#anya reads tolkien

[swampnightmare]

Silmarillion now needs to sink in, because there's too much information. What I wanna say first is... I cannot see why The Rings of Power have no right to exist in terms or lore, canon, whatever.

If we take Silmarillion as the main source of information, it doesn't give enough. For example, I wanna know how Galadriel from the beginning of the story (a young girl raised with her brothers, eager to leave Valinor and have a kingdom (!) of her own, not completely open with Melian about the reasons of their departure, proud, stubborn, independent, so independent that she even travels without her husband, and probably does much more without his council) because the wise and restrained lady, ready for teamwork, diminishing herself. What happened to her in the meantime? Hey? Hello?

Same with the rings. Sure, they were forged in Eregion, by Celebrimbor. Oh, and Sauron was there, disguised as Annatar. But how exactly did it go? Maybe another book will give me more details, cause Silmarillion does not.

Seems like there's a plenty of blank spaces left by the author (I'm aware Christopher Tolkien basically collected Silmarillion like a puzzle)... Well, what's bad about TROP filling them up, staying faithful to Tolkien's philosophical idea?

For me these questions are rhetorical.

[giri-giri-waifu]

She has no idea what's going on

[katewibberlystan]

TBOB characters plus reading habits!

Kate: enjoys reading, though she doesn’t always have the free time to do so. Goes through cycles where she’ll read 4 books in 2 weeks and then not read anything else for a month and a half - it’s a depression thing. Her favorite genres are historical fiction and magical realism, and she enjoys books that delve into serious topics. Stuff along the lines of The Once And Future Witches by Alix E Harrow or The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. She’s also read a lot of children’s literature like The Last Unicorn or Beezus and Ramona to her siblings when they were little and she likes them.

Michael: absolutely loves reading and does it constantly. Obviously obsessed with the classic high fantasy, though he is picky about it too. He’s a huge Tolkien fan. He also reads a lot of nonfiction science books and a lot of mythology. Tried to read Game of Thrones once and didn’t like it one bit.

Emma: not a big reader. Doesn’t have much patience for long books. Prefers graphic novels and comic books, enjoys superheroes and some horror adjacent stuff like Anya’s Ghost or the werewolf graphic novel Squad. Also likes mythology. Makes fun of Michael’s taste in literature.

Gabriel: doesn’t mind reading but does not do it often due to lack of free time and an inability to sit still for too long. Primarily reads for work, which leads to consuming many books on magical creatures or on the natural world. When he reads for pleasure he enjoys survival novels like Hatchet or memoirs like Tara Westover’s Educated. He’ll also read things that Emma likes so that he can discuss them with her.

Wilamena: likes to read for pleasure, primarily reads romcoms or classic romance. A huge Jane Austen enjoyer. Also really likes goofy entertainment in the form of silly modern romcoms. Reads some kids graphic novels like the Phoebe and her Unicorn books. Has read Tolkien even though she’s not too big on him (she prefers Narnia for classic fantasy purposes) solely for Michael’s sake.

Rafe: lukewarm on reading, it’s not his favorite thing in the world but he does enjoy it sometimes. Primarily reads gothic horror, along the lines of Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde. Also reads a lot about music for the sake of playing the violin, and magic because duh.

[feuerfliegen]

Character Backlog & Upcoming

muses that will be added to the blog as soon as I am once again ahead of replies: fairytale OCs affiliated with @fenixburned

Yrsa ("she-bear); a shapeshifting princess inspired by the Grimm fairytale Snow White and Rose Red.

Liena ("as beautiful as a lotus flower"); a faith-healer and con-woman on the run from Death, inspired by the Grimm fairytale Godfather Death.

Backlog: aka these are either muses I rped before / intend to rp again, or concepts I thought about trying out. If we are long-time RP partners or you are interested in interacting with one of these muses feel free to hit me up, but they will not be added to the blog as regulars. (yet, watch me falter in a bit)

Rped before on different blogs:

Matilda of the House of Girion, princess of Dale from Tolkien's Legendarium, loosely based on the Hobbit movies. formerly on @aelsell

Mother Hulda, queen of the wild hunt and mother of fairies, inspired by German folklore, formerly on @krxkor

Marian van Helder / Makaria, daughter of Hades and blessed by Persephone, inspired by Greek mythology / PJO verses available, formerly on @wxrgirl

New concepts:

Bjarni Egilson, undead Viking and member of Anya's salt crew (yes, you read that right)

Edward Mallory, antagonistic force to be reckoned with, warlock in Victorian England. (10/10 would do evil with him)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, April 6th, Part One

EVE: Why would we do anything to Fred? Why would we even care about her—? LORNE (punches Eve in the face, knocking her down) Ooh. Oh, I'm sorry. That was a knuckle-buster. I'm Jake LaMotta over here. It's pathetic. Oh. (leans in close to Eve) Here's the thing, Eve: you're going to sing for me, and I'm going to read you right now. And here's one more thing: Winifred Burkle once told me after a sinful amount of Chinese food, and in lieu of absolutely nothing, "I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade, if they had the choice." If I hear one note—one quarter-note—that tells me you had any involvement, these two won't even have time to kill you. (stands) Oh, and anything by Diana Warren will also result in your death—well, except "Rhythm of the Night."

~~A Hole in the World~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Weekly Drabbles #107 — Her Favorite by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God by NotASlayer (Spike/Joyce, T)

Oceans Apart by Pinkperson (Angel & Connor, T)

Candle Light by for_the_girls (Buffy/Spike, E)

When you read this by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Xander/Anya, T)

A little weirdness by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Buffy/Spike, T)

Choices by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Buffy/Spike, T)

Dreams of bloody awful poetry by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Buffy/Spike, T)

Facing Hell by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Buffy/Spike, E)

Electric Blanket by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Buffy/Willow, G)

Not Perfect by TPauSilver (Signe_chan) (Spike/Oz, E)

Bleach by firemanwhenthefloodsrollback (Buffy/Spike, T)

Kiss It Better by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Dear Journal by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Caught on Camera by Gabby (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Raven, Chapter 10 by sparrow2000 (Xander & Spike, G)

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion, Chapter 419 by madimpossibledreamer (Ensemble, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, T)

The Sun Also Rises, Chapter 114 by Grundy (Buffy, Dawn, Tolkien crossover, T)

When Ethan Rayne made Rambo, Chapter 9 by USKiwi (Xander, not rated)

Lest This Bond Be Broken, Chapter 7 by Dynapink (Buffy/Giles, M)

Dawn Rising, Chapter 54 by Luna_delCielo (BtVS and AtS Ensemble, Tolkien crossover, T)

Wish Granted, Chapter 2 (complete!) by faewm (Anyanka, Harry Potter crossover, T)

Raven, Chapter 10 by sparrow2000 (Xander & Spike, G)

49 Cemeteries, Chapter 20 by firemanwhenthefloodsrollback (Buffy/Spike, T)

When Lust Wanders, Chapter 7 by BiggiePanda (CalliopeStar) (Buffy/Spike, E)

Greatest Love Story Postlude, Chapter 12 by FalseGinger (Angel/Spike, M)

Ever After After The Fall, Chapter 7 by aboutafox (Buffy/Angel, M)

The Stars to Hold Our Destiny, Chapter 8 by Hermione2be (Buffy, Star Trek Strange New Worlds crossover, G)

Slayer No More, Chapter 15 by jsaint34 (Buffy/Pike, M)

Welcome to Waverly Hills, Chapter 4 by rocknrolljuke (Buffy Ensemble, Supernatural and Blade crossover, T)

Recommencer, Chapter 5 by FridayQueen (Buffy/Faith, M)

Royal Flush, Chapter 4 by Xyex (Buffy, Wishverse!Buffy, M)

The Evil that Men Do: Chapter 7 by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer) (Willow/Tara, Willow/Kennedy, E)

Weight of the World, Chapter 5 (complete!) by Enigmatist (Buffy/Spike, not rated)

Fake I.D., Chapter 3 by vampbrat (Angel/Spike, Peep Show crossover, E)

Buffy the Cotta-Arcs House-Pet, Chapter 1 by kingnothing1996 (Buffy, RWBY crossover, E)

The Boring Stuff: Reptile Boy, Chapter 1 by missfiggy (Buffy/Angel, M)

