#kinda prose ig

[yourlocalmissingtexture]

Having my more broad range of emotions back is kinda nice actually. I remember happiness, isn’t that awesome? Sure my other emotions have been a bit amplified but it’s worth it I thi-

[Thwk!]

Ouch!! *grapples at shoulder blades, hand comes away bloody* What the fuck? *reaches again, locating and pulling out an arrow*

[The arrow is notably heavier than a typical projectile of its kind but not by much. It appears gilded.]

….wait.

….

Oh.

Oh no.

[seaniesam]

pleasantview '99 babies

student ID card template credits to @gloomiee!

[soffies]

So sorry girls for saying "just get over it, he's not that special" I didn't understand the pain before. I didn't understand the special kind of pain that a heartbreak is. He can still feel special (maybe he was or wasn't), feel like the only time you can ever like someone, feel like you're out of breath, heart palpitating a little too fast, the anxiety kicking in and your eyes uncontrollably watering even in public, maybe even crying without meaning to, feeling so hungry your stomach growls but feeling like youre going to barf if you take a bite of anything. The only thing you think you maybe can pass is coffee, chocolate, ice cream and salads, nothing else and not too much of anything, so your stomach still complains, but your throat is closed already. And you know you're not just starving for food, but for seeing him, and a little of affection from anyone, not necessarily from him because you've never had it before anyway. But you crave for his attention and feel like you weren't as important for him as he was for you. Because it probably was one-sided the whole time, just a crush you dated a couple of times. And you could be just his friend, even if he's dating someone else but you can't see him liking or loving someone else, that would crush you. So you wait. Wait until you forget him. But yes, you got to get over it. And there's other people in the world that aren't him and just hope that you'll like someone again.

[the-dalseum-duet]

…so no head?

oh my god. Ohhh my god. I AM THINKING ABOUT THEM

is this canon? no. not right now. I think I might be able to pull something like this off with Sonnet if I played my cards right but idk. Because at this time, Gale would have “quit to work in the Lovesong district” (read: only working for Sonnet in secret) and Sara would be getting her doctorate. so sonnet is our only option. but. rn. let’s just traumatize Kai a little. shake him around

!!cw for themes of suicide and potentially unnerving sexual language!!

obligatory “I’ll regret tagging you in this once I turn 18 but I only have so much longer to write stupid shit” tag: @svwhssftr

Kai’s dress shoes rhythmically rapped against the slick floor as the sun lowered above him. The Palace halls were so, so empty. The once bustling festivities of The Moonlight Festival had braked to a screeching halt. Whether it was the murder of a Council official in broad daylight or the imminent crowning of The Empress, Kai wasn’t sure. 

His forearm shook as he shifted his weight into the armory’s door. He knew exactly where to find Noeul. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Kai snapped. “Sonnet sent my ass up here to find you. I was planning on watching the coronation safely from my own home, but no! Your selfish-“

Kai’s voice trailed off as his eyes widened. Noeul finished polishing the gun in his hands before aiming it at his own throat. 

“I’m not coming back from this, Shirogane,” he whispered, precisely painted fingers trembling. 

Kai wasn’t one for comforting. In reality, he agreed that Dalseum probably would be better if Noeul offed himself. But Marie wouldn’t make it if he did. The scared little girl who boldly told him to ‘fuck off’ couldn’t survive yet another blow to her psyche. 

“Your daughter is waiting for you,” Kai said. “She looks beautiful. If you see one last thing, it really should be her.” 

“Marie doesn’t know what’s happening,” Noeul hummed, his voice tinged with tears. “Marie just knows she’s our puppet, and she’ll play that role no matter what happens. Maybe Crow was justified, just up and fucking over our entire family like that. We’re all a train wreck, Kai, and I caused it.” 

“Took you long enough to realize,” Kai said under his breath. 

“Where’s Porter? Isn’t he supposed to be helping her?” he asked, slowly lowering the gun. 

“Porter’s dead,” Kai said, clearing his throat. 

“He’s what?”

“Blaire sliced off his head in the middle of the Lovesong square. She’s heading towards The Palace, and I don’t think she’s coming for the coronation.” 

“Oh. Well, that’s okay,” Noeul said, his face static. “Sonnet knows what they’re doing.” 

“Adam and Crow are with her. If one goes down, then they all go down.” 

“Three birds with one stone,” Noeul half-joked, tucking his pistol into his ostentatious coat. 

“There we go,” Kai awkwardly clapped. “The cameras are all set. I’ll make sure all of The Palace doors and windows are locked. God, could you imagine that? Those low-lives crashing the coronation?” 

“If they do, I’ll take care of them.” 

“Are you sober enough to aim?”

“No,” Noeul scoffed. “I’ll kill ‘em, anyway.”

“You’re a classy man, Sang.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“Oh, shit!” Kai exclaimed, peering out the window. “What do you bet that’s them?” 

