#it's just that he's not in love with tschick

[dunkelrotzuschwarz]

thinking about maik klingenberg, der in einem kaputten, geklauten lada sitzt, den er glaubt nicht fahren zu können, weil er "der größte feigling unter der sonne" ist, nachdem auf ihn geschossen wurde, er vor der polizei und aus dem krankenhaus abgehauen ist, dessen bester freund neben ihm mit gebrochenem fuß sitzt und ihm erzählt, dass er schwul ist, und wie maik dann ernsthaft meint "ich dachte einen moment darüber nach, auch schwul zu werden. das wäre jetzt wirklich die lösung aller probleme gewesen, aber ich schaffte es nicht."

[joshisurcrush]

'Tschick' by Wolfgang Herrndorf

✩

(This is a mini-review for all you social media enthusiasts with tiny attention spans who don't love me enough to have read my full Stephen King review (smh))

Tschick was pretty crazy, I liked it:

1) There was a queer character that isn't a stereotype? Man, I had no idea those existed in media! I want to get it out of the way right off the bat, ‘cause I think Tschick’s homosexuality is really well-written (he’s one of the two main characters). There was a bit of what I can best describe as “performative homophobia” at the beginning of the story and from the way he acts and talks it slowly sinks in. He’s not some hypereffeminate guy, or a bear or a twink of some sort; he’s just some new kid who likes stealing cars and isn’t really interested in girls which? I find pretty cool. I liked that aspect. Also, the story didn’t force any sort of queer plot-action between him and his clearly-heterosexual best friend, and it didn’t make a big deal out of it either, it was more of a little sidenote, and it was really well-done. Wanted to get that out of the way right off the bat so I don’t have to focus on it too much later.

2) I like a male character extensively thinking about his feelings, it’s pretty unheard of unless it’s sex drive or pure, unfiltered anger. Maybe anger with an undertone of grief; but aside from that you don’t tend to get much out of male leads. Which I think sucks. Or it’s not documented or mentioned, and only implied. Which I also think sucks. I feel like the fake that Maik (did I spell that right) opened up more, commented on he feels about his feelings, and commented on the fact that he comments about how he feels on his feelings was pretty interesting. Also, I feel like it added more dimension to him as a character, his general cynical nature and pessimistic attitude despite being in a relatively-well-off place (in comparison to Tschick, the other male lead), it all just gave me the “he’s just like me fr” feel. Also, I generally just like seeing the lives of other teenage guys, seeing their lives come together, learning about the girl they’re seeing and their relationship with their dad, etc. 

c) It gives me a chance to live vicariously through a guy with anger issues who decides to steal a car and drive off spontaneously, which happens to be one of my wettest dreams of all time. (You would be alarmed at how much I fantasize about running away and off-roading across the country in a stolen car with a friend or two.)

d) Also the book filled the void in my heart, the one that craves a decent young adult book, set and written in the good part of Germany with an accurate representation of what being a male teenager in Germany is like. Can vouch, since I used to be a male teenager in Germany. Also, it’s written in German (read it, if you can speak German) and it’s extremely well-written and clean, and handles some topics like substance abuse, poverty, and adultery pretty well, without glorifying or dramatizing anything in an over-the-top manner.

PSA: Do NOT read the English translation. It’s botched, and gross, and doesn’t do the story justice. If you’re not a German-speaker, sure, you might check it out due to interest but if you don’t like it as much as I do, it’s likely because you didn’t read the original.

Also, if I get positive feedback I’ll re-read the book and publish an EXTENSIVE review.

[sludgest]

Tschick by Wolfgang Herrendorf (8.6)

(This is a mini-review for all you TikTok users with tiny attention spans who don't love me enough to have read my full Stephen King review (shaking my head.))

I enjoyed Tschick for 6 reasons.

easy to get out of the way first off - a queer, especially gay male, character that isn't a fucking stereotype? oh my lordy lord, I had no idea those existed in media!

a male character extensively thinking about his feelings is pretty unheard of (well, in a documented way. men think, i think, but we don't usually open up) and I feel like it added more dimension to the main character. (Not feelings like anger, I'm talking like... relationship with his dad, and how much he likes the girl he's seeing, etc.) Gives me more of a "he's just like me fr" feel.

it gives me a chance to live vicariously through a guy with anger issues who decides to steal a car and drive off spontaneously (my wettest dream).

it fills the void in my heart, the one that craves a decent young adult book, set and written in the good part of Germany (i'm racist) with an accurate representation of what being a male (i'm sexist) teenager in Germany is like.

it was pretty funny, had me laughing aloud a couple of times. The writer is good, style is clean but not overly babied down to a generic level. Huge fan tbh. 

it handles some pretty fucked up topics (substance abuse, poverty and adultery to name a few) really really well, without glorifying or overdramatizing anything, it's impressively put. I wish my friends spoke German so I could force them to read it, or read it to them as a bedtime story.

