#nikki reads

[nikkicafeina]

3, 18, 25! 📚

3. What were your top five books of the year?

In no particular order:

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro--this one just hit perfectly for me. It's got a level of Arthuriana that adds but never detracts and I'm too Hispanic not to love magical realism.

Legends and Lattes Travis Baldtree--I smiled the whole way through, and I kept putting off reading it because I didn't want it to end. Very cozy, very sweet.

The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco-- I'm fascinated by every single bit of this series and it's had a big impact on my own writing. I read quite a bit of historical fiction with queer characters, this book and the sequel are scratching the Sarah Waters itch while really not being derivative of that at all.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik-- this is standing in place of the whole series, which I devoured and enjoyed every second of. El my beloved! Orion my baby! I have next year's TBR list stacked with Novik.

A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll--I didn't read as many graphic novels as I usually do this year, but this one was very good! Body horror, haunting, and excellent colors, I was always gonna love it.

18. How many books did you buy?

I don't usually buy many, I'm a library girlie. They're all on my TBR except for The Buried Giant: An Artist of the Floating World, also by Ishiguro, a box set of the Spiderwick Chronicles because those were very foundational for baby Nikki, volume 1 of Nana because my secondhand bookstore had it. Several that I would say were more bought by my partner but I was there and also I want to read them.

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

To read through the books I OWN but have never read :/ I'm real bad about that! I'm also going to work my way through The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. I love-hated Interview with the Vampire, I'm compelled to read at least those two but I'm extremely against the idea of reading all her vampire books. Too many. I don't do long series anymore. I also feel like I should read more nonfiction, I've probably been out of grad school long enough to enjoy it again. We'll see!

Thank you for the questions, you're the best influence ♡♡♡

[puppyeared]

i like him

[k20spock]

Gecko’s list of free video games you should play right now

Hi I’m gecko I like video games and I like not paying 60 dollars for them so here’s a list of some free games I’ve unearthed and liked. Enjoy

(most of these are small, more obscure games made by a few people or even just one person, so support the creators if you can!! Some of these do have a pay what you want model)

Hikeback (Itch.io) 

You see a hitchhiker flagging you down during a long, lonely drive through the countryside. No matter how you choose to handle the situation, you end up back on that road. And then again. And again. And again, until you find a way to escape a loop of violence and self-sabotage. Hikeback is a visual novel inspired by the fable of the frog and the scorpion, and it takes about an hour to reach the ending. It’s available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and browser, and there’s a detailed list of content warnings on the game’s itch.io page. One of my strongest recommendations, Hikeback is an incredible experience, and it was made in only ten days!!

Purrgatory (Itch.io) (Steam)

Find ways to pass the time in an inexplicably cat-themed but otherwise pretty dull afterlife, and befriend its other inhabitants. Purrgatory can hit hard when it wants to, but it’s mostly a relaxed point and click game that takes about a few hours if you want the true ending (which you do). And also I really don’t like recommending things going “it’s rep!!” and not elaborating on what the thing is actually about, but Purrgatory does have a mostly explicitly LGBT+ cast and Korean characters by a Korean artist. It’s been a few years since I played Purrgatory, but I remember it was an incredible experience, and since then, even more people can play it because it’s been fully translated into Spanish and Simplified Chinese! It’s available on Windows and browser.

How Fish is Made (Itch.io) (Steam)

How Fish is Made includes incredible retro-style graphics, a sardine flopping around in a machine with a choice to make, a singing, cane-wielding, tophat-wearing, tongue-eating parasitic isopod, and a free expansion/trailer for the studio’s next game that’s like if Katamari Damacy was evil and also had fish in it. That’s the best I can do for a summary. How Fish is Made is available on Windows and takes about 30-45 minutes, but will itch your brain for much longer.

Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautiful (Itch.io)

A visual novel in which you are stuck between trying to convince your girlfriend you are not dead and she should stop burying you alive, and playing rat-themed card games with a woman you find living underground. The game doesn’t always do a great job walking the line between comedy and horror, but there’s some strong writing depicting a failing relationship and very strong artwork that makes this an easy recommendation. Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautiful is on Windows, Mac, Linux, and browser, and takes about half an hour. 

Caper in the Castro (Internet Archive)

Ok this one is pretty different, but fuck it, it was originally released for free in 1989 (with a recommendation to make a donation to charity instead) and is still free so I’m including it. Not enough people are aware that you can play the first known video game by and about gay people on your computer right now for free and it has that classic adventure game bullshit sometimes but it’s extremely playable and also funny as shit. Like it’s not just cool history it’s actually fun (sorry Gayblade). You play as a lesbian private detective named Tracker McDyke looking for your missing drag queen friend and you can get most of the doors in the game open by shooting them. People have made full walkthroughs for this game and how to get it working if you have trouble so there’s no excuse. Play Caper in the Castro.

Under a Star Called Sun (Itch.io) (Liminal Magazine)

A browser game made in Bitsy that’s extremely simple and only a few minutes long, but that’s all it needs to create a succinct, gut-wrenching depiction of grief. 

