#nope book tag

[juliangreystoke]

Join Adam and I as we share some "nope" things in the books we've read!

[egophiliac]

innocently logging in to look at the Twst schedule for May like

[fanficmemes]

We talk about writers block all the time but we almost never talk about readers block!!! Girl help I have no interest in words 😭😭

[slimslamflimflam]

Wait if all the journal 3 pages were restored after Weirdmageddon why does Bill’s book insist there were still missing pages that just conveniently happened to pertain to his incredibly sad backstory and concepts brought up earlier in that same book

[fictionadventurer]

August: Day 8

Adventures

Went to a thrift store and the library's used bookshop.

Bought a copy of Around the World in 80 Days that looks more readable than my current copy (so long as it's not an abridged children's edition). May make a new cover for it.

Bought a book about the basics of astronomy. If I'm going to write about an astronomer, I need to know a tiny bit, and this looks like it's written for idiots with short attention spans, so it'll be great for me.

Bought the coolest pop-up book I've ever seen. For a quarter. I'll have to show you guys pictures.

Treated myself to Youtube videos about Victorian literature. Indulged in a few Gutenberg downloads. Read the first chapter of Lady Audley's Secret and this may derail all my reading plans until I finish.

Accomplishments

Read a few chapters of Heretics. Am now halfway done.

Tire. Twice.

Signed up for a CPR refresher course

[thegenderfluidace]

Is Geggy!!!! Look at this cutie!! He baby your honor!!! Please go read the Dadcare attendant fics they are so cute and I love them<3

Go check out the Dadcare attendant blog @dad-sun-and-moon and @wakkodoodle

[romanticatheartt]

I’m pretty new to the fandom but am I the only one who doesn’t think Feyre’s been sidelined? We had 4 books of her as the only or main POV where the series very obviously resolved around her then one spinoff book where she’s not the main character but feysand are clearly the next most prominent characters in the book after nessian and even though the pregnancy plot isn’t well liked, it doesn’t change the fact that so much of nesta’s healing arc and the kickoff of her journey, the rock bottom, and climax of it in book revolve around her relationship with feyre. We even see feyre having so high lady moments even though nesta is avoiding her for parts.

And then I thought given the story that sjm ended up writing for CC3, it’s obvious why feyre isn’t there- she wanted Bryce to use the mask and needed nesta to give it to her and for Bryce to be skeptical of prythian. Feyre is not born fae, ruler of NC, and less prickly then both Az and Nesta (and Amren and Rhys even), she’d hurt the distrusting conflict and wouldn’t give the mask like nesta without getting more involved (at least involving Rhys). I suspect sjm wanted a different plot at first but decided to change it and maybe it’s because she didn’t want the acotar side to take over (Bryce even considers asking Rhys for help because he’s so strong but decides against it because she can’t trust him not to become a conqueror). I thought it was purposeful that the friendliest members of the IC were basically absent. She may even be saving aspects of that original plot for a larger team up later, maybe in an acotar book since prythian’s (and Feyre/Rhys/the high lord’s) power is given such focus. It’s not even an acotar book, like should Az’s greater presence in it be seen as a sign that he’s more important than Rhys in acotar?

If the next book comes out and feyre is just not a factor, I’d get it more. But I just don’t see what’s got everyone convinced sjm isn’t interested in feyre or whatever.

People talking about Feyre being sidelined in acosf are just looking for something to hate lol because even I knew Feyre wasn't going to be the main character when sjm made pretty clear this is Nesta's/Nessian's book. Feyre doesn't even have a pov in acosf ffs (except that bonus chapter) and still, she has an important role in Nesta's book because she's the biggest part of Nesta's guilt and self-hatred. And yes in my recent semi-reread of acosf there are so many times that we see Feyre as High Lady (and I absolutely love those!!)

Like you said I'm not too fond of Feyre's pregnancy plot either and I think it shouldn't have been in Nesta's book and it definitely shouldn't have been used as a redemption arc for Nesta. In other words, both Nesta and Feyre deserved better than this. Feyre deserved a beautiful pregnancy after all she's been through and Nesta deserved a better journey where other characters weren't used for her, the focus should've been on her and her relationship with others.

