#it's also pretty funny that we go immediately from a book on the theme of 'edward has gotten old. like... ancient. OLLLLDD.'

[meanscarletdeceiver]

I Am Not Immune to the beginning of "Skarloey Remembers." Edward (who, mind you, has just gotten another fresh lease on life—and who also has one hell of a story that he could justifiably be bursting with) spots Skarloey idle and lonely in his shed, wishing he could pull trains again. It's exactly the position Edward is in when canon opens. And so Edward arranges to be parked beside him and just... listens. Encourages Skarloey to keep going on in great detail about memories that are honestly pretty mundane to anyone else. But reliving them is the only relief Skarloey can get just then. You Guys. I Am Not Okay.

[vixxdaemon]

Would you like to share your thoughts with the public about O’saAbella? Like anything, whether that would be the reason why you started shipping them, au's, scenarios that are running in your head 24/7 ect.

I was hoping for this day to come…

Alright so, it all started when I saw this happen in the confessional cutscene, when you tell O’saa you have a crush on someone from the train. First person he mentions is Abella :

Like, this is undoubtedly meant to be Abella, no doubt. So certainely he must at least perceive her as attractive for him to think of her literally above anyone else. (He does mention Karin instead of you play as Abella but like. Most likely cause it’s just that, you already are Abella so he would not ask you if you are into Abella lol.)

THEN FUNNILY ENOUGH the way I started to ship O’saa and Abella together was by wondering if they were any fics with…Ah, Abella tending to O’saa, if you catch my drift. Take care of him. In bed. Dominating him, gonna say things as they are. (There weren’t any at the time.)

So it lead me to think of them more and actually realize that their dynamic would be entertaining to see and how they would actually make a cute couple. I started to look for more things between them in game, and besides the Party Talks that are pretty fucking funny, I had figured out something.

In the Tunnel 1, exactly where you can recruit O’saa, the only way to get him in your party is having him ask you if you know anything of the tunnels you are in, you HAVE to reply to him in the affirmative.

(Source is on wiki gg, but feel free to go check that out of yourself, you will see that he won’t suggest to join you if you tell him you don’t understand what is happening in the tunnels.)

So, guess who amongst literally everyone in the Contestants that is well versed in machines and more importantly, tunnels ?

That’s right, Abella. The Mechanic.

What I am suggesting right here is that it’s highly likely that «canonically» (as in the intended storyline that happens during Termina), Abella is the person finding O’saa and helping him out. Not only because she knows how the tunnels works, but also she is most definitely one of the few characters that would be willing to take in a wounded person with her and help them get back to their feet in the cast.

Now there isn’t even this evidence we have in canon, but there is also the fact that their personalities are opposites, and even more than that, some of their themes too, all the while having actually quite important points in common. Let me explain.

Abella has grown up a caregiver, having helped her parents take care of her younger siblings since she is a child. She has an actually quite peppy personality beyond that frown on her portrait, she enjoys romance books and literature. She expresses sadness or disgust at death, if not straight up distress when she sees people actively suffering (the people hanging at the ceiling yelling at the shopping district of Prehevil). Abella suffers for others, as she Moonscorches literally while she is trying to find pieces for the train, doing a thing she always did : helping other people.

O’saa has grown up most of his life away from his family, and since really young has adopted a «fend for yourself and only yourself» kind of mentality. He does not care for the homeless, if not immediately mocking them, he is completely unphased at violence and the suffering of others, he even threatens to hurt YOU if you come too close to him for his liking. O’saa suffers for himself, as we can see his Moonscorch reveals his struggle with wishing for his autonomy and escaping the control of higher powers.

That being said, the points in common they have is that they are both very very dependant and self reliant, both very much the kind of character to take matters into their own hands and get their own hands dirty to get what they want. And if they want something, they WILL get it by all means necessary (see Abella’s Ending B of her learning astrophysics and building a whole ass spaceship to get in contact with the Moon, while O’saa’s Ending B is him BECOMING the higher power, aka a cult leader, to not be controlled anymore and instead BE the one in control, which in my opinion is tragic in its own right but I won’t elaborate on O’saa on his own here.)

All that being said, as a couple I would imagine that most of it would happen outside of Prehevil, in a canon divergent ending of Termina.

Abella, knowing O’saa is erudite about magic and the surnatural, would ask to stay in contact with him because she feels the need to know more about what happened during the festival. O’saa would accept, happy to have an occasion to have his ego being stroked while he teaches someone else about what he knows.

The pair would travel the world to learn new things, spend a lot of time together, and Abella would even teach O’saa a thing or two about mechanics as a trade off for him teaching her about the occult.

Eventually both would have feelings about eachother…On Abella’s side it feels natural for it to happen, as they do spend a lot of time with eachother and enjoy eachother’s companies and hobbies. On O’saa’s side though…needless to say he is having an existential crisis because he did not even know having simple, romantic feelings for someone was even possible for him. I think sexual feelings he views as not shameful, because it’s what his body would need and not his feelings, but there he is having a proof that he’s not as dead inside as he tried to be for years.

Abella is aware of this, as O’saa grows visibly more hesitant and dare I even say coy with showing affection to her that goes a bit too uncomfortably close to the line between simple friendship and romantic attentions. She decides to let him figure it out by himself, but that does not mean she doesn’t enjoy seeing him very subtly avoid her gaze when their eyes meet.

I also have. A whole thing with me and associating them with Gro-Goroth and Sylvian imagery. This bit is not a theory or trying to prove anything being canon, but it’s more about symbolism and narratives that I like to associate with them cause I do like some religious imagery. I can most definitely get into detail about it, but the post is already too long as it is by itself LOL

Hopefully this will feed your curiosity.

[rel312]

I forgot the Miraculous Awakening movie was supposed to come out so now I’m gonna ramble about it (spoilers!):

The jumpscare of hearing Marinette sing in a completely different voice took me off guard

I’m loving actually seeing gabriel as a fashion designer and what his stuff looks like

Chloe sounds… very much not like Chloe and it’s off putting (idk if it’s a different voice actor, I’m not looking it up)

“Think you an I were meant to be” I love Alya

Emilie? This clearly in the movie??

Was that Luka I just saw next to Juleka? At school???

The black cat on the book!

Adrien looks so pretty in that shot

Are… are Nino and Adrien already friends??

Gabriel’s hair

The loss of Emilie seems to be a lot more recent/present than in the series

Ohhh it’s her birthday

The lore is very interesting in this, we’re getting a lot more that wasn’t there in the show

So the miraculous have a choice in this for their holders I guess

Fu is so funny

The moon!

Was… was the black cat a coincidence? How did it get there? I don’t think it was Plagg so what was that??

So the first akumatized victim is not a child this time

There’s a ladybug too? I’m so confused

“Who saves a life saves the world” interesting that it’s more prophecy-like

I keep forgetting this is a musical

I love the beats of the theme song though

Is- is Tikki rapping???

No transformation sequence?

So she’s aware it’s a musical?

Is the yo-yo sentient???

No Adrien and Plagg intro scene?

Adrien is so funny he’s so excited to be a hero

Pretty different ladynoir dynamic, cat noir’ not immediately smitten

“A she-ro” please no

She called him Kitty!

CARELESS WHISPER???

Now he’s smitten

“Like a dream in a dream” Adrien you have to work on your lyrics

But the moon

Fart jokes? Really?

PTFAFS

Adrien going from she’s my side kick to she’s better than me in every way

Puss in boots

“I have nothing to lose” um your son??

Gabriel villain song kinda goes hard ngl

Is he making multiple villains? I’m so lost

Are they making Mr. Mime a real villain now? Not Mylene’s dad?

Also who is this pink haired lady?

“Dr. Love” Nino I love you but you’re so wrong

So Nino already has a crush on Alya and not Marinette

Aww Tom gets to hear Marinette call him the best

Only to immediately think she’s embarrassed by him

Nino losing his glasses on the ride is legit my biggest fear when going on rides

Transformation sequence!

Where did she actually transform though? She was just in the middle of the fair

They learned to work together fast

So I guess he doesn’t need to say the word cataclysm?

I love Ferris wheels rolling around scenes

Lmao Marinette really went I’ll save your life but you’re going in the dumpster

The timeline of this movie is very confusing, Nino is in love with Alya? But wasn’t it just the first day of school? Or was it just in the middle? When did Nino and Adrien meet? I have so many questions

Was the balloon thing a person? If not who created him and how?

