#To bring science and queerness and writing together

[stardustedknuckles]

"A dyke, according to geology, is a sheet of magma born in a fracture. Dykes are best understood as the veins of a volcano, coursing hot and varicose toward the surface to erupt. Because of this, dykes are always younger than the body of rock in which they’ve made their home. Born differently than the mother rock, they make their presence known in rebel coloration: black against white, striped against mottled, crystal against sand. Geologists consider dykes intrusive formations, in part because they were formed underground until exposed."

-From Dyke (Geology) by Sabrina Imbler

[horsetailcurlers2]

YET ANOTHER long and obnoxious stream of my thoughts while watching greys anatomy for the first time (SEASON EIGHTEEN bc i’m nearly caught up!)

-i don’t like teddy and owen getting married but teddy looks really cute

-why did it take me a ridiculously long time to remember who the fuck nick marsh is

-why would he ask her to marry him a THIRD time after her second no

-this is a really interesting storyline about the racial assumptions still being the bases of some diagnostic formulas. i remember a science teacher in middle or high school trying to tell us that black people have less nerve endings which is such an insidious myth

-i don’t know how i feel about blonde jo you guys. it’s a little disconcerting. like when ur a little kid and your dad shaves his beard for the first time and it makes you cry

-i like that the show gradually got a lot more queer over time

-“she’s like my sister. you’re like my sister” IS IT ADDISON? IS ADDISON COMJNV ???? my love

-i’ll forgive the cheesy dialogue bc she looks great

-ik it’s a logistics thing with the actors but it would make a lot of sense if jake was here working on uterine transplants too considering he was really interested in it when he was introduced in PP. like, i feel like it would just make a lot of sense for this clinical trial to be a joint endeavor, especially considering he’s the fertility specialist

-addie’s scrub cap!!!

-while i’m at it, i really wish we’d gotten addison scenes or mention when derek died. this elevator scene is great and i love it but i think it’s often minimized how big of a part addison played in his AND amelia’s lives. like obviously i get it. it would be weird to bring up your brothers ex wife in front of his grieving widow but in my head i think addison could have really been there for amelia because they could have shared memories that meredith wasn’t there for. and at the time meredith had no interest in grieving with amelia. like, they were together for a decade and a half. just because they’re no longer married doesn’t mean that death wouldn’t have hit hard. especially because mark is gone too.

-“there was tension” yeah and they should kiss about it

-they forgot how to write addison a little bit. also the convo with amelia feels really ooc. i get it’s showing how the pandemic fucked with everybody’s mental health but “truly hate” is a bit much and …. “i hate that for you” ???????? what

-my bestie tom looks good with a little gray in his hair

-ooh! meredith is in her kicky heeled boots era. love it

-i really like maggie’s hair this season

-bailey’s timeline is so fucking confusing. she was still a resident in seasons four and five (which span one year) which means she must have only been a fourth year in seasons 1-3 (also one year). yet she’s seen having way more authority and autonomy than any other class of residents had at her level. and she’s always going on and on about how she’s responsible for shaping and teaching meredith and her year of residents… which yeah sure but not in a very large capacity until maybe later on bc she was only a fourth year resident when they met. i’m so lost.

-i’m getting a little tired of the random car crashes you guys

-i’m not invested in link/amelia tbh but jo/link doesn’t interest me at all. none of the relationships are interesting rn

-oh my god this scene with all the blood and the waterfall on the podcast is so unsettling. there’s no way they’re going to continue the webber method after this

-i know it’s not going to happen and i know this makes me sound like a horrible person but god i would love it if hayes left and owen died in this car rn

-OH MY GOD OWEN TOTALLY KILLED THAT GUY AND HE TOLD HAYES BC HE THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA DIE, RIGHT? is that what they’re hinting at with hayes bringing up mercy killings to meredith? bc that would make this boring episode interesting to me

-link has a right to be upset but he’s pissing me off. he’s rewriting history and hasn’t been listening to amelia at all since the initial proposal

-didn’t they used to do m&m s in a much bigger lecture hall?

-i think the show was not necessarily less cheesy and melodramatic in season one but i will say that the cheesiness and melodrama was much more fun when everyone had flip phones and they were playing tegan & sara and the script in the background. not to mention everything is far too well lit and high def now it makes their bad choices look less sexy.

-now that farouk is older he looks really familiar. i’m trying to figure out what else i’ve seen him in

-“she’s ruined every good thing in my life” i feel for link, i really do, but i am so done with his whining.

-little ellis looks SO MUCH like ellis senior it’s insane. a+ casting

-owen sucks (x9)

-i was just reminded of that time in the earlier seasons when teddy and cristina’s patient wanted physician assisted suicide or something and owen got all weird and angry about it and overstepped a bunch. and now look at what he did. huh

-bailey needs to take several hundred seats

-addison looks so good !!!!!!!!

-do you guys remember a couple of seasons ago when jackson wasn’t gonna do that new bottom surgery for the trans woman and catherine yelled down the hallway “jackson avery!! i thought you were woke!!” ? that’s me rn but with teddy.

-am i supposed to like link??? is it an unpopular opinion that i don’t

-i feel like kai doesn’t vibe with kids and i think they should be up front about it before things get more serious

-i would play boggle with teddy :(

-ooh they’re using songs from the early seasons’ soundtrack

-let her LEAVE!!! why is nobody else taking any responsibility for the state of things. this in no way should fall on meredith’s shoulders. bailey especially! i get that she’s stretched too thin but that’s part of the problem.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

University (6) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five

(and I spent all night) stuck on the puzzle (ao3) - carltzmann

Summary: It's Phil's first week of his final year of university, so really, he should be used to it by now. He should be able to behave normally when the cute guy down the hall is stepping out of the shower at the same time he's entering the bathroom.

Evidently not.

begin and never cease (ao3) - palomeheart

Summary: Dan is a grumpy second year law student living with reclusive, perpetual grad student named Phil. When the holiday season brings out a side of Phil that Dan’s never seen before, Meanwhile, when Phil finds out Dan hates all things festive, he makes it his goal to change Dan’s mind before Christmas. And also to find the perfect mince pie.

Change Will Come (ao3) - rainbowchristy

Summary: Dan’s a depressed university student. Phil’s just a cute coffee shop barista who writes notes on Dan’s hot chocolates.

Electrify My Heart (ao3) - counting2fifteen

Summary: Dan Howell picks his college major almost at random. Even after a gap year, he doesn’t know what he wants to do, so he supposes he might as well pick whatever will make him the most employable and impress the largest number of his relatives. Within his first semester, he knows he made a mistake and switches out. Except Dan’s major isn’t law. It’s computer science, and Phil is his TA.

Five Seconds (ao3) - starboydjh

Summary: Five seconds in a dusty university bookshop one night is all it takes to change Dan the work study master's student and Phil the PhD candidate’s lives for the better.

Flatmates (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: oh my god they were flatmates / the fuckboy!phil au we all deserve

give me all your hopeless hearts (ao3) - itsmyusualphannie (itsmyusualweeb)

Summary: Dan is a university student who doesn't believe in love, but when Valentine's Day rolls around, he feels himself suddenly falling for the boy who sits next to him in his writing 101 class. When they're assigned a project together, Dan has the brilliant idea to ask Phil out - for research!

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”

i don't know why (i can't keep my eyes off of you) (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Starting a new university is hard enough without Phil having to convince his best friend PJ he doesn't have a crush on their other flatmate, Dan. He definitely does not have a crush on Dan.

knowing the way (ao3) - watergator (orphan_account)

Summary: dan meets phil at a party

based on the line in BIG, "trust me, i've known a lot of straight guys until a couple of drinks, some deep conversation and lingering eye contact, and suddenly they just start leaning in."

light through an open door (ao3) - queerofcups

Summary: The only thing Dan’s trying to do is finish grad school and avoid talking about the very public crash and burn of his last relationship as much as possible. Meeting Phil, who’s working on his PhD in Philosophy, just like Dan’s ex was, is a coincidence. Now Dan’s just trying to finish grad school, avoid talking about his very public break up and try his hardest not to fall for a man who might hurt him the same way he’s been hurt before.

Pictures Of You (ao3) - CanDanAndPhilNot (enbycalhoun)

Summary: Punk Phil and (softish) Dan find out they are roommates after a couple stressful encounters.

Project with Phil (ao3) - Cuddlelester

Summary: Dan is an art student in his second year of college when he meets Phil, a film student in the same school. After getting paired for a project about queer expression they begin to grow close. Even though falling in love wasn't in the outline for the project, it had definitely happened.

robot in the dorms (ao3) - itsmyusualphannie (itsmyusualweeb)

Summary: dan goes to university in florida and meets his roommate phil. after a few months, and despite dan's facade of disinterest, he begins to actually like phil and his nerdy ways. the robot that phil designs doesn't help.

or: another "oh my god they were roommates" fic but COOLER because robots

snails kissing (ao3) - cloud-gays (wind_brewed)

Summary: Phil wants to be smooched and Dan wants to rescue snails.

Also called: Dan: the snail saviour; and Phil: the “maybe the real snails saved were the cuties we met along the way” guy.

snuggle up close, let me hold your pieces in place, even if just for a night (ao3) - natigail

Summary: It was just one thing after another really.

Broken down bus with a whole class of freshers.

Dingy hotel room that was cold as fuck.

No one wanting to share a room with Dan.

But then the TA Phil stepped up to the plate and defended Dan. Of course, it meant that the two of them ended up sharing a bed, and then the heater had to break. It's the perfect excuse for sharing body warmth and confessions.

Soft Speak with a Mean Streak (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: Phil was a lonely film student; Dan was a mysterious new classmate he got stuck in with for a big project. It was only a matter of time and the right circumstances.

The Literal Other Half (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)

Summary: Dan arrives at Manchester University and feels a bit lost, luckily he gets an upperclassman as a tour guide and mentor of sorts. Coffee dates, friends and a lot of laughter finally enter his life - along with love.

This Could be the End of Everything (ao3) - rainbowchristy

Summary: Dan’s finally starting university, the phase of his life he’s been waiting for since he was a small child. His first real chance at freedom, away from his parents. Unfortunately, the universe has other plans for him.

time won't be enough, to make you fall in love (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: phil lester's first year of university, and how he's oblivious to how much he and dan howell like each other

Unlocked Doors (ao3) - TearDrop1234

Summary: Prompt: a university getting together au

What Phil Saw (ao3) - counting2fifteen

Summary: After their first night together, Phil knows he made a mistake sleeping with one of his students. Dan disagrees, but he's too busy having a crisis about his major to press the issue too much.

Or, the conversation Dan and Phil had after their first night together in Electrify my Heart, from Phil's point of view.

When the Weather Breaks (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Sitting across from Phil on that worn out velvet Starbucks sofa, sharing sickeningly sweet coffees and what they would like to think were hushed giggles, was the first time Dan felt a glimpse at what real love could feel like.

or

Perception checks, pining, and peppermint mochas.

with a bullet (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: phil returns to his room after a party thrown by his housemates only to discover that there’s already someone in his bed

[eternalwritess]

Hey, I'm that anon that was matched with Charlie a while back (the one with the soy sauce packets). I was wondering if you could match me with one of the Helluva Boss characters?

It's the same info as before \/

I'm a bisexual aroace (If you've heard of "demiromantic"; that's how I experience romantic attraction). I use he/it/they pronouns.

I'm an INFP, though I have gotten ISTP sometimes. I usually keep to myself around strangers, and my first words to people that I'm not introduced by friends are usually just work-related with a bit of small talk (even in fandom spaces, surprisingly). Once I get comfortable around people, I tend to let my childish nature and antics shine through, and once I consider you a friend, it's hard to ever fully shake me off. My friends sometimes call me an "old grandpa", with the way I know a lot of random psychology and biology facts, and the way I fumble with new technology, slang, and texting acronyms. My love of non-fiction and my adherence to grammar rules certainly doesn't help. Simultaneously, they (lovingly) call a 12-year-old boy, with the way I don't hesitate to pull out a "your mom" or "that's what she said" to the conversation and with the way that I almost exclusively watch animated movies and shows over live action ones. I carry with me 15 packets of soy sauce in fish-shaped sachets in my (several) pockets. Why? Because I think it's funny, and the confusion I bring to those around me with my soy collection gives me a sense of joy. (I do other things of a similar calibre, but I wanted to name an example) Despite all of this, I tend to gravitate towards the "Mom Friend" archetype. I carry with me a lot of people pleasing tendencies (I get a lot of anxiety around not upsetting others), and that translates to making sure that the people around me are happy. I also tend to fill a "Therapist Friend" role because of this fact, my psychology facts, and how intuitive I can be at times. I tend to isolate myself, whether by physically or mentally leaving the room, when I feel upset, and I don't really like talking about negative experiences I have unless those experiences have been resolved.

