#i was ultimately more interested in the afterword

[lizziestudieshistory]

I was disappointed by The Wood at Midwinter and I'm so sad about it! It's not because it's a bad story... As usual, Clarke's writing is beautiful and slightly mesmerising to read, the atmosphere was astounding for something crafted in 50 heavily illustrated pages. However, it just felt lacking in substance even compared to Clarke's other short stories (I am STILL in awe of On Lickerish Hill). It didn't feel finished, as polished, or independent of Clarke's broader version of English myth.

In short, it felt like one of the short stories from the footnotes in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, rather than a story in its own right... It just didn't feel like it needed to be a book of its own and it should have been within a collection of other short stories, whether by Clarke or on a similar theme.

[offthewall1979]

my review of Moonwalk: hot mess. ★★★.

[randomrosewrites]

Book 4 re-write afterword 2/2

“So… you and Jade or you n’ Azul?” You turn around, blinking blearily at him. His gaze remains fixed on his screen. Maybe you misheard him. “Pardon?” Floyd giggles. “ Come on , I see the way you look at them. The way you act around them. It’s so lovey-dovey, it makes me cringe.”

Containing from this post.

Continuing from the last point: Azul's got such low self esteem that he doesn't believe he's attractive, nor does he believe that the twins would stick around him if he was anything other than his best.

(The twins do say this. Floyd mentions how if it's not fun, they'd dump Azul and go for the housewarden position, but when Azul overblotted, they didn't abandon him (as MC points out). They stayed and fought to bring him back. They care for eachother in their own way, even if they don't want to call eachother friends.)

By this point, Jade already knows he's going to use his unique magic to pry information out of Kalim. Azul's apprehension is because he's saying 'Really? Are you sure you want them to be there while you use your UM?'

The 'it' Jade refers to is Azul's perception of himself/ weight. Also his willingness to let others help him. The small sparks of romantic interest between him and the prefect is what allows him to give just a bit (as opposed to Jade, who he is close with but it's complicated).

This scene is inspired by the manga!

Another, brief comment about Jade's UM is that I changed it's ability from only being able to be used once per person > looses effectiveness the more he uses it on a person until it becomes unable to be used at all. Not story important I just decided to change it for funsies. Also Floyd's UM is wayyy too overpowered for Jade's not to match. Like wdym you can direct any magic away??? That's so powerful. Yes I know Floyd is very wishy washy generally but when it matters, he steps up.

In the game, Kalim refuses to tell Jade the name of the student who's controlling him. In my fic, Jade uses this to his advantage to force Kalim to reveal that it's Jamil (by refusing to say he wasn't the one responsible, he's basically confirming that it is Jamil).

Jamil knows about Jade's UM, hence his apprehension about him using it on Kalim.

No comments just ooohhh romantic fluff ahh

Aroace floyd my beloved. As someone who's ace (maybe? probably? Idk i'm not in a relationship rn and it's kinda been a huge question mark for two years) i wanted to portray a relationship in a non 'traditional' romantic sense (that is still, kinda, hopefully romantic and will become more in the future).

And that's it for the second part. It has a few moments I like but ultimately don't think it's my favorite. Now for the drama.

The Final Score - July 2024 to December 2024

In the middle of this, I started an internship at a dream company. I think you can tell by how long the time is between the chapters lol. I struggled a lot with finishing the last chapter tbh, I don't know why. I was so close to the finish line it was like my brain gave up.

But I persevered and finished, thankfully.

For anyone that's played Honkai Star Rail, this part was inspired by Rondo Across Countless Kalpas.

Not much to comment on this chapter to be honest. This part of Jamil using Azul to attack the MC was something I thought of early on, but reflecting on it, it might be a little too ooc. Oh well.

This entire argument with Azul was really tricky for me to write. I struggled with it for a long time before finding something that I liked. Its a build up from the start of the series.

Azul feels bad that he frightened the MC but it's a necessary evil in his mind. Something he has to do. Even though he shrugs and says 'well it had to be done' MC can still be upset with that.

Azul thinks caring for others is weak. He mocks ariel in his birthday vignette about how love made her act. He's started to care for the MC and that frightens him. So obviously, he doesn't want to be honest with how he's feeling and be upfront. So he tries to play it off, but when that pisses off the MC more he folds and gives into how he really feels.

It was a hard balance trying to make it obvious to the readers how he may be feeling without making it too much. I'm satisfied with what I finally came up with.

without spoiling anything, this takes inspiration from something that happens in book 7, LOL.

In the actual game, the twins change into their eel forms in a flash of light but I'm like...where do the clothes go...lol. A magic pocket dimension maybe...? lol

I wrote this scene when the twins eel cards came out on the JP server. It definitely inspired this scene. Love the eels.

This is Jade's last major important scene. They're ahead of Azul in the fact that he knows what he wants and MC is on better terms with him than Azul. and Jade's not talking about romance necessarily, just wanting to spend more time with MC. Like how all good natured people who might have a romantic interest in each other act (minus the drama those two have been in during book 3). He's definitely leaning more towards flirty in their interactions.

Creative liberties taken: These vision things MC sees in the game are also seen by MC in the story, except they pass out while doing so. They share thoughts/ memories with the overblotter.

...Another difference I added. MC doesn't forgive Jamil as easily in the game (same with the octotrio) it'll take time before they come around to them.

ooh cliffhanger ooh mystery oooh future setup for future works if I ever get around to writing that oooh

Also also,

Tried to do my best to make it make sense why the dorm would be so willing to just party with Jamil after everything he's done. I feel like the games have a habit of just being like 'oop well that's that, and it all worked out in the end'! and I don't think it's bad It's just not for me. Which is why I wanted to re-write the book, lol.

This was one of the scenes I had in my head from the beginning. I knew I wanted this to happen. It's an important moment because Azul says 'the deal is over' but also they can move on past this points as somewhat equals and not having to really worry about being 'even'.

It's a step! And one that's necessary for them to grow closer into whatever their relationship is.

Last thing:

I had this also in mind from the start. I love Ace Deuce Yuu trio and wanted to make it clear that they care about eachother a lot.

And with that... I think that's it. I wrote this at a point in my life where everything suddenly drastically changed. I thought I was going to be in a completely different position, I knew what I was going to do and my life was on a path ahead of me, and then the floor gave out from under me and said actually it's time for something completely different. Good luck!