THEME SONG!

Are we really getting all this adrienette development in a montage?? He told her about his mom, they went to the movies, they had a double date with Alya and Nino, and were barely getting it???

I love the glitter in Cat Noir’s mask

Ladynoir moment by the moon!

Marinette stood up to Chloe!

Adrien you cannot scare a person like that

The hearts in the balcony and the moon again!

I’m loving the visuals in this movie

“For the first time I feel truly free, it’s all thanks to you” my heart!

Ladynoir seems to be the main ship of the movie and I’m not mad about it

Oh my god their dance by the moon! I knew it was coming but I love it so much!

“How could I ever think she’d fall for me” Adrien stop she does love you she just doesn’t realize it’s you

Gabriel looks like shit and I’m glad to see it

I’m glad Adrien was able to stand up to him though

She actually managed to ask him out holy shit!

I mean I know it’s sad cause he rejected her but she actually managed to do it look at her!

I… did not think her shirt was a tank top this is so weird

Hawkmoth is akumatizing himself???

Careless Whisper again??? Are the writers ok??

Did they really need the takeout death?

The- the moth miraculous just… ate the ladybug miraculous???

I guess they don’t quite have cataclysm and lucky charm, their powers work a bit differently

Gabriel’s face at seeing Adrien, now you finally see what you’ve done you SOB

I’m glad they get to reconcile

So she can just… fix everything without a lucky charm??

Her dress is so pretty!

And she’s not wearing a mask!

The reveal in this is so interesting but pretty cute!

The way she took off his mask and put it on her was so freaking cute!

Really? Cut to the end right before the kiss??

So he does have Emilie in the basement?

Wait a minute I don’t think we ever got to see Chloe and Adrien interact in the movie lmao

The movie started a bit more cheesy and childish but overall they did a pretty good job of telling the story. The visuals were stunning, though the story was a bit rushed but they did a good job. There wasn’t quite enough time to develop the characters and their dynamics but they did the best they could with the time they had. The person who did Marinette’s singing voice was amazing, but I wish they found someone who sounded more like Marinette if they couldn’t use the same voice actress. The lore was a bit different but I kind of like it better than how much we started getting in later seasons, I just wish we got a bit more explanation on some things cause we don’t have the show to give us answers anymore. The only reason I feel like this ending with gabriel and Adrien works is because they didn’t have as much of an abusive relationship and he actually had a chance to redeem himself, but I’m glad he has to actually deal with the consequences. I know there are tons of fanfics about it but it’s so sad that while Marinette knew who Adrien was, he had no idea if he’d ever see Ladybug again but I’m glad that got resolved pretty quickly. I’m confused on what they want to do next cause they clearly were setting up for some kind of sequel but gabriel is already out as Hawkmoth and Nathalie only helped him during that time but I guess we’d just have to wait and see.

[definetelynotavampire]

Oooh sorry if you've already shared them but I'd love to hear some Nikolai headcannons you have!

My Nikolai theories/ headcanons

I have been waiting for someone to ask me about this :D

(also spoilers for Gogol's "The Overcoat")

1. Born with an Overcoat

In his speech about true freedom he goes on about wanting to „fly like a bird“ and to „not be bound by gravity“. I know he also meant this in a mental/ emotion-bases sense but it got me thinking... is he stupid? His ability is tailor cut for this? By all means, he should be able to fly.

His ability can manipulate space and by extension also gravity (to some extend), thats basic physics. He even uses this to save Sigma when he fell off the sky casino – Nikolai reduced the gravitational force on Sigma by manipulating space.

This got me thinking - Couldn’t he technically fly if he adjusted his portals, so that one is on the ground and the other is in the sky/ under his feet?

Well, why hasn’t he done this? - Because his ability is limited by his Overcoat.

Which is strange, why is his ability affected by something external? Is he lying? Is this a mental thing? Can it be any Overcoat or just his cape? If it’s really a necessary part of his ability, then either it’s not his own and someone else made this restriction for him or his Overcoat is part of him - he was born with an Overcoat . Personally, I think it’s both.

At this point I decided to look up the source material, and by that I mean I read the wikipedia article about „The Overcoat“...

The main character Akaky is described as „being born in undress uniform“ and that basically, since the day he was born, his future was already decided. This obviously plays into bsd’s Nikolai's arc of freedom/ not following a predictaple path. But still it’s a funny simile.

Like I said, my theory is that he was both given the ability and that he was born with it. This seems like an obvious contadiction unless you say Nikolai is, like Sigma, a product of the book.

In conclusion i think that the Overcoat/ his ability is both his freedom and also the very thing he has to ‚overcome‘ in a sense.

2. Nikolai is self aware

This is kinda like a continuation from the first theory. I think it would make so much sense for his character, that he knows he has a set role in the story, especially when you look at his desire for true freedom. Maybe I just like the tragic irony, that no matter what, he can never get to that point.

Anyways, if we assume he’s self aware, his actions and idea of sanity is much more interesting. What would you do if you know your actions and emotions are pre-written? I have no idea, but whatever Nikolai has going on seems like a pretty valid reaction to me.

Also what does the conversation with Fyodor mean then? Is the book a God symbol? Why does Fyodor know? Is he older than the book? Is he affected by it?

2.1 This is a bit silly and I’ve talked about this before. Nikolai teleports his right eye to observe everything like a movie. Where he himself is, again a character. This fits well within the theme of his depersonalisation.

3. His Freedom in the context of „The Overcoat“

The obvious comparison is, of cause, „Nikolais obsession and desire for freedom“ and Akakys’ obsession with the Overcoat that he wants. Further than that i have honestly no idea. Akakys irony is that, after he gets the overcoat, it is taken from him immediately and he dies but I’m not sure how that could translate. What i mean by that is, i don’t want it to because i want Nikolai to get a good ending. Which would probably mean an ending that he chooses for himself. Okay thats basically also not very good… well shit... ._ .

4. The silly headcanons

4.1 Nikolai has no idea what an overcoat is, that’s why he wears a cape and calls it his Overcoat

4.2 Nikolai and Ranpo are brothers, i have no reason for this besides it’s funny and i like them both.

4.3 Nikolai does not know how to use public transport because he always teleports everywhere

4.4 He has a disney princess hair care routine (for obvious reasons)

4.5 He has very normal hobbies

5. The "Is it really silly tho?" headcanon (yes it is)

5.1 „We all came out from Gogol’s Overcoat“ - a quote by someone, idk by who

Nikolai is, or will be the author of the book. Idk how or when, but at one point he makes a decision about abilities or ability useres and it affects everyone. Maybe that could be his moment of freedom, because it would be a paradox if that decision wasn’t truely made by him. And then it’s something like he burns the book so abilities and everyone created from the book is gone. I can see that happen.

okay these are just the things i could think of rn, there are probably more ._ .

[bloodgulchblog]

Have you seen that YouTube video where some guy reads every Halo novel back to back and then reviews them? If so what did you think

The Brian David Gilbert one? Oh yeah, all my friends showed me it when it came out. (It was honestly kind of cute seeing how many people thought of me immediately.)

Rewatching it to refresh myself because it's been a couple years and a full-novel reread for me since the last time...

High fiving BDG because the Master Chief parts of The Flood were definitely the most boring parts.

He didn't have anything to say about First Strike which I think is a shame because I think it's better than The Fall of Reach and actually has A Theme I Find Interesting.

Rightful recognition of Contact Harvest as pretty damn good.

Rightful recognition of the Forerunner Trilogy as dense oldschool-style SF with deep worldbuilding. (Also the San'Shyuum thing.)

I disagree with him about, and have significant problems with, Kilo Five. He is correct that Kilo Five actually delves into some of the dark places in Halo in a way it really needed, and I would even say that its writing is extremely engaging by Halo novel standards. However, while he does notice the obvious parallels between what ONI is doing post-war and the kind of shit the CIA has pulled again and again irl, I think he misses some of the subtext I see where it feels like it justifies some shit a liiiiittle too much if you know the author's irl politics re: the military. He also doesn't seem to notice the character assassinations (particularly of Catherine Halsey) that I and a lot of other fans see/object to in those books. I kind of gaze into the middle distance with a haunted expression at the suggestion that these are the ones to read if you don't touch any of the others just because they are, ironically, so heavy-handed and feel like they treat certain kinds of evil as inevitable in a way that actually feels way worse to me than the excuse plot offered by the earlier/lighter Halo novels. (But idk, that's me? Nobody is committing a crime if they disagree with my frenzied insane person red string diagrams about Kilo Five.)

