#harry also had a thing with tara (though he didn't know her as “tara”)

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

I think a very funny dynamic for Sterling on Leverage: Redemption would be for him and Harry to be old best buds (and it just never came up until now)

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

I just finished the first episode of Heartstopper, so here are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

The opening song is cool (will probably look up the shows soundtrack like I did with XO, Kitty).

Why did the camera focus so much on Charlie's bag & Elle's drink? Is it product placement?

Wow, no hate to the actor, but Charlie's eyebrows are THICK!!!!

Tori is beautiful but also kind of looks like a ghost (I think she’d be great for the role of  Violet Baudelaire from A Series Of Unfortunate Events) & why was she so pushy about the "dream guy" thing? Like let the poor boy breathe.

Is Nick's actor that much taller than Charlie's? I hadn't noticed.

I’m sorry, but knees are so weird to me lol. Also obligatory, 🎵 she's a runner she's a track star🎵.

Wait, is that PE teacher that will later interrupt the team theorising about Nick & Charlie's relationship? It's crazy how they’ve found actors who look so much like the characters in the graphic novels (other casting directors should take notes).

Ok fair enough about wanting your team to be good & wondering if the quiet, skinny, nerdy, boy is even into sports but the shit about him being gay is so stupid (bet it was Harry that said that).

Glad Charlie didn't get injured learning rugby, lol.

Nick's shorts seem a lot smaller than Charlie's ones do, but maybe that's the costume designer's way of helping Charlie’s actor look more skinny?

Omg Stephen Fry, what are you doing here lol?

Wow, people weren't kidding. Olivia Colman really did show up just to say one line. What a legend, lol.

Ben, did you really make Charlie walk all that way for such a lame ass kiss? Also, let him talk about his Christmas, you jerk!

I don't think that Form tutor is very good at his job (while Nick thankfully turned out to be nice) it’s usually not a great idea to put the skinny, gay, nerd that has already been bullied with the bigger, popular, seemingly straight, athlete, especially at an all boys school!

Ben, you dick. Like I get wanting to keep your relationship secret, but you did not need to pull the 'who the hell are you!' card. All you had to do was say hi in a confused/uninterested tone (then apologise later). If anything, your reaction came off more weird than what Charlie did.

I'm sorry, but I don't get the leaf animation. I mean, I GET it, just why leaves? Why not flowers or hearts or something? It just doesn’t seem that impactful to me, but maybe they have a deeper meaning that I'm just not grasping yet? If so, please let me know.

Ok, so I'm torn over the gay teacher. Like artistic? That's cool. Those glasses? Cute. Him giving Charlie a safe space to eat lunch? Great. Him being worried over Charlie potentially being bullied again? Awesome (take notes, Form guy), but his advice to Charlie seemed slightly lacking. Obviously, honesty & communication are important in relationships, but I'm a little surprised that possible safety concerns weren't addressed at all, especially from a fellow gay guy. Like I get that he doesn’t know the kind of guy Charlie's "dating" & that just because someone doesn't want to come out yet doesn’t mean they should be labelled as dangerous but internalised homophobia can make some people lash out & after everything Charlie's been through his clearly more likely to be vulnerable to situations like that.

Nick is a golden retriever in human form, they're 100% correct 😊.

Isaac? What happened to Aled? I hope he still shows up. He may be quiet, but he was so cute during Charlie's 15th birthday in the graphic novel.

Interesting to get to see Elle's time at Higg's (fuck that transphobic teacher & whoever was throwing sandwiches at her). Sad she doesn’t have any friends but I'm sure that'll change when she meets Tara & Darcy. Wow, is it strict over there, though, like you can't even be on your phone at lunchtime? Damn! Surprised they did it this way, though, as I was assuming they'd just make Truham co-ed so all the characters could be in the same place.

Tao, my guy, the drink thing is sweet but that hair is.....certainly.....a choice 😅.

The shots of Charlie looking at food, without eating, make me ☹️.

I gotta be honest, the montage of Nick & Charlie saying hi to each other was a little cringy to me compared to how it came across in the graphic novel, but they're meant to be teens, so I'll let it slide. It's also an effective way to highlight how differently Charlie's "boyfriend" treats him compared to an acquaintance.