I look back on some things and wish I had done it differently, but getting over my perfectionism and just allowing myself to create is something I'm trying to overcome. I've been much happier as a creative by just allowing myself to do whatever without worrying about it being perfect.

Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way. Friends and loved ones, people who commented, and those who would listen to me rant about a specific scene that I would be stuck on. I hope to make more in the future (I'm working on something now, but no promises for when that will get done, lol. My life is getting busier each day but honestly, it's been the best year I've had in a while). Thanks for reading,

Rose

[signedkoko]

GOSH, all your writings make me feel all bouncy and giddy I swear AaaAAAA

Feeling slightly inspired by your previous Lucifer and Lilith with a reader who ends up attacked, might I request a Vox X Reader, where while they're both out together, Reader notices someone apparently brave enough to attack Vox and just- autopilot takes the hit to protect him? Turns out afterwords it wasn't an Angelic weapon of any kind, so even though it's nasty and painful, they'll ultimately be okay...

But did Reader KNOW that? Nope. Could Vox have probably handled it himself with how powerful he is? Yep. Did either one of those thoughts even cross Reader's mind until after? NOPE.

Reader just saw harm approaching the one they love so much and just went into instant protect mode...

Vox X Reader [Romantic]

In which someone attempts an attack on Vox, but you decide to get in the way. Reader is genderneutral.

It was just another press conference, the same as all the others

VoxTek had a new announcement, and reporters flocked to be the ones with the most interesting story or the first, whichever got them more praise from their lousy boss

Both the CEO and spokesperson, Vox insisted on being the face everyone knew and saw, as well as the voice they all followed

You were a not-so-recent addition to his empire, and some cameras were sure to catch a frame or two of you as you waited on the side, smiling and waving to the crowd

You were only here because it made Vox happy and because you would rather be seen than not

VoxTek had some of the highest security, with mostly Vox himself watching over everything

You always wondered how he could keep track of so many tasks at once

But the screams of everyone sounded different, less like a thousand questions and more like terror, incomprehensible yells as someone broke through the crowd

They had a gun; it looked white and gold, you weren't sure if Vox hadn't noticed or didn't care

All you knew was that your body moved, and suddenly you were between the bullet and fov when it pierced right into your side

The space cleared of voices before one of the bodyguards tackled the man and wrestled the gun from his grip

While you stood there, clutching your abdomen, the lava-like pain burst through your abdomen

Before Vox could react, flashes began again, most of the crowd recognizing the occurrence or snapping photos of you stood there, still in shock from the shot

What did you expect from demons? They'd win a bonus if they caught the first image of you being shot

Before you can think much of it, Vox is running, carrying you, and applying pressure with his hand and yours over the bullet hole

Thank god the press release was in the Vees tower, he's laid you on a counter in the lobby, his jacket bunched up under your head and his claws tearing through your shirt to access the wound

There's no time for a hospital; besides, he knows everything, he can be the best doctor in the world in a second, and he's going to be if it means helping you

" Thank go- "

" Thank god what! I could take that shot! Shut up! "

You decide to listen because, well, you can barely speak through gritted teeth

He's calling Val to come down and bring any kind of anaesthetic.

He's able to fix you up more than enough, but just to be safe, he's called in his private doctor to come take a look at you

Once everything has calmed down and you're back upstairs with Vox, he's got a million different questions

Why? I mean, he could take a bullet with ease! hes moslty metal, everything can be replaced!

Even worse if you really thought it was an angel weapon, because that would have absolutely killed you!

" It's not like I had time to think, Vox. I just moved! "

He's frustrated that you'd ever be in harm's way, but it's hard for him to stay mad knowing you just wanted to protect him

Author's Note - I wasn't sure if I should go for an angst or romantic note on this one, but I felt a little humour coping was more like Vox so I went for romantic! Thank you for requesting 🖤

[justrookthings]

Sorry for the Emmrich content invading my tumblr space that was meant more for my Rooks... I love him so much it's hard for me to stop. As an apology here are my headcanons for all Rook x Companion modernized dates 🥰

Bellara

Take her to your local Library that has a Cafe and just spend the whole day with her between the romance section and the non-fiction section. Be prepared to hold a lot of books for her. Maybe stop by the arcade on the way home? But make sure to take your Polaroid camera with you because if there is an interesting abandoned building nearby she will to want to explore that, too. Wear something comfy. Jeans, hoodie (if it's cold), pack an extra hoodie because she probably forgot hers.

Davrin

First he'll probably take you to the gym, because he's excited to show you how much he can bench press while he's talking about how much of a dog person he used to be until he adopted his cat. Afterwords he will take you to the park and start talking about the farm his uncle pretty much raised him on before he joined the military. Eventually he will take you to his place for the ultimate test: Wether or not the cat likes you. Once you pass that, he'll turn on the grill.

Emmrich

You probably met him at the Library, so he will likely find this a comfortable place to meet with you a few times until he decides one day to take you on a real date at some fancy expensive place you can maybe not afford. He keeps insisting on paying for the meal "it's really no trouble, trust me" and refuses to show you the bill. Then he will take you for a drive, except he's not driving, his butler/chauffeur/manservant Manfred will be. He might talk a bit about himself but he will mostly do so to ask questions about you instead. He takes you to his "small homely" estate and completely passes the home theater, bar, and pool to show off his personal library.

Harding

She's a country gal! She doesn't care for fancy dinners or expensive wines. She might act like she does initially because she's a people pleaser, but she can't fake it forever. She takes you to a cheese shop and gets the stinkiest cheese she can find and insists you try some with her. Then she'll probably reveal she'd rather go hiking or camping instead of fancy dinner dates. But real hiking and real camping with compasses and maps, fire starters, a small tent, sleeping bags, and an old emergency Nokia just in case. Then you get to find out who the real Harding is as she's showing off her yodeling skills at the top of a mountain (non snowcapped), and her bow skills.

Lucanis

The first date might be to Olive Garden on your recommendation, but he will scowl one too many times at the wine selection and the food then insist on taking you someplace better. He takes you to a very expensive looking Italian restaurant with "actually authentic Italian" food. And even though you show up in jeans and a nice sweater (because you were dressed for Olive Garden, not a reservation-only restaurant) they recognize Lucanis and immediately allow the both of you in. Turns out that this is his family's restaurant. They only judge you for a month or so for trying to take Lucanis to Olive Garden.

