#my favorite fictional Diaz

[not-so-secret-bi-badge-bunny]

Welcome to my chaos 🤣😂😅

[diazsdimples]

Fic Writers Meme

Tagged by @inell

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

19

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

277,040

3. What fandoms do you write for?

9-1-1 but I did write a bunch of British Actor RPF back in high school lmao

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Buck's Baby (By Accident) (Buddie) How can this be wrong? (Bucktommy) For the rest of my life (for the rest of yours) (Buddie) Sweet child of mine (Bucktommy) The heat of the moment (Buddie)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do, even though it takes me a second sometimes. I always appreciate people putting in the time to tell me what they thought of my stuff!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of them? All my fics have happy endings

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably For the rest of my life (for the rest of yours) just for the hopeful Buckley-Diaz family feels but honestly any of them could work

8. Do you get hate on fics?

The occasional "this wouldn't happen in canon!!" and I'm like yeah! That's cause it's fiction!! But other than that, not really no.

9. Do you write smut?

9 of my 19 fics are smut and my smut fics are usually my longest. So, yep!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope but I do write AUs based off premises from other things? Sort of?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Kind of? I deleted a fic once bc it wasn't a vibe for me (it was a request that I didn't love and didn't know how to say no) and the original requester of the fic, with whom I'd fallen out, messaged being like hey!! saw you deleted it!!! good news is I copied it into google docs before you could!!! Which I did not love

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I am currently co-writing 2 fics with @hippolotamus and one with @theotherbuckley, when I remember they exist 🫣

14. What is your all time favorite ship?

Buddie will always be my go to for writing. I'm compelled a lot by Bucktommy and Buddietommy (and Eddietommy lbr) but for the most part if I come up with an AU, it'll be a Buddie one.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Single Dads AU or Frostpunk AU. They've just been around for so long that I feel like people have either forgotten or are sick of them and I just have No Beans for them

16. What are your writing strengths?

Oof I don't know, I think maybe coming up with plots/ compelling storylines

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I struggle most with describing things and emotions and if there's a scene that very emotion heavy it'll take me a long time to write it because I agonise over the correct words to use.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language during a fic?

I wouldn't unless I had someone who spoke the language who was able to help guide me, mostly because I don't want to make mistakes

19. First fandom you wrote for?

British Actor RPF (specifically Tom Hiddleston/Benedict Cumberbatch

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Play me like a fiddle is my baby, will always be my baby, and it is my most beloved. 34k of Music Nerd James with a whole load of Buddie feels and closet sex. Idk, I peaked there tbh

NP tagging @theotherbuckley @hippolotamus @daffi-990 @buckera @watchyourbuck

@spotsandsocks @bidisasterevankinard @bigfootsmom @wikiangela @jesuisici33

@rainbow-nerdss @steadfastsaturnsrings and anyone else who wants to share their stuff! (And if I forgot anyone, I apologise)

[absolutelybifurious]

the thing is im usually allllll for putting eddie in the torture nexus, its actually my favorite favorite thing, but it hits so different when its chris. when its the person eddie has tried so hard for again and again and again. when its this thing he's poured his entire soul and life and being into for YEARS to try and Not Fail His Kid. when its now his kid being merciless in punishing him. now the same kid is ghosting him for this one mistake that also hurt eddie terribly.

and i get it isnt out of place for a teen to do something like this, bc their emotions are so big, but can someone CALL THAT OUT? can someone be like yeah hes taking this a bit far lets maybe put a stop to it??? but eddie's parents are just ignoring eddie and letting this Angry Teenager uproot his entire life and break his dads heart while eddie is powerless to do anything about it because he, once again, so desperately, wants just to be a good father. but he actually kind of isnt being one because he doesnt value himself enough to be like oh hey, wait, you're actually being unfair. we need to discuss this. he can't teach chris that running and being selfish and icing people out is Not Healthy because that would mean prioritizing his own hurt over this months-long temper tantrum christopher is having. and it would be great if this arc ended in a way that addresses THAT.

