#a plus library

[imakemywings]

A+ Library Review: "Loveless" by Alice Oseman

This is not technically the first installment of this, but it is the first time I'm making it A Thing. A+ Library is my new segment where I review books with asexual and/or aromantic characters.

Previous review: The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong

The book description for Loveless is:

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush - but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she's sure she'll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia's ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her 'teenage dream' is in sight. But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her.

The character: Georgia Warr, aro/ace

So let's get to it.

TL;DR: Thumbs up from me

Since Loveless centers entirely around the aroace experience, I will not be breaking the review into sections like last time.

Loveless is a coming-of-age story about Georgia's first year at college. It begins with her graduation party out of high school and ends with her establishing plans for her second year of college. It's very slice-of-life, with a focus pretty much exclusively on Georgia's interpersonal relationships and her personal growth.

Oof. Okay. Loveless was at times hard for me to read, and not because it's bad, but because it hit so close to so many of my own experiences at Georgia's age. There were so many times I felt myself going "Oh yeah, I remember that. Yep, there's that phase. Yep, I told myself that story too. Yep, yep, yep."

Just like Georgia, I considered myself someone with "high standards" who would inevitably break the romance and sex barrier when I got to college. This book hit on so many of my own insecurities from that phase, some of which I still struggle with at times, but I will try to be objective about this review nonetheless.

Loveless does a wonderful job of unfurling Georgia's journey, from the start where she considers herself "just like everyone else" but a bit slow on the romance front, to realizing she's Different, through the difficult process of starting to accept that difference as part of her.

Unlike my last review, Loveless earns its found family by showing how Georgia and her friends grow together and apart and back together--with additions. Everyone in Loveless is on their own journey--and at different stages of it. From Pip who's been out as lesbian since she was fifteen and eager for a first girlfriend, to Rooney who's long suspected she's not really straight, to Georgia who's only just grasping the words to describe her experience.

And sometimes they hurt each other! One of the complaints I had about One Last Stop was how all the relationships (protag's mom aside) are entirely fluffy feel-good. Loveless eschews that by showing how friends can hurt each other even when they don't mean to, and how people have competing needs, and how past struggles can impact your present. But in spite of that, it's clear how much all of the main cast grow to care for each other over the course of the book, such that the ending is truly heartwarming.

The prose suits Georgia's voice, which is to say it sounds like an 18/19 year old girl is speaking. That means it's not very eloquent, and it can be blunt and cringy, but in a very believable, realistic way to me.

Georgia's coming of age isn't limited to just her orientation. At the start of the book, she is painfully alien to herself. Georgia doesn't seem to know anything about herself, as if she's spent all her adolescence wrapped in a thick blanket glued to fanfic and refusing to interrogate any of her own feelings--which is probably what happened. It means that she has a very rough time when she enters college. Unlike many such stories, Georgia is not jumping at the bit to be on her own--in the moment when her parents dust off their hands and prepare to leave her with her boxes of stuff in her new dorm, Georgia contemplates begging them not to leave her.

Loveless really captures a sentiment I experienced with asexuality, which was the sense of being left behind by your peers, of feeling childish and immature. Desperate to shake the feeling, Georgia makes an admirable effort at "putting herself out there," doing all kinds of things she doesn't really think she'll like, but wants to give a try, just in case. In some cases, she bombs--but in others, like the Shakespeare Society, she really blossoms. I thought the book makes an excellent picture of a lost young person beginning their adult life with no real idea of who they are, and trying to solve that problem.

Perhaps most painful of all, Loveless captures Georgia's fear of not knowing what her future will look like now that whirlwind love affair-->marriage-->2.5 kids is off the table. It's particularly difficult for her because Georgia so desperately wants that romance--except that for her it's something of a mirage: as soon as it gets close--like when a boy tries to kiss her--all her interest is gone in a flash. Georgia wants to want romance and sex...but she doesn't, really. Even when she's accepted her orientation, she really struggles with what this means for the rest of her life, which also felt very relatable. Partnering up is seen as virtually inevitable, and as the book points out: life is scary! It's way less scary when you have a Person! Therefore, part of Georgia's insecurity and uncertainty focuses a lot on what her future is going to be, and it's not a question she's solved by the end of the book. But it is one she's becoming less afraid of.

