#and then crime stuff and history stuff sprinkled in there lol

[theothervonkarmagirl]

🍭:

I have no one else to tell about this much like the Ori thing but Liziqi is back lol

If anyone cares lol

[torque-witch]

Meet the Witch - 2024 Edition

Honestly I have not introduced myself in a LONG time because I've had this account since 2014 ish - so in case there are new people here this can be a good reference point.

So hi, hello - this is me in 2024. You can call me Cara but most people here know me as Torque! My pronouns are They/Them and I am currently 32 and married. I live in Pittsburgh, PA.

Most people know me for my devotion to Hel, Norse goddess of Death and my art of her!

(My hair is a bit longer so I just pull it back - but I barely take pictures anymore. Anyhow -)

What's new?

Still chronically ill and disabled; in 2024 we are still recovering from medical trauma that induced two phobias, POTS-like symptoms and a mystery digestive issue that is probably the severe IBS my meds that caused the trauma were controlling.

I am currently and hopefully to stay fully self-employed after finally getting off my feet from said trauma that left me pretty house-bound for a year. Somewhere in there I got a job with a catering company that truly was terrorizing, never reported me for taxes and therefore fucked up my finance history.

But, in 2024 so far I have done a good amount of shows and toured again briefly with the Oddities & Curiosities Expo group in cities outside of PA and that was incredible! I grew a lot as an artist, and it really helped me to work through some of my phobias and continue to stabilize.

You can find my Etsy here but I am focusing most of my efforts on shows! It would be best to follow my Instagram to keep up with events and new products!

Otherwise I've just been focusing on adulting and trying to fix our finances so that we can actually buy a house someday (hopefully).

A fun fact is that I started listening to ATEEZ in mid-2023 and got to see them in concert in DC this year as a bday gift to myself. It was absolutely the most incredible thing I've ever experienced. They are PERFORMERS.

If you're still on the fence about listening to Kpop, you're missing out! I poo-pooed it for a long time as cringey, but ATEEZ has very progressive lyrics and most of the fan-base in real life are alternative women and enby's in their 20's and 30's. Seriously the most fun I've ever had.

Other than that if I need to state it again, this page is for representation and acceptance of all forms and hate will not be tolerated. It's impossible to write out all the ways that people can be hateful but basically don't be a nazi or phobic in any way.

Not much else happened this year except a bunch of small-town drama associated with said catering company (story time?) and shit with our previous landlord (we moved). I made some really good local friends that I'm so appreciative of, and joined a DnD campaign for the first time!

My character is Ashaf Tendara, an Arcana Cleric archeologist who accidentally found some ruins of Ubtao and now unfortunately because of one of the sessions, their way of spell-casting is just screaming T-rex noises for ten minutes straight (Ubtao is related to dinosaurs somehow). We've finally emerged from the poop dungeons in said campaign, and some of those interactions I've wrote down are truly incredible. My Mage Hand is also a spectral sticky hand. My husband's steel defender's name is Duke Poop'em because of said poop dungeons.

I also read manga, watch anime and still read young adult fantasy at my big age (Adult SciFi is sooooo dense omg but it just takes me longer lol) and watch cozy game and horror playthroughs on YouTube. I listen to podcasts a lot about the paranormal, true crime and reddit readings.

Basically I'm a chronically ill and online shut-in artist with some witchy stuff sprinkled up in there.

I hope that was exciting and super informative. If you have any questions please send them in!

-Torque

[atlasifyllm]

This or That: Writer Edition!!!

open tag from @kudzucataclysm ! open tag for yall too bc i just wanted to ramble with this akjbfgksd

historical or futuristic

I tend to focus either a changed version of our era or the future, ORR just completely rewrite history with batshit insane worldbuilding. As for SUL I really like the mix between futuristic and fantasy elements, like RWBY or Lego Monkie Kid; but I don't really tend to go past the 2000s millenia for my stories lmao

2. the opening chapter or closing chapter

Whenever I have a story I feel like I have a vague plot and only the Point B. Openings are SUPER hard because you have to make sure you hook the reader with the most basic, not-developed-yet versions of the characters. Even harder in trying to study pilot episodes as an animation major @_@.

Fun fact, SUL's ending scene has been the same since 2017!

3. light & fluffy or dark & gritty

I really like exploring darker topics; it'd be a real challenge for me to make something 90% wholesome. However I always want some form of happy ending despite all the darkness. Even looking at the Winter Boys, Cobalt gets his arm cut off, Ventus loses his girlfriend and gets used by his former gang members, and Nix... Nix goes through a lot akjbgsdkgsd, but all of them still find happiness in the end

4. animal companion or found family

Found family! The struggle with animal companions is simply just, not forgetting that they exist lmao. Especially as someone who tends to just do normal dog/cat animals, none of the animal companions are sentient enough to carry themselves. My main stories (SUL, ETSS, AuAg) all have elements of found family :] bc at least I can explore the emotional range of a human more than my dog lmao

