#honestly I think it's too dark and twisty for me to publish

[shadowdaddies]

The Bride of the Shadowsinger

“Bryce asked Nesta. ‘You have a mate, right?’ She nodded to Azriel. ‘Do you?’

‘No,’ Azriel said quickly, flatly.

‘A partner or spouse?’

‘No.’”

-HOFAS Walmart Bonus Chapter

I’ve been having the most cursed fic ideas (I blame Halloween), including a Frankenstein retelling with Azriel as Frankenstein. So tired of believing that he is the only of his brothers without a mate, Azriel takes it upon himself to create a partner for himself. His bride.

dividers by the lovely tsunami-of-tears

[storiesofsvu]

Weird ask ig idk

What would the characters from criminal minds greys anatomy specialties be/ who would be friends with who?

not weird at all nonny! we love a good crossover! shout out to @swimmingstudentchaos891 for talking through this with me!

Starting off with some of the one that instantly came to me;

Garcia: She's in dermatology. We all know she doesn't like the ick and gruesome of crime scenes, so she wants to stay away from all the blood and gore of surgery. And the ep when they discover the derm floor? it's all happy and calm and rainbows and sunshine and I just think she would fit in well there!

Spencer: he's nuero. It just makes sense, he's super smart, with his memory would be able to excel in that field. While schizophrenia is a mental illness it's still likely the most linked to neurological and that's gonna be a big motivation there too.

Tara: girl's ortho. Don't ask me why. She just is. She's the one out of all of them I think would love breaking bones the most. She can't help but feel cocky when the big football players come in with dislocated shoulders and they're all manly about it until she's shoving it back into place and they're screaming like babies. She'd also be so soft and so good with kids who come in who fell off the monkey bars or something.

Alex Blake: psych. I think that's pretty self explanatory. she'd excel there, or possibly be the hospital's therapist cause lord knows those dr's need fucking help. lol

Emily: Cardio god. She just has that power and you know she's the cocky, sometimes the god complex comes out. She'd be incredible. (she'd also be the McSteamy of this universe but less of a dick, and with a bigger dick. i don't make the rules)

Hotch: he's gonna be chief, or like, the head of the resident program thing. Something similar to Webber. He just has the upper level authority that people respect.

JJ: pediatrics. She's so good and soft with the tiny humans. If she hadn't fully decided on a specialty it was after having Henry that she realized she wanted to be able to help kids and she's super good with keeping parents calm.

Morgan: Hear me out. He's either an EMT or a nurse. Cause we all need a hot boi nurse in our lives. Or he's the super hot emt that rolls up with ambulances and just knows all the nurses are heart eyed for him. He flashes that cocky grin, sticks around for a coffee, little flirt master.

Rossi: i came up blank, but Lu says optometry so I agree. He's probably just around doing consults and hanging out, not as much surgery anymore. Still a published author but this time medical books, has a plethora of knowledge when the younger dr's are looking for something specific in a medical journal.

Luke: I've put him down for trauma. I think he'd be able to do that really well, his experience in the field, he's quick on his feet, not afraid to improvise kinda thing.

As for who'd be friends with whom and other little headcanons, I don't have much because there's SO many characters on Grey's and it's been a while since i've watched it (this ask literally made me restart s2, so i might have more thoughts as I go through LOL)

-Garcia and Arizona are absolutely gonna be besties. They both love all things fun and pink and adorable.

-Spencer and Lexi are 1000% going to find a bff in each other. They've both kinda grown up the "weird" kid who graduated super early and shit, so they've finally found someone else who's like them and the same age.

-Rossi is going to find himself immediately adopting the Deluca siblings. At first it's just because he hears them arguing in Italian and is able to cut in and calm them down but after he hears about their dad/family dynamics he's just all "nope, i am your papa pasta now"

-Spencer & Meredith are going to have some dark and twisty bonding over their mothers and how trying to help them is honestly exhausting and draining but they're gonna keep doing it and trying to find cures/treatments.

-Rossi and Luke are going to have some form of boding with Teddy and Owen over their various times serving and the trauma/ptsd and shit that comes with that.

There's probably SO much else i could get into but that's all I've got for now. Loved the ask! Love shit like this! thank you nonny!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2.5/5

Book Blurb: Some friends—and friendships—are worth killing for in this dark, twisty suspense novel by national bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto. Jane is unhappy.   A struggling midlist writer whose novels barely command four figures, she feels trapped in an underwhelming marriage, just scraping by to pay a crippling Bay Area mortgage for a house—a life—she's never really wanted. There's only ever been one person she cared about, one person who truly understood her: Thalia. Jane's best and only friend nearly a decade ago during their Creative Writing days at Oxford. It was the only good year of Jane’s life—cobblestones and books and damp English air, heady wine and sweet cider and Thalia, endless Thalia. But then one night ruined everything. The blood-soaked night that should have bound Thalia to Jane forever but instead made her lose her completely. Thalia disappeared without a trace, and Jane has been unable to find her since. Until now. Because there she is, her name at the top of the New York Times bestseller list: A Most Pleasant Death by Thalia Ashcroft. When she discovers a post from Thalia on her website about attending a book convention in New York City in a week—“Can’t wait to see you there!”—Jane can’t wait either. She’ll go to New York City, too, credit card bill be damned. And this time, she will do things right. Jane won’t lose Thalia again.

Review:

Jane is obsessed with Thalia, Thalia and Ani are friends, all three of them have a shared history in grad school at Oxford that ends up with a dead body and now years later Jane is determined to get back in touch with Thalia... but there are deadly consequences for all three women. Jane is a self diagnosed sociopath with a severe obsession with Thalia, a beautiful girl who was nice to her once on a bus.... think along the lines of Joe from YOU. Jane latches onto Thalia, but then Thalia becomes friends with Ani, another rich student in their program. Jane hates Ani, but somehow all three become “friends” things all change when Ani’s brother is introduced... and the “incident” happens and thus ends the three girls friendship. Nine years later, Jane is now unhappily married and has lost complete touch with Thalia. Thalia seemingly disappeared yet one day she gets an email with talking about Thalia’s new upcoming book.... inspired by their friendship and Jane knows its a sign that she has to do whatever it takes to be with Thalia again. But being with Thalia again means that more bodies will drop and that Ani is also still included... yet between these three women who truly is the sociopath and what kind of toxic friendship is there? This book gave me such strong YOU vibes with the complete fixation on someone, the manipulation and obsession, and the fact that the love interests and those around them could also be sociopaths. The overall relationship between Jane and Thalia was okay, and the whole plot twist and reveal was fine, I guess I was just hoping for more and I honestly hate to say this but I felt like all three of them were just so.... dumb sometimes like come on. That’s just how I felt, but if you like books similar to YOU and twisted relationships and obsessions, give this one a go maybe you’ll have a better time with it than I did. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[bardic-inspo]

what was the first media-anything you had creative thoughts for? I realized as an adult that I basically daydreamed fanfiction as a kid and didn't realize it until I got into writing fic and had the language to describe memories of stories about characters I couldn't stop thinking of when I was little

Happy Friday!! Thanks for the ask! :D

This is such a cool question! So interesting to think about. Honestly, I think it's sort of been...as long as I've been breathing my brain is just sort of wired that way. I remember pretending my hot wheels cars were in love with each other (hahaha) as a kid. I had melodramatic Barbie and Beanie Baby storylines. I often wrote short stories as a kid where I would take a marker, divide the page in half, and have a picture on one half with writing on the other. One I remember was called "The Special Siamese" and it was about this litter of Siamese cats that could fly and breathe under water. But poachers killed all but one? It was kind of dark and twisty for a first grader. I also wrote a sort of mystery thing about my school friends and I escaping the ghost that lived in the library. Pretty much since I could read, I wanted to be an author and publish a book one day.