I'd swap Pariah for Dirt in the Evolutions anthology if it were me, but I think these are solid standouts.

Broken Circle is neat but really nonessential he's not wrong.

A one-sentence review of New Blood is probably not enough space to get into how fucked up the Spartan-IV program is, but yeah. New Blood is fun if you don't find Buck's first person narration annoying. (It comes and goes for me in that one.)

BDG you're an absolute sweetheart, I think Hunters in the Dark is kind of goofy in a way I cannot in good conscience ignore if I'm gonna review it. But it really really is so much fun and I love that one a lot anyway. The "it's like Halo 3... 2" observation is solid.

High fiving him again because I also found Last Light disappointing. And it is also a me problem.

Fractures!

Hell yeah these are all good pulls from Fractures, I would say Shadow of Intent is the pick of the litter in that anthology for me. Interesting that as a Kilo Five enjoyer he didn't single out Rossbach's World, which is the last we've heard about Osman and Black Box. (Also, that one is good.) I think Oasis is worth an honorable mention because I'm an Envoy stan, and the Forerunner stories are interesting but I wouldn't go for them if you don't already have a healthy interest in the trilogy.

This tangent is so fucking funny now that we know more things:

Oh BDG, oh buddy, it's really not for the people like you and me huh. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if BDG likes the Halo tv show or not and I have no desire to dig up evidence about it.)

Also, while you're here, this is the bloodgulchblog origin story:

Smoke and Shadow is fun so it's a little sad that when he ends that sentence with "whatever," I can't actually say he's wrong to. (Sorry Rion your part of the lore just.... hasn't... touched anything that touches anything else anymore.)

ENVOY IS GOOD AND EVERYONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT IT okay okay I'm cool I'm normal, anyway. Envoy is the Halo novel that restored my faith in reading Halo novels and reminded me that authors can care and know how to do nuanced, interesting themes in this space. It's great. Everyone in this book has war refugee trauma (except the Spartans which have Spartan trauma) and that's incredible to me. Please care about Envoy if you have spare room in your heart for Halo side characters.

I am cheered to see someone indifferent to the Veta Lopis stories, but I still feel petty for feeling it.

I don't have a lot to say about Legacy of Onyx here but it's always so fun seeing someone else suffer and care.

Bad Blood, the Blood is Bad now is a fun joke but lol yeah. It does have this very vital moment where Chief and Arbiter talk, though. For the first and only time in years.

PROPS FOR NOTICING THE YA NOVELS they're actually pretty nice.

"The Master Chief is the protagonist and boy does he shoot some people" is most of how I feel about Silent Storm and Oblivion too, I know they have their fans but Troy Denning's Chief books don't do much for me personally.

Renegades hadn't had its followup Point of Light yet but yeah, Spark stuff is interesting.

I had to remember that oh yeah, there are multiple books now that didn't exist when this was made. I wonder if he read them?

OKAY I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY as always if y'all want specific book opinions, I might have a tag for them. Or just yell in my ask box, I'm sure I can scrounge up some thoughts.

[the-english-student-studyblr]

Book Recommendations (from a lit grad student)

So, as I have come to the end of my MA in world lit, I thought I should give you a list of some of the best books I've read, or learnt from. I ignore established canon and give to you recommendations from across the globe and across all genres. Books that defined their genre, or made an impact, or are just really cool and enjoyable to read. This list is not all dead white men.

I have split the list by era/year of publication primarily for easy reading. A lot of the sections are arbitrary. Some of them are not.

Note: This list is not conclusive! This is based on my own readings, and my own, personal, opinions. You have the right to your own opinions and preferences. If you have any suggestions, add them on below.

Classic lit (pre-1700)

Aristole - Poetics (c. 335 BCE)

As much as I hate it...this one is actually pretty important. I know I said 'contributions to literary canon don't matter', and here I am, immediately doing the opposite. But! Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest treatise on literary theory that has survived to the modern day. You want to know where our ideas of comedy and tragedy come from? Poetics. Three act structure? Poetics. Plot and character? Poetics. Key terms like catharsis, hubris, hamartia? Poetics. We had to read this for creative writing, and did I hate it? Yes. Am I a better writer for having read it? Also yes

Plato - The Republic (c. 375 BCE)

Plato is quite easy to read, of the classical philosophers. His works are mostly dialogues between characters, which makes them more engaging that some other dry philosophy texts. I wrote out a longer post with an explanation of Plato's Republic specifically here.

Genji Monogatari (pre-1021)

The first novel ever! Originally written in Japanese, be careful of your translations because most are of questionable quality. I've only read the first one by Suematsu and that's uhhhhh Bad™ but I think the current waterstones edition is decent?

The Völsunga saga OR The Vinland sagas (early 13th century)

Ah, how to choose just one Norse saga? These are both pretty solid examples of their style, and short (always a plus). The Völsunga saga was the inspiration behind Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (famous for the piece The Valkyrie), and most likely Tolkien's works. The Vinland sagas supposedly have an anime/manga series inspired by them, though looking at the synopsis I cannot see where the inspiration was other than time period. Norse sagas - especially the Icelandic ones such as Vinland - are actually pretty good guides to real historic events, which is very cool. I could go on for hours about this, but I'll spare you the rambling.

Thomas More - Utopia (1516)

Lovely little sarcastic book about tudor politics and human nature all wrapped up in the original 'utopian text'. Surprisingly funny for something written so long ago, and very easy to read. I wrote a longer post about it here

Aphra Behn - Oroonoko (1688)

Hated it, but the themes are interesting and wow did the author lead an interesting life. Widely considered to be the first novel written in English, deals with colonialism, slavery, and honour, and Aphra Behn was a spy? I'm sure some of you will eat that up. Be warned, very 'noble savage'-y book, but less racist than it could've been so cool, I guess?

Early Modern Drama

Christopher Marlowe - Edward II (1592)

Gay. So gay. We're not supposed to call it gay (because of a whole host of reasons that I can and will explain if anyone shows up in my askbox complaining about academics) but it is a very very queer play and Kit Marlowe was too which is even better. Also our one and only history play on this list. Anyone who already knows how Edward II died (thanks horrible histories) do not spoil the ending.

Shakespeare - Twelfth Night (1602)

As with any Shakespeare, watch a performance if you can. I highly recommend the National Theatre version that was up on youtube in 2020. Very gay, no one is cishet. Lots of singing and dancing. Prime example of Shakespeare's comedies with added gender shenanigans.

Shakespeare - Hamlet (1609)

Yes I'm basic. Yes I like Hamlet. In the same way that Twelfth Night is a great example of Shakespeare's comedies, Hamlet is a good example of his tragedies. Mostly, though, I'm recommending this because the castle it's set in in Denmark (Elsinore) a) actually exists and b) does an amazing educational programme, with live actors performing scenes all across the castle! Watching the 'to be or not to be' soliloquy in the banquet hall just adds a whole other level to the experience of reading the play.

Shakespeare - Measure for Measure OR The Tempest

Shakespeare's problem plays. I couldn't pick just one, because they're both fantastic in different ways. Measure for Measure features what can only be described as the early-modern version of an ace protagonist - Isabella - who I adore. The Tempest has a really interesting portrayal of early colonialism and slavery. The reason they are 'problem plays' is they check all the boxes for a comedy...but they're not funny. At all. And they also check some of the boxes for a tragedy. They're certainly interesting reading

Ben Jonson - The Alchemist (1610)

Just a really good, solid play. Very funny. Bunch of con artists set up an elaborate scheme to rob rich people. Also very good for showing class structures of the time. Shakespeare gets all the recognition for this era but Jonson is just as good really, and definitely as clever.

Regency and Victorian lit (1700-1900)

Jane Austen

Literally anything by Austen. She is just so funny, so witty, and I wholeheartedly believe she'd be a feminist today. Master of the female gaze in literature, but beyond that she is basically credited with the invention of free indirect discourse, which is super cool. I have only read Pride and Prejudice, but I have heard good things about most of her books, so I don't feel bad recommending all of them.

William Blake

There's one poem by Blake about a London street urchin that breaks my heart every time I read it and that is the sole reason behind this recommendation I hate Romantic poets.

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein (1818)

You knew it was coming. First sci-fi, gothic horror, teenage girl writer. Gotta love Shelley.

