#howl's moving castle? love it. have never read the sequels.

[beaft]

speaking of fantasy authors, have you ever read any of Robin Hobb's work? Can highly recommend if not!

i have wanted to get into robin hobb for YEARS but have no idea where to begin. also, they're all trilogies, which scares me. i don't normally read books that are in a series because once you've read one you have to go out and buy the rest and i am frightened of commitment

[crushcandles]

@likecastle tagged me to share 9 books I'm excited to read this year! Many of these are from this Polygon list, where they are speaking my language.

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler, both out of a desire to read more Butler, but also based on @candybarrnerd going nuts over the sequel.

Kissing Carrion by Gemma Files. In 2024, I had a lot of fun with anthologies and short stories, and I'm looking forward to keeping that momentum up in 2025.

Corrupted Vessels by Briar Ripley Page. I must have picked this up off a different list – I don't know anything about it, but it sounds interesting!

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. Both @candybarrnerd and I lost our minds over The Only Good Indians and I am READY for the story of "a Lutheran priest transcribing the life of a vampire member of the Blackfeet tribe, hell-bent on revenge after the death of 217 tribe members."

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker. I read the blurb for this on the Polygon list and am ready to be fucked up by it.

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (translated by Sarah Moses). Tender is the Flesh by the same author made me want to chew my own hand off – it was so grim and compelling. I hope this is similarly harsh.

The Lamb by Lucy Rose. You put meat on the cover of something and you can count me in.

Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation by Susan J. Napier. From my understanding, this is a bit out of date, but I heard someone on a podcast read a selection from it about Spirited Away and thought it sounded up my academic alley.

Semi-open slot for some undecided as of yet Junji Ito work(s). I've only really looked at Junji Ito stuff, never really engaged with it, because frankly, it makes me feel unwell. But I'm a brave toaster now! I can take it!

As a bonus, here's a book I wouldn't say I'm excited to read this year, but I'm gonna anyway: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I'm part of a casual three-way book (adaptation) club, and this was the latest selection. Not that excited to read it, but excited to examine the adaptation with some pals.

I'm clearly currently deep in my horror bag, but would love to see what anyone and everyone is reading. Not sure who's doing a lot of bookreading in 2025, so random pulls: @littlestsnicket @kuwdora @candybarrnerd @zambonirider @major-trouble. No pressure except for @candybarrnerd!

[wellhalesbells]

Best of 2024 - Q1(ish)

✨✨ I forgot I told myself I was going to start doing this this year. A few people I follow do kind of a 'best of' thing and since I forget everything that happens almost immediately I thought: hey, that's a good idea for you, you should do that. So here I am with it sorta on time-ish \o/ ✨✨

Books

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden. I tend to go into books with very little to no idea of what they're about (on purpose) so absolutely everything here was a surprise in the very best way. If I could've directed it, I would've directed it in exactly this way!

Voyage of the Damned, Frances White. This was such a lovely surprise?? I'm really enjoying these cross-genre books and this has to be the one that absolutely nailed both the best. It's a fantasy murder mystery and both are very involved - the world-building is excellent and the murder mystery is fun and terrifying in the best way!

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt. I love books that like people, that prize connection, and that want to build community. Basically books that remind me that people are generally good and willing to try and that's this! Plus: octopus!

Empire of the Damned, Jay Kristoff. Empire of the Vampire was one of my favorite reads in 2022 (when I read it) and the sequel definitely lived up to its predecessor. The story is so compelling and the characters are so impossible not to fall in love with. Happily, this did not suffer from middle book syndrome: so much happened and so much moved forward.

Dinner on Monster Island, Tania de Rozario. I took this out at the library on a whim - it was available and it had a cool cover so I was in. I learned so much. I knew next to nothing about Singapore so everything to do with that blew my mind and Tania de Rozario's voice is wonderful, not to mention she connects so much of her life and surroundings to horror movies and that is a touchstone that I have in spades.

I should also special mention Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, which I adored.... though it did completely ruin the movie for me (which I had also never seen and watched a few days later), haha. Sophie is the catalyst for absolutely every single thing that happens in the book and Howl is useless and dramatic without her and to see her be so very ineffectual in the film (and have things that happened because of her be taken away from her) while Howl was so powerful was like.... wha??? It was beautiful animation but... yeah. And Stardust by Neil Gaiman, which was so enjoyable! It has that irreverent, this-might-as-well happen humor that I love in fantasies.

Comics/Mangas/Manhwas/Etc.

On of Off, Vols. 1-3, by A1. Um. Can I just say that I love when one of the characters in a queer couple is a big huge dude? I don't know, a few years ago a switch got flipped in my head and size difference is now VERY MUCH A THING for me. I don't really want a small dude, I just want a big huge dude and a normal-sized man. (Or a big huge woman and a normal-sized woman - see Cosmoknights, which.... I'm realizing now probably had something to do with the switch and its aforementioned flippiness) Voila! I also like when the big huge dude is like: I'm not really that into it and then falls hardcore in love and has a dramatic: "What in the actual fuck just happened?" moment. This and The Dangerous Convenience Store have that exact dynamic and I cannot stress enough I could read it 100,000 more times and not get tired of it.

Saga, Volume 11, by Brian K. Vaughan. Just bring back Marko. Like, just do it. Every time it teases me with it, I want it more. Bring him back, gimme, I want. I remain in love with this series but, crap, does it just want to rip my heart out every chance it gets.

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Volume 4, Kazuki Irodori. This is my shit. It's a fantasy world that a completely ordinary corporate worker is sucked into and he ends up entirely reorganizing the structure of their accounting department so it a) actually functions and b) is accountable (ha). However, he has no resistance to "magicules" and the best way to acclimate him to all the magic that constantly surrounds him is for him to have sex with a very attractive soldier. Like, that's just brilliant writing is what that is, no notes. I love it, it wins all the things. (It's based on a novel that they only just began releasing in English and the comic is the superior version for me at this moment in time.)

Cherry Magic!, Vols. 9-10, by Yuu Toyota. I cannot believe I'm still so invested despite the fact that the original hook for this manga has disappeared and it's essentially just a very domestic, slice of life story now but it's just so nice to see them both happy and married and together?? So the original plot of this was there's essentially some old wives' tale that if you're a virgin at thirty you get magic powers. Cue Adachi turning thirty and he can suddenly read people's minds when he touches them and finds out through this power that his coworker, Kurosawa, is in love with him. It's a really cute, fun series and I am happy for it to go on forever. (Also, they made an anime out of it this year and it's stupid cute. There is also a live action series that I haven't watched yet.)

Therapy Game Restart, Vols. 1-3, by Meguru Hinohara. So, Minato is pile of endless insecurities in a trenchcoat and Shizuma is his confused but calm partner and it turns out I am really into that? Consistently surprised by how much I am into that but I am, in fact, into that.

Special mention to The Third Ending by Chobom - I really hope this is getting an official printing at some point because I am in love with it and I will buy the fuck out it (the fact that it's behind a digital paywall right now is the only reason this isn't number one). It is so exactly, specifically to my tastes it's ridiculous. So the idea here is Joon confesses his feelings to Yoonseul in high school, when he doesn't know him too well but likes what he sees, and Yoonseul turns him down a little harshly (he was mad at someone else and was a little less careful with his words than he would've been otherwise). Yoonseul starts having bad days on nights when he dreams of that memory and the two meet again and start hanging out so Yoonseul can assuage his conscience. They become really close friends and they end up drunkenly kissing, Yoonseul knows it's a mistake and Joon overhears him talking about it to a friend and how much he regrets it. Joon confesses his feelings again and Yoonseul, again, turns him down because he can't imagine anything physical happening between them. That should be the end of it. Except, very slowly, Yoonseul realizes he is completely in love with Joon and he's fucked this thing up to high heaven. Cue my absolute FAVORITEST dynamic - the chasee becoming the chaser.

