#did not include yearly re-reads!

[jolalibrary]

the yearly round up

so, i am not someone who tends to toot their own horn a lot, but i thought i could be forgiven since it's my birthday. if there were a party, i'd maybe give a speech, right? so, instead of talking about myself, i thought id talk about my work and some of my fave things I've written this year and a little bit as to why. for this list, i have not included late night texts purely because i gave it a lot of love on my last secret birthday. and equally, as do me yourself comes to a close during this one, i feel it's having such a hot moment in the sun, i didn't want to bore everyone. also because if you ask me anything about dmy i won't shut the fuck up. to ask anything about these just add an 🍊.

anytime javier p x f!reader

best friends who go to a wedding only to realise they're in love? sounds like jo. this story fell out of me upon seeing a moodboard by /wildemaven and god i love them. i think about them so often and it makes me want to write him like this again. just fun, easy. it helped me find my nerve to tackle him again after a break when LNT finished, so it was nice to hang with him again.

in my room javier p x f!reader

this idea lived in my head for so long, it went through so many variations until we landed on this. i loved writing it because i hadn't written him like this, and how closed off they both were was so much fun. not having a resolved ending was tough to, but it was also really nice?

i like the way you frankie m x f!reader

would it even be a list if i don't include this? it's a work that on the surface might just feel like a lot of fun. and it is, for sure. but also this fic really taught me a lot and helped create a new relationship with sex. i won't bore or dwell on sad things, but even with therapy, a solid and healthy relationship, this fic helped heal some lasting wounds with my relationship with sex. all through the eyes of two friends who were just trying not to confess they loved one another. so very jo.

up sky, low high frankie m x f!reader

im not sure why this man makes me write some incredible smut (IMO, ofc) but he does??? this one wouldn't exist without @morallyinept urging me on, because honestly i wouldn't have had the guts without her convincing me. but, god i think about this fic a lot? i write a lot of lovely romance, but the romance in this with the smut? i never EVER thought id find that balance. and i did, have, yay!

be good, be you joel miller x f!reader

never in a million years did i think this would have been so popular. and that's not why it's on this list. it's on this list because i lived with this fic for weeks. every bit of rain the UK we had, i thought of this. anyone who knows me, knows how much i love bill + frank joel, so this was like giving into an idea that i thought would only live in my head. and now, it's there, and I'm not ashamed to say i re-read it a lot.

meet you once, saw you thrice lucien flores x f!reader

who'd have thought this would make this list? not me. but it has, and god. i really tested myself with this one. creating him was days of churning over interviews of other actors, of finding who he is in the centre of fucking nothing. and then pouring my heart into it for lovely @pedgito and god am i grateful that's the moodboard i was given. i was terrified (ali will attest) but now i am so proud of it. i love it, and him. I'm almost terrified now to see the movie and watch this version die and wilt hahaha.

din and the travelling of planets din djarin x f!reader

not a one shot, but a collection, because i spent longer trying to choose than i did dwelling on choosing the rest and writing this post. i never thought id step back into star wars, but i'm so glad i did. din and his girl, seeing different planets together, letting us see the world through her eyes. there's a lot of my writing I'm proud of, but I'm most proud of the lines in this. because i get to describe in a way where i don't feel its redundant. because we're seeing it at the same time as she is. i also have so much fun each time i get to write him, and that, makes me happy.

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hello! I've recently returned for my yearly re-read and have once more fallen into a SoH hyper fixation. I was wondering, have we ever been given a description of the type of clothes the ROs wear when off duty? Like their casual wear. Sorry if this has been asked before, I did have a search but couldn't find anything.

Hi there, thanks for returning! ✨ And yes, this has been answered in the #clothes and #fashion tags a few times, including in this post about their streetwear! If you're a more visual person, there are reference sheets with what a typical outfit for them might look like over on the official character page and extra art page as well!

[ofmermaidstories]

merm...bkg hunger games au....

okay so here are my initial thoughts:

1) im actually probably way too into the hunger games to be having this discussion lmfaoooo. im too into it, it’s too perfect, i love it too much. it is basically the pinnacle of all YA and i will fight literally everyone on that.

2) so with the first point in consideration, are we talking like a strict 1:1 AU? Setting it in New America/Panem? Districts with distinct specialities? Commentary about reality TV and modern entertainment entwined with like, the trauma that comes with war and trying to break free of generational curses and etc etc etc? RE: reality TV, I do think we could probably modernise that just a teeny weeny little, to include like, idk, some bullshit about how we’re always under constant surveillance and how we no longer have the time/option to be unavailable (because we’re so connected!). and since we’re like, apart of an actual fandom, maybe we could throw in some stuff about how our more privileged/sheltered audience members would engage in like, stan culture about all these dying kids, LOL. Shipping wars that ends bitterly because one half of the pairing like, idk, clubs the other to death LMAO. Real People Fanfic and the culture war that would come from that (people having a problem with RPF of the tributes bc they’re real people, but like also conveniently like… forgetting they’re real people who are being forced into a death match). would we throw in a line about Reader and/or Bakugou discovering self-insert Gamefic? lmao no wait i made myself snort, we’re absolutely keeping that LMAO. anyways im gonna cut myself off here bc otherwise i will ramble on, but that brings us to point numero-threeo—

3) i recently rewatched Battle Royale (a “random” class entered wins a yearly lottery then dumped on a remote island where they have three days to murder each other—all in the name of keep the status-quo, etc etc, also this is somehow a solution to sky-high unemployment rates etc etc etc.). if we kept the Quirks then like, you could spin it as a dystopian AU where people are fearful of quirks being too powerful, so then ya death-match children are pulled from hero classes and we make Reader end up in there accidentally or something, and oh no! they’re also quirkless (and defenceless hehe).

4) idk. i know i was like hehe i like war! but like, i don’t know how to emphasise how much i love the hunger games LMAO. and how that love sort of translates into the same fierceness i feel about BNHA, when it comes to fanfic—that the canon characters have certain inevitabilities you have to honour. just like no matter the universe, we are always going to need a Bakugou who’s centered around his friends (Deku, always, in any capacity. Kirishima, the first equal he had. Shouto, his frustrating Bestie <3), to me the hunger games works as well as it does because it’s war through the lens of relationships. Gale as the danger of unhealed anger, Peeta as choosing peace—like… that’s the magic of THG to me, and i just…… like…… what are we gonna do with the relationships, with a BNHA cast? 🥺 What would Bakugou be? Do we start with a Bakugou who’s still in Bastard Mode? Has he gone through his canon growth by the time he and Reader meet? If he has, then how was that facilitated in our new world? Did he and Deku end up in the same game? Survive together somehow? How many of their peers and friends do they lose, or does that come later on? How do we fit Reader into that dynamic naturally? the romance in THG happens through like, a need to play the game, play it up for the cameras, but it’s born out of Peeta’s very real feelings for Katniss, that started when they’re kids, and I’m not a childhood friends-to-lovers person (writing wise). The “romance” (if u can call it that) in Battle Royale is probably more culpable to what i do (vague awareness of each other/one-sided crush, grows as they prop each other up) but… idk!!! idk!!!! we could just write up Bakugou and Reader sharing a cave and making out over a festering wound but like…. idk!!! i believe in earning our kisses. 😌 show me the build up in the war-torn society first, and then maybe we can have a kiss later on, lmfaoooo.