Frederik Douglass - Narrative of the Life of Frederik Douglass (1845)

You know those books that are horrifying because they're real? That's this book. Doesn't shy away from the horrors of slavery and for a reason. This is an autobiography. It is not fiction.

Gowongo Mohawk - Wep-ton-no-mah (1890s)

My favourite play of all time. You will need to do a trip to either the British Library or the Library of Congress to read it because there are no other copies, but I did do a whole podcast episode about it because I'm apparently the expert? You can find it here.

Bram Stoker - Dracula (1894)

I know here on tumblr we adore Dracula, and for good reason. It's horrifying, it's got a blorbo, if you haven't read it already, go with a dracula daily read-through or @re-dracula for the best experience. (Re:Dracula also has episodes where they get scholars on to talk about things like racism and gender and queer theory surrounding the text which is SO COOL as an ex-lit student I love listening to those episodes.

Post-1900

Oscar Wilde - De Profundis (1905)

We had to read a snippet of this for A-Level and I wish it had been more because wow. Most lists like this will recommend Dorian Gray because it's a novel, but De Prof is so heartfelt and beautiful and sad and deserves to be read.

Baroness Orczy - The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905)

First masked vigilante/superhero! If you like comic books or superhero media, this is where it all started (funny how all the firsts so far have been written by women 🤔)

Erich Maria Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front (1929)

If you only read one book in your life about WW1 make it this one! It is heartbreaking and beautifully written and makes you feel so many things. It was banned in...a lot of places for being anti-war (especially as WW2 came closer) and also because it was written by a German who was anti-war which was apparently impossible to comprehend. The prose is truly something to behold.

Modern lit (Post-war era)

George Orwell - 1984 (1948) OR Animal Farm (1945)

Which one you should read depends a lot on how long your preferred book is and how metaphorical your tastes are. Both are very good explorations of corrupt governments. Animal Farm is an easier read and shorter and is much more allegorical. 1984 is very in-your-face about how much authoritarian governments suck. Do not discount 1984 just because Winston is a terrible person. Everyone knows he's terrible. That's the whole point. He is a normal terrible person, not a cartoonishly evil terrible person, or an angelically perfect revolutionary. All the characters are realistic for their situation.

Maya Angelou - I know why the caged bird sings (1969)

Another one with some beautiful prose. She's a poet and you can tell. It's an autobiography, plus there's a lot of clever stuff going on with how it's written. You could write an essay about this. I did.

Ghassan Khanafani - Return to Haifa (1969)

A short story by a Palestinian author - we were given this by our Palestinian lecturer as an intro to the conflict and the terrible things that colonialism has done to the region. Additionally, there are notes throughout that help explain the significance of things and background and all that jazz. There is a play version that is probably easier to find because it was published more recently but it's not as good.

Ben Okri - The Famished Road (1993)

I did not read this book for uni and I think that may have influenced my opinion of it slightly but I still credit it as one of the reasons I got interested in world lit and translation. It's a really beautiful exploration of Nigerian mythological tradition and its effect on family and politics in this kind of fascinatingly weird style that's both magical realism and modernist? I hate modernism but love magical realism more so.

Carmen Maria Machado - In the Dream House (2019)

What a book oh wow. It reads like poetry. I cannot think of anything coherent to say my brain is screaming. The novel explores abuse in queer relationships, which is something people don't normally talk about, through some very interesting motifs and I love it so much. It is hard to read, but very rewarding.

[popponn]

hi dear, hru? if i could eat your theme for breakfast, lunch and dinner I'd die a happy human it's super cute and crunchy even though i forever will memorise the green themes you'll still manage to pull it off

BUT i genuinely need your opinion on bllk side characters (shidou, ness, aiku, barou and maybe karasu) rate them spell your favourite and last favourites because I'm ready to set up a chair with side of tea and listen to them rambles :3

im currently running away from deadline hello. pls don't tell them im here bae : D (i really need to lock in);;;; my love, as someone whose country is full of sour strawberries you kinda scare me. but i heard overseas strawberries are sweet tho so!!! also girl :(( im :((( wait im bad with praises but pls know i love ur themes and u especially skskdhfsf

now. to my bullshit. (please do know YOU are asking for this okay ^^) so while i put my yappings down the read more to spare some poor souls, tldr: honestly i cant really pick faves simply because my ass is indecisive as hell and i constantly switch rankings lololol and like when it comes to fictional character honestly as long as they manage to catch my eyes (whether by being amusing, complicated and so on) they are immediately an okay to me. and bllk is pretty good at making entertaining charas no matter how much of an asshole they are. so, yeah, this ranking rn is more of "what i can see from whatever spotlight was given to them and how much it makes my personal taste raises an eyebrow character-wise rn": aiku > shidou > ness = barou > karasu (give crow man more spotlight im begging)

shidou: honestly he is like. a force of nature himself. and also remember that one trivia on why he cries? yeah, that trivia honestly raise him up so much in my eyes it's kinda insane. but he is hard to write because i do n o t get him. i wish i do tho, he seems interesting and he praised isagi. already a pretty cool guy in my book, if we ignore the whole other package on the side but hey what is someone without spice. solid 8/10. the fact the first person he really kinda gets on with was sae is also hilarious. like talk about not seeing it coming. common knowledge that bllk side charas deserves more screentime bUT BOY. does this guy really deserve and need it (going back to isagi for a bit but i really want to see isagi work with types he really clashes with like shidou and reo. not even as a simp, but isg is our main pov so. like. isagi dissect this guy's brain pls. or hey light novel pls)

ness: despite his whole relationship with isagi i don't wanna deck him the same way i do to kaiser. absolute soggy wet meow meow to me, whoever calls him babygirl has taste. if i have to say anything is that i really hope his growth will be outside of kaiser. when a character is connected to much to another character in a canon setting, let's just say i can see why people like it but i prefer it when the narrative forces them to face the horror and save themselves in one way. honestly, a goofy guy who i wish to see develop more in the same way barou did. like we know kaiser will (unless the plot twist is twisting) but seeing a character like him who gets stereotyped as a "masochistic, dependent sidekick" by most getting more dimension and spotlight? yeah honestly i really want that. but for now... yeah im sorry but my personal score is 6/10 (but i really hope he will rise up because him being a dark horse in the narrative will be a breath of fresh air honestly)

aiku: i left bllk the first time right before u20 so let me tell you how amused i am when this guy is more than what i expected. if bllk wc team doesn't have him as captain im asking ego WHY. like as a captain? aiku really got my respect. like his canon cheating aside, one of the most decent dudes who can admit their faults out loud. if bllk was about defender instead of striker he would SHINE as a main rival. he kinda already does tho. the whole cop roleplay with isagi was so funny in an amusing way. honestly i really like his writing as a character. very mature, but his selfish bet was really telling of the another side of his character too. 7.5/10. minus point because i cant write him and im mad about it!!! (aka in all serious: 8.5)

barou: first time reading bllk, when isagi chose him i think it becomes one of those moments that really cements bllk. like?? the canon fodder villain who usually was just relevant in the first arc???? become one of the main rivals now???? also he is so housewife and why lmao. also put him and rin in a room. it will either end with a massacre or just them ignoring each other. honestly tho, he is funny to me because this guy has the Deep Voice but then he opens his mouth, call himself king, also dye his hair before uber vs bm match, and i remember how he truly is lmao. also the bowling and his whole dynamic with nagi are so entertaining. like nagi doesn't have to try to piss him off. hilarious. as a chara, 7/10, minus point simply because while dating him in rl sounds like a healthier option, i like my man a blaring red flag. on field a 9/10 because his whole asshole personality comes out and things get interesting

karasu: this guy is like. i am really mixed about him because i think fanon give him more dimension and raises more interesting points than canon has done him so far. but honestly, considering self aware he was and the rare moments the series gave him? he is an interesting character to have in a sport manga. this guy is realistic as shit, and he is also very self-aware of his own downsides. like. read his trivia. this guy is interesting honestly. another one i wish will work with isagi simply just to see more of him. also he is such a little shit but he is funny about it so it's okay. so, yeah, canon wise i don't really can say much about him (yet? idk). but there is this version of him i seen in a gen fic from the red white holy websites of fanfic that just makes me: yo. i wanna see more spotlight on this crow. so uhhhh 6/10 too?

[dianethepisceswitch]

🦁Savanaclaw Arc : 3/10🦁

I will be spoiling everything here, so if you don't want to be spoiled, don't keep reading this. But come back once you have!💛 Also, I put a poll at the bottom, so after you read this would you pretty please vote on it?