TV

Fisk (s1-2), Netflix. This is an Australian comedy about probate lawyers and if you're on the fence about it watch the episode with the Popovitches (season 1, episode 3). I very nearly peed my pants.

Only Murders in the Building (s3), Hulu. Okay, I'm a big fan of musicals and it's not a love I indulge very often so when I do watch them, I tend to get way too into them. (Yes, I bought this album immediately.) I adored this season and I adored Howard - making him a series regular was ingenious.

The Righteous Gemstones (s3), Max. This season was so good. This show in general is so freaking good but I really loved this season. This family is so genuinely fucked up but to get to the last episode and have them rise to the occasion and figure out their brand of love was so satisfying. And I do adore that they tried to copy other functional families they saw before realizing that was just never going to work for them.

Mr. Villain's Day Off (s1), Crunchyroll. Okay, I love this manga and the show is so exactly this manga. Like, I've reblogged a ton of shot for shot comparisons so when I say 'same,' I mean 'same.' The entire idea is this monstrous alien bent on destroying the world enshrines his days off with reverence and diligence - he's just a normal guy, obsessed with pandas, who's only evil at work, thank you very much. It's just so silly and weirdly heart-warming?

Girls5Eva (s3), Netflix. There's something about Renee Elise Goldsberry for me that is magnetic. I love everything about her, I love getting to watch her do comedy, I love hearing her sing, I love her character. Also, the singing? I've mentioned how I am weak for the singing, yes?? (Yes, I have these albums too.)

Minx (Starz) was also really, really good but I wish it hadn't been canceled prematurely! It definitely wasn't finished, y'know, and it was so unfortunate to end it with Doug on the wrong side of things - I want to see the resolution, dammit!

Movies

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). I haven't laughed at a movie like this in a long time. I've watched it twice so far this year; I went home two weeks ago and made my dad watch it with me and tears were streaming down our faces by the end. Pedro Pascal should never not be doing comedy because he was made for it.

Bottoms (2023). This is so exactly my sense of humor? The ridiculousness of this was just *chef's kiss* Also more Ayo Edibiri in everything.

Talk to Me (2022). I had been waiting for this movie to get onto some streaming platform so I could watch it and I think the best compliment I could give it is that I wanted to watch it again the next day. Great horror, great resolution!

John Wick 4. I expected this to feel so long and bloated and yet it didn't at all. I was invested the whole time and I think it helps that I watch action films, like, once every three years so these feel like fun little treats more than anything.

Nate Bargatze: The Tennessee Kid. There's a joke in here that I relate to so hard it's almost embarrassing. Talking about ordering coffee, he goes: "If you could just do whatever you think it is and if it's wrong, I won't even tell you, how about that, I will walk out of here as if that's exactly what I ordered. I will go outside, I will throw it away, and go try again at a different Starbucks." That is exactly how I would handle that and this entire special is filled with that. I giggled so hard.

Also, special mention to Taylor Tomlinson's specials Look at You and Have It All. I love how honest she is on stage and how open she is with her audience. It's rare to have that and I think it feels so special because it is.

See you all again in Q2 (ish, probably, lbr) *salutes*

[daughterofhecata]

2025 Book Bingo TBR

Alright, I'll try to get through @batmanisagatewaydrug's 2025 book bingo next year, and I have made a list in preparation this time instead of just filling out squares as I go and then scrambling for the last fills at the end of the year.

Let's see if I can stick to it, and also fill the last empty spaces.

1. Literary Fiction: [to be decided]

I don’t currently have any on my TBR I realized, so we’ll see. Certainly keeping the recommendations of Raven Leilani’s Luster, Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed and Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar as options in here.

2. Short Story Collection: Mariana Enríquez: A Sunny Place for Shady People [org. title: Un lugar soleado para gente sombría]

A biiiit of a placeholder, maybe, taken from the reading updates of Mr Gatewaydrug; sounds interesting but idk if I’ll be able to actually get my hands on it.

3. A Sequel: Xiran Jay Zhao: Heavenly Tyrant / Luke Arnold: Whisper in the Wind

I hadn’t gotten the memo that the sequel to Iron Widow is coming out next year and now I’m excited! But we’re also getting #4 of Luke Arnold’s brilliant fantasy noir series next April, so I’ll probably get to that first. Can’t wait to find out what my boy Fetch will be up to now.

4. Childhood Favorite: Derek Landy: Skulduggery Pleasant / Peter Freund: Laura und das Geheimnis von Aventerra

I’ve been missing the old Skulduggery vibes for a while now, so I might revisit the first book. Or see how the Laura series holds up; I was pretty obsessed with that as a teen but haven’t touched it in almost fifteen years.

5. 20th Century Speculative Fiction: Diana Wynne Jones: Howls’ Moving Castle / Octavia Butler: Parable of the Sower

I’ve been meaning to read Howl for a while, maybe I’ll get around to it next year. Or I’ll read some more Octavia Butler, depending on how I like Fledgling (on my list for December).

6. Fantasy: James Oswald: The Damage Done. An Inspector McLean Novel.

Silly little crime novels are generally a personal favourite and I really like how Oswald weaves in and treats the fantasy elements of his world, so I’m looking forward to finding out what poor Tony has to suffer next – originally this book was planned for December, but got pushed back by readings for class.

7. Published Before 1950: Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice

2025 will be the year I finally read P&P, I promise.

8. Independent Publisher: [to be decided]

I got it easy here tbh, Germany has a good share of it’s own publishers, so there’s bound to be something. Ideally I’ll get my hands on the third part of Christian Handel’s Hexenwald-Chroniken, because that’s from a very small fantasy publisher and I loved the first two parts, but idk if that’ll happen yet.

9. Graphic Novel/Comic Book/Manga: Christopher Tauber: Justus Jonas – Eine Interpretation

Since we Germans massively ran away with Robert Arthur’s Three Investigators series, we don’t only have like roughly 200 books more than the American continuation (incl. Crime Busters), we also have a couple spinoffs and one of them is a beautifully dark and painful vision of their future in graphic novel form and we’re getting a sequel to that in Febuary and I can’t wait to see how much that will hurt.

10. Animal on the Cover: [to be decided]

I don’t fucking know yet, I’ll have to see what book I come across.

11. Set in a Country You Have Never Visited: Maurice Leblanc: Arsène Lupin. Das goldene Dreieck. [org. title: Le Triangle d'or]

This year I started making my way through the Arsène Lupin books in earnest and I still have a couple of those left AND I've never been to France – although I certainly aim to change that at some point, I'll definitely get to this book before I get to do that.

12. Science Fiction: Karel Čapek: R.U.R.

R.U.R. is a sci-fi play I’ve been meaning to read for a while now, because I love that both the concept of the robot and the word robot are a Czech invention (based on robota, which describes a form of forced labour). Also I loved what I’ve read of Čapek so far.

13. 2025 Debut Author: [to be decided]

Since I absolutely never keep up with things that get published, this is kinda the furthest thing from a free space for me, but I guess I’ll find something. Absolutely open to recommendations, and obviously also curious to see what other people will read for this space.