[capybaraonabicycle]

Iced lemon tea

Earl grey tea

Iced coffee

😁

Thank you for the ask <3

Iced Lemon Tea : Favorite song/band?

That changes like every month 😅 The Longest Johns were my top spotify wrapped artists last year, but I continue to be very fond of Dota and cavetown as well. My longest lasting love is for Abba though, and my favourite song of theirs would probably be - oh, I really can't say. I definitely love 'The Winner Takes it All' and 'Chiquitita' and 'Mamma Mia' a lot.

I recently listened to 'Bang-A-Boomerang' for the first time, though, and it is adorable? At least the music video is? So if you happen to have missed that one until now, like me, and you generally enjoy Abba, maybe have a listen?

Early Grey Tea : The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! What’s your plan of action?

Okay, so my parents are some sort of preppers? They don't have a full panic room in their house or anything, but they have food and water for ages and wood and a fireplace and a radio that works with solar energy. So, I would try to get to their place and team up (in case they aren't infacted yet). And like, sadly covid has been a good way of evaluating who among the people you know are very likely to be stupid and get bitten immediately (because they don't believe in zombies even when scientists are telling them to run), so I have a list of people I would definitely stay away from.

And then I'd probably die within a week anyway.

Not the point of the question, but may I recommend you my favourite piece of zombie apocalypse art? It's a BlackBoxTV production starring the amazing Mary Kate Wiles and Monica Joy Sherer. It is heartbreaking and morbidly funny and I had to watch it several times to grasp the little details of what exactly was going on:

So, yeah, I've learnt all my tricks there and from tgwdlm -> meaning I'm definitely screwed.

Iced Coffee : Do you like reading? If so, what’s your favorite book?

I like reading and I don't do it nearly enough. I adored Tschick (Why we took the car), and have read it like 5 times, so I usually say that's my favourite book. But I think, actually, most of my favourite books are children books? Like Something else by Kathryn Cave (illustrations by Chris Riddell). It is one of the most beautiful books out there. Just, look at that art:

Isn't it gorgeous?

And, Idk, the little animal trying to fit in and it just doesn't work, because no matter how hard they try to imitate the other animals, it always looks just a little different? Until someone else who is different comes along and then he doesn't have to fit in? They can just be something else together? That just really resonates with kids who feel like they don't fit in either, I guess

In case you don't know it, there are several people reading it aloud on yt. Like this one is lovely, f.ex.:

Also, omg are you seeing that Something else has a stuffed animal that looks like him? That is literal perfection. (Also, like, I don't want to spoil the ending but the ending is amazing.)

(Also I just realised Tschick is basically also about a boy who doesn't fit in whose life becomes so much better when he makes friends with the other boy in class who is cast out, so, yeah, I am seeing something of a theme there.)

[browneyeddevil]

thanks @waywardangel-wilds for the tag!

1.The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton: I must have been 6 or 7 when I first read this with my dad. The story is filled with such whimsy and silliness but also a sense of wholesomeness that I would have no problem revisiting it today. I wouldn't say it's the book that made me fall in love with reading, I honestly don't think there is one particular book, but it's definitely one that got me to that stage as, as far as I can remember, it's the first book I reread multiple times.

2. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling: I know she's a controversial figure now but I'm a big believer in separating the art from the artist. The series itself was and is super important to me. I was around 7 or 8 when I started reading it with my dad and I found them so engaging that I started to take them to school to read them by myself; which was a first for me. Strangely, I remember them also being the first books I read that didn't have illustrations. I became a full-blown Potterhead and have reread the series multiple times since then. I would find myself imagining new characters for the world and new scenarios and lore; and although it didn't start me in the world of fanfic (obviously, I was like 9 lol) it is the first series that fully engaged my imagination.

3. A series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: I was around 9 when I read them, and they were the first books to knock Harry Potter off its throne. They were the first books that had me taking note of different writing styles. Lemony Snicket wrote these books as if he were talking directly to the reader, giving word definitions and making jokes about his characters. He also made everything seem very real to the point where little me was genuinely unsure whether the series was fiction or non-fiction.

