#it’s one of my fav books ever so I have high recommendations

[biantianyang]

hey, love, decided to send this ask to the appropriate blog lol

i've been meaning to get into tgcf possibly after finishing svsss so not soon, really, but i have a question. basically all i know about it that would deter me is that it gets quite heartbreaking (and you probably know i usually go for lighter stuff) so what i'm hoping for here is more or less you to hype me up to go through it 😂cause obviously you recommend it so i'd be thankful for a lil spoiler-free love letter to the novel 👉👈 if possible <3

Hey petri!!! I can totally give u a love letter to tgcf bc there’s so much to love!! <33

So, yes, it’s a long novel which means there’s gonna be some heartbreaking moments along the way, but that’s not at all the key point of the novel. One of my favorite ways to describe tgcf comes from mxtx, the author, herself:

This is a love story. It's about gentleness, dreams, something never to be given up on, and someone never to be forgotten.

At its core, tgcf is about love and devotion. Pretty much anyone who’s ever talked to me about tgcf would know I think of hualian as symbolic for devotion at its purest form (which is also my fav dynamic hehe). There are a lot of other really interesting themes/topics like perception & presentation of identity (in relation to disguises, gender, etc.), luck, friendship, and more! The main characters Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are developed really well and some of my favs are the side characters <3 Also, tgcf is funny. Even after like some MAJOR devastating bits it’ll switch to comedy and it works! You’ve read some mxtx so you’ll be familiar with her writing style and the world building which would make reading it a lot easier. Just know that even when something tragic happens, something more hopeful & satisfying will likely come after.

Tgcf is kinda long, but there’s no rush to read it. I took slightly under a month by reading ~10 chapters a day and honestly? That was the most invested I’ve felt in a book for a WHILE. I’m sure whenever you get to it you’ll love it!! Also, if you start it and ever need someone to talk to I’m totally here for it hehe

[sxfterhearts]

keeho dating a shy bookworm headcannons, i feel like hed be so sweet <33

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ highschool!au - theatre kid!keeho x student librarian!reader ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

♡ genre/warnings: fluff fluff fluff (i miss writing soft fluff and just writing in general omfg)

♡ word count: 1,171 words

♡ author's note: im crying anon thank you so so much for sending this!! it's my first ever p1h request and it made me so happy :") i'm sorry it took so long (life has been crazy lately) but i really hope this meets your expectations <33333

//

omg this is kinda giving our beloved summer (if you havent watched it, its my fav kdrama ever!!)

ok this might be cliche but i <3 highschool!au so let's roll with it

yoon keeho as a theatre kid (are we surprised) who practices his lines everywhere around school, has friends in every single class and is always being his friendly, extroverted self

y/n as a diligent, reserved student who is also a student librarian - you're usually stacking shelves or scanning books at the library after school on most days

your relationship blossomed through shy glances and soft whispers - keeho used to take note of the days you were on duty and purposely stayed behind to get closer to you

you were in the same english class - and being a theatre nerd, he was quickly intrigued by your ability to not only analyse shakespeare to a tee but also recite the plays word for word, line by line, without missing a single beat

keeho felt his heart speed up whenever he saw you in class, losing yourself in your work. in his eyes, you were always beautiful, but with the sunlight shining through the windows, illuminating your concentrated expression as you muttered to yourself and scribbled in your notebook - he thought that was when you shone the brightest

in the early days of getting to know each other, keeho would disrupt your peaceful reading sessions behind the library reception desk with endless requests of book recommendations earning many shushes from the head librarian

"i really like romance novels... what's your favourite?" hah, very smooth, keeho

you were confused, at first, because why was yoon keeho of all people taking an interest in you?

but then as you got to know him better you realised you shared more in common than you thought. despite your seemingly opposite personality types, the two of you had similar tastes in books, and music, and food, the list goes on

"hey y/n, have you tried the new bakery across the road? they're doing an opening deal - iced americano and a croffle for really cheap. should we try it together tomorrow for breakfast? only if you want to, of course..."

"y/n, have you listened to the new sza album? what's your favourite track? i love all of them, it's so hard to pick..."

"y/n, y/n, do you remember the author i was telling you about last month? they're writing a new book in the series! we should read it together when it's out, i wanna hear your honest review!"

even as a child, you were quiet and mostly preferred to read a book or draw and colour quietly while others played outside. this was both a result of your personality and also a few friendship fallouts that made you more wary (kids can be so mean...)

fast forward to high school, you retreated further into your shell, only keeping a handful of close friends. you preferred to bury your nose in your books and lose yourself in the fictional world of your favourite characters

that is, until keeho came along

the boy was as warm and bright as a summer's day. he had a way about him that just made people feel at ease. perhaps it was because he was so comfortable with being himself, that it helped others open up too

you were no exception. initially you were unsure of what to make of his unexpected friendliness and kindness, but you quickly realised that he was just a genuinely nice person who wanted to get to know you better

and you had to admit - after one too many mornings sitting on the bench overlooking your school field together, munching on your breakfasts and sharing an earbud each, listening to the summer's latest tunes under the gentle morning sun - you wanted to know more about him too

you could feel your cold walls getting dissolved by the warm, toothy smiles he always wore around you, and his melodious laughter

a few weeks into your daily ritual (consisting of breakfast in the morning and doing homework or stacking shelves in the library after school together), keeho finally made the first move

one morning, the two of you were nearly done your with your breakfast croffles when all of a sudden, the cloudy sky turned ominous and lightning flashed before your eyes

before either of you could react, the skies opened up, unleashing heavy raindrops all around you

"quick, y/n!" keeho grabbed your hand and interlaced your fingers with his. the two of you ran to the nearest school building, trudging past wet grass and muddy soil, staining your white school shoes

when you finally made it under the awnings, you both looked down at the state of your uniforms - mildly soaked, and burst out laughing at how ridiculous you looked

naturally, your gaze wandered towards your joined hands, and you slowly looked up, only to find keeho staring at you as if you were the only person in the world

you couldn't read his expression - there was a hidden intensity behind his eyes

he hastily unbuttoned and shrugged off his button-down shirt, leaving him in his white t-shirt, and promptly placed it around your shoulders to keep you warm

"keeho, you'll get cold, i - "

but he cut you off, "i can't help myself anymore, y/n..." it's now or never, he thought to himself

"huh? what do you mean, keeho? i don't - "

"i like you, y/n." he whispered softly, so soft that it nearly blended in with the sound of rain. he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets to stop himself from fidgeting

"what?" you thought you misheard, cos there's no way...

"y/n, i... i like you!" keeho closed his eyes and repeated again, already blushing red, embarrassed

you had an inkling that he was interested in you, but you never allowed yourself to daydream for too long whenever keeho entered your thoughts, for fear that you would only disappoint yourself. but now that you knew his true feelings...

you inched forwards and stood on the balls of your feet. why is he so tall, you thought to yourself as you bravely planted a brief peck against his warm cheeks

keeho's eyes shot open in surprise. it was so quick, his brain failed to process it. "wait, did you just - "

you giggled, eyes crinkling up into the little crescents he adored, and held onto his wrists before leaning in once more

the first meeting of your rain-stained lips was clumsy, as most first kisses are, but the two of you made it up with an eagerness that mirrored your initial desires to learn more about each other

when you both ran out of air, you laughed against each other's lips, basking in the tenderness of a new relationship, blossoming like a flower bud after a bit of sunshine and rain

"so... will you be the juliet to my romeo?"

