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pickledpascal · 1 year ago

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New Perspective

Chapter Ten: The Calm Before the Storm

Warnings: a bit of family angst and fears of transphobia

Word Count: 3.3k

New Perspective Masterlist

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Avery sat cross-legged in the middle of Jensen's bed, a notebook in her lap and her laptop in front of her. It became a habit after a little while of Jensen living close by. She scribbled something down as she glanced up at her computer screen.

"What class is that for anyway?" Jensen asked as he sat next to Avery. He took in her laptop and her notes but still didn't understand what it was for.

Avery chuckled at Jensen. "I'm doing notes for what my professor wants for my last project. He finally posted what he wanted us to do." She explained as she jotted down some more notes.”

"What does he want you to do?" As much as Jensen was far removed from college since he hadn't been in college for over twenty years, he still liked to hear what Avery was doing. How she liked her classes, what was her favorite professor, what kind of projects she had to do, and if she liked them. It was nice to hear her rant about whatever.

Avery glanced down at her notes and shrugged. "He wants us to write a two hundred to three-hundred-page story. Doesn't matter what it's about, just nothing non-fiction." Jensen's eyes widened. That sounded horrifying. More horrifying than half the shit he had to face on a certain TV show. "I'll probably do two hundred because he wants us to change the format to A5 anyway." Avery didn't seem too upset. She'd written two hundred pages in the span of a week once. And that wasn't even for school.

Jensen was surprised. He knew Avery wanted to be an author but her teacher was basically asking her to write a book as an assignment. "What is it gonna be about?" He asked.

"I got a few ideas. Both pretty gay." Avery winked. "One's basically like Romeo and Juliet but they're lesbians and set on another planet where one of them is royalty.

Jensen commented, "Love a good sci-fi lesbian story."

"The other is about a trans woman navigating her life. May or may not be based on my own experiences but I'll be taking a few creative liberties." Avery hummed, making a quick note.

Jensen thought about which one he'd want to read. He liked both ideas but the latter seemed more personal. He knew bits and pieces of Avery's life before college but never the full puzzle. It was hard to talk about, Jensen knew that. But he wanted to know every part of Avery's life. She'd tell him on her own time. And he knew that too.

"Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?" He asked softly and they hadn't really talked about it since he moved. Her break for the holiday started in a few days.

Avery was absentmindedly writing a few things she wanted to add to her final paper. "Nah. Roomies will be gone, my friends will be too, and my brother's gonna spend the day with my parents."

Yet another small detail. Jensen's eyebrows furrowed. Her brother was still in contact with their parents? Even after they seemingly disowned Avery. He wondered if Avery felt betrayed. Apparently not.

"Do you want to come to Texas with me? I usually do Thanksgiving but…" Danneel planned it. "So my parents are taking over again." Jensen didn't want to force Avery to come, he knew she'd be fine on her own but his parents specifically extended the offer to her. He was weary of them. They knew she was his girlfriend but what else did they know about her? What else had they found out?

The faint noise of pencil scribbling on paper stopped. Avery looked up at Jensen and studied his face for a moment. She was hesitant. Texas was fun when she didn't know anyone and went to tourist locations. She had no desire to have a conversation with someone who wouldn't like her if they found out she was transgender.

But Jensen's family was important to him. Avery heard the slow, easy Texas accent come out every time his mom called and saw the faint smile. She wondered if his mom knew about her. If she would consider Avery "unnatural." Even worse, she wondered what his father would think. She didn't want to deal with another father figure who thought she was somehow mentally ill for knowing she was a woman trapped in the wrong body. Would Jensen defend her as he said he would? Doubts plagued her mind.

Why the hell not? There wasn't any reason not to find out. At least, then, she'd know for sure. "I'll go." Avery said after a while.

Jensen's eyes lit up with surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Now go away! I'm trying to focus." Avery pushed Jensen away. She unintentionally pushed him right off the bed so he fell with a thump. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Sorry!"

Jensen laughed. The wind was thrown out of him but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Avery was adorable when she thought she might have hurt Jensen. "You ever think my neighbors below us wonder what the hell we're doing?" He asked as he sat up with the help of his elbows.

"Fucking." Was Avery's immediate answer. She lived in a first-floor apartment for a year and, half the time, that was what the people above her were doing.

Jensen picked himself off the floor and stood to ruffle Avery's hair. "I was gonna say rearranging furniture but that works too."

"Rearranging furniture is code for fucking." Avery pointed out.

Jensen shrugged with a small laugh.

—---

Being in Texas again was weird as hell. Avery didn't have her friends with her. No one to rant to about how nervous she felt. Jensen was there. But she didn't want to bother him. He likely had other things on his mind. Avery was glad Jensen opted to just stay at his house instead of his parents. At least that would be familiar.

As they settled into his room, Avery stretched onto the large bed in the middle. "No wonder you didn't want to sell this house." She hummed. To an outsider, she might have looked calm.

Not to Jensen.

He sat next to Avery and brushed a few hairs away from her face. It was an excuse just to touch her. "We could always cancel tonight." Jensen whispered.

His parents wanted to meet Avery before Thanksgiving and before the rest of his extended family. His brother and sister would be there too. Thanksgiving was tomorrow. Jensen was dreading it as well. But not for the same reasons. He didn't want anyone to make Avery uncomfortable. And he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop that feeling. She deserved to be loved by everyone. Not just him.

"No." Avery sighed. As much as the idea was appealing, she wanted to be prepared for tomorrow. She thought of this dinner as her putting her toes in the water, feeling for the temperature to make sure she could jump in. "I'll go. I just need to shower." She sat up. That always cleared her head. Unless it was one of those times she just felt numb and tired.

Jensen smiled softly. "I could join you." He suggested. He didn't have any ulterior motives. Maybe he would have come up with some if she said yes.

"I'm good." Avery laughed half-heartedly as she grabbed some clothes from her suitcase. She decided on a button-up sweater combo with jeans. Nothing too fancy but respectable.

She wanted Jensen's parents to like her so badly. She didn't know why. Perhaps it was because she was missing what a lot of other people had. A real family. Avery had carved her own little family but it wasn't the same. She didn't have people to go back to when Winter Break came along. She would just text her friends, see what they were doing, and plan a small Christmas party after the break was over. Hell, even Jay had a family to go to down in Georgia.

Occasionally, Avery would get a Christmas card from her brother and a small gift but it wasn't anything meaningful. However, she did save every card he sent. Perhaps they were meaningful but not enough. Not what she wanted.

Sometimes Avery wondered what life would have been like if she never came out. Her parents would still love her. Their perfect, third boy. But she'd immediately shut those thoughts down. She would've never found the friends she had. She never would've met Jensen.

Avery caught a glimpse of Jensen as she closed the door to the bathroom. Maybe they would have met but it never would have been like this. She never would have stood in the middle of his king bathroom getting undressed and ready to take a shower.

elena: if avery rants to me about your family, just know i know where you live

Jensen: Love you too elena

Jensen let out a breath. Elena may have acted like the child of the group but she was very protective as well. If Avery was hurt, best believe Elena would want to have a "word" with whoever did it. Jensen wasn't scared of that. Well, maybe a little bit. He wouldn't want to hurt Avery if he could help it. He just hoped his family would understand he was happy and leave it there.

When Avery came out of the bathroom, her hair was still damp but she was dressed and had her makeup done—just some winged eyeliner and blush. She tousled her hair to dry it best she could. She preferred air-drying her hair instead of using a hair dryer.

"You don't need to try so hard." Jensen chuckled softly. He had a feeling Avery intentionally grabbed some of the more modest clothes in her closet.

Avery crossed her arms and pouted. "Would you rather I went to your parent’s house in a short skirt and bralette?"

"You got me there." Jensen held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "But I wouldn't mind seeing that."

Avery shook her head, a smile unintentionally making its way to her lips. "Of course you wouldn't."

Jensen smiled as he stood and pressed a kiss to Avery's temple. "That's my girl." He tilted her chin so she faced him. "I haven't seen you smile in a hot minute." She was nervous and Jensen knew why but he wanted to be her shoulder to cry on. And vice versa.

"If something happens…" Avery swallowed thickly, face serious. "We can leave?"

Jensen's eyes saddened as he pulled Avery into his arms. "Of course, sweetheart." The words came out on instinct. Avery was his whole world. The metaphorical light at the end of his dark tunnel. He held her close, clutching onto her as if she would slip from his arms.

Avery set her chin on his shoulder and sighed, eyes tired. "You give good hugs." She mumbled softly. She simultaneously wanted to fall asleep in Jensen's arms and felt energized. Like she could run a marathon.

They stood there for a few moments, Jensen rubbing at her back before they pulled away. Avery took a deep breath and held it in for a few seconds before she let it go as Jensen put his jacket on. Her heart calmed. But her brain did not.

The drive to the Ackles' house was surreal. Every single home in their subdivision had the American and Texas flags flying in the front. Avery's stomach churned with each one. She leaned her head against the window to feel the coolness of it and she might have wanted to get a small concussion with each bump and pothole in the road as her head thumped against it.

As Jensen parked in the driveway, Avery pursed her lips. The house itself was very normal. Two stories with a double car garage and a sidewalk off to the side that led to the door. Like the others. She wasn't sure if she should feel safe or uneasy. Her brain went with uneasy.

The pair got out of the car with Jensen setting a hand on the small of her back as they walked to the front door. Avery wondered what she should say. Hey, I've had a crush on your son since I was fifteen. Isn't that crazy? The thought almost made her laugh.

Jensen pressed on the doorbell to be immediately greeted by his mother right after. "Jensen!" She smiled with delight and gave him a tight hug.

"Hi, momma." Jensen's Texan accent slipped out as soon as he opened his mouth. Avery simply enjoyed watching the interaction.

Her eyes shifted to Avery, less warm but still happy. "You must be Avery."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Ackles." Avery offered a hand only to be pulled into a hug as well.

Jensen's mom squeezed her tightly. No wonder Jensen's hugs were so soothing. He got it from his mom. "No need to call me that. Call me Donna." She said after she let Avery go. The hug left her winded. "Your dad, Josh, and Mackenzie are waiting for you." Donna waved the couple inside.

As Donna turned inside, Avery glanced at Jensen who just smiled at her. Avery expected coldness. Not this. It was jarring. She stepped inside the house and was hit with Thanksgiving smells. Pumpkin pie, ham, and sweet potato were what Avery could discern. It had been so long since she had a proper family gathering that she forgot what it felt like… besides all the politics talk and picking apart the meal when the host was gone.

"Jensen's here! Finally. I got here hours ago and momma didn't let me have even one bite." A woman Avery recognized as Jensen's sister, Mackenzie, complained. But it was a fond complaint. She stood from the island in the kitchen and gave Jensen a hug.

He chuckled softly. "Always nice to see you again."

Mackenzie glanced from Jensen to look at Avery and gave her a smile. "You must be the girl my brother can't stop talking about. Nice to finally meet you. I'm Mackenzie."

Avery couldn't form words in her mouth. She hadn't expected Jensen's family to be so… nice. They had to know. Maybe they just didn't care. That would be nice.

