#anyway ill go reread some chapters now

[misciouscave]

Water witch 🌊🪄

[clumsyclifford]

x

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

Ok two things, because I’ve decided that since I’m starting to actually use tumblr and not just be lurking and that means that per the contract, I must address some things that I was really tempted to before. I apologize that it’s all gonna be on posts you made a While ago.

One, that post you made about the Batfam from the original timeline finding out Tim was dead. That killed me. Like I have been thinking about that for months. I still have a screenshot in my camera roll of the last line.

Two, the poll you made? of flipping heads or tales? Devastating. On one hand I live for the angst, but on the other I am so glad that we didn’t have Jason yelling at Tim for the pie. I would have simply been destroyed. I don’t know if I would have recovered. Ever since learning that was even an option I’ve been distraught.

Anyway just wanted to tell you how much I love the fic. It makes me what to bite them, but I’m scared I’ll give them rabies. I have fully reread it about 4 times now not including the passive reads. I feel like the words are ingrained into my soul. At some point I saw one of your post talking about how you have laid hints in the story I have been trying to actually absorb the words into my skin and blood stream. So who knows. Maybe at some point I’ll have a theory on what’s going on. But I am not very smart so i won’t hold my breath about it.

<3333333

Congratulations on using tumblr more!! Join the collective :D And no worries!! if anything I ADORE talking about older posts, the new takes, recontectualized shit etc.

The Jason with a shovel thing is actually something I nabbed from a friend @ihavenotsleptindays based on their fic i've been viciously obsessing over here because my god the implications were too fucking good and so so on brand I couldn't resist the brainrot.

I tend to do polls when im like "Yeah I think I know what I want but im not sure" because then watching the direction swing one way or another, I truly learn if I really WAS indecisive or if I was like "NO I WANT THIS ONE" and for heads and tails?? While Jason deserves a good yell- i'm happy how it turned out.

Again thank you so so much <33 And oh yeah, there are LOTS of things scattered throughout each of the chapters. One way ill contextualize it is theres an entire closet of Chekovs guns, some that have already been fired and just the powder and casing remain, others who i've yet to even load.

If you do have a theory id LOVE to hear it!! Feel free to ask/comment/dm but of course depending on the medium will vary how much I may or may not confirm/allude :)

[aachria]

omg new chapter jst dropped im still reading i jst finishdd read coins letter and man i already love him sm

Like (spoiler alert ig if anyone's on tumblr before reaching the chapter???))

Hes so so so so funny and and :(( hes so dad figure coded

"Not even the great pirate era smh 😕" so real for that boo

ALSO ALSO ED AND COIN SPENDING THE TIMESKIP TOGETHER IS ALSO SOMETHING I PREDICTED Ed is gonna be such a badass. Also the line that goes "wherever you are, ill find you" makes me feel like you might legit make ed have both the coin training arc and be on the execution stand and i have never been more excited for something because i feel like if you do that we might get a luffy pov 🤭🤭🤭

Him going around calling ed his kid made me so happy. Guess ed wont have to worry abt getting too close to whitebeard now that they have their own found family dad "You’re probably something to brag about so I wanted a head start." Ed deserves to be bragged about 🗣‼️‼️‼️

him immediately saying that if rayleigh says his name is a dick joke hes lying is so sibling coded (and rlly zoro and ed coded i feel)

"And no matter what — what you’re fighting for right now, what your morals are, how shit you think your personality is, any of that bullshit — you couldn’t possibly disappoint me. " i cried, i sobbed, i shoved my head in my pillow and screamed.

And and "Just remember you’re everything, everything is going to be fine, and I’m gonna help you anyway I’m capable." :((( hes so cool i love him fr

"PLEASE do not prove me wrong on that one oml. I mean make your own choices slay queen pussy boss" hes the best. Friendship ended with Ed, Coin is my favorite self insert oc now.

"Pick you up later kiddo" FATHER??? bro is not only ed's dad hes my dad too now. Jst. *takes him and runs away*

I read the letter so many times i should probably get to the rest of the chapter this is gonna get long im srry in advance for yapping sm 😔

Glad we might have a reasonable explanation for teach knowing ed because that shit was worrying

The more i learn abt coin the more i want him as my father :/

The crew thinking ed might leave them makes me even more worried abt the timeskip. Eds so relatable hitting a lil too close to home w the attachment issues codependency line

ik i probs said this before but goddamn do i love the way you portray the strawhats and their dynamics

They're finally talking abt the convo ed and luffy had and the new world and im honestly hopeful abt this, without ace at the execution stand and, again im jst assuming atp, ed taking his place marineford might go way differently. Honestly them still being able to somewhat joke around makes me feel better. At least when they get separated it'll play into what they wanted to happen and what they were planning to do

OMG OMG OMG SABO SABOOOOO MY BABY OMG WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREAMED WHEN I READ THAT HOLY SHIT

Thank you once again for blessing us with this amazing chapter, i will be off to reread it a dozen times now.

Coin is my specialist of guys and so sweet and lovely I just ADORE that parental figure-shaped man.

The way writing a Luffy POV would kill me. My man has no internal dialogue what the hell would I write for his silly goofy ass???? (I say this but I absolutely will write Luffy POV at some point, oneshot or not.)

I wonder if Coin works like an anti-Whitebeard shield. Like does his cool dad/uncle energy cancel out the daddy issues aura????

Tfw your kid is SO MUCH to brag about you gotta start before they even exist just to even hope of reaching an adequate amount of bragging. My man has that unconditional love in him where the dog should be.

The fear of abandonment came free with your SSSBMTY subscription.

[pixelrots]

hiiii do u know any good sou and Hiyori fics? Any good authors too, like traptrix?

