#mister rivers vibes

[abeautifulrayofsunshine]

Burt Ward + red cardigan

[accio-victuuri]

i was trying to find what quote they used in xzs vlog, first i thought it’s the mary poppins one, but theirs excluded the “fear”. when i searched again, what came up is the movie saving mister banks. did he watch it? 🧐

him singing / humming starry starry night was such a treat! and it’s not really a surprise that he would like that cause he is a van gogh fanboy ( plus a sad song which is is vibe lol ) . the use of bad guy by billie eilish is my fave tho! it’s so perfect!!!! it’s an upbeat song that fits the video but i wanna believe that it’s something more. like what i placed in my tag, some people wanna paint xz as this bad guy/person and he is throwing it in their face. say what you wanna say about him but he is out here living his best life being sexy and beautiful in Milan.

there was also a part where this was mentioned:

山不讓塵,川不辭盈 // 智行方圓,曲中求直

The mountains will not let dust fall, and the rivers will not let go of their abundance. Wisdom moves in a circle, seeking straightness in the curve.

the first part comes from "Inspirational Poems" written by Zhang Hua of the Jin Dynasty. It means that mountains can be so majestic because they do not reject tiny dust; rivers and seas can be so vast because they do not reject small streams. The meaning of its reflection is that if you want to achieve big things, you must also do small things well. You cannot aim too high and do not do things because of small things. Only by taking things step by step and working steadily can you achieve success and achieve what you want.

In terms of human nature, it means that you should never do good deeds because they are small, and do not do evil because they are small! When it comes to learning, people who have strengths should learn. Don't think that these strengths are worthless just because their bright spots are small. Only by being able to discover the strengths of others can you enrich yourself and become stronger bit by bit.

AND WELL ISN’T THIS XZ’s WAY OF LIFE? He is not afraid to give his all and do the small things to reach his goals.

“wisdom moves in a circle, seeking straightness in the curve" is an idiom, which means to describe a person who has clear goals and plans for doing things, and can flexibly respond to various situations without losing principles. while "Seeking straightness in the curve" means that he can respond flexibly in complex and changeable environments without losing direction and goals., being able to overcome difficulties and keep moving forward.

One of the reasons why i admire XZ! despite the chaos that is C-ent and what people expect from him — he does not compromise his principles 💪🏼 he has showed that time and time again!

FINALLY THE USE OF THE COIN. Which could mean different things but my favorite would be this one that points out how the last time he made a wish in the fountain using a coin. and now, he is holding it and doing these wonderful things again, like his wish has been fulfilled. He was able to come back and experience it again. 🪙

source: one / two

[mordremstaff]

🧸💋🐾💢 for Miss Lusine, 🔪🍑⚙️💢 for Mister Atreus 🤲❤️

Lusine - my girl the light of my life my Mists Wars princess

🧸 - Childhood friends 💋 - First kiss 🐾 - Pets 💢 - Person they can't stand Atreus - he's a bit undercooked rn bc I'm saving him for whenever (if ever) anet does a charr expansion but here's some basic info for him

🔪 - Enemy/nemesis 🍑 - Notable flings ⚙️ - Coworkers/boss (krewe/other charr outside of warband) 💢 - Person they can't stand

Lusine - Basic character concept is that she's a Keep Lord who escaped the Mist Wars and she has no memory of her life before the Mist Wars. She remembers bits and pieces of the Mist Wars but it's all sort of a haze for her, given she's been killed and reincarnated so many times. She's technically a revenant and her magic invokes the Mist forces that mantained the borderlands she was stationed. Originally, I was calling this the Fogmother but now I'm debating renaming it to the Mists Tides/something adjacent to that given Anet used Mists Tides in the new map.

She doesn't remember her childhood/saplinghood but she does remember her bestest friend/lover Philomena. They were sylvari valiants who ventured into the Mist Wars together due to Philomena's wyld hunt. They were each other's darlings and confidants and lovers, and they both adored each other. Philomena was the much stronger and scarier of the two, better at fighting and entirely devoted to her Wyld Hunt. She led a handful of other valiants and squires who were also tangled up in the Mist Wars.

2. Heeheehoohoo her first kiss was with Philomena. She doesn't remember her first first kiss, but the first kiss she remembers is also the last kiss she had with Philomena. Philomena, Lusine, and their entire unit were stationed in the Mist Wars for too long and they were all forgetting themselves. Philomena was slowly turning into the keep lord. One day, Philomena was possessed by the urge to simply leave their encampment in the borderlands. Lusine tried to get her to stay and Philomena simply turned, kissed her, said goodbye, and left. Philomena never remembered her after that, and in time Lusine forgot about Philomena too beyond the concept that she knows Philomena existed and they were lovers. They became keep lords in separate keeps. An aside here is that Lusine and her story are themed after the Greek underworld so Lusine's and Philomena's original (pre-Mist Wars) names are all rivers in the Underworld and their keeps essentially guard the land of death. This is all just set dressing/for the vibes but I like the aesthetic.

3. She has a black mare kirin named Ekaterina, who she loves very much. Ekaterina is a clever but very well-mannered kirin who mostly likes to go for long runs through the woods and loves the beach. She plays in the ocean a lot and Lusine spends long hours on the coastline with her just running through the surf and watching seals together.

4. Lusine's generally polite and not bothered by people, but she's SOOOOO bothered by @grimriddles' Erebus. She thinks Erebus is rude, brutish, and only knows how to operate as the Legions would operate. She thinks he's terrible at leading, terrible at getting people to work with him, and overall doomed to die alone fighting against something he cannot win against. She still feels really bad for him though. Erebus has the beaten dog sort of energy that she pities a lot, and she knows he's been through hell and high water. At times, she desperately wants to help him but then they get into an argument and she's like FINE!! Just die!!!! See if I care!!! And she storms off and sulks for a few hours and then comes back like >:( Ok what do you need. She recognizes the fact Erebus is like many traumatized soldiers who never learned how to navigate social situations outside the military, and on top of that has been hurt so much he's never really developed the ability to communicate any of his pain or upset or anger in a way that doesn't lead to her frustration. She's still bothered by him though, as much as she pities him and cares in her own way.

Atreus - High ranking Blood Legion centurion who heads a unit of military police. Technically part of the Blood Legion spec ops and he's in charge of internal review/investigations. He's made to be a villain, and he was very loyal to Bangar before the civil war. He didn't flip sides to the Dominion though as he was afflicted with both 1) inertia and 2) adherence to a system that he knows and is frightened to move away from. That being said, he's no die-hard loyalist to Crecia and isn't entirely on board with changes in Blood Legion. Very "it worked the old way the new way is just for weaklings and people who couldn't succeed in the past." He's shady af as he's done a ton of cover ups for spec ops and Blood Legion in the past but he only does so within the military culture and system that's been built.

He doesn't have like a specific enemy/nemesis right now. I feel like maybe the one secretary in another unit that refuses to file his paperwork on time? The legal team that keeps spending forever on contracts and it takes 1083501830835085 rounds of letters for anything to move through? The one barista who REFUSES to give him enough ice in his iced coffee. One ice cube?? Just ONE?? Expect this answer to change in the future once I rp him more. He just doesn't have a reason to obsessively hate someone right now but I love an enemy/nemesis situation so it's gonna happen. Eventually.

2. He uh. Had a rly intense fling with a higher ranking officer when he was young and a huge bastard. The officer basically raised him to be as intense and deadly and frightening as he is right now, and really cultivated his extreme loyalty to Bangar. He was already really loyal because his parents were really high-ranking Blood Legion spec ops soldiers, so he was from the sort of pedigree that meant he was expected to serve just as well if not better than his parents did. The officer basically saw a bastard who had a lot of potential and a lot to prove and was like I could make this worse, which leads to how Atreus is today.

3. He's a centurion, so he's got a lot of coworkers and whatever higher ranking centurions, tribunes, and so on are above him. His warband is the Quill warband, given he's basically a desk jockey nowadays. Not a lot to say about his coworkers. They do their jobs and do as told. Behind his persona of a desk jockey, there lies a sinister and very politically savvy mind that likes to use paperwork and gaming the system to pull the strings he needs or wants.

4. I haven't rp'd him enough for him to develop a singular sort of hatred. In general though, he's got a hatred for gladia and anyone who wants to change the Blood Legion system. His mindset on it is basically the Blood Legion and all the legions are built off the backs of the soldiers underneath. If you don't have strong soldiers, you have a weak legion. So the gladia either learn to serve or they need to go, and any change to the system will introduce weakness that will make Blood Legion topple.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Welcome to Columbia Untisemity

Kelcy: Hi everyone, we are live on YouTube with Colombia Untisemity News, where everyone is welcome. LGBTQH…

Wordle: H?

Kelcy: Hamas.

Wordle: Yeah, I totally simp Hamas, it's so trending right now.

Both: From The River To The Sea! Palestine will be free!

Kelcy: Do you know why it's true? Because it rhymes. Just look at all this toxic Zionist propaganda. Kidnapped in Gaza? Does this look like Gaza to you?

Wordle: Yeah, brah, I have no idea what Gaza looks like…

Kelcy: And they're smiling… do hostages smile? Zionist liars!

Wordle: Totally sus…

Kelcy: Do they think we're stupid?

Wordle: Stupid? I major in queer post-colonial astrology. Ew! Jews make the world dirty. And no, I'm not antisemitic, I'm racist-fluid.

Kelcy: Exactly. And now for a little break from all this activism, we want to say hello to our BFF:

Wordle: Bestie Freedom Fighter!

Kelcy: Abu Fatua in Gaza. Salam aleykum.

Abu: Aleykum salam, and inshallah, Allah will kill all you infidels.

Wordle: Thank you so much for joining us. I love the head-piece. The whole oppression chic… very drip.

Kelcy: Mister Fatwa, how are you? Are you safe?

Abu: Oh yes, I'm safe. I'm in a tunnel under the Gaza Hospital. Above me I have Allah and 2 million civilians protecting me.

Kelcy: Community is so important these days.

Wordle: Do you need like humanitarian aid? Food? Fuel? Medicine?

Abu: It's okay, I have everything. I'm only hungry for rockets.

Wordle: As long as it's organic. I wish I could be right there with you.

Abu: You can. You can come to Gaza any time, and we will throw you from the roof, you homosexual dirt.

Wordle: Do you hear? They want to throw me a rooftop party!

Kelcy: They are so welcoming and inclusive…

Wordle: So Shukran! And you are also very welcome to come here to America.

Abu: We will come. First, we finish with Israel and America is next.

Kelcy: Great! So, I guess we'll see you soon.

Abu: Yes, it would be a blast!

Wordle: I can't wait. It will be so multicultural.

Abu: Ya Allah, you are so stupid.

Kelcy: Thank you so much Abu, we love you!

Abu: I won't even bother killing you, it's a waste of bullets.

Wordle: Good Vibes only.

Abu: It's better you just kill yourself.

Wordle: Okay bye!

Abu: Die.

Both: From the river to the sea! Palestine will be Jews-free!

Kelcy: Yeah, that sounds better.

Wordle: It is better.

==

Eretz Nehederet (meaning, "A Wonderful Country") is an Israeli prime-time television satirical sketch comedy show.

Shockingly accurate. My new favorite term is "racist-fluid."

[pressedstars-andflowers]

These are just things I’ve read that give me autumnal vibes - something melancholy, something that lingers a little while longer, something irrevocably and undeniably human.