But in terms of more fanfiction-esque thoughts, gosh, there were so many storyline/sequel stories saved in my head. Star Wars, Teen Titans, Batman Beyond, Sims (maybe a little on the nose), and Age of Empires were some of the earliest that come to mind. Harry Potter got me into Quizilla (which is a sort of...weird, now extinct site that was, in some ways, similar to fanfiction.net). I, uh, lied about my age and probably read a bunch of porny stuff I shouldn't have. But frankly, I don't think it did me any harm (and maybe the contrary).

From Quizilla I dipped my toes in fanfiction.net. Always as a reader, never a writer. I was a Warrior Cats kid big time, which led to me stumbling into proboards forums as a teenager. I don't know/think these are so much a thing now (maybe they still are!) but I remember finding just a massive trove of roleplaying websites on proboards focused around various fandoms. I joined a very large one for warrior cats, then figured out how to make a site, and migrated to my own written rpg site that was basically warriors cats, but with wolves so we could pretend it was sort of original I guess? That naturally sort of tapered off/petered out as I moved through high school/got older. I was sort of adrift for a hyperfixation for a few years until someone put Skyrim in my hands. And it's been a short stack of dominoes over the ~10 years since then that led me to finding/falling in love with Fallout 4 :)

This was so fun to think about and I'd love to hear yours, too, if you want to share!!

[Send in an Ask for Fanfic Writer Friday]

[neverfailtolive]

Rant (Part 2): Alina + the ending

Alina Starkov is a character that many people love and many people hate, it is sort of one or the other. For me Alina is a very meh character. Her story is definitely nothing new: a girl who thought she was normal but in reality is much more. Even when the book was first published, this trope was old. Books like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, the mortal instruments, Twilight and others (we could also add the Hunger Games but there the situation is a bit different), had already used the trope and had been very successful. So even at the time, such protagonists was not anything new, however who doesn't like a good underdog? a normal person like any of us, maybe a bit bruised and overlooked, that becomes so much more?

In the first book I really didn't mind Alina. I felt for her when Mal did not see her as anything more than a good friend, and I certainly understood her attraction to the Darkling. All the events of the first book are also understandable considering her young age. The problems start arising in the second book.

First of all, I do think that it was a mistake not letting more time pass in between the ending of the first book and the start of the second. It would have been good to let Alina mature some more and come to the realisation that she wanted to go back and save Ravka rather than being forced into it. Apart from this, and the arrival of the Darkling that is so easily defeated despite being so powerful, making the scene almost laughable, the problem with Alina is that she doesn't grow as a character she doesn’t change from the young powerless girl who follows everybody’a orders.

She is thrown in this world of responsibilities and sure it may seem like she takes them on well but she really doesn't. Bardugo wanted to develop a whole "power makes one greedy" storyline but, with the exception of her greed for the amplifiers, we never see Alina take power for herself, at least not in a significant way. The only example I could think of is taking the leadership of the Second Army, but even there once it's taken, and once she declares that all Grisha should be seated together (which although something fair, between all the problems that the grisha have to face it seems like the least important), we don't see her take strategic choices or political choices. We don't see her become the powerful and wise and knowledgeable leader that can make choices for a whole nation. All the political talks come from Nikolai. We never see her truly becoming the queen that everybody says she is. Even in the third book, she never truly realises the type of power that comes from a religious congregation and her escape from the apparat isn’t even fully her doing.

In R&R we can see some changes in the character in the sense that she does become more obsessed with the amplifiers but even there, as @darklingswhore says, she really did not have a choice in that matter. The whole plotline of power = greed = bad could have been made much stronger if she started becoming darker, like truly darker (similarly to how ti happens to the protagonist of the young elite by Marie Lu) not only saying sentences like "I will cut the tongue of whoever talks badly about my friend" (Genya). Okay she kills Mal for the greater good but he comes back so really there is no true consequence to her actions. To make the storyline more credible we should have seen her take power. A young orphan with nothing that suddenly has influence and thirst for power (which is how bardugo wanted us to see her) should want to feel the power, she should want to be at the head of nations, she should not want to run away or delegate. One of the hard choices she made was to let go of Mal and all that was ruined by the ending. and even there i would have been happy even if she didn’t turn all dark and twisty. even if she had just accepted her powers and influence it would have been better than her refusing to take power for herself and her people

and let's talk about the ending. By taking her powers away from Alina, the author is removing any sort of moral lesson that could be taken from the story. Bardugo does not teach about learning to control one's dark side, nor about moderation, both things that everybody should learn. It's like with fast food: its not about completely avoiding it, its about eating in moderation. she just teaches about taking away which i don’t love.

The fact that she goes back with Mal I think it is one of the worst parts. The moment in which she lets Mal go is a big moment of self reflection and understanding, a moment of growth. They have become too different. But by going back it is basically saying that as long as Alina is normal then the relationship can work but if she’s powerful then not. it’s completely eliminating the moment of growth which she has experienced before and i honestly did not like it. even with Alina losing her powers it would have been better if she had just learned how to ✨be special✨ on her own without mal.

This post is becoming messy so I’ll just leave it at this but all I want to say is not that I dislike Aline as a character, only that she’s too much of a ya character for the type of story that bardugo was trying to achieve. we never see her darkness and accompany her as she learns to control it and that was a poor writing choice.

[blindtaleteller]

PROMPT: OOC Interview with [X] Clint ‘Cuyler’ Barton

" Been a while since we did one of these.. but. You know the drill man! This is your first interview, yeah? Want to explain why and where you’re from? “

     Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) Besides trolling the hell out of tags with Viedimadr? *grins* Ah, mostly that’s keeping the core element I guess. Most Bartons are the quintessential superhero, at least in the range of having that alter-ego. Might not wear a mask ‘til Ronin in the MCU? But --and especially with how my character works pre-Avengers; sharing past the job isn’t exactly any of our fortes? We have a family to protect, and if you do the math of how old the kids are even in Ultron: that family has been a thing since before we take the higher ground up out of the paid-SHIELD-killer status I’m in that Nat does mention in the original Avengers. Also usually save it up between the pages and occasional poke into tags and skits here on the dash.

     Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) As for where I’m from! *he leans back and hooks his hands behind his head* We’re Universe Fourteen; two doors on the left down the connecting Vestibule from Lisan’s Universe, and one to right of the Ego-centrics with Grey Knight and Leadsprite. Ours starts out different in the respect that, Fury ends up getting the Scepter tap instead of me; and the resulting conflict goes very differently.

“ Such as? “

     Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) We never even hit New York; Fury tries to snag me in, and under the Stone’s influence that means trying to at best grab my kids since he’s one of the only two people attached who know about them. Loki ends up breaking form and getting in the middle of that. Yanks us off world and out of Fury’s sight, with the goods. That’s where we picked up with our first published bit ‘The Warming Stone’ anyways.

