lot about illness and disability specifically?)

[ofliterarynature]

NOVEMBER 2023 WRAP UP

[ loved liked ok no thanks (reread) DNF ]

The Moonstone • Chaos Terminal • (The Raven Boys) • The Ghosts of Trappist • (Fugitive Telemetry) • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler • The Art of Destiny • The Bell in the Fog • (Exit Strategy) • Who Goes There? • Salt Magic Skin Magic • The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up • (Dracula) • (Rogue Protocol) • The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store • The Boneshaker • The Archive Undying • (The Scorpio Races) • Camilla

Total: 18 (audiobook: 15 / ebook: 3)

I started my month off by finishing my reread of The Scorpio Races on November 1, as is right and proper :) This has consistently been my favorite of Maggie's books, and it never feels right the years that I haven't reread it. I think I hit the right method this year and rather than binging it or following a structured reread (which would be cool, if you could match the timeline of the book) I listened to the audiobook on and off throughout Oct and finished it off in one last burst one the 1st. I think this is some of Maggie's best writing, but I also admit I am no longer able to judge this one objectively and will save you all the sales pitch for now :)

The Archive Undying was...confusing. It wasn't that I couldn't follow what was happening on the sentence level or in the immediate present, but try zooming out to the larger picture and I was lost. It was hazy, very much like a fever dream. I would not be opposed to trying some of the author's other work in the future, but I have no interest in revisiting this book/series, and wouldn't really recommend.

The Boneshaker has been sitting on my bookshelf for years ever since I picked it up at a library book sale, and it's managed to survive every shelf purge since. And I'm glad it did! It's a strange MG/YA book about a girl, her bicycle, a small western town just off a crossroads, a snakeoil salesman, his medicine show, and deals with the devil. It was fascinating! I've been almost tempted to send a copy to Sydnee McElroy just for fun. I will definitely be investigating the author's other series.

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - I got tempted into this one because the Book Riot Podcast couldn't stop singing it's praises, and then it started making some of the year end/best of lists and... it's ok I guess? I don't really get the hype, tbh, and I got close to DNFing because it just wasn't interesting. I was at least forewarned that the "murder mystery" in the marketing was overblown, but I am here to tell you to ignore its existence completely. There is no mystery, there isn't really even a murder, and it doesn't happen until the end of the book anyway. I fully admit this was just not a book for me, and anyone who wants to read it I wish you well.

Not much to say about my Murderbot reread, other than choosing to give the audiobooks a break and rereading in a text format was an excellent choice, I really feel like I've picked up on a lot of things I didn't before, and it gives me time to think about things (I have some questions about the actual irl existence of rogue secunits, tbh). This is my second full time trough the series, and I think Exit Strategy is maybe the weakest solo link in the original quartet, but that makes me very happy to have the newer books as well. And I have to say it, FUGITIVE TELEMETRY IS BETTER IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

Dracula Daily wrapped up this month, so I'm probably not the only one to have Dracula show up on their reading list. I listened to most of it via RE: Dracula, which I appreciated so much for helping keep me on track this year. I probably won't follow along next year, but big thanks to everyone for helping me learn to enjoy a book I hated both times I had to read it for school! I'll still be percolating that Greenwing & Dart AU somewhere in the back of my mind in the meantime.

I picked up the idea of "sparking joy" from the general internet and have found it hugely helpful in letting go of things in life, so I've been meaning to pick up The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up for a while, and was finally spurred into it when I picked up a copy at goodwill. I found some actionable advice in Kondo's method, but sooo much of the book felt like a sales pitch on how following this method could fix everything wrong in your life (and I mean *everything*). It left a very bad taste in my mouth - I think a workbook or checklist could be useful, but wouldn't recommend the book itself.

Salt Magic Skin Magic is a historical fantasy with magic, adventure, and a gay romance, which is so entirely in my wheelhouse. It hit all the same points I tend to find/enjoy in KJ Charles' work, and I had such a good time reading this - no surprise, apparently she helped edit this! Thanks to the HOTE discord group for reccing this one, I'll definitely be checking out some of the author's other work!

