#esp my SEA girlies

[viewvuu]

I caught a flu :(

[halfmoth-halfman]

may i interest you in some fic recs????😉

y'all know the drill, we got a rec list for fics i read, liked, and were written in the month of may!! there were so many that i actually had to split this into two posts cause tumblr has a link limit LOL

if you wanna see more more of my fic recs and favs, i have em all on my recs blog, here!! please note the navi page is still under construction!!

and of course, if you have any fic recs of your own, feel free to send em my way here or on my sideblog - i love finding new fics and writers!! 💜

may fic recs pt. 2

Alex Keller

sfw headcanons - @deadbranch

✧ super solid characterization for alex, like you took how i imagine alex to be and explained it in the perfect way. like this line alone "Bearing his thoughtful & intentional demeanor in mind, he is sometimes reticent as he considers how to respond." what is it like to be able to understand a character so well, and be able to so beautifully explain them??

Anakin Skywalker

redshift - @chaoskrakenuwu

✧ how dare you pull me back into my star wars hyperfixation, and even more so how dare you make me feel things for anakin goddamn skywalker 😭 even though i knew what was going to happen, you still have me tearing up every time i read about anakin and his big feelings

Arthur Morgan

until the last falling star || blood upon the snow - @lunallaa

✧ i always love me a good arthur morgan fic and this was absolutely fantastic!! i cannot wait to see where this goes, i know it's going to be amazing because you're characterization of arthur (and the rest of the gang) is *chef's kiss*

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

i fully blame @uselsshuman & @lunallaa for introducing me to tg:m and giving me brainrot and also cannot thank them enough!!

right now - @uselsshuman

✧ i'm such a sucker for characters holding in their feelings until a life or death situation when they finally confess, and you wrote it so great. i was giggling, and twirling my hair and cheering along with the rest of the squad at the end!!

i wanna hold you - @uselsshuman

✧ love me a good panic attack/comfort fic and this scratched that itch so unbelievably well!! it felt v close to my own experience with panic attacks and really hit home for me. very easily one of my fav new comfort fics!!

Carlos Oliveira

untitled - @cowboybxtch

✧ yeah i've been stunned to silence with this one absolutely no words just

David "Hesh" Walker

crimson fangs sing me lullabies - @halcyone-of-the-sea

✧ it's the way that i dropped everything to consume all 18k words of this fic like my entire life depended on it!! i've been turned into a hesh girlie, i am obsessed, taken over by the absolute perfection of this fic

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

darlin' loves only a game - @uselsshuman

✧ i need more "teaching someone how to play pool" fics in my life, esp ones like this!! the teasing, the hands on the hips, the flirty touching i need all of it. such a cute, fun fic emma i love it

would that i - @uselsshuman

✧ "The small tabby cat that had been your kitchen companion—affectionately named Sock for his one white paw." forget everything else, Sock is my new favorite character. this is a Sock stan account now. for real tho, i love the way you write jake and make him the perfect amount of tease and gentleman!!

Javy "Coyote" Machado

worry, my love - @uselsshuman

✧ ahh the source of my tg:m hyperfixation, i was so excited when you posted this and read it about 87 times and i'll probably read it 87 more time tbh. i love javy and the way you write him (and him using the word skedaddle LOL)

John "Soap" MacTavish

right person - @halcyone-of-the-sea

✧ how dare you. really, who gave you the right to do this to me? why must you hurt me in this way? why must you write so beautifully and so captivatingly that i literally could not put this down despite the ever growing pit in my stomach? you've ripped out my heart and crushed it to tiny pieces and all i can say is thank you and how dare you

cleaned up - @bloodyknucklesforme

✧ this was so cute, and omg i adore nina. she's so funny, and their banter and her little quips are adorable. “Next time have Kyle spray you down before you get back." adksadlj i love her.

memories are fresh - @mvtthewmurdvck

✧ it's not a fic rec list if i don't include a piece from jo that completely breaks my heart and then puts it all back together again with such beautiful words and sweet moments. idk how you manage to work my emotions so well, i'm in complete awe of your ability and talents.

infinity in the palm of your hand (eternity in an hour) - @yeyinde

✧ hello?? reincarnation!au??? soulmates??? not even a paragraph in and i'm completely bewitched by this fic. i can't be expected to be normal after this, this fic has re-shaped the way i feel and think and read.