Kai pointed at three fuzzy figures on the outskirts of The Cocktail Quarters. With everyone else preparing for the coronation, they were the only thing that possibly could have been moving. 

“Good luck, Blaire.” Noeul sarcastically pressed his lips against his fingers and blew a kiss through the window. 

“Chea’s probably stressed out of their mind.”

“They don’t have enough of a mind to possibly stress,” Noeul said, rolling his eyes. 

“Trouble in paradise?”

“Sonnet was always my second choice. It was never paradise.” 

“And which choice was I?”

“I was never going to marry you. Really, I can’t stand you.”

“Glad to know the feeling is mutual.” Kai nodded as he readjusted his scarf. 

“I can’t wait for this to be over,” Noeul sighed. 

“The whole Blackbird mess?”

“It’s going to end one way or another. No matter what, I’m killing myself after this.”

“Even if you take back the Blackbirds?”

“I might fuck Blaire one last time before I go. Just to watch her realize that, in the end, none of us are going to win.”

“Ugh, really? She’s got all these stretch marks and saggy tits now. She’s not the Blaire you knocked up.” 

“Doesn’t matter. Her pussy’s the same.”

“Whatever you say. Shit, can I join you?”

“Since when were you interested in women?”

“I’m not interested in fucking her, but watching her reaction would be funny.” 

“God, don’t even mention it. I can’t be visibly hard for my daughter’s coronation.” 

“You’re going to kill yourself right after, so why does it matter?”

“I want to go with some dignity left.” 

Noeul took a deep breath as they approached the ballroom’s entrance. 

“This is it,” he whispered, his hands still shaking. 

“Shoot a fag point-blank and fuck a bitch up for me before you blow your own brains out, alright?”

“That’s the plan.” 

“I’ll almost miss being your side piece.” Kai leaned to kiss Noeul’s neck, sinking his teeth into his flesh to mark him. 

“Damn it,” Noeul seethed, swatting Kai away. “I’d say I’ll miss you, but I don’t want my last words to be lies.”

“It would only be appropriate.” Kai shrugged as he patted Noeul’s back. 

“I’ll see you on the other side, Shirogane.”

“Godspeed, Sang.” 

Kai somberly nodded as the ballroom doors creaked shut. Kai bit his bottom lip as Marie eagerly hugged him and excitedly showed him her coronation hanbok and all the bells and whistles attached. Noeul’s death would break the poor girl. Hell, she’d probably feel like it was her fault. 

As Kai turned to leave the palace, the caught a glimpse of puffy black hair and the blade of an axe out of the corner of his eye. 

The Blackbirds had arrived. 

He made direct eye contact with Crow, and the poor boy’s eyes swelled as big as his hair. He mouthed something to an unknown figure below him, but Kai grinned at him as he unlatched the window. 

“Welcome to the coronation!” Kai winked as he waved Crow inside. 

“What the fuck?” Crow laughed. “Do you think we’re that stupid?”

“I’m not armed. I’m serious.” Kai raised his arms and turned around. “I have no reason not to let you inside.” 

“Don’t trust him, Crow,” Adam snapped, pulling him under beneath the ledge of the window.

“Is that you, Belle?” Kai cackled. “Man, it’s been a minute! How’s that navel piercing healing?” 

“Go to hell, Kai,” Adam replied. 

“Well, I surely won’t be the only one.” Kai calmly slinked out of the window and left it open. He saluted the Blackbirds before he started on the short trail back to his townhouse in The Cocktail Quarters. 

“The cameras are rolling. Give them a hell of a show, Sang.”

[ineffable-gallimaufry]

*thousand yard stare* yeah okay maybe i shouldn't have tried to draw & design the bee characters for madame margaret and the case of the murdered queen but at the same time at least i learned nothing and now it's late and i still have homework to do

[killerolives]

day 17 prompt: demon

i am wilted by my own design.

water withheld, methodically,

ritualistically.

i burned these roots 

with half-smoked cigarettes, 

blisters peeling, marked, a sign

planted harshly, calculated.

fingernails filthy with soil

digging into

my open wounds

digging, cold stiff fingers into unforgiving 

earth

pulling, yanking, fighting, forcing 

demons up from where they rest,

where they never existed,

molding organs from pebbles and mud,

do you see, do you see it yet? i am haunted i

swear

to you i am haunted, i am something worth

haunting.

