#Was only a single trilogy in length

[msbarrows]

From Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart (which had multiple scams being run during the course of the story, some by the two main characters and other, as in this case, by other people around them):

He was right, although when it turned up he was as astonished as I was. There was a loud commotion at the gates and a mob burst into the courtyard and demanded to see the governor. The governor stepped out, along with our porcupine merchant, and the mob parted to reveal a furious farmer, a cow, and two gentlemen of low appearance. A babble of voices drifted up to us, and we were able to piece together the following account: The farmer had heard a commotion in his pasture and he had rushed out to discover that a bald gentleman was down on his knees with his arms wrapped lovingly around the legs of one of the farmer’s prize cows. A fat gentleman, who was carrying a small funeral urn, was weeping his eyes out, and he turned and wept on the farmer’s shoulder for a while. Then he recovered enough to relate a marvelous tale. The bald fellow’s beloved mother had expired some time ago, and her son had honored her rather unusual request to be cremated. One night the ghost of his mother came to see him in a dream, and she expressed the wish to have her ashes placed among the lohans at Lungmen. So the bald fellow and his dear friend had set forth with the ashes on the pious pilgrimage, only to discover that the ghost had something else in mind. The road to Lungmen passed by the farmer’s pasture, and the cow had been waiting for them. The bald fellow had recognized the soft brown eyes immediately. “Mother!” he screeched. “My beloved mother has been reborn as a cow!” The reunion had been emotional, and the farmer was forced to shed a few tears himself as he watched it. The cow’s eyes were streaming with tears of joy as she lovingly licked the bald fellow’s skull. “Mother! What joy to see you again!” he sobbed, kissing her hairy legs. What choice did the farmer have? He felt the warm glow of a deed well done as he watched his cow dwindle in the distance with the arms of the two gentlemen wrapped around its neck. He was only a gentleman farmer, and he was quite surprised when he was informed that cows always weep when they lick salt. “And that includes salt that has been sprinkled upon a bald skull!” the farmer yelled. “How dare you accuse us of fraud?” screamed Pawnbroker Fang. “We shall sue!” howled Ma the Grub. When the farmer took off in pursuit he was joined by neighbors who had also experienced the wiles of Ma and Fang, and now they wanted the governor to hang these crooks from the highest tree. “Lies, all lies!” screamed Pawnbroker Fang. “We demand compensation for slander!” howled Ma the Grub. “Ox, you know these creatures well. What will they do now?” asked Master Li. “They will go on the offense,” I said firmly. “I don’t know how, but they’ll manage it.” “Splendid. Gentlemen, let’s get out of here.”

i am! obsessed! with this book from the late ming dynasty about scams to watch out for (esp. if you are a traveling merchant). this guy is like, there ARE immortals who can survive without food but you WILL NOT encounter them because they live alone in the mountains and don't talk to anyone. if a monk comes to your house and claims to not need to eat, it's probably because he's secretly eating human fetuses, or something. eunuchs are invariably corrupt and the court system is useless. however, do NOT try to bribe anyone for a better SAT result for your idiot failson; this never works. nuns WILL try to seduce your wife into cheating on you. if your idiot failson does really badly on the SAT, make sure to have his father's remains buried somewhere with A+ fengshui; this is Guaranteed to work (unless your wife is cheating on you).

[vidavalor]

Ok,Since the Good Omens Finale is only going to be 90 minutes,I have a feeling we might not get a flashback sequence.

Hi there, @rougeside4 💕 I made an apple pie, if you want some. 😊Allow me to offer a different take? I wouldn't worry about this. There will be flashbacks. It's not the show without them.

Short thing on why we're definitely getting flashbacks and on which ones we can maybe see as being very likely still in The Finale.

The secret sauce of Good Omens, imho, is that the real juice of the story is actually always in the flashbacks. The flashbacks that we see are not random; they're always written to support the story in the present. There's a point to why it is these flashbacks we are seeing-- and when and in what order we are seeing them--when Crowley and Aziraphale have been on Earth for over 6,000 years and we could see any of their adventures. They're designed to inform our understanding of the story in the present. The real beating heart of the story is in the scenes set in the past and the story in the present would lack... *searches for words* emotional resonance? thematic weight? general, dramatic oomph? all of these?... if they were to cut the past. Put more plainly: it would suck 😂, and they're smart enough not to do that.

I think some of the most exciting parts of The Finale are actually going to be the flashbacks, just like how they were always the biggest treats in S1 and S2. In the way that they roll those out to us, piece by piece, they're changing our understanding of what we're watching in the present. The meaning of the story in the present is driven by the flashbacks in the past to a point that you cannot have one without the other.

Good Omens is actually driving all of its suspense and anticipation through the story in the past and that's what makes its non-linear storytelling clever. After all, right now, most people know this thing has a happy ending and aren't worried about that, right? We know Crowley and Aziraphale will get back together and be fine and no one is stressing over that. (And if you are... really? Guys. Honestly?! It's called Good Omens. It's a romance. It's a sweet, cuddly show. It's going to be fine. 💕)

So, what are we curious about, if not where it's going in the present?

1941, Part 3, right? Whether or not there's an ancient times vavoom coming our way? What the deal is with Jane Austen and/or 1650? Whether or not we might be surprised with a flashback that hasn't already been set up earlier in the story and what that might be?

Our biggest questions in the story aren't about what will happen in the future but about what we might get to see that has already happened in the past.

There is actually no conceivable way to do The Finale without flashbacks because the entire story is built towards having at least a couple of essential ones happen in its end game. I would not be surprised if at least somewhere around a third of The Finale is set in the past. Are there ones that we would have had with a full season that will be cut? Yes, but, are there also ones, though, that are too essential to cut because the entire story for two seasons has been building towards eventually revealing them to the audience in the final part of the story? Oh, yeah. 😉

Guaranteed: 1941, Part 3. There is no chance that they cut this-- none. They have built the ending of this trilogy of flashbacks to support the ending of the story in the present so it has to happen. It doesn't need to be an entire minisode in length. Part 2 really did all the heavy-lifting with plot and themes here, and Part 1 was a single, brilliant, not terribly long scene. If Amazon reduced The Finale to 15 minutes long, I think the show would still find a way to put 1941, Part 3 in there. The first two parts were so pivotal to the themes and parallels of the story in the present and it's the only flashback that we keep getting installments of throughout the story so its Part 3 is going somewhere massive. If there's one flashback that's in The Finale, it's this one.

Extremely, extremely likely: the ancient times vavoom to which they have been building in clues and hints for two seasons that is going to flip the entire show on its head by going back to The Flood. It would parallel and add extra weight to all the conflicts we have in the story in The Finale that were set into motion by the end of S2-- the kiss, one of them leaving/them being separated, the threat of an apocalyptic-like event, etc.. It would, in almost no time at all, complete the narrative magic trick of the show by turning it inside out for the audience.

The show that shows everything backwards has been sitting on the real first kiss the entire time and saving it until the end game of the story and that end game is The Finale so expect that angel and that demon to be sheltering under a canopy from a rainstorm in the very long ago days and break the internet in the process.

If I were them, I'd even open The Finale with this flashback, just because of how much it's going to pull the rug out from under The Final 15. After all, the first two seasons opened with a canopy-and-rain-themed scene, did they not? Just one wing at a time, though... no under a canopy together yet. No gazing into each other's eyes and vavooming. That bit of the beginning of their story has always been going to be shown to us in the end of the story. It could well be the, well, beginning of the end of that story by opening The Finale. We'll have to see. Either way, it's in there.

It's also worth mentioning that both of these above flashbacks would be going back to eras we've already visited in the story so no time would need to be devoted to setting up the scenes. That would seem to make them easier to not cut, in addition to how narratively important they are.

Going To Be In There In Someway, Somehow: A flashback that sets up the South Downs Cottage ending, which is suspected to be the Jane Austen flashback because of her living in real life in the South Downs around the years that it was mentioned in S2 that Crowley and Aziraphale knew her.

When this was set up for S3 back in S2, the Jane Austen story felt juicy enough to potentially be a whole minisode in length. Maybe especially since it's probably how they are going to be build a history of the cottage between Crowley and Aziraphale to help give emotional weight to them going to live there in the present at the end of the story. I've no idea what this looks like with a shortened run time. They might abbreviate or maybe it was never even that long in the first place? They might do something different in its place? It's hard to say, since we don't know, but they've got to do something to set up the cottage, so...

Whatever this winds up being, though, we're now up to three flashbacks that have to happen because of how they connect to the story in the present in The Finale. These are three, non-negotiable ones, basically-- and we are obviously only looking at ones that we can see having been set up already.

There is also the fact that there's usually a surprise flashback that wasn't set up but which is crucial to the story, like the Job minisode was in S2. It fits in perfectly, retrospectively, but we were intentionally not really given enough in S1 to see it coming in S2 so that there was something unpredictable for us to enjoy. I'm not expecting anything as long as Job again but there could still be a scene more 1.03 Cold Open in length that we don't even know is essential at this point because we aren't meant to know at this point but, much like we did with Bildad 😊, we will see as vital to everything once we see it.

Including that as a possibility, we're now up to four flashback scenes that seem unlikely to be chopped from The Finale. What I just described, give or take and depending on the length of 1941, Part 3, is probably collectively getting within shouting distance of the run time of the 1.03 Cold Open-- and that's going really bare bones and only talking about the scenes that seem too story-essential to consider cutting. There's also one more that might meet that criteria...

Could Go Either Way: 1650. If this has nothing to do with Agnes Nutter, it's probably gone. If it's how Agnes has an appearance in the end of the story to pull stuff together, they'll probably find a way to put it in there because... Agnes. 😊

No one knows what this thing is supposed to be about but we do know that it was set up in S2 for S3 and, between Aziraphale mentioning it, the historical ties to eccles cakes to this era, the fact that it could potentially show a Whickber Street in early development and, most importantly, that it's set five years before Agnes Nutter died, whatever this thing is? It's intriguing. We don't know how long it was meant to be but if it's something that was minisode-length but could be reworked to be shorter-- or if just was always short in length-- it's probably still in there.

It's very possible to have many, quality scenes that hop throughout time in a very short period of time. The 1.03 Cold Open is about 23 minutes long and jam-packed with goodness. I have no idea if they're going to sprinkle flashbacks in throughout The Finale or if they're going to do a flashback sequence like 1.03/Ineffable Bureaucracy again but I do think that at least a third of The Finale-- so, roughly 30 minutes of it, give or take-- are likely flashbacks.

We are going into this movie a lot closer to the end of the story in the present than I think it may appear to some at this point. All the set up work to get the characters into place to overthrow The Metatron in The Finale was already done in S2. It's not going to take 90 minutes for Aziraphale to be in trouble, Crowley and Ineffable Bureaucracy to find out and rally the troops, everyone to challenge The Metatron, expose him as a fraud, and kill the threat of Armageddon by overthrowing Heaven and setting it up to be democratized. That's pretty much what everyone knows needs to happen in The Finale and what is likely going to be the main story in the present in S3.