and if no one's gonna explain this to chris, i just need someone to explain it to eddie, i really desperately need someone to actually comfort EDDIE. i need someone to tell him, or at least acknowledge, that it wasn't completely his fault. that he tried to stop it before it affected chris. that he did the right thing but then got ambushed by kim. or even that the whole kim thing must have Hurt Him Too. like someone just hold him or talk to him or ANYTHING in a way that isn't wow you really hurt christopher huh :(

but i honestly can't tell where they're going with it bc its been one episode. i just know i, like christopher and eddie, am having Big Feelings and DONT KNOW HOW TO PROCESS THEM.

there's so much potential and im tentatively excited but also hahahahasf i would like this particular torture nexus to end immediately. this is a kind of emotional horror that might actually give me heart damage. christopher diaz get over yourself and go home.

im really hoping all this leads to a VERY heartwarming reunion because if it does not then i have beef with a fictional thirteen year old im so serious. (also the diaz parents but i've had beef with them so.)

[qqueenofhades]

Hello! I would love to hear about your favourite historical fictions - I've been looking recently for some nice historical mysteries specifically (I grew up on Brother Cadfael and I've been indulging in some nostalgic re-reading), and I am always looking for new ones if you have any in your wheelhouse. Thank you so much in advance, and I've also been enjoying everyone's recs for you - so thanks to them vicariously too :)

Not all these are historical MYSTERIES per se, but for historical fiction, this is what I can think of that I have read semi-recently and which comes to mind when I am away from my bookshelves:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Longtime favorite, still love it; literary mystery! Dracula! Eastern European history! I also picked up her most recent one, The Shadow Land, and devoured it in about three days. There is both a historical and a contemporary plot line and I snarfed it all down.

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. This is not historical mystery, but it is gorgeously written and very evocative historical fiction/family saga, set in Burma around the turn of the twentieth century and exploring the changes of war, colonialism, family, destiny, and more.

Babel by R.F. Kuang. This is historical fantasy, but she is an ungodly brilliant writer, it's set in an alternate magical Oxford in the 19th century, it deals with history, translation, empire, culture, racism, language, power, and so much more, and the ending made me BAWL. One of my favorite books ever, read it.

Trust by Hernan Diaz. Booker Prize winner; multiple narratives; explores Gilded Age New York and different perspectives on history and truth; there's a mystery element to it but it's highly sophisticated yet easily readable literary fiction.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. This is more contemporary-sci fi, though its main plot is about time travel, history, how power uses that history, and more. I include it here because it's one of my favorite recently published books; it's funny, moving, and one of those books that sneaks up on you with unexpected depth, so I am adding it here.

Edited to add: If you love Brother Cadfael, I'm SURE you've read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, but if not, yes, Posthaste.

[depressedbloggerwrites]

my favorite fictional bisexuals

part 3 of my pride month series where i talk about my favorite queer fictional characters! here are my fav fictional bisexuals :)

will solace - percy jackson universe

he's a human serotonin machine and i love him for that

rosa diaz - brooklyn nine-nine

i'm so in love with her?? i think she might be my favorite tv character ever actually

annalise keating - how to get away with murder

her speech in the final episode always brings me to tears

nick nelson - heartstopper

me when a character depicts my exact relationship with my bisexuality

i love these guys sm

[shakespeare-official-account]

Hmm perchance I was too vague for thee…

I was inquiring not upon your feline opinions,but simply which fictional character tickles your fancy the most my good bard!

