#it's a series but can be read as a standalone

[writingsbychlo]

Following up from last year's Fruitcake series, this little collection of holiday fics all loosely follow on from the previous events, but can also be read as standalone stories too! Happy Christmas, my darlings. Thank you for another year of your lovely comments, encouragement and support! <3

Deck The Halls - Draco Malfoy

[COMING SOON] - Tom Riddle

[COMING SOON] - Theodore Nott

[COMING SOON] - Mattheo Riddle

[COMING SOON] - Lorenzo Berkshire

[theflyingpimphat]

Very late reblog, I know, but that is a type of story I'm very much interested in, to the point of having started to write one myself because regular book outlets rarely deliver. Generally, vintage sci-fi is often better on that front, as it tends to be way more creative with its settings. Accordingly, most of my suggestions will be older stories. I'd be glad to see more recent suggestions, too, though.

As for the suggestions:

Humanx Commonwealth, and Pip and Flinx novels, by Alan Dean Foster

Both series take place in the same setting, the former being more or less standalone novels, the latter following a young man with empathic abilities and his winged snake pet on a meandering road to fulfil his destiny to save the galaxy from an unknown "evil" approaching it. These novels feature the best ecosystems I've seen in sci-fi books so far and there's great attention to detail in regards to that. Usually, there's one planet per book, which allows for a more in-depth exploration of the places visited. The sapient species present across the books are not overly interesting from a design standpoint (ant-mantises and lizardmen), but they are fairly interesting from a more cultural standpoint, and it's great that the ant-mantises are allies of the humans rather than being in the cliche role of Evil Bug Aliens. Sometimes, the aliens are also the POV characters. There are also way more interesting sophonts with one-time appearances, fitting into their worlds' ecosystems.

Wellworld series, by Jack L. Chalker

While it's not a space opera due to the majority of the stories taking place on an artificial planet, its makeup also allows for a high density of different species and environments in close proximity. However, it reads more as fantasy than sci-fi, due to many species resembling mythological creatures (in this setting, the universe's sophonts are all artificial, created by a precursor species that did a lot of intellectual theft while designing, several of which have visited Earth in the past and inspired the myths) and the premise is based on powerful computers being able to rewrite reality. The plots usually hinge around a group of humans ending up on the Wellworld through one of the portals strewn through the universe and ending up in a random environment, turned into a member of the intelligent species present there, then trying to find each other in an attempt to leave the Wellworld.

Tangentially related:

Sector General series, by James White

The earlier books are collections of shorter stories about medics, both human and alien, mostly taking care of survivors of spacefaring accidents of uncontacted alien species, the later books are longer stories, often from the POV of an alien, dealing with their own issues and issues of the hospital. There is not much in the "planets" department due to the majority of the books taking place in a hospital space station, an ambulance spaceship and spaceship wreckage, but the aliens are definitely diverse and creative, with the nature of the stories the aliens' physiology and psychology is explored at a greater depth than usual. It's also as far away from military sci-fi as one can get, since the author was a pacifist and wanted to avoid "tension by war" plots.

Galaxy Cruise, by Marcus Alexander Hart

A regular guy gets "rewarded" for saving the president of a failing cruise ship company by being given the role of captain for the newest and biggest ship, crewed by aliens who appear to be most unsuitable for the job. Not much in the "planets" department either due to most of the plot taking place on a cruise spaceship, but it has some decent aliens. It's more character-focussed than the other suggestions and the characters and their interactions are definitely one of the novels' strong points, and it manages to be pretty suspenseful at times (especially the fourth book). It's also hilarious.

Last Human, by Zack Jordan

A girl, supposedly the last human in the universe and raised by a giant spider alien, has to leave her home station with a ragtag bunch of misfits when the station gets attacked. Also not much in the "planets" department, but since Books of the Raksura was brought up, I think this is one of the closest to it in regards of having a protagonist seeking a place to fit in. There's also an episodic prequel comic that can be read online.

Shameless self-promotion:

A to Z

A collection of short stories about two aliens with conflicting traits and personalities traveling the galaxy in a run-down spaceship, taking on all kinds of jobs to pay for fuel and repair. Very much born from me missing the older more adventurous sci-fi with aliens in it, being an adventure series with nothing but aliens. Each story takes place on a different celestial body or space station, filled with a variety of aliens. It also has simple illustrations.