"they both die, keeho!"

"oh, true... but it's romantic, right?"

[dual-domination]

🔁 A fic you’ve re-read several times

🛳️ A fic that brought you aboard a new ship

Easy. HELLO ARJUN, I know I've been delaying the reply to this ask for several months, but today I'm glad to share it

A fic I reread several times - Just one??? No, I'm sharing my top 4 (They're all Guardian/Weilan, 3 of the authors below are among my ⭐favorites⭐ EVER so let me be talkative abt them):

To wild uncharted waters by @the-marron ⭐- Nothing new to see here, everyone knows I'm obsessed with this fic, but this is not the first and won't be the last time Marron's fics do THINGS to my heart. Her stories are inspiration.

The Charm Of Chastity by PaddlesPetwixtPuddles - no idea if the author is on tumblr. Sad fact: this is the ONLY Guardian fic they posted. It's perfect.

Kunlun's Godly Seed, Shen Wei's Ghostly Body by @lacommunarde ⭐- Idk how many times I reread this one tbh, but around 5-6 for sure (as some others from the same author, one day I'll comment in all of them jksjkskj HELLO I LOVE YOUR FICS)

Young Love by @thosch3i ⭐- Read all the Guardian fics this author posted too. Also sad fact, they're not active in this fandom anymore, but I hope they're having fun wherever they are now :D

A fic that brought you aboard a new ship

All the ships I actively interact with (read/write/art) were brought to my life by Marron, she put me in the Weilan Derivatives hell jksksj. As for my DMBJ ships, the adaptations did the trick, so there's no fic to mention (but Marron also mentioned Heihua and I was OH 👀?)

My favorite of all, OTP so dear to my heart 2Luo, in 3 steps: But a bitter kiss will bring him to his knees , A Kiss is Still a Kiss and That fatal kiss is all we need

Across the Stars (Qi Heng/Xun Xu - this ship is SO SWEET) - Star Wars AU, but it's Weilan Derivs (I need to finish reading the fics of this ship)

and THE FIC - it's so good I better not start to talk abt this fic I'm a gremlin abt this fic and YOU KNOW THIS FIC bc I think the whole team read it, Vince said it's better than books so yk what it means: The Thousand Flowers Manor (Hua Wuxie/Pei Wende - and we also have Qi Heng/Xun Xu there!) It's Pride and Prejudice in Wuxia times, how could that go wrong in Marron's hands? I'd recommend it a million times, watch some youtube to see the characters if you don't want to watch the shows/movies and go read this fic, you'll laugh, cry, be angry, hunt demons in Ancient China and have lots of dramatic relatives messing things up. It's a true delight. Happy Ending :D

~~About rereading, if a fic is in my ao3 bookmarks, there's a high chance that I reread that fic at least once, but I decided to share the ones that are Fav Fic + Fav Author ~~About ships and new stuff, I'm still waiting for the Godzilla AU with actual godzillas in it, ship is Godzilla/ruined cities under his feet.

[meemoop]

Hiiii whats your top 5 fav books (this is because of the cat"s name)

Goodness, I couldn’t tell you my top five (I love too many), but I can give you the list of books I’ve given a 5-star rating on Goodreads! I can confidently say that The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is my favorite book of all time, with a close second being Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

 Fives:

Fyodor Dostoevsky's books:

The Brothers Karamazov

Crime and Punishment

Devils (or The Possessed)

The Idiot

White Nights

Other authors:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (I cried so much, but I seriously recommend).

VERY High fours: God is Dead by Friedrich Nietzsche, Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

I will never stop recommending Dostoevsky. Nietzsche said: “[Dostoevsky] is the only psychologist from whom I had something to learn.” After reading his novels, it seems I have lived ten years in one. Thank you for this ask! The answer is very long but when it comes to books I’ll go on forever and ever! 💕💕💕🫶

[cabeswaterdrowned]

book recs? My fav books are trc, aftg, soc, shadowhunters/riordanverse etc and the likes (so basically the most basic literature taste known to man) thanks!

well I enjoy all of those and trc is my fav series so will give you a couple of my main fantasy recs along those lines or not dissimilar and throw in one of my fav thrillers which is very gay and explores dark themes for aftg adjacent rep, and then another suspense book i love. I sort of went with books i could draw some type of lines of comparison to at least one of the books you mentioned.

•The Diviners series by Libba Bray — this is my go to ya fantasy rec these days, it’s historical urban fantasy with some horror and mystery elements. It’s set in 1920’s New York, book one opens focusing mainly on Evie and a specific case of a ghost serial killer but introduces other chars, after the first book it becomes more about an ensemble cast of Diviners who have different supernatural powers and their dynamics, also the main antagonist is bigotry and hate which I’m aware is a concept that can be done poorly in fantasy and I won’t pretend every beat of it is flawless but it is my favorite example of a fantasy series take on that concept that I’ve read. More importantly stunning character work I especially adore the female chars among the diviners Evie Theta and Ling, Ling is one of the most special characters ever and these books should be worth reading because of her INTP canon ace lesbian with autistic swag realness alone. 

I definitely would recommend it to TID/TLH fans for the historical setting and atmosphere as well as some of the playing with man vs machine + to TRC/TDT fans for the characterization and also the second book is largely about Henry and Ling learning about their dream powers and developing a friendship through this and also Ling has a narrative foil in dreamspace she’s gay with just think some of those idea would resonate with trcers + to SoC fans for the ensemble dynamics. 

•The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

This is one I used to describe to people as The Gangsey all girls au set in Victorian London and that’s not fully accurate but it works enough to be a pitch, but basically it’s about this group of four girls who go to a boarding school together and discover a sort of parallel world where they can bee free and realize their ambitions detached from society, but in the real world they’ve awakened horrors they must deal with too. I need to reread this one but it was deeply formative, if you love messy complicated female friendship dynamics and paranormal/mystical plots that are just creepy enough this is for you. Also my favorite character in it is a gay blonde mean girl character who is ambitious and wants autonomy above all else but does also love her friends fiercely Felicity Worthington you will always be famous <3 if you enjoy Jessamine Lovelace and Grace Blackthorn from TSC she has strong parallels to both those chars imo and is better written/handled arc wise. But I will tell you that the other wlw char in the book who is her love interest dies there is byg, just so you no one gets mad at me for that. But still very worth the read imo. 

•The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

this series is a mix of urban fantasy and high fantasy, the first book is set mainly in Prague but large parts of the other books take place in a fantasy world called Eretz so there is a fun parallel worlds element. But it’s about Karou who is one of theee protagonists of the 2010s yet got paid dust justice for my girl, and she’s an art student in Prague who was raised by a family of monsters (chimeara), her surrogate father is Brimstone and he has a business of selling wishes for teeth that Karou sometimes helps with but is frustrated that she isn’t allowed to know why or what they’re for. Karou’s dynamics with the chimearas and with her best friends Zuzana who is also a wonderful character and inspo for my letterboxd url rabidfairy09, are really lovely and the prose is so beautiful… but the story really takes off when the love interest Akiva is introduced I won’t go into details about that because spoilers, but they have one of my absolute favorite romances in the genre that does subvert and play with those paranormal forbidden star crossed romance tropes in ways I think are quite fascinating. Books 2 and 3 are more complicated to describe there is an essential conflict between chimeras or devils vs angels in this world so there’s your modern tsc connection, and very lyrical prose although I find Lainis even lusher and more elegant than trc prose. 