14. Memoir: Rob Halford: Confess

Rob Halford’s autobiography has been on my list for a while, I haven’t been able to get it via library so far, maybe I just have to bite the bullet and buy it.

15. Read a Zine, Make a Zine: New York’s Worst Responders. NYPD and 9/11.

I’m always interested in reading about the ways the police system is rotten to the core (I want to say, the ways in which it fails, but lbr, it’s a feature, not a bug, the system works exactly the way most cops want it to), and this has been on my list for a while. The making of a zine is another question.

16. Essay Collection: [to be decided]

If anyone has recommendations?

17. 2024 Award Winner: Cari Hunter: A Calculated Risk

Took a look around the Lamda Awards, this sounded most interesting to me as someone still a crime novel reader at heart, we’ll see if I’ll get to ths or maybe switch in something with a German award.

18. Nonfiction: Learn Something New: Ingrid Strobl: Die Angst kam erst danach

I'm cheating a bit here, since I already know quite a lot about WW2 and the Shoah, but I don't have much knowledge about the role of female resistance fighters yet, and I'm really looking forward to learning more about that. But maybe I'll swap in something about the Golden Age of Piracy or Störtebecker, if I come across something.

19. Social Justice & Activism: bell hooks: The Will to Change

What can I say. Tumblr put it on my radar and I really need to read more theory anyway.

20. Romance Novel: [to be decided]

I’ll probably take a detour through the library’s romance section at some point and chose something that sounds at least a bit appealing. Rereading You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty for the third time in as many years probably doesn’t count, does it?

21. Read and Make a Recipe: [to be decided]

22. Horror: [to be decided]

If anyone has recommendations, please do tell!

23. Published in the Aughts: Ellen Kushner: The Privilege of the Sword

Kushner’s Riverside series is a personal favourite (well, Swordspoint and Privilege of the Sword are, I never read Fall of the Kings and don’t plan to rn), and I’ve been meaning to reread this.

24. Historical Fiction: Laurent Binet: HHhH

Putting this here as a kind of placeholder, maybe. I’d like to reread it, I think, it’s about one of my longest standing special interests, and we talked about it in class recently, because it really gets into the question of methodology re: historical fiction/writing history/historiography/etc.

25. Bookseller or Librarian Recommendation: [to be decided]

I’ll wait with this until the next time I visit my parents and get a chance to duck into my favourite bookstore, or I’ll keep it for after the move and ask at a bookshop/the library there to build rapport with my new book dealers.

[theinquisitxor]

December 2023 Reading Wrap Up

I read 11 books in December, and it was a great reading month to finish the year. I read 4 audiobooks, and 7 physical books.

1.The Lost Metal (Mistborn 7) by Brandon Sanderson 4/5 stars. I’m glad I read this series, and reading on audio was definitely the way to go for me. I enjoyed this last installment in the series, and I loved how this book flung the doors wide open for the Cosmere and relations to other books. Adult High Fantasy, read on audio.

2. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows, 5/5 stars. I reread this favorite in anticipation for the sequel. This book has a lot of what I enjoy-- a character driven political fantasy romance with plenty of representation and a good dose of drama. I enjoyed my reread just about as much as the first. Adult Fantasy Romance, Queer

3.All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows, 4/5 stars. This was a good follow up adventure following our two main characters from book 1. There were some tropes/elements I didn't enjoy as much, but it was still a gripping and engaging as the first book. Adult Fantasy Romance, Queer

4. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, 5/5 stars. When people ask me "what's your favorite book?" this is the answer I give. I like to reread this every other year or so, especially around the holidays. Middle Grade fantasy

5.Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones, 3/5 stars. Despite HMC being my favorite, I've never actually read the 2 follow up books. I finally told myself I would read these before the end of the year. This was a fun enjoyable story that takes us to another part of this fantasy land that DWJ created, with new and old characters. It's not nearly on the same level as HMC, but I enjoyed reading it and getting more of the classic DWJ wit and narration. middle grade fantasy

6. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones, 4/5 stars. Diana Wynne Jones was so clever, and that really shines through in this story. I think part of the reason why I put off reading the two sequels to HMC for years was because I never wanted the story to end and be "done". This was one of the last books DWJ ever wrote, and it really feels like saying goodbye. middle grade fantasy

7. Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age by Dennis Duncan. If you enjoy book history and diving deep into a niche topic, then I think this is a great book. It's amazing how the concept of the 'index' has existed in some form since humans began writing. Nonfiction, read on audio.

8. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper, 4/5 stars. I reread this via the BBC Radio production, while listening to the corresponding days for each segment. I really enjoyed this production, with different voices for each characters, and background noises as well. Gave a very cinematic experience.

9. Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 5/5 stars. I loved this book narrated by the author herself. I loved learning more about moss, while also getting essays about the authors life, work, and natural world around us. I very much recommend this one. Nonfiction, read on audio.

10. The Blue Sword (Damar #1) by Robin McKinley, 5/5 stars. I really enjoyed my time reading this book and this was a good reminder of what makes classic fantasy so great. This novel is also proof that you can have a fully realized fantasy story with great characters, lore, and plot, and have it all under 300 pages. This is one I can see myself rereading.

11. The Hero and the Crown (Damar 2) by Robin McKinley, 4/5 stars. A good prequel to book 1 and exploration of some of the myths/stories from book 1. This is very much a Girl + Horse + Magical Sword go on an adventure and save the kingdom type story.

That's it for December! It was a strong finish to the end of the year, and pushed me over 100 books for 2023. Here's to 2024 and another good reading year! 🥂

January TBR:

A Winter's Promise (Mirror Visitor series) by Christelle Dabos + book 2?

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard + book 2?

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire (audio)

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Beartown by Frederik Backman + book 2?

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (audio)

[margaritadaemonelix]

Hi!! I've been a lurker + fan of your fics since like. 2020 and as a writer myself, I always admire how you do your descriptions and worldbuilding... do you have any book/reading recs that inspire you? or tips?? and this is also unrrelated but I'd love to hear about what current wips you're working on!!

whjkwhkhww come off anon and talk to me plz, thank you so much for reading my fics??? i'm in shambles anon you are so kind know that i am psychically beaming you a hug

oh boy uhhhh worldbuilding and descriptions. tbh that's less a function of what i read and more a function of what i enjoy. i'm a big proponent of mundane joys like cooking and eating and dressings up, so i feel like it stands that those things tend to reflect the most in my writing. tbh i feel like i struggle with balancing worldbuilding/description with plot because i tend to hyperfixate on the small details, but a lot of people like it??? so i will continue trucking on

so if i had to give any advice, it's like. fall in love with some part of living, and then try to narrate what it is that you love about it. i love the writing with fountain pens because drawing ink into the reservoir makes me feel like a witch mixing potions, and i love baking because that first slice of my spatula through the dry and wet ingredients crunches so wonderfully, and i love wearing mamianqun because the swish of my hems when i walk makes up for the struggle of dripping over them when i go up stairs. little things like that really bring your writing to life

in terms of reading recs for things that have inspired me, i have to say. 90% of it is other fics. there are so many fics that have inspired me over the years and i always try to analyze what it is i love about them in terms of narrative structure, use of language, etc. uhhhh that said i've had my fingers in a lot of fandom pies over the years, and also i minored in english so i'm like. a little bit fussy about my analyses. that said:

if you want some beautiful prose, my favourite book of all time has to be This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (yes, the bigolas dickolas one)

a great example of narrative voice and unreliable narration that i love to bits is Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, it's so different from the movie and is SO funny.

aside from that, lately i've been rereading Anne Carson's Eros the Bittersweet, which is a literary discourse on the depiction of desire in the fragments of Sappho + later poets.

my current wips... there are Many. i am trying to play cleanup with them and i've been bouncing across ten different wips, not to mention the abandoned ones that are never seeing the light of day again. rn the main wip is this is our eden-in-flames, a direct sequel to within the ruins of me which i finished last year. i've also got a smattering of other wips in the ruination series, a few misc ffxiv fics, and a smattering of hsr fics.

once again, thank you so much anon ;-; good luck with your own writing endeavours!