Austen’s Persuasion or ‘95 film

Stoner by John Williams - quiet, understated, beautiful

Cormac McCarthys The Road - the prose is barren but my heart is full

Banana Yoshimoto’s Asleep - I can’t stop thinking about this one description about the sun setting over the river; so simple, yet indescribably tender

Murakamis South of the Border, West of the Sun

Goodnight Mister Tom - a childhood favourite about healing

Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot - that poignant image of “sunlight on a broken column” but of course all of his works have this inexplicable melancholy to them

Thomas Grays Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Sharingan Rising by @weialala-leia - a deep and nuanced take on grief and family

Anything by @blue-plums but perhaps a favourite - Go the Converse - imbued with a gentle yet unviolable hope

March Comes in Like a Lion - though the manga is lovely, the music and stunning graphics of the anime render it truly heartbreakingly sincere

Kiyo in Kyoto or the lovely live-action Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House - the small happiness of ordinary days

[garudabluffs]

Recorded Live: 9/23/1970 - Fillmore East - New York, NY, filmed for PBS. Personnel: Gregg Allman - organ, vocals Duane Allman - guitar, vocals Dickey Betts - guitar, vocals Berry Oakley - bass, vocals Butch Trucks - drums Jai Johanny Johanson - drums Tom Doucette - harp

“Dickey was larger than life, and his loss will be felt world-wide”: Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legend of southern rock guitar Dickey Betts has died, aged 80

“I think the single greatest guitar solo I have ever witnessed was Dickey playing Blue Sky,” said [Derek]Trucks. “Y’know, I’ve been on stages with a lot of great players, and I think his solo was only time when someone finished when I thought, ‘What the f**k am I supposed to do now?!’ What do you possibly do after that? He just locked it in so hard and it was so profound and powerful, and beautiful, dangerous. It was a beautiful moment.”

The Rolling Stone reports that Betts’ died of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

READ MORE “Dickey was larger than life, and his loss will be felt world-wide”: Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legend of southern rock guitar Dickey Betts has died, aged 80 | MusicRadar

The Allman Brothers Band - Blue Sky - 1/16/1982 - University Of Florida Bandshell (Official)

The Allman Brothers Band - Blue Sky (Eat A Peach, February 12,1972)

Dickey Betts wrote this about his Native American girlfriend, Sandy "Bluesky" Wabegijig. Walk along the river, sweet lullaby, it just keeps on flowing, It don't worry 'bout where it's going, no, no. Don't fly, mister blue bird, I'm just walking down the road, Early morning sunshine tell me all I need to know You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day. Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way, Turn your love my way, yeah. Good old sunday morning, bells are ringing everywhere. Goin to carolina, it won't be long and I'll be there You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day. Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way, Turn your love my way, yeah, yeah, yeah

Gregg Allman - organ, vocals, piano, electric piano, acoustic guitar Duane Allman - (Left Track) slide and lead guitars, acoustic guitar Dicky Betts - (Right Track) slide and lead guitars, vocals, Jai Johanny Johanson - drums, congas Berry Oakley - bass Butch Trucks - drums, percussion, tympani, gong, vibes, tambourine

3,686 Comments

Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band Singer-Guitarist, Dead at 80

The co-founder of the Southern rock institution was known for “Ramblin’ Man,” a countryfied guitar style all his own, and inspiring a character in Almost Famous

APRIL 18, 2024 READ MORE Allman Brothers Band's Dickey Betts Dead at 80 (rollingstone.com)

Dickey Betts: 15 Essential Allman Brothers Band Songs

From "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" to "Ramblin' Man," the guitarist, songwriter, and sometime singer's most memorable moments with the Southern-rock group

Dickey Betts: Best Songs With Allman Brothers Band (rollingstone.com)

The Heartbreaking TRAGEDY of Dickey Betts on Allman Brothers Band. Real Cause Of Death

Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, Dead At 80

194 Comments

We've Lost Dickey Betts

@otisgibbs@otisgibbs 3 hours ago

Here's the Dickey Betts/Bob Dylan video. https://youtu.be/W8KxCdESrCE

Here's Greg Martin sharing Dickey/Allman Brothers stories. https://youtu.be/5G9G_EsZxnM

Townes Van Zandt once jammed with the Allman Brothers. https://youtu.be/LgbUkejofaY

[epersonae]

director's commentary for what makes me kind and the cannonball series: your stede and ed povs in both these fics/series are SO perceptive and in character and well done. can you expand on how you tackle the pov writing process/style for both, and what you find most challenging and most fun in writing from each character's pov?

First of all: thank you! I care a lot about doing that well! I think a lot of it is about inputs:

Some of that is on my somewhat bananapants process of writing Hungry for love, ready to drown, which involves watching an episode over and over and over and over again, sometimes in chunks of just a couple of minutes. And every time I do I catch some nuance or detail that I hadn't quite gotten before, plus I think I absorb a little bit of the dialogue style as I go. That ends informing everything else I've written, for sure!

I've just watched a lot overall, not so much the last couple of months, but I am officially in the "has lost track of number of watches" camp.

I've also read a LOT of fanworks: what I can only describe as an unconscionable amount of fic, as well as a ton of meta. And I have opinions and preferences, and I've found myself nudged into different reads over time. I don't write meta, generally, but I find myself incorporating other people's into how I think about and write the characters. (A few people who I would like to give special mention: @chuplayswithfire, @knowlesian, @amuseoffyre, @meanmisscharles, and @triflesandparsnips, which I know is leaving out lots of folks with interesting takes!)

Writing process wise, there's a lot of reading out loud to make sure it sounds right, but also just, I dunno, VIBES?!?!?!

For Ed in what makes me kind (and sort of in can't cross the same river twice), it's "do I feel like my head is full of bees?", while in bad taste in our mouths/twinkle in your eye, I wanted to capture something of the tiredness of his life before Stede. (that one was also heavily inspired by the line "the old Blackbeard would have seen that coming a mile away", which I think is a fascinating bit of insight.) Ngl, anything post-S1 there's also just a lot of my grief feels in it.

And Stede is also lots of run-on sentences, but more like the thought just keeps going somehow? One of my personal criteria for a good Stede characterization in someone else's fic is whether I yell at some point "Stede fucking Bonnet you absolute dipshit", and so if I can do that at my own work then I know I'm on track. For post-S1 Stede, I'm also very consciously aware of trying to work on his growth arc, that he's going to try talking about his feelings, and it's going to be hard, but he's committed to it!

Reading out loud helps a LOT, because then I can hear if the cadence works, and the word choices feel in keeping with how the characters talk in canon. (FWIW, reading out loud is one of those classically great pieces of writing advice in any genre. It's kind of a pain in the ass but I never regret doing it.)

Which, here's the big challenge with Stede, which is also one of my favorite things: his verbal register is all over the place. A lot of people lean fancy, which I think is an easy mistake, and then people complain about how that's not how he talks, but it's not NOT how he talks, either. "Forthwith" and "kick their asses" are in the same sentence. "Sometimes a man has to take responsibility for the things he's done and the people he's hurt" is right before "Calm down Mister Wavy Blade." Getting the balance right is so fucking hard, and when it's right, it feels really good.

Similarly, the challenge with Ed is getting a very specific balance, that I can honestly only describe as "bees but not too many bees." He's so smart and he's thinking about so many things, but again, the trap to avoid is making him too manic (or in grief mode, too maudlin).

Here's a funny thing, actually, about what I enjoy writing each of their POV: I always crack myself up, writing Hungry for love, ready to drown, when I get a bit where Stede is just phenomenally unaware of what's happening, either in his own head or what's going on around him. Something where it's super clear in canon but I'm pretty sure my dude had no idea, yeah? And so that's one of the great pleasures of it, playing with that irony. On the other hand, one of the things I enjoy in writing Ed POV is how much he notices: like in bad taste in our mouths, he knows that Jack is probably playing him, and he decides to see where it goes. So I guess there's something about those two sides as something that I like digging into.

(which is probably a personal thing, but also heavily influenced by all the very interesting posts about unreliable narrators, which is a thing I haven't played with much in my writing over the years, until I started writing for OFMD.)

Thanks again for asking, this was fun to think about, and I may have actually figured out some things about my process that I hadn't considered before. I do run on vibes quite a bit, as a writer.

Fanfiction writers: director’s cut

[layaboutace]

Season 5 Episode 4: The Time of Angels/Episode 5: Flesh and Stone

Dawg I don't like this doctor at all. neither does my mom or brother LMAO. my mom has been watching with me since blink and i made her go back and watch some of my favorites from the earlier seasons but she's just not feeling it for this season, and neither am i. even my brother who doesn't watch and only stumbles into the living room every now and then wasn't vibing with it.... anyways onto the episode. the weeping angels were cool until i saw them move, which is just...why moffat...you idiot...you made a super cool monster that was implied to only be stone when you can see it, and had it so the audience was in on it because we didn't see it move either....and had it move, as stone, without transforming into something or other no its just stone moving about now. and the doctor is such a dick to amy! and after all that she wants to fuck him???? hes literally the least charismatic man on the planet why the hell would you wanna do that??? and river, river river river, i can already see the problems that having a straight man with a history of writing women he wants to step on him write a cool femme fatal and just having her be the sexy girl, who kisses men to use them to her advantage, i wouldn't be surprised if in future appearances she just turns up in a suit of leather, still not big on her and the doctor being married, especially now considering she had more chemistry with 10 than she does with the man shes supposed to marry. god what a mess. at least they finally do something interesting with those time cracks, now will that actually become a point brought up or will they just show up in the background again? who knows! and i no longer like amy, miss cheat on your fiance for mister dickhead mad man

3/5

[transmasc-wizard]

You can Rant about the worldbuilding thing you're doing right now if you wish!

ok so

i am working on languages. jrr tolkien is rolling in his grave. i know this because my method for starting languages is sticking the same word into google translate for 2-4 different languages (in this case welsh & irish), mashing it together, removing some letters, and voila. word. then once i have a handful of important words, i build Rules around how the language works, so i can make more words !

again. my newfound idol mister jrrt "studied languages his whole life" lord of the rings would die. but he's not here is he. no. so i shall continue to do this

currently i am working on the language of the kingdom tentatively called Teyrsea ! I have started with the name's meaning; broken down, it means city (teyr) of jewels (sea). Yes, i'm aware having "sea" be a fantasy word may cause problems. whatever. it's realistic and also "sea" being a word for treasure has cool worldbuilding implications

i came about this by mangling the welsh word for kingdom (teyrnas) and the irish words (?) for jewels (seod/seoda) and smashing them together. no god can stop me!

There is also Rosaflumen, a city/district in Teyrsea. I have no idea where i got "flumen" from (just kinda. vibes), and "rosa" is uhhh Many languages. it means pink/rose river, together. this is because rosaflumen is built around, surprise, a river, and that river has many pink flowers growing around it. it is not creative but neither are real people naming things! (look at Scotland. land of the scots. and also the United States of America)

also! I have decided! Teyrsean does not really have the word "of"! It has the modifier of "n"/"an" on proper nouns that will let you say what you need to say, but "of" in itself is not a word! woo. so like, "Cath's backpack" would be "[the backpack] Cathan". "Bo's mirror" would be "mirror Bon". "Teyrsean" means "of Teyrsea" (this also means that "they're teyrsean" means "they are of the jewel kingdom" which i think is SICK). this is entirely for funsies, because why not

aaand i don't really have much else to ramble about at the moment because my brain is scattered. there is a wizard city themed after feathers with the districts redfeather burnfeather and fallfeather. i am still deciding if those will get names that match the language but honestly i think burnfeather sounds Funky so they may not. the city itself will though (the city is not yet named)

anyway that was. stuff!! enjoy the twisted rambles of mine mind

[purple-compromise]

Brain craves categorization so instead of doing something properly constructive, I will be grouping songs from my fic playlist according to why I selected each track.