5. horror or romance

im a huge wuss ngl KBSGJKSGS all of my pure horror concepts tend to get fueled into Last Light because of how much of a wuss i am JBSKGJS. Even though I chose romance I never tend to make it the MAIN focus of a story; CoRi in SUL you see the middle point, fallout, and (hopefully) getting back together, though the main point of SUL would be exploring the trust issues between ALL Paladins and not just the ones romantically involved. Venpris is technically a side piece in AuAg's general crime plot (as tender and intimate as they are), and ofc ETSS has space-apple wars to wage in between all the LuxNex fluff

6. hard or soft magic system

I need a hard system bc Im too stupid to make a soft one JKBFGSKJGD

I guess for SUL actual "magic" tends to be pretty soft since it's implied witchcraft is something gods have gifted to mortals BUT in all fairness I'm still plotting the witchcraft elements of SUL

For actual elemental powers I'm still constantly adding rules and this or that for SUL characters simply because it feels more organized and thus more organized for me to put into a plot lol

7. standalone or series

Seriessss I grew up with MLP multiple seasons, Yugioh + Yugioh GX multiple seasons,,, heck also RWBY and Lego Monkie Kid multiple seasons. I dont tend to get SUPER attached to specific movies, especially standalones, so my brain just sorta automatically tries to write stuff as if they're multiple season projects. ETSS and SUL have the most obvious season-by-season plots, though AuAg so far I'm not super sure about BUT definitely feel like it'd span multiple episodes

8. one project at a time or always juggling two+

I always hyperfixate on one at a time JBSKDJSG in between bursts of SUL it's been ETSS, sprinkles of AuAg, then that brief period of JMON in Fall 2021.

9. one award winner or one best seller

I'm not really sure if I have a preference for either of these tbh LMAO I just wanna create and hope theyre successful enough to carry me throughout life

10. fantasy or sci-fi

Im too stupid for sci fi tbh JBSKJGS I always worry about getting this or that wrong so I tend to go pretty fantasy bc I have fun worldbuilding it knowing I can just do batshit whatever like the very first instances of SUL basically mixing YuGiOh and MLP logic akjbfskdg.

11. character or setting description

I may be an art major but I'm an art major who hasn't done proper backgrounds since high school JKBGKSJGS I think a lot of my descriptions are pretty clunky In General but characters are easier since I always have character designs first before environmental design

12. first or final draft

A lot of my work at the moment is based off of doing things quickly. The Atlasify comics, my own writing, heck my art too. I don't like spending too long on certain projects or such so technically all of my work is first drafts bc I wanna get stuff done first instead of never finishing one project

13. love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

Technically both ETSS and SUL have somewhat love triangle moments but

a.) ETSS is more an exploration on identity than romance

b.) the SUL love triangle is literally between turqbalt's two identities and rina

BUT god I'd rather have no romantic arcs at all than actual love triangle moments. Do you know how many teleseryes have the cheesiest cliche love triangles? No thank u I wanna do all or nothing

14. constant sandstorm or rainstorm

i love the rain :] the air is fresh and the plants look greener. i dont think my asthma would love lots of sand tbh

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing #80 Review

woot woot i’ve kept it up for three issues lets gooo. i liked this issue more than the last one. there’s a lot of fanon dick characterization peppered in, but not so much that it puts me off entirely. also, i’m getting increasingly concerned about bitewing. but i did like tim in this one, very nice

look at all the blue and purple and pink. honestly at this point, i’m a broken record but come on come on come onnnnnnn. the blue and pink is very pretty though. this cover’s a bit offputting at first, and a bit spiraly, which i’m sure was the intended effect.

this is a genuine concern of mine. dick’s a vigilante, and he doesn’t have the same sprawling network and resources that bruce does. (even if he is a billionaire now, he hasn’t amassed the same collection of crime-fighting equipment that bruce has.) 

i’m not sure if he’ll be able to take care of bitewing. damian’s got plenty of pets, but alfred used to take care of them, and now bruce plus the rest of the batfam is taking care of them. as far as we know, babs only drops by occasionally, and the same goes for dick’s family and friends. will dick be able to give bitewing the love and time and affection that a traumatized puppy like her needs? i really hope so.

she does look adorable in this panel tho.

dick. richard. richie. baby. why are you shirtless.

you have scars upon scars. probably chemical burns. bullet wounds. weird fucking squiggly lines from knives that only psychos with blade fetishes use. no normal person has the body that you do. and you don’t think that showing up shirtless in front of the police is going to raise suspicion? you don’t think that the people accusing you of murder are going to look at someone who looks like they’re a fucking mob enforcer and go hmm that’s a bit suspicious?

put on a SHIRT jesus CHRIST it’s like you’re not even trying to hide your identity.

look at this pompous little princess demanding only the highest quality head pets i’d burn down latvia for her. (no offense latvians it was the first country that popped into my head.)