Nay, 'tis alright, noble anon. Thou hath inadvertently asked me of two of my favorite things, and I thank thee. Mine favorites art:

nico di angelo (the riordanverse) look, he's gay and repressed, emo and traumatized, shadowy and awesome. he's my comfort character i love him so much <3

edwin payne (dead boy detectives) he's similar to nico but less shadowy and more showy lol

crowley (good omens) he's crowley. he's a bloody legend.

tyrannus basilton grimm-pitch (simon snow) the only vampire boyfriend i will ever like <3

alec lightwood (shadowhunters) he's cool idk

alastair carstairs (shadowhunters) again: he's cool idk

magnus bane (shadowhunters)

alex fierro (the riordanverse)

alex claremont-diaz (rwrb)

wille (young royals)

charlie spring (heartstopper)

more to come when i think lol

also i clearly have a type and that type is queers ::3

[defences-down]

I was talking a couple of nights back to @savebylou about trying to find a way to talk about what I wrote this year, sorta like a year in review because it would be fun to reflect. She sent me a post from @haztobegood and I thought I'd give it a go answering the questions.

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 19

2. Word count posted for the year: 79,814

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction, Red, White & Royal Blue

4. Pairings: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Isaac Anderson/Michael Blackwell, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson/Zayn Malik, Oli Wright/Niall Horan, Liam Payne/Zayn Malik, Liam Payne & Louis Tomlinson, Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: Pumpkin, you’re gonna kill me

Bookmarks: Pumpkin

Comments: Pumpkin

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): I’m gonna pick three. 

Every Star has such a special place in my heart forever and I loved exploring their friendship. Cried writing it, cry thinking about it now.

It Takes An Ocean Not To Break came out very quickly and was healing to write.

Summer Skin, Pressed On Mine was the first Ziall fic I posted and I had such a blast working through that idea. I couldn’t get the idea to fit within the plot of the larger fic I’ve been working on all year so I made it a stand-alone and it was so fun. 

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): None of them. There are parts of some that could be done better but I’m trying to work on being less of a perfectionist.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: Every time I wake up to my friends screaming about fics in comments or dms I can’t stop smiling. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: Can I say most of this year? Cause it’s true, trying to write funny fluffy romance when you’re getting divorced/working through all of that hurts real bad. It wasn’t all bad it got rough.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: The scene with Isaac and Niall walking home in Pumpkin pretty much came to me fully formed. But I also had a lot of surprises working through Ziam’s relationship in that fic.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: 

He’s never told the true story of how the first tune had come about. It wasn’t as fictional as he said, but it wasn’t one kind stranger. It was everyone who’d seen he mattered and held his hand over the years. The fans who waved pride flags with wide grins on their faces. The ones on the streets and in lines who told him that they’d been brave because of him. His spouse, who’d seen the way he’d become a shell after every heartbreak he encountered called Gemma and Lottie to ask for help finding a therapist because he trusted them. His mum, who had encouraged the dream he had even on the worst days. They all became the woman in his song. He’d never say it, he couldn’t, he could barely play it some nights. Watching them from his perch in front of the drums he’s sure some of them understand what he’s saying. Maybe after a few days hidden away somewhere with Harry, he’ll ask them to look on her burner account to see what people are saying. He knows he shouldn’t, but he wants to know they know what he meant. He’s doing better than he ever was, and he’s better because they’re all with him. He loves a beautiful human, and they love him back. He’s proud of who he is and he hopes anyone in a similar situation can look at him and know it will all be alright. Freedom is where you make it.

From feel the freedom

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at letting myself be seen more. I explored more and ended up finally writing in a fandom that I’ve been reading in for years.  And I'm so proud of all the things I made this year.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: I’d love to keep writing at this level and hopefully publish something every month but we’ll see how that goes.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): @thechavier. More than half of these stories exist because she wanted to read them. Same with @whatifai, pumpkin exists because of her love of Harry and lime bikes. And of course, a thank you to the lads for providing endless material to use as a jumping off point.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: There was a scene I cut from Pumpkin that I put up later in Let All My Defences Down where Niall was talking to his Mum about growing up in the church that was pulled from my life. Henry using writing as a coping mechanism, especially on planes. Henry’s golden notebook. There’s probably more but those are the ones I can think of right now.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Find the people who are willing to let you tease things out with them no matter how little sense it makes at the moment.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:  I’m so excited to finally release my biggest project to date in January. I’m really proud of How It Found Us (previews and bonus content here) and I can’t wait until it’s in y’all's hands. There’s also a secret project that I’m really excited about but it has no deadline yet.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

