#not making this about leckie: fail

[rcbertleckie]

HBO WWII REWATCH week four · hbo war + green

[threefolddefencespeech]

WorldCon!

So - WorldCon's over. I'm safely back home, very tired, only mildly ill, definitely getting the con drop or at least experiencing far too many post con emotions (what do you mean there won't be another one nearby for five years?). So perfect time to write a bit about it. I'm not going to get everything in here, but let's ramble incoherently about some highlights.

The Hugos

My spouse (and the rest of their team) won a Hugo! I am so proud and happy for them - it is, I say with incredible bias and no objectivity, very very well deserved. How could getting to celebrate that not be a highlight?

So. Let's move on to some book opinions. This year, I managed to read almost all of the best novel finalists (bar Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, which I'm still a few chapters into and ping ponging off. Let's say I'm pretty sure where my opinion was going to lie). So I get to have some more detailed opinions than most years, which is fun/regrettable for anyone who got an earful from me about Starter Villain!

It's always interesting to see what makes the Hugo shortlist. This year, a truly massive gulf emerged between my two favourites, the middle-of-the-roads, and one real "no, really, why was this here?" option.

Out in front were Saint of Bright Doors (Vajra Chandrasekera) and Some Desperate Glory (Emily Tesh). I can already see this post getting enormous, so I'll try and be quick (this is a lie).

Saint of Bright Doors is wonderful - the first chapter introduces us to a clear chosen one narrative, with Fetter raised with a destiny: to kill his cult leader father. The second rejects it utterly. Fetter ignores his destiny and his mother's calls, and immigrates to a city - one that has elements of socialist ideal, but gradually reveals more and more of itself to be a fascist police state, and in every case is wonderfully strange. He joins a group of fellow religious "unchosen ones". He drifts. His father's cult grows in influence, and threatens to pull him once more into orbit - but this is not so conventional a story as to fully let it. And he becomes fascinated with the city's bright doors, which lead nowhere, and are unopenable. In a less talented writer's hands, this would feel disjointed. Instead it's wonderful - a dreamy-but-grounded, mythic-but-real story of aimless reality pitted against religious destiny, of cults and pogroms and the structures that lie beneath the world. I have my problems with the ending. But had I liked it more, I suspect it would have been a worse book.

Some Desperate Glory tells a story of a militarised future human society, living to avenge the Earth. It is also, in many ways, a cult. Where Some Desperate Glory particularly succeeds is that its protagonist isn't an outlier. How many dystopias have you read in which the lead is an outcast, or always felt subtly wrong in the society, never quite fit in? But Kyr is in so many ways this future society's model citizen. Which makes her growth - her experimentation in the wider world - and the ways in which this society still abuses her, and still fails her because she can't live up to its ideals, far more powerful. She's not a comfortable head to make a home in, at least to start with, but it's a far better novel for that. While what the novel's doing is far clearer than Saint, it does go to some interesting places - and explores these cultish power structures on various scales. I have quibbles and gripes. Do I wish more page space had been devoted to developing the novel's visions of alternative versions of Kyr, rather than slamming in character development in fast forward? Yes, and I would have happily sacrificed a few big action setpieces (which is where I suspect that space went) to get there. But it's still a powerful book.

Saint definitely my preference there, but both worthy winners.

Then we had the middle of the pack.

Leckie's Translation State was... fine? I expected more, though. We had some alien weirdness, but it was wrapped around a story which had the exact same plot arc as a typical YA arranged marriage novel, with the characters ending up in exactly the same places you'd expect. Aside from one, who simply gets forgotten about. It was perfectly pleasant, but revolutionising the genre this is not.

Martha Wells' Witch King is a secondary world fantasy, told with a flashback-interweaving-with-present-events structure, in a way that's far more evenly balanced between the two narratives than most, with the past narrative holding most of the explanation of characters and relationships highly relevant to the present. However, it fails to really make it work - it sacrifices a lot of character development and foreshadowing for the actual plot to get this structure working, which means the actual key revelations fall a little flat when they come. It's not a bad book! There's some fun magic system stuff, some mildly interesting possession-of-different-gendered body stuff... but it's not life changing, just a fun attempted structural twist on an otherwise pretty classic secondary world fantasy.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi - well, it's a middle eastern pirate fantasy. The historical inspiration is great here - rich and vibrant. But the prose is clunky - it's doing Historical Feminism but in a really obvious, unsubtle way that's clearly just 2024 views projected backwards, or at least that's how it seems from the "ah, we mens often think x about a powerful lady, don't we?" narrator chapter. I like engaging with these topics, but can I wish for a bit more nuance and some better writing? Mind you, I'm only a few chapters into this one, and keep bouncing off. It might get better when I push through. From what others have said, I doubt it - but I can't really say. I'm maybe being harsh from initial impressions here.

So most of this middle group are small twists or weirdnesses upon otherwise pretty familiar genre novels.

Then there's Starter Villain, which is the only "really, why is this here?" novel of the list. I suspect just because Scalzi's a big name in SFF, and name recognition gets you a long way at the nomination stage. While I might quibble with the middle group - probably there was more interesting SFF published last year? - this was a novel-length shaggy dog story. It's not funny enough to be farce or satire - but it's not doing anything else. The protagonist's main defining traits are "very divorced", "likes cats", and I suppose "vaguely nice". Everyone speaks in the same way. And this goes nowhere - other than a few jokes about dolphins and venture capitalists along the way. Maybe if this hadn't been up for the Hugo, I wouldn't have hated this so much. But I expected something. This was my first Scalzi, and I probably won't choose to repeat the experience.

So, how'd the voting turn out? Some Desperate Glory won, which I vaguely suspected - felt like it had broader appeal as a slightly more traditional novel than Saint of Bright Doors anyway. But Hugo votership, why did you do Saint quite so dirty? It's so far down the list. On the other hand - faith marginally restored by Starter Villain ending up in a clear last place.

Which is to say: probably good job overall, Hugo votership, but you're on some shaky ground. :P

The Panels

Panels! I went to lots of them. I was terribly sabotaged by my very first panel, Revolutions in Speculative Fiction, setting the bar far too high. I was largely picking panels based on people + a vaguely interesting topic, with a few exceptions. Ada Palmer's and Arkady Martine's definitely proved that method of panel picking works well.

...after Dublin, the other thing I learned (alongside picking based on people) was that I really shouldn't plan my con too inflexibly or intensively. So despite wanting to go to 4 things in every slot, I paced myself - I missed out on an interesting panel and went to hang out with people or Do Food occasionally, especially when emotion + tiredness demanded it, and I probably had a better con for it.