[thorns-in-daisy-fields]

Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo

[lostandbackagain]

I own all of rote I think but I'm toying with never actually finishing it bc I know what happens and it's bad but I'm at peace with it as long as I don't have to see it happen

[petratherrock]

Lockwood and co repelling ghost system is chains of iron circles, salt, silver, lavenders etc

Lethe most basic method of repelling is death words, basically phrases that remind the spirits of death will keep them at bay, like poems or even just like mottos

And these two universes don't interact in any way, ofc, but it makes me think

...of how yes the kids in L&co are smart and intelligent but not a lot of them are interested in academics because a lot of reasons, and it's a little sad

(looking at the convo where basically the L&co gang was saying that going out there and doing work is the norm and a world where kids go to school is kinda weird for them, too relaxing etc)

and so ig what I'm saying is even if the method in Ninth House works in the ghost infested Britain of Lockwood & co, they're not gonna sit around reading or reciting poems in front of the spirits

Kids going out to work at the early age of 10 for the sake of money and defending the adults misses their opportunities to learn and be excited about books and proses idk i just have thoughts okay

[rollercoasterwords]

I recently caught up on ATWMD and it is such an incredible story. You are an insanely talented writer. Your prose is so vivid and the complex characters and storyline are just 10/10. Amazing. Thank you!

I have a question if you're open to giving your opinion! I feel like the group (Remus, Lily, and James) seemed to accept Regulus quicker and easier than Sirius. They seem much colder to Sirius (at the start at least) than they were to Regulus when he first arrived. Like the wandless magic lessons for instance. When Imelda won't teach Regulus, James does it personally. But I didn't get the impression they'd do the same for Sirius. They seemed more likely to cut him loose.

Is this just because of the circumstances for how they each end up with the order? Or do you think there's more to it? Or is it just because we didn't see Regulus POV at the time of him arriving with the order so it's just a matter of it being the past?

hi thank u!! glad ur enjoying the fic <3 & i think i answered a similar question to this before but i don't feel like scrolling back thru my own blog 2 find it so. happy 2 go thru it again i love talking abt these characters <3

essentially the difference in their responses is down to the different circumstances in how each brother joined the order, yeah, but all 3 of them also respond pretty differently, so going one by one:

lily honestly doesn't respond all that differently to either brother; w reg she was kinda cold at first out of hurt/jealousy over what she perceived as his budding relationship w james, assuming that reg would become another in the long line of casual hookups & knowing that she herself could never sleep w james without probably ruining their friendship bc of her own feelings, etc. & then once they have their little bonding moment where they both kinda realize they're in the same boat (unrequited feelings that go deeper than just wanting a casual hookup, knowing that those feelings will wreck things if they do ever sleep w james) & make their unofficial little pact (no sex w james potter) they become very close. so lily's initial response has less to do w how she perceives the other person as being good/bad & more to do w her own personal feelings towards them. when sirius shows up she's the only one of the 3 who's initially pretty kind + welcoming + essentially just treats him somewhat normally, bc she doesn't personally feel any animosity towards him but also isn't immediately going to be best friends w him, knowing who he was. she also has a slightly different perspective, tho, bc she's close w reg & knows that reg thinks sirius is a good person, and trusts his judgment. for lily, all the stuff with the death eaters is less...personal? ig? even tho it's had a very significant impact on her life; she was rescued by the order as a young child & raised w them, so she never directly experienced the kinds of oppression that muggleborn wizards typically face from death eaters + voldemort's regime etc, and she also does most of her work within order hq in potions labs and isn't necessarily fighting face-to-face w these people, so although she views them as the enemy she just isn't as emotionally connected on an individual level & therefore has an easier time looking past sirius's history and judging him as she finds him when he joins the order.

james, on the other hand, is personally connected & fighting death eaters face-to-face; they aren't just a monolithic Enemy to him, he hates them as individuals, too. he also has a more black-and-white view of a morality and a different idea of what courage looks like, and values what he perceives as courage very highly. so for james, he viewed regulus as this sort of brave lone warrior from the start for deciding to break away from the death eaters + fight a cave of zombies + try to destroy a horcrux on his own--james thinks that's badass + brave + noble, and that colors his perception of reg from the start. even when reg insists that he's not a hero, james still thinks what he did was heroic, and that paired w the fact that he was never a high-ranking death eater before breaking away makes his involvement w them forgivable--in james's eyes, reg has atoned for his past and is now trustworthy, which is why he likes him from the beginning. sirius, on the other hand, doesn't make the decision to join the order; he's basically forced into it. bc of that, james views him as a coward and looks down on him when they first meet; this is where a lot of his animosity is coming from. + sirius doesn't exactly jump at the chance to join the order, giving the impression that he's still loyal to voldemort, which just makes that animosity worse. it's not until sirius starts to "prove" himself thru action that james begins to trust him more, bc action is really what speaks to james + what he views as a testament to someone's character.

and then there's remus, who disliked both brothers from the start. unlike either james or lily, he's grown up under voldemort's regime & has directly experienced violence + oppression in ways that neither of them has, so he hates every death eater on an individual level for good reason--in his eyes, they have all made the personal decision to uphold + perpetuate violence (which is true!), and he doesn't care why they made that decision; nothing excuses it. we don't really see his reaction to reg joining the order bc he's not really around order hq as much, but remus was wary towards him from the start & even tho he eventually accepted that reg was working w them now, he's never befriended reg the way lily + james did & he never feels close to him or even really likes him. and his relationship w sirius is a whole other can of worms lol...hopefully the story is enough to show why remus treats him the way he does, but really the only reason he doesn't just keep ignoring sirius the way he kinda does reg is bc of their history together + the feelings between them. otherwise he'd probably just be standoffish to both of them!