We know what is going to happen because we know it has a happy ending and we know that we need the Armageddon threat gone for the South Downs Cottage happy ending to occur. We know the only answer is that they've got to overthrow The Metatron. Whether you think the plot is Supreme Archangel Aziraphale or whether you're like me and think the plot is that Aziraphale is in mid-fall as of the end of S2 and that's the thing that triggers the other characters to come together against Heaven, the end result is still going to be the same: The Metatron's gotta go and everyone's got to come together to make that happen if we're getting the happy ending we already know we're getting.

We are all sitting here knowing pretty much exactly what the story in the present is going to be in The Finale and that's because the story has set it up so that we do. Yes, there's going to be joy in watching that unfold but a story designed like a magic trick has to have suspense and give the audience a sense of anticipation. We feel that from this story and from where are we getting that?

The past. The flashbacks.

Everyone knows what the end of this story in the present is but no one knows for sure where, say, 1941 is going, or what new things about Crowley and Aziraphale the past will show us in The Finale. Every new thing we see in the past? Changes our view of the present. That's what makes the story clever. It's also what makes it enjoyable. They cannot cut flashbacks because they'd be cutting the most interesting parts of the story and what makes Good Omens the quirky, unique bird it is.

The present and the past are so interwoven in the story that I'm pretty sure that it is impossible to do Good Omens without flashbacks. The only question going into The Finale is which ones they're going to surprise and delight us with. Don't lose faith or sleep over it-- at minimum, we'll see Crowley's 1941 hat again and that, truly, is all any of us really need to survive.

[itsmemuffy]

When I published my first post, wanted to keep the momentum going. It was my goal to post weekly and well.... it's been two weeks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I abandoned all my little drabbles to focus on a full-length fic that is becoming waaay longer than I anticipated. Thought I'd post a little WIP Wednesday to make sure I don't go back into the ether. Can't wait to have this one finished, I've been having a lot of fun writing it.

Contents: Original Trilogy! Logan x fem reader, naive reader, obsessive Logan, suggestive content, Charles makes an appearance

Summary: You keep everything running as smooth as possible in the background while Professor Xavier keeps a very full plate of locating mutants, running the school, and leading the X-Men. A steady stream of mutants come and go through the mansion, but a certain one in particular makes it his mission to nestle his way into your life.

The past few days had been a whirlwind for Logan. He's the type of man that goes where he wants to go- and waking up in an infirmary on a small hospital cot after being round up like some sort of animal was not on his list of things to do that week, to say the least.

For all intents and purposes, his next plan of action was to get away from here as soon as he possibly could and get back to the life he lived on his own terms. His only home and form of transportation was totalled somewhere in the Alberta wilderness, sure, but he already had experience starting over from nothing.

When he first met you, a cute little thing diligently running errands to what was perhaps the one man who could have his answers, you immediately piqued Logan's interest. So sweet and so kind, and Charles put his trust in you?

He had barged in like he owned the place on you and the professor scheduling out the upcoming semester in his office. Charles appeared to have already gotten used to this type behavior from him. "This, my dear, is Logan. He will hopefully be joining us now."

Oh... so is he planning to stick around? You ponder as you bite the inside of your cheek, leaning onto Charles' desk with your hip. Logan immediately came off as brooding and dismissive, and he didn't seem like the type to settle into a place beaming with so much activity. Regardless, you extended your hand out to him as you told him your name.

It took him a second to register the gesture. He only now noticed how lost in thought he was, eyes caught below your neckline. With a clearing of his throat, Logan reached a hand back to you to shake it. The most formal of ways to greet someone, yet the feeling of your delicate fingers grasping his rough palm caused his mind to wander again. He forced himself back to reality.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around" Logan remained aloof in speech, hoping you didn't notice the way he devoured you with his gaze. He decided to promptly remove himself from the room, searching for the privacy to be alone with his thoughts.

A few interactions after your initial introduction, Logan started to feel something beyond sexual curiosity. You made his heart race, you made him nervous.

Not a single detail went unnoticed by Logan. The way your hips would sway, how you parted your hair, the lipstick you wore, the softness in your voice whenever you greeted him, your scent.

Life kept throwing change in Logan's way, morphing his way of living into something unrecognizable to him. For the last however many years (boy, is he ever bad at keeping track of time) he had filled them with isolation and taking whatever cheap pleasures he could find. Now he finds himself surrendering the space in his mind to a woman he barely knew. You brought warmth and light into a cold, dark place.

No, this wont fly, he thought to himself. The fact that he was losing control over the dynamic between you made him very uncomfortable. Logan made it his mission to learn more about you. If he could just figure you out, he could take the reins over again.

The two of you would always acknowledge eachother in a group setting. The tiny smile Logan would throw your way whenever you caught eyes made you weak. You couldn't help but to want to know more about him too. A rugged man who was a stranger not too long ago was showing you consideration? A man who nobody knows where he's been, what he's done, how old he is? It kind of racked your brain, but you tried not to let it trip you up.

Oh, but he would catch you trip up. It wasn't lost on Logan the times you entered a space with him in it, seemingly to forget what you came in there for. Maybe you were a little ditzy- your mind often racing too fast that you couldn't catch up with yourself, but it had happened too many times for it to be a coincidence. At least, that's what he told himself.

He replicated your behavior, scouting you out amongst the mansion. It wasn't hard for him to find you. Your trail had become so much bolder to his senses, overshadowing anybody else that could be in vicinity.

Logan always found what he was looking for. Excuse after excuse slipped easily from his lips. Obvious to everyone else what he was doing, you earnestly took the bait every time without fail. He marked the first time he had a conversation with you alone as a significant victory.

"Hey, didn't see you there. Have you seen Charles around? I need to talk to him." He had cornered you in the library, watching you read for a minute or two before making his presence known.

You flinched up in your chair, "Jesus Logan, don't sneak up on me like that!" The yelp that initially left your lips was definitely a sound he would remember next time he's alone.

"Sorry, doll. Didn't mean to scare ya," he chuckled.

The upset you felt towards him for breaking your flow state lasted but half a second. You couldn't be mad. After all, whatever he needed Charles for must of been important.

"No, Jean and him are off chaperoning a field trip in the city. He should be back sometime this evening."

Logan let out a little "hmph", trying his best sound to sound disappointed. Inside he was estatic he finally caught up to you again. Now with no one else around, his mind flooded with possibilities on how this could go. The odds of you immediately throwing yourself at him weren't zero, were they? If he were to take you and bend you over the table right this very second, there was a possiblility you'd let him... right? God, am I really this desperate? he thought.

After letting a moment hang in the air, he sat down next to you in the ajacet seat. "So, what are you doing here all by yourself? Got nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon, huh?" Good idea, Logan, change the subject.

"You're one to talk," your focus was now one hundred percent on him. Thighs spread as he lazily leaned back in the chair, rolling his head ro the side. To say he wasn't beautiful like this would be a lie. You've rarely seen him this relaxed. "Aren't you here too?"

"Huh." Logan did not anticipate you to call him out like that, "I guess you've got a point."

An awkward silence sat between the two of you. You pretended to divert your attention back to your book, not letting him escape the corner of your eye. Logan lit up a cigar he fished from his pocket. He desperately needed something to do with his hands.

"This is a library, you know that right?" You chide him after an annoyed sigh.

"Oh, is it now? I thought all these books were just for decoration." His lips sucked in another drag.

"Very expensive books, Logan. There's plenty of perfecly fine places to smoke around here if you just look."

He got up from his seat, "Then why don't you show me around, darlin'? Open my eyes a little." You couldn't quite tell if the pet name was to belittle you or to be affectionate. A hand reached out to bring you to stand. "I'll let you lead the way."

[pulim-v]

Ao3 Wrapped!

You started reading 3967 fanworks!

You finished 143 of them!

Your total word count was 1375869 words! That's over 20 times the length of the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

Your 5 most read tags were:

Hurt/Comfort

Fluff

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Fix-it Fic

Your 5 most read fandoms were:

That life-long obsession of yours

That new obsession you got completely attached to

That fandom that got a big resurgence

That new thing that everyone is talking about

That small fandom you're still into despite it being a wasteland

Your 5 most read authors were:

That friend of yours that you always talk to

That writer who made only a single longfic and nothing else

That other friend of yours whose writing you're not as into for now

That person who absolutely gets your blorbos like no one else

That fandom behemoth you didn't realize you were reading that much

You started writing 58 fics!

You finished writing 0

You got a total of 529 Hits, 18 Kudos, and 0 comments

You left a total of 3967 Hits, 675 Kudos, and 27 comments

You were in the top 5% of commenters!

[toastedcinnamonflakes]

Guide on How to Improve Your Reading Level

So. You want to improve your reading level. You currently read only “easy” stories – for example Colleen Hoover. But you want to challenge yourself. You want to read more.

Well, let me help you. I am compiling a guide for you here to help you get more advanced with your reading. I have sorted literature into different levels, and will give you suggestions for each level. This is not an all-encompassing guide, more like a guideline – obviously I don’t know every single author. I will try to stick to authors that are all also available in English, but if one or two sneak in that are not available in English, or your main language, I apologise. I encourage you to seek suggestions outside of this, too. A good place to get good recommendations and not just the same five #BookTok books over and over again are actually newspapers and magazines with a Feuilleton! You can also message me for some tips, or find other book blogs on tumblr. I am sure most are glad to help.

I am not sorting these books by categories like “Children’s books”, “Young adult” or similar, because I find that within those loose categories, books can vary wildly. Instead, I am focusing on complexity, length, necessary existing knowledge and other factors. Without further ado, let me begin!

Level 1: Books that are short, to the point, without complex vocabulary. There usually are no metaphors there, and if there are, you do not necessarily HAVE to dive into them, the story makes sense nonetheless. You do not need to have any pre-existing knowledge to understand them, either. They are also either stand-alones or can be read as stand-alones, so you do not have to commit to a long series.

Such books are:

Most books by Dyanna Wynne Jones, especially her Fantasy novels

Books by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Most books by Leigh Bardugo (although is STRONGLY discourage you from reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy, those books are messy, unimaginative and kinda sexist. She found her literary footing after that.)

Books by Michael Ende

Most books by Erich Kästner (his few excursions into adult literature are more complex and require some previous knowledge about the Weimar Republic)

Books by Alexander Kielland Krag

Books by Walter Moers

Most books by V.E. Schwab

Books by Axie Oh

Books by Naomi Novik

Books by Casey McQuiston

Books by Kai Meyer

Books by Marissa Meyer

Books by T.J. Klune

Level 2: Now we are coming onto books that, while mostly still short, use a bit more complex vocabulary and/or metaphor. So, you might be required to not take everything literally and do a bit of interpretation. Occasionally, you might need to do a quick Wikipedia read to get context for the book. The characters are becoming a bit more complex, too, but often the text itself explains character’s motivations/thoughts directly.

Books that fit that description are for example:

"Convenience Store Woman" by Sayaka Murata

“Swimming in the Dark” by Tomasz Jędrowski

“Kim Jiyoung, born 1982” by Cho Nam-Joo

Books by Phillip Pullman, in particular his “Golden Compass” Trilogy

“Iron Widow” by Xiran Jay Zhao

“Fire and Hemlock” by Dyanna Wynne Jones

Books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Books by Celeste Ng

“The last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle

Level 3: Now we are reaching books that use complex vocabulary, maybe you even need to look up a word or two (but this is how you expand your own vocabulary). The sentences are more complex, the stories are constructed in a more complex way (but still usually follow one narrative string), the characters are most of the time nuanced. You will need to pay attention to the subtext and do some interpreting of your own. Some of these books have the labels “classic” attached to them, but don’t let that scare you – in fact, for most classics, you will be able to look up information/interpretations online if you are struggling. We also have some books now that are either parts of a longer series or parts of a bigger canon (not all of them, some are still stand-alones).