Now about CC I was one of those people who wanted to see more Feyre and were disappointed. Not because I think she was sidelined, no. But because I expected to see her at least in one scene? I mean it could be totally because of my love Feyre that I wanted to see her again, that's my only disappointment and not because I think she should've had a big role or something.

I expected Nesta to have some major role in CC (not this much tho) and for Azriel, I fully anticipated him to be an important character because of Truthteller and Bryce bringing Starsword with her. I still think sjm focused on these two a lot because even after CC people are more focused on acotar characters than the CC characters. And if Feyre had joined the focus of readers would've completely been on acotar so now after 7 months I think sjm did the right thing. Feyre being a mother is a nasty way for the fandom to talk about their displeasure and bring down Feyre for being a mother which isn't surprising at all since everyone thinks she's now "less cool" because of it.

Now about Azriel, I don't think he's more important than Rhys (call me biased idc lmao😭 and my beef with him) I think the reason why he's so focused on, is because he's going to have the next book. We're going to see his back story and how he's possessing TT and who is going to possess Starsword (and as I said before I think it's going to be Gwyn and she's going to be a Starborn because we have no idea who her father is so sjm can put anyone as her father) and I know some think Azriel is the Starborn and I THINK NOT!!! Idk how to explain it, I just know he's not hehe :D

I think Feyre is still going to be in the next books because she's the main character of the series and she's still a high lady after all, but it will be something like acosf. And I think she's going to have a same amount of page time (lol) in Elucien book like she had in acosf.

[birdylion]

Some day I'm going to write a story in which the readers are rewarded for having good knowledge of weather. Like, the characters need to travel somewhere through the mountains in a high stakes situation, and in the chapters leading up to that, I already put in enough information about how it rained a few days earlier or sth similar that a reader who knows this stuff and knows about the characters' abilities and equipment can already form a reasonable guess as to how it might work out, or be extra aware of the dangers involved.

[sage-is-in-fact-very-tired]

[From Sherbert Stream "HARDCORE IN COSPLAY"]

- Eye blood is eye blood-ing more than normal - too much, too real - when in cosplay. Suspicious. (/Silly)

- Rina stream setup in Hardcore - Only stream room, not the rest of the house.

- Sherbert wrote Icarus a letter throughout stream - for all intents and proposes telling them to get their shit together - Upon finishing it, Sherbert disagreed to placing it inside one of the decay holes. This will lead them to placing it inside the stream set up - at the back by their window; where Rina's Icarus desk resides. Upon finishing stream - Rina will question the idea of it (the book) being there for a moment, implying that the idea of it being there is stupid. Rina *will* find the book. (Rina does not seem to understand how or why the book is there - but Rina *will* find it.)

[spyanotherday]

people who say that we should not create or interact with problematic media lack basic understanding of how we as a society learn and analyze media. i dont mean that in a 'fiction doesnt affect reality' way, but in a 'fiction comes from reality, is shaped through us as a collective, and is a reflection of some of the deepest, truest parts of people'. if we ignore, if we condemn, if we ban media that has uncomfortable topics, we will never learn. we learn by looking at it and seeing why it is wrong. we hate by understanding it, not by just learning 'oh this thing is wrong so i have to hate it'. maybe for children who aren't ready to learn all of the deeper parts, or lack the comprehension skills to look at media critically. hate films made by bigots are awful, but banning them isn't going to fix the problem. if you don't want to watch them, you don't have to! but it's important for us to see why they were wrong. and see how that hatred spreads into our lives without us realizing it. same reason we study the holocaust (the nazis, btw, burned media that didn't agree with them. i'm not saying that people who say we should ban/hide information on topics that displease them are authoritarian right extremists but i am saying its a worrying connection). and commentaries that are about vile things happening by/to the protagonist (most of the time) are not encouraging the vile acts! if written well and written by the right people, commentaries are an insight to how these people actually think/feel, even if through prolonged allegories. we should not be crucifying some of the greatest social commentaries just because they're uncomfortable, because that is how we lose. if we do not understand, we cannot overcome! this is NOT me saying that people should just write about pedophilia, or incest, or anything of the sort just for fun. i do think that's gross at it's core, but that does not mean the writing/filming/ect is not important for us to look at as a society and go Hm. How Did This Happen?