"Did you break her on the plane ride here?" Mackenzie joked, nudging Jensen's shoulder.

Jensen had to refrain from making a joke. His family didn't need to know about their sex life. "Nah. She's just nervous." He rubbed Avery's back.

"Sorry. I get anxious when I meet new people." Avery admitted after her brain started to work again.

"No problem, sweetie." Mackenzie smiled in understanding.

Avery glanced at the other two people in the room. Jensen's brother and father. She forgot that not only would she be the most queer person in the room, but that she'd be the youngest. They looked as if they were sizing her up. So this was where she'd feel an immense amount of dread.

Sometimes Avery wondered if she became a woman just because she hated men so much. It wasn't the main reason. But perhaps it was part of it.

Donna started setting ceramic trays on the dining room table. "C'mon. Sit! Let's eat." She encouraged with a wide smile. "Would you like anything to drink?" She asked as Avery and Jensen sat.

"Um, I'd like—"

"You know where it is, Jensen. I was asking Avery." Donna wiped her hands on her apron.

Avery's eyebrows raised. "Oh, uh, do you have any apple cider? If not, water's fine." She felt dumb after asking. Apple cider was a child's drink. Why would an older couple have some? But it was her favorite drink when fall came along.

"Oh, yes! Alan, can you get it? I think it's in the fridge in the garage." Donna set her apron on a hook hanging from a cabinet before she sat down. Alan simply stood and left to procure the cider without a word.

Jensen could sense Avery's surprise and leaned to her ear to whisper, "One of my mom's friends has an orchard so they get cider every year."

"Oh, cool." Avery hummed. Sometimes she was bad at showing her enthusiasm and she forgot that people who didn't know her deeply didn't know that. It was just something that would happen.

As the table started to grab servings of ham and mashed potatoes—the menu for that night since Donna had saved everything else for the next evening—more conversation started.

"So, Avery," Jensen's father started. "What's your plan after college?"

Avery had a feeling he thought she'd leech off of Jensen. She played with her potatoes a bit. They were delicious—nicely seasoned—but she was missing her handy garlic salt. She wanted to taste something familiar. "I want to get my doctorate. At my university, they have this program where I can teach as I get it so I'll probably do that. After that, I wanna write. Be an author."

"For Avery's final project for a class this semester, she's basically gonna write a book." Jensen added. He was proud of Avery and he wanted to show it. He could never have even thought his next partner would be nearly as wonderful as Avery. Her ideas, her weird sayings, how she was still able to love even after all the things she went through.

Josh decided to speak then, interest piqued. "A book? What's it about?"

Avery didn't feel hungry anymore. They hadn't brought up the elephant in the room yet and Josh had done it accidentally. "I have two ideas. Haven't started writing it yet." She tried to deflect.

"Which one are leaning more towards?" Josh pushed. Not hard. It was an innocent question. But it felt suffocating.

Open the can of worms. "Uh, one's a lesbian love story and the other is based on me. As a trans woman." Avery knew she could've lied. Come up with two perfectly "normal" topics on the fly. But she didn't like lying. She wanted to know what Jensen's family was like. No more dancing around.

Josh sat back in his chair, deflated. "Oh." Was his very eloquent answer.

Tension rose from zero to a hundred. The table was silent for a while.

"Does anyone here have a problem with that?" Jensen outright asked, his gaze hardened. He wouldn't take any shit if they did and he'd make their own Thanksgiving dinner at his house if he had to.

Alan knew the look in Jensen's eyes. It was similar to the one he wore when he played Dean and he had to put on a brave face to save someone important to him. "Are you happy?" Was his response.

"You have no idea." Jensen's eyes softened.

"Are you happy?" This time, the question was aimed at Avery.

She was shocked Alan would ask her. She tried not to let it show. "Very."

"Then I don't have a problem with it." Alan said with a knowing smile. Josh and Mackenzie agreed.

Donna chimed in with a soft smile. "Jensen, we don't care who you love as long as they love you too. And, Avery…" She frowned for a moment. "I'm sorry if you felt like you couldn't talk about yourself. I understand we are in Texas and it's not the safest for you here."

"Look, if Jensen's busy tomorrow doing whatever and one of our aunties or something is getting on your case, come to me. I'll fend 'em off for you." Mackenzie said, a fire in her eyes.

Avery almost broke down. Her eyes welled with tears but she was able to keep them down. She was accepted into the family and that felt good.

avery: i think I'll be good tomorrow

elena: why? no transphobia found?

avery: no

avery: well, at least not in his parents or siblings

elena: okay minute slay

elena: however i will drop everything if i sense an OUNCE of transphobia in that house tomorrow

avery: i look forward to it <3

------

taglist: @nancymcl

taglist open here !!!

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glassrain83 · 4 months ago

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2024

I am GlassRain on AO3, and thank you for writing for my tiny fandom(s)!

I love all these characters and any fic about them will make me happy. If you already have an idea feel free to run with it. If you want extra prompts or ideas, that’s what this is for.

(All these requests are copied from letters I've written before. I have simple tastes. I'm ready to eat two cakes.)

Yes please: gay stuff, outer space, magic. Non-con, dub-con, and mind control. Relationships where there’s a power imbalance but they also truly love each other and do the work to make it good. Relationships with size differences (not as in short human/tall human, as in human/building-sized dragon). Identity porn/any kind of reveal where the audience knows something and gets to enjoy watching the characters figure it out.

No thanks: Gore/body horror/graphic depictions of violence, embarrassment, extreme underage (teen characters having sex is fine), bodily fluids (except the usual ones for sex scenes), non-canon character death, mundane AUs.

Fandoms:

Leif & Thorn (Webcomic)

Characters: Leif, Thorn

Leif is a gardener in thrall to a mysterious debt, serving his native Sønheim at a foreign embassy. Thorn is a Knight of Ceannis who got severely burned while dragonslaying, and was rewarded with a cushy job guarding the embassy gates. Thorn doesn’t speak Leif’s language too well at first — but as they get to know each other, he finds a lot of reasons to learn.

Ongoing fantasy dramedy, with a cross-cultural romance and a great ensemble cast. (Read it here.) Leif/Thorn is canon, over a slow-burn arc that took about 5 years real-world time. They still have ongoing struggles around Leif’s control microchip, and Thorn’s effort to handle the unwanted power it gives him. Leif/Thorn/Kale is not canon yet, but the OT3 shipteasing is strong.

The prompts are Leif/Thorn-centric but I will take fic about other characters too. Other ships on the side are fine, canon or non-canon, as long as you don’t break up the main couple.

Prompts:

Canon-divergence AU where Thorn joined the Secret Order of Monster Hunters, successfully assassinated the vampires in that one early storyline, and decided to rescue/steal Leif as a bonus. What? He was in the area anyway, he might as well.

Leif/Thorn where Leif still has the microchip, but Kale has his powers and facilitates a psychic link between them, so Thorn can’t possibly miss if he tries something Leif doesn’t like. Can be established Leif/Thorn/Kale or “whoops this turned into our first threesome.”

Holiday fic where Leif and Thorn share their traditions with each other. Warmth and fluffiness a plus.

Crossover prompt: the Leif & Thorn universe has a Fantasy Eurovision Song Contest..what does Fire Saga’s act look like in a world with widespread/commonplace magic?

Doctrine of Labyrinths - Sarah Monette

Characters: Felix, Mildmay

The Doctrine of Labyrinths is a series of fantasy novels by Sarah Monette. It is set in the secondary world of Meduse and tells the story of the adventures of the wizard Felix Harrowgate and his half-brother, former assassin Mildmay the Fox.

Lush fantasy melodrama full of codependence and great hurt/comfort. I have gotten Felix/Mildmay fic before and will keep prompting more of it until the end of time (or until a TV adaptation turns this into a megafandom, whichever comes first). Gen about them is also welcome.

Prompts:

Sci-fi/cyberpunk AU. Make the hocuses into hackers, the magical curses into corrupted cybernetics, the petty thieves into data pirates. Could be the alternate version of a canon event, or a whole new SF-themed plot twist.

Missing scene from Felix and Mildmay’s journey across the continent in book 1, something where Felix has a bad turn and Mildmay successfully calms him down. Just lean all the way into the h/c in their weird-but-deep sibling bond.

Guilty frantic brothercest. (During a time in canon when they’re both mentally capable of consenting.) Especially if it’s already an ongoing situation when the story starts, so it’s not a story about how they fell into it, but about how they can’t seem to get out.

Crossover prompt: do something with Labyrinth. How would Felix and Mildmay face off against the Goblin King?

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Characters: Sigrit

Follows the personally close Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdóttir as they are given the chance to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest. Ferrell, who co-wrote the script, wisely realises that this institution is beyond parody and is simply content to pay homage.

Bizarre, charming, joyful, magical (sometimes literally) tribute to Eurovision. Lars has the lifelong ambition to represent Iceland at the contest. Sigrit has the actual talent. A dozen real-world Eurovision winners have cameos. The elves in the hills have their backs.

Shipping-wise, basically I want Sigrit to be happy. For Sigrit/Lars, lean into the parts of his character that enable him to be a good boyfriend. For Sigrit/not-Lars, either give them a non-traumatic breakup, or make an AU where they were just friends the whole time.

Prompts:

The elves are back! This time, they need Sigrit’s and/or Lars’s help! You can pull the worldbuilding from real Icelandic folklore or make it up from scratch, I will be happy either way.

Instead of a song contest, the characters are thrown into a fighting-for-your-life contest. Hunger Games, Squid Game, Battle Royale etc. Our heroes survive through some combination of Sigrit’s determination and magical allies, Alexander and Mita’s loyalty and emotional support, and Lars’s power to cause unprecedented technical difficulties.

Alexander gives Lars an unexpected bi awakening. Sigrit gives Alexander an unexpected bi awakening from the other direction. What to do. What. To. Do.

Alternately, more fun scenes from Alexander and Sigrit’s growing Wholesome and Mutually Supportive Friendship. Including past the point where he trusts her enough not to hide his sexuality from her.

Crossover prompt: the Leif & Thorn universe has a Fantasy Eurovision Song Contest..what does Fire Saga’s act look like in a world with widespread/commonplace magic?

#yuletide #yuletide letter #Leif & Thorn #doctrine of labyrinths #the story of fire saga #eurovision #webcomics

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grex-statera · 1 year ago

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Chapter 8: Soft Rain - Spring, Year 1

Lewis: You should expand your horizons, Elliot. I mean, shipping crops IS good but imagine how well your farm could do if you added animal produce and artisan goods to your exports.

Lewis' words were running over Elliot's head. He was right, though. She should expand her horizons.

The following day after the Flower Dance, Elliot had been busy focusing on her farm and it's performance. She thought she'd made good progress on her combat abilities so she took a break from going to the mines for now.

Various documents and lists littered Ellie's table. Her laptop opened on a spreadsheet monitoring her finances.

Elliot: Hmm. Alright, let's get a coop then.

+++++

It was a rainy afternoon when Ellie started walking to Robin's.

Robin: Oh no! You're soaked.