If you didn't know, Who Goes There? is the short story that the movie The Thing was based on - which I have not seen, but I went on a brief dive into antarctic exploration/horror in anticipation of this month's book club (All the White Spaces, which I actually read for last month but that meeting got delayed) and this popped up pretty quickly. It was available from the library and short, so why not?! The beginning felt a little rough, but I would have loved to see the tension of the main plot drawn out even longer. Liked this a lot better than the actual book club book, but I don't know that I'll watch any of the adaptations.

The Bell in the Fog - Lavender House sequel! I was so glad when this was announced; I love queer books, historical books, a mystery with a lead who actually does some detecting, and a character trying to find themselves and their community? Absolute catnip for me. It also doesn't pull its punches about the violence and injustices faced by the queer community, so it's definitely a bit darker than my usual tastes and will have to try hard to make it onto my favorites list. But if the author continues to write these I will absolutely pick them up.

The Art of Destiny - bless the library for not dragging their heels on the audiobook for this sequel, but lucky me, they did finally add the first book in time for me to get them both in the same year. Unlucky me, this does not appear to be the end of this series D: third book when??? Anyway, I won't deny that these books move a little slowly, but when they move, they move. If you want a big fantasy that's diverse, funny, cartoonish but epically violent, has a cast of all ages, and centers it's story on non-romantic relationships - this is so good, come join me in wailing for a book 3 announcement.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler has lived in the back of my mind for a while as a favorite childhood book of a booklr friend who is sadly no longer on tumblr, but who I say hi to occasionally on other sites - anyways, I found a copy at goodwill and took it as a sign. This one's for you, Lourdes! If I'd found this as a kid, I probably would have reread it a lot, that's how I was too lol. For now, it was a fine read, but I don't think it'll have a lasting hold. Any fans interested in more middle grade about fine art might check out the Chasing Vermeer series by Blue Balliett.

The Ghosts of Trappist - I think it's impossible for me to not enjoy myself reading this series (NeoG), but this one was a bit of a backslide from the improvements in book 2. On one hand - a very ambitious plot, probably the least soap-operaish of the bunch, and I loved the emotional arcs (and the possible ART/murderbot reference?). On the other - over a dozen pov characters is too too many. my god. I think a tighter focus could have done a world of good, but if this is also where the series wraps up I'd be totally satisfied. I'll definitely check out the author's other series.

I admit, rereading The Scorpio Races sparked something in me and now I'm determined to set off on a full Maggie Stiefvater read/reread, starting with The Raven Boys. I really loved this when it first came out, but my interested petered out as the series progressed and I started college, and I haven't touched the spinoff yet. My impression from the first book is still that Maggie's writing is so goddam beautiful. Her sentences make me want to weep, but for me there's so much focus on the line that I'm constantly losing track of the big picture. I'm still enjoying myself, but I feel like I'm coasting a lot on nostalgia and aesthetic between moments of a story - though is it me, or does she write a lot in scenes/vignettes, rather than a constant flowing story? I've found some success in centering myself by imagining the scenes as depicted by a CW supernatural teen show of my high school years and it's quite lovely, actually - I can't believe the TV show plans got dropped and never picked up again. We'll have to see how the rest of the series goes.

Genuinely, I can't believe that I read Station Eternity earlier this year and that the sequel, Chaos Terminal, is out already. Despite liking the author's first book (Six Wakes) and normally liking the tropes they're playing with here, I did not like the first book. No idea why I read the second one then (hope?), but it was better, definitely! I still didn't like it. No idea if I'll finally call it quits on this series or get lured into another one if it gets written.

The Moonstone was an unexpected surprise! I made it to November still 2 books short on my 6 classics challenge and panicked when the first one ended up dnf'd - what if this one was bad too??? But I really should know better, give me a half decent mystery and entertaining characters, and I'll be fine. And it was epistolary! I had a good time groaning over all of the characters foibles and quirks, even if I spent the whole time just going, Hey Guys? you could avoid all of this if you just let the nice Indian men have their diamond back. Good fun if you like a mystery and have some patience.

