#RECs

[metamatar]

highly highly rec the ongoing series 'thawra' about arab radicalism on the dig podcast. it features palestinian and arab history scholar Abdel Razzaq Takriti. the spotify playlist includes the 13 episodes released so far.

the first episode opens with the changing social forces in the ottoman and european imperialism in the arab mashriq from the late 18th century through the early 20th. scene setting includes understanding notions of modernisation, the relationship between a new intellectual class and the small working class, and the context of palestinian resistance to a late colonisation project and its relationship with algeria.

[literatureaesthetic]

june '24 favs:

a storm of swords ; george r r martin — third book in the 'a song of ice and fire' series, and it may just be my fav instalment yet. i was left utterly speechless over the plot twists in here. one of the best examples of modern fantasy.

the lost daughter ; elena ferrante — it's elena ferrante, of course it's on this list. an intimate character study of leda, a divorcee who suddenly finds herself with zero responsibilities after her daughters move away. a poignant, visceral look into motherhood (girlies with mummy issues, tread with caution😭)

giovanni's room ; james baldwin — the iconic gay, parisian classic. this was my first baldwin, and it's definitely not going to be my last. i haven't been this enthralled by the writing in a classic since 'the picture of dorian gray'. beautiful, gut-wrenching, a must-read for anyone into the classics!!

[ystrike1]

Regas - By Lee kkeut (9/10)

A cursed draconian bloodline, damaged beyond repair. Power became debauchery. A sacred partnership became twisted. The magical fantasy forest was set ablaze. The gorgeous castle is spotless, but the royal quarters are full of filth and decaying animal bodies.

What is the source of this madness?

I love manufactured madness. I absolutely love fantasy stories with real grit and flaws and pain.

The Regas is a special title that belongs only to dragon tamers. In the olden days the Regas reined in the dragon king. The Royal Bloodline is blessed with dragon blood! A gift given from an all powerful dragon to humanity! The royal line is magical, and ultra strong, and smart. They are the perfect rulers, but they are too distant from humanity. The Regas is a necessity. A force that keeps the dragon-king human. The system worked well, for many generations.

Now, it has been ruined by corruption.

The dragon bloodline has weakened. When a strong prince is born the palace doesn't know how to raise a mixed breed human properly.

Disaster is on the horizon.

Abel is a Regas in training. There are many dragon taming masters who compete for influence within the royal family and the palace. Now that the dragon line is very weak Regas families simply work in the library, politics, and as palace aides.

The position of Regas still exists, but it's exclusively populated by beautiful men that do not last long.

You see the Regas is traditionally male. It was an honorable position where the King would receive consult about magic and morals for a lifetime.

Now that the Kings are no longer strong.....the Regas is just eye candy. An extra status symbol for the King, who stands next to his wife.

Abel has been raised the traditional way.

The Duke currently in charge of the rotten palace agrees to meet with him. Abel's master foretold a terrible destiny. The country will be destroyed by draconian wrath! A prince with silver eyes will transform into a dragon, and raze the land! The prophecy cannot be ignored. It came with names. Clues too. Secrets no one should know. Before the silver dragon begins his slaughter madmen drinking a black potion can be seen within the vision. The vengeful prince burns the screaming addicts up first.

Abel gets the position of Regas.

Slight problem. Prince Karas is a non-verbal lizard boy that likes to kill animals. Regular people are extremely afraid of him. A strong dragon heir hasn't appeared in too long. Karas has the natural desire to hunt and train, even though he's only eight. He's totally feral. He bites his maids. 30 pretty Regas candidates have run away from the position screaming.

What makes Abel different?

Well, he was taught the traditional way.

Abel is a huge buff guy with a high pain tolerance. Like, he was literally trained to have those traits. To be tough and resilient and understanding to a fault. Shockingly, raising a child that is part dragon is no easy task. You need to be a lion tamer and a parent!

Karas is so starved for attention that he starts biting Abel, after he decides he likes his Regas. It draws blood and the maids and knights are horrified, but Abel knows. He can see the prince has not been cared for properly. He was locked away. Called a monster. Beaten. Ignored. He hasn't been treated like a prince at all, and the worst part is the regular humans are not at fault. They cannot handle the prince. That is what a Regas is for. The mandatory bond between Dragon-King and Regas was set in stone with the very first blessing. Poor Karas is developmentally stunted! His poor staff members have had to suffer injuries and terror because...you guessed it.