Ellie: Ah, sorry 'bout your floor, Robin.

Robin: No worries, Ellie. I'll just mop that later. How can I help you?

Ellie and Robin discussed the terms and process of getting a coop.

Robin: Alright, I'll get started on your new coop first thing tomorrow.

Ellie: Thank you, Robin. Would you like to have breakfast together then?

Robin: Ooooh farm fresh ingredients? Sign me up!

+++++

Ellie closed the door behind her and opened her umbrella.

Seb: You gettin'a new coop?

Ellie jumped.

Ellie: Jeez, Seb!

Sebastian laughed. He was leaning on a wall, smoking.

Seb: Sorry... You're so jumpy!

Ellie: I didn't even know you were there!

Seb: Hah, yeah I went out while you and mom were talking.

Ellie: Stop sneaking up on me!

Sebastian laughed again. He threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it, putting it out.

Ellie frowned.

Ellie: Man, could you stop that?

Seb: I thought you didn't like the smell?

Ellie: Yeah, but I meant littering, also.

Seb: Alright, I'll try. Headed home?

Ellie thought about what Elliott told her the night of the Flower Dance.

Elliott: Maybe you could look at my drafts and give me feedback...

Ellie: Ehhhh. Think I'm going to the beach for a bit.

Seb: Oh? I'm going there too, actually.

Ellie: Really? Didn't know you liked going there.

Seb: Yeahhh, I only go there when it's raining. Not a big fan of the sun.

Ellie: Same! Rain is so nice, don't you think? Come on, then.

Sebastian smiled and opened his own umbrella.

Seb: So, uh. Whatcha doin' there?

Ellie: Think I'm gonna visit my friend, Elliott.

Seb: I see. The writer, right?

Ellie: Mhm.

Seb: You like books then?

Ellie: Yeah, I guess. I don't read very often, though. Just when my friends recommend me something good.

Seb: Cool. What genres do you like?

Ellie: Hmmm, lemme think... Sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and horror, maybe. Sometimes I read classics, but never romance. Not really my thing.

Seb: That's nice. I like basically the same genres but I never do classics. I respect a good romance, though.

Ellie chuckled.

Ellie: Really? Didn't expect that from you, to be quite honest.

Seb: Hah, guess I don't look the part. You also into comic books?

Ellie: Yeah! Do you know Cave Saga X? One of my friends absolutely love that series.

Seb: Yeah! Have you caught up with the new volume yet? I wont spoil it for you, but oh man...

The two of them spent the entire walk chatting with each other with a lot of comfortable silence in between. A few more paces and they were nearing the beach.

Ellie: Oh man, it's cold. What do you usually do here?

Seb: Me? I guess I just hang out by the docks and enjoy the view. The sound of rain on the ocean's very soothing.

Ellie: Hmm, yeah that sounds quite nice.

Seb: ...If you want to, I guess we can hang out here sometime.

Ellie: Sure. I'll be quiet so I don't ruin your drift.

Sebastian chuckled.

Seb: Alright, deal.

They parted ways near the shore.

+++++

Ellie knocked on Elliott's door.

Elliott: Ellie! It's so wonderful to see you!

Ellie: Hi, sorry. I hope you don't mind my boots.

Elliott: Not to worry. I haven't really cleaned my cabin thoroughly anyway. Please, make yourself at home.

Ellie tried her best to remove as much sand and mud from her boots then made her way to Elliott's desk.

Elliott: Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea, perhaps?

Ellie: I'd like some coffee, please.

Elliott: Coming right up.

Elliott's desk was littered with books and paper. It was quite a mess. A draft was sitting in the middle.

Ellie: Do you have a story in mind right now?

Elliott walked over to Ellie after setting the kettle on his stove. He pulled out a chair for Ellie to sit on, then sat on his own chair.

Elliott, sighing: To be completely honest, Elliot, I cannot decide on what genre I would like my novel to take on. I have characters and arcs in mind but I cannot seem to find a solid setting for them. Say, do you have any suggestions for me?

Ellie thought for a bit.

Ellie: Hmm. You know, Elliott, I'm gonna be honest with you. You seem like such a romantic guy, so I think if you decide to write a romance novel, you would be great at it. Um, I don't like the genre, though, so my second suggestion would be... Mystery? Maybe?

Elliott blushed.

Elliott: Well, I'm quite flattered with your words, Ellie. I'll keep them in mind.

Elliott went over the characters and plot points he had in mind with Ellie. Going over what could go together, which areas need more structure and the like. After a few minutes, the kettle screeches.

Elliott: Oh! Perfect timing.

Elliott walks over to his small kitchen and makes two glasses of coffee. He hands one to Ellie and takes a sip from his own cup.

Elliott: Thank you for the company, Ellie. It was such a lovely surprise to have you here on such a dreary day.

Ellie: You're welcome, Elliott. I hope you finish your novel soon.

Elliott smiled at her and opened a window.

Elliott: Ah, would you look at that. The rain has finally stopped.

He leaned on the window pane, sipping his coffee. Ellie walked over to Elliott to admire the scenery outside.

Elliott: Ah, Ellie. You must know what's bothering my dear companion rose over here, yes? I think it may be wilting under my care.

Ellie took a good look at the rose.

Ellie: You're not watering her with seawater, aren't you?

#stardew valley #stardew fanfic #stardew au

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thewriting-corner · 2 years ago

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Introduction To My WIPs

Helloo! I just took a ginger shot and multivitamin in the hopes that I do not get a cold right before the free week I plan to use to get all my uni work done, and my brain is fired up lol. ANYWAY, the other day I got a DM asking about TSLBTY and it hit me that despite all the promo I did for TSLBTY, I still never really talked about it 🤔 so here I am ranting to you about the only healthy loves in my life: the wips (or whips, if you will). Have fun, ig? And it goes without saying to please not steal any of these ideas. Be decent

The Sun Leads Back To You

This is my main project at the moment, and has been my source of therapy for a year now. I restarted the current version in April 2022 when I began getting really bad anxiety attacks again and my mental health was ✨on the ground✨ because how else would I cope lol. I hereby present you with a synopsis 🫶🏼

When on vacation with her family in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Sofía Barrera finds her almost-boyfriend kissing another girl. In an attempt to make him jealous, she asks a random stranger to kiss her. Eager to make her ex even more crazy, she enlists the help of British tourist Thomas Woods to fake date her.

Thomas Woods doesn’t know what he hates more - the brain melting heat of the Costarrican beach or being forced to spend two weeks with his mother’s fiancé and his brand new step siblings. Desperate to get away from them, he accepts an offer to fake date Sofía in exchange for one thing: she gets him away from his new family as much as possible.

Their deal slowly unravels when Sofia’s family falls apart, and more than ever she’s convinced that she’s destined to stay at home forever, making sure her parents do not break the way they did seven years ago. Add an ex-boyfriend determined to win her back and the moody, yet charming Thomas, and Sofia’s world is soon to be collapsed.

I’m on it’s 3rd Draft, about to start the 4th and final once my beta readers finish reading it sometime this month. My current plan is to start querying it on June 1 as a birthday present to myself :) This book has meant the world to me and has helped me move on from so many things that it only feels appropriate to begin its new chapter as I leave my final days of teenage writerdom and entire my 🤢 20s. Sofia and Thomas are the products of my greatest flaws and pride, and yet I hope they will eventually find home in readers’ hearts like they’ve done in mine.

Songs I Relate To It: folklore love triangle :) or Last Kiss by Taylor Swift (iykyk)

The Wrath of Chaos [working title]

Now that I’ve gotten the super gross part of the way, I am pleased to announce that once I send out TSLBTY into the query trenches, I plan to reimagine one of my favorite worlds I’ve ever written! I tried querying this book before and it went terribly, BUT the other day I got an idea on how to make this book better and I CANT WAIT to put it to paper. While I have loved having my dearest, slightly depressed Marty on the spotlight, I’ve decided to shine a little bit of light on my favorite character of all time: Chaos. In this new version, he will be aged down and gain his own POV chapters in the book so that finally, he and Marty can be direct mirrors of each other like they were always meant to be.

Song I Relate To It: Carry On - The Score, AWOLNATION (or literally any song by The Score lol I swear their entire discography fits)

The Time Travel Wip

Working Title: The Time Keepers or Daughter of Time

One of the darkest concepts I have ever come up with, the time travel wip is a sci-fi/romance/thriller about a girl so desperate to return home, she accidentally destroys time😃 In the unfortunate experience of outlining, I realized that the plot was WAY too flat and so I need to rethink a lot of the aspects, which is why it’s so down the line of priorities right now. But I’m fine with that! Good books take time, and I’m excited to see what this wip will end up in once I’m a little less tired to think it through again lol

My plan for this one is to restart the outline eventually lol as soon as I can figure out how to up the stakes. Usually I have no issue with high stakes, but the entire concept of my characters being lost through time made it really hard to keep up with what they have to lose since it’s so difficult to remember the order of events even though it’s written down haha. Definitely my most ambitious project so far, which is why I have no issue taking my time with it. I’ve rushed through these wips in the past, and I’ve come to learn that a quick project will never be worth more than a well done one.

Song I Relate To It: End Game - Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Future

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flwoie · 2 years ago

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sending again cuz it didn’t go through~

ooh well if u need help with ateez, or the ateez research lmk cuz they’re my ult lol

and oml i know what u mean!!! i love daydreaming stories up and watching the movies roll in my head! and i also feel ya, i had a series in another fandom but i lost motivation so it now resides in the trenches of my drive lol

aww and friends are the best 💗 hmm as for me i love writing poems to ease my thoughts, listening to my comfort songs like “light” by ateez or energy-boosting songs like paradoxxx invasion + happy fools, and i also like watching YouTube vids of my faves (and soon-to-be faves too lol!)

qotd: what are some of ur favourite things to read? for me, i really like fantasy and protective main leads 😊

oh and one more question~ is this time good to send asks? or is my usual time better? i did it roughly 12 hours apart (e.g if i usually send my ask at 1pm, i’m sending this one at 1am in my timezone)

have the best day/night!

-3

thanks for offering help 🫶🫶 i’d love to learn more about ateez :)

daydreaming about stories is the best, it’s like watching a free movie even tho sometimes my attention span is low so i do get ads (if u get my joke LMAOOO) there’s this one story i wrote and it’s almost been a year since i wrote it and i only have less than 200 words written down 😭😭

u write poems?? i’d love to read them if u don’t mind and yess music and watching is so comforting, i haven’t heard of light so i’ll go listen to that rn !!

my answer to ur question: tbh i don’t read any genre outside of romance & fantasy, it’s an obsession atp 🤒 whenever i go to the library, i always try to find the really good romance books but sometimes i’m always left with the horrible ones 💔💔 i tried reading horror and sci-fi cause i heard my crush likes writing them (ahah my crush is also a writer 🤧🤧) and i could not even finish the first chapter 😭😭 anyways moving onto characters, i’m kinda picky about the trope between the main character and their love interest. i HATE HATE bully x victim and that does not equal to e2ls bc the bully x victim trope is so shitty, like there’s only one sided abuse 😭. i like any kind of trope that isn’t toxic and weird.. anyways, there’s a lot of details i love to find in books. for example, whenever im reading a book with one of the main character’s having a cast, there’s a part where the love interest would draw the two of them on the cast and there would be a little heart between them, it warms my heart sm 😭 oh and when it comes to exes to lovers (and this is specifically the kind where they had to break up for a sad reason so there’s still some mutual pining), they reunite in the most weirdest way and afterwards one of them is like “oh how are you” when they totally mean ‘how are you since our break up’ (yes i took this from a fic i read) I STARTED BURSTING INTO TEARS 😭😭😭

okay my turn to ask u a question !! what kind of tropes do u like and hate?

and i don’t mind what time u send ur asks, i’ll answer to them anyways :>

have a wonderful day/night as well my three <33

#🏴‍☠️ : sona’s anons #three anon !