” Speaking of.. what do you think about the split from the original timeline? “

     Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) I’m having a lot of fun with it myself. And I’m pretty sure Laura is somewhere outside the room clapping in agreement; she’s quieter than most but a constant presence and; she and Lo get along real well. Anyway. End up dealing with that whole ‘the city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots; and I have a bow and arrow’ overwhelmed mentality a lot sooner because of it? I like the existential twists that come with the Dark Fairy Tale elements and whatnot that get thrown out there and right into our faces pretty much immediately, what with running face-first, on foot, into Jotunheim of all places through that doorway in Illinois. We did some collabs with the other guys that run through there, on top of the research and expanded on some of the wildlife ourselves to manage that? So that was some actual fun. This side of the pool I can absolutely admit us Bartons are a bit masochistic? *laughs* I am pretty sure we enjoy exploring those bits and how we’d react to them. I’m no different in that respect. I mean.. how would you react to being a dinner sized meal for labrador-to-great-dane sized snow-caterpillars with the elongated teeth of freakin shark? Or finding out the hard way there’s giant predator owls flying around about the size of a plane that eat those, just as an example? Never mind trolls, or frost giants, or anything else that manages to survive in that kind of insane climate and might decide to try and eat you just to see if you taste good.

” Probably stay inside forever if I was going to be honest? XD Anyway, Is there anything you’d change about your current story? “

     Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) Considering we’re still building back there? Not yet. I mean, too much fun so far. I mean we’ve done what.. four parts at this point? All during what we’re currently calling the Traveler Phase from Earth to Asgard through the doors between Illinois, Jotunheim, and Vanaheim. Which is interesting in itself. I mean whole other world, and things are shaken up before we even get there and (in part because of the fact that) we end up dependent on our Loki pretty fast. I think maybe my only change there would be in maybe doing another part for Extras that includes ‘Ogre’ .. who hasn’t even shown yet at that point in the story. He’s our Bruce Banner; or more specifically our Hulk? Thing is finding a space that won’t interfere too heavily with the book when we do it though. We could excuse the bits in the Traveler Phase because we intended to shorten it when we got there anyway; maybe cut straight to Asgard with that as a supplemental extra; a lot like the GROUNDED kids did with their out-takes featured in the same platovember series.

“ I imagine messing with Universe Three’s next installment’s been helping that along? “

    Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:)  Oh yeah, definitely. That mirror of Bruce’s is pretty similar in mindset and approach.

” That said, do I have to ask if there’s anyone in particular you like to watch or get into reading over their shoulder when they’re at it? “

    Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) Oh definitely The Bean right now, for sure? But there’s a list.. *grins* GROUNDED and DREAMS being woven together finally, especially with  some of the inter-universal roles being brought up is a big one. Looking forward to whipping out that sword.. heh. Though, watching the ESCAPE kids from the other forming Vestibule has been an interesting ride now that they’re not entirely cloistered in Tuscon, or their hotel room. I know what’s up there outside of Traverse too, which helps. And there’s Josh. I think everyone’s been waiting for that fireball to explode across the page? The fact Tony, Lo and Fury managed to somehow make that nutcase all on their own with just a few lines still makes me laugh. Walsh is a character and a half. I’m looking forward to getting my chance at screwing with his mirror in our Door. Leigh is a weird bit of fun too, but Josh is definitely one of those at the top of the list, and who you chose for a face in close rep, is interesting. Maybe Vix too as far as characters go? But he’d a little lower down for me at the moment.

“ Stab, stab pull..? Heh. Which is your favorite upcoming group from the books/portions of Mixology aka the Lokiverse at large? And which are you most curious about? “

     Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:)  Ha! yeah; stab-stab, pull. Loxley’s got an interesting bunch next door. *rubs his hands up over the top of his head and back down* Honestly, MONSTERS and ASHES. Ah, that’s Door and or Universes Three and Twelve for those that don’t know. Three has a similar bonding mechanic between Bruce and Lo I’ve been interested in, while ASHES hits on other things, including a rockier relationship and overall dynamic between his Bartons and Redbird (that’s his Quill) that tends to go dark in the personal aspects a lot. I guess I like that struggle between them, personally. Loxley brushes something similar going on post-Ronin with his family dynamic with his internals and his Lo’s concerns for that; but I think Lili and his crew hit that at a whole other angle from around five years prior on? With, a whole other take on the family dynamic that Laura and I have with Lo by the time we leave Asgard. And that’s curious to me.

” I put you guys through a lot of shit in the name of storytelling. Any parts you have complaints about? “ 

   Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) None, planned or otherwise.

“ ..that was fast. “

   Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:)  What can I say? I enjoy the twisty shit, at least on this end of the pool. Ignoring the reservations, and dealing with the danger-fear of getting hurt in ways that can’t be fixed with stitches or band-aids, of accepting that kind of bond knowing how it started and risking the idea that finding out why might not make that danger less or that person better or more relatable than perceived to be able to accept them farther even after that investment?

  Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:) The contradiction of pride and ego versus conscience and the guilt when it belongs there getting in the way -and even dealing with when it should be toned down that results in having one,  even if it’s just a sliver in places and playing that out along with dipping into places mostly ignored or washed over in the Universes; is interesting and fun to me. Danger included. I have a little less guilt than my mirrors in a lot of directions that gets placed elsewhere after we come back to Earth; and I enjoy that dynamic and what we’re trying to explore there. That whole; ‘what if he was loyal, without he stone’s influence’ aspect, in our own flavor is a LOT of fun to play with. It’s a very different Universe, but holds hints and background pieces, and similarities enough, as well as the core; that it’s a feasable alternative to the canon line. Which is extra fun, for the personal aspects or ‘humanity’ we manage in the process? So no.. no complaints. Not yet anyways.. heh. We’ll see how I feel when you start actually touching actual, hands-on Gagnarok fixes and alternates though. Outside of that Cosmic-FrostIron bitty from a few doors down anyway. That’s gonna be a mess.

  “ Whee.. yeah. MONSTERS gets that honor first, most likely.. “

  Cuyler (Clint Barton D14:)  Good. Bean can handle that best, I think... or maybe worst. Either way it’s gonna be entertaining for me..

For those interested, Cuyler’s published stories are found below in chronological order (they were posted out of order in part because of the prompts themselves and some parts were planned ahead to take certain slots.) The title names are the links to each part.