On a brighter note, I consider myself quite the creative person. I draw a lot, though I usually only draw other characters instead of my own OCs. I have a discord server that I use to jot down either: a) my opinion of a certain media b) images/reactions I find funny/relatable c) infodumps about AUs or crossovers that I've made I don't really write, so I consider "c)" to be the next best thing. I also love music. I listen to mostly indie music, with a couple of generic queer bands thrown in there and a couple of musicals' and video games' OSTs. I play the violin and the trombone, so I may be biased in saying that I love jazz (really doesn't help the "old man" allegations, but who cares). In terms of non-creative hobbies, I love reading. Although I find myself drawn to the odd science non-fiction book, my heart lies in fantasy and mystery novels (this does include webtoons, manga, and webnovels, though I don't read those as much). On the same vein, I love video games (where else would I get those OSTs?). I tend to like story-rich games that are either turn-based (think Undertale) or no combat (think Slime Rancher), though if the mechanics aren't too overwhelming, metroidvanias are nice (think Hollow Knight). The last main hobby is food. If I didn't give you "mad scientist" vibes, let me tell you, I "Victor Frankenstein" my way through every meal, when time permits. I mostly mix and match what I'd think taste good together based on what I was craving at the time. I'd also say that, apart from Quality Time, I show affection best through giving foods that I've made. It works in reverse, too, where I get pleasantly happy when people I know well offer food to me. There was this one time I was bickering with some friends and one of them held a packet of chips to my face, and I tell you, the way I immediately shut up the second I saw it... I was almost embarrassed by how well that worked...

I'm really sensitive to a lot of textures, and the biggest ones are stickers (and anything sticky in that way) and wet things (think water fountains splashing water unexpectedly, fruit juices spraying on my face when I cut them too harshly, even stepping on wet floorboards without socks can set it off). Clothing/carpet with short hairs send literal shivers down my spine, but only when I touch them with my fingers/feet. I don't like kissing (at all.), so I normally stick with nuzzling. Hugs and spooning (both with people I'm comfortable around) are okay, however.

I don't really have any pet peeves, other than just blatant disrespect of basic boundaries as well as these boundaries in particular.

I hope you have a good and well-rested day :)

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙…

𝓜𝓸𝔁𝔁𝓲𝓮!

Honestly the first person that came to mind for you is Moxxie

The way you two met is that he probably say you trying to mediate between an argument with a few others it started getting a little... dicey so he decided to step in before you got hurt

Yeah so those guys are now dead-

He made sure that you were okay immediately afterwards

"Are you okay? Some people in Hell are just so unreasonable,"

After that he offered to walk you somewhere safe (at first he offered to your house but then started stumbling seeing how weird it sounded since you both just met)

He tried getting you talk on the way asking you small questions here and there trying to get to know you more since he found the way you handled the situation between the two guys amazing

"So what do you like to do for fun?"

Once you let your guard down he really fell in love with you

He absolutely adored your more childish nature and it would push him out of his boundaries just a little more

You and him would absolutely bond over not understanding the internet. You would both try to learn it and Blitz (idk how to do the o thing) would try to 'help' you guys (just make fun of you)

He would randomly asking you questions loving your random psychology and biology facts. He admires your will to learn and finds it as one of the most attractive things about you

"Do you know what this is?"

Whenever you pull out a 'your mom' joke he finds it slightly immature and doesn't get it all of the time but Blitz likes it and will encourage you on it

Either way though he finds your sense of humor quite nice compared to Blitz's

He doesn't know why you have the soy sauce packets... its a mystery to him

"May I ask... why?"

You and him probably read series's of books together like honestly I wouldn't doubt it. Its one of the many things you do together

Whenever you get upset and leave the room he gets concerned and will try to give you space but might end up following you and trying to comfort you. But if he sees that you just really want to be alone he'll leave you and apologize

He'll then grab some of your favorite stuff for you and surprise you with it trying to make sure that you're alright

"I know you're having a bad time so... I grabbed a few things for you"

He encourages you to be creative all of the time constantly buying you drawing supplies and praising your work. He hangs it up everywhere... and makes sure that everyone knows that you did it and that its the best artwork in the seven rings

While you and him might not have the same music tastes he loves you anyways and will end up writing songs for you

"I made a little something for you..."

Whenever he hears you play the violin or trombone he swoons and will start hugging you and nuzzling you whenever you're done

Sometimes you both play duets together and afterwards he'll always praise you saying how well you did

Whenever he sees you mix and match food he gets confused and will give you the weirdest little look ever as if he's questioning his life decisions...

But besides that he'll just give you an awkward thumbs up

:Thumps up:

He gets you food... like all of the time. He loves gift giving if you can't tell by now-

Whenever there's a texture that you don't like and it comes into contact with you he'll help you get it off always

He always follows your boundaries no matter what <3

It took him a while to open up to you about his past and he didn't share all of it... but you comforted him through it

[cyberghost-scout]

Japanese high school AU and Humanformers AU smashed together.

Mainly cause they are both as is but just about being humans. The only difference with JHA Au is that the girls and pa just moved to Japan.

read here

Again, things are not in order, so most of the information may not make sense in the first read.

~ Suni, after high school grad, enlisted in the military.

Zelda (Phantasma) went to community college for social science and anthropology- for a social worker or anthropologist job.

Mainly because she deeply realizes she lacks self-confidence and, of course, free traveling before enrolling in college to work as a Public Safety Dispatcher.

She will remain a mechanic when she gets out after four years in service.

Flow has many degrees in performance arts, fashion design, and, of course, many in STEM.

~ When finally out of service, Suni can return to dressing to her true self: Goth.

She chopped her hair short and messy after having it long to pull it back into a clean ponytail to a bun for four years. Ditching most of the military clothes save for a few for memento purposes.

Even got her tattoos at 23 as a birthday gift.

~ Suni got Ptsd.

She had it before she enlisted- it just made it more apparent.

Zelda has a deep fear of needles/ being stabbed, especially after an indecent that led to a scar on the back of her neck.

~ Suni had two internal joint prostheses: shoulder-joint replacement and reverse total shoulder replacement on the left side.

It's her fault for that to happen- repeat injuries for her during her time in the active military- she learned her season after getting those implants.

~ Taking a cue from Tokyo tours from King Kogi. The favorite part the twins adore to visit is the back routes of Shibuya Stream and Daikanyama.

~ Unpopular food takes in Japan: Zelda finds Yuzu tastes like if one accidentally smells and inhales the lemon pledge, she misses the Panda Express in the States. The one in Shibuya could be better.

Away from the famous Shibuya scramble, sustained in grungy construction, the street stickers all over, the overpasses and bridges.

The freaking pizza by the slice is just a small comfort of their old home in the States.

Suni does not like Okonomiyaki/ Takoyaki as much as the average person- it's with all the sauce; mayo and bonito are just too much for her.

While Zelda prefers Udon over ramen but will still eat it… Suni likes instant ramen over the real stuff.

Flow does not like mochi textures- too mushy for her.

~ Zelda's favorite manga series is Nichijou. Suni's is Full Metal Alchemist. Flow's is Kageki Shojo!

~ I want to talk about Flow's and Suni's relationship.

It is precious.

Please.

Let me write about Flow going on her first trip to Japan to meet her pen pal in person for the first time and bring her Aunty Eartha with her or her mommies. Let there be a new side of Suni- excited to meet someone. Someone around her age- full-on trusting Flow to be her best friend.

Having the most normal queer platonic friendship despite them not fully understanding that.

Like it is so sweet, even feist-snarking Zelda would not help but smile and be slightly at ease. Because Flow may be intelligent but also not- she's making her baby sister happy with no strings attached.

~ Aside from what happened to the twins at middle school. Yes, it was terrible, but that horrible taste wouldn't fully explain everything about their behavior.

The walls around them when socializing. They're used to the long hours Fidel (Like OMG, I forgot his name until seeing that old post) working and being home alone- but they still care about Fidel and fully respect him.

But clearly able to function with independence in doing chores and stuff, aside from financial freedom and proper mental health- Papa Fid is teaching them that.

Their lives before meeting Fidel were depressing.

They do not know their biological father- they (the twins) never spare a thought. And their birth mother wasn't horrible but clearly not a good person or mother: mediocre.

They don't know of their other relatives, let alone if their mother is the only one alive or was cut off.

Fidel recently moved into their apartment complex (closer to his place of work) when the twins were in mid-late elementary.

Fidel noticed a little early on something strange about these two girls sitting outside one door. No one was letting them in or was too upset to say inside after learning from passive conversations with the neighbors and noticing some suspect visitors to the apartment. He contacted the girls and spoke to them.

They don't trust him at first- feeling like he's like the other people going into their house. Zelda even threw a shoe at him while standing in front of Suni.

Eventually, Fidel's patience and offer of letting them stay in a warm apartment with food eased the two, putting away their distrust and turning him into their sitter. Fidelis never got to fully meet their mother, only glimpses.

How did Fidel become their guardian?

Oh- their mother got murdered.

Fidel fought tooth and nail to get the girls under his custody.

~ For Rai @askburningpassion​. Hear me out. It's not part of the long-reaching plan of Rai's true bio papa, but it would be funny if one of his goons got beaten up by Suni/ Zelda, but they couldn't report it as they've got beaten up by a bunch of high schoolers. The embarrassment. The same for Rai's mom's ex-gang members.

(Timeline Fidel was just about to win the fight for adopting the girls and setting up to move the three of them to Japan when those sad excuses of friends threw Suni under the bus. And they know the twin's mom got murked.)

Talking about their time before meeting Fidel is a loaded situation for the twins. Either it comes out so blunt with honesty the listener is too aghast or answers with ominous silence. It's best to talk to Fidel about the past.

Fidel may not know or realize, but he saved a higher-ranked Decepticon in the day, so they're waiting to return the favor.

Because this part was talked about in the DMS and from a past thread, it is more or less about Rai as the girls get older.

It's messy.

With the murder of the parents, the kidnap of the poor child, and Riki being forced to leave for a family friend. And I know how Rai might be kidnapped by a rival ninja clan, and the two girls and Riki are worried sick for her.

Suni went as far as invading the Decepticon base and beating almost everyone in a rampage to find answers.

And once the bittersweet reunion happens, and Rai gets some revenge...

Rai and Zelda would watch in the distance as a suitor approached Suni-- murder wouldn't be involved.

~ Given all the information I gave about Suni's and Zelda's past, I'm tempted to make a scene:

~ Rai would be perplexed with Flow. At first, she'll be worried that she's like those girls chasing her older brother or worse, those mean ones. But seeing her in person, she looks like a fairy.

And again very much like the twins when talking with her brother. She later learned while yeah Flow found him cute she kept her distance. Suni wrote about him to her, she first thought it was hyperbole of his distasteful love life until she witnessed the mobs of lovesick girls.

The albino would be very concerned about his mental health about that.

Also, Rai would be Flow's little model as the fashion princess gave her cute little outfits and accessories. Same with Rai's and Riki's mom.

Those ex-friends of Suni essentially betrayed her trust and left her under the bus until she moved out of the States because they were jealous she was a rising star in the wrestling team instead of them.

Years later, without contact, Suni would have blocked all contact information with them.

She told them she gave up the sport because it associated so much pain of being abandoned by people the girl would have thought she could trust before marching out of the area.

News for some international school competitions whisps around, but it puts Suni in a grouchy mood and blocks it out. And she (mutual peeps) and Zelda accidentally meet up with Suni's old wrestler team coach.

Suni wants nothing to do with them and tries to leave the area while the former couch (not aware of Suni's distress) tries to stop her, apologizing for their part and wishing her luck for the competition only for Suni to snap at them.

~ @braveggg-hq Out of the twins, depending on which brave member you've asked, you'll get a different response on who is the scariest Visser twin.

We got Suni. Despite being an introverted string bean who loves to garden and fix up cars, she will react like a vengeful spirit when forced to fight... 

Then there is Zelda.

Of course, the group would be delighted to hang out with the twins with some unique visits from their father.

She keeps getting into places she should not be allowed and the information she obtained. Making the person she wants to mess with annoyed, angry, or legit cornered.

However, the ninjas found a way to stop her grubby hands on any dangerous information and the AIs' big secret:

Vanilla Wafer.

The golden-eyed little shit's cursed long Furby. Kidnap the cretin and bargain with the sassy teen whenever they need her to back off.

But will they feel a little guilty?

They couldn't get too close to the girls and their father- the Braves have far too many secrets about their true nature. But if they do tell them all they can about themselves --it'll be unfair to let these people lose their everyday lives and get involved with crime and E.T. threats.

And that is way before learning that the twins went through shit because of underhandedness- the reason Suni had a hard time trusting her peers in her school. At the same time, Zelda generally is hostile, if not bombastic, to almost everyone- even more so if her baby sister is involved.

The guilt will grow.

And then those who want to get closer to one of the twins.

Duke- not a human but a disguised one- Suni, an actual human.

Suni needs to learn about Duke's or the rest's big secrets of them being robots. Duke is developing a crush on Suni; he'll be devastated because she's outside the group of humans that knows the many secrets of the B.P.- GGG braves.

He is scared that if she finds out, she'll hate him and never want to see him and the others again. 

Can you imagine the scenario of seeing something terrible happen to Suni that puts Duke in a tight spot?

He can't get out into his proper form in front of her.

People briefly go their separate ways after high school.