There were worse panels too. Several on interestingly nuanced topics had a tendency to regress into more basic topics - particularly into cultural appropriation 101. Cultural Appropriation 101 is not a bad panel topic! It's an incredibly necessary one. But it's also a panel I have been to several times now, and while I think other panels should certainly touch on it where relevant, I wanted a bit more than Different Topic 101 from "Ancient Cultures and Context" and the discussion of religion in fantasy, for instance.

Overall though, I had a good time with the panels - even when frustrating (cough, Scalzi showboating and talking over other panelists in "Systems as Villains" when he didn't actually have anything to say, cough), they were fuel for conversation with interesting people, and there were some truly interesting ideas in there too. Maybe I'll manage to incorporate a few into my own writing. I hope so.

Self-Indulgent Gender Stuff

I'll try not to ramble about this too much, but it was pretty significant to my con experience. This was my first con since coming out as a trans woman (it also coincided with my 1 year anniversary of starting HRT). Honestly, coming up to it, I was pretty stressed - despite knowing on paper that a substantial part of WorldCon is queer nerds, it didn't quite make it through to my brain, or at least I suppose endocrine system (I worry about my appearance anyway, and was just coming off a bit of a doomspiral about my features at the 12 month mark, which may not have helped!).

But everyone was genuinely very nice about it - including everyone I already knew, but who hadn't seen me since pre-transition. And you know, it did feel really good to be able to present the way I actually wanted to at other cons (pre transition, I can't deny a certain - large - amount of envy at fem con + cosplay outfits, and I actually get to do some of that now). I even got some compliments on my outfits, which was very flattering (plus one person inexplicably wanting to draw me at the Hugo afterparty).

Did that stop me from worrying? Silly question. I still spent a lot of the con convinced I looked terrible in so, so many ways, and had to frequently borrow some reassurance from spouse and friend (I'm so sorry). There were a few low points. But I'm so glad I did it. Hopefully the start of many more cons presenting more comfortably.

Plus, I have discovered a great secret. My terrible dancing is drastically improved by the addition of a swooshy skirt. (Well, maybe some other stuff helped too, but I'll go with that)

People

I've talked a lot about official, organised things where I was there as a spectator: panels, the Hugos. But really, so much of WorldCon is just spending time with lovely people.

I got to do lots of the con with spouse and a soon-to-be-ex-Oxford friend, who I have really fond memories of doing other cons with. Lots of silly late night dancing. Lots of in depth discussions, from the deeply absurd to the (maybe) absurdly deep (or maybe just the former all over again). I got to see other Oxford friends in the magic con zone! @frith-in-tombs between track stuff and @vivelabagatelle occasionally too.

I got to catch up with other friends, especially the ex-Oxford folks! It was lovely to spend more time with @howlsmovinglibrary again (who also ran some excellent panels, and has definitely sold me on this villainess book), as well as Entourage, @cardboardmoose, and others (if I haven't named you explicitly it's probably because I thought the only way I've got of naming you might be too identifiable, and I don't know your name on here).

I got to meet new people, which honestly is one of the best things at a con. I spent a lovely night chatting to @canmom about all sorts of diversely interesting things, from opera to game design - completely unexpectedly after inexplicably working up the courage to venture a "hey, you're not [tumblr name] on tumblr, are you?" (at least I didn't comment on anybody's shoelaces, is all I can say in my defence). I met a distant friend from Discord and compared very different con plans - and a truly excellent crocheted Mr Pages. I chatted with a few more in panels. I finally got to hang out with Roseanna more than in passing (typically we've wound up communicating only through a mutual friend, Entourage since we've never really overlapped properly - I remember back when she asked me about reviewing, and look how the tables have tabled!) and had a great time dissecting the Hugos. (Another very well deserved Hugo win btw). I also learned that apparently I was referred to frequently as DAF by her and said friend, and she's completely forgotten what it stood for? I have a pressing need to solve this mystery.

And of course, there are some friends I dearly miss being able to con with too. Perhaps one day we'll be able to do so again.

What Next?

As I mentioned, so many post-con emotions! Five years really is too long between travellable worldcons for my liking.

Which means resolution 1 is: maybe I should do more cons? While flying transatlantic for WorldCon feels like a Lot, I've never made it to an Eastercon before, and I think I'd like to.

I've also reached out to plan a few meetups with nearby-ish worldcon people like Roseanna - I miss the con energy, and I think I'd like to get some more chats about books and such in my life. (Alas, distance remains a barrier for yet others!)

I also want to engage with more SFF writing - I read a fair few novels, but I feel like I miss out on a lot of reviews and criticism these days, and I miss that.

And as always, I come away wanting to put more energy into my own creative work - I've been planning a bigger IF-ish game (than my small silly/gift games I've made) for a long time, and maybe this is the time I'll manage the sustained effort to make it happen (and feel like I have My Own Stuff next WorldCon!). Hehe. Well, I can dream, anyway.

I should probably also catch up on sleep at some point.

It was a wonderful, exhausting, fascinating con - thank you to everyone who made it happen, whether more generally, or for me specifically. :)

[ithinkabouttzu]

Hi,

can you write the morning after with the pacific boys? (can u include runner please? if u don’t mind. he’s my favorite lol)

The night after with the pacific boys ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

genre! Romance; suggestive; fluff

warnings! suggestive, kissing

A/n: Thank you sm for your request! Let me know if you like it

Eugene Sledge : He’s so kind, from the moment you wake up to the moment you guys both get out of bed. He wakes up before you, and he can help but just admire how beautiful you are to him, and all of the events that came about last night, but he feels so lucky. When you wake up he asks if you need anything, and gives out the amazing idea of going out for breakfast after the eventful night before.

Sidney Phillips: Wakes up way after you, and even when he does wake up he doesn’t want to get up at all, would rather just sit and cuddle all day in bed with you, after last night he has officially becomes whipped for you, so honestly he’s willing to do anything you want to do later that day. You guys settle for cuddling in bed while watching tv together, he can’t get enough of you though, the images of last night pop up into his brain and he can’t help but bring up the idea of a round 2

Robert Leckie: Wakes up with a big ass smirk on his face. He’s still as happy as can be about last night, just replaying all of the things that happened last night, he can’t help but feel so lucky that he got to be the one you do stuff with. Wakes you up with kisses all over, giggling until you finally wake up. When you do he pulls you over to him with a big big hug, thanking you for last night over and over again.

Lew ‘Chuckler’ Juergens: He’s so cute the whole morning that you guys spend together, you wake up first, but quickly fall back asleep considering how comfy his arms are while holding you. Both of you are pretty in and out of sleep the whole morning but it’s so cute, just sneaking kisses here and there and being playful with each other, despite the fact that last night was the complete opposite. He’s so soft and sweet the whole morning, making you feel extra lucky.