OH BOY DO I!!! i thought you would never ask 😁!! im going to rant a bit now i hope you don't mind. i consider myself a soushin ao3 connoisseur if you will, there's a lot but i find the gold underneath the. non con i guess. i dedicate my ao3 account to recing and bookmarking (primarily soushin) fanfiction so if you wanna look through my public soushin bookmarks you can see them here. but ill talk about some great authors now

YES traptrixnepenthes is one of my very favorite authors for the pair they are very awesome outstanding characterization i loove rereading their soushin fics. i think all of their soushin fics are top tier read all of them they are the cream of the crop i am telling you. ok anyway

Novaz writes some very nice fics, this one being my favorites of theirs. their Cinderella Kiss fic was the introduction of soushin for me so that's epic but i was actually still playing the game when i read it, i wasn't even on chapter 3 so i was real confused but still very cool

Vixpine is another really great author i used to be a big fan and now we are mutuals :D isn't that so cool i think that's cool!! vixpine is so awesome, this is my favorite fic by them but big angst warning like its crazy. fun fact this is actually the author that really got me into soushin so thank you vix o7

Mido_X is a real one, he writes a lot of soushin based on psych headcanons and give lots of ASPD midori fics which i always love its very real to me, i really love how they portray their relationship. also one of my mutuals!! and they participated in my soushin week!!!!! so he is very very awesome and cool. here is my favorite fic of his, 2/3 chapters are finished but i think its fun speculating what could happen next!

masadora only has 2 soushin fics but they are super good alright trust this one is my favorite of the two, its a nice long 26k word work and a little horror and unreliable narrator is so fun

OK my soushin fanfiction rant is over thank you for giving me an excuse to yap. soushin forever. peace out

[regression-1863]

Okay inspired by this post: https://www.tumblr.com/hozier-toosweet/747667109810765824/turns-on-computer-ill-be-back-in-approximately?source=share

Anyways here's the first chapter of what I'm calling "LOREYMCLORE FIC" because I added so much unnecessary lore that doesn't exist in cannon.

Small summary: radioapple, alastor pretends to be buddy buddy with Lucifer to annoy Lilith and chaos ensues. Will likely end up as multiple chapters long because I'm a lil silly like that <3 also Lilith isn't a villain and she has more reason for being gone for 7 years than "cuz she can" because I felt like it <333 okay bye

Next->

Alastor remembers his first day in hell like an old friend. 

Most demons, as alastor came to learn, often woke up in the middle of the streets of hell their first day, some lucky enough to be in an area far away from chaos. They’d wake up, confused, and berated by other demons, demons who want one thing; 

Their soul. 

Most give in, as they’re promised protection in this strange new world. 

That's a typical day though. Alastor didn't get a ‘typical first day of hell’, for he didn't wake up in hell. Not at first. 

He remembers it like it was yesterday, the mist on his skin, his vision clouded by the fog, how cold it was…a strange, red glowing outline of something tall in the distance. 

He walked towards it, wondering if he was having a nightmare, or a dream. 

It was neither. 

Something fast and thin ran across the ground, glowing green, before latching onto him, his breathing being stifled, pressure against his neck, closing his eyes, trying to fight whatever it was off, trying to escape— 

A beat. A blink, a moment so small he missed it. It was hotter, there was chaos rather than the eerie silence from before, people were yelling. 

Now he was in hell. Beautiful, beautiful hell…

 -----

Alastor felt like he was going to, and excuse his manners,  lose his fucking mind. 

He was supposed to be celebrating with the others, who were in the hotel. It had been a few weeks since extermination day, and the darling princess decided to host a lovely banquet, hoping to get people to at least visit the hotel. 

And here he was, hiding away in his radio tower. He didn't even bother to reread the letter, he knew the contents of it, so why care? He burned it, the fire glowing that familiar green, leaving nothing save for a few ashes. 

He faded into the shadows, reappearing behind Rosie's emporium, seeing as she was the only one even vaguely aware of his… situation. She, nor would her residents, say a word if they saw anything. 

Still, he felt himself growing annoyed, his skin prickling, like something deep inside him was trying to escape. That wasn't far off, as ‘his’ shadow was pulling him, trying to get him to move. Eventually it literally pulled him two feet away from where it was. 

“Oh would you behave—” the shadow pulled on him again, and pointed up. Finally, he saw what it saw. Something, falling down, down down. “Ah. would have figured they’d give her the decency to use a portal at least.” he murmured.

Before she managed to crash land into hell at nearly a million miles per hour, he used his shadows to reach up nearly forty feet in the air to swiftly grab her. 

He’d have to find a way to explain that to the sinners later…. 

Of course, she didn't stop mid air, still falling, but he was able to slow it considerably before dropping her down on the ground. 

“So, Adam didn't work out that well for you did he?” Alastor brushed the dust off of his arm, not offering to help her up. 

“Says the one who got a nasty scratch from the man himself," Lilith snapped, pulling her hood over her face, trying to stay unnoticed by any sinners. “Take me to the hotel.” she whisper-yelled, her stance wobbly. 

“‘fraid you came at a bad time dear. They’re holding a banquet right now,” his smile grew more cruel.

“Though I'm sure you could make a deal with another angel for a comfy place in paradise, couldn't you?” 

“And you’re still biting off more than you can chew aren't you?” 

“Touche.” Alastor’s voice held a venom that he tried to hide. “Very well, I'll bring you to the hotel.” 

 ----

“Ookaayy,” lucifer started, “sooo…. Tell me what was so important that you proceeded to throw everyone from my daughters' banquet out. Literally.” he laughed nervously. 

Alastor had cornered Lucifer and Charlie on the fourth floor of the hotel, where only Alastor and Lucifer resided. Lucifer then continued; “Because if it's some bull I swear to god—” “leave him out of this,” “I swear to your mother that I will beat you to a pulp.” 

Alastor huffed in fake hurt, “why, your majesty, I’m offended you would think such things of me! I am nothing but an angel.” 

“The day you get redeemed is the day heaven crashlands into hell.” 

“You’d know all about that, wouldn't you?” 

Charlie, who had been cautiously watching the two of them to this point, cleared her throat. “Uh… so, alastor… what was so important that it had to put a stop to… uh… everything?” 

Alastor clasped his hands together, his smile tightening. “So glad you asked dear Charlotte!” he started, “well, you see i was going on a walk to get away from the stench of alcohol and bad decor,” lucifer then interupted, “oh fuck you,”  “in your dreams, now let me finish.— I was on my stroll when I stumbled upon this pesky little thing that I believe belongs to you?” 

Alastor opened the door to Lucifer's room— because god forbid he let anything track mud into his own— and watched the two's reactions. 

Charlie's face was completely unreadable for a solid few seconds, before breaking down completely, tears falling and snot starting to drip as she hurled herself at her mother, easily slipping into a hug. 

Lucifer, however, stayed behind for a moment, hesitating. His own eyes were welling up with tears, and it was obvious he was restraining himself with every last bit of control he had. 

Lilith looked over at him, still practically cradling Charlie in her arms. A small hint of guilt found its way onto her face. 

“You still wear your ring?” she asked. They had divorced long ago, and yet this pulled at her heartstrings. She had missed him admittedly, even if she no longer loved him. 

Those five little words from her had been enough to get Lucifer to also start sobbing, hugging her as tight as he could. 