[disruptivevoib]

I’m not good with questions but

Could you possibly talk about Viscera? I don’t have anything specific but I love the concept that he’s a Whole in a Soul’s place

-🛩️

VISCERA.

Very long ramble under the cut

He is really my most under-spoken-on character here...which is odd because he is by far one of my favorite / more complex ones!

Vis is in his concept, Whole in Soul's place. I think in the album now, he reflects Soul very well in the idea of being the shell. Though this is mainly because Whole isn't really a character and Soul is the implied shell of what we think of as Whole in concept.. The casing, the iron maiden for Mind and Heart to be held within!!! (there is a reason his name was almost Body ig.. thank god CJ reconsidered tho. Body is kinda an awkward name/title.)

Anyways.

Vis is a hollowed out husk of what is supposed to be somebody. Soul is some form of throughline to Mind and Heart. A connector, an adaptor. Viscera is simply not this. He is a vacancy because he is fundamentally nothing. Meant to be someone, torn from his purpose and placed promptly in the spot of what would typically be his identity.

Sooo Viscera struggles to be much of anybody. In this, and through the hundreds of loops he endures due to Astray (Soul as Whole) and his inability to really, of course, be a person when he is meant to just be one facet of someone, Vis remembers everything.

It was a commonly shared idea that Soul is able to choose to remember or forget during loops. Swap Au explores this concept in that Astray explicitly is the reason Judge (Heart as Mind) and Ennui (Mind as Heart) forget alongside himself. Vis, as Whole yet not knowing it, remembers all of this context (though from his own point of view. So he does not know Astray /well/ really. But he feels for him in terms of knowing the panic that comes with having split down to three again.)

Vis is kind and gentle and cares very very much for his thirds, or rather his ids and his Whole as he sees them. He reminds Ennui and Judge of their names and his own every loop, and though things change during loops, and no timeline is entirely consistent, there are throughlines and thus predictability. So he can navigate it just as well.

Viscera is interesting in juxtaposition to Eleutheromania Soul who remembers his loops though Mind and Heart forget just the same. Yet their reactions and handling of the situations are fundamentally different. Though this is due to their roles and the treatment they get in their respective Psyche and by their respective versions of a Whole or Soul.

... But yes. Vis is. deeply longing to be complete in some way. He is unsure always of his emptiness and what might fill it, but never loses this inkling that being Whole is.. what he needs. And in some way, it is and is not that!

He also speaks in intense amounts of prose and roundabout allegories, symbolism, and metaphors. It was more a quirk of his character to make him distinct from how my other's spoke, but I think it also calls to the deeper idea of the way fragmented thoughts put together can be a little outlandish and nonsensical but.. make perfect sense to you in some way. Or something like that.

He also, moves very slowly and takes a lot of time to do things. Like an old window's computer. He needs time to process information!! And I attribute this also to his emptiness and lack of anything but memory as it is all he has in the moment to base what should be his feelings and thoughts on.

^ Though despite that sounding like he cannot feel or think or anything, it is more like trying to make sure he feels like himself? even though realistically Viscera very deeply struggles with that idea. Not that he'd say it ever. Vis is incredibly genuine, though. He does what he can to ensure the safety of others including his ids and they in turn do the same to him.

The Swap Au really makes for a VERY interesting person to look at due to characterization. Someone who is unstable but trying, and through all their struggles remains loving and warm. That is who Astray could be, who Vis essentially is and what Judge and Ennui contribute too.

Also he smells perpetually like citrus. I do not know why but I made it canonical that all four of them have distinct smells to them and the things they summon. Perhaps they are all just very scent oriented.

Also-Also in terms of my other Aus and Sources as a concept for HMS. Of which I can elaborate on ig? if need be! Viscera has no source...................... it is a black voided little pit or hole there instead.

If Soul's source is a star, then Viscera's became a sort of blackhole. I suppose.

[yandere-yearnings]

Hello Dar! 🦢 nonnie is back and I hope you've been doing well! ^^

Something I've been thinking about for a while now is your style of writing. I feel like in your writing you frame even the smallest detail as if it's the most important thing in the world. It always feels very poetic/romantic even if that's not necessarily what the scene is about. So I was wondering where you got this writing style from? Since I've personally never read anything quite like yours before. Or just in general what inspires you to write?

-Yours truly, 🦢

hii swan nonnie🥺🩷 it's always, always a pleasure to have you back, i hope you've been well too🥰 lately my health hasn't been the greatest, but aside from that, i've been doing okay!! thank you for asking👉👈

bc my response got a bit long, i'll put it under a cut so i'm not clogging up anyone's dash🤧

first of all, i'm genuinely flattered you've even been thinking of my writing actually, that means so much to me😭💕 ig if i had to explain how my style came to be, it would have smth to do w/ writing more for myself rather than for others? when i was younger, i had this mentality that i had to follow all the rules in order to make a good piece, so i was constantly restricting my creativity by sticking to advice like 'show-don't-tell' or 'leave it up to the reader's imagination' and stuff along those lines. but somewhere along the way, i kinda realised that in doing so, i was starting to hate what i created.

after that, i just tried my hardest to write what i'd wanna read personally, in a style that was compelling to me. i mean, i still have my insecurities, sometimes i think wow, i really did not need to waffle that much, but at the end of the day, it still feels more fulfilling. even if something is considered 'wrong' by professional standards, my only long-term judge is myself at the end of the day. so i try to focus less on what's been done before, and more on what i would like to do (which is the reason why i still put spaces between my em dashes when ik that technically you're not supposed to haha)

as for the prose itself, i just write like that bc that's how my thought process works😭💔 like, i'm colourblind, so i have a habit of trying to understand the implications a colour can have rather than the actual colour itself, right? and that type of magnification can be applied to everything else when i put words down. looking at the smaller aspects that build the bigger picture, and then how much of an influence it can have on the scene i'm trying to portray, smth along those lines.

another thing is that, i believe throughout my time writing, most of my works have been angst and imo the smallest details really do feel like the most important thing in the world when viewed through a negative lens so maybe i picked it up from there and rolled w/ it for everything else🤧 the real cause is kinda hard to pin-point somehow

to answer your second question, if you asked me in the past what inspired me to write, i'd probably say smth like 'having a story to tell'. now though, the only thing keeping me doing this is that i genuinely really just like piecing words together in as many different ways as possible. it kinda feels like solving a puzzle so it's super satisfying🥰

ALSO THANK YOU FOR SAYING IT FEELS POETIC/ROMANTIC😭😭 i've always kinda worried that my writing feels too stiff, so hearing that makes me really happy, i really appreciate it swan nonnie😩💕 and you saying that you've not come across something similar before feels like a really sweet compliment too❗❗

[wulfhalls]

So I adored both dune movies esp 2 and can’t get over the brain rot (thanks to you also)

Ig the most reasonable course of action would be to give in and the give the book a shot but I’ve heard super mixed reviews about it and have heard it’s kinda slow and clunky to read and the prose is all over the place. Im not even the most avid reader either lol, although I did read persuasion and monte cristo on ur recommendation and loved them. Would you still recommend I give it a shot??

given that dune(messiah) is(are) my very favourite book(s) ever (ok after wolf hall) I would recommend them to anyone at any given time unreservedly. "kinda slow and clunky to read and the prose is all over the place" has me genuinely flabbergasted and befuddled and dumbfounded and thunderstruck and frankly. shocked. idk where u heard that but unhear it immediately

[saint-sebastian-coded]

please tell me about the books you’ve read recently i would love some recommendations 👀🤲

okay!!!! im bored so heres my thoughts on all the books ive read (or finished reading) since the start of summer

all of murder most unladylike 5/5 its a middle grade series (9 books) about two girls in the ninteen thirties who go to boarding school together and solve murder. its so funny and i really like the historical perspective in it too. i read it originally when it was coming out but i decided to look at it again (can't remember the exact reason why but anyway). soooo fun and pretty clever too

monk and robot duology by becky chambers about 4.5-4.75/5 very interesting world building im not sure i fully understood it so im going to reread but i think its speculative fiction about a post technological world but a robot decides to visit and becomes friends with a monk

all of the locked tomb series. twice. 5/5. i feel i do not have to explain this everyone read it Now

priory of the orange tree 5/5 this is my fourth read through i'm currently on my second read of a day of fallen night (the prequel) and !!!! the prose !!! the world building !!! the characters. i kinda hate that very few people like niclays i love niclays he's so funny to me and a complete cunt

all of nevermoor. twice 5/5. its 223 days to the fourth book coming out and in the hiatus ive managed to write like 19% i think of all fic for it on ao3. so yk. i like it a normal amount its like its very fun middle grade series (im going into my junior honours year of uni so my summer reading was v self indulgent lmao) about a girl who is rescued from death at the last minute and has to compete to get into a specific society so she won't get deported and the world building is sooo good and i love the characters sooo much

fun home by alison bechdel 5/5 the way the narrative is presented in this like all the negative space where things arent said but we're supposed to understand its very good

the gilded wolves 3.5/5 i feel like its on me for like. starting this in june 2023 and reading little bits over the year bc i was a bit confused so im gonna try reading this again sometime but it was pretty fun ngl

transgender marxism 4/5 i found the ideas in this interesting but im not sure i understood all of it so im gonna read around the subjects a bit so i get it more

black leopard red wolf by malon james 3.5/5. i kinda lost where the plot was going about halfway through so this is another book on my reread list but the prose is soooo good that it kept me going