And running away would make things worse, against his code to help people. Or be trapped in his human disguise and forced to watch Suni get hurt or die before his eyes.

Or

It happens.

The braves got a call from 110 (911 for Japan) of someone getting stabbed by a suspect they were looking for-- and the person who got stabbed was Zelda.

Duke didn't confess his feelings as Suni went to enlist, and Zelda was busy with college.

The Braves are doing their own thing, too. So they never had a chance to be together, let alone contact.

For years, the group being together was just a part of life that came and went... but what if not?

It was a reunion they didn't want to happen like this.

Zelda survived, but at that very moment, everyone thought she was not lucky when she was in intensive care.

~ Also, @bladedalchemistreplica, I don't have all the details but hear me out: a combo of this au and your new environment au.

To start, teen Ozar is somehow on Earth. It was a brief time- he is baffled about meeting Flow, maybe saving her from some unsavory group.

Eventually, he returns to his place-- Flow writing about her bizarre adventure to her confused pen pal Suni. While teeny, Ozar told Olia and Te-osh that an angel or an Altean hybrid helped him. It would only lead to something once they're adults. (cause time dilation, y'all )

Or some Blade sees the teens' father and says, "Yeah, I want that (courting)."

[caranox]

I'm Cara Nox, a queer disabled indie author.

I write about mental health issues and various disabilities. If you want to check them out, you can read the first three chapters for FREE when you sign up for my newsletter. Plus get bonus content like serials, side stories, and more on my Patreon!

📚 Books: caranox.com/books

📰 Newsletter: subscribepage.io/caranox

💎 Patreon: patreon.com/caranox

THE THIRTEENTH KEY

new adult science fantasy

In a fractured fantasy world advancing into the future, technology has replaced most of what’s left of the magic that once brightened its dark corners. Now with darkness looming over the horizon once again, Noa, a killer-for-hire, has been charged with unlocking the special vault that can bring magic back. The catch? There are thirteen keys scattered throughout the world that she’ll have an easier time stealing than convincing everyone she’s worthy of the task.

books2read.com/t13k

TRICK

new adult urban fantasy

Evie Thatcher is an exhausted, resilient third-year college student dealing with the recent loss of her clock-tinkering grandfather. So when she accidentally manages to rewind a small moment of time, she uncovers that he neglected to share a family secret with her—one that ties her to fate-orchestrating secret society behind the curtain of her previous reality. And someone lurking within wants her dead.

books2read.com/noxtrick

A HUNT OF BLOOD & IRON (Coming 2024, early teasers on Patreon)

new adult achillean romantasy

Grey is a shut-in hemomancer—a blood-manipulating magic-user who sacrifices life for life to use his power—with a troubled past and questionable future. So when that fae-laced Calling grips him in the middle of the night and takes him to the obelisk he's been seeing in his dreams, he believes he's finally started to find his purpose—until he realizes there are five other mancers there, and the obelisk bears all their marks.

That can only mean one thing: the fair folk are demanding another Wild Hunt, and Grey is one of their prey.

Right as he's cornered, he's rescued by the one sacrificial member of the Hunt he least expects: an iron-wielding macharomancer, known for their hostility against his magic, named Noel. In order to find a way to break free of their binding ties to the Wild Hunt, they must work together to find something worth more than their lives to trade with the fair folk or perish at the hands of the bloodthirsty hunters waiting for them in the Otherworld.

patreon.com/caranox

THIS DARK EMBRACE (Patreon Serial)

new adult achillean urban fantasy

Devyn Kinsley is a witch—a male witch—with little power in his matriarchal coven. In one of the last neutral-territory cities, filled with creatures that can offer him more, he's managed to keep his head down in favor of living right by his family. The problem is that ever-present pressure to marry a girl from his coven to ensure he doesn't fall prey to the temptation of binding himself to something far more vicious.

So when Devyn has a chance encounter with a mysterious, heroic stranger called Lonán, who Devyn assumes is a wizard, he falls head-over-heels, thinking that he's found a way out of a loveless coven marriage. But Lonán may not be exactly who he seems...

patreon.com/caranox

[nothwell]

Thanks to Ash for this heartwarming review of Fiorenzo!

~

PRE-READ THOUGHTS This sounds SO interesting!

STATS ⚠️ Stay Safe, Friends: many CWs but the author thoughtfully provides them all at the beginning of the book ⛰ Cliffhanger: no, but I would say it's a hopeful open ending 🌶 Spice Check: Carolina Reaper, are you serious? (you can find it in my profile!) ⭐️ Rating (?/5): 5/5!!! 🔂 Re-Readability: Y E S!!!

I am shocked, thrilled, and excited to find another 5-star cozy comfort read! HOW LUCKY AM I.

TROPES SPOTTED IN THE WILD

hurt/comfort

rich/poor

bedroom surprises (this applies in more than one way, iykyk)

height difference

"reversed dynamics" (this is very much a thing here but also putting it in quotations because society shouldn't be judging who does what in a physical relationship based on looks and size saUR)

secret/hidden identities

SUMMARY + BASIC CHARACTER INFO AND RELATIONSHIPS A determined courtesan and a masked gentleman come together (welp) and find comfort and enjoyment in the other. Together they explore their chemistry with each other and help soothe wounds and worries when secrets and scars are set to be revealed.

🗡️Fiore: great at his job, strong, resilient, proud, determined to make his own way, prefers to give rather than receive (this plays a role), enjoys art - observing, participating, and doing, struggles with self-worth but deserves so much, intelligent

👑Enzo: hulking but gentle and sweet, bends for the people he chooses to bend for (emotionally and otherwise), loyal, thoughtful, more of a wallflower (or as much as he can be), appreciates the little details that make up a person’s personality instead of just focusing on outward appearances or obvious characteristics, also enjoys art - observing and doing, has a unique family line, and with it a unique physical make-up

WHY YOU SHOULD PUSH THIS ONE UP/DOWN YOUR TBR

UP

This setting reads as steampunk pirates in mythological Italy. Somehow. I really love it. Also, there are solid mentions of the plague as a timestamp, which further develops the universe. Although we are in a fictional universe, it reads as real-world adjacent.

Love that Nothwell normalizes so much in this universe: sex work, queerness, "unconventional" sexual dynamics. This is the type of delivery I love and appreciate so much when authors really feel like they want to say something or make any kind of statement, intentional or not.

Fiore and Enzo’s relationship develops pretty organically and naturally. While some could argue that it is an insta-love situation, I think the nature of their first meeting and the focus of their interactions being sexual due to Fiore’s work forges a closer bond faster. So, in this context, it felt like a normal progression for people who are engaging in intimate acts but who also choose to spend valuable clothed time together.

Enzo and Fiore are just pure affection with each other; it is so precious to witness and it makes the reading experience feel cozy and warm. I love them and their journey so much.

The ending is understated and felt right as it matches the almost gentle wave of Fiore and Enzo’s relationship. While I would have adored a more direct love confession, I think the simpler and subtler ways they expressed their love for each other worked well for their story.

The descriptors are rich and the language and imagery are vibrant. Nothwell manages to write such detail without it being overwhelming or impossible to imagine and he brings that ability over to fleshing out and bringing his characters to life.

I love good world-building and magic systems, and while the world-building was awesome in this, the “magic system” Nothwell constructs is medical, which I had so much fun reading. It almost connects my love of true crime-related science books with a historical romance.

I love the realism Nothwell puts into his characters and their relationships; they’re flawed people but make the effort to enjoy each other, faults and all. Reading relationships and characters that aren’t absolutely pristine and sparkly makes for a more endearing pairing, I think.

I found another comfort couple and read! There is just something so warm and delightful about this book and Fiore and Enzo that just make this tome of a story so fun and easy to read. Some points can feel a bit like stepping over a tiny stone curb, but the overall experience is great and relatively smooth.

OVERALL This was such a great time. I was amazed to find ANOTHER 5-star comfort read right after finding the first one in a while! I am absolutely going to dive into the rest of Nothwell's works because his writing is gorgeous and his characters are so full and complete. I am so excited about his other works, I'm going to need to add them to my TBR immediately!

Until next time!

~

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring secret identities, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after. Out now wherever fine books are found!

Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • Smashwords

[stevensaus]

Some mild spoilers ahead, but it's also a warning. These episodes are bad. I'm seeing a couple of hot takes on the new episodes of Doctor Who which are, predictably, blaming "politicizing" and "wokeness" for the low ratings, which is just as silly as the BBC's claim that it was warm weather. 1 They are both wrong. Why are the ratings so low for the first two episodes of this season? It's because the writing is absolute crap. Even my usual mantra of "it's just a kid's show, it's just a kid's show" doesn't hold up when you compare the writing to, say, The Bad Batch, another sci-fi show for kids. It's Birdemic levels of bad. It's worse than Rebel Moon, and I loathed that mess of smashed together tropes and actively warn people away from it. For just a quick review of some things that stuck in my craw: While I can accept -- sort of -- that the "space babies" had their growth stunted, why were they emotionally stunted as well? Oh, the AI was being literal. That's been done since 2001, and has been done even better by Mrs. Davis (which I highly recommend.) "They give people on my planet titles instead of names." Funny that's never been mentioned before whenever someone brings up the Doctor's name in fifty-odd years, huh? "Oh, I live over there in this time." Right -- so why isn't earlier you noticing and dealing with this worldwide catastrophe in "The Devil's Chord"? The Doctor teaming up with their past selves has literally been the start of several specials over the years. Plus we now have (essentially) demigods that operate by fae rules instead of even pretending to work with science, and a crappy version of "The Devil Goes Down To Georgia" as our big climax? And these episodes are not politically "woke". While "Space Babies" clearly has something to say about caring for children after birth (and what that entails) it is simultaneously unsubtle about it and loses the message in the stupidity of the plot. (Again reminding me of Birdemic.) And "The Devil's Chord"? Sure, Russell T. Davies has now thrown a non-binary entity (Maestro) into the canon of the show, who exudes over-the-top fabulous drag queen vibes. He introduced the first openly nonbinary character on the show as a villain. Russell, you know that's worse, right? You see how that's worse? In an age where armed vigilantes are literally showing up to libraries to stop the "evil" of having drag queens read stories to children, you do realize how making your episodes' Big Bad a non-binary with drag vibes makes it worse, right? If not, maybe you should check in with that TERF Rowling. Diversity isn't actually hard to layer in, particularly when you're talking about your non-protagonist characters. There's a number of NPCs in my D&D games who have a range of sexualities and relationship styles. Sometimes it affects the story, sometimes it's just a character detail along with "they like shiny rocks." Off the top of my head, I've several nonbinary NPCs that show up, more than a few queer and interracial relationships shown, a polycule or two, and it's just... there. They aren't the Big Bad, they aren't necessarily villains or heroes. They're just people going on about their lives. It's been done on Doctor Who before -- Bill Potts and Heather's romance was touching and sweet, back with Capaldi's run. It's worth noting that I'm not blaming the actors here. Ncuti Gatwa, for what it's worth, absolutely owns the mod look in "The Devil's Chord", but my goodness, that mustache in the Doctor's "regular" attire gives a very pornstache vibe. Jinkx Monsoon's performance is fun as Maestro, and their costuming is fabulous. It's the writing. The writing -- for which Russell T. Davies has sole credit on IMDB -- is absolutely atrocious. While Davies has done a lot of good for Doctor Who and Torchwood as a showrunner, I've not been a fan of his writing for quite some time. (Moffat's writing also suffered when he became showrunner.) Much like Lucas with the prequel

trilogy, it appears that putting all the reins in one person's tight grip means that the story -- and thus, the franchise -- suffers. If nothing else, fellow writers, take this as a lesson against hubris. You always need editing. No matter how good you think you are. 1 The very FIRST episode of Doctor Who was up against the assassination of JFK, so the bar is set kinda high. https://ideatrash.net/2024/05/its-not-wokeness-or-nice-weather-its-bad-writing-space-babies-devils-chord-and-doctor-who.html?feed_id=49&_unique_id=6646948ae8e30

[screechingsandwichhologram]