‘Like father like daughter. How sickeningly sweet.’ Alastor watched, unable to stop how irritated he was at the sight. ‘She's going to cause problems…’ 

He started to silently slip away into the shadows, away from them, ignoring the frantic footsteps of Vaggie running up the stairs at the sound of Charlie crying her eyes out. 

[wrongcaitlyn]

Just read chapter 17! It was sooo worth the wait!

It totally flew over my head that nico and will got a apartment (had to go back and reread, lol) but I feel like someone needs make a pintrest board on what there house looks like, what do you imagine?

As soon as I read that will was going to a party I KNEW he was going to trigger nico with alcohol. It was really sweet though how he just kept confessing his love to nico, I couldn't keep giggling at that part

Oh poor will, the dating accusations with ncio are only going to get worse lol. In all honesty I guess he's not going to care that much about people knowing he's bi, but I don't think nico will like the speculation

Nico making the luckey one the seventh track omg we love the cabin 7 refrence!

I am so ready for this new album (my spotify playlists consist of nicos music from this au, not even egsagurating) I'm so happy with the addition of all falls down (I hc that the saxophone was Austin's playing!)

Also will Hazel and or Frank ever make a appearance in this au? If not why? (Genuinely curious)

This was a great chapter! I hope you have so much fun at the eras tour, and I hope you get a good suprose song!

so sorry it took so long for me to respond to this!!! at first i wanted to wait till i was able to make a pinterest board, but then i couldn't really find exactly what i wanted (but still made a board - here's the link!) so i decided i'd just describe it:

it’s a penthouse, and right now it’s veryyyy empty. they moved into it just before will’s next semester started so not much time to decorate!! they kept all like the basic furniture, so i do think they have a sort of living room connected to the kitchen - hold up, now i’m realizing i sorta based that layout off my uncles house. don’t know why i did that but!! we’re going with it. so they have two couches in the “living room” and a tv, leading to a kitchen with the generic appliances + a kitchen island - then i think that there’s a hallway with doors to one of the bathrooms, the guest room, and the studio, and then the master bedroom is also like. right across from the kitchen. if im even making any sense. i actually don’t know what a penthouse looks like so im just going off of pinterest vibes💯💯 anyway i think that eventually, they’ll also def have a lot of (fake) plants (bc lord knows they don’t actually have time to water and take care of plants), and LOTSS OF BLANKETS. i think that like almost every time they go to a target or smth to get smth they actually need, they walk out of the store with at least one blanket. they’re all over the couches, the beds, the chairs, idk why but i just want their apartment to be very very cozy :) aside from that, will 100% has his record collection moved to their room, with a few hanging from the living room- there’s definitely shelves of a bunch of awards or posters and things like that - A PHOTO WALL TOO!! definitely a photo wall. i also think that both nico and will are very messy, at least when they’re busy with something (and they always are) so every countertop and table and desk is filledddd with clutter. like so much. papers and textbooks and headphones and laptops they’re everywhere.

i realize it’s actually really hard to explain my vision for their apartment, which is funny bc i have a very specific layout in my head - and also one for nico’s apartment in so american btw!! so maybe sometime ill figure out how to draw a floor plan just so i can show yall what im thinking, but in the end, that’s the general vibe of it!!

now on to the rest of the ask‼️

will is ADORABLE he’s just such a simp and i love him for that. drunk words r truly sober thoughts in his case

youre 100% right with will not really caring abt people knowing!! i know some people assumed that will was the one being outed, and this was going to lead to some sort of angsty plot line, but seriously- will doesn’t care for that stuff. in his eyes, he’s already out, because he’s come out to all of his friends and the people he knows. the people on twitter are trying to search for something that just isn’t really that important

YES YES YES FOR THE ALL FALLS DOWN HC!!! i forgot to mention the songs and the artists in the end notes but seriously, all falls down by lizzy mcalpine is SOOOO fucking nico. i almost considered it being apollo (which i think it could also be) except the production style just wasn’t rlly very him if u get what i mean?? he’s much more like mainstream pop, and nico is too but he’s less worried abt sticking to a genre and i think it matches him perfectly

hazel and frank WILL be making their appearances soon!! i’ve had their backstories planned for sooo long and i can’t WAIT to finally include them. it’s been a long time coming but i swear it’ll be worth the wait!!

thank you SOO MUCH and i’m sorry again for taking so long to respond to this!! i had an incredible time at the eras tour and got some AMAZING surprise songs so thank you for that!!

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Forty-Five: Blanky

The end is nigh for poor Blanky and I for one am heartbroken!

He's on his third leg now. The first was finely crafted but snapped off around the time that Pilkington and Le Vesconte (Blanky calls him Harry) died. That day he rode in a boat with Mr Honey the carpenter who fashioned him a new one, rather impressively, while on the move.

When he's up and hobbling along once more he does all he can to show solidarity with the men. They're doing things just as Blanky describes to Fitzjames in the show - carrying half a load a day's march then doubling back for the other half. And even though Blanky himself can't carry much or haul at all, he still tries to do those things anyway and makes a point of marching in both directions alongside the other men.

The only thing that's really keeping him going is the thought of being able to take to the water in the boats and put his ice master's knowledge to good use once more. It's come up a few times now, this notion that many of the men who survive longest and show the fewest signs of illness are those who have the most to live for and Blanky's definitely in that group, I think. There's even more immediacy to his situation though: "Still, it was not only his usefulness that was being decided by the ice, but his survival... once the ice master was at sea again, he would survive... If he could last until they took to the boats, Thomas Blanky would live."

Then, of course, there is Tuunbaq, still stalking them on their journey south and coming for Blanky first, so he believes. And, to be fair, that's an astute assessment of things - his leg is in a sorry state indeed and he leaves a trail of blood for it to follow wherever he goes, after all.

Blanky does what he can to hide the extent of it, sweltering in his greatcoat long after the other men are hauling in their shirt sleeves in the comparative heat of summer. "I'm cold-blooded, boys" He'd said with a laugh. "My wooden leg brings the chill of the ground up into me. I don't want you to see me shiver." :(((

Blanky reflects on a few other events as he hobbles painfully along. He recalls that two other men have died of the same tin-based poisoning that killed Fitzjames (though Richard Aylmore remains unaffected). And he notes that, even with the temperature rising, the men are plagued by frostbite still as well as snowblindness and headaches from refusal to wear their mesh goggles. One man notes that "wearing the God-damned wire goggles was as difficult as trying to see through a pair of lady's black silk drawers but much less fun." which is very amusing to me.