Ben's hand covering up Nick's smiley face got me like ☹️/😠. They're not even together yet & I already felt like telling him to get off Charlie, like that boy is not for you! It’s ridiculous, lol.

Ben what you did was fucked up but it's hard to be scared of someone who looks so much like a meerkat in a wig (no hate to the actor) also did it seem like he just....skidded away when Nick pulled him off Charlie? Like, was the actor wearing Heelys lol? Or had someone just mopped the floor without telling anyone? Also, it's lame to wear a coat when you're cold? What in the toxic masculinity are you fucking on about Ben?

Omg the bathroom scene was so adorable, but I wanna know what kind of pen Nick was using because being covered in that amount of ink is crazy 😆.

Overall, it's very cute. I like Nick & Charlie. It’ll probably take a bit longer for me to really care about the other characters. Ben can catch these hands! And I’m looking forward to watching the Narlie relationship develop.

So while not overly ground breaking (though obviously important for LGBTQ+ rep) it's definitely enjoyable in a comforting sort of way which (considering medias fascination with marginalised suffering) is obviously important for queer youth but also must be quite healing for queer elders. Because you deserve wholesome, cheesy, romance just as much as anyone else.

[aurorawest]

Reading update

The Restless Dark by Erica Waters - 4.25/5 stars

Genuinely good YA thriller.

The Stagsblood Prince by Gideon E Wood - 4.25/5 stars

This one ripped my heart out and I am going to be PISSED if there isn't a happy ending in the third book in the trilogy.

You First by JC Lillis - 4.25/5 stars

You'd think a book that is essentially an Incredibles AU would be lighthearted, right? You wouldn't think you'd practically be sobbing by the end? Haha! You thought wrong!

Wranglestone by Darren Charlton - 4.25/5 stars

I initially rated this 4.25 stars but honestly I might bump it up to 4.5. It's a zombie story but it was really well done, and I ordered the second book in the series the minute I finished this one.

The Falcon and the Foe by AJ Truman - 3.75/5 stars

Felix Silver, Teaspoons, & Witches by Harry Cook - DNF

This one was too Middle Grade for me.

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers - 3.5/5 stars

So I won my local indie bookstore's trivia in March and the first place prize was a bunch of books that I never would have picked up on my own, including this one. I bumped it to the front of my TBR pile because I thought it would make a good comp for the manuscript I'm editing - it's about a woman who meets and drunkenly marries a stranger in Vegas, then falls in love with her afterwards. The book is really not a romance though, and is actually about burnout. I might have rated it higher if it didn't sell itself as a romance.

All the Better Part of Me by Molly Ringle - 4.25/5 stars

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars

"What if France won the Napoleonic Wars because of time travelers" shouldn't have shattered me the way this book did, but of course it's a Natasha Pulley novel so it absolutely did. There isn't a single one of her books that don't live in my mind rent free for apparently the rest of time after I read them, but man. I'm not sure if this one hurt as much as The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, but it's pretty close. Missouri Kite is the most Gay Little Man™. And Joe, poor Joe. The PINING. The YEARNING. When the reveal happens, I had to go back and read prior sections of the book and good god do they hit different. Different and SADDER. AKDJF;AKDJFKDAFJ;D JUST PLEASE READ IT PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

A Destiny of Dragons by TJ Klune - DNF

Not only did I DNF this, I removed the rest of the series from my TBR pile and will be offloading them at my local indie bookstore's next book buy-back. I think the worst part of this one was that he dedicated it to his eighth grade English teacher, who apparently told him his stories would never amount to anything. And like. What an awful thing for a teacher to tell a kid (sidebar, my eighth grade English teacher is one of the reasons I started to really take writing seriously, she was amazingly supportive - thank you, Mrs. Brzezinski!). But reading this series is like...you know, she might have had a point. I KID I KID WE ALL KNOW KLUNE ACTUALLY CAN WRITE but holy shit again, this series is so bad. The writing was a little better than The Lightning-Struck Heart but the characters are so fucking annoying. The term Mary Sue gets thrown around a lot and I'm generally not a fan of its application (since usually it's used to tear down teenage girls) but Sam of Wilds is such a fucking Mary Sue (or Gary Stu, I guess, but down with the gender binary, let's just have one word). Everyone wants to have sex with him and while it may have been sort of funny at first (it wasn't), by book 2, the joke has worn extremely thin. Also there's a prophecy about him, because of course there is. And he's the most powerful wizard ever. And yeah, I've read a lot of books where there's a prophecy about the MC and they're the Most Powerful Magic Person Ever, but they're usually not this annoying.

