#but still those sporadic used bookstore runs have been good | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dontshootmespence · 5 years ago

Text

Its Simplicity

Summary: After a chance meeting at a bookstore, Y/N and Spencer find themselves surprised again.

Words: 1,657

Warnings: Gross fluff.

A/N: My next entry for @cmbingo 2020! This fulfills my neighbors au square.

“My legs feel like lead,” Piper mumbled, following behind you with a giant moving box in her grasp.

It had to be your fifth trip up the stairs to your new second floor apartment, but it was worth it. Until you started your new job money was tight so you weren’t about to hire movers for something you and Piper could do - slowly but surely that is.

“Why didn’t you get movers?” She bitched. Her bitchy and whiney were very similar and you couldn’t help but laugh.

Backing into the door, you pushed it open and dropped the next box onto the floor before flopping onto the one piece of furniture you’d managed to get up the steps so far - the ottoman for your reading chair. “Because it’s a lot of money. I’m not rolling in it you know.”

“But I’m in pain,” she whined. “Can we at least take a break?”

You mumbled in response, though it was practically drowned out by the raucous gargling of your stomach. “Yes, we need food. Crappy Kraft?”

Somehow you managed to move your seemingly weighed down body off the ottoman and toward the kitchen, bare now, but would hopefully resemble a 50s style diner once you were finished. Dream kitchen. You grabbed a pot out of one of the boxes in the kitchen and boiled some water before pouring in a disgusting three boxes worth of Kraft Mac and Cheese. Triple bypass in no time.

“Okay, so tell me about the boy? How come you haven’t gone on another date? I feel like a matchmaker. I need details.” Piper got hyper when she talked about your dating life.

Spencer said he’d call when he could, but right after he did, he got called away on a case for work. He’d texted sporadically, but you hadn’t heard from him in half a day or so. Apparently, the case was harder to solve than he originally thought. “There’s not much to say other than what I told you about the bookstore,” you laughed. No one in the world could replace Piper, she was your one and only bestie for all of time, but occasionally you did like keeping things to yourself. “We’ve texted a few times since but he’s busy with work so he said he’d call when he gets back.”

Heavy footsteps told you someone else was coming up the stairs and Piper had left her box of your stuff outside the door. “Sorry about the box outside. Moving in! I’ll get it out of your way!”

You ran to the door while the water came to a boil only to see a familiar face. “Spencer!”

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

An almost painful smile spread across your face. “Moving in. This is my new place.”

Piper came running to the door, all traces of exhaustion from before gone from her face. “This is Spencer? Wait, you live here too? Oh my god, how cute is this.”

“Piper, Spencer. Spencer, this is my best friend Piper.”

“So you’re the one that peer pressured her into speed dating?”

“The one and only. I’m a matchmaker.” She glanced back and saw the water boiling. “Oh, I got this. You do your thing.”

As she ran off to prepare your shitty mac and cheese, Spencer laughed. “She reminds me of my friend Penelope. Also fancies herself a matchmaker.” A light-hearted silence fell between you for a moment before he pointed to the apartment across the hall. “That’s my place.”

“This is hysterical,” you said, almost unbelievingly. “Well, it’ll be easier for us to plan dates this way.”

“Speaking of, I just got home from a case. Would you want to grab dinner tonight?”

Piper screamed a resounding yes from the kitchen, which made you go beat red. “I would’ve said yes, too,” you laughed. “You going to rest for a little while? I can only imagine the case you had if it’s been five days.”

“I desperately need some sleep. Then I’ll read a book or two.”

“Show off.”

“Sorry,” he replied, thinking he overstepped.

You shook your head. “Spencer, I was kidding. I think it’s amazing, I’m just jealous.”

“Oh,” he chuckled nervously. “I have a hard time with social cues.”

“It’s okay. They’re annoying, I know. Maybe read The Graveyard Book so you can give it to me at dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Sweet dreams, Spencer. I’m about to go eat my weight in Kraft Mac and Cheese and unpack boxes.”

He yawned and excused himself. “That sounds amazing. We should do that sometime. Eat our weight in mac and cheese.”

“It’s a date.”

----

Later that night, after convincing Piper that she could not in fact be your third wheel, you met up with Spencer...by opening your doors. “That was easy,” you giggled. “You get a good nap?”

“I slept for four hours. It was amazing.”

He still looked a little sleepy, but much happier and more comfortable, his muscles slack and his outfit more breezy. From what you imagined, he wore suits and similar formal wear to work, but now he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a black blazer on top. God, he was cute. You wanted to kiss him. “So where do you want to eat? You know the food around here.”

“There’s a Thai place down the block that has some amazing pad thai. Especially if you like spice.”

“I love spice!” You replied, immediately excited.

Talking with Spencer was effortless. You could indulge your inner and outer nerd; just able to be completely and utterly yourself, which was rare. Normally, you had to put on some type of pretenses with everyone.

At the restaurant, Spencer told you about the case, though not in too much detail, for both him and you. “I just don’t want to put those images in your head, you know?”

You nodded, handing the menus back to the waiter after placing your order. “I get that. Just know that going forward, as long as this goes forward, you don’t always have to shoulder the crap you deal with alone.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, placing his hand over yours.

The somber moment lingered for a few more seconds, but then he switched the subject, asking about your childhood and your relationships with your family. Given his genius, child prodigy status, you imagined his childhood was less idyllic than yours and he was living through you. Then you ordered pad thai that was just a little too hot for you and you both devolved into uncontrollable laughter as you fanned your mouth and begged the waiter for some milk to quench the Sahara desert on your tongue. “Some dessert might also help soothe the burn,” the waiter suggested.

“You had me at dessert, Sir,” you said unabashedly. “I’ll have the mango sticky rice.”

“Same for me,” Spencer replied. The waiter walked away, giggling under his breath about the woman who couldn’t tolerate spice. “You feeling better?” He asked. “I thought you said you love spice.”

“I do! I’m just not great with it.”

Thankfully, the mango sticky rice soothed the remainder of the burn in your throat and then Spencer picked up the bill. You asked to go half and half, but he insisted the first real date be on him and from here on out you could go Dutch. “Do you know where the phrase ‘going Dutch’ comes from?” He continued excitedly when you shook your head. “The origin of the phrase ‘to go Dutch’ is traced back to the 17th century when England and the Netherlands fought constantly over trade routes and political boundaries. The British use of the term ‘Dutch’ had a negative connotation for because the Netherlanders were said to be stingy.”

“That’s actually really interesting. You know I actually thought about going into linguistics at one point, but I loved reading as a whole too much to focus on words rather than stories as a whole.”

Spencer’s credit card was returned and you got up to leave, your fingers slipping back into his own. “I actually work with a linguist right now named Alex Blake. I think you two would get along.”

“She’s a Ph.D. too? Oh my god, please introduce me sometime. I’d love to nerd out with her.” The walk back to the apartment complex was easy and transportive, your conversation bringing you back to childhood - in its simplicity.

You’d been up and down the stairs a million times today, so the walk up hurt you more than it did him. “My body is going to ache in the morning,” you laughed, leaning up against him outside your door. You didn’t even realize you were doing it until you pulled away.

When you met his gaze again, you saw something different than before. “You’re gonna kiss me, aren’t you?”

Spencer smiled and leaned forward, angling your mouth toward his. Your lips touched tentatively before you moved in closer, placing your hand on the side of his neck. He pulled away, his mouth tightening into that kind of smile where you’re trying not to grin like an idiot and failing.

“You have nice lips. Do that again.”