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pinkmoonlily · 2 years ago

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Atomic Anna

Author: Rachel Barenbaum Page count: 449 Rating: 4 / 5

My rating: 5 / 5

'' Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should ,,

This book. Was. So. Freaking. Good. Oh my god.

I started it about two weeks ago, but had to take a break because EW's Encyclopaedia of Faeries came in, and that one had a sooner return date. Also, when I first started Atomic Anna, I wasn't that into it. I didn't really vibe with the writing style; there's nothing wrong with it, it's just not a style that I usually prefer. However, after taking a break for a few days to read EW's EOF and coming back, I got SO. HOOKED. I was at about 35% completion on Friday morning, and I read all the way until 90% completion by the end of the day. I so badly wanted to finish it, but I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open. I finished it Saturday morning, and immediately told everyone I know how fan-fucking-tastic it was, and recommended it to all my bookworm friends.

It took some time for me to really appreciate the way the story was being told; I think I had trouble getting through the beginning because I found Molly to be absolutely insufferable as a child. I can sympethize with her in some ways, in her desire to be treated as an adult and make her own decisions as she grows up. The difference, however, is that my parents never held on too tightly like hers did. Mine never questioned my choices or tried to steer me onto a different path like hers did. And as a result, I never felt the need to act out or grasp freedom in anyway possible. Molly did. It really was such an interesting and heartfelt experience watching her move through life, making many, many, poor decisions in a desperate attempt to control her own life. And then seeing Raisa grow up, how different she is from Molly and how similar she is to Anna. One of the key elements of this story is each character's interaction with her mother; how Anna held on to so much anger and resentment for what she percieved as her mother leaving her for something more, how Molly idolized Anna and fought so much against Yulia as a maternal figure in her life, how Raisa resents her mother for the decisions she's made, but can't help but love and want to help her despite it all. These feelings built the plot-behind-the-plot of this story, and form the cornerstone for the decisions made throughout the novel.

Also, just in general, historical fiction is awesome. This novel takes us back and forth between Germany in the 40's, the Soviet Union in the 50's and 60's, and the USA in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. We see the Nazi occupation in Berlin, and the affects of WWII on the USSR, the meltdown at Chernobyl, the fear of nuclear war in the USA in the 50's; all intertwined with time travel. Another reason I loved this book so much: I'm a huge sci-fi nerd. I'm admitting it. I loved all the science and math in this book, the discussions and theories on gravity and light and energy and how it all connects. All of this, told through the lens of three generations of women's lives; it's a fucking masterpiece. I love the way that time travel allows us to bounce back and forth between what Anna is doing in the future, to seeing how Molly's life is developing, to moments of Anna's past in Berlin, to Raisa back in the future. Each time Anna jumps, we see how things developed in the new timeline she's created; we get glimpses of what was and what is and what will be. And in the end, we see that time is cyclical (which is one of my absolute favorite theories when it comes to time travel), and that everything that will happen, already has. If you see an event happen in the future, you think that every decision you make is putting you on a course to either realize or avoid that event. But in the end, it was you seeing that event and making those decisions that led you to that moment in the first place. There's no way to avoid it, because time is a circle.

Anyway, enough theories. As amazing as it was, I'm not sure this is a book I'll read again for a long while, just because it was long and emotional and chock full of heavy science. But it has definitely earned a spot on my Favorite Books list.

#mybookreviews

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aprillikesthings · 3 years ago

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Breaking my tumblr timeout for Lent, to talk about a novel!

Summer of Love by Lisa Mason

I read this book in 1996, when I was in high school--it was published in 1994. Found it at the local library, reread it a billion times, eventually bought my own copy, reread THAT a ton, lost it at some point. Recently bought a secondhand copy online (which has a Borders sale sticker on the back).

And I'm so mad, because I really really want to talk about this novel with other people, but I feel like I've joined a fandom with zero people in it. I'm just yelling on a proverbial streetcorner (well, the corner of Haight and Ashbury, proverbially speaking) about this damn book!!!

But this is too fucking long, so under a readmore it goes:

Hooboy. I never really realized how formative this novel was??? I still had a TON of the text basically memorized. Also, I am disturbed to realize a lot of my adult aesthetic is basically the cover of this book.

As one example, plz enjoy this Modcloth dress I bought several years ago:

Yeah. Anyway.

This is, in fact, a sci-fi novel. A guy named Chiron from the year 2467 travels back to 1967 because data from that era has disappeared, and he has to ensure a few Very Specific Things happen to save the future he lives in. One of the things he has to do is find and protect a young woman (who goes by the pseudonym Starbright). The two of them meet and end up crashing at the home of Ruby Maverick, who lives over the metaphysical shop she owns.

I was obsessed with the late 1960's for my last couple years of high school, and I regularly had adults ask me if I wish I could go back in time to live there, and I think I surprised them by saying "Oh god, no." Because this book (along with The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test) made it very clear that 1. That era sucked ass for a lot of women! Second wave feminism hadn't really started yet! 2. A lot of the popular drugs were new, and we just didn't know how good or bad they were. Doing LSD a few times in your life: unlikely to hurt you, if you know what you're doing; often a very positive experience. What people of this era sometimes did: took massive doses, over and over and over, while being careless about their history of mental health or the set/setting in which they were taking it, leading to things like bad trips, psychotic breaks, and multiple accidental deaths. Oh, and a lot of famous people (and not-famous people) died from heroin overdoses.

But back to the women thing: this book just made it so, so painfully clear that being a young woman in the hippie movement of the 1960's could be Really Unpleasant. Not all the men of that era were assholes, but lots of them were, and there wasn't much to stop them.

(I'm gonna be honest: I love this book, but if it were published now people would LOSE THEIR SHIT, because Starbright is a not-yet-15-year-old runaway who has sex with a man in his late twenties and, later, one who is twenty-one. The actual sex with the much-older dude is portrayed in a relatively positive light--she enjoys the sex and finds him desirable--even though the novel makes it clear that, generally speaking, he's a really shitty person who takes advantage of her and then discards her. The twenty-one-year-old (Chiron, the time traveler) is a lot nicer to her, and the circumstances are wildly different, but it's definitely portrayed as morally fine on both sides. There are also multiple mentions of and discussions about sexual assault and prostitution. The novel just doesn't pull any punches about how sexist and awful the hippie scene could be. In an older interview that's still on the wayback machine, the author mentions something I hadn't considered but now seems obvious--that the sexual abuse of children wasn't a thing people talked about that much yet in that era, and interviews from both at the time and later show that a TON of the teenage runaways that ended up in Haight-Ashbury were survivors of CSA and other forms of abuse.)

The author (in that wayback-preserved interview) said she was able to read stacks of local alt newspapers from that era (on paper and microfiche), books written just after the fact, and even talked to a shit-ton of people who were there--some of whom are really well-known, like Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane.

And the internet now has a lot more stuff on it than it did when I read this book the first time, which means I was able to look up a bunch of things that I have wondered about for years!

For instance: a TV special that was filmed in Haight Ashbury that summer and aired later that year is mentioned several times in the plot. It's real! It exists! It's on youtube! (I only got like twenty minutes into it, but man, were "normal" people confused and terrified by hippies.)

It's so wild to be able to google the commune that they visited at one point in the book, or the events the characters go to, or a lot of the people mentioned.

Because while some of the people in the novel are/were 100% real and did the things that are mentioned in the novel (yes, George Harrison and his wife stopped by the Haight once that summer, and George had on heart-shaped sunglasses lol), and some are 100% fictional (Chiron the time-traveler!), some made me think: this is probably based on a real person. There is far too much detail here compared to some of the other side characters.

In the novel, Leo Gorgon is a member of the Diggers--an anarchist group that fed people, started a free clinic, did public theater kinds of things. And some of the members were assholes, even with all the good they were doing trying to keep all those runaways sheltered and fed. Leo Gorgon is, in fact, kind of an asshole in the novel. (Not the same asshole who has sex with Starbright, though they're friends and Leo clearly thinks that dude's behavior is fine.)

And Chiron, being a time-traveler from the future, knows that Leo goes on to write two books (in one of which he says really horrible things about Ruby, the shop owner he was sleeping with off and on that summer) and then dies of a heroin overdose in the late 1970's.

But here's the thing: uhh. The Diggers were not a very large group of people. A lot of them were well-known. We know their names, is what I'm saying. So I looked up The Diggers on wikipedia, as one does.

Yeah, Leo is based on a very real person. Lisa Mason used his middle name and switched two letters of his last name and that was it.

And the "criticism of counterculture" bit of his wikipedia entry? Nearly every point on it is something he mentions in the novel/a plot point of the novel. (And he's not actually wrong, with some of them, imho; he's just kind of a dick about it.)

And now I have a secondhand copy of that dude's memoir in an online shopping cart. Because now I have to know if he really does mention someone who could be Ruby, for instance.

Also, have a photo of me on the corner of Haight-Ashbury that I got last month when I was in San Francisco to see Björk:

#lisa mason #summer of love

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wistfulrat · 4 years ago

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a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm

[the soft boi list is here and truly i’m not surprised this rec is going to be the longest bc if there’s one thing a bitch is going to do, it’s yearn.

as always! if you love a fic, follow the authors, leave kudos & comments, send them nice msgs bc free art is still labor xoxo]

part 3: soft bois

mood: for when I need respite, a balm to the all-consuming shittiness of life

includes: fluff, comfort, low-stakes, slow-burn fics. a wistful look, a rainy morning, an unexpected grace, a stupidly disarming joke. i could live inside these fics. the smallness of human lives removed from the site of that which hurts & irreparably changes. the story-equivalent of a deep breath after a long day. pregnant silences & pensive mundanity & shy smiles. banter with bite but without the cruelty. the color lavender. weirdly whimsical. soft fics are not necessarily conflict-averse (no drarry fic rly can be, considering the context) but, they offer the reader a generous distance from the initial harm. they’re the quiet cleaning up after a storm. sometimes healing is an exacting surgical knife and other times it’s a slow scabbing. you read these fics to be reassured that the way forward is not always ruthless. and honestly?? they deserve a semblance of peace godDAMmit.