Blanky is especially aware of these medical issues as he's begun to help Goodsir where he can. Interestingly, Goodsir trusts Blanky not only to fetch things from the locked medicine chest but seemingly trusts him not to blab about the final secret vial of laudanum he's got in there, despite lying to the men that it's all gone.

Blanky also notes, heartbreakingly, how their minds and very identities as sailors are deteriorating away along with their bodies: "Sailors who had tied off complicated rigging and shroud knots in the roaring darkness fifty feet out on a pitching spar two hundred feet above the deck on a stormy night off the Strait of Magellan during a hurricane blow could no longer tie their shoes in the daylight."

When his third leg finally snaps, Blanky sits down on a rock and accepts his fate. It's gut-wrenching just like the show but also funny as Blanky finds opportunity to be sassy to both Tozer ("He had always enjoyed irritating the stupid sergeant by using his first name.") and Crozier.

He doesn't have quite the same close relationship with Crozier as in the show, though there's clearly still respect and some love there. They argue the matter a little but Crozier respects his decision, offering him a water bottle and promising to get word of Blanky's fate back to his family (although, as with Irving and his supposed Bristol-based upbringing, Blanky's family and home in Kent (?!!) are details that Simmons apparently pulls right, infuriatingly, from his arse)

It is after midnight when Tuunbaq finally appears. Blanky greets it like an old friend ("Welcome back," said Thomas Blanky to the shadowy silhouette on the ice.") before meeting his fate grinning fiercely all the while. "You're late," said Blanky. He could not help it that his teeth were chattering. "I've been expecting you for a long time." Unlike with the front he put up for the men beforehand, Blanky knows it doesn't matter anymore if Tuunbaq sees him shivering... :(((

[triumphantfury]

Hi!!! Just dropping by because I was missing your fics so I reread them and now I have to tell you how much I love you. I love you a lot, by the way. Like literally every time I read a chapter of yours I love you more because GAH the writing is so damn good. Ahem anyways thank you so much for the update on Wrapped in Red and I still have to fan myself every time I look at Upside, but I've been thinking the most about "To Suffer a Witch." I don't mean to put any pressure on you or anything but may I inquire on the next chapter's status? Or perhaps just request a snippet? Also when you asked the readers whether or not they'd like an eventual lemon I'd like to vote yes to the lemon. Please. Possibly-Demon Hiccup is hot as hell and I'm greedy. 😅

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful writing with us and I hope you have a wonderful day, week, and at least a virtual cabin in the woods where you can relax, read, and at least think on writing!

Oh boy….

It’s taken me forever to get around to answering this ask, but as the new chapter update is almost complete (after way, WAY too many rewrites), I feel like I can finally post this reply with some measure of confidence. Sorry it’s taken so long. I wish I had a good excuse, but my brain sometimes just shuts me out.

Anyway, after much anticipation, and likely a little cursing, here’s an excerpt from the soon to be posted next chapter of TSaW:

*The next couple days seemed to drag by for Astrid. She felt trapped between a longing to see Hiccup again just to prove she wasn’t mad, and a strong urge to just write it all off as a delusion. Perhaps one brought on by some bad grain or curdled milk. Countless times she’d been sure she heard hoofbeats outside, only to have them grow into a roll of thunder the next second. Or she’d catch a glimpse of a dark shadow approaching on the road, only to have it melt from her sight a moment later as if swept away by the driving rain.

Some small part of her was starting to worry she was actually going mad. Her mood darkening as she channeled her other feelings into straight anger so as to help herself deal with it better. It wasn’t as if she could really speak of it to anyone, anyway. She was still too confused about it herself.

Resigned to bear this burden alone, Astrid had kept to herself as much as possible while trapped inside. Waiting impatiently for a break in the weather when she could distract herself with repairs outside instead. The Lord knows there was always plenty of work to keep her busy. That, and manual labour was better than wasting time dwelling on… Whatever it was that had occurred here the other night.

Fortunately - or maybe unfortunately - she’d soon discovered that the storm hadn’t done anywhere near as much damage as she’d expected given its ferocity. The house, shed, and barn had all weathered fair enough at least. An old tree had toppled near the back of the pasture though. She’d gone out to repair the section of broken fencing yesterday. Her brothers helping her as much as she would allow them to - which mostly meant keeping the opportunistic goats from escaping through the hole while she worked.

It had been while she was winding the last of the rope around the newly set post that Ruffnut had approached her from across the field. Somehow always keyed in to the local to-dos, Tuffnut had heard from one of their other neighbours that some people had started to fall ill in town. The worst of which was little Argh — Mr. and Mrs. Ack’s youngest son, who was not yet a full year into this world.

“Gunnar thinks it’s because of those witches that Trader Johan was talking about the other day,” Ruff stage-whispered over the fence. Her thumb gesturing towards the home on the far side of Mildew’s plot as she glanced around, as if to make sure no one else was within earshot.

“I’d be rather foolish to agree,” Astrid huffed. “It’s likely just been brought on by the rain. We all know that a chill in the air today sets a chill in the bones tomorrow.” Looking away from her gossipy neighbour, she dressed the knot as her father had taught her before pulling it good and tight. Then she stood and gave her work a proud once over. Nodding, as if to show her approval to the craftsman.

“Maybe…” Ruffnut’s hesitant reply trailed off thoughtfully, and she was chewing on her lip when Astrid at last looked her way again. It was almost as if she had something she wanted to say, but wasn’t sure if she should speak it aloud.

“Go on,” Astrid grumbled. “Whatever it is, spit it out.”

“Well, Gunnar told Tuff that Trader Johan said the evil, or what ever it is, would arrive first in the form of a black shadow on horse back…”

“Trader Johan has always enjoyed adding plenty of dramatic nonsense about ghosties, ghoulies, and other such things to his tales,” Astrid felt the need to point out. “He seems to think it makes the stories more exciting.”

“I know,” Ruff agreed. “Thing is, Tuffnut swears he saw a stranger dressed in all black when he was out in the woods yesterday. A stranger riding atop a huge black horse. When he tried to get a better look, man and horse were already gone. Maybe the horse was just really fast, but… Tuff said it gave him the creeps.” Her eyes were shifting all around again as she leaned closer over the fence, and she looked unexpectedly nervous.

“Oh, that was probably just…” Astrid’s words died on the way to her mouth as she thought better of it.

Astrid knew how Tuff felt. The unease of not being sure exactly what you had just born witness too. This did not mean that she should necessarily encourage him to repeat his tale. Especially when she didn’t yet know what to think of the whole thing.