Such books are for example:

Books by Agatha Christie

Books by Selma Lagerlöf (although I have to say, she very often uses metaphors, dream-sequences and similar narrative devices)

Books by Terry Pratchett

Andrzej Sapkowski’s “Witcher”Saga

“The Shadow land” by Elizabeth Kostova

Books by Joan Lindsay

“A hero of our time” by Michail Lermontow

“Sauhund” by Lion Christ

Most books/short stories by Nikolai Gogol

Some of Stanislaw Lem’s books, like “The Star Diaries”, “Tales of Pirx the Pilot”

Books by Hanne Ørstavik, particularly the books before “Love”

Books by Gerd Brantenberg

“Revolutionary Road” by Richard Yates

“Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu

The “Sherlock Holmes” Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle

Level 4: On this level, the vocabulary is advanced and the sentence structure is complex. The characters are multi-dimensional, complicated and explored on a psychological level.

The books want to say something, and often say it through the use of metaphors. You need to be attentive while reading, maybe even take some notes, if you really want to get to the bottom with your interpretation. Still, the books follow a (mostly) clear plotline and while there are occasionally some “non-realistic” elements in them like Dreams, they are still somewhat grounded in a fictional reality that mostly mirrors our own. Many of these novels are also long.

Jane Austen’s books

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s books

“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte

“Agnes Grey” and “The Tennant of Wildfell Hall” by Anne Bronte

Plays by Friedrich Schiller

Plays by Henrik Ibsen

Most books by the Strugatzki brothers

“War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” by Lew Tolstoi

“Dracula” by Bram Stoker

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

books by Jeannette Winterson

books by Charles Dickens

Short stories by Anton Tschechow

Books by Michail Bulgakow

Level 5: Now we have reached the territory of the truly advanced reader. These books are not simple by any stretch of the word. These novels are not always more complex than the ones on level four vocabularly-wise, but they require you to have pre-existing knowledge of other works of literature (they often make references). You need to pay close attention while reading, perhaps re-read passages multiple times. The structure of these novels is often non-linear and/or experimental. They are mostly not “realistic”, rely heavily on metaphors, symbols and signs within the text. They can be confusing at times. Often, they play with the language and experiment. The meaning of these novels is multi-layered, and interpretations can differ wildly.

Such books are:

“If on a winter’s night a traveler” by Italo Calvino

“The experiment” by the brothers Strugatzki

Almost everything by Karen Blixen (“Out of Africa” is a bit easier, though still very complex and there are many symbols in that novel, too)

Books by Jon Fosse

“The Key” by Junichiro Tanizaki

Books by Osamu Dazai

“Catherine House” by Elisabeth Thomas (okay, I was conflicted where to put this – the vocab is not that difficult, but the structure is very unclear and dream-like and it puts a lot of emphasis on symbols. Maybe it would be good to start your journey to Level 5 novels with this one, if you are not very confident in your reading abilities)

Books by Han Kang

“The futurological congress” by Stanislaw Lem

Books by Günter Grass

“The Man Outside” by Wolfgang Borchert

Books by Slavenka Draculic (specifically her novels, her essays have a different style, obviously)

Books by Sjon

Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Books by Vladimir Sorokin

Books by Angela Carter

“Kult” by Ljubko Deresch

Most books by Vladimir Nabokov

Tales by E.T.A. Hoffman

The differing factor between these last two levels often is the STRUCTURE of the novels. I am making this distinction because I have seen that quite a few people struggle with experimentalist/surrealist/non-linear structure.

Others of these stories have a more linear structure, yes, but require you to dig deep beneath the surface to find out the meaning of various symbols in order to interpret the story.

Also, pay attention to the language! Many of these authors, like Nabokov, play around with double-meanings, similar sounding words (homophones) and even more than one language.

I hope this guide helps. Obviously, it is not perfect, but it should give you an idea where to start and where to progress. It is important to have fun while reading, and there is no shame in jumping between the levels. But, you should challenge yourself: You are smart! You can understand difficult things! Yes, it might be hard at first, but precisely because of that you should keep trying. If you never challenge yourself, you will never get better.

I wish you all the best on your reading journey <3

[thecourtscorkboard]

Ace Attorney: Justice for All Review - An Exercise in Meaningful Mediocrity

We've finished Ace Attorney: Justice for All, and now it's time to take a look back on the middle child of the classic trilogy.

I think that JfA is undeniably the weakest of the trilogy games. This is by no means a diss towards what it tries to do: I think that in every series there's going to be a weak link. God of War has Ascension, Final Fantasy has FF2, Alien has Resurrection, and so on. JfA is the weak link of the trilogy games; and I think it's kind of aware of this.

JfA definitely feels like it was designed as the most mediocre game in the trilogy. Phoenix is seasoned as a lawyer, but he's not a veteran; Franziska is a good prosecutor, but she's not as intimidating as Edgeworth; it's got the shortest number of cases; and so on. It's the sophomore year of Phoenix's time as a lawyer, even with all the eventful stuff going on. Who remembers their sophomore year?

I do. My sophomore year was the year COVID hit. And the year I found out I wasn't straight.

Anyways: we're gonna do this the exact same way we reviewed PW:AA—with a lost of pros, cons, favorite characters, and an overall review. Without further ado!

PROS

Pro One: Art Direction.

JfA is easily my favorite-looking game in the trilogy. It has faults, of course, but these do not show up in its art direction: from characters to set-pieces, every single piece of art has been drastically improved. Some standouts are Franziska's design and spritework, Phoenix's breakdown pose, Maximillion Galactica's hand pose, and the set-pieces for the Berry Big Circus and the Gatewater Hotel.

This game has some beautiful hand-drawn art as well! Franziska barging into the courtroom and the above art of Phoenix before the trial in 2-1 always make me squee and giggle, respectively. The improved graphics in the HD remakes really make it all shine even more. It's an absolutely beautiful game and among my favorite-looking in the entire series alongside AJ:AA and the AAI games.

Pro Two: Case Length.

Although its cases are by no means perfect, one thing I can't really criticize them for is their pacing (at least compared to the other I think that each case, while not paced perfectly, are generally better-paced than the PW:AA cases. It's a definite show of how Takumi, as the series's main writer, generally got better over time—even 2-3, for all its faults, is better paced than 1-3. There's no unnecessary third days in JfA, which I think is a trap that the series easily fell (and continues to fall) into.

The trial days in particular are excellently paced. I think 2-4's second trial in particular lasts for way too long, which is a great bit of pacing. That might sound like an oxymoron, but I think that the case lasting way too long does a great way of portraying how mentally and physically exhausting it is for everybody involved. I think 2-3 finds a perfect balance of length, for all of its flaws.

Pro Three: Characterization.

I think there's one element that JfA holds over the other trilogy games, and that's pure characterization. Say what you will about the characters, they're all memorable in one way or another: and I think, for the main cast at least, that this game's writing and understanding of its characters is consistently the best. Phoenix, Edgeworth, Franziska, Gumshoe, and Maya are all standouts, with some case-specific characters like Morgan, Adrian, and Matt also being noteworthy.

I think Franziska and Gumshoe are at their best in this game. In Franziska's case it's actually a tad unfortunate, since this is her debut game and all, but this being Gumshoe's strongest showing isn't really a detriment considering he'll only show up in three (technically four) more games.

Franziska is one of the first AA characters, I think, that is genuinely given a lot of focus and care onto feelings that aren't spelled out for the audience. Even Edgeworth's unnecessary feelings of unease and uncertainty aren't left ambiguous, but with Franziska's case there are cases to be made for so many interpretations of her character that I think she's the golden example of walking so later characters can run. I think 2-3 is generally the exception that proves the rule—in 2-1, 2-2, and 2-4, we're treated to excellent pieces of character writing and a visible understanding of the main cast.

Pro Four: Franziska von Karma.

I know I was just talking about characterization as a whole, but I'd like to focus on just one character in particular for a second (and yes, we'll be discussing her later down the line, but I wanted to take a brief aside to talk about her positive contributions to this game). I think Franziska von Karma is a downright brilliant character: in this game particularly.

For a series that places its focus on contradictions, Franziska is riddled with them: and this is given a focus, surprisingly! Although she's far more like her father than Edgeworth, it's made clear that Manfred held Edgeworth in higher regard than her; she is desperate to be perfect in every way, but has a mole on her face that makes it asymmetrical and "blemished"; she clearly cares about the people around her but cannot bring herself to accept that care; and so on.

She's a mess of mental contradictions and logical fallacies, and I think she had a lot of potential to be one of the most interesting characters in the entire franchise. I think she's a perfect rival for most of JfA and a great expansion on the honestly rather lackluster performance of her father in 1-4. I don't think this game would be the same without her: it'd be far worse off.

CONS

Con One: Mystery Quality.

I think JfA has the weakest mysteries in the original trilogy and it's not particularly close. 2-1 and 2-3 in particular don't feel like mysteries, per se, just stories: 2-3 is especially egregious for reasons I outlined in my review of it. 2-4, like 2-3 and characterization, is the exception that proves the rule—compared to PW:AA's mysteries, 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3 just simply are not nearly as good. 2-4 is a fantastic howcatchem and perhaps the best subversion of usual mystery tropes that we've reviewed thus far, but the rest of the game is simply not up to par with previous.

I'd even wager to say that JfA has the weakest mysteries in the entire mainline series, although we haven't gone back to re-cover some other contenders for this title yet. They're just simply not as captivating or, honestly, hard compared to others: when they are hard then that difficulty tends to feel artificial, at least to me.

Con Two: Inconsistency.

Although JfA has some masterful character writing, it's not particularly consistent about it. Characters that are written very well in one case can fall flat in the next—Phoenix from 2-2 to 2-3 is the prime example of this, as in 2-3 he's just straight-up a bully to Maya instead of a teasing friend. I feel like even in cases themselves this can switch, and while sometimes this is for the better—I far prefer Mimi Miney's dropped façade to her mockery of Ini—most of the time it isn't. One that comes to mind is, unfortunately, Pearl in 2-4. She's both presented as a cute child who is still wise beyond her years but... honestly, kind of portrayed as a bit of a dunce, as well.

This isn't particularly egregious, but it is an unfortunate inconsistency, and these things do add up. The quality of its cases also makes the game a little awkward to play, going from below-average to above-average cases almost like clockwork.

Con Three: Music.

JfA has the weakest musical ensemble of the trilogy. While I think there are some standouts, like both Edgeworth and Franziska's Great Revivals (which have some awesome musical parallels: Edgeworth's is deeper and slower, whereas Franziska's is at a higher key and a slightly quicker tempo), unfortunately the musical quality is generally not up to par. I find this game's Trick theme rather grating, and while I like the percussion beats in the Pursuit theme I think the overall melody leaves quite a bit to be desired: I do like the key changes, however.