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Is anybody surprised? I was 11 when I read the series for the first time. I remember having just started secondary school a month prior and being quite overwhelmed by everything, and I found a lot of comfort in the series. I would come to school early just to read some of the books before school. I read them in 10 days flat and it was the first series since Harry Potter to really overtake my imagination. Most of it went over my head as I was pretty young but I have since reread it multiple times and each time I find a new thing to obsess over. It's also the series that eventually led me down the path of reading and writing fanfiction and finding fandom in general.

5. Tschick by Wolfgang Herndorf: This one is a bit strange, but I shall explain. I was 12 or 13 when I started reading this book as "homework" for my German school. I read it with my mum which was the first time we read something together. Because my mum's first language is German she still prefers reading in German over reading in English; so reading was always something I did with my dad, if with anyone. Although the book itself didn't have a massive impact on me, it has a place in my heart for being the first German book I read that wasn't for kids; and for opening that door for me and my mum.

I don't know who has or hasn't been tagged yet so I'm just gonna tag randomly lol - feel free to join in if I forgot you. @awhiskeyriver @broken-everlark @bethpeaches123 @caitlinisacorpse @daydreamingandprocrastination @everlarkedalways @everybirdfellsilent @finnicksannie @goldenslumberowo @imsoeverlarked @jenniferiawrence @jlalafics @javistg @justajjfan @katnissdoesnotfollowback @katnissmellarkkk @lingeringlilies @loungemermaid @lovely-tothe-bone @louezem @mega-aulover @mtk4fun @mellarksbunsz @mollywog @petruchio @rosegardeninwinter @rainymyx @thesweetnessofspring @wendywobbles

Tagged by @thesweetnessofspring in the new tag game she started:

List 5 books that made you The Way You Are (got this idea from another old post). You don't have to explain why if it's cringe/too personal, but I'm curious about how old you were when you read it, if you're comfortable adding that!

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, is the first book that I ever read. It made me fall in love with reading. I am dyslexic and this was the first book that I read that I understood and taught me that books weren't hard or boring. I laughed so hard. I was maybe 7years old.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is the second book I read by myself it took me longer to read, I was about 8-9 years old when I discovered this book and read it...it taught me the value of good friends. I didn't have friends growing up. I was picked on as a kid.

Night by Eli Wiesel - While a lot of people love Anne Frank, I loved Night. I read this book while in 9th Grade. It changed my perspective on how to look at people.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boon. This book made me, Corrie was a young woman during WW2 who she and her family hid Jewish families in the Netherlands. She ended up in a concentration camp and lost many of her family members. I was in my late twenties when I read this book. It reconfirmed that all humans are created equal.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, not telling you the age lol but please know that because of these books, I am here in the fandom.

I tag @norbertsmom @professionalfangrrl @mtk4fun @lemonluvgirl @booksandchocolatesmears @booksrockmyface

[zediina]

hi! sorry if this comes off as rude, but i’m learning german and was wondering if you have any german tv show/film recommendations? i’d really appreciate it if u do, thanks so much!

Hello!! Don't worry, this isn't rude at all :) I haven't seen many of these in a long time but here are a few I really enjoyed (I linked the trailers to the movies/the first seasons of the shows too):

MOVIES

Die Feuerzangenbowle (1944)

Yes, this movie is very old; it's black and white. But it's still shown on German tv and it's pretty funny. A famous writer goes undercover in a school, pretending to be a student since he never got the classic school experience (he was home-schooled). He and the other students play a bunch of pranks on the teachers, and other shenanigans happen.

Das Boot (1981)

This is a classic and was nominated for several academy awards, including best director and best cinematography. It takes place on a German submarine during ww2, so it's a war movie. Usually not my favorite genre but this one really kept me on the edge of my seat. There's also a series that came out recently, but I haven't seen that. I can't imagine that it's better than this though.

Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Takes place shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall and tells the story of a young man from East Berlin. His mother just woke up from a coma, and the doctors say she shouldn't get any big surprises (like, you know, the of the fall Berlin wall) so he tries to fool his mom by pretending the GDR still exists; which is harder than it sounds. The premise sounds a bit ridiculous but it's a really great and funny movie.

Das fliegende Klassenzimmer (2003)

Based on a very popular children's book, this movie tells the story of a boy who's new in a boarding school. He and his new friends find the book for a musical and decide to practice and perform it. (There's a bunch of other stuff happening like a rivalry with another group of students. I haven't seen this movie in forever but it's good and the story is very well known).