1) Referenced in the Fic

Live and Let Die by the Wings

House of the Rising Sun by The Animals

I Forgot to Remember to Forget by Elvis Presley

Fist City by Loretta Lynn

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) by Four Tops

Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley

Too Marvelous For Words by Bing Crosby

The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley

I'll Always Love You (Day After Day) by Dean Martin

2) Specialist

Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones

That's Life by Frank Sinatra

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize by Pete Seeger

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? by Jimmy Ruffin

Blue Moon by The Marcels

Sunshine Go Away Today by Jonathan Edwards

We Saw the Sea by Fred Astaire

It's Only a Paper Moon by Ella Fitzgerald and The Delta Rhythm Boys

Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne

3) Medic

I'm Alive by The Hollies

(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You by Louis Prima

Lili Marleen by Marlene Dietrich

Curse Me Good by The Heavy

Wooden Heart by Elvis Presley

Liebling, mein Herz lässt dich grüßen by Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch

4) Specialized Medicine

Old Devil Moon by Frank Sinatra

Komm gib mir deine Hand by The Beatles

Come Rain or Come Shine by Billie Holiday

I Concentrate on You by Frank Sinatra

Sie liebt dich by The Beatles

"Murder," He Says by Dinah Shore

Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin

Leave My Woman Alone by Ray Charles

Let's Misbehave by Cole Porter (performed by Trevor Ashley)

Something's Gotta Give by Bing Crosby

Bei Mir Bist Du Schon by The Andrews Sisters

Have I the Right by The Honeycombs

I Get a Kick Out of You by Frank Sinatra

The River is Wide by The Grass Roots

Too Late to Turn Back Now by the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

Poetry in Motion by Johnny Tillotson

I've Never Been in Love Before by Shirley Bassey

Come Go With Me by The Del-Vikings

Sh-Boom by The Chords

Das gibt's nur einmal by Lilian Harvey

I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King

5) The Team

People Are Strange by The Doors

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by The Animals

Strike Up the Band by Ella Fitzgerald

Everybody Eats When They Come To My House by Cab Calloway

Momma Tried by Merle Haggard

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On by Big Maybelle

Trouble by Elvis Presley

We Gotta Get Out of This Place by The Animals

G.I. Blues by Elvis Presley

6) Heavy

Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford

Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean

Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne

7) Soldier

G.I. Jive by Johnny Mercer

Sound Off by Vaughn Monroe

Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army by Rosemary Clooney, Percy Faith & His Orchestra, and The Mellomen

G.I. Blues by Elvis Presley

8) Engineer

Mister Sandman by Chet Atkins

Where Have All the Average People Gone? by Roger Miller

9) On Engie's Radio

There Stands the Glass by Webb Pierce

(Is This the Way to) Amarillo by Tony Christie

Walk on By by Leroy van Dyke

Dang Me by Roger Miller

10) Spy

Green Onions by Booker T. and the M.G.'s

Boum! by Charles Trenet

Tonight You Belong to Me by Nancy Sinatra

11) Scout

Do You Love Me by The Contours

Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire

Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy by The Tams

12) Pyro

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows by Leslie Gore

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams by the Boilermaker Jazz Band

13) Demoman

Shine, Shave, Shower (It's Saturday) by Lefty Frizzell

Nobody But Me by The Human Beinz

14) Sniper

Walk, Don't Run by The Ventures

15) Thematic

Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane

Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash

Turn, Turn, Turn by The Byrds

Are You Sure? by Timi Yuro

We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn

Sooner or Later by The Grass Roots

If It Hadn't Been For Love by The Steeldrivers

Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day by The Monkees

Happy by Nancy Sinatra

Live For Today by The Grass Roots

16) The Vibes

In the Mood by Glenn Miller

Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks

Mean Old World by T-Bone Walker

That'll Be the Day by Buddy Holly

Stay by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Come On, Let's Go by Ritchie Valens

Runaway by Del Shannon

Ich tanze mit dir in den Himmel hinein by Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch

Bring it on Home to Me by Same Cooke

The Letter by The Box Tops

Heu' sollte Sonntag sein für meine Liebe by Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch

Ain't That a Shame by Fats Domino

St. James Infirmary by Frances Faye

Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel) by Roy Orbison

[binch-i-might-be]

my vibes suddenly turned bad for no reason so I projected onto Mister Alex Hamilton and his dad. have a ficlet :)

"Alex?" a voice sounded from behind, and Alex flinched, fumbling to cap his inkwell and almost knocking it over in the process.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see his father standing in the doorway, out of his military attire for the night and watching him with his own distinct flavour of parental disapproval.

"I can explain," he said and ducked his head, sheepish, feeling a bit as though he was a child again and his father had just caught him and Patsy sneaking out on a warm summer night to go catch frogs down by the river.

His father shook his head and raised a hand to his face to rub at his brow, the lines on his forehead and around his eyes made prominent by his obvious exhaustion. Alex bit his lip and cut his gaze away, guilt bubbling up from the depths of his unexplored well of emotions.

"I don't want an explanation, I want you to go and get some sleep, dearheart. Whatever you're doing will still be there in the morning, I promise."

Alex hesitated, his mouth half open, eyes firmly on the ground.

The oil-lamp only provided dim light, and he couldn't even make out the grain of the wood.

A sigh sounded, followed by slow footsteps, and a calloused hand settled gently under his chin, tilted his head up with care.

Alex raised his eyes with reluctance and met his father's gaze; he was tired. Pa was always tired, and every time he had the opportunity to rest, he had to come take care of Alex and his non-existent problems instead-

His father made an odd noise in his throat, almost bordering on distressed, and Alex forced himself to focus back on him, blinked a few times - and was startled when his vision blurred.

"Hey," Pa cooed and slid his hand up to cup his cheek, stroking away a lone tear that had somehow escaped him. "What's wrong, my love?"

Alex just sat for a moment, hands trembling in his lap, the horrible squeezing emptiness he'd thought he had finally left behind spreading in his ribcage and devouring his heart until there was nothing but cold void left.

"I- I don't know, Pa," he choked, helpless to hold his unreasonable tears back.

"Come here, sweet boy," his father mumbled gently, his tone low and soothing and absolutely nothing like the voice General Washington used during the day.

This was just Pa.

Alex let himself be tugged up from his chair and enveloped in his father's strong embrace.

He hid his tears against his shoulder, concentrated on Pa rubbing his heaving back and stroking his fingers through Alex's hair, long come undone, instead of the pulsing sensation of nothing in his chest.

God, he loathed it, this feeling, this helplessness, the fact that he was powerless to predict or stop it - the fact that it even still happened at all.

"Sorry, Papa," he sobbed into his father's nightshirt. "Sorry, I don't mean- I thought I was better now. I thought it was gone."

"Shh, dearheart," he said and pressed a light kiss to his temple. A bit of warmth returned to his chest, sparked a small flame into the consuming darkness. "It's alright. I know. You can't help it."

"I just, I don't understand. Today was fine. It was good, even, but-"

"Alexander," he interrupted softly and pried him away, just far enough he could see Alex's tearstained face. He brushed his tears away for him, and Alex felt like breaking down all over again. "You can't control it. No one can. I have these feelings, too, dearheart."

"You do?" he asked, small and wounded, wanting nothing more than to hear that Pa got into these kinds of moods as well and that there was nothing wrong with Alex after all.

"Of course," he said, pausing to kiss his forehead. "Of course I do. I know it's hard, love, but I want you to remember that you never have to do this alone, alright?"

Alex sniffled and managed a weak nod, leaned into the broad palm that cradled his cheek.

"Don't hide somewhere with your work when it gets bad, just come find me - or John, if you must," he added with a hint of put on distaste. Alex knew he did it just to make him laugh these days, and he chuckled a bit.

"Hm. You're not alone, my heart," he said and tapped his chin to make him meet his eyes once more, and Alex conceded.

The overwhelming and sheer affection in his father's eyes was clearly visible even in the little light, and Alex's throat grew tight again.

"I'll always be there when you need me."

Alex pressed his lips together, a desperate attempt to contain the sob, but he knew it would fail; so, he tackled himself back into his father's arms, prepared to cling to him for however long it would take for his breathing to calm and his tears to dry, reassured in the knowledge that his father wouldn't mind one bit.

"Thank you, Papa," he mumbled into the fabric of his shirt, and Pa laughed, low and fond, and pulled him even closer, pressed a kiss to his hair.

"Of course, dearheart."

[dianapocalypse]

Alright y’all, with the release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, it’s time for me to share my playlist for the entire trilogy.

I’ve refined this over like six years so scientifically speaking it’s probably good right. oh also it’s four hours long. so if you have a road trip or a boring job, this one’s for you. disclaimer, it’s entirely possible I have garbage taste in music. I also missed some characters and moments because there’s 65 songs here and I am merely human.

If you don’t have the patience for four hours, I recommend starting at track 45 and listening to the end, as the Mass Effect 3 portion is the strongest in my opinion.

UNDER THE CUT FOR DESCRIPTIONS WE GO!

FIRST MOVEMENT - MASS EFFECT 1

1. Atlas - Coldplay Eden Prime

“Sometimes the wire Must tense for the note Caught in the fire, say oh We're about to explode“

I really like the atmosphere of this song. It’s ominous, but also somehow hopeful, and makes me feel like Something Huge Is Coming.

2. I Will Not Sing A Hateful Song - Constantines Paragon Shepard

“But I was also born and raised To always speak and listen clear To know the last sound that I make Could be the last sound that I hear“

OK, listen, I think this song is about vampires, and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a metaphor or not. But I think this is a great song about controlling one’s temper, about knowing that you have to Rise Above the parts of you that want to lash out sometimes to get things done and have peace. Seeing as how paragon Shepard, to me, always seems like they’re three deep breaths away from snapping, but manage to keep it in check, it fits them to a T.

And also maybe they’re a vampire.

3. Hard to Kill - Beth Crowley Renegade Shepard

“So I let the rumors Turn me into a legend 'Cause I'm only human But a good myth is hard to kill”

This one’s a recent addition, but holy cow, I love it for Renegade Shep, particularly an Earthborn or Ruthless, but it works for any of them.

4. We Own the Skies - Five Iron Frenzy Joker

“My hands are bleeding where they often crack The stars will sometimes burn with longing Through the choking black Of night shifts piling each against the next”

This really vibes with Joker’s backstory for me, his super driven serious self in flight school, contrasted with who he is when he can fly a ship. He’s the best pilot in the goddamn fleet and I love him.

5. I Just Wanna See - Smash Mouth Kaidan Alenko

“Mister moon checkin' on how y'all livin' The stars all winkin' at the day that's dimmin' I just wanna see”

This song fits into his reactions to first showing up at the Citadel and his former romanticism about living in space. Ironically, it’s a song about Earth, but I feel like it works well for him. Also, Smash Mouth absolutely sounds like the kind of music Kaidan would listen to, no I will not be taking questions or constructive criticism.

6. Don’t Give Up - Noisettes Ashley Williams

“She's got a talented face and a suitcase Ain't got no desire to go no place In her case she's got no desire with her hand in the flame say's she don't feel the fire “

The energy of this song is just perfect for Ashley’s no-nonsense chip on her shoulder attitude.

7. About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All - Dan Mangan The Council

“I was thrown in the boat/Cast out to sea Friendly with waves/There were sharks below Hungry for me/So I dangled my leg”

I mean, the title says it all.

