#and i’m just after finishing another heartstopper reread

[peaceoutofthepieces]

someoneee gimme smth new to obsess over before I go insane hahaha

[nocticola]

Rules - Recommend us 3 of YOUR fics: 1 that is “most popular” and 2 that are “hidden gems!” Tagged by @greyhavenisback

Because my writing has been so Haven heavy since I started publishing and writing fic, I'm doing separate ones for Haven and other fics.

This relies heavily on stats. The most popular is easy to see but the hidden gems required a bit more thought. It got me rereading some of my fics so thanks again greyhavenisback!

Haven:

Drabbles on Touch 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11000235/navigate

This is my most popular Haven fic by hits and most other stats. It’s drabbles and ficlets about moments of touch on the show that I wanted to elaborate on. There’s 40 chapters and they’re pretty short so the popularity makes sense. I’ve since closed it and continue writing these in another fic (Haven prompts and oneshots 2). I linked the navigation page in case someone wants to see if one of the chapters interests them.

demisexualnathanvuornos.tumblr.com/tagged/drabbles-on-touch gives you some fic art, though I have some I never managed to actually make.

Hidden gems for Haven:

Helsinki Honeymoon

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19038988/chapters/45219775

This is part of my Juhannus trilogy. I love writing Nathan as Finnish American and exploring that so I wrote 3 fics set around the Finnish American celebrations of midsummer fest that also details Paige and Nathan’s live with baby James after the end of the show. 

This was the last part, detailing their honeymoon. It’s part Helsinki tourist ad based on when I myself lived there. As you can see it has no comments or kudos but a decent hit count but it’s the other part that makes it a hidden gem to me. But overall haven fandom has been really nice about interacting with my fics and only the Finnish ones are ones with little to no actual interaction.    

Fic art:

https://demisexualnathanvuornos.tumblr.com/post/637604913490411520/helsinki-honeymoonkuherruskuukausi-helsingiss%C3%A4

Rakastan sinua (I love you)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439778/chapters/30802908 (English version)

Although this one does have 1 kudos, I still think this is a hidden gem. I love this fic a lot. It’s set when Nathan can’t feel Audrey and Audrey is sick and it has Nathan speaking a little Finnish, Audrey using ASL and them just loving each other so much! Season 5A was an interesting time for them and I loved writing all these things. It’s cute, a little angsty. I love it and it took years to get one kudos.  

Fic art:

https://demisexualnathanvuornos.tumblr.com/post/170262595898/rakastan-sinua

Other fandoms:

Aled Last Is..? (Demisexual) [Radio Silence by Alice Oseman]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12326310?view_full_work=true

This fic is my most popular because it’s within the top 3 on any stats (kudos, hits, bookmarks, comment threads). It’s pretty old fic, started almost 5 years ago and finished within 3 months. It’s gathered kudos and hits pretty steadily over the years but because of Heartstopper it’s gotten a resurgence in popularity this year. 

 I literally just reread it right now, and you know what? I think it’s really well written (except for a few typos) and I’m glad it’s my most popular. 

No fic art beause I never made any.

Viventem piscis natat sub aqua [Marvel comics]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23820493/chapters/57234439

I love Nadia Van Dyne, I love Aikku Jokinen and I love that Nadia is half-Hungarian and Aikku is Norwegian of fully Finnish descent, they both appeared in Avengers: No Surrender event and there was a small opening during The Unstoppable Wasp vol 2 with A.I.M. for me to manuever (sp) a meeting between them so I did. 

I’ve had some success with other fics with Nadia and Aikku, so I don’t know if it was the seemingly pretentious Latin title or people just aren’t interested in Uralic people interacting with each other, but this reminded me that is should write the Finnish version of this.   

It’s a cute little fic of two Uralic queer girl bonding over things. 

Fic art:

https://yokyopeli.tumblr.com/post/621344755543097344/finno-ugric-marvel-heroines-ethnically-finnish

Ace Hockey [Ultraviolet series by RJ ANderson / Sophie Fournier series by KR Collins]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26698531

Two acespec Canadian hockey player girls meet.