Some time passed, how much you weren’t sure, but you only stopped when you heard other footsteps coming your way. “So, you think you might want another date?” He asked, his voice soft and dreamy.

“Definitely. Do you have work tomorrow?”

“As of right now, no.”

“Wanna come over tomorrow morning and do breakfast? I have to unpack a lot still, but I make killer blueberry pancakes.”

“Looking forward to it. Eight o’clock?”

“Sounds good,” you replied, swallowing hard as he pulled away to return to his own apartment. “I’ll text you if anything changes with work.”

You nodded and grabbed your keys, hearing the jingle of Spencer’s own as you both opened your doors, glancing back toward each other with simultaneous smiles.

#cmbingo #cmbingo2020 #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfic #dontshootmespence #random chance #its simplicity

152 notes · View notes

forgottenlivesobverse · 4 years ago

Text

Q&A with Paul Hanley

In the first of a series of Q&As with our contributors, we talk to Forgotten Lives' illustrator, fan favourite Paul Hanley.

What attracted you to this project?

It was really just a matter of Stuart Douglas reaching out and asking if he could use some old art I'd done of the Morbius Doctors, which I'd dashed out ages ago. They were just small bust portraits, and I'd always thought it'd be interesting to design full costumes for them (and even a few console rooms). So this seemed like the time to finally do it, being for a good cause (one of my best friends lost his dad to Alzheimer's at way too young an age).

These Doctors only exist in a couple of photos. How did you approach the way you depicted their characters? Well, for the REALLY long answer to that, people should check out my Patreon blog, where I did a 4-part series on the thought process that went into each one: FORGOTTEN LIVES, Pt 1... | Paul Hanley on Patreon But the short version is that I dug up every bit of ref I could (which almost turned into full-blown archaeology in Harper's case- it was thrilling to "crack the code" on that mystery, at least for the general public). Then I imagined a personality for each one (usually without much talk beforehand with the authors, though I did get a few notes on Hinchcliffe and Chris Baker that I was able to incorporate). I tried to work in as many crazy ideas and as much personality as I could, so that they looked like Doctors who each had their own rich eras with a lot of stories that'll (mostly) go untold. When I was a kid in the 80s... stuck in a sleepy town in the US, pre-internet and with only one bookstore in the whole city that seemed to sell DW books... you'd see these pics of Colin Baker or McCoy but have no context for them because their episodes and Target books hadn't made it over yet. You got some sporadic DWM issues with fragments of their comic adventures, if you were lucky. But in the pics they certainly looked like Doctors with a story to tell, so I think I was trying to recapture some of that.

Having drawn them all, which of the eight Doctors is your favourite? Arrgh- I feel so attached to all of 'em now! I guess the ones I'd most want to write stories for are Camfield and Harper. Hinchcliffe has the coolest look. And Holmes got the best TARDIS, for sure. I've had the idea of his rococo fairytale-style TARDIS in my head for ages, so it was nice to finally get that out.

Who would be your ideal casting for a pre-Hartnell Doctor? I think we'd still all love to see Richard O'Brien play the Doctor, right?

What other projects are you working on at present? Well, there's my ongoing comic, THE UNTHINKABLES, which I started putting out digitally earlier this year. That's something I make with JUDGE DREDD's Ian Richardson, and I guess it's what you'd call a darkly satirical take on the world's needy (and probably unhealthy) love affair with superheroes. Every superhero drops dead by the 4th page of issue #1, and the villains and ordinary humans are left to sort themselves out. We've got a Kickstarter for a "director's cut" print run that's on its last 33 hours as I write this (now fully funded and we're a few hundred short of our final stretch goal): www.kickstarter.com/projects/uhstudios/unthinkables If that ship's sailed by the time this goes up, just follow the link on the page that takes ya to Unlikely Heroes Studios, our publisher. I've also got another series hopefully coming next year, MISS MEDUSA'S MONSTROUS MENAGERIE, that I co-created with my pal Matt Frank (mostly known for GODZILLA, MARS ATTACKS and a whole slew of other geeky licensed comics and art gigs). It was supposed to be out this year, but COVID-19 nuked those plans. It's a comic I think the Who fans will especially love (it's even set in the last months of 1963!). We've teased a few bits of art and writing out for it already, and the response has been great.

#paul hanley #forgotten lives #morbius doctors #obverse books #the brain of morbius #doctor who #drwho #doctorwho #dr who

7 notes · View notes

inevitably-johnlocked · 5 years ago

Note

Hi Steph, do you have any fics with the 3G moment? I’ve been looking for them everywhere but it’s a bit scarce. Thank you so much in advance you always are helpful.

Hi Nonny!!

I actually do, but I’ve only recently been keeping track of which of my hundreds of fics have that moment in it, so the list is a bit sporadic right now but constantly growing as I re-read fics and in turn re-tag all my fics :) Here’s what I have for you so far! If any of my Lovelies have their own recs, please add them!

JOHN IS SHOT/STABBED/HURT AND SHERLOCK LOSES HIS SHIT (”3 GARRIDEBS” MOMENT)

See also:

John Whump / Sherlock Takes Care of John

John Whump / Sherlock Takes Care of John Pt. 2

ALEXX’S LIST: Three Garridebs Moment – Pain, Suffering & Confessions

Prayers by Jberry (M, 665 w., 1 Ch. || H/C, Injury, John Whump, Fear of Death, First Person Sherlock) – Sherlock has never been a man who prayed.

Words Were Never Useful by Jenn1984 (K+, 819 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt Comfort, John Whump, Friendship, Ambiguous Ending) - ALLEY BEHIND THE BOOKSTORE, JOHN STABBED. HELP NOW. SH

Possessive by Fang323 (T, 850 w., 1 Ch. || John Whump, Hospitalization, Possessive / Protective Sherlock, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort) – His John did not belong. Not here. Not in this blasted hospital. It simply was not logical.

Dismantle the Sun by Mount_Seleya (T, 965 w., 1 Ch. || John Whump, 3G, Angst, Grief) – After a gunshot leaves John in critical condition, Sherlock holds vigil beside his hospital bed, slowly unravelling as the night progresses.

Sleep Tonight by Jenn1984 (T, 1,220 w, 1 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Bed Sharing, Worried Sherlock, Sick John, Hugs/Cuddles, Touch Neediness) – Fingers begin prying open his jacket looking for a wound and John would really like to swat at them. No, he’s not hit anywhere, he’s just damn sick.- John Watson has a fever. (Faux-3G // Sherlock thinks John is Shot)

I Feel A Weakness by Jenn1984 (T, 1,389 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Angst, John Whump/3G) – John Watson is hurt. Sherlock has a hard time processing it.

Take My Hand, Knot Your Fingers Through Mine by patster223 (K+, 2,003 w., 1 Ch. || H/C & Friendship, Whump) - “I know this is an inconvenience for you, but I would really rather you were awake right now, John.” John is unconscious, and Sherlock decides to talk to him anyway. Sherlock/John pre-slash.

It’s a Dummy by Johnnlocked (Krullenbol2602) (T, 2,574 w., 3 Ch. || HLV-Remix, Major Character Injury, H/C, Love Confessions, Mary is Not Nice, 3G Moment) – What if Mary had taken the shot?

Domino by Deception’s Call (K, 2,689 w., 1 Ch. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Scared / Worried Sherlock, John Whump, Crying Sherlock, Hospital, Implied Caretaker Sherlock) – When John is injured on a case and is admitted to the hospital, those at Scotland Yard come to realize that perhaps Sherlock Holmes has a heart after all.

