#francine toon

[good-books-to-read]

Travel Destination: Scotland

Pine by Francine Toon

Lauren and her father Niall live in the highlands in a small village surrounded by pines. One Halloween Night a women stumbles in front of their car, they take her home with them and in the morning she’s gone, this isn’t the only mystery this small town holds, Lauren’s mother had vanished years before and now a local teenage has vanished as well.

Weak Heart by Ban Gilmartin

On the Isle of Mab, reality has sifted, the tides are angry, memories are vanishing and the Selkies are coming up out of the ocean and people have begone to disappear.

A Rush of Wings by Laura E. Weymouth

Rowenna knows there’s magic in her, her mother disagrees and believes she need discipline and won’t teach her the craft, however her mother dies a tragic death and Rowenna only chance with her.

However on a storm tossed night Rowenna rescues a man from a shipwreck and her mother returns from the dead or did she?

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

Liv has been commissioned to paint a mural in an old lighthouse on a remote island is Scotland, however this dream quickly turns dark when 2 of her 3 daughters go missing, the locals share with her the history of the lighthouse and creatures that mimic children.

22 years later Luna has been looking for her sisters and mother, and is excited to hear her sister has been found however Clover looks exactly the same as the day she went missing, and Luna is worried she’s a Wildling however she doesn’t remember much of her time on the island, she’ll will have to return to learn the truth.

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

Everyone knows what happened to Alva's mother, all those years ago. But when dark forces begin to stir in Ormscaula, Alva has to face a very different future - and question everything she thought she knew about her past...

[hotpinkstaples]

onto scottish gothic horror now

[toonycryptid]

Tangled Up Meme |Ft. Fanny Cottontail| I finally finished it! Enjoy!

[xxratsuicidexx]

I haven't drawn these kittens in a while.

I must make more of them ahaha

[veliseraptor]

October Reading Recap

I read kind of a lot this month, mostly as a product of the holidays meaning I had a lot of time where I (a) wasn't working and (b) wasn't online and also there was the fact that I was (c) depressed and desperately trying to keep myself occupied at all times to avoid slumping into a pit of nothingness.

so this one's kind of long.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. I need to read more mysteries again. I had a lot of fun with this one - I am always a sucker for books that play with multimedia type formats (movie scripts, podcast transcripts, etc.) and while I've fallen out of the true crime circuit it was fun to watch the ways in which this book was playing with it.

The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu. I've read all of Marjorie Liu's comics (and loved them) but this was my first time reading her prose. Short story collections are always hard for me to assess, since I very seldom come away from them feeling in any way uniform about the stories within, but this was a rare short story collection where there weren't any I didn't like. There weren't standouts to me in the same way that, say, Monstress stands out to me, but they were all solid.

Pine by Francine Toon. Picked this one up sort of on a whim as a horror novel and I don't feel like it quite was, in the end, a horror novel. It was good - quiet and a little eerie - but probably not one I'd pass on an enthusiastic recommendation for.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. With the possible exception of Mexican Gothic I've been decidedly underimpressed with Moreno-Garcia's work, and this book was not an exception. I was excited about it! But maybe that's partly because I was hoping for more horror than I got. But then again, it was billed to me as such, so I'm not entirely coming from nowhere with that.

Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer. I think I liked this book more than I liked Too Like the Lightning, but that might also be because a lot of Too Like the Lightning was setup/catalyzing for events that actually happened in this book. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series and this is another one where I want to read, like, literary analysis of these books, or discuss them in a group, or something, because they're doing some very interesting things that would be fun to cogitate on more deeply than I feel like I can do just on my own.

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I didn't like this book quite as much as I've liked Tchaikovsky's other work, in part because I felt like this one got a little heavy handed/didactic which is the fastest way to turn me off a book. But I'm maybe more sensitive to that than I need to be, and I think the question of...is-this-meant-to-be-horror-tinged-or-not means I'm going to be thinking about this one moving forward. It's no Children of Time but I continue to be a Tchaikovsky devotee.

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay. This book was bad. I mean, it wasn't the worst, but it also wasn't very good at all, and felt like it was leaning hard on the movie script format gambit as a way to mask how thin the book as a whole was.

The Book at War: Libraries and Readers in an Age of Conflict by Andrew Pettegree. I was hoping for a book more about the content of books as they relate to war and wartime propaganda, but I probably should've read the subtitle more carefully, so that's on me. This was much more about books as a material object and libraries as an entity during wartime, specifically mostly during World War 2 and the Cold War. Which was interesting, but not as interesting as I hoped for.

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi. Another horror novel - I've been meaning to read this one for a while though I'm not actually sure I remember what put it on my radar. I think Malfi is an author I've seen around and this was a book where the summary sounded vaguely interesting to me, so I marked it down as a title to give a new-to-me author a go. While my feelings on this book are sort of mixed - the way it wrote its disabled character in particular had my eyebrows twitching a little - I do think I'll be trying more Malfi.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan. Remember this post? Yeah, it was about this book. I'm not proud it made me cry, but made me cry it did. On the other hand, I'm (a) astonished that it references MDZS for inspiration but not SVSSS, though maybe that's because the author was afraid it'd make the ways she was cribbing from SVSSS too obvious, and (b) this book actually did have me when it settled down into being serious and cut some of the goddamn quippiness. Look, I'm not entirely opposed to a good quip. They can be fun, and I think I get what they were conveying in terms of character (that the protagonist wasn't really taking things in the "fictional" world seriously, up to a certain point), but they can also be very grating. On the other other hand I probably will be reading the sequel, unfortunately. So you know. Mixed fucking bag.

Leech by Hiron Ennes. I read a fair amount of horror this month and this was one of the standouts specifically because of its initial conceit and how that conceit was developed - which I don't want to say too much about because I think it's stronger to come into this book not knowing much about it.

Silent Reading (Mo Du) by Priest. It's not the cnovel that caters to me most personally that I've read so far, but it might be the best one I've read so far, if that makes sense as a distinction. The character work, the dynamic between the main characters, the tightening noose of the core mystery...I really liked this one, and definitely plan to go back and reread it. Might bind it, too, we'll see. I should finish Qiang Jin Jiu first.

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton. I understand why Gratton didn't have Hal kill Hotspur in the end (as in the play this is drawing on for source material) but it definitely weakened the book, in my opinion, that she didn't. It would've been much stronger, narratively, if also a lot sadder. But ah well. Would've been absolutely slammed with bury-your-gays discourse. Anyway, I liked The Queens of Innis Lear better but I didn't dislike this one.

Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier. I am very excited to read the rest of this series, which @mongooseland turned me onto by doing art for it. I don't know that I'd endorse it wholeheartedly for everyone - in fact, I definitely wouldn't, for one thing content warnings for heavily-referenced if not explicitly shown sexual assault - but I'm personally into it and looking forward to reading the next books, which are going to be difficult to find, alas. I have adopted a new terrible boy from this, if anyone was wondering.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. I feel like I did not understand this book and probably need to read some analysis of it to get a better sense of what was going on. Makes me wish I'd actually read it for the book club meeting about it, since maybe someone there would have a better idea of how to dissect what it's doing than I did.

Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. I didn't like this one as much as I liked his other two that I've read - it felt more action/adventure and less horror in a way that appealed to me less. It was still good enough that I'm glad I read it, and I'll continue to follow the author, but I was moderately underwhelmed - though, to be fair, that's more by comparison with his other work than it is comparison with other horror I've read, which it still outshines.

I'm currently reading Catching Chen Qing Ling: The Untamed and Adaptation, Production, and Reception in Transcultural Contexts (that's a mouthful) alongside rereading The Last Unicorn. Might try to finally finish reading Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle this month, finally read Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey, and maybe read one of the short story collections sitting on my shelf (The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, possibly). New Remnants of Filth volume and new Monstress (speaking of Marjorie Liu) are coming out this month, so those will probably make it into the rotation too.

taking mystery/thriller recommendations still, if anyone has any! I'm generally pretty good at just feeling my way around in the fantasy/sci-fi and nonfiction spaces, but I've got no idea where to start when it comes to other genres.

[docholligay]

Books read 2024

~ = denotes reread

 * = denotes A Big Rec of The Year (Nothing I reread was allowed a Rec note. If I’m rereading it, I probably think it’s pretty good)

#–denotes Follower Pitch

^–Denotes Commissioned Read

♪–denotes Pitchless Draw

&– denotes Holligay Book Club Pick

%--denotes Patreon Pick

Affinity by Sarah Waters~

Wintering by Peter Geye

Hood by Emma Donoghue (my wife made me)

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters~

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix#

Pine by Francine Toon 

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters ~

Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco~

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters~

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle#

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir^

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters~

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch ♪

Redwall by Brian Jacques%

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda#

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte&~  (book club Apr 28th)

Broken Harbor by Tana French%

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

The Shootist by Glendon Swartout~

Think Again by Adam Grant*

Mrs. S by K. Patrick

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

The Hamburger: A history by Josh Ozersky~

Wicked by Gregory Maguire~

Shattered by Lee Winter#

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice ♪

A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons 

The Splendid and The Vile by Erik Larson

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh~&

 A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine% 

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix#

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

The Fox and The Hound by Daniel Mannix

Forest Dark by Nicole Strauss* (with caveats)

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Invited by Jennifer Mcmahon

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi  

Currently reading: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (I’ve been invited to a book club!) 

On Deck:  The Echo Wife by Sarah Galiey ♪

[finniestoncrane]

What’s your favourite thing you've ever written?

If you could recommend one piece of fiction for everyone to read (fanfiction or otherwise) what would it be?

Which version of The Riddler is your number one favourite? 💖

my favourite thing is stress relief because it’s literally what i fantasise about while i’m falling asleep lol

oooooooh shit ok… shit ok… ok… HM i am going to list three!!

the girl who loved Tom Gordon by Stephen king

devolution by max brooks

pine by francine toon

and my favourite riddler of all time is 100% Arkham knight Eddie, he is my ride or die, my one and only, my first my last my everything. literally would take him over every other riddler combined no lie no kidding my BABY

[haveyoureadthispoll]

'A dark, seductive cocktail of a thriller, with a splash of black humour and a twist of horror.' Francine Toon, author of Pine There was no reason to assume anything out of the ordinary was going on. Strange noises in the apartment. Impulsive behaviour. Intense dreams. It wasn't like everything went wrong all at once. Shoplifting. Fighting. Blackouts. There must be a reasonable explanation for all this. 'It will scare the pants off you. It is a perfect horror novel.' Paul Tremblay 'A short, sharp shocker . . . Relentlessly creepy.' Sunday Times 'Deeply scary.' The Times 'Terrifying.' Daily Mail 'Sinister.' Time Out

[mimitay-art]

Pond Portal - 2.5D Animation Final Project

Featuring my oc's Basil Evergreen and Francine Castellano!! and a lot of toon boom nodes

[knuckles-junior]

Epic Mickey Magic AU Chapter 12: Clear Water Beach Party

•••

Yesterday, Mickey and Oswald discovered new cards that can help their fellow toons and new ways to prepare themselves for future battle. Not only that, but Oswald and Ortensia were introduced to Francine Cottontail, or as she prefers to be called Fanny. We've discovered what she had to go through in her past, and now she is seeking revenge on them, especially Ortensia. It looks like Mickey has no idea what has happened on that night nor anything about the mysterious forgotten toon.

As Mickey and his friends arrive at their destination in Tortooga, they meet up with Jamface and the group of gremlins. Since it is summer, they all wore short sleeved jumpsuits. Gremlin Patxi was there as well.

"Mornin' Jamface!" Oswald greeted.

Jamface smiled at the brothers, Ortensia and the star sprites. "Good morning, leader! And good morning to you all as well."

Mikey flew to Jamface. "We saw you and the gremlins on the news this morning. Something about a solution to getting rid of that weird green water."

"Oui. That 'green water' you're referring to is the thinner ocean."

"And we have indeed found a way to get rid of those bloody waters once and for all. But I suggest we use those magical abilities of yours." The voice came from Patxi as he was flying towards Mickey and Oswald.

"Our magic?" Oswald asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jamface scoffed. "I forgot Patxi said something about that."

"From what I heard, the magic you use helps toons, does it not?"

"Well, of course it does." Mickey said. "I'm not sure if we have any specific cards that we can use. We used an ice card yesterday to keep Paulie's ice cream from melting."

"I don't think Ollie and I  have a card to clear out thinner. Sorry..." Mikey apologized.

Oswald sighed. "Darn...It would take a miracle to get all this thinner cleared out."

Kira's brooch suddenly glowed and it made her giggle. Then, everyone gasped when a light bursted with magic coming out of her brooch. It was headed directly towards the thinner waters.

"What's happening?!"

"Everyone, look!" Mickey pointed to the magic slowly removing every single piece of thinner from the ocean. The thinner was now gone and turned the water to a crystal blue color. It was a miracle!

"Whoa! I didn't know Kira had that kind of magic!" Camila looked at Kira's brooch. "Oswald might've said something that made that brooch react to it."

"Way to go, little sis!" Kyle hugged Kira. She giggled.

"Looks like all wishes do come true." Patxi chuckled.

Oswald happily puts his arm around Mickey. "Well, Mickey, looks like we're having that beach party after all!"