• Sawkill Girls by Clara Legrand 

Ya horror book that I remember reading over the summer in high school and I think it’s a good summer read tonally, part of the plot is one of those stranded on an island survival stories but it’s less intense than like Yellowjackets (no cannibalism), I don’t actually have much to sell about the plot I just enjoyed the vibes and also there are lesbians one of whom is an ambitious driven abuse survivor who had an arc I remember really liking.

•Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie Mclemore I actually really love all the books by her I’ve read but I think this is a great one to start with. Basically there are multiple generations of women who are all witches living together (300 fox way vibes), and Estella has several cousins and she and them are all in love with the same woman who is the daughter of the man who owns the estate, and there’s a thing where boys and this family keep disappearing and then one of them shows up and resulting drama. The main romance is m/f but like all the female chars being bi, it is a good romance from my memory but the main event is the familial dynamics, the main character Estella’s arc around dealing with her internalized self hatred and a lot of anti colonial themes those anti colonial themes and themes of multigenerational trauma are very relevant in all the Mclemore I’ve read so yes, very much would read her starting with this book. Also very gorgeous prose as is in all her magical realism stuff. 

•this one is already quite popular on tumblr so you may have read it but The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, if you enjoy the cutthroat gang in SoC and that high fantasy world I think you would enjoy it I also get some Zoya vibes as well as Kaz vibes from Jude the main heroine. Won’t bother with detailed description because again, very popular books. 

•Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

basically a series of portal fantasies or fairytales for adults, they are all novellas and it’s an ongoing series following several different chars not all of whom appear in each book. But I enjoy them and I think if you like Riordanverse this is like an adult fantasy take on similar concepts in a way, even though it’s not directly mythology based.

•The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

This is the other tumblr popular series on the list and has a good amount of overlap with trc/aftg/soc fans so will only give the brief pitch that it’s adult sci fantasy and about lesbian necromancers in space. You will be very confused at least some of the time but it is worth it, trust me. 

•Black Iris by Leah Raeder 

new adult psychological thriller with a sapphic romance that slaps so hard. Delaney Keatings is one of my favorite unreliable narrators and also just an A+ character, there’s not a lot I can say about the actual plot because a lot of it is psychological but will give one other plot hint: vigilantes. Definitely look up trigger warnings before reading this there’s a lot about homophobia and also references to sexual violence, drug use a lot more it’s very in line with Aftg in terms of like, grittiness in that regard. Do highly recommend. 

•Dare Me by Megan Abbott 

like with Mclemore I love this author in general and would recommend everything I’ve read by her but this was my first book of hers so it’s a good introduction, and also a lot of it is about girls on a cheer team having homoerotic psychosexual dynamics as well as the murder, so it’s also in line with aftg thematically in that way. gay sports media. 

There are a lot of others but I don’t want to make this list ridiculously long so… here are some recs <3 thank you so much anon for letting me ramble and I hope you like them!

[emiliosandozsequence]

what scifi media do you like?

OH ANON I HAVE SO MANY. i'm so glad you asked 💕💕💕 (tagging @gorydean too so she sees 💕💕💕)

gotta start first and foremost with the sparrow series by mary doria russell as my blog is basically just a shrine to it at this point. amazing book and definitely recommend it if you love found family, first contact, trauma, tragedy, and the abandonment of the faithful by g-d. huge massive trigger warning tho. everyone says the second book isn't as good as the first, but i completely disagree. i think they're bitg equally as good as each other; the second book just takes awhile to get to the most insanity inducing parts whereas the first one starts out strong with that and keeps going until the end of the story.

i would have more books to recommend, but i've only just started REALLY getting back into reading after several years of not reading as much due to a variety of reasons (mostly trauma and chronic and mental illness). that being said, i have an insane amount of films to give you to watch instead of books.

gotta recommend my all time fav film (or one of the two anyway), the fountain. most people...don't like this movie because they think it's hard to understand and doesn't make sense towards the end (i had to watch it several times to get it), but please please please watch it. it's a beautiful film both visually and plotwise as long as you give it a chance 💕

sound of my voice is softer in terms of scifi, but still definitely scifi. it's another film that lets you decide what to believe. it's also another film people tend not to like for whatever reason, but i think it's extremely well done and the ending is so 💕💕💕💕💕💕

cloud atlas. very much a story in the same vein as the fountain taking place over different timelines. another beautifully done story about how everything and everyone is connected throughout space and time. ofc my fav timelines are the ones with robert frobisher and sonmi-451. i do also recommend the book, but i liked the film better because of a few of the changes they made.

sunshine is one of my fav films ever and i've loved it since i was in high school and first saw it. it reminds me a lot of three body problem in the sense that antagonist (idk if i would exactly call him a villain even tbh) is using g-d as a reason for the things he's doing. there's a few deleted scenes i wish they'd kept in because it really emphasizes this, but even so, this film is gorgeous in so many ways.

i origins. if u can't tell already i'm a huge brit marling fan and i think this is one of her best stories. again: you get to choose what to believe and you really have to watch the whole film for the pay off, but it is so very much worth it. i think i've actually only ever watched this film once, tho idk why bc it's genuinely one of my favs.

looper is another film that idk why more people weren't into it. the setting is dystopian. i was trying to think of a way to explain it in a few short sentences like i have the rest of the films here, but it's one of those films also that i think going into it knowing nothing is better. the kid who plays the rainmaker is so fucking good too. he's not even 10, but he played that role perfectly.

elysium. EVERYONE KNOWS DISTRICT 9 BUT NO ONE KNOWS ELYSIUM. i stand by my opinion that this film would be infinitely better if diego luna were the main character instead of matt damon, but even so i really love this film. the score is gorgeous. also lmao we for real might be living in this universe soon if elon fixes up that space hotel he wants to do fucking rip

ender's game. the author is a homophobic and transphobic dickwad who actively gives his money to anti-lgbt organizations, so watch this for free if you can (and buy the books second hand), but i actually really enjoyed what they did with this film. a lot of people thought it was too rushed, but also like....ender's game is a very Dense book, so i understand why they did it the way they did it. also the score is amazing.

signs. another film involving g-d and religion seen through the lens of scifi and first contact. this film gets shit on a ton for reasons i do not know, but it's actually really well done. it scared the ever living shit out of me the first few times i saw it tho bc i did Not grow up watching horror.

knowing. another film involving g-d and religion seen through the lens of scifi and first contact (can you tell i have a type of film/media i like???). this film also scared the ever living shit out of me when i first saw it to the point i had to sleep with the lights on, but in all actuality it isn't scary at all (i was just 14 and had never seen a thriller before lol). i really love disaster films tbh, but this is one of my all time favs (next to greenland).

another earth i did not like when i first saw it. i thought the whole thing was kind of pointless and didn't make very much sense, but the more i've thought about it since then, the more i've understood it. funnily enough, i never watched it a second time, but it's brit marling, so i probably will eventually. again: definitely recommend.

lucy. listen i know this has scarlett johansson in it and none of us like her, but this film is good despite her. i thought it was going to be dumb as hell when i first saw it, but i actually ended up liking it so much that it's heavily inspired the next novel i'm planning on writing (a scifi space opera about a girl becoming g-d).