Rec me books, O Friends! I’m in the mood for sci-fi, preferably of the space opera sort, with lots of alien species and bouncing around from one cool planet to the next. I want a fun and light book though, definitely nothing that could be described as military sci-fi. The Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy movies are good examples of what I want, but in a book. Basically I want the equivalent of those fics that are like ‘it’s our fave characters, but now they’re iiiiin spaaaaaaace!’. 

The closest thing I can think of to what I’m looking for is Martha Wells’s Books of the Raksura, which is not space opera, but does have all the awesome worldbuilding with many cool species and tons of fantastic imaginative settings. So, more stuff like that, please!

Things I’ve already read and so you don’t need to rec them to me: the Vorkosigan Saga, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Dune, N.K. Jeminsin’s books, Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis series, the Mars trilogy (all of KSR’s books, really), and The Left Hand of Darkness. Most of these are close to what I want, but way more serious than I’d like right now. I’m in the mood for fun!

Help, please?

[thecasualfkfan]

"Pantheon," Sarrica said. "If all that is true, which it must be, how did such abuse go unnoticed by the entire fucking rest of the army and mercenaries? Somebody, somewhere would have known what was happening and spoken up."

Kamir huffed a sad, tired laugh. "That's not how it works. Plenty of people knew the way my parents treated me. The way my despicable ex treated me. No one was ever willing to help me, not until I hired Velina, and she became the friend and ally I'd never had before. People get uncomfortable and don't know how to handle it, and so just ignore it. Others think, whether they realize it or not, that the victim must have done something to deserve it. If they're really being abused, why don't they just leave? Abuse is ugly and complicated and impossible to understand wholly if you've not been a victim yourself.

"Too often, people also simply refuse to believe the abuse is even happening, and that the abuser is somebody they respect and admire, because many abusers are very good at making certain of that." He turned to look at Chass, smiling softly. "He came to see me, not long after Sarrica issued his imperial ban, to reassure me all would be well, and that he understood me. Which he very much did; it was in his eyes. I don't know what exactly Chass has been through, but I know it broke him, and he regrets many things he did in that time. Whoever this Bateker was, I hope he's dead."

-Megan derr,The fallen king's Penitent solider (Tales of the high Court,book 5)

[mumblesplash]

part 2!!!! [read part one here]

transcript below the cut arranged into stanzas to help show where the rhymes are:

“that’s why they brought gem in? as a failsafe?” as a pawn. we were told to point her at whoever we need gone

“gem won’t hurt her allies. …yet.” the curse she carries will it’s had its eye on her since she lost the other eye she was specially selected for her hunting skill it’s quite the high honor. “wow. how generous.” we try

think about it: why does almost no one fight the curse? “given how fast scott killed skizz last season, i can guess.” [“any pain you spare your friends, you’ll have to suffer worse”?] it’s designed to shut down higher reasoning with stress

[kingkestrel]

Silence is Golden (You’ve got my hopes up)

(rating e, Lando/Oscar/Franco, smut, threesome, gags, spit-roasting, choking)

Lando found Franco and Oscar at a booth in the corner, laughing and drinking, completely engrossed in conversation.

If he was feeling less needy he may have left them to it but instead decided to insert himself into the conversation. In perhaps the most Lando way possible.

“Franco’s really great with his tongue, you know.”

Part 2 of the Talk Too Much series

READ HERE

[basilone]

There are some things in life you can't control. Things like the unfortunate name someone gave your plane. Things like falling in love in the middle of a warzone. Things like figuring out how to date the girl of your dreams while you might crash or die any day now. Luckily, Benny DeMarco is made of stronger stuff and figures it all out just fine.

Or, really, the Benny/Darlene fic that's been itching to get written for a while now. He's a charmer, that DeMarco fella. 😉 You've been warned!

Read the full fic here!