In the Company of Witches and Slayers: Chapter 1 by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer) (Willow/Tara, E)

Encased by Sunshine, Chapter 34 by acb6293 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Early One Morning, Chapter 30 by all choseny (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Truth and Consequences, Chapter 11 by JamesMFan (Buffy/Spike, R)

Lie to Me, Chapter 22 by In Mortal (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Wilderness Retreat OR Super Mega Happy Kill-A-Rama! Chapter 2 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Celebrating You, Chapter 4 by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Out For A Walk... Bitch, Chapter 13 by MaggieLaFey (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

It's Easy Time, Until It's Not, Chapter 23 by hulettwyo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Love Lives Here, Chapter 46 by Passion4Spike (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Coming Through, Chapter 54 by hulettwyo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Anarchy Tour, Chapter 7 by Alyot (Buffy/Spike, R)

Lie to Me, Chapters 21-22 by In Mortal (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Service Unit, Chapter 9 by hulettwyo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Glimpses of the Cellar Dwellers, Chapter 32 (complete!) by Maldorana (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Mischief Munchkin, Chapters 2-4 by MaggieLaFey (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Quality Time, Chapters 26-31 by MaggieLaFey (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

What the Drabble? Vol. 2, Chapter 7 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

A Little Poet in Her Monster, Chapter 12 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, R)

Anything But Ordinary, Chapters 4-5 by Harlow Turner (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Cradle of Love, Chapter 1 by Lilacsandorangeblossoms (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

I Do! Chapter 25 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: iconic outfits for the first day of college by Madeleine Loves Colours (Wilow & Buffy, worksafe)

Artwork: ��Out. For. A. Walk….Bitch” by nerdfromthenet (Spike, worksafe)

Artwork: #SixFanarts Buffy Edition! by nerdfromthenet (Faith, Buffy, Willow, Spike, Jenny, Giles, worksafe)

Gifset: The Hero's Journey by saw-x (Buffy, worksafe)

Artwork: Buffyverse Women as Greek Goddesses by williamprattz (worksafe)

Artwork: The Four Horsemen Of Apocalypse— as the fanged four by williamprattz (worksafe)

Manip: Oldie but goodie photomanip by dirtyaimfanstuff-blog (Buffy in lingerie, possibly not worksafe)

Artwork:🔺ATS 217. Disharmony🔺 by tmcarlee (worksafe)

Playlist: tara & willow spotify playlist 👌 by sophie_4187

Fanvid: Gravity Falls meet Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Memoriea8bit

Fanvid: Buffy and Spike + Angel | Karma by Justinhulk

Fanvid: Buffy Summers R.I.P To My Youth by uyyeedits

Fanvid: Buffy + Angel - I love me more by Faith Victoria (anti-Bangel)

Fanvid: Welcome to the Black Parade- Buffyverse, TVDU, and Lucifer by Bobblehead89

Fanvid: Buffy Summers | teenage dream (Olivia’s version) by Dasiesandsilverbells

Artwork process video: Kristy Swanson Buffy the Vampire Slayer iPad Procreate Drawing Timelapse & Talk by kcsnipes (worksafe)

Artwork process video: Tara Maclay death scene by Nimbus (worksafe)

Video: Character Alchemy - Buffy Edition! by Chromatic Roses

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I Robot, You Jane, S01E08 by ravenya003

The Writing in Buffy The Vampire Slayer is incredible by Cailly_Brard7

Video: Angel, Season One, Episode Fourteen: I've Got You Under My Skin by Slayed! The Buffyverse Revisited Podcast

Video: Season 6 Of Buffy Was Way Too Depressing - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Discussion by CrasHNburN

Video: Why Didn't buffy Kill Dracula? Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episode Discussion by CrasHNburN

Video: The First Comic Book I Ever Read | Buffy Season 8 by Another Booktube Channel

Video: Why Buffy Season 4 is the Coziest Season by Pensive Whiskers

Video: Buffy Season 5 Deep Dive Part 2 by Revisiting The Buffyverse

Video: Wrecked-Slayer Sunday by Jane Talks Buffy

Podcast: Same Time Same Place S7 E3 (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by Lisa M. Lilly

[Recs]

Fanfic Recommendations: London, 2153 by will_ (Spike & Dawn) recced by Priceless

[magicalrocketships]

Boringly, this is not the BBC top 100 list, but a mash-up of that and various other ones. This is the actual list from 2003:

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien 2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen 3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman 4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne 8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell 9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë 11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller 12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë 13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks 14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier 15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger 16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame 17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens 18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott 19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres 20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy 21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell 22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling 23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling 24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling 25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien 26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy 27. Middlemarch, George Eliot 28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving 29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck 30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson 32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez 33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett 34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens 35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl 36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson 37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute 38. Persuasion, Jane Austen 39. Dune, Frank Herbert 40. Emma, Jane Austen 41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery 42. Watership Down, Richard Adams 43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald 44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas 45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh 46. Animal Farm, George Orwell 47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens 48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy 49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian 50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher

51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett 52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck 53. The Stand, Stephen King 54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy 55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth 56. The BFG, Roald Dahl 57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome 58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell 59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer 60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky 61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman 62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden 63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens 64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough 65. Mort, Terry Pratchett 66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton 67. The Magus, John Fowles 68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman 69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett 70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding 71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind 72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell 73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett 74. Matilda, Roald Dahl 75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding 76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt 77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins 78. Ulysses, James Joyce 79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens 80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson 81. The Twits, Roald Dahl 82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith 83. Holes, Louis Sachar 84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake 85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy 86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson 87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley 88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons 89. Magician, Raymond E Feist 90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac 91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo 92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel 93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett 94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho 95. Katherine, Anya Seton 96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer 97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez 98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson 99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot 100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

I have read 99.5 of these because a) my cousins and I decided to read them all and b) fucking Ulysses, FUCKING ULYSSES, I will never finish that fucking book and I will forever be mad at it

How many have you read?

The BBC estimates that most people will only read 6 books out of the 100 listed below. Reblog this and bold the titles you’ve read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkein 3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible 7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte 8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens 11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier 16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien 17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks 18 Catcher in the Rye 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffeneger 20 Middlemarch – George Eliot 21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell 22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald 23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens 24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh 27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame 31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy 32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens 33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis 34 Emma – Jane Austen 35 Persuasion – Jane Austen 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden 40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne 41 Animal Farm – George Orwell 42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving 45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins 46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery 47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy 48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood 49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding 50 Atonement – Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel 52 Dune – Frank Herbert 53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons 54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen 55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth 56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens 58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck 62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov 63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas 66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac 67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding 69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie 70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville 71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens 72 Dracula – Bram Stoker 73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses – James Joyce 76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78 Germinal – Emile Zola 79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray 80 Possession – AS Byatt 81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens 82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchel 83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker 84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro 85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert 86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry 87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton 91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad 92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery 93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks 94 Watership Down – Richard Adams 95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole 96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute 97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas 98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl 100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

[bookshelfdreams]

10 characters, 10 fandoms, 10 tags

I got tagged for this by the loveliest @awordwasthebeginning - thank you! "Fandom" here is a word that means "media I enjoy a lot/are important to me" without necessarily being active in the fandom per se, otherwise I could never have made it a full 10 :)

Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death): I can't pretend this was a hard choice. Of course it's him. Sweet darling baby boy. Pathetic wet muppet of a man. Take the phrase "well meant is the opposite of well done" and make it a whole character. He needs to be kicked in the head. He has never done anything wrong in his life. The dumbest bitch I've ever seen. Someone who was hurt a lot but is still eager to place his heart in the hands of anyone who reaches out to him. An idiot who needs to get his shit together. I would gladly die for him.

Farha Black (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency): Imagine a character. Make her a hypercompetent BAMF, proficient with firearms and at hand-to-hand. A professional bodyguard. Unwavering loyalty. Strong morals. Takes no shit, from no one. Got her? Okay. Now nerf her by giving her 27 anxiety disorders at once. Great. She's played by Jade Eshete, clearly having the time of her life. Truly the most character.

The Stepmother (Aschenbrödel): The hat alone makes her an icon.