Chainbreaker by Tara Sim - 5/5 stars

This is book 2 of a really interesting and original fantasy/steampunk series. I really enjoyed the first one but this one was even better. It takes place in a world where time running correctly is controlled by clock towers. The main character is a clock mechanic (obviously an important job) who falls in love with the clock spirit of the town of Enfield (delightful, since my wife is from Enfield and it's not a place you often see mentioned in fiction). This book raises the stakes of the first one and takes place largely in India. Highly recommend.

Stormhaven by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars

Game Changer by Rachel Reid - 4/5 stars

Is this the OG m/m hockey book? There was something very quaint about it haha.

The Best Man's Problem by Sera Taíno - DNF

I'm beginning to realize that I don't really like books where the family is given equal importance to the romance.

Arctic Wild by Annabeth Albert - 4/5 stars

Hummingbird Heartbreak by Max Walker - 2.75/5 stars

I found Dusty's reaction to the reveal of Brandon's past to be over-the-top and unreasonable (like, unreasonable within the context of the story - obviously characters can react unreasonably to things, but it still needs to make sense for them!). I probably would have rated this 3 stars if not for that, because it's a sweet enough love story.

The World We Make by NJ Jemisin - 2.5/5 stars

NK Jemisin, please do not read this. Jemisin has been open about how difficult this book was to write, and about the fact that she couldn't handle the trilogy she'd planned and took it down to a duology, and…unfortunately, it shows. I loved the first book but this one was a disappointing finale. The pacing was uneven and the character development stalled. Plot threads were introduced and either vanished (Bronca's new girlfriend) or were resolved in a way that felt unearned (the mayoral race, Manny's true identity, honestly the whole big conflict). Aislyn was an interesting character who ultimately felt underutilized. I actually, physically cringed at a couple points during this book—the coda was really just one long cringe, and the other moment was when Brooklyn calls...Beyonce. Who is an old friend. But then Beyonce is never brought up again and I couldn't tell you what the purpose of her inclusion in the book was. I'm sure some people love that kind of stuff but I can't stand it.

I did really love the other cities though! If Jemisin ever returned to this universe, I'd read a book about Faiyum in a heartbeat. His snark and his gay little crocodile earring were chef's kiss.

Jemisin is a fabulous writer and all my issues with this book feel like the result of an author forcing herself to write something she wasn't feeling and just wanted to be done with. Disappointing all the same since I had really been looking forward to this one.

The Sugared Game by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

It is not possible to go wrong with an AJ Charles book and this one is no exception. I love Kim and Will so much, and I really really hope the third book builds on the trust they established in this one.

Sixteen Souls by Rose Talbot - 3.75/5 stars

I liked this book but I did find myself, at the climax, wondering why on earth living people would sacrifice themselves to save ghosts from...being more dead? Like. They're...already dead.

[andthebubbles]

heartstopper 2x05-08 (yeah i decided to finish watching it tonight)

heartstopper 2x05

uhhh so nick and charlie just ran off from the louvre without telling the teachers? hahahahahaaha

darcy!!! grrrrr

as much as i don't care for tao and elle's storyline, it was nice when they finally (? i can't remember if they kissed before this) fucking kissed

ben continues to be annoying

not much to say, really

onwarddddd

heartstopper 2x06

sooo the teacher thing is kinda awkward bc like... just... offering to share a single bed like sorta outta nowhere? skjfngkfjg okay well whatever

yay nick finally said it/came out

darcyyyy <3

why the hell was ben at the party and why was he let in when harry wasn't, i thought everyone hated him, and it's not like he seemed to have any friends at the party anyway, he was just standing around and then he made a fuss in the truth or dare game