"Awesome! Come on! Let's get decorating!"

~~~

The toons and the sprites continued cheering before they could start decorating the beach for their party. They put up balloons, streamers, and many summer decorations to place around Tortooga. The toons also brought in many inflatable pool floaties, enough for all of them to use. By the looks of things, it's going to be an amazing party that Wasteland will have!

Mickey continued to look at all the hard work that he and his friends have done, and Mickey suddenly thought of something. "Gosh, I wish I had my swimsuit. All of my clothes are stuck at home."

"I don't think any of us have swimsuits either. Heck, I don't think I ever wore one!"

"Boys!"

Mickey and Oswald turned to Ortensia coming from behind with something behind her back.

"Ortensia?"

"I bumped into the Mad Hatter a moment ago, and he told me to give you these." Ortensia shows the boys two pairs of swim trunks. One was red and the other was blue. She first gives the blue swimsuit to Oswald.

"Sweet! We'll make sure to thank him later." Oswald also takes the red swimsuit and gives it to Mickey.

"Oh, and he made some for the sprites too!" Ortensia showed the boys the smallest swim trunks from her palm. She was also holding three more swimsuits for Kyle, Camila and Kira.

"Aww! Those will look adorable on them!" Mickey chuckled.

As they were looking at the swimsuits, Patxi was peeking out from behind. "Have fun all you want, fools. But soon, your happiness will be gone before you know it." He said to himself before he teleported back to Dark Beauty Castle.

Meanwhile, Fanny and Small Pete were hiding behind by the projector screen where the entrance to Tortooga was. Prescott paired them up so that they can come up with a plan to steal Mickey and Oswald's communes, and to also go after the new sprites that leads to the power of the miracle bracelets.

Fanny groaned."Why am I paired up with the dumbest of those cats?"

"Hey! I'm not that dumb! You haven't seen my powers yet, runt!"

"I won't bother to stick around just to see what you can do. I can take care of this myself." Fanny jumps away from Small Pete.

"Get back here, Ms. Know-It-All!" Small Pete growls. He calmed down and got a good view of Tortooga. He slowly started to grin and gave out a mischievous chuckle. That does not look good.

~~~

And so, the beach party has begun! Mickey and Oswald now have their swimsuits put on and ready to run to the water! They jumped off of the boardwalk and took a dive. Ortensia walked to where Mickey and Oswald jumped off from with her swimsuit being worn as well. She watched the boys swimming together and splashing around in the water. Kyle, Camila and Kira have also put theirs on and followed Ortensia.

"The boys are having so much fun." Ortensia giggled. "Now everyone can enjoy the waters of Tortooga, and it's all thanks to your little sister!"

Kira giggled as well.

"It just suddenly happened! It was almost like a miracle happened." Camila said.

Oswald waved at Ortensia and the sprites to get their attention. "Hey, guys! Join us! The water's great!"

"Coming, honey bunny!" Ortensia hops in the water.

"Take us with you, Ortensia!" Camila flies to Ortensia while carrying Kira.

"Don't forget about me!" Kyle takes a dive.

Ortensia swims to Mickey and Oswald. The sprites proceed to follow her.

"Hey wait for us!"

Ortensia and the sprites turned around to see Mikey and Ollie in their swimsuits flying to the water with two floaties that were being held by their stubby hands. They all watched the red and blue sprites lower themselves to the water. Mikey puts his floatie down and sits on it, and then Ollie pushes Mikey towards Mickey and Oswald to join in on the fun.

"Wow! The sprites look so cute in their swimsuits!" Mickey chuckled.

"They really do." Oswald said.

"Does the water feel good, Kira?"

Kira happily squealed as a yes.

"I never thought I'd be able to swim in these waters. This is amazing!"

"It sure is, Ozzie! Everyone's having fun!"

Everyone was indeed enjoying themselves. Mickey and Oswald saw the toons splashing around in the water, happy to see that they don't have to worry about the thinner getting in their way. Other toons were hanging out with their friends, dancing to music and eating ice cream that Paulie was handing out to on this beautiful sunny day. Everything was so peaceful. So...perfect.

Sometime later, Ortensia decided to take a break from swimming. Kyle, Camila and Kira wanted to come with her. Meanwhile, Mickey and Oswald were relaxing their backs in the water as they had their eyes closed. Mikey and Ollie were also relaxed as they were floating around in their floaties next to their holders.

"Ah, this is the life, eh, Mickey?"

"It sure is."

"I could stay here forever."

"Me too."

An hour passes and Mickey and Oswald are out of the water and take a break as well. They covered themselves in towels as they were having a picnic with Ortensia by the boardwalk. Kyle, Camila and Kira are sleeping in the Starlight Commune.

"It's so nice that we were able to make this party happen!" Ortensia said.

"Yeah. I never thought we would ever touch this water again ever since the thinner disaster." Oswald takes a sip of water.

"Tortooga sure is looking amazing." Mickey got a good look at the place. The sky was looking pretty. The seagulls were flying by in the sky. Mickey felt like going out for a stroll, so he stood up.

"I'm gonna go for a walk. Maybe talk to some toons."

"I'll go with ya, Mickey!" Mikey flew next to his partner.

Mickey smiled and nodded.

"Ooh! Do ya think you can bring us back some ice cream while you're at it?"

Mickey chuckled. "You got it, Ozzie."

~~~

Mickey walked around Tortooga and greeted some of the toons that were attending the party. They all gave him and Mikey a warm welcome. Some thanked him for bringing up the idea of a party in Tortooga.

"Mickey!"

Mickey was surprised by the sudden yet familiar voice. It was Gus who was flying towards him. Like the other gremlins, he was also wearing a short sleeved jumpsuit.

"Oh! Hey, Gus! How have you been?"

"I'm doing well. My word, Tortooga is looking more fascinating than ever!"

"It sure is! Say, ya wanna look around and see what we've been doing?" Mickey asked.

Gus smiled. "Of course!"

So Mickey shows Gus all the decorations that he and Oswald have put up for the beach party. They even greeted Paulie and gave them some ice cream to enjoy on this sunny day. Mickey just reminded himself about getting some for Oswald and Ortensia. He also wanted to get some for the sprites. All except Kira, since she's still a baby and can't really handle frozen treats yet. Mickey wanted to give the ice cream to his friends real quick before continuing to show Gus around. Afterwards, Mickey felt like going for another swim. Gus just stood and watched him.

"One of our new sprites was able to have the ability to get rid of all the thinner. She's a baby, yet she has really strong magic!"

"That's interesting. The same three new star sprites that gave you and Oswald the Miracle Bracelets?"

"That's right! They're gonna be a great help to fight the bad guys!" Mikey said.

"You're not gonna jump in, Gus?" Mickey asked.

"No no. It's alright. I'm not that much of a swimmer."

Mikey flies up to Gus. "Aw, c'mon! The water's nice!"

"Mikey, leave him be. It's ok."

"Why is he so afraid of water?" Mikey asked.

"It's because he can't swim." Mickey answered.

Gus chuckled nervously and blushed a bit. "It's true. I do have a fear of water."

"I didn't know. Sorry." Mikey apologized.

Mickey turned around and noticed a toon from a distance. "Hey! Is that a toon over there?"