8. The Captain - Guster Anderson

“Courageous, just like the captain Marching forward with no doubt in his head”

I have adored this song ever since my friend played it for me, and it’s the ultimate mentor-protégé jam for me.

9. Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers Garrus Vakarian

“Here's a man who leads a life of danger To everyone he meets he stays a stranger Oh, with every move he makes another chance he takes The odds are he won't live to see tomorrow”

I have to poke a little fun at Garrus and how seriously he takes himself in Mass Effect 1. I romanced him across four playthrus, I’m allowed!

10. I’m Getting Too Old For This Shit - Kill Lincoln Urdnot Wrex

“This random apathy/I swear it's killing me But I guess it's all the same, till the devil knows my name”

I don’t know ANYTHING about this band, but this song fits Wrex’s disillusionment with the Krogan well, plus, like. The title. (And also, that he secretly DOES care what happens to the Krogan.)

11. Bird Song - Juniper Vale Tali’zorah nar Rayya

“I want to dance on the horizon line But there is something I am caged behind I have a heart made for take flight But I'm low, so low”

I adore this song and the sound of Juniper Vale in general. The etherealness of this one, combined with the youthful optimism, feels very Tali. The line about ‘something I am caged behind’ works well for the suits, too. This one’s especially good if you’re a Talimancer!

12. 11. Green Garden - Laura Mvula Liara T’Soni

“And I’ll fly on the wings of a butterfly High as a tree top and down again Putting my bag down, taking my shoes off Walk on the carpet of green velvet”

I really like this song’s vibes and I feel like Liara fits it well, particularly in ME1, before all her youthful optimism is stripped from her. The scenery descriptions feel very Thessia, too.

13. Feed Me (Git It) - Little Shop of Horrors The Thorian 

“The guy sure looks like plant food to me!”

Do you get it. Do you get my joke. It’s because the Thorian is a plant that eats people. (I’m not funny)

14. Blindness - Metric Matriarch Benezia

“I was a blind fool, never complained All the survivors singing in the rain “

I don’t love the use of blind here as a negative, albeit metaphorical, descriptor, but I think this song fits Benezia’s indoctrination and death well. If you have suggestions for another, though, let me know!

15. Technologic - Daft Punk Saren

“Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it”

I just think it’s Neat

16. Watershed - Vienna Teng The Reapers

“ While you were building your empires I was still sleeping”

I think this is the song that inspired the entire playlist. Vienna Teng sat down and decided to write a song from the perspective of a natural disaster, and it’s so ominous and gut-wrenching.

17. Hourglass - The Hush Sound Virmire

“This is how it ends We believe every lie and say we'll be friends How long will it last? Before we scratch all the scripts and we rework the cast “

hahahahah rework the cast get it because you have to pick who DIES

Seriously tho I really like this song for Virmire and that moment of choice that feels like it lasts 100 years on some playthroughts.

18. Pompeii - Bastille The Siege of the Citadel

“ And the walls kept tumbling down In the city that we love”

Throwback to when this song was on the radio like three times an hour. Which is around the time I made the first draft of this playlist, incidentally! It’s such a good Final Battle Jam for the Citadel, and the part about “if you close your eyes/does it almost feel like nothing’s changed at all” I think work really well for Shepard in this sequence. Shepard knew the Reapers were coming, had been fighting them all along; this attack on the Citadel is just retreading familiar territory for them, as horrifying as the war being brought to their doorstep is for the Citadel’s citizens and the council. James Vega has some good dialogue about that kind of thing in ME3.

INTERLUDE THE FIRST

19. Starships - Nicki Minaj The Normandy Crew

Starships were meant to fly Hands up and touch the sky

I like to have a little fun OK

20. Gravity - Yoko Kanno The Death of Commander Shepard

“Am I alone? is somebody there beyond these heavy aching feet still the road keeps on telling me to go on”

Welcome to mood whiplash, it’s my specialty! This is the part where you die. I think it also works for her coma very well, when she’s just drifting between life and death, not sure what’s going on, but something keeps trying to pull her back to the world.

SECOND MOVEMENT - MASS EFFECT 2

21. The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy The Lazarus Project

“Hey young blood, doesn't it feel like our time is running out? I'm gonna change you like a remix Then I'll raise you like a phoenix “

this song has no right to go as hard as it does and if  you think it’s melodramatic shut up

22. My Body Is A Cage - Peter Gabriel Commander Shepard

“I'm living in an age Whose name I don't know Though the fear keeps me moving Still my heart beats so slow “

This works particularly well if you romanced The Virmire Survivor, but this song captures the energy of Shepard freaking out bc they are trapped with Cerberus, because Cerberus rebuilt their body from the ground up. That jarring, caged feeling is so palpable in ME2 that when they gave me back Joker the first time I played, I BURST INTO SOBS from relief.

23. The Lady is a Vamp - The Spice Girls Miranda Lawson

“That's all in the past, legends built to last But she's got something new”

Listen. She’s a bond babe. Handbags, heels and pistols rock. She’s got class. This is a song about Miranda. That is all.

24. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down Jacob Taylor

“ I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon After all I knew, it had to be something to do with you “

This one’s about the Vibes for me. Also can apply to his past relationship with Miranda. I’m also super showing my age on this song, oof haha.

25. Stable Song - Death Cab For Cutie Colony Abduction

“Rows of deserted houses all Our stable mates highway bound “

I really like the mood of this one for showing up on the very first abducted colony, the eerieness and sadness of it all and Shepard’s resolve to do something about it.

26. Konichiwa Bitches - Robyn Kasumi Goto

“I'm so very hot that when I rob your mansion You ain't call the cops, you call the fire station”

THAT COUPLET ALONE MAKES THE ENTIRE SONG. I love how playful and cheeky it is.

27. Seven Nation Army Glitch Mob Remix - The White Stripes, Glitch Mob Zaeed Massani

“And I'm talking to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind Behind a cigarette”

Pretty sure we all had this on some playlist or another when it came out, and it’s the perfect Badass With A Grudge song.

28. Science is Real - They Might Be Giants Mordin Solus

“ And when a theory emerges Consistent with the facts The proof is with science The truth is with science “

This one actually got added by my wife to replace a song that wasn’t on Spotify, but that has the same energy; Hank Green’s “I Fucking Love Science”. I get more into the emotional side of Mordin in the ME3 section, but I also really just love his Hamster On Coffee energy and this song captures it really well.

29. Prove Yourself - Radiohead Garrus Vakarian

“I can't afford to breathe in this town Nowhere to sit without a gun in my hand Hooked back up to the cathode ray

I'm better off dead “

The absolute rock bottom mental state Garrus is in when you get back to him in ME2 is so heartwrenching. Might not always agree with my boy’s methods, but he’s one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

30. Rat a Tat - Fallout Boy Feat. Courtney Love Jack

“We are professional ashes of roses, this kerosene's live You settled your score, this is where you come to beg”

It helps that Courtney Love sounds exactly like Jack to me, NGL.

31. Defeat You - Smash Mouth Grunt

“Hey I know what you've done It makes it that much better to defeat you “

Only I am brave enough to put two songs by Smash Mouth on the same playlist, to be shared in 2021

32. The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot - Brand New Horizon/The Virmire Survivor

“If it makes you less sad I will die by your hand Hope you find out what you want Already know what I am “

Hits harder if you romanced the Virmire Survivor. Mostly from Shep’s perspective. This is a Shep that feels Bad after that encounter rather than Mad, so Your Mileage May Vary.

33. Violet Stars Happy Hunting! - Janelle Monae Tali’zorah vas Neema

“I'm an alien from outer space I'm a cyber-girl without a face a heart or a mind”

I just like the vibes of this one for Tali! I know it’s more about an actual AI but...IDK. I like it. So there.

34. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd Thane Krios

“There is no pain you are receding A distant ship smoke on the horizon”

This song works both on a Literal level with his Kepral’s syndrome struggles, but also Metaphorical re: his Battle Sleep. Plus, Thane is a dad, so he gets Dad Rock.

35. My Medea - Vienna Teng Samara

“For I have made her prison be Her every step away from me And this child I would destroy If you tried to set her free “

Mom of the year award, here

36. Toxic - Britney Spears Morinth

“There's no escape, I can't wait I need a hit, baby, give me it You're dangerous, I'm loving it”

If Morinth weren’t so under-utilized after recruitment and didn’t get killed off in the background of ME3 I’d probably actually recruit her sometimes. I almost did on my most recent playthru bc that Shepard just HATES SPACE COPS. Anyway the song explains itself

37. Turn me On - David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj EDI/The Collector Attack

“My body needs a hero Come and save me Something tells me you know how to save me”

I know this song is a metaphor but also it works really well both literally and metaphorically for Joker saving EDI

38. Robots - Dan Mangan Legion

“Robots need love too They want to be loved by you “

The Geth just want to live peacefullyyyyyy 

39. Be Still - The Killers Love Interest Theme

“Be still / someday you’ll leave fearlessness on your sleeve”

This song works so well for the night before Omega-4. If you had an ME2 love interest, anyway. Also “fearlessness on your sleeve” is one of my favorite set of words ever written.

40. No Cars Go - Arcade Fire The Omega-4 Relay

“We know a place no spaceships go We know a place where no subs go “

This one’s pretty literal.

41. Rocketman - Elton John Suicide Mission

“ And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home “

I like sneaking some Classics onto my playlists, and I think this is how I generally approach Shepard’s mindset during the Suicide Mission, mostly the chorus. I’m also a sucker for ballads during action sequences. This one isn’t a perfect 1:1 but the Vibes check out.

42. Blast Off - David Guetta feat. Kaz James The Normandy Crew

“Got all my people with me And none of us give a fuck So put dem hands up higher Let's smash this party up”

You have to imagine they partied HARD after recovering from Suicide Mission, but before Shep got arrested, right??? This is the Starships for ME2.

INTERLUDE THE SECOND

43. I’m Not Your Hero - Tegan and Sara Liara T’soni

“ Feeling like I am now lighting up the hall I was used to standing in the shadow of a damaged heart Learning all I know now, losing all I did I never used to feel like I'd be standing so far ahead “

This feels like a good coming of age moment for Liara, as she copes with the choices she made in the 2 years of Shepard’s death (giving them to Cerberus), losing Feron, etc. This is her coming into her own as the Shadow Broker. She’s not meant to be an uncomplicated Big Damn Hero, but she can do good from this position.

44. The Well and the Lighthouse - Arcade Fire The Alpha Relay Incident

“I'm serving time All for a crime I did commit You want the truth? You know I'd do it all again“

These opening lines I feel capture the Alpha Relay Incident really well, and how Shepard did what they HAD to do there, and would do it again, but it still feels like shit. I always wished there was more choice on that mission, but also, having something like that happen without player agency is interesting. Shepard is at their most interesting, I think, in times where we DON’T have a say in what happens to them.

45. Reignite - Malukah Commander Shepard

“Crush my heart into embers, and I will reignite”

Is it cheating to use a Mass Effect fan song on my playlist? I certainly don’t think so, and this is the best Mass Effect fan song ever written.

THIRD MOVEMENT - MASS EFFECT 3

46. This Is War - Thirty Seconds to Mars Leaving Earth

“It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie The moment to live and the moment to die The moment to fight, the moment to fight To fight, to fight, to fight “

It feels Too Easy to use this here but I’m gonna anyway. You’ve seen AMVs of this set to everything. It’s the ending song of DA:O. It’s the quintessential World At War song.

47. Battleborn - The Killers James Vega

“Up against the wall There's something dying on the street When they knock you down You're gonna get back on your feet”

James Vega is massively underrated and I will love him til I’m cold in the ground. Aro icon.