truth or dare btw when it involves peer pressure like that sucks

i like tao and elle a lot better now that they're together. they're really cute. esp when they kicked charlie out of the toilet even though he needed to pee lol

i know i said the teacher thing was a bit weird but i meant, more like how it seems to be beginning... you'd think two adults who work together would do it a bit more carefully in case it goes pear-shaped?? also i kinda like mr farouk when he hasn't got a stick up his arse lol, and ajayi is fine ofc

aaah nearly forgot to mention: nick's dad is a fucking dickkkk. absent fathers make me so mad

kinda feeling for isaac here. i also don't like kissing people, it's gross, and people put suchhh importance on kissing... is it meant to feel good or...? all it is is just saliva-ey and wet and gross and sometimes you can even smell the saliva which is ew

heartstopper 2x07

okay before i forget to say it, omg why didn't charlie block ben ages ago on insta

i had already seen charlie's speech to ben on tumblr a few days ago so it didn't get me as pumped (it was very good though) but

NICK'S speech at the dinner table SKSJDNFKNGKFJGN THAT got me pumped (for two broad reasons: 1. yeah why care/who gives a fuck when your dad doesn't give a fuck about you, 2. re your dad seeing you twice a year or some shit like that... so i have an aunt who lives in one country, and her husband lives in the neighbouring country, and they probably only see each other like twice a year, and they're not divorced, and like, what the FUCK are you guys doing; my mum told me she used to (or still does) get really sad about it, so, you know, that thing with nick and his dad really hit hard, even though it's not affecting me personally; i'm just so mad at that dickhead uncle)

also i love tori so much, i so wanted her to stab her fork straight down on david's arm instead of just using her fingers. and then i wanted her to play some major prank on david when she was in the bathroom, like how matilda changed her dad's ... hair product thing into bleach

darcy aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah (yeah my mum makes a fuss if i wanna wear a suit too :( ) (she looks gorgeous in a suit btw)

isaac is really going through it huh... like, the bit at the mall/shopping area

(btw so... the UK has sixth form-specific schools? heccc)

heartstopper 2x08

that last scene with nick and charlie!! jdkjgnfkjgkjk

and tara and darcy!!! i felt sorry for tara when she was at the prom but then you also know that darcy's going through some serious shit and... yeah. her home life is awful!! where did she go that night after the prom? i hope tara's parents let her stay over foreverrrr

is tori aroace as well? if we is... could we just have an ace person in s3 if there's an s3...

i detecttt imogen/sahar lol

[thebooktopus]

May Flowers! Today's theme is Flowershop AU.

Check out last week's post, Language of Flowers, here. Today's post includes a guest rec from @mystickitten42, identified by this 🏵 flower! Thanks Tara!!! Have a rec you think belongs in this series? Send me a DM! Drarry unless otherwise noted.

🌹 Inked by @arrowofcarnations // M // 44K // Wolfstar // this was such a darling fic - I absolutely flew through it and fell in love with these two. Sirius as the mysterious new next door neighbor with his tattoo shop (and tattoos 👀), Remus with his quiet, unassuming flower shop. too good!!! A+ banter, slow burn, RHPS references ✅✅✅

“Sure.” Remus grinned wryly. “You can discuss the badassery of various plantlife with all the little old church ladies.”

🌹 Six Bloody Months by @jet-playin-around // E // 14K // you'll be cheering by the time these two move from idiots to lovers. A+++++++++

He swept into the flower shop at least once a week, bringing coffee and those “sand biscuit”… things, and browsing the display bins and shelves. Sometimes, he’d leave with a bouquet or a potted plant; sometimes, he'd spend the time chattering away about whatever came to mind, seemingly forgetting all about flowers.

🌹 Pansies on My Skin by @melanoradrood // E // 12K // Paneville // I recommended this back in January but you better believe I'm back again to tell you how much I love this fic. sweet, awkward Neville flips a switch and takes bad bitch, inked pansy down for the count. 🔥🔥🔥 this art from @artofcrumbs? ALSO 🔥🔥🔥

“Neville,” she said, staring at the plant. “Did you... did you bring me a potted pansy?”

More recs, including art and podfics, under the cut!!