origami. okay this one is difficult to find and you WILL have to buy it if you want to watch it (trust me: i have searched FAR and wide for this film in any other place and vimeo is the ONLY place i found it; it's only $5 to rent on there tho), but it's so worth it. it's worth it. it's one of my fav films and i watched it purely because of francois arnaud and i'm glad i did. this literally is his best work imo.

ink is my all time hands down favorite film. idk if you would even call it scifi, but i love it so much i just wanted to talk about it. it very obviously had zero budget, but they used what little money they had VERY wisely and the result was this beautiful film. the story makes me sob every single time. actually it's quite similar to origami, so if you like one, you'll probably like the other.

tron: legacy is another film that people shit on and idk why. it has The Best religious imagery. like how are you going to top one of the programs falling to their knees in prayer as flynn passes by????? the whole thing seems to be a jesus/judas metaphor anyway and i'm crazy for that shit. gotta mention the score as always because daft punk knocked it out of the park (people shit on the score too and i really don't get why).

thelma. i watched this one a whim with a friend and i cannot recommend it enough. i feel like it was kind of popular on here when it first came out bc it's a sapphic film, but it's also just very good in general. i've seen people get super upset about it also bc their interpretation makes it lesbophobic (which is crazy to me but whatever.

melancholia. i did Not like this movie for the longest time, but then i watched it recently and finally Got it. i guess you really do have to be a certain level of depressed to understand this film, so if you're insanely suicidal and can barely function like me, then i recommend it. you will probably get some catharsis out of it like i did. it is a very Strange film tho.

the creator came out at the end of last year and it was so good. definitely my fav film to come out in the last few years and involves g-d, religion, and AI. the score also in this is great (everybody say thank you hans zimmer. again.). the ending makes me sob so much.

more that i love a lot, but not as much (apparently there's a character limit, so i can't explain why these are my favs too, but it's for similar reasons as above).

the matrix trilogy

the fifth element

snowpiercer

blade runner 2049

as for tv shows, i don't have as many, but i do have a few that i would highly recommend if you like any of the films above:

halo. again: everyone shits on this show, but the absolute TRAGEDY of it is the fanboys hate it bc they suck and are bigots and everyone else who would like it (LIKE MY MUTUALS) refuses to give it a chance because of its overall reputation, so i'm BEGGING YOU GUYS TO GIVE IT A CHANCE.

foundation. genuinely fucking good. so much of what the creators of this show have done to change the story has been for the better. i read the books and they were okay, but the show is so so good. idk when season 3 will be coming out, but hopefully soon (same for halo, which i actually like better than this show).

the oa. i will forever mourn what we could've had with this show. i can't even talk about it without getting choked up. this getting canceled really truly fucked me up.

castle rock season 1. technically a horror series, but this season is more scifi than horror, i think. everything really comes to a head in episode 9 iirc and that episode still makes me crazy when i think about it. i definitely need to do a rewatch.

firefly/serenity. you've probably heard this one recommended before, but there's a reason for that. it's really so good, but g-d and jesus hate me because it too was canceled before it could even finish ONE SEASON. thankfully there's a film that kind of ties everything together, but WE COULD'VE HAD SO MUCH MORE.

i tried to put in some movies that aren't talked about as much on here!! i also have several letterboxd lists dedicated purely to scifi, which you can find below.

holy holy holy (scifi (and other films) involving religious imagery or straight up just about theology

the sparrow cinematic universe (films that are either discussed in the sparrow or remind me of it or that i could see the main characters watching)

but it was my body. it was my blood. and it was my love. (films that i either genuinely believe could be based off of the sparrow or just remind me of it in some way)

per aspera ad astra (scifi films i have seen or heard of. this literally is every single scifi film i remember ever in existence so it's quite long)

also mainstream scifi that i recommend/am obsessed with

interstellar

dune series (wer'e talking about the books here; not whatever the fuck denis villenueve pulled with the films lmao)

district 9

annihilation/southern reach trilogy

ex machina

prometheus

pacific rim

arrival

event horizon

mad max: fury road

nope

mobile suit gundam series (mostly hathaway and g-witch tho)

star wars (mostly the prequel and sequel trilogies)

nausicaa of the valley of the wind

castle in the sky

inception

tenet

high life

aldnoah zero

hanna

real steel

86: eighty-six

this is so much longer than i meant it to be omg. anyway people do not call me the scifi queen for no reason.

[novemberthewriter]

Hi! Thanks for the reblog! 🤗 You mentioned being into writing that explores the "meta part" of fanfic - YES!! Are there other people who do this/fics you can recommend?

yes indeeeed. below are works surrounding this topic i've really enjoyed over the past decade:

-> TRAD PUB. BOOKS

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell [link to NPR review] this came out when i was finishing high school + starting to get disillusioned w HP (for story reasons & 'the author is Unforgivably Shitty' reasons lol) so i was very intrigued with how this book worked as a metacommentary abt HP (seriously, it felt like the book was deconstructing a lot of the issues fans had with the o.g. canon) while being a cute fantasy in its own right. i haven't checked out the sequels yet

New Waves by Kevin Nguyen [link to LA Times review] i read this a year or two ago and enjoyed what it had to say about online vs IRL friendships, grief, hustle culture, and creative identity.

-> FANFIC PROJECTS

running after two hares by chaparral_crown on ao3 this is probably my favorite fic of all time. no exaggeration. i have the whole thing printed out on 200+ pages of copy paper bound with comically large binder clips. and it's not even finished! there's this fanon concept called HEU (Hannibal Extended Universe) where people consider all of the different characters that the main actors played outside the show (in other shows, film, etc) to be connected to the showverse. for some reason i've never been able to suspend my disbelief enough to get into a lot of HEU content. i'm picky about fic just as i am with any other creative writing i engage with -- i have been for most of my life. THEN. i come across this author's insanely popular HEU fic, and i've read non-HEU stuff from them before that i adored, so i figure 'why not' ... and this 'crack treated seriously' quickly became one of my fav things ever. the prose alone is so masterful. and it's such a DENSE read, like, you really gotta slow down to appreciate all the introspective asides and jokes and commentary about the text (show) and metacommentary about how unusual pairings thrive, inside and outside of fiction.

Starsky & Hutch Virtual Season [link to Fanlore wiki] i got into S&H fandom in 2012. i remember how intrigued i was at the concept of the Virtual Season, which had its heyday a decade before i got into the online fandom. this kind of fan activity is the precursor, imo, to stuff like people calling installments of their webnovels 'episodes', the concept of a 'dream season' (ex: how hannibal ppl talk about how season 4 would play out if the show hadn't been cancelled), etc. people weren't just writing serialized fic, they were cultivating a really unique Experience

-> COMMENTATORS / ESSAYISTS

Shipper's Guide to the Galaxy (has not updated their channel in years but has such a huge backlog of thoughtful content about the relationship between media and its fans, including entire segments dedicated to fic recs)

Fionapollo (discovered them recently! i used to watch a lot of art commentary channels that preceded this one, and i'm obsessed w this channel because they focus more on the philosophy of creative practice & cultivating community between fans and media, rather than feeding into toxicity for views. they cover negative topics sometimes, yeah, but not in a sensationalist way at all. super refreshing)

[anunusers]

Hiya love!!

Saw your post and though I would ask! 😁

Can I ask all of them? 1-36 lmao

Last question is: what's your biggest fear?

Love u, byeeeeee🩷

OMG this made me so happy!!!!! I'm a nobody and you want to know about me?!?!? 😭means the world to me!!!❤️I love you !!!!!