HIIIIIII <3333 paragahsakajaa !! I don’t know how to spell it :) anyways explain mayhaps specifics about the characters and what they look like? or maybe the science experiments if you want <333

hi darling <3

its paragnostic which comes from paragnosis which is "knowledge obtained by supernatural means" <3 i thought it was silly and worked well

uhm there's two arcs. arc one is just elise and ripley and warren and charlotte trying to figure out what the fuck is happening and then arc two is when teddy comes along and they have to deal with the family and stuff

so . i don't really have designs for maris and eula and howard and gladiolus and them quite yet but i do know that gladiolus has a dark red joan of arc type bob. and that's all i got for them lmao just as like a preface a lot of stuff is still in the works

ripely is the main character (they/them, nonbinary, aroace) and they are around 19 ish ? maybe ? idk maybe a bit older. anyway they typically wear baggy hoodies and cargo pants and for the first arc their left eye is covered by hair. uh they have amnesia in the first arc too and lives with warren and works for elise. then they figure out that their supernatural half was separated from their body and they figure out how to merge it together again and then their hair isn't covering their eye and such. also they are the creature of lost media which covers A Lot of stuff btw. oh and also they aren't comfortable with talk about sex and stuff so that's how i'm avoiding writing about sex 👍

and then there's warren (any prns, transmasc genderqueer, queer) who is punk and stuff. warren is an informant and information broker but if they get hired by a pig or styler (rich, govt ppl) then they give false information and stuff. uh they also work in a mechanic shop? warren wears liberty spikes all the time (he's hiding horns lmao) and baggy pants (hiding a tail). in the first arc the crew doesn't know that she's a creature but then they find out. gear is a creature of the sun btw it's quite silly. he is super old but like mentally 20 ish? but basically his turning into a creature was fucked up by the family so hes a little fucked up and in hiding from them and she also tries to stop creatures from turning others it's a whole thing

elise is my favorite lmao. she uses she/her and elise in public but with her close friends she also uses she/he/they and henri. uhm shes completely normal and is the manager at a convenience store that ripley works out. uh she's just def queer but she doesn't label anything. she's transsexual and also goth <3 uhm she's amazing and yeah

charlotte (she/they, transfem, queer) is elise's roommate and also maybe something more? their relationship is very ambiguous it's def sexual but maybe not and who knows. well they do and they are completely happy with how it is but it's very ambiguous and hard to define. she's related to a big huge mob family except bc the world is so so bad the mob family isn't even bad so. she loves arson btw she's very silly like that. oh and she's human. she's uhm. kinda like tiktok coquette with the bows and pink and stuff but she listens to goth music and doesn't really act like it ig.

thaddeus (he/him. general queerness and transness is left vague on purpose bc he doesn't really know and it isn't really important) (also called teddy btw) is the reincarnation of esme who was warrens bff back when they were mortal. he's always destined to die of illness at a young age, so teddy is super sick all the time. teddy is warrens best friend, and does not know that he's caught up in all this esme and family stuff. he only really comes up in arc 2 where he starts getting possessed by eula who found him. btw the family (eula maris howard gladiolus) want to find and bring into the family warren and teddy. warren and the crew try their hardest to help teddy bc it's really bad but they can't and then eventually they sit down and talk to the family and create a plan bc teddy doesn't want to die but the only way that can happen is if the family turns him. the family has to fix their shit bc they have done some bad stuff and they do actually try to get better so then they turn teddy and the cycle is broken. teddy is a creature of the earth btw.

eula (she/they, transfem, bi) is a creature of sound. shes really old kinda and was turned by maris and howard and is dating maris and is howard's daughter. she uhh. she finds teddy bc sound also can be applicable to video calls, voice chats, videos, and regular phone calls. she doesn't realize that teddy is esme at first, and just uses him to do the regular possession and feeding and such (creatures must scare humans in order to feed and survive) and then is like oh shit this is the little sibling that my dad keeps telling me to find. and yeah

maris (they/she/it? i haven't decided on prns. uhhhh idk lesbian) is a creature of water! she's older than eula and gladiolus by a lot but mentally is the same age as them. she and gladiolus both befriended eula and wanted to claim them, so it pushed eula into the river and drowned them before gladiolus could (u have to die by the turners hand) but kinda freaked out and didn't know where to go from there so they went to howard for help who they were friendly with. and basically they stayed friends and then howard adopted eula and maris started dating eula. uhhhmmm maris is basically part of the family at this point tbh. it is not howard's daughter but his friend btw. uhh and she also at some point finds and befriends and claims charlottes long lost brother it's not really important

gladiolus (she/her. uh aroace?) she's very masculine btw. but also cis bc i think that's nice. anyway she was relatively new and then her turner left her so she was kinda orphaned and didn't know shit about what was happening. and because her powers were a lot and she didn't know how to use them her brain instinctively wanted to have a family member so she got attatched to eula pretty badly and was planning on turning her? but she didn't really know what was happening. and then after maris and howard turned eula and stuff they found gladiolus and adopted her. she uh is also sometimes called gloria. and she's a creature of physical senses

howard (he/him. uhhhh he doesn't label his identity at all) is a super old creature who survived the great extinction that wiped out like 99% of creatures. he has been trying to find a family for a while. he found esme and warren, and was planning on turning them when they were older but then esme died so then he panic turned warren but bc it was so rushed he fucked up and then warren is fucked up and left and then he found maris who he became friends with and then they found eula and then he adopted them and then he wanted to find eula's friend so he did and he adopted her as well. he's been searching for warren all this time and also esme but mostly warren bc he's still not sure if esme actually reincarnates or not. and then in the end he does find them and he ends up adopting teddy warren ripley and also kinda charlotte and elise. oh and he's a super powerful creature of order. he kinda has this crush on a creature of chaos and it's super cute and they will eventually get together.

and . yeah !! that's the paragnostic crew. i am not going to touch on the science experiments bc that will actually make this waaaayyy too long but yup 👍

[tastytoecheese]

Stranger things headcannons!

.Will has a mixtape of queer coded songs

.El "teaches" Max how to paint, Max doesn't have the heart to tell her it's really not good

.Mike and Will struggle to verbalise love due to the environments they grew up in

.Mike's love language is touch, he will often press kisses to the back of Will's neck when he's painting or bump their knees/arms when sitting together

.Will's love language is gifts, he's always painting things for Mike or (when he has the money) will by him things he thinks Mike will like

.Jonathan and Dustin get along really well

.Lucas is the only person max will let cuddle her when she crys

.Max likes the red sweets, Lucas likes blue. This is a hot topic for the both of them, they give Dustin the other colours

.Robin had a crush on crissy at one point

.Steve acts so protective of the kids because he wants to be the person younger him would have needed

.Crissy would have liked metal music

.Mike at Will was bathed together when they was little

.Mike and Will take showers together, not in a sexual way but in a "I'm extremely comfortable and confident around you" way

.El absolutely LOVES spicy food Joyce can't handle spice but makes the food spicy anyway

.Hopper gives piggybacks to El

.Max is blind now

.Dustin has tried to teach Max to use echolocation

.Lucas helps Max to skate, he tells her where bumps are, where to turn, when to stop ect...

.Will has forced El,Joyce,Jonathan and Hopper to play DnD

.Murray visits Joyce at least once every 6 months

.Whenever Murray passes a burger King he buys a cherry slurpy because it reminds him of Alexei

.Joyce only buys the green pumpkin buckets because it reminds her of bob

.Dustin smokes weed, suzie is NOT a fan of this

.Lucas always talked to Max in her coma, Max heard everything

.Will and El do "childish" things together as they both lost their childhoods

.El is a surprisingly good skater

.Mike and El read comics together

.Will and Jonathan get high together and discuss life pretty much every Friday night

.Argyle and Jonathan have kissed, not out of attraction, just because they could

.Nancy and Robin liked each other but was too scared to say it

.Robin and Steve come up with a list of the "perfect" things to say/do on a date

.Mike,Dustin, Suzie,Joyce,Robin and Murray are autistic

.Lucas and Will have had a spontaneous(and really bad) dance off

.Mike hates swimming

.Nancy and Robin got together after they got Murray'd

.Dustin walked in on Will and Mike making out once

.The party is very supportive of byler

.Hopper has a weird hate for carrots

.Mike has made a lot of "Will the wise and his staff" jokes, Will says he finds it embarrassing/annoying but secretly thinks its funny

.Suzie and Dustin met up in real life and spent most of it talking about science and the Internet and loved every second of it

.Erica makes her girl my little pony's kiss eachother

.Erica has a crush on her best friend who's a girl

.Lucas knows about said crush but won't bring it up till Erica does

.Max loves singing to herself

.Mike collects DnD things, literally ANYTHING to do with/reminds him of DnD

.Steve's favourite ice cream is strawberry

.When Will was younger he'd hold a pillow against him in bed and pretend he's was sleeping next to mike

.Suzie practices kissing on her pillow

.When she does this she turns the Jesus figure around

.Mike has tried to do the Michael Jackson lean, failed, and fell flat on his face

.El likes to plat Mike's/Max's hair

.When Hopper found out Mike was dating Will he said "not again wheeler!"

.Mike and Will now say "not again wheeler!" as an inside joke

.Wills favourite animal is a mink

.El is vegetarian

.Robin always bumps boobs with Nancy, Nancy thinks this is extremely odd

.Suzie writes fanfics in her diary

. Dustin and El get along really well, he loves explaining things and she loves learning things

[phantomenby]

Shitlings

An imagine for @whaturcapableof

Prompt: you have just moved to Santa Carla and are already sick of the four boys who can't seem to leave you alone

OR

Poly lost boys with a reader who’s the only person that doesn’t fall for the boys charms making them confuse, in which that makes them get interested in the reader. Such as following them wherever around like a bunch of lost puppies, Annoying the absolute hell out of them, and insisting they hang out with each other.

I could write a platonic fanfiction based around this dude omf

Realising how long this is I might just write you a mini fanfiction

Huffing as you carried the final box to your room, wiping the sleeve of your flannel across your sweat laden brow, if you had known the books were going to be this heavy you would have opted to study science instead of philosophy. You were by no means a student, you had just decided to keep your focus on something other than cars or fashion like your brothers. Glancing around at your room you smiled in joy, it was spacious with a high ceiling and a door leading to the bathroom you shared with mom, a couple of shelves along the walls and a sturdy bed pushed into the corner of the room.

It was almost too perfect but you weren't going to complain.

Your peaceful state was quickly disrupted as your bothers used the interconnecting rooms to chase each other, evidently Sam had taken it upon himself to wind Michael up, screeching as his elder brother just missed the back of his shirt. Instead choosing to grab you and throw you into his path, following Michael as you joined in on the chase, cursing your lack of athleticism as you let Mikey lead the race by leaping over the wooden railing and spinning to avoid Lucy. She walked towards the steps you were catching your breath on, running her hand along your back and giving you a warm smile.

The move had worked wonders for her, bringing back the motherly glow she naturally held, you had missed it over the past few years as your sperm donor had beaten it out of her. While you'd never forget the constant screaming matches that ensued from their late night arguments you wouldn't let them be a permanent part of your new life. You joined her in going up the stairs, offering to help her unpack and settle in, knowing she wanted to be efficient and would most likely travel into the busier area of town later on where she could do some job hunting.

She placed a gentle hand on your cheek, calling you sweet darling and telling you to do your own space first, wanting you to settle in as quickly as your elder and younger brothers had. Placing a kiss on her cheek you hopped back to your room, taking the time to carefully position your books in a colourful order, keeping the series together of course and leaving your copy of The Hobbit on your bedside table along with a bundle of lavender you intended to hang above your bed.

You giddily thought of the boardwalk you were going to visit later tonight, remembering all the rides you enjoyed as a kid along with all the cute stalls and sweet snacks you would get to waste your pocket money on. Letting yourself fall into the bed, its marshmallowy texture embracing you as you smiled at the ceiling.

You were home.

-

By the time the daytime had passed you still hadn't finished setting up your room, still wanting to hand up some posters of Queen and other queer icons you had fallen in love with. You heard Lucy call up to you that you would be heading out soon and you quickly began assembling a much nicer outfit than the sweatpants and band tee you had been mooching in all day.

Grabbing a pair of patchy mom-jeans that would be loose on you and a cropped black shirt, along with some classic black converse that you had painted flowers on with bleach, lastly adorning your fingers with a few clunky rings and your neck with a thin chain necklace. Glancing in the mirror you were satisfied with your look, though Sam would never be proud of the scraggly gremlin you liked to assemble yourself into, tousling your shoulder-length poofy curls and applying some peach lipstick across your cheeks and on your eyelids before you ran down to meet your family at the door.

The drive down to the boardwalk was short and allowed you to get a better look at the town you had moved in to, it was full of oddities and new styles, for once Sam would look out of place in his long wavy coat and colourful squared shirts. Your mom opted to park a little bit away from the bright lights and in front of the beach which stretched all the way from the suburbs to the imposing cliffs you remember exploring in your youth. Wrapping your arm around hers you began walking with her, letting Michael and Sam go on ahead, bumping into and teasing each other like children. You and your mother were both quite small, something you were often teased about back in Phoenix, but you enjoyed the way your shoulder met hers as you nudged your nose against her hair, taking in the smell of roses she always exuded.

She was heading towards an area filled with shops and various food selling places, both diners, take aways and little stalls. You spied a colourful truck with bags of cotton candy hanging from it and tugged on Lucy's hand with a boyish grin, she shook her head letting you lead her towards it and buying a bag for the two of you to share. You nibbled on the sweet puffs of sugar dust, offering her small pieces as she began to talk about all the different places you could visit while she looked for work. But you shook your head, keeping your arm wound tightly with hers as you anxiety of exploring a new place on your own bubbled in your mind. Turning and grabbing your hands with her own she looked at you.

"You know you're safe now sweetie," she brought your hand to her lips as she looked into your eyes, you were softer than your brothers and could be read like an open book, she knew the past few months had been hard on you since you had to attend most of the hearings with her. Your dads poor attitude towards you had been a key factor in gaining full custody, not that he wanted to keep the three of you for anything besides spite. You nodded bumping your forehead with hers before leading her in the direction of a video store as you spotted a small 'help wanted' sign out front, also so you could finally stand in front of a tv since there were none in your new home.

