#mother trilogy fanfic

[samoony]

"HOME"

-adopted neil josten au-

Wymack and Abby stood in the adoption agency office, holding hands as they waited. The door opened, and the social worker stepped in with Neil. He was small for his age, with wide, mistrustful eyes and a backpack slung over one thin shoulder. His clothes were too big, his hair was messy, and his face carried a wariness that no child should have. Even though they have already been informed by neil's past family, they couldn't believe about all that this kid had been through.

“This is Neil” the social worker said softly.

“Hi, Neil” Abby greeted warmly, her voice gentle as honey. She crouched to his level, smiling. “I’m Abby, and this is my husband, Wymack. We’re so excited to meet you.”

Neil didn’t say anything. He gripped the strap of his backpack tightly and stared at the floor.

Wymack cleared his throat. “Hey, kid. We’ve got a house, a big backyard, and plenty of space for you to settle in. Kevin, our son, is already excited to meet you.”

Neil still didn’t respond, but he gave the tiniest of nods. It was enough for Wymack and Abby to exchange a look-hopeful and determined.

---

When they arrived home, Kevin practically bounced out the front door to greet them. He was holding a exy stick and grinning ear to ear.

“Hi, Neil! I’m Kevin! I’m your brother now. Do you like exy? I can teach you if you want. Let's go play!

Neil looked overwhelmed. He clutched his backpack tighter and stepped back.

“Kevin” Wymack warned, firm.

“Sorry” Kevin said, deflating a little. “But I am really happy you’re here.”

Abby placed a hand on Neil’s shoulder, guiding him inside. “Let’s show you your room, sweetheart.”

Neil’s room was simple but cozy—a soft bed, shelves for books and toys, and a desk by the window. Neil walked in hesitantly, his eyes scanning the room as if expecting something bad to happen.

“It’s all yours,” Abby said. “You can decorate it however you like.”

Neil didn’t say anything, but he sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers brushing the soft blanket. Abby and Wymack gave him space.

---

The first few days were tough. Neil was quiet, withdrawn, and avoided physical contact. He ate little at meals, flinching if someone accidentally dropped a plate, raised their voice, or hand by mistake.

Kevin tried his best to include Neil, showing him his exy stick and talking about school. Neil would listen quietly but never joined in.

------

One evening, while Abby ironed clothes, Neil’s past caught up with him.

Abby stood in the laundry room, smoothing wrinkles out of a shirt with a hot iron. Neil, sitting on the couch nearby, suddenly froze when he saw the iron in her hand. His chest tightened, his breathing quickened, and he bolted without a word.

“Neil?” Abby called, alarmed. She set the iron down and followed him.

Wymack, hearing the commotion, joined her. They found the bathroom door shut, but there was no sound inside.

“Neil?” Wymack knocked softly. No answer.

They exchanged a worried glance before Wymack gently opened the door. The sight made Abby’s heart break. Neil was curled up inside the cabinet under the sink, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees, tears streaming silently down his face.

Wymack crouched down, keeping his voice soft and steady. “Hey kid It’s okay. You’re safe here. No one’s going to hurt you.”

Neil didn’t move, but his sobs quieted. Abby knelt beside Wymack, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“It’s just us, sweetheart,” Abby said gently. “You don’t have to be scared. We’re here for you.”

Neil hesitated before slowly crawling out. Abby wrapped her arms around him carefully, and Wymack placed a reassuring hand on his back.

Kevin peeked in, looking confused and worried. “Neil? Are you okay?”

Neil didn’t respond, but he let Abby hold him. For a moment, the family just stayed there, offering quiet comfort.

Later that night, Wymack and Abby sat together, their hearts heavy.

“We knew it would be hard,” Abby said softly, “but seeing him like that… it’s so much worse than I imagined.”

Wymack nodded, his jaw tight. “We’ll get through to him. We have to.”

---

Days turned into weeks, and Neil slowly began to settle in. He still avoided touch and rarely spoke, but he started to join Kevin during his exy drills, even if just to watch. Kevin, ever patient, didn’t push him, instead letting Neil come to him on his own terms.

Small breakthroughs happened - a quiet thank you, a hesitant smile, sitting closer during family movie nights. But there were still moments when Neil’s past would resurface, like when someone raised their voice too quickly or moved their hand too fast.

Each time, Abby and Wymack handled it with care, reassuring Neil that he was safe and loved.

It had been a month since Neil came to live with them, and Wymack and Abby had started noticing small changes. Neil still spoke very little, but he no longer flinched every time someone entered the room. He’d even started sitting next to Kevin during family movie nights, though he kept a cautious distance.

-------

One Saturday afternoon, Abby suggested something new.

“How about we go to the toy store today?” she said, her voice bright and warm as they all sat around the breakfast table.

Neil paused mid-bite of his toast, his wide eyes darting to her, unsure if she was serious.

“You can pick out anything you want,” Wymack added. “A game, a toy, whatever catches your eye.”

Kevin, ever the excitable big brother, chimed in. “You should totally get something cool! Like an action figure or a Nerf gun. I can help you pick!”

Neil hesitated, looking down at his plate. “I don’t need anything” he said softly, his voice barely audible.

Abby leaned forward, her hand resting lightly on his. “It’s not about needing, sweetheart. It’s about what *you* want. You deserve something special, and we want to give it to you.”

At the toy store, Neil stayed close to Abby, his small hand clutching hers as they walked through the aisles. The colorful displays seemed to overwhelm him, and he shrank back slightly, his eyes flitting from one shelf to the next.

Kevin bounded ahead, holding up various toys. “What about this? Or this? Look, Neil, this one talks when you press a button!”

Neil didn’t respond, his gaze lingering on a shelf filled with stuffed animals. Slowly, he let go of Abby’s hand and approached.

Wymack and Abby exchanged a glance, their hearts warming as they watched Neil study the plush toys.

Then, Neil stopped in front of a small orange fox with soft, fluffy fur and big, shiny eyes, kind of reminding them of neil. He reached out hesitantly, as if afraid someone would tell him no.

“Do you like that one?” Abby asked gently, stepping beside him.

Neil nodded, clutching the fox to his chest. “Can I… have this one?”

It was the first time Neil had ever asked for anything, and Abby felt her throat tighten with emotion.

“Of course you can,” she said, her voice soft but full of love.

Wymack ruffled Neil’s hair, his usual gruffness replaced with a rare smile. “Good choice, kid. That fox looks like it’ll be a great friend.”

Kevin grinned. “You gotta name it! What are you gonna call him?”

Neil looked down at the plush fox in his arms, thinking for a moment before whispering, “king fluffkins"

“king fluffkins it is,” Kevin said through laughter and enthusiasm.

That night, Neil went to bed, clutching king fluffkins tightly. Abby peeked into his room before she turned in for the night and saw him fast asleep, the fox tucked securely in his arms.