Die Welle (2008)

This is based on a true story about a social experiment a history teacher did with his class; maybe you've heard of it before. They create a mock-nazi party to try and understand how they became so popular and how people could buy into their rhetoric. Things go sideways pretty quickly. A great movie and a reminder that none of us are immune to indoctrination and radicalization. There's a tv show with the same name, but I don't think they're connected.

Fack Ju Göthe (2013)

I feel like everyone in Germany has seen this comedy at this point. Objectively it isn't a very good one but I'm going to recommend it simply because every German person I know can quote at least one line from this movie. A criminal takes a job as a teacher for the owrst class in that school, because his accomplice buried the money they stole underneath the school and he needs to get to it. Let's just say his teaching methods are a bit... unconventional.

Labyrinth des Schweigens (2014)

Another movie based on a true story, and one of my favorites. This one really stuck with me. It's about a young state attorney in 1950's Germany, who starts interviewing holocaust victims and prosecuting nazi officers who served in Auschwitz. This movie really shows that many people in Germany would have preferred forgetting the holocaust ever happened and pretend everything is fine rather than confront it.

Tschick (2016)

We actually read the book to this in school. It's a bout two 14 year old boys who steal an old car and go on a road trip together, and all the crazy stuff they experience. To be honest I don't remember that much about it since it's been so long since I've seen it, but I do remember really liking it!

Kästner und der kleine Dienstag (2017)

Remember that really popular children's book I mentioned? Well, this movie is about the author of that book. He's one of the authors who stayed in Germany during the Nazi regime, even though his works were banned and burned. It's about his friendship with a young boy that inspired a character in another famous book of his.

Die unheimliche Leichtigkeit der Revolution (2021)

This movie is about the east german environmentalist movement that started the peaceful revolution, which lead to the fall of the Berlin wall. It's about a teenage girl whose younger brother died due to pollution, and the state is trying to cover it up. Also shows how the GDR was trying to suppress any criticism of the state. It's definitely not the best movie on this list, but I really enjoyed it.

TV SHOWS

Ku'Damm 56, Ku'Damm 59, and Ku'Damm 63

The three mini series tell the stories of three sisters, whose mother runs a dancing school on Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. They take place in 1956, 1959 and 1963 respectively. It touches on a lot of topics, including domestic abuse, antisemitism, homosexuality, rape and more. I particularly loved the first season, where the youngest daughter who doesn't really fit into her mother's plans discovers her love for rock n' roll dancing.

Charité

The Charité is a prestiguous university hospital in Berlin with a long history, which this series exlpores. Season 1 takes place in the 19th century, where Robert Koch is lookig for a cure to tuberculosis. Season 2 takes place in Nazi Germany and among other things talks about the euthanasia practices at the time. Season 3 takes place right when the wall is being built (which passed right by the hospital). The show includes charcters based on real people as well as fictional ones.

Deutschland 83, Deutschland 86, Deutschland 89

An East German soldier has to go and work undercover for the GDR in West Germany, at a time where cold war tensions run high. I never got around to watching the last two seasons, but I remeber that the first one was really good.

Club der roten Bänder

This is based on a true story, and there are other versions of this show for example in the US. It's about a bunch of kids with different conditions who become friends in a hospital; two of them have cancer and got their legs amputated, one has an issue with his heart, one crashed a motorcycle, the youngest is in a coma, the girl has an eating disorder. There are other characters who show up as well. The show can get pretty sad, but their friendship is really touching.

Türkisch für Anfänger

This show was wildly popular back when it came out in the early 2000s. A german woman marries a turqish man, and create a patchwork family with four kids; who are absolutely not excited about it. But they have to figure out how to live with each other.

Oof, this escalated a bit, but I didn't want to exclude anything :) I hope you find something you like on this list!

[bybdolan]

i have never read it before but always meant to so i'm excited to discover it 🥰 alsooo when you said "send me book asks" i didn't realize there was a list of questions and thought you just mean. send me asks about books so sfjhsfjhsf let's try this again! 16, 24, 32, 54, 62, 72, 118, 119, 135! 💗

I loved your initial ask tho! I am always excited when people talk to me about The Catcher In The Rye!!!

16. a book you’d recommend to your younger self It hadn't come out yet but I think Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead would have been FATAL for 17 year old me.

24. a book on your nightstand I don't have a nightstand really but spiritually there is One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Marquez on it because I put that one on puse rn.

32. your favourite nonfiction novel In The Dream House by Carmen Machado is the first one that comes to mind. Admittedly, I do not read a whole lot of nonfiction, so. Yea.

