#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 ♡♡♡

[sumire-no-nikki]

Books read in 2024 📚

[puppppppppy]

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:

[cockroachparty]

when the comment on your fic on ao3 is so good you keep going back to it and reading it over and over

[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

[subsequentibis]

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

[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

[nikkicafeina]

1 9 13 📚

1. How many books did you read this year?

As of right now 69 😛 I'll probably read at least one more before the year ends though, it depends on if my holds come through.

9. Did you get into any new genres?

Not really! This was the year I started appreciating M/M romances, I guess? Which is not a genre exactly, but I'm happy to earn my fujoshi wings anyway.

13. What were your least favorite books of the year?

Ohohoho, this is fun.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake fucking sucked. I don't need your white protag talking about how white and unprogressive the people she doesn't like are in your book with literally no nonwhite characters, Ms. Blake. It was just so fucking smug and painfully self-conscious and boring, I finished it but only because it was so nothing that I flew through it.

I DNFed Fire & Water by Alexis Hall and I'm mad about it because he's one of my top romance authors. It's got early work weirdness but I really wanted to like it.

Special shout out to An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson, which was great fun in the first half and fumbled the second half so bad it sucked. They said they rewrote the first half over and over and the second half not at all and oh boy can you TELL. The second half was boring and safe and watered all of the characters down to be nice, unproblematic lesbians for a happy ending and I wanted the interesting toxic yuri book I thought I was reading.

[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

[dressupdragonne]

Competition Entry - Moon & Sun

Final Rank: 268

[chateaulobby]

playing infinity nikki and maybe i'm just dungeon meshipilled to think too much about food but i keep wandering around wishfield wondering what the fuck the agriculture situation is supposed to be here. stoneville is meant to be pastoral but the only farms there are flower farms. there's wheat in the golden fields and presumably grapes at the ripple wine cellar but that's all the way in the abandoned district, where there's no people - do the pieceys do the farming there? there's technically livestock but the beretsants and flora sheep just seem to be for feathers and wool and all the other animals are feral/wild. are there normal animals we just don't see for the sake of the game, or are all animals these whimsical versions? are the fish edible? the store at the closed gate in breezy meadow has kebab tshirts which have meat on them of some kind, so are there regular animals or are we eating the fantasy animals? is it all just supposed to be abstracted away? if momo eats florawish bbq what meat is that