Neve

She's a private investigator and it's likely she won't have a lot of time for dates. Either they are few and far between or she gets up and leaves in the middle of an awkward one because she was thinking about the case. As such, dinner dates are discouraged and she prefers taking a walk in the park and hanging out by the river as she skips stones across the water. When she finally does have free time and isn't thinking about a case, she likes to grab something to eat from a street vendor and people watch for a while. She doesn't seem comfortable talking about herself because she hates answering questions about her involvement in the papers.

Taash

What's the point in dates and small talk? Taash doesn't care for it. They'll take you to their apartment and insist on watching something on Netflix or whatever, laugh about memes/short form videos they found, or, you know, wherever the mood goes. Will take you to meet their mother pretty quickly, because it's "go big or go home." Either you stick around or you don't. Also don't expect them to dress up. Dates should be comfortable.

[snackara]

Asha

I have no idea how to start one of these so let’s just dive into the madness-

I took a somewhat different direction with Asha in my rewrite. She’s not nearly as energetic or extroverted, and is a lot less confident in her abilities. Over the course of the story however, she begins to gain a lot of confidence and leads a whole revolution.

My main goal with Asha in this rewrite is to give her more of a personality, as well as a character arc. She had a little personality in the movie, but ultimately just falls into that “quirky female protagonist” trope Disney has been doing lately. I drew a lot of inspiration from Belle and Tiana specifically, as well as a little sass from Meg.

As far as a character arc, she doesn’t really have an easily definable one in the film. The only change she really goes through is becoming a little sparkly and becoming the fairy godmother or whatever (which was such a stupid idea especially after they JUST defeated Magnifico but for another day). As I said before, her arc revolves around gaining confidence in herself and realizing she can do something to stop the villains despite being just one girl.

As far as her design goes, I wanted her to closer resemble Brittney Lee’s concept art, especially the two below.

Her facial features and hairstyle just seem more fitting to her in this rewrite, and make her stand out against time of the other Disney princesses. The warmer colored clothing would also contrast the other citizens of Rosas, who wear a lot of cooler colors. This goes for the Hamlet in general.

Her box braids will come in a little later, as well as the purple dress.

Now, I know what you may be asking: What about Valentino? Well, he’s still here, but um…

…he changed quite a bit too. This is a genet, a catlike animal native to Spain, and to me just a much more interesting companion. He’s not quite as involved in the main plot as other rewrites, but he does have some good moments and supports Asha a lot.

Now for the fun part: angst

Asha was born in Rosas to Thomás and Sakina. A few years after she was born, her mother died during the raids. Afterwords, her father guided her and many others to the Uncharted Forest, where they built the hamlet.

Thomás was a thief who stole supplies for the hamlet and gave money from the nobility to the poor of Rosas. He became well-liked by many, and stood as a symbol of hope for poorer citizens. He was basically the closest thing the hamlet had to a leader. Until one day he disappeared when Asha was just 10. (This will be somewhat important later in the story)

Sabino, who was a good friend with Thomás, ended up becoming Asha’s main caretaker and the next leader of sorts for the Hamlet. Asha always adored Sabino, viewing him as a second father figure. Though he doesn’t replace the hole left in Asha’s heart.

Over time, Asha grew up and things got easier. The grief lingered, but she managed to distract herself with drawing, reading, and taking care of the Hamlet. Her life is fine, but really she wants…more. She wants to go out to Rosas and stop the royalty, or get the wishes back, but feels she can’t. She’s only one person, how can she fix an entire kingdom? What could she possibly do? Why must the author project her own insecurities so heavily on her? Only time will tell.

This girl has a lot on her mind, and they’re only about to get heavier. But soon, she won’t have to carry them alone.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more.

[forbidding-souda]

Mod Souda!~ I have never requested fic before, this is entirely new territory so please forgive me if I misstep. ^_^; Could I please request HC's regarding Korekiyo x autistic S/O? I tried finding similar in the master list, alas I could not which is completely on me if I wasn't thorough enough.

A little afterword of gratitude also for your masterful works on Korekiyo in particular, the way you HC him is beautiful. He is my ultimate comfort character and your content is poignant for me. I also wish you the absolute best on finals and in life in general! (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)♡ I hope you are faring well. Thank you for all that you do here

Shinguuji Korekiyo with Autistic S/O

I've had this blog since quarantine so I can't even remember if I've written anything like this so I'm happy to write one for you regardless or not if it's a repeat.

Hai guys I don't have my edited sprites anymore bc I deleted them awhile ago so here's normal souda. Also if this is ass then my bad

hashtag actually autistic btw for anyone reading, i think it's right to share that when I write these ofc

okay mod souda behavior here where I say random stuff before each story but I'm watching impractical jokers rn and I don't know how some people watch this because the secondhand embarrassment is insane I literaly have to look away PLZZZ. This took an hour to write because half way through I started watching impractical joker clips on youtube (while the show is playing on the tv)

-Mod Souda

♥ He isn't a stickler about your interests. A good thing about being with him is that he won't make fun of you for anything you enjoy, no matter if he enjoys it himself or not. He'll never ask you to turn a movie off or to stop talking about something. He knows more than anybody else how isolating it can feel when somebody refuses to try and tolerate other people's passions; he would never put you down.

♥ He's naturally off-putting. If you experience people considering you off-putting then don't feel alone because Shinguuji is considered off-putting as well. He brushes off the negative things people thinks when it comes to himself, but when it comes to you and the negativity you face, it's hard for him to conceal how irritated he gets.

♥ I know some people have hyperfixations of like medieval torture methods so imagine how much he'd love that.

♥ ^ You also have the chance to teach him about really niche things, that's pretty sweet.

♥ ^ But I imagine that with some topics, he's gonna try and teach you about your own hyperfixation and it's gonna get annoying.

♥ He loves ur reactions to things. He gets so gushy-gushy and poetic. He likes finding what words make you smile, which ones make you laugh and which ones make you want to roll your eyes.

You stared back at him for a few seconds. He held an intense, filling gaze. The two of you were sitting on a park bench, facing the trees and enjoying the sounds of the birds. In between the conversation, there were moments of silence. Usually, he'd break them with small, unrelated sentences, but he's been quiet. "Korekiyo," you said quietly, a bit worried to startle him. To you, he was either in deep thought or, more humorously, sleeping with his eyes open. It took you to say it louder before he turned away. "My apologies," he smiled with a tilt of his head. His hair cascaded down his shoulder. His eyes went to the green leaves dancing in the wind. "We sit here in such a beautiful place, so lively. Most people would give their life away to view a sight like this." With no response, you just stared at him more, already knowing what he was going to say. He looked at you. "I've been all around the world and so I do not wish to waste my time looking at something I've seen before. You, however, do not come close to any of the beauties our world gives to us." "You love me so much, don't you?" You gave him a smile while his yellow eyes developed a look of interest: "You say that but do not realize that jests can be true words, too."