🌹 There’s a Thunder Inside My Heart (It’s a Wonderful Pleasure) by @serenecalamity // E // 9K // ok this is maybe only 5% flowershop AU and 95% Harry having a daddy kink and I am HERE FOR IT. 🙌

Just because Draco lived in the Muggle world now, didn't mean that he had cut off ties with the Wizarding World completely—he didn't think he would be able to do that if he tried, given it was all he had known growing up—so maybe there were a few spells that he used to help him around the shop that gave him an edge compared to other flower and plant boutiques, and he and Neville Longbottom actually talked at length and shared a lot of tips when it came to Herbology.

🌹 A Garland of Pansies by @agentmoppet // E // 8K // Pansmione // the PINING. the FLIRTING. the BOUQUETS. all SO good, 11/10 would recommend.

Snarling, she pushed herself away from the wall and descended the stairs. Halfway down, the rich, calming scent of flowers hit her, and at least thirty percent of her hangover vanished as a smile appeared on her face. She always loved that the florist shop’s aroma didn’t quite reach her flat above it. It kept the olfactory association limited to her work, rather than blurring the lines between the two and making her sick of the overpowering florals. And that meant that every time she entered the shop, it was like the first time all over again.

🌹 Camellias: Red for Desire by @maraudermandy // E // 6K // Charlie/Angelina // this was the first fic I've ever come across for this pairing! super hot and fun, both pretending to be muggles until George throws a wrench into things.

Charlie opened the door and Angelina’s hand squeezed his as a gasp left her lips. She stood in the entryway as her eyes roamed over the displays of florals and colors. She had never seen so many florals in such a small space. There were intricately made bouquets displayed as well as buckets of individual flowers sorted by type and color. She wasn’t familiar with too many muggle flowers, though he didn’t need to know that, and Herbology was never her best subject, but she couldn’t help but be in awe at the beauty surrounding every corner of the shop. He turned and looked at her, blushing at the bright smile on her face.

🌹 A Tree Starts with a Seed by @aokinashi // G // 5K // accidental bonding, precious bean Scorpius, seven days without touching that these two keep accidentally resetting? SO good. plus, the artwork is absolutely gorgeous!!

“Welcome back.” He said instead, because he was a reasonable, functional adult in his late twenties, with duties and responsibilities, and absolutely no time to cultivate a crush on Draco Malfoy, of all people.

🏵 Pensées d'Attirance by @orpheus87 // G // 2K // "A gorgeous, fluffy, feel-good fic filled with all the best things: mutual pining, mysterious colour-changing flowers, brilliant yet insecure Draco, oblivious Harry (who blushes adorably), and a wonderfully supportive (and meddling) Narcissa." @mystickitten42

It became a daily routine. Around nine-thirty am the bell above the door would chime and Harry would walk into the shop. Draco couldn’t help but notice that his mother never seemed to be around to help serve, so he found himself dealing with Harry’s increasingly strange requests for flowers and plants.

🌹 Flowers for Walburga by @chlobliviate // M // 1922 // Wolfstar // had a genuinely good chuckle over this one. love meddling Lily, Remus in a flower shop, Sirius wanting to fuck with his mum, both of them getting a date out of the situation!!

“No, no. I was wondering if you could help me. We have a mutual friend and she told me that you know the meanings behind different flowers and I,” He paused, “This is going to sound horrible probably, but… I would like a bunch of flowers that says ‘fuck you' in the most passive-aggressive way you can manage.”

Art & Podfics!

🌹 A Tattoo to Match by @pinkelephant42 // T // art // Draco/Neville

🌹 Consider the Daffodil by @janieohio, podfic by @anaxandria-writes & @evaeleanor // T // podfic, 11 minutes

"Well, you look good," Harry said, then felt his face heat when he replayed what had come out of his mouth. "I mean the shop. It looks like you're doing well."

🌹 Where Flowers Bloom by @smolbus // G // art // Scorbus

[heroofshield]

#harry also had a thing with tara (though he didn't know her as “tara”)

okay but what if Harry also had to have a meeting with the FBI once and they sent two 'up and coming' agents named Taggart and McSweeten.

I think a very funny dynamic for Sterling on Leverage: Redemption would be for him and Harry to be old best buds (and it just never came up until now)