[novelmonger]

For the Random Asks Game: 3, 4, 8-10, 12, 14, 20, 22, and 23, please?

Wheeeee, lots of questions! 8D

3. traveling by train or by plane?

Train, if at all possible. I've been in far too many planes for my taste, and trains tend to be more comfortable. You don't even have to wear a seatbelt! It stays level, it's reasonably safe because it's not like there's tons of chaotic traffic every which-way, and depending on the train, there might even be a dining car! Sleeping in a train isn't much better than trying to sleep in a plane, even if you get a sleeper car, but pretty much everything else is superior other than the travel time.

4. have a scenario: you have to break someone out of prison, and you are allowed a squad of four people. they can be real or fictional. who are you picking?

Hmm...Yelena Belova, Victor Sullivan, Eilonwy, and Edward Elric. Because they all have experience related to getting someone out of prison, and because I think it would be hilarious to see them all interacting XD Eilonwy and Ed would be bickering the whole time, Sully would keep trying to hit on Yelena, and she would be the one reminding them all they have a job to do, while throwing plenty of shade herself.

8. themes and/or character dynamics in media that you are a sucker for?

BROTHERS BROTHERS BROTHERS BROTHERS. But you know this already! Brothers who are also best friends, best friends who are basically brothers, brothers who would die for each other, especially when they say something along the lines of "we're all we've got..." ooof, I'm gone! x.x

I'm also a sucker for father-son relationships, and older brother-younger sister relationships, which for some reason are much rarer to see.

9. favorite ship? doesn’t have to be specific, could just be favorite kind of water/spacecraft.

I have zero opinions about water/spacecraft, sorry.

But for characters, my OTP is and has always been Royai <3

10. name a song with impeccable vibes.

(Okay, just to narrow it down, I'm going to have to go with the classical definition of "song" as one with words. That...doesn't narrow it down terribly well, but whatever.)

Ohhhh, there are so many to pick from, but one that just popped into my head and made me gasp just to think about it is "Kaze no Machi he" from Tsubasa Chronicle. When the music picks up around 2:30 and the other voices join in...chills. Every time.

12. favorite book sequel?

As I said with movie sequels, the best book sequels are the ones that I like even better than the first installment. And there are several of those I can think of, but one that comes to mind is Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones. Everybody talks about Howl's Moving Castle, and rightly so; it's amazing. But my favorite is the second book, not least because it does such a good job of capturing that Middle Eastern, Arabian Nights/Aladdin feel that I so love.

14. describe your current dream house.

I'd want the outside to be blue or brick. Bonus if there's ivy or other vines climbing up. Pretty flowers, maybe some fruit trees, outside. There will be mourning doves roosting in the trees. Preferably a tower room, or at least a window seat. The inside will have interesting colors on the walls, not just white or that drab neutral beige/tan everybody paints new houses these days. There won't be any major issues with plumbing or mold or vermin. I'd have my own room with purple walls, and there would also be a wood-paneled library with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, maybe with those sliding ladders even? Comfy chairs and a chaise lounge for reading, and one bookcase doubles as a door to a secret room - either for the extra-special library, or maybe that's where the video games would be. The other thing I would love would be for the house to not be...regular, exactly. There would be all these steps going up and down and weird little hallways, so you never know quite how far off the ground you are at any given time unless you look out a window. (Basically, if you've ever read a description of Bleak House, I want a modernized version of that.)

20. if you had to pick a country to live in outside of your own, which would it be?

There's a range of countries I feel reasonably confident I could learn to live in without too much trouble if I had enough of a reason to move there. There's all the English-speaking countries, of course, like Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand.... I also feel like I could live in [redacted country I grew up in], Belgium, or Japan. There would be a bigger adjustment, and again I'd want to have, like...a job in place ahead of time before moving there, and the culture shock would probably be more severe, but I think I could do it.

But if I have to pick just one? Canada, where I will be getting a house to live with @rainintheevening - at least until she meets her cowboy in shining armor truck :D

22. favorite ice cream flavor?

Bride's Cake. The only brand I know that has it is Blue Bell, and they don't always have it in the stores, so I always pounce on it when I do see it. It's vanilla ice cream with chunks of white cake, and it all has this angelfood flavoring that elevates it even beyond the various chocolate flavors I like.

23. say you are taking a trip to the zoo, which exhibit do you visit first?

Realistically, I start with whatever's closest. But I always like watching the primates. I don't believe that we're descended from apes, but it's easy to see why some people do, because monkeys look so much like people, a little to the left.

Random Ask Game

[dragonflies-draw-flame]

10 fandoms/10 characters

Many thanks to @tomatette, @jaynesilver, and @fallingdeeperintothispit for tagging me 😁.

Star Wars (Sequels): Armitage Hux. I really do love Kylo too—Ren is such an interesting, dramatic character, and he's absolutely perfect for Hux, seriously. But Hux with his emotional unavailability, hard, overly-composed exterior, his passion/drive to the point of his own detriment, traumatic past...he's everything I could want in a character, because I am also all of these hard-to-love things (though thankfully minus the space fascism).

Star Wars (Prequels): Anakin Skywalker. Look, I know he's a bit whiny sometimes but damn if I don't love a murderous pretty boy on a fool's errand for the person he loves. Mystical space powers and dramatic sweeping outfits are just an added bonus.

Beauty and the Beast: the Beast. For the handful of people following my BatB Kylux fic, this is TOTALLY shocking, I know (and also you guys are amazing ❤️). I do love Belle—she's a book-loving introvert, so that's a given. But the Beast (notice I didn't say Prince Adam)...yeah, I did NOT know how to deal with my attraction to him when I was younger. Mercurial, cursed, awkwardly endearing, dark-haired, passionate, and desirously fluffy?! Wears dramatic capes, has an enchanted rose determining his future, and has the library of my dreams that he is willing to share?? What the fuck more could I want?!

LOTR trilogy: Aragorn. Do I really need to explain that to anyone?? (Also: sorry, Legolas...you were a VERY close second).

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Jemma Simmons. Brilliant, adorable style, much more resilient than she looks. Her quote that goes "Past events...have shown me that I’m not good at improvisation. However, I excel at preparation" is not that great out of context here, unfortunately, but regardless, it was so validating to me. Me too, Jemma!!

Once Upon a Time: Killian Jones (Captain Hook). My husband loves this show, so we have watched it so many times. Hook is a seductive, charming bad boy who eventually really does try his best. And his pirate get-up? UGH, have mercy. (Also, wow, apparently I really, really have a thing for pretty, dark-haired, dangerous men who wear mostly black INCLUDING at least one garment that falls to at least knee length. Huh. That's...rather specific.)

Harry Potter: Hermione Granger. I related hard to a bookish girl who had a hard time making friends when I read these in grade school.

Howl's Moving Castle: Howl. I did not know how to process the extent to which I was attracted to him either, especially because he's not even human some of the time (which I liked, a lot). It was a revelation to find the world of online fanfic where I was very much not alone in those kind of thoughts!