Hotel Infinity (Itch.io)

If you need more short Bitsy games you can play in your browser that are about death, you’re out of luck after this because I’ve only got the two. Hotel Infinity is more lighthearted, tasking you with checking in on your ghostly hotel guests, and helping one check out. It’s simple, but sweet and affecting. 

Water Womb World (Itch.io)

Back to marine life-themed horror. Water Womb World is about a man’s obsessive search for the Garden of Eden leading him to the bottom of the ocean. There’s a few brief moments of annoyance in the gameplay, but the atmosphere and visuals are fantastic. Fantastic enough I bought the shirt, because I like cool shirts. It's available for Mac and Windows, and takes about 15 minutes. 

Hyperhell (Itch.io) (Steam)

A rogue-like bullet hell with a hyperpop soundtrack. It’s a mess, but in a good way. A run can (allegedly, I am not very good at bullet hells and I wasn’t able to get all the way to the end) be under ten minutes, but the game is very replayable with its different characters, weapons, bosses, and DDR and fishing minigames. You might have heard of this one already because maia has a cameo in it, but it really is a fun, if slightly painful for your eyes, time. It’s available on Windows.

Magicafe HD (Itch.io)

Under a technicality, I haven’t played this one yet, but that’s because I played the original text-based version of this game and I didn’t know the dev had converted it to a full visual novel until right now when I went to recommend the original. I’m certain this version is even better! It’s a cute, simple visual novel about a girl trying to get to her job at a magical girl themed cafe, while dealing with the struggles of secretly also being an actual magical girl. Available on Windows, and lasts about half an hour. The original is available on browser here if you’re interested. 

Dedz0ne (Itch.io)

Ok, wrapping up on a weird one since this isn’t really a universal recommendation. Dedz0ne is a Yume Nikki/Splatoon fangame inspired by Dedf1sh’s backstory and the atmosphere of Octo Expansion in general. It came out before Side Order so it’s not accurate to it, but it’s a really neat game with great visuals and atmosphere. It’s available on Windows

And that’s it for now. There will probably be a sequel someday because I am unable to stop digging through free games. Or maybe a collection of not free but extremely cheap games (like under five bucks) I like. Who knows! I hope you found something that catches your eye here!

[cake-chad]

I'm trying to remember what episodes it was now, and it might have only been one, maybe two episodes? But it was somewhere in the 40's of OUAW where Derek wasn't there for a bit and instead of making an excuse for Frost to not be present, Nikkie was just like "Frost is here, he's just being very introspective and quiet"

This is how I pictured him for that episode, with Gricko carrying him around since Mikey kept interjecting with an impression of Frost:

[fina1gxrl]

the seam of skin and scales (little light) / patchwork girl (shelley jackson) / i saw the tv glow (jane schoenbrun) / we're all going to the world's fair (jane schoenbrun) / madotsuki’s closet (bagenzo) / some thoughts about werewolves and gender identity (sarah horrocks)

[daisynik7]

I need a beefy, tattooed ex-yakuza to turn into a house husband for me, is this too much to ask

[indelicateink]

(x)

@iamrebeccasblog HE DOES. or rather, he mentioned his reading list to the press lol, i got excited: Heroin Diaries, Nikki Sixx Mötley Crüe's The Dirt The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx Black Metal Rainbows The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties ETA correction: Set the Night on Fire by by Robbie Krieger -- hat tip to @la-femme-au-collier-vert Bonus, to watch or rewatch: Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Rocky Horror Picture Show

SUMMER READING LIST!

(in the past the writers used to be on twitter and mentioned books they were reading/references they were influenced by) ETA: @la-femme-au-collier-vert assembled this kickass list of s1 references last year

[saydesole]

My Sunday

Waiting for my new scrapbook from Amazon, I have Boo Koo (alot) Polaroid photos from my August vacation and various family gatherings. I'll also be wrapping up the second book in Nikki Jilvontae's Misfits series today. Since it's Hoodoo Heritage Month, I'll be taking some time to bless my tarot cards as well. And naturally, I'm preparing a delightful Sunday dinner too! 🫶🏽

Happy Sunday everyone

[night-triumphantt]

Me when I’m having @infamous-if brain worms lmaooo,,,, It’s ok their story isn’t over

(also I have never drawn Sev before let alone a baby Sev XD nd they fought me the entire time, on brand i think fdsfdsfs)

[andmuzzlethat]

mötley crüe’s shout at the devil world tour souvenir book from 1984

[dearlyjess]

it’s ~ finals season ~ which means writing multiple 20 page papers, which also means that i will read tons of shorter books to give my brain a break

[nikkicafeina]

Finally got around to my 2022 book recs list. I read 55 books last year, which is fantastic considering grad school and all that stalled my fun reading for a long time. Obviously I read The Locked Tomb series and I think you should too. Other than that, it's almost all manga and romances on this list. That was my escapism vibe last year, but it's also what the readers in my library enjoy so it's what I'm happy to keep up with.

