#love Katee Robert so much

[deadrayg2mf]

The Gargoyle's Captive (A Deal with a Demon #3) by Katee Robert

Honestly, like, what do I even say at this point that ya'll haven't heard from me about how much I freakin' love Katee Robert and this series. I will keep this one brief for real because if I don't it'll just be like "Oh my god, Ray, shut the fuck up we get it - this book came out three months ago you're late to the party!"

Okay, so aside from it being Katee freakin' Robert, this book is full of enemies to lovers, femdom, grief-consumed protags, and - my favorite, of course - angst. Yeah, did I see the plot twist coming from a mile away? One thousand percent. Did I care? Frick no. Okay, so we're following the same story - deal with a demon, seven years basically married to leader of demon territory, maybe a baby... But this time, it's Grace the monster hunter and Bram the Gargoyle.

Grace is another enjoyable female lead who is a headstrong take-no-shit kinda gal, probably what you would expect from someone who makes a living out of hunting monsters. She's the last of her family and she's really only here for answers because Azazel happens to be the same demon her mother, who disappeared, made a bargain with, and by golly, she is going to get those answers even if it means selling seven years of her life. Bram is traumatized, grief-stricken, lonely, and at this point has the most sad-boy, giving up on life, fuck it energy I've ever seen in a protagonist - and I am so here for it. I eat that shit up. I love the tragics - stories and characters. He's also the last of his family after his entire family was murdered by an outsider his father brought in. He doesn't actually really want to be there but the opportunity and benefits it brings are too good to pass up, especially when you're in the leadership position he is...

I loved the story clearly, and really liked how handling grief was portrayed, no two people will be able to handle it the same even when they are in the same situation. Grace dug her heels in and became even more stalwart and determined while Bram gave in to the grief of loss and resigned himself to an empty life... and even potentially having it purposely ended at the hands of a scrappy little monster hunter in the bath... They are two people coming to terms with events of the past, the shadow of their parents, and suddenly dealing with someone new who they bought at an auction/got auctioned to for the next seven years that they don't necessarily get along with. That's right, they're totally toxic for each other. Don't worry, we're always promising happy endings here :) It's fast paced, there's a lot to get through in 186 pages, but I really think it was done to the best of its ability. Do I wish this was 500 pages? Uh, YEAH, but it is what it is and what it is, is really good. I will admit... it took me a hot minute to slug through obviously. I actually feel a little bad about this review because I was kind of forcing myself to read this. I wasn't in the right headspace and so while objectively I knew I was enjoying it I was also aware that I was, like, not locked in. I am very much intending to reread it when I'm not begrudgingly reading while rotting in bed just because nothing sounds enjoyable.

With that, I swear I am not just pulling shit out of my ass with everything I've told you. I really did enjoy the book, I love the way it's written, I liked the characters, the cover art is amazing, and it's just another great addition to the Deal with a Demon series. I think I'll give it a solid.... 7.9/10 with subject to change in the future :)

Would I read again? Yes, I plan to. Once the pesky ole depression and imminent demise anxiety wear off.

Would I recommend? Of cousre, I'm always recommending Katee Robert... I'm not sure what happens on the day I don't...? Does the world end?

[littleartistwithloveandheart]

Random fact:

Chakotay had the verry first line and Janeway the verry last.

A bit sweet. That underlines ab bit that the two are bit like the mom and dad of the Voyager.

(many bits)

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

Finally on “The Crocodile” in my OUAT rewatch!!!!

Let’s Goooo!!!!!

[dumbass---tm]

god the gender envy for shakespearean characters is real

[alittlemissfit]

Just watched the kickoff of probably the campiest soap storyline I’ve ever seen, and let’s just say…

Spoilery pic goodness and my random ass semi-live-blogging under the cut.

This afterlife has everything. Immaculately pressed blazers, mocktails, heavenly tour guide Susan in all her adorableness.

Love how for Marlena to wrap her brain around the whole being in heaven thing she’s immediately all, where’s Kayla.

Yes, my girl is a cinnamon roll eligible for sainthood and everyone knows it. And I too, want to see her in this scene they teased us with months ago.

(Also the apparent asterisk by Bo’s name in the heavenly Yellow Pages!)