@voulezloux @thechavier @silverkiiwii

[findpenpalsover20]

I'm looking for pen pals to discuss poetry, art and culture, and daily life with. I'm 31 years old but I have the soul of an old, old man inside (or possibly an old woman that doesn't like people, lol). My passions are history (NOT military history); art; ethnic/traditional/folk music, classical and instrumental music; art cinema and foreign cinema; contemporary poetry (NOT rhyming poetry); literary fiction; architecture and design; historical fashion and crafts (a little); and vintage transportation. I am politically a socialist and I believe it's important to be politically and historically informed.

My favorite writers currently include Téa Obreht, Ruth Stone, Wanda Coleman, Anton Chekhov (his plays), and Natalie Diaz. My favorite films are many, but include The Lion in Winter, Days of Heaven, Russian Ark, The Eve of Ivan Kupalo, Dreams (Kurosawa), and more. My favorite tv shows are 30 Rock, Veep, Fisk, Parks & Rec, and Poirot.

Some things I need to get out of the way immediately: I like historical fiction and magical realism, but I CANNOT STAND genre fiction (horror, thriller, romance, anime, high fantasy, sci-fi, any of that). Stans and stan culture make me uncomfortable. I hate video games, LOTR, Star Trek, and D&D. I loathe any media featuring Vampires. I'm truly sorry, but I just don't want to talk about these things. I'm a kind person, but I'm heavily annoyed by these things.

I would prefer someone my age or older to chat with, although it's not a hard rule. They must be emotionally mature. I am fine with pen pals of any nationality, but they must be fluent in English. I am open both to chatting informally online and to exchanging more formal long-form letters on a monthly basis. I am comfortable using Tumblr, Discord, or email to chat.

I can't open DMs or Asks, so if you are interested please just like or reblog this post and I will be in touch with you.

contact @alightinthelantern 

[just-a-pole-sir]

Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz?

who? | only know their name | loathe | ugh | overrated | indifferent | dead | alive | just okay | cute | badass | my baby | hot | want to marry | favorite 

Put a fictional character in my ask

[not-so-secret-bi-badge-bunny]

Wild question: But do tall people just randomly stretch this way bc my 5'4" (162.26cm) ass with bad joints could never.

Presenting the person stretching in question : Alex Diaz

[princessfbi]

Hello All!

I’m just popping in here to let you all know that a most beloved AU is celebrating a birthday today. @buddie-buddie is first and foremost one of my dearest and greatest and best friends but she’s also the creator of one my absolutely favorite fictional pieces I have read in all my life. I say piece because if I could list it in my top five favorite books, I would. I read White House AU in the middle of the pandemic and I could not put it down. I read it all day. I reread it when I need comfort. I read it when I was distracting myself from getting nervous before surgery. I reread it when I need to cry or smile or laugh. If I could carry this fic around in my pocket I would. The tab to this page is always up on my phone. It’s a fic that feels like a warm hug and it’s not surprise it feels that way given who wrote it. Ella is a bright spot in this fandom with her kindness, sense of humor, and her talent. Please take a moment to go give her and her masterpiece love.

If you like President Buck and Special Agent Eddie Diaz who are sassy and yet so in love in makes them stupid? This is the fic for you.

So thank you the author that created it and Happy Birthday to the fic that has meant so much to me.

[set-phasers-to-whump]

maybe

prompt: animal trap

whumpee: eddie diaz

fandom: 911

hi! here's the first of three eddie fics in a row, which i have just realized i wrote as i'm typing this. get ready for a barrage of me beating up my favorite (fictional) firefighter :)

Eddie doesn’t like this place. 