The Warming Stone (part 1)

Fathers (part 4)

The Hart (part 2)

Between the Reds (part 3)

[comicteaparty]

January 29th-February 4th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from January 29th, 2020 to February 4th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

Which genre is your favorite for webcomics and which is your least favorite? Why is that?

carcarchu

Romance is without a doubt my favourite genre although i do have a particular soft spot for historical series too (and if it combines the 2 that's a dream come true ). as for my least favourite i guess sci-fi, i'm really not a fan of having to remember a ton of world building details and the backstories of some sci-fi series feel like reading a textbook sometimes. also comedy can be really hit or miss for me if the sense of humour used in the comic doesn't do it for me

Capitania do Azar

Honestly I'll read petty much anything if I'm having fun, not necessarily a genre-related issue. I think nice, interesting stories can be crafted in any genres. That being said, fantasy is usually not my jam and I really like Sci-fi

Kabocha

When it comes to webcomics, I'll read a lot of stuff! But I think Fantasy and Drama have a soft spot in my heart for some reason! I really enjoy it when a creator seems to be having fun (or is aware) of how hammy their drama can be -- and fantasy can be chock full of it! (And as an aside, I love the heck outta romance when done well! A lot of webcomics that classify themselves as romances tend to be more Drama than Romance, mostly bc they don't follow the genre conventions of romance, and instead stick to a more dramatic-oriented plot structure... it's intriguing.) Anyway! I think my least favorite these days is slice of life and gaming comics. A lot of it gets really weird and overwrought and I just... I dunno, there's gotta be a draw. Gaming comics just aren't very fun to read, esp as I've gotten older. A lot of it feels like "hey here's this pop culture reference this small-ish in group gets! how funny! hahaha" or punching down, and... I dunno, I don't have a lot of time to keep on top of memes for games I don't/can't play.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I love fantasy and sci-fi, mostly because I'm a world-building nut. I want to get lost in a new place when I read. This also extends towards historical comics, but those are pretty rare. I won't lie though, I definitely fact-check historical comics when I read them, because I want to know how much I can trust the accuracy of the setting. I also tend to enjoy romance if done well, and especially when blended with other genres. IMO, romances can be kinda samey by themselves, so there needs to be some other plot outside of the characters' relationship for me to stay invested. As for least favorite genres... Definitely comedy and slice-of-life. As someone who regularly watches stand-up, I don't typically find comedy comics very funny most of the time, especially relatable gag-a-day types. As for slice-of-life, it often seems... boring to me. I mean, I might just be mentally unable to process the nuances or something, but what actually happens in slice-of-lifes? That being said, there are always exceptions to these preferences, because I have been completely turned off from certain fantasy comics, for example, and there are definitely comedies that I have enjoyed thoroughly. In the end, all that really matters is if a specific comic suits my tastes/quality expectations, genre tossed aside

Ash🦀

When it comes to webcomics, animal stories and fantasy are definitely my favorites. I like getting lost in a world, I don’t want to stay in my own if I’m trying to escape. Oh, also, and actually being able to read emotions. On animals, because the style and emotion often have to be pushed so much, it’s way easier on me to be able to parse expressions on an animal than a human. Might just be my autistic brain tho /shrug Also, sci fi, heavy dose of “sci” in there. If I feel like I’m learning something it makes it so much more fun. My least favorite genres are romance and historical. To be honest, I find historical pieces rely so much on the politics and the talking and the human nuance I don’t much understand in the first place that I end up getting bored or confused or both. And romance is... well, my mom constantly had hallmark movies on, so I’ve kind of grown to hate the romance genre as a whole tbh. If it’s a side piece in a fantasy, fine, okay. Too often they’re unbelievable and the couple just doesn’t have any chemistry, and I just end up not buying it, so I’d like to yeet it to the side as much as possible in most cases. Now, there are some that are exceptions, here, but they are few and far between. Somehow, LGBTA+ romance just blows past this hangup, however. I dunno, it’s easier for me to care then, it feels newer, and... well, frankly, a good deal of the time they’re written better, I dunno. So, they’re the exception to the rule.

Kabocha

Hard agree on the LGBTA+ romance -- but also other marginalized groups tend to be more thoughtful in romance and tropes they use! While there's a general sort of... uh, set of expectations as far as plot and the happily-ever-after/happy-for-now ending, it's honestly really just sort of nice to see creators be mindful about what they're making, and write stuff that isn't just the same sort of nonsense that gets marketed in the mainstream. ...Now this is making me think about how much I would love to see Courtney Milan or Alyssa Cole's works translated into comics... If they could do Pride and Prejudice, someone pls give me A Princess in Theory (Sorry, I'm... a little bit of an aficionado for the genre, particularly in romance novels)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I was never able to get into ANY romance until I started reading some LGBTQ+ ones. I never liked the genre before then, but I think it was just because I couldn’t identify with / care about all the cishet couple represented. Once I was reading a romance I actually could connect with, it was completely different. It’s still not a genre I like to read very often because it’s so trope-heavy, though.

keii4ii

I feel like romance gets pigeonholed into a specific (and admittedly prevalent/highly visible) type, kinda like how "fantasy" was pigeonholed as Tolkienish fantasy for years and years until recently.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

As for what genres I do like, definitely fantasy. I especially like dark stories with lots of nuance, twisty plots, and some surreality. I like both high and urban fantasy, though as I get older, I lean more towards the latter. There’s someone really fascinating to me about mixing modern tech with magic and the supernatural. My least favourite (apart from most romance) is probably newspaper-style webcomics. I’m just not into that into punchline-a-strip or art art that has a Saturday-morning-cartoon feel. Not that it’s bad in any way, and I actually do have a few exceptions of comics in that style that I DO like, but it’s just not really my thing. I also can’t really get into political comics or war stories.

@keii4ii Yeah, it definitely does! And it becomes frustrating to try and find Something Different within the genre when the vast majority of it is using the same tropes and set up. I think that’s also why I’ve started leaning more towards urban fantasy as I’ve aged because a lot of high fantasy was becoming ‘more of the same’.

(says someone who creates a Tolkein-esque high fantasy comic )

keii4ii

You can still tell great stories within those prevalent types. Just gotta be mindful about choosing tropes/archetypes because they work for the story, as opposed to just going with them mindlessly. But that's not really extra work; that mindfulness is important no matter what kind of a story you're writing, IMO!

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I also say I don’t get into punchline-a-strip comedy and yet have TWO comics in that genre, so I’m kind of a hypocrite.

Oh yes, definitely! I do try to avoid or even subvert some of those very common tropes, though I’m sure I don’t always succeed! Some tropes can be very effective, just not when every story feels like you’ve read this a hundred times before with minor variation.

Kabocha

Honestly, that's one of the great things about self pub and webcomics -- you can get SO many more unique voices without the gatekeepers that traditionally held genres and markets back. Like, y'all might not have heard, but back years and years ago, Borders had someone working there at the corporate level that helped stock genre fiction -- but basically segregated POC authors from the genres that they were actually writing in. Which was a load of crap. (And that's not even getting into issues with queer media and fiction being stocked in stores or even published.) So basically in stores you'd see for a while, kind of the samey sort of stuff that you find in genre fiction -- and I think webcomics helps kind of... break out of those same sorts of expectations for various genres? It's kind of nice on the whole.

FeatheryJustice

Favourite genre of comics: Comedy and Action. If I could find Jackie Chan action and humour combo in a comic I would love the hell out of it. Least favourite: Slice of Life of the drama variety and romance variety. I dont mind if it is slice of life with action or slice of life informative because I am reading for more. If it is a romance between just two high schoolers doing nothing then I get bored. If it is two high schoolers in a slice of life but it focuses on them working on an animation together giving us animation information I would be okay with that.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Lol, as someone who makes a fantasy series that plays with the amnesia trope like it went out of style (spoilers, it did), I totally agree that fantasy and romance can be very tropey.

kzuich

I like comedy and slice-of-life. Occasionally I like drama, but only if it's mixed with comedy. Or black comedy. (Seeing a recurring theme here? xD)

Or drama. With comedy sprinkled in.

I don't know why but I've always felt webcomics were really great for comedy. Some of the funniest stuff I've read was a webcomic. Dunno why. Least favorite genre? I don't really have one. I'll read anything but those are the genres I actually -like-.