The "new type" of Regas that exists to be pretty window dressing is a scam. A ruse slowly developed by unsavory characters that WANT an unstable, weak Dragon-King.

Short sighted fools are running the castle.

The current King is terrifying. He isn't just a lecherous old drunk. He used to have a Regas he adored. He used to have the will to rule. His Regas was killed due to corruption, and now he treats all the rest like air.

This one, shown briefly, dies lost in the Enchanted Fog Forest.

You see, there's an Enchanted Fog Forest. A place where the King and his Regas can enter to confirm their bond and practice strange magic.

The King’s Regas was murdered right in front of the forest, on purpose. The corrupt forces in the castle do not want the royals to use their real powers. The King is lonely. He was forced into a loveless marriage and more corruption convinced him his wife hated him. So he did treat her badly and now that relationship is broken beyond repair too.

The King does a few little things, to try and help Karas, but he is weak. Weak and drunk and sometimes needlessly cruel.

Karas relies on Abel fully. Its commendable that his father attempts to help, but Karas needs Abel.

The corrupt Duke, of course, slowly poisons Abel to death.

The black liquid is an addictive substance. The Duke gave it to the queen when she became depressed after giving birth to Abel. When Abel was born everyone feared him because of his draconian features. She was ridiculed for birthing a monster. The Duke and his minions preyed on her depression.

She cannot be saved. Her mind is too far gone.

Abel lets the mad Queen hit him. When she hits her "evil" son she gets more drugs, so she often tries to do it. Abel gets in the way, but he never harms the Queen.

He quickly realizes he will die.

He recruits a knight, Ashler, to protect the prince when he is gone.

The Queen goes too far. She uses a fireplace poker to tear her son's eyes out. His accursed eyes. The eyes that made her a laughingstock. A lonely and unloved Queen. It's all his fault. She screams for drugs while she does it.

Abel is not able to get there in time, because he is weakened. During his training his strong body was fortified against poisons, but he's not immortal. He's just well trained.

He was always prepared to die for his King, if he was chosen. Abel wants to prevent the future. He feels like Karas is the silver dragon, even though his eyes are yellow. He wants Karas to learn to protect himself, so he can be happy.

Abel carries Karas to the enchanted forest, to heal his eyes.

He dies there, holding the prince.

Abel was correct.

When Karas wakes up he is ready to plan a counter-attack. A bloody one.

His new eyes are silver.

Years pass.

Melmont is a librarian who had the same master as Abel. He distances himself from the castle to protect his wife after Abel dies. He is a scholar, and he figured out the Duke is the source of the corruption. Sadly, very little can be done.

The Prince is blind.

Abel is dead.

Such secrets have no more meaning.

Abel awakens in a new body. One that looks like a "new" Regas, with pretty looks and a weak body.

He travels to Melmont immediately. He searches for Karas with Melmont.

The Prince reveals his silver eyes. He lied and hid them to keep the Duke in the dark. He's been slowly assassinating people for a long time, in the darkness.

The day of disaster is coming.

Abel must convince Karas before then.

Karas has every right to revenge, but involving innocent people isn't right.

Abel also still cares deeply for Karas, and he wants his king to live a decent life.

When they meet Karas almost kills him.

He has been living solely for revenge.

When Abel was taken from him he did not go mad like his father.

No.

He got even.

The clock is ticking fast.

The slaughter has already begun.

[hiding-in-my-blanket-fort]

Thinking about John Price waking up in the middle of the night to find that you've migrated to the other side of the bed in your sleep which is absolutely not acceptable in his book. So he manhandles you closer, draping your body over him as he buries his nose in your hair and he can finally get back to resting easy with you in his arms.

[uweiy]

🌈Them gay shows 🌈

Finally did it guys! BL Drama recommendations flowchart catered to me. Me only. ME people who might have the same taste as me. Enjoy

[yekokataa]

if you liked disco elysium, you'll also like...

these books:

the southern reach series by jeff vandermeer (2014 for these three books, with a new book coming this fall)

perdido street station by china miéville, the memoirs of stockholm sven by nathaniel ian miller

these games:

the thaumaturge (2024) (yeah, that's rasputin)

NORCO (2022) (underrated point and click narrative game in a near-future new orleans)

kentucky route zero (2013) (it's so fucking good)

pentiment (2022)

these shows:

true detective season 1 (2014) and also season 4 (2024)

the leftovers (2014-2017)

dark (2017-2020) (german show - netflix will try to default to the dubbed version but don't let it!)