If you don’t know either of the fandoms, I’m not really surprised, because Ultraviolet/Quicksilver were written a decade ago and people don’t bring them up in Ace rep conversations much anymore and the other is about Sophie Fournier being the first female player in North American Hockey League while also being very demisexual without knowing she’s demisexual. 

It’s one of my patended ‘these two characters have somethings in common and I can make the timing work’. Quicksilver (Tori’s book) came out in 2012 and Sophie’s 2nd season, when her team made the playoffs, was set in 2013, I think. It made sense Tori would want to see Sophie play against the Montreal team in playoffs, and it gave Sophie a chance to hear about asexuality for the first time, though in canon I’m four books in out of six and she still hasn’t made any realizations. 

When I was prepping this post in my head I thought I should explain the plot of especially Quicksilver in detail because I don’t know how much sense any of this fic makes if you don’t know either fandom but the fic does explain the basics (Tori’s asexual and an alien, she’s newly dating Milo, they’re still working things out, she had to change her name to Niki because she got kidnapped by aliens and people in her home town thought she was killed by a classmate, bcus of the alienness she couldn’t travel far from her hometown but now she can). The Sophie part is shorter and much easier to explain. 

As a demisexual hockey enjoyer, I wanted them to meet so I wrote fic about that. Apparently there isn’t that much overlap between these fandoms, but I enjoyed this fic.    

Fic art:

https://demisexualnathanvuornos.tumblr.com/post/633342269160882176/ace-hockey-post-quicksilver-sophie

[burningdarkfire]

2022 mid year reading wrap up

hello i invented this for myself by throwing together the things i want to talk about the most 😎

general progress:

i have read 105 books out of my goal of 120. this is a lot! most of the “extra” count comes from graphic novels, novellas, manga, etc. which i have read a lot more of this year

included in the above are 50 novels, which is exactly on pace

i had the goal in 2022 to read one book per month randomly picked from my tbr, which has been going great,

and the goal to read one book per month from the physical books that i own but haven’t read yet, and that has been going uhhh not as great. i’m only one book behind but reading books physically is hard since i do a lot of reading either at work or commuting to and from the office

list of new 5*s so far in 2022 that i would highly recommend:

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - a historical fantasy romance which reads like a fanfiction in all the best ways possible

Jade War by Fonda Lee - a sorta historical urban fantasy that has some of the best world-building i’ve ever read

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee - ditto, solid finish to the above series

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - a historical fantasy retelling that has some of my absolute favourite characters and relationships of this year. the gender is off the charts. i am obsessed with the deuteragonist and the toxic trio of men in this book that no one ever talks about when pitching it but who are very spectacular

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - a fantasy where the first few chapters absolutely blew my mind with how beautifully it was written

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore - a VERY fun genre-bendy YA book that i don’t want to say much about because i think it’s better blind

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop - a historical war fiction, which is a genre i honestly usually hate so it says a lot about how absolutely fascinating this was. great poc perspective

[honorary mention] The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson - a fantasy that i only gave 4* but i would always recommend to people who have similar SFF tastes to me

list of other 5*s that are rereads or just severe blorbo syndrome:

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast by Jody Houser

The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie

Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Jujutsu Kaisen: Volume 9 by Gege Akutami

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

most disappointing reads of the year so far:

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - months later and i’m literally still so annoyed at the ending of this book lol don’t get me started i will rant for 20 minutes

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - this was foolish “bought into the marketing” hype on my end. don’t let anyone tell you that this is like cloud atlas because it is not like cloud atlas. also personally i feel like this was a weird book to publish quote unquote after covid

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li - i truly think some writers just need to be told no. because grace d. li’s writing is good (especially for a debut) but the heist frame of this story is the most incomprehensible thing ever and i can’t believe anyone thought this was a good idea

most unique reads of the year so far:

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore - deserves another shout out here though i mentioned it already above!

Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh - literary fiction that’s kind of horror-y, kind of mystery-y. a book that really doesn’t hand you any answers

The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky - fantasy novella with a neat structure. highly recommend taking notes while reading this one, i did and it was a great way of being engaged

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott - satire but make it math but make it eldritch horror. the entire thing is narrated by a square, just to give you an idea

anticipated reads for the end of the year:

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang - dropping the full title out of respect 😤 standalone historical fantasy from the author of the poppy war trilogy .. yes please!!

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - third book in the locked tomb series. i am rereading in preparation and i eagerly await the insanity

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett - third and final book in the founders trilogy. there have truly never been books that are more written for me and i’m fascinated to see how this will end

[m-ercutio]

my july reads

hi! i read eleven books this month. here’s what they were.

INTO THE DROWNING DEEP- horror! i barely ever read books like this but i needed to read something different and not potentially life-changing after i finished vengeful by v.e. schwab. overall, it was fine. the story and some of the characters were compelling, but the writing wasn’t my favorite. 2/5

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE- after an eternity of being told to read this book i finally did it! i read it in one sitting while i was camping and it was an extremely visceral experience. i absolutely loved the characters and the writing was gorgeous, but this didn’t immediately become my favorite book like i feel like it did for a lot of people. nevertheless, an amazing read! 4.5/5

HEARTSTOPPER (vol. 1 and 2)- i’ve been keeping up with heartstopper as a web comic as well, but i finally got my physical copies!!! i don’t know what to say other than everything about it makes me very deeply happy. 5/5

TAKE ME APART- a thriller/mystery? what a fun time. i really enjoyed the plot of this book and how we found out about each of the characters little by little before anything was really revealed. i personally think it could’ve done without the romance, but oh well. still enjoyable. 3.5/5

A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA- this one’s a reread! i read it when it very first came out and absolutely loved it (still do!). just read this book. 4.5/5

CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN- read this one as part of the storygraph’s translated fiction challenge (which i am very behind on) and really liked it. a quick read but covers meaningful topics and will have you thinking about the characters for weeks after you finish. 3/5

SOLITAIRE- more alice oseman! i liked this book a lot. i read it in pretty much one sitting and really enjoyed seeing the main characters get to know each other. even the background characters feel fully fleshed and are compelling additions to the story. also, unreliable narrator. fun!! 3.5/5

GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN- not really my thing. i usually enjoy a good romance, but i didn’t really feel any connection to these characters or their relationship at all. i wish we’d gotten to see more of them individually before they got together, or even towards the end of the book when they were in a relationship. but i finished it, so that’s gotta count for something. 2/5

THE STARLESS SEA- i might have to give this book its own post because...wow. i cried several times and i might never stop thinking about it? so so beautifully written and set in an equally beautiful world. 5/5

IF WE WERE VILLAINS- another one i have been meaning to read for literal years and only just got around to. i’m still not sure how i feel? i cried but i’m not sure i liked it? i feel like there’s a lot to unpack there and i don’t think i’m ready for that. 3/5 (???)

and that’s it! looks like i might reach my reading goal after all.

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in may 2022

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to msg me and ask   about individual ones if u want a full review or ask for my goodreads!!]

28 books towards my reading goal in may 🙏 heartstopper is technically my top read of the month but we all know what that’s about at this point so let me highlight smth else

at night all blood is black - david diop ★★★★★ (historical)

the first few chapters of this gut-punched me so hard i still don’t know what to do about them!! incredible story about dehumanization and war and i don’t even know what else. i still need to think about this one for a while and i’m definitely going to reread soon in the original french

heartstopper (volumes 3 & 4) - alice oseman ★★★★★ (YA romance graphic novel)

nick and charlie 💕 paris arc is cute (and way better now that i have a stronger grasp of the side characters) and my god the way i cried throughout volume 4 when all their family issues came up

radio silence - alice oseman ★★★★★ (YA contemporary)

this was a reread and oh my god the ways in which i have aged since i last read this 😂 it’s way less relatable after working an office job for a few years (it turns out that life doesn’t end even if you run the 9-5 hamster wheel), but it is still fundamentally very heartfelt and i would highly recommend it. the platonic love story at the heart of it is still so touching!