Merriell ‘Snafu’ Shelton: Wakes you up to kissing and leaving small bites all over your neck, it’s so romantic and slow, but also rough enough to wake you up, round 2 is immediately followed by those kisses, afterwards, you guys decide to go back to bed and relax for the rest of the day, contrary to popular belief, he shows you such a sweet side to him, he has such a soft spot for you. He’ll hold you for the rest of the day and remind you how amazing you are in bed.

John Basilone: He looks soooo good the morning after, like the sight of him shirtless in the morning light is almost a heavenly thing for you to wake up to. He wakes up almost immediately after you, catching on to your intense stares, “How do you feel, darling?” He says, with his deep raspy morning voice, leaving you almost speechless. You guys spend the rest of the day just taking it easy, with lots and lots of kissing and hugging, watching movies on the couch while feeling his strong arms around you, all that good stuff.

R.V. Burgin: Being the gentlemen he is, he wakes you up to an amazing plate of breakfast in bed. He’s so sweet asking you if you need anything at all, he’s a complete simp for you and is willing to do anything if you ask him to. After he offers to give you an amazing massage, which you gladly accept. He’s so amazing and reminds you how amazing last night was.

Wilbur ‘Runner’ Conley : He’s a complete angel the entire morning, he wakes up before you and can’t help but stare at how beautiful you are, later he *attempts* to make breakfast for you but fails bad, almost burning the whole house down and waking you up, when you walk into the kitchen and see him, trying to make pancakes, you can help but laugh. Both of you agree to go out for breakfast instead but you can’t help melt at his sweet offer to make it in the first place.

Bill ‘Hoosier’ Smith: Does not want to wake up at all, would rather just hold you in bed for the rest of the day. Even when you try to wake him up, he whines about it to where you just give in, and stay in the bed with him. He’s so happy that he gets to spend this time with you. Just holding you and being sweet with you after last night. Asks you if you liked it and if there was anything he did to make you feel uncomfortable. He loves playing with your hair while you guys are laid up together, it actually becomes his new favorite thing.

If you enjoyed make sure to like or reblog! Support is always appreciated and welcome! 🤍🤍

[theweirdgoodbyes]

Hi Maddie! 2,4,14,16 for the HBO war asks!

thank you sweetness!

2. Which series of the three is your favorite? Why?

The Pacific, no doubt about it. The characters, the stories, everything. While I adore BOB and GK, The Pacific truly shows you brutally honest image as to how your mind, morals, and beliefs are changed by war. At the end of the day, I am a huge history nerd and I feel that The Pacific captures the reality of everything in a way that is *chefs kiss*

4. Favorite/least favorite Band of Brothers characters? Why?

Tough question but I think my favorite overall has to be Bill Guarnere. My family is Italian (so cringe I know) and he truly is the quintessential loud mouth that I see and know/love/hate in my own family dynamic. He also just makes me laugh and him going to get Joe will never fail to make me wanna cry. As for least favorite, I would say I don't have any characters I dislike but I do not love Nix nearly as much as everyone else. But that is because of my personal life dealing with alcoholics. Would love to see the man in AA.

14. Do you have a favorite The Pacific episode? Which one and why?

Hands down Episode 5, I think I've watched it 30 times because I am Unwell. We get some moments of peace, Leckie comes back to his boys, we get Eugene and the rest of K company. Also the entire beach storming scene is incredibly well done and no matter how many times I've watched it I am fully locked in

16. A Band of Brothers scene that made you laugh.

so das why dey gave us ice cream

[footprintsinthesxnd]

haya! i know u’ve casted mutuals as bob characters, i was wondering if u could cast mutuals as the pacific characters (if u havent done it yet)? no presssure btw <3

Ooh yes I love doing these. I’m doing it as the Saturday Night Asks because I’m finally getting time to do them.

So I’m starting with @georgieluz who is 100% Hoosier. He’s definitely hugging the dog during an artillery barrage and honestly if I was stuck in the Pacific his sense of humour would help keep me sane. But he’s also a big softie. But he also reminds me of Ack Ack probably because of how emotionally destraught Julian was after his death but I also feel like Ack Ack is a strong, steady, reliable character and Julian is always there for me so I feel like this fits.

Next @malarkgirlypop is making me lean towards Eugene Sledge because she is such a sweetheart and I love her so much but she could also definitely defend herself and she’s been emotionally scared from our chats (I’m so sorry 😂)

Then @sweetxvanixlla gives me Sidney Phillips vibes. You’re such a loveable, softie and you’re always so supportive.

@merriell-allesandro-shelton how could I cast Louise as anyone other than Snafu (I think she would murder me) I’m not sure whether you share many character traits but you are now Snafu 😂

@panzershrike-pretz why do I feel like you have chaotic Chuckler vibes 😂 Pretz liked to create chaos on the discord group and I feel like Chuckler suits this vibe.

@mads-weasley is making me think of Lena Basilone. I feel like she’s a strong, independent woman but you’re also amazingly supportive and kind. But I also feel like some Leckie vibes come through because she is an amazing writer.

@coco-bean-1218 also gives me Sidney Phillips vibes. You’re such a sweetheart and although we haven’t chatted much I’ve loved all our interactions in the group chat.

@next-autopsy makes me think of Burgin. I’m not sure why but I feel like you’re the mature one in the group chat but you also enjoy the chaos 😂

@whollyjoly also gives me Chuckler vibes from the group chat chaos. The bottom text gang has been an extremely confusing ride 😂

@holdingforgeneralhugs I’m thinking maybe Edward Jones. You’re Ack Acks right hand man. You’re reliable and dependable and you’re Winters in the group chat so you have become our leader. But you also make me think of Ack Ack for this exact reasons so you are both the leader and the right hand man 😂

@liptonwashere as John Basilone. I feel like you’re really reliable but also a lot of fun to talk to. But most important your work is incredible and everyone needs to check out your videos because they give me life (not necessarily related to the character but I couldn’t not mention the video edits)

@samwinchesterslostshoe I feel like you’re a mixture between Runner and Hoosier. You never fail to make me laugh and you have initiated some of the most hilarious conversations 😂

@mutantmanifesto you are so unbelievably talented with your drawings. You’re giving me Leckie vibes.

@bucky32557038ww2 you also give me Lena vibes. There’s just something about you that I feel makes people just want to be your friend. Your so friendly and kind.

@xxluckystrike although we aren’t mutuals I couldn’t not include you. You also give me Burgin vibes. You’re always supportive in the group chat and you fit right in with everyone. I feel like you’re also quite an open and approachable person.

I think I’ve included everyone. Sorry if I’ve missed anyone. This was so much harder than casting my mutuals as Band of Brothers characters. I feel like there are less Pacific characters to pick from 😂

[watcherscrown]

Do you have any convoluted military sifi recommendations?