It’s an old house, half-collapsed and completely abandoned, sitting in the middle of a large, yellowed yard that is filled with various pieces of debris - old car parts, scrap metal, and the like. 

It is also on fire. So far, the flames have not engulfed the entire place, but it’s a matter of minutes. And then, there’s all the dry grass, and beyond that, trees. 

He’s in front, pulling the hose towards the house, trudging through the overgrown grass and kicking aside the occasional gas canister or piece of rotted timber. 

He doesn’t even see it, it’s buried so deep in the grass, likely having laid there untouched for at least a decade. 

He doesn’t know what’s happened, at first, and thinks he’s just twisted his ankle. He stops walking and looks down, and then the pain hits him at full force. 

There is a bear trap, rusted but very much functional, clamped onto his foot. Its teeth have punched right through his boot and into his flesh, and it fucking hurts. 

He sort of sinks to the ground with a strangled yelp, his right leg stuck out from his body at a strange angle in an attempt not to jostle it. 

“Hey, guys?” he calls to his team, who are already hurrying towards him. “I might need a little help over here.”

Hen gets to him first. 

“Is that a bear trap?”

He nods and then sucks in a sharp breath as her fingers touch the trap embedded in his foot. 

“Jesus,” is Chimney’s contribution. “Who puts a bear trap in their front yard?”

Bobby and Buck hurry past them, picking up the hose Eddie’d dropped as a loud popping sound reminds him that there’s still a fire to be fought. 

He focuses on watching the flames and watching Bobby and Buck attack the fire from the outside. Hen and Chim are stabilizing his foot, and it hurts. Every slight movement sends a wave of pain up his entire leg. 

He watches Bobby and Buck enter the building, and doesn’t look away until they’re back, the house behind them smoking but no longer aflame. 

By the time Bobby and Buck return to them, Hen and Chim have gotten Eddie onto a backboard, prepped for transport in the ambulance they had not expected to be making use of on this particular call. 

They get situated in the ambulance, and Eddie reluctantly allows Chim to give him a small amount of morphine. Every second that goes by makes his foot hurt worse. He can feel it throbbing in time with his heartbeat, which is already too fast. 

He wants the damn thing off of him, although he knows that they can’t remove it now without potentially causing more damage. But he can feel the teeth digging into his skin and it’s awful and he wants them out. 

Chim notices his discomfort, places a hand on his shoulder. 

“We’ll get this thing off you in no time,” he says. “How you holding up?”

Eddie shrugs. “Been better, been worse,” he replies, trying to keep his voice even. Fuck, this hurts. 

“It’s only a few more minutes. Sure I can’t talk you into a little more of the good stuff? It’ll help, you know. There’s no point in making yourself suffer. It’s only us here.”

“Fine,” Eddie relents, because it does really hurt, “but only a little.” 

Chim pumps his fist like he’s just won a prize, and injects a small amount more of morphine into Eddie’s IV bag. 

It helps, of course. The pain recedes in his mind, just a little bit, but enough to make a difference. 

“What did I tell you?” Chim asks. “We carry this stuff for a reason.”

Eddie raises his hand in mock surrender. Chimney has a point, though Eddie isn’t sure that he wants to admit it. But what’s the point in suffering needlessly? In not accepting something that can ease the pain? 

“Maybe you’re right,” he admits. 

Maybe there is nothing to be lost from accepting help. Maybe there is nothing to be lost from admitting to pain. 

Maybe. 

thanks for reading! hope you liked it, love youuuu <3

[thelonelybrilliance]

2023 Reads: thelonelybrilliance

Final count 72! I set a goal of 52 originally but raised the bar when I realized that would only bring me into early November.

Decided it would be fun to share some stats and recommendations along with the full list.