I really wanted to like this one, I really did. I wanted to watch the sexy lion man go through an arc where he learns to become a better person, but sadly no. I guess I'll start this off on a positive note before I start complaining about everything else.

‎‎‎‎‎‎‎💛The Good Stuff💛

I think it's cool that we first meet a lot of new characters in the beginning. And if they're people we've met, we get to flesh them out a bit more than they were in chapter 1 or the prologue. Cater, Ruggie, Kalim, Jamil, Floyd, Jade, and Jack were people who we either didn't know, or didn't know that well.

I love when Cater tells the play that he'll protect them if Jack tries to bite. Sir, I'm going to pretend to be scared so you'll protect me.💛

I like the Ruggie part regarding the sandwich in the beginning. I was spoiled about his signature spell before watching this, but despite that, it was still cool and genuinely funny to see Ruggie "trade" with Grim. It really did get a good laugh outta me.

The Adeuce shenanigans slay me. Every. Time. Even when they're separated, they're still hilarious.

The moment when Jamil covers Kalim's mouth right as he starts talking about Jamil's signature spell, then gets embarrassed once Kalim asked why he did that. I love Jamil x Kalim(non-romantically).💛

Floyd and Jade chasing down the main party was both terrifying and funny

Lilia slayed me right before Leona's overblot. Everything he said was brutal but true and I love it.

Leona's overblot design, while not my favorite, is super cool. I like it a lot.

Leona's.👏🏾 Roar.👏🏾

CHEKA. Oh my god I love him. Not my favorite special character but dammit, I love this little angel. He's sooooo cute, I CANT.💛💛💛💛

The signature spells, while most aren't my favorite, I like for the most part. Ruggie's, then Leona's, the Jack's. Something about the way Jack's wolf form was drawn looks wrong. Something about his legs isn't proportional to the rest of his body, and I don't like it.

🦁The Bad Stuff (AKA everything else)🦁

I have a bone to pick with Jack real quick. I know you didn't want Leona to hate you because he's your idol or whatever, and you didn't want Savanaclaw to be disqualified, but literally this entire chapter could've been much shorter if you gave the main group(Cater, Ace, Deuce, Riddle, Grim, MC) this information earlier. We wouldn't need to go through the hassle of spying on students. This chapter probably would've been an hour shorter if you had just helped us out. Or, alternatively, you could've told Crowely. He's useless so I doubt he would've done anything, but it would've be worth a try.

I swear to god, Leona lost braincells for his own chapter. He wants to win the tournament against Diasomnia, so instead of immediately trying to hurt their chances, you go hurt students who are NOT in Diasomnia?! WHY? What sense does that make? Leona, you can play chess, something that requires so much strategy and forethought to play, let alone win at. So in what world would you not be able to make a coherent plan. I'm not the best at planning, but I could make a plan that makes more sense than what he did.

And on a similar note, why would you think that a stampede would kill Malleus? I get why from a theme standpoint, because Lion King obviously. Plot-wise though? That doesn't make sense. You really thought that Malleus wouldn't use magic to escape. Seriously?

I don't vibe with Leona's backstory, I just don't. I sympathize and feel bad for him and everything, but I don't know. I just don't connect with his backstory like I do for others.

I definitely find this one to be the worst of the books, but I still love my Savanaclaw bois.💛

[dealbrekker]

Wait I need to know which tsh character you like and why? 👀

Hello friend!!!

I was thinking about this question while I was at work for hours and now have time to answer!

As a disclaimer, I am roughly 1/3 of the way through the book, and since I'm listening to it rather than reading it, I can't cite exact moments, but I'll do the best I can.

I have a crush (questionable status now lmao) on one Henry Winter.

Initially it was because he fits one of my personal types right off. Tall, dark, quiet, prone to shutting himself in the library. And we're told by Richard (a pretty unreliable narrator, really) that people say Henry is scary or frightening and strange. And he's sort of painted this way at Richard's first meeting with him. Aloof, and a bit suspicious or skeptical of Richard's sudden intrusion into the little group.

That sort of behavior always, for me anyway, sets up a mass of potential. Where will this character go from here? I found myself wanting more back story on him. Which we get in pieces from various avenues, mainly Richard and Bunny.

And as we go along, Henry starts to reveal himself to be the most likely to talk to Richard. He's definitely still aloof and quiet, but of the 5, Henry seems to offer Richard the most conversation (well, aside Bunny, but more on him in a minute), and Henry seems the most inclusive of Richard. Charles and Camilla are superficially nice and pleasant, and Francis so far in the telling has been oddly present but also fluttering on the outside of the narrative in my opinion. It's like we know facts about everyone, but Richard has had the most one on one time with Henry and Bunny, so it feels like he knows them best.

Henry feels, to me, the most genuine of the group. He doesn't pretend to be anything other than quiet, reclusive, and tolerant or fond of the others. He takes good care of Camilla when she injures her foot and even her brother is too nervous help, he saves Richard's life when he has pneumonia, and he apologizes for Bunny's bullshit regarding money. He is genuine in the way he speaks to Richard, whereas it feels like Charles, Camilla, and Francis have little of sustenance to say or just feel off somehow. Henry's genuineness is really magnified when you consider Bunny's. Bunny is genuine...genuinely, unabashedly rude, snide, and honestly cruel. And no one else that I can recall has really done much to explain Bunny or chastise him.

I think, perhaps, Henry's moments with Richard stick out so much because he was painted as the scariest one, and that he doesn't talk as much as the others do. So when he does, you pay attention.

I'm currently at the part where he is explaining why they all were about to cut and run to Argentina, without Richard and Bunny. Listening to the explanation is what made me post earlier about him being a special kind of obsessed. It's a very discomforting scene that took place in the woods, even without the accidental murder of the nameless man. I love how it's being told. The events are as unclear as the characters' recollections. But it made me sort of...step back on my initial feelings of Henry. Which I know is pretty funny and ironic considering the way the book opens and you immediately know he's complicit of a murder. Maybe it helps that Bunny sucks that I was keen to like Henry 😂

I think one of the saddest things so far, is that even though he doesn't outright say or even think it during his internal dialogue, Richard is clearly hurting over the fact that none of them were going to say goodbye or tell him anything. He likes these people a lot, for better or worse, and I could sense how abandoned and betrayed he feels at being left out of the aftermath. Heck, maybe it'll turn out he's jaded about being left out of the Bacchanae; I wouldn't put it past him what with the theme of this book. And we know how much he likes everyone seeing as how he covered for them. I get the sense that Henry was perfectly surprised at this, and is regarding Richard a new light.

I'm interested to see how the book progresses, and how we get to the point at the opening of the story. Will I start to care about Bunny more? Will I care at all? What other dark secrets are going on with this group?

Long story short, Henry Winter was exactly my vibe for a while. I can't say he still is, but there's still 1,000 minutes left of this tale. I love a morally gray cast. There is little to nothing to like about any of these people, but somehow I'm still drawn in.

[silverspleen]

Reading the first Mercenary Librarians book for book club (Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha), which is very funny, we usually do loose month themes and I'm guessing this month's theme was romance (I missed the reveal I was at ski week) because this is shelved in scifi but it's clearly a romance book, written by a romance author duo, it has that sort of particular world and character building and dynamic that romance novels do (this is not a bad this it's just very. Telling? The conventions of the genre you see) and is VERY spicy. But of course my stupid ass, who is a romance book reader, did that thing that I do literally every romance book series where I get super attached to the secondary slow burn couple who clearly is going to get together during a later book. Like uhuh yeah ok instant chemistry main books one couple suresure but tell me more about the two characters who are like. Staring longingly at each other and having meaningful moments but not touching due to their Tragic Backstories.

Like oh my god I am so predictable.

Anyway yeah I got the second book (digitally because I am on quarantine!) and they don't even bone until like almost the very end of the book and then it immediately careens into whump and ooooough yeah baby that's what I like to seeeeee. Tell your love interest that you'll never be used against her while you're being tortured and dying from your supersoldier brain implant!!!! Which she later has to save you from!!!! I love to see that shit!!!! Who cares about book one smouldering insta-attraction betrayal-angst when I can have the slow buuuuuuuurn I want them to brush shoulders during training and both need to go away to their private rooms to swoon and angst.