~~~

The three decided to investigate who was standing by the ocean all alone, away from the party. They walked closer and closer. The one that was more curious was Mickey who was stepping the closest.

"Who...is that?"

It appeared to be a girl.  She had the appearance of a rabbit. She had long hair that was being held with a ponytail, and was also wearing makeup. Her swimsuit was a one piece with a red color. She heard their presence and turned around at them, not saying a single word.

Mickey slowly waved at the girl. "Uhhh...Hi there."

"...Hello."

"I don't think we've seen you around here before. What's your name?"

"I'm...Faith."

"Faith? Well, It's a pleasure to meet ya, Faith. I'm Mickey. This is Gus, and this is my star sprite, Mikey."

Mikey and Gus kindly waved.

"Why don't you join us? We're having a party here and all, and we don't want anyone being left out."

Faith turned away from them. "I don't know if I want to. This forgotten world...it's all new to me."

"And that's why we're here to help you. It's what friends do."

"...Friends?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a vine grabs Gus and throws him into the water. Mickey gasped and ran to where Gus was thrown into.

"Oh no! Gus!"

"Those vines definitely belong to Small Pete!"

Faith looked around in the sky and spotted Small Pete laughing while riding on his man eating plants, wearing a girly swimsuit.

"Small Pete?! That idiot!"

"SOMEONE!!! HELP!!!" Gus shouted.

Faith watched him struggle to get to shore. "He'll be alright. Right?"

Gus sinks.

"He can't swim!" Mickey exclaimed.

"It's a good thing I tagged along with you, Mickey! Here! Take this card!" Mikey gives Mickey an Aquatic Card. It had a picture of a mermaid tail on it. Meaning it can give him a pair of fins, and mermaids can breathe underwater. "This will definitely save your friend. Now go!"

"Right!"

Mickey swipes the card onto his commune and gains his aquatic form. Meanwhile, Gus continued to sink lower and lower into the sea and was beginning to lose consciousness. He was out of breath, and hopeless that he'll never make it out alive. After passing out, Mickey swam with such speed as he picked up his gremlin friend, and quickly returned to the surface.

~~~

"Gus?! Gus! Wake up!" Mickey exclaimed.

Mikey flew next to Gus' chest. Thankfully, he heard breathing.

"He's breathing!"

Shortly after, Gus began to gain consciousness and started coughing up water.

"Gus! Oh, Thank goodness!"

"..Mickey? Mikey?"

Mickey hugs Gus. He felt surprised. "I was so scared! I thought you were a goner!"

"Mickey, you saved me! Thank you." Gus hugs Mickey back. He suddenly thought to himself how Mickey did it. He looked down and noticed Mickey's red fish tail. It caused him to yelp and push himself away.

"Gosh, Gus. What's wrong?" Mickey asked.

"Mickey, WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL AM I LOOKING AT?!"

"This?" Mickey showed Gus his mermaid tail. "I used some card Mikey gave me to save you. Now I have turned into a mermouse!" Mickey chuckled. "Isn't this great?"

Gus gagged. "Indeed. I'm very proud of you." He said sarcastically.

Mikey flew up to Gus. "Hey, be grateful that Mickey saved your life. Oswald has that card too."

"You are kidding..."

"No I'm not."

"Hey! That girl! Where did she go?" Mickey suddenly asked as he was looking around to find Faith.

"We can look for her later. Right now Tortooga is in trouble!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Got it!" Mickey dives into the water.

"Why do I find that tail of his disgusting?" Gus asked himself. "Just thinking about it is making me sick."

~~~

Back at the party, toons were running around in panic. The screaming caused Kyle, Camila and Kira to wake up.

"Oswald! These vines are everywhere!" Ollie exclaimed.

Oswald was already transformed into his wish form trying to slash every vine he could, but more continued growing from the sea.

"There's too many of them! And toons are getting trapped from them!"

"Hurry, Camila! We have to help Oswald!" Kyle charged up his fire wish magic and attacked Small Pete's vines.

"My vines will help the toons!" Camila uses her wish magic to summon her lovely looking vines on land.

"Wha- Those are..."

"Those are the vines we saw before!"

"So that's Camila's wish magic. I better use my Honor Bound ASAP!" Oswald dashed to slash all the dark vines. "Guys, grab onto Camila's vines! They're the safe ones!"

The toons nodded and grabbed onto Camila's vines.

"Hurry and climb down! That wish magic is incomplete! They're gonna wither any second now!" Ollie explained. As soon as he said that, the toons noticed the vines beginning to wither, but they were too late to react. They started falling down! Oswald acted quickly, but he needed something to stop time. Sure, a time sketch would come in handy, but it wouldn't last long.

"Oswald! Grab this! This card will stop time without a time limit!" Ollie quickly took out the Time Stop Card. "Hurry and activate it!"

"Thanks, Ollie!" Oswald slashed the card and time has completely stopped, giving him all the time in the world to save all the toons.

This card will only let Mickey and Oswald run in real time while everything else is slowed down. Once that was dealt with, he quickly destroyed the rest of Small Pete's vines and noticed Small Pete in the sky. He wasn't moving, so he felt like kicking him to the sun again. Once time was normal again, Kira huffed and her bow began to glow, using her wish magic to revert everything back to how it was before. Toons started to cheer! There was no need to use the miracle bracelets since it is Small Pete.

"Yeah! We did it!" Oswald cheered as he transformed back to his toon form.

"Oswald!"

Oswald sees Ortensia running towards him. They also heard the sound of a gremlin teleporting. It was Gus who was flying to Oswald and Ortensia. He also had a towel around him.

"Honey bunny, That was incredible! Those powers of yours are becoming stronger!"

"I could've done it without Kyle, Camila and Kira." Oswald suddenly heard panting coming from the three sprites. They were extremely tired from using their powers.

"We showed those plants...Right, girls?"

Camila nodded. "Yes..."

Ollie suddenly remembered something. "Oh, that's right! Camila, you have to be very careful when you're using your magic. You don't have a holder to control it yet! Not to mention that your powers are incomplete. Same goes for you too, Kyle."

"I see..."

"The only thing you guys can do for now is to bring us the miracle bracelets when we need them."

"We got it..." Kyle said before the three poofed into their commune and passed out.

"Did I miss something?" Gus asked.

"Kyle, Camila and Kira used their powers, but they're incomplete. We need to find holders for them, so that we can train them." Ollie said.

"New holders, eh?"

"Gus, why are you wet? What happened?' Ortensia asked.

"Small Pete's vines tossed me into the water."

"Oh dear! Are you alright?"

"Yes. Mickey was the one that saved me."

A splash was heard. It was Mickey who was still a mermouse, but he returned back to having legs once he reached dry land.

"Thank goodness that tail is gone."

"Mickey??" Oswald ran to Mickey.

"Hey, guys!"

"Did you just have a fish tail attached to your body?!"