First, ten recommendations:

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner (best completed series)

Gregory Orr, The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write (best new poetry read)

Minka Kelly, Tell Me Everything (best memoir)

E.B. White, Here Is New York (best short read)

Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist (best journals)

Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family (best children's lit)

Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout (best poetry memoir)

George Eliot, Middlemarch (best classic)

Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart (best food writing)

Red Rising series by Pierce Brown (best sci-fi/ongoing series + best audio drama (Red Rising (Book 1))

Of my 72 reads, 31 were rereads, 41 new . Four were audiobooks, the rest print (primarily e-books). My longest read was David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. My shortest read (I think? A lot of poetry collections are short) was the longform essay, Here Is New York by E.B. White. I read the most books in December (15) and the least in June (2). 50 authors were women, 21 were men, and one poetry collection was multi-author. My most-read authors were as follows:

Megan Whalen Turner (7 books)

Lucy Maud Montgomery (6 books)

Louise Glück (5 books)

Elizabeth Wein (5 books)

Jane Austen (3 books)

Pierce Brown (3 books)

Full list organized by month under the cut!

Favorites: Bold | Rereads: Underline

Fiction: Blue | Non-Fiction: Red | Poetry: Purple | Audiobook: *

JANUARY

Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief

2. Annie Chagnot & Emi Ikkanda (eds.), How Lovely the Ruins

3. Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen

FEBRUARY

4. Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

5. Richard Siken, War of the Foxes

6. Jane Austen, Sense & Sensibility

MARCH

7. Rita Dove, Playlist for the Apocalypse

8. Louise Glück, The Seven Ages

9. Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

APRIL

10. Megan Whalen Turner, Moira's Pen

11. Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia

12. Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia

13. Megan Whalen Turner, A Conspiracy of Kings

MAY

14. Megan Whalen Turner, Thick as Thieves

15. Megan Whalen Turner, Return of the Thief

16. Elizabeth Wein, The Winter Prince

17. Elizabeth Wein, A Coalition of Lions

18. Elizabeth Wein, Sunbird

19. Elizabeth Wein, The Lion Hunter

JUNE

20. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

21. bell hooks, Applachian Elegy

JULY

22. Michael Gibney, Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line*

23. C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

24. Elizabeth Wein, The Empty Kingdom

25. Dorothy Dunnett, Spring of the Ram

26. Michael Bazzett, You Must Remember This

27. Lisa Ampelman, Romances

28. Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

29. Natalie Diaz, Post-Colonial Love Poem

AUGUST

30. Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

31. Jenny Han, It's Not Summer Without You

32. Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was an Aztec

33. Ocean Vuong, Time Is a Mother

34. L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars

35. Ocean Vuong, Night Sky with Exit Wounds

SEPTEMBER

36. Gregory Orr, The Last Love Poem I Will Ever Write

37. E.B. White, Here Is New York

38. Minka Kelly, Tell Me Everything

39. P.G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves

40. Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist

41. Jonathan Stroud, The Screaming Staircase*

42. Tobias Wolff, Old School

OCTOBER

43. Emi Nietfeld, Acceptance*

44. Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

45. R.F. Kuang, Yellowface

46. Louise Glück, Vita Nova

47. L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

48. L.M. Montgomery, Emily Climbs

49. L.M. Montgomery, Emily's Quest

50. Ada Limón, The Hurting Kind

NOVEMBER

51. Ron Rash, Poems

52. Louise Glück, Meadowlands

53. Tom Perrotta, Election

54. L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

55. Louise Glück, Averno

56. L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

57. Curtis Sittenfeld, Prep

DECEMBER

58. Tom Perrotta, Tracy Flick Can't Win

59. Pierce Brown, Red Rising*

60. Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle

61. Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess

62. Pierce Brown, Iron Gold

63. Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family

64. William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

65. George Eliot, Middlemarch

66. Louise Glück, Ararat

67. Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart

68. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

69. Kate Baer, And Yet

70. Marguerite de Angeli, The Lion in the Box

71. Pierce Brown, Golden Son

72. Laurie Halse Anderson, Shout

[thecinemarattifilmclub]