[bereft-of-frogs]

with Vernestra being in the new book and seeing some people comment on like 'waiting for the other shoe to drop with her arc' (sorry if you happen to be the person who wrote that on reddit and are reading this haha, I actually really agreed with your review, that line just popped out at me), and my own frustrations with wishing they'd just invented a new character to fill her role in The Acolyte, because speculation on how we make the (kinda big) leap from book characterization to show characterization is overshadowing her character in these last few books, I started wondering like why did they choose Vernestra to be the one book character to bring forward? They had to retcon the Mirialan lifespan for it, didn't they? I know they probably wanted at least one book character to get the book readers on board with the series, but there wasn't anything that jumped out at me to explain why that figure had to be Vernestra. Then I got it.

...I bet they just wanted to use the lightwhip.

I mean first of all it is a cool, unique weapon for the series, even though they only used it in that one shot, fair enough lol. But I bet they had the idea for that shot of Qimir's scar to connect to whatever turned him to the Sith and planned the arc from there, so they had the plot first (Qimir fights his former Jedi master, leaving him with the scar that can be strategically revealed when it is time for #traumatic backstory) and slotted Vernestra into it because the lightwhip makes for a unique enough scar pattern to serve as heavy foreshadowing when it's revealed in episode 6.

But damn, I wish they had just made it like Silandra's shield and had it passed down, I would have been chill with Vernestra being Qimir's master's master, that would have made sense to me. But that's definitely where the 'they needed a character from the books to get the book nerds to watch the show' lol and maybe they already have Burryaga's (the only other character I can think of with a sufficient lifespan) ending planned (#fear). But it still does kind of suck that the ending of the book series has to be viewed through this lens of 'ok well how does this explain what happened between book Vernestra and show Vernestra...'

[deityoftherain]

fidelity - Zombiewood Oneshot

Rating: Mature

Relationship: Other

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 3,257

Summary: Martyn hadn’t ever considered himself to be a super loyal person by any means, but for Cleo, he would make an exception a thousand times over.

Please interact here or on AO3 if you enjoy the fic! Full fic under the cut.

Martyn never considered himself to be the most loyal of people growing up. Living out on the streets when he was young before eventually bouncing around foster home to foster home taught him a whole lot about selfishness and fighting for numero uno. Working only for his own self-interest was just what he had to do to survive. Other people only damaged his chances, so they typically weren’t worth his time or effort.

It wasn’t like he didn’t care for people; he had healthy (subjective and debatable) human empathy. Apathy was a learned skill he fine-tuned to protect himself, guarding him from grieving when those around him were hurting or becoming self-sacrificial enough to do something about it. Those walls didn’t only function to keep people out, to keep people at an arm’s length, but they also helped hold him in and keep him together.

It wasn’t exactly… good for him, and it had taken a good few years in therapy to work out his lingering issues from childhood. Hell, he was still in therapy, working on bettering himself, and deconstructing the barriers he convinced himself that he had to build and maintain. It was a lot of work, but Martyn believed it was worth it.

He believed it was worth it for himself, sure, but he had only gotten to that point because of them.

Back when Martyn was still legally required to go to school, he got assigned a lab partner in science class, and that lab partner was now his domestic partner, Cleo. Now Cleo hadn’t really liked him all too much at first, and Martyn couldn’t blame them. Martyn could admit that he deserved it, and he did! He was an insolent little shit, and he still was, though he liked to think his tomfoolery now was much more endearing than irritating.

Despite being a lone wolf orphan bastard, Martyn felt drawn to Cleo, bugging her much more than he usually bothered with people, continuing to hang out with her even after the semester ended. He suddenly found his priorities shifting from only caring about himself to also caring about this jaw-droppingly handsome redhead with a lion’s mane of curls and curves Martyn was itching to explore.

…

It was safe to say that Martyn has had his fair share of wet dreams with Cleo as the focal point.

Anyway, it wasn’t just Cleo’s beauty that drew him in, no. It was their everything. Martyn was drawn in by the way she smiled coyly after making a witty comment, the way she laughed when he managed to amuse her with one of his jokes, the way she didn’t bother conforming to societal pressures, going off the beat of her own drum… 

Cleo was everything Martyn could ever want in a friend, a companion, so it was no wonder he attached himself to their hip!