54. a book with the best opening line My favorite question >:) This time I am going to go with One Hundred Years Of Solitude:

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

If this is not the most magic thing you have ever read I do not know what to tell you.

62. a book with a forgettable plot but amazing characters Any Sally Rooney book in my opinion. her plots are not bad at all but she writes super character driven so that what is actually happening takes the back seat to the characters.

72. a book with a gorgeous cover I really love the cover for Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.

118. (already answered)

119. your favourite summer read Tschick by Wolfgang Herrndorf. Two 14 year old steal a car. Doesn't get better than this.

135. recommend any book you like! HOOL by Philipp Winkler is very very good if you enjoy sad stories about men beating each other up. And a Tiger is there. (Which improves any book, see also: Life Of Pi.)

send book asks!

[singt0me]

For the writers ask game: 5, 17, 20, and 50?😃😃😃

 hellooo!!

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most. 

I would say Patrick Ness and Donna Tartt are the top two authors who have influenced me the most. Maggie Stiefhdshhsj has that kinda whimsical, low key sarcastic sub tone that I feel like I go for a lot, so her, too. Books like the chaos walking series and more than this (both written by Ness) resonate in my mind very strongly. All these books have that kind of post-apocalyptic, living among the apocalypse, humans just carry on as best as they can vibes that i just Love. 

I feel slightly obligated to mention the maze runner series so. Those, too.

Honorable mentions (in which i just recommend books): 

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta: I haven’t actually read this book but I own it and plan to very soon!! but the tv adaptation is probably one of my favourite pieces of media Ever and tbh it’s influenced me and my writing style a lot. I mean A Lot. 

Why We Took The Car (Tschick Roman) by Wolfgang Herrndorf: Super cute and touching coming of age novel about two boys who steal a car and take a road trip across Germany. It’s basically a fanfic road trip au idk what else to tell you.  

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: I know the entirety of tumblr has read this book but yes this too Oh My God. 

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: An angel and a demon have One Job and that is to watch over the anti-christ but they can’ even do that.

More (bc this is getting long): Nightfall by Jake Halpern, Peter Kujawinski, Miss Peregrine’s series by Ransom Riggs, All for The Game by Nora Sakavic, Circe by Mads Miller, Timekeeper by Tara Sim, Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, and How to Live Safely in a Science-fictional Universe by Charles Yu and Gent’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. 

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day?

Lately it’s been about 2k but it can range from 300 words to 3k+ depending on what mood I’m in.

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.

Thomas’ knees almost give out thesecond he is up, but Newt is quick to catch him, and they stand in the middle ofthe room; two strangers in a half embrace. Thomas’ hair tickles his nose andNewt worries about the state of his breath, for a moment, when Thomas turnstoward him and smiles, awkward, and mumbles, “Thanks.”

Newt smiles back, just as awkward. “Noproblem,” he says, adjusting his hold of Thomas’ waist.

“Sorry, this is weird –”

“It isn’t weird,” Newt says, before he can stop himself, and Thomasgives him an unreadable look in return. The radio plays in thecorner, a slow, dreamy melody that Newt doesn’t recognise.

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

(shameless self promo time) I’d have to say the Monster Mash series right here :D

Writing ask game 

[redfeathered]

ൠ and Malec for the headcanon meme, please?

ൠ -random headcanon

Alec can’t dance. He couldn’t manage anything remotely gracefulon the dance floor, even when his life – or that of a loved one – would dependon it. No matter how controlled and you may even say graceful he may heads intoa fight, all the concentration, his movements fluid and precise, following to arhythm within him… all of that doesn’t matter, because he can’t bring it overto the dancefloor.

He’s a true hopeless case.

Well at least that’s what he believes.

Magnus however is a talent. Not only did he have years onyears to master countless styles, he’s also got a natural grace to himself. Afeeling for movement, rhythm, music. How to hold himself and how to partner.

Alec loves watching him dance. It’s hypnotic to be honest.But he never joins. (He thought about it before, but always shyed away) Butthis gotta change:  a wedding occurs!(insert favourite ship, that’s not Malec, because honestly? I’m so lost who I’mshipping atm) and his sister forces him to try. It’s her wedding after all!

Magnus takes it upon himself to teach the self-proclaimed helplesscase. And just so much: this does include slow dancing, in a lowly lit loft,candles around, soft music in the background and all that tschick. It also involvesa lot of laughter, failed steps, broken porcelain and magically healed toes.