I'm super curious as to how the conversation will be steered in book club. The romance is very much the driving narrative, paired with a pretty standard "here is the group of bad guys we need to defeat using the power of the connections we've made with our FOUND FAMILY of couples who have gotten together over the course of however many books are in this series" (this time it's Evil Future Company Government) which is feel is pretty typical of most (paranormal) romance I've read.

Not a perfect series but a fun read, at least through books 2 of 3. But also like. As noted I'm insanely biased towards the ship dynamic that the second book is entirely focused on so like. I cannot be trusted in this.

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Hmmmm, Did Riddle, Kalim, Epel, and Idia ever use their omnitrix during a certain bean fest. I mean the watch and its alien technically don’t use any form of magic so it’s not really breaking any of Vargas’ rules there.(heck what about during Camp Vargas itself, omnitrix alien powers are very helpful[plus I can just see Idia just fiddling with his being uhh bored and yet technically not that bored cause well, he can just go full alien later. Ben did first get his omnitrix during a certain camp trip)

BEANS! BEANS! BEANS!

If it wasn't for glorious masquerade (and that Phanthom thief/Gothic ball theme) Beanfest would be my top fav: Good cards, chaotic storyline where everyone gets to shine a bit and most importantly: ✨violence✨. It's probably the only story where everyone punts everyone for the mere motive that they are petty and want to win.

Camp Vargas... Meh... I mean it was funny... I did enjoy it... But kinda ya know... The real deal started like... Post a long exposure that kinda got me a bit bored. Pretty good event, a bit difficult of a playthrough and the cards are meh for me...

BUT! We are here for the aliens!

Camp Vargas:

Riddle

At first, boi wanted to do everything by the book. You know, no alien powers, generally just having a nice camp experience.

When Ace dissapears tho, Riddle has some alarm bells ringing. Ace was a lil shit, but he wouldn't simply dissapear in a forest, where he has no shelter besides the campsite and no proper food. In fear that Ace might just eat poisonous plants, Riddle offers to search up for him. Sebek and Silver were great for leading the equestrian club on their own and the members did a pretty good job, so a worry less.

That's when he uses Wildmutt to try and pick-up Ace's trail and find him. It was pretty dark and in 10 minutes Riddle didn't get a great lead mostly since there was a lot of other scents that covered up Ace's.

But he stumbles upon tied up students to trees. That when Riddle realises that Vargas is fucking nuts and they are hunted for sports in the middle of the night.

Surprisingly, the first one Riddle finds is Deuce, thinking that Vargas might use the mine as a place to hide other students. The 2 escape and manage to reunite with the rest of the survivors.

Cue Jack and Deuce helping Riddle get 'kidnapped' so that the redhead can have an entry as Wildvine (on half since he was calm, knowing the whole situation at hand) and catch Vargas in a swamp then tie him up with vines to a tree so they could ensure this man won't hunt them for sports again.

Kalim

He's trying to prove Jamil that he is capable and reliable. So he tries to do everything by the book too! :D

But Idia dissapears, then it's installed a whole bunch of chaos with more dissappearances and the wierd monster. Oh Kalim is 100% squaring up.

Kalim punts Vargas in a tree and it's glorious✨

There is also Crewel in there, so there is that. Kalim also squares up, but like, man feels SO guilty afterwards. Even if no one knew he was the alien hero. :'3

But overall, Kalim has a pretty nice camping experience. And he learned from Jade some cool fungi facts. :D

Epel

Oh heck yeah, Epel is absolutely thriving with the whole camp idea. No Vil? No Rook? Liberty, bitches! He is more free than a bird and he's feeling awesome. He wants to try everything, he tries everything, he gets tired from trying everything and eats then repeats until he has to go to sleep. :'3

The dissappearances occur and Epel immediately is ready to square up. He just yeets Vargas across the forest like a ping-pong ball.

He also fights the mine monster the same way. The poor Phanthom had 0 chances. :'3

Idia

Man doesn't wanna go camping. PERIOD!

But he finds his super cool 50+ attack stick so he's happy. Ortho said that he shouldn't use the omnitrix just to skip over his tasks, so at least he hs his super cool stick. :'3

Idia gets the first dissappearance. He was tired from the whole running around and picking sticks, so he fell asleep than poof! He woke up in Vargas's cabin and had to do squats as punishment.

Unfortunately for Vargas, he disclosed his plan to Idia, including Crewel's involvement, so the firehead was very aware of the whole situation and DID NOT like it.

But also it was the absolute best prank idea known to man, to just play as a 3rd party with a similar approach to Vargas's, but make it unbeknownst to anyone else. No one would know if he uses the omnitrix for this. They are in a goddamn forest, for all one could know, some of this NRC Students were petty enough to square up with a bear.

It is mandatory to note that before the camp commenced, Idia and Ortho argued about weather the camp was good or not. Idia was absolutely against the idea of camp being 'fun', while Ortho saw it as a great opportunity. Of course, now with this goldmine of prank material, Idia wanted primarily to use it so he could prove his brother that camp was NOT fun.

He ends up have a whole load of fun while enacting his plan. Everyone was screaming and running around like headless chickens and Idia loved every second of it. He initially wanted to have Ortho for last, because Ortho would absolutely know Idia was behind a good chunk of the dissappearances if he targets him early or mid plan.

But Vargas and Crewel strike first on Ortho and that's when Idia doesn't have that much fun anymore. It was supposed to be his hit! It was supposed to be glorious and induce even more panic since Ortho was a pretty reliable and an important factor of the survivors team. He was supposed to get Ortho, not them. Plus it adds salt to the wound the fact that Vargas and Crewel tied up his lil bro to a tree while shut down so like, where's the care? Ortho was a robot, some things are fragile still!

So Idia takes out Ortho first, which unintentionally creates even more panic since now the 'actual wild monster' is targeting students that are also tied up. Idia ends up punting the teachers and all is good in the end.

By the finale of the whole thing, Ortho tries to admit defeat, that this camp was clearly a bad idea and it wasn't that fun. Idia tho, corrects that he had loads of fun and was down for a part 2.

Beans day! :D

Riddle

Oh he's out for BLOOD! Man doesn't fucking hesitate. He punts Ace and Jack in a heartbeat. He is one force to be reckoned with and he will do anything to win.

In reality someone made fun of him for being smol and an easy to catch target so y'all know where this went.

Kalim

Bby wants to have shawarma. Let him have his fucking shawarma in peace.

Jamil attempts to catch Kalim, but he gets captured instead because Kalim had his half transformation as Wildvine and they were in the botanical garden, where it was LUSH of plants. Same thing for Rook and Trey. The whole shawarma thing was a 100% trap that Kalim had in order to catch the monster team in a flytrap style. Doesn't mean Kalim won't get to enjoy sum nice shawarma. A double win! :D

Epel

Breaking news: kid commits usual property damage.

Epel is absolutely abusing of his omnitrix advantage. Monster team is absolutely useless against Epel who's more than ready to throw them in trees.

Vil does put him in place at one point, but Epel escapes his sight for 1 second and 4 monster players are found hung up on trees. :'3

Idia

Ortho ended up on the monster team so Idia fears for his ass, since he was in the farmers team and knew his brother was out for BLOOD. (Vargas said for the 2 to be in different teams so Idia couldn't 'use his brother to take the easy way out') Oh Ortho was absolutely merciless. Doesn't help that he teams up with Azul and Jack.

Idia's only objective: survive. He struck days prior an alliance with Azul for him to help him with loot so that he won't be targeted, but that won't fly by Ortho. Azul might spare him, but not Ortho. Idia just runs and hides all the event.