DanitheCarutor

I'll read just about anything. I love stuff with some kind of surrealistic or abstract quality to it, like Weaker Sides (https://www.weakersides.com/), Seluda (https://tapas.io/series/seluda) and Hookteeth (https://hookteethcomic.com/). I also really enjoy stuff that is sad, or deals with heavy themes due to the feeling of catharsis they give me. Sun Rising (https://tapas.io/series/Sun-Rising), Rescue Me (https://tapas.io/series/Rescue-Me) and The Dogs on the Railroad (https://tapas.io/series/The-Dogs-on-the-Railroad) come to mind. It's nice to experience difficult emotions in a controlled environment. If I had to be genre specific I would have to say my favorite is the very elusive horror genre. Love me some spoopy shit and pretty much everything else that comes with it, no matter how cheesy it gets! It sucks that horror is so hard to find in webcomics, at least for me.

Least favorite genres? Gag-a-day, slice of life and romance. I have a lot of trouble getting into comedy comics that aren't story driven, so I don't usually read gag-a-days or autobios. I will read the latter two since most of the time they're good things to read when you don't want to turn your brain off for a bit, but all three genres are honestly really boring for me. When it comes to character centric stuff I really want something like a deep character study, although I haven't had luck finding stuff like that. Romance specifically, I have a hate/I don't mind relationship with. Romantic intimacy has always been super gross to me, I hate seeing people kissing on each other in movies due to an issue with how nasty the human mouth is, and the sound makes me sick to my stomach. With comics it's easier to digest, the characters are just drawings so I don't mind seeing them get all buckwild, but it's still not my most favorite. There are occasions where I can't even read a comic due to genre vs. setting. For example (and I'm am not saying this comic is bad, I mean it has over 100k subs) A Matter of Life and Death (https://tapas.io/series/A-Matter-of-Life-and-Death). I really love the art in this comic, the setting, some of the characters and the little bits of lore I saw. But it's a slice of life-esque romantic type of comic, so the world building for this extremely creative looking setting is kinda put on the back burner for intimate scenes between the MCs. Again, this doesn't make it bad. I personally turned out not to be the target demographic because I wanted 'A' and the creator wanted 'B'. Maybe I'll give this one another glance someday to see where the story has gone, I admittedly haven't read it in a couple years so the story might have developed.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

My fave is anything that deals in heavy lore-- most that fit the bill are usually fictional like fantasy and sci-fi, but there are always exceptions that play with some good world building outside those genres! I love to read comics that i can get lost in and want to almost research the world created-- as long as that element is balanced in a story, im usually up for anything! That being said however, my least favourite is the gag strips and strictly comedy. I haven't yet found any that have really made me read page after page since my first looksee with comedy comics (sassy creed and that super smash bros one come to mind so quite a while ago) but I'm sure if i was more diligent in searching through the genre I could find something for myself!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I love history and sci-fi. I have a hard time getting into fiction and I like stories with a firm connection to something real in the world

kayotics

I’m a fan of fantasy stories, and I like romance sometimes as well. I don’t mind gag-a-day strips but I don’t really follow any, mostly since I’m looking for a little more meat in my story. Despite how much crossover sci-fi and fantasy have, I’m not big into sci-fi. If a story engages me in that genre, I’ll still read it, but it’s not a genre I search through. I also don’t read war comics. I have a hard no on superheroes as well, I’m just tired of them.

renieplayerone

I love anything thats a mix of SciFi and history or some other genre (its why i love blade runner, scifi film noir). Weaving history into scifi is a challenge but man does it make for really cool aesthetics and moral questions

RebelVampire

My favorite genre for webcomics is probably a tie between fantasy and sci-fi. Not only do I just personally love world-building heavy material, but I also just think webcomics is a medium well-suited to them. I kind of don't feel things like live action do those genres justice. However, webcomics have a lot of artistic freedom so art style, differing art effects, etc. can all come into play to create awe, whimsy, and a bunch of other emotions that just capture a feeling of wonder that I expect from those generes. As for least favorite genre, definitely serialized comedy - which by this I mean comics that have a story along with the comedy. For me I just...don't find a lot of them funny. A lot of the humor is a bit too trope-y for my liking or imitating comedy without really understanding why the comedy worked in the original source. So for me the jokes just rarely land even if I can appreciate the effort that went into the comics. That being said, there's always exceptions. Like http://sgkdr.webcomic.ws/ is a comic I would've initially passed just based on genre, but when i read it the humor was/is actually really smart and really creative. Just the same, there's plenty of fantasy and sci-fi comics I don't like, though this usually comes down to story execution even if I think the art is pretty to look at.

BadSprite

My favorite genres for comics are action, comedy, drama and slice of life. I'm particularly a fan of slice of life stories that take place in some fantastical world, because the nuances of the setting makes the mundane so much more interesting. Also action comedies are my jam. One of my faves being: http://paranatural.net/. I personally love how comedy is integrated into action scenes to capture the frantic nature of the situations. My least favorite genre are probably romance, it's not that I have anything against it. I just feel like there's an oversaturation of them and there's very few that brings something new to the table. Most of them feel too same-y for me.

eli [a winged tale]

It really depends on my mood~ my bookmarks are all over the place. If I really enjoy the art and the characters, I usually stay for the story. My usual go-to is fantasy, sci-fi or slice of life! I recently got into romance but I’m a bit choosey about it. I definitely echo @Kabocha ‘s statement about exploring different voices and subversion of tropes. Always eager to read tighter storylines and those that take risks in diversity. Least favourite same as @FeatherNotes(Krispy) really! Sometimes it’s funny (love strange planet) but I won’t be binging it

MJ Massey

My favorite genres of comics are fantasy, action/adventure, and romance. Especially if all three are together in one delicious package. I'll read pretty much anything but it's gotta be well paced and well written to keep me coming back

Javi

My favorite genres are action, comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, slice of life and adventure. Also anything with animal characters in it I'm already invested in it but that's just my furry brain talking (edited)

AntiBunny

I would say a broad term of adventure. Be it scifi, fantasy, road trip, or superntural I love a good adventure comic full of interesting characters and locations.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/the-baby-sitters-club-recap-holla-at-moi-vulture/

The Baby-Sitters Club Recap: Holla at Moi - Vulture

Photo: Liane Hentscher/Netflix/

Welcome to Sea City, sitters! It’s Spring Break (this fictional year is flying by and I don’t hate it) and Stacey and Mary Anne have been tasked with the BSC’s first-ever travel job: They’ll be heading to the beach for the week to watch the eight Pike kids. Yes, friends, that’s “Pike” as in Mallory Pike. I imagine many viewers already know who Mallory is in the grand lore of The Baby-Sitters Club, but just in case I’ll only say that the eldest Pike will be back at a later date.

Stacey and Mary Anne are excited to get paid to go on vacation (Richard Spier is a mess, obviously), but the other girls are already missing their friends. Sure, it’s only a week but these girls are Best Friends Forever. The capital letters mean it’s serious. Didn’t you want to squeeze your way into that group hug? The two sitters who are going away have lots of plans for a fun yet responsible week. Kristy is already all over them about keeping the BSC Code of Conduct even while in a different zip code. Things seem to start out just as great as Stacey and Mary Anne planned, aside from multiple vomit incidents in the car ride and some less-than-ideal weather, but all those plans get hurled in the cold, harsh sea the moment Scott the Lifeguard shows up.