[lilareviewsbooks]

May Reading Wrap Up :)

Okay, listen… It's my first month of summer vacation and I have absolutely nothing to do, so don't judge me here, but this month I read 13 books. I know, I know… I promise I've been exercising and getting out and stuff, it just happened. Having a lot of free time means a lot of reading time for me, especially since I discovered the power of audiobooks. So let's take a look at what I read and what I thought of each book!

The Shadow of Kiyoshi, by F.C. Yee

4 stars

341 pages

Contains: sapphic girlies; elemental magic (duh!!) and a sympathetic bad guy :( 

I read this so early in the month, and when I was still at college, packing, so it feels like ages ago. I mostly listened to The Shadow of Kiyoshi, and, like I've mentioned before on here, listening to fiction has been a challenge. I'm not very used to it, yet, and I need to continue to acclimate to it. This book was the unfortunate victim of my poor ears – I work with audio, what am I talking about – and understanding what was going on was difficult for me. But I benefited from this being the second book in the Kiyoshi Novels series, which are companion novels to the show Avatar: The Last Airbender – and if you haven't watched that, and you're a fantasy fan, do so right now.

This one is complicated to talk about because of its relationship to the ATLA canon. However, I can say that the characters are incredibly compelling, just like they were in the first book of the series. The main romantic relationship, between Rangi and Avatar Kiyoshi, just draws you in, and their dynamic is the best! I loved it especially when Mr. Yee pulls some humor out of it. 

In general, I think this lives up to the series, and does it justice. It keeps the good humor and nature of the show, without losing its attention to darker themes. Here, I think it was best represented by our "bad guy" (and I can't tell you who they are!), who I felt so much sympathy for, and who had a complicated relationship with our lead.

Highly recommend this series, especially for fans of ATLA – though I'm pretty sure you could theoretically read this without watching the show!

The Dawn of Yangchen, by F.C. Yee

4 stars

336 pages

Contains: politics (but softcore, esp. if you're a fan of those cerebral thriller types of books); a mc plagued by her past lives; romantic tension

I also listened to this, but on the plane home lmao I'm terrified of planes, so I wasn't paying that much attention as I was trying not to throw up every time it wiggled a little bit! But I enjoyed The Dawn of Yangchen. It was a calming read lmao

This one is surprisingly political, which I wasn't expecting. This is also a part of the ATLA universe, and is following a different Avatar from Kiyoshi, and it's the first in a series. So, I was expecting this one to be more or less the same as The Rise of Kiyoshi and its successor. 

But I was surprised. Mr. Yee really focuses, here, on the politics of some specific towns, previously unknown in this universe, at least to my knowledge, which was such an interesting expansion. It also went into some other Avatars' lives, Yangchen's previous lives. That was super cool for me to read, because I'm literally so into ATLA, you guys have no idea. 

I saw some GoodReads reviews complain that this feels more like an introduction to a bigger plot than anything else, but I honestly didn't feel like that. I think it was a pretty satisfactory story, even though the resolution didn't hit as strong for me. But I agree that it sets up the second book quite pointedly. It only made me more excited to read this next one, though! Can't wait for Mr. Yee to put it out into the world!

Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse

454 pages

3 stars

Contains: sea-related magic; a chosen one, but he's the villain? Or is he? What's going on?; discussions of religion

I've been waiting to pick up Black Sun for ages! This is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky series, which currently has two books released. We follow Serapio, a blinded devotee of an ancient crow god, who is trying to get to the holy city of Tova in time for the winter solstice – but why? On the ship carrying him is Xiala, a Teek with water magic who is curious about her mysterious passenger. In Tova itself, Naranpa serves as the Sun Priestess, a piece in the complex political-religious chess of the city. 