Mean Girls: Janis Ian. Yeah, I know Janis does some shitty things in this movie, but she is unapologetic about who she is. I totally admired her boldness in high school, especially since I too dealt with the horror of rumors being spread about my sexuality (except the ones about me were true ahaha). And I always leaned much more Victorian goth than punk, but I nonetheless appreciated her style as well.

t.A.T.u.: Lena. I would be remiss to leave off this duo, even if they were a musical group, which is not one of my usual fandom sources. BUT they were the first pairing I actually read fanfic about online, way back when, and wrote a ton for them too (unpublished). For a 12-year-old who was struggling massively with...well, everything, but especially feeling incredibly alone and terrified of my sexuality, their music video/song "All the Things She Said" blew my mind. Unfortunately I never got my own chance to make out/run away with a pretty redhead in the rain, but still.

Tagging: I think I've seen this done by most people I follow already? But if you haven't done this and are reading it, please consider yourself tagged and do so, if you wish! I love these get-to-know-you things and would genuinely love to hear about you :).

[ljf613]

OwlCrate Unboxed (01/24)

I just got my first @owlcrate box, and honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect, or if this was really worth it-- I rarely spend more than $10 on a book, so the full charge of just one of these boxes (including shipping) definitely had me thinking twice. And what if, after all that, I didn't even like the book?

But one of the reasons I was willing to take a risk on this one was because the theme was clearly tailor-made for me specifically.

"Enchated to Meet You"? Regency-esque romance with magic and royalty? That soft, vintage aesthetic that I adore? Yes, please.

And I was not disappointed. While I still haven't read the book, so I can't say if I'll like it or not, what I can tell you is that before I even got particularly deep into the box, I already knew that the price I'd paid was more than worth it even without the book.

(To avoid spoilers, product images and reviews beneath the cut.)

First up, this canvas tote bag:

The design is based on a book called Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. (It's on my to-read list, I'm just waiting for my hold to come in!) It's got a sweet, elfish woodland vibe going on-- I half-expect to see a tiny winged fairy peeking out from behind one of those toadstools. This bag is also has great functionality. I am always in need of a sturdy cloth bag to carry my books, and I am positive this is one I'll be getting a lot of use out of. The material is thick and durable, and it's wide and deep enough to easily hold at least half a dozen books without any stress. An all-around cute and useful item!

Next up, a reusable cleaning cloth:

The design is based on a book called Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. (I'd never heard of this book before, but it looks intriguing, so I suppose I'll add it to the list.) It's kind of generic, but I do like the colors. And it does look like the kind of thing that would be perfect for dusting my desk and bookshelves. It's probably my least favorite item in the box, but I don't hate it.

Moving on to the metal bookmark:

The design is inspired by Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. (I just read it a few weeks ago, and the sequel is currently sitting on top of my dresser waithing for me to read it.) It's supposed to be Shadow, the dog belonging to the stories main character. However, my first thought upon seeing a large black dog in a forest, standing on a pile of skulls, was of Ruth from The Ancient Magus' Bride-- who just-so-happens to be one of my favorite characters ever. I hope no one minds if I continue to see it that way. (No hate to Shadow-- he's a good boy!) It's a very whimsical design and I like it a lot!

And now the coloring kit:

I definitely wasn't expecting this from a subscription book box, but I am absolutely not complaining. (I've been thinking I wanted to sit down with some colored pencils and coloring pages one of these days.) The quote on the left is from Pride & Prejudice (my beloved), the top-most is from Bridgerton (read the books and liked them well enough but have zero interest in watching the show), and the one on the right is from Outlander (I think that's a show based on some books, maybe I'll look into it one of these days). The quotes are lovely, I like the simple yet elegant floral designs, and I love the soft pastel color palette (and will absolutely be holding onto those pencils).

The last item (aside from the book) is the enamel pin:

The characters shown here are Sophie and Howl (+ Calcifer!) from Howl's Moving Castle (the book, not the movie, though I love them both!). I love enamel pins and happen to have a decent-sized collection, but I don't think I've ever seen a sliding design like this. This design is absolutely enchanting, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from this pin collection in future boxes. I included the envelope it came in because I think it's really cute, and it gives me some serious Violet Evergarden vibes. (The design on the backer card is also pretty! It's really evident that a lot of thought and care was put into every aspect of every item in this box.)

And, of course, there's the book:

This is A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. I'm not going to take pictures of every single customization in this one, but suffice it to say that it looks really pretty and I'm hoping the story inside lives up to everything else in here.

All in all, I'm really happy with this box, and glad that I got it.

[topaz-carbuncle]

Nine People You Want To Get To Know Better

Thank you so much for the tag @agentnatesewell !

Last Song: I've currently been listening to band 'The Amazing Devil' for the past few days, I love this band a lot so I've just had all their songs on shuffle while in the garden. The last song I listened to was That Unwanted Animal by them!

Currently Watching: I've just finished watching a horror series on Netflix called Marianne!

Its a French show where the author of a horror series returns to her home town and realises that the evil spirit she had been writing about was luring her out. It was a lot of fun, so now I'm trying to find similar shows to watch!

Currently Reading: Mostly going through favourites of mine while dying from the heatwave that's hit the UK!

I've been following along with Dracula daily when theres new content once more, as well as re-reading Howl's Moving Castle and its sequels! I have also recently bought The fall of Cthulhu, which I'm excited to get into next!

Current Obsession: Mostly The Wayhaven Chronicles and by extension, Nate Sewell at the moment! It's consumed my thoughts and has certainly helped make me happy recently, so I'm just in love with the series and characters.

But I am still into Attack on Titan (mostly because of Levi Ackerman) as well as my forever ongoing obsession with Silent Hill, sparked back into my mind by the upcoming games!

Tagging: Anyone who wishes to join in! As well as @agnt-sexysuavewell , @eveningstar1516 , @serenpedac (Sorry if you have already been tagged or don't wish to join in, theres no pressure! ^-^)

I know that's technically not 9 people but I never know who's comfortable with me @-ing them!

[glassvines]

Thoughts On 2023 Favorites

TV Shows 1. Good Omens season 2: Oops, I'm obsessed again. You can make the argument that a second (and PHEW eventual third) season was unnecessary, but I disagree. It was nice to get a season that wasn't so breakneck in it's pacing. Everything slowed down a bit and focused in on Aziraphale and Crowley's shenanigans. Which, let's be honest, is what the audience wants. That being said, I liked everything else about it too. A cute/silly plot, fun new characters, and a devastatingly sad finale that left me distraught. I could not have asked for more really. (Except more kissing. Please tell me there will be more kissing.) 2. Lockwood and Co: A spooky premise that probably took a lot of effort to appear even semi-believable [as a tv show]. Yet, it was pulled off with flying colors. It was also perfectly atmospheric and charming, so of course netflix canceled it. I plan on reading the books.