Reversed by whitchry9 (K+, 3,072 w., 6 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Medical Anomolies, John Gets Shot) – The man pointed his gun at John’s chest, right at his heart, and shot.’ Wherein John is shot, and Sherlock is the one panicking.

Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down by standbygo (M, 3,282 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, Five Plus One, Missing Scenes, Parenthood, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, Declarations of Love, Fluff, Food, John Whump) – Five times when Sherlock and John ate together, and one time they didn’t. A history of the boys, in food.

The Dangers of Dating by verityburns (T, 3,325 w., 1 Ch. || Friendship, Case Fic, No Slash, John Whump, 3G, Worried Sherlock) – Sherlock and John acquire a new client… with a very unusual problem.

Let Down by Gandalf3213 (K+, 4,505 w., 2 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, John Whump, Insecure John) – John truly is sorry for letting Sherlock down. The only thing he wanted to do was finish the case, but bleeding out in a dark alley makes it harder for him to pursue that murderer running out of sight.

Applied Linguistics by what_alchemy (M, 4,837 w., 1 Ch. || Possessive / Anxious Sherlock, Introspection, Bed Sharing, Past John Whump, Est. Rel., Marriage Proposal, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Word Play) – “He wants to shake John by the shoulders, wants to open his mouth and swallow John whole. Wants to marry him.” Sherlock searches for the right words.

EMERGENCY CONTACT: Sherlock Holmes, RELATIONSHIP: n/a by blueink3 (M, 5,533 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt John/3G, Fluff & Angst) – The first time John Watson’s emergency contact is called is the first time Sherlock Holmes finds out that he has the job. Part 1 of The Emergency Contact Series

A Kiss and a Cuddle should be Sufficient by Evenlodes_Friend (E, 6,853 w., 3 Ch. || Gay Sex Club, Fake Relationship, PWP, Orgies, Rimming, BJ’s, Violence, Case Fic, Voyeurism) – Going undercover, Sherlock and John pursue a vicious killer to a gay group sex party. Not unexpectedly, things get a little out of hand. Set after Baskerville, but before the Fall.

In Which “John” Becomes a Synonym for “Help” by asignoftwo (T, 7,391 w., 1 Ch. || Injured John, Worried Sherlock, Fluff) – After the fall Sherlock returns to Baker Street and is reunited with John. When John is injured on a case Sherlock is faced with the reality that he could lose John again, and it tears him apart.

Sometimes When We Touch by kedgeree (M, 7,755 w., 6 Ch. || Post-TRF, First Kiss/Time, Inappropriate Giggling, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Virgin Sherlock, John Whump, Touching) – John might be touching Sherlock a little more often than is strictly necessary. Sherlock probably hasn’t even noticed. Right…?

What Did I Do Wrong? by Starlight05 (T, 7,880 w., 5 Ch. || Hurt Comfort, Angst, John Whump, Hospitalization, Worried Sherlock, Emotional Turmoil, Nightmares, Sherlock Being Dumb) - After John almost dies on a case, Sherlock disappears. So John is left to figure out what he can do to get his best friend back. Meanwhile Sherlock, guilt-ridden and willingly alone, is doing everything he can to stay away.

Beyond the Vow by tunteeton (M, 8,994 w., 1 Ch. || Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending, Post-S3, Explosions, Mary is Good-ish?, 3G, Infant Death) – Being a sociopath was never this emotionally exhausting.

He’s Not Paid Enough to Deal with This Shit by janonny (T, 9,828 w., 1 Ch. || Personal Assistant AU || Humour, First Meetings, Snarky John) – One of the first things John did was to write up step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a proper job interview before handing it over to Mycroft for his perusal. There were no kidnapping, deserted car parks or stolen therapy notes anywhere on that list. (Or the one where John returned from the war and ended up working for Mycroft as his personal assistant slash doctor on retainer. Everything was fine, until he was sent to post bail for one Sherlock Holmes.)

The Haunting of 221B Baker Street by earlgreytea68 (M, 10,388 w., 2 Ch. || Post TRF, Halloween / Ghosts, Pining Sherlock, Ghost Sherlock, Stroppy Sherlock, Sherlock POV, First Kiss/Time, Angry Sex, Ghost Sex, Love Confessions, Open / Ambiguous Ending) – In which Sherlock Holmes is a ghost.

A Is For Aftermath by ElvendorkInfinity (T, 10,567 w., 1 Ch. || Injury / Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Pre-Slash/Bromance/Platonics, Hallucinations, Introspection, Insecure / Worried John, Big Brother Mycroft, Alternating POV, Anxious Sherlock, Self-Deprecating, Mildly Possessive Sherlock, 3G Moment) – John is still hallucinating, Sherlock cannot sleep, and Lestrade has a new case for them. But will life at 221B ever be able to return to normal? Epilogue to M is for Moriarty.

The River Variations by withoutawish (T, 11,619 w., 1 Ch. || Soulmates, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Three Garridebs, Romance, Light Case Fic, Near Death Experience, Angst and Fluff, Dark Humour) – John Watson never knew that he wanted a ‘no toast in the mornings’ normal until he realized what an honor it is to be destroyed by Sherlock Holmes.

I’m content as we are (but) by inqui (The_Circus) (E, 13,086 w., 1 Ch. || Jealous John, UST/RST, Pining, Victor Trevor, Minor Whump, First Kiss / Time, Misunderstandings) – In which John Watson sees something unusual, becomes jealous, and makes too much of a small thing as an old friend of Sherlock’s shows up in the middle of a case.

First Response by Arwen Jade Kenobi (T, 13,516 w., 8 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Five and Ones, Whump / Injury) – Five times John had to perform first aid on Sherlock and one time Sherlock had to perform it on John.

Best of Three by SilentAuror (E, 17,473 w., 1 Ch. || POV John, 3G Moment, Porn with Feels, Post HLV, Rimming, Denial, Anal) – “You want to have sex with me,” Sherlock announces one evening about a year after John’s divorce. John’s vigorous denial sparks a three-day wager wherein Sherlock is determined to prove his point, and John is determined to hold onto his heterosexuality. Set well after HLV. (Canon-compliant). PORN. With feels.

I Think I’ve Come A Long Long Way To Sit Before You Here Today by ArwenKenobi (T, 18,251 w., 3 Ch. || Grief/Mourning, Passage of Time, Major Character Death, Alternating POV, Sherlock Whump, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Coma, Revenge Murders, Hallucinations, Love Confessions, Brutal Accident, Mystrade, Ghost John) – One year after John is killed Sherlock starts to wonder whether John has actually gone anywhere.

A Home for Us by sussexbound (M, 30,581 w., 12 Ch. || Scars, Bedsharing, Grief, Doctor John, Hurt/Comfort, Post-TRF, Implied/Referenced Torture, Sherlock POV, Pining Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation, Heavy Emotions, Clingy Sherlock, Hallucinations, Disassociation, Emotional Turmoil) – He has been on the road for two years, and he is exhausted. He’s almost accepted that he will never see London (John) again—almost. But then there are nights like tonight, where he is weak, and all he can think of is the warmth of the flat they once shared, the crackle of the fire in the hearth, the teasing smile playing at the corner of John’s lips, the boxes of half-eaten Chinese takeaway balanced precariously in their laps. He aches at the memory of it, at the realisation that it is something he may never experience again.