Unfortunately, Black Sun didn't do everything I wanted it to do for me. The characters lacked something, and I wasn't drawn to them as I thought they were missing a layer of realism. I found their actions – and, consequently, the plot – very predictable. The romance, in particular, suffered from this, as I thought it wasn't well-developed and I had a tough time rooting for the will-they-won't-they to actually happen. 

But the world-building blew me away! This is inspired by Pre-Invasion American cultures, and the real historical details blend seamlessly with the magic, creating a world that feels alive. The city of Tova itself is made up of multiple centers on mountains that can only be reached by bridges that travers the chasm between them. That is such a cool idea, and reminds me of the ancient cultures in my neighboring Andes! I've always wondered what it would be like to live so, so high up. 

Black Sun also has one of the most fantastic first chapters I've read in fantasy. It drew me in immediately. I highly recommend just reading it by itself, even if you don't feel like reading the whole book. What a stunning beginning! The ending is also a banger – it just lost me in the middle.

I don't know yet if I'll continue with this series, but we'll see, come next month!

Into The Riverlands, by Nghi Vo

100 pages

5 stars

Contains: a non-binary cleric; a talking bird; an old woman who bosses everyone around

For this one, I wrote a standalone review! Suffice it to say, as with any of the books in this series by Ms. Vo, I loved it! The Singing Hills Cycle follows cleric Chih as they travel around their China-inspired kingdom, recording its history and stories with the help of their talking bird, who has an eidetic memory, Almost Brilliant. 

The audiobook for this one is 2 hours long and it felt like watching a movie. Honestly, I'm so happy I've turned to audiobooks more, this month. This one in particular filled me with such joy – it's so nice to see a story come to life, like that, especially when it's an installment in a series all about the power of stories themselves!

I highly, highly recommend this series! Check out my short SFF books list if you'd like more info on it, or the standalone review I mentioned previously!

The Traitor Baru Cormorant & The Monster Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickinson

399 and 464 pages

Both 5 stars

Contains: crazy gay people; politics like you wouldn't believe; lyrical writing

And now, for the most defining books of my month, I give you, The Masquerade Series, by Mr. Dickinson, starting with The Traitor Baru Cormorant and moving on to The Monster Baru Cormorant. At the time of writing, I'm currently reading the third and last book in the series, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, at least until Mr. Dickinson graces us with the next installment. 

This series follows – you guessed it – Baru Cormorant, a young girl from the island nation of Taranoke, who watches her country be colonized by the hugely powerful Masquerade Empire. After one of her fathers is killed for being queer, Baru decides to join a Masquerade school and destroy the Empire from the inside out. Soon, she is being sent to unruleable Aurdwynn, where she is to be the Imperial Accountant. And things get very, very complicated from there.

The Masquerade is not the easiest series to consume. Between the political intrigue, the complexities and interests of each character and the purple prose, it can sometimes be hard to follow. But, oh my God, if it isn't worth it! The pay-off is unbelievable, especially in the first book. I predicted what was going to happen, because it was well set-up, but it didn't matter – it crushed me into a million pieces anyway.

This is absolutely perfect for fans of The Locked Tomb and The Texicalaan Series. It's gay, it's confusing and it's political as fuck, diving deep into themes of colonization and empire. And it starts getting pretty crazy after the second book! I highly, highly recommend!

The Tea Master And The Detective, by Aliette de Bodard

93 pages

4 stars

Contains: a Sherlock Holmes retelling; sentient spaceships; tea!

Another one I listened to! This was actually my first Aliette de Bodard that I didn't DNF, which is quite a feat for someone who's into SFF novellas, as Ms. Bodard has quite a few under her belt. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this! The Tea Master and The Detective is part of the Universe of Xuya, a collection of works that imagines a future of sentient spaceships ("mindships") and a timeline in which Asia became dominant. The result is a brilliant silkpunk future full of interesting tidbits to unpack!