She quietly closed the door and joined Wymack in the living room.

“He asked for something,” Abby said, her eyes shining with happy tears.

Wymack nodded, his voice gruff but full of pride. “Yeah. He’s starting to trust us.”

And from that night on, king fluffkins, the fox became Neil’s constant companion, a small but powerful symbol of the love and safety he was beginning to feel.

---

One sunny afternoon, Kevin suggested a pool day. Wymack agreed, thinking it would be good for Neil to relax.

Abby packed snacks and towels while Wymack set up inflatables. Neil stood by the pool’s edge, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

“You don’t have to swim if you don’t want to,” Abby said gently.

Neil hesitated before slowly pulling off his shirt.

The sight made Abby gasp softly. Neil’s back and shoulders were littered with scars—faint lines and faded bruises, already healing but it showed the force of the cause behind them, and a large burn on his shoulder shaped unmistakably like the flat end of an iron.

Abby turned away, tears streaming down her face. Wymack quickly followed her, his hand on her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Kevin approached Neil, his face full of concern. “Does it hurt?”

“No” Neil mumbled, looking down.

Kevin hesitated before saying, “I’m glad you’re here, Neil. And I promise, no one will ever hurt you again.”

Abby returned, wiping her tears, and smiled at Neil. “How about we teach you to swim, sweetheart?”

By the end of the day, Neil was splashing in the shallow end with Kevin, his laughter filling the air. For the first time, Neil began to feel safe.

---

One quiet evening, Neil hesitated before asking, “Can I call you Mom and Dad?”

Abby and Wymack’s hearts melted.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Abby said, pulling him into a hug.

Wymack grinned and ruffled Neil’s hair. “Yeah, kid. We’d love that.”

For the first time, Neil felt like he had a family—a home, a real one.

-THE END-

[musewrangler]

When was the last time she’d been able to just stand still and appreciate the beauty of nature?

“Ma’am?”

She turned her head to see the young Lieutenant from earlier standing at a respectful distance—-the light of a pale blue nebula reflecting off his lean features.

“Do you need anything?” the boy asked her.

She smiled.

“No, thank you. Just…enjoying the view.”

He turned to look at it himself, hands clasped behind his back.

“It is not something I ever tire of,” he agreed. “I just wondered, ma’am, if you needed rest. Most of the others are sleeping.” He gestured back toward the lift which led to the passenger berths several decks down.

“Mm.” Shmi pressed her fingers to the viewport, appreciating the coolness on her skin. “I did rest, thank you. What of you Lieutenant…?”

“Piett,” he answered, holding out a hand. She shook it, appreciating the firm grip. “I’ll get some kip soon, thank you.”

[breathe-rainbow]

💌 Calling all halo bearers and fanfic lovers : I need your help!! 💌

First off… you’re all amazing ♥️ Despite the continuous disappointment we face, the support and camaraderie within this fandom is astounding. When it comes to fanfic, the creative talent is incredible and I know for many of us, the sense of escapism we experience reading them has helped heal some of that pain as we wait for news during these uncertain times.Despite dabbling in writing, I have never previously considered writing fanfic, yet I’ve been inspired by the creative talent of this fandom to give it a go!

So basically… I wanted to know if anyone has any gems of wisdom to share to someone just starting out and who has next to no idea how AO3 works 🥲 feel free to share what makes a good fanfic for you, what you wish you saw more of, your own Dos/Donts of fanfiction or any information you think I should know before getting started.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Much love to you all,

Meg ♥️

Also big thanks already to @justanotherheartbeat @yiyibeckfeld6 @anewstart1512 @smokeyeyesbrokenlife for your support/advice/offers of being proofreaders!! You’re absolute legends!

[justmeinabigolworld]

Did I ever tell you guys about an EarthBound fic idea I had?

Basically, months after the events of the game, Ness wakes up on the night the meteor fell. The timeline has been reset, and he’s the only one who recalls what happened before. At first, he suspects that Porky did something, but Porky is back to just being a normal kid.

Anyway, Ness decides to use his knowledge of the future to do things better this time. He still has all his powers, so he manages to save Buzz Buzz and give Porky’s parents a good scare. To prevent Porky from becoming a villain, Ness decides to bring Porky and Picky along on his journey. Of course, they don’t want to go, they have no combat skills, and Porky is rather obnoxious, but Ness is determined to save everyone this time around.

However, things won’t be that easy, as even one small decision can have huge consequences…

Also, Ninten and his friends get involved, and some other characters make surprise appearances

[pizzabookbuying]

me at any given opportunity just making the plot about family dynamics and maternal love

[hussyknee]

Reading Kushiel's Justice, the scene where Imriel and Sidonie start having anal sex, and came across "the head breached the tight ring of muscle". Brain screeched to a halt. Checked the publication date, remembered the internet fan experience of the mid-2000s.

Jacqueline Carey reads fanfiction, I know it.

[maryonaccross]

Dear fellow team green fans, I’ve finally managed to make a list of fanfictions on AO3 that every team green fan should read;

(Most of these aren’t aggressively team green but focus on team green characters and explore them in interesting and respectful ways )

Fist we have the holy trilogy:

1. Burning Jasmine by our national treasure @scalyfreaks and literally anything else that she writes (BJ is a beautifully written Aegon centric alteration of the dance of the dragons)

2. See, what happened was by @daylander1000 / Daylander on AO3 (the best Aemond centric fanfic I have ever read. If you dislike the strong boys and how Baela and Rhaena were done dirty in the show and love angsty preteens and “dark fluff” as the author herself describes it this is the jam)

3. All of @dulcewrites fanfictions are an absolute must for any team green fans (she handles the characters with such care and the humor is amazing)

Then we have the category that I like to call JUSTICE FOR ALICENT:

1. Springs end by Navree (long one shot that explores Alicent’s feelings at the beginning of her marriage to Viserys, beautifully written, I cried)

2. Give me back my girlhood it was mine first by JustA_Person (beautiful multi-chaptered fic that dives headfirst into Alicent’s depression at the beginning of her marriage and does not shy away from roasting the fuck out of Viserys and is currently heading towards a rekindling of the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra)

3. In your grave by 136108 (short but brilliant one shot on what Alicent should have told Viserys on his death bed)

Then we have Daemon and Viserys haters must read section staring;

1. Sins of the father by SelfProclaimedUnicorn ( ABSOLUTE MUST for any Daemon haters out there, this is the best there is. This fanfiction centers around two children Daemon has with Rhea Royce at the beginning of his marriage and follows them in their childhood and teenage years (the children are the same age as Rhaenyra and Alicent). This is one of the best written team green fanfictions I have ever read and it tells the story in such an intelligent and thought out way with some perfectly seasoned Daemon bashing sprinkled all over it. It also holds up so well considering that its plot is unlike any other team Green fanfiction out there and centers around characters that aren’t really explored enough. Oh and it also addresses the suffering Aemma went through trapped in marriage with Viserys which is always a great touch)