48. Handlebars - Flobots The Illusive Man

“I can hand out a million vaccinations Or let 'em all die of exasperation Have 'em all healed of their lacerations Have 'em all killed by assassination”

The way this song escalates fits TIM and Cerberus’s fall back into being Just Full On Evil really well. Perfect song for a power trip.

49. Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect - The Decemberists The Virmire Survivor

“And I am nothing of a builder But here I dreamt I was an architect And I built this balustrade To keep you home, to keep you safe From the outside world”

I like this song for how the Virmire Survivor feels about their survivor’s guilt and also about Shepard. I honestly wish they were both more heavily utilized in ME2 and 3, but I realize it’s hard to write a ton of content for characters who just aren’t in half of all peoples’ playthrus.

50. Heaven Knows - The Pretty Reckless Grisson Academy

“One, two, three and four, the devil's knocking at your door Caught in the eye of a dead man's lie Show your life with your head held high“

This song is so perfect for Jack and her biotic kids that she’s one of the only returning characters that gets her own song on this playlist

51. The Great Fire - OK Go Javik

“But when the flames die down, and everything is gone, Will there be fire under the ashes still?”

Self explanatory. Javik is the fire remaining under the ashes.

52. Bring the Hammer Down - Paragon Priority: Tuchanka/Kalros

“ Hammer strikes the anvil A rage that breaks the chain Strikes down like a lightening In our ranks “

KALROOOOOS

53. Wake Up - Arcade Fire Curing The Genophage/Mordin Solus

“If the children don't grow up, Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up. We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turnin' every good thing to Rust I guess we'll just have to adjust”

I just really love this song as an image of Mordin’s spirit looking out over Tuchanka as the genophage cure is dispersed, and watching over future generations. If you didn’t cure the genophage, how dare you. No song for you.

Anyway started tearing up listening to this one while writing the description don’t look at me

54. Ballad of a Politician - Regina Spektor Councillor Udina/Priority Citadel 2

“A man inside a room is shaking hands with other men This is how it happens/Our carefully laid plans”

traitor

55. Cyborgs vs. Robots - Ludo The Geth-Quarian War

“But your iron fist will never knock me down 'Cause I'm powered By a conscious right to conduct my life without fear.”

This is probably a bit silly for this awful war. But also. It does fit. You can’t tell me it doesn’t. Just save them both at the end and you can feel fine having some fun with it!

56. Artificial Heart - Jonathan Coulton The Geth

“It's not a real heart It is a real artificial heart”

Just a little fun with the Geth! This works best with Reaper Upgrades.

57. With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Anderson, Jim Sturgess The Citadel DLC

“What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends”

I happen to prefer this version to any other because of how much fun it sounds like they’re having

58. Dark In Here - The Mountain Goats Priority: Earth

“Steal away at sundown, pick a place to hide Check for signs of ambush, hunker down inside Tired of running, tired of never standing still Hear them riding up the hill“

You know I had to get the Goats in here. Would it be a fan playlist if there wasn’t one?

59. Adieu - Yoko Kanno Leaving your Love Interest/Shepard and the Beam

“My love for you burns deep inside me / So strong Embers of times we had And now, here I stand / Lost in a memory I see your face, and smile”

...do I need to say more than that?

60. My Way (Minor Key) - Chase Holfelder The Indoctrination of The Illusive Man

“Regrets, I've had a few/But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do/I saw it through, without exemption“

This cover takes this song from something I tolerate when I hear it to one of my FAVORITE songs. The frenzied way he sings the “through it all” verse is PEAK Indoctrinated TIM.

61. I’m Alive - Disturbed Refusal 

“There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice To change myself, I'd rather die/Though they will not understand”

Honestly I didn’t “get” the Refusal ending until I heard this song, then I was like, OH, I SEE IT ALL SO CLEARLY NOW. This is my favorite in-universe Shepard take on the Refusal ending. I always got it from the player’s perspective of being dissatisfied with the options, but this one puts it into the world for me. This is a Shepard who does not trust the Starchild. This is a Shepard that chooses to end things on their own terms rather than submit to their designs.

62. Machine - Regina Spektor Control 

“I collect my moments Into a correspondence With a mightier power Who just lacks my perspective And who lacks my organics And who covets my defects “

I used to have Adieu here, actually, because like Refusal, I didn’t used to GET the Control ending. Now, I do, in part thanks to hearing this song. I mean, just go look at the full lyrics. If this song hadn’t been written years before the end of Mass Effect 3, I’d swear it was a fan song for it.

63. Maybe Tomorrow - Yuki Kajiura Destroy 

“The moon is gone And the night is still so dark I'm a little bit afraid of tomorrow“

I’m a Destroy Ending person, I won’t lie. Full on “the starchild is a liar and my synthetic friends are FINE” indoctrination theory level destroy ending. But this song is not about that. It’s about the canonical destroy ending, and if you prefer a Shep that survives it, this song’s for you.

This song captures the exhaustion and melancholy of the end of a long journey so well. Shepard is afraid of what comes next, the collateral damage resulting from their actions. But they know that, at least, it’s over now. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

64. Waiting For the End - Linkin Park Synthesis

“ I know what it takes to move on I know how it feels to lie All I wanna do is trade this life for something new Holding on to what I haven't got”

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. The hardest part of ending is starting again. Oof. Gets me every single time. Shepard finding the resolve to sacrifice themself for the hope of something better, of things not going how they planned, ever, of learning to make peace with that and the people who loved them learning to carry on without them? OOF.

65. Shine - Vienna Teng Epilogue

“Shine with all the untold Hold the light given unto you Find the love to unfold In this broken world we choose“

Vienna Teng is a master of capturing life’s softer emotions, and this fits perfectly with the epilogue scene for me. Tell me again about the Shepard.

“Find the love to unfold in this broken world we choose” has to be one of the greatest lines about the human experience ever written.

[starrlikesbooks]

Let’s talk about upcoming books!

It’s hard to believe the year is nearly over, but it’s equally hard to believe that it’s somehow still 2020  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Either way, the new year means at least one good thing- cool new books!

Click the read more for a little on each and why I’m excited! And have a great new year! 💓🎉

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey is Gailey’s third full-length novel, and their second Adult novel. It’s an SFF story about a woman whose husband is cheating on her… with a clone of herself… which he made by stealing her research. The layers of betrayal! Obviously her and the clone have to kill him, what other choice do they have? I’m super excited for another one of Gailey’s fun, complex characters and the concept alone sounds so, so cool.

The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney I’ve already had the pleasure over reading and I am PUMPED to get other people to read it! This is a magical realism story about grief and baggage mixed with a southern (western?) gothic vibe with the town in the desert full of otherwordly “neighbors”. This is a beautiful story of PTSD and healing and as well as a lushly magic one.

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore is another one I’ve already been lucky enough to get an advanced copy of. This is a magical realism story about the trauma of two characters’ unfortunately closely connected sexual assault. This one is heavy, and if you’re sensitive to stories involving rape and/or blackmail you may want to avoid it, but it’s well written and honestly an excellent story of healing and reflection.

Lycanthropy & Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal I…. have also already read! Sorry- I am just a very lucky reader of books! This is a really modern online friendship based story of a girl and her community of people with chronic illnesses, like the one that forced her to come back home from college. But it turns out her best friend’s chronic illness is a little… weird. I love the humor in this book, I love the characters, I love the representation of these illnesses and the online communities they form, and I honestly think that anyone who 1) like werewolves and 2) is still on tumblr will love this book.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller combines three of my favorite things- bladesmiths, magical quests, and the author of The Shadows Between Us. A magical bladesmith takes a commission from someone far more dangerous than she knows, and winds up with an uber powerful sword able to steal secrets, on the run, and with some surprising friends. I can’t think of anything I don’t like from that, and I know I already love Levenseller’s characters, so!

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater has… that title, but is also the sequel to Call Down the Hawk, Stiefvater’s Ronan Lynch centric TRC spin off. CDTH was incredible and ended with a massive cliff hanger, so I’m chompin at the bit for this book. More magical dreams! More disembodied voices! More murder and art theft and Declan Lynch failing at pretending not to be weird af!

May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor has the potential to make me cry right from the get go. This is a MLM trans lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story and my God I’m vibrating. Basically it’s a battle for prom king between exes who had a messy break up because one of them ended their relationship in order to come out & transition. The cover is so cute and I’m ready for this to be fluffy and fun.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is McQuistion’s sophomore novel after Red, White & Royal Blue, so… obviously? This one is sapphic and involves falling for someone who is literally in the past. I trust McQuiston so much I’d need this book immediately even if the concept didn’t sound amazing, but I’m feeling blessed that it does!

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas is about being best friends with (and crushing on) a ghost while also coming out to yourself as trans. As an enby who likes ghost books- may I just say trans rights? This book also involved parental abuse, so beware if you find that distressing or triggering!

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury not only has a stunning cover and a main character who looks like she means serious business, but it’s a dark urabn fantasy about witches. The main character fails her ritual to come into her magic, she’s forced to kill her true love or strip her whole blood line. Ah, I love difficult choices, gray morality, and magic, so I’m already in love with this.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson I’m astounded and super excited to know is going to exist at all. I loved the Truly, Devious trilogy, and while this isn’t exactly a part of that it is the same main character and it is still a mystery about an unsolved murder! Plus, I love summer camps, so a summer camp murder mystery makes me happy.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta is a sappic enemies-to-lovers about two girls on opposite sides of a war fought by giant Windups. This is a cyberpunk book of spies and pilots and gay love, and it’s also the first in a series!

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell is the third and (most likely) final book of the Simon Snow series and it’s gonna be GOOD. My only wish is for it to be about 500 pages longer because I want a full out door stopper of tying up loose ends.

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters is the second book by the Ghost Wood Song author- which was on my most anticipated list for 2020 last year! That one was creepy and folky and queer, and this one looks to be the same. This one has a sister disappear and some strong magic to find out what happened to her, and if their mother was the one who did it.

Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers is a dark fantasy about a girl who comes into her powers but has some different ideas about how she should be using them. I love morally gray or just plain dark main characters, so I’m ready to jump right on this one. This one also involves memory loss/blacking out and being framed, which always adds a cool mysterious layer!

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn involves queer, selfish thieves forced to band together. I have a soft spot for characters who are really flawed and don’t want to work together (especially if it leads into found family!) and this also has a slow burn sapphic relationship and a lot of possible betrayal in it, so I’ll probably go crazy from reading it.

Beyond the Ruby Veil #2 by Mara Fitzgerald doesn’t have a title yet but it does have a great plot to work off of. I loved the first book- which was creepy, had a completely awful, villainous main character, and full (I mean full) of murder- and it ended in a way that point to the sequel being just as good if not better. The first one had the quality of just watching the world burn, and I have a feeling this one’s going to be the same thing with maybe more flames. If you plan on picking up either of them, consider checking out the CWs, though!

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen got added to this immediately because Owen definitely gained my love and trust via The Merciful Crow duology, and I’m certain it’s going to be incredible solely because she’s a wonderful writer and her characters are a lot of fun- and speaking of characters, she’s already shared some drawings and info on them and they’re GREAT I cannot wait to meet them. This is a retelling of The Goose Girl story, from the maid’s POV!

Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan was originally on my 2020 most anticipated but then 2020 happened so… yeah. But it is actually coming out in 2021, as long as the world doesn’t end again (fingers crossed). Inspired by East Asian mythology, this one is about a dangerous cult, a peasant cursed to steal souls, and an exiled prince!