Great moment with MarMar defending the idea of Kate being behind the pearly gates, too. (Yes, Kate Roberts is a good friend, and a good person! )

And then, this little twist after Doc wanders off to enjoy her heavenly mai-tai.

Looks like the Devil’s back for round 3. On one hand, my poor possessed Susan. 🥺👿

On the other, and maybe it’s because I wasn’t a viewer during rounds 1 and 2 but I’m absolutely here for this insanity. Especially since it’s most likely leading to this!

[renamusing]

#oof what a LINE#this scene is even more satisfying and powerful in light of the current aaron rewatch#the way chas and robert bounce so well off each other the way they’re both trying to blame the other for aaron’s pain#the way they both love him but are frankly terrible at it (for different reasons).. this scene is 10/10!!!#not to mention robert’s genuine anger at the fact that he knows he can’t be what aaron needs#which right now he wants to blame chas for#he knows he can’t be good for aaron and he wouldn’t care if he didn’t truly love him too but he does#but he’s still robert and it still has to be about number one and aaron is an obstacle to that UGH the duality of a man YUUM!!! 😍😍#anyways i LOVE this sceene

[beautifulbookishdisaster]

"Let me keep you."

"I already told you." She smiles. "I'm not the type of person who's meant to be kept."

Katee Robert, Cruel Seduction

[crowclubkaz]

😈📚 characters from hazbin hotel as books 📚😈

i finally got around to posting all of these on my bookstagram, and i figured i'd post them here too! putting this together was so much fun that i just had to share. full book list below the cut!

👑 Charlie: - Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson - One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

✖️ Vaggie: - The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff - Hopepunk by Preston Norton

🎥 Angel Dust: - Rented Heart by Garrett Leigh - Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin ♣️ Husk: - The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson - The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky

📻 Alastor: - A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers - Lost Signals by Max Booth III

🧹 Niffty: - Maid by Stephanie Land - The Dead Janitor's Club by Jeff Klima

🍎 Lucifer: - Angels Before Man by rafael nicolás - Dayspring by Anthony Oliveria

🐍 Sir Pentious: - Soulless by Gail Carriger - Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

💣 Cherri Bomb: - Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus - We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

🚬 Valentino: - Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk - Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by Robert Jensen

📺 Vox: - Universal Harvester by John Darnielle - White Noise by Don DeLillo

📱 Velvette: - The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - Followers by Megan Angelo

🎸 Adam: - Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James - Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov

🗡️ Lute: - Joan by Katherine J. Chen - The Valkyrie by Kate Heartfield

😇 Sera: - The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

👼 Emily: - Halo by Alexandra Adornetto - Blue Skies by T.L. Martin

🥀 Rosie: - In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce - Woman Eating by Claire Kohda

👸 Lilith: - Lilith by Eve Marmery - Jezebel by Megan Barnard

[birdfrenchforbird]

2025 book bingo tbr

i'm gonna be following the 2025 book bingo created by the magnanimous @batmanisagatewaydrug and i have just completed (to the extent i can today) my tbr! (this has also inspired me into making a list of 25 things i need to do 25 times throughout 2025... so if there's one thing i will be next year, it is occupied). i drew from books that i own/my roommate owns as much as possible.

Literary Fiction: Luster by Raven Leilani (which has been on my libby holds list since mackenzie last recommended it. abt 20 weeks to go).

2. Short Story Collection: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur (advanced reader's copy i got for free from my college's book club)

3. A Sequel: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

4. Childhood Favorite: The Sword of Darrow by Alex and Hal Malchow or Heidi by Johanna Spyri or something i find when i am home for the holidays that calls my soul more than these two

5. 20th Century Speculative Fiction: The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkein (because TECHNICALLY it counts)

6. Fantasy: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (one of the few remaining Book of the Month editions i still own)

7. Published Before 1950: Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, published in 1915

8. Independent Publisher: I Love Information by Courtney Bush, published by Milkweed Editions (will need to either get over my fear of going to the library in person to set up my online account and put a hold on this OR purchase a copy)

9. Graphic Novel/Comic Book/Manga: Fun Home by Allison Bechdel or Saga by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples, have not decided (both owned by my roommate)

10. Animal on the Cover: Diminished Capacity by Sherwood Kiraly (he was my playwriting/fiction professor and gave me my copy of the novel)