Unfortunately, I just don't think JfA's music plays into its pivotal moments as well as PW:AA's does. The Detention Center theme has the god damn Lick! Why does it have the Lick?! This might just be my entirely irrational hatred for the Lick talking, honestly, but that moment just takes me out of the Detention Center. I do not like this theme.

Now, as promised, we'll get into my top five characters before finishing off with my overall thoughts!

Number Five: Matt Engarde

Matt Engarde. Where to begin with this guy? I guess we can go for the obvious: he's the darkest killer in the series thus far, even including the lows that Gant falls to in 1-5. He's a pathological abuser and a malignant narcissist who nearly drove two women to suicide: 2-4 is actually the first case in the entire series that earnestly discusses the topic of suicide and Matt makes it even more uncomfortable than it already was. He's a slimy bastard and taking him down is so satisfying.

I think he really takes the cake for breakdowns thus far, as well. He's not the best culprit in the series by any means but he's definitely a top-tier contender for breakdowns: he rips his own face open while screaming about his own guilt. It doesn't get much better than that. He's an awful person and the way we take him down is suitably awful. Phoenix can choose to still plead Not Guilty, and if the possibility of De Killer killing him is a perfectly acceptable one to Phoenix's mind, then what does that say about Matt?

Let's talk about colors. Matt has two main colors: red and brown. Brown is the color of his hair, gloves, the scar over his eye, and the drink in his hand after he's unmasked, while red is the color of his jacket and the scars he leaves on his face. Brown is generally a color of strength—for most of the case Matt's position is completely unassailable as he uses Maya as leverage. It's also seen as a color of sophistication, fitting his place as an A-list actor and the patron of an incredibly fancy hotel. Red, meanwhile, is best understood in Matt's case as a color of blood and anger. Blood is positively coating Engarde's hands, as he is the (indirect) murderer of both Celeste and Juan, but he also rips apart his own face when he's declared guilty, showing the blood underneath. While he rarely shows any sort of anger himself, people only address him with contempt as either a murderer and blackmailer or as an overrated hack.

Number Four: Dick Gumshoe

I think this is Gumshoe's best showing bar none. I think his best character traits really shine through here: his hard (but clumsy) work, his genius with electronics, his selective focus—he's really in full gear here, and I think this is the best example of who he really is at heart before his untimely flanderization and death.

I, unfortunately, forgot to screenshot any of Gumshoe's other appearances in JfA.

He's a good guy and takes his job seriously, even if he's not always the best at it. His empathy is in full display—I particularly love how clearly worried he is about Franziska's obviously declining mental state and how he drops everything once he learns Maya's been kidnapped—but he still has to, like, do his job, y'know? And he does his job well! He's not the best, but he does it well, and he's thankfully not the butt of many jokes. Although he'll never be quite to the level of the detective he's an homage of (I like to headcanon his family is Irish, in contrast to Columbo's family being Italian) he's clearly part of the same school of keeping his head down and doing his job as well as he can. His saving the case in 2-4 is my favorite Gumshoe moment in the entire series: a perfect culmination of his perfect appearance!

His main color is obviously a dark, mossy green. Green is associated with life and health, which is a bit ironic considering his dependency on instant noodles, but in psychology it's also a color of wellness and regeneration. Regeneration fits the best, I think: when he's fired by Franziska, he gets back into the fray to save Maya's life as a civilian member of the investigation team! This might be a bit of a stretch but green is also a color of infidelity in some Asian cultures. Does he perhaps "cheat" on his bosses by cooperating with us? Like I said, a stretch. But it's a reasonable stretch, I think!

Number Three: Shelly de Killer

There's something about professional assassins that always piques my interest. The Sniper, the Spy, Osamu Dazai, Agent 47, and, of course, Shelly de Killer. Whom I kept misspelling the name of throughout my 2-4 review. Anyways, Shelly is a force of nature throughout 2-4: he's unstoppable, unflappable, and unknowable, and he's undeniably the biggest presence. He's a standout in a case full of standouts, and while not my favorite accomplice still an easy top-ranker.

When he's finally pushed into a corner in his attempts to protect Matt, he continues being a massive threat and his cutting off communication to kill Maya is a stomach-dropping part of the final day of trial. The truth is revealed to him and it's suddenly incredibly comforting that he's a ruthless murderer—after all, his target is somebody who deserves it. We only see his face a few times, but his design is incredibly memorable and I think the moment where Phoenix comes face-to-face with him in Matt's mansion and has no clue is one of the best parts of the case.

His main color, obviously, is black. Black is a color of death and despair. It's also a color of power: when I think of the color black I think of characters and organizations like Darth Vader, Sephiroth, the Schutzstaffel, and the Secret Service. It's finally a color of grief and seriousness—his main alternate color is white, which is a color of fairness and sterility. In some Asian cultures it's also considered the main color of death: his two-faced nature, symbolized by his stitched face and propensity to disguises and radios, is literally mirrored by his two main colors. He's got a killer design.

Number Two: Phoenix Wright

For future reference, I'd generally like to make it a habit not to include the same character in two reviews in a row. There are, of course, exceptions, and this is one of them. I like to think that the original trilogy covers the main arcs of our three main protagonists. If PW:AA is Edgeworth's game, then JfA is Phoenix's. This is a game where he undergoes a massive amount of character growth and I'd wager that 2-4 is the most important case to his character development until 4-4. Yeah, that's how impactful I think JfA is.

With the exception of 2-3, he is consistently written at top quality. Even in 2-1, where he can barely remember his job, he's still given an air of professionalism and unwavering trust in Maggey. Even though he comes to the same conclusion that Edgeworth did—that the truth is more important than anything else—they come to it through decidedly different ways that fit their respective characters. In Phoenix's case, he can only come to this conclusion with the support of the people around him but also something that will unquestioningly destroy his bone-headed stubbornness. One of Phoenix's defining character traits—which also rears his head as one of his many flaws—is how God damn stubborn he is. 2-4 simply wouldn't work if he didn't hold to his previous worldview with an almost religious devotion. If he didn't have this flaw, then he both wouldn't be Phoenix Wright and 2-4 would've lost so much of its impact.

This is his best showing in the trilogy. God fuckin' bless you, Phoenix Wright.

Number One: Franziska von Karma

Franziska is my favorite prosecutor in the entire series and JfA is a massive reason why. While she doesn't consistently reach the peaks of her JfA characterization, in JfA she's the only character besides Phoenix I can easily call a 10/10. She is brilliantly written, and if her quality remained the same then I'd honestly call her the best-written character in the entire series. Hell, my Strange Professional Killstreak Disciplinary Action is named after her.

can you tell i like this picture

I mentioned it in the "pros" section, but I'd like to say it again: Franziska is a mess of contradictions, which I think is where the brilliance (dare I say "perfection") of her writing comes from. While she's obviously stuck in her father's shadow—and the clear preference he gave to Miles over his own biological child—she's trying to forge her own mold and prove her own worth... as a von Karma. No matter what she does she'll always be stuck in her father's shadow, and it's not until 2-4 that her worldview is utterly destroyed by Edgeworth not only doing her job for her but getting a guilty verdict against Phoenix that she genuinely begins to change. Even her design is deliberately imperfect! She has a mole on her face and her overall outfit is asymmetrical, with the golden lines going down the center of her jacket not quite matching each other and her hair leaning towards the left instead of being perfectly lined up like her father's or Edgeworth's. She's a mess of family issues, self-limiting obsessions, and some absolutely delicious room for mental health headcanons (which I happen to love thinking about) that just make her so fascinating as a character to me.

Let's talk about her main colors. Unlike Phoenix and Edgeworth, she can't really be boiled down to a single color: she's highlighted by whites, platinum blues, and blacks. Platinum is the biggest standout given her hair color and choice of outfit—it's a color of nobility and prestige, but also one of modernity and even futurism. "Everything is chrome in the future!" This ties back into her overall arc: while she's not completely able to separate herself from her father, she's slowly starting to internalize how wicked he truly was and how she should redefine the von Karma name. The colors that define her design are colors that are also associated with the cold: she's icy, and to really hammer that in, in supplementary material she wears puffy overcoats and scarves while in-game she wears sleek black gloves and a padded suit. Like ice, she's incredibly sharp and dangerous, but she's also fragile and will shatter if too much pressure is forced on her. Also like ice, she's very pretty. I want to be her.

Overall Thoughts

JfA is the awkward middle child of Ace Attorney. Like any awkward middle child, it has some pretty significant growing pains, but it also has some defining moments and great memories for both what came before and after it. It's not perfect—far from it—but it's definitely an understandable fan favorite.

As with PW:AA, I'd also like to point out some standout ships. While I don't ship it, Phoenix/Edgeworth comes to full maturity come this game. Maya/Franziska also comes from this game, and it's probably the most popular Franziska ship for good reason: while the two of them don't interact with each other very often in this game, there's some very clear similarities and parallels. Some ships I do ship that also find their roots in this game are Franziska/Adrian and angsty one-sided Adrian/Celeste. Franziska/Adrian is especially interesting to me because of how blatantly paralleled they are: they're both mentally fragile and dependent, living in the shadows of people who came before them but constantly overlooked and put down by others. They even share a primary color scheme with bright blue! I love them. Some non-romantic standouts are Gumshoe and Franziska, Edgeworth and Franziska, and of course Maya and Pearl.

Unlike PW:AA, however, I don't think it gets a lot of charm from its imperfections. Its imperfections are a lot more noticeable and instead of charming are grating: looking at you, 2-3. The title of this post labels JfA as "meaningfully mediocre" and that's honestly the best I can say about it—it knows that it's not going to be the best or the most eloquent so goes full-force on the wacky factor, and I think that's generally where its inconsistency and growing pains come from. Sometimes this works to its benefit, but the times where it doesn't stick out far more to me than the times they do.

To wrap it all up, we'll give this one an overall rating and place its cases on our case tier list. See you for 3-1 and the finale of the original trilogy: Trials & Tribulations!

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

[aleksanderscult]

my favorite interpretation of him is as a man who WANTS that companionship and love but. He’s been burned so many times before, falling in love with people he outlived due to war and his slower aging. So he can’t allow himself to be hurt like that again. Deep inside his little black heart he would love to be equals with Alina but unfortunately years of trauma and pain have left him entirely unable to exist in a relationship that doesn’t have a power imbalance in his favor. He doesn’t know how to let go of his want for power even in his relationships anymore. And now that he needs Alina for his Grand Schemes, well he definitely can’t fall in love with her without potentially fucking up his plan, right? He needs her to do many very specific things and he can’t be blinded by Real Emotion that might make him change his mind so instead he keeps her at arms length while making her THINK her feelings are requited and he pulls her strings to get her to do what he needs so that his centuries of living will have paid off. And deep deep down the man he used to be yearns to have built something real with her, to have companionship who won’t die in the blink of an eye, someone who understands this Otherness he experiences, an equal. If only the man he’d become could stand to let go of the reins in any relationship for more than like. Thirty seconds. Lol

⚠️TW!: sexual abuse and sexual assault! mentioned at some point⚠️

Yup. You get it, anon!

My favorite interpretation of him is as a man who WANTS that companionship and love but he’s been burned so many times before, falling in love with people he outlived due to war and his slower aging. So he can’t allow himself to be hurt like that again.

I completely agree to all of this!