My only DNF this month was the previously mentioned classic - from the moment I decided on a classics challenge, I knew I wanted to try something by Frances Burney given how much I liked her novel Evelina. Unfortunately for me, the only one the library had on audiobook was Camilla... and it was 37 hours long. I gave it a shot, but only made it about 3 hours in. I really do applaud Burney for her ability to create characters who are intentionally/unintentionally causing harm even if they sometimes have the best of intentions. It's absurd, truly, but I'm not in a place I can take that right now - especially since the victims were children, and it happened *repeatedly*. I think if I was to try this one again I'd need to take it slowly in small parts.

Am I horribly wrong about anything? Do you have any classics you'd recommend for next year?

[scratterbrained]

Apparently Maggie Smith died. First The Queen and now her, they’re some of the last of a dying species, blink next thing you know the undying Dolly Parton’s dead too

[darkesttimelinestuff]

"Come with me, hurry."

Day 17 of Fictober brings us the cooler Scully brother.

Prompt #13 - "Come with me, hurry."

Find the rest of my stuff here

As family dinners with the Scullys go, tonight’s was pretty easy. Maggie had it catered, Mulder had really hit it off with Charlie and his partner, and Bill was away at sea. 

Easy. 

The family gathered in the living room after dinner, satiated and happy, passing too many wine bottles around, chatting carefree. Scully pressed firmly into Mulder’s side and things felt right. He was no longer a wanted man. His family was, once again, growing.

“We need another embarrassing Scully children story!” said Charlie’s partner, Rob.

“Maybe one about Bill,” Charlie suggested. “Since he’s not here to defend himself.”

“Oh my goodness,” Maggie laughed, “One time, when Bill Jr. was about 3, he went out with Dad. I forget where they went, but… oh, geez I feel terrible telling this story, since he isn’t here.”

“Come on, Mom!” Scully encouraged.

“Okay, okay! So Bill and dad were out, and it must have been a preschool function. Bill and Dad went to the bathroom and when they came back out, Bill shouted to everyone, all the kids and parents there, ‘Hey guys, guess what! My dad peed in the sink!’” 

A raucous laughter erupted in the room. 

“What?” Charlie asked.

“Bill had never seen a urinal before!” Maggie explained through laughing tears. “And that’s how he described it to the other kids.” She took a breath and composed herself. “Well, Dad was so embarrassed that he took Bill and left immediately. Never did a school function again until Bill was in middle school and we were several states away!”

“That is the best story I’ve ever heard!” Mulder declared. 

Scully leaned in, whispered, "Come with me, hurry," clutching his arm and leading him into the kitchen.

“What’s wrong, Scully?” Mulder asked. 

She stood close, rubbing herself on him. “Nothing…” she replied. “I just… I miss your body.”

Mulder stepped back a fraction of an inch. She felt amazing and that was a problem with her mom and brother within hearing distance. Neither one of them was quiet during sex. 

“Maybe we can go upstairs,” he whispered in her ear, against his better judgment.

“Mulder,” she purred into his neck. “I like the way you think.”

“Guest room?”

They rushed up the stairs, laughter echoing below. 

Safely enclosed in the guest room, they were all hands and mouths and tanged tongues. Mulder rubbed between Scully’s legs until her knees gave out, then guided her to the bed. She rubbed his cock through his pants until it ached and he had to set it free. She lay on the bed and he hitched up her skirt, hid under like a secret fort blanket, kissed her through her soaking undies until she shuddered and then relaxed. 

“One more time,” Mulder said, stroking his throbbing member. He slipped her panties to the side this time, his tongue working her crevices diligently. 

Just as Scully began to arch off the bed, as she bit her hand to stifle a groan, the door burst open. 

“I knew it!” Charlie exclaimed and shut the door.

[firebuug]

HELLOO!! waving really really fast :] 4, 9 and 26 for the oc ask game mmmaybe?