Animation (TV & Films) 1. Murder Drones: 2023 was a good year for indie animation overall, and out of all of them Murder Drones was the show to win my entire heart. Perfect setup for horror and YA spoofing, but also well written enough that I enjoyed the character focus and progression as well. I'm psyched for the final two episodes set to release in the spring. 2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: If any movie of recent memory deserved a decent sequel it was this one, so I'm very happy it turned out as great as it did. One of the few comic-book films I bothered with in 2023. 3. Hilda season 3: Easily one of my all-time favorites from Netflix, so I'm beyond happy it has a great ending now. Gorgeous animation, a lovable main and support cast, and perfect chill vibes. Deserves a bluray release. 4. Elemental: Listen. Pixar's still got it this was so cute. You're forgiven for The Good Dinosaur Peter Sohn. 5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: So much fun tho. Love the current creative trend in cg films happening thanks to Into the Spider-verse. Also, the No Diggity scene was incredible. The movie has an A+ soundtrack. Anime (TV & Films) 1. Trigun Stampede: So relieved this turned out to be great, considering the original is a favorite of mine. Not a easy feat in the age awful, cash-grab reboots. 2. The Boy And The Heron: Honestly? My favorite Miyazaki film since Howl's Moving Castle. Genuinely moving and left me misty-eyed. 3. Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc: This show is so pretty. Still surprised how well the series portrays it’s simple, compelling cast. Like it’s an effortless sort of thing (it’s not). 4. Suzume: Makoto Shinkai's last three movies just make me happy okay. Happy and hopeful. The best comfort movies ever. Video Games I have a steam deck now so you'd think I played a bunch of video games last year but, no. I didn't get heavily into much last year. Played some Hades though? Live Films || Note: I watched so many great classic horror movies this year that I had never given a proper watch. I would like to continue that this year!! 1. Talk to Me: Please make more horror movies Danny and Michael Philippou. This one was wild. 2. Dark City: The fact that The Matrix got four movies and this didn't get any sequels is a fucking tragedy. 3. Coherence: Love me a simple, creepy sci-fi movie with an interesting premise. Apparently, quite a lot of the film is improvised as well? That blew my mind. 4. Greener Grass: More films that just feel like one big Adult Swim skit please. This style of script is hysterical to me. 5. Caveat: This goes on my fave list simply for scaring the shit out of me lmao. Movies walk a fine line, when the intention is to make you uncomfortable for long periods of time. They risk being irritating instead of entertaining. Caveat had me shrieking at my tv (in a delighted sort of way).

Honorable Mentions 1. Lore Olympus 2. Nier Automata anime 3. Asteroid City + Wes Anderson's new short films 4. OPLA

Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2024 1. Dune 2 2. Second season of Severance hopefully! 3. Madoka Magica Movie 4: Walpurgisnacht: Rising?? Is it finally happening or what? 4. New Magnus Archives

Some Creative & General Goals for 2024 I feel like I was drawing a lot more in 2023! Still nothing worth posting online, but I'm making some progress I think (slowly but surely). Goals: make more art for my siblings when they request it, finish some digital art that I started, and finish the diorama piece I planned out. On the general goals I'd like to travel more! Particularly, I'd like to visit some national parks.

[krakenartificer]

i tried to go through the tags#someone please tell me what books these people are from#i want to read them!#they sound very interesting!#i was a magic treehouse kid#for so long

I can only do some, but Meg Murray is from A Wrinkle In Time and sequels (I'm not aware of a name for the series), by Madeline L'Engle

Menolly is from the Dragonriders of Pern series, and specifically from the Harper Hall Trilogy, by Anne McCaffrey

Cimorene is from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles series, by Patricia C. Wrede

Matilda Wormwood is from Matilda by Roald Dahl

Sophie Hatter is from Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

Sara Crewe is from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Not on the poll, but I also wanted to be a Herald in Valdemar (Mercedes Lackey), and although tbh I never really wanted to live in Xanth (Piers Anthony), I did want to have a randomly-assigned magical talent that I had to try to make use of in some clever protaganist-y way.

Also a heads-up for any young-uns (a term which here means "too young to have been obsessed with these books in middle school") -- society has improved (a lot!) since most of these were written. I am delighted that y'all have grown up in a world that takes the existence of gay and trans people for granted, but literally the Valdemar series is the only gay rep I ever saw until, like, most of the way through college. Likewise, some of them were written in a time when "men and women are clearly-defined categories with no overlap or ambiguity, and men and women quite simply have different capabilities and nothing can change that" was a statement so obviously true that no one would ever have bothered to say it.

I love these books and I think they have a lot of beauty and value, but just be aware, going in, that they are going to be cisheteronormative and have some Very Weird Ideas on the inevitability of patriarchal gender roles. (On the plus side, that can be very useful for figuring out what the hell grown-ups are talking about, sometimes).

Now someone return the favor for the 00s version [x] 😃

[angstyantoinette]

Hi love! I just read your Howl Yandere and like it had me in a chokehold ahhajsjak literally the way you depicted him was *chefs kiss* I was wondering if you could maybe do a second part or another Yan!Howl hc? <3

I’ve been trying to figure out a second part to this and couldn’t get anywhere, so this is sort of a sequel? but takes place way after the last part, as sort of a daily torment that the reader feels in her life with our dear wizard. hope you enjoy!

warnings: (nothing too major) stalking, kidnapping, toxic relationship, forced cohabitation.

——————————————

When you used to hear about Wizard Howl, you wondered if he were ever as wicked as people said he was. 

You never witnessed anything particularly chilling, or out of the ordinary [aside from the occasional emission of playful smoke from the castle’s chimney] and in fact remained wilfully ignorant of his antics. 

Whatever you heard about that man was chalked up to be a simple exaggeration, and you thought it foolish to be afraid of a wizard who seemed too cowardly, too otherworldly to even show his face. 

But he did show himself. 

To you and only you, pulling you closer and close to something that you wished you had no part of. Something he said only the both of you could see. 

You were still trying to pull yourself out of his grip, out of this psychedelic fantasy he was living in but he was just so strong. 

You wish you would have noticed, you wished you could have had some sense to run away when you had the chance. 

Anything was better than this.

“Is the bacon not to your liking, sweetheart?” You shake yourself out of your daydreaming state, and feel an hot-blooded, unwavering gaze upon you and feel like shrinking into yourself.

But you don’t.

You meet his blue eyes and you can’t help but shiver slightly. There’s something in them, a different sort of intensity that you’re not used to from Howl. He never looks away, and like always they soften. 

They have a tenderness to them that you hate to love and love to hate because it feels as though you’re still holding on to the part of you that is screaming inside, the side of you that needs to be shoved out in order to live in this castle happily.

To be truly able to love Howl in all his ways. 

Even if you had to die, you would fight his love for all it was worth. 

“No, no, it’s fine...it’s s-something different.” 

You steel yourself from over your side of the table, silently wishing that the junk and mess resting on it could collectively move and hide you from your “lover”. You allow your gaze to falter and drift from his pools of blue down to the sizzling bacon on your plate, the eggs made just the way you used to like them, before you came here. 

“Tell me, my love. What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Howl pushed away his plate of eggs with a flourished brush of his arm, disregarding the whining of Calcifer and leaning forward, over the table and you gulped in anticipation of a trick that was sure to come. 

It always did.

His right hand reached over the table, palm facing up, expecting you to grasp it, clench it, perhaps even break it. Howl was starved for any sort of contact from you, whether it be physical or otherwise. 

You took it as you always did, eager and seemingly with no hesitation; fighting the urge to snatch it away.

Both of you knew that whatever this was going to transpire into, it most likely wouldn’t end nicely. You could appreciate his willingness to listen, though. 

He craved any sort of discussion with you, relishing in whatever he could get out of you, whether it be a glare or a whimper whenever he’d grab your arm a bit too tightly. Howl did that now, slender fingers beginning to press into your wrist. 

Your heart rate began to rise, pounding against your ribcage in an effort to tell you to snatch your hand away like you usually did. But as much as Howl liked his games sometimes, or at least he did before he met you, he never, ever enjoyed being strung along by your hesitancies. 