Bedroom Tales by Junejuly15 (M, 49,950 w., 22 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Through the Years, H/C, Military Kink, First Kiss / Time, Romance, Insecure Sherlock, Voyeurism, Post-TRF, Ficlets, Fluff and Angst, Fix-It Fics) – Bedroom Tales is a collection of John and Sherlock ficlets. They are set at various stages of their relationship and are in no particular order. Some are fluffy, some sexy, some angsty, there is hurt and comfort, romance and love. What unites them is that they all play in a bedroom, but not necessarily the one in 221B. (Ch. 19, I Think)

Wars We Fought, Things We’re Not by blueink3 (M, 55,204 w., 10 Ch. || Post S3 / Post TAB, Parentlock, Fluff & Angst, Kidnapping, Whump, Post-TAB, UST/URT, 3G, Mild Peril, Slow Burn, Couple for a Case, Protective Mycroft, Infant Death Pre-Story, Friends to Lovers) – Five months after John’s world has fallen apart, Mycroft sends the consulting detective and his doctor on a case that neither is prepared for.

Perdition’s Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe (Ch. 18 is the 3G Moment)

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w., 17 Ch. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) – John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sickfic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

Two Two One Bravo Baker by abundantlyqueer (E, 114,574 w. || Military AU || Afghanistan, War Story, Thriller) – Captain John Watson of 40 Commando, the Royal Marines, is assigned to protect and assist Sherlock Holmes as he investigates what appears to be a simple war atrocity in Afghanistan. An intense attraction ignites between the two men as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens everything they’ve ever known, but Sherlock is as much hunted as hunter, and everyone close to him is in deadly danger. Can he solve the case in time to save himself and John? Part 1 of Two Two One Bravo Baker Universe

The Burning Heart by May_Shepard (M, 119,150 w. || Canon Divergence, Post-TRF, John’s Sexuality, S3 Rewrite, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV John Watson, John’s Gay) – When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

#steph replies #three garridebs #my fic recs #john whump #3g moment #Anonymous

185 notes · View notes

imagineredwood · 5 years ago

Text

***Damn near 4 AM over here but it’s up 😂***

Warnings: None

Pairing: Camila x EZ

Word count: 3.7K

Camila huffed and ran the back of her hand over her forehead, brushing away the hair and sweat that was there, a slight ache in her lower back as she stood. She smiled proudly down at her garden, dirty hands resting by her side. Chucks of soil tumbled off her fingers as she continued to look over the garden, everything now finally planted and situated after three days. She wasn’t nearly done with her garden, still so much to be grown, but planting the seeds and small trees of what she ate were her main goal. The size of the backyard had spoken to her as soon as she had seen it and immediately, she’d wanted to get started as soon as possible with growing her own produce. As a child, her Abuela always grown her own vegetables and fruits amongst other plants, and Camila had always been right there alongside her, helping her with the process. Sure, it was bonding time between the two of them, but to Camila, it was much more than that. Gardening with Abuela Magdalena taught her patience, taught her how showering something in love could make it grow and bloom, just like people. Her Abuela had always said that love, dedication, and support could heal even the most withered flower and while it took a little more work, it could do the same for a human.

That was where Camila’s loving nature came from. She treated everyone she met with the same gentleness and warmth as she had treated the sunflowers in her Abuela’s garden. She could be a little rough around the edges sometimes, with an over forgiving attitude that had led to her kindness being taken advantage of more times than she would like to count, and a rage that exploded when she’d finally had enough. She was complicated and layered, much like the onions she used to fish out of the damp soil but she tried her best to be the best that she could be and sitting in a garden with the fresh scent of rosemary and rainwater always helped her reflect so she could do that.

Dusting her hands off and giving herself a nod of approval, she ran a dirt-covered finger over the smooth green skin of the tiny tomato on the tree she had just planted and made her way back inside of the house for a shower before heading into town.

“There isn’t all that much experience needed, we just like people who are friendly, knowledgeable about different genres especially the newer ones. It’s not a library, though we do try to provide some similar services when needed. An old man like me isn’t very computer or tech savvy so it’s good to have young folks like yourself here who can help them out. Plus, you say you enjoy kids. You meet all of those so it seems to me that you’ll be a great fit.”

Camila smiled as the older gentleman spoke, walking with her slowly through the bookstore, after having gotten the story and history of her new workplace. It had started as your everyday run of the mill bookstore way back when Mr. Salvatore had first moved into town. It was the only bookstore in town until everything started expanding. Lately, they had started to see their patrons dwindling and Mr. Salvatore’s daughter Sandra had come up with the idea to buy the unit next to the bookstore and expand as well, adding a café and more technology into the mix. She was a tall, box blonde in her thirties with a bright and warm aura and an eye for decor. She’d said they needed to take a more modern approach, Mr. Salvatore had agreed and business had been booming ever since, now needing to hire some more employees to keep up with the demand. Camila had seen the ad for hiring in the local newspaper and decided to give it a shot. She loved to read, a good couple of boxes full to the brim with books back in the home that she had yet to buy a shelf for. The job seemed like the perfect one for her and so she’d figured she would try her luck.

Coming to stand back at the check-in and cash register desk at the front, he hobbled over behind the counter and tucked his thumbs into his worn leather suspenders, smiling as he looked at her.

“So, when can you start?”

Camila laughed softly and shrugged.

“Whenever you need me to, really. It’s not like I have any plans. I’d like to get back to work. I can start tomorrow if you’d like.”

At that, the man smiled again, holding his right hand out for her to shake.

“Well then young lady, I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.”

Camila took his wrinkled hand in her own and shook it gently once before he placed his other atop hers, holding them in his.

“It’ll be good to have a new, nice face around here.”

Turning, he reached over and picked up a small white binder that all the new employees got with a list of what aisles held what genres, a current calendar with the next three months of events and other tips to make memorization of the bookstore easier. She took the binder from his hands, looking through it quickly before tossing him one last smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Salvatore. I’ll meet you and Sandra here tomorrow.”

Camila hummed to herself quietly as she pulled the new books from the cardboard box and stocked them up along the cherry stained wooden shelf. Though it wasn’t overwhelmingly exciting, it was one of the most relaxing jobs she’d ever had. She’d been able to memorize most of the cheat sheet that Mr. Salvatore had given her which made things much easier when it came to both stocking and helping any customers. The environment was quiet, cozy and laid back, not to mention the place smelled of fresh baked pastries and coffee from the café that was in the front of the store. As if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Salvatore had it that all employees could have coffee and a pastry for free on their breaks and could take home from the bunch that were left over and to be thrown away at the end of the day. Both he and his daughter had been nothing but the sweetest to her and after speaking to the other employees over lunch, she found that being nice was just a part of who they were. Every employee, no matter if they’d worked there for 1 week or 5 years, could vouch for the father-daughter duo and how they were the best employers anyone could wish for.

Camila finished stocking the new books on the ‘New Releases’ self and was in the process of pulling apart the empty box when Sandra walked up, smile as bright as ever.

“Hey, honey. Can you do me a favor?”

Camila nodded and Sandra pulled out a folded paper from the pocket of her jeans.

“Can you pick these books out for me when you get a chance? It doesn’t have to be now but have them done by closing time, please. Dad usually does this but he forgot today was Tuesday and he made an appointment with his cardiologist so we have to get that done. Just put the books together in a bag leave them on the shelf behind the front desk. Someone named Ezekiel will be by to pick them up later on. Don’t charge him. We have a little thing going where he just kinda rents them and brings them back when he’s done.”

Camila acknowledged her and held the list in her hand, unfolding it to look it over.

“I just finished stocking the last of the new releases so I can do it now, make sure I don’t forget.”