Sophia (The Brothers Lionheart, Astrid Lindgren): Honestly life goals

Yennefer of Vengerburg (The Witcher Netflix): A great character, tragically stuck in a terrible show. Anya Chalotra is outperforming everyone, even with the shitty scripts she got, and she knows it. Somehow manages to make the horrible excuses for costumes look good. This show doesn't deserve her.

The wolf (Summer in Orbit, Ursula Vernon): I honestly - can't explain it. He's kind and protective, a fatherly figure to our heroine. A literal wolf, except for when he's a house. That's not even close to being the weirdest thing in this story. It's the most bonkers "young girl stumbles into a fairy tale world" I have ever encountered and you should definitely read it.

Carlos the Scientist (Welcome to Night Vale): Self-explanatory.

Martin Schelling (Charité season 2): He's doing the best he can, and he deserves everything.

Maedhros (extended Tolkien universe): I have a Type when it comes to characters (traumatized badass, dramatic rescue from imprisonment, amputation) and it's all this guy's fault

The irony of putting these last two right next to each other is not lost on me

Oh no the count is off. Anyway. Magnus Bane (Shadowhunters): Another brilliant actor, somehow managing to breathe life into an approximation of a character (actually just 15 stereotypes barely glued together), trapped in a godawful show. He's the only reason this trainwreck is halfway watchable (and I love him).

Okay that's it! Tagging (only if you want to do it, no pressure): @jamdoughnutmagician @mikimeiko @swords-n-spindles @soryualeksi @cakeeatingwingedcat @cuddlytogas @moth-ra @throwing-roses-into-the-abyss @khargaotte @speckled-jim

[butterflies-dragons]

GRRM has projected his love for medieval tourneys, heraldry, pageantry, knights and chivalry on Sansa Stark

Art credit: Heinrich von Breslau (Codex Manesse, 14. Jahrhundert)

GRRM:

“That whole story (The Hedge Knight) is built around a tournament. I love medieval tournaments, reading about them, writing about them. There's of course some of them in the main books, but this was an opportunity in a time of peace, not war, to look at a medieval tournament with all its pageantry and the jousting and the combat and reveal a little of Westerosi History”.

—In conversation: George R.R. Martin with Dan Jones FULL EVENT- August 2019

SANSA:

"The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord," Jory said as he resumed his seat. "They say that knights will come from all over the realm to joust and feast in honor of your appointment as Hand of the King."

Arya could see that her father was not very happy about that. "Do they also say this is the last thing in the world I would have wished?"

Sansa's eyes had grown wide as the plates. "A tourney," she breathed. She was seated between Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, as far from Arya as she could get without drawing a reproach from Father. "Will we be permitted to go, Father?"

"You know my feelings, Sansa. It seems I must arrange Robert's games and pretend to be honored for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my daughters to this folly."

"Oh, please," Sansa said. "I want to see."

Septa Mordane spoke up. "Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this, and as the tourney is in your honor, it would look queer if your family did not attend."

Father looked pained. "I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa." He saw Arya. "For both of you."

"I don't care about their stupid tourney," Arya said. She knew Prince Joffrey would be there, and she hated Prince Joffrey.

Sansa lifted her head. "It will be a splendid event. You shan't be wanted."

—A Game of Thrones - Arya II

Sansa rode to the Hand's tourney with Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, in a litter with curtains of yellow silk so fine she could see right through them. They turned the whole world gold. Beyond the city walls, a hundred pavilions had been raised beside the river, and the common folk came out in the thousands to watch the games. The splendor of it all took Sansa’s breath away; the shining armor, the great chargers caparisoned in silver and gold, the shouts of the crowd, the banners snapping in the wind…and the knights themselves, the knights most of all.

“It is better than the songs,” she whispered when they found the places that her father had promised her, among the high lords and ladies. Sansa was dressed beautifully that day, in a green gown that brought out the auburn of her hair, and she knew they were looking at her and smiling.

They watched the heroes of a hundred songs ride forth, each more fabulous than the last.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa II

GRRM:

“Tolkien imitators who came after him, a lot of them created a sort of Disneyland Middle Ages, you know, a sort of Middle Ages like you might see at a Renaissance Faire, but you don't have the dysentery, or the torture, or the leprosy, or the innate sexism, or classism, or racism that was so built into so much of that world for so many centuries, you really have to take, you know, I like the knights in shinning armor, the heraldry and pageantry as much as anyone, but you also have to include the fleas."

— Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival - NIFFF 2014

The novelist is midway through something of a European tour. After his trip to Switzerland, he is due in Scotland for the Edinburgh book festival. It has often been suggested that Ivanhoe (by the Scottish 19th-century novelist Walter Scott) was, alongside the War of the Roses, a major influence on A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones.

Martin was first turned on to Ivanhoe by the 1952 MGM movie starring Robert Taylor, George Sanders and a young Elizabeth Taylor. "I think it was Elizabeth Taylor at the peak of her...," his voice tails off before he clarifies. "She was the most beautiful woman in the world. I think I was nine years old when I saw that movie. How could you not fall in love with her? But the jousting and the pageantry of it made me love that story. Later, in high school, I did read that book. For a modern reader, it's a little tough to get through. The prose is very Victorian and thick but if you fight your way through it, the story is there. It has everything the movie has and more – the heraldry and jousting and the insight into the times. It was an influence in that sense."

—GRRM - Independent - 2014

SANSA:

The green knight laughed again. "Barristan the Old, you mean. Don't flatter him too sweetly, child, he thinks overmuch of himself already." He smiled at her. "Now, wolf girl, if you can put a name to me as well, then I must concede that you are truly our Hand's daughter."

Joffrey stiffened beside her. "Have a care how you address my betrothed."

"I can answer," Sansa said quickly, to quell her prince's anger. She smiled at the green knight. "Your helmet bears golden antlers, my lord. The stag is the sigil of the royal House. King Robert has two brothers. By your extreme youth, you can only be Renly Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End and councillor to the king, and so I name you."

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa I

No one ransomed the northmen, though. One fat lordling haunted the kitchens, Hot Pie told her, always looking for a morsel. His mustache was so bushy that it covered his mouth, and the clasp that held his cloak was a silver-and-sapphire trident. He belonged to Lord Tywin, but the fierce, bearded young man who liked to walk the battlements alone in a black cloak patterned with white suns had been taken by some hedge knight who meant to get rich off him. Sansa would have known who he was, and the fat one too, but Arya had never taken much interest in titles and sigils. Whenever Septa Mordane had gone on about the history of this house and that house, she was inclined to drift and dream and wonder when the lesson would be done.

—A Clash of Kings - Arya VII

Petyr had given her a roll of arms to study, so she knew their heraldry if not their faces. The red castle was Redfort, plainly; a short man with a neat grey beard and mild eyes. Lady Anya was the only woman amongst the Lords Declarant, and wore a deep green mantle with the broken wheel of Waynwood picked out in beads of jet. Six silver bells on purple, that was Belmore, pear-bellied and round of shoulder. His beard was a ginger-grey horror sprouting from a multiplicity of chins. Symond Templeton's, by contrast, was black and sharply pointed. A beak of a nose and icy blue eyes made the Knight of Ninestars look like some elegant bird of prey. His doublet displayed nine black stars within a golden saltire. Young Lord Hunter's ermine cloak confused her till she spied the brooch that pinned it, five silver arrows fanned. Alayne would have put his age closer to fifty than to forty. His father had ruled at Longbow Hall for nigh on sixty years, only to die so abruptly that some whispered the new lord had hastened his inheritance. Hunter's cheeks and nose were red as apples, which bespoke a certain fondness for the grape. She made certain to fill his cup as often as he emptied it.

—A Feast for Crows - Alayne I

Harry was staring at her. He knows who I am, she realized, and he does not seem pleased to see me. It was only then that she took note of his heraldry. Though his surcoat and horse trappings were patterned in the red-and-white diamonds of House Hardyng, his shield was quartered. The arms of Hardyng and Waynwood were displayed in the first and third quarters, respectively, but in the second and fourth quarters he bore the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn, sky blue and cream. Sweetrobin will not like that.

—The Winds of Winter - Alayne I

GRRM:

Firstly, thanks for that very thorough response on the tournaments and knighthood. Fascinating. In particular given the notes about _Ivanhoe_ and its influence -- I've only witnessed the A&E production of it, although maybe about time I read it. Seems it might be ripe for ideas.