Would it truly be wise to mention it to someone else? The twins had never been known for their discretion, and Astrid’s words would simply confirm Tuff’s suspicions — which he would then feel required to share with every person he came across. At best, it could cause a slight scandal that a young man had spent the night in their home. At worst, the superstitious townsfolk may think the Hofferson clan had entertained something entirely inhuman, instead.

No, it was best to keep what she knew of Hiccup Haddock to herself for now. Surely the others would learn of him soon enough. “Just… because Tuff was busy snacking on unknown mushrooms in the forest again.” Astrid finished awkwardly. Covering her near slip-up with an eye roll, just to be safe, and hoping Ruffnut wouldn’t notice.*

If anyone wants to read it, here’s a link to the rest of the story. Or at least the beginning…lol

[zan0tix]

Do you have thoughts about Dirk and Jake's relationship in canon? I am not anti dirkjake but I do have a hard time understanding the ship and why it's so massively popular. /gen (I have not yet read the epilogues so I'm just working off of whats in the comic)

Oh boy. DO I. Im currently working on a powerpoint presentation thatll be a little guide/recap/compilation.. thing about them whilst im reading act 6 and ill post it whenever i finish rereading the comic and writing all my notes! It will go into all the little bits of dialogue about eachother or narrative ties to certain things and such and such. (Will probably post this some time in the next two months or three. no guarantees)

But! The portrayal of their relationship and who they are and their struggles felt so real to me and it constantly astounds me that theres a fictional character who accurately displayed my own struggles in such a sincere way i feel like im getting put on blast when people psychoanalyise jake english orz

Homestucks character writing and thematic paralleling are some of its best assets and dirkjake are FULL of some of homestucks greatest moments of both. I would say that this post from @/tomatograter goes more into detail about those said moments and also alot of the other reasons i like them! And what they said in this post was true!-

-Theres just so much you can explore in homestuck through their relationship and aaaguh i love it i love it and theyre so important to the overall narrative and its just so nice to see openly gay rep that is as realistic and honest as them in a story like homestuck.

Being a teenager myself coming of age stories are the stories i relate to and find captivating the most right now and i dont think ive seen another piece of media go about its teen characters the way homestuck did. Its got problems on the handling of said characters but i dont think ive read anything else as raw and honest about personal issues teens face growing up and how they affect relationships (of all kinds!) and dirkjake are a big part of that for me!

I dont really like majority of fanon interpretations of dirkjake i wont lie (alot of.. flanderisation and blatant mischaracterisation) i dont really keep track of fandom stuff or ship popularity i just like enjoying what i enjoy and drawing things and talking about it with friends haha

And i have not read the epilogues either! i know the gist of the events in each timeline and i read a couple chapters but that was like years ago at this point and i dont think i will ever attempt to read them or homestuck^2. Some of the ideas that were present couldve been interesting but i honestly have no interest in going anywhere near it from what ive read about it. It sounds like a total shitshow and its not required to enjoy homestuck proper anyway so ¯_(ツ)_/¯

But!! if youd like to hear more about dirkjake in canon id totally reccomend tomatograter's other posts on them!!! his analysis was the thing that made me Really interested homestuck and hehe im grateful because now im here. This post has alot more of his meta commentary about them and theyre all really interesting reads :D

[frontlinebicepsoftheninth]

anastasia and alecto's vow, ninth house mythology, and a 10,000-year-old angry voicemail

alright get ready for a long post because i think i may have figured out something related to anastasia and alecto's vow. but also maybe this is very obvious and everyone else has already been thinking this way and it only just clicked for me. if anyone has said any of this before please direct me to it i'd love to see it!! contains spoilers for the whole series so far.

so rereading the passage in gtn where harrow describes the mythology of the ninth, the house's understanding of what is in the tomb seems very different from how john feels about alecto. now it could totally just be that the original meanings weren't retained over 10,000 years and new interpretations emerged (that's twice the length of recorded human history after all), but i don't think that's the case. i don't think the ninth house has different religious practices from the rest of the houses only because of their isolation, i think their unique understanding of the resurrection was something intentionally communicated by anastasia.

we know the ninth house wasn't meant to exist, that john killed samael during anastasia's ascension and then essentially banished her to die, and that anastasia probably holds a lot of ill will towards him. we also know she cared about alecto. i think there is something to be said for the disconnect between ninth house mythology and how john presents his relationship with alecto; that when anastasia survived she did not pass on the history of how john felt about alecto but how anastasia and/or alecto felt about john.

in the pool scene harrow says: "The Locked Tomb’s meant to house the one true enemy of the King Undying, Nav, something older than time, the cost of the Resurrection; the beast that he defeated once but can’t defeat twice. The abyss of the First. The death of the Lord."

john never saw alecto as his enemy! john never saw her as a beast he had to defeat. he loved her, she was a weird combination mother/daughter/wife figure to him, and he didn't want to put her in the tomb. (this is the part when i'll point out that all of this depends on john not lying about his dynamic with alecto, but based on his chapters in ntn and the way the other lyctors talk to him about her i don't think he is.)

BUT! maybe a furious and vengeful alecto would see herself as his enemy. maybe with the help of anastasia she wanted to preserve a message for john, a warning, something like "get ready because you cannot kill me and i will come back to be your destruction." and this is where we get to the most interesting thing to me about the ninth's mythology around her, it implies knowledge of alecto's perfect lyctorhood with john.

this is the crucial turning point of htn that not even the lyctors knew, they only figured it out when they saw gideon's eyes in harrow's body! but why would the ninth house pray for the thing in the tomb, the death of the lord, to LIVE and SLEEP. why wouldn't they just pray for it to die? why would they say that alecto is a beast that god could not defeat twice? because as we know alecto holds part of john's soul in her and therefore has to live for him to survive. she needs to stay alive locked away because he cannot kill her without killing himself and therefore making the sun go dark and destroying the empire. so here is my theory about the vow:

alecto told anastasia the truth about her and john. i don't know how exactly this relates to the vow alecto made to her, but i think anastasia knew about their lyctorhood. maybe part of it was something like alecto would help avenge samael for anastasia if anastasia preserved some of the truth about john and passed down the threat that alecto was coming for him. i think the overall vow is much more consequential than that but anyways my point is - it's not a coincidence that the ninth managed to get so many subtle details right. it does seem to be implied that the lyctors know alecto is the earth, so the "something older than time" line in harrow's description makes sense, but "the cost of the Resurrection," "the beast he defeated once," to me both of these imply that john is the one who destroyed the earth. the latter example is clear but the former i think is speaking to how the resurrection couldn't happen without john killing and absorbing everyone's souls and then eating part of the earth herself to become powerful enough to bring the solar system back to life. it's not clear how much the lyctors' memories were wiped and if they know about the exact cause of the apocalypse, but if they didn't know it was all john's fault, it's very interesting that ninth house beliefs kind of are implying that it was (even if the people of the ninth don't understand it). maybe alecto told anastasia all of that as well.