2. Out of the mouth of Babes by UnknownEnigma ( beautiful six chapter fanfiction exploring Aemonds relationships with Viserys that shows Viserys’ neglect and cruelty in all its glory and ends in a very satisfying way)

And then we have a few more brilliant fan fictions that I don’t really know how to sort into a category:

1. Lose your Ego by Fjlh (this series just started and is about Aegon USING HIS BRAIN and fighting for his claim. Very promising so far)

2. The sky is always red above Valyria au by Aifsaath (beautiful series of one shots about Aegon x Baela that explores the trauma of growing up with a father that maritally rapes your mother)

3. Lady Dreamfrye by Ai_Megurine (story about Sansa Stark being reborn as Helaena)

4. I’m never gonna love ( again ) by @crescenthoax (very interesting Aegon x oc fanfic )

5. My hand was the one you reached for by haught_hightower ( explores Alicent’s relationships with Criston and her children )

6. a poison tree by Juliet_Capulet ( very detailed and well written story about the younger brother of Daemon and Viserys returning to the capital with his daughter, after the death of his wife and witnessing Viserys’ brain dead decisions unraveling while forming a bond with his nieces and nephews. Full of Daemon and Viserys Bashing)

I hope you enjoy, it took me a real long while to find some of these gems

[mirkwoodshewolf]

No following; Planet of the Apes fanfic Chap. 1

*Author's note*

Okay so we're gonna try something new here tumblr. Ever since I saw the new Planet of the apes film a month ago I got interested in the fandom once again but never thought anyone wrote fics for the fandom. After reading some on FF.net as well as here, it got me wanting to write a series while I'm on a writer's block for my current series. And thus this series was born.

This entire series will encompass the Andy Serkis trilogy and will be a Caesar fic. But it is STRICTLY PLATONIC so if that's not your cup of tea, no hate and just move on. This is my story and I'll write it the way I want to.

Now to those who wish to give this series a chance as you read, leave a comment down below if you wish to be tagged for updates (rn I'll be binge posting cause I've already got 10 chapters ready to go and be read).

WARNINGS: Fluff, angst, swearing, violence. So this won't be for the light of heart (at least until I get to Dawn and then War).

Taglist:

@queen-paladin

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@psychosupernatural

@plethora-of-things

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@waddles03

______________________________________________________

Some say that the bonds between human and animal are a unique thing.  That there’s an unbreakable trust between the two and that they are fated to always be together.  Others say that like soulmates, there’s always an animal for a person who needs them the most.  For me, I would end up having the most unique of all bonds with an animal that is closest to my own species of animal.

This is the story of such a bond, this is the story of Lin and Caesar.

It was nightfall and pouring down rain as I rode home with my best friend Gabriella and her mother.  Gabi and I had known each other since Pre-K after we both had a love for the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch.  From that moment on we’ve been inseparable.  Currently I was getting a ride home with her mom after our strings class.

She and I after school go over to the rec center every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights and perform with the San Fransisco Strings and Orchestra for minors.  Gabi plays the cello and I play the violin.  We’re both pretty good if I do say so myself, our teacher tells us that we could eventually go far into the world of music if we set our mind to it.  But I think I’m good cause of my genetics, after all my grandpa was a former music professor and conductor.  But he doesn’t really play anymore, or at least he tries to.

We soon stopped at my house and I said grabbing my things and readied my umbrella.

“Thanks for the ride Mrs. Montez.”

“Anytime Lin sweetie. Watch out crossing the dark, wet sidewalk.”

“I will, see you tomorrow in class Gabi.”

“See yah Lin.” I quickly opened the door and opened up my umbrella before quickly racing across the sidewalk and up the stairs to my front door.  I took my key and unlocked the door but not before waving one final time and soon Mrs. Montez drove off down the road.

I entered inside and shook off my umbrella before hanging it to dry.  I also took off my raincoat and hung it up beside it before walking further into the house proclaiming.

“Hello? Grandpa? Uncle Will?” that’s when I heard the sound of cooing, like a baby cooing but it wasn’t human.  I set my violin case down to the banister by the front door and walked into the study room where I found a large box with holes sitting on the table.  As I got closer to it, I heard my uncle say.

“Oh perfect timing, guess that means I can show you both.” I turned and saw both my uncle and grandpa coming around from the kitchen entry.

“Show me what?” uncle Will walked passed me, ruffled my hair and stood over the box.

“Hey grandpa.”

“Hey sweetheart. Get another gold star from Ms. Honey for good behavior?” I smiled solemnly.  Ms. Honey was my kindergarten teacher, my current teacher is Mr. Simmons. 

My grandpa for the past couple of years has been dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.  Uncle Will told me that it’s a disease that slowly eats away at the brain’s cells, affecting memory and sometimes body function.  You see, my parents died in a plane crash when I was just 3 years old and in their will they had the next guardianship be my grandpa.  But two years ago, that’s when the disease started to take its effect on him.

So my uncle Will had to move in with us to help not only take care of me but of grandpa too.  And when he’s at work and I’m at school, a nice nurse comes in and helps take care of grandpa.

“Grandpa, I’m in the 4th grade. My teacher is Mr. Simmons. You know the nice man you and uncle Will met last month at the school picnic.” He looked dazed for a second but then said.

“Oh right, yeah I knew that.”

“Dad, Lin, come check this out.” Uncle Will said trying to redirect the conversation.  We came over and the second we looked inside, there lay a baby monkey.

“Is that a monkey?” I asked with a head tilt.

“He’s actually a chimpanzee, an ape.” Uncle Will corrected me.  Grandpa was in pure awe as he slowly reached in and touched the baby chimp.

“What is that? Is he injured?” he asked as I took notice of a mark right around the right side of his chest.  It was a prominent balding mark in a unique shape, a long oval shape with an additional stripe at the top.  Kinda reminded me of an incomplete cross or an unfinished F.

“No, I think that’s a birthmark.” Uncle Will said as he crossed into the kitchen and started putting some things into the fridge.  All the while grandpa picked up the baby chimp and lifted him high into the air like he was Simba.  The little guy was just small enough to fit between both of grandpa’s hands.

“Listen Lin,” he told me before he began quoting, “‘But as for Caesar, kneel down, kneel down and wonder.’”

“He’s so cute.” I awed as I reached out and touched his little toes.

“Yeah don’t get too attached, either of you.” Uncle Will told us.

“So why bring him here then if we can’t keep him?” I sassed.

“He’s not a dog or a cat, not even a bunny rabbit. He’s a wild animal. My coworker promised he’d try to find an animal sanctuary for him in a couple of days.” I let out a exasperated groan.