pretty boy pretty boy pretty boy pretty boy-

no seriously kudos to the artist here. his expression is so human i wanna cry. dick, right now, is sheepishly asking a question. he knows he’s not going to get into any real trouble, he knows that he’ll be able to talk his way out of or somehow maneuver his way off this mess. but he’ll play nice for the police, so he’s asking a friend for a favour, part self-condescendingly and part oh-well-what-can-you-do.

and his expression reflects that. rather than a stoic expressionless face most male comic characters have when asking someone for something (or all the time really), rather than the weird desperate supposedly “seductive” face that most female comic characters plus dick grayson have when asking someone for something (or all the time really), he’s making a face that i pulled like yesterday. or the day before that. it’s kind of silly, kind of casual, very much human. i like it.

thank god. proper (in character) acknowledgement for officer grayson. yea, fuck cops in general, but i like that they included this line.

obviously, he’s not talking about the actual criminals, he’s talking about the police force itself. the bpd was too corrupt, and dick realized that he wasn’t helping. not only does one clean cop not make a dent in an overall dirty force, but dick was putting his allies in danger too. not only that, but it wasn’t good for dick’s mental health either. he was spreading himself too thin, and surrounding himself with some of the worst of crime 24/7 did a number on him. dick’s got a history of self-sacrificing tendencies, and i’m just glad he’s not a cop anymore.

dick has a gotham rogues mug. they make gotham rogue mugs, and dick has one.

what kinda city looks at it’s frankly horrible crime history and long list of certifiably insane serial killers who are all still alive and actively committing war crimes and goes “oooooh yea imma put that on a coffee mug!” gotham, that’s who.

this isn’t important i just like how all of bitewing’s barks are blue

back straight, hand on his hip, cheerful smile on his face as he says he’s being accused for murder. love that for him.

they couldn’t have said “yea it’s complicated” in a better way even if they put the words “yea it’s complicated” right there on the page in bold red letters. literally all the love to the artists.

dick please. you’re KILLING ME what the actual fuck IS THAT???? WHY DO YOU HAVE A MUG OF THAT???

anyway nightwing collects novelty mugs confirmed.

this paneling is so beautiful. 

tim’s the focus, but he’s not the first thing you see. he’s placed in a way that forces the reader to drag their eyes all the way up the page in order to reach him. it us know just how high up tim is carelessly crouching, especially close to the ledge of the building too. i cannot think of a single better way to introduce a character, and this character in particular: you instantly know this is a version of tim with plenty of experience and training, is comfortable in his body and knows his limits, but still hangs onto that civilian awe of being in a high place and overlooking a brightly lit city.

absolute classic robin. i love it. 

this isn’t even that important but it made me happy. this is how you train surf.

you don’t crouch or bend over when you get to a tunnel, which is oddly enough what most people think (at least from my experience). you bend backward. that not only 100% ensures that you’ll make sure you’re low enough to make it through the tunnel (because you can see the top of the tunnel, unlike when you crouch or bend), but it also makes it easier to get up: all you have to do is push up with your arms into a bent stance, and you’ll be in a ready, moving position. from a bend or a crouch, getting up is more awkward and more slow.

on a meta level, i like that this creative team knows what they’re doing when it comes to the small, almost unimportant stuff like that, because it makes the action more real. (as real as you can get with a guy running around stealing hearts.)

on a in-universe level, it once again drives home both dick and tim’s experience and professional level skill.

regardless of who you side with in the “should tim drake be robin again?” debate, you gotta admit that tim’s rebirth robin suit is r a d as fuck. if i’m not mistaken, this is the same one he was wearing in 2019 young justice for a little bit? it’s cute and hella cool i like it.

remember what i said about human expressions? doesn’t happen as often to tim bc he’s a Child, but it’s still nice to note when someone humanizes him, too. (that’s why i love the duckboy panel so much lol.)

me, at first: that’s not a “good call” dick that’s just common sense

me, now: sprinkled throughout the entire comic we can see dick bending to tim’s instructions if only briefly, joking with him to keep the mood light while still maintaining a serious mood and retaining control over this particular outing. this implies that dick’s doing it intentionally, purposefully leaving places in his sentences blank and offering affirmations, in order to encourage tim and train him in things bruce might not necessarily touch on, such as social chameleoning and misdirection techniques and love/affirmation from a family member. dick is not only a loving and supportive big brother, but he never stops training his younger brother in better vigilante tecnhiques because he wants tim to be better than him. in this essay i will-

d o g g o

also bitewing is getting so many head pats today i’m living for it

look at him, standing on a telephone wire with ease. nice flex, dick.

also look at how he’s silhouetted. the moon’s full bright, bright enough that the sky around dick is light, too. (at least. i’m like 99% sure that’s the moon.) not like most batman comics, where it’s sometimes hard to distinguish bruce from the background, which is entirely on purpose.