Ooohhh, I really just started in on the genre kind of recently, and not all of these are military/serious. Tones will vary.

To start with a tumblr-popular series and all time fave

The Murderbot Diaries

This series is funny, not That convoluted but has a lot of world building, and includes a lot of shenanigans. Murderbot is a rogue AI/android trying its very best to not get attached to these dumb fragile humans. (Task failed successfully).

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie -

one of my few 5 star series. I love everything about the characters in this book. The main character is the AI of a destroyed spacecraft that is hundreds (thousands?) of years old. She used to be part of a hivemind made of overridden human corpses but is the only remaining part of the whole. And she's out for revenge.

Winter's Orbit and Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

In all honesty, these are both really romance novels set in a space-opera/military backdrop. I think I liked Ocean's Echo more than Winter's Orbit but I'm a sucker for soul-bonding tropes. These are both m/m romance books set in the same universe but each is a standalone book, and you can read them in any order. I did them backwards and it didn't make much of a difference. Winter's Orbit has a murder mystery/conspiracy plot and Ocean's Echo focuses more on the military system.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Is it fantasy? Is it scifi? Is it horror? YES. The Locked Tomb series starts out as a science/magic system oriented And Then There Were None murder mystery set all in one house, but the universe is sprawling and covers much more than that. The sequel, Harrow the Ninth is much more experimental in its prose style, and takes place on a spaceship. The third installment, Nona the Ninth, is more traditional military scifi that takes place on a conflict-ridden colonized planet. All very good.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Okay this one's not really convoluted or military but it is sci-fi and I love it a lot. This is an extremely claustrophobic book with a two-person cast set in an abandoned mining cave on a distant planet (moon? i don't remember). Very spooky very good and I love the two VERY flawed characters and their whole dynamic. The main character lies her way into a job recovering something from this old cave system, but the woman on the other line has an agenda of her own.

EDIT: I totally forgot to mention the series I'm reading now, the first or which is Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. it's about a space empire's extremely fucked up governing system and a military officer who gets bound to the revenant ghost of a dead war criminal. the first one is pretty dense but I'm enjoying the sequel better. Yoon Ha Lee is a trans man married to a man and these books have Lots of gender going on.

Things I haven't read yet but are on my list and I've heard good things about:

The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

The Outside by Ada Hoffman

The Light Brigade by Cameron Hurley

[antigonenikk]

a, d, and o for the ask game!

A. Im going to say hoosier. He gets a lot of love but also we know so little about him even leckie in his memoir seems a bit lost about the man. My headcanon which is not true to real life at all lol is that after the war he moves in with his grandmother in indiana and eventually sets up a farm someplace nice. I have it in my head that he was one of the dust bowl kids from the 1930s and having to leave their family farm haunts him throughout his adolescence. Literally not true to life at ALL but to MEEE????? My hoosier def is an oakie !!! Also his favorite artist is woodie guthrie he is a country boy thru and thru

D. My mutuals know my disdain for episode 9 of band of brothers. Why are we following nixon looking for booze for half the episode???? Liebgotts trauma BARELY touched upon even tho his jewish identity is being exploited for the sake of cheap entertainment. Also the commandant thing and his beef with web is never resolved in a way that makes sense. In the script the man WAS a commandant which makes his and skinnys actions justified. Would have loved to see that fact addressed. Hanks/spielberg have no clue how to handle issues relating to jewish identity and never have its their worst failing esp since they insist on taking holocaust related projects again and again. Whatever !!!!

O. I do not understand winnix but …. I am happy that ….. oh ur making this hard on me. Ok this might be impossible. They served well in the military together? Idk. Best of luck dick!!! I hope u live a great sugar baby lifestyle on that mans dime :-)

[rjalker]

ah. remembered the post I meant to make earlier. so here it is.

PSA: When I talk about the dehumanization of disabled people in The Murderbot Diaries, I am absolutely not referring to Murderbot or any of the other robots. I'm talking about the disabled humans, who are cyborgs, who in this setting are called augmented humans because Martha Wells insisted on make up new words for everything and confusing everyone.

Yes, Murderbot is disabled. No, it being clearly autistic, depressed, and otherwise mentally ill while not being human is not the problem. Nonhumans existing is not the same as being dehumanized. That is not what is being discussed here.

This post is about the dehumanization of disabled humans in The Murderbot Diaries, in comparison to the book series Martha Wells was inspired to write TMBD by, The Imperial Radch series, by Ann Leckie.

"Radchaai law does not consider disabled people to be human" is a judgement upon the Literal Evil Empire and its fascism and systemic ableism and dehumanization of its victims.

It's literally there to show you that the empire is evil. That's why we are told that the Radchaai do not consider disabled people to be human, with one of them insulting Breq, and her thinking to herself something vaguely along the lines of, "she didn't know I was an ancillary, but she was assuming that I had cybernetic implants for disabilities, and for some people, that was enough to classify me as not being human"

Martha Wells seeing this and going, in The Murderbot Diaries, "Oh, so disabled people should just be casually considered a separate group from humans, and this doesn't need to be criticized or scrutinized in any way? I should not present this information to my audience in a way that makes them question it at all? It should just be a fun fact about my setting that no one besides disabled people will even think twice about?"

Is just an absolute failure on so many levels it's not even funny.

Not only did she miss the entire point The Imperial Radch series is shoving in your face, that ableism is bad, and dehumanizing people is bad, and that dehumanizing disabled people is outright fascist, she's just. Straight up being ableist now by dehumanizing disabled people all of her own free will.

Martha Wells does this a lot with a lot of things in The Murderbot Diaries that she's trying to mimic from The Imperial Radch series, but the problem is she doesn't understand the original purpose at all. The dehumanization of disabled people in science fiction and dystopian stories in general is supposed to be a fucking literary tool to criticize ableism and to criticize the dehumanization that disabled people face. It's there to show how corrupt and evil the system is.

But like with many of the things Martha Wells has latched onto from The Imperial Radch, she doesn't understand why the tool was being used in the first place. And she clearly didn't care to understand, either, because understanding that the Literal Evil Empire dehumanizing disabled people is meant to show that dehumanizing disabled people is bad is not a difficult concept to grasp.

The fact that she's chosen to just go "Yeah, disabled people are not human." like it's a basic fact, and you're not meant to think about this or question it in any way, along with her other ableism in The Murderbot Diaries, is just inexcusable.

Like, here's a tip for you, writers: If you don't understand why an author chose to do something, don't just try to copy it into your own story without thinking it through. Think long and hard about what your favorite author is doing and think about why they're doing it and what it means, before you try to mimic them.

And this does not begin and end with the dehumanization of disabled people in The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells lifted an frankly absurd amount of things from The Imperial Radch series, but failed the execution with every single one of them.