“Animal sanctuaries are still prisons.”

“Don’t get smart young lady.” My uncle playfully reprimanded as he pointed at me.

“It’s not polite to point.” I sassed back.

“Polite? Okay, I’ll show you polite.” My uncle said as he shut the fridge and giving me that narrowed but playful look in his eyes.  I took off running as he raced after me.  I got only up four stairs before I felt two arms wrap around me and he swung me away from the staircase and the next thing I felt was a wet finger in my ear.

“GAHH EWW UNCLE WILL!!!”

“Yeah your mom did this to me all the time when we were kids, now it’s payback.” He laughed.

“I’m innocent in this vile act!” I proclaimed dramatically.

“But you must pay for the sins of thy mother young youth!”

“Will, Maria, you two better stop horsing around in there.” At hearing my mom’s name we both settled down and a somber feeling was in the air.

“He’s been calling me that on and off for the past week.”

“Honestly who can blame him. You look so much like her when she was your age.” He said with a soft smile and he ruffled my hair again.

“Really?”

“Yeah. And when have I ever lied about anything in regards to my big sister?”

“Never.”

“Exactly.” He then playfully nudged my side with his before changing the subject.  “Now please tell me you managed to eat dinner cause I’ve had a long day of work and I don’t feel like cooking anything.”

“Lucky for you, the rec center was hosting a pizza party after the past few months prepping for Districts last week. Maestro Fiyero said we earned a little break after working us so hard.”

“Good. Now why don’t you brush your teeth and get ready for bed.”

“Why does my curfew have to be 9 o’clock? I’m 10 years old, not five.”

“Growing girls needs sleep too you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell grandpa I said goodnight will yah?”

“Will do kid. Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

“You too.” I grabbed my violin and raced on upstairs and did my nighttime routine before getting into bed and turning off the light.

As the night progressed, I soon heard the sounds of shrieks coming from the hallway.  I opened my eyes and looked at my clock to see that it was 2:30am.  I got up and let out a cough and muttered to myself.

“Need some juice.” Quietly I walked down the hallway towards the stairs but as I came to the bathroom I could hear the shower running as well as the bathroom sink.  Did grandpa accidentally leave the water running again after taking his shower?  No, Uncle Will would’ve turned it off by now.

I knocked softly on the door and I heard my uncle’s voice say.

“It’s just me dad.”

“I’m not grandpa.” I heard footsteps and the door cracked open and when he saw me, he brought me into the bathroom before closing it.  Immediately I was hit with the heat that had been trapped by the hot water that was coming from both the shower and the sink.

“What are you doing up so late Lin?”

“I heard shrieking and then I got thirsty.”

“Ohh sorry, guess this little guy woke you up too huh?” it was then I took notice of the baby chimp swaddled up in my uncle’s arms.  I looked down at him and he looked up at me, moving his grip from my uncle’s finger to mine as he cooed.

“He looks like he has a cold.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, his nose is kinda runny.”

“Well that’s normal for babies sometimes. He’s barely a day old. You definitely had a runny nose when you were born.”

“No I didn’t!”

“Oh yeah you were quite the little snot monster. The original boogeyman, or boogeygirl.” He said taking his free hand that was on top of the baby chimp and playfully gripped my nose.

“Uncle Will!” I whined softly which made him laugh.  Our moment was stopped as the baby chimp let out a few more coos before snuggling up to uncle Will, all the while the grip on my finger got a bit tighter.  I smiled down at him and said as I stroked my thumb over his tiny fingers.  “Are you sure we can’t keep him?”

“I’ll—think about it. Holding him like this….makes me think back to the day you were born. Boy your mom wouldn’t let me near you at first. Feared I was gonna drop you, she always had that fierce mama bear instinct right from the get-go. Even when we were growing up and as she tormented me at times. When I needed it, she was there with her hot-headed attitude.”

“I miss her uncle Will.”

“Me too kid. Me too.” I leaned up against him and he rested his head on top of mine giving it a soft kiss.  “Go on back to bed, I’ll stay up with him.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m used to all-nighters, one day you might get there when you’re composing your first symphony. But for now, head back to bed.”

“Can I still get my juice first? I’m thirsty.”

“Just this once. Just be quiet when passing Charles’ room.” I nodded before leaning down and gave the baby chimp a kiss to which he let out a cute yawn and quiet hoot.

“Goodnight little chimp. Night uncle Will.” I gave him a peck on the cheek and he said goodnight to me as I quietly left the bathroom shutting the door immediately as I got out.  I went downstairs, got my drink and went back to bed.

The next morning I was finishing my breakfast and packing my school books into my backpack as uncle Will was coming down with the baby chimp and set him up in my old high-stool chair that grandpa had kept.

“Where’s my car keys?” grandpa asked as he was patting through his robe and pj pockets.  “My car keys where’d you put them? I need to get Lin to school!” he said urgently.

“Dad.” Uncle Will calmly spoke to him. “You-you don’t drive anymore. And Lin takes the bus.” Grandpa looked at him with a blank stare before turning away and telling him.

“I know that.” It really does make me sad to see grandpa this way.  He always looks so dazed and lost, like he’s here with us but at the same time he’s not.  Sometimes he’ll just sit there and stare off into space, frozen in his spot and not say anything for a really long time.

“Here, why don’t you feed him? Can you do that?” uncle Will suggested holding up a baby bottle filled with milk.

“Of course I can.” Said grandpa coming over.  As uncle Will went to get his coffee (blech!) grandpa came over and grabbed the bottle which made the baby chimp go crazy with hunger as he reached out for it.  As soon as it was in reach, he grabbed the bottle from grandpa’s hand and immediately began drinking it as fast as he could.

I dropped my fork and stared at him in awe.  I was told that babies always needed help being fed for at least several months and yet after just being born yesterday, he was feeding himself.

“Will, look at this.” Grandpa said as uncle Will came back into the kitchen and saw what we saw.  “How old is he? Like a day old, two days old?” Uncle Will sat down as he examined the baby chimp confused.

“Yeah.” Uncle Will said lowly as he kept his eyes on the baby chimp.

“Oh he’s a smart one isn’t he?” said grandpa as he came around and sat on the other side of the baby and gently placed his hand on top of his head.  “What are you gonna name him?”

“I—I don’t know.” Uncle Will said unsure.  That’s when I saw it.  Now I’m no monkey or ape expert but from pictures I’ve seen in books they normally have dark eyes, mostly brown but this little guy.  His eyes were green.

A green eyed baby chimpanzee.  One look into his eyes and I knew that he was something very special.

[howlsmovinglibrary]

Top 5 Books of 2023!

I don't know if this blog even counts as a book blog anymore, but this year I read 60 books, which is twice as many as last year (and therefore also double my 2023 Reading Goal). I'm so pleased to have overcome my three year reading slump that has plagued me since Covid, and wanted to celebrate by... yknow. Actually doing a book blog post lmao. So here are my five favourite books of 2023!

1) Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Not only was this book written Specifically For Me (faeries, rivals-to-lovers, academia), I just think it's a really good example of a cosy fantasy that is well-written and well-paced. The vibes are wholesome and fanfic-adjacent, but that doesn't mean that nothing happens. I'm not a fan of the new 'cosy' subgenre generally, but I think this book combined the right amount of comfort with action.

2) The Thousand Eyes by AK Larkwood

I read the Serpent Gates duology this year, and while the first book was good, the second book was just overwhelmingly brilliant. I loved the way this author manages time and character development - we follow all the characters for decades of their lives, so the final heroic triumphs in each of their stories just... hit different. It was such a wonderful book series, that left me feeling inspired to write.

3) The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

I love Shannon Chakraborty's writing generally, but it was really fun (after the slowburn pining of the City of Brass books) to give her a far less pious and brazen heroine that resulted in an entirely different tone of story from her previous trilogy! I loved the narration and plot of this novel, also obsessed with this pirate milf and her demon boyfriend.

4) A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher

I love T Kingfisher but I've never been able to get all the way through one of her horror books before - idk why, I just don't tend to vibe. But this book, which leaned more towards Gothic horror, twisted to fit a modern setting, was so gripping - I read it all in one sitting. I love the funky little bug archaeologist protagonist, who's first sign that her house is haunted is the fact that there are no insects in her mother's garden.

5) You and Me On Vacation by Emily Henry

I went on a beach holiday for the first time since Covid and proceeded to devour every single fucking book Emily Henry had ever written. Although I loved all of them, You and Me On Vacation was the one written Specifically For Me, which was surprising given that the other two most popular releases by her are about books (oh well...mutual pining, my beloved).

Special Mentions:

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

I read all of the Tiffany Aching books for the first time this year, based on a diagnosis from a pal that Wintersmith would be 'my' Terry Pratchett book. Reader, she was right... (which says more about me as a person than I'd like).

If anyone wants to give me any recs for good books they read this year, feel free to reply to this post!

[crippling-pages]

~mya's (new) intro post~

Hello there! My name is Mya! And this is my intro post! <3

Facts About Me:

Mya [] Girl [] She/her [] Minor [] 13-17 [] Aromantic Asexual (Aro/Ace) [] Arab [] Bookworm [] Writer [] Quotevain [] Swiftie [] OneRepublic Fan [] Pinterest Addict [] Tam Song Obsessed [] Tam Song x Biana Vacker is my life []

Fandoms:

Keeper of the Lost Cities [] LEGO: Ninjago [] LEGO Friends [] Percy Jackson [] Hooky (Webtoon/Book) [] Lockwood & Co. [] Shatter Me [] The False Prince/The Ascendance Trilogy [] The Land of Stories [] A Tale of Magic [] A Good Girl's Guide To Murder [] Five Survive [] Trolls [] The Reappearance of Rachel Price [] The Inheritance Games [] Fairy Tale Reform School [] Royal Academy Rebels [] Miraculous Ladybug [] Malibu Rescue [] Erin & Aaron [] Sonic the Hedgehog [] Richie Rich (2015) [] Ducktales (2017) [] and more! <3

Ships:

KOTLC: Tam and Biana {} Dex and Stina {} Sophie and Keefe {} Fitz and Dex {} Keefe and Fitz {} Linh and Marella {}

PJO/HoO: Percy and Annabeth {} Nico and Will {} Frank and Hazel {} Jason and Piper {} Leo and Calypso

Ninjago: Cole and Vania {} Nya and Jay {} Zane and Pixal {} Kai and Skylor {}

LEGO Friends: Mia and River {} Emma and Ethan {} Emma and Matthew {} Olivia and Jacob {} Mia and Martin {} Olly and Paisley {} Leo and Zac {} Zac and Sky {} Nova and Liann {}

Lockwood & Co.: Lucy and Lockwood {} George and Flo {}

Hooky: Dorian and Monica {} Dani and Nico {} Will and Damien {}

Miraculous Ladybug: Chat Noir and Marinette {} Ladybug and Chat Noir {} Marinette and Adrien {} Marinette and Luka {}

Sonic the Hedgehog: Silver and Blaze {} Sonic and Amy {} Amy and Shadow {} Knuckles and Rouge {}

FTRS/RAR: Gilly and Jax {} Heath and Devin {} Sasha and Logan {}

The Inheritance Games: Max and Xander {} Avery and Jameson {} Nash and Libby {}

Other: Pip and Ravi {} Bel and Ash {} Red and Arthur {} Conner and Bree {} Branch and Poppy {} Chote and Gina {} Tobias and Amarinda {}

Links:

-My Quotev Account

-My Ao3 Account

Some of My Fanfics:

"Hashtag Hilarious" - A KOTLC Human AU, with Tam and Keefe being besties and roommates; one day, Keefe convinces Tam to make a shared social media account together. Chaos follows.

"Lilies For Lilly" - A Ninjago fanfic in where it's the anniversary of Cole's mother's passing, and this time, he goes to drop off some Lillies.

"Don't Touch Me (Don't Talk To Me)" - A Trolls one-shot, in where Branch let's himself be rude to John Dory (A second part to this is called "Wet William" which is Bruce's turn).

"Random Hooky Stuff" - Just some Hooky content there's almost 0 out there. Drabbles, headcanons, incorrect quotes, ships, fluff, and angst. All of the above!

"Tiana One-Shots, Skits, Memes, And More!" - A Quotev book with a bunch of Tiana (Tam and Biana) related content is in, blessing the world with more Tiana.

"KOTLC Characters React And Have Fun!" - A Quotev fanfic in where the KOTLC crew react to human stuff and just have fun.

"5 Days {KOTLC Sleepover Fic}" - A KOTLC Sleepover Fic on Quotev, and this sleepover lasts all week. Drama appears, and fun memories are made.

Some Fanfics in The Drafts (or in my head)

KOTLC Human Coffee Shop AU ("Keepers of the Coffee")

KOTLC Rewrite

KOTLC Human Musician Mash Up Tour AU

KOTLC Road Trip AU

Ninjago Movie Secret Identity AU ("Two Faces Of the Same Life")

Ninjago Regular/Human Tea Shop AU

Ninjago Normal Life ("Cuckoo Crazy")

Hooky High School/College AU

Percy Jackson x KOTLC Crossover

Ninjago x KOTLC Crossover

Hooky Coffee Shop AU

KOTLC Hogwarts AU

KOTLC Song Twins Circus AU

Some Quotes:

"Because when I annoy, I annoy hard." -Tam Song, Nightfall.