Just because Magnus doesn’t deem him hopeless, doesn’t mean,Alec is an easy student!

thank you for the ask @somewhatavidreader ! it was fun spending some thoughts on malec again!

Headcanon Meme - send me a ship and a symbol

[olgalenski]

Wilde, Tolkien and Shakespere! Also have you read any good books lately? I want to read more and I'm looking for recommendations :)

Wilde: Would you rather relax by reading a new book or by re-reading a well loved book? hm I honestly don’t know but I think I wold rather re-read a well loved book to relax cause then I already know what will happen. like when I read a new book then there’s always this aaaaa oh my god what will happen next?-feeling and it’s not really relaxing? though that probably depends on the genre like am I reading a thriller or am I reading something else so idk but I think I would go for re-reading

Tolkien: Stand alone novels or a series?both are good

Shakespeare: A book that made you laugh?The martian by Andy weir

send me some asks maybe

now the other part:

hmmm I honestly haven’t read that much lately but the last book I read was ‘Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too’ by Jomny Sun. it took about 20 minutes to read and it’s. so. good. and sweet oh my god 

and then I don’t know how much you like crime novels but the Bounty Series by J.D. Cunegan is really good they follow a homicide Detective in Baltimore but she is also more than that and I mean we learn about that secret early on in Bounty but I still would say it’s a spoiler so I am not mentioning this right now^^ (it has 4 books as of december and he’s currently writing the 5th and I am so excited oh my god I love Jill Andersen so much!!!!!!!!)

another crime novel series I really like is the In Death series by J.D. Robb. I think that one has 45 books right now? I have read 11 so far. they’re really awesome. follow the homicide detective Eve Dallas in New York in the year 2058 and the following years as well which is fun to read. 

though yeah I don’t know how much you like to read crime novels or prefer other books

also always good to read: Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a really good book

uhm also all the Booky by sebastian Fitzek, he’s a german thriller author but his books get translated into english. Though Noah was a weird book. But every other book is amazing. and just wow. also very creepy as it’s usually the case for thriller I think^^

oh and one more book is Tschick by Wolfgang Herrndorf (also a german book that got translated. the english title is “Why we took the car” I don’t really understand why they changed the title since Tschick is the name of one of the two main characters but yeah that’s a thing) I read it in 2010 when it came out and loved it and then in 2016 they madea movie which I loved so I wanted to read the book again. and I was worried I wouldn’t like it as much anymore as that sometimes happens when there are years between reading books but I still loved it and that was nice

yeah they all aren’t necessarily recently read books but I can recommend them

also here is my goodreads account in case you want to see what else I read or didn’t read or want to read and stuff

Oh The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is also really awesome but yeah this is getting longer and longer and maybe the Goodreads is a better idea here (if you have it if not then I am always ready to tell you more about books I read and liked and all but then I would probably answer this privately as I feel like this is getting too long omg

[queensaba]

I got tagged by @proscrphone and @lostalotofcool thank you two so much! ♥ i will probably not tag anyone else because uhhh i don’t know so many people and i am afraid.

Rules: answer the 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you’d like to get to know better!

name: Charline

nickname: Charlie, mostly.

zodiac sign: Libra

height: 1,60 m

orientation: bi (most likely?)

nationality/ethnicity: German

favourite fruit: currant (from my grandmothers garden)

favourite season: autumn

favourite book: trick question, i don’t really have one book I would call my favourite above all. impulsively, i would say “tschick” (”why we took the car”) by Wolfgang Herrndorf

favourite flower: snapdragon (also found in my grandmothers garden)

favourite scent: a campfire in a summer night, strawberry marmelade

favourite colour: blue, turquoise

favourite animal: Foxes, red pandas

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: all three, but the coffee needs to be really sweet

average hours of sleep: the dream is 8, the reality is 6

cats or dogs: both

number of blankets you sleep with: only one

dream trip: Scandinavian Countries, Scotland, a city trip through eastern europe, Canada

rules: answer the questions given to you by the person who tagged you. write 11 questions of your own.

what musician/band have you recently discovered and instantly liked? A friend recommended me the music by Mine and Fatoni. I was very hesistant at first because the album (Alles Liebe Nachträglich) has many “Deutschrap” parts and I am not a fan of that. But after a while I gave it a chance and I really love Mine and her voice and her lyrics.

what does your dream home look like and where would it be? A house in the woods, with big windows, not many rooms, an open kitchen, big shelves for my books and movies, a studio for my art would be the dream. A tiny garden where I can grow my own fruits and vegetables. A lonely place somewhere.