The ableism is just the most obnoxious of all of them, and it becomes a million times more obnoxious after you learn she was inspired to write these books after reading The Imperial Radch series, where disabled characters, both physically disabled and neurodivergent, are always treated with dignity and respect.

Martha Wells is happy to write neurodivergent characters, but I can't think of a single physically disabled character in any of her books who's not just disabled due to being elderly. Even Malachite, who's covered head to toe in scars, isn't disabled. Her scars may as well just be fucking tattoos, they're literally just to show how badass she is.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until she gets better at writing. Martha Wells refuses to let her characters lose, and she considers being physically disabled to be a kind of losing, so until she stops being ableist towards phyically disabled people, none of her protagonists will be physically disabled, and physically disabled people will continue to be literally dehumanized in The Murderbot Diaries like it's no big deal.

[cature]

JAN 2023.

The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street, Suyi Davies Okungbowa. beautiful, gentle, patient and concise. in a genre so often “revolutionized” by plot twists and development of ideas away from the root, it does feel revolutionary to tend to one concept with infinite kindness and depth.

FEB 2023.

Armless Maidens of the American West, Genevieve Valentine. A pretty nice follow-up to 13 Olúwo Street, sharing a core theme of kindness making the changes that voyeuristic curiosity never can. The idea haunts me constantly, and feels like perfectly plausible urban legend.

MAR 2023.

I was ill and I was not well also. I played lots of games and re-watched giant chunks of Nirvana In Fire. I came into this knowing my reading was slowing down as my cognitive health got worse over the last year and part of that is being patient to myself on bad months.

APR 2023.

On the Banks of the River Lex, N K Jemsin. Re-read. I liked this one more on revisit, not for any faults of the story but because I was unused to short stories that focus more on describing one slice of a moment than on interpersonal plot. I like this incarnation of Death.

MAY 2023.

The Only Friend You Ever Need, M Shaw. Re-read. This one jarred me to get into, but I don’t hate the concept. I’m not a fan of the protagonist but I am a fan of the monsters in this and the repercussions of his actions which balances it out. Not a fave, but solid despite it.

JUN 2023.

Paper Menagerie, Ken Liu. Re-read. Deserved every award it won and then some. This one never fails to reduce me to useless tears. I don’t know what else to say here. The magic is beautiful and grounded and kind. Ken Liu is a master of emotional patience and empathy.

JUL 2023.

The Queen of Atlantis, Sarah Rees Brennan. Re-read. This is one of my two favorite fantasy shorts ever written. Everything about it is so quintessentially childlike in tone without ever flinching from its topic or message. Foreshadowing is subtle and holds up impeccably on revisit, and this story has made me cry before. Impeccable.

AUG 2023.

The Worth of Crows, Seth Dickinson. Re-read. Yes, of Baru Cormorant fame, although I discovered this short before that. This one is less iconic in concept, but sticks with me more. Possibly because it is 🍊s favorite piece of short fiction. Possibly because I love necromancy done kindly.

SEP 2023.

Bread and Circus, Genevieve Valentine. Re-read. This one is less of a favorite of mine, but it helps give depth to her previous entry on this list from January. As ever, the human element shines relentlessly above the more by the book depictions of small social miseries.

OCT 2023.

More Full of Weeping Than You Could Understand, Rosamund Hodge. Re-read. God, I adore this one. Nothing does changelings well in the way this one does. They work too hard on making the fairy motives translatable, instead of presenting them as obvious fact.

NOV 2023.

The Prince’s Shadow, Emily M Z Carlyle. Re-read. Always a beloved favorite right next to my unfindable white moonlight about a wizard after the war. The love between them is unflinching and locked tight. I love courts and I love when people don't eschew society to cottagecore up.

DEC 2023.

Silk And Shadow, Tony Pi. Re-read. Absolutely insane. This is what people keep telling me grishaverse is. It’s perfect. The universe is lush, the prose unflinching, the tragedy beautiful. I personally did not want the ending of inception to be hashtag solved, and the ending of this isn’t.

JAN 2024.

Remembering Light, Marie Brennan. Re-read. I’m so glad this author returned to Driftwood after the initial short had me haunted for days. This one was far more reasonable and simply reduced me to tears multiple times. The prose is steady, the worldbuilding fascinating, and the concept unlivably tender. Masterclass in short fiction.

FEB 2024.

The Bone House, James Lecky. Re-read.There’s a different story I always try to find, and search resolutely insists that it was this one and I just forgot or misremembered some parts. Maybe so. I’m honestly less invested in the protagonist’s inner struggle as I am very very interested in his father and his girlfriend, both of whom did more with less.

MAR 2024.

Our Dead Selves Lie Like Footsteps In Our Wake, Jeff Isacksen. Re-read. God. This was insane. The magic system is beautiful, the world feels bright and lush, and I know these people as intimately as if we were stood in the same room together. The story builds without mercy to a breaking point, but the relief is palpable and lovingly rendered.

APR 2024.

And Her Eyes Sewn Shut With Unicorn Hair, Rosamund Hodge. Re-read. This honestly deserves a place alongside Queen of Atlantis for the work it does at re-writing childrens fantasy hallmarks to their own end. This time it is Narnia, or more specifically Tash, who gets folded into a new story that grabbed my neck and will not let it go.

MAY 2024.

Ghostweight, Yoon Ha Lee. Re-read. Finally a Clarkesworld entry! I love sci-fi that builds itself on a different cultural foundation because I love seeing what is so taken for granted that it becomes a cornerstone of a new world. This universe exemplifies that with the kites, and the characters are heartbreaking and complicated without reserve.

JUN 2024.

At The Mouth Of The River Of Bees, Kij Johnson. Re-read. Finally a Clarkesworld entry! I love sci-fi that builds itself on a different cultural foundation because I love seeing what is so taken for granted that it becomes a cornerstone of a new world. This universe exemplifies that with the kites, and the characters are heartbreaking and complicated without reserve.

[merge-conflict]

once again languishing in physical illness and body woes and thinking how great and horrifying the relic is. sure we can digitize your consciousness, but we've decided the best use of that is to put it back in some meat. it's not just about longevity, about the rich living forever. what do you think happens when the technology is no longer in its nascent stages? when anyone might be overridden? i am once again lying here thinking about ancillary justice.

