#i tried to plan it as a little book

[heavyheavycream]

PART 1 of @pokefan-fa 's huuge feederism commission!

[fantasykiri5]

Another dragon. His name is Bay 👍 he is one of Hourglass’s best friends and also kind of a himbo. I love him

Version with his weird gold chain pouch necklace because I am Unsure About It.

[simgerale]

me after attempting to get back into sims and realizing i had a lot more to do than play the game

[liquidstar]

a friend who'd wait :)

[fictionadventurer]

I've seen The First Four Years described as a depressing book. Yet in rereading, I was struck most by how optimistic it was. In the midst of all the struggles, setbacks and horrifying disasters, Laura still recognizes long periods of happiness and little moments of joy, and aside from a few exceptions, she almost always brings herself around to see that things "aren't so bad" and she can keep moving forward.

Then at the very end of the book, I run into this line:

The incurable optimism of the farmer who throws his seed on the ground every spring, betting it and his time against the elements, seemed inextricably to blend with the creed of her pioneer forefathers that "it is better farther on"--only instead of farther on in space, it was farther on in time, over the horizon of the years ahead instead of the far horizon of the west.

And it hit me that here in this first draft of her final never-published novel, Laura managed to get to the heart of the Little House books, and pinpoint why they had such lasting appeal. It's because they offer hope. In the midst of Great Depression, this woman came forward and said that people have lived through hard times before and survived. Even in great sorrows, there are moments of joy. Things can get better, and even if they don't, we can endure. She looks at the world's disasters and sees hope that things can get better. And her hope comes not from empty idealism but from experience.

As a child, she lived through starvation, isolation, Indian wars, grasshopper plagues, drought, and disease. She faced danger from wolves, storms and blizzards. Her beautiful, ambitious, intelligent sister had all her hopes for a bright future destroyed by blindness, and Laura had to sacrifice so many of her own desires and dreams to help her. In the first four years of her marriage, she dealt with four failed crops and the related debts, a debilitating pregnancy, diphtheria, a paralyzed husband, the loss of a child, and a fire that destroyed her home and almost everything she owned. And even after all that, she continued to live that farmer's life. She looked back on that life with fondness and joy.

Granted, it's much easier to look back with nostalgia on hard times from the distance of decades. But also that's kind of the point: she lived through those hard times and is now able to see the good amid the bad. Those disasters weren't the end of the world. She has grown into an older woman who has been shaped by her experiences, both good and bad. And if she can manage that, maybe the rest of us can, too.

That's the true heart of the Little House series. That's why it resonates with audiences. It's not just nostalgia. It's not just fascination with a much different time and much different life. It's not because it's a whitewashed and rosy look at history--though there was certainly some of that. It's because even that edited, softened history contained so much more tragedy than most of us can imagine, and the woman who lived through it offers us hope. Life has always been a mixture of sorrow and joy and it will continue to be--sometimes in new ways, but more often in ways that people have endured and dealt with and rejoiced in all across history.

These books aren't just about the past--they're about the future. And that's why they endure. We can take this one woman's experiences and see that troubles can be overcome, because they have been before. We don't need to long for the past and we don't need to fear the future, because what we have is now, and now will one day become a past that we can look back on fondly, if only we have the courage to endure. That's the hope at the heart of the series, and it's something that will continue to resonate with audiences, no matter when they live.

[hrh-prince-butt]

not the best quality photo but i really wanted to show y’all the cmq corner of my bookshelf (:

[befuddled-calico-whump]

anyone else read Hunger Games as a kid and assume it was the blueprint for how many characters you should kill off? or was that just me?

[vanhelsingapologist]

killing his dad went fine.

spoilers in tags!

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

i've been thinking about simon heap a Lot during this reread

[sadhorsegirl]

fuck it posting moiraine playlist on main

[thekimspoblog]

Demon trying to feed on my insecurities: "You're a bad driver"

Me: "Of course I am. I hate driving. Going 80 mph surrounded by tons of metal is nerve-wrecking. I try to do it as little as possible. Of course I'm bad at it"

Demon: "You're a bad writer"

Me: "Well that part's simply not true. I never claimed I was the greatest author of my generation, but when I put pen to paper I know what I want to communicate and I usually do it well. If someone isn't impressed with my work, that's unfortunate but they're entitled to their opinion"

Demon: "You're a bad leader"

Me: "Well I don't know about that! I mean there was that one time when... Ok look just because people don't see me as an authority figure doesn't mean... 😠 You know you can be a real asshole, demon!"