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta is going to be one of those cute, fluffy, feel good reads, which I think we probably all need about now. I love Capetta’s work and their very queer characters, and I love the idea of a magical baker both breaking up and then getting couples back together. Also, the MC is agender- we love to see it.

The Second Coming by André-Naquian Wheeler follows a teen with a traumatic past falling for a boy who might be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Honestly, I’m a little nervous about this one- but also I almost wrote my own queer second coming story, so who am I to talk? I don’t know much more about this book, but I’m excited to see what it turns out like!

[trivialoveclub]

💜 Ult Group Tag 💜

hey! 😚 i was tagged by 🌱 @jooniephoria 🌱 (tysm lovely! 💞) to do this cute questionnaire tag about your ult group! so let's begin! ☺💕

ult group : bts

🌱 who was your first bias? 🌱

my first bias was namjoon! the rapline were the first ones i could recognize when i was first getting to know them and joon just rlly stood out to me from the beginning 🤧👉🏼👈🏼💕

🌱 who is your bias now? 🌱

it's still mister kim namjoon 🥰💍 maybe....love at first sight actually does exist 🤧👉🏼👈🏼💌

🌱 what was the first mv you watched by them? 🌱

not today! i honestly can't remember how i came across it but bro...i was shook. it became my work out anthem that summer and i would watch the mv for motivation sjkajsjd 🤪🙌🏼

🌱 what's your favorite mv? 🌱

run 💕 it's that coming of age concept that im a hoe for 😩 when they're taking their group photos in the booth, when they scream in the tunnel w the cars and start running, AND THE SCENE WHERE THEY'RE RUNNING IN A FIELD WHICH IS LITERALLY MY DREAM I EVEN HAVE AN ENTIRE PLAYLIST REVOLVING AROUND THAT SCENARIO LIKE 😭😭 run mv...she remains untouchable, thank u for coming to my ted talk 😤💋

🌱 if you could listen to one of their songs for the rest of your life, which would it be? 🌱

ahh it's gotta be miss spring day for me 🥺💗 just hearing the first two seconds of the instrumentals already gets me sobbing bro 😩 i love spring day w my entire heart and she'll remain in my corazón always 🥲 we gonna be 🔊 YOU KNOW IT ALL 🔊 YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND 🔊 forever 🤧💜

🌱 who would you want to see them collab with? 🌱

okay. ever since i first thought about this it's lived in my head rent free ever since but can u iMaGiNe...bts x beyoncé 😩 LIVE STAGE WITH A DANCEBREAK sis...the power?? the energy?? i want it. i need it. also! 👀 chloe x halle x bts 😳 bc they both out there doing god tier live preformances so combine that power...sis...😩 ALSO? bts x txt? bighit 👏🏼 what are u 👏🏼 waiting for sweetie 👏🏼

🌱 what mv concept do you want to see them do? 🌱

coming of age 👉🏼👈🏼💕 im a slut for that concept u already knowww 😩 so like a mix of run and spring day vibes 🥰💞 i would also! v much like to see! bs&t energy again 👀👉🏼👈🏼 especially w the fits...let them tiddies breathe 💋 ALSO? perhaps..like a...triple h retro future concept? 👀 i just rlly miss triple h and not a day goes by that i don't think of them and imagine what could have been 😔😔

🌱 have you ever had a dream with any of the members? 🌱

hmm...i actually...can't remember 🤡 my memory is so bad 😭 but i honestly don't think i've had a dream w any idol showing up 👁

🌱 if you could spend the day with one member, who would it be and what would you do? 🌱

namjoon 🥺💖 okay soooo we would ride our bikes together along the han river and eat those fish breads he told us about!! the "ain't no fish inside" ones sjkajdjs we would eat those while sitting near the river. we'll share ear buds and listen to music together 🥰 then we'd go to art museums and take pictures 💕 then we'd take a stroll through a park 🌱 finally, when it's night time and the moon is out, we'll look at the stars and talk about the universe and our worries 🤧🌙✨ oh and somewhere along the day we'll read together! 💖 ooo when we're in the park we'll have a little picnic and read our books 🥰 if you can't tell i literally daydream about this everyday 🤡💕

🌱 which member do you think you'd get along with the best? 🌱

i honestly think namjoon 🥲 i feel like we have similar energy 💗and i always get him in like those which bts member would u vibe w quizzes ☺💌

🌱 which member do you think you'd argue with? 🌱

hmmm 👁 i rlly don't know? sjaksj i truly have no idea 😳

🌱 if you had to let one member scroll through your tumblr, who would it be? 🌱

hmmm i feel like my fellow fashion enthusiast artsy capricorn mister taehyung would like my blog 🥰 omg 🥺 the way he would rlly love my strawberry tag too 🤧🍓

The End! 💕

ahhh this was so cute and sm fun to do!! ☺💗💞 if u made it to the end...ily mwah! 💋💐

tagging these lovelies 🌱: @alevchaan @catboyjm @unefleurofferte @ahearthrob @moonlattae @stardustyoongi @violetmoonlits @ardores @glossierjoon and anyone else who would like to do this! pls consider yourself tagged! 😚💖

[truitt-story]

late summer: a district 5 playlist

songs about rolling landscapes, community, disconnection, fear, guilt, grief, and how, sometimes, those things can bring people together.

(descriptions under the cut, TW for typical THG stuff-- murder, violence, etc and I also do have some references to politics in a very vague sense)

1. Victory by the Avett Brothers

In the broom grass, I would l lie Glimmer in my eye, the sun smiled back on me From victory, I tried To match eternal light with how I live my life Of course, I was forced to retreat From victory, I accept defeat

This song felt like a good place to start. It’s atmospheric to me, describing the kind of pastoral vibe I associate with District Five, but it has a very heavy and sad undertone, which is also what I was going for. I also think that the “victory” thread of it weaves in very well with the Hunger Games plotline. I can imagine this song being from the perspective of a past Victor, someone who had to do a lot of bad things to survive, and now they’re trying to figure out how to go about their life. 

2. Omaha by Counting Crows

In the middle of the night There's an old man shreddin' around in the gatherin' rain Hey mister, if you're gonna walk on water Oh, could you drop a line my way?

Omaha, somewhere in middle America If you're right to the heart of matters It's the heart that matters more I think you better turn your ticket in And get your money back at the door

This song also has the country kind of vibe I was looking for, and to me it sounds like a folk tale. There are descriptions that sound like a farm, and there are also magical sorts of descriptions that don’t really make sense. It sounds like something you pass down. And there is a kind of hopelessness to it that fits the harsh realities of living in District Five. 

3. Echo by Mandolin Orange

Well I try to close my eyes Clear my mind Just listen to the wildflowers grow Such whispers on the breeze It don't come easy now Over all this noise Spent my youth among the pine They used to sing a tune so fine And the wind moved like an echo Carryin' their voices

I’ve been listening to a lot of Mandolin Orange live concerts while I do work (idk why this is my new thing but it is) and they always talk about how this song is actually kind of post-apocalyptic-- inspired by the idea that one day the National Parks will be gone, and we’ll just have monuments remembering them. This song is very nostalgic and wishes for days when the wild was wild. I think it kind of gets at the idea that District Five used to be a beautiful place, before it got turned into a place of endless production and exploitation. 

4. River by Leon Bridges

Tip me in your smooth waters I go in As a man with many crimes Come up for air As my sins flow down the Jordan

Oh, I wanna come near and give ya Every part of me But there is blood on my hands And my lips aren't clean

Another song that’s kind of more about the victor vibe. Dealing with guilt and regret that comes with the tough decisions you have to make-- both in the Games, and also just when you’re living a really tough life. Feeling like you’re unworthy of the love around you, because I think while hardship can bring people together, it can also feel really isolating.

5. Golden Embers by Mandolin Orange

Just like an old friend, kinder than expected That Cadillac came and gave our girl a ride Loss has no end, it binds to our connection We don't speak of it, we don't even try

If you could help me to share the trouble That you've got burning in you, then you can help me And in our time together, her memory will ever Shine like golden embers in the night

I really try not to have multiple songs by the same artist on my playlists especially when they’re this short, but see earlier note about how I keep listening to this band during work lol-- they have the vibes. Anyway this song is about grief and getting through it with other people, and even though I just said that hardship can be isolating, I think there is also a deep understanding of grief and what it does to people in District Five. Everyone has been there in one way or another. And I think they help each other through it. Tiana is going through it now, and when people come into her pub dealing with grief-- whether it’s a death or seeing someone they love get Reaped-- she’s there to listen and “share the trouble.”

6. Dorothea by Taylor Swift

It's never too late To come back to my side The stars in your eyes Shined brighter in Tupelo And if you're ever tired of being known For who you know You know, you'll always know me Dorothea (ah-ah)

I thought I’d put a lighter one on here, too. This song is very sweet and just gives me country vibes (one of the few songs I still go back to on Evermore but okay I won’t start tswift discourse on main lol). I can imagine it from the point of view of someone who was friends with someone who ended up winning the Games, hoping they’ll come back and still have a relationship. And I think it can have kind of a darker undertone, too, like maybe this person did come home but you don’t really recognize them anymore. 

7. Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel

Tonight I'll sing my songs again I'll play the game and pretend But all my words come back to me In shades of mediocrity Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me

Homeward bound I wish I was Homeward bound Home where my thought's escapin' Home where my music's playin' Home where my love lies waitin' Silently for me Silently for me

So this song is just about being on tour lol, but I think it can work for a tribute who is homesick. Aside from, like, the imminent death that awaits, it’s hard to imagine growing up in one place all your life and then suddenly being ripped from it, stuck in the spotlight, and expected to perform. And I do think that even though District Five is a tough place, it’s home for a lot of people, and they do have communities there that they miss when they leave.

8. The Stranger at My Door by Brandi Carlile

We exorcise the demons of the things we used to know The gnashing of the teeth become the remnants of our homes We think we're moving on from materials we long To forget we ever sold our souls to own

There's a chilling absolution that we're given from our birth A powerful delusion and a plague upon the earth But nothing scares me more Than the stranger at my door Who I fail to give shelter, time, and worth

This song is INTENSE. And I think it can be interpreted a lot of different ways, but I think it ties into some of the themes I was talking about with in terms of community and connection and isolation. I think a powerful tool oppressive regimes use is division and encouraging people only to look out for themselves. And this song, to me, is about grappling with your own demons while trying to decide how much you can give to other people, and whether it’s worth it.

9. Older Chests by Damien Rice

Papa went to other lands And he found someone who understands The ticking, and the western man's need to cry He came back the other day, you know Some things in life may change And some things They stay the same

Okay, back to a mellower vibe. This song to me is about watching your community grow up around you, and the repeating chorus is “Some things in life may change/and some things, they stay the same.” It has this storytelling vibe that I’m going for and it’s very somber and reflective. 

10. This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie 

When the sun come shining, then I was strolling And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting This land was made for you and me

I thought I should try to include an actual protest folk song from the golden era of protest folk songs! This song means a lot of things and has been interpreted a lot of ways over the years by people who have studied this a lot more than me, but I think it can be a very interesting reflection on land and ownership and like capitalism and stuff. And the descriptions of the country fit with the vibe I’m going for on this playlist, all the beautiful scenery description.