Sandra smiled and reached over to place a hand on Camila’s shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

“Thank you so much, sweetheart. I’m glad you’ve joined us here. I’ve already had 3 customers tell us how helpful you’ve been. Keep up the good work kiddo.”

To Sandra, it might’ve just been her everyday employee encouragement, but Camila couldn’t help but blush and beam at the woman’s words, always having been a sucker for praise. It made her ears get hot and instilled a burst of energy as it always did and she nodded quickly.

“Thank you, Sandra. I’ll get it done right now.” “No problem. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Camila continued to look over the list as they went separate ways, seeing that all the books were in a variety of genres. There were books of poetry and fiction, Sci-Fi and nature, horror and spirituality. There was a mix and Camila couldn’t help but wonder who would be picking them up. She tried to picture them in her head as she went around and pulled the books. Her imagination is what had drawn her to reading as a child in the first place and by the time she had collected the books from the list, she hadn’t been able to conjure up what she expected the person would look like. It was hard to get a feel with how sporadic the books were and how none of them seemed to have anything in common or similar to the next one.

Soon enough, she’d collected all of the books and had bagged them up, taking them up the front where Sandra had told her. She went back to the main center of the bookstore and looked around, everything seeming to have emptied out by now. She had volunteered to close up and was consequently that last employee in the store apart from the two baristas that were wiping down the espresso machines. There was one patron left in the café, a high school student no more than 16 that had been there since earlier this afternoon. He wore a grey hoodie and bags under his eyes, his hair messy and greasy and she could tell he was exhausted as his eyes continued to gaze at the laptop screen in front of him. She walked over and placed her hand down onto the tabletop, rapping her nails against it softly, getting his attention. He looked up at her and she smiled softly, pointing over at the clock.

“It’s getting close to closing time. Just wanted to let you know so you have time to save everything and get packed up. Do you need help with anything?”

The kid cursed quietly and shook his head in frustration.

“Shit, sorry. I lost track of time. I’m just trying to get this presentation done for school and my brain is fried. I can’t come up with anything else and I still have 6 slides left.”

Camila took a seat next to the kid and pointed at his screen.

“Do you mind?” “Nah, go ahead.”

He turned the screen towards her and she looked over the PowerPoint, a slight grin coming to her face as she saw what the topic was.

“Ya know, I may or may not have done a project myself on the Collapse of the Roman Empire when I was in high school. When is this due?”

“Two days from now. I put it off and it snuck up on me. That’s why I skipped school today. Don’t tell anyone please!”

Camila laughed as his voice took a worried edge at the end after he had outed himself. She was about to respond when the bell dinged as the door opened. She looked over as a man walked in and went straight to the front desk, waiting patiently. She couldn’t see his face but what she could see was the leather and the patch he wore. No one had mentioned that there was an MC in town. Pointing down at the table, she turned back to the kid and leaned in.

“I’ll tell you what. I think I still have that paper saved somewhere on my computer. I’ll bring it with me tomorrow and I’ll help you out to finish those last couple of slides. After school! Don’t skip.”

The boy’s eyes widened some before a grin slowly made its way onto his face, nodding feverishly.

“OK! I won’t skip, I promise. I’ll be here after school at 2.”

Camila nodded herself and pushed his backpack towards him before standing.

“Go home. And get some good sleep.”

She turned back towards the front desk and set into a brisk walk, not wanting to make the man wait any longer. As she came around, he locked eyes with her and gave a warm smile. Reciprocating, she faced him, hands planted flat on the countertop.

“Hi. You must be Ezekiel?” “Yeah, that’s me.”

Camila turned and grabbed the bag off of the shelf, holding it out for him.

“Here you go. Everything’s in there for you.” “Thank you. Is everything ok with Mr. Salvatore?”

Camila nodded, seeing the concern in his eyes.

“Yeah, he’s ok. He just had a doctor’s appointment. Sandra said he forgot it was Tuesday otherwise he would’ve been here to see you.”

Ezekiel smiled softly and looked down into the bag before looking back up into her eyes.

“Yeah, I like to read but I don’t really have room to keep a bunch of books so I just rent them from him and give them back.”

“Yeah, Sandra was telling me.”

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other. Just as Ezekiel opened his mouth to speak again, the student from earlier came up to the counter, butting in.

“Hey, thanks again. I really appreciate it.” “Oh, you’re welcome…” “Ethan.” “Ethan. I’m Camila. I’ll see you tomorrow. Make sure you bring all your stuff and we’ll get that project finished up ok?”

The kid smiled and nodded as he situated his backpack on his shoulder.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He waved as he left and she returned it, EZ smiling to himself at the interaction as he looked back at her.

“Are you a teacher?”

Camila shook her head with a smile, watching out the window as the kid got onto his bike.

“No, just helping out. I like kids, even the older ones. He’s got a project due and he’s having trouble wrapping it up.”

Ezekiel nodded once more, smiling at her as he did.

“Yeah, I remember those days. Good old procrastination.”

The two of them shared a laugh and were once again surrounded by silence. Their smiles slowly faded from their faces and yet they still stayed looking at each other for a second more before they quickly looked away, EZ looking down at his books and Camila suddenly finding the glitter in her nail polish to be very interesting. It was awkward and they both began to talk at the exact same time to break the silence.

“Well, it was nice meeting you.” “Nice to meet you.”

EZ shook his head as she threw hers back, both of their laughs filling the emptiness of the bookstore. Camila spoke alone this time.

“Sorry for being kinda awkward. I just moved here and it’s a lot of new people and places and new everything. Just trying to get my footing.”

EZ nodded in agreement with her statement but also to himself. Though he wasn’t new in town, he was getting back into the swing of things after having been locked up. He was also meeting new people and seeing new places, trying to get his footing himself. A lot had changed since he’d gone to jail and he could understand where she was coming from, though he wasn’t exactly ready to admit all of that to her. She was sweet, both carefree and awkward at the same time, and he thought she was beautiful. After being inside, he was willing to admit that he was off his game and more than a little rusty when it came to women. He was sure if Angel could see him, he’d be laughing his ass off at his little brother. With everything going on in his life at the moment, finding a girl and getting into a relationship was the last thing on his mind. He couldn’t deny the attraction he felt towards her, both physically and personally but the fewer people he brought into the mess that he had created with the DEA and the club, the better.

Slapping his hand onto the counter softly, he pulled away shooting her another smile as he headed towards the door.

“Well, I’ll see you around Camila. Thanks for the books.”

With a grin and a wave, she said goodbye and watched as he walked out, putting away his bag before climbing onto his bike. She winced slightly as he started it up and the rumble engulfed the street. She looked back around the shop, the baristas having already gone home and everything situated, ready for her to lock up. She went to the front door and locked it, turning over the closed sign before heading to the back, into the breakroom to grab her things. Purse in hand, she walked to the rear of the store, going out the back door and locking that one up too. Looking down at her watch, she read the time. It was only four thirty and Felipe’s shop didn’t close until five. She’d promised that she wouldn’t make a habit of being late and she was a woman of her word.

Unlocking her car, she climbed in and pulled out her card before tossing her purse into the passenger seat and starting up the car. She pulled out of the back lot and went around the complex, driving down the main street and parking further up the block where the carniceria was. She walked up to the door and pushed it open, smiling as she saw Felipe standing behind the counter. Walking in further and turning, she found Ezekiel sitting on one of the chairs also looking over at her. The two of them looked at each other for a good couple of seconds, not really knowing what to say. Camila settled for trying to make a joke.

“I swear I’m not stalking you.”