11. Set in a Country You Have Never Visited: Euphoria by Lily King, set in New Guinea (owned by my roommate)

12. Science Fiction: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

13. 2025 Debut Author: Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang, expected May 2025 (another physical hold or purchase situation)

14. Memoir: Reading With Patrick by Michelle Kuo (commencement speaker at my graduation!)

15. Read a Zine, Make a Zine: tbd! will probably be more than one!

16. Essay Collection: The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo

17. 2024 Award Winner: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair, NBCC Award for Autobiography (will borrow from libby, audiobook is also available)

18. Nonfiction: Learn Something New: I was paying more attention to the nonfiction part than the learn something new part and i do need to find a new book for this because originally i was gonna go with one of Caitlin Doughty's novels which, while lovely, are not something New To Me. i know i have a biography of Anna Freud somewhere so maybe i will dig that up? otherwise it might be a scroll-through-libby adventure

19. Social Justice & Activism: The Theater of War by Bryan Doerries (read a few chapters first year of undergrad but never the whole thing so technically it counts as a new book for me)

20. Romance Novel: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

21. Read and Make a Recipe: Jane Austen's Table by Robert Tuesley Anderson, specific recipe to be determined upon reading

22. Horror: Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews (owned and recommended by my roommate as a good option for me, because i do not do well with horror. respect the genre so much!! but my anxiety disorder)

23. Published in the Aughts: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (just got my thrift books copy a couple weeks ago. i am making myself SAVOR this series)

24. Historical Fiction: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

25. Bookseller or Librarian Recommendation: tbd upon getting over my fears and actually visiting my library in person! it's a five minute walk from my apartment i do not know what my problem is

[laswells-ashtray]

Imagine the 141 getting to meet Sergeant Price?? Like, Time Machine type shit or they were around when he was still young. Either way, they got to see how chaotic and truly reckless their captain was in his younger days(as well as how in love he and Nik were)

I went for a slightly different route and I hope you don't mind, I just couldn't get my mind to cooperate with time travel so I went with a weird chemical that de-ages you and boom, young John. [I wanna add because I don't like how I worded something here, I'm not saying Sergeant Price is 18, I'm saying he likes it I just can't articulate this one sentence the way I want to.]

Pushing himself up into a sitting position with a groan, Ghost tries to take in his surroundings. His eyes feel like they've been glued shut and then ripped open, his left shoulder aches and the hilt of one of his knives is digging into his hip. He watches Soap and Gaz do the same as him, glancing around their surroundings with a look of questioning.

They'd been fine until one lone man had sprung round a corner and launched something at them. It'd moved too fast for Ghost to get a glimpse of what it was before it smacked against Price's chest and then there had been a bang before he'd woken up in his arse. Nothing around them was destroyed so it couldn't have been an explosion, what the fuck was it?

He jolts up suddenly, ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder as he looks over to where John had been standing. He's still unconscious but he seems relatively unharmed until Ghost's eyes drift up to his face.

He rubs a hand over his eyes, smearing them with eyeblack and catching his hands on a rough edge of his mask that he's yet to file down and fix. It changes nothing. He remains the same as he had before, clean-shaven. He not so gracefully shifts across the floor closer to the captain, gaining the two attention of the two sergeants.

It certainly looks like John, he's sure of that but there appears to be a slight problem. It might be the fact that he looks around 18, that could be it. Ghost knows that he might be hallucinating but it feels too real. He's seen pictures of a young, Sergeant Price before. Bit of a baby face until he'd committed to the beard, went from looking like a teenager to Robert Shaw in Jaws. And this looks exactly like Price pre-beard.

He can feel Gaz's hand on his shoulder as they peer down at the body in front of them and Soap's soft, barely audible "wit the fuck". So, they're all seeing it.

There's a grumble before Price? throws himself into a sitting position and scans the room, eyes stopping on the three of them. Watching the scowl form on his face as he eyes them all with confusion is almost comical.

"Who the fuck are you lot?"

Well, he has the same amount of tact that John typically has.

"Who are you?" Gaz blurts out, looking the younger man up and down.

The man seems to quickly identify them as British and SAS but it does little to quell the obvious suspicion he regards them with. "Sergeant John Price, now are you gonna tell me who you are or keep standing there like a spare prick at a whore's wedding?"