♥ If you need your alone time, he isn't going to stop you because he likes his, too. He knows that obviously you can be infatuated with somebody while also finding comfort in solitude.

♥ ^ And with that, he also has his own boundaries when it comes to where he goes whenever he wants solitude. He likes reading his books and analyzing his artifacts, all of which takes place in his study.

♥ ^ Yeah and don't touch his stuff because he is very protective of his collections. Therefore, he'd also never mess with something you own.

♥ If you're the type of person to have stuffed animals, and especially make them talk, he isn't going to pick up on that very quickly as means of a thing people still do. He'll give a history lesson as to 'ah yes, i've learned about this form of imagination within cultures of story telling, oral adventures'.

♥ Most of the time, he'll put your comfort over his.

♥ He'll stay up with you whenever you have trouble sleeping and are fully awake at 2am, no matter the cost. He is going to make sure that you know he is always there for you. He always has things to do.

♥ If you need help falling asleep, he'll do things like sing to you and let you watch videos in bed, whatever will make you most comfortable.

♥ He got some crazy eye contact btw I just want to put that out there.

[bimboficationblues]

what quotes did they translate differently?

a huge swath is translated differently from my brief overview (will be doing a reading group starting next month). Reitter has put a lot more deliberation into marking out Marx's neologisms, particularly around "value," in a way that invokes unwieldiness, but by the same token (ha), a lot of the surrounding language feels a bit more natural to read in English than the Fowkes did, which I think is largely advantageous for grappling with the theory.

however, many moments and passages from the Fowkes really stick out in my head from past readings. I'll be interested to see, after reading through it all with my group, if I think there's moments where something is lost between the translations (cf. the Moore-Aveling edition where wealth "presents itself,” as opposed to merely "appearing" in the Fowkes edition as well as the new one).

just for an example, compare the Fowkes edition:

The capitalist has bought the labour-power at its daily value. The use-value of the labour-power belongs to him throughout one working day. He has thus acquired the right to make the worker work for him during one day. But what is a working day? At all events, it is less than a natural day. How much less? The capitalist has his own views of this point of no return, the necessary limit of the working day. As a capitalist, he is only capital personified. His soul is the soul of capital. But capital has one sole driving force, the drive to valorize itself, to create surplus-value, to make its constant part, the means of production, absorb the greatest possible amount of surplus labour. Capital is dead labour which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks. The time during which the worker works is the time during which the capitalist consumes the labour-power he has bought from him. If the worker consumes his disposable time for himself, he robs the capitalist.

to the Pauls:

A capitalist buys labor-power at its daily value. The labor-power belongs to him for the duration of one working day. He has obtained the right to put the worker to work during this time. But what is a working day? It has to be shorter than a natural day of life. The question is: Shorter by how much? The capitalist has his own view on this ultima Thule, the necessary limit of a workday! As a capitalist, he is merely capital personified. His soul is the soul of capital, which knows only one drive in life: the drive to valorize itself; to create surplus-value; to use its constant part, the means of production, to absorb the greatest possible quantity of surplus-labor. Capital is dead labor that acts like a vampire: it comes to life only when it drinks living labor, and the more living labor it drinks, the more it comes to life. The time when the worker is working is the time when the capitalist consumes the labor-power he has bought. When a worker uses his disposable time for his own purposes, he is stealing from the capitalist.

since it's relying on the 1872 German edition certain stuff is different in subtle but interesting ways from translations that were based on other editions (and in ways that don't necessarily point towards a more "authentic" reading one way or another; WCR highlights the differences between this one and the French edition in his afterword).

what's revealing is that the squabbling about the new translation has not really been about the actual substance of the translation changes, coming back to the text in a new way and seeing what merit that has, etc. because that would require reading the thing. instead it's mainly been about the political orientation or stakes. which is good because that is ultimately what the new translation *should* prompt and has prompted for me, but it’s been in a really annoying way where people are just making shit up about the supplemental materials as an excuse not to engage.

[mrsfrederickchilton]

FREDERICK. Epilogue

Dear readers!

This is an epilogue, an addition to the story.

As a reader, I am ready with all my heart to stop at chapter 77. I love Frederick and the heroine and would like everything to be fine for them. But as a writer, I cannot ignore some story lines. At least I have to give a few more words. After all, all this time that she was implementing her failed plan, all this time that she was with Frederick, the others did not cease to exist, time did not stand still, other things happened. I won't write much now, but I will write some thoughts about the epilogue in the next post (Afterword and Acknowledgments).

Note: soundtrack for the epilogue:

🎵thirty seconds to mars and halsey – love is madness

Yesterday you didn't come.

The orderly said that you never showed up at the hospital. For the first time in weeks. Maybe you were sick? Although the day before yesterday you seemed quite healthy.

The watercolor was lying there, ready, waiting for you to appreciate it. He knew you would, because you played Chopin four-handed on it. That very moment when something stirred in his heart. When something pushed him onto the path that led you both here. And he had to get you out.

Did you love them?

Never.

But he loved you, he knew that for sure. After all, it couldn't be anything else — this amazing, frightening feeling, a clear synonym for weakness.

Because of which you are here and which will help you get out of here.

From the first minute spent in this damned abode of madness, he worked on his plan. Having learned that you also had something in mind, he did not dissuade you. Although he understood that your plan might not work. But you were able to see each other a few times, that was worth it. And you helped, really helped. Dr. Chilton was so carried away by you that he almost stopped paying unnecessary attention to him.

In every corner, hidden from Dr. Chilton's eyes and cameras, he worked out his plan, tested the waters, built a scheme little by little. They said he had incredible charisma — it was hard for him to judge, but he was aware of his ability to manipulate. Money was another component, it always gave weight to any plan, especially one involving ordinary people.

There were quite a few of them. Security guards, orderlies, nurses, service personnel. But ultimately they were just people who had weak spots, ready to crack at any moment. You just needed to press a little.

Or not a little.