IVANHOE is well worth a read, although the style is very old fashioned, of course. Still it has some fabulous characters and scenes, and so far as I know the definitive portrayal of a medieval tournament, both melee and joust.

It has been filmed three times that I know of. The recent A&E production had some good moments, as did the older Sam Neill version... the CLASSIC version, however, is still MGM's 50s version, starring Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, and George Sanders. The jousts are wonderful, Liz is radiant, and George Sanders steals the film as Bois-Gilbert. You should definitely rent that one and have a look.

—GRRM - 1999

SANSA:

She loved King's Landing; the pageantry of the court, the high lords and ladies in their velvets and silks and gemstones, the great city with all its people. The tournament had been the most magical time of her whole life, and there was so much she had not seen yet, harvest feasts and masked balls and mummer shows. She could not bear the thought of losing it all.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa III

She closed the window, gathered up the fallen papers, and stacked them on the table. One was a list of the competitors. Four-and-sixty knights had been invited to vie for places amongst Lord Robert Arryn's new Brotherhood of Winged Knights, and four and-sixty knights had come to tilt for the right to wear falcon's wings upon their warhelms and guard their lord.

The competitors came from all over the Vale, from the mountain valleys and the coast, from Gulltown and the Bloody Gate, even the Three Sisters. Though a few were promised, only three were wed; the eight victors would be expected to spend the next three years at Lord Robert's side, as his own personal guard (Alayne had suggested seven, like the Kingsguard, but Sweetrobin had insisted that he must have more knights than King Tommen), so older men with wives and children had not been invited.

And they came, Alayne thought proudly. They all came.

It had fallen out just as Petyr said it would, the day the ravens flew. "They're young, eager, hungry for adventure and renown. Lysa would not let them go to war. This is the next best thing. A chance to serve their lord and prove their prowess. They will come. Even Harry the Heir." He had smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead. "What a clever daughter you are."

It was clever. The tourney, the prizes, the winged knights, it had all been her own notion. Lord Robert's mother had filled him full of fears, but he always took courage from the tales she read him of Ser Artys Arryn, the Winged Knight of legend, founder of his line. Why not surround him with Winged Knights? She had thought one night, after Sweetrobin had finally drifted off to sleep. His own Kingsguard, to keep him safe and make him brave. And no sooner did she tell Petyr her idea than he went out and made it happen.

—The Winds of Winter - Alayne I

GRRM:

Amon Shin in Maine asks, “If you lived in Westeros, which house would you like to be part of, or in which area would you like to live?”

Well, you know, there’s something to be said for being an honorable Stark, but you’re kinda cold all the time and poor and so forth. And you have a lot of land, but there’s not a lot of stuff on it, you know? On the other hand, if you’re a Lannister, you have a nice house and all the gold you want and all of that stuff.  So, there’s a lot to be said for being a Lannister.  I don’t know.  Maybe I could probably see me being a Lannister.  And I would always pay my debts.

—A Dance with Dragons | George R.R. Martin | Talks at Google - July 2011

SANSA:

They were going to take it all away; the tournaments and the court and her prince, everything, they were going to send her back to the bleak grey walls of Winterfell and lock her up forever. Her life was over before it had begun.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa III

* * *

Art credit: Loras Tyrell gives Sansa Stark a rose at the Hand’s Tournament by Jonathan Burton.

As you can see, Sansa loves tourneys because GRRM loves tourneys.

During the events that take place in the ASOIAF Books, we find 5 tourneys and Sansa Stark is directly or indirectly linked with all of them:

The Hand's tourney, a tourney in honor of Sansa’s father, Eddard Stark. Sansa was unofficially crowned the Queen of Love and Beauty by the Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell. GRRM wrote this passage as a resemblance to the Great tourney at Harrenhal, hiding hints and reversing colors. 

Tourney on King Joffrey's name day, a tourney in honor of Sansa’s betrothed. Sansa defended and saved Dontos Hollard’s life.

Melee at Bitterbridge, Brienne won the melee and earned a place in Renly’s Kingsguard. Later she swore his allegiance to Sansa’s mother, Catelyn Stark, and made an oath to find Sansa Stark. Brienne also wields Oathkeeper, a sword made of Ice (House Stark ancestral sword).  

Melee at Runestone, this event was organized with the sole intention of knighting Harrold Hardyng, Alayne Stone’s betrothed.

Tourney at the Gates of the Moon to select the members of the Brotherhood of Winged Knights, created and organized by Alayne Stone.

Sansa is also linked with other important tourneys that happened previously to the events of the ASOIAF Books:

Tourney at Ashford Meadows (The Hedge Knight), GRRM wrote the Hedge Knight when he was in the middle of writing A Clash of Kings, and he made sure of link the five initial champions of the Tourney at Ashford Meadows (Baratheon, Lannister, Tyrell, Hardyng & Targaryen) with Sansa’s suitors and betrothed. So Willas Tyrell and Harrold Hardyng are not a coincidence in Sansa’s arc, GRRM had already planned for this since he was writing A Clash of Kings.    

Great tourney at Harrenhal, this tourney was won by Rhaegar Targaryen and as the champion he crowned Lyanna Stark (Sansa’s aunt & Jon Snow’s mother) as his Queen of Love and Beauty. And take note at this very interesting detail: Rhaegar Targaryen wearing an armor adorned with rubies (red) gave Lyanna Stark a crown of winter roses (blue), while Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, wearing an armor adorned with sapphires (blue) gave Sansa a (red) rose.

Sansa loves knights because GRRM loves knights. Remember that George’s Catholic high school (Marist) football team is called the Royal Knights: 

Sansa loves pageantry because GRRM loves pageantry. Just look at his collection of knights and ladies figurines:

Sansa loves heraldry because GRRM loves heraldry. Take note that GRRM took inspiration from the antagonist of Ivanhoe, Brian de Bois-Guilbert’s sigil, to created House Corbray’s sigil:

Bois-Guilbert’s new shield bore a raven in full flight, holding in its claws a skull, and bearing the motto, Gare le Corbeau.

—IVANHOE: A Romance

The youngest man in the party had three ravens on his chest, each clutching a blood-red heart in its talons. His brown hair was shoulder length; one stray lock curled down across his forehead. Ser Lyn Corbray, Alayne thought, with a wary glance at his hard mouth and restless eyes.

—A Feast for Crows - Alayne I

(Not to mention that Sansa loves books because George loves books...)

There you have it, GRRM self inserts in a few of his ASOIAF characters, and Sansa Stark is one of them.

[qqueenofhades]

Hey, I loved your post about queerness in historical fiction. I was wondering if you could help me find a better way to explain (or know of someone who could) to the white (usually male) fans of Tolkien who are currently losing their minds because in the series for Amazon they have cast Sir Lenny Henry (a black man) as a hobbit. It feels like the exact same argument that was dealt with when Anya Chalotra was cast as Yennefer for The Witcher. It just seems like only white people are screaming that the entire cast must be white in both the case of the Witcher and Middle Earth in order to be "historically accurate to the Dark Ages" when it's all fantasy. I'm a white person and I don't get it. It's really frustrating that the only way to convince them that people of color should be allowed to play characters who aren't evil-doers is to bring up the existence of the potato in both Middle Earth and The Witcher. In this most recent fight, I've been called all kinds of names (one dude keeps saying I'm racist when I haven't brought up race or anything like that) and it's ridiculous because Henry was cast as a Harfoot who were hobbits with dark skin that they claim means Mediterranean not Black.

Ooof. I admire your initiative, I really do, but also: there comes a point where all good-faith efforts are totally futile, because these people don't actually WANT their beliefs challenged, and there won't be anything you can do about it except to exhaust yourself. You can throw all the material or documentary evidence at them that you want, but it won't work, because racism, white superiority, and the assumption of a monolithically white medieval history are a helluva drug. They are eager to split ridiculous hairs like "dark skin means Mediterranean instead of black" because, well, racism, whether or not they want to acknowledge that. Because Mediterranean is at least European, whereas for them, Black is Bad, Inferior, or otherwise Unacceptable. This doesn't even get into the types who want to claim that Ancient Rome (which was rather notably, y'know, Mediterranean and North African) was actually lily-white, because even dark-skinned Southern and Eastern Europeans can't ultimately make the racist cut.