finally, the biggest point of disconnect is that the ninth house sees the thing in the tomb as a threat, as something that would destroy god if it got out. john probably knew alecto wouldn't be happy if she woke up, but i don't think he ever tries to frame her as a threat to himself. at the same time i don't think "the death of the Lord" only refers to the fact that if alecto dies john dies, i think it's also a message from alecto that she will be after him. and guess what alecto does the second she wakes up - finds god and stabs him through the heart! (which would have put out dominicus if it had killed him so tbh maybe harrow's parents were kinda correct in their fears.) anastasia sent that threat for her.

so anyways! i think the entire religious beliefs of the ninth house are alecto's "I'm coming to fuck you up I promise you that I promise you I'm coming to fuck you up" moment, and anastasia knew about alecto and john's perfect lyctorhood. (maybe because, as a lot of people have theorized, she almost figured out how to do it herself before john stopped her? but that's another post entirely.) excited to see if alecto carries out this myriad long threat in atn <3

[greetings-inferiors]

give me manga reccommendations (please)

i think i'm gonna start reading again

i'll start with the classics like tokyo ghoul and black butler and death note because i did already read the first few volumes of them (like 2 yrs ago tho so ill have to reread)

but i want reccommendations :3

Why are you awake at 3am

Anyway my actual recommendations -

Tokyo ghoul and death note are GREAT starting points, two of the best mangas ever written.

The middle of death note does drag a bit, but the ending makes up for it imo. And obviously the first half is some of the best manga ever written. It’s also really short so you may as well, you won’t regret it.

Tokyo ghoul is fantastic, and I really recommend it, ESPECIALLY if you haven’t watched the anime. I wish I read the manga first every day. One of the most beautiful manga I’ve ever read.

I’ve never read black butler but I’ve heard good things.

Now, for my new recommendations (from least to most recommended)

One punch man is gut achingly funny, though I haven’t been keeping up with it

If you get into one piece you won’t run out of entertainment for months, what I’ve read it pretty good and apparently it just keeps getting better.

Spy x family is similarly gut achingly funny, but with a fantastic and gripping plot, especially the newest chapters. It’s one of two mangas I still keep up with for every chapter.

Assassination classroom is hilarious, but heart wrenchingly sad. It’s fantastic. It was my favourite manga for a long time.

And, of course, the big one. Jojo’s bizzare adventure is my favourite manga of all time. It’s one of my favourite pieces of media ever made. There’s genuinely nothing like it. Every part is completely unique, from the martial arts of part 1, to the murder mystery of part 4, to the heists of part 9. I am not kidding when I say that every part is its own genre. It’s also all really good. There’s an argument for all parts to be the best. And the title isn’t lying. In fact, it may be lying by omission. It’s not just bizzare - it’s batshit. In the best possible way. The only problem is that part 1 drags a bit, even though it’s short and imo still really good, so it’s a bit difficult to get into (and you are NOT part skipping, I WILL DISOWN YOU). It’s better than the anime though, so if you’re going to do jojo it’s best to start with the manga (the first three parts are MUCH better as mangas). But once you get to the end of part 1, it’s non stop PEAK. The ending to part 1 is phenomenal. Part 2 has one of the best jojos. Part 3 is a great journey and villain of the week format (along with having the best fight in the entire series). Part 4 is some of the best slice of life I’ve ever read??? Part 5 is basically an anime of the godfather and it’s brilliant. Part 6 is a jailbreak movie, with one of the best endings to anything ever. Part 7 is out of nowhere a literary masterpiece, unironically one of the greatest works of art I’ve ever read (it’s the second highest rated manga of all time for a reason). Part 8 is the pinnacle of Araki as a writer, storyteller, and artist, with a great coming of age (I guess lmao) story. And part 9 is thrilling heists with (imo) the best jojo in the series. The worst part is really fucking good, and the best part is one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever written. I truly cannot recommend it enough. It’s not everyone’s thing - the title is NOT lying, it is weird, at times nonsensical, but never uninteresting. Give it a shot, at least the first 3 parts, they’re not long and if you’re not interested by then you’re not human I think (/j). Once you get to 4 and onwards they keep getting longer, and while they do keep getting better and better, if you’re not into the vibe and stands then you don’t want to read 800 ish chapters more. Oh yeah it is long tbf, the first 3 parts aren’t that long, the next 3 parts are decently sized, then the next 2 alone are longer than a lot of the other manga I’ve recommended lmao. But that’s kinda what happens when you release a manga without any major hiatuses for 30+ years. He only started releasing it monthly in about 2008, so it would be way longer lmao. But the monthly releases are worth it, it instantly gets wayyyyyyy better. You’ll notice it in steel ball run (part 7). And once you’re finished you’ll be able to wait with me for part 9, which has been FANTASTIC so far, and I’m really excited to see more.

The only problem is: how do you read it? Answer: I don’t know. Probably mangadex? Don’t read the official translations, they change almost every name in the series due to copyright (every stand and a lot of characters are named after songs and bands) and it a.) works way less and b.) will make communicating with other jojo fans really difficult. I read the first 8 parts using Jojo’s coloured adventure (though I don’t recommend the coloured manga, the black and white is much better), which was an all in one place fan translation, but I don’t think it exists anymore. I recommend researching which translations are the best and then reading them on mangadex. The thing about it is that the translations I read are only for the newly released chapters I’m pretty sure, so giving you their names wouldn’t help at all. I’ve read a few chapters of phantom blood on mangadex and like… it’s alright. The phrasing is a bit clunky, but overall it’s good.

Some last things: the early parts are a bit sexist at times, the women are still really well written like erina, Lisa Lisa, and suzi q, but the first 3 parts have the odd “beaten by a mere woman!!?” And stuff. But even then there’s a lot of subversions of sexism, like Lisa Lisa being really fucking strong (and even then Araki regrets having not written her as more of a main character). But once you get past part 3 it basically stops. Araki is really progressive with his writing, he wanted part 5 to have a female jojo, but his editors didn’t let him, but once part 6 came around he put his foot down and made half of the cast women (and even then he still was forced to change someone to a man). I’m pretty sure he even said the quote “the fact that readers don’t want the jojo to be a woman is exactly why she needs to be a woman” or something similar. Part 8’s best written character is a woman, and in part 9 we’ve got a weird genderqueer thing (I love dragona but it’s really hard to say whether they’re trans or not lmao. Imo they are, but obviously you shouldn’t assume. At the very least they aren’t out yet. Tho they take hrt. Lmao). Basically what I’m saying is it gets a lot better.