Who is Scott the Lifeguard, you ask? Some dummy 17-year-old who slo-mos himself into Stacey’s heart even though he barely notices her insane amount of flirting, patronizingly calls her “cutie,” gives her his trash — excuse me, his lifeguard whistle — and also is I guess responsible for people’s lives on that beach. Anyway, this may be Stacey’s episode, but let’s be honest: Mary Anne is the real hero here. She immediately recognizes that Stacey is being a little ridiculous, (1) because of the inappropriate age difference, and (2) because um, those ladies have a job to do and Stacey is blowing it off to bring Scott drinks and … pose endearingly in his general vicinity while he ignores her?

Mary Anne is not thrilled with having to watch the eight Pikes by herself. She’s especially not thrilled when they bury her in the sand and leave her for the seagulls. Luckily, two very nice age-appropriate boys, Alex and Cousin Toby from Canada, help her out. They hit it off because those boys are delightful and I very much approve of tweens who already tell dad jokes. When Stacey learns that Scott is going to Burger Garden where he’ll be “slamming burgers” — a phrase that will bring me joy for years to come — she hijacks their one night off to “bump into him” there. Mary Anne has Alex and Cousin Toby come along and Stacey proceeds to ignore them all, even though Toby is clearly into her. She decides that she’ll win Scott over with a box of chocolates, proving once and for all that she should in no way be pursuing a 17-year-old. Stick with Sam, Stace! Sam is uncomplicated! Sam draws blenders!

She utterly humiliates herself in front of Scott and his high-school friends. Toby tries to save the day, but the damage is done. Back at the Pike beach house, Stacey learns that little Byron Pike has a massive crush on her and she has to explain that he’s just too young and it puts the whole situation in perspective. Thankfully, she has come to this realization with enough time for one great beach day. She “didn’t care if some boy knew who [she] was, because [she] knew.” Ah jeez, these girls are growing up right before our very eyes!

This also means that she can apologize to Mary Anne for being a terrible friend, although she did buy them cheesy matching airbrush shirts, and that’s not nothing. Plus Mary Anne has her own silver lining: She used to be so intimidated by how cool and sophisticated she thought Stacey was and now she’s learned that she’s just a big dork like the rest of them. Honestly, that’s a lesson to keep with you no matter your age. Oh and also, Toby shows up to say good-bye to Stacey with his own gift and she plants a kiss on the kid. Her very first kiss. Sea City isn’t so bad after all.

Back in Stoneybrook, Kristy is also starting to see someone in a different way: She might finally be coming around on Watson Brewer. She’s tasked with baby-sitting Karen and Andrew. She tricks them into doing some chores, which I guess includes washing Watson’s fancy car that he doesn’t really drive. Kristy manages to get herself locked in a mud room of sorts, hoping to find some — ahem — dirt on Watson and has to watch in horror as Karen and Andrew “wash” the car with steel wool.

Watson calls Kristy (he has to block his number to get her to answer, Kristy is hilarious) to give her the chance to come clean. She spills everything and Watson is way more understanding than Kristy deserves. He tells her that he has no secrets stashed away in mud rooms, he’s a regular guy. Also he doesn’t think they need to tell Liz about this. He is a cool dude! Kristy starts to soften and quickly tells him that she actually really likes her new bedroom in his house and then immediately hangs up before he can respond. He seems so happy about it. He’s making progress!

• Oh, Sharon and Richard are so on again. Dawn and Mary Anne are tired of this break their parents are on and so begin their Parent Trap plan (complete with the full handshake — they’re real fans!). The “plan” is mainly just Dawn calling up Richard and pretending to be her mom, but she’s a terrible actress. Even if she hadn’t given it away before she invited Richard over for “wine on the rocks” that really would’ve done it. Just the reminder of Sharon pushes Richard to offer an olive branch by way of a pet turtle (“turtle” was her pet name for him in high school) and a note that says “sorry I went back into my shell.” Honestly, buying someone a pet isn’t a gift, it’s a job, but we’ll take it because Sharon and Richie are made for each other.

• Vanessa Pike, the one in a dark and twisty “poetry phase,” is another great addition to the Quirky Kids of Stoneybrook. I love them all!

• There are a lot of embarrassing things you could say to the older boy you like but “Holla at moi” is very much toward the top of that list.

• “Mary Anne, talk to him. Or else you’re gonna spend the rest of your life wondering if his legs feel like Jell-O when he sees you.” Alex!!!

• Okay, so we’ve met Mal — where’s Jessi??

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[readysetjo]

PS/ SS - Chapter 5 - Diagon Alley

@alluringcliche @feelsandotps @wearywanderer @xingshining

I’m wondering what personal story I’m going to share today!

Also, I’m sleepy I hope that doesn’t affect (?)/ effect (?)/ change/ manipulate/ twist/ adjust (I am avoiding looking up the difference between the words “affect” and “effect” for the 100th time in my life) my normal chapter liveblog. I was dedicated to writing this tonight, tho. 

I forget that they didn’t automatically leave after that tense evening discussion

I have a headcanon that the pouches on The Daily Prophet’s owls have a charm that vanishes the money and deposits it into a Gringotts bank account. Otherwise the birds would get so heavy-ladened after a while and I imagine that the Prophet’s bird’s would be frequently stolen from. Imagine working at the Prophet’s owlery. That would be a little fun for a time.

Hagrid just trusts Harry with rummaging through his coat to find his money. He’s either really sleepy or far too trusting. 

“yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob [Gringotts].” /// lol Hagrid so had a chat with Harry about this memory later.

I’d like to see more of the tense dynamic between Fudge and Dumbledore. I bet Fudge would have been so funny to watch come undone under the weight of being Minister and slowly going from asking DD for help nearly every day to telling the reporters/ editors at the Prophet to slip in snide comments about DD. I want to watch that train wreck. 

Hagrid’s reasoning to why the Wizarding World is separate from the Muggle one is kind of odd to me. “everyone’d be wantin’ magic solutions to their problems.” Like honestly the actual result of that would probably be a capitalistic one in which the average magical person would be able to sell their magical “solutions to problems” for money. This would just lead to the magical community becoming very wealthy. That’s not really a bad thing (on the surface/ from a wizard’s POV). I think the most logical answer is: “Our community is so different from the Muggle one that creating rules to enforce for the two societies coinciding would be so difficult that we keep ourselves separate in order that we can both create individual systems that works for each society.Also, we are trying to avoid causing strain with a power imbalance.” 

“Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up” /// I grew up very short with a very tall dad, so I really can relate haha. I would have to occasionally remind him how my stride was two of his. 

I wonder what Hagrid was knitting. 

I feel like the HP fandom should have had a running joke by now that any deserted store in a strip mall was the entrance to a wizarding community. Tho it seems like the entrance was not visible or had a like “don’t look at me” charm on it rather than how St. Mungo’s was hidden behind a deserted shop. 

“Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry’s shoulder and making Harry’s knees buckle.” /// That I can’t relate to lol. 

“I’m all of a flutter.” /// What a funny and great way to put that lol.