A new segment's nervous system has to be more or less functional for the hookup. They'd tried it in the past with dead bodies, and failed. The same with fully sedate bodies– the connection was never made properly. Sometimes the new segment is given a tranquilizer, but sometimes the tech medic prefers to thaw the new body out and tie it down quickly, without any sedation at all. This eliminates the chancy setup of sedating just the right amount, but it always makes for an uncomfortable hookup. This particular tech medic didn't care much about my comfort. She wasn't obliged to care, of course. [...] The tech medic went swiftly to work, and suddenly I was on the table (I was walking behind Lieutenant Awn, I was taking up the mending Two Esk had set down on its way to the holds, I was laying myself down on my small, close bunks, I was wiping a counter in the decade room) and I could see and hear but I had no control of the new body and its terror raised the heart rates of all One Esk's segments. The new segment's mouth opened and it screamed and in the background it hear laughter. I flailed, the binding came loose and I rolled off the table, fell a meter and a half to the floor with a painful thud. Don't don't don't, I thought at the body, but it wasn't listening. It was sick, it was terrified, it was dying. It pushed itself up and crawled, dizzy, where it didn't care so long as it got away. [...] Things were always a bit clumsy while I got used to a new segment– it would randomly drop things, or fire off disorienting impulses, random jolts of fear or nausea. Things always seemed off-kilter for a bit. But after a week or two it would usually settle down. Most of the time, anyway. Sometimes a segment simply would not function properly, and then it would have to be removed and replaced. They screen the bodies, of course, but it's not perfect.

Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (excerpts from pages 170-172)

[imaginesbymk]

— THE PACIFIC PREFERENCE

WHEN THEY FIND OUT YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON THEM

Characters: Eugene Sledge, Snafu Shelton, Bob Leckie, Sidney Phillips, Hoosier Smith, Hillbilly Jones + Captain “Ack-Ack” Haldane

Tags: —

A/N: *sighs* men. let me know if you guys want a part 2 with other characters from the pacific (e.g. john basilone, burgin, jay de l’eau, bill leyden, runner, chuckler etc)!!! pls enjoy and leave a like/reblog/feedback <33 ^.^ // [ko-fi] [commissions] / this was inspired by my love @littlemissvincentvega​ from this post <3

EUGENE SLEDGE “SLEDGEHAMMER” —

He’s flustered, but he doesn’t do anything about it. Eugene’s frail and bookish, so he’s too shy to pursue you. 

Whenever you walk past him, he has to get a good look of you, maybe just a crumb of your face, before keeping his head down.

Sid would tease him and never let it go.

“Give me a break, you ol’ greaser—”

“Hey, I’m just sayin’. The missus needs a friend!”

and Snafu would just make remarks about you, much to Eugene’s annoyance and a sense of motivation to make a move before someone else does. 

Eugene is confident that he would get to ask you out some day, because he was raised to be kind and a gentleman. Time will tell.

MERRIELL “SNAFU” SHELTON —

Learning about your crush on him boosts his ego and is way too cocky about it.

“What did I tell ya? Getting to the likes of Y/N is like discovering a goldmine. I’m gonna reel them in.”

Snafu obviously bothers you during the day by flirting with you, trying to get your attention because he likes getting attention.

He doesn’t leave pleasant remarks at first, but he goes straight down to business. 

“So, doll. Dinner? Movie? Picnic under the stars? How ‘bout I take you to the back of the train and you can show me your caboose? ;)”

Snafu will eventually learn to be more respectful. But at least he’s polite when he tries to talk and hang out with you more.

ROBERT “BOB” LECKIE —

This man is charming. He managed to win over Stella’s family over dinner, so he could do the same with you.

He won’t stop thinking about you. But he’ll get a bit insecure and overthink about other irrelevant things. 

“I wonder what you don’t like about me?”

His friends from How Company make fun of him, reading out loud the letters you wrote to him. 

He shows up to your house unexpectedly, all fresh and clean, in uniform, and he asks you out for dinner. 

Deep down, he’s nervous af - he’s overthinking if it doesn’t work out if you two ever start dating.

When he takes you out you can tell he’s a nervous wreck and he doesn’t know where else to go from there, but you assure him he’s doing fine.

SIDNEY “SID” PHILLIPS —

Sid is already getting along with you, so nothing really changes when he finds out you have a crush on him. If anything, it brings the two of you closer.

He likes to talk to you about anything, and he’ll eventually bring up taking you out for dinner or a picnic under the stars. 

Sid will tell you all about Eugene, life in Mobile, baseball, the rotting coconuts in Pavuvu, anything to keep you around. 

“Here, y/n. How about I drop you home? I can squeeze you in on my bike!”

He’s surprised that he’s not as nervous when you two become more than friends.

Sid realizes he’s falling for you hard and it’s gonna kill him once he’s sent off to fight again.

BILL “HOOSIER” SMITH —

This cocky little shit

When Hoosier confronts you about it, he has a big smirk on his face.

“A lil’ bird told me you got your eyes on me.” (The lil’ bird in question was Chuckler.......)

He wastes NO time asking you out. And of course, you accept. 

If you smoke, he offers you a cigarette from his pack. 

Hoosier is a goofball and he never fails to make you laugh when you two are bonding together. 

He’ll stuff cigarettes up his nostrils and once he finally takes you out, let’s say at a fancy restaurant, he’ll stuff the chopsticks up his nostrils. Anything to hear that laugh of yours.

1ST LT. EDDIE “HILLBILLY” JONES —

He’s flattered, all right.

Even from the dungarees and dirt, he’s known for having a clean, fresh and handsome appearance, according to Sledge’s book. 

Hillbilly’s a gentleman. If he were to take you out sometime, he’d make you feel like there’s no other person in his life but you.

Ack-Ack pushes him to make a move. He assures him that it wouldn’t hurt to leave some room for a little bit of bonding. 

“I know I’m serious when I need to be serious, but I’m a helpless disciple saved by Christ when I found out about you.”

So of course, he’s gonna come in with his guitar and play you a song to win you over.

CAPTAIN ANDREW “ACK-ACK” HALDANE —

Of course, of all people, you develop feelings for the skipper. 

Since he’s a good leader who pulls everyone together during the war, you could understand why you like him. He’s also a very sweet guy.

The thing is, he already knows. You’re too shy to even confess your feelings to him in person or in letters, anonymously or not. In fact, no one even told the skipper about it and nobody needed to. He just knows. A good captain is always observant.

You two are alone for a moment, and his casual, calm and friendly tone manages to help you feel more comfortable and less nervous.

He gives you one of the blankets his dad made for everyone. He wraps it around you at night when you’re feeling cold or afraid.

[cairnparavel]

JAN 2023.

9th. The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street, Suyi Davies Okungbowa. beautiful, gentle, patient and concise. in a genre so often "revolutionized" by plot twists and development of ideas away from the root, it does feel revolutionary to tend to one concept with infinite kindness and depth.

29th. Armless Maidens of the American West, Genevieve Valentine. A pretty nice follow-up to 13 Olúwo Street, sharing a core theme of kindness making the changes that voyeuristic curiosity never can. The idea haunts me constantly, and feels like perfectly plausible urban legend.