There were a few things that struck me as odd, like Pip's claim she had never "fully connected" with friends who aren't Latina, a sentiment echoed by Sonil's refusal to accept his asexuality until he met other Indian people who also used the label...obviously there are certain things that friends who don't share your racial or cultural background may not fully understand, but the idea that you can't connect with anyone who doesn't share your same racial make-up is...uncomfortable, I think. But these remarks pass quickly.

Additionally, the way Rooney and Georgia berate themselves for "experimenting" comes off unnecessarily harsh to me...part of dating is learning whether you're compatible with that person. And yeah--sometimes that means figuring out if you are or are not attracted to them, or their gender more broadly. There's nothing inherently wrong with starting to date someone you're not sure you're into, and then realizing you aren't.

The book also beats Georgia's fanfic reading to death a little, in my view. It gets mentioned way more than it needs to, and citing specific ships and tropes a) is going to date the book like hell; and b) is irritatingly obtuse to anyone who doesn't know what "Stucky" or "flower shop AU" is.

If you're deep into the ace/aro online community, this book may come off as retreading a lot of well-trod ground for you. There's nothing especially ground-breaking in it. But if you're not so connected, or you're new to the aro/ace community, or you just want a book that still-coming-out you needed, I think this is a great pick.

Next review: The Bruising of Qilwa (TBP)

[merlins-strawberriesandroses]

POV you’ve informed the Queen and the Court’s Sorcerer of something and they very clearly know something that they’re not letting on

[agent37]

theyre dancing :)

[+ angela and limbus birthday :33]

[atheneum-of-you]

Taking pride in disrespecting the gods you supposedly worship is so fucking weird to me. Truly it's weird.

I understand anger at times. I understand moments where you feel your boundaries are being crossed and exploding. We are human. Anger is a perfectly acceptable emotion.

But to be proud of the fact that you not only cursed out a god, but the KING of gods? I find you weird, sorry.

I understand reiterating boundaries and saying things in anger. But to take some form of pride in disrespecting the gods you claim to revere and laughing about it? You're not someone I want to be around.

Everyone's practice is their own, but I have no interest in being around someone with such an uncomfortable mentality with the gods. Especially to be proud of it around a group of people that REVERE AND WORSHIP the god you're disrespecting.

The gods are not our pets. Treating them as such is weird and gross.

[darknights-beloved]

King of Hearts!Diluc R. headcanons and ideas

wc ⸺ 1.4k

cw; just a heartbroken diluc. </3. not exactly a diluc x reader as in direct insert but rather doing a personality, appearance just to properly decide on his overall character. not exactly ooc though obviously its a different au so, you get it. also lots of bittersweetness ‎૮ ꒰ྀི╥ ᴗ ╥꒱ྀིა ultimately he is the sweetest hopeless romantic ever ♡

also if this was an xreader fic then it would be soulmates trope w/ a tinge of forbidden love. so there.

At first glance.

Diluc is a king with a broken heart.

He rules over a kingdom that grows more delicate and fragile as his heart weakens the more years he spends in his immortal life, lonely with exhaustive volumes of blood dirtying his hands.

The kingdom suffers a famine due to the power loss. He lies to himself, tries to trick himself into thinking he has it all under control.

He doesn't.

Perhaps in this case, he- the king - is the damsel in distress, waiting for the one he holds dear to hold his heart in her hands and kiss it until it heals.

Comes to life, eagerly. Thump thump thump...

He waits.

Personality , Traits, etc

Diluc's eyes are canonically [ ? ] sharp, I think. It's like a hooded gaze. Alert, ready...present. always making sure that no danger is in sight. As for koh Diluc? I'd like to believe his eyes are more weary, droopier. His eyebrows, however, are always etched in a furrow. But his eyes? His eyes are just sad. Canon Diluc's dominant emotion is anger (phlegmatic-choleric) and koh Diluc is more sad (melancholic-phlegmatic). It's really the long years of his immortality, fighting alone despite his army, men and all. (But he is also secretly very kind. Any tough demeanor remains a demeanor)

You know what? Now that we're talking about the temperaments. Why not just get all into it.

I believe koh diluc's pdb is

Intj (T) 6w5 ,, tri type 615 [?] ,, melancholic phlegmatic ,, Ni > Fi > Te > Se ,, sp/sx ,, neuroticism (?) please give ideas.