gotham is a dark gritty city, and so is bruce. the two of them are one. bludhaven may be a bit of a mess, but it’s being portrayed in all these different shades of blue and purple and pink, that are all light enough that dick stands out from the background. he hasn’t been swallowed up by the city, and chances are that he won’t ever be. also, the colouring helps establish bludhaven as a city too. there’s still hope for it. the light colouring means that it’s not going to sink into a pit as deep as the one bruce wove gotham into. the whole point of this nightwing arc in particular is to turn bludhaven into a better place, and it’s (most likely) letting us know early on that dick is going to accomplish that. he’ll struggle, but he’ll do it.

so dick??? dick designed his escrima sticks with a situation like this in mind? he created his signature and most iconic weapon (other than his chatty mouth), with a built in feature that turns his escrima sticks into tim’s signature and most iconic weapon???? just so that if he and tim ever got into a situation where tim didn’t have his staff, dick could make sure tim had the thing that would give him an edge over anyone he was fighting??? he’s such a big brother oh my goddd.

also tim’s smirk in this is just *chef kiss.* a staff is something he can work with, a staff is something he wields like an extension of his arm, a staff is means that someone’s about to get their ass kicked because tim’s about to beat the shit outta them.

this is my new phone background.

they really made sure we remembered that hey, those first few months when bruce was grieving too much to be any sort of a mentor to tim and was still unwilling to properly train him to be robin out of fear that he would end up like jason, dick was the one who stepped up (once he got over himself and his own fears and hangups with bruce) and trained tim to be robin, trained him how to fight and flip and fuckin fly out there, all while changing his own style a bit to be the more experienced one in the partnership while still trusting said partner to hold their own, so dick and tim have a very unique and cohesive fighting style that makes it hell for anyone who fights them together, didn’t they?

[a-trainers-tale]

Hello there! I'd like to request a paid pokemon team description if you please! I had previously sent in the ask for the free one but changed my mind and decided to pay for one instead. Hopefully that's alright. Lol. So where to start. I'm a 21 year old female Leo. Personality wise, I would basically boil it down to, I’m an amiable introvert. I’ve always been really shy and quiet around strangers, maybe even a bit cautious of friendships as I’ve had too many experiences in the past of (1/?)

toxic friends. However, once I perceive a person to be real and genuine, I can open up to them easily, becoming who I truly am around them: fun-loving, excitable and talkative. I have MBTI personality type INFP also known as The Mediator, which makes sense as I'm definitely the peacekeeping type. In my small group of friends, I'm basically the one who keeps them from getting into fights with each other or other people. I'm also the one who diffuses situations. I myself dislike conflict and (2/?) will do everything in my power to actively ignore it, which may be one of my downfalls. For more positive traits, I have a high level of patience, meaning that I won’t give up on people easily even if everyone else has. I’m also very nurturing towards the people I love. I love raising people up and giving them all the support and affection I can. I’m definitely a hugger. However, more negative traits include my stubbornness and pride. These two go hand in hand really. I pride myself in my (3/?) ability to lead and keep a cool and level head when stuff hits the fan but sometimes even a situation can be too much for me and I’ll quickly begin to crumble. However, in an effort to still appear as the cool, kind leader everyone looks up to, I’ll straight up lie about how I really feel and oftentimes will refuse help. This isn’t just with feelings either. It’s with anything from homework to projects, etc. It’s probably worth mentioning that I can also be incredibly lazy sometimes. My (4/?) bursts of hardworking spirit can often be met with equally long periods of me just going, “Meh…” My hobbies and interests include my top three: Drawing, writing and playing video games. I draw mostly cartoon looking things with maybe a dash of anime sprinkled in there. There’s definitely a lot of video game fan art in there too. When it comes to my writing, I generally like to write a lot of fanfiction (the non-cringy sort. lol.) about different video games and of course, I write my own (5/?) do, so much so that sometimes the story never even gets written. My favorite kinds of video games range from adorable friendly things to horrifying video games. Things like RPGs, strategy, action, horror, etc. I don’t have any consoles so I mostly play PC and mobile games. My top three favorite franchises are Pokemon, Animal Crossing and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I also enjoy Minecraft, Destiny 2 and Tomb Raider. I’ve also been playing Pokemon since Generation 2 with my first game (6/?) Pokemon Silver. Other things I love include baking, reading (especially history), movies (love studio ghibli, anime, horror, action, thriller, comedy, etc.), TV shows about true crime, history and the paranormal. Speaking of, I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and come from a family of people spiritually sensitive to those sorts of things. I also love animes like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Hetalia and My Hero Academia. My favorite music includes hardstyle, edm, pop, 80’s/90’s hits, etc. (7/?) My favorite artists consist of Gorillaz, Melanie Martinez, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, etc. I also love going on hikes, swimming and just getting to experience nature. I will admit, I’m a kid who loves to snooze. Sometimes when there’s nothing else left to do, nothing’s better than curling up in bed with the blinds closed and room freezing cold with a warm blanket. I think the reason why is because I’m a vivid dreamer. Most of my inspiration comes from the things I dream up of and my dreams (8/?) always provide me with what may not be obtainable in real life. I’m currently going to school to become a preschool, elementary school or daycare teacher. I’m glad knowing that someday, I could make a difference in a child’s life with my kindness. I love Pokemon because it's given me a sense of joy all these years later after initially discovering it as a child. It's the one thing that had always stuck. This had been a lot of asks but I hope it's enough. Thank you for your time. (9/9)