Bloody hell.

Soap's snort is obnoxious in the quiet atmosphere of the room but Ghost can't bring himself to feel annoyed about it, if he wasn't used to half of the bullshit they do then he'd probably be in fits of hysterical laughter by now.

"You sure about that?" Ghost asks him, watching the man through narrowed eyes. It'd be no good to let him know that Ghost was equally confused as he was.

Maybe John rolls his eyes, glaring at Ghost as he takes in the view of the masked man in front of him before letting out a soft, amused huff.

"You're a fuckin big lad, int ye, Skeletor? Yes, I'm sure. I know who I bloody well am."

He can't be John, he can't be. But it's so much like him, the abruptness, the demeanour and the look. He's everything like the pictures Ghost has seen and the stories he's heard from Nikolai and Kate.

"Prove it," John had told him the story once while drunk and had completely forgotten about it after, Simon had never brought it up again. He liked to pretend that they'd both forgotten about it. "scar on your shoulder blade, where did it come from?"

He refuses to feel bad about how the younger man's face falls before he can hide it with a look of anger. "Courtesy of a bottle of Johnnie Walker's finest in my old man's clumsy hands. And how the fuck does a cunt like you know that?"

It's John. It's fucking Price. It's his captain, but it isn't.

He ignores the sharp inhale from one of the sergeants behind him as he leans in closer to John, pretending not to notice how the younger man's hands clench into fists.

"You're our captain, or you're supposed to be until someone lopped something at you and now you're a bloody sergeant." There's no proper way to explain it, is there? The younger man will never believe him.

John stares blankly back at him before eventually asking a question, "Is this Mac trying to take the piss because he's annoyed about the dent in his car? The crabbit git."

Soap answers before he has the chance to,

"I'm afraid we don't ken anyhin aboot Mac or his motor, mate. And we're no rippin the piss."

The disbelief is obvious as John snorts and crosses his arms, looking far to amused at Soap's words.

"He even got another Scot to do it. Good on the bastard, I'll finally stop hearing about the amount of "smarmy Englishmen" on base. Tell me, William Wallace, where did he find you?"

The thought strikes Ghost and he's glad the balaclava hides the smirk on his face, it appears that every variation of John Price is a bit of a wanker.

Added thought is just Sergeant Price meeting current-day Nikolai and walking away because he isn't getting caught with a hard-on by the man he'd been shagging two days ago back when said man was almost twenty years younger.

[imanes]

doing a lil august reading wrap up because apparently i read 13 (!!) books. in chronological order (bolded are those i recommend):

city of stairs by robert jackson bennett: quite the interesting read. i think the character work in this one is a standout, as well as the world building. the good thing is i have no idea where this trilogy is going so it's exciting. the audiobook for the second book arrives in 2 weeks on my shelves on libby so I'll be reading the sequel soon

braiding sweetgrass by robin wall kimmerer: this one took me a whole entire year to read and finish lol. no comment. or maybe one comment: i think i'd have found this book a lot more eye opening if i had read it three years ago so right book wrong time i guess? i do recommend it i just think it didn't impact me as much as i thought it would

the blighted worlds by megan e. o'keefe: this one hit me like a truck!! i was so obsessed. it's a sci-fi space opera with an element of horror and an interesting romance sub-plot. basically everything i love lmao. i really do recommend this book it might actually be my fave of the month

sanctuary by ilona andrews: i have to stay up to date on all things kate daniels-related to this spin off was high on my tbr. it was a lot of fun but it petered out toward the end

where the dark stands still by a.b. poranek: a bit of a let down not gonna lie. the gist of my opinion is that it felt underdeveloped and in turn i felt under-interested in whatever was going on

shadows of self by brandon sanderson: once again i am begging the protagonists of this series to stop being aggravating

the fractured dark by megan e. o'keefe: continuing my obsession with the devoured worlds trilogy... unfortunately i have to wait on my libby hold to get the audiobook of the next one (i read with my eyeballs and listen at the same time to help with concentration)

the right to sex - feminism in the 21st century by amia srinivasan: i read this book because i know of two people who broke up with their significant other (one of them resulting in a divorce) after reading this book so i had to know what srinivasan had cooked in there and yeah she did cook.