Koh Diluc is so, so much more exhausted. He falls asleep on his throne with his arms crossed sometimes and furrowed brows relax into a softer expression. His Guards don't dare make a sound or try to wake him up. They know how he works himself to the bone.

He's actually a little more quieter, the only time he'd usually speak is when he needs to give out another order to his men, soldiers or servants. Other than that, he's quite quiet and keeps to himself a lot /isolating

King of hearts Diluc loves desserts. He adores them. Tarts, cookies, coffee and cake - oh, he loves cake (especially red velvet/chocolate…a little self-indulgent there haha) – caramel, little toffees, pastries, chocolate.... Gods, you name it. It’s not much of a secret since at every feast and dinner table there’s always an overly generous number of deserts and sweet treats.

Despite his cold almost burnt out demeanour hes actually very soft. He love gardening a lot and tends to his flowers. He loves reading romance novels, he loves woodwork and crafting. And blade/weapon crafting too! Usually, he keeps himself occupied to distract his mind from a lot of things. Also he's immortal. so....yeah

Aesthetics / Appearance

His color palette is wine red, velvety crimson and all reds royal. Gold as well, but it's more of a light-silvery gold. He doesn't appreciate things too bright. He really likes dark colors. But he'd also appreciate the simplicity of saturated colors. (He’s a goth/victorian king.)

Having fought for more than half of his immortal life, he had earned many scars. Printed on his skin, either a proud mark of his achievements, a proof of the brunt of his responsibilities or the shame that comes with being a king that his citizens fear.

He has claw gauntlets. They're silver and the claws are long, intricately and finely designed. Despite his battles against any corruption or evil that may seep into wonderland, the gauntlets almost remain unscathed. It was a show of both beauty and strength it held.

Also what if diluc had an army outfit. like im not sure what is called but omg

Diluc doesn't like his crown. It's heavy, flashy and it irks him more than he likes to admit. It was a crown crafted for royalty, gifted by the hands of fate. It was a sign of his responsibilities, the burdens he had to carry as a king with a broken heart. It's a striking gold crown. Adorned with the rarest gems of his world, but prominently rubies and garnets.

His cape is long, it's either a dark, commanding or an intense black. Hanging over his shoulders attractively, it trails behind him as he walks with such poised posture, and he never stutters in steps. Luxurious, soft fur drapes around his neck, coating the hood of his cape perfectly.

Diluc loves rings. He loves them, he loves them, he loves them. He has many of them, all beautifully designed for his liking. The intimacy of the beautiful piece of jewelry makes his heart thump. He's a romantic.

Secret Desires, Hidden Pain

He yearns to be a kinder, softer king to his citizens. But the fear of his vulnerability slipping, his heart crumbling, he wears a mask of stoicism. He already had a fragile, broken heart. If any enemies caught sight of his weakness, wonderland would be done for. Needless to say, the mask felt heavy and unnatural.

Because he's lonely there are times where he sits in the grand chair in the huge library, right across another, slightly shorter chair (fit for a queen). It remains empty and has remained empty for as long as he remembers. He sits in a deafening silence, letting his thoughts and the overwhelming gnawing of his emotions consume him. Before him lay a chess board, on the table. White faces against him while black faces the opposite side. A few pieces were scattered beside the wooden, intricate board. He moves a piece, slowly and deliberately as if time had melted away into a misty fog his  present couldn't make sense of. His feels as though his immortal life is killing him. He moves another piece- his rook- playing the two player game by himself. One day, he's sure all the turmoil would mount and he'd throw the board, send it flying across the room so that it hits the wall. Slowly, he moves yet another piece. The king's shoulders slump.

Koh Diluc feels like he misses someone. Feels like there is an ever lingering feeling his heart. Feels like some memories of him in his mind is blurred and surreal, something he can't make sense out of scientifically. He feels it. He feels a distant love. It's almost a dream, an illusion. But part of him vaguely knew it was a little secret of his soul shared with him - well, maybe. Or his mind playing cruel tricks on him, mocking him for his loneliness.

Another rather...personal Diluc headcanon! His heart (if healed and well, and hypothetically the famine is gone) can heal injuries of his (fated) beloved with a simple touch. Just a hug, just a kiss, just a brush of his fingers against her delicate skin...

Because Diluc and his dearest lover's heart beats as one.