The Way Down by @letteredlettered - 65k - T “and I thought that if someone talked to you as though you were a human being you might—maybe you could act like one” --the way i think about this line daily. the characterization of draco in this fic is one my favorites bc he’s earnest and neurotic and tired of harry’s shit. which is to say, he cares so so much. and harry doesn’t know what to do with that bc he’s got a monster in his chest and lives as a recluse. but they both humanize each other in ways no one else can. “you’re just a person” has to be some kind of drarry ethics of belonging and it makes me CRY. -

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them by @greaseonmymouth and dustmouth - 96k - T “Maybe it’s not about deserving it? Maybe you just get to have it anyway. . .I’m allowing myself to want something and to let myself have it and to fight for it.” --harry runs a daycare and also works at a library. draco spends a lot of time in said library. they bond over sci-fi books and therapy anecdotes and quiet philosophical conversations held over cafeteria soup. and harry’s struggling to understand his asexuality. draco’s learning how to live with anxiety and depression. they both want to be deserving of love. incredible fic with beautiful art by dustmouth. -

Open for Repairs by @drarrytrash - 35k - T “A few leaves rustle in the gutter and the muggle world pays no mind to them, to two lost boys holding on for dear life.” --all of their fics feel exactly like this. like you’ve been allowed to look at something private, tender, unexpected. draco, known abba fan, is a repairman in the muggle world & harry can’t stop breaking thrifted things in order to see him? say less, i'm thERE. also “I think I have a crush on you” goddddd - other faves by them: Counting Down By Ten - 2k - T: draco’s stepped outside of the party for a smoke. harry follows him bc of course he does. i could read this 100 times and not get tired of it. - Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon - 36k - E: FUCKING HILARIOUS I CACKLED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. draco’s wolfy problem and harry helping him and harry being flustered by how much he likes draco and draco’s hot heroic moment. shutup it’s perfect. “He almost asks if Draco ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit all the time, but he knows that he, personally, never ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit.” and “It’s the traumas,” Harry says gravely” --lines that live rent free in my head -

Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks by seefin - 70k - E “That was the only logical thing to do here, wasn’t it? It was the next step, it was the end of hurting each other and the beginning of the exact opposite.” --harry lives with luna and neville and also he dreams about the future sometimes? and he keeps running into draco. draco thinks this is sus as hell, until he doesn’t. feat. taxi rides, museums, cinemas, rooftop conversations beneath a lunar eclipse, mid-sex innocuous banter, draco and harry discussing nicki minaj. this fic charmed my ass off. seefin writes the most effortlessly hilarious dialogues. i smiled at my phone like an idiot at least 7 times. - other faves by them: Wild - 93k - E: “he liked feeling needed, for the things that he was needed for back at the house in Ireland. For cooking and gardening and driving. Easy things.” --this shit makes me cry it’s so good. harry lives in Ireland with these three brilliant, hilarious, wandless witches and draco’s a potions student who's come to study under one of the housemates and the boys have so much shit to work through but their love becomes so tender and honest. draco yells at harry a lot and harry lets him and they both keep each other grounded in something real and fuCK. - Divination for Dickheads - 7k - G: “I’m terrible at having crushes. I’ve never played anything cool a day in my life.” -- oh harry, we knOW. a bus ride, a fortune teller, an aquarium birthday party. god i love this fic. -

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic - 61k - E “But we’ve worked so hard at this, haven’t we? Yeah, I know it’s a horror to have to talk about it, but fuck it. We’re friends now, but it took so long to get here. Have you ever had to work so hard at something before?" --the steady blossoming of their friendship in this fic is so goddamn beautiful i want to yell. it’s draco and harry learning to trust each other and the whole thing unfolds so slowly, in this whimsical mix of london streets, wizarding politics, church halls feat. a Hot vicar, and a magical antique shop owner who’s married to literal poseidon?? goD the environment of this fic. immaculate. [also there’s a tender shower scene that makes me cry every single fucking time so if you read this fic pls dm me so we can be embarrassing about it together tbh] -

Nice Things by aideomai - 22k - M “He kept waiting for the weird shock of touch to not knock him clean out of his head, leave him quiet and warm and happy.” --8th year. harry forms an unlikely friendship with draco that begins with smoking weed on a windowsill. harry is touch-starved and draco touches him like he touches all his close friends - like it’s easy. the quiet affection in this fic, the way harry burrows himself into touch bc he’s been without it for his entire life. reading this is like being held. -

Running On Air by @tinyhistory - 74k - T “do you remember when we were eleven?” --alexa play coldplay’s the scientist it’s sad girl hours and we’re about to fucking yearn. you’ve seen this fic rec on every drarry list under the sun and i'm here to be redundant. the hype is so goddamn real. this story is a lyrical masterpiece held together by lines that act as refrains that will rattle around your brain until you die, probably. draco’s been missing for 3yrs. harry goes to find him. it’s their odyssey of homecoming. -

Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken - 12k - T “But Draco, Draco was everything but boring. Draco made sitting in the rain watching an empty house fun.” --auror partners pining and draco being eccentric and harry being very earnestly gay about draco’s eccentricities!! god this fic is so genuinely fun skskd feat. undercover missions, murderous faeries, a book heist, a stunning navy dress, harry’s eyelashes. -

How We Throw Our Shadows Down by @thistle-verse - 14k - T “Draco is about to say something else— to thank Potter for what he’d done, however poorly— but Harry is smiling at him again, and it’s so soft and perfect that Draco holds in any inadequate words, lest he spoil it.” --draco collects tea cozies and of course harry has the one he wants. the sad and tender gays are at it again feat. conversations in the rain at a train station, melancholy Blaise, muggle photos, wizarding e-bay, the Dursleys. -

Helix by Saras_Girl - 92k - E “Draco sighs in his sleep and Harry clings on to consciousness, needing to hold on, to give this tiny, insignificant moment the attention it deserves” --I think maybe you can describe every soft Saras_Girl story as giving tiny, insignificant moments the attention they deserve. like, this is an 8th year fic about snails and it’s full of whimsy, grief, compassion, and easy humor. an absolute must-read author in this genre if you want languorous, episodic fics full of distinct OCs and affectionate creatures. - other faves by them: Light up the Night Sky - 98k - M “Draco, sometimes you make my head feel like soup” --the one where harry is a fireworks artist and has a pet chameleon named ken. draco is on the wizarding arts council. they both pine like hell. - Headlights in the Snow - 71k - M “they stare at each other in silence, Harry’s heart beating so loud in his chest that he thinks the biddies must be able to hear it over the sound of their card game.” --the one where draco drives the knight bus and carts around the biddy club, a group of rambunctious old ladies who knit and drink tea and gossip. harry can’t help but fall in love with the everything about this. -

Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 - 38k - T “Harry’s heavy thoughts lift at the sight, like dark clouds blown away from the sun by the wind. The tent doesn’t feel so cramped and stifling now. It feels cozy. And safe. It’s the same feeling that Harry gets when he’s at the Burrow for Sunday roasts, when a group of people who care for each other deeply are crammed into too-small a space.” --harry wanders to the lovegood house on a sunday afternoon. he’s baffled to see that luna’s taken pansy, greg, and draco under her wing. what follows is a summer of forest walks, scavenger hunts, gardening, water fights, odd cakes, faerie rings, and picnics. so many picnics. i love the pace of this fic, the innocent return to childhood things, the way luna brings out the best in all her friends. reluctantly soft slytherins are just *chefs kiss*!! -

Going Postal (A 125pg comic) by dustmouth - T what. a. beautiful. ass. comic. the wizarding fashion, the textures, the character design!! harry travels a lot for his job as a resourcer. draco works in the regulations dept. they pine like a bunch of lovesick idiots via field report notes. god i love dustmouth’s art. -

All the Earnest Young Men by @tepre - 29k - E “Draco is twenty-seven layers of personality wrapped up in drama and humour, and a wit so sharp it still stings when he doesn’t see it coming. But there is something below that, too. Something that makes Harry ache just looking at him.” --the way i would lay down my little life for tepre’s characterization of draco, whom invented the word earnest. he’s a magical art theory expert and portraits are disappearing all over London and harry’s the auror assigned to this case. and well. they’re both so very avoidant about how gay they are for each other and it’s like!! shutup and kiss!! which they do in fact, shutup and kiss. -

Trenches by sara_holmes - 3k - M “Somewhere in the distant part of his mind that hasn't frozen solid, he thinks that maybe he and Draco are about to become more than auror partners, smoking buddies, wine-mates and co-inhabitants of a snow filled trench somewhere in western Scotland.” --the plot line here is literally “it’s cold and i need a fucking cigarette” but let me tell you how I never tire of the shared loaded-silences of two emotionally repressed gays. -

The Years Before Love by lomonaaeren - 13k - M “That’s one of the meanings of peace, he thinks, as Hermione hugs him...That he can do things slowly, softly, without worrying that they won’t be there tomorrow.” --andromeda taking harry under her wing and harry finding solace in teddy. narcissa and draco showing up and the tentative relationships that slowly develop in the quiet calm of andromeda’s house. found families and kisses in the snow and special xmas gifts ugh what’s not to love -

The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight by Omi_Ohmy - 35k - M “I want this to be a house where people are welcome, where they don’t have to be any one way or another” --in which harry collects lost things--owls, best friends, inept bakers, potions experimenters--and turns the mausoleum that is grimmauld place into a home. feat. your fave drarry tropes like shared-beds and reluctant waltzing partners. -

[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]

#drarry fic rec #drarry fic #soft drarry #OK FINE I RAMBLED BUT WHAT DID WE EXPECT #alexa play futile devices

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televinita · 2 months ago

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I'm so sorry to update this again but you see it has been Another 9 Days (actually ten), and not only have I read a bunch, yesterday I got the urge to clean house, return stuff & refill my library card with fully random new possibilities (partly to help curb my BookOutlet cart), so I have to organize them. And I don't wanna type out the few things that are remaining again, so update instead of a fresh post it is!

CURRENTLY READING / LISTENING

Beyond Ivy Walls - Rachel Fordham: 83% in on audio (just under 2 hours left). I'm pretty set on a 3-star rating at this point but the romance has been a'right for the last third.

TRYING TO CHOOSE MY NEXT READ FROM:

1. Tilly in Technicolor - Mazey Eddings: a YA novel about...something! I impulse-added this to my BookOutlet cart because they have the hardcover and I vaguely remember it catching my eye months ago, and I wanted to see if I could be content just borrowing it. I think I will be because I don't see this romance clicking for me. But traveling around Europe as her sister's intern for the summer sounds like it could be a fun time! (3 stars in the good way, when I go in with no expectations of more) I don't usually read summer books in winter but this could be a fun break?

2. Things We Didn't Say - Amy Lynn Green: LONGER than I bargained for, especially since WWII novels have to catch me in just the right mood anyway, but this one came to my attention a few months ago and I was plucking recent adds off my Goodreads TBR. It's set on the homefront, in Minnesota specifically, in a rural town that hosted a German POW camp where low-risk prisoners were sent to work on farms.

3. Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend - MJ Wassmer: I didn't read very much about it because "the apocalypse but make it funny" sounds like a kick. I feel like men don't write very much lighthearted contemporary fiction, especially with a male protagonist, so I'm curious. And honestly, even if it's more serious than assumed, that will still be fun.