In vaguely the order I read them, last year's faves are:

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories--I read the entire Folk of the Air series over December/January and it's all great but this novella was my favorite. Holly Black continues to be the best at fairies. I loved how the two characters in the central romance are desperately feral in their own way. This one will make little to no sense without the context of the whole series, and so I reccomend the whole series. It's about an angry human girl who grows up in Fairyland, the dilettante fairy prince who hates her, and all the amoral fairy intrigue and violence that being part of a high court entails.

In the Dream House--I don't normally read memoirs but this has such an intriguing cover. I didn't expect to be taken for a ride through deep feelings about queerness, gender, latinidad, trauma, historiography, relationships, and just like, being a person who occupies space. It's about the author's abusive relationship, yes, but also it's poetically and ruthlessly about her as an entire person.

Alexis Hall--not a book but a rather prolific romance author. Mostly mlm romances, but he runs the gamut in terms of genre and content. I particularly enjoyed Pansies, where a guy goes back to his small hometown after recently coming out and ends up falling for and trying to make amends to the kid he bullied a bit in high-school. How to Bang a Billionaire looks like it's meant to be a Fifty Shades ripoff but its actually really good BDSM with a sub who's knowledgeable and just having a fun time, but the dom has some heavy trauma that I don't know everyone would be down for so heads up. He also has a couple novels that have become very popular recently, so I expect we'll be seeing him a lot. Overall, I appreciate that all of his protags have way more going on than just the relationship, but also the relationships do have genuine chemistry.

Boys Run the Riot--a short manga series about a Trans high-schooler who wants to start a streetwear brand with his friends. It brings up different aspects of queerness and queer culture in Japan, which is really cool.

From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler--my husband gifted me a copy because it's one of my favorite childhood books and I'm so happy to say it still holds up even a good sixty years later. A girl convinces her brother to run away to the Met and they become caught up in a mystery surrounding a recent acquisition. The kids are smart as heck but still very much kids and E.L. Konigsburg's writing style has always felt very cozy to me.

Totsukuni no Shoujo/The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil a Rún-- we've established I enjoy fairytales where the fae get to be properly monstrous. This is another manga series, this time about a little girl in a cursed forest who is taken in by a creature she calls "Teacher". He tries to care for her and keep her from becoming cursed herself. Charming, a little spooky, a little sad, and very gorgeous.

Perfect World--a manga series where an able-bodied interior designer reconnects with an architect childhood friend who is now disabled and uses a wheelchair; they fall in love, work together to create accesibly designed buildings, and navigate both his specific disability and being disabled in Japanese society at large. A ton of research obviously went into this series, but more importantly a lot of heart.

Wherever is Your Heart-- novella. Anita Kelly writes some good-ass queer romance of all flavors but this one is particularly noteworthy in being butch4butch and having protagonists in their late forties. It's fairly short and sweet, but you don't need much more than that to enjoy it when June finally works up the courage to ask the bartender at her favorite bar on a date.

And the best book I read in 2022:

House of Leaves-- so this is a book about a guy transcribing an academic work written by different guy about a documentary filmed by another guy about moving into a house with his family. It's also about narratives within narratives, the relationship between reading and the reader, and the relationship between the storyteller and the story. It’s a love letter to academic analysis and a scathing critique of academic analysis. It's actual posmodernism. It's a damn good horror novel. It's an experience. It's a book that 100% could never work as anything other than a book. People will tell you it's a hard read but it's not! You just have to engage with it and think about it a little. Read it! It's great!

[thesagittarianmind]

[alenadragonne]

Heads up, this is probably our next event. Or a rerun.

[subsequentibis]

red string of fate, or, this good luck charm hanging off of my arm was left here by the police

[vincess-princess]

we, the psychos: masterpost

this fic is growing so fast it warrants its own masterpost now

Fandom: Motley Crue, Guns n’ Roses (secondary), Kiss (secondary), the list may be updated

Summary:

The Feelgood Asylum, home to the sickest and the maddest, welcomes a new resident. That’s Tommy Lee, once a heir to a noble family, and now disowned and sent away for seeing what no one else sees and laughing when no one else laughs. At first horrified by the living conditions and the labor that patients have to perform, he then quickly finds new friends… and enemies.

Nikki Sixx, Frank Feranna for others, constantly loses battles with his own demons. And it’s not helping that the worst patient in the asylum, sex-addicted maniac Vince Wharton is sparing him too much - and at the same time not nearly enough - of his attention. And the new patient disturbs their already turbulent relationship even more.

And Mick Mars, who keeps quiet during the day and screams at night, never wanted any of this.

Warnings: mental illness (duh) and everything that it entails, self-harm, sexual assault, unethical medical treatment, period-accurate homophobia. The list may be updated

This fic was inspired by this post by amazing @smokeandmirrorz

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

AO3

Last updated 21.05.2024