[cedarbranch]

nine people i'd like to get to know better

tagged by @sunriseverse! thank you for tagging me bc if anybody else had tagged me first i probably would have ended up tagging you :D

three ships: hannigram, gerrymichael/doorkeay, newmann

first ship: really depends on how you define it but in terms of the first ship i ever consumed fan content for... oh god im trying to remember. it was something from black butler. probably grell/sebastian?? i truly don't recall but like it was nothing GOOD

last song i listened to: haven't listened to anything today but the last song i played in the car last night while driving home from seeing the eclipse was pull it from my teeth by galaxy family! when i inevitably use a line from that song as a fic title... ya saw it here first

currently reading: all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr but i haven't picked it up in ages, it really hasn't hooked me yet... i'm finally reading it after hearing it hyped for yearssss and i have a whole Thing about not DNFing books but tbh i'm wondering if i could be having more fun reading smth else 😭

currently watching: hah. ahahahh. a fourth back-to-back nbc hannibal rewatch? surely i wouldn't do such a thing.... (narrator voice: they would and they are. enthusiastically. they're also watching dungeon meshi as it comes out!)

relationship status: the love of my life is being sooo nice to me while i scream and cry trying to navigate the housing market to find an apartment for us :))

current obsessions: i think my response to "currently watching" makes this question redundant. like. i'm gonna trust the audience on this one ❤️

currently craving: i have eaten four mini cupcakes this evening and yet i crave a fifth mini cupcake...

fave color: rn it's burgundy/cherry red! :)

tagging a mix of friends and assorted mutuals: @melandrops @cavalierprimary @fruitxbat @w0rms-w0rms-w0rms @shark-myths @thatneoncrisis @zipegs @awondrousway @figbian @stoplightglow that's more than 9 but i don't care. anyone who wishes can join the silly little tag game we are all frolicking and making merry together <3 if you don't know who tf i am i'm probably in your notifs as @cathedralbells!

[acourtofquestions]

Kingdom of Ash Chapter 63

Chapter; highlighted

Aedion and Kyllian kept their panicking troops in line as they marched, all the way to the banks of the Florine.

There was no use running northward. Not when the bone drums began pounding. And grew louder with every passing minute that Aedion ordered their legion into formation.

Stalking for the front lines, his armor so heavy it could have been made of stone, the lack of the ancient sword at his side like some phantom limb, Aedion said to Ren, "I need you to do me a favor."

Ren, buckling on his quiver, didn't bother to look up. "Don't tell me to run."

"Never." Close-they were so close to Theralis. How fitting it would have been to at last die on the field where Terrasen had fallen a decade ago. To have his blood soak into the earth where so many of the court he'd loved had died, for his bones to join theirs, unmarked on the plain.

"I need you to call for aid."

Ren looked up then. His scarred face was leaner than it had been weeks ago. When was the last time any of them had a proper meal? Or full night's rest? Where Lysandra was, what form she wore, Aedion didn't know. He had not sought her out last night, and she had stayed away from him entirely.

"I'm no one now," Aedion said, the lines of soldiers parting for them. Bane and Fae, Silent Assassin and Wendlynian and Wastes-hailing soldier alike. "But you are Lord of Allsbrook.

Send out messengers. Send out Nox Owen. Call for aid. Dispatch them to every direction, to anyone they might find. Tell Nox and the others to beg if they have to, but tell them to say that Terrasen calls for aid."

Only Aelin had the authority to do so, or Darrow and his council, but Aedion didn't care.

Ren halted, and Aedion paused with him, well aware of the soldiers within earshot. Of the Fae hearing many possessed. Endymion and Sellene already stood by the front line of the left flank, their faces grave and weary. A home that was what they'd lost, what they now fought to gain. If any should survive this. What would his father make of his son, fighting alongside his people at last?

"Will anyone come?" Ren asked, aware of those listening ears, too. Aware of the grim faces that remained with them, despite the death that marched at their backs.