honey girl by morgan rogers 4.25/5 this is about an astrophysicist who has a vegas wedding after she goes out right after getting her phd and is kinda lost in what she wants to do so she strikes up a sort of friendship sort of relationship with her wife from the opposite side of the usa and i found it to be a really nice read

wolfsong by tj klune 4/5 this book is kinda long for what it needs to be tbh and i dont really like the omegaverse enough (its not omegaverse but like. omegaverse's third cousin basically like werewolves and stuff) but i enjoyed the writing style

he who drowned the world by shelley parker-chan 5/5 its the sequel to she who became the sun and i love that zhu has such a good time in this book the second the narrative turns to her its almost a buddy comedy. amazing prose love the world building love the themes love the characters. banger. cant wait to see what shelley parker-chan does next

kemosha of the caribbean by alex wheatle 3.25/5 its about this girl who's a slave in port royal during the golden age of piracy and wins her freedom in a duel and joins a pirate ship as a cook so she can get the money to buy her brother's freedom. i liked it but i think im kinda past ya ig

the aeneid by vergil (cecil day lewis translation) 4/5 oh my goddddd oh my god. amazing. poem of all time

kyoshi duology by fc yee 4.5/5 on one hand i liked it more the first time i read it but like its still good its just ive read some really amazing books since but i love kyoshi and rangi so much and i really like the povs from jianzhu zoryu and yun also

the silmarillion by jrrt 3/5 i did not understand. i will read again im sorry tolkien fans

the mcga trilogy by rick riordan 4/5 this book series was my personality from the release of sword of summer to like two years ago??? on one hand i forgot how much i liked certain elements on the other hands certain elements did not. age well. or weren't good to start with. i feel like rr should like. get a better handle on his narrative arcs tbh

the histories by herodotus (tom holland. not spiderman translation) 4/5 this was very weird but very interesting

the two ministry of unladylike activity books currently out 5/5 this is the sequel series to murder mosr unladylike but about one of the main character's little sisters and her friends outwith the story (which is excellent) i like that it balances showing that the lives of the original characters are still ongoing without going full nostalgia bait

the kane chronicles by rick riordan 4.5/5 outside of the walt and anubis thing (too old to date a Thirteen Year Old jesus christ) very good honestly rr's best series in terms of worldbuilding, characterisation and narrative arcs

the annals by tacitus (yardley translation) 3.25/5 v good translation but holy shit completely boring im sorry im a tacitus hater i fear. interesting historical source tho

lives of the caesar by suetonius (edwards translation) 3.75/5 every single roman emperor is in hell

the aeneid (aeneid daily) 4.5/5 see above

daughter of the siren queen by tricia levenseller 3.5/5 this could be good but every single romantic scene was punctuated by me saying aloud that i hoped jakey died. i do not remember her boyfriend's name i just do not care. nothing special tbh

the woman of troy by pat barker 4.75/5 this is the sequel to her book the silence of the girls which is a retelling of the iliad from briseis' perspective. this book is still mostly from her perspective but (i believe) a retelling of the troades (i haven't read the troades in english except in summary and i only translated it for like two weeks as a seventeen year old so i forgor but i think it is) i usually hate classical retellings but i like barker's take on things and i just found out (like rn) that theres a third book coming out so im excited about that

the atlas six by olivie blake 2.5/5 this book was written to have out of context parts quoted on tiktok

dictator by robert harris 5/5 this is the finale to his cicero trilogy told through the perspective of tiro whom i love and admire (he probably invented the ampersand and other stuff we use as short hand. everyone say thank you tiro) very good

the eternal ones by namina forna 3.5/5 i really liked the first book in this series and i think i liked the second one too and i think the worldbuilding is compelling but im not interested in any of the characters especially her boyfriend sorry. i liked britta tho. also again i think im kinda past ya rn so

nevermoor graphic novel part two 5/5 i thought the art was beautiful but the story was kinda rushed and one fairly important scene was left out which i was really looking forward too and also messes up some of the relationships which was a shame (unless it got covered in dialogue but i dont speak french i was literally just there for the pictures)

task force z #11 & #12 4/5 nice

tiger tiger by petra erika nordlund 5/5 everyone go read this now its about a girl who steals her brother's identity and his ship to study sea sponges and meets god who is a tits out nonbinary lesbian along the way and also: sea sponge

the lightning thief by rick riordan 4.5/5 the fact that luke didn't say "western civilisation is a disease" in the tv show is a goddamn travesty. also i have many thoughts about the themes of nostos and kleos between luke and percy

a sky beyond the storm by sabaa tahir 4.5/5 i love the world building so much in this book and i had a really good time with the character development too. i want to reread the series at some point all at once bc i finished boom three in december and i think i forgot some parts lmao

cursed crowns by katherine webber and catherine doyle 2.5/5 this book is stupid. some of the dialogue is funny. like twice

the eagle of the ninth by rosemary sutcliff 3.5/5 if aiglemene in tlt isnt inspired by this in some way (eagles, ninth, leg injury) i will be genuinely surprised. good time

the dawn of yangchen by fc yee 4.25/5 not quite as fun as kyoshi but i found the politics very interesting

whale weekly 4/5 i lost the plot like back in 2022 but the prose is immaculate its so fucking tragic and it was so preventable i love the whole cosmic horror of the whale

amari and the night brothers by bb alston 4.75/5 this has the same vibes as nevermoor but like the main character is looking for her brother and accidentally finds out that shes a magician and also this is a bad thing. kinda cliché but very fun and i had a good time