I did try to answer all of the questions and I thought I posted it but I am new with posting so please forgive me! Also, I'm an over sharer so I'm sorry in advance for that too!

What is your nickname?

Lately, my colleagues have been calling me Jay. Other times I'm Jen or Jenni.

When is your birthday?

4/3 :)

What was your longest relationship?

I've only been in one serious relationship and those were the hardest 4 years of my lifeeeee! Seriously, barely made out alive. 😮‍💨

What is your favorite book?

I have so mannnnyyy! It's so hard to pick one but I'll share a few that actually caught my attention and still have resonated with me:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Tony and Susan by Austin Wright

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I'm thinking of ending things by Iain Reid

I honestly have so many more, but these are the ones I have read recently and absolutely loved. Also, Fredrik Backman is currently my fav author so I definitely recommend checking him out !

What is something you're insecure about?

My appearance for sure. I don't feel confident in my looks whatsoever haha. I feel like I am fugly most of the time but that just what has been embedded in my brain since I was younger. Also, I've recently have gotten insecure with my voice. Which is so random but I kind of hate my voice LOL.

5 Male celebrity crushes

Jake Gyllenhaal (obvy LOL), Pedro Pescal, Jaime Camil, Tenoch Huerta, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I honestly have many more and they are all from Novelas. That is all I grew up watching with my mom hehe.

5 Female celebrity crushes

Elizabeth Olsen, Emma D'arcy, Scarlett Johanssan, Ana de Armas, Anne Hathaway and again, I am many many moorreee.

What is your dream job?

I always wanted to do something in music or theatre. A singer or actor. I was a huge choir nerd in high school. I even did piano lessons for a few years. On my last year of high school, I ended up doing theatre and it was so much fun! I did plays and that experience really made me love theatre. Maybe one day in the future... 🙏

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?

I haven't accomplished much in life to be honest so I don't know what I would consider an accomplishment. Maybe being able to learn different professions throughout the years. I am a Certified Patient Care Tech and all though I am not even that work field anymore, I still very much enjoyed learning about the healthcare process and what different titles mean when it comes to taking care of patient and getting the help that they need.

What is a fact about you that nobody would believe?

I have no clueeeeeeeee......maybe that I'm from MX ?? LOL My accent is completely gone now from the 12 years that I've lived in the States. Which is so sad cause not only do I suck at speaking English, my Spanish is going down hill too.. I'm slowly turning into a sabo kid!! 😭😭

What were your highs and lows for this last month?

Lately, my lows have been just feeling very lost and out of place. I feel like I should be at a certain point in my life but I am so far from reaching it or maybe I won't ever come close but yeah, its a very crappy feeling. My high this month is definitely receiving this ask from you. Made my day 100% better! ❤️

Where is somewhere you'd like to visit?

I have sooooooo many places I would like to visit!!! In States, I would love to visit New York, Florida for Universal Studios and World Disney. Out of States, I would love to visit Sweden, Italy, Japan, South Korea.

How do you de-stress?

I nap like my life depends on it. I'm stressed, NAP. Upset, NAP. Happy, NAP. Sad, Nap. I could rot happily in my bed if I could get paid for it.

What are your favorite apps besides tumblr?

I honestly only mainly use Tumblr and Tiktok LOL they control my life right now. I don't think I use any other apps. Maybe Amazon and Barnes & Nobles 😁

Describe yourself in one sentence.

Lover girl in a world where love no longer exists. 🫠

What do you think makes you attractive?

I don't know actually... I would like to say my personality perhaps? I think I'm pretty cool I think I'm quite hilarious actually haha. I had someone once say that my eyes and smile was the most attractive thing about me, but I think the opposite.

What is something you're really good at?

Procrastinating. I procrastinate so good that when the deadline of something is like 5 minutes away, I overwork and stress myself out so bad that my work just comes out beautifully. I work amazing under extreme and stressful situations. Not healthy at all so please don't try!!!!

What is something you're really bad at?

Math. Which is funny because I was doing accountant work for a Retail store as my first job and I was amazing. Maybe it was the power I felt while holding thousands of dollars a night while making minimum wage 🥲LOL

A time that you told a lie.

I never lie, I speak my truth all the time but while I was in my first serious relationship, I lied ALOT about being okay and happy. It was such unhealthy relationship for me and I wanted to keep the peace at all times that I lied a lot to my family. Trust me when I say, even if they are older, does not mean they are mature. Learned that the hard way.

What's a totally random and useless fact that you know?

Our brain doesn't know our eyeballs exist and if they did know, they would attack them. You can permanently go blind if our brain was like, "wait a min, where did they come from??" Freaking GNARLY!

Who knows you the best?

My mommy ❤️

What is your most prized possession?

I am in LOVE with V for Vendetta. From the moment I saw it back when my dad would let us rent random movies from Blockbusters, I just love it. I read the comics and love the theatrics of how V is and how beautifully he was portrayed by Hugh Weaving. I ended up buying a screenplay book that contains the directors notes and small changes that were made that didn't make it to the movie and that is my most prized possession. Definitely fueled my love for acting and everything that comes from just being able to shoot a movie.

What is your longest friendship?

9 years but unfortunately, life drifted us apart :(

When did you first feel like an adult?

When I did my taxes for the first time. I was not ready to adult, and I still can't adult correctly but surviving!

Do you/ Have you played any sports?

Yes, volleyball!!!! My family used to play it all time when we lived in MX. I turn into a competitive monster.

How are you feeling right now?

Tired and hungry. I've been surviving on Moster Energy drinks these last few days.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I'm honestly neither. I used to be able to stay up all night but now, I can barely wake up early and can barely stay awake lol I'm old now.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I do, I'm a hopeless romantic.

Favorite song lyrics right now?

I've been listening to sad songs lately. Currently have I Can't Make You Love Me by Bon Iver on a constant loop. "I'll close my eyes, then I won't see. The love you don't feel when you're holding me. Morning will come and I'll do what's right. Give me 'til then to give up this fight." UGH gets me every time! 😭

What does self care look like for you?

Honestly, a nice hot bath in a candle lit bathroom, bright enough to be able to read a book and because I love in AZ, thunderstorm sounds in the background. My definition of self care ❤️

Describe yourself with 3 singers.

This is on hard! I don't know. Ummmmmm can I say 3 of my favorite singers? Amy Lee from Evanescence, RAYE, and Beyonce.

What makes you nervous?

Knowing that we have only explore 5% of the ocean and ocean nearly takes 70% of our planet. Not sure what phobia that is but thinking about that makes me nervous. Also meeting new people. I'm very shy so I get super nervous and anxious.

What’s a pet peeve you have?

When I am with someone and I am sharing something or just telling them something and they are on their phone, not listening at all. Then they have the audacity to say, "Huh?" Like no thank you. The excitement is over and now I'm hurt. 🥲

What will always make you cry?

Thinking about my life. Kidding! I am a huge crybaby so it doesn't take much to make me cry. Show me a sad video, I'll cry a river.

What kind of first impression do you think you make on people?

I don't know, I smile a lot so maybe they form some kind of opinion based on that. I hope it's all good first impressions though. 😊

Special Question: What's your biggest fear?

I have a lot of fears and some may seem so little. I am afraid of never being able to accomplish or become the person I dreamt of being. I'm afraid that I will never get back on track with how I envisioned I would be right now at 24. It's dumb little things that scare me. Never finding love and having a family of my own or not being able to be fully happy. Sometimes it feels like something is missing and maybe that's why I have been feeling lost lately. Those are biggest fears.