"Look, I know I don't talk about it, but it happened to me before. Losing someone dear to me. I can't let that happen again." -Lockwood, to Lucy.

"Better question; are you a narc?" -Tiny Diamond

"I am the M.C... the Mighty Cole!"  -Cole, Rebooted

"I guess I'll just send some happy shadow thoughts into your head." -Tam Song, Flashback 

"-And dying to see Tam. My sister's a fan of silver bangs." -Fitz Vacker, Unlocked.

"Quick, quick Tell me something awful Like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy" -I Hate It Here, Taylor Swift

"Kill him then claim my throne and my queen." -Dorian Wytte, to Monica. 

"I looked around in a blood-soaked gown And I saw something they can't take away 'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned Everything you lose is a step you take So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it You've got no reason to be afraid" -You're on Your Own, Kid, Taylor Swift

"Dude, save your daddy issues for another time." -Tam Song, Neverseen.

"Maybe not. But that doesn't mean you stop trying." - Tam Song, Legacy.

Side Blogs: @flasher-boi-endal @a-poet-yet-forced-finance-guy

DNI IF: Homophobic, racist, sexist, Trump fan, Israel supporter, etc etc. THIS IS A SFW BLOG! PLEASE RESPECT THAT!

That's about that! <3 Have a beautiful day or night! Mya out!

[katyspersonal]

me: Dark Souls 2 brainrot please... I need to attend to other stuff.. I have Elden Ring fanart I wanted to draw... I wanted to write a Bloodborne fanfic as well as answer 80 abandoned asks about it.. I have Dark Souls 1 project I want to finish.... Please let me go for just a bit, or at least stop making literally everything in DS trilogy tie back to Dark Souls 2 somehow

Dark Souls 2 brainrot: Fine, we can think about the Old Gods and Seath instead

me: Yeah that would be a good change of pace

Dark Souls 2 brainrot: Like how Seath and his wife (relative of Gwyn and mother of Shira) created the Frozen Reindeer together! They drop Petrified Dragon Bones and have curved horns, their "hair" is smoke, they are made of blue crystals and they attack with lightning bolts!

me: I am tired, boss

[redheadgleek]

January books

I deleted most social media apps off of my phone this month. Which has left me more time to read than usual as I try to avoid the panic attacks occurring as I watch the literal destruction of my country.

Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens. FT Luken’s stories are about the only YA fic I read anymore, because they are just fun stories. I liked this book better than Spell Bound, their previous book. Solid world-building and story-telling although I could have done with a little less “cooing” about the teenage relationship from the adult characters. 

Mrs. Mike: The Story of Katherine Mary Flannigan by Nancy and Benedict Freeman. I used to really love Canadian Mountie stories and younger me would have lapped this up. Unfortunately, it appears that it’s not as true of a story as the authors pretended (there may not have even been a Mike Flannigan) and that does change how I read it as an adult. The FMC being 16 for example and the colonialism. Also Janette Oak definitely lifted a whole bunch of “inspiration” from this book.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. I’ve never been married and therefore have never divorced. I’m not a mother. And yet, I could completely empathize with the author. Her prose is lyrical and I loved how there weren’t any answers, not really, but there’s healing in our experiences. Beautiful.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. It had been long enough since I’d read the first two books in the series, that I completely missed the connections and Easter eggs unless they were pointed out. Despite that, I really enjoyed this one and their complex messy lives. There wasn’t as much romance as her other books - just two characters with a lot of issues and trauma coming together, but it felt real.

The Wild Wynchesters: The Governess Gambit (0.5), The Duke Heist (1), The Modiste Mishap (1.5), The Perks of Loving a Wallflower (2), The Rake Mistake (2.5), Nobody's Princess (3) and My Rogue to Ruin (4). A few years ago, @klaineharmony recommended The Perks of Loving a Wallflower but as it was the 2nd book of a series, I held off, but something made me want to read them this year. They're great fun - a found group of 6 siblings with varying talents who rescue the distrodden around them, all mixed with romances and brooding looks. The romance is fairly tame if you come from fanfic like me, just 1-2 scenes in the main books, but the men are refreshingly without misogyny. I'm reading the 5th book now and there will be a 6th released at the end of the summer.  

Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise. I started reading this one last year and finished it this month. It started out strong, then the plot seemed to fade away. I loved the parts where Jane was in the asylum and her memories about Neverland, but Peter's character (and Jane's for that matter) weren't well developed. I haven't decided if I'm going to check out the sequel about Hook.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson. Friend recommendation. It's a solid book, engaging story and I overall really enjoyed it, but it does deserve side-eyes for equating the plight of the blue-skinned people of Tennessee and the racism faced by Black people in the time period. The ending was unnecessarily melodramatic.

My Rosebud Boy by Rainbow Rowell. Just a short official flower shop/tattoo artist AU on the Simon Snow trilogy. Not sure I'll ever have enough tidbits of these two.

Women Talking by Miriam Toews. Friend recommendation. It certainly is A Choice to name a book "Women Talking" and have the first person narrator be a man, who interrupts and talks over and for the women, and who, at the end, I know more about than any other woman in the book.

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. Friend recommendation. I still don't know what I think about this book.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Synder. I appreciated that these are little nuggets of wisdom, but I think I was hoping for just a little more practical advice.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin. Friend Recommendation. A fun memoir of a boy who travels down to Mexico with his family to bring back his grandfather. I've lived in Tucson when I was a kid and I have memories of crossing the border for weekends - what an absolutely different world it was just 30 years ago.

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. Friend recommendation. This book was not for me. It's supposed to be a "Hatchet" or "My Side of the Mountain" resiliance story, only in a historical context (takes place in the 1700s in Jamestown). I was distracted for pages because of directions not making sense and rivers flowing in the wrong direction and how a malnourished girl could run for days without stopping and how winter just ended in 5 days and ice and snow pack disappeared in a day. There were some gorgeous sentences and I can see why others might have liked it.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Bills by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea. Audiobook. Recommended by @eponine119. I loved every bit of this book. Their banter was adorable and I was just blown away by Judi’s memory and her ability to quote all of these passages from different plays. You could tell that she and Brendan are good friends. I listened to the audiobook and I didn’t realize until a few chapters in that it wasn’t Judi reading the book, but another actress because she sounded so much like her. Barbara Flynn’s vocal acting is superb. The last chapter is with her and Brendan and she is just a fucking delight. What a treat.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Recommended by @ckerouac. Thoroughly enjoyed. I really loved the beginning of the book, where the expats were adjusting to their new roles.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Book club book. It's the first of a 4 book series that supposedly spans 60 years of friendship between the two main characters. There was a lot that I related to: being "the smart one", having teenage crushes, etc, but the way that these two girls were pursued by men in their 20s and 30s was nauseating. uncertain if I'll read the rest of the series. 