What antis seem unable to understand is that the Darkling is human most of all. Not a villain, not a hero, not a Grisha but a human being with human emotions and needs. In fact, I find him the most human character in the Grisha trilogy. We all want love and companionship. None of us likes the feeling of loneliness (it's one thing to want to be alone and another to be lonely) and the Darkling is no different in this aspect. He wants to love and be loved. He wants someone to keep him company forever, to not abandon him because of betrayal, death, age or mortality. He doesn't want to be alone. For centuries he suffered from it and was desperate to find someone to fill this void. Alina was this person. She ticked (most of) the boxes for him.

(just a small pause to say that we can also see evidence of his desire to feel and live human things in RoW:

(He might considered otkazat'sya beneath him, but the feeling of humanity was something surprisingly pleasant for him. And he seeked Alina out to feel this way again. Even though he denied it:)

(A part of him wanted something simple. Peace and calm and a girl that loved him and he loved her at his side.)

If I could describe the Darkling's need for someone to join him and be with him, for Alina to come to him and love him, I would use this passage from the book "City of Heavenly Fire":

“Imagine if you were the last Shadowhunter left on earth (in this case let's use the term "the last Grisha of your kind"), imagine if all your family and friends were dead, imagine if there were no one left who even believed in what you were. Imagine if you were on the earth in a billion, billion years, after the sun had scorched away all the life, and you were crying out from inside yourself for just one single living creature to still draw breath alongside you, but there was nothing, only rivers of fire and ashes. Imagine being that lonely. And then imagine there was only one way to fix it. Then imagine what you would do to make that thing happen.”

THIS is how I imagine the Darkling's desperation to gain Alina. His last hope for love and companionship.

He has been hurt hundreds of times in the past. The lovers he had, the people he fell in love were dying in front of his eyes from their mortality. Others couldn't understand his powers, couldn't fathom him as a person (because I bet almost all, if not all, his lovers were otkazat'sya). So at some point, he just gave up. Gave up on love and stopped having relationships. He wouldn't be hurt again, he wouldn't allow it.

Deep inside his little black heart he would love to be equals with Alina but unfortunately years of trauma and pain have left him entirely unable to exist in a relationship that doesn’t have a power imbalance in his favor. He doesn’t know how to let go of his want for power even in his relationships anymore.

"his little black heart" that sounded so cute 🥺🫶😭

And, yes, I agree that deep inside (veeery deeply though) he wanted to be equals with Alina because on one hand it seemed right to him, logically and strategically (she had the power of light, he had the power of darkness. They were both immortal and she had a strong spirit). But years had already passed where he had the control in all things. Okay, not all. He couldn't stop Kings and Queens from making stupid or unspeakable things (and yes I'm alluding Genya's sexual assault from the King here). But he had a habit that he couldn't break. "Old habits die hard" fits here. He couldn't put aside his need for domination and just say "Yeah sure do whatever you want in this relationship, Alina! Peace and love!🥰✌️". No, he would still want to have the upper hand in their relationship and their rule.

And now that he needs Alina for his Grand Schemes, well he definitely can’t fall in love with her without potentially fucking up his plan, right? He needs her to do many very specific things and he can’t be blinded by Real Emotion that might make him change his mind so instead he keeps her at arms length while making her THINK her feelings are requited and he pulls her strings to get her to do what he needs so that his centuries of living will have paid off.

Yup. He didn't want to fall in love with her. Just to manipulate her. But the problem is that we don't choose when to fall in love and who. It just happens. And that fucked him up emotionally.

1) Because he hadn't felt that emotion in years.

2) Because it wasn't part of his plans, just like you said.

He literally panicked and didn't know what to do and he certainly didn't know how to express it in a healthy manner.

Alina's constant rejection and rebellion against him (+ her love for Mal and her choosing only him) made him go feral and do impulsive things. Made him fuck up his well-thought-out plans. So, in the end, he really is a person that sometimes let his emotions rule his mind unwillingly.

About him making her think that her emotions are requited, it's a complicated matter. In R&R he confirmed that he seduced her (if you call that seduction) as part of his manipulation.

But I think he also played himself back then at S&B. He tried to appease her worries at that time and in S&B it seemed genuine. Honestly, for me, it still does. But, according to him (and Bardugo) he did it to feel more bound to him, more loyal.

BUT! I think that in the meantime he played himself and caught feelings.

Like "He he I'm gonna make her feel good for herself 😈......shit.....now I feel something for her. FUCK!!"

But he would never admit that to Alina. Not in a verbal way anyway. Because when he gave her his name it was a type of love confession (GIVING HER HIS HEART, HELLO??).

I kinda agree that he wanted to make her feel that her feelings were requited but he also must have been like "but let's not tell her that I also caught feelings👀👀".

He wanted to fulfill his plans, yes. But he also fell in love with her in the process and everything went DOWNHILL FOR HIM.

And deep deep down the man he used to be yearns to have built something real with her, to have companionship who won’t die in the blink of an eye, someone who understands this Otherness he experiences, an equal. If only the man he’d become could stand to let go of the reins in any relationship for more than like. Thirty seconds. Lol

Hard agree to all of this too.

Just like I said, he didn't know how to live a life without controlling it and everyone in it.

[prgnant]

1999 Drum & Bass

[Part 5 of a five part series where I’ll go chronologically thru every full-length single-artist dnb LP from 95-99 that I can find. Only including records where a majority of tracks are basically within the genre and new material. No remix albums, No VA compilations, No trip hop records with one dnb track, etc.]

At the end of the millenium, we get a variety of dnb releases from jazz to jump-up that will largely define the genre’s crystallization in the 2000’s. Longtime scene contributors Ray Keith, Peshay, Technical Itch, and Source Direct put out their first full-length collections. Vocal tunes seem to be en vogue, most notably with Saul Williams performing on Krust’s masterpiece Coded Language. A trio of Andy C, Ant Miles, and Shimon bring the heat on Molten Beats, the first Ram Records release. Big Bud melds hard 2 step beats with deep atmospheres on the popular Infinity + Infinity. Guardians of Dalliance and Alpha Omega both write tunes in 5/4. Fallen Angels and XRS Land provide early examples of the liquid funk sound, with XRS drawing heavily from samba and Brazilian jazz. From every corner of the dancefloor the tension builds toward the ultimate drop: y2k.

personal favorite: Krust - Coded Language

underrated/lesser known pick: XRS Land - Sarau

one standout track: G-Force & Seiji - Sex In Space

full list with links under the cut

Ray Keith - Contact

Lemongrass - Lumiere Obscure

Current Value - Seeds Of Mutation

Source Direct- Exorcise The Demons

Aquasky - Bodyshock

James Hardway - Positive Sweat

Technical Itch - Diagnostics

Smokey Joe - Incorporated

Peshay - Miles From Home

Sonar Circle - Radius

Polar - 37 C & Falling

Breakbeat Era - Ultra Obscene

Omni Trio - Byte Size Life

G-force & Seiji - Just Another Number

Foul Play Productions - Field of Action

Big Bud - Infinity + Infinity

Alpha Omega - Journey to the 9th Level

Guardians of Dalliance - Diffusion Rooms

Krust - Coded Language

Ram Trilogy - Molten Beats

Fallen Angels - Part One

XRS Land - Sarau

[evapillar]

I read the entire Cosmere so you don’t have to!

Curious about Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books but not sure where to start? Read one series and looking for more? Want to know what’s skippable? Here’s a handy subjective guide!

Good starting points

Warbreaker

This is a fun, self-contained fantasy novel with some classic Sanderson twists! Zero prior knowledge required. This is one of the only Cosmere novels that tells a complete story, and it’s a normal length. No caveats.

The Final Empire/Mistborn Era 1

This was my starting point! It’s a fun read but was his second published novel and it kind of shows. I LOVED the first Mistborn book (and the rest of the trilogy), but when I was halfway through I did describe it as “a pile of intricate world-building with a heist stapled on top.” I turned out to be very wrong but if that sounds like something you wouldn’t have patience for, then start someplace else. (Also the audiobook reader is normally great but a poor match for the characters.)

The Emperor’s Soul

Please please please read this novella. Even if you have no interest in Brandon Sanderson or fantasy in general. This is maybe the most brilliant single book in the cosmere. It fully deserved the Hugo Award it won. The magic system is simple yet original. It is a beautiful meditation on the concept of identity, how we are shaped by our pasts, and what it means to be human. 80% of the story takes place in one room. The Emperor's Soul and the epilogue of Rhythm of War are the only things in the cosmere that made me cry.

The Way of Kings

This is the first book of the Stormlight Archive so I put it in this section but uhhhhhh only start here if you have a high tolerance for lengthy hard fantasy epics. I adore Stormlight but holy smokes does Way of Kings start off slow! The first six chapters contain three time jumps and six different perspective characters. I might not have gotten through it if I hadn’t gotten sick right after checking it out of the library.

I read something and liked it, now what?

The Stormlight Archive

This series of door stoppers has, for my money, the best characters and best world building in the cosmere! Also some really cool depictions of mental health struggles. Currently four books + two interstitial novellas, with the fifth and final book coming out this December. The Stormlight Archive is a great choice for people who don’t like deciding what to read next. If you started with Warbreaker this is the natural place to go because a bunch of Warbreaker characters make cameos in the later books. (Also the audiobooks are FANTASTIC!!!)

Tress of the Emerald Sea

An extremely fun, stand-alone romp! I almost put this on the starter list but it’s not representative, kind of spoilery, and also I truly don’t know what it would be like to read it without knowing who Wit is. This is Wit telling a story written for the prompt “what if Buttercup ran off to save Westley from the Dread Pirate Roberts” and it’s as fun as that sounds! (One of my all-time favorite audiobook experiences)

Mistborn Era 1

In case you didn’t start there! It’s great! (See above)

GIVE ME THE LORE!!

Mistborn: Secret History

There is an ongoing fandom argument about when to read this. I personally think you can read it any time after Mistborn Era 1, preferably before The Lost Metal. I stopped reading Era 2 while I tracked down a copy because I was so so confused after The Bands of Mourning.

Everything else in Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded is a collection of short stories from across the Cosmere, with prefaces that contain info about each planetary system. Several of the other stories I’ve mentioned are in here, but there’s a whole lot else. A big ol’ tasty pile of lore!

Mistborn Era 2

Okay, confession: I didn’t really like these much. The characters just didn’t connect for me, and one in particular, who happens to be the author’s favorite, I utterly despise. That being said, you’ve got cool fights, magical industrialization, characters from era 1 being worshipped as gods centuries later, and SO much lore. I know other people liked these but not my cup of tea. Obviously must be read after Mistborn Era 1.

The Sunlit Man

I…think this is a sequel to a book that doesn’t exist yet?? It was really cool in its own right and also brought together a ton of lore. Do not read before Stormlight!

Things you can skip

White Sands vols 1-3

This is a comic book adapted from one of Sanderson’s early unpublished novels. The art is dreadful and the writing isn’t much better. Almost no connections to the larger cosmere.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

This is the weakest of the Kickstarter books IMO. It just has some major structural problems, the biggest of which is that Wit is narrating for no discernible reason. He spends the whole book disrupting the narrative to complain that he’s been turned into a hatstand.