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!!! I really enjoyed answering these questions and would totally love to see you answering them too!!!!!! Love you!!!❤️❤️❤️

[hannah-schooler]

🦴🔪 for the ask game <3

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

SO MANY. For my fanfics there is obviously the source material: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Pacific Rim, etc. I feel like basically every book and story I’ve ever read influences my writing in some way. Every story I’ve ever heard is a part of the things I create. Some of my favorites though are the Greek Tragedies (Grief Lessons by Anne Carson is a fav), Orpheus and Eurydice. Some of my fav books recently have been The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, Fourth Wing, The Atlas Six. I think I’m influenced on anything from the vibes to the writing style. and it’s so fun honestly to see what things make it in and shine through. Any music by Taylor Swift is a huge influence for me lol. I’ve made a game in my original novel for my beta readers to see if they can pick out all the TS references. Anastasia is also a huge influence on that one. And honestly, the things my friends and mutuals are writing are a big inspiration too. We’re not competing with each other, but I do feel like in a lot of ways we’re always pushing each other to be better writers 🥰

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

oh god, so many things. The grossest is probably the decomposition process of the human body. I’m reading Stiff by Mary Roach right now to that end. It’s interesting but I don’t recommend eating beforehand.

The most random…hmm… there’s been so many little things. Probably trying to find blueprints for the Tolbooth in 17th century Scotland. That or the names of all the different closes on high street. there are some random ones

@dashedwithromance i want YOU to answer this question cause I want your whole dissertation on space law 😂

[corpsepng]

tell us all about your favorite sci-fi stories!!

!!!!! To be so honest I feel a little too under-read to talk specific stories as I’ve only recently started Reading reading again. But in this time of growing a (robust tbh) reading habit I’ve also (FINALLY) developed my taste and realized (after 25 years of life) I’m accidentally a sci-fi guy when before I was VEHEMENTLY opposed and convinced I was a staunch fantasy enjoyer lmao. So I think instead of rattling off stories I’ll describe WHAT I like the most in my sci-fi/my reading tastes (film included). AND. AND. If anyone has recs based on this let me know!

I like my sci-fi down to earth, because I have weird intrusi-qualms about secondary worlds that are supposed to make sense (fantasy gives me this reaction too now unless I change my headspace). (So far) I have found no one (the scavengers show on HBO excluded bc that impressed me) is making their alien worlds ALIEN enough for me!!! I like sci-fi that is near to home in both space and time, therefore believable. And with societies that don’t feel like archaic repeats of the past (could not even get 2 chapters into red rising). Some stuff like Dune just feels space fantasy to me. Yada yada space travel, where’s the science yk? All I see is magic. (So like the seep and annihilation and possessor, just weird enough to feel different but similar enough to feel real)

I also only like space travel if it talks about how horrific space travel is because the isolation should be the main character. The hopelessness and high stakes of failing should eclipse everything else. If they’re on a space ship I need people to die bc space should, logical, be 10 times as unfriendly as the sea. (Europa report, sunshine, that one with Sandra bullock hyperventilating for 2 hours)

And first contact!!!!!!! The three body problem, arrival, annihilation and the seep again!!! The many ways we can and might encounter and react to alien life but with very clear discussions about human nature, alien nature, and the nature of life itself. Can we really coexist? Are we really all that intelligent? What are the consequences of our hamfisted human choices? How can we ever hope to effectively communicate anything to anyone ever?????????????

And lastly. Lastly. horror. I think all sci-fi SHOULD be a little scary just like all fantasy should be a little scary. Horror is an essential element to every story regardless of genre, because fear is a cardinal human emotion. All animals know fear. SO. Take the scary out and the whole thing is defanged. I want body horror, existential horror, creature horror, isolation horror, tech horror. Alien and event horizon and I have no mouth but I must scream and annihilation (again) and three body problem (hill to die on) etcetera!!!!! The world is terrifying and science fiction is meant to examine the truth of that.

Tbh a lot of my fav HORROR has an element of sci-fi to it (ie lovecraftian work especially Caitlin Kiernan, sunshine, the genetically modified worms part of the troop, possessor!!!!!! All Time Faves) The science of horror AND the horror of science yk. We’re creating the monsters in laboratories if you will.

I’m also reading a lot of non fiction as well, but this is already too long so I’ll list my books and films in a reblog. Thank you for the excuse to write all this and PLEASE someone recommend me more books (and film)

🖤💙🦋🩵🩶🖤💙🦋🩵🩶🖤💙🦋🩵🩶

[cultofsappho]

9 favourite books

tysm for the tag @daisymae-12 !!!

about a year ago, I was unemployed for a while and binged like, 50 queer romance books back to back. most of these are from that little period of freedom haha

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - wow big shocker. the heavy rwrb blog puts it as her fav? we all gasped. No joke, this book inspires me so much, regularly. Its a comfort reread, a regular in my rotation of audiobook backround noise, and inspired several fics and counting.. #1 best boy right here

Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo - my #2 comfort rereads, I'm including Crooked Kingdom bc I ALWAYS pick up book #2 after finishing book #1. Wylan is my special boy and I need his POV chapters. (I also need more fic of him going fucking insane and becoming a tiny, richer, Kaz please and thank you)

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake - Look im a fantasy/magic/adventure girl, so this was very outside my norm when i bought it but i feel in LOVE. It's so mundane while also being very heartfelt and silly and fun. I absolutely loved it and plan to reread soon. plus........ sapphic sex scenes. what more do you want.

A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske - MAGIC. CURSES. SECRECT SOCIETY. LIBRARIES. PERIOD PEICE. (+magic sex???) SOLD. I need the next two books so bad but i'm broke rn. I will probably get #2 as an audio book from the library if I can soon!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - not exaggerating, this book reminded my why I love reading. this is the book that kicked off my great reading binge of 2022. which is kinda weird bc I really don't like high school stories, i'm just too old now for them. BUT, magic. ghosts. queer. SOLD. Loved and reread many times and counting!

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - While we're on Aiden Thomas... I need Sunbearer Trials book 2 like, yesterday. I NEED IT AIDEN. Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson in the best possible combination that took my breath away. I flew (lol) through this book in one evening. (not recommended. savvor this shit. its excellent.)

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun - the fact the author managed to make me enjoy the concept of a reality show is balls to the walls bananas. And the mental halth discussion in this stole the whole show.

Spell Bound by FT Lukens - It's really hard for me to pick between FT's books for a fav. I absolutely loved In Deeper Waters and So This Is Ever After, but Spell Bound hit me so hard. Of course, there's magic. (have you found my theme yet?) but specifically the discussion around lonliness, and Rook's relationship with "his adult" is so sweet and just really hit me somewhere soft.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - I am seriously on the hunt for sapphic books that hit me the way some of the mlm books above have hit me and ols hits that nail on the head. This book made me realize I actually like time travel stories... if it's done in a very specific way haha. also... sapphic sex scenes. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME. I'M HERE FOR THE P-

ty for allowing me to indulge in my ramblings and love for these books <3 no pressure tags below the cut:

@14carrotghoul @myheartalivewrites @lazybug16 @penna-nomen @cosmicalart @sherryvalli @jesuisici33 @cha-melodius

[genderqueer-hippie]

I was tagged by @ineffabildaddy to fill out a get to know you doodad so here we are! Thank you for the tag, I love these things!