[catchingbigfish]

may review

i apparently wrote 3 days this month but i don't actually remember what i worked on for 2 of them -- chances are those were edits to conversion or something similar -- and totaled out at 1,187 words, 83 of those a few days ago.

this was, honestly, a very sorely needed break from everything in my life -- i did make progress on some of my other goals, like developing a more consistent home workout plan, but otherwise, i spent the month entirely decompressing. i spent a week on vacation where we did nothing but watch tv, play video games, and go swimming; the rest of the time, i crafted a lot, read a little, and spent time with family, in addition to lots of quality time with my fiance.

like i said, this is actually not registering as a defeat in my brain, which seems like major progress towards my overarching yearly goal (to just be more flexible and discerning and listen to myself instead of trying to do something i know isn't going to work).

june plans

the most frustrating part of my creative process is that i tend to either think and think and think for months (and sometimes, literal years) about an idea before it can come through, or an idea plops almost fully-formed into my lap and i get the first draft out in a few weeks -- think, so it goes versus conversion. i have one of the latter types of ideas right now, so i'm hoping to get a zero draft and/or discovery draft out by the end of the month.

other than that, my primary writing goal (you can read about my other life goals, including reading goals, over at @prettytothink-so) is to work on my writeblr intro/wip intro(s), primarily by getting my writeblr intro more coherent re: current wips and to get a wip intro out for this new idea, which is currently referred to in my head as a "yoga cult body horror story about being fat".

[whileyoureinschoolidothisallday]

so I got a TON of paperwork signed and done today, had my yearly physical and that went all good, actually convinced my doctor to get me PAXLOVID YUH so I have that in case of emergency just like Tamiflu, set up my appointment for the JACO ARM DEMONSTRATION =D!!!!!!!!!!!!, I cleaned the house INCLUDING my room, re-did my protection wards and then on Mabon I will actually strip and replace them fully, and I convinced my mom to buy me sparkling grape juice cause I am BROKE broke but I am craving it in the worst way (and now I'll at least have that for Mabon!!)

Now I set up my diffuser and I'm eating potato chips and I get to enjoy the rest of my evening hopefully reading and writing and eating and vibing~

[loveoaths]

writing log: 2021 + 2022

a recent conversation with a good friend made me realize: holy shit, i struggle to acknowledge my accomplishments, especially the creative ones. so i decided to start doing a yearly writing recap to log what work i've done, contextualize the environment i did that work in, and take a moment to just sit back and appreciate how i spent my year. this is the first time i'm doing this, so i'll be combining 2021 and 2022.

in 2021, i...

...got headfucked by illness, but kept writing.

this is not one of those "inspirational disability" things. long covid is the worst thing that's ever happened to me, physically and mentally, and that's saying something. i spent a solid two months not being able to walk, let alone think, and it took three more months for me to be able to read for longer than a few minutes at a time. at one point, my sixty-something year old mother had to hold me up so i could walk a lap around the block that i had been running months prior, and it was a super dark time. i am proud of myself for fighting for my health, advocating for humane treatment, and re-learning how to find solace and comfort and reprieve in reading and writing. i was recuperating in bed most of 2021 (when i wasn't struggling to keep my job lol) so i had a lot of time to come up with project ideas but zero stamina to finish them. i'm still not recovered, and have new chronic illnesses out the wazoo now, but i'm in a much better place these days.

...worked on 21 scripts.

includes new and old projects. my brain was scattered, but i tried.

...developed 12 new project premises.

some are good, others are dogshit. but who cares!

...finished 5 scripts.

three half-hour scripts, and two elevens. combined, that's almost two episodes of prestige television. i'm coming for your ass, tony gilroy!!!

...read 25 books.

comic books, ya novels, non-fiction, autobiographies, picture books; you name it, i read it. most of what i read went in one ear and out the other because of the covid brain damage, but i remember how soothing the act of reading a book while curled up with hot tea under a warm blanket was to my aching brain and body, and i'm glad i tried my best to read even if i knew i could barely understand. a third of this list is picture books and/or middle grade books and graphic novels because that's all i could handle at the beginning of the year. and you know what i found? a lot of those kids books are great, and heart-warming, and delightfully more nuanced than i had ever dreamed. the kids are gonna be alright.

...took 6 writing classes.

i'm glad i did this, but looking back on it this was kind of stupid. my brain was burdened by illness and my response was to... burden it more? for fun??? insane behavior. i highly recommend every course i took (chris amick's pilot development, multiple classes at writing pad, rad sechrist's project tv writing class, patricia villanuvella's 11-minute episode format class, and more) but i do not recommend taking them while your head is fucked. if anyone is interested in learning more about these courses, let me know!

...took on my first pitch project.

i was hired to help write and pitch a kids show, and learned a lot about the pitching process. mostly i learned that an upbeat attitude and a corny joke or two will go a long way. also, that the tv industry is an ouroboric cesspool constantly feeding on its own shit, but i digress.

...developed my first original show pitch.

it's uglier than sin but i love it. developing the pitch actually made me realize the concept is better as a novel series than a show, but i appreciate how much that process taught me about exploring format, structure, and the art of pitching.

...landed my first staff writing gig.

this was my proudest moment. in between numerous ER visits, doctor's appointments, health scares, housing issues, and more, i broke into the industry i love.

in 2022, i...

...was still pretty fucking sick, but doing better.

title says it all. despite losing my emotional support animal to leukemia, i hung in there. feels good.

...took on three writing mentees.

this is still the most shocking thing i did last year. i became a mentor to three fellow brown folks and i love them all dearly. i don't know if i'm a stellar mentor or anything, but i would do just about anything to help them reach their writing goals. i always thought i hated teaching, but it turns out i really enjoy working one-on-one with people as a guide rather than an instructor. my goal is to help all of my mentees break into their respective industries in the next two years.

...took three writing classes.

at this point i'm mostly taking these to meet people and learn new tips and tricks, but i still found them highly rewarding. plus, i realized i work best when i know someone expects to read what i've written the following week. nothing makes you keep a writing deadline like the pain of disappointing a peer! :D

...wrote 63,207 words for work.

i worked two staff writer gigs and seven freelance or contract gigs, and wrote more in a year than i ever have, ever. i know this number isn't high to prose writers, but a 25 page script is around 4,800 to 5,000 words. that's a lot of pages.

in total, i wrote around 22 scripts for work last year.

...wrote 50,018 words for original projects.

i only finished three scripts, and most definitely did not hit my goal of finishing my feature script, but i still finished. all three projects were complex, adult-oriented, and of personal significance to me, and it felt really good to finally finish them. i don't love all of them, honestly, but one of them got me my current manager and generated some buzz around my name that kept me employed, so i'm incredibly appreciative of the work i put into them, and the work they've given me in return.

...read 50 books.

this is my crowning achievement of 2022! i used to be an avid reader and then stopped out of nowhere for several years, but last year i fell back in love with reading, big time. i am proud to say that after a year of re-cultivating my reading comprehension and attention span, i can once again knock out a 300 page book in a day (with some assistance from my good ol' friend, hyperfixation). coaxing myself to just read five pages a day really helped me with some of the executive function issues of not wanting to pick up a book. if you're struggling with reading habits, i really recommend lowering your bar to entry. read for a minute, or read one page, or even just one paragraph. eventually the habit will reform and you'll be back to reading longer.