Once you’ve caught up I really recommend the anime! The first 3 parts are a downgrade imo (especially part 3, yikes they completely massacred it. The beginning is great and the last fight is phenomenally done though), but part 4 is an upgrade, especially since they had the hindsight of the villain (Araki originally wanted 3 to be the end, so part 4 didn’t really have a plan for the first half of its story) and could sprinkle him throughout. I haven’t watched 5 or 6 yet, but apparently 5 is fantastic and 6 is really good. But I’d definitely recommend reading it first, and then watching it once you’re obsessed.

If anything you should read the first 6 parts as homework for steel ball run. I love the first 6 parts to death, but 7,8, and 9 are so so so good, and steel ball run is, like, a classic manga. It’s the fucking great gatsby of manga. Or maybe to kill a mockingbird? Idk.

Anyway I’m sorry this is long I really really really like Jojo. Like I said, it’s my favourite manga of all time, and one of my favourite media franchises in general. I could gush about it for hours (and I guess I just did whoops lmao).

Also if you read it you’ll get the jojo references (important)

[bye-bye-firefly]

Oh! Is this about the new ao3 ai policy? I think I heard about that last night. I had checked Unseeliekey’s account and saw that he had deleted all of his works. Read that he had been thinking of deleting them for awhile because of ao3’s policies and he didn’t wanna support them but the ai thing is what sent him over the edge. Might wanna double check that though since I was sleepy when I read that and may not have absorbed all the info or absorbed it correctly. I have most of Unseeliekey’s works saved in my google drive so I can still reread them, which I’m very thankful for, would be so heartbroken if I could never see them again.

Anyway, I’m really sorry you have to make all your works account only just so the stupid ais can’t get their little grubby ai mining hands on them! All this ai stuff is really gross and really sucks

that whole thing i posted was actually sparked by unseeliekey leaving! which is really sad honestly. and imo with my two cents if i am to say anything about that. ao3 doesnt even support ai they just dont know what to do at this time Legally. i disagree with a lot of unseeliekey's points, but that's not really up to me to convince him i did not even know him and i dont want to tell him hes wrong. its his thoughts and his worldview so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ sad to see him go, though. thats fandom history lost right there. newer fans will never get to see fics that literally SHAPED the fandom. unseeliekey is pretty much responsible for the phantom thief au as it is today. it really is such a great loss. i hope that maybe he changes his mind, makes them public but not on ao3. maybe puts out the chapters that never made it to the light of day; i know there were chapters that were done, just not published before he left the fandom, if he still has those files

and goddd the fucking ai. i hate having to make my fics ao3 accounts only it pisses me off so bad i just want people to be able to read my shit without having to worry about scrapes and shit like that like. i am still kind of on the fence about making some of my newer stuff account only. like making nameless and nobody move account only? i hate that. maybe ill make my finished works account only and then wait until everything that i havent abandoned is done to make them account only. that might be the better plan. just pisses me off theres nothing we can do right now IM SO SERIOUS we need to find a way to make glaze for writers im not tech savvy but there has to be a way where people on ao3 can be able to read the work but ai cant and it just fucks them. that would be great but i dont even know if thats possible

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Hi! It’s you, surprise!

Anyway, I’m so mentally ill over “the stars claim them” a d I love it I love it I love it. Ever now and then I’ll think to myself “hey, what’s a good fic to read?” And every time it’s yours.

It’s just like [image of cat eating a box] and just so good. It honestly might get printed out and bound into an irl book just so that I can actually bite it.

(I am working so hard not to get off topic)

I don’t think I’ve ever found it harder to explain my love for something with actual words. Your writing alone is incredible. I think I’ve already said this in a comment but I am constantly on the edge of my seat waiting to see what you do next, and you write all of the character so well.

Never before have I wanted this much to reach into a fan-fictional world and scoop out an oc with my hands and just hold them like a tiny little kitten. (Technically accidentally did that with a character anyway but ah well)

Plot aside, because I’m already talking characters, I love the cast you’ve chosen so so so so so so much, I love the diversity and headcanons. And I especially love the dynamics and interactions with each other. And the parallels, oh my goo the parallels in character pairings that pop up occasionally. (Lyf and Micheal, Tim and Grifter’s Bone guy (his name evades me), even just the whole vampire Gerry thing)

Which reminds me, you’ve managed to have at least one reference to wtnv in every book so far, is this deliberate or just art?

Okay, I could talk characters all day so let’s move onto plot now and I’ll ramble about individuals later. 300+ (or something) chapter slow burn my beloved. And then everything just tumbling around around it is just wonderful.

Lyf was just out here trying to live their best life and then things just kept happening to them over and over and over and over again, first the prisoners, then the train, then the prisoners again, then the void, then space, then Nastya, then death, then earth, then the spooks, then the mechs, then the spooks, then the mechs, then the circus, then the mechs, then probably some more spooks, then [see last three lines].

Poor inspector is in the washing machine of happenings.

And of course, gotta adopt a family along the way because, as Batman has shown us, the best way to recover from your whole family dying is to just adopt more.

And the whole chaos avatar screwing with all the other fear’s shticks is an incredible concept and I adore it. I also find it beautifully hilarious. Do you think Lyf could just rainbow people like they did Gerry to help them escape their entity? Instead of like, eye stabbing?

And the fact Lyf sees the fears in colours and one of the first people they meet in Gerry, who originally referred to them as colours in the show, is just fabulous. And then Lyf being all the colours is also marvellous.

(I feel like I’ve been going too long, am I going too long?)

There’s just so many little plot points that I adore that I can’t remember them all at once let alone put them in words so maybe I’ll just doom spam ask you a live rereading so that I get all the bits.

This story is my soul, my life, I am empty without it. Anyway, off to go read it again probably.

Thank you for writing, I love it so much.

!!!!!!!

Thank you so much! I've really loved writing this story, and seeing other people enjoying it to similar levels is beautiful. And no worries about getting off topic or going too long-- I've written this story for over a year. If anyone's going too long here . . .

But anyway. Let's chat!

If you (or anyone else!) ever get this story printed out and bound, I would love to see it <3

I'm so glad you enjoy the writing and characters, too! I personally love my characters and try to let them guide the story as much as possible, so hearing that I write them well is fantastic. So. Thanks!