[countlessofvoids]

I think one of the reasons why I personaly don't like the third movie, other than butchering of the trilogy's message and overall bad writing, is how it feels like I'm watching a group project made by the fandom (excluding the rtte obsessed side). Hiccup's design only focuses on the "hotness" aspect, all of Astrid's scenes are either her being Hiccup's supportive girlfriend or a girlboss stomping everyone around her, Valka is reduced to a mother and Snotlout is made to be a repulsive egoist. There's a fanfic-esque subplot of Toothless with his dragon love interest and ridiculously evil antagonists with bare-bones at best depth who get in the way of said romance.

The only thing keeping me from calling this movie a professional fanfic is how instead of a female night fury it's the Light Fury and the ending not being a "they lived happily ever after" where they revert back to the status quo without any changes as if nothing ever happened. Otherwise I think the fandom would love it, besides the occasional pretending they thought it was bad all along years later; like how it is now with the second movie.

[alexanderwales]

Review: The Case of the Sleeping Beauties

The Case of the Sleeping Beauties is a novella that I wrote back in 2015. Ambitiously subtitled "a Utah Sinclair mystery", it did not make any significant splash. It's got 67 lifetime sales, a 3.8 rating, and a single proper review. Some of this is simply a lack of marketing: back in 2015 I had written some fanfic and not much else, and was still working as a software engineer. I'm not sure why I wrote this novella, or decided to put it up for pay (unlike virtually everything else I've written, it's never once been up for free), but I consider it an abject failure, at least as far as writing for money goes. Also the cover sucks. The whole thing is 20,000 words, so short enough that I can easily blow through it in an afternoon. Also (still) available in EPUB, MOBI, and PDF for patrons, but I don't have firm numbers for how many people read it that way, nor if it did anything to encourage patronage.

But is it an artistic failure as well?

There is actually another Utah Sinclair mystery, it was intended as a trilogy of novellas that together would be long enough (and coherent enough) to stitch into a full book with the three cases being individual "acts". I don't know the last time I reread The Case of the Sleeping Beauties, but my guess is that it was while I was trying to complete The Case of the Slaughterhouse Prophet, and that would have been almost a decade ago.

The story was written at a time when I was playing Malifaux, a skirmish game, and is clearly heavily inspired by that, though with the serial numbers filed off. It follows Utah Sinclair, a private detective of the yonside as he wanders around a rambling city trying to figure out where undead prostitutes are coming from.

Mild spoilers follow.

Prose

The first thing I noticed is just how much noir it's channeling, and how much is being put into descriptive phrases. Stuff like this:

The first human through the portal from earthside had found himself on the outskirts of an empty city, one that seemed like it had been cobbled together by an orgy of deranged architects.

Or this:

There were a few maps of Cathopolis, but they only agreed on the areas that the Priz maintained control over. Everywhere else was a geographical bedlam.

Or this:

He was the sort of person who was waiting to disgorge his thoughts, like a mother bird ready to feed a starving chick.

Or this:

I had a revolver strapped to my ankle, one affectionately advertised in the back of the penny dreadfuls as the Silent Witness. It was supposed to be a subtle weapon, but it was still a gun, and if I’d paid chits for it instead of pulling it off a dead man I might have written a nasty letter to the manufacturer about its supposed silence.

Or this:

It took me a moment to realize it, but he was dressed up like a Catholic priest, all in black with a white collar. Even if he’d been standing in the middle of the Vatican with the Pope vouching for him, it wouldn’t have been convincing. Partly it was the scars on his face, but it was also the head that had been shaved with a secondhand blade. The snub-nosed shotgun at his side didn’t help matters either.

I assume that this is channeling Raymond Chandler, since I read a lot of detective fiction when I was a teenager (my dad had loads of the stuff) and Chandler was always a favorite. I think the density of these flourishes could be higher, and if you're going with this style, it's better that it's liberally peppered in. You don't want to sink into the rhythm "normal" prose only to have a tiny speck of flourish pop out at you.

There were a lot of things that I tightened up while reading, partly because this is the easiest thing in the world when reading in GDocs, but I don't know that I'll push a change to the ebook, partly because I would need to figure out how. Most of these changes are fairly minor. There's an overuse of semicolons, which I think I was in love with at the time, a romance that hasn't lasted. There are a few minor tweaks that are just on the order of "no, the phrase 'mechanical fingers' might be misread as poetic, it should reworded to be clear that these are prosthetic". A few of the tweaks are just to reduce down how much text there is, making it more punchy, so "the Priz didn't tax any property that a person might want to claim in this part of the city" becomes "the Priz didn't tax property in this part of the city", and this is essentially inarguably better, tighter, cleaner prose.

Also I fixed some typos, and those do make me feel like I need to figure out the reupload.

Character

I think I've gotten better at character voices through the years, but here I kind of doubt myself, since everything seems fine in that regard. Utah and his partner Ralph don't talk enough early on in my opinion, and there might be a few too many characters introduced in rapid succession, which is a problem when they're not advancing the plot. Cyanide Sally is a bartender who owns the House of Skulls, and she serves a bitter almond special that's (supposedly) fatally poisoned one time in every hundred, and this is very fun ... but it's irrelevant to the plot, it's just fun for the sake of fun.

I do think that Ralph gets speaking lines a bit too late, given that he's the second main character. My advice to my past self would be that he should be getting characterizing dialogue from the word go, and that this central relationship should be better understood by the reader much earlier. And they should be more distinct from each other: the orthogonality thesis is that every set of characters should only overlap where there's something interesting to say with that overlap. Cover up the names and see if you can tell who said what line! This does not work for Ralph and Utah, but I think it does work for most of the other characters. And I guess I wouldn't say this is fatal, since it's not like there's some grounding character arc between our detective and his sidekick.

Utah himself is ... fine. Some of his characterization comes through in the narration, and there were a few moments I particularly liked from him, but I'm not sure that I could sketch him out in a sentence. He's down on his luck, loves to break rules, lies through his teeth, scrambles around and gets back up from the hard punches. I'm not sure that this is enough. A job should be more than a job, I guess, and I do get the sense that he's skeeved out by the necromancy, but ... well, that brings us to the other thing.

Theme

This is, if you squint, or maybe even if you don't, a cop story about sex work. It also kind of doesn't have that much to say about either of those things.

Utah is a private detective, doling out justice for people who can pay him. In real life, private detectives come in a variety of flavors, but one of the most common is just the pursuit of things that are not actually criminal issues, like breach of contract, or adultery. This is a criminal issue within their world, but it's one that no one in power is pursuing. There's some clear contempt for the regular cops from Utah, and some further contempt for the law itself, since he breaks all kinds of laws in this lawless world, including murdering two men, which doesn't greatly affect him. This is self-defense, but still. I don't think there's some great thesis on criminality or justice here, and the novella overall is justice-neutral, seemingly unconcerned with what's right or wrong, only trying to work the problem. This is maybe fine?