...wrote 51 loglines.

i struggled to come up with new, creative ideas in 2021, so this jump from 12 to 51 was startling, but highly satisfying. once i stopped worrying about whether the ideas were good, i was able to do more with the freeness that comes with happily being shit at something. and you know what? once i got the shit ideas out, i found a couple of really good ones at the bottom of the barrel.

...had a pretty alright year.

shit still went sideways, i was overworked and exhausted, and my personal life imploded, but looking back on it, i had a lot to be grateful for, and a lot of love and support in my corner, and i'm going to try to be mindful and thankful for the aforementioned as i push myself a teensy bit further in 2023.

...have a few goals for 2023.

they are:

work less, read more

write more indulgent stuff (gay porn, fic, all the nasty dark shit i like)

eat more veggies

do some fucking wrist exercises and get a desk pedaler because holy shit my joints are aging like MILK

thanks for reading.

[chromatic-lamina]

Gonna just do this for myself (so don't worry about likes, sending asks and all). If you want to download the image and upload, I think it should be fine. It's all over the interwebs. Also fine to do it like a normal ask/answer meme!

All of my answers under the cut.

Yearly Word Count: (off anon, and not including unpublished zine fics): 31,223

Fav fic: Doctor Death Doula (Trafalgar Law) https://archiveofourown.org/works/37266862 But it had some stiff competition.

3. Fav fic read: ties between:

Living in a ghost town (lawzo) ( double joint @stephanericherthanyou ) Sabaody Shambles by @/CoffeeTimeWorks (Strawhats and Heart Pirates)

Oh! and the last chapter of the fabulous astra inclinant ( @petrachord ).

and at the point of a sword (freckledshoulderblades) (zoro, general) and most recently something's always going on at pathology (v. funny) by thegrimshapeofyoursmile (general)

Also family by @/KallistosWrites (kidlaw) and special shout out to 123_crowbar_solo who always writes quality (especially doff and croc!)

4. Fav ship you wrote for. I only wrote KidLaw this year re ships, but love ZoLaw, MarLaw, LawBin, etc. as well.

5. Fav character POV: Bepo writing as Law (or role swap. Bepo was the captain in his fanfiction!)

6. Favourite latest line I wrote:

Kid's head pushed back on the plushie and it squeaked.

7. WIP you finally finished. Ah, I don't really have any, but I probably wouldn't have written Overworked and Underpaid (Chopper and Bepo) if I hadn't had to scrap another WIP. And the idea for Doctor Death Doula had been sitting in the drafts for some time.

8. WIP you're yet to start finish. The one I'll be writing for the One Piece Kids zine. I'm still working on the one for the corazine too, although I think it's mostly done.

9. Most read fic this year: I guess they mean the ones written this year, right?

It'd be Bepo's Beptober with 868 hits, but that was begun in 2020, it seems, so a better reflection is perhaps Overworked and Underpaid (Chopper and Bepo) which has 841 hits and was published in June.

10. Longest fic of the year (off anon, right? heh). No multichaps for me this year, and some word count restraints for zine fics, but also due to time (and that's just the point where the fic should've ended), so!: Overworked and Underpaid at 6,289 words.

11. Shortest fic of the year: A drabble called kelp for the Justice zine ficlet challenges. 114 words.

12. Fav fic title: Maybe 'snow business like show business (kidlaw for the op secret santa exchange)

13. Biggest surprise while writing this year. Just how hard it is to write Kanjuro! (oh, and also that a free verse fic i did got reasonable interaction)

14. Fav comment you got this year: All of them! Special shout out for all the lovely comments on Doctor Death Doula, and also to @stephanericherthanyou for their always fabulous feedback, and the same goes for @afterdeck-ace

15. Fav fic author to read this year: see number 2!

16: Total fics/chapters uploaded this year: Okay, I'm gonna include the chapters in the ficlet collections, even though most are not very long:

Stand alone one shots: 6

Ficlets/chapters in anthologies (on my page): 10

17: What are you most looking forward to next year?: Some of the work for zines being published and being seen by a wider audience.

[orionsgirdle]

@korrasera first of all, would it kill you to put the majority of this shit under a read more ffs.

Re: weapons sales - US State Dept. made an emergency declaration for sale of $106 million in weapons sales to Israel. On 29, Dec. 2023 the State Dept. made another emergency sale of $147 million in ammunitions, tank shells, whatever. What I did was was this thing called "adding two numbers together" and I rounded it up for brevity. But perhaps this was too difficult a concept for you to grasp.

Re: this - "were you aware that emergency support is one of the powers delegated to the office of the president?" were you aware that making an emergency declaration is the exactly the way to bypass congressional review. I'll spell it out for you: the point that people are trying to make here is that the emergency declaration itself is the questionable move. why would the state dept. need to make an emergency declaration on weapons sales to Israel when Israel was over 2 months into committing a genocide?

And this: "Sidenote: Did you just google '$250 billion weapons israel' and go with your first link? Without reading it?" This patronizing bullshit when you didn't even bother to do your research is extremely embarrassing for you.

Re: the US sending ~3 billion yearly in foreign aid to Israel. This is well-known and you aren't telling us anything new here. Although I will link this tweet from an interview with a US congressman in 2009 where he insists that the US sends a total of ~15 billion to Israel through trade compacts, military assistance, etc. This has not been verified from other sources tho, so do with that what you will ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And because I don't like the insinuation that I'm spreading misinformation, here are links to everything else I listed in the comment:

Biden lying about seeing 40 babies that Hamas beheaded with his own eyes.

Biden lying about Hamas headquaters under Al Shifa.

US is the ONLY one of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council to veto "humanitarian pauses" in Israel's bombing of Gaza. "A ‘no’ vote from any one of the five permanent members of the Council stops action on any measure put before it."

Re: US sending advisors to Israel - that .gov article you linked, how can I explain this to you simply? I reject the entire premise of that report. Statements like: "Austin also said that U.S. leadership with Israel includes reinforcing important values, such as those embodied in the law of war. And one of those values is that civilians must be protected," have no meaning when you consider everything I've discussed above.

Here's another choice quote from the article:

Following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, Austin said he made the trip to Israel to assure partners there that the U.S. is committed to their security. "I flew to Israel to underscore our solidarity and our resolve, and to make it crystal-clear that America's commitment to Israel's security is ironclad," Austin said. 

Gaza is an open-air prison where Israel controls the food, water, electricity, and movement of over 2 million people. The hypocrisy of these State officials is disgusting. Any occupied population can and will fight for liberation and the right to self-actualization. Israel has NO RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE.

Re: "We sent someone with firsthand experience of the exact same kind of conflict, someone who could show them how it only leads to defeat. And we know it didn't work because those advisors returned to the US quickly and Israel chose to escalate instead." Complete speculation.

As you are coming from a position of accepting everything US state officials say as facts, we have nothing more to discuss and I will not be responding to whatever misinformed long-winded lecture you decide to spew here. If it makes you feel good to think that everyone else is ignorant and you are the only one swimming in facts, then you do you I guess. But for the heck of it I will recommend you read sources that highlight Palestinian voices like Mondeweiss, Democracy Now, and Middle East Eye (to name a few).

This is not a call for people to not vote. Grassroots movements in the form of protests are happening all over the world including the US (an estimated 400k protestors gathered in D.C. a few days ago). USAmericans can and should vote for progressive Senators and Congress people who will take a definitive stance against supporting a fascist far-right state like Israel. Your problem is you don't recognize a fascist just because he is in the blue team.