Aedion fitted his helmet onto his head, the metal bitingly cold. "None came ten years ago. But maybe someone will bother this time."

Ren gripped his arm, tugging him close. "There might be nothing left to defend, Aedion."

"Send out the call anyway." He jerked his chin to the lines they'd passed through. Ilias was polishing his blades amongst a cluster of his father's assassins, his attention pinned on the enemy ahead. Preparing to make a final stand on this snowy plain so far from his warm desert. "You insist I'm still your general? Then here's my final order. Call for aid."

A muscle feathered in Ren's jaw. But he said, "Consider it done." Then he was gone.

They didn't bother with good-byes. Their luck was bad enough.

So Aedion continued, alone, to the front lines. Two Bane soldiers stepped aside to make room, and Aedion hefted up his shield, seamlessly fitting it between their unified front.

The metal wall against which Morath would strike first, and hardest.

The snows swirled, veiling all beyond a hundred or so feet.

Yet the bone drums pounded louder. Soon the earth shook beneath marching feet.

Their final stand, here on an unnamed field before the Florine. How had it come to this?

Aedion drew his sword, the other soldiers following suit, the cry of ringing metal cutting through the howling wind Morath appeared, a line of solid black emerging from the snow.

Each foot they gained, more appeared behind. How far back was that witch tower?

How soon would its power be unleashed?

He prayed, for the sake of his soldiers, that it would be quick, and relatively painless. That they would not know much fear before they were blasted into ashes.

The Bane didn't clash their swords on their shields this time.

There was only the marching of Morath, and the drums.

Had they gone to Orynth when Darrow demanded, they would have made it. Had time to cross the bridge, or take the northern route.

This defeat, these deaths, rested upon his shoulders alone.

Down the line, motion caught his eye-just as a fuzzy, massive head poked between Prince Galan and one of his remaining soldiers. A ghost leopard.

Green eyes slid toward him, drained and bleak.

Aedion looked away first. This would be bad enough without knowing she was here. That Lysandra would undoubtedly stay until she, too, fell.

He prayed he went first. So he wouldn't witness it.

Morath drew close enough that Ren's order to the archers rang out.

Arrows flew, fading into the snows.

Morath sent an answering volley that blotted out the watery light.

"We fight as one," Aedion called down the line, "We die as one."

A horn blared from deep within the enemy ranks. Morath began its all-out run on their front line.

Aedion's boots dug into the mud as he braced his shield arm. Like it could possibly hold back the tide stretching into the horizon.

He counted his breaths, knowing they were limited. A ghost leopard's snarl ripped down the line, a challenge to the charging army.

Fifty feet. Ren's archers still fired fewer and fewer arrows. Forty. Thirty. The sword in his hand was no equal to the ancient blade he'd worn with such pride. But he'd make it work. Twenty. Ten. Aedion sucked in a breath. The black, depthless eyes of the Morath soldiers became clear beneath their helmets.

Morath's front line angled their swords, their spears—

Roaring fire blasted from the left flank. His left flank.

Aedion didn't dare take his focus off the enemy upon him, but several of the Morath soldiers did.

He slaughtered them for it. Slaughtered their stunned companions, too, as they whirled toward another blast of flame.

Aelin. Aelin—

Soldiers behind him shouted. In triumph and relief.

"Close the gap," Aedion growled to the warriors on either side of him, and pulled back enough to see the source of their salvation, free and sate at last—

It was not Aelin who unleashed fire upon the left flank. It was not Aelin at all who had crept up through the snow-veiled river.

Ships filled the Florine, near-ghosts in the swirling snows. Some bore the banners of their united fleet.

But many, so many he couldn't count, bore a cobalt flag adorned with a green sea dragon.

Rolfe's fleet. The Mycenians.

Yet there was no sign of the ancient sea dragons who had once gone into battle with them. Only human soldiers marched across the snow, each bearing a familiar-looking contraption, scarves over their mouths.

Firelances.

A horn blasted from the river. And then the firelances unleashed white-hot flame into Morath's ranks, as if they were plumes from hell. Dragons, all of them, spewing fire upon their enemy.