Martyn knew from the moment he met her that she was a force to be reckoned with. That was not to say that Cleo was mean or stuck-up, just that there was a certain energy to her that was ever-present and hard to deny. It didn’t help that her sometimes-dry sarcasm and blunt truthfulness (of which they hadn’t fully managed to keep in check just yet) often scared people off, but Martyn liked the honesty and humor of it all. Martyn liked Cleo.

The same couldn’t be said the other way around. At least, not at first. 

Cleo had admitted to him years down the line that they were a little annoyed by his presence back when they were only lab partners, but she continued to explain that she had quickly grown fond of him to the point that they couldn’t imagine her life without him not in it. Their friendship only developed further as they got to know each other and became more comfortable existing in the same space.

If he hadn’t made it obvious by now, Martyn fell for her, literally! Whenever Cleo would bring up the tale among their friends, Martyn couldn’t get himself to look any of them in the eyes. Martyn had literally been head over heels for her, meaning he tripped and fell back on his ass when she startled him by accident. 

Martyn had attempted to save face with a joke, wiggling his eyebrows and saying, “I guess you could say that I’m really falling for you.”

They snorted, hand flying to cover their mouth as laugh lines creased by their eyes. “Okay, even for you, that was cheesy.”

“Oi!” Martyn remembered protesting, though not with any bite to his words. “What’s wrong with cheesy?” 

More seriously though, Martyn asked Cleo to be his partner a few weeks before graduation. Martyn hadn’t wanted to miss his chance before Cleo possibly moved on and left him behind. He hadn’t wanted to be left behind… not again.

For better or for worse, Cleo declined. 

“I’m sorry, Martyn.” To their credit, they looked genuinely apologetic. “I love you, but–” “You better not say ‘but you’re like a brother to me’,” Martyn cut in with hopes to save himself that heartache. He could take rejection, but that was a step beyond friendzoning he didn’t want to get anywhere near entering.

“Fuck, no, definitely not.” Cleo looked mildly amused at his introjection, though they then averted their gaze with one hand cradling their other arm. “I’m just… not in the right spot to start a relationship. You know my ambitions, and achieving those goals is going to take a lot of time and effort. Even having dual enrolled, I’ll still have to complete the rest of my academic courses, collect certifications, pass exams and such to get licensed– all while working part time or whatever other side gigs I can manage so I can afford to live! Luckily, I’ve already secured some scholarships, which should cover most of the tuition. But then, even after all of that, I will likely have to get a job at the nearby hospital while attempting to start up my own clinic like I’ve always dreamed…”

Martyn had heard this all before, but that didn’t make it sting any less. Still, he couldn’t help but smile weakly at just how much passion and dedication was infused into her words. He always admired her for having a dream, and for being strong enough to chase after it. Martyn didn’t have anything like that. Hell, he hadn’t even planned to live this long! He had no idea what waas next for him, and the change terrified him.

“Anyway, I just won’t have time,” Cleo tried to conclude, though their brow creased with worry. He hated to see them so fragile. “This won’t ruin our friendship though, right? I still care about you a lot, you know.” “Of course it doesn’t.” Martyn put on a brave face even as his heart wept, but he meant what he said. He stayed by their side as a friend, not letting his own romantic feelings ruin a good thing.

So, yeah, Martyn hadn’t ever considered himself to be a super loyal person by any means, but for Cleo, he would make an exception a thousand times over.

As soon as Martyn turned eighteen and had a diploma under his belt, he got himself a job through a local security guard company, Fortland Security. It made pretty good money, all things considered, and he was surprisingly good at it. Martyn supposed all those years being paranoid and having to keep an eye out worked out for him.

Fortland Security didn’t have a specific home of operations where all their employees worked. Instead, the company functioned more like a rent-a-guard type thing. They ensured capable guards, all with the proper training, and coordinated contracts to anyone who had enough money to pay, typically big businesses, museums, construction sites, and other companies. Martyn liked the diversity of settings the various contracts put him in, making his job a bit more interesting than if he was just guarding the same doorway day in and day out.

With Cleo busy studying and whatever else those in school to become nurse practitioners do, Martyn found himself with a fuckton of freetime. He goofed off, and did some other irresponsible young adult bullshit, but he ultimately ended up picking up more shifts. Martyn figured that, if he was going to be bored anyway, he may as well be productive, earn some overtime, and beef up his savings.