[skrunksthatwunk]

HI IT'S SQUISHY fic ask game time:

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

:3

YAHOO HI SQUISHY TY FOR THE ASK >:33

ok uhhhh uh uh

F: i think if i had to choose anything, it'd probably be the cat petting circle scene from and who do you think i'll be (without you)?, because i am. really really bad at juggling more than like 3 characters in a scene and this has FIVE and it's still really fun to read, at least for me. it's dynamic, though admittedly the attention still mostly falls on kuwabara and yusuke (sorry keiko </3 i wish you were more prominent in this one but alas) everyone carries some weight. i'm also not great at understanding (and thus writing) anger, so yusuke's bubbling frustration through the scene is like.. kinda cool to me. (a/n: eikichi is kuwabara's cat lol)

i'm also including another two from this same fic bc i think they're neat as well :)

(i'll put a transcript of the screenshots at the end under the read more)

honestly, i love writing yusuke's dialogue no matter what he's saying, so this fic's got a few moments i'm very fond of, but didn't include. anyway it's the only good thing i've ever written (<- exaggerating, but it's probably my favorite fic i've written, and maybe favorite prose piece)

i also remember enjoying some of the dialogue between sagawa and majima in tough love for loveless things, and i assume i liked a lot of the stuff for i long for you and your expert hands, but i... haven't revisited that one in a long time (idk why but i'm a little afraid to?? i haven't forgotten it though), so i couldn't point to anything specific really ^ ^'

I: hm... i think i overindulge in characters just talking about nothing, at least when it comes to my writing. if i like them, i like hearing them talk about nothing, and it tends to bloat scenes and drag on, i figure. i also tend to gravitate towards really specific intensely described points of imagery that barely come up again and totally break the flow of the scene (oops). in terms of guilty pleasures in reading, uh...? i'm kind of a sucker for werewolf stuff because i got that dog in me. im drawing a blank ig sorry <3 OH i've always been hopelessly fond of whump / hurt/comfort / sickfic STUFF. legit since i was a child. i like it when they're out of it i like it when they're woozy. and anything with dumb hijinks and/or slapstick is good to me. comedy's hard and i like seeing idiots be idiots. and really introspective/inner monologue heavy pieces are mmmmwah for writing and reading

R: oh man. whatever i'm currently reading often ends up influencing my writing in noticeable (to me) ways. one time i was writing smth for my fiction writing class and i typed out a sentence that felt at once like smth dr seuss would write (you'll never guess what unit my children's lit class was on) and a line from lolita (because that's what i was reading at the time). it's a mashup that worked weirdly well. ANYWAY to actually answer the question, the little prince ruined me as a kid, and a lot of the way i express sadness and emptiness is channeling saint-exupery there. currently, arkady martine and andzrej sapkowski have been influencing my scenery descriptions in particular, because that's what i was most recently reading, but earlier this year i remember cormac mccarthy's the road finding its way under my pen a lot. for really flowery stuff (i don't think you see it much in my fics, but it's not Never), i think of alfred tennyson's maud quite often. this is not a conclusive list im just empty brained :P

X: ohhohohohohhh. god help me but i love making all of them suffer. to love something is to vivi/dissect it. currently kuwabara is the one i'm putting through the most though (<- channeling personal issues into this orange guy), but majima and kiryu were always lots of fun to break down >:). perhaps that's the real answer to the guilty pleasure section

[SCREENSHOT 1]:

“Hey, why’s she goin’ to Kurama and you and not me?” Yusuke complained, pouting at Keiko.

Kuwabara piped up. “Maybe it’s ‘cuz they have manners, unlike some of us.”

“Or patience,” Botan offered.

Yusuke stuck out his leg and prodded Kuwabara’s arm. “Yeah, and how’re your manners workin’ out for ya? You still look like someone’s been playin’ tic-tac-toe on your hands or did she become a saint overnight?”

“Shut up, Urameshi.”

Keiko spoke up from her spot on the floor. “Aw, I think she’s just sweet. Right?” She put her chin on her folded arms and gently rubbed at Eikichi’s cheek. With a warm smile, Keiko turned her head into her arms further, squishing her face, openly endeared. “Even if she bites sometimes.”

“Finally, someone gets it,” Kuwabara moaned. “Keiko, tell Urameshi that for me, will ya?”

Yusuke didn’t buy it. “If she was sweet she’d be sweet to me, too.”