Flame melted armor and flesh. And burned the demons that dreaded heat and light.

As if they were farmers burning their reaped fields for the winter, Rolfe's Mycenians marched onward, firelances spewing, until they formed a line between Aedion and their enemy.

Morath turned and ran.

Outright sprinted, their warning cries rising above the bellowing flames. The Fire-Bringer has armed them! Her power burns anew!

The fools did not realize that there was no magic-none beyond pure luck and good timing.

Then a familiar voice rang out. "Quickly! On board, all of you!" Rolfe.

For the ships in the river had pulled up, gangways lowered and rowboats already at the shore.

Aedion wasted no time. "To the river! To the fleet!" Their soldiers didn't hesitate. They sprinted for the awaiting armada, onto any ship they could reach, leaping into the longboats. Chaotic and messy, but with Morath on retreat for only the gods knew how long, he didn't care.

Aedion kept his position at the front line, ensuring no soldier lagged behind.

Down the line, Prince Galan and a spotted, furry form did the same. Beside them, red hair waving in the wind, Ansel of Briarcliff held her sword pointed at their enemy. Tears slid down her freckled cheeks. The heads of her men lay scattered in the snow around her.

And ahead of them, still unleashing flame, Rolfe's Mycenians bought them the time to retreat.

Each second dripped by, but slowly, those boats filled. Slowly, their army left the shore, every boat that departed was replaced by another. Many Fae shifted, birds of prey filling the gray sky as they soared over the river.

And when there were none left but a few boats, among them a beautiful ship with a mast carved after an attacking sea dragon, Rolfe roared from the helm, "Fall back, all of you!" The Mycenians and their firelances made a quick retreat, hurrying for the longboats returning to shore.

Lysandra and Ansel ran with them, and Aedion followed suit. It was the longest sprint of his life.

But then he was at the gangplank of Rolfe's ship, the river deep enough that they'd been able to pull up close to the shore. Lysandra, Galan, and Ansel were already past him, and Aedion had barely cleared the deck when the gangway was lifted. Below, around, the Mycenians leaped into their longboats and rowed like hell. Not a single soldier left behind.

Only the dead.

Light flashed, and Aedion whirled toward the ship's helm in time to see Lysandra shift from ghost leopard to woman, naked as the day she was born. Rolte, to his credit, only looked mildly surprised as she flung her arms around his neck. And to his credit once more, the Pirate Lord wrapped his cloak around her before he gripped her back

Rolfe let go of Lysandra, offering her his cloak completely. As the shifter wrapped it around herself, he said, "You looked like you were in need of a rescue."

Aedion only embraced the man, then nodded toward Rolfe's gloved hands. "I assume we have that map of yours to thank."

"Turns out it's good for something other than plundering." Rolfe smirked. "Ravi and Sol of Suria intercepted us near the northern border," he admitted. "They thought you might be in trouble—-and sent us this way." He ran a hand through his hair. "They remain with what's left of your fleet, guarding the coast. If Morath attacks from the sea, they won't have enough ships to stand a chance. I told them that, and they still ordered me here." The Pirate Lord's tan face tightened. "So here I am."

Aedion hardly noticed the sailors and soldiers making the quick sailing to the other side of the river. "Thank you," he breathed. And thank the gods for Ravi and Sol.

Rolfe shook his head, gazing toward the mass of Morath soldiers still retreating. "We surprised them, but it won't hold them off for long."

Lysandra stepped to Rolfe's side. Aedion tried not to cringe at the sight of her bare feet and legs, her uncovered shoulders, as the bitter wind off the river bit at them. "We only need to get to Orynth and behind its walls. From there, we can regroup."

"I can't carry your entire army to Orynth," Rolfe said, gesturing to the soldiers massed on the far shore. "But I can bear you there now, if you would like to arrive in advance to prepare." The Pirate Lord studied the shore, as if looking for someone. "She's not here, is she." Lysandra shook her head. "No."

"Then we'll make do," was all Rolfe said, the portrait of cool command. His sea-green eyes slid to where Ansel of Briarcliff stood at the ship's rail, staring toward the field of heads left in the snow.