EZ chuckled as Felipe looked between them.

“You two know each other?”

They both shook their heads at the same time, EZ stepping in to explain.

“She just started working at the Salvatore bookstore. I bumped into her earlier. I was there to pick up some books.”

Felipe closed his eyes and nodded once in understanding before looking back at Camila with a smile which she returned as she walked up to the counter.

“Hola Señor.” “Hola nena.” “I need 6 chicken breasts por favor.”

Felipe began to pull her meats out and continued to speak to her as EZ watched.

“So, you’re working at the bookstore?”

“Yeah. I started today. It’s not bad. I like it. Plus it's close, good hours.” “Are you all moved in?” “Gracias a Dios, yes. I still have a couple of small boxes left to unpack but they’re full of little stuff. The house itself is all done though.”

Now it was EZ’s turn to repeat Felipe’s question from earlier.

“Do you two know each other?”

Camila turned to face EZ as Felipe continued to pack up her chicken, a small smile on her face.

“Not really. I mean we’ve met before. I came here a couple of days ago to buy some meat and we started talking then.”

Camila trailed off before pointing between EZ and Felipe.

“So, I guess it’s my turn to ask. Do you two know each other?”

Both men shared a laugh and Camila furrowed her brows slightly, not really understanding what was so funny.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

She looked over at Felipe and he pulled off his gloves, turning around to grab a framed picture off of the wall behind him and hand it over to her. Her eyes looked over the sweet little boy in the picture, the smile still identical, and she turned to look at EZ, who sat with one leg crossed over the other, a proud look on his face as he spoke.

“That’s my pops.”

Camila looked back and forth between the two of them, searching their faces in awe of how she hadn’t realized before.

“Well shit.”

The three of them shared a laugh and she handed the photo back to Felipe, EZ coming to stand as Felipe put it back and finished packaging her chicken. He placed the bag on top of the counter and gave her the total. Felipe observed quietly as his son eyed the girl as she paid. His eyes broke away from her for a moment and then caught those of his fathers, watching him watch her. Even a grown man now, he still blushed and looked down bashfully as his father rolled his eyes but still smiled. The machine printed out her receipt and she grabbed it along with her bag, looking back up at Felipe.

“Thank you Señor.” “You can call me Felipe.”

Camila nodded as she turned and began heading towards the door.

“Gracias Felipe.”

She turned her head slightly and looked at EZ, waving with her empty hand.

“Bye Ezekiel.” “Bye.”

Camila walked out of the store and made her way to her car, both Reyes men watching her as she did. EZ looked back over as Felipe began disinfecting the counters and scale, walking up to the counter.

“That’s the girl you were talking about?”

Felipe nodded, tossing the wipes into the trash as he walked out from behind the counter and towards EZ, who was still looking out the window at Camila. He returned his gaze to his father with a lazy smile as he felt his dad grab his shoulder. He expected him to tease him, poke fun at how engrossed in her he was. His smile quickly faltered though as he saw the look his father wore.

“What’s up, pop?”

The older man sighed deeply, tossing his head towards the back room.

“Lock up the front and flip the sign. We gotta talk about KJ.”

#Felipe Reyes #ez reyes #ezekiel reyes #imagines #Mayans MC #mayans fx #el destino #mayans imagine

171 notes · View notes

skepticaloccultist · 8 years ago

Text

Bibliotheca Occultorum - Carl Abrahamsson

At some point in this endeavor I began thinking about the incredible private book collections and occult libraries throughout the world. In all ages those who have sought the discovery of occult knowledge have collected books. John Dee himself once amassed the largest private library (occult or otherwise) in Britain. Yet with a handful of exceptions most contemporary collectors are rather private about their collections, hoarding them like Smaug over his gold pile. But there exists out in the world many contemporary private occult libraries filled with incredible volumes and fantastic stories.

So I thought why not a series about occultist's libraries? Thus the "Bibliotheca Occultorum" series has begun. We will have a look at the private libraries of various occultists, authors and publishers and see what we can discover hidden among their stacks.

We begin our series with an interview with Carl Abrahamsson. Based in Stockholm, Sweden Carl is a composer, publisher, filmmaker and author. As part of the musical groups White Stains and Cotton Ferox, Carl has been long active in the world of experimental and industrial music and as the cofounder of Edda Publishing and owner of Trapart he has long been a proponent of the esoteric and occult. Carl's inauguration of the series comes just as the most recent volume of his annual Fenris Wolf collection series is released. Something I will be reviewing in the near future.

++++++++++

Carl Abrahamsson interviewed by Eldred Wormwood

Tell me about your library. How many books would you say you have in total? How much of that is occult specific literature? Do you keep your library in a specific room dedicated or spread throughout your home?

My library can seem chaotic, both in terms of contents and order (or lack of it). For me, an ideal, perfectly organised library is an elevated pipe dream and one I would not like to manifest. Paradoxical as it may sound, for me a perfectly organised library is a stagnant thing, like death. My library needs to be filled with life: additions, subtractions and re-shapings, changes of direction and renewed interest. There is no motion of association in perfection. I would estimate that I have 4000 books in my home and I have some stashed away too. Of these, I’d say 500 cover topics such as occultism, religion, mythology and similar things. The walls are covered with shelves from top to bottom in two rooms, and the rest are in piles, wardrobes and windows in other rooms. The fact that I also run a publishing company doesn’t help.

Do you collect any specific type of book? My library tends to lean toward folklore/ethnographic oriented work and non fiction. Is there something you go for more than the rest?

I’m happy to say that I suffer from bibliomania rather than bibliophilia. I love beautiful books and if there is a choice I will buy the more lavish edition. But I don’t collect anything in particular. I’m more of a general devourer. When it comes to the occult stuff, I have moved through phases in life. Thelema has been there all along, as has LaVeyan Satanism and TOPY-related material. Daoism is also something that’s interested me all along, and that I actually keep buying. When it comes to the new generation of occult publishers, I buy selected titles that speak to me. As I grow older, I seem to like older texts and books. Alchemical and cosmic illustrations and illuminations inspire me – and iconography in general – but I don’t feel I specifically have to own the old editions.

Who is your favorite occult author? Any first editions or particularly lovely bindings by said author?

The above mentioned thematic examples would/could mean Crowley (intelligent, but so narcissistic it quickly becomes boring for me now), LaVey (who grew from a cut and paste provocateur to a genuinely real and vital thinker/writer) and material by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (whose genius has existed in applying art talk to magic and vice versa). Spare was quickly outshone by Nietzsche but once upon a time he was important to me. I don’t think I have any super-rarities. I have Crowley’s autograph from a torn collection of Lord Byron’s poetry he used to own. And a copy of "Equinox of the Gods" that used to belong to Sybil Leek. Most of the LaVey stuff I have signed by him for me, which is great. And the TOPY stuff with Genesis too – and that’s still a continuing and inspirational saga. The magic of books and especially personalised books transcend the occult, as we know. People obsessed with different areas and authors can draw magical power via signed copies of books and items. It’s interesting that it seems to become a “double whammy” (at least unconsciously) among occult book collectors, as it actually seems possible to tap in via the talismanic, signed editions. It isn’t as far-fetched and hocus pocus as it may sound. Consider the difference between a memory of a person and a photograph of that person. And then a signature on that photo. The physicality of that documentation becomes a very tangible gateway. Ditto with not just the book but specifically the signed book.

How much of your book buying comes from in bookstore purchases versus online? What percentage of the books you buy are new versus used?