(And I get the feeling. I've literally made tiny knit dolls for some of my OCs along with my TMA and Mechs ones. Brenn and Juniper my darlings, for instance. And my Lyf, of course. That doll has now crossed so many state lines because I keep bringing them on road trips and the like with me. . .)

Character parallels too. . . yeah, there's a lot that can be said about the way characters parallel and interact and misunderstand each other, and I love writing them doing that. It's fun to consider, and I love it :)

The washing machine of happenings. . . yeah, that sounds about right :D

Heh, adopting a new family to cope with losing one is certainly a way to put it! Not sure how well that works, for Lyf or for Batman, particularly when said New Family also gets into danger, but. . . yep!

Could Lyf just rainbow people to help them escape from an entity? Likely! It would hurt a LOT, though, and it'd probably end up having consequences, you know? Whether it's that the person in question becomes a chaos magnet, or whether they'd be able to break reality too. . . yeah, that's an interesting one to ponder.

I love that, yep!

I'd love to see your thoughts if you do that, whether it's on here or on Ao3! Like I said, I've been writing this for more than a year now, and I really do love talking to people about it.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts like this, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story! We've got some fun times ahead. . .

[fowlblue]

Well, I have begun a reread- at least of the first three, I’ve decided, as these are my favorites- with the current goal being to finish Book 1 by Christmas (so it lines up!). I’ll jot down any thoughts I have as I go along. Probably won’t be many to start, however, I love the first book dearly but of the first three I find it personally the least interesting.

First thing I wanted to note (cause it’s fun) is that the most recent US covers are lovely, I really like the vibrant colors and the less ‘painterly’ style. Feels very fun. I initially read the books back when they still had these covers:

And while still lovely, not nearly as colorful! I do like how Artemis actually looks more like a 12-year old here, however- I know it describes often how Artemis appears almost like a small adult, but I think it hits harder when he appears his age. Then again that’s probably just easier to pull off when it’s a painted style. But that’s just me- onto Chapter 1!

- The first is that both the intro and outro, as I recall, were written by a fairy- specifically, Dr. Argon. Seemingly insignificant now, and I’ll make more of a point on this later, but the way he writes both paints a very interesting picture of how the People continually view Artemis with a very, very narrow lens given both his criminal nature and his status as a ‘mud man’, making such claims as Artemis solely having Holly heal his mother to get CPS off of his back. I also bring it up for another point I may want to discuss later- the fairies were indeed aware that Artemis was a child. They may not have known the specifics of such (as fairies age differently), but they acknowledged that Artemis was still young enough that his mother being ill and unable to care for him would attract the attention of Social Services. This makes their actions in this book feel a little… extreme, ngl, particularly when they have such technology as mind-wipes at their disposal.

Anyways, onto the first chapter! A handful of interesting things:

- Artemis’s various degrees of genius are each focused on in turn throughout the series, from his technological skill to his vast pool of scientific + historical knowledge, but I think by and large the ability that would have served him best up to this point (and in future encounters) would be his ability to read people like an open book. Something that would have been interesting would be this same manner of picking apart an individual failing when he is first presented with the subject of The People, with their mannerisms being different than that of a human. He would therefore have to hone this skill all over again throughout his encounters. Idk, I just think it’s interesting.

- (Nothing major to add here I just think this is funny given the amount of ridiculous adventures Artemis would drag Butler along for later)

- This is just something that caught my eye and has now left me wondering- given that the Fowls are presented as very big names in the criminal underworld (as well as just… in general), how well-known was it what happened to The Fowl Star? A boat intentionally sunk between Ireland and Russia is an incident that would have made the news, I’m sure, and been likely discussed among fellow criminals, especially with everything largely falling to Artemis to manage.

- This last point is technically from Chapter 2 but I wanted to note it in particular, because this is something I don’t see often brought up in discussions both regarding Artemis himself and his parents’ ability to keep track of him later (though I will largely leave such discussions for another post, if ever- I’d hate to start some kind of disagreement). Artemis himself ferociously guards his independence. He does so many, many times throughout the books, both from his parents and Butler himself, later down the line. Artemis, being a child who suddenly had such freedom thrown upon him by circumstance, lacks the ability to see the steep downsides of said independence, using it (especially from TAI onwards) to throw himself into danger- granted, usually because he feels he has to, but it’s still a point of note. He uses any trick he has, including magic, to keep his loved ones in the dark with regards to his whereabouts/dealings with not only The People, but other criminals. This isn’t something that magically sprang up from nowhere upon his parents’ return due to finding their sudden attention overbearing- this has been something he has acknowledged and accounted for since day one.

And with that, I’ve finished Chapter 1 and begun Chapter 2. It feels really good to read these books again, I’ve missed them dearly.

[britneyshakespeare]

last night i started rereading david copperfield. i've read so much new literature this year, i wouldn't say im "burnt out" but i feel like im cycling through things so fast that i... i dont know. i dont feel like i get to have them melt into me as satisfyingly as they used to although that might also be a product of how i feel about my overall *life* right now, idk. deep stuff but anyway.

i havent read a novel in almost four years. i have been too ashamed to pick them back up and i left off in the middle of the professor by charlotte bronte, which i always felt ashamed for being unable to finish. someday ill reread the beginning and finish it, but yadda yadda yadda i hate that nagging feeling that i HAVE to do something. reading should not feel like a chore. which is also how ive felt about my reading plays at such a quick rate this year. not that its a CHORE, like im not enjoying it, but like it's a daily task im distracting myself with to get some temporary pleasure and im cycling from one to the next at an almost monotonous rate. i can't keep living in my imagination like this. hiding from the world and pouring myself into new ones.

i always figured id want to reread david copperfield someday, too. it's one of my three favorite novels ive ever read (not that ive read SO many novels, but still). i think of it often. and i dont think of it like it's a highly literary or intellectual novel. i think of it like an old sitcom or a newspaper strip. like a victorian peanuts or full house. i've never forgotten a bunch of the characters' catchphrases and i've continued to slip them into conversation with people who don't understand them just to overly-explain a joke that only i'm really going to find funny. because that IS the kind of person i am.

ive only read the first four chapters so far. i just cant wait to get to aunt betsey's place, to be honest. i didn't even think about this part... this is the first novel i'm reading since i became an aunt. i never had a character in the book i related to *too* much; i had certain things in common with dora and i loved her, but we weren't one and the same. but my niece is only two and a half months old and i already feel like oh yeah. oh yeah i'd take this little girl in after she ran away from her abusive boarding school. i'd provide for this girl. i'd raise her with my neurodivergent friend that i live with. i would do ANYTHING for her.