Elantris

Sanderson’s first published novel and it shows. I have really complicated feelings about Elantris. I think if I had read it as a teenager it would have merged with my soul and become a pillar of my personality, but it doesn’t suit the person I am now. There is a lot of cool stuff in this book! It’s a really impressive first novel! And the naive, Strong Female Protagonist feminism would be forgivable if not for a more specific issue. I was teetering on the edge of disordered eating when I picked up Elantris, and unfortunately this book has a major theme equating eating more than the bare minimum necessary for survival with immorality and subhuman behavior. If you struggle with food or body image do not touch this book with a ten foot pole!!! If you don’t, go ahead, it’s otherwise a perfectly fine book.

[lumi-klovstad-games]

Hey, 343. We call "expanded universes" that for a reason.

It also hurt for those of us who actually LIKED Fireteam Osiris and saw potential in the characters. Halo 5 sets up a neat "Brothers in Arms" relationship between Chief and Locke like Chief had with Arbiter in 3, maybe even a little bit of Master & Apprentice, with Locke standing to learn a lot in the days and battles to come from the much older and more experienced Master Chief. But then the next game comes and... wait where is everyone? 343 wants me to buy more books?! A lot of fans already had to buy half a library's worth just to grock Halo 5, and here's 343 repeating that mistake again!

The Halo games really have just become a means by which 343 plugs the Halo novels. "There's a book that explains that" is the constant refrain I hear these days. No. I WANT THE GAMES TO EXPLAIN IT. The games are the only thing literally EVERY Halo fan buys. EXPLAIN IT IN THE GAMES.

I will give the audio logs in Infinite SOME credit for answering SOME questions I had, but mostly it was used to introduce irrelevant subplots that actually WOULD be better as a novel. Escharum doing his damnedest to keep the ragtag and ill-fitting family that are the Banished together with the disappearance of his protege Atriox, a warrior who was like a son to him, knowing full well he doesn't have Atriox's charisma and he can't maintain the cult of personality Atriox cultivated at the core of the Banished in the same way? Or a fireteam of Spartans, feeling lost and surviving without any real support, realizing that they'll likely die one way or another, deciding to risk it all on a single desperate all-or-nothing Hail Mary attempt at cutting the head off the snake, only to fail, with their only monument being their broken bodies, and their armor that Chief has to scavenge for gear with little if any knowledge of what happened to his comrades? These are plots TAILOR MADE for a spin-off novel. But instead a HUGE CHUNK of the total audio logs gets devoted to this kind of stuff, instead of explaining where Blue and Osiris are, if they survived, and setting up a reunion in a later story — you know, something actually relevant to Master Chief's story that connects with the plot players are already familiar with.

I get that 343 wants the Halo Universe to feel like this big connected thing while keeping the "mysterious" feel of the original trilogy, but for 343 that takes the form of locking players out of the loop: deny the players critical information necessary to understanding characters or the plot (even if the players can operate without that information) and then demand they cough up $8-15 a pop to gain access to that information (or just wait until Halopedia editors inevitably do). What they keep forgetting is that the original trilogy told players everything they needed to know as the game naturally progressed. The Bungie novels were interesting and sundry, but nothing they related was essential — not even The Fall of Reach (often considered the most important book in the expanded universe) was necessary to understand anything in the games proper. And then, when Bungie actually made a GAME about Reach, they made a point to showcase a separate cast of characters on a different part of the planet, playing a different role in the battle, with an entirely different team dynamic, all for the express purpose of keeping it so that the book wasn't essential to understanding what was going on. That's the secret that 343 just doesn't get: keep the books interesting, but keep them at arm's length — the GAME should tell the players everything they need to know.

More than game mechanics or graphics, if 343 can learn to tell stories in the games the way Bungie did, and learn to keep the books away from the games, then that alone will MASSIVELY improve Halo's appeal and bring back much of what was lost.

[letmelickyoureyeballs]

Beta Reader About Me

This is going to be a more in-depth post about me as a beta reader, which will be linked in my pinned post.

First off, hello call me Shark or Spruce! I'm 19 and go by he/they pronouns. I am open to beta reading for people, whether that's stuff on here or AO3.

What I'm willing to do:

Grammer/Capitalization/Punctuation

Cheer reading(pointing out what you did well and what I'm excited to see)

Identify plot inconstancies/where something needs to be clarified

Help with canon/characterization(if I know what/who it is)

American/Midwest information and more specifically Wisconsin information

Pretty much anything else you wish me to help with

*Depending on the fandom and length of fics, some of these will differ in doability*

I am generally ok with any kind of content that you write, but I do have some fic turn-offs. *Note that not everything on this list means I won't beta read for you, but I would like more info/details around them if they are in your fic to see if I'm still comfortable helping*

Mpreg/Anything pregnancy-related

Kid fics(when the main pairing has a kid, not kid-focused fics)

Really dark stories with no happy endings(depends on the story, but I'd prefer a happy/fulfilling ending)

Major Character death

Anything that is meant to hate a certain group/subgroup of people

Really long fics over 100k words

Some things that I am comfortable reading. *Not a comprehensive list*

Omegaverse

Reader Insert

G-E rated fics

Original characters

Canonverse

Alternate Universe

Gore and violence

Potentially triggering topics

I will again read pretty much any fandom you write for including original works, but here are some fandoms that I would be able to help more in-depth with:

The Witcher(Show, Third game, All the books), The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Halo(Game series), Marvel, Venom, Star Wars/The Mandalorian, Transformers, Call of Duty, How to Train Your Dragon(Iffy on third movie), Spider-Man/Deadpool(Spideypool), Percy Jackson/The Heroes of Olympus, The Hunger Games, The Divergent Series, Maze Runner, Narnia(Movies only, I don't know anything in the books), Pride and Prejudice/Emma, Disney/Pixar movies, The 100, NBC Hannibal, Rise of the Guardians, Good Omens, Our Flag Means Death, Beastars, Titanfall 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Baldurs Gate 3, Divinity Original Sin 2, Hazbin Hotel, Critical Role(I've only watched Campaign 1 and 3, and the TV show), Once Upon a Time, Anne with an E, Harry Potter, Six of Crows, Twilight, Star Trek, The Conjuring series, Descendants/High school Musical, Guardians of the Galaxy, Oceans Trilogy, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, Top Gun, Stranger Things, Fast and Furious, Moon Knight, Bridgerton(Show only)

I will read WIPs/completed works, multi/single chapter works, original works, and anything in between.

If you are interested or have any questions you may DM me. If you do, please provide whether I would be helping with a WIP or completed work, and whether there are any deadlines I need to be aware of. Please also include any warnings I should know about, and what you would want me to help with. I would also prefer to work on Google Docs if possible.

*Even if you are not interested, please reblog for others to see*

Edited July 18, 2024

[softstraykidshours]

stray kids fic-mas: day 12

pairing: ot8 stray kids x gn!reader

genre: fluff, headcanon

summary: watching christmas movies with stray kids

length: 750

warnings: slight food mention, christmas mention, low key hallmark movie slander i am so sorry

a/n: this piece was requested by a lovely anon. watching christmas movies with skz sounds so so so so so so so fun, it would be a blast! thanks for cute idea, anon! we hope you enjoy!

ficmas 2022 masterlist

chan

he is just so happy that he gets to spend time with you that he’ll watch whatever you want. any time spent with you is time well spent, so he couldn’t care less what’s on the screen. he’s spending literally the entire time cuddling you while wrapped in the coziest, fuzzy blanket he can find. you spend half the movie saying he’s smothering you, but that's your problem because if you didn’t want to be suffocated by his love, then you shouldn’t have suggested watching a festive movie with your lovey dovey boyfriend.

minho

he has very strong opinions on whatever holiday movie you suggest and will probably argue about why literally any movie you bring up isn’t as good as elf. it is the best movie in his opinion and he will fight anyone (hyunjin) who disagrees. the only exception to this rule is if you say that nightmare before christmas is your favorite movie, in which case he will give you a pass (but you will still be forced to watch elf with him). every year he has an elf watch party with soonie, doongie, and dori and it takes years of fighting (and a bribe to bring elf hats for the cats) before he allows you to join.

changbin

he is a big fan of old timey christmas movies. but specifically the cartoon ones. he loves frosty the snowman and rudolph so so much. he literally has the entire soundtrack for both memorized and will be singing them nonstop for the entirety of the holiday season. he thinks a charlie brown christmas is the funniest movie ever because of the way the teacher talks. he also has a secret soft spot for nightmare before christmas (but don’t let minho know because it’s changbin’s guilty pleasure).

hyunjin

he refuses to watch anything but the classics. he’s exclusively watching films like holiday inn, miracle on 34th st, it’s a wonderful life, white christmas, etc. basically if it was made in this century, he doesn’t even acknowledge it as a movie, much less one that he would watch. it could literally be a holiday cinematic masterpiece, but if it doesn’t fall under the umbrella of what hyunjin considers to be a classic, then he won’t even consider watching it. (when hyunjin catches you watching hallmarks with felix it low key causes a fight.)

jisung

he absolutely loves the santa clause movies, but he basically only watches santa clause 3 because it’s the worst but he thinks its the best. no matter how many times you ask to watch something else, he always goes on and on about the santa clause until you eventually concede and watch some part (if not the entirety) of the trilogy. the best part of the holiday season this year for him was when he heard about the new disney+ santa clause show.

felix

he’s watching hallmark movies basically every single day of the holiday season. for some reason (that you will never understand), he somehow actually enjoys them and finds entertainment value in their cinematic choices. no matter how many times they repeat the same story with the same exact actors, he is always so endeared. even when you try to make fun of them, he always ends up finding a way to turn your insults into compliments. you still watch them with him, though, because you love how much he loves them.

seungmin

just like felix, he is also watching almost exclusively hallmark movies during the holidays. but not because he thinks they are good. it’s for quite the opposite reason. he loves making fun of every last little thing about the movies. like "wait, i thought this woman was a business woman not a starving artist?" or "when is the town christmas festival gonna go into ruin?" or "how will the marginally (not) attractive leads fix it?". you’ve never had more fun in your life than when you’re making fun of hallmark movies with seungmin.

jeongin

he loves absolutely everything about the holiday season, so when you mention movies, he is so down. he has already watched and will re-watch basically every christmas movie ever made. it is a whole event for him. he will have cocoa and cookies and themed snacks ready in less than fifteen minutes if you mention you want to watch movies with him. you will also never watch just one. the second the first one finishes, he already has a recommendation of what you should watch next.

[game-boy-pocket]

Today I played "The Legend of Super Mario" a hack of the original Legend of Zelda by NesDraug, who is quickly becoming one of my fave NES hackers, he also made that wonderful Ninja Turtles themed Mario hack I posted about a few weeks back.

Unlike that game though, this is a full length Zelda adventure, but it's themed after Super Mario Bros, mostly the NES Trilogy, the only thing I can recall that didn't appear on the NES, was the super feather, which acts as Mario's defense upgrades in this game. Even the music in this game is Mario themed, but with a bit of a Zelda flow to it. And this really goes a long way with rom hacks, it's selling the illusion that you're playing something resembling an official NES game.

I am not sure if this says more about my Zelda skills or more about this games balance, but I didn't die once when playing, I have been known to successfully complete no death runs in Zelda 1 multple times, but I feel like health drops were plentiful, I didn't even use the one potion I found. There's also more heart containers than you actually need in the game.