11. Murder in the City by Brandi Carlile

If I get murdered in the city Don't go revenging in my name One person dead from such is plenty No need to go get locked away

When I leave your arms The things that I think of No need to get over alarmed I'm coming home

Okay yup more Brandi Carlile. And from the same album too. SORRY. I thought this was the perfect song to end on. It’s literally called Murder in the City. And to me it’s about a tribute going to the Capitol and being worried about the rebellion. Not wanting a family member to get killed while they’re gone trying to avenge them. And promising them that they’re coming home-- although I think in the Hunger Games universe that’s a more intense statement than Brandi is making, since it involves murder and stuff. But yeah! Thought it was a good place to end on. Hope you all enjoyed this journey

[carriagelamp]

~ Queer Lit 30 Day Book Challenge ~

I decided to do this challenge I came across for June! Originally it was designed as a “day-by-day” thing, but my June was way too hectic to do a write up every single day… so I decided to make a nice compilation for the end of the month instead!

This is perhaps not the “purest” form of the challenge but I wanted it to be personal for me. Growing up when I did and where I did, I had very little exposure to queer books, especially age-appropriate queer books. That being said, there’s some books on this list that are really only “queer” by technically, or through a secondary character rather than the main character. I debated whether to include these but finally decided that, yes, I would. I owe it to myself. Even though some of these books that aren’t “as queer” as other, they were (or are) really important to me as a queer person and my journey is understanding that, so I wanted to acknowledge them!

More info about the books and the challenge under the cut!

Day One: First Queer Book You Remember Reading

Color by Taishi Zaou and Eiki Eiki

Remember how I mentioned a lack of available, age-appropriate queer books? I was one of those kids who was definitely exposed (probably too young) to queer manga/yaoi. It wasn’t necessarily what I wanted, especially as a wee ace teen, but it was the best I had at the time and it meant the world to me at the time, to see same-sex relationships even if looking back on them is very “YIKES”.

I’m sure I read others before this, but Color is one of the first that I really remember and which I a) actually owned and which b) wasn’t completely repellent in hindsight! I haven’t reread it in probably over a decade so I have no idea how it stands up, but at the time it read like a much more “realistic” account of two teenagers developing a crush and starting a relationship and as a questioning teenager it really helped me realize that this was a real, viable option.

Day Two: Queer Book That Reminds You Of Home

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

I hummed and hawed about this one for a long time because honestly I tend to read books that make me feel far from home. I decided to go with The Witch Boy though because it’s a story that challenges gender norms and stars a large family out in the woods, running wild and exploring magic, and honestly it gives me vibes that remind me of vacationing with my extended family. We’re also partially ginger and inclined to run wild in the woods. If we knew magic we’d have used it for sure.

This book is about 13 year old Aster, who lives in a family where the women all become witches and the men all become shifters. Aster, however, has no interest in shapeshifting and instead finds ways to study magic and learn the arts of witchcraft while constantly being pushed out by his female relatives… though everything might change when a new danger, that may or may not be connected to Aster studying magic, begins to appear.

Day Three: Queer Book That Has Been On Your TBR Too Long

Beneath The Citadel by Destiny Soria

That was an easy choice, this has been sitting on my bookshelf for months, staring at me accusingly every time I enter my room. I’m really excited to read it (Magical heist? Rebellion? With an asexual protagonist? Yes please) but for some reason I have not gotten around to it. Some day, baby, some day.

Day Four: Queer Book With A Name Or Number In The Title

George by Alex Gino

George is an absolutely charming middle grade novel about a child named George who the world perceives as male… but who knows she’s definitely a girl. The novel begins when her class decided to put on a play about the novel they had just read: Charlotte’s Web. George is desperate to play Charlotte, her favourite character, but isn’t even allowed to try out because it’s a “girl’s role”. George and her best friend struggle with how to handle this problem and manage George’s secret amid elementary school and home drama.

This book is really adorable – it was a nice, easy, cozy read for an adult, and would also make a great read aloud to elementary-age children if you want to introduce them to transgender characters.

Day Five: Queer Book Where The Protag Has A Fun Job

The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

Not actually a queer protagnoist, but a queer side character who plays a major role in the series. Mister Vernon, one of Leila’s fathers, has arguable the coolest job: he’s a retired stage magician turn magic shop owner, which is complete with large rabbit, hidden room, and tons of fascinating gadgets to help a young practical magician learn their trade. He is hands down one of the neatest character in the series and is a major catalyst throughout the series.

The first book follows Carter, a runaway orphan who practices street magic to get by, as he runs away from his horrible uncle and winds up meeting a gang of magic-loving friends in a small town. Hiding from his uncle is only the beginning though, and the mysteries surrounding the town and Mister Vernon become thicker and thicker as the series goes on.

Day Six: Favourite Queer Graphic Novel

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

There’s lots of fantastic queer graphic novels out there, but I have to name Check, Please! as my favourite (and not just because I’m Canadian and am legally obligated to at least show interest in a hockey story). Check, Please! is the friggin cutest story about Eric “Bitty” Bittle, former figure skater and avid baker, who joins the Samwell University hockey team. The story is told in the form of Bitty’s vlog as he recounts the bizarre quirks of the Samwell hockey team, his struggle to overcome his fear of checking, and his growing crush on the team captain, Jack. Seriously guys, this is cavity-inducing sweetness and you can read it all online for free, here on tumblr @omgcheckplease or at its own website, checkpleasecomic.

Day Seven: Queer Book You Often Reread

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Another book I haven’t reread in years, but this was the first queer novel I ever read (and owned!) so I read it obsessively, first the copy from the high school library and then my own copy (which is, let us say, well-thumbed by this point). It was pure fluff, in an aggressively diverse, relentlessly accepting, rainbow-coloured high school and it was exactly what I wanted in high school, and it still makes me happy whenever I remember it. It’s a straight-up high school romance, pretty traditional to the genre, but it has the most delightful supporting cast you could ever ask for. Maybe I should reread it again this summer…

Day Eight: Queer Book With A Happy Ending

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

This was a bit more of a “yeah it was fine” book for me, but honestly… queer people deserve some average, run-of-the-mill YA fantasies. As far as my normal reading preferences go, run-of-the-mill YA fantasies are my bread and butter. And this one has a cute sapphic romance to go with it. It’s about Denna, a princess with a dangerous secret: she has a magical Affinity for fire, despite being betrothed to the prince of a kingdom that aggressively prosecutes and fears magic-users. So now Denna is in a strange land, trying to hide her increasingly volatile magic, solve an assassination that rocked the kingdom, and deal with the growing connection between her and the prince’s wild sister, Mare. It has court intrigue, a murder mystery, horses, and lots of confused sapphic pining so it’s totally worth picking up if you want a light summer fantasy adventure.

Day Nine: Queer Book With (Over) 100 Pages

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

I decided to try to get as close to 100 pages as possible! River of Teeth is a 114-page novella that I haven’t quite finished (work and covid stress happened) but which I am fucking losing my mind for. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s peak alternative history, about queer hippopotamus-riding cowboys in Louisiana during the early 20th (late 19th?) century. Like… I don’t know how to emphasize how unbelievably cool this book is. Genderqueer demolition expert with a giant crush and a penance for making things blow up and attempting to poison guests when they’re bored?? Check. Gay gunslinging hippo-riding cowboy with an angsty backstory (and also a giant crush)? Check. Sexy, fat, badass lady con artist with an albino hippo that she spoils? Check. Like damn guys. I’m not done the book and I’ve already bought the sequel because I know the second I pick it back up I’m not gonna stop until I’ve ploughed through it all. This book is the epitome of “refuge in audacity” and “rule of cool”. Is it over the fucking top? Absolutely but that’s the point.

Day Ten: Favourite Queer Genre Novel

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

I’ll be honest, I’m a little shaky on what counts as a genre novel (isn’t… everything… a genre??) so I decided to interpret it as “slightly trashy YA supernatural fantasy” because that sure is a hella specific genre I’m weak for.

I really thought I was done with the Shadowhunter novels, I thought they were a goofy series I left behind in teenagerhood that I could look back on with amused indulgence. And then I found out that there was a novel specifically about Alec and Magnus and! Oh no! Ding dong I was wrong. I fell back in hard because listen… I love them. They were one of the first canonical same-sex relationships I ever read about in an actual novel, they meant a lot to me then and still mean a lot to me now. I have nothing to say to defend myself here except that this book wrecked me and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Day Eleven: Queer Book You Love In A Genre You Don’t Read

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connel

I am very rarely a slice-of-life / romance genre sort of person. I like my stories cut with a heavy dose of fantasy, scifi, action-adventure… something. So a graphic novel that’s not only a romance, but one about an unhealthy relationship and infidelity is like… super outside my usual range of reading material. But it was very much worth the read! The art was stunning, and the complicated emotions it tapped into really touched me. I’m very happy to have read it, and was so damn satisfied by the end.

Day Twelve: Queer Book With A Strong Sense Of Place

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller

Linsey Miller is one author I very actively follow, I love her works and they always have very distinct, complicated worlds with unique societies and magic systems. Belle Révolte was her latest book and followed a prince-and-the-pauper type of story, in which wealthy Emilie des Marais is determined to learn noonday (magical) arts in order to become a physician, someone who can actually work to make her home a better place… but this is not something a proper lady would ever be allowed to do. So she flees her finishing school and meets poor, but magically gifted, Annette Boucher and offers her the chance to switch places. Annette goes back to school as “Emilie” and gets to hone her skills at the midnight arts while Emilie will use her name to sneak into medical school and fight her way up the ranks to physician. This is a challenging enough task, with rebellion roiling just beneath the surface and the country about to slip into a arrogant war that threatens the lives of hundreds…

Day Thirteen: Queer Book That Really Made You Think

Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

This is a four book manga series that is completely breath-taking. It’s touched by magical-realism and completely drowned in visually stunning metaphors and symbolism. Seriously, I’ve reread these books multiples times trying to digest how the wide variety of symbols overlap and contradict and compliment and challenge each other. I still haven’t really gotten a solid handle on it, it’s very fluid, so yeah… definitely makes me think.

The story starts with Tasuku Kaname who believes he may have just been outed as gay by a high school friend, and feels like he’s watching his entire world crumble around him. He is seriously considering taking his own life, when he runs into the mysterious woman “Someone-san” and winds up leading him to a drop-in center that’s run by a local non-profit, and is also a hub for a number of queer people in the community. The books follow Tasuku as he grows, learns, makes mistakes, and confronts his feelings, along with a number of other members at the drop-in center. It is completely beautiful, optimistic, but also quite stark and harsh at its look at homophobia and transphobia in modern Japanese society and how it can effect people in different ways. I just bought book four and can’t wait to read it and see how everything ends.

Day Fourteen: Queer Book That Made You Cry

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Holy shit guys. Listen. Listen. If you don’t read any other book on this list, please consider reading The Marrow Thieves. It is hands down the best book I’ve read so far this year. Another book that doesn’t have a queer character as the protag, but as one of the main supporting characters and listen, his story fucking destroyed me as a person. That romance just… aaaaaaah. AAAAAAAAH.

Anyway. The Marrow Thieves is a Canadian dystopian novel. It takes place in a post-climate change world in which society has been ravaged – partially due to the wildly different and extreme weather patterns, but also through a strange disease that has spread through the population that has left people completely incapable of dreaming. Now unable to rest, process their lives, and dream of a future, people are being driven insane and only one group appears to be immune: North America’s First Nations people appear to be unaffected. And so they begin to be harvested, rounded up and collected in “school” in order for people to suck the marrow out of them to give to white people afflicted by this disease. The Marrow Thieves follows a First Nations boy named Frenchie as he flees the recruiters and tries his best to survive in this post-apocalyptic like wilderness, banding together with other First Nations people who are heading north, where they hope to find communities of their own people with whom they can shelter and start to rebuild their lives.

It’s a YA level novel, not very long, and such an insanely good read. I cannot emphasize enough PLEASE GO READ THIS BOOK. 