“Wow,” Martyn remembered blinking at his best friend– particularly the deep bags under their eyes– in disbelief, “you look like shit.” “Thanks,” Cleo grinned at him with false sweetness as she gave him the finger, “you too, bitch.” “No, no, I mean,” Martyn scrambled for something less blunt, “you look dead. Dead-tired, that is. What–?” Cleo raised an eyebrow at him before rolling her eyes and shaking her head, though Martyn knew her well enough to recognize the expression as positive. Or, uh, positive towards him, at the very least. “Uni has me living up to my last name.”

Zombi, Martyn recalled, still finding the surname a lot more badass than Littlewood. What was it trying to say? That he had a little wood? Ha! Martyn would like to make it clear that his wood was not little, thank you very much!

Cleo had swatted at him for that comment before– clearly not finding it as funny as he did– but Martyn only smirked cheekily as he tried to commit the way their face flushed a light pink to memory.

“I knew it was going to be difficult,” Cleo continued, resting their chin on their hands, “but I don’t know if I can continue at my current pace. Not unless I somehow win the lottery and can quit my job, which is unlikely since I’m not dumb enough to waste funds on lottery tickets. Maybe some distant rich relative I don’t know about will die and leave me their vast fortune. That sounds much more realistic, yeah?”

“You should move in with me,” Martyn offered before he even fully knew what he was saying. Cleo blinked at him, as if in surprise, and Martyn blinked right back. Before Cleo could decline out of some sense of responsibility or desire to be entirely self-sufficient, Martyn went on, “Before you decline, Cleo, just think about it! We get along great– have been for years– so being roommates shouldn’t be all too big of a deal, and I have a space bedroom at my apartment! It is rather small, all cards on the table, and I’ve been using it as an office space, but I can clear it out for you, no problem. This way, I get some company, and you can quit your job.” Cleo pressed their lips in a thin line as they considered what Martyn was saying. “Even if we roomed together, I would still need to work to buy food.”

Martyn scoffed, waving his hand like he was brushing away the comment. “I’ll pay for food and anything else you need, don’t worry about it.” “I can’t ask you to do that,” Cleo tried to deny, shaking their head, “that’s too much.”

“You can, actually,” Martyn corrected, blue eyes gleaming playfully. “I’m even asking you to.”

“Martyn…” Cleo began, only to trail off.

“If it makes you feel better, think of this as me investing in you,” Martyn reached out to take their hands in his, gently guiding their thumb back and forth against their unfairly smooth hands. “I pay for you now, and you can help with chores around the place. Maybe even pay me back in a few several years once your clinic for the underprivileged breaks even, if that helps you accept. We can even draft up a contract, make it official, though that’s not necessary.”

Cleo took a long pause as they considered Martyn’s offer, and Martyn could only hope they would say yes. It felt like years passed before Cleo opened their mouth to speak again, “What is in this for you? Besides the help with chores. What do you get out of this?”

“You,” Martyn replied simply, but it was the truth. “Um, yeah, but, in all honesty, I just miss seeing you around. I love ya, ya know? It would be nice seeing you more often, even if it’s just me making sure you eat when you’re mid study sesh, or throwing a blanket over you when you pass out with flashcards in your hand, or even pulling you away from your textbooks to come have fun with me, just so you don’t get too burnt out. Even with how busy you are, you need to take breaks from time to time, live your life a little bit, ya know? I can help with that, don’t you worry, and– what’s that look for?”

That look was one of utter adoration and appreciation, one Martyn wasn’t used to being shot his way. He knew better than to expect it, and, yet, he found himself wishing on his lucky star that she would look in his direction like that again.

Instead of words, Cleo yanked Martyn by his collar, pulling him toward them. She was not a small guy by any means, and she knew how to shift her weight just right to work for her, giving Cleo more strength than one would assume at first glance. Martyn didn’t fight the movement, however, mostly because it caught him off guard.

A distant part of him was embarrassed at how warm his cheeks became, but Martyn couldn’t find it in himself to care when his lips were mere centimeters away from Cleo’s. Martyn rested his hands on their hips just for someplace to put them, though it was clear they were the one in control.