Here, we take a look at an investigation, as we follow consulting detective Long Chau on a case. She soon recruits the mindship The Shadow's Child into her world, and their story goes from there. It's a charming story, with interesting characters and solid dialogue. Not to mention, of course, the main event: the worldbuilding, which sucks you in and leaves you wanting more!

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, by Aliette de Bodard

164 pages

4 stars

Contains: family drama; court intrigue; complicated mother-daughter relationships

So, naturally, I went after more in the Universe of Xuya, and ended up reading The Citadel of Weeping Pearls. This one revolves around the mysterious – let's say it together – Citadel of Weeping Pearls, a habitat of multiple ships founded in rebellion by a rogue princess, but that vanished, thirty years ago, with all on board. This novella follows several people who are connected to the Citadel in various ways as their lives collide on the search for it.

I actually liked this one better than I did The Tea Master and the Detective. The characters are very compelling, as this focuses very much on the relationships between these people, especially their connections to this rebellious princess. The premise is awesome, as well, and it reaches a satisfying conclusion by the end, which is impressive for a novella, I think. So many of them end up half-baked. I highly recommend this one, and the audiobook is quite nice, as it has different narrators for each POV!

The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw

106 pages

5 stars

Contains: vibes. Just the creepiest vibes.; science-horror? Body-horror?; a mermaid!!

This is another novella! I've written about it before, in my gay mermaids post, but it doesn't hurt to reinforce my points. 

I don't even know how to explain this one – it has a plot, and it's great, but the important part of this novella is definitely its pure, creepy-as-fuck vibes. It’s a twist on The Little Mermaid that follows a siren and a plague doctor, the only survivors of a destroyed kingdom, as they go on the run, and the creepy things they find along the way.

The prose, here, is very much purple, but, honestly, it creates this incredible atmosphere that draws you in and does not let you go. I was originally going to only read a couple of pages to see what this was about, but I was absolutely blown away by The Salt Grows Heavy and couldn't put it down! If you're a fan of vibes-only books (such as Erin Morgestein's Starless Sea and The Night Circus), this is definitely for you!

Clementine, by Tillie Walden

259 pages

3 stars

Contains: an apocalyptic setting; disability rep!!; a real nice Amish guy with a horse

My next read was Clementine, Volume 1 by Tillie Walden, a graphic-novelist whom I adore! You probably know her from her (rightfully so) popular book On A Sunbeam. This one takes place in the world of The Walking Dead (but I read it very well without knowing anything about this universe), and follows young Clementine and the people she meets on the road. 

Ms. Walden manages to build very nice characters here. They're all very compelling and I appreciated spending time with them. But their arcs and the plot itself felt rushed. I feel like the graphic novel could've used a couple more pages to really flesh those things out. In direct contrast, I thought the world building was well-done and Ms. Walden managed to communicate a lot about this universe in just a couple of panels. In conclusion, this isn't the best Tillie Walden – that would be The End of Summer – but I'd recommend it, especially if you're needing some post-apocalyptic flavor in your life after finishing The Last of Us.

Senlin Ascends, by Josiah Bancroft

3 stars

448 pages 

Contains: a shy nerd; a tower full of crazy things; steampunk! Let’s go steampunk!

I feel like I've talked everyone's ear off about this one – I was too disappointed not to. Senlin Ascends follows the introverted Thomas Senlin as he takes his new wife Marya to see the Tower of Babel, a big-ass tower that he considers to be humanity's big feat. Not long after arriving though, Thomas and Marya lose each other in the crowd, and the book follows Thomas' attempts to reunite himself with her.

What disappointed me very much about this was the decisions Mr. Bancroft made on the subject of the romance – Marya was Thomas' student when she was a child, and their first kiss and beginning of their "courtship" took place when Thomas dropped her off at college. I thought that was wildly unnecessary and inappropriate, and wrote about it (at length) here. 

Apart from that, Senlin Ascends is a fun read, with memorable, quirky characters and interesting world building. But it's hard to ignore a romance like that, especially considering that it's what the entire story hinges on. 