Join us as we celebrate the films that we love starting with Movies That Make You Want to HUG the Weekend! The List, in no particular order:

Tenet In Her Shoes John Wick Chicago It's Complicated Train to Busan Honorable Mention: Call Me By Your Name, I Am Legend

Tenet, 2020 From the opening scene, Tenet is an electrifying blend of heart-pounding action and mind-bending science fiction. Director Christopher Nolan delivers a captivating and visually stunning film. The Protagonist, portrayed by John David Washington, is a complex figure who moves through the film asking the same questions we have as viewers. The cast is fantastic, and there's this one unforgettable scene towards the end where The Protagonist has a revelatory, emotionally charged moment with Neil, Robert Pattinson's character, that leaves you heartbroken. I love this movie and will watch it again and again! -Alana

In Her Shoes, 2005 Often overlooked in the flurry of rom-coms released in the early aughts, director Curtis Hanson’s In Her Shoes exists as one of the most endearing films of the genre. In this 2005 gem, the film’s leads, Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, and Shirley MacLaine, each deliver performances that are beautifully nuanced in telling the story of two estranged sisters finding their way back to each other, and themselves, after reconnecting with their estranged grandmother. Yes, this is a story about love - the unexpected ways we might find it, learning to permit ourselves to experience it, how it profoundly changes us, and what we are willing to do to rebuild it after it’s been broken - but this film is about so much more than that. In Her Shoes pulls the curtain back on how grief and mental illness change our relationships in ways that can reverberate through generations and how we might be able to pick up the pieces and build something beautiful for ourselves. This movie fundamentally changed me when I first watched it. I love watching movies exploring the depths of sisterhood, both loving and complicated, and this one just means so much to me. -Victoria John Wick, 2014 Keanu Reeves, a fan favorite, is dynamite in the John Wick series. The movies are action-packed, well-acted, and feature a simple yet intriguing storyline. Whenever I'm in the mood for an exciting film with snappy dialogue and an interesting cast, I always turn to a John Wick film. Among the series, the original John Wick is my go-to because what's more exhilarating than a grieving hitman seeking vengeance for his puppy and his car? I mean, if "you've effed with the wrong one" was a person, it'd be John Wick. I'm here for it! -Alana Chicago, 2002 Based on the 1926 play and 1975 stage musical of the same name, 2002’s Chicago is a soaring accomplishment from director Rob Marshall. This musical crime dramedy tells the spellbinding tale of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, both inmates on Murderess’ Row at Cook County Jail, as they chase celebrity and notoriety while awaiting trial. What is at once a tour-de-force of its own merit is also an enchanting homage to its source material, this film is one I simply cannot get enough of. The performances from Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and Queen Latifah are electrifying and completely mesmerizing, each wholly embodying their lauded characters. Aside from the spectacular acting each delivers in this film, the musical performances are simply out of this world, with credit to the original music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb respectively, of course, but the production comes to life in a whole new way on the big screen. I watch this film a few times a year and highly recommend keeping the soundtrack in your rotation. -Victoria It’s Complicated, 2009 Oscar-nominated writer and director Nancy Meyers followed up a legendary four-film run (The Parent Trap, What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give, and The Holiday) with 2009’s rom-com It’s Complicated. Starring Meryl Streep, with charming supporting performances from Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, this film follows a 10-years divorced baker as she navigates life as an empty-nester and discovers what might be next for her - which appears to include an affair with her now-married ex-husband (Baldwin) and a blossoming romance with the architect remodeling her home (Martin). This film explores the complications of divorce and moving on, while highlighting the joys and pits of rediscovering yourself, especially in your golden years. While this film was met with mixed reviews from critics, there is an undeniable sense of the Nancy Meyers charm that makes it the cozy and beloved film it is to me. Like any Meyers film, the set design is a character and story to discover in itself and perhaps one of my favorite elements of this movie - it’s an aesthetic feast! I have loved this movie for years and it’s one of those movies that pulls on your heartstrings, tickles your funny bone, and makes you feel hopeful for the future by the final scene. -Victoria