the way of kings by brandon sanderson: just part of my re-read in preparation of the release of wind and truth in December. this month we tackle (again) words of radiance teehee

just for the summer by abby jimenez: womp womp womp. idk what it is with romance authors these days they're in a competition with themselves to portray the healthiest love stories but this one teetered on the wrong side of boring one too many times and the volume to therapy-speech in this one was staggering.

the ex vows by joyce jessica: twas a cute poolside read, it's nothing revolutionary but it was pleasant enough and it didn't make me roll my eyes like just for the summer jdkjgsk at least the love interest had a personality and a life... i mean it's fiction so it's not a life but it appeared as if he contained multitudes or something

funny story by emily henry: I'll go ahead and say it nobody writes a contemporary romance quite like miss henry because she's got the secret recipe for the right balance between heartfelt feelings and amusing situations + her dialogues feel a lot more natural than most (though if i had to nitpick she always has this side character who's a fountain of wisdom and gives you life-changing monologues but i guess such people exist out there)

the thief by megan whalen turner: the megans are really out in full force because this is another book written by a megan that i loved so much. yes half of this book is a fairly episodic journey across made-up countries, yes i ate it up, yes the second half is worth the wait (if you were out of patience, which i wasn't, bc i was having fun) and yes the plot twists are chef's kiss. "gen's ambitions are his own" is the perfect summary. everand has all the audiobooks so you know what I'm gonna do... that's right... listen and read at the same time

as an aside the tandem reads i do with both books and audiobooks happen only when i like the narrators. if i find a narrator i like i stick to them like glue because they're few and far between as far as my picky ass is concerned. i never do romance audiobooks they're the worst...

[littleartistwithloveandheart]

This is my first finished JC video. ❤️❤️❤️

Got the idea from a Capcut template where someone made it with people from The Rookie.

(Actually made the exact same video with JC. I just did it myself so I could change little things😅)

Was still a lot of work😭

[flanaganfilm]

Hi Mike, how was Tribeca?

It was fantastic.

For those who don't know, I was lucky enough to be invited to sit on the US Narrative Feature Jury at this year's Tribeca Festival. I just got back yesterday from ten days in Manhattan.

I found the whole thing to be absolutely rejuvenating.

Our category had five jurors: myself, Zoey Deutsch, Stephanie Hsu, Tommy Oliver, and Ramin Bahrani.

Kate was also on a jury - she was on the International Feature Jury (which included Brendan Fraser and Zazie Beets) so that meant we spent the week seeing different movies. We'd pass each other on our way to different screenings, sometimes in the lobby of the theater, and then meet up for dinner or a party and get to tell each other about the awesome movies we saw that day.

It was overwhelming to start with. At the Opening Night reception, we met Robert DeNiro, and we saw Martin Scorcese and Matt Damon (we were way too timid to introduce ourselves). I did manage to introduce myself to Kenneth Lonergan, who has made some of my all-time favorite movies (You Can Count on Me is one of the best movies I've ever seen), and the great Chazz Palminteri (I got to tell him how much I absolute adore A Bronx Tale). I also spent a fair amount of time chatting with Peter Coyote, who was incredibly kind and funny. We chatted a lot about Ken Burns.

After that, we went to the Opening Night film, a terrific documentary called Kiss the Future. We walked the red carpet (something I'm never quite comfortable with, but luckily Kate is a natural) and we saw the movie with a packed house. It was a beautiful film and really started everything off on an amazing foot.

And then the judging started. I got to watch all of the movies in my category in the theater, with audiences. A car would pick me up and take me to the screening. At my busiest, I saw three movies in one day, but it was usually two.

I made it a point not to know anything about the movies before I saw them - sometimes I went in without knowing the title. And I can't overstate how amazing it was to see these independent films with an audience, in a theater, instead of streaming. Having spent the better part of the last five years watching this primarily at home, I was shocked at how inspiring and energizing it was to sit in a theater with a crowd over, and over, and over again. I've never seen this many movies in a theater in such a short time, and I LOVED it.

I didn't only see movies that were in my category, though. I also made sure I saw other films at the festival that I wasn't judging - including Downtown Owl, the directorial debut of my friends Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe.