Real name: Jasmine - I was named after my dad's favorite flower

Nicknames & origins: In high school I was called Raph (we assigned teenage mutant ninja turtles to each other like normal ppl) and Grandma (long running joke of our friends long story) Jael was my first one online, an alias back in my days of livejournal. Jay is the most common and I enjoy it because it's gender neutral and easy to remember.

AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatchouliDreamsForever/profile

Social media: this is the only place I am active

Pets: Oscar, Grace, and Bruiser. Not pictured is Buddy, a lab/mastiff mix

Hobbies: hiking, writing, foraging, camping, video games, reading, embroidery, cooking, other things that my noodle brain has forgotten

Personality: I tend to be more shy, especially in unfamiliar situations. I'm quick to be friends if I vibe well with someone. I tend to babble like a hamster on uppers when I talk about things I enjoy. Idk I'm just a super laid back queer stoner type (who is currently very stoned lol)

Fav holiday: I don't have a favorite, actually? I just enjoy the family time of a holiday meal together.

Fav food: edamame

Fav dessert: I'm a whore for gelato

Fav color: eggplant

Fav quotes: "But I digress..." is very relevant to my daily life

Fav books: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Jungle Books, Fahrenheit 451, Good Omens, Wind in the Willows, I could go on but I won't

Fav TV shows: okay in no particular order, let the list unfold- Golden Girls, Buffy, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Interview with the Vampire, Willow, Good Omens, Staged, Our Flag Means Death, A League of Their Own, Torchwood,

Fav films: Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Birdcage, But I'm a Cheerleader, Funny Face, Charade, Princess Bride, The Blue's Brothers, Eyes Without a Face, Chicago, and so many more

Fav characters: I have so many!

Fav actors: currently all about David Tennant but Audrey Hepburn is always my go-to answer

Fav songs: Rhiannon Giddens is an amazing artist and everything I've heard from her is my favorite. I highly recommend Julie

Fav genre: I listen to so many things. I guess most listened to is blues and folk, but classical is another main staple of mine.

Fav podcast: I don't really listen to them tbh

Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes. Went to a Supernatural convention back in ...2013? Osric was running around the lobby in footie pajamas hanging out with everyone. I froze when Misha sat next to me at the cocktail party. I hugged Matt and he was super sweet. Karaoke was super fun. Ah, memories 😌

Have you ever been to a concert? Quite a few! I haven't been to one in a long time though.

Do you collect anything? I like rocks, books, physical media (CDs, DVDs, VHS), teas, wax seals and stationery

Idols? Idk that I really have an idol?

Is there a real life friend you can be yourself around? For the most part, yeah

Where would you love to travel? So many places. I haven't traveled far at all.

Random fact about yourself: when I was a kid I'd spend road trips daydreaming about running off into the woods and living a hermit life in a cave

This took longer than it should have but it was fun! I tag any of my moots that want to have an excuse to do it!

[quill-beetlewing]

I said I'd do it, so, as promised...

Quill reads:

The Eight Arrow

Chapter 1: Out of Depths

Post 1/2

We're off to an absolutely great start with this, which is basically implying thag Ody found this map made by Chiron, scribbled over it and the claimed to have completed it. I can already sense the gremlin energy.

WELL THEN.

So this is just straight up Odysseus writing his way out of Dante's Inferno out of sheer pettiness and spite, uh?

My expectations are now officially sky-high.

Two bros, chilling in a hot flame, 0 feet apart cause they're not gay~

I'm sorry where in the hell is the "father of Telemachus"??????

Okay nevermind, worst book ever, 0/10, would not recommend. In this essay I will-

Glad we've established from the very start that Diomedes is an absolute mood. Fantastic.

Then again he's had to put up with Odysseus' dumb ass for like 3000 years now, I can't really blame him.

"Oh fuck, an Italian" - Odysseus probably

Isn't it nice to know that if one of your childhood heroes was alive he'd find you absolutely repulsive? :D (I'm Italian, in case that wasn't clear enough lol)

I'm sorry, I know that he put you in hell and all that Ody but what's up with all the Dante hate, dude?

Don't do my man like that, he's sensitive! D:

When you're a drama queen but your patron goddess is literally the deity of getting shit done efficiently.

Because your fav is a dumbass, Athena.

Part 2 because I physically can't add more pictures

[kentopedia]

hello sweet rylie!! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა i remember us talkin ab my personal favorite books & my fave authors & i wanted to share one of my fave poems bc it reminded me of our convo & of you when i reread it recently <33 you continue to show me nothing but love & kindness & for that i am eternally grateful (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟthe world is so so lucky to have you here, to spread nothing but gentle energy & love to everyone in your life <33 i was wonderin if you had a fave poem/literary work that reminds you of someone or smth you love? or perhaps a book that feels like home ? i'd love to know all the deets!! ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა i'm sending love ALWAYS!! forever & ever!! <33

“No rest without love, No sleep without dreams of love - be mad or chill obsessed with angels or machines the final wish is love.” - Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems

chloe!!! omg this has to be the sweetest little letter i’ve ever received (,,> ᴗ <,,) this is making me so emotional aw. thank you for this beautiful poem, i cant believe it made you think of me!! ♡⸜(ˆᗜˆ˵ )⸝♡ definitely saving it and thinking of you right back !!! ahh ok so honestly, i struggle so much finding poetry collections i like, so if you have any recommendations, i want to read more!! but as for books... i have so so many! so my best friend in high school's all time fav character was will herondale from the shadowhunters series!! idk if you've read them, but his favorite book was a tale of two cities, and she loved charles dickens because of that! so that book will always always make me think of her <33 also my sister has been reading a lot more lately & talking about some of her favs with me!! she loved loved loved 1984 & animal farm and we've been chatting abt those two books a lot, so now i always associate them with her hehe. as for books i always go back to ... the percy jackson series was my fav as a kid, and they will always be such a comfort <33 and chloe !! i am such a big fan of vampire fiction. i've been slowly making my way through as many as i can (carmilla is next on my list!), but my all time favorite will always be interview with the vampire. i could go on & on abt books honestly!!

[runnning-outof-time]

Fics and books, please!

— your friendly neighborhood spideyman

Hello again friendly neighborhood spideyman!! I’m so happy to see that you’re back!! ☺️☺️

As far as fics go….I tag all of the stories I’ve read under #10/10 would recommend - you should be able to find a multitude of amazing stories from a bunch of amazing writers there.

I keep a personal reading list in my ‘likes’, which I call my ‘to-reads’ … and I’ll usually bump the story from my likes to my 10/10 tag once I’ve read it. It would take me eons to list all of the fics in my likes on this post, so I’ll share some of the authors that I know are in there (as well as my fav history books) under the cut so this doesn’t get too long.

Before I get into it, I just want to say that messages like these absolutely MAKE. MY. DAY. I have so much fun talking to y’all about everything and anything, so please don’t hesitate in jumping into my ask box at any hour of the day!

Ok so for my ‘to-read’ list: I’ve got a good number of fics by @padfootdaredmetoo , @look-at-the-soul , @zablife (particularly her corrupt a wish fics that I liked ages ago but still haven’t read, and I really need to get on it) , @shelbydelrey , and @acewritesfics (who was previously ‘sunsetbeachesandwriting’) that I need to get into reading…also @cillmequick ‘s latest Lockdown installment too…I just know that they’re all going to be amazing, so I suggest you check their blogs out.