"Yeah. It was a card Mikey gave me. You have it too, Oswald."

Oswald's eyes widened up. "REALLY?? Awesome! I always wanted to be a merrabbit!"

"It looks like you were able to manage taking care of all the damage."

"Yeah. We'll give you the details later."

Mickey frowns and sighed. "Sorry if I couldn't catch up to you. I was trying to find Faith."

"Faith?"

"Who's Faith?" Ortensia asked.

"A girl Mikey, Gus and I met a while ago. We didn't get to talk a lot, but she seemed nice. I hope she's safe. If I run into her again, I'll introduce you all to her."

Oswald nodded. "Sounds good."

Everyone looked up to the sky as the sun was setting. From the top of the building where Fanny was, she watched them from above. Her eyes then turned to Mickey, the toon that she met today. Prescott has also told her about the mouse as well. About how famous he is. But the main focus was to gain control of his strongest wish magic along with Oswald's. She also witnessed the new wish magic from Kyle, Camila and Kira. She needed to report it to her master at once.

~~~

It was already nighttime, and the party was still ongoing. Oswald was sitting down, lost in thought. He was still not getting over what happened last night with Fanny, or where she is now.

"Oswald?"

"Huh?!"

"Oswald, what's wrong?"

"Oh, It's nothin'."

Mickey smiled at Oswald. After hearing that, there seemed to be no problems for him. He stood up and began to walk. "I'm gonna get some fruit punch. Ya want one?"

"Sure. Thanks again."

Mickey took off. Oswald continued to think in his head...If Fanny really is a villain or not.

"Fanny...who even is she?"

[cartoon-buffoon]

Hay I don't share fics from my AO3 here and in fact I actually occasionally post stuff here BEFORE AO3 on several occasions. But because I kinda stopped caring awhile back I advertised some flufftober challenge (which I'm failing horribly at, forgive me) that I'm posting on my AO3. But out of the stories I have written my favorite so far is one with my dumb crackship: SkitWald aka Skitzo the 1920s killer bear X Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Now I could go in depth into the details and headcanons I have on WHY this ship is so good to me but instead I'm gonna post day 5's fic for my flufftober toon collection here, at the very bottom after the story is finished there will be some additional author notes copy and pasted from my AO3 author notes on why this story is kinda my favorite and in general WHY I love SkitWald but the story speaks for itself. (I do not claim this to be a good fic, I claim this to be one of my favorite things I've written, make note of that) Anyways if you wish to waste some time and read, story down below 👇

"This is a load of bull and you know it!" Mickey shouted much to the surprise of all other toons around him "how could you just kick out Ozzie huh!? Not only that yet you take forever to finally get my request in for this town meeting, and once you do you're just gonna end it as quick as it started! Pardon my language but I think you're full of it!"

"Yeah!" Fanny joined in next to the mouse "After all Ozzie has done for us and toon town in general what gives you the right to decide he should be kicked out!? Think about it everyone, when you all needed something done it was always Oswald who advocated for it to get done or heck, he sometimes did it himself!"

Hushed murmurs sprouted up around as the courthouse shook with the talking between various toons as they bore witness to the two pleading for the returnal of one of the eldest residents. The only one who kept his composure was the one the two were arguing with, Wile E. Coyote and the leader of the head council responsible for decision making as well as toon town's judge. The coyote was unamused by the pleas and slammed his gavel down.

"Alright, alright please settle down all" he shushed "We do not need the record keeper to struggle just because you all cannot wait to conversate"

All of the toons glanced over to Pooh Bear who sat behind a typewriter, hastily clacking away at keys.

"Please don't be held up by me, it's such a bother to type with these big mitts for hands yet I'll manage" he remarked.

"Mmm, yes" turning his attention back to the two at the stand, the coyote kept his neutral face as he spoke in his cold and calculated voice "now I will say Oswald is a model citizen and one of the founding fathers of this wonderful city we all call home, I can assure most if not all of us in here would agree he was a delightful friend and family member-"

Fanny slammed her fist down onto the podium and yelled "which is why it's dumb you kicked him out!"

Wile E. snarled and slammed his gavel once more "control yourself Francine! There's no need to get rowdy-"

"NO NEED TO GET ROWDY!?" Mickey repeated back "you kicked my brother out and her best friend! What the heck do ya mean 'no need to get rowdy'! If there ever was a time to get rowdy it's right about now!" Standing up he marched across the room, looking at all the other toons as he continued to plead his case "Ozzie wasn't flawless yet if you think I'm gonna stand here and let you desecrate his name you got another thing pal, if it weren't for him most of us wouldn't even be here! I know I sure wouldn't! Whenever there was a dispute between toons and animators or just between us toons he'd always be the one to give an answer yet still be down to earth enough where it made sense and wasn't nonsensical, come on people! We gotta let him back in!"

Thinking about all the times Oswald has helped them the crowd seemed to agree as they looked amongst themselves. This simultaneous agreement made Wile E. grab onto his forehead and groan in an attempt to control himself. Seeing how the mouse blindly tried to appeal to everyone's emotions rather than logic infuriated him.

"Okay you know what!? I've just about had it!" Steam erupted from his ears and his face turned red as he cracked his gavel on the wood, the small hammer breaking drawing everyone's attention immediately "Let's set the record straight, Micheal, NO ONE kicked Oswald out! It wasn't me, it wasn't a decision by the toon town council, it was HE who kicked himself out! I never wished for him to leave as much as you, for animator's sake he was the only one smart enough to be able to hold a meaningful conversation and in a town full of screwballs and whack jobs he was an outlier as somebody who was equal parts humorous and reasonable! I couldn't possibly FATHOM the idea of ever kicking him out and I'm sure no one else would! Do you think I despise him for something!? I hold no disposition towards Oswald at all and to even assume I am some cruel individual who wanted him gone is moronic and slanderous, it makes me want to damn near detonate the dynamite I placed under this building and blow us all to atoms!"

Fanny tilted her head in disbelief, seemingly being the only one to catch that last comment "you put dynamite where now?"

Wile E. carried on casually, acting as if he didn't just say that "my point being... Oswald was a dear friend to us all, not only that yet he acted as spokesperson with animator's directly and it's clear his exile was nothing short of corruption by that thing he claims is his lover, if he will come to his senses and abandons that beast that calls itself a toon he may return, but until then meeting adjourn-..." The coyote made the motion with his gavel once more only to see it snapped "oh...Roady would you be a dear?"

"Meep Meep!" The RoadRunner beeped as it sped over next to the coyote leaving dust in its wake.