I made a point to go to the premiere of Suitable Flesh, starring the amazing Barbara Crampton and Heather Graham, and produced by my old friends Joe Wicker and Morgan Peter Brown from the Absentia Days.

And it wasn't all movies, either - I also got to moderate a chat with the brilliant Sam Lake about his upcoming Alan Wake 2 release. Sam was a joy to spend time with, and we had a lot to talk about.

And my friend and colleague Justina Ireland traveled up to NY to moderate a Master Class where a theater full of people listened to me ramble about horror movies for an hour.

(With Justina Ireland and Johnathan Penner - Penner ran the Escape from Tribeca program, and it was his idea to bring me to the festival)

And then, just before I left, I met up with some friends to see a Broadway show. Karen Gillan and Willa Fitzgerald joined Kate and I to see Grey House.

My experience at Tribeca was fantastic. It was such an amazing celebration of art and cinema, and I can't wait to go back. I spent a lot of it feeling overwhelmed, and feeling like I didn't quite deserve my seat at the table (imposter syndrome is just one of the staples of being a filmmaker, isn't it?) but I'm so glad I went.

[xxsycamore]

🏹💘𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚢 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝‼️

—❥ 𝐱𝐱𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

REQUESTS: CLOSED

Hello everyone!! Back in June last year my blog reached 1500 followers, but I only got around to celebrating it now! Thank you so much for your continued support!! This year I want to play Cupid again so prepare for your faves to steal your heart all over again! (´ ε ` )♡

↪ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎: Pick a prompt and a character - one per ask! Please include the fandom as well to avoid confusion. Example: "Can I please have 😘 with William (ikevil)?" ; You'll receive a drabble (~300 words) about the character's reaction to the prompt. Please go wild with those! If you have something specific in mind for the prompts, like a certain hobby for prompt #10 🎨 - Suggest picking up a new hobby together, or maybe for prompt #7 💝 - Extend a non-verbal "I love you", you thought of playing their favorite song, giving them a warm cup of tea while they work, or maybe hugging them from behind? Don't be afraid to share your idea and unleash your creativity, I'd love to make your vision come true! Of course, that's only if you want to! The limit is three requests per person. This event is sfw and anons are allowed.

For drabble examples: Check out last year's Valentine's Day celebration here!

💌 event masterlist ⊂⊃﹒␥

↪ 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝:

🪱 - Ask them if they'd love you if you were a worm

🥺 - Tease by calling them cute

🤲 - Play with their hair

🌸 - Breathe in their soothing scent

💌 - Leave a love note in their pocket

🤭 - Whisper something embarrassing in their ear

💝 - Extend a non-verbal "I love you"

😈 - Linger in for a kiss, but never kiss them

💅 - Help them unwind with a self-care routine

🎨 - Suggest picking up a new hobby together

🤪 - Crack a joke to make them laugh

🙏 - Warm their hands between yours

🤸‍♀️ - Strike a sexy pose to distract them

👔 - Steal their clothes to cuddle when you miss them

🍰 - Share your sweets with them

💋 - Demand for a kiss, right here, right now

💘 - "Be my Valentine?"

😘 - Keep smooching them until they protest

🥄 - Ask to be their big spoon

😊 - Present your cheek for a goodbye kiss

↪ 𝙰𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 (𝟷𝟸𝟿):

Ikemen Villains: Wiliam; Harrison; Liam; Elbert; Alfons; Roger; Jude; Ellis; Victor

Ikeseries MCs: Mitsuki (Ikevamp); Alice (Ikerev); Mai (Ikesen); Emma (Ikepri); NEW: Kate (ikevil)

Ikemen Prince: Leon; Chevalier; Yves; Nokto; Licht; Jin; Luke; Clavis; Rio; Sariel; Gilbert; Keith; Silvio NEW: Cyran/Cyril; Kagari; Matthias

Ikemen Vampire: Napoleon(pls); Leonardo; Mozart; Arthur; Vincent; Theo; Isaac; Jean; Dazai; Sebastian; Comte; Shakespeare; Vlad; Faust; Charles; Drake; Galileo

Ikemen Revolution: Lancelot; Ray; Jonah; Fenrir; Edgar; Sirius; Kyle; Luka; Zero; Seth; Blanc; Oliver; Loki; Harr; Mousse; Dalim; Dean; Levie