Dedalussssssss!!! One of Harry’s first magical “acquaintances” XD and the truly brave soul who (along with Hestia Jones) watched the Dursley’s for nearly a year. I don’t usually make the joke but... “Rubeus Dedalus Potter you were named for-”

“’What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?’ [asked Harry] ‘D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts,’ muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he’s rather not think about it.’”/// 1. I died. I forgot about this line! 2. He went on a year-long break from work to do some research. That is so Ravenclaw. 3. What if Quirrell became known for wearing beanies instead of a turban? 4. I forgot how it was possible that Quirrell could shake Harry’s hand right now. 5. I forgot why Harry’s scar didn’t hurt right now. (I’ll probably remember soon enough, but I wouldn’t mind reminders if I don’t.)  6. You know those words that trip you up for no good reason? Yeah, well I’ve got quite the arsenal of those, but one of them happens to be “squirrel” (why? idk?) and this man helped me remember that the word has two “R”s in it.

“Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.” /// Harry Spider

I wonder what is the cool new broomstick model right now. 

Gringotts colors are scarlet and gold and I never noticed before. I think they wore black in the movies or just like nice work clothes. Also, I would like to go to Shell’s Cottage and hear Bill and Fleur tell me all about how Gringotts got started. I am fascinated. 

The poem on the door about stealing from Gringotts is so funny to me bc I am just thinking about how cabs have like signs that say that the driver doesn’t carry over a certain amount of money. These are two very different philosophies of deterring a thief. 

Three times JKR foreshadowed to us just how stupid it would be to try and rob Gringotts. 

Our Muggle banks and safety deposit boxes are so much more efficient and I am grateful. 

 Hey there Griphook! Well be seeing you again!

So Dumbledore would have told all the professors what they were hiding in Hogwarts, due to asking them for their help to do it right? But did they know why they were hiding the Sorcerer’s Stone? Did they too know that they were trying to suppress Voldemort’s return? I kinda hope they did. It seems to be that Hagrid did.

I like to imagine these seemingly perpetually grumpy goblins actually love their twisty roller coaster-ish cart rides under London. 

“Harry didn’t know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money.” /// So happy for him!!

Hagrid told him to get his uniform first almost like a parent haha. 

Reminder that Harry disliked Draco for his awful character right from the very beginning and that Draco set himself up for the foul life he ended up with by never seeing the goodness in others as something that he should want too. (I don’t say this to any of you four Questers bc I think you all would agree, but I just had to say it.)

I like how popular and big football is that even wizards know what it is and use it to compare to Quidditch. OMG I’m so stupid I’m just remembering one of the best eras in post-HP publishing history and getting emotional about it. Does anyone remember the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. I obsessed over it that summer and read every word that Ginny wrote and ahhhhh I miss it. I miss Quidditch and Pottermore publishing updates with chapter art and meta and character backgrounds. What a golden era post-DH. 

I like that Hagrid said that toads went “out of fashion years ago” so that means that, at one point, toads were vogue and that’s amazing by itself. I bet the professors hated that time. The constant low croaking coming from everyone’s pockets. 

“For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in [Ollivanders] seemed to tingle with some secret magic.” /// I love that feeling when it happens in real life. Like when you discover a cute little stream on a hike or a beautiful old library. 

I sometimes wish I had the memory of Ollivander. 

The second “you have your mother’s eyes” drink!

Ollivander had some personal space invading issues. (And it irks me.)

I know I already said that I want to know about like three things in this liveblog, but I’m desperate to know more about wandlore too. I want more facts.

I kind of like that the more difficult it was to find Harry a wand, the happier Ollivander got. That’s a good attitude to have right there. That’s how you know you love your job.

Voldemort’s wand was 13 inches and Harry’s was 11 inches. That means that there’s a chance that Voldemort’s phoenix’s core feather was longer than Harry’s and, therefore lower on Fawkes’ tail. 

Gosh wands are expensive. 

Goodbye, Ollie, see you later. 

Why did they not buy a trunk in Diagon Alley? Where did Harry even get a trunk that he carries around with him for 7 years? These are the real plot holes!  jkjkjk

That chapter was a little longer than usual. But since this one has less chapters in it, we are actually almost one third through with it. That’s wild!

[madamedefarge]

I saw this tag over at Books and Big Ideas, and I thought that I would give it a try. Fun fact, I used to work at a bakery, and I love looking at gorgeous cakes.

CHOCOLATE CAKE A dark book you absolutely love

I am going to say Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Anyone who knows my literary tastes knows I like dark and twisty books, but I recently listened to this, and I think that there is honestly nothing more terrified than what the “anonymous” narrator goes through. I get the feeling this book will be on my mind for quite a while.

VANILLA CAKE A light read

When I hear something is a light read, I often think: “Oh god, it’s going to ask me to suspend my disbelief to an unreasonable level!” That wasn’t the case with Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple.

While I have no doubt that this book can carry itself on paper, if you’re going to read this book, I highly recommend listening to it on audio!

Why? Because the back and forth in with the suburbanites is worth every second and will have you laughing until it hurts. Okay, there are dead serious moments too, but the laughter definitely made up for it.

RED VELVET A book that gave you mixed emotions

I am probably coming at this book as a 2017 reader, when this was published at the tail-end of 2016. It’s not that I don’t like The Sun is Also a Star, it was just that by the end, I had flagged a bunch of quick one-liners about immigration in the United States.

While I liked the quotes I felt like there was never really a conversation about the avenues that Natasha’s family could have pursued. I am not sorry I read it, I just wish there were a few more hopeful discussions about immigration. In the end, this might actually be a good thing in the long run, but dang I wanted more.

CHEESECAKE A book you would recommend to anyone

The book I keep recommending to absolutely everyone, without fail is City of Thieves by David Benioff. It’s a real page turner, it has some great action sequences, a subdued love story, and a great sense of atmosphere. I really love it and every time I’ve given it so someone they come back really loving it.

COFFEE CAKE A book you started but never finished

I am convinced there is something I am missing with See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt. I read a third of the book and every time the subject of pears comes up, and that makes me think of Doctor Who, and then that makes me laugh, and then I can’t get back into Lizzie Borden and ax murder mode! Now, whenever I think about this book I think about pears! Then pear tarts!

CARROT CAKE A book with great writing

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett. Yes, I realize the name of this book is a little too appropriate to put in a cake book tag, but the writing in this book is amazing. Something about it follows the narrative flow of an eleven-year-old very well. For example, one line I love:

They had connected on Craigslist, the same website where we sold our moth-eaten couch.

TIRAMISU A book that left you wanting more

It’s going to sound odd since I gave Yesterday a 3.5 star rating, but I really wanted more of this world. The sci-fi mystery was a juicy read with a psychotic antagonist, and I thought the questions posed by the world were really interesting.

I really wanted to just know more about what it means to live in a world where everyone is divided by how much memory they retain, and therefore how the information is stored into facts.

CUPCAKES A series with 4+ Book

I dread this question since I usually read trilogies, and I usually default to Harry Potter because that is the only series I can think of that’s four or more.

Recently, I remembered reading this series in middle school called Daughters of the Moon, which is about a group of girls who are descended from the goddess of the moon and who are destined to fight an evil known as the Atrox. They all have a different power: Vanessa can read minds, Jimena gets premonitions, Catty time travels, and Serena reads minds.

FRUIT CAKE A book that wasn’t what you anticipated

I absolutely loved this book, but it had the most deceiving title! Kitchens of the Great Midwest is a great book about the growth of a chef but through the perspective of all the people that have influenced her along the way.

It’s definitely not what you expect from a book with that title, but it is very well written and conceived. I really liked it, and I would definitely recommend it.