4. Extinction - Douglas Preston: this was the only option in the Goodreads Choice Awards for sci-fi that didn't sound boring as sin, so I voted for it and then decided I kind of wanted to read it actually, because there are mammoths and because I liked his brand of action-adventure in the two Gideon Crew novels I read from him.

5. Born of Gilded Mountains - Amanda Dykes*: a chunker of historical fiction but it looks fun! "When newcomer Mercy Windsor arrives in Mercy Peak in 1948 after a scandal shatters her gilded world as Hollywood's beloved leading lady, she is determined to forge a new life in obscurity in this time-forgotten Colorado haven. She purchases Wildwood--an abandoned estate with a haunting history--and begins to restore it to its former glory." Also there's an old mystery about a missing train and possibly treasure??

*[edit: between the time I queued this and when it appeared a few hours later I got halfway into this one! having a good time]

6. 26 Ways To Come Home For the Holidays - Jennifer Joy: I couldn't wait any longer and picked it up, in case I need to boost myself out of a slump with a relatively short (~160 pages), feel-good book. Also: what is with me subconsciously picking up All The 40s or Futuristic Books today??

7. The Christmas Dress - Courtney Cole: My Libby hold on the audio just came in, and last time I paused it I got pushed back to 2nd in line and it took a full month to get back. Dare I risk it again, and hope I still get it before Christmas, or should I just be wild and do like all the TV commercials are demanding I do and embrace the season? (I kind of wanna embrace the season, especially since I have no other audiobooks once I finish the current one...)

STILL IN MY POSSESSION BUT WAY ON THE BACK BURNER NOW

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree (I think I'm giving up on this tbh... but I might once again claim it's ~temporarily~)

Passenger Princess - Morgan Elizabeth (only if I'm desperate for a contemporary adult fiction at this point, lol)

COMING EVENTUALLY

Before We Were Us - Denise Hunter: it has been marked "in cataloging" for a week and a half now so I've hit pause while I work through the above set.

Games Untold - Jennifer Lynn Barnes: released November 12th but still "on order" in the catalog so freezing my hold on this too, because I don't want to check on it daily to see when it changes, and I don't want to be caught off guard because it's Very Long and it will have a decent-sized waitlist soon.

Reading Triage

I'm in a bit of a reading slump at the moment (a word which here means: I have only finished 4 books in 2 weeks), so what better way to fix it than by chucking back all my library books, picking out a brand-new set and/or placing holds, and then talking out the options!

CURRENTLY READING / LISTENING

1. A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid: this was all the rage last fall and I shrugged it off as "fantasy, not my thing," but fantasy IS kind of turning out to be my thing this year. So when I saw the new special edition w/ stenciled edges (featuring shelves of old books) in a Goodreads giveaway, I immediately investigated it further and oh, we're starting in dark academia, in an architectural college?? There's a house design contest?? Well that sounds great! So I'm giving it a go; got about 40 pages in last night.

2. The Spellshop - Sarah Beth Durst: this is my 2nd time around with it, because I wanted to hear the audiobook version. About 90 minutes left, and I better hop-to because it's due in 2 days.

3. One Of Our Own - Lucinda Berry: this is a just-under-4-hours audio exclusive thriller (is thriller the right word, it seems like a pretty domestic mystery), and I am literally only here because it's dual narration and the main narrator is A.J. Cook. The plot looks bland and unpleasant and after only 8% in I can all but guarantee it would be a 2-star in print, but I might give it 3 because listening to her voice is a treat.

AVAILABLE NOW

4. Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree: attempt #2 to salvage the cozy coffee shop vibes out of an otherwise uninteresting story, now that the temps are finally about to drop down into at least the 50s, and if it doesn't work this time I quit forever because I have better fantasy places to be (but I really do wanna savor the romanticizing of coffee + baked goods).

5. Strongheart, Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen - Candace Fleming: I didn't buy it, but I am now more motivated than ever to read this. It's actually much shorter than I thought, being about 50% illustration, and I want to dive right in. Might even do so as soon as I post this, tbh.

6. Passenger Princess - Morgan Elizabeth: I feel honor-bound by winning it to read enough to offer a review. Honestly, the first chapter was quite fun, so if I just go in with determination to skip straight over the porn and judge the rest of the story on its own merit, I might enjoy it. (I will of course be judging more harshly for its Goodreads rating)

7. In The Shadow of Lakecrest - Elizabeth Blackwell: a 1920s Rebecca-esque novel that I own and have been meaning to read for 2 years now. I got so close to cracking it open this time...and I still might, but more likely the other books on this list will take priority.

8. Final Girls and/or The Last Time I Lied - Riley Sager: the references in Middle of the Night finally got me interested in these 2 I skipped the first time around, but it's still just...so hard to convince myself to try them, even when I crave a guaranteed good thriller. There's a reason I skipped over them the first time around, and that reason is they just look and sound generic as hell.

9. The Book of Cold Cases and/or Murder Road - Simone St. James: I spent literally the entire month of October a) not reading any ghost stories for lack of good options and being sad about it, and b) forgetting about this author literally every time I went to the library until the 28th. But now they're here! So...maybe! (more than likely pushed off til next year though. I don't feel particularly excited when I look at them, even though the first book at least has been on my TBR since its release)

10. The Widow of Rose House - Diana Biller: almost forgot one of the few remaining from my last round! A random checkout because it looks like an unusual sort of historical romance with like seven different appealing elements; lemme just copy the summary:

It's 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time. However, fresh starts aren't as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn't believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor Samuel Moore appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn't need any more complications in her life--especially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam. Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva's new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva's history--and her heart

COMING SOON

11. Tracker's Canyon - Pam Withers: a YA novel about a teen using his outdoor/trailing skills to find his dad and evade people who may want to harm his dad (or him). It's been on my Goodreads TBR for 5+ years, picked when I was scrolling through looking for I.L.L. options. Looks fun and also relatively short, under 200 pages. Should be here in a week or two at the most.

12. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher: library doesn't have a physical copy so waiting on the e-book, estimated 3 weeks. I haven't read her before but I kept seeing this on BookTube and its title and cover looked so fun and cute. Probably a 3-star time but I still want in.

13. Piranesi - Susanna Clarke: this was on my original fall TBR at the beginning of September, and I've been slowly making my way towards it. No promises I'll read it this year, but if I don't get too distracted by the new shinies, the fact that this is much shorter than I thought has made me more willing to listen to its many rave reviews. Currently on a waitlist; "my" copy is due back on Halloween but I of course have zero faith in the people of this county at this point, so I'm going to bet more realistically on the second week of November (next copy is due back 11/9).

14. Before We Were Us - Denise Hunter: romance about an engaged woman who develops amnesia, not only forgetting her (relatively new) relationship but still viewing her middle-of-nowhere job at his family resort as a pit stop and ready to get the hell outta dodge; he must convince her to fall in love with him again. I WILL be going full Chuck/Sarah with this. Currently on-order at the library and I am first in line.

15. Beyond Ivy Walls - Rachel Fordham: This whole summary just sounds Immediately Great and like the kind of historical (1903) romance I love; wish I had access to a physical copy but waiting on the audiobook instead, estimated time 3 weeks. Love 2 have everything come crashing in at once!

All of Monticello believes Otis Taylor has been away fostering his musical genius. But the truth is that his father exiled him long ago, rejecting Otis's appearance and the scars that came with it. . . . At twenty-three years old, Sadie West left her family farm and found employment at the Hoag feather duster factory. Desperate to save money and help her family make ends meet, she trespasses and finds shelter in an abandoned building--and is thrown in the path of the town's mysterious bachelor. Otis's wounds are deep, but as Sadie's friendship with him grows, she begins to fall for the man beneath the mask

COMING EVENTUALLY!

16. Graveyard Shift - M.L. Rio: the reviews are so middling and I am also sure it will be a 3-star at best, but damn it, I got excited about this one months ago and now I HAVE TO KNOW (this is why knowing about new releases sucks! don't do it!). Waiting on an ebook copy because the library doesn't have a physical one. It is an absurdly long wait for such a short book (14 weeks?! i am PRAYING for a physical copy to be ordered soon).

17. Games Untold - Jennifer Lynn Barnes: on the other hand I am first in line when this releases in a couple weeks. Beyond excited for a collection of short stories and novellas aka BONUS SCENES for The Inheritance Games. (sometimes knowing about new releases doesn't suck)

18. 26 Ways To Come Home For the Holidays - Jennifer Joy: a "Thanksgiving to Christmas" novella romance about a department store in the 1940s. I have been excitedly waiting for it to be seasonally appropriate (for maximal impact) since spring. I still gotta give it 3 or 4 weeks though.

19. What Does It Feel Like? - Sophie Kinsella: 12th in line for 8 copies, at the library that doesn't show due dates so I'm guessing this may not arrive until December, at which point I might roll it over to the new year. Still, if it comes sooner, interested in this novella mirroring her real-life health crisis.

#reading triage

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beatriceeagle · 5 years ago

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I'm more of a fantasy than sci-fi person, but consider my interest piqued. Why should I watch farscape?

Okay, the thing is, every Farscape fan’s pitch on Why You, Yes You, Should Watch Farscape ends up sounding very similar, and that’s because Farscape is a black hole that sucks you in and does things to your brain, and after you’ve watched it you are never, ever the same, which incidentally is basically the plot of Farscape.

I would summarize the basic plot for you, but that’s work, and luckily, the show’s credits sequence includes a handy summary that I will provide instead of doing that work: “My name is John Crichton, an astronaut. A radiation wave hit, and I got shot through a wormhole. Now I’m lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a living ship, full of strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please. Is there anybody out there who can hear me? I’m being hunted by an insane military commander. Doing everything I can. I’m just looking for a way home.“

So let me break down that monologue into its component reasons you should watch Farscape.

1) Some of the strange alien life forms are Muppets.

Farscape a co-production with the Jim Henson Company, and while there are many aliens played by humans in make-up, there are also a considerable number (including two of the regular crew) who are Muppets. By which I do not mean Kermit. I mean really gorgeous, elaborate works of art.

Also, even a lot of the humans-in-makeup aliens just look cool, and incredibly weird. Here’s an alien who appears in a single episode of season 1:

Not that there aren’t, you know, occasional Star Trek-style “these guys are just humans with weird hair,” or whatever, but in general, the aliens on Farscape look really alien. And that’s more than an aesthetic choice; it’s Farscape’s driving narrative principle. The aliens look alien, they act alien, they have alien values.

You know how a lot of sci-fi shows will have a stand-in for “fuck,” like Battlestar Galactica has “frak”? Well, Farscape has “frell.” And also “dren.” And yotz, hezmana, mivonks, loomas, tralk, snurch, eema, drannit, dench, biznak, arn, drad, fahrbot, narl. Some of those are swear words, but some of them are just words, never explicitly translated, that the alien characters will pepper into their speech, because, well, why should translator microbes be able to completely translate all the nuances of an alien culture? You’ll pick it up from context. One time, in passing, a character mentions that he’s familiar with the concept of suicide, but there’s no word for it in his language. I cannot emphasize to you enough how fleeting this moment is; the episode is not about suicide, we’re not having a great exchange of cultural ideas—at the time, the characters are running down a corridor in a crisis, as they are about 70 percent of the time—it’s just that the subject got brought up, and this character needed to talk around the fact that he literally didn’t have a word, in that moment. Things like that happen all the time, on Farscape.