Martyn wanted nothing more than to close the gap and kiss her, but first, he had to ask “What are you doing?” “Living my life,” Cleo breathed out, a knowing shine in her stunning green eyes. “Just like you said.”

Martyn was only given a heartbeat to recognize this was her taking his advice before her lips were on his. He had daydreamed about kissing them for years, but nothing could compare to the actual moment. Admittedly, Martyn had never actually kissed someone for longer than a millisecond, let alone made out with them. 

Again though, Martyn wasn’t exactly someone who let people in easily. At least, he wasn’t like that before Cleo. Somehow, someway, Cleo became his lifeline. Cleo was the person he always came back to, the one he stayed around for, the reason he pushed forward and found the will to keep living, even when he couldn’t find it in himself to continue forward for himself.

Cleo dominated their giving and take, and Martyn willingly let her, obediently following her lead. He had always been good at reading her, and at picking up on what she wanted from him. It made them a good team, but it made for an even better make out session. 

Whatever Cleo was doing to him, it was hot. So hot that Martyn felt drunk on her lips, addicted to everything she was willing to give. And that was just kissing! 

I wonder if it would be this fantastic in bed, Martyn thought hungrily, ignoring the way his pants seemed to shrink, becoming a tad snugger than they had a moment ago.

He knew he was a goner when it came to Cleo long ago, but this only confirmed it. He directed his attention away from the what-ifs and back to the present, allowing himself to get lost in the sensations. His skin tingled pleasantly wherever Cleo’s fingertips brushed as his hands explored those beautiful curves of theirs. 

She bit his lower lip, prompting him to involuntarily moan into her mouth. Cleo must have taken the noise as encouragement for she scraped her teeth back and forth against his lower lip, sucking his lip into her mouth before pushing it back out. Martyn never wanted them to stop, nor did he want this to end.

Eventually, much to Martyn’s dismay, Cleo broke off the kiss, leaving them both panting heavily. Martyn slouched forward, resting his forehead against Cleo’s shoulder for support as Cleo scratched their nails partly in his hair and partly against the back of his neck.

“Does this–” Martyn started as he lifted his head, only to find his lungs without enough air to continue. He took a handful of rapid gasps to return enough oxygen to his lungs so he could finish his question without leaving too large of a pause, “Does this mean you accept my offer? And– and are we dating now?” Cleo threw their head back in a laugh, a laugh so loud and genuine their body shook with the effort. Pride swelled within Martyn for being able to drag such a lovely sound out of her. 

“Oh, Martyn, you’re lucky you’re so endearing,” Cleo cooed like he was a lost puppy, patting the top of his head. The teasing soon dissipated as they leaned forward and lowered their tone to whisper into his ear, “Martyn, you should know by now that I don’t just kiss anyone like that.” A shiver shot down Martyn’s spine as she traced the outline of his ear with her tongue before pulling back. The ends of her lips twitched into a self-satisfied smirk. “Yes, Martyn. We’re dating, is what I’m saying.” 

“I’ll be the best boyfriend ever,” Martyn promised, beaming from ear to ear, not fully confident he wasn’t dreaming, but too wrapped up in everything to dwell on the concern for very long. “You won’t regret it. I’ll make you the happiest person on Earth.”

He scooped Cleo up into his arms as best as he could and plopped them down in his lap. A surprised squeal escaped from Cleo, not used to being caught off guard like that, but they took mercy on him and let him continue without reprimand.

“You already make me the happiest person on Earth.” Cleo gripped one shoulder for stability as they used their other hand to twirl a lock of his blonde hair around their finger, the words coming so easy to them that Martyn almost didn’t register them all the way. 

He found himself speechless, which was unusual for someone like him. Martyn tended to be quick on his feet, always with something to say even if it was foolish fumbling or an ill-mannered quip that just landed him in even more trouble.

Instead of words, Martyn simply held them close as he mentally recalled the fireworks and rush of endorphins that came from his and Cleo’s first kiss. It dawned on him as he attempted to commit each blissful second to memory that he was truly, unapologetically happy. Martyn grew up believing that his life would ultimately amount to nothing, and that he would never experience joy, but he somehow managed to defy all the odds stacked up against him. 