HII looks at u with giant boba eyes. sorry this gets really long because u asked me a music related question. this is unavoidable

4. How did you find the name for a certain character?

god so a lot of my ocs come pre-named, like my lobcorp ocs (all randomly generated ingame) and some of my town of salem ocs (buggy comes from the firebug skin, skuggy is just...sk (serial killer) buggy....) but i think i can list some (slightly more) interesting ones :3

will (my g corp housefly limbus oc) comes from the author of the poem he comes from, william blake

maggie (one of the names of julian's boss) comes from maggot lol

adànor (my dnd character based off...adam lobcorp) was difficult because i was stressin like "uhhhghh how do you name an elven characterrrrrr" but i found this fun website and used it to come up with a first and last name! i chose the prefix Adàn because it's literally jsut the spanish way to say adam lol....also bcuz im hispanic and it sounds better than just a d a m .... used the suffix -or because it sounded nicest and elfy lol, it also means flower (just according to this little site) which is fun. his last name is caldeth which sounds epic but also means eternal faith which...fits his character lol. i pulled up a bunch of name meanings for adàn and used the one i liked most LMFAO so in the early days of the campaign (when he was still innocent.......and very egotistical lol) he'd introduce himself like "i am adànor caldeth, which means earth flower of undying faith . . " or some pretentious shit like that. it was pretty funny while it lasted

bierrab kaluk (my aaracokra dnd character, which is a giant bird) is literally just mangled up "birb" and "cluck" LOL. my friend fuzz helped me come up w this one and it stuck

5. What is one of your character’s theme songs?

GIGGLES....so this is difficult bc i have whole playlists for ocs rather than single songs, but i can definitely go through and pick out the songs that fit the most for them?

julian is hard because you kind of need the Whole playlist to get a gist of all of the multitudes he is made up of. man stuck in a time loop. man who is exhausted but keeps running anyways. man who cant stop thinking he is full of bugs and worms. man who is deeply in love with someone who keeps dying. but my friend showed me a few songs that really clicked so i can say that as of rn the most julie themes are for the departed and rule 21: momento mori :3

eva. grabs him so hard squeezes him SHAKES HIM AROUND SO HARD. his are piedmont by destroy boys (the autism. the alienation of being raised on one track his whole life isolated from normality (he was a nestie raised solely to work at a wing) and having nothing in common with anyone because all he was allowed to be was a success story. nostalgia for memories he's never had (time loops erased except for little bits and pieces from past abnormalities. he woke up one day knowing how to play perfect piano from la luna). blue. dissociation. eva song fr) and usseewa by ado (if youve listened to this song you know. corporate slave anger and rage. u get it). as a bonus his distortion themes r machine gun poem doll by cosMo-P and abnormality dancin girl by guchiry

adanor's is 100% cannibal by tally hall im so fucking normal about this i can't explain it completely but it fits in line with how his plot went and its. grips . GRIPSSSSS GRIPS he's haunted by his dead wife. to the point where he will undergo horrors and get actually ripped apart for her if its what she wants. he ends up getting manipulated by an evil entity disguising herself as his dead wife into sevrving her by doing exactly that. and he just believed it was her because she loves him and would do him no wrong. hiding in the corners disguised....he's really idolizing the blood moonstone and not his dead wife and he had no idea....until he finally opens his eyes later on but it's too late he's been consumed by what's manipulated him and it's left a permanent scar onto him he doesn't think he'll be able to redeem himself from.....grins so hard my teeth fall out

narae has hall of fame by jeff rosenstock. he has a specific brainrot that causes him to think everyone is out to get him and he needs to constantly be proving himself. he needs to be the one on top at all times etc etc he needs to be competitive until he dies

ummm bonus but. julipede's theme song is bug by kairiki bear teehee. i love how frantic and energetic it is but also u can Feel the paranoia radiating off of it. i love the silly double meaning it has for julipede because bug as in "disease / glitch / illness" ya but also BUG BC HES A BUG.......also i. cant pick apart the lyrics rn but. um. he's . Yeah

26. What’s your favorite relationship/dynamic between a set of OCs?

IDK IF YOU CAN TELL BUT IM A BIG FAN OF DUBIOUSLY ONE-SIDED FRIENDSHIPS. i love it when some guy is so sure he is this other guy's best friend but that other guy wants him to die so so so badly. and the other guy refuses to admit that the only reason he hasnt beat the other guy into a pulp is because that guy genuinely makes his life a little better. this is the julian + eva dynamic and it is also the dynamic between buggy and skuggy the alternate universe besties / twins . also the dynamic between salamander and narae...i just really like it ok.