Because more than anything else, Farscape is a show about culture shock. John Crichton is this straight, white Southern guy, at the top of his game—he’s an astronaut! he’s incredibly high status!—and then he ends up on the other side of the galaxy, where none of his cultural markers of privilege hold any meaning, where he doesn’t know the rules, where he literally can’t even open the doors. And he has to unlearn the idea that humanity is central, that he is the norm.

2) John Crichton, an astronaut, is pretty great.

A show that’s about a straight white guy with high status having to learn that he’s not the center of the universe could easily be centered around a really insufferable person, but one of the subtle things that makes Farscape so wonderful is that Crichton is, for the most part, pretty excellent. He has a lot of presumptions to unlearn because almost anyone in his cultural position would, but he’s also just a stand-up guy: compassionate, intelligent, open-minded, decent, forgiving, brave, hopeful.

And the galaxy tries to kick a whole lot of that out of him. It doesn’t succeed, mostly, but if Farscape is about anything other than culture shock, it’s about the lasting effects of trauma. How you can go through a wormhole one person, and experience things that turn you into someone you don’t recognize.

That’s kind of grim-sounding, but ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that Farscape is almost fanatically devoted to character work. Crichton is not the only character who sounds like he should be one thing and ends up being another. All of the characters—all of them, all of them, even the annoying ones—are complicated wonders. And you don’t have to wonder whether the events of the episode you’re watching are going to matter. They will. Everything that happens to the characters leaves a mark. Everything leaves them forever changed. Whether it’s mentioned explicitly or not—and often enough, it’s not explicit—the characters remember what has happened to them.

3) The living ship houses a lot of excellent women, among them the ship itself.

Ah, the women of Farscape, thou art the loves of my fucking life.

There’s Aeryn Sun, former Peacekeeper (that’s the military that the “insane military commander” hails from) now fugitive, currently learning the meaning of the word “compassion” (literally). She will break your fingers and also your heart. John/Aeryn is the main canon romantic ship.

There’s Pa’u Zhoto Zhaan, a priestess of the ninth level, current pacifist, former anarchist. Sorry, leading anarchist. She orgasms in bright light! (Oh my god, Farscape.)

There’s Chiana, my fucking bestie, a teenage(ish? ages in Farscape are weird) fugitive on the run from a repressive authoritarian state. Chiana is like a seductress con artist grifter thief who mostly just wants to survive so that she can have fun, damn it. Characters on Farscape do not really discuss sexualities (sex, yes, sexualities, no) and it would be fair to say that several of them do not fall along human sexuality lines generally, but I’m gonna go ahead and say that Chiana is canonically not straight.

Then there’s Moya, the ship herself, and it’s hard to get a straight read on Moya’s personality, since she mostly can’t speak. But she definitely has opinions, and things and people she cares about. And she moves the plot, though that gets into spoiler territory.

Past first season, further excellent women show up: Jool (controversial, but I like her), Sikozu (I once saw a Tumblr meme where someone had marked down that Sikozu would lose her shit when someone pronounced “gif” wrong, and that’s absolutely correct, and it’s why I love her), and Noranti (who is incredibly weird, and incredibly hard to summarize, but man, you gotta love her willingness to just show up and do her thing). Plus, there’s a recurring female villain, Grayza, who I could write probably multiple essays about. (I don’t know how you will feel about Grayza, as not everyone loves her, but I think she’s fucking fascinating, especially because she’s not actually the only recurring female villain. We also get Ahkna!)

(Side note: I should mention, here, that the cast of Farscape is really, really white. There is one cast member of color, Lani Tupu, but he pretty much represents the entirety of even, like, incidental diversity in casting for the series.)

Anyway, Farscape is full of awesome women, and also awesome and unexpected men, and it really enjoys playing with audience expectations of gender roles, generally. Literal entire books have been written about the way that Farscape fucks around with sex, sexuality, and gender. It’s a little weird because it was the late 90s/early 2000s, and sometimes that does come through, but Farscape’s guiding principle was always to try not to present American culture of the time as the norm, so like. It is not.

(An aside on Farscape and sex: Literally every character on Farscape has sexual tension with every other character. If you are a shipper, this is a Good Show, because no matter who you ship, there will not only be subtext, you will get a Moment of some kind. Multiple characters kiss the Muppet. Farscape is dedicated to getting into the nitty-gritty of the galaxy—I like to think of it as showing the guts of the universe—so a lot of the show is kind of squishy. They live on a biomechanoid ship, instead of androids there are “bioloids,” there’s a lot of focus on strange alien biologies, and lots of weird glowing fluids and things. I think the sex thing is kind of part and parcel of the larger biology focus: Farscape is really fascinated with how we all eat and evolve and live and die and, well, fuck. Which is in turn, kind of part of its focus on making everything really alien.)

4) Other stuff you should know.

Farscape as a whole is excellent, but it was kind of the product of creative anarchy—an Australian/American coproduction (oh yeah, everyone except Crichton speaks with an Australian accent) that was also partnered with the Henson company, whose showrunners were based in America but whose actual production all took place in Australia, and who was just constantly trying new things. So individual episodes can vary wildly in quality. It really takes off in the back half of season one, but no season is without a few off episodes.

It is extraordinarily funny, and I really think I haven’t stressed that enough. It’s one of the shows I want to quote the most in my daily life, but almost all of its humor is really context-dependent, and if you just wander around going, “Hey Stark? What’s black and white, and black and white, and black and white?” people look at you really funny.

It’s very conversant with pop culture generally (although obviously sci-fi specifically, and Star Trek most specifically of all) and really enjoys deconstructing tropes, often to the effect of, “Well, Crichton really does not know what to do here, does he?” but sometimes just to be interesting.

There are also a lot of themes about science, and its uses and misuses.

The whole thing is fucking epic, and if you get invested at all, will take you on an emotional ride.

This show is weird. I know that that’s probably come across by now, but I think it’s worth reiterating as its own point: Farscape is so weird. Like, proudly, unabashedly, trying its hardest, weird. An amazing kind of weird.

If you’re into fantasy, you should know that there’s a recurring villain who’s just a wizard. Like, they don’t bother to explain it any more than that, he’s just a fucking wizard.

In summary: You should watch Farscape because it is a weird, wild, emotional, epic romance/drama/action/allegory full of Muppets and leather and one-liners and emotional gut punches and love, and if you let it, it will worm its way into you and never let go, which, now that I think of it, is another Farscape plot.

Send me meta prompts to distract me from my migraine!

#farscape #meta

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glassrain83 · 1 year ago

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2023

I am GlassRain on AO3, and thank you for writing for my tiny fandom(s)!

I love all these characters and any fic about them will make me happy. If you already have an idea feel free to run with it. If you want extra prompts or ideas, that’s what this is for.

Fandoms:

Leif & Thorn (Webcomic)

Characters: Leif, Thorn

The prompts are Leif/Thorn-centric but I will take fic about other characters too. Other ships on the side are fine, canon or non-canon, as long as you don’t break up the main couple.

Prompts:

Holiday fic where Leif and Thorn share their traditions with each other. Warmth and fluffiness a plus.

Crossover prompt: the Leif & Thorn universe has a Fantasy Eurovision Song Contest..what does Fire Saga’s act look like in a world with widespread/commonplace magic?

Doctrine of Labyrinths - Sarah Monette

Characters: Felix, Mildmay

Prompts:

If you are up for writing crossovers: it’s a crime that there are no Labyrinth crossovers yet. How would Felix and Mildmay face off against the Goblin King?

The Good Place (TV)

Characters: Tahani Al-Jamil

The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is introduced by Michael to “The Good Place��, a highly selective Heaven-like utopia he designed, as a reward for her righteous life. She realizes that she was sent there by mistake and must hide her morally imperfect behavior and try to become a better, more ethical person.

Complete TV fantasy sitcom. Hard to summarize, because it dumps the whole premise on its head and starts doing something new about twice a season. I don’t ship Tahani with any of the male characters (or Janet), but would love either gen or f/f.

Prompts:

AU where Tahani was the one who was “mixed up” with a different “Tahani Al-Jamil”. Where is she placed instead of a creepy clown house? How does she cope? How does Vicky (or whoever) craft the role of her most torturously-unsuitable soulmate?

Kidfic about the terrible family dynamics in Tahani’s childhood. Especially things that her POV frames as happy, or fine, or at least justified…but the reader can tell how much it’s not.

Friendship fic with Eleanor and Tahani during their time on Earth. They couldn’t possibly know each other for a whole year without bonding.

#yuletide #yuletide letter #doctrine of labyrinths #the good place #Leif & Thorn #webcomics

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geshertzarmeod · 4 years ago

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Favorite Books of 2020

I wanted to put together a list! I read 74 new books this year, and I keep track of that on Goodreads - feel free to add or follow me if you want to see everything! I’m going to focus on the highlights, and the books that stuck with me personally in one way or another, in approximate order. Also, all but two of them (#5 and #7 on the honorable mention list) are queer/trans in some way. Links are to Goodreads, but if you’re looking to get the books, I suggest your library, the Libby app using your library, your local bookstore, or Bookshop.

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell, illus. by Ned Asta (originally published 1977). I had a hard beginning of the year and was in a work environment where my queerness was just not welcomed or wanted. I read this in the middle of all of that, and it helped me so much. I took this book with me everywhere. I read it on planes. I read it on the bus, and on trains, and at shul. I showed it to friends... sometimes at shul, or professional development conferences. It healed my soul. Now I can’t find it and might get a new copy. When I reviewed it, in February, I wrote: “I think we all need this book right now, but I really needed this book right now. Wow. This book is magic, and brings back a sense of magic and beauty to my relationship with the world.” Also I bought my copy last July, in a gay bookstore on Castro St. in SF, and that in itself is just beautiful to me. (Here’s a post I made with some excerpts)

Once & Future duology, especially the sequel, Sword in the Stars, by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy. Cis pansexual female King Arthur Ari Helix (she's the 42nd reincarnation and the first female one) in futuristic space with Arab ancestry (but like, from a planet where people from that area of earth migrated to because, futuristic space) works to end Future Evil Amazon.com Space Empire with her found family with a token straight cis man and token white person. Merlin is backwards-aging so he's a gay teenager with a crush and thousands of years of baggage. The book’s entire basis is found family, and it's got King Arthur in space. And the sequel hijacks the original myth and says “fuck you pop culture, it was whitewashed and straightwashed, there were queer and trans people of color and strong women there the whole time.” Which is like, my favorite thing to find in media, and a big part of why I love Xena so much. It’s like revisionist history to make it better except it’s actually probably true in ways. Anyway please read these books but also be prepared for an absolutely absurd and wild ride. Full disclosure though, I didn’t love the first book so much, it’s worth it for the sequel!