Apologies to OP for clogging up this post, but I just had to say something.

Fundamentally, if the democrats lose the presidency in 2024, it will not be because of "voter apathy" or "the idealistic left" or Cornell West or whatever third party candidate the liberals end up blaming. It will be because the democrats have failed to meet the lowest standards of many Americans.

You can talk about strategic voting until you're blue in the face, but fundamentally, people need reasons to vote for a candidate. There are people in this country watching as their family members get slaughtered by American arms, sent to Israel by Joe Biden. The people watching their families get murdered in Palestine have no reason to support Joe Biden. How can you ask them to?

"Sorry your family got bombed, but I need you to vote for the man who is directly responsible, or *real* people are going to suffer too."

It was at this point While I was drafting this post that I heard he just started bombing Yemen. It's like he's doing everything in his power to sink his own fucking campaign, are you shitting me? This isn't a matter of "stupid commies not being realistic enough", he's not just working for the status quo; just about every action he has taken since October 7th has been an escalation of conflict in the Middle East and made it worse for everyone living there. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

You can scold people for voting wrong as much as you want, but fundamentally the way that democrats can win elections is by pursuing good policy. If the only argument you can come up with in favor of Joe Biden is that he won't do 1 or 2 of the terrible things that Trump wants to do, then that will simply not appeal to the people who are most intensely affected by Biden's failures (not to mention people who have moral objections to genocide, even when it doesn't affect them). You can scream and cry all you want, people are not going to just overlook his role in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza just because he is the Less Bad Genocider.

If a republican wins the presidency in November, you can blame the hundreds of thousands of voters/nonvoters who should've agreed with you and put aside every moral concern they ever had about the Biden administration... or you can blame the one fucking guy whose massive foreign policy failures are going to tank his re-election campaign.

[someonelookingpraediti]

Yearly Roundup Best Books of 2023

1. THE SECRET HISTORY

The hype surrounding this book is absolutely justified. I read it with book club, and we all agreed that it temporarily rewrote our brain chemistry, and turned us into pretentious Greek students. If I'd read this as a teenager, I truly believe I would have grown up a very different person. It's the most beautiful story I've ever read.

2. HEROES OF OLYMPUS

I was (optimistically) hoping to get through all of the PJO-adjacent series this year, but I came to a screeching halt when I got to the Kane Chronicles. But first, I read Heroes of Olympus, and they were just as good as the original series! The new demigods were just as likeable, and Percy was somehow even more relatable!

3. A LITTLE LIFE

Here's another that lived up to the hype. I sobbed most of the way through this book, but a lot of it was also so joyful, despite being unbelievable devastating. I stormed through this book, and it left me broken for days, weeks after. I really want to read it again, in more depth, but I'm not ready yet.

4. THE TAROT SEQUENCE

I shouldn't have liked this series as much as I did - it was kind of trashy, and not my normal type of book at all! But oh my God, the characters were so captivating! I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out, the story is just gripping! I'm also including the spin-off book in this, because it was probably my favourite of the series!

5. THE WICKER KING

This is the most unusual book I've read this year. It's so visually interesting, it's more a piece of art than a novel. At first, I wasn't sure if I was just impressed by the formatting, or if I actually liked the plot. But months later, I'm still impressed! I can't recommend this book enough, and I wish I could find more like it.

Best Sequels

The Stolen Heir

This is the follow up to the Folk of the Air series, the first book in a new duology. I didn't think it'd live up to the main series, because Jude and Cardan were so iconic. But actually, Wren and Oak are every bit as interesting, and the plot is fantastic! I can't wait for the second book to come out in March!

Hell Bent

This is the follow up to Ninth House, and it was totally worth the wait. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Ninth House until I re-read it, and the sequel didn't disappoint, it was just as interesting! It didn't go in exactly the direction I thought it would, but it was all the better for it!

Other five star books I've read this year include: Lockwood & co, Elysium, The Silent Companions, Goth, Clytemnestra, Mythos, and The Good Son.

The worst books I've read this year are: The Foxglove King, This is How you Lose the Time War, Bunny, The Maidens, and Murder Most Festive

Interestingly, I only gave the first book in the "Captive Prince" trilogy two stars, but I gave the third book a whopping five stars!

[imanes]

favourite books of 2020 (organised per genre but in no particular order)

oathbringer (stormlight archive #3) by brandon sanderson - fantasy

the final empire (the mistborn trilogy #1) by brandon sanderson - fantasy

the bear and the nightingale (the winternight trilogy #1) by katherine arden - fantasy

midnight in chernobyl by adam higginbotham - historical/politics non-fiction

catch and kill by ronan farrow - crime non-fiction

the five by hallie rubenhold - historical non-fiction

the duchess war by courtney milan - historical romance

the southern book club’s guide to slaying vampire by grady hendrix - horror

before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi - magical realism

[glamourzombie]

July was a very Death-esque (as in, tarot Death) month for me. I lost one of my pets, I got assigned to a new highschool (a yearly occurence for most of us working in the public school system), some of my hubs’ projects didn’t come to fruition, others did. There wasn’t as much me-time as I anticipated, tbh! But today, I’m going to showcase one of the tools that did make an appearance during the highs and the lows of the month: the Dirt Gems Oracle, a botanical deck by Anne Louise Burdett & Chelsea Granger. These friends were inspired by their love for the earth and all the medicine and healing that it holds, and it is a stunning set of cards and guidebook.

I know the deck already looks awesome by the pictures, and the first time I read about it, it really caught my attention. But there’s no way of expressing how much power and beauty it has when you see it in person and work with it. It has such a strong energy, vibrant but steady. It has its own structure, created by combining the elements, weather systems, alchemy, and energetic signatures of the plant allies. The 65 cards are in fact divided into suits: ablaze (15 cards), afloat (14), adrift (17) and amidst (19). The division is clever and based on the different charactersitics of each of the plants involved, and each suit is associated with an element and a colour palette (most clearly seen in adrift with its b&w).

And it is incredibly fun. It doesn’t mean it can’t get deep (it does!), but honestly working with it is just so enjoyable even if it can look dark and kinda moody. The art style is very unique, with a dreamy feel, and the use of colours (including the restricted palettes) feels magical. It does show the care, experiences and knowledge that went into it. The illustrations make use of the black background to give them space and a lightness that works amazingly well when using these cards with other decks. Most of the elements presented are plants and animals, but there are also other natural elements, charachters, and human-made objects. The cards have a buttery matte finish (they are able to slide, unlike with the rose-petal finish), they are gilded (in either gold or copper) and they come inside a fully illustrated two-piece sturdy box.

The companion guide is juicy, at 165 pages. It has a small intro which includes plant magick, the suits exploration with intro to and associations for each, a how to, example spreads, and a few words on tradition, arriving at page 25 to the cards’ information: a b&w image, the plant name (including its scientific name), an assigned title (eg. The Transmutter for Gumweed), and the message and meaning of each card itself. The illustrations can offer enough of an intuitive hit to work with them alone based on the symbology that goes with the plants and the way in which they are presented and coloured (especially if you’re versed in plant lore), but in my case I find this to be a deck whose guide I find necessary and enriching.