the innocents - michael crummey ★★★★☆ (historical)

if anyone is just like me and wants to read a slow-paced book about two orphaned siblings raising themselves in an insular environment and exploring both the world and themselves (yes, to be clear, this means incest) with little outside contact, then this is a great book for you!!

death in her hands - ottessa moshfegh ★★★★☆ (horror)

atmospheric, intriguing, and a great exercise for the imagination. i love books like this that never feel “solved”, you just have to take from them what you can. what a strangely euphoric ending

jujutsu kaisen (volumes 1-10) - gege akutami ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy manga)

bangers one after another. i still hate the kyoto sister school arc and i find the pacing of this series kinda whack but i am here to have a good time and gege is delivering. the classic shounen beats hit and satosugu has my interest 👀

iron goddess of mercy - larissa lai ★★★★☆ (poetry)

the wordplay and rhythm of this work is soo good and enjoyable. i love the sense of play even around heavy topics. this is poetry that should be read out loud!

before the devil breaks you - libba bray ★★★★☆ (YA historical fantasy)

libba bray writes wonderfully realized characters and relationships but the slow pace of this series is starting to grate on me. the plot feels like it only moves at the author’s convenience. the characters and relationships are really good though!

the decagon house murders - yukito ayatsuji ★★★★☆ (mystery)

this book has deep respect for the golden age of mystery and it shows. super fun read where the reader is a player, not an audience, and just the right amount of spooky!

forest of secrets - erin hunter ★★★★☆ (children’s fantasy)

solid installment. don’t have much to say about this one. the cats are meowing away and the plot is progressing

where the drowned girls go - seanan mcguire ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy)

this series is so much better when you read one a year so the fairytale style doesn’t become grating. this book is still far from subtle, but definitely subtler than previous installments in a way that i like.

the timetables of history - bernard grun ★★★★☆ (reference)

yes i flipped through a reference book page by page. no i didn’t finish it (got about ~55% of the way through to 1900) but yes it did greatly entertain me. very neat way to look at history

kim jiyoung, born 1982 - cho nam-joo ★★★☆☆ (contemporary)

this feels like reading a nonfiction article about being a woman and i hate doing shit like that because i don’t need to read something to tell me what i’ve learned just by living. it’s good at what it does (clearly, because of the feelings it evokes) but i do not have fun!

daughter of the moon goddess - sue lynn tan ★★★☆☆ (YA fantasy)

this honestly reads like a 2010 YA fantasy dystopian where we have a mary sue who has to decide between all the men who are so in love with her. it’s generally good at what it does and what it wants to be but stumbles hard coming into the ending

convenience store woman - sayaka murata ★★★☆☆ (contemporary)

some books are just perfectly competent but not outstanding or memorable in any way. this is one of them! it’s just exactly what it says on the tin

portrait of a thief - grace d. li ★★☆☆☆ (contemporary)

a heist book that absolutely, entirely, completely should not have been a heist book. the heist is by far the worst part and cripples the genuine character work the author is trying to do to explore asian-american diaspora

sun-daughters, sea-daughters - aimee ogden ★★☆☆☆ (scifi romance)

strong meh on this one. the world-building is cluttered, messy, and has way too many made up words just to drive the plot forward in a novella. the core concept of the relationship at the heart of this story is good, but its buried under too much unnecessary stuff

[DNF] seven days in june - tia williams ★★☆☆☆ (romance)

i gave this a few chapters but it’s too quirky for me. there are way too many references to pop culture and it’s just not funny or relatable to me! i even flipped ahead and spoiled myself a little to see if it gets better and nope. in fact i found out the actual premise of this book and the “seven days” and i just stopped reading lmao