Trainer class: Nurse

You have a naturally nurturing and caring heart and mind. You like to be able to help people and take care of people, this comes from both a genuine desire to help and also a likely subconscious desire to hold that kind of power in any relationships you have. You have a lot of patience and are willing to wait for things. Nurses do not initiate battle, they will wait for people to come to them directly, and after the battle will heal their opponent's pokemon. This is similar to how you approach your relationships with people, you wait for them to come to you and then dedicate yourself to listening, helping, and diffusing problems. Some people might not really understand you and think that your way of life seems boring or irritating but the way that you view it, helping others is also helping yourself. By not going out of your way to be a rockstar pokemon trainer, you are able to better focus on what you care about, namely helping those who need help and bonding with your pokemon who are safe in your care. Your determination comes and goes, some days you are content to relax with those closest to your and your pokemon, but other days you are out trying to find new methods of helping trainers and pokemon alike. You are creative in how you help pokemon and you pride yourself on your work when you are feeling passionate

Starter: Chikorita

Your starter pokemon is Chikorita. Like you, Chikorita really loves laid back activities and taking naps. Chikorita is often found sunbathing and relaxing in comfortable spots outdoors. Chikorita spends a lot of time looking for the perfect nap conditions and once it finds them it is hardpressed to leave before having its fill of a wonderful afternoon nap. You and Chikorita spend a lot of time relaxing and napping together, and you bond over enjoying simpler activities. Chikorita's lower energy makes it a good fit for you, and it doesn't often pick fights so it will never be a cause for concern for you. 

Partner: Steelix

Steelix is also a very patient pokemon, living for over 100 years sometimes, these pokemon will slowly become harder than diamonds. Steelix is also a very stubborn and very individualistic pokemon, which makes it somewhat of a challenge for you to get it to work with your other pokemon sometimes. You relate to your Steelix's desire to hole itself up in a cave somewhere and ignore any responsibility it may have, but you also relate to how it very often pulls itself out and helps out the rest of your team with you. Steelix is also fiercely protective, you so never have to worry about your other pokemon getting into trouble with Steelix around.

Team: Meganium (starter), Bastiodon, Darmanitan (zen), Dragonair, Hatterene

Hometown: Icirrus City, Unova

Your hometown is Icirrus City in the Unova region. This town is very humid and covered in wetlands, so most of the buildings are on higher ground and there are a lot of inclines. This town is also nearby Dragonspiral Tower, which is the oldest building in Unova and is said to be the home of legendary pokemon Zekrom and Reshiram. Because of your early life consisting of brave trainers venturing here to seek these legendary pokemon, and people fighting over the right to study and unearth these pokemon, you came to realize that you prefer to stay out of the mess most of the time and sometimes help people stuck within it. Your dedication to yourself and your pokemon is very rooted in your decision when you were younger to live a simpler life than a lot of the people who came through your hometown. You also gained some creativity due to growing up in an area that required creative architecture. Your experiences with rather difficult terrain and an interesting social climate made you the kind of person you are, namely that you keep your head when things get weird and you are willing to wait and be patient when others are more inclined to rush in head first.

Battle style: Slow and steady wins the race

You are a very patient and slow battler. You take your time and are very cautious. You tend to come overprepared, with lots of healing items and stat boosting items. Your pokemon are not necessarily hard hitters, but you prioritize their ability to be reliable and predictable for you to use. You prefer pokemon who will consistently do a set amount of damage, for instance, over a pokemon who might or might not do a ton of damage in one hit. You prefer pokemon that work well in groups, you like a team that can work together and help each other over individualistic and self reliant pokemon. You help your pokemon learn to work together and learn to love being a team instead of competing with one another. You enjoy being able to take your time in battles and observe your own pokemon and your opponents for areas they could be more creative or more consistent. Your pokemon all trust you deeply and know that if they take any damage or have any conflict they can't solve themselves, you will be there to help them out of their bind and comfort them after the fact. 

[mautadite]

august book round up

22 books this month! which is the most i’ve ever read in a month i think. most of them audiobooks. i usually don’t listen to audiobooks while i’m at work but since we’re doing a lot of repetitive data entry these past several weeks i can afford to. also it helps with drowning out my obnoxious coworkers whom i fucking: hate.

temeraire 8: blood of tyrants - naomi novik ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i liked this a little better for rereading it, though i will always and forever hate amnesia plots. i remembered soooooo many things wrongly about this book it’s ridiculous! it did contain one of the highlights of the series: laurence saving tharkay, for once.  