Tolkien himself obviously had problems with his depiction of race and racialized people (witness the Haradrim, "men from the South," being the only people of colour in the story and generalized as an indiscriminate evil force fighting for Sauron against the white/Northern European heroes). That's not to say Tolkien was actively racist (see: the letter he wrote to the Nazi German would-be publishers of The Hobbit, inviting them cordially to get fucked), but it does mean that he was steeped in the usual assumptions and expectations of a white upper-class British man in the 1920s and 1930s, and not least the mindset that the (white) rulers of the (nonwhite) British Empire were superior, morally correct, and the privileged resisters of "evil" political systems. (This isn't even getting into how Germany was admired throughout the long 19th century for its perceived cultural and social superiority, the American eugenics movement directly influenced the Nazis, a lot of people thought that Hitler's only mistake was being too obviously crazy, and America and Britain only actively entered World War II when their territory/perceived global power was infringed upon.)

White people tend to assume that if they personally don't hold discriminatory attitudes (and they usually do, just because that's what society has taught them for almost all of modern history), they can't be racist, and it's a personal insult to call them that. They know that Racism Is Bad, but likewise, it's always someone else's fault, not theirs. See the huge brouhaha over the supposed plan to teach "critical race theory" in American public schools, which is really just acknowledging that centuries of racism and discrimination have created a system that disadvantages people of color at every level. This is absolute heresy for today's right wing (which has become ever more extreme, reactionary, and historically amnesiac) to admit. They can admit historical racism, sometimes, maybe, only in demonstrably "bad" people, but as far as they're concerned, there was no lingering effect whatsoever, and it's "un-American" (read: anti-white supremacist) to insist otherwise. Land of the free! Everyone treated the same! Etc. etc. The continued inferior or disadvantaged life outcomes of people of color is, according to these types, simply a result of them not being motivated/ambitious/smart enough to fix their own broken circumstances. Those centuries of genocide, cultural destruction, use as literal chattel slaves, etc, has nothing to do with it.

If this sounds ridiculous: well, obviously, it is. But as reactionary mindsets have become troublingly normalized and social media has allowed people to spread both passively and actively racist content to unprecedented degrees, it has also leaked into media. The type of white-man-fan you're arguing with won't accept any "historically accurate" argument for the inclusion of non-white people, even as they're staking their own (bad) arguments on that hill. This is because they want to claim the sole privilege to create a nostalgic/imagined/fantasy space that looks just like them. Their underlying belief is that people of color never had any power or consequential role in history, and shouldn't have, so they don't want to see a space, even an explicitly fantastic/non-historical setting (like LOTR, The Witcher, GOT, etc.), where this is the case. Whether or not they want to say it, or even if they're aware of it, they feel that even if they've been unhappily forced to accept a small lessening of their cultural power just because we no longer automatically accept that white men get to run everything, they at least can take comfort in a (white) past. And now, or so they think, the "politically correct" types also want to ruin their racist fantasy comfort zone. They can't even escape from multiculturalism in media, as it too has become steadily more diverse.

Basically: it's racism, Jan. It's many levels of racism, you can't argue those people out of it, and you have to identify and understand that, especially since their favorite diversionary tactic will be the schoolyard maneuver of going, "no, YOU'RE the racist!!!"

(Also: "historically accurate to the Dark Ages" should tell you everything you need to know. These people know absolutely nothing about history, but that won't prevent them from weaponising it in defense of the perceived threat to their cultural and racial domination. Besides, yet again, fantasy universes have no claim to historical accuracy, and if you say that, I assume you just want to feel justified in creating a fictional universe where the only powerful/consequential people are white heterosexual western European-coded men, because you not-so-secretly wish it was still that way in reality.)

[thebestbookrecommendations]

The Fellowship of the Ring - J. R. R. Tolkien

(The Lord of the Rings #1)

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

Read if You Like:

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Adventure

Epic Fantasy

Long Reads

Recommended if You Enjoy:

George R. R. Martin (A Game of Thrones)

J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter)

J. R. R. Tolkien (The Hobbit)

Stephen King (The Dark Tower, The Talisman)

Andrzej Sapkowski (The Witcher)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Movie, 2001)

The Witcher (T.V. Series, 2019)

3.5/5

Next Book in Series:

[carewyncromwell]

There! Finalized my model sheet for my HPMA girl, Anastasia Read! You can read more about her here at this moodboard post I did for her, but basically she’s a Gryffindor who dreams more than she talks and is determined to be the heroine of her own fantasy story.

Some more info about Ana under the cut...

Ana doesn’t resemble her biological parents, John Read and Bonnie Pinkstone-Read, much at all except in hair color (both are also brunettes). Her soft, endomorph frame, strong shoulders, and bluish gray eyes come from her maternal grandfather. As an adult Ana’s even taller than her mother Bonnie, who’s very petite all the way around.

Poor Ana is actually quite self-conscious about her weight, thanks in no small part to the, um...attempts at support from her mother Bonnie, who frequently expresses “concern” about Ana’s health because of her size. At school she wears a highwaisted skirt to hide her tummy, as if she wore a skirt like all of the other girls’, she’d look like -- in her mother’s words -- “a sack of potatoes tied in two.” It’s also the reason she always wears pants, tights or leggings -- she thinks her legs are very chubby and unattractive. Despite her roundness, however, Ana’s also always had very strong shoulders and is on the taller side compared to her other female classmates, which helps her put off a tougher image.

Bonnie Read’s biggest foible as a mother is her immaturity. She wants to be Ana’s “friend” more than a mentor most of the time, and so has difficulty enforcing discipline or even in setting a good example. Bonnie almost immediately dated three other men after divorcing John, all of whom either pointedly ignored or expressed open resentment toward her daughter Ana, before she finally met, dated, and married her second husband. Bonnie’s dependent personality and (as mentioned) subconscious weightism doesn’t help matters either.

Ana’s father John Read is an active-duty soldier. He’s actually an incredibly absent father who never really had much interest in having a family, but Ana’s always put him on a bit of pedestal, partly because of her image of him having become a soldier for noble reasons like serving his country and partly because him not being there to actively be a poor parent like her mother Bonnie made it easier for Ana to romanticize John in her mind. Ana writes to John very frequently. John doesn’t write back much at all.

Ana’s best mentor figure is her stepfather, Bradley Pinkstone (a wizard and Gryffindor alumnus himself). He and his two grown sons Jasper and Preston (a Slytherin and Gryffindor in their day) are very affectionate toward Ana, which kind of weirded her out at first, considering she’s not their blood relative and she’d assumed they’d hate her...but oh, was she ever so glad to be wrong! The new Pinkstone-Read family live in a rather pretty brick house in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Her best and favorite class is History of Magic, but she tends to enjoy all classes where she can write essays. She’s always been miles ahead of her classmates when it comes to writing, especially considering that there are no specific writing or grammar classes taught at Hogwarts. Just about every written assignment Ana’s ever submitted has gotten an O.

Contrariwise, she struggles in classes that are more “physical” like Care of Magical Creatures or Flying.

Despite not getting into Flying class or Quidditch, though, Ana does take time to practice flying on her own at night when no one else is around. She finds moonlit broom rides incredibly romantic and great inspiration whenever she’s suffering from writer’s block.

Ana’s an avid journal keeper! She goes through a good five of them every year. She generally magically shrinks her finished creativity journals for easier storage, and she always hexes whichever one she’s currently writing in order to make sure no one else can open it. (If you’re somehow lucky enough to get her permission, she’ll open her creativity journal for you so you can read it and look at the doodles she did.)

Her favorite authors are Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Hans Christian Andersen, and William Shakespeare. Her favorite type of movies are high fantasy like The Princess Bride, Stardust, and The Lord of the Rings.

Ana’s also huge into Japanese manga! Her one true love is Sailor Moon, but she’s very fond of shoujo manga titles like Cardcaptor Sakura, Ouran High School Host Club, and Fruits Basket.

Ana’s favorite musical genre is symphonic metal, introduced to her by her oldest stepbrother Jasper. Her favorite bands are Within Temptation, Evanescence, and Nightwish.