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum. This book hurt. It still hurts. But it was so good. It took me on a whole journey, and brought me to my destination just like it intended the whole time. The author’s note at the end made me cry! The sheer NEED from this book, the way the main relationship develops and shifts, and how you PERCEIVE the main relationship develops and shifts. I’m in awe of Ancrum’s writing. If you like your ships feral and needy and desperate and wanting and D/S vibes and lowkey super unhealthy but with the potential, with work, to become healthy and beautiful and right, read this book. This might be another one to check trigger warnings for though.

The Entirety of The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty. I hadn’t heard of this series until this year, when a good friend recommended it to me. It filled the black hole in me left by Harry Potter. The political and mystical/fantasy world building is just *chef’s kiss* - the complexity! The morally grey, everyone’s-done-awful-things-but-some-people-are-still-trying-to-do-good tapestry! The ROMANCE oh my GOD the romance. If I’m absolutely fully invested in a heterosexual romance you know a book is good, but also this book had background (and then later less background) queer characters! And the DRAMA!!! The third book went in a direction that felt a little out of nowhere but honestly I loved the ride. I stayed up until 6am multiple times reading this series and I’d do it again.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon. I loved this book so much that it’s the only book I reviewed on my basically abandoned attempt at a book blog. This book is haunting, horrifying, disturbing, dark, but so, so good. The character's voices were so specific and clear, the relationships so clearly affected by circumstance and yet loving in the ways they could be. This is my favorite portrayal of gender maybe ever, it’s just... I don’t even have the words but I saw a post @audible-smiles made about it that’s been rattling in my head since. And, “you gender-malcontent. You otherling,” as tender pillow talk??? Be still my heart. Be ready, though, this book has all the triggers.. it’s a .

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. This book called me out on my perspective on love. Also, it made me cry a lot. And it has two different interesting well-written romance storylines. And a realistic coming-into-identity narrative about a Black trans demiboy. And a nuanced discussion of college plans and what one might do after college. And some big beautiful romcom moments. I wish I had it in high school. I’m so glad I have it now! (trigger warning for transphobia & outing, but the people responsible are held accountable by the end, always treated as not okay by the narrative, and the MC’s friends, and like... this is ownvoices and it’s GOOD.)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. My Goodreads review says, “I have no idea what happened, and I loved it.” That’s not wrong, but to delve deeper, this book has an ethereal feeling that you get wrapped up in while reading. Nothing makes sense but that’s just as it should be. You’re hooked. It is so atmospheric, so meta, so fascinating. I’ve seen so many people say they interpreted this character or that part or the ending in all different ways and it all makes sense. And it’s all of this with a gay main character and romance and the central theme, the central pillar being a love of and devotion to stories. Of course I was going to love it.

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom. “Because maybe what really matters isn’t whether something is true, or false. Maybe what matters is the story itself; what kinds of doors it opens, what kinds of dreams it brings.” This book was so good and paradigm shifting. It reminded me of #1 on this list in the way it turns real life experience and hard, tragic ones at that (in this case, of being a trans girl of color who leaves home and tries to make a life for herself in the city, with its violence), into a beautiful, haunting fable. Once upon a time.

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. I need to reread this book, as I read it during my most tranceful time of 2020 and didn’t write a review, so I forgot a lot. What I do remember is beautiful and important nonbinary representation, a really cute romance, an interesting parental and familial/sibling dynamic that was both heartbreaking and hopeful, and an on-page therapy storyline. Also Mason Deaver just left twitter but was an absolutely hilarious troll on it before leaving and I appreciate that (and they just published a Christmas novella that I have but haven’t read yet!)

The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos. It took a long time to trust this book but I’m so glad I did. It’s raw and real and full of grief and trauma (trigger warnings, that I remember, for grief, death (before beginning of book), and gun violence). The protagonist is flawed and gets to grow over the course of the book, and find her own place, and learn from the people around her, while they also learn to understand her and where she’s coming from. It’s got a gritty, harsh, and important portrayal of found family, messy queerness, and some breathtaking quotes. When I was 82% through this book I posted this update: “This book has addressed almost all of my initial hesitations, and managed to complicate itself beautifully.”

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro. I wasn’t actually in the best mental health place to read this book when I did (didn’t quite understand what it was) but it definitely reminded me of what there is to fight against and to fight for, and broke my heart, and nudged me a bit closer to hope. The naturally diverse cast of characters was one of the best parts of this book. The romance is so sweet and tender and then so painful. This book is important and well-written but read it with caution and trigger warnings - it’s about grief and trauma and racism and police brutality, but also about love and community.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden. This is a sci-fi/fantasy/specfic mashup that takes place in near-future South Africa and has world-building myths with gods and demigoddesses and a trip to the world of the dead but also a genetically altered hallucinogenic drug that turns people into giant animals and a robot uprising and a political campaign and a transgender pop star and a m/m couple and all of them are connected. It’s bonkers. Like, so, so absolutely mind-breaking weird. And I loved it.

Crier’s War and Iron Heart by Nina Varela. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVED the amount of folktales they told each other with queer romances as integral to those stories, especially in Iron Heart. A conversation between the two leads where Crier says she wants to read Ayla like a book, and Ayla says she’s not a book, and Crier explains all the different ways she wants to know Ayla, like a person, and wants to deserve to know her like a person, made me weak. It lives in my head rent-free.

Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston @ekjohnston . I listened to this book on Libby and then immediately listened to it at least one more time, maybe twice, before my borrow time ran out. I love Padmé, and just always wish that female Star Wars characters got more focus and attention and this book gave me that!! And queer handmaidens! And the implication that Sabé is in love with Padmé and that’s just something that will always be true and she will always be devoted and also will make her own life anyway. And the Star Wars audiobooks being recorded the way they are with background sounds and music means it feels like watching a really long detailed beautiful Star Wars movie just about Padmé and her handmaidens.

Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia. I needed to read this. The way Tobia talks about their experience of gender within the contexts of college, college leadership, and career, hit home. I kept trying to highlight several pages in a row on my kindle so I could go back and read them after it got returned to the library (sadly it didn’t work - it cuts off highlights after a certain number of characters). The way they talk about TOKENISM they way they talk about the responsibilities of the interviewer when an interviewee holds marginalized identities especially when no one else in the room does!!! Ahhhh!!!

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie. Disclaimer for this one that the author was rightfully criticized for writing a Black main character as a white author (and how the story ended up playing into some fucked up stuff that I can’t really unpack without spoiling). But also, the author has been working to move forward knowing she can’t change the past, has donated her proceeds, and this book is really good? It has all the fanfic tropes, so much delicious tension, a totally unexpected plot twist that had me immediately rereading the book. This book was super fun and also kind of just really really good Star Wars fanfiction.

How To Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune. This book was so sweet, and cute, and hopeful, and both ridiculous and so real. I had some trouble getting used to Gus’ voice and internal monologue, but I got into it and then loved every bit after. The ace rep is something I’ve never seen like this before (and have barely read any ace books but still this was so fleshed out and well rounded and not just like, ‘they’re obsessed with swords not sex’ - looking at you, Once & Future - and leaving it there.) This all felt like a slice of life and I feel like I learned about people while reading it. Some of the moments are so, so funny, some are vaguely devastating. I have been personally victimized by TJ Klune for how he ends this book (a joke, you will know once you read it) but it also reminds me of the end of the “You Are There” episode of Xena and we all know what the answer to that question was.... and I choose to believe the answer here was similar.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. I wish I had this book when I was in high school. I honestly have complicated feelings about prom and haven’t really been seeking out contemporary YA so I was hesitant to read this but it was so good and so well-written, and had a lot of depth to it. The movie (and Broadway show) “The Prom” wants what this book has.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. I never read horror books, so this was a new thing for me. I loved the feeling of this book, the way I felt fully immersed. I loved how entirely queer it was. I was interested in the characters and the relationships, even though we didn’t have a full chance to go super deep into any one person but rather saw the connections between everyone and the way the stories matched up with each other. I just wanted a bit of a more satisfying ending.

Honorable Mention: reread in 2020 but read for the first time pre-2020

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I couldn’t make this post without mentioning this book. It got me through this year. I love this book so much; I think of this book all the time. This book made me want to find love for myself. You’ve all heard about it enough but if you haven’t read this book what are you DOING.

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan @sarahreesbrennan . I reread this one over and over too, both as text and as an audiobook. I went for walks when I had lost my earbuds and had Elliott screaming about an elf brothel loudly playing and got weird looks from someone walking their dog. I love this book so much. It’s just so fun, and so healing to read a book reminiscent of all the fantasies I read as a kid, but with a bi main character and a deconstruction of patriarchy and making fun of the genre a bit. Also, idiots to lovers is a great trope and it’s definitely in this book.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book is forever so important to me. I am always drawn in by how tenderly Sáenz portrays his characters. These boys. These boys and their parents. I love them. I love them so much. This is another one where I don’t even know what to say. I have more than 30 pages in my tag for this book. I have “arda” set as a keyboard shortcut on my phone and laptop to turn into the full title. This book saved my life.

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. This book hurts to read - it’s a story about trauma, about working through that trauma, healing enough to be ready to hold the worst memories, healing enough to move through the pain and start to make a life. It’s about found family and love and pain and I love it. It’s cathartic. And it’s a little bit quietly queer in a beautiful way, but that’s not the focus. Look up trigger warnings (they kind of are spoilery so I won’t say them here but if you have the potential to be triggered please look them up or ask me before reading)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. When asked what my all time favorite book is, it’s usually this one. Gail Carson Levine has been doing live readings at 11am since the beginning of the pandemic shut down in the US, and the first book she read was Ella Enchanted. I’ve been slowly reading it to @mssarahpearl and am just so glad still that it has the ability to draw me in and calm me down and feels like home after all this time. This book is about agency. I love it.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman @chronicintrovert . I’ve had this on my all-time-faves list since I read it a few years ago and ended up rereading it this year before sending a gift copy to a friend, so I could write little notes in it. It felt a little different reading it this time - as I get further away from being a teenager myself, the character voice this book is written in takes a little longer to get used to, but it’s so authentic and earnest and I love it. I absolutely adore this book about platonic love and found family and fandom and mental illness and abuse and ace identity and queerness and self-determination, especially around college and career choices. Ahhh. Thank you Alice Oseman!!!

Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray @claudiagray . I have this one on audible and reread it several times this year. I love the fleshing out of Leia’s story before the original trilogy, I love her having had a relationship before Han, and the way it would have affected her perspective. I also am intrigued by the way it analyses the choices the early rebellion had to make... I just, I love all the female focused new Star Wars content and the complexity being brought to the rebellion.

#red white and royal blue #aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe #osemanverse #star wars #queer books #lgbtq books #books #alice oseman #miri personal #wow this took so long but was so worth it!#long post #book recs #PS: if you've read any of these or have questions about any of these books #this is your formal invitation to talk to me about them!!!! even if i don't know you at all!#even if i don't follow you and even if you don't follow me!#my ask box is open anon is on!#original content

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