The Dirt Gems Oracle is a deck that links the very tangible reality of plants to their ethereal aspects, as well as guiding us along this bridge to (re)connect with the earth, and hence, with ourselves. Though the four elements are present, I feel it’s mostly a grounding and reassuring deck with lots to teach. It is fun, eye-catching and well-designed, and it vibrates to an energy that should be very basic and present for and in us, but that the modern world can tamper with frequently. Anne Louise Burdett & Chelsea Granger have done an amazing job with this deck, so if you want to know and see more, head over the Dirt Gems site!

[w4nderingstarfanfics]

Disappointment Dissertation

With the launch of Overwatch2, I know everyone on the internet is jumping on the hate bandwagon. But I still wanted to get my thoughts into a cohesive argument. The short version is: I am so disappointed.

I have several chapters in mind, but the most shocking and yet not shocking one I wanted to do first as it literally affects every single player of the game.

Chapter 1

Part 1 

    The reason why they made these changes is very clear: Money. They can now force a majority of people to literally spend the same money on a yearly basis for a game that before, we only had to buy once. Even if you only buy the bare minimum of the new currency just for the battle pass and nothing else, you end up buying the the game for an even higher price on a yearly basis. 

The Battle Pass Math

The game now requires a new “battle pass currency” that you must spend your real life money on to unlock everything from Overwatch2. The Legacy Coins from Overwatch can only be used to buy some items that existed pre-October release. Let’s break down the pricing. 

(Battle Pass Currency shorthand will be a ‘c’ following a number)

500c = 5.00 (this is the least amount of currency you can buy)

1000c = 10.00

The premium battle pass cost is 1000c, or 10 real life (American) dollars. There will be a new battle pass roughly every 6-9 weeks. Let's take the fastest turnaround time per-pass to see the high end of what the true cost of Overwatch2 is. 

~52 weeks in a calendar year

52/6 = 8.667, roughly 8 battle passes a year

8*10= 80

To unlock all the new content a year you will have to spend 80 dollars a year. Overwatch itself was 60 dollars flat and you never had to re-buy it. Discounting the “Watchpoint Pack” where you did rebuy the game but with 2 $20 skins included. 

There is an option to buy 2000c and you get a “10% extra” where you get an extra “free” 200c for 20 dollars. To not overspend and only buy the 8000c required:

3 2200c packs: 20*3= 60$

1 1000c pack: 10$

1  500c pack: 5$ (and 100c left over that you had to buy even though you did not want it)

Total: 75$ 

Grand total savings: 5$

There is also the 50$ currency bundle for 5700c with a 14% “extra.”

1 5700c pack: 50$

1 2200c pack: 20$

1 500c pack: 5$ (with 400 left over that you had to buy even through you didn’t want it)

Total: 75$ 

Grand total savings: 5$

The extra bundles are the same “savings,” but with 100c or 400c extra that you were forced to pay for.

So the free to play game is 75-80 dollars a year to have access to the new content. 

Part 2 

The New Hero Math

BUT WAIT. The battle pass does not include all new content. 

Yes indeed you read that right, even after spending 80 real life dollars, you only receive access to unlock the new cosmetics and in-game content on the battle pass. And yes, you read that right again, you do not give them money and get the content, you must grind and “unlock” the content you already paid for. It’s unclear to me if you do not unlock all levels by the end of the season, if you just get those items, or if that content (and your money) is dust in the wind and you get nothing that you failed to unlock. 

 “Regular” new character skins, highlights, emotes are all completely separate from the battle pass and cost money. You like that new Junker Queen skin? It’s extra. Want that Sojourn highlight intro? It’s extra.

(I am excluding “souvenirs” and “weapon charms” as these might be 1 time unlocks that you can use for all heroes after being paid for once and also I have no clue what the hell a “souvenir” is or why anyone would want to spend money on it and I’m sure as hell not spending money on them to find out) 

All three new heroes appear to have the exact same spread of cosmetics with minor variations. Any cosmetics that appear on either the free or premium battle pass I have excluded from these price totals. I’m unsure if these are battle pass locked, meaning if you don't get them on the pass you will never be able to unlock them. Or, if at a later date, they will become “unlocked” and buyable like their rest. Which will increase the base price to fully unlock a new hero, only time will tell at this early point in the game’s launch. 

Cosmetic Discrepancies: 

Sojourn has 1 epic skin and 10 sprays (one less of each than both her counterparts) 

One of Kiriko’s legendary skins is currently free for watching Twitch streams but will be paywalled in battle pass season 2 

2 of her recolor skins are listed as locked and not purchasable and do not appear on the battle pass track. Possible glitch? Maybe part of a “bundle” in the shop that I don’t see and/or is rotating?

2 Legendary skins (1900*2= 3800)

2 Epic skins (1000*2= 2000)

4 Recolors (300*4= 1200) 

Total Currency For Skins: 7000c

4 Emotes (500*4= 2000)

3 Victory poses (300*3= 900) 

10 Voice lines (100*10= 1000)

11 Sprays (100*11= 1100)

2 Highlight intros (700*2= 1400)

Total Currency For “Other” Cosmetics: 6400

Grand Total To Fully Unlock ONE New Character: 13,400c  (135$ real American dollars)

Part 3

The Grand Total and the Future

If you are looking to unlock only the new Overwatch2 characters and the battle pass season 1 your total is: 

(3 x 135) + 80 = $485

FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS JUST TO UNLOCK THE NEW CONTENT.

I shudder to think what the cost to unlock the entire cast of heroes is since they have 6 years of cosmetics banked. No. I’m not going to go through each hero to run their prices and get a grand total, I want to keep what’s left of my soul. 

And this also does not include any possible “seasonal” event content. The first being the “Wrath Of The Bride” Halloween event. There appears to be 3 new (no doubt legendary, another staggering $50 just for those three skins if you buy that currency bundle) skins for Junker Queen, Kiriko, and Sojourn. Ashe was included in the promo art in her Warlock skin which is not new, unless they have changed something and will charge us again for a recolor of it. 

As these Halloween skins do not appear on the current battle pass track, I believe it’s safe to assume any and all “event” content will never be free or part of a battle pass “bundle.” This could change in the future, but I don’t see a financial reason for them to do so. 

    Absolutely gobsmacking. The cost just for launch day cosmetics makes me numb. 

    I honestly can’t see how this could be sustainable at these price points. $20 dollars for one hero’s single legendary skin. $7.50 for a three second highlight intro. It’s insane! And what makes it worse, is there is no “grind and hope” option. 

    In Overwatch, you were rewarded for grinding out levels with lootboxes. If you didn’t want to pay for new cosmetics, you could grind and hope you got what you wanted in loot boxes. Or, save your acquired coins and buy them that way. 

    My suggestion would be to bring back lootboxes in a limited capacity. Because the company is in the middle of a money hungry cash grab, yes, you should be able to buy them. But, after say 2-3 battle pass levels, you got a “free one.” It would reward the free track players to keep grinding (since 75% of the battle pass items are paywalled) as well as paid track player with extra content and currency to unlock non battle pass items. Obviously, paid battle pass items could not appear in loot boxes (until a later date if those items became unlocked) so it would not interfere with the push for people to pay for the battle pass. 

    And it would be critical for brand new Overwatch2 players to be able to have anything other than the base skin. 

    In conclusion, I’m disappointed about how naked the cash grab is. And I’m angry that they are not even doing the naked cash grab well. 