what takes up too much of your time? Driving to university? Or probably the thoughts about what I could and should be doing. Instead of doing those things.

what’s the most interesting piece of art you’ve seen? One Artwork? That is tough, I love everything. The dream is a day in the Rijksmuseum and seeing De Nachtwacht bij Rembrandt. I also spend only one day in the Louvre a few years ago. The Mona Lisa was truly underwhelming, but I loved the sculptures there, especially  Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss by Antonio Canova. I saw some paintings by Salvador Dalí in an exhibition and this was an experience as well! I Would also love to see paintings by Frida Kahlo and Leonora Carrington in Person once in my life.

what is one of your favorite smells? I love the smell of a campfire in a summer night listening to the crackling woods, eating marshmellows or “Stockbrot” (stick bread? does this exist in other parts of the world?). And I love it how the house smells after you cook marmelade. Especially strawberry jam. I could live in that smell. Another smell (a little bit odd and specific) i love: how the car smells after my dad buys coffee in the netherlands. It somehow always takes me back to my childhood.

what’s your favourite meal cooked by someone else? My grandmother cooks the best turnip cabbage in a cream dip. No one else can cook it like this and I normally hate that bland vegetable.

who’s the most interesting person in your life? I would like to say my grandmother, who inspires me everyday!

what small gesture from a stranger made a big impact on you? I just remember one story - On a train ride back from austria with my family. I was maybe six or seven years old. In our cabin was another man who asked me what my name was. After I told him that he crafted a bracelet out of an wire and gave it to me as a gift. After that he told us that he was an artists who made sculptures out of wire and so on. It was a small gesture but it showed my little version of myself that there are kind strangers out there. I still try to think that this statement is true, even though it is hard sometimes.

what popular or classic tv show/movie do you refuse to watch and why? I... don’t really have that. I only refuse to watch something if I don’t like the subject matter. Or, for example, I refuse to watch Game of Thrones because I don’t like what they do to the characters. And because it is not the groundbreaking TV show that everyone wants to make out of it.

what’s the farthest you’ve been from home? I have never been that far away. London is the farthest.

what’s your favourite saying/phrase/word in your native language? My grandmother likes to eat “Plüschprumm”, I think this word is very cute! It’s peach in “Plattdeutsch” or plush plum if you translate it word for word. Otherwise... I am not really the person for sayings and phrases and now I can’t think of a word or a phrase that I love and that I say in my every-day life.

[gaygoethe]

@uponatightrope redoing this because tumblr is a little bitch xo

burro’s tail: what was the last dream you had?

I have to admit I can't quite remember the last dream I had, but in the last dream that I told my best friend about, I was so angry that my mom threw away my mc donalds dinner, that I destroyed my phone. enjoy xo

crown of thorns: are you more of a cozy rainy day or a warm sunny day?

cozy rainy day, definitely, good days for movies and books and maybe a cup of tea or hot cacao

aloe: what is your favorite season and why?

I'd say fall because it's just between too warm and too cold, but I'm gonna say winter because I like the christmas mood

ponytail palm: what is your favorite flavor of macaron and ice cream?

honestly fuck me up with any kind of macaron flavor I'll gonna. die, i love them so much. For ice cream it's definitely stracciatella...fuck me up

moonstones: do you have a significant other?

I fear I do not :'(


agavoides: what is your first plant you ever owned and does it have a name?

OKAY the first plant I raised on my own was called Tommy, I had him since 2nd grade until a few months ago when he died, I'm still mourning!!

string of pearls: do you prefer soft pastels, warm neutrals, or cool darks?

I'd say I prefer warm neutrals/cool darks over pastels because pastels would make me feel kinda depressed ( yes idk either ) so


lavender stones: what do you look for in your significant other?

All my friends will confirm that I love people very much, so all i look for in a potential gf is someone who's willing to give and get lots of love and maybe a good sense of humor

melaco: how would you describe a perfect date?

👏👏Movie night👏👏 either at the cinema or at home!! I just really like the idea


wooly rose: what are some names that you like?

I kinda like Esther and I always liked Valeriya for some reason


haworthia: are a you more of a fruit popsicle kind of person or ice cream popsicle kind of person?

Ice cream, fruit popsicles are for animals


lithops: how do you spend free time by yourself?

I draw or just lay face down on my bed


aeonium: what is your favorite tea and how do you take it?

my fav kinds of teas are peppermint and turkish apple and I take them with...some sugar??


baby toes: what was the last book you read?