As you entered ahead of her you spotted a large white dog behind a tall jolly man, nodding with a shy smile, not noticing your mother was still outside talking to a small child who couldn't be older than four. Taking his hand and leading him inside, you turned noticing it and the way the man at the desk looked at your mom, his eyes leering too long for comfort. You headed back towards her, abandoning the VHS tape you had begun inspecting and coming to stand behind her as the child's mother ran in, wrapping him up tightly. The man offered Lucy a lollipop, completely dismissing you as you hid behind her, burying your face in the crook of her neck was what brought his attention to you. But you let his voice fade out as your mother introduced you, his tone changed as four others entered the store but he didn't let it disrupt the conversation for long and continued his awkward attempt at small talk.

You let your face lift slightly, glancing across the desk and into soft emerald eyes that focused on yours, they were connected to a cherubic face and a sly smile. The slight dip of his nose made him almost look dopey, but you were too focused on the noodly texture of his hair and the extravagant cropped coat covered in patches he wore. Next to him were three other boys, all of different build but all wearing punk-biker-esque clothing and none of them looking like they were truly from this time. But they were all staring at you, drinking in your huddled form. Squinting at them you whispered in your moms ear, telling her you were going to explore once you realised the man, who you learnt was called Max and also owned the video store, had offered her a job almost instantly. His voice put you on edge, along with the stares of the boys and you wanted nothing more than to leave into the fresh ocean air.

With one last glance at your mother you exited, not acknowledging the boys who had begun to circle around the counter, following you without your form. Max stopped them before they could, warning them that they weren't accepted in there, his words were familiar and had been repeated many times, not that they cared. The platinum blonde led the way, with the other two blondes slinking off the the side and the stoic brunette watching idly from behind the stalls you were passing through. Not that you noticed, too enraptured in the sights around you, spotting a small jewellery stand you traipsed over and began conversing with the owner. The plump woman was adorned with all sorts of artefacts, most she claimed to be gifted by her witch sisters, how true that was you didn't know. She offered you a ring, a silver band with stars pressed into it that fit perfectly for just a dollar, you happily paid for it and slipped it onto your index finger, wiggling your fingers to test the feeling.

Unbeknownst to you it was a ring used for guarding off evil spirits, or for causing small electric shocks when you touched items full of energy, either way she found it funny when you bumped into an old trunk and let out a small yelp. Continuing on you ignored the feeling or being watched burning into the back of your mind, it would do no good to ponder on whatever was lurking in the dark between the masses of people that had built up over the past hour. It certainly felt more suffocating. You weaved in and out of groups gathering around clothing stands and headed towards a much more thrifty looking place, ignoring the flashes of blond hair that passed behind the racks.

As you began to work through a row of jumpers you felt someone step behind you, tensing up as you prepared to be hazed by some local noticing your newness, you were surprised when an arm draped itself across your shoulders. Feeling your irritation grow as you followed it to the tall rocker dude from the video store. His grin grew like a hyena once he saw your eyes dragging across his form, thinking you were checking him out as he turned your body slightly.

"Hi" a moment of silence passed before you responded.

"No" you took his puzzled expression as a chance to escape, slipping under his arm only to be blocked by noodle boy who was bouncing happily on his toes, looking down at you. The rocker took up a position behind you, you now being trapped, sandwiched between them as they began to toy with you. The boy behind placing his hands on your arms as the boy in front twirled your hair between his fingers.

"You new here babe?" his voice wasn't as soft as you expected, and held an edge you weren't used to. "We ain't seen you face before, have we Paulie."

The rocker shook his head and leaned down so his mouth was against your ear, "no we haven't Mar-ko" dragging out his friends name as his breath blew into your face. You outwardly gagged at the strong smell of weed, you were no prude but the stench of his breath was pungent and smelt of rot. Whatever he had been using to satisfy his munchies was strong and imbedded in his scent. His friend laughed at his shocked face, not expecting you to be so openly disgusted by them, he growled slightly but hid it so as not to scare you off.

Not that it worked, you raised your foot and threw it down as hard as you could onto the top of his shoe. He let you go with a yowl as his friends laughter grew, not noticing as you opened up a gap in the rack and ran through, determined to get far away from them. Not realising another one had taken the chance to follow you as you went towards the deeper parts of the market. Dwayne found you interesting, few got through the boyish charm of Marko and Paul, let alone the intoxicating combination of the two which allowed them to score lucky almost every night.

He watched you hide behind a booth carrying old books, running your fingers along the spines, fortunately he was familiar with this part of the boardwalk and often bought from them. Stealing from them too sometimes. He saw you reaching for an old copy of Dracula on a shelf too high to reach, taking the responsibility of leaning over you, letting his bare chest rub along your back as he grabbed it for you. Your face was flushed in embarrassment as the tall man rubbed against you like a cat, he might as well have started bumping his crotch against you with how hard he was trying to seduce you. He grinned down at you, flashing his pearly whites and sharp canines, holding the book out to you. But you didn't take it and his smile began to fall, he had expected a thank you and to be able to flirt his way into your mind, the open chest trick always worked for him. Now he just felt silly as you glared up at him, placing a smooth hand on his pecs and pushing.

"You ever heard of personal space buddy? Or are you too busy being an erotic tree to notice people around you?" You were irritated, first they had ended your much awaited shopping spree and now you weren't even able to enjoy the cosy book corner you had found. Turning with a 'hmmph' you walked away from him, his jaw slacked in minor shock. Never before had someone he tried to seduce given him that response, even the macho surf-nazis seemed a little flustered under his sultry gaze as he flashed his broad chest at them. Behind him his younger brothers heckled like hyenas, mocking him in his frozen state, he growled throwing the book at Pauls head who only laughed louder. He turned to watch you go, it was up to David to entice you now.

Giving up on shopping you headed towards the rides, spotting a large roller coaster called 'The Big Dipper' and a few smaller child rides that led the way to a vibrant carousel. You began heading towards it, making large steps as you tried to escape from the boys. The three who had already bothered you were now on your kill list, promising to do some damage next time you saw them, they had begun to slowly follow behind you. Even though you were shorter than most of the crowd they could still catch snippets of your enraged mind, it was more entertaining than concerning.

David stalked slowly, his strides bigger than yours, he hadn't been paying attention to his brothers but knew something had occurred. He steps into place beside you and looped his arm through yours, pulling you close to him as he breathed out smoke into your face, your confused state letting a smile grace his face.

"Where d'you think you're going hm?" Your eyes began to focus through the smoky haze around him, no longer held under his glamour as rage passed through you. Who did this man think he was touching you and demanding your attention, his smug face looking more punchable by the second as he looked down at you in an attempt of intimidation. He was bigger than you sure, but you could hold your own, and you had no time for annoying boys when the carousel you'd not been on since you were a child was right there.

"Away from you," pushing against him you realised his grip was tighter than you had expected and would take more than a simple push to escape from.

"Oh?" his tone was bordering mocking and it set you on edge. There was a warmth behind it that you hadn't expected, like he was genuinely curious about you. "Why would that be?"

"Because I don't know you nor do I want to," with a sigh you stopped your struggling movements, meeting his gaze head on. His smile only grew, running his fingers along your arm softly.

"But you could know me, know us, were more fun than you realise," he leaned down towards you, arm sliding down to your waist. His first mistake. You scoffed and as soon as his head levelled with yours you smashed your forehead against his.

"The fuck?!-" He immediately let go of you, pressing his cool leather glove against his head, gaining the attention of some people passing by. By the time he looked up again you were gone and he threw his cigarette to the ground, not bothering to kill the burning embers with his foot as he glared out into the sea of people in front of him. Your head was surprisingly hard and had disorientated him, making him lose focus.

His brothers surrounded him, Dwayne bumping his shoulder into his as he too looked ahead. You wouldn't be getting away from them tonight.

-

You had raced away from them, forgetting your plans and heading back to the shopping district, stopping for a moment to gain your breath outside of a comic book shop. Head shooting up when you heard Sam's voice, looking to the left you saw him 'talking' to two young boys of similar age to him. They were dressed like they were preparing for war, a brunette with a red bandana tied around his long locks like Rambo and covered head to toe in camo gear. Next to him was a slightly older lad, with much darker and shorter hair, a freckled face and a utility shirt, you could've sworn there was a wooden stake poking out from his belt. Shaking your head you walked up to your brother, making him jump as you threw your arms over his shoulders, knocking your sore head against his.

Mumbling into his shoulder a muffled "hi Sammy", immediately identifying yourself as his sibling. He turned noticing your flushed face and asking what happened, but you just shook your head, wanting nothing more than to forget the previous events involving four idiots seemingly obsessed with you. His friends were immediately drawn away to a crowd of delinquents gathering at the front of the store, chasing after them as they stole a handful of 25 cent comics from a large bin at the front. You giggled, letting Sam drag you outside in search of Michael, telling you all about the shirtless jazz man playing at the concert on the beach front and how Mikey had become distracted by a pretty girl who he hadn't even talked to.

You walked on and spotted Mikey following her still, smirking to each other as you realised she was ditching him for someone around the corner. Approaching Michael you laughed at his face, looking like a kicked puppy with his baby blues shining in embarrassment, as you turned your head to look where she and the small lad had gone. Groaning in irritation as you spotted the boys from earlier, lined up against a country club with a 'no parking' sign out front, in front of them four large motorbikes which were much better than the scrawny thing Mike liked to prance around on.

They spotted you too, smirking as they noticed who you were acquainted with. Max's plans would make theirs work much smoother. They continued to watch you as the girl with hair like a poodle and spaced out boy climbed onto the bikes and began riding off into the night with whoops and yells.

Your new home would be much more stressful than you thought.

Smacking your hand in between Michael's shoulder you pushed him towards where mom said to meet at the end of the night. Ready to go home and finally relax.

-

Later that night as you lay in bed, dozing off slowly you could have sworn you heard your window creak open and the giggles of four lost boys surrounding you, calling your name.

[imethimwheniwasavirgin]

Radical Feminist Reading Masterpost

This is a list of books I want to read on the subject of radical feminism. It’s definitely a long journey since many of these books can be difficult to make it through, but I wanted to share this list for anyone else interested.

Let me know if there are any broken links.

Abortion and Pornography: the Sexual Liberals’ “Gotcha” Against Women’s Equality (by Twiss Butler)

A Collection of Essays on Feminism and Sexism in the Anarchist Movement

A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late 20th Century (by Donna Haraway)

A Deafening Silence: Hidden Violence Against Women and Children (by Patrizia Romito)

A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (by Chimamanda Ngozi Achidie)

A Voice from the South (by Anna Julia Cooper) 

All About Love (by bell hooks)

African Gender Studies (edited by Oyeronke Oyewumi)

African Women & Feminism (by Oyeronke Oyewumi)

Afro-Fabulations: The Queer Drama of Black Life (by Tavia Nyong’o)

Against Our Will: Men, Women, Rape (by Susan Brownmiller)

Ain’t I a Woman (by bell hooks)

A Mercy (by Toni Morrison)

Americanah (by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

An American Marriage (by Tayari Jones)

An Autobiography (by Angela Davis)

An Autobiography (by Assata Shakur)

Ancient Hatred and Its Contemporary Manifestation: the Torture of Lesbians (by Susan Hawthorne)

An End to the Neglect of the Negro Woman (by Claudia Jones)

Angela Davis: a Biography (by Angela Davis)

Anonymous is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality (by Nina Ansary)

An Orchestra of Minorities (by Chigozie Obioma)

Anticlimax: A Feminist Perspective on the Sexual Revolution (by Sheila Jeffreys)

Are Prisons Obsolete? (by Angela Davis)

The Art of Protest: Culture and Activism from the Civil Rights Movement to the Streets of Seattle (by T.V. Reed)

Assata Shakur (by Assata Shakur)

Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain (by Abby Norman)

A Vindication of the Rights of Women (by Mary Wollstonecraft)

Backlash: the Undeclared War Against American Women (by Susan Faludi)

Bad Feminist (by Roxanne Gay)

Beauty and Misogryny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West (by Sheila Jeffreys)

The Beauty Myth (by Naomi Wolf)

Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World (edited with John J. Winkler and Froma I. Zeitlin)

Being Lolita (by Alisson Wood)

The Bell Jar (by Sylvia Plath)

Beloved (by Toni Morrison)

Bewitching: Recalling the Archimagica Powers of Women (by Mary Daly)

Beyond Beautiful (by Anuschka Rees)

Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (by Mary Day)

Beyond the Frame: Women of Color and Visual Representation (by Angela Davis and Neferti Tadiar)

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Conscioussness, and the Politics of Empowerment (by Patricia Hill Collins)

Black Feminist Voices in Politics (by Evelyn M. Simien)

Black Looks: Race and Representation (by bell hooks)

Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity (by C. Riley Snorton)

Black. Queer. Southern. Women.: An Oral History (by E. Patrick Johnson)

Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology (by E. Patrick Johnson and Mae G. Henderson)

Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism (by Patricia Hill Collins)

The Black Unicorn (by Audre Lorde)

The Bluest Eye (by Toni Morrison)

The Boundaries of Her Body: A Shocking History of Women’s Rights in America (by Debran Rowland)

Breaking Out Of The "Man Box" (by Tony Porter)

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua)

Bringing Together Feminist Theory and Practice: A Collective Interview

Butch Queens Up in Pumps: Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit (by Marlon M. Bailey)

Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body, and Primitive Accumulation (by Sylvia Federici)

The Chalice and the Blade (by Diane Eisler)

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture (by Peggy Orenstein)

Colonialism and Homosexuality (Robert Aldrich)

Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism (edited by Bushra Rehman and Daisy Hernadez)

The Colour Purple (by Alice Walker)

The Combahee River Collective Statement

Combatting Cult Mind Control (by Steven Hassan

Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Erasure (by Adrienne Rich)

Confronting the Liberal Lies About Prostitution (by Evelina Giobbe)

Consciousness Raising: A Radical Weapon (by Kathie Sarachild)

The Creation of Patriarchy (by Gerda Lerner)

Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody (by James Lindsay)

Damned Whores and God's Police: The Colonization of Women in Australia (by Anne Summers)

Daring Greatly (by Brené Brown)

Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975 (by Alice Echols)

Dear Ijeawele (by Chimamanda Ngozi Achidie)

Delusions of Gender (by Cordelia Fine)

Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders (by Alicia Gaspar De Alba)

Desert Flower (by Waris Dirie)

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England (by Carol F. Karlsen)

The Dialect of Sex: A Case for Feminist Revolution (by Shulamith Firestone)

Disappearing Ink: Early Modern Women Philosophers and Their Fate in History (by Eileen O’Neill)

The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture (by Bonnie J Morris)

Discrimination by Design: A Feminist Critique of the Man-made Environment (by Leslie Kanes Weisman)

Disposable Domestics: Immigrant Women Workers in the Global Economy (by Grace Chang)

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick (by Maya Dusenbery)

Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge to Transgenderism (by Janice Raymond)

Drag = Blackface (by Kelly Kleiman)

Epistemology of the Closet (by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick)

Erotic Island: Art and Activism in the Queer Caribbean (by London K. Gill)

The Erotics of Talk: Women’s Writing and Feminist Paradigms (by Carla Kaplan)

Everyday Male Chauvinism: Intimate Partner Violence Which is Not Called Violence (by Luis Bonino and Peter Szil, with contribution from Gabor Kuszing)

The Evolutionary Origins of Patriarchy (by Barbara Smuts)

Ezili’s Mirrors: Imagining Black Queer Genders (by Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley)

Fasting Girls: A History of Anorexia Nervosa (by Joan Jacobs Brumberg)

Fat is a Feminist Issue (by Susie Orbach)

Father-Daughter Incest (by Judith Lewis Herman)

Female Chauvinist Pigs (by Ariel Levy)

The Feminine Mystique (by Betty Friedan)

Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression (by Sandra Lee Martky)

Feminism Confronts Technology (Judy Wajcman)

Feminism is for Everybody (by bell hooks)

Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law (by Catherine A. MacKinnon)

Feminism without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity (by Chandra Mohanty)

Feminist Pedagogy: Looking Back to Move Forward (editors Robbin Crabtree, David Sapp, and Adela Licona, 2009)

The Feminist Revolution: Second Wave Feminism and the Struggle for Women’s Liberation (by Bonnie J. Morris and D.M. Withers)

The Fifth Season (by N.K. Jemisin)

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper (by Hallie Rubenhold)

Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery (by Virginia Blum)

For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts’ Advice to Women (by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English)

Forced to Care: Coercion and Caregiving in America (by Evelyn Nakano Glenn)

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle (by Angela Davis)

Free Space: A Perspective on the Small Group in Women’s Liberation (by Pamela Allen)

From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers (by Marina Warner)

From Fashion to Politics: Hadassah and Jewish American Women and the Post World War II Era (by Shirli Brautbar)

Galileo’s Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar’s Search for Justice (by Alice Dreger)

Gay Shame (edited with Valerie Traub)

Gender Epistemologies in Africa: Gendering Traditions, Spaces, Social Institutions, and Identities (edited by Oyeronke Oyewumi)

Gender Trouble (by Judith Butler)

The Girl With the Louding Voice (by Abi Daré)

Girl, Woman, Other (by Bernadine Evaristo)

Global Women: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy (edited by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild)

Going Out of Our Minds: The Metaphysics of Liberation (by Sonia Johnson)

The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth (by Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor)

Gyn/ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism (by Mary Daly)

Hands, Tools, and Weapons (by Paola Tabet)

Heterosexualism and the Colonial Modern Gender System (by Maria Lugones)

The History of Patriarchy (by Gerda Lerner)

Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology (by Barbara Smith)

How Porn Fuels Sex Trafficking

How to Suppress Women’s Writing (by Joanna Russ)

How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective (by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor)

Hunger Makes Me (by Jess Zimmerman)

The Husband Stitch (by Carmen Maria Machado)

I Am Your Sister (by Audre Lorde)

The Icarus Girl (by Helen Oyeyemi)

The Imaginative Argument: A Practical Manifesto for Writers (by Frank Cioffi)

Imperial Leather: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Colonial Contest (by Anne McClintock)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave GIrl (by Harriet Jacobs)

The Industrial Vagina: The Political Economy of the Global Sex Trade (by Sheila Jeffreys)

In Harm’s Way: the Pornography Civil Rights Hearing (by Catherine A MacKinnon et Andrea Dworkin)

In Our Time (by Susan Brownmiller)

Intercourse (by Andrea Dworkin)

The Invention of Women: Making African Sense of Western Gender DIscourse (by Oyeronke Oyewumi)

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (by Caroline Criado Perez)

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters (by Abigail Shrier)

Is Art Creating Patriarchy or is Patriarchy Creating Art? (By Mary Daly)

Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray (by Rosalind Rosenberg)

Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right (by Angela Nagle)

Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty (by Dorothy Roberts)

Kindred  (by Octavia E. Butler)

Lactivism (by Courtney Jung)

Ladyparts (by Deborah Copaken)

Learning From the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought (by Patricia Hill Collins)

The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader (edited with Henry Abelove and Michele Aina Barale)

The Lesbian Heresy (by Sheila Jeffreys)

Letters From a Warzone (by Andrea Dworkin)

Liberalism and the Death of Feminism (by Catherine MacKinnon)

Liberals, Libertarianism, and the Liberal Arts Establishment (by Susanne Kappeler)

Life and Death (by Andrea Dworkin)

The Light of the World (by Elizabeth Alexander)

Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organization 1968-1980 (by Kimberly Springer)

Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry (by Imani Perry)

Look Me in the Eye: Old Women, Aging, and Ageism (by Barbara Macdonald, with Cynthia Rich)

Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route (by Saidiya Hartman)

Love and Politics: Radical Feminist and Lesbian Theories (by Carol Anne Douglas)

Loving to Survive: Sexual Terror, Male Violence, and Women’s Lives (by Dee Graham)

The Madwoman in the Attic (by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar)

The Maid’s Daughter: Living Inside and Outside the American Dream (by Mary Romero)

The Many Faces of Backlash (by Florence Rush)

Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality , Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color (by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw)

Marx and Ghandi Were Liberals (by Andrea Dworkin)

Medical Apartheid (by Harriet Washington)

Medieval Households (by David Herlihy)

Men Who Hate Women (by Laura Bates)

Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them: When Loving Hurts and You Don’t Know Why (by Susan Forward

Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything (by Deborah Schoeberlein and Suki Sheth)

Modern Motherhood: Women and Family in England, c. 1945-2000 (by Angela Davis)

More Work for Mother (by Ruth Schwarz Cowan)

Mortgaging Women's Lives: Feminist Critiques of Structural Adjustment (by Pamela Sparr)

My Sister, the Serial Killer (by Oyinkan Braithwaite)

Natural Liberty (by the Sage Femme Collective)

The New Reproductive Technologies (by Gena Corea)

No Angel in the Classroom (by Berenice Malka Fisher)

Nobody’s Victim: Fighting Psychos, Stalkers, Pervs, and Trolls (by Carrie Goldberg)

NW (by Zadie Smith)

Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution (by Adrienne Rich)

Off Our Backs: The Feminist Newsjournal Issue on Mary Daly

The One and the Many: Contemporary Collaborative Art in a Global Context (by Grant Kester)

Only Words (by Catherine MacKinnon)

Origins of the Family, Private Property, and State (by Friedrich Engels)

Our Blood: Prophecies and Discourses on Sexual Politics (by Andrea Dworkin)

Outlaw Women: A Memoir of the War Years 1960-1975 (by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz)

Outsiders: Five Women Writers Who Changed the World (by Lundall Gordon)

Paid For: My Journey Through Prositution (by Rachel Moran)

Paradise (by Toni Morrison)

Pedagogy of the Oppressed (by Paulo Freire)

Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equality (by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf)

The Pimping of Prostitution (by Julie Bindel)

Pleasure Activism (by Adrienne Maree Brown)

Plucked (by Rebecca M. Herzig)

Points Against Postmodernism (by Catherine MacKinnon)

The Politics of Women’s Studies: Testimony from Thirty Founding Mothers (edited by Florence How)

The Porn Industry's Dark Secrets

Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality (by Gail Dines)

Pornography: Men Possessing Women (by Andrea Dworkin)

Post-Mortems: Representations of Female Suicide by Drowning in Victorian Culture (by Valerie Messen)

Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome America’s (by Joy Degruy)

The Power of Feminist Art: The American Movement of the 1970s, History and Impact (edited by Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard)

Prostitution and Trafficking in Nine Countries (by Melissa Farley, Ann Cotton, Jacqueline Lynne, Sybille Zumbeck, Frida Spiwak, Maria E. Reyes, Dinorah Alvarez, and Ufuk Sezgin)

Queenie (by Candice Carty-Williams)

Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology (by Margaret L. Andersen)

Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights (by Angela Davis) 

Radical Feminist Therapy: Working in the Context of Violence (by Bonnie Burstow)

Rape and Sexual Power in Early America (by Sharon Block)

Red at the Bone (by Jacqueline Woodson)

Refusing to be a Man: Essays on Sex and Justice (by John Stoltenberg)

Regretting Motherhood: A Study by Dr Orna Donath (by Dr Orna Donath)

Rethinking Women’s and Gender Studies, (edited by Catherine M. Orr, Ann Braithwaite, and Diane Lichtenstein)

The Right to Sex (by Amia Srinivasan)

Right-Wing Women: The Politics of Domesticated Females (by Andrea Dworkin)

Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore (by Elizabeth Rush)

The Robber Bride (by Margaret Atwood)

The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions (by Paula Gunn Allen)

The Roots of Lesbian & Gay Oppression: A Marxist View (by Bob McCubbin; link)

Sadomasochism: Not About Condemnation (an interview with Audre Lorde by Susan Leigh Star)

Sassafrass, Cypress, & Indigo: A Novel (by Ntozake Shange)

Science as Salvation: A Modern Myth and its Making (by Mary Midgley)

SCUM Manifesto (by Valerie Solanas)

The Second Coming of Joan of Arc (by Carolyn Gage)

The Second Sex (by Simone de Beauvoir)

Segregated Sisterhood: Racism and the Politics of American Feminism (by Nancie Caraway)

Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement (by Sally G. McMillen)

Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women's Health and What We Can Do About It (by Alyson J. McGregor)

Sexology and Antifeminism (by Sheila Jeffreys)

Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States (by Janice G. Raymond & Donna M. Hughes)

The Sexualized Body and the Medicalized Authority of Pornography (by Heather Brunskell-Evans)

Sexual Discretion: Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing (by Jeffrey Q. McCune)

Sexual Liberalism and Survivors of Sexual Abuse (by Valerie Heller)

The Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism (edited by Dorchen Leidhodt and Janice G. Raymond)

Sexual Politics (by Kate Millett)

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh (by Carl Zimmer)

The Silent Patient (by Alex Michaelids)

Sinister Wisdom: A Gathering of Spirit (by North American Indian Women’s Issue)

Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America (by Melissa V. Harris-Perry)

Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement (by Robin Morgan)

Social Justice Pedagogy Across the Curriculum: The Practice of Freedom (editors Thandeka K. Chapman and Nikola Hobbel)

Sold: A Story of Modern-Day Slavery (by Sana Muhsen)

Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America and Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century (by Laura Shapiro)

Sophia Tolstoy’s diary

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations (by Toni Morrison)

The Spinster and Her Enemies: Feminism and Sexuality 1880–1930 (by Sheila Jeffreys)

Spill: Scenes of Black Feminist Fugitivity (by Alexis Pauline Gumbs)

Spiritual Midwifery (by Ina May Gaskin)

Stone Butch Blues (by Leslie Feinberg)

The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service (by Laura Kaplan)

The Subjection of Women (by Harriet Taylor)

The Subsistence Perspective: Beyond the Globalized Economy (by Maria Mies and Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen)