"Thank you, now as I was-" Wile E. grabbed the RoadRunner by his neck and used his beak like a gavel "Meeting adjourned!"

With the slam of the bird's beak Fanny and Mickey looked at each other, all hope they could reason for Oswald to come back slowly, being lost on them. The problem is, Oswald didn't want to come back, at least not by himself. The entire situation and his departure from ToonTown stemmed from a very special and odd toon bear who one day showed up abruptly and made themselves at home. The toon was unlike all others, while even the eldest toons one day got the ability to speak this one was absolutely silent, say for the strange eerie static noises that came out of his maw. Not only that yet unlike most toons who were at their worst annoyances or menaces, this strange bear proved himself downright violent and this violence is what made the other denizens wish for his removal. Unfortunately for them their beloved rabbit Oswald had fallen for this oddity and left with this violent bear.

Oswald was a good few miles away from the civilization he once called home. It had been weeks since he left and he hadn't had a proper shower in so long that tufts of black fur became matted and brown dirt was muddied on his legs and paws. Despite this unkempt state his spirits remained positive as ever as he wasn't alone at all and had the love of his life right next to him, that same strange bear that all others feared. Except for him of course.

"Hhhuuhhhh...." Oswald sighed as he rested his back against a tree, gazing off into the distance as a setting sun painted the landscape in an orangish red "ya know Skitzo... At first I thought this whole exile thing would have been awful and we wouldn't of survived a few days let alone weeks... Guess it goes to show how far the power of love can get you, huh?"

Oswald turned to his lover who sat there munching on a feral squirrel that was in his mouth, the fluffy tail poking out in-between his teeth giving away what he was eating. Skitzo quickly swallowed and gave his usual blank grin and a thumbs up.

Oswald giggled "heh, you find anything I could eat? Perhaps something that wasn't squirming?"

Skitzo nodded and opened his mouth, reaching down in his own throat he rummaged about his insides. What sounded like metal clattered about inside of the bear until Skitzo finally pulled out a carrot and handed it to the buck.

"Thanks honey" Oswald took the carrot and paused upon seeing Skitzo try to gesture to him something "huh?"

Not knowing proper sign language, Skitzo made a rubbing motion with his two hands together as one would do if they were washing them.

"Oh!" The rabbit immediately caught on and looked down at the carrot "ehhh... I ain't walking all the way to the creek to wash one measly carrot" hopping to his feet he gave the bear a kiss on his long muzzle and stepped back and bit into the carrot "your germs are my germs" Oswald remarked with a mouthful of food.

Skitzo stared at the rabbit while a question mark hovered over his head, his diet consisted solely of hunted raw meat—sometimes meat that was already hunted and rotting—he didn't think sharing germs was the best idea but ultimately shrugged. It was the meaning behind the gesture that counted. The love Oswald displayed was more than he could ever hoped for when he first awoke and it was nice that despite all of his... flaws, Oswald still loved him. It's why he soon grabbed the rabbit by the waist and brought him into a hug, returning the kiss with a few of his own as he let out staticy growls to show how much he appreciated it.

"Ah! Bear-bear! Not while I'm eating!" Oswald squeaked out as he giggled, chunks of carrots falling from his mouth "mmm- gimme a sec"

Skitzo relented and let the buck go, not after a few more kisses of course. Eventually he did let him go though and the both sat there in the grass staring out into the setting sun. It was romantic.... At least that's how Oswald always described. Skitzo didn't really understand his feelings nor what romance exactly was, the only thing he did know was that whatever thoughts in his head that told him to rip apart things limb by limb weren't there when he was with the rabbit. He felt calm and at peace with his love, however he was unsure if Oswald felt the same way.

"huh? What're you doing?" Oswald swallowed the rest of his carrot and turned towards the bear who was writing something in the dirt with his claws. The words "do you miss it?" Immediately struck him and his smile faded "oh... You're asking about all the people in ToonTown, aren't you?"

Skitzo nodded, he wasn't sure what exactly Oswald liked so much about that place yet he was aware there were family members of Oswald's there. Family members who didn't care for him.

Oswald was also aware of this fact and sighed, resting his head in his hands he gazed out into the horizon and spoke solemnly "Sometimes yeah... I do kinda miss Mick, Fanny, Donnie, Goofy, Felix, Betty, and all my other friends, I'm sure they'd give me one big ol' hug if I were to show up again..."

Oswald trailed off, memories and the countless years he spent in ToonTown flashing before him. The friends he made, the family he had–more than just Mickey, the toons who were so close to him he considered family. The countless days he spent working with them to build that place from the ground up and all the laughs they shared. All of those wonderful thoughts he saw and what awaited him if he ever returned ran through his mind. Despite this though he turned and looked at Skitzo and remembered the first time he saw the bear. While all the other toons he was with saw some sort of demon who was located underneath the old burnt remains of a theater, Oswald saw someone who made his heart skip a beat.

Those good memories slowly started to fade as he recalled the night that led him to his current predicament.

"Then... Then I remember all the people who shunned you... I think about how much they would probably still hate me for defending you..."

Oswald tightened his fist as he saw all the faces of the people he considered his friends and family, shouting and waving around pitchforks and torches. They were shouting obscenities at the one toon who he felt love for and they all tried to drive him out. Oswald never understood the exact reason, something about Skitzo having some sorta episode and injuring a few, he was positive the bear didn't do it on purpose though. Despite how much he yelled and tried to reason with them though it was only when he put his foot down and jumped in front of the angry mob did they hear him out. Even then after hearing him they unanimously deemed Skitzo a risk, a quote on quote "danger to all toon society", calling him a "freak who isn't even a toon at all". All those hurtful words were thrown and they demanded Skitzo to leave and never come back... they got what they wanted in the end, but not after he took himself with the bear.

With a snarl he spat at the ground "they can all shove it where the sun don't shine that's what I say" Oswald thumped his foot on the ground and pouted "Those newer folk obviously got no respect for me and all I did for them if they couldn't let you off the hook this one time"

Skitzo chuckled, seeing Oswald so worked up was hilarious, the bunny had quite the temper despite being so small. Still, Oswald had failed to answer his question, he kinda just gave a mixed answer and didn't give a proper yes or no. He gestured down at what he wrote in the dirt once more hoping for something solid this time around.