Day Fifteen: Queer Book That Made You LOL

Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Welcome to Nightvale always makes me laugh and it was a lot of fun to get to read the transcripts of the episodes. I’m a sucker for novelizations/transcripts of shows. It was a nice nostalgia trip and gave me an excuse to go back and relisten to some of my favourite episodes too! If you’ve never gotten into Nightvale… hey, it’s a classic! Podcast is fucking stunning if you’re into podcasts, and if you’re not but would enjoy a weird, queer, eldritch horror comedy then try the book! It’s the first “season” compiled in text form, exactly how it’s heard in the show.

Day Sixteen: Queer Book That Is Really Personal To You

Jughead volume 1 by Chip Zdarsky et al

Including this one because gee golly it sure did make me want to fight a lot of people for quite a while. It was one of the first stories I ever found/read that had an explicitly asexual main character… (and a character I already really loved! Which I now got to feel an even stronger connection to! It was so fun and validating!) so it was super awesome how like half of tumblr decided for a year there that this was apparently a cardinal sin. Imagine… one single version of old, long standing comic series deciding to retcon a character to represent a heavily under-represented community… imagine being so fucking angry about that that you decide to start a hate campaign on the internet. So much fun to live through that as an ace person. Anyway, these comics were nothing amazing but I sure do love them aggressively out of pure spite, even now that the aphobia on tumblr has died back down I will hold this to my chest and adore it.

Day Seventeen: Favourite Queer Book Sequel or Spin Off

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Honestly do I even need to say anything here? Is there any queer person who hasn’t read Mackenzi Lee’s The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue series? If you are someone who hasn’t read it yet… go do that?? Absolutely stunning, one of my all-time favourite book series. It’s the perfect combination of hilarious and goofy, intense action, heartfelt character development, and a dash of “wait was that supernatural or??” This sequel was fantastic, this time focusing on Felicity, Monty’s sister, and her quest to become a physician despite being a woman in the 18th century. Awesome look at femininity, feminism, asexuality, and race. (Also… OT3? OT3.)

Day Eighteen: Favourite Queer Book By A Favourite Author

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

One of those “ehh is this technically queer? Not really but close enough, it is in my heart” books. It was one of the books I read as a teenager when I was still beginning to seek out and try to explore queer lit in so much as I could.

Terry Pratchett is, hands down, my favourite author, and though he doesn’t tend to write explicitly queer literature, his exploration of gender through allegory is top fucking tier. Everything to do with the dwarves in his series is fascinating, and a really great challenge/critique/exploration of gender, and this is the book that takes it to the next level (and brings in at least implicitly queer characters). It’s about Polly Perks, who lives in a small, war torn nation, choosing to join the army in order to find out what happened to her brother. However, as tradition dictates, she can’t join as a girl… so she disguises herself as Ozzer, a young man. There’s a lot of twists and turns, and as always Pratchett delivers fantastic humour and just absolutely delicious satire.

Day Nineteen: Queer Book That Changed Your Life

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

This was the book that made me realize that I, as a queer teacher, could have queer kid lit in my future classroom. Maybe a comparatively small revelation, but a really important one to me. It made me realize that this didn’t need to be something I kept a secret in my professional life and which could really positively influence children, especially queer children. It was the first queer children’s book I ever bought.

Day Twenty: Favourite Queer Book Series

Candy Color Paradox by Isaku Natsume

Alright… I’ll admit it, this isn’t actually my favourite series, but I’ve used my favourites in other spots. And this is a good one! Definitely more of an actual “yaoi” than the other manga I’ve included (here there be sex) but it has a very different vibe that what I’m used to from that type of manga. The main pair are actually both capable, mature adults, with careers they actively care about, and who get together in the first volume! 

The rest of the series is less about them angst-ily toeing around their relationship, and much more about them learning to grow as a couple and balance their work and relationship and society. It’s funny and sweet, and I really enjoy these two losers. It’s a very low-stakes enemy-to-friends-to-lovers story, in which Onoe (a reporter) and Kaburagi (a photographer) are paired up on a news story they’re supposed to dig into together. What starts as a bickering rivalry gradually becomes respect, friendship, and love~ Onoe is a gremlin of a protag, so he’s a treat to follow.

Day Twenty-One: Queer Book That You Recommend A Lot

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

To repeat myself: Linsey Miller is awesome! This is my favourite book of hers, the first of a duology. It’s kind of like an intense, edgy Tamora Pierce novel with murder. In this world, the Queen has a team of assassins known as the Left Hand. They’re an elite group that keeps the Queen safe and does the dirty work that needs to be done to protect the kingdom and keep the encroaching nations at bay. When the assassin Opal is killed, a contest is announced to find the new Opal. People from all over come to complete for the honour of being one of the Queen’s royal assassins, including gender-fluid thief Sallot Leon. Sal has some deep motivations to become Opal that go beyond a loyalty to their kingdom, but they’re going to have to survive their competitors if they even wants a chance at it… (Sal generally goes by either she or he in the books, but I’m using they in this instance since it’s in a more general sense.)

Day Twenty-Two: Queer Book That Made You Take Action

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Uhh, I don’t really have any books that made me take action per se, but this one sure gave me a lot to think about. It’s about deep sea mermaids who originated from the pregnant slave women tossed into the ocean to drown during passage to North America. From those dying women, this race was born and were taken in by whales, raised and protected until they could descend into the deep ocean waters, to form their own safe society. Their collective past is so painful though that as a species they’ve developed a very short term memory. But a people can’t live without any ties to their roots and so one of them, the Historian, holds all the memories for their entire species and shares it with everyone once a year so that the community can be connected to their ancestors before once again returning the memories to the Historian for safe keeping. Yetu, the current Historian, is so overwhelmed by these memories, that she can no longer take it – she flees her people, her responsibilities, and her pain and escapes to the surface instead...

Day Twenty-Three: Queer Book By An Author Who I Killed Is Dead

Cybersix by Carlos Trillo

I cannot emphasize enough, this is not actually a queer comic, it is in fact a very homophobic, transphobic and sexist comic written by a horrible person.

That being said, he’s dead and I own it now the TV series was essentially about a genderqueer superhero and a very confused bi biology professor who has a crush on both personas. I had a passionate crush on both personas as a child, and I will cherrypick this comic until I die in order to enjoy the only kickass genderqueer/genderfluid noir antihero I’ve come across. I am valid and I am not open to debate or discussion. Do not read this comic it’s horrible (but consider watching the show).

Day Twenty-Four: Queer Book You Wish You’d Read When Younger

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

This is such an incredibly soft story with the nicest art. There’s so much understanding and compassion in it and its exploration of gender and self-confidence and being true to yourself would have been very reassuring to me as a child, especially by late elementary/middle school. 

Day Twenty-Five: Queer Book In A Historical Setting

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

A retelling of Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship from childhood to the Trojan war. So yeah, you can imagine that this was also a candidate for Day 14 :’) I haven’t read this one in years but god it was lovely and emotionally destroyed me as a person.

Day Twenty-Six: Queer Superhero Book or Comic

Overwatch: Reflections by Michael Chu and Miki Montillo

I don’t really read superhero stories very often (the comics have always driven me a little bonkers, trying to find a way to enter the totally unapproachable Marvel/DC canons, and the MCU burnt me out years ago for every other sort of superhero story) so this is the closest I can get. Tracer’s a superhero yeah? Anyway, I, like every other queer person in the Overwatch fandom, lost my fucking mind when this dropped for Christmas a few years back and officially declared Lena Oxton not only the face of the entire franchise but also a lesbian. It’s an adorable little comic and Tracer’s girlfriend is a sweetheart.

Day Twenty-Seven: Favourite Queer Children’s Picture Book

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

There’s a number of sweet queer children’s books that are popping up these days, but this is my favourite just because it’s less about “explaining the gays to children” (though those books also have their place) and more of a cute little fantasy adventure in which the actual protagonist is gay. It’s about a prince who sets out to find himself a bride who can help rule by his side, but it quickly becomes clear that he isn’t interested in any of the girls. Instead, when a fire breathing dragon threatens his kingdom, he meets a brave knight who fights along side him. It’s very supportive and the art is lovely.

Day Twenty-Eight: Queer Book That Made You Feel Uncomfortable

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

This is a book with an asexual protagonist that I was originally really excited for. I know there are a lot of people out there who really enjoy this book and connected with it, but it didn’t do it for me. Maybe because my expectations were too high, but the protagonist’s experience with asexuality was vastly different than my own and the narrative voice ended up rubbing me wrong (and let’s be honest, slice-of-life romance is NOT my usual genre at all). So it’s not “made me uncomfortable because it’s Bad And Wrong” more just… totally vibed wrong with me. Maybe the perfect book for other people but definitely not for me, I had to return this one unfinished because it’s portrayal of asexuality just made me so deeply uncomfortable.

Day Twenty-Nine: Queer Book That Made You Want To Fall In Love

The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

This book had to make it on here somewhere, and honestly it could have gone in a lot of different spots, but I chose to put it here because the relationship between Monty and Percy is so incredibly sweet and authentic it really does make you want something like that. TGGTVAV (for anyone who has somehow not heard of it) takes place in the 18th century, and is about Monty, his best friend (and crush) Percy, and his sister Felicity going on a final “hurrah” tour of Europe before Monty's father finally tries to pin him down in England and force every part of Monty that’s deemed “unacceptable” out of him. So Monty intends to live this summer up… until everything goes off the rail and the three of them are suddenly fleeing across the continent with assassins at their heels and a strange, stolen artifact in their possession.

Monty has a lot of growing to do in this novel, and that’s one of my favourite things about it. For his and Percy’s relationship to ever have a chance, Monty needs to learn and change and actually communicate with other people, and it makes the relationship feel strong. Not a fluffy, surface level romance that often happens in YA but something built from the ground up by two friends who really want to make it work. Ahh, it’s lovely. One of my favourite novels.

Day Thirty: Queer Book With Your Favourite Ending

My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame

A two-book manga series that was completely stunning. It deals with queer relationships and homophobia in a very stark, real-world manner that you don’t often get in manga, while still being incredibly loving and sympathetic. The book is about Yaichi, a single father whose estranged brother (Ryoji) recently died. One day, a Canadian named Mike arrives, introducing himself as Ryoji’s widower. Mike had come hoping to visit his late husband’s homeland to try to get some closure, and Yaichi ends up inviting Mike to stay. The whole story looks Japan’s societal biases, through Mike’s experiences, Yaichi’s thoughts, feelings and prejudices, and those of his daughter who adores Mike. 

Seriously, this is one of the kindest, most earnest looks I’ve ever seen to internal prejudices that critiques them without demonizing the person who feels them. Instead it lovingly embraces grief, growth, and love. This series made me cry multiple times, was good enough that even my straight brother practically ordered me to go out and buy the second book when he finished the first, and the ending was just *chef’s kiss*

Honourable Mentions

A few books I really wanted to fit on my list somehow but couldn’t quite manage it, so here: All Out an anthology of historical fiction short stories about queer teens. The Tea Dragon Society series and Princess Princess Ever After, graphic novels by the amazingly talented Katie O’Neill. Heartstopper a webcomic turn graphic novel by Alice Oseman about a pair of rugby players. The Different Dragon a cute picture book in which the boy has two moms and which is about accepting different ways of being. And Lady Knight a part of Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small series because because Kel is word-of-god aro(and/or ace) and I’ve adored that series and Kel since I was about thirteen so by god I’ll take it.

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Now for those that wanted to do their own challenge, I found it on @gailcarriger’s blog.