    If Blizzard had any sense at all, they would have kept the loot boxes, temping people to try their luck, and been a smidgen more kind to their players. They would have stuffed the battle pass full of things the player actually want. They would have done skins, highlights, poses, charms and not voicelines, player icons, and “player cards” that are worthless fluff that could have gone into loot boxes to force us to buy both currency and loot boxes. 

[sugas-sweetheart]

hi sofia!! i’m so excited for your halloween event hehe!! can i request kirishima for masquerade ball and “please tell me that was you!” maybe mutual pining? and a drabble pls!! thank you 🥺💖💖💖

Ruby Red || Kirishima Eijirou

A/N: YES THIS IS FROM HALLOWNEEN AND THIS ENDED UP BEING LIKE 1.8K WORDS WHAT IT WAS MEANT TO BE A DRABBLE- I apologise PROFUSELY at how long this took me though and bye its not even that good i just procrastinated hgdsjkfgj😭 thank you sm @deephasoceanmagic for helping me finish this djsjdskdj this got kinda hard to write after I had left it bc I lacked inspiration and here we are and I’m sorry its not the best work I’ve done asshdjsjdjs although the Denki and Sero thing is one of my favourite things my head has made up.

Requested prompts: 1. masquerade ball + 3. “please tell me that’s you!”

Pairing: Kirishima x Fem!reader

The yearly UA Halloween party had arrived once again; it would be your final one at the school and to make it special the third years were allowed to organise it. One of the girls in 3A had brought up the idea of a masquerade ball to add to the mystery, which was instantly taken very well by the committee organising it.

The class didn’t exactly have dates, it was more of a “dance with whoever, whenever” agreement. Although, people in the class could clearly predict who was going to be dancing with who, and that included you and a certain fake, red head.

The months prior to Halloween rolled around quickly and the third years were allowed a day off from their usual lessons to relax and get ready. The 3A dorms had been split, the girls getting ready on the third floor, while the boys were kept downstairs.

Excitement bubbled in the whole class, the whole year even. It was a night for them to act like teenagers instead of soon-to-be pro heroes and that was greatly appreciated.

The chattering and squealing from the girls was almost never ending as they complimented and helped each other with makeup, hair and dresses. It was a joyous little bubble that they were in and nothing could break down their morale.

If the girls didn’t praise each other constantly when taking selfies or group photos on a normal day, then it was an eternal compliment battle when getting dressed up formally together. Mina broke the chatter with a question directed towards the whole room. 

“So, who does everyone want to dance with?” Although she directed it at the whole room, she sent you a knowing glance and a shoulder nudge. The teasing you had received from a portion of your class this week was almost never ending, and each time you were bombarded with these inquiries, the spiky haired male sent you a small and unknowing smile from the other side of the classroom. 

Meanwhile, the boys were attempting to look their best, and were holding a similar conversation with each other. But it was Halloween night, and that meant some sort of trickery needed to happen for them, and it was basically in the form of dying their hair as to not be recognisable with their normal styles and contact lenses. Most of them opted for a black spray to temporarily colour their locks for the night and match their dark shirts, suits and masks. (Bakugou, a little begrudgingly, let Kirishima and Kaminari colour his hair) 

“Kiri, you ready to dance with her?” similar to what Mina did, Sero gave him a nudge and he received a wink from the tape and electric quirk holders who were busy spraying his hair back to its natural colour. 

Bakugou took this moment to scoff and join in as he fixed his orange tie, “Took his sweet time to do something if he does.” 

“You’ll twirl her, and dip her, and sweep her right off her feet” The comedic duo that were Hanta and Denki, threw their spray cans onto the bed next to them, joined hands and started re-enacting the scene they created. 

“And end with a kiss!” Sero had dipped Kaminari and they leaned in making childish kissing noises before collapsing onto the bed in a fit of laughter. 

Kirishima was brought out his thoughts with a blush across his features, even if his mask covered it, as he recalled antics from earlier. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling, emitting a soft, warm light and candelabras flickered along the tables. Mini pumpkins and cobwebs were scattered across each table’s centrepiece, but the only thing on his mind was the small handwritten note addressed to him that he had found at his table seat. 

“Meet me on the roof at 8:30, I hope to see you there x”

No one seemed to be looking at him and no one but Bakugou was near him, he had no idea who would have left it, but he hoped it was you. Taking a look at the clock he realised it was 8:15pm and well, there’s no harm in being early is there? 

All of 3A’s eyes - bar one pair - discreetly followed him to the door that would allow him access up to the roof. The class gave each other a quick look before going back to chatting and joking. 

Upon nearing the 3A girls table, you spotted a note next to your name card. The excitable pink haired girl next to you stepped forward, plucking the note from the table and read it with wide eyes under her sparkling mask.

“Oh my god, maybe it’s from him!” The excitement she felt for you was clear in her voice.

“What does it even say?” She immediately pushed the note in front of you in response to your question.

Messy handwriting had scrawled “meet me on the roof at 8:30, I hope to see you there x” along the card. Glancing at the clock you realised there were only five minutes until you were meant to meet this mystery person on the roof.

“So, are you going to meet them?”

“Mina, of course I am. If I die you’ll know where I last was”

As she dragged you towards the door, she claimed that you would be fine and that it was probably just some admirer.

The acid quirk holder observed you as you started making your way up the stairs. Giving the members of 3A knowing glances, she made her way back over to the group of girls you had originally split from.

A few meddling friends - aka Mina, Denki, Sero and an unwilling Bakugou - had organised the whole ordeal happening before you; this was obviously unknown by you and the boy awaiting on the rooftop.

Upon reaching the door that led outside, you paused to take a breath. You hoped Kirishima was waiting for you on the other side of the door. If it wasn’t him, then you’d just have to be polite as you didn’t really want to lead anyone on after this night. 

On the other side of the door, Kirishima stood waiting and staring at the scenery around him. The rooftop was lit by fairy lights and the moonlight that shone down; a small table placed a few feet away held drinks, a speaker plugged into an iPod - that looked a lot like Jirou’s - that played music softly. A small vibration from his back pocket brought him from his thoughts and he went to check the phone notification. It was a simple text from Mina that stated “Ask her to dance when she comes up”. It was then, that he knew his friends had something to do with this whole setup and an admirer did not in fact ask him to come up themselves. 

A heavy click pulled his gaze away from the phone screen and over to the door that was opening a few metres away.  His view was flooded with red material as a second click followed, signifying the door had closed and it was now time for him to speak and not make a fool of himself. 

“Uh, would you like to dance with me?” stammered the boy before you. 

Luckily for Kiri, his mask covered the rouge that was coming to his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck in anticipation of a response. A light nod was given from you in return, stepping forward to grab his other hand, which was outstretched for you. While the secrets were intriguing, the poor attempt to hide his identity and your need to find out if he was truly behind the mask was overpowering, and before you knew it, you had blurted out a statement that would have saddened the boy in front of you had your deduction not been correct. 

“Kirishima, please tell me that’s you”

He let go of your hand to slowly peel off his dark mask and reveal a flushed, but hopeful, face at the thought of you wanting it to be him.

“I guess the disguise didn't do much then?” he looked down towards his mask as he spoke, avoiding eye contact with you now that his face was exposed. You pulled away your own mask before speaking up again. 

“Not really, but a hair colour change can only do so much when you have ruby red eyes” 

He gave a soft chuckle at the defining feature that you had pointed out and his confidence increased with the knowledge of it being you that was forced up here by his friends. 