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by Amanda Montell

309 pages

5 stars

And, for the first time in ages, I read something not-SFF! That's right – I listened to this non-fiction read on the bus and at home while I made origami (I'm obsessed with making origami) and ended up finishing it quite fast! Here, Ms. Montell explores different facets of human life that can be "cultish", with a particular focus on language. 

I thought this read was super interesting, especially because I love learning about languages! The section on glossolalia (speaking in tongues, more popularly) was particularly interesting! I did find it a bit repetitive at its points, sometimes, and I wish it could have trusted the reader to remember the main argument, instead of reiterating it. 

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older

169 pages

5 stars

Contains: a second-chance sapphic romance; a mystery; humans living on Jupiter

Another sci-fi mystery, but this one was a bit cozier – and a new release, it just came out in March! I had a lot of fun with The Mimicking of Known Successes. It follows Pleiti, a scholar at Valdegeld University, and Mossa, her detective ex-girlfriend who needs help with a case she's on. Pleiti and Mossa are sucked into this mystery and work together to solve it, but this story's main take-away definitely relates to the relationship between the two, as it begins to evolve during their time together.

I listened to the audiobook for this and had such a delightful time. The language is very vivid and definitely brings the environment to life, which only made it cozier, for me. It can be quite funny at times, and I found myself laughing aloud to the quips. I also very much enjoyed the main relationship. It definitely reminded me of my days in the trenches in the BBC Sherlock fandom, as the characters have a similar dynamic, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this for fans of the show.  The mystery itself wasn't a stunner or my main focus at all, but it surprised me in the end, when it ended up leading to some pretty cool reflections about humanity's relationship to Earth.

That's all I read in the month of May! I'm excited for next month and also to keep posting on here whenever inspiration strikes and I have something to recommend :) Please don't hesistate to drop me an ask if you'd like a recommendation, in case you've noticed our tastes align!

[daughterofthesea111]

honestly you give me vibes of the female protagonist of romantic shoujo anime. like the girly protagonist that everyone goes "that's literally me" (like the girl from Princess Jellyfish specifically). also since you're my age and I find your interests cool I feel like we would be friends irl! and you're a sea girl and I'm a sky girl so it's like matching hehe. In conclusion you're like the pretty friend that always makes you feel better and I wish the best for you ♡

u r actually the sweetest girl alive omg 😭😭 biggest compliment ever, esp coming from u ??? n we would def b friends irl u seem so cool !!!! shdkfhs ilysm n i wish nothing but the best for u too 🫶🫶🫶🫶

[foxymoxynoona]

hi there!! you don’t have to respond to this at all, but I’m a big fan of amended and i wanted to dive into your other works as well, but i have a question. do you have any works like amended where the female love interest’s height isn’t really mentioned? or one where she’s on the taller side? i tried to read tkak and tmwc and unfortunately had to dnf both bc of the height difference being mentioned a lot, esp with tkak jin making inward comments about dulce’s height being better than nasi’s. as a tall girly myself i’d much prefer to read something where height is barely mentioned (like amended) or where she’s on the taller side — no worries if you don’t want to answer though!! again, loved amended to death, one of my favorite stories of all time. not just fics, but stories! 💗

Bronwen in Meadow is on the taller side and Jungkook likes it (he does call her things like little one and little bumblebee, but he means it in a patronizing/vibe way lol, and I think it's even addressed at some point that he calls her little despite her being nearly as tall as him). I think Rana's height is maybe not defined in Lone Blue Egg... Sea of Indigo is reader insert with no height mentioned. Karmen in Asunder is tall, I think Sydney is too.... I know Secret Song Series, Lowlander, Tell Me What Changed, and maybe Sugar Fairy have established short girls.

I didn't remember at all that Jin had an internal thought like that in TKAK, I'll have to take a look at that again since I didn't actually think of him having any sort of height preference, so thanks for flagging that in general! Maybe it was when he realizes that he won't run the risk of elbowing her in the face while dancing like he kept doing with Hoseok and worreid abuot doing with Nasimiyu? I'll go digging though 😉

Good luck in your search and I'm glad you enjoyed Amended!