temeraire 9: league of dragons - naomi novik ⭐️⭐️⭐️ eh. a satisfactory end, but it let me down in so many ways. NOTHING HAPPENED for so much of this book, it meandered aimlessly and so many of the resolutions were underwhelming (ning in particular was just sort of... there). don’t get me wrong, there was some VERY GOOD character stuff... but goddammit i wanted more! (ps laurence/tharkay 4 life, naomi novik is a coward) 

just jorie - robin alexander ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another VERY CUTE lesbian romance, this time a late in life coming out, which is a genre i think i’m starting to really enjoy lol. robin alexander’s characters are very true to life, and there’s something about her writing style that’s just very very appealing in a romance. and the narrator for the audiobook was super talented. definitely going to be on the lookout for more of her books.

a charm of magpies 1-3 - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ AHHHHH. SO GOOD. witchery and adventure and history and SO MANY GOOD TROPES. i’m definitely a fan of k.j. charles, this was the second series of hers that i’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. lucien and stephen were such good characters, played very well to the sappy romantic FOOL in me heart. i loved reading about them falling in love. T__T also: tol and smol. very good.

jackdaw - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️ spin off novel of the charm of magpies series. i enjoyed it; not really a ‘redemption’ book, but tells the story of one of the minor villains and had me rooting for him all the way. his love interest ben was one of those unfailingly GOOD people who made me want the best for him.

a queer trade - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a short story that introduces the characters of the next charm of magpies book. yay black men in historical romance!

rag and bone - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️ another enjoyable instalment, though it didn’t have me as hooked as the first three stories did. one thing i like about k.j. charles is that she explores all aspects of victorian england. i would have never expected to read about a waste paper man as one of the heroes of a romance novel, but here we are. sort of fell short on the sympathetic warlock storyline, but i enjoyed it.

think of england - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ murder! mystery! blackmail! spies! scheming guests at a house party in the country! all of these parts of the book were very good but the romance was the best. A Wounded Vet Learns to Love. also there are surprise lesbians. let me tell you, so many m/m books could be improved with a sprinkling of dykes.

the children of gavrilek 1-3 - julie kirton chandler ⭐️ it pains me to rate this book so lowly. physically pains me. i recced this book on a femslash post years ago without reading it, i just saw the synopsis and read an extract and it seems good. it COULD have been good. the first book in the series was weak, but had promise, the second started off SO STRONG but fizzled hard, and the third was a fucking travesty nightmare. god i don’t even want to talk about it.

beneath the surface - harper bliss ⭐️⭐️⭐️ after subjecting myself to the children of gavrilek i went hunting through my shelves for something with cute lesbians and settled on this, the second in a series about austrailian gays. it was pretty good! it’s about a long term relationship and their ups and downs throughout 20 years of being wives. i like when books show you what comes AFTER the happily every after.

femme - marshall thornton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a really sweet m/m comedy romance, that tackled intra-community discrimination in a way that managed to be serious and genuine but still stuck to the light-hearted tone. joel leslie on audio killed it as usual.

40 souls to keep - libby drew ⭐️⭐️⭐️ neat concept (guy wakes up with amnesia and gradually discovers that he’s been tasked to save 40 souls, after which he’ll be given back his memories) and style, but the execution flopped a bit. always unfortunate when you figure out who the villain in a crime/mystery is, 20 seconds after he’s introduced. cute though, really liked the love interest.

blackmail, my love - katie gilmartin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ favourite book of the month maybe? a mystery/suspense set in the 1950s about a lesbian searching for her missing gay brother. in her search she gets pulled into a whirlwind of blackmail, murder, and the queer nightlight of san francisco. this was painfully good, well researched and lovingly written, and it’ll stay with me for a long time.

boundaries - jane retzig ⭐️⭐️⭐️ lesbian romance; dealt very competently with abuse and youthful longing and growing up. there were a few narrative things that left me ?_? (ALICE SHOULD BE IN JAIL) but i enjoyed it overall.

a king undone - cooper davis ⭐️ bad bad bad. m/m fantasy romance that dragged. you could find more chemistry in a primary school baking soda volcano. someone tell this author that they’re allowed to say ‘men’ and not ‘male’ all the time.

axel’s pup - kim dare ⭐️⭐️⭐️ see, this was well written and appropriately slow burny and had so much meaty character interaction and a decent enough plot and world-building but when it comes down to it... MAN i hate lifestyle d/s.  it's all fun and spankings until character b needs to fucking. ask character a’s permission to visit his dying grandfather, and then my skin starts crawling away from my body i’m so skeeved off. subjective! character b was chill with it! but oooof.

lillian byrd 1: holy hell - elizabeth sims ⭐️⭐️⭐️ lesbian murder mystery with a splash of comedy ahoy. this was okay but also meh. we just flat out knew who the killers were pretty early on; the books pretty much became about proving motive. which wasn’t as entertaining. also (and this is one of the FEW times you’ll hear me say this) i’m not sure we needed the romance.

a hundred thousand words - nyrae dawn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ new adult m/m romance, very cute. the love interested was open and honest in a way that surprised me, it was so atypical of your run of the mill romance character. and i liked the way this dealt with family and friendships and getting to know and develop YOURSELF. this book surprised me with how much i liked it.

that’s it for august! no grand plans for september; i’ve gotten a bunch of extra stuff dumped on me at work and i won’t be surprised if i don’t read as much. but there’ll still be lots of romance, i’m betting. currently reading the first in the society of gentlemen series, which i’m liking very much. 