Now onto the second part of your ask (if you’re still reading this, thank you!!!) …. I’ll preface this by saying all of the books that I read are nonfiction and centered around history. They’re also mostly focused on US history (as I’m from the US).

The Smell of Battle, The Taste of Siege by Mark M. Smith (American Civil War) - it focuses on one of the most interesting ways to study/analyze conflict: through the five senses.

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan (The Dust Bowl/The Great Depression) - the narratives that this author provides of people who lived through this incredibly trying time are so gripping…I believe it’d be an interesting read even for someone who doesn’t like history.

The Dalton Boys by David Allin (American West/Outlaws) - a super, super interesting book about a gang of brothers who were lawmen turned outlaws. It’s written in the style of a story, so it’s super easy to follow and very exciting at times.

Stampede by Brian Castner (Gold Rush in the Klondike) - another super interesting book that details the stories of those who went to Alaska during its gold rush. There’s a lot of struggle and strife, and Jack London’s (the author of Call of the Wild) in it too.

Never In Finer Company by Edward G. Lengel (WWI) - I’ve not finished this book, but what I read of it was super, super interesting. It focuses on the ‘lost battalion’ of American soldiers that were stranded in the Argonne Forest during the war. I watched a movie based off of it in a high school history class way back when, so it was pretty cool to find this book on it.

I’m currently reading a book called This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust. It’s about death and the American Civil War and it has been super interesting so far. If you’re ever interested, feel free to check back on me some time from now to see if I got anywhere on the book and if my thoughts have changed.

This got long, didn’t it?? 😅😅 if you made it this far, thanks so much for reading my babbles on my history books…I think I can go all night honestly haha….but I won’t, I promise. Thanks so much again for sending this in, spideyman anon…I really appreciate you dropping into my ask box!! ☺️❤️

[faithtales]

2022: Yearly Round-Up

First things first: Happy New Year!!! Look at you, you made it through to tell the tale! And what a year 2022 was! For me, the highs were very euphoric, and the lows were the absolute worst. From January 2022, I wished the year would just end already. I had a very painful start to the year. In February, my only surviving grandmother passed away, and the day I got the news will go down as one of the worst days of my life. I miss my gogo dearly, but I’m also happy she is finally resting. The last long conversation I had with her was very deep, and left me inspired to live a life she would be proud of. 

This was also the year we experienced devaluation, inflation, a fuel crisis, persistent blackouts and the list goes on and on. I couldn’t have picked the worst time to move out. Prices skyrocketed, and Little Miss Independent here called mum, dad, and her big sister Charity when she met any inconvenience (baby steps, guys, baby steps). But despite all that, I have really enjoyed living alone and the peace that comes with it. Honestly, it is not as scary as most people portray it. I truly love it here - highly recommend.

The good parts were really good, too. I loved quality time with family and friends, and the wins were nothing short of miracles. I significantly reduced the time I spent on some social media sites and deleted some apps while at it, and I'm glad I did. I also had a fairly great year at work, mainly because I enjoy the work I do, and I am surrounded by some really awesome workmates. It was a year of lessons, too. The biggest lesson is that when God says His mercies are new every morning? He means just that! That He loves you unconditionally? Never ever doubt it. I am walking into 2023 with all the lessons in mind and asking for God’s grace to take me through.

So, as per tradition, before we move on completely, here is my round-up for the year 2022:

Top 5 places visited:

1. Zomba Mountain - William Falls and Songani Lookout

Took a hike very early on in January, and got to see the amazing William Falls and went all the way to Songani Lookout with my girls. Zomba views will never ever get old.

2. Rumphi

This year was my first time going up north beyond the city of Mzuzu. All I can say is, the north really is underrated. I went all the way to Karonga, and Chiweta was a marvel. This was a work trip so I didn’t get to do much, but it just made me itch for a proper Rumphi trip. I have always wanted to visit Mushroom Farm and Nyika Plateau… What I saw of Rumphi made me realise this is one of the most beautiful districts in Malawi (by far, too!).

Photo credits: Adventures with Colby, and Herman Is Out of The Office

3. Makokola Retreat

I remember going to Makokola Retreat when we were younger during school holidays (called Club Makokola back then). When I visited this year, I felt so nostalgic! It is still as amazing as it was, and I’m so glad the standard keeps going up. This is truly one of Mangochi’s finest establishments.

4. Kefi  Hotel Café

The newest Instagrammable location in my beautiful hometown! Kefi is located near the Zomba Botanical Gardens. They have really great food, and I love that they maintained the good old Zomba colonial style exterior and blended it with aesthetic interior design. I truly enjoyed the calm and quiet here.

I don’t know if you can just show up now, but last I checked, you have to book ahead, so plan accordingly if you ever want to visit.

5. Maravi Coffee 

I finally fulfilled my promise to check out this place inside the Nature Sanctuary, right in City Centre. Such a cosy place, surrounded by trees and cheeky monkeys. For a second, you forget you are in the middle of dusty Lilongwe.

Top books Read

Let me not even lie guys, I did not read enough interesting books to come up with a list for this year’s round-up. What I did do though, was get into podcasts so that’s how I am making up for not coming up with a list of my top reads.

Fav Podcasts

I discovered that a very great way to spend time in slow Lilongwe traffic is a good ol’ dramatic story by Wondery! Wondery is by far, my fav publisher of podcasts. The drama. The scandals. The history lessons – oooh yes!

Here are my favourites, with my personal rating

American Scandal:

Edward Snowden (4/5)

Watergate (3/5)

The Clinton-Lewinsky Affair (4/5)

Tuskegee Syphilis Study (5/5!)

British Scandal:

Spy Cops (5/5)

The Coughing Major (5/5)

The Litvinenko Affair (3/5)

The Canoe Con (5/5!!!!)

The Murdoch Phone Hacking (3.5/5)

Business Wars:

McDonald's vs Burger King (4/5)

15 songs that were stuck on replay in 2022

Since Spotify decided to discriminate us this year and not give us our well deserved Wrapped, I had to come up with this list manually, so I hope I'm not too far off.

The one thing I have loved about this year is the amount of Malawians putting out quality music on streaming platforms. It gives me so much hope for what's to come.

1.     Jehova – Ryan Ofei

2.     Somebody Knows – ELI-J

3.     The Commission – CAIN

4.     Bwenzi Langa – Free Worship Malawi, Simplice Bless

5.     He’ll Be There – Lynual Younce

6.     I Am Yours – Terry Clark

7.     Standing By The Bedside – Cox Family

8.     Shall Not Want – Elevation Worship, Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore

9.     There Was Jesus – CAIN

10. No Words (ft. Leon Timbo) - Jason Nelson

11. Never Lost - CeCe Winans

12. You're Gonna Be Okay - Jenn Johnson

13. Capable God - Judikay

14. You I Live For - Moses Bliss

15. Alipo - Kelvin Sings, Beracah  (why is this song so short tho? 🥺)

You can find this playlist on Spotify 

Honourable mentions - songs I replayed on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/oF7EUyQArPQ

https://youtu.be/WZAzTGsEnHI

https://youtu.be/PJDRmhaPAaQ

 And that’s it! I wish you a great new year, until the next round-up, God willing, enjoy 2023!

-Fai

P/S: My website is down at the moment, so I’ll use Tumblr till it’s up and running again.