[ziseviolet]

Since there's quite a lot of interest in Chinese-inspired cyberpunk and adjacent aesthetics, just wanted to share these neat "Chinese style meets the Matrix"-esque looks from popular brand 大青龙肆/Da Qing Long Si. There's also an English website here.

[androgynealienfemme]

"I was born thirty eight years ago and raised to be a nice Chinese girl. But nice Chinese girls don't grow up to be dykes and rebels. And I turned out to be both.

I grew up on silence. Though I was part of a large extended family, we ate in silence. There was no conversation or laughter, just the sound of soup spoons and chopsticks against rice bowls. I was not encouraged to talk, express emotions, or ask questions. I grew up with a heritage of silence.

I was a girl child, the first born in a traditional Chinese family, raised to be seen but not heard, raised to excel in school but not be curious, raised to be someone's wife but not to be a person of my own. When I was growing up in England, Hong Kong, and San Francisco, I read everything I could get my hands on, but none of the books spoke of my own experience. I started writing when I was eleven years old to fill the silence and to turn the years of rejection into affirmation.

You're probably wondering what the hell any of this h as to do with sex. The answer is- plenty. What I write is shaped by my history and experience as both a Chinese woman and as a lesbian.

Chinese is my first language. But I was fluent only in the words my parents deemed it necessary for me to know. I was certainly not taught the words for breast, cunt, ass, or orgasm. There were no words for sex; therefore, sex did not exist.

I came out as a lesbian when I was twenty-one, but I didn't start writing about sex until almost a decade later. Sure, I wrote love poems, but I never wrote about sex. I was, after all, a nice Chinese girl and we didn't''t talk about things like that. --

I have always loved women passionately. I love the way a femme moves across a dance floor, knowing all eyes are focused on her. I love the hard eye-to-eye look from another butch as she sizes me up as competition- or her next conquest. I love the fluid seduction in a femmes eyes. I love the long line of her neck, her delicate earlobes and soft lips, painted some shade of red or unpainted but deeply flushed from having been kissed long and hard. Many times. I love the curve of her breast, the hardness of her nipples, the softness of her stomach, the fullness of her ass, her legs with a faint covering of hair or long and sleek in black silk stockings. I love the strength of her in her thighs, the firmness of her biceps, the feel of her forearms as she takes me. I love the smell of her heat and the place of pleasure between her legs. I love her ankles and her delicate toes and her soft instep where I run my tongue until my teeth are gripping her Achilles tendon. I love the smell of her, the taste of her, the feel of her, the sight of her. I love women passionately.

--

Some women do not attend my theater or literary events for fear of supporting my sexual politics. I have been accused of recruiting. Never mind that I have a long history of writing, community organizing, and activism. Now I am judged solely for my leather sexuality. It's never been easy being different, but I have always survived. I will continue to speak out, write truths, and make waves. My countryman Mao Zedong wrote, "Dare to struggle, dare to win." I say, dare to write. Dare to be different. And who says nice Chinese girls don't talk about sex?"

"Who Says we Don't Talk About Sex?" Kitty Tsui, The Persistent Desire, (Edited by Joan Nestle) (1992)

[blaiddraws]

some art for @evtraininguniversity 's Recipe Lore au! first picture is In General, and the other stuff is from the end of the first chapter. guy who cries because of some ice cream but like. understandably so tbh

[transformativeworks]

Welcome to Feedback Fest 2024

February 15th's International Fanworks Day is almost here, and OTW is launching another event today. Come leave 10 fandom recs at Feedback Fest or post here and tag your posts with #IFD2024. Read more at https://otw.news/nya

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[biancml]

Favorite Hamptons Places

As you requested, here are my fav community lots with incredible Hamptons/Brindleton aesthetics! You can see that some are not from Brindleton, but fits the vibe and looks great! In the last one, I added more beach stuff, like sand, towels and floats. I'll show how the lots turned out in another post!

01 | By simkhira (cc) @simkhira

02 | By sandysulani (cc) @sandysulani

03 | By xnicole11xx (no cc)

04 | By sweetandsyrupy (no cc)

05 | By 8492348 (no cc)

06 | By applez (cc) @rheya28

Lot size and packs used shown on the gallery. Thanks to the creators!