[holdinbacksecrets]

🐥 here again!! hmm i like the name honey.. you typed out Cornelia twice but i thought it was funny since my outdoor cats name is Cordelia!! the shelter named her Storm.. but she looks so posh and is so sweet, she deserved a name fit for royalty. so cordelia seemed fitting! i don’t know how to explain it, she looks so majestic.

i work at the aquarium, idk if i told you? and recently i had 2 thoughts. crush!mingyu who comes into your job, looks around and you say something like “oh i like that one a lot!! i’ve been wanting to buy it” so he buys it.. only to give it to you later. esp if it’s apparel or something you can wear and he asks what size you are😳 AND—- there’s this cute boy who works chatting about the stingrays and teaching people how to touch the animals in the touch pool, it made me think of vernon as an aquarium employee🤣idk his name? i’ll have to ask when i see him again! anyway, he doesn’t look like vernon but ig his demeanor reminded me of him a lil cause he’s so chill. vernon would be so chill teaching people what he knows. i think vernon as a music store employee would also be cool.. he’d know so much and yk he’s got that vibe of a knowledgable but chill person? idk how to explain it. one day i’ll find the words, or maybe i won’t

greetings!

i didn’t expect you to pick honey out of the bunch. i’ve been surprised. i guess i have so much love for cornelia i put it twice >.<

oooo i’m a fan of cordelia!!! for a posh girlie, quite fitting

so 🐥, there’s been an edition to my bias line: mingyu. i’ve finally given in after a year of suppressing feelings, so seeing these crush!mingyu thoughts today of all days… sigh. my mind is wrapping around this. kind of want to write some more crush!mingyu thoughts

you have a coworker with hansol similarities 👀 hmm i may have to swing by this aquarium and ask him about the sea otters

i believe you explained yourself quite well, and i understand what you mean! hansol is such a cool dude. i feel like little kids would be so drawn to him. all the neighborhood parents would be taking the kids on regular outings with lists of questions to ask hansol lol

“knowledgeable but a chill person” i agree

[boxboxlewis]

Pick a fic for each: 1,2,5,6

How long did it take you to write this fic?

ok i am going to answer this about my danielfest fic, which is about 5k and took ONE MILLION YEARS to write. not literally. literally probably a couple of weeks. but it felt like one million years esp bc i ended up writing about 3k that didn't fit into the final fic and had to be scrapped (not fully scrapped, it has been relegated to my trash heap of a slush document, which i occasionally raid for parts)

2. What program did you use to write this fic (Word, Google Docs, etc)? Is that the program you use for all your fics? 2

i'm a gdoc girlie bc it's free (yes i understand that if you're not paying for a product you are the product etc etc; i simply do not sufficiently Care. creed arms into a sea of tech dystopia) and it syncs easily between my laptop and phone

5. Where did you write this fic? Is that your favorite spot to write?

i write a lot in bed in the evenings and also out and about on my phone

6. What do you need to write? Is there anything special you need to do/have to help your creative flow?

it's helpful when my cats are bopping around. sometimes they are just beautiful muses, sometimes they get up on the keyboard and actually type for me.... either way it's great, glad to have the help

[thisisreelthismee]

Don’t think I like him Culture shock fosho a factor here Just want to be hugged by someone Want a dad I love (I know it’s God but I mean like something physical - clear daddy issues) I don’t know what it is but I did not like him off the bat and was like totally NOT my type Not a real leader vibe, or take charge kinda dude which I’m realizing I like But I just feel like this might end up being a thing idk (might ware me down)

Both new converts and love Jesus a lot (don’t take him for granted) Love the beach and desire to live by the sea Love sports (and even bama football #rolltide) Love similar music (surf rock esp) Loves concerts Loves people Grew up in similar cultures

Wants to be the center of attention guy Wants kids asap (seems like will be a good dad)

Likes Blondes Shorter petite types Cute over hot Girly girls Likes them to have an edge to them Smart and can keep up Not center of attention types Confidence (Literally Sonia)