Sula (by Toni Morrison)

Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation (by Renate Klein)

Susan B Anthony’s Daybook

Taking Charge of Your Fertility (by Toni Weschler)

Taking Our Eyes Off of the Guys (by Sonia Johnson)

Tales of the Lavender Menace: a Memoir of Liberation (by Karla Jay)

Teaching transformation: transcultural classroom dialogues (by AnaLouise Keating)

Territories of the Soul: Queered Belonging in the Black DIaspora (by Nadia Ellis)

Terrorizing women: Femicide in the Americas (by Rosa-Linda Fregoso and Cynthia Bejarano)

Their Eyes Were Watching God (by Zora Neale Hurston)

Them Goon Rules: Fugitive Essays on Radical Black Feminism (by Marquise Bey)

They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing (by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein)

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South (by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers)

Thiefing Sugar: Eroticism Between Women in Caribbean Literature (by Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley)

Things Fall Apart (by Chinua Achebe)

Towards a Feminist Theory of the State (by Catherine MacKinnon)

The Transexual Empire (by Janice Raymond)

Transforming Scholarship: Why Women’s and Gender Studies Students Are Changing Themselves and the World (by Michele Tracy Berger and Cheryl Radeloff)

Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror (by Judith Herman)

The Trouble Between Us: An Uneasy History of White and Black Women in the Feminist Movement (by Winifred Breines)

Truth About Porn (by Karen Countryman-Roswurm)

Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements (by Charlene A. Carruthers)

Unpacking Gender Dysphoria: A How-To Guide

Unpacking Queer Politics (by Sheila Jeffreys)

Unspeakable Things: Sex, Lies, and Revolution (by Laurie Penny)

Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World (by Elinor Cleghorn)

The Use of Erotic as Power (by Audre Lorde)

The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine (by Jennifer Gunter)

The Vagina Monologues (by Eve Ensler)

Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn (by Shelley Lubben)

Varat Och Varan: Prostitution, Surrogatmodraskap Och Den Delade Manniskan (by Kajsa Ekis Ekman)

Visible Identities: Race, Gender, and the Self (Studies in Feminist Philosophy) (by Linda Alcoff)

The Visual Culture Reader, 2nd edition, (edited by Nicholas Mirzoeff)

Voices of African American Women in Prison (by Paula C. Johnson)

Virginia Woolf: the Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Her Life and Work (by Louise A. DeSalvo)

Welcome to Fairyland: Queer Miami Before 1940 (by Julio Capo Jr.)

We Should All Be Feminists (by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours (by Helen Oyeyemi)

Where the Wild Ladies Are (by Aoko Matsuda)

White Fragility

White Teeth (by Zadie Smith)

Who Cooked the Last Supper: A Women’s History of the World (by Rosalind Miles)

The Whole Woman (by Germaine Greer)

Who Look At Me: Shifting the Gaze of Education Through Blackness, Queerness, and the Body (Durrell Callier and Damonique C. Hill)

Why a Materialist Feminism is (Still) Possible and Necessary (by Stevi Jackson)

Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men (by Lundy Bancroft)

Why Women Are Blamed For Everything (by Dr Jessica Taylor)

Wide Sargasso Sea (by Jean Rhys)

Wildfire: Igniting the She/Volution (by Sonia Johnson)

The Wind in My Hair: My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran (by Masih Alinejad)

Witch (by Lisa Lister)

Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A history of Women Healers (by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English)

Woman on the Edge of Time (by Marge Piercy)

Women and Civil Liberties (by Kathleen A. Lahey)

Women and their Bodies (by Boston Women’s Health Collective)

Women and War (by Jean Bethke Elshtain)

Women as a Force in History: A Study in Traditions and Realities (by Mary Beard)

Woman Hating (by Andrea Dworkin)

Women in the Yoruba Religious Sphere (by Oyeronke Olajubu)

The Women of Brewster Place (by Gloria Naylor)

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype (by Clarrissa Pinkola Estes)

Women, Race, and Class (by Angela Davis)

Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle (by Thomas Sankara)

The Women’s Room (by Marilyn French)

Women’s Studies for the Future: Foundations, Interrogations, Politcs (edited by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Agatha Beins)

Women With Mustaches and Men Without Beards: Gender and Secual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity (by Afsaneh Najmabadi)

The World We Have Lost (by Peter Laslett)

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (edited by Cherie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua)

Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics (by bell hooks)

Zami Sister Outsider Undersong (by Audre Lorde)

[gay-otlc]

Flashback Recap

In case you've forgotten everything other than Sophitz, fear not, I am a reliable source of information

Sophie's trich is getting better! It took her four whole pages to pull out an eyelash, which might be a record.

Biana tackle hugs Sophie and they aggressively compliment one another's appearance. No homo

Speaking of homo, Fallon Vacker definitely dated Bronte at some point.

People always bring up Alina/Alden drama at the least convenient time and it embarrasses them both so much. This is fantastic.

Della can beat people up with ease and she is so hot (-livvy sonden, probably)

To avoid living with Alvar, Fitz considered moving in with Keefe. We were robbed, I tell you.

I SWEAR I'LL WRITE A FIC FOR THIS SOMEDAY

Fitz also considers moving in with Tiergan. The Keefitz option is undoubtedly better but I'd never say no to the "Tiergan adopts everyone" agenda

Sophie roasting the Neverseen is fantastic and something we all need more of.

A murderer wearing spandex called me out on my daddy issues. This is probably a low point in my life.

Umber probably has a personal connection to the Vacker family. No one else contributed a theory, so mine is that she was/is in love with Della.

Wylie attacked the Neverseen with rainbows. He is straightn't and probably cisn't.

SOPHIE CONSIDERS ELWIN FAMILY BRB HAVE TO GO CRY

"Tiergan and Prentice happily raised a child together. As bros do. No homo." -Shannon, 2018

Sandor made me feel emotions? Him blaming himself for Sophie getting hurt got to me okay-

Bronte has been in regular contact with Fintan and working with him for weeks... what are they "working" on... making out?

Grady needs a hug.

Keefe needs a hug, and also therapy, and KOTLC needs to not be for eight year olds.

POCKETS. That is all. Shannon definitely wrote the pockets monologue after getting pissed at the "pockets" in women's clothing.

Biana Vacker saying "I’m sick of being treated like I’m some broken doll because of what Vespera did- and you know that’s what you’ve been doing" supremacy.

Biana's stuffed yeti named Lady Sassyfur supremacy, also.

The Keefe and Elwin dynamic! Let's be real, they've been acting like father and son this whole series.

It's canonically a definite possibility that Keefe lets Fitz win at splotching. Their earlier book friendship is so sweet and I'm still not over losing that.

When Sophie expects Elwin to be the responsible adult and he just shrugs and grabs popcorn... they are a family... they deserve to be happy okay

The Ballad of Bo and Ro.

More Dadwin!

It may not be canon that Elwin and Livvy are besties but it's canon to me.

Livvy keeps a list of the top ten grossest things she’s done. Marrying Quinlin is on that list. Alden thinks Livvy has terrible taste and will marry Quinlin if ce doesn't want to. Quinlin is thrilled.

Keefe pretending he wasn't that worried about Fitz while nearly crying with relief... beloved...

After Cassius tore up Keefe's sketchbook, there was some Keefitz hurt/comfort, and I need to see this for science.

Forkle stop using gendered titles for the collective and kotlcrew, all of whom are clearly nonbinary, challenge. However he got nailed in the face with a pillow (Keefe saw) and that is punishment enough.

Elwin absolutely despises Cassius. We all need protective Dadwin in our lives.

Tiergan not giving a shit about the heterosexual drama part ???

Keefe is such a bi idiot, panicking when Fitz touches his head.

Gisela gave him the PERFECT opportunity to propose to Fitz, bi the way, and he didn't take it!!

All elves are nonbinary, confirmed once again

Tiergan is the epitome of the "how many kids do you have" "biologically, legally, or emotionally" meme. He has so many children emotionally it's hilarious.

Within like 2 seconds of meeting a traumatized queer child he's adopted them.

Forkle knows how to braid hair

FORKLE BRAIDED FINTAN'S HAIR

Tinker is Not Cis.

Sophie saying "They didn’t break me. They’ll never break me" supremacy. Same vibes as the Biana line.

Biana kicked Fitz in the shins.

Good for her!

(Not Fitz hate, we'd just all like to kick our siblings sometimes)

Considering how jealous Keefe is of Fitz being closer with Sophie than with him, I'm not sure Fitz is the one he's jealous of.

Villain Sophie foreshadowing? Villain Sophie foreshadowing.

✨fitz getting caught in the chandelier✨

The normalization of relying on one romantic partner for all of your emotional needs features a bit too prominently in this book for my liking. Kill amatonormativity please.

Protective older brother Wylie!

Biana telling Sophie "You look… really good," with those ellipsis. That is so loaded with suppressed lesbianism wtf-

Alvar doesn't remember Ruy :((((

Someone get Sophie some self esteem. Like. Now.

The day with the alicorns being born must have been so wild for Stina.

Also, the alicorn birth scene is pretty batshit.

It's Sophie’s right as a bisexual to insult the council whenever possible, particularly Alina

Keefe middle name angst!

Don’t think about the conversation where Fitz told Keefe he was dating Sophie :) :) :)

By which I mean think about it! Think about the Keefitz angst!

Vespera and Luzia are exes.

Fintan and Forkle are also exes.

I want more Fintan backstory tbh. Which definitely involves dating Forkle. Also dating literally everyone else the man gets around-

According to him, Fintan has no flaws other than being a fucking drama queen.

He also knows Caprise? Apparently? And I would like details.

Someone who is not Fintan was the one to start the Neverseen.

Fintan is very funny someone calls him out for murder and he just shrugs.

Vespera was, and I quote, “fixated on Luzia Vacker.”

FINTAN AND MARELLA RELATIONSHIP it lives rent free in my head

I will shut up about Fintan now.

In my defense his scene is pretty interesting.

Somehow, Sophie is unaware of Luzia and Vespera's past relationship. Luzia is not at all subtle, so I don't know how she hasn't connected the dots.

Marelliana 🧡

Marella struggling with her power is the best concept ever 10/10 I need more content for this despite having already written two fics about it.

I need Wylie as an older brother. We all need Wylie as an older brother. That is all.

Fitz is jealous of Keefe's relationship to Sophie... and Keefe isn't the one he's jealous of...

Fitz yeeting the alvar-tracker-device is both hilarious and a terrible decision, really.

OH SHIT (keefitz argument)

Queen shit from Biana Vacker (going off at Vespera. as she should)

Fuck Alvar (-ruy ignis, probably)

"Yes, Luzia says many things, does she not? It gets very hard to determine when she is fooling you and when she is fooling herself" okay Vespera we know you're in love and she broke your heart you can stop villain monologuing

Tam being stunned by succeeding at shadow shit but immediately pretending he knew what he was doing all along is so funny.

Fitz and Alvar is a realistic sibling depiction. Who among us hasn't attempted to murder their sibling honestly?

Hehe this is the last time Tam and Linh see each other for a while- they hug and she tells him to be careful- and then there he goes!

We were robbed of getting to see the rest of Tam's family react to this. It's on the list of fics you might see sometime in the vague future.

Sophiana angst

Thinking about dating Fitz makes Sophie pull at her eyelashes... that's... not great honestly.

[chocolatepot]

Despite my busy schedule of reading fanfic, writing fanfic, and thinking about what I should do next in the fanfic, I managed to finish reading a book! A Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, by Olivia Waite. I think my final verdict is "it's okay, but it could have been a lot better." (Crossposting from my DW, if this looks familiar to anyone.)

Basic synopsis: Lucy Muchelney has been working as her astronomer father's scientific assistant and in fact doing much of the work. She meets Catherine, Countess of Moth, who is a new widow and former victim of spousal emotional abuse, and tries to make it as a scientist in her own name with her new patroness. The official, misogynistic scientific society is against her, but her pop-published translation of an important French work takes off, leading them to try to embarrass her in a debate with the original author - only to inadvertently champion the cause of minorities in science. A happy ending!

To start with: it's well-written. Like, the text is never clunky, the prose is very nice. That's more than I can say for a LOT of romance novels. It's lacking all the romance-novel clichés that I hate!

But ... that's also a negative. The romance novel clichés, it turns out, are extremely boring to me when they're het - I'm always like, "why can't the man and the woman actually get along when they're not kissing/having sex? why can't they support each other? why can't things happen that aren't directly related to the deep erotic blaze they feel?" when I make the mistake of picking up a straight romance novel, and Lady's Guide does a great job of saying, "they can!" Unfortunately, this means that there is no tension or conflict between the characters until close to the very end, and it only lasts about a chapter. It turns out that I am actually super into those clichés as long as it's with a queer romance! As my AO3 output will show, frankly.