He was interesting not only to Dr. Chilton. Murders here do not surprise anyone, but the complete and unwavering disregard for the chief psychiatrist impressed some. The nurses who occasionally took his tests had never met such an attractive patient within these walls. Your games with Dr. Chilton made him and your relationship even more mysterious. They were so different, but he could discuss something with almost everyone. Some, as it turned out, had absolutely no one to talk to. He was able to find an approach to almost everyone. And almost everyone did not consider working in a psychiatric hospital for murderers the height of what they desired. Not everyone liked Dr. Chilton either. It took even less effort than he had expected to talk several times on the phone in the medical office.

He hoped that nothing serious had happened. That you would come today, and he would tell you the news you deserved. You will no longer have to torture yourself with that idiot, Dr. Chilton. No more games, no more humiliations, no more of that ridiculous feeling of guilt that you were apparently beginning to feel. It will all be in the past, like a bad dream.

He had almost completed his plan, which had taken longer than he had expected. But all the strings that he had been tugging patiently for so long had finally given way, and soon he will get out of this hated hospital and take you away to a place where everything will be all right again.

Far away from here.

The advance that he had already distributed among all these puppets would have to be worked off, although he had promised you not to do this anymore. But he was sure that you would understand. Two conctracts, no more. Two really last cases.

And one more — without payment, which he is waiting for more than anything, which he has been thinking about since he saw that magazine with the photos of the Association evening. Ironically, the bastard was supposed to be stabbed, but that loser, some amateur, was unable to cope with any of his victims. Never mind, he will be able to do it himself.

Very, very soon.

Masterlist

Afterword and Acknowledgments

[frociaggine]

hi, i've been following you for a while now because it seems we have similar taste in media (especially thematically). an agonizing event occurred last week that's left me somewhat selectively mute and unable to work. i can't find joy or interest or love for anything. the locked tomb has always been there for me during my lowest points (me and harrow are like this 🤞) but i'm in such a horrible place that not even muir is helping. i love reading your TLT metas and trust your judgement based on those, so i was wondering if you had any recommendations for books/media that deals with grief and loss in fantastical settings. or just big, messy, taboo feelings in general. i'm looking for anything at this point.

Hi anon, sorry to hear this and I really hope you feel better soon. I'm sending you a big hug if you want it and I'm thinking of you very fondly. I'm not sure I can recommend exactly what you're asking for but I dearly hope some of these can distract you a bit. Please let me know if you want further content warnings + if anyone else has recs, feel free to chime in!

The Screwfly Solution by James Tiptree Jr. — This is a short story that I reread about once a year when I really want something that'll hit and fuck me up. You can find it in full here. It's an apocalyptic short story, very haunting, and the last line hits like a punch in the gut. CW for gendered violence all over the place if that's something you'd rather avoid.

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende — This is a generational saga set in 20th century Cile. It isn't sff, although it does have some magical realism elements, so I'm chetaing and putting it in here anyway. The first time I read it, it made me cry, and it remains my favourite Allende novel.

The Last Man Alive by A.S. Neill — A middle grade speculative fiction written in 1930s Britain, which is ostensibly for kids but, in the tradition of British children's literature, gets pretty fucking dark and creepy. It's about a group of schoolchildren and their teacher who survived a poisonous cloud that turned everyone else into stone, and by everyone else I mean the entire world. It gets pretty dark at times, and I remember being sucked-punched finishing the book and reading in the afterword what happened to each of the children who were the inspiration for the characters in the book. It's a very weird little novel, but also interesting in that "vintage scifi" vibe.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge — This is another middle grade novel and probably the lightest read of this entire fic; [spoilers ahead] it's about a changeling who doesn't have a memory of being made, and at first thinks she is the human girl she was meant to replace, and only slowly realises that something is wrong. It's ultimately a feel-good story but I found it bittersweet all around, and I think the themes of identity and self growth + the creepy fairytale vibes make it worth a rec in case you think it could help right now.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica — This is a book about the mundane day-to-day happenings in a dystopia where cannibalism has been legitimised as a form of population control, and large swats of people are regarded as subhuman and eaten. It's very bleak and more plot driven than character-driven, so I'm hesitant to rec it if your usual go-to is TLT; but I think the story does very good things with the tight narrator POV + there are themes of alienations from family, eldercare and anticipation of grief. It's definitely a story that fucked me up a bit.

+ not sff in the least, but I finished this book very recently and it's still on my mind: I recently read The Manicurist's Daughter, a memoir that's primarily about dealing with grief from the loss of a parent, and how grief can destroy a family + trying to reconnect despite that. It's not exactly engrossing in parts, and I'm not sure I should rec it here because I found it too slow-paced to count as a real "cathartic read" but there was something about the numbness after suffering a loss and the ugly side of it that really spoke to me.

+ not a book and I haven't watched it in years but I think you might enjoy Revolutionary Girl Utena if you haven't seen it already. It spoke to me in the same way some parts of TLT do (and it's very gay)

[magicalyaku]

Great, so apparently I read a lot in August, so now I have to wreak my brain to remember so many books. Thank you, past-me.

Ace Voices (Eris Young): My one non-fiction book of the year! I'm bad with non-fiction books because I should read them on paper and read them twice to grasp all the concepts which of course I won't do, so afterwards I don't really remember what I read. It took a bit to get used to the writing because it's very personal from the author's perspective, which is not how know my non-fiction books from the back then, but ultimately I liked this one for compiling a variety of different experiences about different topics from the aspec community, and especially to topics relevant to my own current writing. Might be a good ressource.

Wrath Becomes Her (Aden Polydoros): I've read pretty much all of the author's other books, with The City Beautiful being the my first and favorite. This one is his second best in my opinion. It's not a story to enjoy, because of war and death and grief, but it's very intense, an interesting idea and well-rendered. I only wish the author had written in his afterword why he picked that setting in the first place.

You Owe Me One, Universe (Chad Lucas): This is the sequel to Thanks a lot Universe, which I liked a lot. I think first one was stronger but there a themes that are better dealt with when a story and characters are already established. My memory is a bit wonky but I dare say this one is about change - growing up, changing family situations, friendships, can the bully become a better person and such. It's still pretty heavy in some parts while also idealistic in others. But really, if we're not idealistic in a middle grade book, then where else?

Brave Face (Shaun David Hutchinson): Oops, this being a memoir is actually my second non-fiction book in a year. I think it's the very first memoir I read at all. It was easy to read and to understand because it feel like a story with all the shit that happened. I guess, that's why some people have things to tell about their lives and others don't. It also gives a good insight why his books are they way they are.

Evergreen (Davin Greenlee): I waited 6 months for my copy of this! Was a real surprise when I suddenly got the shipping notice. Was it worth the wait? Hm. Not the first half. That was frustrating because my logic is different than the characters'. The protagonist was kept away by his mother from humans for his entire childhood and youth and how long it would have gone on, for safety reasons. But I think it'd be much safer to get a child used to the outside world where you have an excuse to hover around it as a parent and when something happens, because children naturally don't know things. Whereas when a 30-year-old man goes outside and embarasses himself because he doesn't know shit about humans, it's much worse. What did the mother think when she put a neighbor her son's age right next to his nose? Of course, he's going to talk to them. And don't be exasperated he fell into a pool when you didn't tell him the dangers! Just going on with "It's not safe" never helped anyone. Give them details! That was annoying. The second half, however, got much more enjoyable. One thing in the ending made me sigh because of course it had to go that route when there was another much more attractive choice right next to it, would have made the message stronger. But well. I do think the author has potential (and a lot of perseverance!)

Caught in a Bad Fauxmance (Elle Gonzalez Rose): Here's one I don't have a story about, so I have a hard time recalling what happened in the book. That's the reason I picked it in the first place, though, easy light-hearted read. I think I read most of this on the train to a convention, and I had a good time. Like "oh no, I should sleep a bit, but I want to continue reading because it's fun." And really, sometimes that's all we need, right.

Deke & Hat Trick (Fake Boyfriends 3+5) (Eden Finley): These covers absolutely don't fit what I usually read! Aah! 8D Explanation: I was sick in bed with a fever and the flu and needed something to keep the brain busy but not too complicated. Time for an audiobook, I reckoned. And somehow these were the only books my library had available that fit my tastes, I had not already read, or were too heavy. I have to admit, my expectations in these kind of books are very low, basically porn with a bit of story as decoration. So I was pleasantly surprised that they're actually not that bad. Nothing to win a prize, but they are entertaining, the characters are quite likeable, as is the writing and some of the more serious topics, like being gay in professional sports, are handled well (from an outsider perspective such as mine at least). After I finished Deke, I immediately put on the next one. And then, a day later I felt like I was being brainwashed and decided not to listen to any more of those (like ever). 8D Also, I still know nothing about hockey and don't want to know~

That's it for August. Expect the remaining reviews of 2024 in the remaining days of 2024. :'D

[clementime-artwork]

What is Luca and Kieran's relationship as the time goes on? They must've been like a shy duo at the beginning and then afterwords the latter must've gave creeps to the former...

Thanks for the ask!

You’re definitely right about them being close in the beginning. Luca was very happy to find someone closer to himself both age and personality-wise; even though he wouldn’t give up the Paldean friend crew for the world, they could be a little bit much for him at times. Kieran was much more his speed, so for the first few days in Kitakami they were peas in a pod. They even both had Dipplin!

But before I delve into what happens to them, I should bring up some interesting facts about Luca. Namely, his relationship and feelings towards Legendary Pokemon. Throughout his journey in Paldea, Luca has encountered his fair share of powerful mons, between the Titan Pokemon and the Treasures of Ruin, and excluding two of them, most of them have been pretty negative experiences. The worst of it was the entire Area Zero Ordeal. Things didn’t go as smoothly as they did in the games, resulting in a lot of Luca’s friends and Pokémon getting very badly injured and the kid himself almost getting killed. As a result, Luca has developed a pretty strong phobia of most legendary Pokemon. He’d be happy never having to encounter one again. Unfortunately, his natural affinity with Pokemon kind of screws him over here.

Now, let’s get back to Kitakami! Like in game, Luca met Ogrepon during the festival and was pressured by Carmine to keep it a secret from Kieran. The following experience was a pretty awful for Luca; not only was he once again dealing with a bunch of legendary Pokemon (some of which that literally ROSE FROM THE DEAD in front of him), but he also had to deal with the pressure and guilt about keeping Ogrepon’s existence a secret from one of his closest friends. When Kieran finally found out the details, it was hard to say which of them felt worse about the whole situation.

And then, just when things seemed to be getting better, Ogrepon decides it wants to go with Luca. Even though Ogrepon may be one of the nicest and sweetest legendaries Luca had ever met, he still wasn’t quite comfortable with it, and was ready to just outright try and decline. However, Kieran took things personally and started pressuring the issue. One tense battle later, and Luca had lost one of his closest friends to date and became the unwilling trainer of yet another Pokemon of myth. Hooray!

Despite Kieran’s obvious antagonism towards the end, Luca ultimately blames no one but himself for what happened. He returned from that school trip pretty miserable…

(Things continue in BB Academy, but that gets a lot more complicated with the League Club members and stuff. I may write that later, for now we’ll leave it on a cliffhanger! ;] )

[missamyrisa2]

Low-key would be interested to see the Miss Amy Lore - as in, what got you into tickling? I know my depressed childhood self was like wow something that isn’t painful that can literally force me to be happy for a fleeting second! Lemme hyperfixate on that for like, forever. Also, you seem pretty experienced in the world of tickling - why not just find someone on fetlife who’s in your area and likes tickling; set up a date and then bam? Maybe it goes well and you’ll have near constant tickles?

awww you're soo sweet to ask something like this~! And my story actually isn't super far off from yours! I was very touch and attention deprived in my younger years, and tickling was something I started wanting, like a lot. It felt like the ultimate form of giving attention with nonstop touching. The want very quickly grew into an endless craving. I used to draw tickle scenarios, tickle machines, maps of the world where one would go to get tickled, etc. That blossomed into tickle stories which I would pen at the back of notebooks and immediately destroy afterword. The cartoon tickle scenes definitely accelerated my obsession, but I really can't point to them as the source. I was far into tickling before I ever saw a tickle scene, at least that I can remember.

When I finally got brave enough to search for tickling on the Internet I was at first put off because the first content I stumbled into was very hardcore. Eventually I found the lighter side of tickling and I was lurking about on various communities for a long time, always longing to see more of the cutesy sort of tickles I'd write about. And then I had enough of waiting for the content I wanted to appear, so I started posting my own stuff under the pen name Celestial Specter. I used a few other names over the years but that was probably the biggest. I also launched my first tumblr under that name and posted gifs I made from tickle clips. After one of many purges I rebooted as Miss Amy Risa and I've stuck with that name since. The teases are something I started doing a few tumblrs ago and it has mostly replaced my story writing and gif making.

I spent soooo sooo long on the outside peering into tickle communities, seeing tickle fight threads and conversations and hearing about RP sessions people would be breaking off into. I was longing so badly to join but couldn't just jump in no matter how welcoming they were. So with the anon ask on tumblr I thought it would be the perfect place for anyone who wanted to ask for tickles without having to know someone or be an established member or pay money or meet any sort of arbitrary requirements. Same with the stories I wrote, I'm creating the tickle stuff I always wanted to have when I was starting out my journey. No strings attached, no ongoing session to worry about getting awkward, just a setup and a tickle ~<3

I've done some sessions through people I met on fetlife. It was a mixed experience and I'm really not into it right now. Maybe again in the future, until then I'm very content with some people I know personally who fill my feathery bucket.

I hope you are finding ways to fill yours too darling. I know exactly what you mean by fixating on tickles to forget all the awfuls. I always say that tickling is my existential need. I forget about all the troubles and I'm just ever soooo happpy when I'm being tickled or tickling someone or giving tickles here or being teased to bits ~<33

[semper-legens]

56. My Heart Is A Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones

Owned?: No, library Page count: 439 My summary: Jade is not a troubled teen. Sure, she loves playing macabre pranks on her classmates, doesn't have any friends, and sees life through the lens of slasher movies - but with the life she's been given, who can blame her? The only Native girl in her little rural community, living with a deadbeat dad and a world that hates her, Jade has every disadvantage in life and nowhere to go. But when the signs line up that a real-life slasher is coming to Proofrock, suddenly Jade's life has a deeper meaning. She knows what this is. She's ready. And she's going to make sure that the right story plays out. My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

I kept picking this book up and putting it down and picking it up and putting it down, not sure if I wanted to read it. There was, in fact, one thing that ultimately clinched it for me - the author. I read The Only Good Indians a while back and fell in love with its dark outlook, its complex politics, and the deep trauma that oozes from every page. This looked to be similar in style and tone, a dark urban fantasy with a killer on the loose, and only one girl who can stop it. But she's all kinds of fucked up and nobody wants to listen to her, of course. That's the way these things go. So how did the story pan out? Deeply engaging, strange, lyrical, and bloody as one might expect from a slasher tale. I enjoyed it, though it was by no means an easy read.

(Warning for mention of suicide, sexual assault and abuse, child molestation and incest under the cut.)

Jade is the main character and the main draw of this novel. A lot is riding on her as a protagonist, and I'm glad to say that she very much carries the narrative by being a deeply interesting character. Jade starts out bruised, wounded, latching onto her slasher-movie ideas of how the world works and fitting everything into that framework. She becomes fixated on Letha, a new and rich girl at school moving into the newly-built community of Terra Nova, because she is convinced Letha will be the 'Final Girl'. It's to the point where she reads really strongly as being autistic, with a hyperfocus that overrides everything. At various points, she wonders if going to the police about her concerns is worth it - she knows Letha needs to have certain experiences to set her up as Final Girl, and the police are useless in slasher movies anyway. Everything she does, she brings back to slashers. Interspersed throughout the chapters are essays she wrote to her beloved History teacher about slashers in lieu of homework, bringing her interest into the school subject. She's flawed, of course. Mentally ill, aware of her own strangeness, wrapped up in her own head, and hopelessly avoidant. But all of those flaws just make her a stronger character, and a very engaging one to boot.

This book is, largely, about trauma - both the specific trauma experienced by the main character and a more generalised trauma specific to Indigenous people throughout the US. (The characters universally use 'Indian' to describe Jade and her father, but I'm a white English person, so I'm going to use 'Indigenous' and 'Native'.) Jade is a very troubled kid. It's teased early on that something might have happened with her father - she hates him, and partially wants her life to be a slasher movie so that he dies. Letha suspects her father molested her, which she refutes; this turns out to be the case towards the end of the book, however. Jones' afterword to the book mentions that Jade as a character didn't start to solidify to him until after he read an article about a Native girl who killed herself after being abused by her father, and how widespread an issue that was in Native communities.

Jade herself starts the book with a suicide attempt, and throughout displays a lack of care towards her own life that is at the very least passively suicidal, if not actively trying to get herself killed. She's in denial, she's fixated on slasher movies both as a coping mechanism and as a refuge. Applying their framework to her life is how she rationalises and copes with the world around her. There's an underlying tension in earlier parts of the book as to whether there actually is a slasher killer on the streets of Proofrock or if Jade is drawing conclusions where there are none, wanting to protect girls from their fathers in a show of misplaced revenge. A lot of the more obviously slasher-y things we see only happen when Jade is alone, bringing into question her narration. That, plus the hazy, stream of consciousness first person voice really brings a dark and uncertain tone to the whole book.

And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how race and Indigeneity plays into the entire affair. Does Jade fixate on Letha because she's Black, the only other girl of colour in school? But more than that, race underpins everything. The lake the bulk of the action centres around is called Indian Lake, and one of the first signs a slasher is in town is the mass-killing of elk nearby, a motif that also appears in The Only Good Indians. Hell, the rich people building a new settlement in town call their home Terra Nova, literally 'New World'. And the slasher? A ghost, it turns out - a little Native girl whose mother was killed, who herself died in a cruel prank, and whose spirit cannot sink beneath the waters of Indian Lake because she is a 'heathen' in the eyes of the Church. It all comes back to the poisoning of Native land and Native lives by the settlers who would claim it as their own - no accident, then, that Jade is the only one who sees the truth. Trauma both personal and intergenerational, and all circling around Jade. Poor kid. But such a compelling character, and I'm so glad I finally picked this up and read it. It's harrowing, but it's a really good read.

Next up, from one horrible thing to another, as we take a look at a boy who drew Auschwitz.

[yumiyue07]

Through Fire and Blood

Afterword

Hello dear readers,

Another story that has truly grown on me has now come to an end. I look back with a mix of a teary eye and a smile —the protagonists have really left their mark on me, just as I hope they have on you.

When I first started writing this, I never imagined it would grow so long. But as I revised it, new ideas kept coming up, and I uncovered plot holes that needed fixing. Before I knew it, the story expanded, and I had to stop myself before it spiraled further out of control!

At one point, I even considered turning it into a full book. What do you think—would you be interested in seeing it as a novel? 📖

I’ve also toyed with the idea of writing a part two. 😏 There are still a few loose ends to explore, like the wedding or the Syndicate's possible revenge. What do you think? Should we dive back in?