29th. On the Banks of the River Lex, N K Jemsin. Re-read. I liked this one more on revisit, not for any faults of the story but because I was unused to short stories that focus more on describing one slice of a moment than on interpersonal plot. I like this incarnation of Death.

29th. The Only Friend You Ever Need, M Shaw. Re-read. This one jarred me to get into, but I don't hate the concept. I'm not a fan of the protagonist but I am a fan of the monsters in this and the repercussions of his actions which balances it out. Not a fave, but solid despite it.

29th. Paper Menagerie, Ken Liu. Re-read. Deserved every award it won and then some. This one never fails to reduce me to useless tears. I don't know what else to say here. The magic is beautiful and grounded and kind. Ken Liu is a master of emotional patience and empathy.

FEB 2023.

??. The Queen of Atlantis, Sarah Rees Brennan. Re-read. This is one of my two favorite fantasy shorts ever written. Everything about it is so quintessentially childlike in tone without ever flinching from its topic or message. Foreshadowing is subtle and holds up impeccably on revisit, and this story has made me cry before. Impeccable.

??. The Worth of Crows, Seth Dickinson. Re-read. Yes, of Baru Cormorant fame, although I discovered this short before that. This one is less iconic in concept, but sticks with me more. Possibly because it is 🍊s favorite piece of short fiction. Possibly because I love necromancy done kindly.

??. Bread and Circus, Genevieve Valentine. Re-read. This one is less of a favorite of mine, but it helps give depth to her previous entry on this list from January. As ever, the human element shines relentlessly above the more by the book depictions of small social miseries.

??. More Full of Weeping Than You Could Understand, Rosamund Hodge. Re-read. God, I adore this one. Nothing does changelings well in the way this one does. They work too hard on making the fairy motives translatable, instead of presenting them as obvious fact.

??. The Prince's Shadow, Emily M Z Carlyle. Re-read. Always a beloved favorite right next to my unfindable white moonlight about a wizard after the war. The love between them is unflinching and locked tight. I love courts and I love when people don'f eschew society to cottagecore up.

??. Silk And Shadow, Tony Pi. Re-read. Absolutely insane. This is what people keep telling me grishaverse is. It's perfect. The universe is lush, the prose unflinching, the tragedy beautiful. I personally did not want the ending of inception to be hashtag solved, and the ending of this isn't.

MAR 2023.

N/A. I was ill and I was not well also. I played lots of games and re-watched giant chunks of Nirvana In Fire. I came into this knowing my reading was slowing down as my cognitive health got worse over the last year and part of that is being patient to myself on bad months.

APR 2023.

??. Remembering Light. Marie Brennan. Re-read. I'm so glad this author returned to Driftwood after the initial short had me haunted for days. This one was far more reasonable and simply reduced me to tears multiple times. The prose is steady, the worldbuilding fascinating, and the concept unlivably tender. Masterclass in short fiction.

??. The Bone House. James Lecky. Re-read. There's a different story I always try to find, and search resolutely insists that it was this one and I just forgot or misremembered some parts. Maybe so. I'm honestly less invested in the protagonist's inner struggle as I am very very interested in his father and his girlfriend, both of whom did more with less.

??. Our Dead Selves Lie Like Footsteps In Our Wake. Jeff Isacksen. Re-read. God. This was insane. The magic system is beautiful, the world feels bright and lush, and I know these people as intimately as if we were stood in the same room together. The story builds without mercy to a breaking point, but the relief is palpable and lovingly rendered.

??. And Her Eyes Sewn Shut With Unicorn Hair. Rosamund Hodge. Re-read. This honestly deserves a place alongside Queen of Atlantis for the work it does at re-writing childrens fantasy hallmarks to their own end. This time it is Narnia, or more specifically Tash, who gets folded into a new story that grabbed my neck and will not let it go.

??. Ghostweight. Yoon Ha Lee. Re-read. Finally a Clarkesworld entry! I love sci-fi that builds itself on a different cultural foundation because I love seeing what is so taken for granted that it becomes a cornerstone of a new world. This universe exemplifies that with the kites, and the characters are heartbreaking and complicated without reserve.

.

[mercurygray]

I'm currently in the middle of Hugh Ambrose's companion book on The Pacific, and...an interesting Girl Gang thought experiment ensued.

They were all thinking it, but only Judy was dumb enough to say it aloud.

"God, it's hot."

You could almost hear the eyebrows raise, the mouths wince as Captain Susan Herriman, USMCWR, turned around in her stacked Cuban heels, hair stiffened into submission beneath her uniform cap, and brought the whole column to a halt, right in the middle of the road off the dock, every single one of them baking in the noonday sun. Marjorie Gordon took a breath and prepared for a lecture, the heavy strap of her duffel digging into her shoulder, sweat collecting under her shirt. At least when they were moving they'd had a bit of a breeze.

"You hear that, ladies?" Herriman asked, crisply dismissive. "Private Bryant thinks it's hot, here in the Russells. Like this is news. Is this a surprise to you, ladies?"

"No, Captain Herriman."

"Did the Marine Corps fail to disclose to you that you would be departing for the tropics at any point during your training?"

"No, Captain Herriman."

"Perhaps there was a suggestion that they'd be bringing ice water and footbaths for you all, after you'd finished sunning yourselves on the beach."

"No, Captain Herriman."

"Very good. Now, from this point forward there will be absolutely no discussion, whatsoever, about the weather, unless you are assigned to the meteorological station and it falls within staff duties. Are we quite clear?"

"Yes, Captain Herriman."

"We are not here for a vacation, ladies. We are here to free men to fight - and that is a duty we should do without complaint. Now - forward, march!"

--

The tall, dark-haired Marine with a sort of aw shucks grin was leaning against the side of the kitchen door, eating an orange he'd clearly liberated from the stores. (Marines seemed to be good at that kind of thing.) "Your captain's kind of a bitch."

"Won't see me disagreeing," Marj said quickly. "You got someplace you need to be, Marine?"

"The movies, with you, say around seven? They're showing a comedy."

"Sorry, sailor," Marj said, waggling her hand and the ring on her finger. "Already spoken for."

"You're not even gonna ask my name?"

"Don't need to know it," Marj shot back.

"So which one of y'all is the famous one?" his friend, a weedy fellow nearly a foot shorter, asked, joining him in the doorway with an orange of his own.

"What, you can't tell?" Doris struck a pose next to the bags of rice. "Come on, girls, make the private guess. Obviously we all look good enough to have been in Vogue."

--

"You want to sit a little closer, Warren, I think the temperature drops a little near you."

"No can do, Lucky," Joan shot back, always ready to return fire. "I hear stupid is contagious."