Seeing the bear's gesture Oswald sighed, releasing his anger and speaking less harshly "well... To answer your question uhh, no... No I don't miss it" Oswald walked over to Skitzo and sat in his lap, the bear wasted no time in embracing him and petting him on the head as he continued to go off "if they got the nerve to kick you out then they can get the nerve to come find me and kiss my fluffy tail on my behind if they really want me back–besides, it's not like the entirety of toon town is gonna burn without me! They'll get along just fine"

Skitzo's tail wagged as he imagined the city engulfed in flames. All the screaming and shouting making him giddy, his attention was quickly diverted though once he heard the rabbit in his lap start purring.

Oswald leaned into the touch and nuzzled his head against the bear's hand "Mmm...do you wanna know something, Skitzy?"

Skitzo tilted his head, curious on where this was going.

"I think you're probably the one fella I would consider a true toon" Oswald purred as he closed his eyes in relaxation "toons are meant to make people happy... You do that Skitzo, you make me happy"

Hearts instantly manifested into the sun bear's empty eyes and he held the rabbit close to him. With his tail wagging like an eager puppy he began to drown his love in kisses, placing pecks all over the top of Oswald's head as he couldn't help but see how he struck gold in a partner.

Oswald laughed, feeling how it tickled him and his fur "hahaha! Alright Skitzy, calm down now, hehe"

The two continued their love and affection as the sun finally set over the horizon signifying the end of a day. While Mickey and Fanny would continue to try and get Oswald back, the rabbit truly had no interest in it if Skitzo couldn't come with. The two's love expanded farther than any person could have possibly imagined and without the other life wouldn't be the same. Maybe one day the couple would be allowed back inside Toon Town's walls, perhaps the toons would make a special case for Skitzo and let him back under the pretense of Oswald promising to keep his love on a short leash in order to prevent future mishaps. Perhaps the opposite would happen and the toons would simply do without the buck and bear, going about their days and reminiscing on how Oswald was the perfect toon who left due to a demon who supposedly tainted him. No one knew for certain, not the people who went to bed after that drama filled town meeting and certainly not the couple who would soon fall asleep in others arms. Either way the only thing that was certain was the undying affection between Oswald and Skitzo and how despite being in exile, it wasn't as bad as long as they were with the someone they loved.

Author's notes: ["This, I remember out of all chapters so far THIS was by far the one I took the idea and kinda ran with it. I remember on the flufftober prompts day 5 was something related to like acorns and chestnuts and I remember I didn't know what it meant, neither did my beta reader, so I went and grabbed one of the extra "make it fluffy" prompts to replace day 5's. I had a decent amount of fun with this and this one got me all happy when I finished it because although a COMPLETELY NONSENSICAL CRACKSHIP, I find SkitWald a beautiful ship because for me the entire thing is finding love in unlikely places and sticking beside your partner no matter their flaws, and for the two Oswald has to deal with Skitzo's many, MANY flaws. Anyways I tried to have the ending showcase ya know, perhaps things could be better for the two? but even if they don't they still got each other so even in exile Oswald doesn't want to come back because true love is having the solace of your partner by your side and that's exactly what Oswald has. Oh I also tried to demonstrate that: yeah no... Skitzo is kinda just fucked in the head and doesn't regret his actions but regrets what his actions did to Oswald, he's still objectively a lunatic and only exclusively cares about Ozzie" ]

[zoueriemandzijnopmars]

Het is Kinderboekenweek! En nu ben ik benieuwd:

Pin me hier niet op vast, maar volgens mij zijn dit ze allemaal

Keesje Kruimel, Hans Dijkhuis

Viermaal J en Janus, Hans Andreus

De blauwe boekanier, Tonke Dragt

Het kleinste sprookjesboek , Annie M. G. Schmidt, Mies Bouhuys, Eleanor Farjeon, Pieter de Zeeuw, Hans Christian Andersen en de Gebroeders Grimm[12]

Arthur en de lettervreter, Henk van Kerkwijk

2 is te veel, Henk Barnard

Ogen op steeltjes, Jan Wartena van Staatsbosbeheer

Het verdwenen plakboek,?Het Schrijverscollectief, bestaanden uit: Jan Riem, Ries Moonen, Arie Rampen, Fetze Pijlman, Hans Dorrestijn, Karel Eykman en Willem Wilmink

Wie je droomt ben je zelf, Paul Biegel

De tram is geel het gras is groen, Gertie Evenhuis

De klepel of de klok, Mies Bouhuys

Spook tussen spoken, Willem Wilmink (1980)

Je eigen tijd, Hans Dorrestijn, Alet Schouten en Willem Wilmink

Retourtje ver weg

Mijnheer van Dale en juffrouw Scholten, Kees Fens

Een tijdje later, Willem Wilmink en Paul Biegel

Houden beren echt van honing?, Midas Dekkers

De zaak Jan Steen, Karel Eykman

Die van hiernaast en van de overkant. Kinderen en boeken in Europa, Marja Baeten en Paul Arnoldussen

Duizend dingen achter deuren, Joke van Leeuwen

Het eiland daarginds, Paul Biegel

Jorrie en Snorrie, Annie M. G. Schmidt

Het wonder van Frieswijck, Thea Beckman

Het raadsel van de Regenboog, Jacques Vriens

Het weer en de tijd, Joke van Leeuwen

Fausto Koppie, Anke de Vries

Bombaaj!, Els Pelgrom

De huiveringwekkende mythe van Perseus, Imme Dros

LYC-DROP, Paul van Loon

Mijn avonturen door V. Swchwrm, Toon Tellegen

Bikkels, Carry Slee

Eiber!, Sjoerd Kuyper (2000)

Ik ben Polleke hoor!, Guus Kuijer

Boris en het woeste water, Rindert Kromhout

Het Zwanenmeer (maar dan anders), Francine Oomen

Swing, Paul Biegel

Wat rijmt er op puree?, Edward van de Vendel

Laika tussen de sterren , Bibi Dumon Tak

Kaloeha Dzong, Lydia Rood

Vlammen, Hans Hagen

De wraak van het spruitje, Jan Paul Schutten

Mees Kees - In de Gloria, Mirjam Oldenhave

Bert en Bart redden de wereld, Tjibbe Veldkamp

Het Akropolis Genootschap & De slag om bladzijde 37, Tosca Menten

Je bent super... Jan!, Harmen van Straaten

Zestig spiegels, Harm de Jonge

Per ongelukt!, Simon van der Geest

Oorlog en vriendschap, Dolf Verroen

Kattensoep, Janneke Schotveld

De eilandenruzie, Jozua Douglas

Haaientanden, Anna Woltz

De diamant van Banjarmasin, Arend van Dam (2020)

Tiril en de Toverdrank, Bette Westera

Waanzinnige boomhut verhalen, Andy Griffiths

Ravi en de Laatste Magie, Sanne Rooseboom

[toonycryptid]

Fanny in ''All Wet''.

[thesealfriend]

Tag game time! Thank you @queerlynx 😁

Favourite colour: Hovers between purple and teal 💜🩵

Last song: mindcrush (like from yugioh) by gupi 🎵

Last movie: Oh I haven't watched movies in ages, I think it was probably a Disney childhood movie comfort watch??? 😅

Currently reading: just started Pine by Francine Toon (which I picked up from the library purely because That's Me!!!) 🌲

Currently watching: 1899, I've been chaotically liveblogging it ^-^ 🚢

Currently craving: Mangoes, i saw the local shop has them in so I'm gonna grab one next time I pass 🥭

Coffee or tea: Depends on the day but currently coffee ☕

Tagging @1000diodesinatrenchcoat @petewentzwombtattoo @bellbottom-jeans @arashi-no-saxlphone @charliewfell96 (no pressure tho!)

[unrelaxing]

media list (26.02.2024 - 26.03.3024)

👂 Listened:

Albums:

Speak Now (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift (2023) [8/10, probably my favourite of her re-releases, Timeless and Electric Touch are amazing vault songs.]