[readbythestarlight]

c2e41

I can’t believe it’s time to find out the consequences of Fjord’s accidental mistakes and bad decisions

lol I almost panicked when Travis wasn’t at the table like he HAS to be here for this

I like the “oh nos” coming from the rest about Sam’s ad

SAM NO

LOL MATT’S FACE

Sam doesn’t know what any of his Scottish means he probably just insulted his own mother

He’s gonna give Cad Molly’s necklace IT’S FINE IM NOT EMOTIONAL EXCEPT I AM

Wow okay Cad and Caleb can y’all chill and not give me emotions? Thanks.

B: *hands over Frumpkin*

C: “You have three or four more days you know”

B: “DO I?!” *grabs Frumpkin back and sticks him in her pocket*

I sure hope Sprinkles is alright after almost drowning along with the rest of them, poor thing

FJORD WAS HER FIRST SEMI-KISS

This whole interaction is super cute im dying

Fjord listen no pressure but try not to break her heart

Nott somehow always makes me a little sad

LOL oh this advice Nott. Amazing.

lol the clerics spoiling Matt’s plans for a supply stop

YES GOOD PLEASE ACQUIRE THE SKILLS NEEDED FOR SAILING

Marisha looks so excited

JESTER NO CRUSHING UP YOUR DIAMONDS FOR TATTOOS DO YOU UNDERSTAND

y’all need those

for revivifying or whatever

listen though, they absolutely all need matching sparkle tattoos someday though I want it real bad

OOO are they gonna do pirate shit??? Attack the ship and steal stuff?

This is a test if I ever saw one

Guys don’t do it please it’s such a bad idea

I just feel like Avantica is testing Fjord with basically everything

Guys please just don’t

Cad’s right it’s a bad decision

FJORD

YOU

FUCKING

IDIOT

FJORD IS A FJUCKING FJOOL

this is such a bad idea

Jester giving him the salty shoulder

“I feel like this is somehow connected to your previous bad decisions” yes Cad please keep shaming him

lol Not going crazy with the canon stuff

oh damn fjord

lol buddy Nott doesn’t even need that anymore goofy boy

Sam’s gonna roll really bad and Nott’s gonna hit the ship I can feel it

A NAT 1

okay it didn’t fire okay

Nott darling you’re going to blow up your own ship

“fire boy! go, gogo!”

“Alright, so you owe us a canon.”

Oh lord

20 thank god

SHIIIIIIIPS

They’re gonna end up with wanted posters when they get back to shore

Fjord honey what are you doing this isn’t even like you. Is this about gaining Avantica’s trust? At what cost??

Caduceus the Cool Calm Guy

God this is just… so bad

I’m serious they’re going to end up being wanted criminals

fjord

why the fuck did you give him your real name

Caduceus is the only smart one, hiding his face

stop using you’re real names Fjord for fuck’s sake be smart

Caleb plz stop

oh god guys this isn’t worth the trouble

this is gonna be so bad im so on edge

this is where the fight will break out

Jester what are you going to do oh no

Poor Liab

JESTER YOU CANT TATTOO SOMEONE AGAINST THEIR WILL

here we go I hope you’re ready to live with your bad decisions Fjord

Are they even considering that whatever this magical item is, it’ll probably go straight to Avantica?

“I don’t trust Avantica” Beau says to Caleb through Frumpkin while members of Avantica’s crew are present.

Frumpkin being able to attack is cool as frick I like that

Don’t die Frumpkin

“twelve renegade points, one point paragon!” lol Matt

I like how Beau’s like “we’re trying to be good people” but then threatens to slit his throat. Like FYI Beau, threatening someone over something you don’t have a right to, that you’re STEALING, after ATTACKING THIS GUY, is not how good people act.

Beau leave him alone

Seriously

Somehow this was only a minor disaster. So far. If they don’t end up with wanted posters because they’re pirates I will be shocked.

I don’t like anything that Avantica approves of. I don’t trust her.

She knows. She so knows they’re hiding something.

Caleb so cute talking about cats and books

They need to not look right now. They need to put it in the bag and leave it until they get far away from Avantica.

PAPERRRR

The Not There Fairy, cousin to the Metagaming pigeon

Ohhhh Beau you gonna get a tattoo like Molly’s??

Okay… darling… but maybe not an eye though that just seems like it’s inviting trouble

“But you know he’s dead” WOW

IT’S THE BARBIE RAPUNZEL PAINTBRUSH

Jester. I’m begging you. Save that paint for when y’all actually need a door.