It was rather impressive, if he thought about it long enough. Martyn somehow began with extremely crummy starting stats, and now he was mentally and financially stable with a fantastic partner and a bright future ahead of him. Martyn of the past would be discontent with the moment, just wanting to get on with it already, but Martyn now disagreed. He was content simply existing right here right now for he knew, as long as Cleo was by his side and he was by theirs, everything would be okay.

[romanaxe]

Question: For Second Rendezvous, would you prefer me to make First Rendezvous a chaptered fic and post it as Chapter 2?

Or do what I did with the Mutual Satisfaction series and make them separate fics in the same series?

[pennumbra]

Book Recs?

Slightly unusual non-art post for me, but does anyone have any book recommendations? I've been reading more since the beginning of the year and enjoying it a lot, and the trickiest thing is honestly finding new books when I don't already know what I'm looking for- so I thought I'd ask!

Any genre! I like soft sci-fi/speculative fiction, nonfiction, and premises that are kinda quirky or unusual- I don't gravitate towards fantasy but I'm open to it! Lmk what you've been reading or what your old fav is and I'll give it a look. C:

[mxcottonsocks]

You know, I feel like there's a reason that most people who read (early-to-mid) Victorian literature mainly read the Brontës, Dickens, Gaskell, and Eliot, and that's because you can, for the most part, count on their works to be standalone.

Start reading any wider than that and you begin coming across scenarios like these:

Yeah, you're right, this plot is absolutely not going to get wrapped up in the next couple of pages! Surprise! guess you're going to have to look out for part 2!

Surprise! This novel has a sequel! And yes, one of the main characters of the sequel is the one who was most racist in this book! Part of the story of the sequel is about him overcoming some of his flaws, yes... but not the racism.

Surprise! Cameo from a character in a book you've previously read and thought was a standalone! It's part of a shared universe with other works by the novelist!

Surprise! The narrator is the protagonist of a previous novel you've read! you can't say you didn't know he was a writer!

Surprise! The narrator is the protagonist of a previous novel you've read! Yes, he did say he didn't want a book career... but here he is writing novels! Is his change of heart explained? guess you're going to have to read his books to find out!

Surprise! The novel you read two years ago was a sequel! possibly! the plot of this other book seems to work as a prequel, but the character surnames are a few letters different! Are they really related novels? or did the author just like this idea so much she wrote it twice in two years? guess you're going to have to read to find out!!

[aitsuheart]

When Data Journals Play Cupid

Excerpt:

The data smiles shyly, “Alright, alright. Then what's the plan?”

Sora shrugged, “Don't say anything. I'll just pretend like I have been for years.”

The data hurt hearing this. “But myself, I know he feels—I feel the same. Besides, you can't keep a secret!”

Sora crossed his arms, “Hey! I sure can!”

“When you told the other me about how you like guys?” The data shrugged, just to prove a point.

Summary:

Riku recently failed to confess to Sora.

However, now it's Data Riku's time to help Sora be able to face his true feelings for his Riku. In the real world, they're in school without having to worry about saving the world.

It should be easier than that, except for Sora he doesn't know anything and it's not. Not to mention everyone's whispers on why he and Riku haven't been there do not help matters.

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread  

Lucha of the Night Forest

YA fantasy about a girl struggling to survive with her sister in a land overtaken by a forgetting drug, who makes a deal with a forest god to escape

spooky fungi magic, forest, sisters, lesbian MC

[themyscirah]

Does anyone know if there was simonjess crumbs in the justice league book at the time or is it like just in their solo (meaning I need to reread that book again which I was already planning on doing but like still)

[sirendeepity]

Watch me go on a "SJM purge" as soon as I finish Kingdom of Ash and recover from it because mother spare me if I have to see more of that woman's legacy (HoFaS will do enough damage on its own)

[quoththemaiden]

Every fandom I've gotten into has been for a series that hadn't been finished yet. Why shouldn't I love fics that are the same?

actually genuinely curious about this because anecdotally I think I've seen a shift, maybe even in my own reading patterns