I think it was either Tschick??? or Hannibal??


topsy turvy: what is the most comfortable sleeping position?

On the side 👏👏 but only with my side sleeping pillow ❤️❤️


calico kitten: what is something valuable that you learned in your life?

some people won't like you and you won't like some people that's okay and that doesn't make you a bad person

california sunset: what accessory do you always have on you, no matter what?

my earrings..don't even try me I'd go nowhere without my edge

moonglow: how do you relieve stress?


I don't.. I really don't lately haha I usually do it by sleeping..or laying down?? I guess

[newbuginnings-blog]

spring has sprung and i am marveling! i have never paid so much attention to the seasons, i assumed extremely fluctuant weather like we have been having the past several years in pittsburgh is normal for temperate areas. but there is something so calm about watching the seasons change. the tree across from my window is blooming white flowers, and the tree before the house is blossoming pink. there are tulips and crocuses sprinkling the soil like confetti. the breeze is warmer now and everything smells of rain and grass. i get home and drink water and write songs. stuff is weird and i am being myself. the things i am most excited about at the moment: 

-my german! i am speaking pretty fluidly now and can understand almost everything, which means that if i listen to someone speak i don’t have to translate in my head, i can hold conversations that are strange/abstract, and i am getting better at word order/grammar (which is by far the hardest). this is being affirmed in my everyday interactions which are now much easier and rewarding--i am getting decent grades on assignments (the equivalent to a c) on class work, i can read and follow easily, and even am starting to understand things in passing or in songs where words are said quickly/not articulately. 

-my friends, who are so kind and dear. they make me smile and i have noticed an instinct to reach out to them instead of friends back home when something is really bothering me. that is really important because one side effect relying on friends back home is just being really sad about not being able to go see them the next day. 

-classes at pitt next year! i am in the process of electing two courses that i will hopefully take at pitt next year. i have my finger crossed. when i think about next fall, it is a little bit strange to imagine myself in pittsburgh again. luisa and sascha are already planning when they are going to come visit the usa, and when i should come back to see them. 

-music! i have been writing new stuff. i feel as though i am writing more consistently wholistic songs, where i can really express a specific vision, rather than just estimating. i have been going out on more limbs than usual to reach out to people who book shows. i am hoping all goes well in london in two weeks, and honestly i think it will. and if it doesn’t go as i want, who fucking cares? being brave rules and i am not going to let stage fright hinder me from doing my best, not after coming so far and facing so many fears.

courageousness is the word of the season! traveling, vulnerability, intimacy, apology, accountability, we are trying our trying our trying our best. 

the conni is closing till fall after this weekend for renovations and that is really sad for me. it was the infoshop i found online before even coming to dresden and the first place i tried talking german to people (and failed and learned!), and later became the hub where i made the best friend of my entire year, ate so many delicious vegan meals, heard rad music, played foosball terribly, almost peed from laughing many times. 

this week has been eventful, and i expect they will be more so with the better weather. i delivered my package to orla, who i am celebrating from afar during her birthday week! die toten hosen played a surprise concert against pegida on a truck that rode along with us as we demonstrated. i love making new friends at the demos, there is an immediate affinity and conversation is so much more spirited. tuesday and wednesday i was in the conni, and today i played music with sascha and we cooked a great rice and chicken dish together, and both made the unspoken decision to continue snacking on nuts and mango yoghurt even though we had just eaten, immediately after. 

today was my art teacher’s last day of class, she is going into retirement after some forty years of teaching. there is an ongoing joke in my art class that he hates me because no matter how many times we told her i could understand and speak german, she still only talks to the person next to me and tells them to translate for me. but we drank three bottles of champagne with her in the classroom and it was a funny spectacle to participate in. 

i am recently really into listening to nana grizol. in the past two weeks i have read toni morrison and william faulkner, and right now i am reading tschick, a silly but fun german novel that my host mom recommended about teenagers running away in a stolen car and their adventures. i am realizing my mood/mental health is very reliant on the weather. but right now, i am having a great time with the new warmth and sun. gibt’s nichts viel mehr ich wollen konnte. ich bin begeistert für die nächste drei monate, und ich fühle mich geliebt. also ich konnte auch mich beschweren, alles ist bei weitem nicht perfekt, aber ich möchte darüber nicht reden wenn ich stattdessen auf alle die schöne sache konzentrieren kann. 

pictures: Dresden 25/3, Sektor 25/3, Radebeul Weintraube (meine normal haltestelle, wie lieb!) 28/3/17.