That’s it for the cake book tag! Leave a comment and let me know what you think of my choices. I am going to tag a few people to keep this fun tag going! 

Jenna @ Bookmark Your Thoughts Clara @ The Book Goddess Kat Impossible @ Life and Other Disasters Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek Taylor & Missy @ Frayed Books Carrie @ Reading is My Superpower Swetlana @ The Caffeinated Bookworm

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The Cake Book Tag I saw this tag over at Books and Big Ideas, and I thought that I would give it a try.

[claeriekavanaugh]

This week’s author interview is with my awesome friend J.M. Sullivan, author of Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles!

Intro: What’s your name, what do you write, where can readers find you on social media? And just for fun, if you could be any mythological being, what or who would you be?  

Hi! My name is JM Sullivan and I write retellings! My debut novel, Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles is a Dark Fantasy retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and my current WIP is a SciFi retelling of Peter Pan! If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @_JM_Sullivan or on YouTube on my Author Confession channel. As for mythological beings: I think I’d have to go with a fairy! It would bring my sparkle game to a whole new level!

What got you interested in writing/ When did you become SERIOUS about writing?

I have always been interested in writing, even at a young age. My parents were both teachers and fostered a love of reading in me, which turned into telling my own stories as soon as I could write. I’ve written several short stories, and even began a couple of novel projects, but, I didn’t become serious about my writing until I got the idea for Alice. It hit me like a ton of bricks and the way it fell into place, it was just like ‘I have to write this.’ After that I made the commitment to finish the draft by the end of 2016, and instead, I finished it in three months. The rest, as they say, was history! 😉

What inspired your book?

THE WANDERLAND CHRONICLES is a mash-up of two of my favorite things. Fairy tales and horror. I was thinking about retellings and the ideas behind them when I thought about the Red Queen’s iconic line, ‘Off With Their Heads!’ Well, my husband and I had recently been on a zombie kick, and as any good zombie-buff knows, the only way to stop the undead is by chopping off their heads. It was too perfect not to use!

What is the book about?

THE WANDERLAND CHRONICLES follows the story of sixteen-year-old Alice Carroll as she tries to navigate the wilds of Wanderland to save her sister from succumbing to the Momerath Plague. Unfortunately, outside the safety of the Sector, momerath aren’t the only danger waiting for her and she must fight to survive or both she—and Dinah—will be lost forever.

What are the characters like? 

Since it’s a retelling, I tried to make all of the characters reflect their counterparts in Carroll’s story in at least some way. You can expect to see all of your favorite Wonderland residents in ALICE, including a few new faces! I’ll give a couple of examples of the traits I partnered with my characters, but you’ll have to read to find the rest!

Alice: Curious, has a strange habit of talking to herself

Chess: Has a tendency to disappear then mysteriously turn up again.

Bug: Terrible chain smoker. Also a conspiracy theorist

Dr. Waite R. Abbott: Extremely nervous pharmaceutical doctor. Most likely suffering from PTSD.

Who should pick up your book and why? 

Of course, I would love to hear what Lewis Carroll fans think about THE WANDERLAND CHRONICLES, but ALICE was written for retelling fans everywhere. If you enjoy fairy tales, especially twisty ones—I think this just might be a book for you. If you aren’t familiar with retellings but you enjoy action, suspense, and just a dash of horror this could just be your gateway book! 😀

Favorite quote from your own work?

Well, I don’t know how impressive this line will be without context, but it’s one of my favorite lines in ALICE.

“That’s easy, Alice,” he said. His amber eyes melted into hers. “It’s the first rule of chess:  always protect your queen.”

Once you read, you’ll have to tell me what you think. 😉

Traditional or Self-publishing? Why?

ALICE is represented by Pen Name Publishing, which is a small but traditional publishing company. I knew that I wanted to be represented by a publisher because I wanted as much help as I could get to share Alice with the world. Even though self-publishing is a completely viable option, it is HUGE (kudos to all you self-pubbed authors!!). It wasn’t something I felt confident that I could do well enough to give Alice justice. And after jumping into the publishing world, I definitely think I made the right choice.

If you could only write in one genre for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

Well, at least for the foreseeable future, I’m planning on sticking with retellings! If it takes me forever to get them out, then I’m totally ok with it. I love retellings because there are so many incredible classics out there and countless ways that they can be reimagined. I love finding ways to blend the old and the new and see what the final project turns out to be. I guess you could say, I’m Hooked.

Name one book that affected the way you write? 

The Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce was definitely a game changer for me. It was the first retelling I ever read that took a darker turn on the fairy tale rather than following the ‘standard’ light-hearted re-imaginings I’d seen. I loved what she did to Little Red Riding Hood and how it made for a gritty, thrilling adventure. I knew if I ever wrote a retelling (which happened a long time after I originally read the series) I wanted it to be something more than just Fantasy, and her books showed me it could be done.

Three authors you recommend and why?

Well, based on my previous answer, if you are a retelling fan, definitely check out Jackson Pearce. Her work is great. Marissa Meyer is also another retelling queen, and her Cinder series? Off the chain. So, between those two, your TBR easily just added six books. If you aren’t really in the mood for fairy tales, I would recommend Richelle Mead. She is an excellent author with a broad range of books. Although she’s most famous for her Vampire Academy series, her Bloodlines series (which is a spinoff from Vampire Academy) has really taken off as well. BUT my favorite book of hers is actually a little less-well known—tragic, I tell you—and it is the Age of X series. It’s aimed at an older audience (I’d say New Adult/Adult), but the storyline is incredible. Definitely one of my favorite series! 

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

  If I could change one thing about the world, I would have people be nicer to each other. It makes me so sad to see so much hate everywhere. I understand that our world and the people in it are not perfect and obviously that not everyone is going to feel the exact same way about things, but we don’t have to tear each other apart about it. Honestly, seeing some of the things that are going on just make my heart hurt. So, if you every need a little happy, come see me. Because even though I’m just one person and my impact may be small, I’ll do whatever I can to help the world Sparkle On. 

What do you believe is your main purpose/motivation as a writer? 

For me, it’s all about my readers. As I said above, sometimes life just sucks and we need an escape. If my book can provide that reprieve or fantasy for someone and make their day seem just a little better, I’ll consider it a success.

What’s a favorite moment you’ve had with a fan/someone who’s read your work?

Gosh there are so many! I love meeting and interacting with my readers; it’s one of the best things about being an author! But I LOVE when people send me fan art of characters from Wanderland. It’s so cool too see what their representations of the characters and story are. It’s like their work breathes in a whole new life to ALICE and it is so fun to see!

One fun fact most people don’t know about you?

Ummm… well, I don’t just like to write, I also love to sing. I’ve performed in several theater productions and have been a vocalist for several praise bands! 

One piece of advice you would give to new writers?

Be kind to yourself! I think more often than not the reason we writers feel the need to give up is because we beat up on ourselves so often! Having an inner critic can be good to help stretch your work and yourself, but don’t give the nasty little guy so much reign that he completely derails you. Just remember, someone needs your words. To get them out there you have to write them!

  Thanks for all the awesome advice J.M! What’s your favorite retelling? Share in the comments and don’t forget to grab your own copy of Alice from Amazon!           

As always, keep making magic, word weavers!

Check out this awesome #interview with @_JM_Sullivan #author of #Alice! #writer #retellings This week's author interview is with my awesome friend J.M. Sullivan, author of Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles!