#i'm allergic to long books and long series

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

if someone wanted to try Robin Hobb's books, how should they go about doing that?

[tj-crochets]

Crafting update!  - I drew the pattern for a teddy bear and/or bunny yesterday - I got all the fabric cut out, and about half the sewing done - it would have been more, but there was a fabric fundraiser sale thing in town today and I had to go to that (I got some random fabric and a bunch of faux suede. No idea what I’ll make with that yet but I love the texture. Maybe doll clothes?) - While I was out, I stopped by a pharmacy to see if they had thigh high compression socks* (they did, but if I’m spending that much I want colorful compression socks so I did not buy them) and found salsa without vinegar!! Salsa I am not allergic to! I haven’t had salsa in so long!!! This one is not craft related I’m just excited - My sewing time was also limited by my discovery of a new book series that I thought was going to be a legal drama/thriller, and then like a third of the way in it added magic and hinted at the fae and I was like “okay, sure?” and then another third of the way in it unexpectedly added the CIA and references what the CIA was doing in the 60s????? In what had been a magical realism legal thrilled???? And the initial legal case, previous heavily implied to be magic-related, might have instead been a coverup orchestrated by the CIA, possibly also using magic???? So I had to finish the first book before I could sew and now I can’t start the second book until tomorrow or I will not sleep until I finish it lol *I have chronic low blood pressure and/or tachycardia. My cardiologist said I should try thigh high compression socks to see if they work better than knee high, but if I’m wearing thigh high compression socks they are darn well going to be colorful! I’m not spending $60 on a single pair of beige socks

[hitomisuzuya]

HIII SUZUUU first time requesting kind nervous lol. For once finally ur requests are open when I'm up 😭 I've been thinking abt scummy scara way too much lately like literally basically imagine just going on a cute date with him only for him to fuck you dumb the second u guys arent in public 🤭🤭🤭

Scaramouche x fem!reader. Scummy Scaramouche. Smut. Edging. Teasing. Degradation. Some date fluff. Reader is hinted in having a metal allergy cause I am allergic to gold jewelry.

Have I said how much I love when requests are worded like this 😳😌 No one should feel nervous requesting from me. 🥺

It was no secret that Scaramouche was a trust fund baby. And the one thing he liked to do with that money is spend it on you. He has to spoil his precious girl, after all.

If there was a cute stuffed animal you looked at for even a second in passing, it was yours. You wanted a book, he bought the whole series for you. You commented on how pretty a piece of expensive jewelry was, he bought it without hesitation. Especially if it was silver. Your skin was finicky about certain metals.

Scaramouche thought silver was prettier, anyways. Not prettier than you. How dare a metal even consider coming close to you.

He always touching you in some way as you walked. An arm around your waist, holding your hand, even sitting down somewhere he had his hand on your thigh. You were taken, damn it, and he needed to make the perfectly clear to anyone who looked.

"Scara, you've spent enough money on me already," You fretted, making him chuckle as he stopped in front of a lingerie boutique in town.

"Nonsense, I insist," Scaramouche replied. Oh yeah, he always insisted. Especially if it meant picking out lingerie for him to rip off later.

God, just picturing how you would look in the lacy black, blue, and purple lingerie to picked out for you was starting to make his cock twitch. "If you need any help, I can come in with you," He said, wishing the changing room door had some kind of keyhole.

"No, Scara, it's okay. I can manage," You said, blushing from how enthusiastic he sounded about helping you put everything on.

That wasn't the point. He needed to see how you looked in them. His imagination was starting to drive him a little crazy. His fingers were shaking with need, and the anticipation of getting his hands on you.

Even the lady behind the counter was starting to give him a stern look. He probably looked something like a dog frothing at the mouth.

With many bags in hand, back you headed with Scaramouche to his dorm. No sooner were you a few steps from it, he was making you drop bags right in the hallway, pushing you against the wall. His hands roamed greedily over your body, biting at your lips as he kissed you.

"Mmmm~," He purred, hooking his fingers through your panties, "you wore the one I hoped you would out of the store." He could hardly wait when you had given him only a price tag to take up to the counter with everything else.

Throwing open his dorm room door, Scaramouche stumbled inside with you, his lips never leaving yours. His hands pawed at your clothes, standing behind you in front of his mirror so he could watch himself remove the lacy purple lingerie. "Purple always looks so pretty on your skin," He kissed and bit at your shoulder as he unhooked your bra, groping your breasts before tugging it off.

Guiding you over to his bed, he pushed you down on it, spreading your legs as he licked a long the inside of your thighs. You squirmed, his spit rolling down the inside of your thighs to soak against the fabric.

"Ha, getting wound already. What a needy slut you are," He purred excitedly, hastily tugging your panties off. His eyes drank in your form spread out before him, just as hastily taking off his clothes. "Can't wait for me to fuck you dumb on my cock, hm?"

You whimpered, grinding needily against him as he pressed the tip of his aching cock on your clit. It sounded so fucking sweet to him that he had to hear it over and over again.

Scaramouche groaned every time he heard you whimper, relentlessly teasing the tip of his cock against your entrance. The way you squirmed on desperation, your walls fluttering and clenching around it was a drool worthy sight to him. His mouth said as much, drool dripping down onto your chest.

"Scara, please, put your cock all the way in me. I can't take much more," You pleaded, reaching down to grasp his cock to try and urge it inside of you. "Cum inside of me."

That sent him feral. Folding your body, and throwing your legs over his shoulder, his slid his cock slowly inside of you. Groaning, he cursed when his cock rested against your sweet spot. Pulling out to the tip, he slowly pushed himself back inside so he could feel your walls clench tight around his cock as he bottomed out again.

Every thrust made you see stars, your eyes rolling closed. Wrapping your arms around him, you clung to him. Scaramouche was determined for the entire campus to hear how good he was fucking you.

"Fuck, look at me when you cum, slut," Scaramouche hissed, pounding himself inside of you, his entire body quivering, his cock throbbing with his approaching orgasm.

Your eyes snapped open, tears welling in them as his lips captured yours to swallow your moans. He bit at your lips, pulling away when your legs started to tremble in pleasure.

"Scream it, whore. Who's fucking you this good, hm?" Scaramouche pushed your legs farther up towards your head, his husky moans only rose in octave as he drove he cock deeper inside of you.

"Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Scaramouche!" The way you chanted his name like mantra, your release flooding around his cock made him cum suddenly inside of you. He left his cock resting deep into your sweet spot, his warm cum ribboning inside of you. You felt every throb of his cock.

Panting, Scaramouche pulled out of you after a few long minutes of feverishly fucking his cum back inside of you. Rolling off of you, he latched one of his lips around your nipple, sucking on it as he scooped some of his cum onto his fingers.

Your back arched off the bed, gasping when he rubbed and hooked his fingers over your sweet spot. You still hadn't entirely come down from your orgasm.

Scaramouche only wanted to continue to make his precious girl feel as good you made him feel. By cumming again all over his fingers.

[gloomysarchive]

♡︎ Alphabet Soup Series ♡︎

abc headcanons || miles42 x black gn!reader

M} — move

he’d take so long to initially ask you out, but he’d do it romantically when he finally plucks up the courage. it's been hard for him to get close to someone ever since his dad died, so you'd have to be patient. he didn't know what to get you as a token of his affection. flowers? what if you were allergic? candy? What if you didn't like candy? So he went with something simple, something he did best; he gifted you a portrait he made of you. he played it off all cool like "it ain't even my best work fr" "i can do better than that, yk?" basically trying to prepare himself if you turned him down.

╰╴he's genuinely surprised when you don't reject him. he didn't show it, but he was happy as hell.

I} — interests

he wants to know what you like. he'll check out anything you put him on to, really. movies, shows, artists, books, etc. he'll listen to you rant and ramble about your interests, and he'll nod along, hanging onto every word like it's the most important thing he's ever been told — and he genuinely feels that way. he'll keep tabs on what you like, and give you updates like "oh i heard it's getting a second season", "i think that's getting an adaption, you tryna see it when it comes out?"

╰╴ also, if he sees anything remotely related to your interests, he'll buy it. he hates not knowing what to give people, which is another reason why he pays close attention to what you're into. he keeps all types of merch in his cart so he'll never run out of gift ideas.

L} — love

it'd take even longer for him to finally say "i love you". those three lil words carry a lot of weight to him, and he can't just be throwing them around like it's nothing. he wants to make sure he can trust you, if you're actually his and not just playing with him. once he does say it, tho, he'd be dramatic about it.

╰╴"I need to talk to you rq," "ok... what's up?"

he'd stare at you, silently, studying you for a bit as he tries to build up the courage. he'd take your hands in his, holding them tenderly. he'd give them a gentle squeeze — then, he'd say it.

╰╴♡︎ “Eres tan preciosa para mí. Te quiero...”

E} — emotions

he doesn't like being vulnerable; it takes a while for him to open up to you, but he eventually does, piece by piece. he'd tell you what he stresses about or his other hopes and dreams. he plans to get you and his mama away from all the chaos of the city.

╰╴and he's there for you just as much as you are for him. He listens patiently when you're ranting or venting about something that's bothering you. he waits until you're done talking and tries his best to calm you down after you get worked up and give you advice. other than “i should beat that bitch ass”, he gives really good advice.

S} — sleep

he INSISTS he never sleeps 🙄 he's always up at night doing his vigilante work, protecting what he loves (his city, his mama, you, ofc) but whenever does get the chance to get some rest in, it'd be with you. he'd stop by your place during one of his patrols, just to check on you. y'all would talk for a bit, just enjoying each other's company. then you'd notice how low and hazy his eyes are, and how he's dragging his words a bit.

╰╴"i got shit to do, I can't be tryna go to bed n shit," "i'm not sayin' go to bed, you can take a lil hour nap..." after going back and forth for a while he'd finally give in, with reluctance, flopping onto your bed. he's out almost immediately, clutching you tight as if someone would take you from him while he's asleep.

bear w me y'all I haven't written in a lil bit LMAO

[malepresentingleg]

Bed Friend Novel vs Series

I'm not sure if it counts as spoilers since I'm not going to address anything later than where the series is at now, only provide extra background information and point out some differences for what was already aired.

I have to say that so far I prefer the series to the novel but I still thought it could be nice to share key points that are missing.

Differences from the series will be pointed out in pink,

My own interpretation in green.

Uea's background (tw abuse)

Uea's parents fought all the time when he was a kid, and took so long to divorce because they argued over who's gonna get custody over him (both wanted the other to😶). His mom lost and was "stuck" with him ever since, with no child support from his father. She remarried and they moved to his stepdad's house, tearing him away from the extended family he loved in Lampang - the place Uea mentions by the pool in the work outing in episode 4.

His mom and stepdad had a baby, and for his mom Uea was just a sore reminder of her past life and she treated him like SHIT. His stepdad was gentle and tried to defend him against her and show Uea he's "on his side". When his mom found out about his gayness she flipped, did the locking him in a completely dark bathroom several times and was generally an abusive asshole pretty much like shown in the series. Uea kept standing up to her though, at least verbally about his sexuality.

Then at some point when he was a teenager his stepdad woke him up Like That (like in the series) and his mom didn't believe him of course. Since then his stepdad didn't hide behind subtly anymore and kept harassing him. Whenever his mom locked him, it would be even worse now because his stepdad kept trying to pick the lock to get him, which would have been even worse for Uea. Understandable why he's traumatized AF.

At the birthday the reason he left was not because of his stepdad, but because his mom only wanted him to come so she can ask for more money.

Currently he's 27, a graphic designer at that company for 3 years. People keep hitting on him because he's so pretty, but he's very annoyed by it. He hates when people hit on him through Jade (aka middleman), he hates players and flirts.

He had several boyfriends in the past and they all ended up cheating assholes basically.

The most tragic part of his life though is that he LOVES animals but is super allergic to their fur.

King and Uea

They first met 8-9 years before the series, Uea just ended a relationship and was at a bar. King hit on him a little but then Uea saw him hit on someone else and hated him for being "a player". A couple of years later he met him again when Jade introduced them. King and Jade are childhood friends from kindergarten, Jade was Uea's uni roommate so he was civil. Then he was very mad to discover when he started working that King works there too, and they had a kinda hateful relationship since, but it was very one-sided from Uea.

The first night they slept together they were both drunk, King just slightly less so, and he took Uea in a taxi to his house because he didn't know where Uea lives. He put him in bed, and Uea was too drunk to explain about the dark so he just begged King not to leave him and King "couldn't help it".

I think so far it's the only part I preferred in the book, because in the series King was driving and a lot less drunk and more aware of what was happening.

Later - King apologized for taking advantage of Uea like this (and really made a point of not doing anything with him at the work outing when Uea was drunk as we saw in episode 5).

Something I hated in the novel but loved in the series was the morning after, when King talks about how much of a gentleman he was and that he deserves a reward. In the series Uea replied wonderfully saying this should be standard, while in the novel he basically said King missed his chance when he didn't go for it the night before.

In general, King is more pushy and demanding in the novel, more playing into the trope of the big top who can't help himself.

He left a hickey on Uea which he was mad about and did a half-assed apology at first.

Unlike the series when King catches himself and remembers Uea doesn't like something, in the novel when King kisses Uea on the cheek again after Uea stopped him a while before, Uea was the one who had to say "I told you not to do this." and King was very nonchalant about forgetting about that too. Which, to be fair isn't the worst. It's not like King knows exactly what it means for Uea and that it's a big deal, but still pretty shitty.

Another thing that was much better in the series imo was the scene at the end of episode 5 when the lights went out. In the Novel they were going to go to bed and Uea tried to turn out the bedside light only to find out it's needed changing. He was going to go get a new bulb to change but King whined and stopped him from going and made him just stay and go to bed with him. Eventually Uea relaxed into his arms.

Uea keeps referring to him as a "sex addict" which I tie more with Uea's sense of shame about his sexuality.

Pretty early on in their FWB relationship Uea actually told King about his mom's abuse and the reason he's scared of the dark, but they didn't discuss it other than that.

Also at this point - they both like each other, they're both in love with each other basically, and they ARE pretty aware of each other's feelings. The issue is that Uea doesn't believe King can change and doesn't want to enter a relationship with him when King "is and always will be a player". (And he's a complete clown because they basically are in a relationship at this points sdfss).

King, too, is aware of his own feelings but is unsure if he can really commit. Verbally though he keeps trying to convince Uea he can.

Jade

I already mentioned he's King's childhood friend and Uea's uni bestie. He has a way bigger role in the book, and a whole romance of his own that by this point of the series should have concluded if it followed his character's story like the book.

He's exactly the annoying bl "helpless wife" trope and doesn't have much personality other than that. His love interest would have come and left the company by this point so I have no idea what their plan is for the Middleman Love. I know the book's events of that novel happen at the same time as the Bed Friend novel but I have not and will not read it so I don't know much more. For some reason they give some of the roles his love interest had to Gun, who doesn't have such a big role in the book.

I will say Jade is a good friend to Uea, and he really wanted him and King to get along since they're his two besties. When they started to be nicer to each other he almost cried.

Random bits

It really bothered me they went to get a blood test a week after their one-night stand when in the novel it was 3 weeks (the proper amount to wait before doing an HIV test). Also in the novel it was actually discussed it's for HIV (which... other STDs exist yknow), Uea gets tested regularly and also always uses a condom. King says he does too, but they didn't use one That Night because he was too drunk, for which he apologized.

Also, one time King talked Uea into having sex in the bathroom in the morning before work, Uea put his foot down about using a condom "No condom, no sex". They ended up late for work and Uea was pissed.

When they made plans to watch the football match they didn't do the fake phone call, the series really pulled through with that one : ')

Also, they watched the game alone at home, not in a bar with lots of other people (and it was Liverpool vs Arsenal).

-

There's probably definitely more, but this is what I remember off the top of my head, and my ask box is opened for more specific clarifications :)

[heteromerous-rhyming]

while i'm feeling stabby let's talk about action scenes in the percy jackson show (bc i refuse to let this go i refuse i do)

bc the actions scenes otherwise were not unfortunately memorable for me i'm going to be talking about the first and last ones and why they don't work both on a cinematic level but also on a character level. did i want to address the disappointingness of the st louis arch fight? yes. but literally cannot remember it beyond the fact that it was disappointing. which says a lot imo.

so. let's start with the mrs. dodds fight shall we?

i'm going to say it. taking away the sequence where percy assumes that he's wrongfully in trouble kills a bunch of subtle character work in the series.

in the books percy has a short monologue at the beginning where he starts off with "am i a troubled kid?" and so the lead up to mrs. dodds attacking him does several things. we, the reader understand that percy didn't (consciously) do anything, so we feel the unfairness when he's pulled aside - this scene asks us, the readers, to sympathize with the kid, not the authority figure. it sets up a fundamental theme in the books, that authority figures, and more specifically adults, can be challenged, can be wrong, can be terribly unfair to children. and this is important considering the protagonist of this story is dyslexic and has ADHD???

and they take it out. and it's really really galling.

there's so many other things that i could say about the character work in this scene. so many, like the fact that mrs. dodds' monologue about the gods is misinterpreted at first to be about the school - setting up the connection between the school administration unfairness and the gods unfair attitudes towards their children. like the moment when percy thinks that it might have been his ADHD acting up when mrs. dodds got up the stairs quicker than humanly possible. there's also less foreshadowing for mr. brunner being chiron, like the pen turning into a sword isn't even properly shown hello the pen suddenly having magical properties could be completely divorced from mr. brunner gifting it to percy.

there's just. a lot. of character work I'M LITERALLY SCREAMING IT'S NOT EVEN A HARD SCENE JUST PLEASE WHY IS THE SHOW ALLERGIC TO TENSION LIKE PLEASE

but they don't add in the conversations, they don't add in the moment of self-doubt, they don't add in mr. brunner. mrs. dodds just approaches menacingly. in broad daylight. like sir. the mist can cover a lot but it showed ares as a kidnapper. it doesn't make that much sense that it completely erased people's perception of mrs. dodds. like please.

(also idk if this is disney, but i think that it was incredibly frustrating that they really just removed percy's being treated as a delinquent and as a troubled kid. the show begins with the monologue but the monologue is kickstarted by percy being at "Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York." HELLO??? you could have had the exact same monologue but you change it for subpar themes????)

ok so it doesn't work on a character level.

does it work cinematically?

HELL NO.

this scene has already been torn to shreds and back (BUT NOT ENOUGH) so i'll be short. EVEN THE SPY KIDS HAS IMPACT SEQUENCES. ONES THAT LOOK REALISTIC MIND YOU. there's no impact. percy isn't pushed down by mrs. dodds, he just. trips? ig? silently? without any noise? ahahaha the lack of noise??? someone else has already mentioned the lack of noise but yeah once you hear (or don't hear) it, you can't un-hear it.

ahahahaha

ok but surely the show improved as they went on, as the filmed more etc etc. sure. but like. also no. (and also though i'm sure they did film these episodes in order lets also keep in mind that filming is not always linear)

ARES FIGHT SCENE WOOOOO LET'S GO

ok i did lose the video (i looked for it i swear, i took 30 min trying to look for it, which really isn't that long but yeah) but a lovely tumblr user here (i think i know who it was but i don't want to be embarrassingly wrong) edited the ares's fight with his internal monologue and an awful recorder rendition of that one song from the titanic and it really does encapsulate my thoughts. but yeah if you aren't familiar with the video.

when i was watching the final episode i swear i was trying to turn all critical brain functions off but it was really hard for me not to notice the increasing amount of time that ares just lets percy get up. i just watched dune (second part) so i was spoiled for good fight sequences but something i did notice was that in dune, when there is a pause in a fight it is FOR CHARACTER REASONS. the characters are DELIBERATELY NOT ENDING THE FIGHT. and that was not the impression i got from ares. it really wasn't.

and that took away from his authority/menace as a god ngl.

so yeah was the fight better than the dodds fight. 100%. like 500%.

does that make it a good fight sequence.... ehhhhhhhhhhhh....

(why did the scenes with luke have more tension than the ares fight hello)

and character wise. assassination. all the assassination. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CULMINATION OF PERCY'S CHARACTER ARC AHHHHHHHH. sorry. but like this was the point at which percy decides he's done running. and stands up to ares with all the taunts and quick thinking that we know him for. unfortunately the show thought itself better and erased that theme ahaha.

so this really is just a fight for the helm. no big reveals, no reading the actions and emotions of a god, no strategy, no trying to get to the water and ares stopping him. like

WOULD IT BE SO HARD TO JUST FOLLOW THE NICE LOVELY SCRIPT THE BOOKS GAVE YOU FOR EXAMPLE: shot of percy looking at the water, shot of ares looking at percy looking at the water, maybe a pan to the water here, percy moves towards, ares blocks. YOU CAN IN FACT SHOW BATTLEFIELD STRATEGY IN A MOVIE. BC BATTLE STRATEGY RESULTS IN STRATEGIC FIGHTING. WHICH IS WHAT THE VISUAL MEDIUM IS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD AT. RIGHT? RIGHT???

ahahaha sorry just feeling stabby i don't really know why. anywho off to the senate meeting. i'm running a bit late but i did rsvp with a knife sooooo

[t00thpasteface]

love how u draw dick and jason <3

thank you <333 i admit i'm a cartoon-watchin' casual but i see siblings or sibling-equivalents where the older one is "wake me up before you go-go" and the younger one is "wake me up (wake me up inside)" and i kind of go a little crazy.

my main exposure to the comics canon is mostly snips and bits a few pages at a time, basically osmotic exposure, so i'm hesitant to draw anything about jason beyond what is very blatantly an avatar unto which i'm projecting my own brother.

i'm uhhhh kind of allergic to super long serialized fiction, especially something like comics where there's no real end point and arcs can more or less continue indefinitely. i made the mistake of getting into homestuck when i was in hs and when that wrapped up i went "okay! i am NEVER getting into something Long And Ongoing ever again!" so i don't really do ongoing book series, tv shows, etc... i've been burned before getting invested in an ongoing story and then seeing the ending trash everything. i like short, punchy, self-contained little things, in this case episodic tv shows that mostly follow a "thing of the day" format and have already gone off the air. if i like something, i DON'T want more of it! hence my hesitant dancing around the behemoth hydra that is dc comics, occasionally poking it with a stick before running off again.

we've gotten off topic. uhhhhhh i think it was kind of funny that the whole reason jason ate it in the first place is because he lost a phone poll by a margin of less than 100 votes

[midweekblues]

I was tagged by @rhavewellyarnbag thanks so much! i love having something to do during a slow Monday at work :)

Are you named after anyone? My mum and grandma. 

When was the last you cried? I‘ve cried a bit during the last week, while reading certain parts of the three final books of the Expanse series. I just love these space idiots and the stupid little feelings they make me feel.

What sports do you play/have you played? Closest thing would be swimming classes as a kid, which i did for a few years, but when my parents were convinced enough that i wouldn’t drown if left to my own devices at Northern beaches, they let me drop out. I'm not a sporty person.

Do you use sarcasm? Only with very specific friends, and less and less as i grow older. 

What is the first thing you notice about people? Probably accents and body language. Oh, and tattoos if you have any. I remember that shit a lot.

What is your eye color? Dark brown. 

Scary movies or happy endings? Horror movies all the way. I’ve watched a LOT of trash through the years, and still enjoyed (at least parts of) it almost every time. It’s my comfort genre. 

Any talents? I’m reasonably good with languages. Most of it, i think, comes from having studied a second one from a young age. Also i discovered later in life that, while my innate sense of orientation is not the best, i’m really good at not getting lost in urban environments. 

Where were you born? Allá donde se cruzan los caminos, donde el mar no se puede concebir…

What are your hobbies? Mmmm. I enjoy beer, travelling, cooking for friends, horror, rotating the blorbos-du-jour in my mind, the sea, wikipedia rabbit holes, trying new food and sleeping. I don’t know if i would call any of those hobbies, though.

Do you have any pets? Not at the moment. I’ve had both dogs and cats and i love them equally. But i’m now allergic to cats and dogs are a hell of a commitment. If anything, i could see myself having a pet rat. I’d call him Cornelius.

How tall are you? Around 1.60 or, as google informs me, 5’2    

Favorite subject at school? History/Geography. 

Dream job? Honestly, what i want is to retire. But i have a long way before that…

I’d like to tag @ishmaels @bus-drivers-hate-her @pulquedeguayaba @cannellaeluce and whoever feels like it :)

[magicalrocketships]

Books!! Thanks to @officialmood for the tag :)

An estimate of how many physical books I own: Me, staring at my bookcases and doing an estimate per shelf x number of shelves... maybe 500? (and if you include ebooks, then there are 304 books in my to read folder and 339 in my read and keep folder). AND I did a big clear out before I moved last year. And took four bags to the charity book shop earlier this year. I cycle a lot of second hand books in and out tbh.

Favorite author: There are loads of favourite books and I could pretty much go on about most of the books on my shelves, but I think I could continue to lose myself in Lois McMaster Bujold's books over and over and over again. I know that Georgette Heyer books are very much Of Their Time but it is also true that if I ever need a comfort read then I know what to reach for.

A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: Godddddddddd. Liza said Infinite Jest and I also have zero intention of ever reading this. But SO MANY.

A popular book I thought was just meh: Red, White, and Royal Blue. I did not get along with Wolf Hall, but I also didn't get that far into it before giving in.

Longest book I own: Toss up between the Neal Stephenson Baroque Cycle volumes, War and Peace, Samantha Shannon's The Priory of the Orange Tree (although I've lent this out and probably won't get it back), and Victoria Goddard's Hands of the Emperor / At The Feet of the Sun. They're all pretty chunky, without doing any specific investigation.

Longest series I own all the books to: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series (approx 62 books, depending on which editions you own). After that, Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series.

Prettiest book I own: I don't own any where the cover is the prettiest thing I've ever seen, but I do own a queer historical photography book where together the inside and out is the prettiest visual history. Some of my books are v pretty because of the way they make me feel, but that's a different question.

A book or series I wish more people knew about: Maybe Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard? There's a core few of us that feel a lot about it. One of my very oldest internet friends that I haven't seen in years sent me a package earlier in the year that was just a notebook that had reminded her of this book and therefore it was a necessity to share it with me (she was right to do this). I also kind of want more people to talk to about Joan Aiken's Black Hearts in Battersea series.

Book I’m reading now: I'm listening to Jingo by Terry Pratchett, have just picked up the second Sandman volume, and I'm partway through Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield (although I realised last night that it was too creepy for me to read in bed, lollllllll)

Book that’s been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven’t gotten around to it: BRB just going to stare into an invisible camera, my goodreads to read pile is 462 books long and is only made up of stuff that I own / once owned and is probably not up to date with paperbacks. Let's say The Simarillion, because I've probably intended to read that since I was a kid (and have not yet managed it). I've read 133 books so far this year and yet my to read pile never gets any fucking smaller.

Do you have any books in a language other than English: Nope. I used to own some HP books in German and Latin but I did not keep them. I am not very good at languages, although me and the Duolingo owl are trapped in a daily standoff.

Paperback, hardcover or ebook?: Mixture of all three. Love a good paperback but I am... gently allergic to paper, so sometimes if I've read too many paper books my hands pay the price, and on the whole I do believe that skin should stay on my body, where I've put it, rather than peel off and bleed. A healthy mix of ebook and paperbook in general, with the odd hardback.

People have probably already done this, but tagging @junkshop-disco, @magog83, @dearmrsawyer, and @pennyplainknits.

[realityandrebirth]

Does anyone have any metafiction recommendations? Any medium; I'm trying to devote myself to a niche genre of storytelling because I think it's fun to read/play/watch as many works in that genre as I can.

I'm working though this list, and out of the ones here I've read/played/watched/etc:

Book: Mark Z Danielewski, House of Leaves (though I was like 12 so I ought to reread it)

Books: Cornelia Funke, Inkheart series

a handful of other books on the list but it's been a long time so I'm not listing them

Movie: Inception

Movies: Spiderverse trilogy

Movie: Barbie (however: I hated it)

Anime: Princess Tutu

Webcomic: Order of the Stick

Webcomic: Homestuck (which I have mixed feelings about now but I can't deny I enjoyed it while it was coming out)

Game: Undertale + Deltarune

Game: Earthbound, Mother 3

Feel free to recommend anything you think is worth reading/playing/watching/I really wish we had a word for experiencing a work of fiction. I'm up for any genre, but I have to be very careful with horror because horror & unreality triggers my psychosis. Yeah, I know. It's like being allergic to my favorite food.

[renarinkholin]

Heyo, so, I noticed your reblog on a post mentioning "Dier Venture" and now I'm intrigued... is that a Mistborn oc fic I smell? Exploring the Venture family? Because if so, I would love to read it! (If Dier is just an obscure canon character or something else entirely, ignore this ask. 😅)

OH BOY UHHH OKAY SIT DOWN LET ME TALK ABOUT SECRETS IN STAINED GLASS.

(Character portraits by the insanely talented Elisgardor on Instagram)

Dier Venture is my character for a murder-mystery actual play series Secrets in Stained Glass that just finished airing! It's set 10 years before the events of The Final Empire book, at a weekend winter solstice party hosted by House Elariel. We use the Mistborn Adventure Game system to build our characters and roll the dice, and the mystery and storyline itself were written and run by the ever amazing, ever wonderful @rashenditrash as our illustrious Narrator. There's a lot of fun references to the books and secrets tucked away, and even though it's technically a prequel, we did a lot of work to make sure things would fit within the Mistborn canon as seamlessly as possible.

It's five episodes long, though there's some written bonus content as well! The series was edited and produced by yours truly (it nearly killed me, but it was absolutely a labor of love) and you can watch the whole thing on YouTube or listen to the audio versions on whatever podcast platform you prefer. Though, I will say, for any audio listeners, there are a LOT of visual assets and graphics for this show so if you just listen, it might be worth coming back to look up the visual elements afterward.

Lo, trailer be upon ye:

As for Dier himself... (fine, i'll put a cut to save people's dashboards, open for more info on The Trashboi™)

Dier is a known Coinshot and all around terrible trash person who makes only the best life decisions because it turns out when your name is "Venture" you can get away with quite a bit without having to deal with pesky things like "consequences." Or so he thinks, at least. He's the first cousin of the recently ascended House Lord, Straff, and is technically second in line for the house title after his cousin's little brat of an heir, Elend. No one in House Venture is really thrilled about that, including Dier himself, since he's probably the last person anyone should ever put in charge of anything and has made it no secret that he considers himself completely allergic to responsibility.

I love this asshole with my whole heart, I put WAY too much effort into developing him, and he was a blast to play. I could talk about him for hours, and Matt was an utterly ruthless Game Master and just really dug into all the messy complexities of this terrible boy and Why He Is Like That, Why Did You Make Him Like That, Feather????

The good people of the 17th Shard Discord may or may not be bullying me into doing a 10-hour stream so that I can just blab all the Dier meta into the world. We'll see.

Regardless, I love to talk about him, so if anybody ever has Dier Venture questions, my inbox is literally always the most open, haaaaaa. I will never turn down an opportunity to run my mouth about an OC and that is a threat.

[mxmollusca]

fic first lines

post the first line from the last 10 fics you posted (and are there any patterns?) - I got tagged by both @epersonae and @scarrletmoon

I don't have 10 fics for OFMD because I am a slow-af writer, so hopefully my measly 7 will suffice.

An Arm and a Leg

(My first fic for this fandom, building my brand early with some good ol' fashioned magical realism with tentacles.)

Stede Bonnet felt decidedly unwell.

In Favor With Their Stars

(The story opens with a series of computer screens showing the computer processes of a spaceship computer, who also happens to be one of the main characters.)

BONNET INDUSTRIES - DEEP EUROPA MISSION

Interplanetary Transport Ship/REVENGE

Shipboard AI SYNTHETIC TRANSPORT ENTITY/DEEP EUROPA (STE/DE)

(Prose)

“Good morning, Edward.”

There's a Monster at the End of This Book

(surprise Vianton!)

Anton sat on the red velvet sofa, jogger-clad knees pressed together, a temporary resting place for nervous fingers that drummed impatiently.

The Sticking Place

(Sequel to An Arm and a Leg, starting with some journal entries.)

Personal Diary of Stede Bonnet

June 10th, 1718

It’s been three days since the onset of my new affliction, and I am pleasantly surprised to find the crew relatively unfazed by the news! 

The Ship of Theseus

(An audio/visual multimedia project written by me, with sound support and editing from @nordarknessdimsthesky and @emi--rose. The entirety of this piece is written from the computer's POV.)

>>2063-02-06 01:35:41

>>STE/DE CMD

     INITIATE VIRTUAL MACHINE

     SELECT BOOT IMAGE

     INITIATE BOOT FROM IMAGE

     OPTIMIZE KERNEL

     SELECT WAYBACK MACHINE WEB 2.0 CLONE

     RENDER INSTANCE

     INSTANCE RENDERED

Wave Hello to the Void

(This story was cowritten with @zacharybosch and has art from @eefaevie. There is a lot of multimedia in this story, and it opens with a news article, followed by a video transcript, followed by prose.)

(News clipping)

Green Bank Register - 10/03/2023

Mothman sets fire to dumpster

By LUCIUS SPRIGGS

GREEN BANK, WV - Today marks one week since the first sighting of a large, unidentified winged creature in the Green Bank area.

(YouTube Transcript)

The Beltsville Goatman: A Monsterlover's Exclusive - 09/28/2023

STEDE BONNET, a blonde man in his mid-40s, stands in front of a huge, white RV with the words “MONSTERLOVERS” emblazoned across the side parked in front of a large, empty field.

(Prose)

Stede Bonnet bounds down the steps of his Entegra RV, cellphone in hand, his fuzzy teal Monsterlovers-branded fleece fully zipped in defense of the October morning chill.

Works for Spiders

(This story is written from the POV of the surly house spider who lives in Stede and Ed's "inn".)

She is roused by distant vibrations, a rhythmic thumping reverberating through floorboards and beams and into the strands of her web to tickle against the fine black hairs lining her long legs.

---

Patterns? Perhaps I am allergic to consistency. I tend to be motivated by the novel. I'm here to fuck around and find out. I like to experiment with form and presentation. All I can promise is that it's only going to get weirder from here.

@oatmilktruther @petrichorca @veeagainsttheday @emi--rose @ghostalservice whatchu got

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

It's that time of year again! Here's my 2022 Irondad and Spiderson Holiday Fic Rec List. There are some new fics, some tried and true fics, and some shameless self-promotion! (In order newest to oldest)

🎄 Of Fruit Mince Tarts and Marshmallows by TheJBomb

No Archive Warnings Apply || Not Rated || Posted Dec. 7 2022

One second Peter’s wallowing on his couch and the next Tony is driving him back to the tower for hot chocolate and Christmas movies.

🎄 Candy Cane; Pain or Joy  by inkinmyheartandonthepage @inkinmyheartandonthepage

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Aug. 19 2022

Tony wants this to be the best Christmas party for Peter and bans peppermint from the tower forgetting that Peter isn't allergic.

[this fis is part of the We Forgot Peter series]

🎄 A Christmas Story by Captain_Panda

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated T || Posted Dec. 25 2021

As the lead conductor on the Polar Express, Tony Stark does not need a run-in with a caribou herd on Christmas Eve.

But he does get a Steve out of it.

🎄 The Hottest Toy of the Season by niniblack @niniblack

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated T || Posted Dec. 25 2021

“You got that Iron Man toy, right?” May asks, the night before Christmas Eve.

“Oh,” Ben says. “The action figure. Right. I, um…”

“You did not forget to buy that,” she says, voice firm. “That is the only thing Peter has talked about all month. He is obsessed with that damn flying tin can.”

“I got it,” Ben says. “Of course I got it.” He smiles at her, nodding. “C’mon May, would I forget that?”He totally forgot that.

- - -

A Jingle All the Way AU with the Parkers, circa 2009. Merry Christmas!

🎄 50 Christmas Ornaments My True Love Gave To Me by joyful_soul_collector @joyful-soul-collector

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec 24 2020

It was Christmastime in the Stark-Rhodes-Potts’ household, with Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, Peter, and Morgan all sitting at the table. Jingle Bells was playing quietly in the background, and each one of them was working on decorating a clear plastic christmas bauble, a growing pile of colorful ornaments in the center of the table.

OR

The Iron Family gets carried away making Christmas ornaments, and Peter talks to his dad about asexuality

[This fic is part of the Irondad Oneshots Series]

🎄 Peter Parker's Pickle Predicament  by dontmockmyawkwardness @dontmockmyawkwardness

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec. 19 2020

Peter Parker takes it upon himself to bring Christmas cheer to New York City this year. It's all fun and games until he finds himself in a sticky situation in the middle of Rockefeller Plaza. Can an old man in a red suit fly in and help save Christmas?

🎄 new york's santa by hailfire_73 @hailfire-73

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec. 15 2019

“Are you Santa?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “You really think I have the time to be a glorified cosplayer?”

“I didn’t even think you knew what a cosplayer was…” said Peter, trailing off. He shook his head, refusing to let his mind wander from the topic. “Where do you keep the reindeer? Can I meet them?”

OR

New York City has it's own Santa, and Peter discovers it's Tony Stark, because of course it is.

irondad bingo: holiday

[This fic is part of the irondad bingo series]

🎄 A Tony Stark Carol by Insanus Navicularis (DiDive)

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec. 19 2018

Tony Stark has always hated Christmas and always will, nothing is going to make him change his opinion- not Rhodey, not Pepper, not Peter... or that’s what he thought before the night the spirit of his long dead friend, Yinsen, visted him.

Inspired by a Christmas Carol but it’s actually really different, Tony isn’t an asshole like Scrooge in the first stave of the book.

Warning for swearing. Irondad fluff.

“"God, kid... Peter... I'm so sorry, I love you, I really do, I just don't know how to express it sometimes" he told the kid softly, his face scrunched as he refused to start crying once again during that night.“

🎄 Honorary Parker by parkrstark

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec. 29 2017

Tony lets it slip to Peter that he'll be spending Christmas alone. Peter refuses to let that happen.

...And Last but not least! My Shameless Self-Promotion

🎄 Peter Parker’s December Shenanigans

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec 2019

A collection of related short stories that center around Winter/ChristmasEverything from Advent to New Year’s Eve.

🎄 Secret Sugarplum Spiderling

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec 2020

Peter has been taking ballet for nearly as long as he can remember and all of his hard work has finally paid off. He’s been cast as the Cavelier to the Sugarplum Fairy in his Performing Arts School’s production of The Nutcracker. It’s a big deal and it’s going to take up a good bit of time but… he’s just not sure he’s ready for his mentor to know about that particular hobby just yet.

He’s sure it’ll be fine …

All he has to do is show up at the studio on time, keep his grades up, make sure to see Tony on a regular enough basis that he doesn’t worry and try to squeeze in some patrolling in between. It’s that simple. Right?

❄️ Holiday Traditions

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec 2020

When a brief misunderstanding leaves Morgan thinking that Peter doesn’t like Christmas, Peter decides that it would be fun to teach her more about Hanukkah. In order to do so, he and May invite the Starks’ to share in some of their holiday traditions.

🎄 Well, Merry Sickmas, I Guess

No Archive Warnings Apply || Rated G || Posted Dec 2021

Peter is sick, Christmas is right around the corner and May had no idea how to help him. Naturally they end up in Tony’s medbay. It doesn’t take long for Peter to be diagnosed with nothing more than some mild dehydration and a nasty stomach bug. However, knowing she can’t take Peter to just any hospital should things go downhill, leaves May feeling a little nervous.…And that’s how Peter and May end up spending the holiday with Tony Stark in his Penthouse apartment.

And remember! If you read any of the above-mentioned fics, please be sure to let the author know how much you enjoyed their work! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!

Be on the lookout for my 2022 Christmas fic, Merry Stitchmas! I'm sure I'll be posting it soon!!

[Peronsally, I love knowing my older fics are still being found, read, and loved!]

[torchstelechos]

Alright, fuckers (affectionate)! I am stuck in bed due to a fever and have nothing better to do than read Heaven Official's Blessing, so I'm going to liveblog my thoughts on it while high on medicine/sickness.

Background/notes on some things before I do so,

1.) I have read the first book and some of the second

2.) I have seen every episode of the donghua that Kictor has posted a reaction video too

and 3.) I have been spoiled about some relationship scenes and random stuff. However this is a MXTX series so being spoiled means basically nothing in the long run.

Last but not least, I am doing this for fun so if I say something not accurate or fucked up please note that I am LITERALLY sick and allergic to most common cold medicines lol

[full---ofstarlight]

tagged by @sun-marie for this "people you'd like to know better" tag game! ty for the tag :3c

--

THREE SHIPS: 

resisting the urge to fill this with my oc x canon ships, sO:

Roy Mustang x Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist I recently finished a book where within the first few chapters, I looked up on the subway and put the book down and squinted, thinking to myself wait. Is this Royai fanfic? Turns out, it probably was! The author posted about finishing the manga back in 2019, the book came out in 2022 (I think) and was billed as Fullmetal Alchemist meets (Something I can’t remember). Anyway, Royai has my entire heart, because if there’s one trope that has a stronghold on me it is Dedicated Leader with a Mission x Their Unflinchingly Loyal Second-in-Command Who Will Literally Follow Them Into Hell. The mission comes first! They cannot admit their love to each other! They’re also childhood acquaintances????? An apprentice x master’s daughter????????? And atoning for war crimes?????????????????? AHhHHHHHhHHhHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

Haymitch Abernathy x Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games: Listen. Listen. I’m rereading the series now and apparently what happens when you read them ten years later is that instead of having a big crush on Finnick and shipping Finnick x Annie, you notice that Haymitch is a fantastic smart, snarky, tortured character and Effie is way more resilient and clever than she lets herself on to be and IDK I JUST. Must resist the urge to write the events of the Main Trilogy, but oops Haymitch and Effie were secretly hooking up the whole time. I have stuff to do. I have other fic to write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leorio x Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter: At any given moment, they are constantly in the back of my mind. I have my bad HxH brainworms from 2021 to thank for getting me back into fic and tumblr fandom and I just pulled a 35K fic outta my ass in 2021 somehow and even though I'm not writing for them much anymore, I love them with my whole damn heart and I can summon that love with a snap of my fingers.

LAST FILM:

I had to watch a movie for work last week that is out this week and I really wanted to like it but it disappointed me SO MUCH. :’( 

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

I’m kicking off Season three of The Legend of Korra! I finally at long last watched ATLA this year (I KNOW I KNOW), and now I’m working my way through Korra. I’m also watching Spice and Wolf and the new seasons of JJK and Spy x Family. 

CURRENTLY READING:

I am rereading the Hunger Games trilogy! I also checked out three new books from the library and I'm torn on which one I should bring on Thanksgiving vacation (it's an Agatha Christie, a dark contemporary fantasy, and a witchy rom-com). Might go with the Christie since it is the Lightest (like, physically).

CURRENTLY CONSUMING:

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream <3 (I have a pint in the fridge that my husband specifically got just for me since he's allergic to banana)

Ibuprofen for my sore shoulder :(

Coral Island

CURRENTLY CRAVING

A vacation that doesn't involve traveling to two different large Thanksgiving celebrations

A massage for said sore shoulder

A cup of tea (this one, at least, can easily be fixed)

--

taggingggg @theladysarmor @kelofmindelan @maryxoliver @rowingtherubicon @cynda-queer @gwaindrifter @birbycakes @n7viper @gwynbleidd and uhhh anyone who wants to do this!!!!! i will read your thing!

[dogmomwrites]

Incorrect Quotes

This tag came from @autumnalwalker, so thanks for including me in this game!

Gonna pass it on with soft tags to @catchingbigfish, @iamwritehere, @the-finch-address, @taveren-writing, and @bardic-tales, as well as leaving it an open tag! Rules— share incorrect quotes with your OCs using this link

using some characters from my Castle series cus I think I used characters from my unnamed wip last time. Some of these are...more in character than I think they're supposed to be lmao

Seen: What happened?!  Ryder: Do you want the long version or the short version?  Seen: Sh-short??  Ryder: Shit's fucked.  Seen: Okay, long.  Ryder: Shit's very fucked. 

Hank: Awww, why don't you like cats, Mickey? They're just snuggly buddies! They have toe beans! They make a little blep! What's not to love??  Mickey: I don't know Hank, I just prefer to be conscious instead of dead on the floor.  Hank:  Mickey: I'm ALLERGIC. 

Red: I ran into Ryder in the kitchen at 1 AM last night and when I asked them what they were doing, they just shrugged, said “these are my roaming hours,” and wandered off, strumming vaguely on their guitar. 

Ryder: Just so everyone knows, don't ever try to climb a tree at night carrying a strobe light, owls DON'T like it.  Mickey: ...what happened?  Ryder: I made a VERY bad mistake. 

Blue: The moon looks beautiful, doesn’t it?  Chase, looking at Blue: Yeah… but do you know what’s more beautiful?  Blue and Chase in unison: *sighs* Red 

Hank: Look, I’m glad everyone’s on the same page.  Hank: But it’s the last page in a book titled “we’re all going to die”.  Seen: That’s not even clever. 

Neal: You’re giving me a sticker?  Blue: Not just a sticker. That is a sticker of a kitty saying “me-wow!”  Neal: I’m not a preschooler.  Blue: Fine, I’ll take it back-  Neal: I earned this, back off! 

Mickey: I’m sad.   Hank: Don’t be sad, because sad backwards is das.   Hank: And das not good. 

Mickey: The moon looks beautiful, doesn’t it?  Seen, looking at Mickey: Yeah… but do you know what’s more beautiful?  Mickey and Seen in unison: *sighs* Red 

Ryder: My head hurts.  Red: That’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity 

Hank: Do you think different paints have different tastes?  Ryder: They do.  Chase: ...Why did you say that with such certainty? 

Hank, holding an antique bottle: Is this whiskey or perfume?  Seen: *grabs and chugs the entire bottle*  Seen:  Seen: It's perfume. 

Seen: Why are you on fire?  Neal: This is just how my day is going.