None of them spoke as the young queen slid to her knees, armor thunking on the deck, and bowed her head.

Aedion murmured, "Let me send word to our troops to march to Orynth, and then we'll sail for the city."

"I'll do it," Lysandra said, not looking at him. She didn't bother to say anything else.

Cloak falling to the planks, she shifted into a falcon and aimed for where Kyllian now climbed out of a longboat. They exchanged only a few words before Kyllian turned toward Aedion and lifted a hand in farewell.

Aedion raised one in answer, and then Lysandra shifted again. When she landed on the ship, returning to her human form and snatching up the cloak, it was to Ansel that she walked.

In silence, the shifter laid a hand on the queen's armored shoulder. Ansel didn't so much as glance up. Aedion asked Rolfe, "How many of those firelances do you have?"

The Pirate Lord drew his gaze from Ansel to the black mass fading behind them. His mouth tightened. "Not enough to outlast a siege."

And even the firelances would do nothing, absolutely nothing, once the witch towers reached Orynth's walls.

[mirokata]

As a person who doesn’t read much, reading on the train today felt EUPHORIC and I almost missed my stop (and shocked the guy next to me due to my shock) but it felt like the world had disappeared and there’s no better feeling- I was cured of worries, even if just between those few train stops.

[drawnecromancy]

Mid-Year Book Freak Out

Question. Why's this called a freak out. Is it designed to make you freak out about your TBR that's taller than you are ? :P

I was tagged by the lovely @logarithmicpanda <3 thank youu

Number of books you’ve read so far : 12 ! (it's more than last year at the same time of year tbh.)

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024 : I'd say Crossfire by Miyabe Miyuki. I really loved it.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024 : I almost said I haven't read a single sequel, but that's false ! I've read Les Disparus du Clairdelune, the sequel to Les Fiancés de l'Hiver, by Christelle Dabos. From the series La Passe-Miroir :) It was good ! It was the only and best sequel I've read, lol

New release you haven’t read yet but want to : I don't follow new releases at all.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year : Same answer !

Biggest surprise favorite new author (debut or new to you) : ...IDK i forget the names of authors after reading their books unless I'm specifically wanting to read more from a series of theirs. So no one :')

Newest fictional crush : Shrugs. Nothing in there I don't think

Book that made you cry : None lol

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received) : Bought but not-yet read~

I'm waiting to have all of them before I start reading tbh. But yeah these covers r dope love them

Book that made you happy : 49 by Isabelle Bisson-Routhier bc it was a fun read after way too long reading history books and also she's my friend I love reading my friends' work :)

What books do you need to read by the end of the year ? Need ? Technically none. I guess I could consider I should finish the ones I borrowed by the end of the year though. I am lucky to have loved ones who are very understanding of my slow reading speed...

I'm really starting to think I don't read enough to have good answers to most of these HAHA + out of 12 books I've read this year, 4 so far were history books. I'm actually in the middle of ANOTHER history book. So there isn't much in the way of fictional crushes, narratives, and emotions when you're trying to understand stuff written by historians, for historians (and I am not a historian). I'll get these, hopefully, uh, after i finish that history book and just stop reading history for a bit.

Oh, tags. Right. Tagging. Uhhhmm tentatively @nerdlemons ? I don't know if anyone else I know would like to be tagged in a game about reading IDK y'all's reading habits LOL consider this an open tag :)

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I'm re reading some parts of Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas (Epitath of a Small Winner) and all quotes hit hard. The last sentence itself is fantastic:

Não tive filhos, não transmiti a nenhuma criatura o legado da nossa miséria.

Or in english (and I looked on goodreads to see if someone quoted because I wanted this quote to hit and I wanted to have the same impact and wasn't sure my own translation would be enough):

I had no children, I did not transmit to any creature the legacy of our misery.

[scholarhect]

but like wait what the fuck if i need a book for a class and the bookstore wasn’t able to get it what the fuck. i mean sure i CAN find it somewhere but this doesn’t seem fair. why couldn’t they get it for me. they’re just like “no we don’t have it” ???? why not