Knoweldge of Zelda 1 did help me quite a bit, but I did need to look up how to get to one dungeon. I don't know if the game clued me in to it's location, or if I was meant to intuit it, I don't know that I would have found it myself without looking it up, as it's a very "trial and error" kind of thing.

I've played several Zelda romhacks, but rarely do I finish the full conversions. Just Outlands, Legend of Banjo, and one or two randomizers, the rest have been QOL hacks. So, the fact that I could finish this in one single day and didn't feel like I needed to take a break after a bit of progress really speaks highly of this hack. I would recommend old school Zelda fans who also love Mario to check this out. It's very much worth your time.

[aj-lenoire]

just my two cents, because i genuinely enjoy discussing this sort of thing, but i don’t think it’s quite accurate to say, in ballad of songbirds and snakes, that snow was a horrible monster the entire way through—but i don’t think ‘the story of about him him choosing between good and evil and ultimately choosing evil’ is really accurate either

from the very start of the book it’s made very clear that snow thinks the capitol are just plain better than the districts, in every way. he might not be able to afford food, but he’s capitol, so he’s better. the rebels were selfish lunatics and the districts are so savage that the only way to end the war is not to end it, but control it. with the games.

now aj, you might say, that’s just because of the propaganda he was fed, well that’s until we meet sejanus. snow is given an alternative point of view, and he dismisses it because sejanus is stupid, because he’s district, of course he sympathises with those animals. of course he thinks the games are wrong. when sejanus says humans are supposed to protect their children, snow just thinks about how no one protected him, never mind the lengths tigress went to help him, never mind how this is a direct contrast to katniss, who was similarly alone and had to fend for her family near-single-handedly, but she never stopped trying to protect prim.

snow’s main focus throughout the games is lucy gray, obviously, but he is always primarily focussed on making her look good so he will look good. he never really thinks of the other tributes, and the one time he tries to imagine himself in their situation, he “snaps himself out of it” be reminding himself that this is what sajanus is probably doing. he never even really ruminates on how lucy gray, a person he supposedly cares about, will likely die, until she’s in the arena. for most of it he’s just trying to get her to make him look as good as possible with the time she has before the games.

the handful of moments we get of snow where he hasn’t got any of his pretences include when the bombs go off in the arena and when he ruminates on having swan flu as a kid. here, he’s put into stark contrast with katniss more than ever. katniss, who was also a child who grew up functionally an orphan, fended for herself and her family. she went out into the woods to hunt, risking execution. snow, meanwhile, never thought of anyone but himself. tigress brought him home when he had the flu, even though she had it too, and lucy gray saved him in the area, even though she too had grown up in the war and been orphaned by it.

snow only ever thinks of himself, of his family’s name and status and what that means for him. he briefly talks with tigress and she tells him not to look down on those who have to do distasteful things to survive, alluding to the possibility that she sold her body to get food—something katniss admits she would have probably done to feed her family, had she not learned to hunt. she pities the young women who clamoured at thread’s back door, not judges them. snow judges, and in the trilogy we also learn that he abandons tigress eventually—presumably when she was no longer something he could control.

snow has the opportunity, in sejanus, in going to 12, to live among the districts and see them as people, but he never really does. sejanus continues to annoy him, and at every turn, he wants to try and get back, to the point that he betrays sajanus and ends up getting him killed. his brief guilt about the jabberjay is one of the only moments he is shown to care about anyone but himself, but he tells himself nothing will come of it and then he immediately turns to thinking about ‘the chink in the capitol’s armour’ and the chaos that might spread as a result of the rebel plan sejanus has joined.

at the end, when he decides to run away with lucy gray, the moment he realises he can return home consequence free and resume his capitol life, he takes it. he hunts lucy gray like an animal, thinking of how the mockingjays are ‘genes gone bad’. where lucy gray loves them, snow only likes the jabberjays—strictly controlled capitol servants that he understands the use of, not the mockingjays, which are something the capitol made by accident.

the book might seem like snow is being made to choose between good and bad, and maybe in a way, snow thinks that himself, but it’s obvious from the very start—and not just because this is a prequel—that he was only ever going to pick control, pick the capitol, pick himself. such is his conviction that he resolves not to marry someone he actually loves, because he won’t allow himself to be manipulated by it again; it all comes back to control, and he wants to be the one with the power

he doesn’t start off evil, and maybe he doesn’t end evil, but the story is a detailed treatise on how focussing only on yourself, being so self-centred, will lead you to cast aside even those you claim to love the most, to believe anything and everything (and anyone) should be sacrificed in the name of improving your own situation.

[dvar-trek]

Romance Roundup: Part 1

this summer, after succumbing to my knitting injuries, i fell into a romance novel rabbit-hole. they are like candy for me. they're low-effort, fun, a quick source of joy, and keep me from endlessly scrolling jpost for israel news. also i can usually finish one in a day or two. so all in all, i ended up reading a total of 90 romance/kissing books.

the stats:

84 queer

13 novella-length

4 that i really feel i gave a fair shot but didn't finish

the top 7 (in no particular order):

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland- a fantasy book wherein the prince and his sworn bodyguard fall in love. some light (as in dangerous but not overly complex) political intrigue. plenty of world-building, but the author doesn't ever bore you with explanations you don't want. the writing is a little clumsy at times, but in spite of myself i found this book and the characters so utterly charming.

Enlightenment Trilogy (Provoked, Beguiled, and Enlightened) by Joanna Chambers- takes place in regency-late georgian scotland. two men who are dedicated to their respectable (but very different) lives. in order to keep what's important to them, they each plan to go through life just having anonymous, one-off encounters with other men, and needless to say, they upend that for one another. features radical politics, arguments about what matters in life, george iv's visit to scotland, and confronting your past. i thought about this extensively, but i simply do not think i can describe the plot in a way that will be helpful. you are just going to have to trust me. a linked short story and bonus-epilogue-novella are also availble on the author's website.

10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall- man sort of accidentally fakes amnesia to keep his asshole boss from firing everyone. only they end up sort of falling for each other for real. modern setting, funny and sad, and the kind of slow-burn romance that makes your chest hurt. it does take place over christmas, but not in a fluffy, christmassy way. like, even i, America's Number One Christmas Hater, who would never have touched it had i known about the christmas element going in, found it to be completely tolerable amount of christmas, and a thoroughly enjoyable book. i read everything on my top 7 list multiple times, but this is one that really rewards your second read-through.

Captive Prince Trilogy (Captive Prince, Prince's Gambit, and Kings Rising) by C.S. Pacat- fantasy setting wherein a prince is kidnapped and enslaved in an enemy realm, and eventually has to ally with his cruel captor in order to save his own kingdom. plenty of political maneuvering, military skirmishes, court intrigue, and secret night mission shenanigans (with disguises). another chest-aching slow burn that rewards multiple read-throughs. there's also a linked short story collection, The Summer Palace, which includes a bonus epilogue.

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues (book 2 in Lucky Lovers of London) by Jess Everlee- victorian-era romance, featuring drag, lifelong best friends, and some of the best (hottest) sex scenes on this list. the proprietor of an underground gentlemen's club for queer men fights to keep his club open and his people safe, both from the law and from the volatile aristocrat who owns the place. he also definitely doesn't have feelings for his best friend. anymore. probably.

England World (Think of England, and prequel Proper English) by KJ Charles- two excellent books; one a houseparty/treason investigation and one a houseparty turned murder mystery. as everyone knows, it's extremely dangerous to attend a houseparty while single, because you will fall hopelessly in love, but you will also be in mortal peril. i am. too fucking feral about these characters to say anything useful. i am completely aware that this does nothing to help my case, but i cannot help it. i am unable to be normal about them, even in the effort to convince people to read these books. also please note that even though the covers are. quite bad. the writing is excellent and well-researched. also also, there's a bonus epilogue on the author's website, featuring additional sex, good jokes, and bad poetry.

An Unnatural Vice (book 2 in Sins of the City) by KJ Charles- the whole trilogy is worth reading (in order!) but this is definitely the strongest of the 3, and i found it to be the most compelling of the romances. a victorian-era mystery/suspense series, featuring an inheritance plot, murders in the fog, and fake séances. a "spiritualist" who defrauds the wealthy and the investigative jouranlist determined to expose his tricks find themselves hate-fucking, running from murderers, arguing about class politics, and both saving and upending each others' lives.

honorable mention:

Sailor's Delight by Rose Lerner- #1 brain-rewiring book of the year. 1813 sailing master in the british royal navy and his naval agent fall in love. the book takes place over 1 week of shore leave (which coincides with the high holy days), although they have known each other (and known that they can never be together) for almost a decade. uh. listen. this book is both fun and well-researched, but it is not, like, Good™. there is a shirtless man on the cover and there's not even any fucking in the book. the main characters are named Elie and Augie which is completely unsexy. BUT. they changed my brain chemistry and i've plotted out their entire lives in my head from the moment they met and i'm fucking feral about them.

romance roundup part 2

[tonydaddingham]

LWA: That conspiracist "magic trick" document is...that's why I rarely interact with fandom spaces. S2 does indeed have a bunch of problems, a lot of which have to do with the material conditions of production and some of which are endemic to the source material. S1 was not a well-plotted or well-paced show, because the /novel/ is not well-plotted or well-paced. S2 didn't have enough material to justify six episodes, and only the Job minisode justified its length in terms of either character's characterization. Etc. Both seasons are flawed scripts saved by the leads.

The other problem here is that Gaiman has transformed a single season into a trilogy, and if there are going to be narrative payoffs we don't see them yet; it's as if PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ended with Lizzie Bennet rejecting Darcy's first proposal (which is, after all, what we got, except that Aziraphale and Crowley are both Darcy and Lizzie simultaneously). In an incomplete trilogy, there just isn't sufficient evidence to understand whether the author has missed a trick or if they're setting up a third-act resolution. For example, take Crowley's proposal, which insists that he and Aziraphale have spent their "existence" denying that they're a team. I know everyone got hung up on Tennant's intense delivery, which is great, but Crowley's narrative of their friendship in S1 ("How long have we been friends? Six thousand years!") doesn't track with anything dramatized for us on the screen, and neither does this. Is this another "Crowley is an unreliable narrator" problem, as Gaiman has confirmed he is about the Fall, retroactively constructing an emotional bond that neither character felt? OK, if so, what's the underlying narrative argument motivating this behavior? Or do Gaiman and Finnemore think that that's what the series is actually dramatizing?