Architecture of the His Majesty’s Castle + Other sights

His palace is a show of extravagance. How big it is. At first glance it may seem as though it would take two whole weeks to explore it fully. From the chandeliers that hung proudly on the ceiling to the velvet carpet on the floor. Every room, despite big or small, was created with purpose. The most beautiful paintings were pedestalized on the walls. They were adorned with golden frames, or silver ones or perhaps even a void-like noir.

Diluc harbours a library, abundant with books. Books with lacy covers and intricate designs. Each page would surely cost a fortune. The information it contained was almost prestigious, for the library held knowledge that can't be found easily outside its confines. Tall, grand shelves and and shacks filled to the brim with books. Despite the grandeur of it all, it had a comforting feel to it. Oh to be snugged up in a plump couch by the window of the castle, leisurely reading a book during the dark hours of the night...

He has a bountiful, grand and extensively handsome rose garden. The whole piece of land was designed elaborately, with the finest of care. He takes long walks in them whenever he gets the chance to, to simply take a breath and clear his thoughts even for a moment. And appreciate the beauty of the scenic area. Despite his strength and ferocity, he tends to all of them with nothing but gentleness. To say he loves roses is an understatement.

Identity, Status, Trivia, other...

It is no secret that this man is ridiculously, obnoxiously and impossibly rich. Diluc is typically rich, yes. But king of hearts Diluc? He's on a whole other level. He owns everything. Everything.

The king is a warrior. He has fought many battles in the past, taken part in wars against other worlds which threaten to rip apart the fabric of reality of Wonderland and claim it for themselves. Wonderland is whimsical, strange- truly a place fit for the curious who are either brave to delve into the world or too foolish.

This is a more personal-ish headcanon, but I'd like to think that his citizens are similar to the ones in Simulanka. While the world may [ ? ] have been not created by Alice or other mages, I just like to switch it up. A little.

I'm thinking...hamsters, bunnies, frogs, cats, dogs, horses and? May be other animals I have to research more.

okay but also wonderland diluc owns a black steed <3 he pampers it a lot lol and its the toughest horse in the land. both kinda have the same personality

Mermaids, colorful fish, knights (they have no body, their soul holds their armour together somehow), those nut-cracker like figures in simulanka? Maybe. This needs a little more work but hopefully you get the idea.

Want my wonderland to be more comforting.

also he genuinely has nerd-like interests in black (barred) owls and hooded owls. He admires them, and has many paintings of the creature in his castle.

all rights reserved @dilucidal @darknights-beloved

a/n: im open to ideas ok like 🥹♥️plis

[strongindependentcheesecake]

Friendly reminder that if you're in the U.S. and have a library card you can get a bunch of free entertainment on your phone! Libby gives you access to your library's catalog of e-books and audio books, and Kanopy has a large selections of movies and shows!

Both of these are completely free and only need a library card number!!!!! And keep in mind there are tons of other benefits, these are just the ones I'm talking about!

[skeletoninthemelonland]

I had a dream you drew too many Springtraps and I kept scrolling down liking all of it

Going insane

honestly the urge to do just that is there but the energy isn't so. yeah

[cent-scratchnsniff]

l-o-v-e l-o-v-e

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

From scrapped bits of ACOK, looks like Jon is older than Robb?

The Old Bear gave a loud snort, and the raven took flight, flapping in a circle around the room. “If I had a man for every vow I have seen broken in my day, the Wall would not lack for defenders, I promise you. Especially when…it might have been you, Jon. You are the elder, are you not?”

“By a few turns of the moon. But Robb is trueborn. That is what he shares with Maester Aemon.”

It’s been a hot debate for years so it’s nice to have it semi-confirmed. Not sure how long “by a few turns of the moon” is, but it is an interesting inclusion nonetheless because Robb was conceived two weeks(?) before Ned left Riverrun. So Jon can’t have been conceived during the war, as Ned claims, and that is huge.

[imakemywings]

A+ Library: "Every Heart a Doorway" by Seanan McGuire

The reviews continue! Although this may be the last one for a while; I recently added about thirty new books to my TBR thanks to a library rec list, so I'll have to dig through some of those. However, I will say that so far, this has been my favorite of my ace/aro book list.

"A+ Library" is my bit where I review books with asexual and/or aromantic characters.

Previous review: The Bruising of Qilwa

The description of this book is:

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter. No matter the cost.