As a teenager, Ana falls in love with the Victorian Gothic and steampunk subcultures, the first of which Jasper dabbles in and the second of which Preston is hard-core into. Being an INFP, she loves the creativity, historical bent, and romanticism in both movements. At the Pinkwood-Read family’s formal Christmas parties, you’ll often see all three of them wearing top hats with their holiday ensembles.

Ana does NOT make friends easily, but once you do become her friend, she’s always got your back. Her BFF is Hufflepuff Robin Isherwood @cursebreakerfarrier​. She also gets along pretty well with Gryffindor housemate Lorcan O’Donnell @unfortunate-arrow​, Slytherin Jordi Prewett @cursebreakerelmswood​, Ravenclaw Noa March @that-ravenpuff-witch​ and Hufflepuffs Mitch C. Hodge @department-shoe-stud​ and HG Gray @ljthebard1​. They all either call Anastasia “Ana” or “Annie” -- her stepfather and brothers call her “Anya.” 

Upon finding out how much her BFF Robin likes flowers and plants, Ana went out of her way to collect some books on the Victorian language of flowers. (Her brother Jasper gave her a hand with finding some good ones.) One Valentine’s Day she even sent Robin a friendship bouquet of irises, goldenrod, oak-leaved geraniums, and southernwood without any sort of note -- not that it was necessary, given that flowers’ message translated to “Just wanted to let you know you’ll always be my best friend.” (Everyone else assumed Robin had this mysterious secret admirer.)

If anyone rubs Ana the wrong way, they can expect a formal dueling challenge. Ana is witty on the page, but not verbally, and she’s upfront and honorable enough when she’s angry to want to “take it outside” and settle the dispute on the dueling field the way a knight would avenge a slight to their king’s honor, rather than be backhanded or sneaky about it.

Ana may be cisgender and identify as straight, but she is the ULTIMATE LGBT+ ally. Even when she was a kid, she would get very hot under the collar about homophobia, racism, or any other sort of prejudice, thanks to her Gryffindor sense of honor and her INFP sensitivity, and after Bonnie married Bradley and Ana met Jasper (who’s transgender FtM himself), Ana became all the more passionate about LGBT+ rights. She only becomes more vocal in her support after some of her friends come out of the closet too.

Ana’s greatest fear is being insignificant. This is depicted in boggart form as the whole room around her suddenly becoming huge, to the point where she’s as tiny and helpless as a mouse.

Ana’s Patronus is a black swan. If she ever became an Animagus, she’d be a large brown and gray tabby cat with oddly colored bluish gray eyes.

I could see Ana one day becoming a well-regarded author of fiction books for young magical children.

[captainshyguy]

not to be a little melancholic but i've been thinking a bit about all the people that have come and gone in my general social circle like. not just irl, but online too. the close friends, who eventually left, and the ones on the outskirts, but were always there. at least, for a time. the people you never quite talked to, but were in your bubble, in your life, if just for a bit. the people who will only be icon, words on a screen to me. the people who will forever be 14 in my memories, because its all i have of them 

its just...its weird yknow? not even getting into social circles from school, friends you grew apart from, friends of friends of friends in your class that you had an odd connection with

but online its like. i’ve been in a few online communities in my time. the penguins of madagscar community on fanpop, one for the same fandom on deviantart, the agents of shield one here, then the maze runner, then star wars, then mario, then star wars again...i’d say ‘and hollow knight now’ but lets be honest, i haven’t made....many friends or even mutuals through it solely X]

i guess my point is like. all of these communities were different people. and over time, whilst i’ve generally stayed put (until i was physically the last one left, and jumped ship, like fanpop) people just. they left yknow? maybe it took a couple of months, maybe a couple of years, but they did, and its such an almost...odd thing to experience

im not saying people cant leave, not at all but it just made me think how many people i’ve known, how many i’ve been friends with, how many existed in my orbit. how many i only have pieces of. and i guess...how many people’s orbits i was in. the person i was in the past lives on through each and every one of then, and i have no idea what stuck. what’s their ‘luke’ memory, their takeway. heck, some of them wouldn't even have it by that name. 

one thing im glad about in a way is like. from each of the communities that like. meant something to me, i managed to grab a few people almost. a few that also dug their heels in, a few that are still in my orbit, however close or far, but they’re there. they’re posting actively or somewhat actively and i know where to find them. and thats nice 

it just makes me wonder sometimes yknow?? how many people currently in my circle, currently in my orbit, will eventually leave one day? who will stop posting, who’s icon i simply will never see again.

i do hope, with all my heart, that all the ones that i fell out of touch with are doing well 

(im musing about specific people under the read more, WILL get long kjdfhnd) 

from my primary/secondary school i dont have anyone exactly. the closest i have is one guy i was pretty fond of but not like. romantically. i follow his youtube and whilst i dont really watch the videos seeing his face pop up every now and again is nice. but man i do think back on those secondary school friends. funnily enough by the end whilst i liked my “official” best friends i honestly ended up more fond of others. sarah, priya, shriya, zarah, zi yu, kyle. danny, introducing me to treasure planet, hiding away with him and his friends to watch films in forgotten rooms when it was near the end of the year, then liam, of course, man..its weird he was my best friend in the first few years when i moved there, then we got put in different classes so we just didnt see eahc other much. but that fondness was always, always there. god, and jake....i wonder if he thinks back fondly to the two of us pretending to be transformers. i wonder if im still jazz to him. god, and then sophia, just, not even hanging out but having our little ‘hot buttered toast’ song. i hope thats the memory she has of me. (i haven’t even listed everyone from this part, and i couldnt! it was a 7-8 year period of my life! right during my brain developmental stages!!)

its weird i was in love with ryan for nearly three years. a lot of those memories are soured knowing one of my friends spread it around school and everyone secretly knew, (and looking back i was way out of his league like, morally lol) but still. maybe once or twice a year i’ll dream about him, and for a brief moment, im there, sitting with him in geography as he shows me magic tricks, during that period i do genuinely think he liked me too (before it wore off for him lol) and im still in love. 

from college, man....ewan was like. i have a feeling he was leading me on since he had a girlfriend lmao, and was just flirting for fun bc he saw i was shy and was trying to get me to react, but it never felt like bullying yknow? i dont think he was actively trying to make fun of me. so i dont know, it was nice, it felt nice and it still kinda does. 

khairun.....im so glad i still have her. i’m still a little gay for her. i remember sitting with her on the bus, riding for hours as we were on the geology trip, and she would ramble about the game of thrones video game and she’d squint so happily and her eyes would sparkle. she talks about dark souls now and i only see her messages, but i can still feel her enthusiasm. or tanisha and fatima, my other geology friends, my maze runner friends. seeing the scorch trials with fatima in the cinema. joking about newt and thomas with tanisha. sitting around the table with my actual friend group, in the big lounge chair reading the tolkien dictonary, joking about the flash with bindiya. sleeping around maddie’s house and playing would you rather. 

heck, i didnt even touch on teachers!!! teachers i connected with so much on a genuine level!!! mrs chambers, mr hauge, mr wrght, miss lloyd, mr hutchinson, miss petra, mrs young! mrs mohammed, mr santa maria, mr longdon, miss langley, mrs maize, miss davies. i know with teachers, the kids must start to blur together at a point. but i just....i hope, at least. with those first two, they’ll remember me, just a bit. i keep having dreams where im in my old school, and i try to find them., i’ve found mr hague a few times. but until about a month ago, whenever i got to geography, miss chambers was never there. im glad i finally found her. 

then fanpop...lexii, having the same birthday as me, talking with kait and roleyplaying as penguin ocs in high stakes situations. dating dylan fkjdngjdh, rigging the club’s presidential election. its weird, i dont have a lot of memories from this time. just....just people? people posting their ocs, people drawing ech others ocs. kaitlyn, anya, kait, dylan, lexii, imaneasel, mya, peacebaby, madascargirl, kate, starslight, imogen, tressa, sammi, crystal, cc, syliva, jasmine, hikari, amber,  yellow, steff, lilly, blue, richard, monique, sharpey, hannah, icicle, ratking, cian i- god, there was so many of us. theres more, i can think of more names. there was so many

anya did what i did pretty much and went to deviantart then kinda dug her heels in and didnt leave, though i don think she’s more active on toyhouse. and yet, i still see her art there, so its nice. having her throughout the years has been nice, watching as both of our art improves. she’s always been a bit ahead of me. then cian i’ve been talknig with pretty much every day for about 6 months now, thats been nice 

and then here, man! the agents of shield fandom! man! i dont remember a lot of names honestly besides the ones who stayed, and sam. i hope sam’s okay. y’all who stayed, who are still mutuals, the hm....five of us i think? though the one ofy’all i was closest to isnt around as often X[ but still. im happy y’all are here 

some of y’all that have been around long enoguh will know i was best friends with kacie for a while. from....i think that was my brief stint in the dan and phil fandom. she. well. she’s okay, the last i heard of her. but my overtalking screwed that up i think. my last message from her, a few years later, was amicable at least. i still feel awful about that if i think on it too hard

i think i only picked up ronan from the maze runner, at least, that i talk to, yeah, right, there’s two others that are still about but i dont think we’ve ever held a convo X] 

and u current peeps! from mario, star wars and.....im not quite sure where for some of you! i love u all! especially y’all that have been around forever, just, liking each others posts every now and again., i dont know how many people you all follow, but i follow less than a 100. i might only be a blip on your radar, but i like seeing y’all, genuinely. thank you for being in my orbit. i hope i’m a comforting or at least. nice reliable presence in yours, for as long as we all stick around.  