He liked it better when you acted instantly, reacting to his gestures and words as though they were the law. As far as he knew, they were. All he wished for was for you to go along with his pathetic imaginative, simply wondrous life he had built. 

He tried. 

Howl tried a lot. He tried hard, he pushed so much for a feeling he knew you could never reciprocate. With everything that he was attempting to establish, every little thing that he could think of falling through because of you being ungrateful-

No. You weren’t just being ungrateful...you essentially ruined all the plans he had concocted for you. The life he wanted to live with you was just slipping further and further away; his work had recently taken him to challenging frontiers.

It had been tearing him away from you. He was fully aware of how unwilling you were to spend time with him, even months later. You didn’t bother to make it a secret, you didn’t bother to sugarcoat your true feelings and you certainly played it up to the max.

And you didn’t care.

Howl cared so deeply for you. Why couldn’t you see it? Why did you shove it away, spit it back in his face and yell and scream along with everything you had put him through?

Well, you didn’t exactly throw any tantrums to his relief…but the looks, the winces when he tried to touch you, every little thing showcased how much you truly had to restrain yourself. 

But Howl was always going to be stronger than you, in any capacity that you could never outmatch. Whilst he liked to play tricks and keep you guessing, try and trap your interest, you were conniving and plotting any way to slip out of his hands.

And you hated that last fact alone; that he could be so fascinating and charming and lovely to all that met him that you simply knew that if the two of you had met under different circumstances….you would be just the same.

You would have blushed at his compliments, admired the swinging jewels in his ears and struggled not to fall to your knees at the slightest sight of his blonde hair. His beauty alone would have you stumbling after him and you hated it. 

“I’m just tired, Howl,” you resigned at last. You kept your eyes obedient and trained on him as he simply gazed at you. Running his tongue across his lips, Howl closed his eyes. His hand was still gripping yours, though now it was looser and you could stop feeling your blood rushing in your ears.

You looked at him now and wondered if you could ever find yourself to love him the way he wanted you to. Maybe.

Just maybe. 

---------

That night, in the tight constrictions of Howl’s arms, you looked up at the note above your head. A silver blade, bejewelled on it’s hilt, was pinning it to the wall. You wondered what led him to placing that document in such high regard.

He’d told you that it was an oath he had taken at the academy he had attended, an oath he was required to fulfil should the need arise. To aid his King. His country.

Yet he always ran away.

Howl always found solace yet constriction in his responsibilities; flying into the night with those talons and feathers wasn’t helping and the further he strayed from you, the closer he became to losing his humanity.

You had overheard Calcifer mutter it to him when he was returning one night, draped by the fire, reverting back to his blonde hair and blue eyes. It was the night you had discovered his other form.

You thought the feathers suited him, this monster wizard. It truly showed how versatile he could be, although you were well of that already. Proud as a peacock, flaunting himself around you and any other man he deemed to be unworthy of both your presences. Showing off, always.

“Look at them, my love,” he’d whisper. He arms around your waist, your eyes forced onto him as his magic surrounded you with its mist. No one else could witness his sorcery except from you, and your looks of fear reflected on your face confused the innocent civilians.

He’d often dangle the two of you in the air, after an impromptu but gut-churning dance and force you look down on the people below.

He thought it might ground you a bit. Seeing what he was capable of. Throwing you in the air…yes, how refreshing to be barely keeping down your breakfast.

You used to be like them. Oblivious, but greatly at peace for it. Helpless, but they had other things so attend to. You wished you could shake yourself out of Howl’s grasp and fall onto the cobblestones, the last thing you hear being his pleads for you to COME BACK! as you fled.

You would run and run and run.

But like any night, tonight you simply snuggled into the sheets deeper, pretending you could mistake the wizard’s arms for your mothers’, or of your friend.

And tried not to shudder as his breath tickled your neck, the scent of hyacinths slowly drowning you until you fell asleep.

——————————————

this took way too long and i’m liking the way it came out! the love the original got is INSANE, thanks to all of those who enjoyed it!

i wanted to try something different, sort of a day in the life of a darling who had been kept captive by Howl, and what they might feel. i love writing for him, but i keep sidelining him a bit in terms of his viewpoints so maybe in the future i’ll write something purely from his perspective, but who knows?

hope you liked it!

[daffodil--lament]

caoimhin 2022 reading wrap up

- Gideon the Ninth & Harrow the Ninth - good. made me insane. read them basically cover to cover. awesome

- The Hobbit - 10/10 it's the fuckin hobbit man. this was of course a re-read because I'm cultured

- The Great Gatsby - cool. enjoyed. also a re-read. so true fitzgerald materialism is bad. I love gay people

- Dogsbody - so good. dwj's ability to balance the themes of her stories always gets me. I need to read more of her books

- Howl's Moving Castle - I've read it more than 10 times in the last two years I love it so much 10000/10

- A Study In Charlotte - I love me some sherlock holmes. I love autism. I love people who are fucked up. enjoyed it as much as I did when I was 13

- Castle In The Air - hmc sequel. gets better every re-read. dwj poses an earth shattering question: what if all your favorite characters got even stupider? (this is about prince justin. he's the worst I love him)

- A River Runs Through It - destroyed me. holy shit. I finished that last page and had to go lay down for awhile. I was thinking about it for days. I am haunted by waters. god. good lord almighty.

- House of Many Ways - MASSIVE tone shift from a river runs through it. Charmain is a bitch and I like her so much. twinkle sucks. 9 million out of ten I love you Sophie Pendragon

- Howl's Moving Castle - by the time you finish homw you have to start hmc again to distract yourself from the series ending. howl and sophie were holding one another's hands and smiling and smiling quite unable to stop. I'm gonna pass out

- Hamlet - fuckin classic duh. I read this for the first time in seventh grade because I'm better than everyone. there's a reason it's one of the most widely known pieces of literature ever written

- Pride and Prejudice - also better every time I read it. Jane Austen is a genius. I wish I had an Elizabeth to my Darcy

- The Lightning Thief - percy jackson my beloved

- Sea of Monsters - retweet

- Storm Front - harry dresden is a bitch

- Fool Moon - harry dresden gets grievously injured, still manages to kill people

- Grave Peril - michael carpenter my beloved

- Summer Knight - karrin murphy btw (she is not enjoying herself)

- Death Masks - I love small children who carry great magical power

- Persuasion - Jane Austen I love you. I played minecraft prolifically while I listened to this book. it was so good. genuinely amazing. love love love

- Loki: Agent of Asgard - I always start this and I'm like "ha ha funny comic book" and then by the end I'm completely decimated. the art is so cool and I love watching it change throughout the run. conceptually the whole story and premise are so amazing. I can't really explain the extent of how good it is and do it justice. it's just awesome

- Pride and Prejudice - I forgot that I read this twice but if it's on the list you'd better be damn sure it happened

- The Raven Boys - I love pretentious glasses-wearing teenage boys (me irl)

- Patriot Games - the Harrison Ford movie is better but it was chill ig.