Here's what I mean. In S1, there's nothing to indicate (in the script, the actors' performances, or even the score) that they have a genuine, mutual emotional connection until 1601, some centuries post-Arrangement, which is the first time that Aziraphale expresses concern for Crowley's safety and also the first time we see him successfully break out the puppy eyes. (Post S2, it's now "expresses concern for Crowley's safety as a demon.") Before that, they have unequal and fleeting moments of connection: Aziraphale is more interested in Crowley during Creation than vice-versa. Crowley is charmed by Aziraphale in Eden and pleased to see him again at the Flood, but he is guarded or hostile when they meet at the Crucifixion and again in Rome. S2 now adds that he isn't all that excited to see Aziraphale again during Job, either, although Aziraphale comes across as quite chipper about the run-in. Aziraphale is equally guarded at the Crucifixion, excited to see Crowley in Rome, and then mildly annoyed about running into him during the Arthurian period (and it's apparently still canon that the Arrangement won't begin until a few centuries later). In 1793, they've become attached enough that they've started the damsel-in-distress game, and in 1827 Crowley invites Aziraphale to Edinburgh for fun, suggesting that they are now actual friends and not just doing transactional job swaps. But in 1862 Aziraphale is cold again for reasons not explained by the 1827 minisode. (As an aside, S2 Aziraphale is just mirroring S1 Crowley in asking for big things--Crowley requests collaboration, a celestial nuke, treason, and child murder, all but one of which he gets, and the last not for lack of trying--and /Aziraphale/ is the only character making inappropriate requests for help?!) 1862 is the first time we see them seriously miscommunicating, as opposed to arguing--Crowley's approach to his request is bad and Aziraphale overreacts equally badly. And then we are shown that the emotional stakes of their relationship intensify after they reunite in 1941, when all the gazing and romantic music tell us that Aziraphale has fallen in love. Given that the script makes clear that Aziraphale and Crowley are having the same conversation in 1967 that they were in 1862, and Aziraphale still believes he's handing Crowley a suicide pill, Aziraphale's decision to yeet himself out of the car immediately when Crowley tries to ramp things up again is probably the /least/ codependent thing either character manages post-1941 in the first two seasons.

The fanon narrative in which they've been mutually pining for six millennia uncritically tracks Crowley's story, but it doesn't track the script. They /aren't/ a team or even especially attached until the Arrangement kicks in, and the first in-script signs of the codependency that will cause them to implode in S2 don't show up until the end of the eighteenth century. (In the novel, Aziraphale doesn't even understand that he genuinely /likes/ Crowley until they're thwarting Armageddon!) These are two characters who canonically get along just fine without seeing each other for years, decades, centuries, or millennia! But without the third part of the trilogy, there's no final evidence about how we should view Crowley's approach to relationship story-telling, let alone how we should judge whatever Gaiman (and Finnemore) are doing.

HI LWA✨!!!!!!

i mean first off, in general response to the entire thing:

i joke, but what you've said does really highlight, i think, a key detail that the fandom (including myself) get carried away with; that if we were to watch the show specifically with brand new eyes, without any influence of a surrounding fandom that has existed for the last six years (or 33, paying the book due consideration), the relationship between crowley and aziraphale would be regarded very differently.

but first re: Magic Trick Theory. i felt really bad for saying it at the time, but i was so full-body convinced that eps 1 and 2 were fake following the screening because they felt weird. i genuinely couldn't understand why people were saying what they were (obviously there were great moments, no questioning that), because all i could feel was a sense of unease. and that's not even because it didn't follow the tone of s1 (which i loved for its delicate balance of being the most ludicrous, dry-funny story with undertones of serious philosophy and subtle complexity), but because it felt like someone had taken a section of the story and stretched it out so forcefully across a frame that was too big for it.

i won't list off any particular issues i had for fear of causing offense, because my rather insignificant opinion is genuinely not intended as a means to shit on s2, but once i let go of the notion that this season was meant to do anything other than set up s3, have a couple of silly (but still potentially Important for s3) subplots, and just be a fun and wild ride in developing aziraphale and crowley as characters, i began to enjoy it. that was entirely to do with me and my expectations, because neil never really told us to expect otherwise. in any case, for me, this feeling kicked in around ten minutes into ep3; let go of expectations and just went along for the ride.

with the benefits of hindsight, i don't think that s2 was badly written; it was still subtly nuanced and clever, but just in a very different way to s1. it still asked questions. it still questioned the black, white, and in-between. it still had the undertones of a fairly cohesive plot. production quality, given the state the industry was in when filmed, was really commendable and honestly astounded me given the limitations that were in place at the time. david and michael's respective performances were amazing, there's no doubt, but i don't think they necessarily saved it, because in many respects i don't think it needed saving.

yes, there were flaws, but altogether it was a very enjoyable season. and whilst i realise that some people understandably watch shows for plot and thematic intricacy, artistic direction, particular acting set pieces, or anything that gives Depth (myself included on some shows), i just liked it simply because it entertained me. it made me laugh, cry, angry, bemused - whatever emotion you can think of, i can probably tell you a time during that fateful Friday morning (clutching my fourth coffee that night, having driven the m5 for a horrendously inappropriate amount of time, and in my 16-22nd hour of being awake - just setting the scene) where i felt it. i just enjoyed the ride.

(and by the by, still personally think the screenings were a mistake - fun, exciting, and communal in spirit, but a mistake)

but this brings me to the Theory. im sure this comes to noones surprise, but i love speculating. it's fun, it's self-rewarding, and frankly just helps my head Quieten Down a little. a form of self-care, if you like. i like that it's possible to look at the same scene, episode, season, and interpret it differently. to think that a character does something for one reason, but also for another, or that the plot could go this way, or it could go that way. ive personally tried to stay away from speculating based on anything but what the story has shown to us so far. yes, sometimes i joke that "haha, neil would definitely bait and switch us" etc etc., but ultimately im not the authority on what he will and won't do, and i don't try to assume that i have spotted an ulterior motive other than what has been shown to us in the show/book.

so when it came to the Theory, i loved the parts that referenced the show itself; because the interpretation and presentation of such was really well speculated. it has references, clearly had a lot of knowledge and research behind it, was eloquent and well-reasoned (however inaccurate it may turn out to be), and honestly was intimidating - in a good, awe-inspiring, jealous-of-their-intelligence way - in the depth of dedication the author had to writing it. but as i remarked in an ask from someone (@swansdreaming shout out!✨) that asked for my thoughts on it, the only real reaction i could give as to how valid i found it was that it was "A Lot".

s2 ended narratively on a problem (well, a couple of them), so it's not bold to assume that they will be largely resolved in s3. what i think was bold however is to be embroiled in how odd s2 was that there has to be a higher purpose for it narratively. i think a season can be written perhaps a smidge weaker just because it was, with no lofty reason as to why. it's entirely possible - as i got over myself - to just sit back and enjoy it for what is put in front of you, and not think much more than that in terms of the technicality of the show... just relax and trust that the loopholes, or the armoury chock-full of chekhov's guns will be explained. speculate about the future of the plot in terms of the material itself put in front of you? yes, cool. but justify the plot by way of "there's no possible way that the script/writing could be flawed?" - whilst a commendable notion and likely rooted in admiration, i think that's potentially a little audacious and even a little bit of unnecessary glorification.

but let's talk about the relationship itself. again, controversial and brave, and yet so inescapably true. i definitely think there is Something There right from the beginning, but my god, it is not love. curiosity and fascination, absolutely (to varying degrees). attraction and tension (in any form), i daresay so. but it's not love, not even friendship - frankly it's barely even respect. we see flashes of potential friendship and respect:

crowley's reaction to aziraphale giving away his sword and aziraphale being grateful for his platitude on his choice to do so

aziraphale lying to the archangels in job, and aziraphale's reaction to crowley's constant attempts to show job and his family mercy

aziraphale offering crowley dinner in rome, and crowley's stunned/amused reaction to "let me tempt you"

their mutual bemoaning about their respective roles during arthurian albion, and agreement that the weather is pretty miserable (incidentally but irrelevant - my favourite funny line from s1 is michael's damp comment, gets me each time).

but even then, all of these are rooted in other things too, if not in actual fact; the main one that immediately springs to my mind is self-interest. the overall tones of these scenes are not very warm, barely even tepid; they are just two supernatural beings, alone in their experience of being so and being on earth amongst humans (who do many problematic things that seem to confound them slightly which - fair), and relating to each other as a result. but there's not much else to it, to their relationship, when you step back and look at it as the big picture. as i said, other than a couple of lines, there's little if any genuine connection beyond relatability - and even then that's questionable.

edit bc important: reexamining crowley's line in the coffee shop re: "you only ever call me for three reasons...", this indicates that he's aware that aziraphale only contacts him out of self-interest which... whilst i think is slightly derivative to suggest at this point, it is also true and aziraphale doesn't negate it. whether crowley says this as a reflection on himself for not being worth aziraphale's time, or as a reflection on aziraphale himself (both?) is almost immaterial - but he is able to admit to himself that their relationship might not be as rooted in love and partnership as he would otherwise like to think.

the one thing i do think is correct is that they have been in a six-millennia-long dance, circling each other and mirroring each other, a constant give and take.. and aside from its overt parallels to jane austen/regency aesthetic, that's why i particularly like that the dancing in s2 was the dance it was - a quadrille (?) instead of any 1-1 dancing in the time period like a waltz was such a great reflection of this... mirroring each other in their sways and swings, circling each other, drawing together and retreating, and the occasional brush with each other (hands)... it was just so symbolically appropriate to represent this symbiosis they have been cultivating for millennia, rather than them be represented as fully cohesive together in the form of a partnered ballroom dance... incredible. and completely - once again - set up the dilemma for the Feral Domestic in ep6.

i realised this earlier today (i don't want to admit what number rewatch im on but i feel like i could get s3 greenlit singlehandedly at this point), but when i ruminated what feels like eons ago on aziraphale's tendency to place crowley on a pedestal? yeah, once again the mirroring theme continues. these two have such idealistic images of each other built in their heads, and to me (without going off for the thousandth time in Detail) it's aziraphale that starts to re-examine that image in s1 and 2.

to me, he starts to consider that actually his image of crowley was not true to reality, but still found that he loved the Real Crowley even more. but crowley ends up destroying that image entirely by the end of ep6 with his 'i love you but not that part/s, and so fuck it, "no nightingales""... i don't know if that was the intention of the script/narrative, but it's certainly how it looked to me - that aziraphale was almost fully accepting of who crowley was (bearing in he doesn't have the facts - *sideeye*).

crowley's image of aziraphale however is so inaccurate and, as with just about everything that is crowley and his story, he doesn't like or want to hear or accept the truth if it doesn't suit him. run away together? aziraphale is practically the shaking-chihuahua antithesis of running away from things. reject heaven because they're toxic? yes, but it won't change unless they perhaps try to change it themselves. we could have been us? aziraphale was literally offering this to you, and a chance (as aziraphale genuinely believes at that time, naivety notwithstanding) to actually be free and safe in being so. whether crowley clings to this narrative out of loneliness, a hope of true redemption, stubborn pig-headedness, or a combination of these and others besides, he really set himself up for disaster.

aziraphale has his hand in the issue too, there's no doubt - he's pretty incompetent about seeing things truly outside of his own comfy little world (bookshop or in his head, either works), and doesn't make any overt measures to try to infer and understand the things that are left Unsaid. whilst crowley is keeping things from him and hiding behind a mask, aziraphale by all accounts is a smart guy, and even without the full facts you'd think he'd at least be able to surmise why crowley cannot say yes to restoration... or maybe he does, but by the point that he's caught up enough to understand, crowley already lit the touchpaper and aziraphale retreats in his own hurt and sense of rejection.

the fact of the matter is that these characters, for having known each other for so long (in varying degrees of intimacy, granted), just do not know the first thing about what their respective cores are. it's very easy to focus on the star-crossed lovers element of the story (including myself in that number) and hyper-romanticise that aspect, than actually recognise the constant, problematic miscommunication and subsequent misunderstanding that - the way it's currently going - is going to lead them straight to their demise.