And the sex work stuff is seen through the lens of Utah, and this is also seen as maybe being just morally neutral in a matter-of-fact way, something that people do in order to get by, no different from working in a coal mine or whatever. And there's exploitation, but that's no different from working in a coal mine. So I think this story has a viewpoint, but not a thesis.

Does a story need a thesis? Does a little novella like this need to have something to say about the world and the people in it? I don't know, I guess not, but I sure do prefer when there's something to grab onto. I am a sucker for story structure though, and a nice little character arc, and this piece ... does not really have that. Utah is challenged, but he's not challenged to his core, and does not grow and change, and this probably fine for a 20k word novella.

I think in the end it's more of a "wouldn't it be fucked up" kind of story, and in this case I don't particularly like that, since it's not fucked up enough.

Ideas

One of the other things that I look for in any story is cool ideas, and this is one of the things that I like most about reading long ago pieces, because sometimes I've forgotten those ideas.

The idea density is okay, but I would have liked to see more. A weird fiction setting is a playground for ideas, and I feel like especially in the back half, there's just not enough playing going on. It is only 20k words, but that feels like it's enough for easily twice as many little fucked up weird things. So that's what I would do, include more fucked up weird things. (The part where they go to the manor is the one that stands out clearly to me as needing more fucked up weird things, there should have been some kind of magic sculpture there or a steampunk maid or something.)

Of all the stuff that I had forgotten about, my favorite was the necromancy lobbyist, a guy who just really believed that necromancy should be legal, but was supposedly not a necromancer himself. So he's just talking about like regulatory schemes and social mores, and this is funny. I'm glad he wasn't a bad guy in the end, for some reason I thought he was going to be involved in the plot in a more critical way. Instead, he's just a happy little academic.

Conclusion

Fun to reread, and no, I would say not an artistic failure. Definitely feels like it wants a second mystery to follow after it. I believe The Case of the Slaughterhouse Prophet is approximately half written, which with editing work means only a quarter written, but again, the numbers mean that there's just no way that I can justify that as anything but a labor of love.

I wouldn't say that this is the best thing I've ever written, but I think it compares favorably to the other mid-length stuff. Definitely would have been stronger with a thematic core, and with more cohesion between protagonist and plot, but I also think that's fine.

I guess, having read it after nearly a decade, I'm feeling weirdly defensive about it for no particular reason. It might have been one thing if it had just not sold, that's partly just down to the lack of marketing and also the market for novellas being bad. But it also scored poorly in terms of ratings, and on top of that, never got enough reviews for me to get a picture of what was not hitting right, which leaves me grappling in the dark.

So I'd say that I learned approximately nothing from this, except that I had some more ideas for a Weird West kind of story, if I ever end up writing one of those.

[dulcet-aurora]

╭━━━━━━╯ heart-shaped box . . . caroline's favorites! 我 ⸼ ࣪ ✿ ❪ dulcet-aurora ❫

❪ favs !! ❫ 🦷‌   ֶָ   ࣪   ׅ   言

books: riordanverse, the picture of dorian gray, sense and sensibility, the great gatsby, wuthering heights, a good girl's guide to murder trilogy, his dark materials, this one dsmp fanfic i read when i was twelve that got deleted when i was rereading it (elenawastakenn on wp i miss you come home.), all the young dudes on ao3, the metamorphosis, white nights, the tom taylor nightwing comics.

movies: mr. holland's opus, la la land, 500 days of summer, 10 things i hate about you, the sandlot, the might ducks, the proposal, deadpool, hairspray (2007), the christian bale batman movies, 92sies, my girl.

tv shows: the umbrella academy (all time fav), young justice, modern family, how i met your mother, the hollow, anne with an e, suits, henry danger, abbott elementary.

people: my irl best friend (duh), @di-lucss, @ephemerensis, @myespresso, @dollishmehrayan !!!!

music: queen, michael jackson, semisonic, etta james, kool and the gang, show tunes, billy joel, duke ellington, chet baker, hozier, beabadoobee, laufey, tv girl, barenaked ladies, joan jett, tyler, the creator, clairo, sade, steve lacy, ms. lauryn hill, arctic monkeys, jason mraz, bruno mars, duran duran, pixies, billie holiday, the clash, green day, david bowie, the cars, frank sinatra, ella fitzgerald, george michael, stevie wonder, abba, fleetwood mac, nelly furtado, the california honeydrops.

© dulcet-aurora 2025.

[electricrogue]

i was tagged by @kdramamilfs, thank you so much!

favorite movie: I have a few tbh, but in general I am into sci-fi/fantasy/horror stuff, but like the smart kind of horror not the useless bloody type. That being said... I love The Others, I love Sorcerer's Apprentice for albeit different reasons xD

favorite tv show: Depends on what itch I want to scratch. Either Sanctuary (btw I do recommend that if you don't know it, I don't know if your milf thing has an upper limit but yeah... I have a type, you have kinda the same type and there's also some fanfic I could give you, so yeah xD if you ever want a new TV-show to watch this should be on your list). Or Librarians, that was cute too. And lately Agatha all Along which you should also watch too bad you need Marvel background for that xD.

favorite musical artist: Sharon den Adel not like anyone and their mothers didn't see that coming xD. Buut apart from that give me any cute brunette that is lead singer of her own band and sings either about apocalypses and/or dark stuff and I am game. Might even go with a redhead from time to time :P. (And yes I had to bold that for a reason)

favorite color: pretty much every shade of blue I can think of :P

favorite season: summer but before it goes too hot because that sucks

favorite book: I have a lot I like not sure I have faves. The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt, Black Creek Crossing by John Saul, The Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb (I love Robin, like I got into her for the exact reason you think but I mean Liveship Traders has a woman as a protagonist so yeah). Also Neamul Corbilor by Lavinia Calina even if she pulled the sister thing on me (yes still bitter about that)

do you have any funko pops? Yes and I could have more because I found a girl that does custom ones but she doesn't ship here so yeah :(.

do you play any instruments? Nope

do you have any pets? I have a cat named Lucy which I named after the movie Lucy before I knew I hated that movie xD. But she can be Lucy after Lucy Westenra as well I guess (yes, she bites, not enough to draw blood but eh xD)

do you read or write fan fiction? Yes to both and for various fandoms. Mainly Sanctuary though.

what songs have you had on repeat recently? I am mostly over Sharon's covers from Liefde Voor Muziek (I still come and listen to that playlist once every 2 days or so, but still). Other than that I actually started to research some bands I will go to a concert of. So Ad Infinitum, Leaves Eyes and Eluveitie. I like them but nothing worth repeating yet :D.

Tagging @tinknevertalks, @sarcasticsciencefictionwriter and @truedairship if any of you feels like doing this :)