#and she was NINETEEN

[flea-palace]

not to defend madeleine oftheopera but. can we talk about her being only nineteen years old !! at the beginning of the book

[ordinariumsresources]

She was 19 years old.

[midtones-brighter]

THE LAST OF US (2023-)

2.04 “Day One”

[queereads-bracket]

SEMIFINALS: Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants spend most of their time without a gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

Science fiction, classics, speculative fiction, anthropological science fiction, distant future, adult

Imperial Radch series (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Provenance, Translation State, and other stories) by Ann Leckie

Endorsement from submitter: "Breq/Justice of Toren is a ship AI and doesn't have a gender. The Radchaai language only has one pronoun for people, so (almost) everyone in the empire is she/her, to the point that they're infamous for failing to correctly guess which pronoun to use with outsiders."

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Science fiction, space opera, far future, series, adult

[holyraconteur]

My thoughts were inspired by @detective-twinkachu's au where Norm and Max hide Spider's lineage.

I love the idea of an AU where Norm finds baby Spider and immediately realizes this child will never know peace if anyone learns who his real father is. So, like Eddard Stark, he makes a painful decision: He erases every trace of Quaritch’s connection to the boy and keeps it secret. He gives the child a new name (seriously, Miles? Way to make it obvious, Paz), forges documents, and creates a solid cover story in case anyone asks questions. He can’t bring himself to tell anyone, not even his closest friends, the truth. Quaritch has made too many enemies and caused too much destruction for anyone to overlook the boy’s lineage. There's already been enough tragedy. And this child, little Julian, is the first human ever born on Pandora.

Norm even steals the only photo of Paz and hides it away where no one will ever find it. He hates lying. Hates secrets. But Hell’s Gate is built on them, and children should never have to suffer for their parents’ mistakes. So he decides: he’ll raise Julian as his nephew. He’ll raise him to be kind, brave, and good. Maybe, just maybe, when Julian turns nineteen, he’ll sit him down and explain everything. Or maybe he won’t. Maybe Julian should never know. Norm will carry this secret to his grave… unless Eywa herself decides to produce a blowhorn and inform the entire planet. No. He'll hold this secret.

On the desk beside Julian's forged documents was a faded photo of Paz Socorro. Pregnant. Glowing. Laughing. Holding her growing belly as she smiled for the camera. Norm’s throat closed up. Guilt and anger were warring in his chest like a storm. What would Trudy say about all this?

“I’m sorry, Socorro,” he whispered. “You were… a good mother. You didn’t deserve to fall in love with a monster, you didn't deserve to die for his craziness, you didn't deserve any of this. But your baby boy? He deserves better. He deserves everything. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

He picked up the photo, stared at it, then opened up his desk drawer and hid it beneath layers of unimportant documents. Hidden in plain sight until he could find a tiny box and bury the picture so deep that maybe Eywa herself will forget about it. This was for the best.

Then, he burned everything else.

[yall-send-help]

how the justice league got their name:

“uhhh i like the word justice…”

“yeah yeah yeah that’s good how about the… uhh… justice… league..?”

“-of america! thank you all for coming out! good night everybody!”

jla: year one #2

[bisexualchaosdemon]

I've been running over aftg in my head again and–

Elodie Moreau did not even live to see fifteen.

[ottern0t]

nine carrying rose? piggy-back or wrapped around him or bridal style idc I just can't stop thinking about him catching her out of the train in the monsters inside and I think it'd be soo cute

I know what the people want ✨

Apologies I had to switch to traditional bc it hurts my wrist less

[laatmaar]

"If that's what you're willing to do for someone you hate, what would you do for someone you loved?"

Again black and white version under the cut as well as some sketches I made of the characters in preperation for this piece!

[immediatebreakfast]

Dearest, your little heart is wounded; think me not cruel because I obey the irresistible law of my strength and weakness; if your dear heart is wounded, my wild heart bleeds with yours. In the rapture of my enormous humiliation I live in your warm life, and you shall die—die, sweetly die—into mine.

Carmilla whispers to Laura about her death according to her romantic desires in chapter 4.

Besides, how can you tell that your religion and mine are the same; your forms wound me, and I hate funerals. What a fuss! Why you must die—everyone must die; and all are happier when they do. Come home."

Carmilla rebukes Laura about the inescapable fate of her death in chapter 4.

"But to die as lovers may—to die together, so that they may live together."

Carmilla tells Laura about love framed as devotion after death in chapter 4.

"I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so."

Carmilla affirms to Laura that she would die for her because she loves her in chapter 5.