Ortho catches him in the end. Omnitrix or not. :'3

[aisuigetsu]

a lil photo summary of my year (2023)

started my year at Harrah's Atlantic City. this was the second year i went to AC for my birthday! won some and lost some and won some back, net gain $300 ish? since i always go during new year's nothing's ever open... not a ton of food options and no strip clubs :(

in feb i went to seattle for the 4th time LMAO. this was the first time i flew since covid. it was raining every day but the clam chowder slapped

march i watched The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at the McKittrick Hotel. during the last song everyone was having a great time and i was TEARING UP lol it was so beautiful.

went home and immediately wrote a letter to alan brown to watch it (since it was only showing for 8 weeks), not sure if he went tho

april went hiking at Catskill Giant Ledge. there were very few signs so we ended up walking at least 3 miles extra. it was so snowy and icy and i did not have hiking boots. not too bad going up but basically came down the whole way by sliding slowly on my butt

may i went to an airbnb in Long Island that i really liked. this time we got to go boating.

last time i went was when the pandemic first started calming down, and i felt a sudden urge to escape the city. i booked the train ticket and airbnb and left after work that night. after staying there for a day and a half, a group of girls also came to the house (owner rented out multiple homes) and i heard one of them talk abt my restaurant.... needless to say i bolted out of there even tho my stay wasn't finished

funny detail from this trip was i mentioned the sunrise is really beautiful here and we must see it. however for days in a row neither of us could get up, and finally on the last day i was like "i have to wake up" and i did at like 5:30. but i was soooooo tired so i took a picture of the sunrise and went back to sleep. we both woke up around noon and i was like "hah i knew you wouldn't be able to wake up so i took this picture for you" and HE HAD DONE EXACTLY THE SAME THING LMAOOO

june working through the air pollution woohoo

parents took me to Seven Lake Drive, it was really pretty and full of mosquitos

one day in july i randomly wanted to walk to brooklyn bridge from my apt in queens. when i have nothing to do i just wanna walk for really long distances

got covid for the first time and during my sick day i saw this girl on the rooftop of the building across. lowkey kinda worried abt her so i kept watching her and then she took a selfie LOL. stopped watching after that

august went to Mt. Taurus to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. it was really clear during the day and started pouring as soon as it turned dark.

at like 2am me and my bf were just in the middle of nowhere (to avoid light pollution) in the car frantically searching up the satellite map to see when the clouds would pass and also the weather forecast for any rural areas within 100 miles. unfortunately it was raining EVERYWHERE for multiple days. better luck in 2024

then we went peach picking in NJ, not a ton of hard peaches left by this time

october we went to vermont for anniversary trip and he picked an "easy hike" to "see the foliage"

mountaintop view was like:

it was steep and cold and started raining on the way down. by the time we got back to the parking lot it was completely fucking dark. the entire way down i was looking for spots to camp in case we were stuck on the mountain...

high school classmate organized a Survivor themed camping trip. the bathrooms at this campsite were NASTY and i was on my period too 0/10. but it was a fun time and i got eliminated fifth

november in las vegas. loved it, lost 1.7k

came back to nyc and watched Un Ballo in Maschera. honestly kind of depressing cuz i couldn't just clap and cheer every 10 seconds like in the circus TT

[haleigh-sloth]

Back in the days we were really desperate for hrks to save us from insane social issues with his funny characters from his comic book huh hdhsgdjsajsgsh

It's been a while since I've been in that space but I do remember my own thinking back then, so I can say a potential reason I think for why, back then. Currently...well, idk.

Back then for me, and for a few others, it was less about the actual social issues part and more about the anxiety that the villains wouldn't be saved.

I think back then during 2020-era the endgame for the League wasn't SO solid and a lot of us were operating under this mindset that the League HAD to be a positive force in the story in order to be saved. It was anxiety for their endings. However in retrospect, it doesn't actually make sense for them to need to be "saved" if the story was going to uphold them as "right" or "correct". That wouldn't work, actually. The reason they need to be saved is because even if they have valid complaints about their surroundings, the only thing they're productive in doing is killing everyone else and slowly killing themselves. They aren't accomplishing ANYTHING.

For me, and the few people I talk to who also transitioned out of the fandom space, it took quite a bit of hammering in on the villains obviously being saved, and the story obviously refusing to validate their actions. I feel like at a certain point, chapter 342 for example, it became very very clear that their hearts would be saved while their actions were condemned.

Part of this comes with hero-hate too. And again, back then it was easy to just spout that hero society is corrupt (I mean it is) and that all the heroes are responsible for it (which they are not). There are still points to be made when people (me) compare the heroes to cops. Hawks's actions and role in the story weren't an accident lol. Gran Torino is not an accidental contradictory to the themes. The heroes' role being extensions of law enforcement and the notion that some of them go into the profession for god awful reasons wasn't an accident. But I think what got lost in time was the fact that the story was showing that the profession itself within the story WAS BEING REDEFINED. Hence a coming of age story focusing on kids doing better, and adults openly changing their minds (Aizawa and Tsukauchi anyone??, and even side characters like Mt. Lady who was introduced in CHAPTER ONE). So yeah, criticisms of the hero side weren't like, completely off the mark per say, because the story put them there literally in chapter ONE.

BUT it got taken WAYYYY too far to a place that just didn't belong in this manga. And then people started getting MAD.

Did I want the "LOV fighting for change" scenario at one point? Yes. But what were my reasons? I wanted them saved. AND, if people backread my blog, they'll find some pretty rancid takes. BUT one thing that has remained consistent with me is that I have always always always wanted Izuku, Ochacko, and Shouto to be the saviors of Tomura, Toga, and Touya. Even in my most raw villain stanning days, that never changed.

It just took a while for me to realize that those two ideas are pretty exclusive. The villains can't be "right" if the story is about the kids saving the villains' HEARTS. Their hearts are hurting and broken and tainted, they need to be saved. If they were ever so in their right minds to be cognizant enough to actually formulate a real plan for change, it wouldn't make sense for them to NEED SAVING. And there was only one certainty within the story immediately following the PLF war chapters: Izuku saw someone who needed saving. The story wasn't about to be like "yeah psych" and make Tomura this badass revolutionist.

I understand why these takes existed at one point. What I don't understand is how they.....still exist. When people find themselves saying "the villains are just in the wrong manga" then maybe it's less about the villains and the author and more about the reader reading the wrong manga. Stop blaming the author, like I was doing, and focus more on why you're mad and not enjoying the manga ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ best lesson I learned following this series.

Needless to say...my anxiety about the villains getting a happy ending is long gone. I'm really, really confident in how the chapters are progressing. Every chapter just feels more and more like it's hammering in the idea of the LOV getting what they want, and the heroes also getting what they want. It seems almost certain that everyone in this story will get what they want, save for the obvious antagonists who are not written to be thematically relevant, or of course the big bad AFO.

[bmacreadz]

"Love on the Brain" by Ali Hazelwood

Hazelwood definitely has a style, and I LOVE IT. It's quirky, funny, and brilliant, but also down-to-earth and relatable. I loved "The Love Hypothesis," which is exactly why I also love "Love on the Brain."

"Love on the Brain" follows Bee as she undertakes a new career-advancement project with NASA. Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately) this new project has her working alongside her archenemy from grad school, the broodingly handsome and disturbingly unapproachable Levi Ward. As they work together, truths come to light and Bee becomes increasingly naïve over the things that are right in front of her (as Hazelwood's characters have a tendency of being). But in Bee's defense, Levi was extremely standoffish and pretty hostile towards her for several years for no real reason. Regardless, the chemistry between these two characters made me feel a lot of the things I want to feel when I'm reading a romance and I enjoyed every second of this story.

A little bit about Bee: She has a twin sister who she is rarely able to see; she's orphaned and has been on her own for many years now; she's experienced the type of betrayal that's made her swear off any type of long-term attachments; and she's obsessed with Marie Curie.

A little bit about Levi: He has been secretly in love with the same woman for years but no one, including this woman, knows anything about it because those feelings were well-hidden behind instances of some severely misplaced assholery.

If you've read "The Love Hypothesis," then you might be familiar with the theme here. But I personally don't think there's anything very wrong with writing similar stories. Sure, you want to change it up, and Hazelwood did in every way that mattered. The story is just similar enough that it gives the reader all the things they love about her romance writing-style, but she is also writing a completely different story. (If you're sensing that I'm a little defensive about this, it's because I've seen reviewers ripping Hazelwood's work apart because "The Love Hypothesis" and "Love on the Brain" are so similar.) But that's why we love authors, right? Because of the types of stories they right? I love Hazelwood's storytelling. And when I want to read something like "The Love Hypothesis" and feel all the things Hazelwood makes me feel when reading, without actually re-reading "The Love Hypothesis" for the sixth time, then "Love on the Brain" is the perfect book for me. It's cheesy and romantic and just plain good.

Reading Hazelwood is like reading a rom-com and I LOVE A ROM-COM. I love her characters, her style, her intense genius that flies off the page. So many references go over my head because I am not involved in the science field, but that's also partly why I love it so much. It transports me to this whole other world that I know almost nothing about, but I feel like I belong there anyway.

I'll read "Love on the Brain" over and over because there's something I just love about it. And I will definitely be reading her new book "Love, Theoretically" when it comes out this fall.