[dutybcrne]

Forever love the idea of Kae being an absolute nerd once you get to know him. Dude acts all suave and charming, then upon getting home, his time is most preferred spent reading the latest rec Jean’s given him with a cup of tea in hand and a plushy tucked under his chin. Or is constantly abt .5 seconds away from infodumping or smth, esp the more he gets attached to sb.

[mirrortouchedsea]

Day 19

Niki wrapped the bandages around Rinne’s arm, just tight enough to be slightly uncomfortable, but not too tight to restrict blood flow. They were well familiar with this song and dance, the pot of herb infused blood cooling on the counter as Niki scolded Rinne for not taking enough care of himself.

“Rinne-kun, you have to--” 

“I know, Niki.” The silence was deafening. Sometimes, Niki wished Rinne had never told him about the world of magic, about being a scribe, but if he had hidden it, his life would be boring and he’d never have gotten to know Rinne as deeply as he did. The two of them had traveled the world together, allowing Niki to try out cuisine from countries he hadn’t ever dreamed of visiting before, so it wasn’t all bad, all things considered. 

But still, Rinne had insisted on continuing to write spells, spells that helped Niki improve his cooking, helped his condition, spells that could do wonderful things and help people in bad situations. They were frequent visitors at youth shelters wherever they lived with a spell to multiply their food to feed everyone working under the table. They could use the spells over and over as long as Rinne was alive, but Rinne insisted on having extra ink for emergencies. 

Niki’s hands brushed over the bandage, wanting to scold Rinne for his stupidity, draining more blood than usual for this batch. He’d be bedridden for at least a week. 

“What are you writing?” Niki asked, trying to change the subject. 

“A protection spell.” Rinne’s eyes shifted to the ground, avoiding Niki’s glare. 

“Rinne-kun, you know those don’t work on you and I’ve already told you I’m not leaving you.” 

“‘S not for you.” 

“Then who’s it for?” 

“Kohaku-chan, back home. He’s been getting into dangerous situations again and the last book wore out.” Kohaku must be using the spells more frequently than they realized if they were already falling apart. 

“Fine, but promise me you’ll wait to write it until you’re feeling better.” Niki was already planning out their meals for the next week to raise Rinne’s iron levels and help him recover. Rinne leaned forward, arms wrapping around Niki’s torso and pulling him in. Rinne buried his face in Niki’s shoulder. 

“I promise.” 

“Now let’s get you to bed. You’ve got a long week ahead of you.” 

[biblicalhorror]

Reading a court of thorns and roses bc it's been rec'd to me many times (by the same two friends mostly) and also I've never really read a smut novel before and Jesus christ this protagonist is insufferable

[jedi-bird]

Partner decided they wanted to go to ikea today and I'm not one to turn down a trip to the labyrinth of interesting things. Managed to get the shoe cabinet we wanted as well as a coat rack. Found a very cheap but very nice small bookshelf for an awkward area of the work room. Partner wanted some sound proofing things for their office for recording purposes, so they for sound dampening tiles and a rug. I'm pretty sure the cabinet I've been drooling over is about to be discontinued and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Tomorrow I need to work on the Christmas stuff (decorations for the tree and sorting out ceramic village boxes and measuring the space under the stairs again), hang some prints I framed this weekend, and start building furniture if there's time.

[loverboydotcom]

just had the absolutely insane thought of like okay so basically until heaven timeline is december-january so it would be REALLLYYY cool if i wrote most of it during that time??? like the stars aligning + as a novella it feels much less scary than writing a whole novel? but then i also associate january with RR because that's when it starts but also felix and dorothy's birthday is in january (and in 2024 they would be turning SIXTY) so i'm tentatively wanting to start writing RR again in january too....and my tentative goal for 2024 is to write a first draft of either RR or lover boy (DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS) but i just loooove timelines and timelines aligning. and lover boy starts in june so i'm like what if i managed a first draft of RR by june and then once june hits i draft lover boy again??? which none of this seems likely to me because i can't predict my hyperfixations a year in advance but i just think it would be so delicious.