[slugbitex]

Gettin' Closer | Ineffable Husbands OPEN

Hello, I'm currently looking for a roleplay partner interested in pursuing a Good Omens related roleplay! I know I'm late on the season 2 bandwagon, however I'm forever searching for someone who is as interested in these two, just as much as I am.

For pairings I hope to further explore the dynamic between Aziraphale and Crowley, however I may be convinced to dabble into Nina and Maggie later on.

Currently I am only looking for those who are ABOVE the age of 19, as I am 22 myself and only feel comfortable roleplaying with those my own age. If you are younger, please, find your roleplay elsewhere. Otherwise, I will simply block and ignore your message.

I am a multi-paragraph, literate/novella style role-player, looking for someone who is the same. I've tried the one line thing, and I just couldn't get into it. Although I firmly believe in quality over quantity, my responses never dip below 5 paragraphs, and I only ask the same in return. On average I can write upwards to 1,000 words, replying regularly on a free day.

My time-zone is currently CST, though I don't have a preference for my partner.

As far as the roleplay itself goes, I'm heavily addicted to angst and the character development it offers. Darker themes and emotions, paired with the beautiful agony of an unreciprocated romance is just chef's kiss, and I only hope you agree! I love fluff as much as anyone else, however it just comes across as meaningless if there isn't a build-up to the event. I want their relationship to simply feel real.

That being said, I am completely fine with NSFW themes! However, I require a reasonable amount of build-up between the characters for this to happen. If it seems unnatural, then it's just awkward. It's meant to be the "cherry on top", more or less - not the main focus.

When it comes to ideas and plots, I don't have a lot in mind. Though, here's a few vague starters and word clusters to get us going!

Fallen Angel - One way or another, Aziraphale has been deemed unfit for heaven, and is given away to the boiling pits of tar and Sulphur. Was this warranted? Was he framed, or set up? Who knows! This is mostly meant to explore what happens during an angel's fall, and how their dynamic would change due to this. This could also take place after the ending of season two, and results in the angel seeking out his dear friend's help.

Season 2, take two - In this idea, the events at the end of season two are relatively the same. However this time, Crowley said yes. Why? Who knows! Could have been his undying love, or could have been something more sinister in relation to the Metatron. This idea is fun, and could explore the toxic relationship between Crowley and Heaven further, and how that effects his love for Aziraphale.

After the Kiss - This follows the canon events of Season 2, and is basically meant to flesh out what happens after their kiss in episode six. How do they rekindle that relationship? Does Aziraphale need Crowley's help? Does Crowley need Aziraphale's help? It's pretty vague and open to ideas.

Anyways! Unfortunately, that's all I have for now. If you're interested, please message me with a small introduction about your roleplay style, and if you have any ideas! A simple "hey, want to roleplay?" will be ignored. The more enthusiastic you are to work with me, the more I am to work with you.

Thank you, have a good day/night!

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Oh Maggie, I'm exhausted and my heart is utterly destroyed after finishing "Have you no idea that you're in deep?" I loved them so much, Moonstone and Silver. Your female OCs are always so amazing, so well written. I loved her strength, her wit, her craft, her relationship with Aegon, letting out his best for her, as always! Now I know why you are "famous" for this fic because it's perfect even though the end destroys every little part of sanity that is left in the one who's reading it. There were tears in my eyes as i realized what Aemond was about to witness but your writing is so perfect, so deep, so powerful that i couldn't stop. Thank you for all your stories, you're the real Stargirl ❤❤❤

I'M THE REAL STARGIRL???????? 🥹🥹😭😭

Marvelous magical miraculous Melissa, how could I ever thank you for your wonderfully kind words?! HYNITYID was my first-ever HOTD fic, and what a way to start out, at least I didn't try to hide the fact that I write criminally angsty stories and deserve a life sentence 😂 It's also the fic where I discovered my undying love for Aegon about halfway through, which I think is pretty noticeable!

You have been suffering through my fics for so long now and I appreciate your love for these characters so, so, so much. Thank you for forgiving me for the infamous 🌙🪨 incident...it is (probably) the saddest thing I'll ever write. 💜