Maybe this book isn't for everyone and that's okay. I get it. It is cheesy and weird and so, so obvious. But that's exactly why I love it. So, if you're like me and you liked "The Love Hypothesis" enough to read it several times, then yes, read this book. Immediately.

[toumoromoro]

Fishing for the moon in the sea at night

Just finished the game, it was pretty fun. 

Ok first why does this game has 3 names? Fishing for the moon in the sea at night / Towelket one more time 0 / Yorunoumi2

I have wanted to play this one for a long time, I have said it a couple of times before but TK4 is my favorite TK game (maybe one day I will explain why in detail) so a “remake” immediately caught my attention. In the end the game was completely different from what I expected it to be. While it borrows some concepts and story beats from TK4 it really is its own thing.

This game look so pretty. One of my favorite things about the series is watching how the art progresses in each game. I absolutely love how the world of the inn looks. White, black, red and blue look so nice together, and thanks to the border it’s like reading a story book. 

Also the sprites look nice, it’s the same style from 5 so I have no complains... ok maybe I have one complain. Mocha’s sprite. I’m sorry but the sprite from 4 is still the better looking one. Oh also Buritoba and Sekken-bako got new sprites and now they actually look like TK characters. It bothered me a little how normal their sprites did look in 4. They were literally just girl#1 and girl#2.

I almost forgot to talk about my favorite sprite, that’s right Nekojita’s(?). This weird fusion of Warawau and Nekojita that came out of nowhere. I love it, it’s adorable. Their palettes are pretty similar so no surprise why it works so well.

Music was good as always, I could listen to Furikusuku’s mansion theme for hours.

About the gameplay, almost no battles this time around. There are a couple of mandatory fights, but you are basicaly guaranted to win. I think it’s alright, battles have always been one of the weaker points of the series, and this game clearly wants to focus on the story. I hope they return in the next games though.

This game is pretty unique in the sense that you need to play it multiple times to actually understand the story. It has a “route system” where you can date 1 of 11 characters and depending on who you dated you get a different ending. Most endings are pretty much the same, but some are essential to understand what’s going on. On my first playthrough I went for Koucha and after beating the game I was so confused that I blamed the MTL, but no, it turns out a lot of concepts and lore are in the other routes. Even the Koucha route splits! And did you know some dialogue can change based on the gender you choose? So save a lot if you play it. I ended up using all 15 slots. 

And this brings me to my first complaint. I think the route system ended up hurting the story overall. One of the things that I really did like from 4 is the amount of time you get to spend with Mocha and Koucha, we get to see how their relationship evolves, them interacting with others characters or just fooling around, by the end of the game you know them pretty well and you care if something happens to them. In this game you spend very little time with the character you choose, so the more emotional parts didn’t really do a lot for me. I understand that asking Kanao to write that much dialogue for 11 characters is just unrealistic so I wish we had less routes so the other routes could have more dialogue.

Trying to piece the story together was pretty fun. I understand “The true purpose of the inn”, “The story of Mocha and Furikusuku” and “The sins of the Inkeepers”, but I’m still confused about concepts like the Tokage and Uikechuke transformation. You get 2 examples for the Tokage one, but almost no info for the Uikechuke transformation.

This game introduces Smile DK, I think she’s okay, but she only really shines when she’s with Nyanyamo, they are really funny together. Also I really like what’s been done with Nyanyamo design and personality. If I had a top 5 she would definitely be there. Pucchi remains a consistently good character. PPU was there and had more lines than in 4. Please give Agochu her labcoat back.

Overall a fun and solid game, but I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  Maybe I had too high of expectations. 

A now some trivia: 

1) If you examine the game files it looks like a Buritoba route was considered at some point before being dropped, I didn’t even notice until I read a thread in Japanese Yahoo.

2) If you extract the StringScripts for the game there’s a lot of dialogue for what appears to be a route in which Koucha is possesed by Furikusuku. I couldn’t find any info about this, so please tell me if it was actually implemented in the game.

3) To unlock the Moochasu route you need to go on a date with him before going to Barrieland, then you need to tell Kyuuri or Chihedo that you love her when she confesses, so she connects the inn 1 day earlier. Finally you need to be on the Koucha route so you can go to the inn when you get the wedding ring. Moochasu is inside the bath, give him the ring and you are done. Took me a while to figure how to date him so I hope this helps someone one day.

Next game is:

[letyukisayfuck]

what’s snow mountain syndrome?

okay, thinking i maybe gave a bit of the wrong impression with my initial statement- snow mountain syndrome is a short story from the light novel the rampage of haruhi suzumiya, the fifth haruhi suzumiya light novel (the other stories, if you're curious, are endless eight and day of sagittarius)

it is by far the longest story in that book (a full 80 pages in the copy i have, i think?); and a sort-of sequel to remote island syndrome (which is incredibly different in the light novels compared to the anime, a change that fascinates me even knowing what sparked it)

it's actually also one of my favorites, despite a lot of what i'm about to talk about

(obvious warning for spoilers for snow mountain syndrome and possibly other haruhi stories in here)

so, before we get into this: it's not, like, canon erotica or whatever. this is not sword art online (i won't tell you to look it up, just believe me that it exists and was written by the og author- who later claimed it was made as a joke).

that said, please heed the content warning of this post, because it does still contain sexual themes. the series in general kinda does (realistic teenager behavior), but this is probably the peak of it. let's go over things from my memory, which means a few minor details might get mixed up, but this should be mostly accurate and i'll try and remember to revisit it after reading the story again anyway:

so, the gang are all trapped in a mysterious house where time doesn't work. this happens pretty early on, after they get stranded in a blizzard. they learn time doesn't work because haruhi and kyon break off to investigate, have a conversation that shouldn't take more than like half an hour (and haruhi expresses some degree of discomfort with kyon paying more attention to yuki, as this story takes place very shortly after disappearance. they then form the Yuki Protection Squad after kyon lies about what's going on in a way that gets Some of the idea across), but when they get back to the others it's been three hours

(this is adorable. protect yuki at all costs)

so they get settled in the suspicious mystery mansion, as you do, while time continues to Not Work. they all pick out bedrooms next to each other. now, the Scene That Most People Remember from snow mountain takes place after everyone goes to bed:

kyon trying to think of some solution for their current situation is interrupted by mikuru coming into his room wearing different clothes than she had ten minutes ago (also less of them) and invading his personal space. she asks to sleep with him and starts taking her clothes off.

however, she's missing a specific mark (the same one that was mentioned in melancholy), cluing kyon in to the fact that she is either not real or simply Not Mikuru (on top of the way she's acting)

she's sad about it and runs out of the room, when kyon realizes the door has been locked the whole time. he runs after not-mikuru, opens the door, and finds haruhi (whose room is directly across from his) also sticking her head out of the door. and also everyone else.

the context is understandable but i find it endlessly hilarious that this is one of the only times haruhi is genuinely shaken by something

this bit establishes something important- everyone had one of those weird horny nightmare scenarios. i put haruhi first because, as i said, i think her response is very funny since she's rarely this out of it

from koizumi and mikuru, we get these:

which leaves yuki:

yuki passes out immediately after this. honestly, mood.

"why are you still talking about this story after getting the point?", you may be asking

it's because snow mountain syndrome, on top of the Not-Mikuru Scene and its followup, is just kind of batshit insane

so yuki passes out, haruhi immediately goes into Protect Sick Yuki mode and sends kyon to go get some supplies to help out. he runs into koizumi on his way back, they talk about math, and kyon is about to beat the absolute shit out of koizumi when haruhi interrupts and tells them to knock it off

(this isn't from the book, but it captures the sentiment nicely.)

i, personally, am of the opinion that they should be allowed to fight. i think it would be funny. we get haruhi and kyon wrestling on the floor twice, i think we deserve kyon and koizumi getting into a fistfight.

anyway they return to talking about math and, via yuki being the MVP even when completely out of commission, they use math to solve the equation that lets them out of the suspicious mystery mansion.

they get out alright (though not before koizumi joins the Yuki Protection Squad and affirms his loyalty to the SOS Brigade), and haruhi fusses over yuki as they return to the group. there's some good tsuruya content in this bit too

and then koizumi passes the whole thing off as a group hallucination. kyon isn't totally convinced that haruhi bought it, but she at least tentatively claims to.

and that's snow mountain syndrome, one of the weirdest stories in the haruhi catalogue!

sorry for how long this response took, but i hope you can understand why