As a slower, steady song played from the speaker he outstretched his hand once again to ask for a dance and this time wasn’t interrupted by an inquiry from you. Taking his hand and placing your other on his shoulder, he moved his other hand to rest on your back and you both tried to find your way dancing together for the first time. 

The next hour was mostly elegant, apart from the toes that were stepped on when dancing, and filled with laughter at small jokes told to ease the initial awkwardness of being set up. He was easy to speak to, he was gentle and caring, and as the night continued you ended up sitting together, staring at the luminescent specks that were scattered throughout the sky. 

Halloween was coming to a close and the moments you shared that night would be cherished  for a long while. Being the gentleman that Eijirou was, he offered to walk you back to your dorm room, despite his being a level below yours. You sneaked down and out together before everyone started leaving to avoid the hustle and bustle of it all. With your right arm hooked in his left, a small, tired smile was plastered across your face the whole walk back and while you were sad about the night ending, this sparked the relationship you would hopefully soon share with the red head. 

As your door came into view, the both of you slowed your steps. There was a slight awkward tone in the air, were you to just say goodbye and leave? Should you kiss? Was he going to say something? 

The few seconds of silence that felt like hours was broken when the both of you opened your mouths to speak and promptly shut them with a laugh to let the other go first. 

He looked at you expectedly, waiting for you to speak first.

“Well, thanks to our friends, this night was a lot better than I anticipated so thank you.” a shark tooth filled smile gleamed with glittering eyes, because he was filled with joy at the thought of you enjoying the night with him. 

“I really enjoyed my night with you, so i'm glad you think the same! I’ll see you in class tomorrow?”

“Mhm!” and in those final seconds looking into his eyes, your mind had made a decision. You pressed a kiss to his cheek before pushing the door open and once inside leaning your back against it, just knowing the heat that was rushing to your cheeks.

Kirishima stood stunned and wide eyed outside of your closed door for a few moments and softly touched the spot on his cheek that you had kissed. Upon hearing footsteps and chatter from fellow classmates, he decided to make his way back to his own room where he slept well with thoughts of what he would say to you tomorrow. 

Taglist (open): @justamultifandomfan16 @shoutamajiki @meliorist-midoriya @goopyartiste @yee-harr @bizzoldmann-08 @katsushimaa @hannahalanib1 @boosyboo9206 @derpeedoo @mystic-helena @spookykiri @vhskenma

[veterveter]

Hello! For the yearly ask: 4, 14, 17, 18, 22 and 21! Thank you🐥

Hello 🐥 anon dearly beloved, my moon and my stars, my one and only love. My one true equal in this world. My partner in life and crime.* You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent.

Thank you for asking me questions. I do love to talk about myself, as you very well know.

4. total number of words you wrote this year

Including only stuff I've posted, it's 96 thousand (dollars? holla!) 279. I think I might be able to push it over 100k with Berlermo SS. How fun! A productive year.

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

Oh, you've certainly heard this story but catch a dream for sure. I did not plan on being actually asked to pinch hit but I'm glad I was. It was nice to TWEWY after a beat. Thank you again for your input, of course--

17. fics you’ll continue next year

None. I'll just write what vibes. But if you want me to write some Sergio POV for your birthday (or to cowrite your cinematic disaster fic), I hope that you know: all you need to do is ask. I would write most anything for you.

18. current number of wips

30 or 35, 40 maybe, give or take. Most of them are just stray thoughts. Some of them I wish I wrote. Maybe I still will. I was just looking at one of them today and I really liked this line, and for a moment I felt like this alone was worth finishing it for.

Martín should tell him. Any good friend would surely confess to knowing what he knows, about her, about him, about this doomed quality that all of their lives seem to share.

Ask me if you wanna see any. We can drink to it.

21. most memorable comment/review

I will admit that the email you sent me re: rat king was hilarious. You seemed traumertised (note spelling) and it was exactly the reaction I wanted. Sorry (not really) for using you as a guinea pig.

22. events you participated in this year

Blockbuster Berlermo with stay a while

TWEWY Big Bang with catch a dream

Inception Reverse Bang with storms of fabled foreign tongues

Berlermo Secret Santa with ????? hopefully a work I will write and bug you to outline / proofread for me.

Thank you again for asking <3 Hope these answers amuse you as they amused me. I say all this like this isn't queued content. You'll be here as you read this. Tomorrow.

* If you're wondering why I turned into Andrés here, it's slightly paraphrased from a draft I'd like your input on in the nearby future. I like to think you'll enjoy it.

[beca-mitchell]

hiiii do you have any pp2 fic recs :ppp

hi! so I do and this list ended up being a lot longer than i expected. i apologize for the length of this but there are just so many amazing fics that i felt fit the bill. i was debating going to fanfiction.net as well to try and find more, but i would rather not make an overwhelming list. the fics i included are all written around the PP2 era—post PP2 movie release in 2015. Most of them are based on movie canon and set during the movie canon. Some go beyond movie canon.

Forgive Me These November Days

by @obstinate-questionings​ (12 chapters, 78k words, complete)

Summary: Why Chloe Beale didn’t graduate—and why she finally did—as told through yearly celebrations of Thanksgiving.

can’t hurry love

@backtobasicbellas (5.9k words, complete)

Summary: Every time they win, Chloe celebrates with Beca. Too bad they don’t talk about it, ever.

you will see me come undone

by @paintedviolet (12k words, complete)

Summary: Seeing Chloe’s face drop when she plays the mix at the next official practice is honestly the best reaction Beca could have hoped for. Beca has floored her; she’s totally exposed, having to listen to what is most definitely one of her lady jams and discuss the parts each person is going to sing. All the while pretending it doesn’t have an effect on her at all.

Beca and Chloe incorporate their flirting game into their Bellas practices. One of them has to crack sooner or later.

let’s finish the race (while our hearts are young)

by @chloebeale​ (5.8k words, complete, written in second person)

Summary: Chloe stands next to you, like she always does, and you try not to smile too much, but Chloe has her arm wrapped around your waist, and she turns to look at you, and she doesn’t really say anything. You’re used to being this close to her, and you noticed how blue her eyes were a long time ago, but each time she looks at you like this, it’s like your stomach is learning to do back-flips for the very first time. And you give your biggest smile to the camera as you all shout ‘Bellas for life!’ You may have made the picture your lock screen, but that’s no big deal.

eliminate the distance between us

by @maladyofthequotidian​ (7.9k words, complete)

Summary: Senior year isn’t really going the way Beca thought it would.

notes: established bechloe

When I Think of You (My Best Friend)

by RavenclawGenius (3.8k words, complete)

Summary: This DSM chick is really messing with Beca’s head.

this is not a party (it’s a hurricane)

by tinyheadspace (8.8k words, complete)

Summary: When Beca finally accepts her feelings for Chloe, she learns the hard way that Chloe has been hooking up with Stacie. For months.

(i get by) with a little help from my friends

by @piratekane​ (3.5k words, complete)

Summary: The Bellas are a sisterhood, for now and forever. Her mom told her that she would be connected to these incredible women for the rest of her life. So when they talk, she listens.

or, three times Emily takes advice from the Bellas when she isn’t sure she should (and one time she takes advice when It isn’t given).

when gravity’s pulling (you’re still holding my heart) 

by @piratekane​ (5.3k words, complete)

Summary: Beca isn’t sure how she got here.