The character: Nancy Whitman, asexual

Verdict: Thumbs up!

The Asexual Rep This one falls somewhere between Loveless, which is all about the protag's identity, and The Bruising of Qilwa, which hardly touches on it at all. Protagonist Nancy is a self-declared asexual, something she states in such terms when her roommate nudges her about maybe wanting to have sex with a cute boy at the school. Obviously Nancy feels something for Kade, but she does privately think to herself as they grow closer that it might be complicated when her interest in physical intimacy doesn't go beyond kissing (however, she does have fun with a good flirt). However, romance is not a part of this book, and although Nancy might occasionally contemplate the idea that she has a crush on Kade, this story isn't about that.

Nancy, like many of the teens and young adults in this book, feels out of place in our world. That was what drew her to her fantasy realm (The Halls of the Dead) in the first place, and her time there only exacerbated the feeling when she did return to our world. I think this makes her, as a protagonist, particularly suited to an asexual story. As an asexual, I've often felt strange and out of place in a very sexual world, and I can understand, particularly as a teen or young adult, the allure of a world where you don't feel that way.

But within the school and among her peers, Nancy's asexuality is never what makes her odd.

The Rest This book obviously hit a nostalgia chord for me, because surprise surprise! I loved books about young girls falling into fantasy worlds and having crazy adventures well beyond their maturity levels growing up. This book made me think of every one of those stories I read growing up (Hello Alice, and May Bird, and Lucy, and Alyss, and Milo, and all the rest) and it felt like such a love letter both to those stories and to the children who cherished them growing up. I remember being a kid who wanted so badly to have an adventure like that. So I found it completely understandable that all of the characters in this book are desperate to get back to their fantasy realms. The one thing that unites them more than any other is the understanding that any of them would give anything to go back.

Growing up, I was always a little disappointed when the isekai protag returned home, but it was the way those stories always ended. Coming up the front steps of the childhood home, at once familiar yet now grown distant, a light on in the bedroom lit by parents still awaiting the child's return, and a deep breath as the protagonist steps back into their old life, now armed with new knowledge and maturity. But as a kid, I never thought that much about what happened after that moment.

This book does a marvelous job of exploring that. What it means for kids who have been through this, what it's like trying to resume an old life, and most of all, what it's like when you weren't ready to leave your fantasy realm behind. Each child went somewhere different, so they all have different stories to tell, but they all refer to those places as "home." 

I would have gladly read an entire book that focused exclusively on the emotional fallout of their return and the struggle to reintegrate into a world they had chosen to abandon, which made  the turn halfway through the book to a mystery feel slightly jarring in terms of genre shift. Nevertheless, the heightened stakes do give our former fantasy child protags a chance to shine, by using the skills they picked up on their adventures and proving that actually, sometimes they're exactly the people you want in a pinch.

I enjoyed the prose a lot; it's poetic without being clunky and very vivid, particularly in emotional terms.

Every Heart is the first in a ten book series, but it's also self-contained, so if you finish this one and feel satisfied, there's no requirement to read the others. I do plan to go on with the others though, because I found this one so delightful.

[fictionadventurer]

Potential July Reading

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley (may sub in different Cinderella retelling)

Old Front Line by John Masefield

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis or The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton

A Golden Age mystery

A Shakespeare play (a movie counts)

Something Robin Hood related (movies can count)

[aroaessidhe]

i cannot emphasise enough how deeply i have been suffering making this foam armour for my red cosplay. telling myself it's gonna be worth it LMAO

[frederickkreibug]

Re-entering this fandom by giving A tier list based on how/if these vat7k characters would fuck up a 20 piece buffalo wing

Free for debate

[soracities]

Hi, do you or any of your followers have any recs for audiobooks? Preferably that are free, I just would like to listen to something while knitting but not sure how to start exploring since I don't know who are good narrators or things like that. Thanks so much!!

i don't listen to audiobooks unfortunately but any audiobook devotees please please send in your recs for anon, thank you 💗

[let-them-fight]

[kingofthewilderwest]

I need infinite money to buy a giant library of music scores.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah IMSLP free, I love IMSLP, IMSLP is magic.

But fancy scorrrrrrreeeeeeeeesssssssss instead of photocopies

[chef's kiss]

Brain thinks differently analyzing scores when you got that yummy official score in your hands