But yeah, the characters are kind of doe-eyed and supportive of each other and the story barely has anything to do with their romance, which is a cardinal sin in Romancelandia. They meet, Lucy comes to live with Catherine, they both dart glances at each other like "is she ... ?" and then they give in and kiss, and then they have sex. The obstacle comes in when they meet Lucy's ex, Pris, who got married to a man at the beginning of the book - cribbing a bit from Anne Lister, it's a Marianna situation except that Lucy finds it pretty easy to resist her - and Catherine is jealous and they don't communicate briefly, confusing them into thinking the other is done with the relationship before they explain and come back together. More grievously still for me, they just seem very samey. Their personalities seem pretty similar and if they had different aesthetics I didn't pick up on it or forgot.

Which brings me to my next point: it might just be that I knew the third book in the series was about working-class suffragists (which is extremely Social Justice Approved), but I felt like so much of this characterization and plot was determined on the basis of "what would make this book Feminist and LGBTQ+ Positive?" Lucy is introduced with her dickish painter brother threatening to sell her telescope, and the men of the scientific society are all wankers who condescend to women, promoting a well-connected (white) male idiot to do the official translation over Lucy and a biracial man. Pretty much every female character has some kind of passion or talent that is being stifled by society, which they turn into something lucrative by the end, and Waite is careful to not focus just on STEM but to have characters announce that Embroidery Is Art, Too and so on. One of the reasons that Catherine and Lucy seem so samey is that they are carefully constructed to walk a middle path between butch and femme, closer to the femme side, which avoids the cliché of historical women hating gowns and corsets etc.

And I hear you saying, but Cassidy! It sounds like she did everything you complain about authors not doing! This is true. However, it felt like it was done specifically to make discourse-savvy readers happy rather than because it was true to characters that appeared in her head. (Also, I freaking love a strong butch/femme dynamic, I am high femme and I swoon at the thought of a tall, chivalrous butch, particularly if she sometimes dresses in historical male clothing. GOD. In general I like "opposites attract" ships, really.)

This all being said, I loved the twist of the French author turning out to be a titled woman of color - it was really well handled. I didn't think at all about their identity, just assumed they were a Macguffin, and so the reveal blindsided me. Very little in romance novels is actually surprising, so that was great. But on the whole, I didn't feel the feelings I ought to have felt in reading. And maybe my standards have been off because I've been reading OFMD fic that really makes me feel things lately, but IDK.

[eternalwritess]

Hey, could I have a Hazbin Hotel matchup?

I'm a bisexual aroace (If you've heard of "demiromantic"; that's how I experience romantic attraction). I use he/it/they pronouns.

I'm an INFP, though I have gotten ISTP sometimes. I usually keep to myself around strangers, and my first words to people that I'm not introduced by friends are usually just work-related with a bit of small talk (even in fandom spaces, surprisingly). Once I get comfortable around people, I tend to let my childish nature and antics shine through, and once I consider you a friend, it's hard to ever fully shake me off. My friends sometimes call me an "old grandpa", with the way I know a lot of random psychology and biology facts, and the way I fumble with new technology, slang, and texting acronyms. My love of non-fiction and my adherence to grammar rules certainly doesn't help. Simultaneously, they (lovingly) call a 12-year-old boy, with the way I don't hesitate to pull out a "your mom" or "that's what she said" to the conversation and with the way that I almost exclusively watch animated movies and shows over live action ones. I carry with me 15 packets of soy sauce in fish-shaped sachets in my (several) pockets. Why? Because I think it's funny, and the confusion I bring to those around me with my soy collection gives me a sense of joy. (I do other things of a similar calibre, but I wanted to name an example) Despite all of this, I tend to gravitate towards the "Mom Friend" archetype. I carry with me a lot of people pleasing tendencies (I get a lot of anxiety around not upsetting others), and that translates to making sure that the people around me are happy. I also tend to fill a "Therapist Friend" role because of this fact, my psychology facts, and how intuitive I can be at times. I tend to isolate myself, whether by physically or mentally leaving the room, when I feel upset, and I don't really like talking about negative experiences I have unless those experiences have been resolved.

On a brighter note, I consider myself quite the creative person. I draw a lot, though I usually only draw other characters instead of my own OCs. I have a discord server that I use to jot down either: a) my opinion of a certain media b) images/reactions I find funny/relatable c) infodumps about AUs or crossovers that I've made I don't really write, so I consider "c)" to be the next best thing. I also love music. I listen to mostly indie music, with a couple of generic queer bands thrown in there and a couple of musicals' and video games' OSTs. I play the violin and the trombone, so I may be biased in saying that I love jazz (really doesn't help the "old man" allegations, but who cares). In terms of non-creative hobbies, I love reading. Although I find myself drawn to the odd science non-fiction book, my heart lies in fantasy and mystery novels (this does include webtoons, manga, and webnovels, though I don't read those as much). On the same vein, I love video games (where else would I get those OSTs?). I tend to like story-rich games that are either turn-based (think Undertale) or no combat (think Slime Rancher), though if the mechanics aren't too overwhelming, metroidvanias are nice (think Hollow Knight). The last main hobby is food. If I didn't give you "mad scientist" vibes, let me tell you, I "Victor Frankenstein" my way through every meal, when time permits. I mostly mix and match what I'd think taste good together based on what I was craving at the time. I'd also say that, apart from Quality Time, I show affection best through giving foods that I've made. It works in reverse, too, where I get pleasantly happy when people I know well offer food to me. There was this one time I was bickering with some friends and one of them held a packet of chips to my face, and I tell you, the way I immediately shut up the second I saw it... I was almost embarrassed by how well that worked...

I'm really sensitive to a lot of textures, and the biggest ones are stickers (and anything sticky in that way) and wet things (think water fountains splashing water unexpectedly, fruit juices spraying on my face when I cut them too harshly, even stepping on wet floorboards without socks can set it off). Clothing/carpet with short hairs send literal shivers down my spine, but only when I touch them with my fingers/feet. I don't like kissing (at all.), so I normally stick with nuzzling. Hugs and spooning (both with people I'm comfortable around) are okay, however.

I don't really have any pet peeves, other than just blatant disrespect of basic boundaries as well as these boundaries in particular.

Apologies if this is quite long, I can go on a tangent a lot. Double apologies if English isn't your first language. I hope you have a good day (or night, depending on when you read this).

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙…

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓮!

The way you met was most likely she found you after an extermination not wanting to find help for your wounds and instead took care of you since you might've been new to hell

You were quiet at first and she was fine with that slowly talking to you and trying to get you to open up about yourself

She would ask you questions here and there not minding if you answered or not

"So uh... first time in Hell huh? It's not as bad as it looks... I promise" :)

She would also make jokes until you got to open up

She doesn't mind it all at if you follow her around to talk to her. In fact she loves it and will most likely do the same since she has some clingy tendencies

She would also love to hear you spout random facts about psychology. Actually it partially is one of the reasons why she started the hotel.

She also fumbles with new slang so you'd have some fun there :)

When she first noticed the whole soy sauce packets thing she found it extremely confusing and then funny. (she has that type of humor)

So every now and then she'll ask you for a soy sauce packet when she's bored

"Can I have a packet please?"

With Charlie she's not very hard to please so I think that you won't get anxiety over that. In fact if you do anything for her she'll become overjoyed and do something for you

When you tend to isolate yourself (especially physically) she tries to help you and talk to you more to see what's going on

If you have any unresolved issues she'll try and ask you about them and see if you want to talk about them at all or see if she can help with anything

Although she totally understands if you say no as she has her own (*cough* daddy issues *cough*)

"Do you want to talk about it?..."

She loves watching you create things and seeing the things that you've created

She'll listen to music with you all the time dancing around the room and singing at the top of her lungs (whether you join her or not is completely optional)

She'll also go up to you and ask if you want to go to concerts with her or if you want to have a silly little karaoke night with her

You both also probably have started a book club where you read books together and discuss them. She's really interested in romance btw :)

"They just have to get together!!"

She also loves fantasy and will try mysteries from time to time but she's quite bad at them so she tends to avoid them

She'll also try to play video games with you from time to time but she's really bad at those and doesn't understand any of the controls so she just watches you instead probably giving commentary and praising you as you go on

When you mix and match food she'll try it with you as long as it doesn't look too out of her area

"That tasted amazing!!!"

Adding onto that she'll also get you food all of the time trying to find out your favorite one

She's gotten you tons of chips, sandwich, cookies, olives, anything you can think of

She also tends to bake for you every now and then just as a surprise

As for sensations she totally gets it and would probably have a few pet peeves with those too. So you'd probably both have a very specific covers and mattresses

She'll also always respect your boundaries and sometimes even try to go out of her way to respect them

She's perfectly fine with just nuzzling or cuddle every now and then <3

Overall you're both a very sweet and caring couple

[yurimother]

Yuri Expert Erica Friedman Dives Into LGBTQ Anime & Manga History in New Book 'By Your Side' – June 2022

In February, Yuri researcher and trend-setter Erica Friedman announced that they are writing a new book, By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Manga & Anime. The book will be published by Journey Press in June 2022, in time for pride month and the 20th anniversary of Okazu, the world's oldest and most comprehensive site on lesbian anime and manga.

The term "Yuri" began life as a coded reference to lesbianism within manga and anime genre, but in the past few decades, fans, creators, and publishers shaped the term into a beautiful genre of its own. Friedman traces the past, present, and future of the genre, all the way from the modern Yuri phenomenon manga, webcomics, novels, and games to its routes over a century ago in Yoshiya Nobuko's pioneering works. Walk together through the past, present, and future of Yuri in this insightful and entertaining new work.

By Your Side is a collection of interlocking essays, articles, and essays from Friedman's gloriously hilarious, witty, and unwieldable mind. Through these essays, readers will become familiar with many of the Yuri genre's greatest creators, tropes, concepts, symbols, and titles. As the title suggests, the series focuses on the first 100 years of lesbian anime and manga, 1919-2019.

Friedman describes her hopes for the book to YuriMother:

I want people to approach it like joining me at a Yuri panel - as an ongoing, casual discussion of a topic we love to talk about! I want to walk by your side as we wander through a garden full of lilies and chat about the changes we've seen in Yuri... I hope folks will pick it up and read a section, then put it down and think about that series, or person, or concept, then come back later and read another section!

Because the chapters in BYS are sourced from my writings and presentations, BYS can be used by fans of Yuri who want to know more about the history of the genre and by students of pop culture who are looking for research they can use for their own work.

We also spoke about the future of Yuri.

So much has changed in the past even 20 years, I can hardly project what we haven't even imagined yet. ^_^

But...the thing that is the most exciting change I've seen recently and the thing I hope for the most is creators modeling worlds where queer lives and happiness are normalized...creators imagining joy in queer lives in Yuri.

Indeed, the past few years have seen wonderous titles from a variety of creators embracing Yuri's queer identity to tell both joyful and brutally real Yuri stories. Works like My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, Yuri Life, and most recently, I'm in Love with the Villainess come to mind.

Friedman continues:

We spent a lot of time in the last century performing lesbian trauma for Yuri subplots. I'm looking forward to Yuri manga where lesbian couples just are and then the story happens.

They went on to express their excitement over finally getting ready to put out their "Big Book o'Yuri."

I'm very excited that the Big Book o'Yuri will be a reality, obviously. ^_^ And I'm delighted to be able to work with Journey Press on this. I know they'll give us all the best book they can make. We're probably going to run a Kickstarter, which will give us a chance to develop fun physical and digital goods, as well! And, when the pandemic is over, I absolutely want to do events at bookstores where I can talk to folks about their experiences with Yuri!

I'm also just exceptionally happy that there will be a book about Yuri out there. Right now we collect every essay we can on the Yuricon Essays page to help folks trying to do research (YuriMother is proud to have contributed works to this Essays page). Once this book is out, my wish is that we'll see more Yuri research being published as well. I look forward to reviewing other books about Yuri.

Just you wait, Erica Friedman! You blaze the trail, and YuriMother (which is to say I, the writer of this report) will happily follow in your footsteps! Readers, join me in supporting By Your Side when it is released next year and continue to consume and learn about Yuri!

Erica holds a Masters Degree in Library Science and a B.A. in Comparative Literature and is a full-time researcher for a Fortune 100 company. She has lectured at dozens of conventions and presented at film festivals, notably the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. She has participated in an academic lecture series at MIT, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Harvard University, Kanagawa University, and others.

She has edited manga for JManga, Seven Seas, and Udon Entertainment, most recently Riyoko Ikeda’s epic historical classic, The Rose of Versailles.

Erica has written about Yuri for Japanese literary journal Eureka,  Animerica magazine, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,  Dark Horse, and contributed to Forbes, Slate, Huffington Post, Hooded Utilitarian, and The Mary Sue online. She has written news and event reports, interviews Yuri creators, and reviews Yuri anime, manga, and related media on her blog Okazu since 2002.

They were the founder of ALC Publishing, the first English publisher to release English Yuri manga. ALC Publishing passed the torch to new publishers in 2013 and no long publishes material.

Journey Press was born in 2019 with the goal of bringing unusual and diverse science fiction to the forefront of the publishing landscape. We are dedicated to supporting the women and queer people who have been erased from the history books, and to the reprinting of worthy novels that fell by the wayside, in addition to publishing new novels by creators of all types.