This varies. Under normal circumstances I’m very busy and hardly have the time to look for things online. So when I go into actual stores in different places I have an ecstatic blast and I do most of my buying there. I have no preference in re: new vs old. If the book interests me, I’ll get it.

Any good occult bookshop stories? Do you have favorite shops you frequent in your travels?

As they’re dwindling, I’ll have to look to memory lane first. Stockholm had two that were totally seminal for me as a youngster: East & West and Vattumannen. That’s really where it all began for me, early 1980s. The latter still exists, but has gone down the new age drain. I had the opportunity to chat with Herman Slater at Magickal Childe in New York way back when, which was fun. The Bodhi Tree in LA was good in the early 90s. I still frequent Watkins, Treadwell’s and Atlantis when in London, and they’re all good. I usually have my UK book events at Atlantis. I’ve been at Catland in New York, and I admire their fighting spirit. Nekropolis in Copenhagen is similarly small but nice. I guess there’s one little watering hole in every civilised city. At least I hope so.

What are you currently reading?

I usually read many books at the same time. Right now I’m churning through Werner Herzog’s “Conquest of the useless”, Ryan & Jetha's “Sex at dawn", Ray Bradbury’s “The Illustrated Man”, the essays of Osip Mandelstam, the collected stories of Ben Hecht, Houellebecq’s book on Lovecraft, and Lacan’s “Feminine Sexuality”. That quite accurately describes my focus in life right now, which is as it should be and what books should do.

As the publisher and editor of the Fenris Wolf, what is your perspective on the wider world of occult books, bookbinding and collecting?

I have written about how the current fine book-making is a very integrated part of the occult revival. The books not only contain interesting and inspirational ideas but will continue to do so in the future (when they will also be well needed). It’s not just an indulgent enjoyment to make fine and lasting books but also a very smart strategy for survival. Crowley wanted his system to live on and the Equinox has certainly fulfilled that wish. My own reasons for publishing The Fenris Wolf are similar but decidedly non-sectarian. It seems the focus of most of the publishers is an active transcendence between old and new, in which both are essential parts (for instance, the reverence for old grimoires in combination with social media strategies). There’s also a focus on neo-exoticism in many of them, which is a meta-pragmatic reaction to the "chaotic stasis" of the world in general, and as such a healthy thing. It seems to me that the well-made and beautiful occult books chronicling these teachings and groups have been instrumental in their development and success.

There is rather a renaissance in occult publishing, particularly in terms of fine bindings, happening at the moment. The independents have done so well with it we are even seeing old mainstream stalwarts like Llewellyn putting out slip-cased leather volumes. Any publishers in particular or contemporary volumes you own that you feel are exemplars of this current revival?

The obvious example would be Scarlet Imprint, who produce such beautiful books with such loving determination. It was kind of flabbergasting to see the deluxe of my book Reasonances bound in salmon! Their strata are also intelligent, meaning catering to each kind of purse. The deluxes are super-nice but expensive, and then there’s a sliding scale price wise, although not really sliding in quality. And there are many others too. At Edda Publishing we tried to always make snazzy editions and succeeded quite well. I carry on that mind frame into Trapart Books, but not for its own sake. I want to publish good books, period. But I certainly don’t mind catering to the hardcore collectors at the same time.

With the Fenris Wolf you have been putting that out sporadically since 1989. There are a range of important writers that have contributed to Fenris Wolf over the years, how has the content you are publishing changed or evolved over that time?

Now that it’s an annual venture, I can see it getting more and more eclectic. It’s not meant to be a back-to-back read but rather an accumulation of surprising and inspiring stuff. I want to record and document certain things, people and phenomena, and at the same time discover new writers and new perspectives. You can fit a lot under the magico-anthropological umbrella! The most recent issue, for instance, collects the papers (and more) from a conference that my wife, Vanessa Sinclair, and I organised in London last year: "Psychoanalysis, Art & the Occult". That was a really nice event. So this particular Fenris is pretty focused on that trio of subjects, whereas the normal mix would contain magics new and old, occulture and psychedelics. I can see it going in many different directions. Number ten will of course be spectacular, as it’s a celebratory issue. Issue number 11 will be slimmer but helpful – it will be an index volume for issues 1-10.

How involved are you in the production of the volumes?

I always work with the same printers, so we have gotten to know each other well, and know what can be done. I’m currently drifting more into art books and that means harder quality control. But the way things are going, I’m very happy. California Infernal: Anton LaVey & Jayne Mansfield as portrayed by Walter Fischer sold out quickly and we will very soon see an expanded edition of that. I’m involved on/in all levels of production, from beginning to end. Sometimes I work with outside people. The LaVey-Mansfield project was one such occasion. There I worked together with the owner of the images so that we were both pleased with the result. But on the whole it’s a pretty solitary affair. The most recent issue of Fenris Wolf was edited together with my wife, and we will definitely make more books together. So I guess I’m branching out. And I’m very fortunate to be married to someone who loves books just as much as I do!

Find out more about Carl's work and publishing here:

www.trapart.net www.carlabrahamsson.com

Watch Carl's films here: https://vimeo.com/user3979080/vod_pages

40 notes · View notes

comicsbulletin · 8 years ago

Text

Every week in a new installment of “Leading Questions”, the young, lantern jawed Publisher of Comics Bulletin Mark Stack will ask Co-Managing Editor Chase Magnett a question he must answer. Except for these next few weeks. The tables have turned onto the other foot as Chase prepares for his impending nuptials, and it falls to him to question and Mark to answer. Chase doesn’t plan on taking it easy on Mark. In fact, he might just ask him about things he knows nothing about just to watch him squirm.

(Art by Nick Derington used to announce the launch of Doom Patrol and the rest of the Young Animal imprint.)

Why is Young Animal the best hope for the renewed relevance of superhero comics?

Real quick: Young Animal is a DC Comics imprint that debuted in September of 2016. Curated by Gerard Way under the editorial guidance of Vertigo group editor Jamie S. Rich, Young Animal purports itself to be creating “comics for dangerous humans.” The imprint’s announcement was met with both excitement and skepticism based on Way’s involvement. Way is best known as the frontman of the band My Chemical Romance, so there were those who questioned the business sense of putting a musician in charge of a high-profile line of comics.

Of course, those criticisms often ignored Way’s experience and accomplishments. Way attended and graduated from the School of Visual Arts; his design of My Chemical Romance’s limited edition package for The Black Parade was nominated for a Grammy in 2008 [1]; and Umbrella Academy, his series with artist Gabriel Bá, received an Eisner Award for Best Limited Series in 2008. Way knows his way around comics and he knows how to curate an aesthetic, and – based on the critical reception the current Young Animal line-up has been welcomed with – this all seems to be going pretty well.

What exactly does it mean for Young Animal to be curated? In the early development of Young Animal, Way brought the DC Comics characters he wanted to feature to Co-Publishers Dan Didio and Jim Lee for approval [2]. He then set about hand-picking the creative talent that would best fit each book along with former Vertigo Comics Vice President/executive editor Shelly Bond (who had worked at Vertigo since its launch [3]) and editor Molly Mahan [2].

There appears to be a pre-established idea of what Young Animal’s direction should be which is guiding the executive and creative choices being made. Way has expressed his admiration for the “experimental 80s and 90s takes on superheroes” [4] and there’s one word in comics that’s practically considered synonymous with those words: Vertigo.