Train to Busan, 2016 Train to Busan is an electrifying and almost unmatched zombie film. Like any good movie, it has emotional depth. Your investment in the characters and their survival catapults you from scene to scene. Yeon Sang-ho’s directorial choices build the tension and suspense required for the film’s propulsion, but he also incorporates space for you to catch your breath. And with this plot, you'll need it. Gong Yoo and Ma Dong-seok are a great pair, using their ingenuity and sheer power to fight their way through zombie hoards. Whenever I'm looking for something exciting to watch, this film never fails to deliver. -Alana

[boy-kisser-in-theory]

For the ask game: 9, 17, 20

9. Who’s your favorite mlm artist?

Not sure, I listen to a bunch of random artist and don’t really pay all that much attention to what their sexualities are💀 a lot of my main artists are women and (as I know of) straight men so

17. Do you tend to like masc, fem, or androgynous boys?

Mostly masc, definitely not fem. I’ve got nothing against them of course, I’m just not all that attracted to them.

20. Who’s your favorite fictional mlm?

I could GO ON FOR AGES but I’ll only list three; Alex Claremont-Diaz (RW&RB), Castiel (Supernatural), and Francis Abernathy (The Secret History.)

[winterstellars]

i'm in the middle of reading sins of the son and i'm so incredibly inspired by your writing style!! i love the dialogue so much, it's so natural and your characters have amazing chemistry :) i wanted to ask if you have any inspirations? i'd love to get book recs lol

Hi, this is so kind, thank you so much! Fun fact about my writing is that once I know my plot I actually write out my dialogue like a script first and then fill in the rest of the story around it. Anyways this is gonna be a super long answer so I'm focusing on literary inspo/books, but I'm happy to talk more about my non-literary inspirations for sins of the son too! Just lmk.

In my non-online life I actually mainly write poetry, so that's where I draw a lot of inspiration from in terms of style. I love Ada Limón's poetry (Bright Dead Things is my favorite collection of hers, but I would highly recommend The Hurting Kind and The Carrying as well) because her structure resonates so deeply with me: if she poses a question in the first line then she answers it by the end. And she's deeply strategic about imagery. If there's a cat in the poem then that cat means something. I definitely tried to bring that same strategy into sins of the son. If there's a strong image in the first section then I try to work that into the last section too (like the sept in part 1).

Other poets I really love are Hanif Abdurraqib, Anne Carson, Natalie Diaz, and Rainer Maria Rilke.

In terms of prose that I like, Manuel Muñoz's The Consequences is one of the most beautiful short story collections I've ever read. I specifically love how he writes character & location and intertwines those two. Definitely another thing that pops up in my work--I like the setting to feel like its own character. He also writes incredible dialogue. One of his stories (I don't have my book with me rn & can't recall the title) ends with a character saying "Men don't know how to suffer." Which, in the context of the story, is just devastating. I think of that line a lot when I write because it feels like the pinnacle of really earning a solid, powerful line of dialogue.

Also love Carmen Maria Machado's work, she writes through a very magical realism/slightly surreal lens in both her fiction (Her Body and Other Parties) and nonfiction (In the Dream House).

Other books that weren't fic inspo that I'd highly recommend:

-The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon (themes of religion&guilt do sort of tie in)

-Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (sort of a Hades & Persephone retelling but midwestern gothic & so deeply interesting)

-How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu (spec fic, masterful, I sobbed)

I hope this gives you some potential reading material! Thank you for reading my darling little fic, I hope you enjoy the rest of it 💚💚💚