- Dream Thieves - fuck shit up little man

- Blue Lily, Lily Blue - popular among welsh voices in my head

- Murder on the Orient Express - AMAZING. I love hercule poirot so much. although I sort of knew the general ending, having seen, you know, literally any TV show made in the last 100 years, I was really surprised and pleased with the way the whole novel unfolded itself. awesome

- The Raven King - honestly awesome ending to the series. thoroughly enjoyed

- Rebecca - books that changed me at age 8. not sure why my mother chose to give me this book at that age but I'm forever glad she did. Rebecca is dead the entire story and she haunts it more than any ghost could. Spectacular. something about Mrs de Winter's name never being told to us or said out loud, but Rebecca's name being EVERYWHERE.... fantastic

- Blood Rites - I LOVE YOU THOMAS

- Never Let Me Go - I understand why this was award winning and I think I will never read it again

- Howl's Moving Castle - what better way to end my year. howl said I think we ought to live happily ever after and sophie thought he meant it. also I got the fancy illustrated hardcover version for Christmas and I am so happy. I will not be lending it to anyone ever. it's my baby.

[darkcrowprincess]

My thoughts: fair warning to people who are following me. I'm a lunter shipper, I don't like Amity's character at all. Lunter just makes more sense to me. I'm not a fan of miraculous lady bug anymore do to bad writing and because I just don't like Marinette's character anymore(she's so annoying). I love sailor moon, especially 90s English dub because thats what I grew up with, usagis new English voice actor's voice is annoying, so I don't listen to the new English dub. Don't like sailor moon crystal because the animation sucks and they took out everything I loved about the 90s one. Don't understand why my little pony is so popular or ever will. I love catradora, and don't understand the hate on catra' character. I think catra had a perfect story arc. I love Shera and the princess of power as is. It's a great show. Plus it has Entrapta and she is my spirit animal. So don't get the hate for shera. I don't get new cartoons or new kid shows/teen show of today. They're all so bad, so sanitized, or just plain bad writing. I'm a zutara shipper(or just zuko finding happiness with anyone's besides mai. Don't like her character very much). I don't like legend of Korra, the writing was just really bad. Especially after season one. So never watched it after season one. I hate the cartoon movie Disney beauty and the beast and love the live action one so much. It's my favorite of the live action disney movies. Emma Watson was the perfect Belle and made her more relatable. The little mermaid is my Disney movie and don't get all the hate on Ariel. She's the best. Love all versions of the little mermaid. Even the original fairy tale and any movies based on the original fairy tale. I hate the frozen movies with the burning intensity of a thousand suns. The movies are just not good. Titanic is a good movie. I love that movie. I also love James Cameron's avatar movie(can't wait for the sequel) and never understood why it isn't more popular. I love 80s movies and 80s fashion( would not want to live during that era) especially 80s romance movies, or any 80s movies were the main character is female and relatable. Though I don't get the breakfast club or why it's so popular. I love criminal minds and true crime documentaries(especially ones with female criminals). I don't like the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus book series. Mostly cause theres not enough Artemis in it, Hades would never cheat on his wife Persephone ever! I loved Rachels character and never really liked Annabeth. I thought she was a know it all. I honestly would have picked lukes side. Because the gods as parents suck! The whole concept of demi god children sucks and its abusive. That's mainly why I stopped reading. I love movies on classic novels, but will never read them. Mostly because they just seem so boring. I will never read jane austen because her books are just so boring to read. The language is so difficult to understand. Sam Manson is a horrible character and I don't like her with Danny. Danny's parents are abusive, and he deserves a better ending. The ghost king deserves a better ending. The only Classic novels I've ever read are written by Agatha Christie. I love her writing! Clary from mortal instruments is a mary sue and just Cassandra Clare's writing just seem really bad. Especially her world. The shadows hunters world is very black and white thinking. So I'll never read her books. The show looks really good though. And I like it so far. I love Harry Potter but understand why it's problematic now. And that just makes me really said. I hate when creators turn out to be jerks. Why I strongly believe never meet your heroes. They always disappoint you. My favorite movie this year is "Don't worry darling". I thought it was brilliant and had a good twist. I love ghibli movies and my favorites are spirited away, whispers of the heart, the wind rises, and howls moving castle. If I don't like a part in a book I don't finish it. And if the first paragraph in a book doesn't catch my attention I don't finish it. I love the original dark fairy tales. I love happy endings.

[moistvonlipwig]

Books I Read in 2022

I only finished 8 books this year, but amazingly enough that's actually more books than I've read per year in quite a while, so, I'll take it! These books are listed in the order I finished them.

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Saša Stanišić. I thought Stanišić's Before the Feast was a really magical novel, and this one is also quite beautiful. It's a work of fiction but it incorporates autobiographical touches of Stanišić's childhood growing up in Bosnia and then fleeing for Germany during the Bosnian War. The child protagonist goes on tangents that are often imaginative and whimsical and sometimes heartbreaking and brutal. A really thought-provoking read.

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor. As always with Okorafor's work, the worldbuilding here is excellent and makes you want to spend book after book inside it. I really like Sankofa as a protagonist as well. It didn't quite feel like a standalone book and after looking it up I guess it's in the same universe as some of the books of hers that I haven't read -- I'll have to check those out. I do hope she writes more about Sankofa in the future, though.

The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin. This book was good but not as good as the first one in the trilogy, The Three-Body Problem. I also have to admit I found it kind of sexist. The subplot with Luo Ji imagining up a perfect woman only for her to actually show up and then fall in love with him with no complications whatsoever...not a fan. Also, I can't help but feel that this book would've been better with Ye Wenjie as the protagonist; she is by far the trilogy's most interesting character and yet she's relegated to a brief cameo. Oh well. The actual ideas in the book are still really interesting, and Da Shi is still a legend.

Unexpected Magic by Diana Wynne Jones. A fun collection of stories. Weirdly enough I'm actually not sure I've read any DWJ before? Which is wild to think about since I have a ton of her books because my mom was such a big fan. (Obviously I've seen Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle, but I've never read the book.) This was a nice introduction and made me want to dig into my mom's old collection and read some more of her. My favorite stories were the two written from the perspective of cats, "What the Cat Told Me" and "Little Dot". I mean...are you surprised? Lol.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. So I think the best way to sum up how I feel about this book is that I really wish I could read a version of this book written by William Faulkner. The basic plot of the book is twisted and haunting and somehow deeply Southern Gothic despite being set in Massachusetts. But the writing is just...fine? There are moments where the prose takes a more impressive turn but mostly it, well, feels like it was written for teenagers. Which it was. But still. I think a version of this book written for adults (and, again, preferably written in a Faulkner-esque style) could've been fantastic. Also, this is minor, but for a book called We Were Liars, there was remarkably little lying going on. Like...weirdly little. Where was the lying, E. Lockhart? You promised me lying!

A Mercy by Toni Morrison. Ah, Toni Morrison, how I've missed you! It's been a hot minute since I've read her and it was so good to come back to her. This book is short but packed with lyricism and depth. The way it switches between different characters' perspectives and imbues all of them with humanity, even the ones who don't treat other people with humanity...the way the title emerges throughout the book in brief glimmers, only to be heartwrenchingly pushed to its limits in the last few pages...God, I've missed Toni Morrison.

Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse. A good sequel to Trail of Lightning, although I admit it's been a couple years since I read that book so my memory of it is a bit fuzzy, and I kind of wish I'd stopped to re-read it before going into this one. Still, I was able to follow the story, and it's a compelling tale with some really great imagery and fun characters. (Ma'ii, my beloved!) I would love to see a big-screen or small-screen adaptation of this series, if Roanhorse is up for it.

Antigonick by Sophokles, translated by Anne Carson. This is the first Anne Carson translation I've read and I found it really intriguing and fun to read. The way she manipulates language and plays with anachronisms is so interesting. I would love to see this performed; I think you could do a lot of really cool things with it.