The Vertigo imprint sprung up in 1993 around weirder, more experimental superhero work, such as Shade the Changing Man, Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Doom Patrol. These books were meant “to entice teens and adults who were moving away from superheroes, but still wanted to read comics” [5]. However, there was an issue with “some readers stay[ing- away… because of [the] big DC bullet on the cover”[5] of those books. So they received their own imprint under Karen Berger in order to properly brand them for the readership.

Death: The High Cost of Living #1 was among the first comics released under Vertigo. (Cover Art by Dave McKean.)

The imprint has evolved from its own corner of the DC Universe into a line featuring purely original, creator-owned work that doesn’t have room for the weird superhero takes outside of an occasional Sandman redux. Young Animal, drawing from that well of inspiration in crafting its own experimental and mature superhero line, is starting off with the goal of emulating the early Vertigo line and staying within the DC Universe. Bond’s previous involvement and the current editorial guidance of Rich and Mahan with Young Animal would support that the imprint’s direction is a conscious emulation of early Vertigo by Way and DC Comics.That makes a powerful statement that weird, mature, and/or experimental takes belong as a continued part of DC Comics.

None of that means anything, though, if the books aren’t good. Aggregate sites aren’t the “be-all, end-all” of quality indication, but it is worth mentioning that the four Young Animal series currently maintain average critic ratings that range from 7.7 to 8.7 out of 10 on Comic Book Round Up [6][7][8][9]. As for sales, the Young Animal books aren’t blowing up at comic shops; the February issues of Mother Panic, Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, and Shade the Changing Girl each sold fewer than 15k copies [10]. The first collected editions of these books are due out over the course of this summer, so their performance in bookstores and on Amazon will likely determine the longevity of the imprint.

I’ll put a personal stamp on it: I like these books. They’re the only ones I’m picking up regularly right now. I want their collections to sell like bottled water in the desert because, as it’s stated in the question, they’re a much needed shot in the arm for superhero comics to remain relevant. But for superhero comics to be relevant we first have to consider who they are meant to be relevant to. Who is the readership? If Young Animal is in the business of making “comics for dangerous humans,” then who are these dangerous humans? Based on the first crop of titles, the answer might very well be “young women.”

All four titles feature female leads or co-leads and focus in part on their relationships to their fathers/father-figures. The four women leading these books are all at different points in their lives in addition to existing in different genres. There’s a diversity of experience at play that makes Loma Shade’s tale of high school alienation stand worlds apart from the glitz and the violence of Violet Paige’s disaffected socialite life. Telling more than one kind of story with more than one kind of woman opens up these characters to having real flaws. Flaws are often how readers connect with a character, so presenting a variety of interesting, flawed female characters opens these comics (and potentially more superhero comics) up to a wider audience of female readers in the LCS, the bookstore, and online that might not have had their attention captured by Wonder Woman or Squirrel Girl.

#gallery-0-9 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-9 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-9 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-9 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

(Cover Art by Becky Cloonan.)

(Cover Art by Tommy Lee Edwards.)

Here are two examples of easy ways to pitch Young Animal’s current line-up to potential new readers:

Shade the Changing Girl: an alien, Loma Shade, possesses the body of a comatose “mean girl” and has to navigate a hostile social circle in high school. The mystery element about how Shade’s host was put into her coma makes this a book that may appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars.

Mother Panic: a socialite with a dark past and a penchant for body modification returns to Gotham to get revenge on the upper crust. The focus on artifice in upper class social dynamics and the villain’s penchant for violent tableaus may appeal to fans of Gossip Girl and/or Hannibal.

These books don’t sound alike at all. One puts the “alien” in “teen alienation” and the other plays like a scuzzy, modern update Batman: Year One. They don’t appear to be for the same audience at all, which is important. There’s going to be overlap because people can have varied interests, but the audience for Young Animal is further expanded instead of trying to zero in on a group with one or two specific instances.

Of course, the creators matter an awful lot here. Writer, artist, colorist, letterer… They all contribute toward crafting a book. The creative teams on these books were chosen for their ability to bring something unique to their books. Let’s look at Shade the Changing Girl for a specific example.

Cecil Castellucci is a novelist and comics writer specializing in YA/romance who had also done sporadic work for DC Comics in the last few years in anthologies like Sensation Comics and Young Romance. Way wanted her to take on Shade the Changing Girl because he recognized her work as “pretty hardcore and visceral, so [he] knew she was going to bring that to the book” [11]. And the guiding hand of Shelly Bond (before her position with Vertigo was eliminated [12]) was there to attach artist Marley Zarcone to the book [13]. Castelluci, Zarcone, and colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick hadn’t all worked together before starting work on the book, but they now “run a pinterest board for Shade inspiration” [13]. It’s worth noting this since it doesn’t happen very often in the realm of superhero comics: every creator on this book is a woman. There’s something to be appreciated about a creative team being kept consistent and allowed to bond in this way in an era of art teams being switched out like tires on a stock car.

Young Animal employs different tactics from other superhero comics publishers and these tactics show long-term strategy. It has debuted four titles starring very different women and features a fair amount of diversity working behind the page. It also respects the importance of a consistent creative team enough to recently place Doom Patrol on hiatus [14] rather than employ co-writers or fill-ins to rush the book out. While a fill-in issue would get out on time, it will only sell for a month. The eventual collection it will belong to will sell forever. It’s a clear shot across the bow in search of an audience that might not necessarily visit comics shops.

#gallery-0-10 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-10 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

(The Young Animal trade dress does not feature the DC Comics logo on the cover of the first trade paperback volumes.)

As great as some comics shops may be, they’re still a niche market. Amazon and bookstores are where the real mainstream lives, so accessible superhero and superhero-adjacent comics pursuing a segment of that wider, mainstream audience is the best hope for them to remain relevant. That’s what Young Animal appears to be doing while DC also services their primary direct market audience with their Rebirth line-up of superhero comics.

If things go well, we might see Young Animal expand and push the industry’s other major superhero publisher towards trying something similar that places a strong editorial vision and steady creative teams at the forefront of courting a new audience. Unfortunately, we won’t know how this is all going to shake-out until the trade paperbacks are released. A rising tide raises all ships, so success for Young Animal is going to mean success for everyone provided the right lessons are learned from it. Let’s try to make sure that happens.

.@MarkOStack explains why Young Animal is something comics desperately needs:

Every week in a new installment of “Leading Questions”, the young, lantern jawed Publisher of Comics Bulletin Mark Stack will ask Co-Managing Editor Chase Magnett a question he must answer.

.@MarkOStack explains why Young Animal is something comics desperately needs: Every week in a new installment of “Leading Questions”, the young, lantern jawed Publisher of Comics Bulletin Mark Stack will ask Co-Managing Editor Chase Magnett a question he must answer.

0 notes

obsessedwithcomics · 8 years ago

Text

(Art by Nick Derington used to announce the launch of Doom Patrol and the rest of the Young Animal imprint.)

Why is Young Animal the best hope for the renewed relevance of superhero comics?

Death: The High Cost of Living #1 was among the first comics released under Vertigo. (Cover Art by Dave McKean.)

(Cover Art by Becky Cloonan.)

(Cover Art by Tommy Lee Edwards.)

Here are two examples of easy ways to pitch Young Animal’s current line-up to potential new readers:

These books don’t sound alike at all. One puts the “alien” in “teen alienation” and the other plays like a scuzzy, modern update Batman: Year One. They don��t appear to be for the same audience at all, which is important. There’s going to be overlap because people can have varied interests, but the audience for Young Animal is further expanded instead of trying to zero in on a group with one or two specific instances.

(The Young Animal trade dress does not feature the DC Comics logo on the cover of the first trade paperback volumes.)

0 notes