Inspiration for this story actually struck after I re-watched Stray Kids' MV ‘Freeze’. Bang Chan, with that sharp suit and dangerous gaze 🔥, sparked the idea for my main character. STAYs, you can’t deny that Bang Chan looks absolutely stunning in that MV! I wanted H/N to embody the same fierceness—ruthless to his enemies but deeply protective and loving toward his fiancée and family. ❤️

As for Y/N, I was determined not to portray her as a helpless damsel. After what she endured, she had to be someone who could defend herself. I think she held her ground well against Cobra, even managing to take out a guard. It wasn’t quite enough against Jun Ho, though. Of course, Jun Ho is an excellent fighter, and if it hadn’t been for that stupid tree root, Y/N might have escaped. 😅

Jun Ho’s character developed unexpectedly. Initially, I wrote him as an older villain with little attachment to Y/N. But during the revision, I decided to make him a love rival for H/N. Well, "rival" is a bit of a stretch—he never truly got the chance to know Y/N deeply. Torn between his loyalty to Cobra and his desire to protect Y/N, he made the ultimate sacrifice for her without directly betraying his boss.💔

And yes, Y/N did develop some positive feelings for Jun Ho. While nothing could ever surpass her love for H/N 🥰, under different circumstances, I think Jun Ho might have stood a chance.

As for Cobra... Oh, Cobra! 🐍 I was tempted to make him even more vicious, but I just couldn’t bring myself to inflict too much pain on my protagonists.

He picked up on the growing connection between Jun Ho and Y/N and, in the end, took revenge on him.

Ultimately, his charm couldn’t save him in this game; he was too overzealous and underestimated H/N. I hope you hated him at least a little, though!

And, of course, there’s our favorite doctor, Saint. 🩺 His name just came to me as I was writing, and in a way, it fits him perfectly—he’s like a true saint in this dark gangster world. Without his skill, a few of our “bad boys” wouldn’t still be standing! I love his stoic yet playful demeanor, and he has a natural camaraderie with H/N that brings a lightness to their intense world.

Now, it’s time to say goodbye—for now. Parting with these characters is bittersweet. 🥹 After spending weeks with them, I feel a bit of that same emptiness you get after finishing a good book. Do you know what I mean?

But don’t worry, I won’t be gone for long. I’ve already started planning my next story, and this time, it will be a completely different setting. 🌌 I’m curious to see how you’ll react!

Until then, thank you for being on this journey with me. See you soon!

With love, YumiYue 💖

Follow me on: 📸 Instagram: @yumiyue07 🎵 TikTok: @yumiyue07 📝 Wattpad: @LunaVerse_YumiYue

Please like, share, and follow! ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fan fiction inspired by Stray Kids’ song “Freeze”. All characters and events are fictional and are not intended to represent real people or events.

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[demi-shoggoth]

2024 Reading Log, pt 4

16. A Haunted History of Invisible Women by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes. I liked about 90% of this book a lot. It’s written by two women who run ghost tours, and tells the stories of various ghosts and haunted places from a perspective of women’s history and the patriarchal expectations of American society. All that is pretty darn good. The stories are sorted by the archetypes and stereotypes the ghosts fit into, virginal maidens, witches, spinsters, devoted wives and mothers, madwomen, etc. Where the book loses me is the end, whereupon the mask of “we’re open minded and only one of us is a true believer” comes off. The chapters about frauds and hoaxes, despite talking about the need to sort real folklore from fakelore, are deeply critical of anyone who seeks to debunk hauntings and even goes out of its way to shit-talk Harry Houdini! Which leaves this collection of pretty good ghostly writing with a sour taste in my mouth. Your mileage may vary.

17. The Secret Life of Corals by David E Vaughan, PhD. This is a book I wanted to like, but ultimately left me cold. Vaughan is a specialist on coral farming, and this book is partially his summary of how corals live and partially a pitch for his nonprofit coral restoration project. The science of how his restoration works is fascinating, and involves exploiting coral’s regenerative properties to accelerate their growth, seeding the same site with clonal polyps that will then fuse together and become reproductively viable much faster than if they started from scratch. Unfortunately, the “science of coral” stuff didn’t have enough science, and had too many folksy metaphors and tangents, to really hold my interest. As an hour long presentation given live, I think this book would work. As a book, I find myself decidedly not the target audience.

18. on Rare Birds by Anita Albus. Do you want to read a book about ornithology written by someone who hates science? Boy, do I have the book for you! This book covers birds that are not necessarily rare; some are extinct, some are endangered, some are just German. I thought it was peculiar, how the most recent author cited in the text was from the 1930s, and how the book had a laser like focus on wildlife conservation failures, instead of successes. But in the lengthy afterword, in which the author (despite having spent 200+ pages anthropomorphizing birds) states that any attempt to read evolutionary antecedents from human behavior is eugenics and that evolutionary theory itself is literally the work of the Devil, is when it clicked for me. Oh, and the book has some nice art, I guess. Avoid at all costs.

19. Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby. Of the books in this batch, this is the only one I can wholeheartedly recommend. This book is a survey of Australia’s mammals and the history of their study, with a decided focus on monotremes. The book is also a polemical about the lasting damage done by imperialism in science, arguing that the perception of Australian wildlife as “weird” and “primitive” dates back to the continent’s colonial past. And that this perception has led to policies that have further endangered Australian wildlife, much more so than on other continents. From both a biological and political perspective, this book is an excellent read. It’s also funny and charming, and has some great illustrations.

20. Monsters Who’s Who by Dulan Barber. How I got a copy of this book at all is a story in and of itself—it appears in the 70s Z movie The Alien Factor, read by a character shortly before his death at the claws of a zagatile (which is a yeti on stilts with compound eyes). So out of curiosity, I bought a used copy, and it is a weird one. Definitely a glimpse of what fan culture was like before the internet, let along VHS. The book’s monsters are mostly from movies, although there are some Greek mythical monsters, some British folklore, some Doctor Who villains, some Marvel characters (as many heroes as villains—is Spider-Man a monster?) and some dinosaurs. The entries are written as if through a vague memory of seeing a movie a while ago; I kind of doubt any research was done for this book that wasn’t seeing what pictures they could get the rights to. As a cultural artifact, it’s a hoot. As an actual reference to monsters, there are so many better available.