Ikemen Sengoku: Nobunaga; Masamune; Shingen; Hideyoshi; Mitsuhide; Kanetsugu; Ieyasu; Mitsunari; Yukimura; Sasuke; Kenshin; Kenyo; Ranmaru; Motonari; Keiji; Kicho; Yoshimoto

Midnight Cinderella: Alyn; Giles; Louis; Leo; Byron; Nico; Albert; Robert; Rayvis; Sid

NEW: Ikemen Genjiden: Minamoto no Yoritomo

NEW: CONSOLE OTOMES:

Shuuen no Virche/Virche Evermore: Ceres; Scien; Ankou; Yves; Adolphe; Lucas; Mathis; Jean; Capucine; Hugo; Dahut

Piofiore no Banshou/Piofiore Fated Memories: Yang; Dante; Liliana; Gilbert; Nicola; Orlok; Leo; Oliver; Rui; Yuan

Cupid Parasite: Lynette; Claris; Gill; Allan; Ryuki; Shelby; Raul; Owen; Peter

Variable Barricade: Ichiya; Taiga; Hibari; Shion; Nayuta; Kasuga

🎀 Have fun requesting!! I can't wait to see what you put in my askbox!! 🎀

[extremely-judgemental]

Even when I don’t like an artist’s works, I have respect for them for their discipline and dedication to the craft. But that’s hard to muster for SJM. I was told one of her favourites is Anne Bishop’s The Black Jewels series which could have been an influence for the vivid and unnecessary violence in her plots. I haven’t read those books and so I googled it.

One of the major character is Lucivar Yaslana who is Half-Hayllian/Half-Eyrien which sounds suspiciously close to Illyrian. And in fanart, he is depicted with (surprise surprise) bat like wings which are uncannily like the Illyrian wings, and mind you, the first book in this series came out in 1998.

Going through the plot in wiki, there are a lot of names or titles that are similar to the ones in ACOTAR. Prythian. High Priestess. Whore/Consort. Dark Court and First Circle. One of the books’ title is Dreams Made Flesh, and that instantly reminded me of the Made weapons and the phrases often associated with them but that could be nothing. Even the male lead Daemon has quite similar experiences as Rhysand.

Since I don't have much authority in this case to call out SJM or her books, here are some from people who have read both series.

This on Reddit listing the obvious parallels between the two.

And this from @alexcollix7 is by far the best and detailed post I could find on this topic where they address all three series.

I would love for the SJM fans who think she invented commonly used genre conventions to read the Black Jewels trilogy and tell me Cassian isn't a direct result of Lucivar existing (or Rhys and Daemon, for that matter).

By author Katee Robert although she said this in favour of authors reimagining tropes.

Black Jewels is explicitly dark fantasy and deals with and normalises strong themes such as abuse and sex slavery to name a few. It explains why abuse is romanticised in ACOTAR as well since SJM seems to have copied so much from these books. Given the initial drafts of the sequels were scraped off after TAR received much appreciation, there’s no excuse that this was only a fanfic that developed into an original series. Though the plot development and most characters like Tamlin are her own, some key plot points or motivations leading up to it might not be. Her books are applauded as original and unparalleled fantasy of this age by many young readers but the foundations of her world-building heavily imitates Bishop’s own.

A quick google search proves Maas is more popular than Bishop, so is ACOTAR over the Black Jewel series, and maybe it’s the reason why not many are talking about this. Drawing inspiration from real world and existing art or paying homage to one’s favourites is understandable and healthy but what SJM does seems dangerously like rip off.

Thank you @thrumbolt for giving me new reason to hate her.

[liu-anhuaming]

my favorite books of 2024 so far

as of october 25, 2024, i've somehow managed to read 97 books. figured i'd share some of my favorites to spread the good vibes. These are just put in order based on when I read them

Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova (loved it so much i've read it twice and cried both times)

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

The Fetishist by Katherine Min

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

The Raybearer duology by Jordan Ifueko

Y/N by Ester Yi

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt (read as an ARC, expected publication April 15, 2025)

Pet by Akwaeki Emezi

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (dragon-obsessed teenaged me would've gone feral for this book)

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

The Ask and the Asnwer (sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go which I read last year, also amazing) by Patrick Ness