If one thinks about Carmilla being transformed into a vampire when she was on the brink of adulthood, then her erratic and fast changing behavior towards certain topics (such as how Laura will die) really make sense. She is neither a child nor an adult, eternally trapped in a transitional period of life. So, Carmilla has both the intelligence to understand all that she sees and feels, yet by being literally and figuratively stuck at 19 she has probably lost all interest in actually learning to truly comprehend how the intensity of her emotions not only affect other people, but also how she can unintentionally impose them towards Laura, who is the target of her love.

If Carmilla tells Laura that their love is eternal, all consuming, and how she is destined to die in her hands, then it is law in her head. When Carmilla tells Laura that they love eachother as lovers (as much as Laura tries to dance around the subjeft) she means every single word she says. While expressing said love with an intensity that only could be reflected by a couple who have been with eachother for years.

The figure of the lesbian vampire proposes a visible challenge of compulsory heterosexuality while angling her existance as a dark seductress leading astray the gothic lady framed in the innocence of deniability around her own desires. However, as much as Carmilla is just starting to form her character around this (she is the original after all), her words and actions underline an aspect of fear and desesperation that can be read as a consequence of her inmortal state, the ancient chant of "please please love me as much as I love you." An aspect that dreadfully bleeds down on her every time Laura doubts or misinterprets both her words and her actions.

[martyreddie]

shannon diaz is just soooo...

like. you're nineteen. you've got your life ahead of you. you're nineteen. you're a grown-up. you're nineteen. you wanna get out of here. you're nineteen. you want to be everything, anything, you won't end up stuck here like your mom, won't end up with a kid and a deadbeat for a husband. you're nineteen. you've got your life ahead of you. whoops, now you're pregnant. you're nineteen. you're just a kid you're just a kid you're just a kid. you're pregnant, though. time to grow up. you're nineteen. you're a grown-up. but you've got your boyfriend, your husband, now. he's a good guy. he'll stay he'll stay he'll stay until he leaves. and leaves. and leaves. and you're alone. and you're nineteen. and you're standing in the baby-aisle of target and there's so much here, too much, baby food diapers pacifiers bottles stuffies and cute hats and cute onesies and tiny little shoes and you're just a kid, you're just a kid, and there's this thing growing in your belly and it's wonderful and it's awful and it's a whole new meaning to life and you already know it's going to take everything from you.

[swan2swan]

If you view Chaos Theory from Ronnie's PoV, you pull up to your favorite employee's house to give him a ride to work, and, oh, look! It's that girl he's been obviously crushing on!

So you're polite and offer Darius a helping hand, a little nudge, nothing overt or imposing, but something to put a little bit of cred in for him with her. He starts behaving awkwardly, and you wonder if maybe you overstepped or something went wrong, but, whatever. You've got work to do, it's time to go...and then, she calls out to him...

...and the voice is exactly the same as the detective you've been anonymously working with for the past few months.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 2

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children series)

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Guests

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.

Fantasy, portal fantasy, mystery, magical realism, boarding school, novella, series, adult

Imperial Radch series (Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Provenance, Translation State, and other stories) by Ann Leckie

Endorsement from submitter: "Breq/Justice of Toren is a ship AI and doesn't have a gender. The Radchaai language only has one pronoun for people, so (almost) everyone in the empire is she/her, to the point that they're infamous for failing to correctly guess which pronoun to use with outsiders."

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Science fiction, space opera, far future, series, adult

[bucketful0fbabs]

IT'S THE FIRST OF THE MONTH🗣️‼️

wanted to participate in this too

ragdolly!Ann got me in a chokehold her actress ATE

[taurusborus]

I’m sorry but Dikke does not feel like a 19 year old to me. This is a woman in her 20’s, at best.

[apocalyptichearts]

as a young teen who had a horribly complex relationship with her mother, i loved claire and sherry’s dynamic in re2. the unwavering care and dedication claire had for sherry just hours into knowing her always got to me. it still does. but as i’ve gotten older and reached the age claire was, there’s this gnawing thought in my head that really, when it comes down to it, she was just a kid herself you know? maybe it’s just me and the way i grew up but idk. i didn’t start college and suddenly feel like an adult, i was still just a girl who ate lunch in her car alone and who yearned to crawl into her mother’s bed just one more time. claire obviously went through a lot way before raccoon, and perhaps that compensates for her maturity, but to just think about how young she was. if chris hadn’t been mia in europe, i guarantee she’d of found a way to keep sherry out of the government’s hands, even if it meant raising her herself.