Well, she knows how she got here, in this house, with these girls. She knows all about the real estate process too. But she isn’t sure how she got here: Laying on her bed with her laptop in her lap and her legs bent at the knee, feet flat so Chloe can paint her toenails while she goes over the Bellas history with Legacy and answer every question about the Beca-and-Chloe (fake) dating thing.

It’s this part of her life she isn’t so sure about.

i’m a little unsteady (hold onto me)

by @piratekane​ (4.5k words, complete)

Summary: Beca always wanted a pet growing up. There was just too much work involved. But Chloe texts her and tells her there’s a Legacy, a freshman, joining them. Beca can’t take care of a freshman. She just can’t. Most days she can’t even take care of herself.

aka, Five Times Beca and Chloe ‘Mom’ the Legacy.

Mocha

by @asweetmelodytrickling (23k words, 24 chapters, complete)

Summary: Set during The Barden Years: In which Beca randomly kisses Chloe because Chloe jokingly told her to, the aftermath of which is complicated and confusing for both the young women, and for their unfortunate housemates.

You Still Make Sense to Me (Your Mess is Mine)

by @emilyjunk​ (31k words, complete)

Summary: "Chloe fills up all of the spaces inside her that she didn’t even know existed until Chloe was there.“

or the one where it takes a fake-engagement and being domestic as hell for these two idiots to realize they’re in love. Set two years after PP2 and mostly canon compliant. 

Blow a Kiss, Fire a Gun (We All Need Someone to Lean On)

by @emilyjunk (24k words, complete)

Summary: Emily knew that she’d enter a sisterhood when she joined the Bellas, she just didn’t realize she’d gain an aca-mom and an aca-dad too! At least, that’s if Stacie has anything to do with it.

Or the closest thing you’ll ever get to canon lovechild!Emily.Emily’s POV through Pitch Perfect 2. Side Bechloe.

Finding Harmony

by @aliciameade (381k words, 90 chapters, complete, Rated E)

Summary: A confessed regret. A rejection. A conversation that was meant to be private - overheard by the one person Chloe never wanted to hear it. But perhaps - perhaps - it was for the best. Where will the future lead Beca and Chloe? Only time will tell.

Just the Way You Are

by Galpalkru (4.7k words, complete)

Summary: Beca Mitchell definitely doesn’t have feelings for Chloe Beale. Not even a little bit. Best friends sing love songs to each other and cuddle all the time. Right? 

Or the one where Beca says what she should have said to Chloe on the retreat.

It All Started With A Tent

by @rejection-isnt-failure (9.7k words, complete, Rated E)

Summary: So we all know about Beca and Chloe’s unresolved sexual tension… but how much do we really know? It all started with a tent… didn’t it?

aannnnd that’s it for now!

I hope you enjoy! i have so many more i’m sure, but these were ones that stuck out to me. I also had the joy of re-reading them as I was creating this fic rec and it’s amazing what kinds of things people accepted as canon (aka fanon) and what tropes really stood out the most to people. What a time.

[bookowldawn]

My best books of 2020

Well, here we are again. I don’t know if anyone will even read this, but time for my yearly recap of the top 5 best books I read the previous year. I think we can all agree that 2020 was certainly an eventful year, and escaping into a good book was definitely nice at times. Due to avoiding going to the library for periods of time, I read a lot of the books I own at home and thus quite a few of the books I read last year were re-reads. Out of the 50 books I managed to read, 13 were re-reads and will not be included in this list of my favourite books that I read in 2020, only the books that I read for the first time were considered. Since I can’t be bothered to rank them, I will simply present them in the order in which I read them. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 books read in 2020.

1. Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Well, at least one book of Cassandra Clare is bound to make it’s way onto this list each year so this is certainly no surprise. I read Chain of Gold as soon as I could get my hands on it and I was certianly not disappointed. This book did a wonderful job at intruducing the new characters, I love them all so much already. I really feel like Cassandra Clare gets better for every new book she puts out and I felt that Chain of Gold was a very good first book in this series. I’m really excited to see where it goes. I really loved it and I can almost guarantee that the second installment in the series, Chain of Iron, will be on this list for 2021.

2. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive of this book when I first heard about it. I thought it would certainly be interesting and something I at some point would want to read, but I wasn’t really sure how much a prequel would add to the story. I didn’t even realize it was about President Snow until shortly before I decided to read it, and that made me even more uncertain. Snow wasn’t exactly my favourite character in the Hunger Games trilogy, and I thought it would be hard to relate to him and care about him in this book, but also interesting to see what set him down the path to be the person we see in the series. To my surprise I actually liked it a lot and found it very interesting to see how the Hunger Games came to be the way they are in the series and how Snow got the be the person he is. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it if you liked the Hunger Games trilogy!

3. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

The largest thing I took on reading-wise in 2020 was probably finally starting the Throne of Glass series. Sadly it was hard getting my hands on them from the library, so I couldn’t finish the series (I did that now in the first weeks of 2021), but I managed to read the first five books. Since I couldn’t let this list be full of the Throne of Glass books, I limited myself to picking only one for this list. It was hard, but I chose Empire of Storms since it was the last book I read and the tension is certainly high after that book. But really it symbolizes the entire series, because it’s just sooo good. I’m partly asking myself why I didn’t read it sooner and partly thanking myself for deciding all those years ago to wait with reading them until all the books were, because I don’t know how I’d survive needing to wait a year for each book. This series is truly great and I’m so glad I finally decided to read it!

4. The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu

Well look at that, another Cassandra Clare book made it onto my list, who would have thought? No but in all seriousness, this book was great! Certainly not the best book in the Shadowhunter universe, but definitely good. Alec might be my all time favourite character and Malec is one of my all time favourite ships, so a book with them as the main characters can’t be anything other than good. It was also really nice seeing the old TMI gang back together again, I’ve missed them. This book did however kind of feel like a weird fever dream and thinking back on it now it almost feels like it can’t have been real. I guess the reason I didn’t like it more than I did was because it was almost too funny and weird for me to take it seriously. I did still love it though, and it was definitely hilarious from beginning to end!

5. The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

This is probably the book that took me most by surprise last year. I truly didn’t expect it to be amongst my top books of the year before I read it, and I was absolutely shocked by how much I loved it. I mean, I absolutely love Rick Riordan, PJO, HOO and MCGA are amongst my all time favourite series, Riordan is one of my favourite authors, but for some reason I never really liked the Trials of Apollo series that much. The first book was pretty good, but towards the end of it I kind of stopped liking it and I don’t quite know why. I didn’t like the second book much and the third I didn’t read until it had been out for almost six months (I usually read his books as soon as I possibly can). The fourth book was quite good and I therefore had hope the last book would be alright as well, but considering that I’d almost given up on the series in the middle, I did not expect the last book to be more than “quite good”. Boy, was I wrong. I read most of the book in just one day, I just couldn’t put it down, and the ending left me feeling soooo satisfied! This book just emotionally wrecked me, and it was all the more powerful because I had not expected it at all. It was such a good ending to the series, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get over it. This book made powering through the previous ones totally worth it for me, it was such a good pay-off. Also, absolutely hilarious in true Rick Riordan fashion, and with the hints in it for upcoming stand-alone novels I am now so extremely excited for him come out with more books. That Solangelo novel that he heavily hinted at? I need it now please! Truly a great ending to the series, it exceeded all my expectations.