[ystrike1]

My Cute Stalker - hedoro isaji (7/10)

A man obsessed with locks decides to break into an empty apartment for fun. It's actually occupied, and the resident is a popular handsome man. That man assumes he is a stalker, and he's really into it.

Kunisaki is really dumb when it comes to locks. He's in love with his job. Being a locksmith rocks. He knows everything about locks, and he loves using his skills to break them.

Every day is a happy day for this weird little guy with a weird little hobby.

He hears about a building his capable senior could not unlock.

He sneaks in.

He has his fun.

He breaks in.

His senior forgot to mention the unit is occupied. The owner immediately goes crazy when he sees Kunisaki.

He's crazy.

He's had lots of lovers. Lots of stalkers too. Kunisaki is the cutest one, so he says yes.

Even though Kunisaki isn't offering anything.

The owner is creepy, but the pacing us crazy fast.

The owner takes pictures of him...out of affection...so he has to go back.

The owner indulges him.

They start playing with locks. Specifically with hand cuffs.

He starts to love it.

[hiding-in-my-blanket-fort]

Gentle!Price with a skittish, touch starved Reader who notices when you flinch or shy away from something as innocent as his knuckles brushing your cheek.

Gentle!Price who wants you to feel safe with him, not crowded or pressured, and gives you space to come to him when you're ready. Which you don't do because you don't know how. It's always been safer to keep people at a distance.

Gentle!Price who initiates contact by offering his hand, palm up, for you to accept or refuse on your own time. Sometimes, you accept. But mostly, you refuse. And he never makes you feel bad about it either way.

Gentle!Price who ducks his head with a smile when the two of you are out for a walk and you link your little finger with his. Or press your leg against his under the dinner table.

Gentle!Price who stands before you after dinner one night and slowly brings his hands up, studying your expression to see how you'll react. When he cups his palms to your face, it's wonderful and overwhelming and you're not breathing but you're not running away either, so you take that as a win. "There you go, love," he murmurs softly, because he always speaks softly around you. "That's not so bad, is it?"

Gentle!Price who waits with endless patience as you reach across the gap between the two of you with shaky fingers and trip over his belt, wander up the buttons of his coat, and rest your hand against the solid warmth of his chest. He knows how hard that was for you but it's a sign of how far you've conquered together.

Gentle!Price who always leaves an available space on the couch for you beside him. Just in case you need it. When you walk through his door after a long day and drop beside him, burying your face in his shoulder with a grumble because people suck and I really missed you, he just gives that delicious deep rumbling laugh you've come to love so much and tugs you more fully into his arms with a kiss to the top of your head.

Masterlist

[infamous-if]

unsolicited recs from an if author to other if authors but if anyone is looking for any programs that may be helpful in outlining interactive fiction I def recommend scrapple which is a chart based program thats really helpful in breaking down scenes that branch! for example, this is how it helped me break down chapter 2!

and I have recently discovered Plottr that im going to use for my rewrite and it looks really useful so far! (excuse the "something happens" example I was just trying to show how it looks lols)

they aren't completely free but they do offer free trials. I do think scrapple is 100% worth the money and have been using it religiously for years. ive just started using Plottr but I like it so far!

and unrelated but if you like keeping track of your work or you like setting deadlines: pacemaker is amazing for that hehe (and the free version has all the features you need!)

anyway this sounds sponsored but it's not! I've just been using them and thought it'd be nice to share for people who work best with visual aids when writing like me!

[shesnake]

i feel like you're The Person to ask this so: do you have movie recs for people who love iwtv? just realized the end of s2 is near and i will absolutely go through iwtv withdrawal...

Hello, sorry for taking so long to respond I have been Thinking. I've already made a list of lesbian films that Armand reminds me of so here is my Louis de Pointe du Lac film canon. sorry not a lot of these are about vampires or even technically horror (and so probs not what you're after, feel free to send another message with a more specific vibe) but I just Feel him in these and it's hurting! what terrible horrible amazing show...

Happy Together

Ganja & Hess

Thirst 2009

Pain and Glory

The Father 2020

Decision to Leave

Saint Omer

Anatomy of a Fall

Four Daughters

Touki Bouki

The Servant 1963

Memento

Now Voyager

Samui Song

The Deep Blue Sea (NTL 2016 version preferably!)

Three Colours: Blue

It's Only the End of the World

Autumn Sonata