Red (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift (2021) [7/10, I don't really love any of the vault songs in this except for the 10 minute version of All Too Well, and while I like the tune and vibe of I Bet You Think About Me, I find it lyrically awkward.]

D-Day by Agust D (2023) [5/10, musically I just don't vibe with Yoongi's solo stuff a lot of the time, so it always ends up being a very distant appreciation, and I'll be honest and say I probably wouldn't listen if I wasn't already a fan.]

Indigo by RM (2022) [8.5/10, really really solid album, though it couldn't quite overtake mono. for me in terms of how much I loved it - considering if I were to rate mono. it would absolutely be a 10/10.]

Podcasts:

Morbid Episodes: ⤷ EP 502: The Highgate Vampire ⤷ EP 503: The Torsaker Witch Trials ⤷ EP 541: The Unsolved Murder of Georgette Bauerdorf

📖 Read:

Articles:

The ATO is reviving old tax debts totalling billions, threatening some taxpayers with bankruptcy by Nassim Khadem from abc.net.au

Dissecting the Diabolical Documentary 'Mister Organ' with Filmmaker David Farrier by Lulu Dropo from The Advocate

How Michael Organ Weaponised the Family Court... and Sean Plunket by David Farrier from Webworm

Mystery in Japan as dangerous streptococcal infections soar to record levels by Justin McCurry from Guardian

China visit sees $105 billion iron ore exports on the brink by Jamie Seidel from news.com.au [I don't often remember to actually put any political articles on this list, but this remained open on my tabs for a while so it makes it.]

Too close for comfort: Aussie filmmaker’s accidental portrait of a psychopath by Karl Quinn from Sydney Morning Herald [As made obvious by this list, I do tend to watch something then immediately seek out more information - a lot of the time it just leads me to reddit threads, but other times I do find articles and read those.]

The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists? by Christopher Klein from history.com

What is the historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and died? by Dr. Simon Gathercole from Guardian [I was dragged to church by my other and it hit me that I'd never even tried to find proof on whether or not Jesus wasn't fiction, so I started reading what people had to say. tldr; no archeological proof, though people of Jesus' class at the time didn't tend to leave archeological proof of their existence, and it seems there are accounts of Jesus starting 30 years after his death from non-Christians, so. Probably a real guy. Whether or not he's actually the son of God is, of course, unable to be proven.]

Books:

Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling [finished! Another 10/10.]

Pine by Francine Toon [dropped - couldn't continue this one anymore, it's slow and filled with details that had nothing to do with the actual mystery or the characters themselves - I think other people might have appreciated it for the way it allowed you to visualise the setting so vividly, but to me it was just incredibly boring.]

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [in progress, told myself I'd read more classics and thought I'd start with one I was supposed to read in high school.]

Spy x Family vol. 1 [finished! 10/10. Immediately bought the 10 volumes out on Amazon after reading this because I enjoyed it so much. Loid Forger is a goldmine of a male character, the kind that's easy to fall for and to root for. Anya is sweet and funny and interesting, and Yor is just the icing on the cake of their dynamic.]

Spy x Family vol. 2 [finished! 10/10 - my goodreads rating system is going to be SKEWED after reading this manga.]

Spy x Family vol. 3 [finished! 8/10 mostly because I didn't love Yor's brother at all.]

📺 Watched:

Movies:

Dune: Part Two [8/10 - this really revitalised my love of going to the cinema! I've watched it twice, and I've made plans to see some other movies in theatre and it's really all because this was such an experience to see on the big screen. Highly recommend.]

YouTube:

The Deranged Arsonist Who Filmed Their Own Crime • Mystery Files from Watcher

The Perplexing Legend of Vermont's Sea Monster • Mystery Files from Watcher

True Crime Cases with Disturbing CCTV Evidence from Lazy Masquerade

Documentaries:

Our Planet II [This was gorgeous and informative and also eye-opening in how it shows you the direct impact of human carelessness on so many creatures, to the albatrosses choking on plastic and the walruses unable to find ice to leave its baby. At the same time, there's hope! There's humans helping crabs cross roads, and bridges being built for animals who've used the same paths for hundreds and possibly thousands of years.]

Life In Colour with David Attenborough

Worst Roommate Ever EP 1-2: [the first episode one was WILD, especially because I had no idea this was a true crime when I clicked on it, and so did not expect it was going to involve several dead bodies buried in a little old lady's backyard. I do feel like this was such an intriguing case that I had a hard time finishing the second episode, since it feels so much more ... dull in comparison, as terrible as that is to say about murders.]

David Farrier's Mister Organ [I'm a long-time fan of David Farrier, but didn't get a chance to watch this for a while. This one is a dark, dark tale that has nothing to do with murders. It's all psychological. I'm always amazed with how well Farrier can explore the darkness of humans without turning to the usual things we think of when we think of 'bad' people. I'd also recommend reading this article - which I'll also read on my read articles list - after watching this documentary, just so you know how insidious Michael Organ truly is.]

Into The Deep: The Submarine Murder Case [I don't give the things I watch ratings, but if I did, this would be a 10/10 - it's a unique experience to be able to see footage of how the people close to a murderer react as they realise the kind of person their friend is.]

[pacifymebby]

Hello! 1-3 and 5 for the book ask. If you’ve already answered those numbers, feel free to choose a different number. 🙂

Eek thank you xxx

How many books did you read this year?

Every year I set out to read loads every year I fail miserably!!!

25, if I'd finished half the ones I wanted to it would be closer to about 35 but I get distracted easily and my moods or interests change too quickly at the moment.

I might really start trying to read again though

Did you reread anything? What?

The dear green place / Archie Hind, God's Silence and Kindertotenwold both by Franz Wright. I also reread a few Daisy Johnston short stories and some Mariana Enriquez too!

I reread the birds by Daphne Du Maurier, Pride and Prejudice and also the faraway tree books and brambley hedge haha.

What were your top five books of the year?

Eat Or We Both Starve - Victoria kenefick

Eating disorder poetry at the peak of my relapse it was comforting to read someone who understood

Pine - Francine Toon (honestly wasn't ground breaking literature but it gripped me, it spooked me, it made me long to live in a little Scottish village, it featured the term peely wally)

The Story of a New Name - Elena Ferrante

I fucking love everything this womans ever written I think she's a fucking genius

Slowness - Milan Kundera

Kind of gorgeous, beautiful lyrical prose made me love writing again felt like I was reading something genuinely profound and thoughtful.

Gods Silence - Franz Wright

I reread this again this year his poetry speaks to me on such a spiritual level I adore adore adore him

What genre did you read the most of?

I got very into horror this year I think that's mostly what I read, folk horror specifically that's really my jam