[scriptstructure]

How do I create a multispecies and interspecies society? One aspect I'm having issues with is varied lifespan and childhood. What is the parents lifespans are 80 and 800 and had a child at 40 and 770. Say that the child isn't an adult until 100 which means parents are dead. What if the only relatives have small lifespans and are they even obligated to accept the child (even if rhe child is older than them)? How does any other age related issue work.

This seems like a question that is more suited to @script-a-world than to me, since it seems like you’re working on figuring out the way that the society in your secondary world works, rather than figuring out how to portray it on the page.

I will say that all of the questions you’ve laid out up there are questions that you’ll need to explore for yourself to decide how you want your world to work, how you want your society to function, and how you want your characters to think about the world they live in.

Of course, there’s going to be some major differences between a world with such widely varied age ranges and our own world, but how exactly that works depends a great deal on the type of story you’re trying to tell, the kinds of characters that you want to have, etc.

Some books that I can think of that have societies with characters with widely varying age ranges:

-The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien: The most obvious one is the elves, who can be just about as old as the world itself, but even the Hobbits and Númenórean men have different lifespans to just regular old human people.

-Buffy the Vampire Slayer: There are multiple characters in the show, usually vampires, or demons (like Anya) who have lived for hundreds of years, and who have their own cultures alongside the human world.

-The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice: I find these books very interesting in the way that they handle characters who were born human but become long-lived through vampirism (or other means) and how the different characters process their extended lives.

-The Twilight Saga, Stephanie Meyer: The Cullen family have a very different lifestyle to the Volturi, but they’re all long-lived people amongst regular humans.

-The Black Jewels Trilogy*, Anne Bishop: This series has something which, with the brief description you’ve provided, sounds similar to what you’re working on. There are multiple human-ish races, with lifespans varying from your normal 80-ish up to 8000 years. There are a few characters who have managed to live (kinda posthumously?? It’s hard to explain without getting into the complex magic system) up to about 50,000 years. LIke with the Vampire Chronicles, there’s exploration of the ways that time differs for people with disparate lifespans, and also with romance between someone who is short-lived, and someone who is long-lived (extremely tragic!)

There are probably many many more books that deal with these kinds of concepts, and every one handles it slightly differently. I’d definitely suggest reading some books that have these themes and think about how you want to approach it in your story.

And that’s really what it comes down to in the end: what do you want to do with this concept in your story? How does this conceit change the way your world works?

I hope this helps!

*Content note for the Black Jewels Trilogy: contains strong sexual violence, body horror, and other violent themes which might be upsetting for some readers.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, March 23rd (Part One)

CORDELIA (looking around): It’s perfect. Really, really, it’s just... perfect. (Looking in the bedroom) It’s amazing in there. (To LADY) What’s wrong with it? LADY: There’s nothing wrong with it. The previous tenant just broke their lease last week. I don’t know how you even heard about it. It’s quite a bargain, and the furniture comes with. Do you think you want it? CORDELIA: I... I used to have this. I... I was... LADY: I guess it’s your lucky day. CORDELIA: I used to have those, too.

~~Rm w/a Vu~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Weekly Drabbles #102 — Hell-Bound by veronyxk84 (Spike & Dawn, PG-13)

What a Big Knife You Have by NotASlayer (Buffy/Faith, T)

A Little Party by Anonymous (Willow & Xander, G)

And So Time Begins by Anonymous (Buffy/Faith, G)

Universal Remedy by badly_knitted (Willow & Giles, G)

Getting Ahead of Ourselves by silvain (Giles/Jenny, M)

Waves by itsalwaysteatimeinwonderland (Spike/reader, TW: Mentions of blood and phsyical harm)

Group texts: willow rosenberg & faith lehane by scooby-group-texts

Group texts: cordelia chase & willow rosenberg by scooby-group-texts

IOU by holetoledo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

A Lucky Lighter by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Raven, Chapter 8 by sparrow2000 (Xander & Spike, G)

The Guardians of Magic, Chapter 17 by Marcus_S_Lazarus (Willow, multiple crossovers, T)

Going Home (to a place we’ve never been before), Chapter 16 by curiouswombat (Dawn, Tolkien crossover, T)

Spidey Does Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chapter 32 by megamatt09 (Multiple female Buffyverse characters/Peter Parker, Spiderman crossover, E)

They Know Exactly What We're Here For, Chapter 9 by MadeInGold (Angel/Riley/Spike, E)

Raven, Chapter 8 by sparrow2000 (Xander & Spike, G)

I Don't Want to Be the One, Chapter 8 by pommedapi (Buffy/Spike, T)

My Love is Vengeance, Chapter 19 by CarrKicksDoor (Giles/Anya, E)

Horrorshow, Chapter 10 by vampbrat (Fanged Four, E)

Recommencer, Chapter 2 by FridayQueen (Buffy/Faith, M)

Untitled, part 1 by Enigmatist (Angel comes to help Spike after he escapes from the Initiative, not rated)

Like A Feather, Chapter 6 by Willow25 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Early One Morning, Chapter 26 by all choseny (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Afterburn, Chapter 29 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

In Any Life, Chapter 5 by Spikelover4ever (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

But a Glimpse, Chapters 1-5 by BewareTheKiller (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Love Lives Here, Chapter 39 by Passion4Spike (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Enemies to Ghost Hunters, Chapters 22-23 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Bizarre Double Life, Chapter 23 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Balance, Chapters 22-23 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Triangles, Chapters 22-23 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Tag, You're It! Chapter 23 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Glimpses of the Cellar Dwellers, Chapter 23 by Maldorana (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

How Could I Not? Chapter 23 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, R)

X.X, Chapter 22 by Rea (Buffy/Spike, R)

30 Ways to Say I Love You, Chapter 23 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Forever and Always? Chapter 23 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, R)

Dead End, Chapters 21-23 by all choseny (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Pick Me Up, Chapter 22 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Pick Me Up, Chapter 23 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Dawnster Drabbles, Chapter 22 by Passion4Spike (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Left on Read, Chapter 22 by ashcrashed (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

I love you, Chapter 23 by Lilacsandorangeblossoms (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Speed Dates, Chapters 16-20 by Alyot (Buffy/Spike, R)

Boyfrenemy, Chapter 18 by Lady Emma (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

We’re Having a Baby! Chapter 23 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

What the Drabble? Vol. 2, Chapter 2 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Something Lingers, Chapter 3 by goodbyetoyou (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Buffy portraits (15/??) by whatshisfaceblogs (worksafe)

Artwork: Illyria!Wesley by fallinginaforrest (worksafe)

Artwork: Major Arcana madames ft circle motifs by isevery0nehereverystoned (Tara, Fred, Buffy, worksafe)

Manip: “Love isn’t something you find. Love finds you" by l0veisntbrains (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Manips: Just some Spuffy manips I made today! by All Choseny (worksafe)

Fanvid: Faiths Berserks Hellfire by roman efron

Fanvid: Faith (BTVS) - Bad Guy by Scarlet Speedster

Fanvid: Buffy the vampire slayer - Who Killed Tangerine by juliaroxs241 (vidders posted multiple other vids)