(Also @Taliesin just tell us all what Molly would think of it please Inquiring Minds want to know)

Let Caduceus have the shield

I hope you all feel like guilty fucks tbh that was just not necessary

Oh no mediocre perception check….

Beau please don’t try sneaking into her office my god that’s a terrible idea

lol Laura you little shit xD

“You should seduce her” and Fjord’s over here like lol right uh sure totally that’s a good idea uhhuh

B: “I think if we don’t do anything, it means your eventual demise.”

F: “Well that’s… fucking dark.”

At least they’re finally thinking and really really realizing how bad things are for them right now.

Cad: “If we want to find the ship I think I can help.”

F: “With the seducing?!”

Cad: “What…? no!”

Beau really wants to seduce Avantica.

Caduceus with his naps. He is me.

Fjord and Caleb conference! It’s been a while.

MMMM I LIKE THIS

“Have you ever sacrificed anything to achieve a greater goal?” OHHH FJORD IF YOU ONLY KNEW

Talking about Papa Widogast

“I have tried to live up to the man that he was, and I have… largely failed, but I picked up what I could.” IT’S FINE IM NOT CRYING (yeah i am).

“I think traveling with all of you has emboldened me some. I was alone for a long time. And I… I like this group. I like traveling with you, Fjord.”

Okay Fjord what are you trying to get at now?

FJORD TRUSTING CALEB TO WATCH HIS BACK WITH AVANTICA my heart

oh.

“can i count on you to… right the ship, if need be?”

oh i don’t like the sound of that at all.

I don’t like this conversation

What is Fjord asking? That Caleb take him out if need be? That he makes sure the group gets out if Avantica manages to kill Fjord?

THE TRAVELER

I don’t trust him at all

J: “We’re pirates”

TT: “I know. :)”

TT: “That seed of chaos” DO NOT LIKE

“Well there are many different enchantments—“ RED FLAG RED FLAG BIG RED FLAG

he’s such a creep i hate him someone protect jester from him

he has literally gotten more and more creepy every fucking time

this is absolutely a sinister voice Matt is using too

“Preferably where it will be the least expected… and the creepiest to find” okay that was kinda funny

“the time is coming soon when you will meet the rest of your brethren” DO NOT LIKE

Like I’m not sure he’s EVIL but he creeps me out and I don’t like him

Fjord dream Fjord dream Fjord dream

Fjord dreaming about them bare naked ladies.

From ocean to sky to ocean again.

I don’t think I like this.

Watching, learn, reward.

Nope don’t like.

Smart move grabbing the map

But shit, did Avantica see the same place? If she was in the dream too I bet she did.

Nott, my darling, can you not

LOL

MATT YOU TRICKSTER

a handful of pepper made into a pepper bolt

“The Revelry” oh lord it’s a pirate colony with a court of captains or something isn’t it. Like in PotC3.

Or like Tortuga.

“The Plank King” I KNEW IT

pirate court

Avantica is absolutely gonna challenge the Plank King?

“Welcome to Dark Town” thanks Matt

I’m loving all this history/lore stuff Matt is so good at this kind of thing.

“Takes some notes” I do NOT like that

Poor Orli and the crew.

I thought for sure Avantica was gonna stab Gimati.

Caduceus really wanted to have some Words with Gimati.

B: “Marius the Mariner…. LePua…. LePain….?”

Cad: “That was really good, do me! :D”

B: “Caduceus the… Juices…?”

Listen, Fjord, guys, you owe these people. You hired them and then dragged them into SO MUCH SHIT you didn’t tell them about. And you can’t just leave them here, or refuse to pay them

Like you hired all these people and dragged them into your shit and now you're like "you can keep working for no extra money or you can stay here on pirate island" wow Fjord I’m massively unimpressed. Like I know the whole moral leanings of the whole group have been shifty but come on. This is really not cool.

“By the way, you guys are members of the Revelry.”

So first they joined a crime lord's syndicate and now they joined a pirate gang

*insert faceplam gif here*

Uh-oh…

James Tybalt, assistant to the Plank King

lol Fjord is the worst pirate, forgetting to deal with the money.

As much as I enjoy having a less than perfectly heroic group, I do wish they'd try to be just SLIGHTLY less awful sometimes

Harpy jerky as a gift. I love Nott.

Yasha is very Done with all of this.

Cad: “I serve nature and I’m the maker of fine graves.”

N: “I just love water so much.”

Y: “I like to punch things?”

Hnnn why notes

I’m glad y’all didn’t ALL give them real names

Oh lord, so now if they attack Avantica (and don’t manage to kill her and everyone else) they’ll have the Revelry after them

They’re super doomed

Oh

Oh lord he took the previous king’s hair

Oh man don’t try hitting on Beau

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh SHIT he asked Beau to keep an eye on Avantica and to snitch on her

That’s good. That’s a good. They finally have something going for them (as long as Avantica doesn’t find out)

God this night was a continued disaster. But it was super good. Stressful but fun.

“How did this happen?” The question we all want to have answered, Sam.

“Good shit, Matt.” Agreed!!