“Benevolence is nearly always conditional,” Kurama said, leaning over to rub Eikichi’s ears. “Perhaps she senses your standoffishness and simply chooses not to engage with someone who does not seem to want her.” Kurama’s brilliant green eyes swept back to Yusuke for emphasis. “You two may have that in common.”

“Wh—?!” Yusuke spluttered a bit, before settling on, “Watch it, fox boy.”

“Aw,” Botan giggled, “Yusuke, it’s alright, you know. Some of us just have an animal-like charm. Meow meow!” She hooked her hands like paws.

“Right, and I’m saying Eikichi’s not so charming. I mean, she’s been ignoring you, too, Botan, whaddyou think?”

“Oh, she’s just lovely! Simply adorable,” Botan cooed.

“Heheh, looks like you’re outnumbered, Urameshi!”

[SCREENSHOT 2]:

Rocking his chair back lazily, Yusuke noticed Kuwabara’s scratch-laced hands and whistled. “Damn, Kuwabara. It’s kinda beating you up, huh? That cat o’ yours. You look like you just fought me, only smaller.”

“For the last time, Urameshi, Eikichi’s a she! Quit it with the it crap or I’ll knock you into next Sunday brunch.” He jabbed his chopsticks at Yusuke pointedly. “And I don’t think you could get any smaller.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. She’s beating the shit outta you. But what’s with that? I thought kittens were s’posed to be all cute n’ cuddly.” Yusuke swirled his drink thoughtfully before taking a swig.

“You’ve never had a kitten, have you, Urameshi?” Kuwabara deadpanned. He had the right to do that now that he was a cat-rearing expert, as if he hadn't learned it very recently himself.

“No. ’M not really crazy about animals. Neither's my mom.” Under his breath, Yusuke added, “Knowing her, that’s probably for the best.”

“Wh—? How?!” 

Yusuke shrugged.

Kuwabara huffed. “Ugh, she’s teething right now, okay? And I haven’t got her a scratching post yet. She’ll grow out of it, you’ll see.”

“Whatever you say, man. Just try not to lose any limbs waiting for her to get manners, arright? Don’t wanna make our fights even more one-sided. That’d just be sad.”

“Yeah, right, Urameshi.” Kuwabara puffed out his chest. “Eikichi could take two o’ my limbs and I’d still wipe the street with ya.”

“Hey, try beating me with four limbs first, tough guy.”

The conversation devolved into threats and bickering from there, culminating in little more than wrinkled uniforms and mussed hair-dos, and one final exchange.

“You haven’t even met her, Urameshi, so how could you know what she’s like?”

“‘Cuz you’re carryin’ the proof right there, stupid! Look, don’t take it so personal. I just don’t feel like spending all day roughhousing with someone that far beneath my weight class, even if she is the precious little angel you say she is."

[SCREENSHOT 3]:

Yusuke lounged on the floor, Eikichi sitting on his chest and staring down at him.

“What’re you starin’ at, Stinkass?”

Kuwabara scoffed loudly, fluffing out the pillow Yusuke would use.

Yusuke smirked at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, your highness, I left my manners at home.” He cleared his throat. “What are you staring at, Her Royal Majesty the Queen Stinkass?”

“Man, why'dya only pick mean pet names to give ‘er?” It came out a bit harsher than he meant.

“What?” Yusuke began to sit up, but stopped when he remembered Eikichi’s place on him. He dropped back down and shut his eyes lazily. “These aren’t pet names, they’re, like, insults. That I don’t mean.”

“So ‘Stinkass’ is your idea of an affectionate nickname?”

“Gee, you don’t have to make it sound so damn girly. I’m just callin’ her that ‘cause I like her.”

“Ooh~ so you like her, huh?” Kuwabara sat up on his knees and—once Eikichi got the hint and clambered off—smacked Yusuke’s face with his pillow, holding it over his face. “Whatever happened to not bein’ mushy, tough guy?”

Yusuke wrenched the pillow from his grip and lazily swung it at him, not bothering to get up. “Hey, you told me she doesn’t judge about that sorta thing, right? And I’m learnin’ there’s benefits to bein’ mushy, like kicking ass better.” He shifted to crack his back, then sighed, relaxing into the floor. “I’m just sticking to my way, and sometimes that means calling her Kuwabara’s Favorite Little Shitblaster or whatever.”

[homely-lunatic]

this is gonna sound kinda mean ig but everyone's reactions to the book lightlark makes me feel gaslit bc yes it gets a lot of criticism but the criticism is usually along the lines of "the worldbuilding is bad" or "the characters or flat" or "the storyline is cliche" (all true tbf) and never about how staggeringly horrific the actual prose is. like no you guys don't get it, when I downloaded a copy of it I went and redownloaded it a second time, because when I started reading it my first thought was that I'd gotten some weird tampered-with version bc it was so terribly written I didn't think it could've gotten published. like im freaking out why isn't anybody talking about it from this angle.