Fanvid: Angels: A Tribute to My 20s (90s/2000s Multifandom) by codyw1

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revival Season 10 Episode 13: 6 Months Later by Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chosen

Music: (AI Cover) Xander Harris and Buffy Summers - Love Is An Open Door by Meowity

[Reviews & Recaps]

Thoughts upon having finished the first 4 episodes of my Angel rewatch by horsegirlhob

S01E03 Witch by she-saved-the-world-a-lot

S01E04 Teacher's Pet by she-saved-the-world-a-lot

Rewatch thoughts and questions continued by GoSpuffy and others

30 Day Challenge: BtVS vs AtS continued by Stoney and others

Video: The Re-Watcher's Council | "School Hard" Buffy the Vampire Slayer S02E03 Spoiler Review by LGRN Entertainment

Podcast: Beneath You S7 E2 (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by Lisa M. Lilly

[Recs]

Vid rec: She's Mad as Hell and She's Not Going to Take It by periru3 recced by Waffle Meringue Productions

[herbwitchery]

Unusual asks

repost @luxet

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?  Deezer

is your room messy or clean? Kind of clean. With just a little mess.

what color are your eyes? Hazel

do you like your name? why? No, it’s soooo boring and common

what is your relationship status? In a relationship

describe your personality in 3 words or less Introvert, bookworm, musicaholic 

what color hair do you have? Right now it’s red

what kind of car do you drive? color? An old Megane, grey

where do you shop? Anywhere

how would you describe your style? Indescribable. Imagine a mix between Stevie Nicks, Marilyn Manson and a pile of tartan plaids.

favorite social media Instagram 

what size bed do you have? 240

any siblings? Yep, one half-brother and one stepsister

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? Maybe in Scotland, for the beauty of the country (and tartan plaids) (and men wearing kilts) (and shortbread millionnaire)

favorite snapchat filter? Something ugly and silly

favorite makeup brand(s) Urban Decay

how many times a week do you shower? Every day. Sometimes twice a day.

favorite tv show? I don’t watch tv.

shoe size? 38.5 (french system)

how tall are you? 1.67 m

sandals or sneakers? Sandals

do you go to the gym? Nooooo

describe your dream date A road at night, driving without knowing where we are going

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? 18 €

what color socks are you wearing? pink, yellow and blue with My Little Pony nonsense on them

how many pillows do you sleep with? 2

do you have a job? what do you do? I’m a home teacher

how many friends do you have? 3

whats the worst thing you have ever done? Didn’t see something I was supposed to see

whats your favorite candle scent? Amber

3 favorite boy names Will, Ian, Duncan

3 favorite girl names Anya, Dana, Lilenka

favorite actor? I honestly don’t know. Maybe Christian Bale. 

favorite actress? Don’t know either. Sandra Bullock maybe, cause lot of her movies were my favourite when I was younger

who is your celebrity crush? I’m very unfaithful. Right now, maybe Tommy Flanagan. But who knows about tomorrow ?

favorite movie? God this is so hard to pick just one. Practical Magic maybe. 

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? Hell yeah. Too hard to choose just one. The lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien), Stardust (Neil Gaiman), Pet Sematary (Stephen King), L’Homme qui rit (Victor Hugo), Sillages (Renée Vivien), Dracula (Bram Stocker), Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton) ...

money or brains? Brains 

do you have any nicknames ? which ones ? I have a lot. My favourite was Cracotte (a french brand of rusks, because of my cracking joints and knuckles)

how many times have you been to the hospital? Too many times

top 10 favorite songs With no order : - Make this go on forever (Snow Patrol) - Something stupid (Frank & Nancy Sinatra) - If you have to go (Geneva) - Lullaby (The Cure) - Colorblind (Counting Crows) - How to disappear completely (Radiohead) - I do it for you (Bryan Adams) - Don’t stop (Journey) - This night (Black Lab) - Commercial for Levi (Placebo)

do you take any medications daily? Yep

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) Dry and veeeery sensitive (and awfully pale)

what is your biggest fear? Amputation

how many kids do you want? Not sure I want any

whats your go to hair style? Just brush it and I’m good to go.

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) Neither small nor big, with a nice garden and a cherry tree.

who is your role model? I’m not sure I have one

what was the last compliment you received? Someone told me on Instagram I was inspiring. So kind and nice.

what was the last text you sent? I asked my sister about her dogs’ health

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? What do you mean by “santa wasn’t real” ?

what is your dream car? A broomstick

opinion on smoking? Yuck

do you go to college? Not anymore but I did. Twice.

what is your dream job? Writer

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? Rural forever

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? I don’t go very often to hotels but most of the time no, I brought my own

do you have freckles? Yep, especially in summertime

do you smile for pictures? Never. I have a dorky smile

how many pictures do you have on your phone? 5 573

have you ever peed in the woods? Yes sir

do you still watch cartoons? Absolutely

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? I’m a vegetarian

Favorite dipping sauce? Marmite. I know.

what do you wear to bed? A nightie, sometimes an old T-shirt when I’m sick and miserable

have you ever won a spelling bee? Yep, when I was 13.

what are your hobbies? Reading, music, horseriding, museums, cinema, poetry and osteology

can you draw? I actually can, but you can’t guess what the hell I do

do you play an instrument? Yes. I used to play the piano, now I’d rather play the guitar, ukulele and tin whistle

what was the last concert you saw? Snow Patrol

tea or coffee? Tea, even if I was addicted to coffee when I was a student

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Home (we don’t have any of those where I live in)

do you want to get married? Not really

what is your crush’s first and last initial? FMT

are you going to change your last name when you get married? Nope

what color looks best on you? Green I guess

do you miss anyone right now? Yes

do you sleep with your door open or closed? Closed.

do you believe in ghosts? Yep. Maybe they’re the reason why I answered “closed” to the previous question.

what is your biggest pet peeve? Stupidity

last person you called ? One of my pupils

favorite ice cream flavor? Raspberry

regular oreos or golden oreos? I’ve never tasted golden ones. 

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? Chocolate forever

what shirt are you wearing? A blue striped tank top

what is your phone background? Le Printemps, by Pierre-Auguste Cot, a french XIXth century painter

are you outgoing or shy? Shy. Veeeery shy.

do you like it when people play with your hair? I HATE that so much I could bite.

do you like your neighbors? I don’t really know them. They’re okay, I guess.

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? Both

have you ever been high? No

have you ever been drunk? Yup

last thing you ate? Cheddar with Marmite spread

favorite lyrics right now Have you had enough wine (JC Stewart)

summer or winter? Autumn

day or night? Night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? Milk. But I love all of them

favorite month? October

what is your zodiac sign ? Capricorn (Scorpio rising, Virgo moon)

who was the last person you cried in front of ? My cockatiel

[commander-wakemeupinside]

Yep! I hated Ender’s Game the first time I read it in seventh grade because my teacher didn’t explain any of the deeper meaning. Recently I re-read it and now it’s on my list of favorite SF books. The same thing happened with Tolkien, I tried to read it in sixth grade but of course that didn’t work. I read the hobbit and lord of the rings last summer and I loved them. Adults often assumed that because my taste in nonfiction was “very long tiny print basically a textbook” I’d also want fiction like that, but I didn’t because I read fiction for different reasons than nonfiction and therefore looked for different things when picking out books.

Anyways, the reason why I didn’t just drop all of that in the tags is so I could easily share some good SF/F recommendations for younger readers. These are all books that I loved in 3rd-6th grade and still reread sometimes.

The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch (and the sequel series, Bad Magic)

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (massively underrated series in my opinion, got me through the awful time that was fourth grade)

Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Brontë Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede (the first fantasy books I ever read, I credit them for making me love reading. they’re still probably my favorite books.)

The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson (I highly recommend her other books too)

Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner

These are just a few recommendations, it really isn’t that hard to find good books for kids. I was an extremely picky reader but I still had more than enough books at age ten. People shouldn’t default to YA or classics when recommending books for kids- there’s plenty of really good ones that are actually intended for them.

Anyway unpopular opinion probably but the school system (and general book snobbery) fucks up by trying to force kids to read "classics" before they have the mental and emotional development to appreciate them.

This post is me telling you to consider revisiting that classic book you read in the 7th grade that you hated because the ability to understand a lot of literature gets unlocked later, for reasons a lot to do with emotional maturity