The whoops and catcalls that followed were certainly worth it, but worth noting, Marj thought, was the look of clear admiration in the former reporter's eyes. Oh, Leckie, crush on someone else - your girl at home or your girl in Melbourne, but not Joan. She won't mean to but she'll break your heart.

--

"There was a solider, in San Francisco, before we shipped out," Eileen said with a smile. "Said he was visiting his sister before going east to start jump school. I told him there wasn't any way he could compete with my impossibly handsome boyfriend in the marines."

--

"Poetry? Irene Henderson, you mean to tell me that in the middle of a goddamn war that Mobile boy sat down and wrote you a poem?" Ruth asked, looking like she wanted to start giggling.

"Don't you dare laugh at him!" Irene said, the letter crumpled in her hand, looking down at it like it were beyond price. "Nobody ...ever wrote me poetry before."

--

"Gee whiz, Joanie Warren, do you go out looking for trouble or does it just find you?" Andy asked with a grin.

"I didn't ASK for any of you to defend my honor!" Joan shot back, looking outraged.

"No asking when it comes to that sort of thing," Eddie said sagely. "Fellow ought to just step in."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Jones."

"Happy to help," Eddie added with a grin of his own, completely undeterred while Joan stewed a little.

"Does Marie know you're this sassy?" she asked, trying to find what remained of her tattered independence.

Eddie nodded. "Fraid so. She claims she hates it, but I ain't seen evidence to that yet."

[hillbillied]

Loosier for the domestic ask meme?

DOMESTIC SHIP MEME - Loosier

who reaches out to new neighbours

neither. Leckie would rather die than turn up on someone’s doorstep with cookies only to find out he hates them. he’s a casing-the-joint kind of guy. he squints through his blinds and says shit like “You think Mrs. Henderson knows her ‘I <3 Jesus’ sign in the window is backwards?”. Hoosier prefers the traditional method; nodding at neighbours for ages then moving to casual conversation when the occasion arises.

who remembers to buy healthy food

Hoosier. Leckie is used to having someone else buy groceries or buying for a large family; big bags of snacks, everything must be in large quantities. (if you don’t buy 50 bags of chips, you get no chips.) Hoosier introduced him to the joy of buying the occasional solo vegetable.

who remembers to buy junk food

both. they pick their own ice cream specifically because then they get the exact flavour they like and don’t have to share.

who fixes the oven when it breaks

Hoosier. (Leckie didn’t notice it was broken.)

who waters the plants/feeds their pet(s)

Leckie waters the plants, it was one of his chores from childhood. he takes really good care of his exotic lilies. Hoosier feeds the dog; Leckie feeds the cat. which they have to do together because otherwise one will get sad. (the dog and the cat – Pavuvu and Banika respectively – are inseparable.)

who wakes up earlier

Leckie. Hoosier likes his lie-ins, even if he’s never enjoyed many of them. Leckie’s got that 8 AM clock from large family life. someone would be up at that time, to got to work or school or whatever. so he makes up early and groans about it for an hour.

who makes the bed

Hoosier. Leckie calls it “an outdated custom derived from the domestication of man” and that translates to “I am very bad at corners”.

who makes the coffee

Leckie. he knows how to brew it properly and makes sure the pot’s always topped up. partially because he drinks more of it and partially because Bill would just dump raw beans in there if he thought they’d dissolve.

who burns breakfast

neither. Hoosier had to cook for his younger siblings and Leckie had to help his mum cook for the family. they’re both fairly competent in the kitchen.

how do they let each other know they’re leaving the house

Leckie will grab his keys and briefcase and such, then come find wherever Hoosier’s at. he’ll sigh heavily like leaving is a burden, rest his head on the man’s shoulder for a moment, and say “I’ll see you later”. often followed by a poetic addition like “every moment apart will be sweet sorrow” and that fox-like grin. then he’ll wink and head on out.

Hoosier’s more traditional, he’ll pop his head through the doorway of wherever Leckie is – normally his study – and let him know he’s leaving. he always asks if Leckie wants anything, and without fail; he’ll bring it home. Leckie has gradually started asking for more ridiculous things beyond milk or eggs. he asked for “something detrimental to society as a whole” and came downstairs to find Hoosier dragging a roadworks sign through the door because “How all them cars gonna know t’ swerve now, Bob?”

how do they greet each other when one of them gets home

Hoosier shouts “Welcome home, darlin’!” from wherever he is in the house. Leckie will then come and rest his head on him. either against Hoosier’s back if he’s standing or Leckie will lie down on his lap if he’s sitting. even if it was a good outing, Robert has to decompress. Bill won’t look up from whatever he’s doing but he will stroke Leckie’s hair and wait for him to speak.

Leckie will shout “Just a minute!” if he can’t get up immediately. (if he’s writing, for instance.) Hoosier always takes his time pulling off his shoes and coat so Leckie has time to come and greet him. Robert likes to run his fingers over whatever clothes Bill’s wearing, like he hadn’t seen Hoosier leave in them, and touch his cheek lovingly. Leckie will always follow that by kissing him and grinning, like he’s amazed his boyfriend came back at all.

who brings home little gifts like flowers/chocolates more often

Hoosier is little gifts. everything is a gift when it doesn’t matter if Leckie hates it. the man’s a spite-consumer, he’ll read books and he’ll eat chocolate and he’ll watch movies that all seem terrible to him because informed criticism is fun. so Hoosier can bring home anything he wants and fear nothing. (he does choose his flowers particularly and semi-regularly. those are always received with a quip from Leckie, who will never truly get over that little bullshit part of him that says he, A Man, should not be receiving flowers. he makes up for it when he puts them on the bedside table and quietly takes Hoosier’s hand, kissing his knuckles and whispering his thank you.

Leckie, on the other hand? grand gestures. “Put on a suit, we’ve got tickets to that musical you’ve always wanted to see!” and “Get out here, Bill, I’m freezing my cock off and I’ve got a car-shaped present that needs unwrapping!”. hopelessly romantic in a hallmark card kind of way. Leckie’s good at saving money, skating around what he needs himself so he can pull this kind of bullshit off.

who picks the movie for movie night

they take turns because they hate each other’s movie choices. Hoosier likes romcoms and action movies. Leckie likes classics and edgy thriller bullshit. they suffer through for love (and the sex afterwards).

their favorite kind of movie to watch

they both enjoy musicals, that’s the only true overlap. and it took a while to get to because Leckie kept pretending he didn’t ‘get’ the singing.

who first suggests a pillow fort

Leckie. he presents the idea like they’re in court and Hoosier needs convincing. (he does not.)

who builds the pillow fort

they build it together. Leckie’s the architect and Hoosier’s the constructor. for all the laughs they have with that psudo-formal dynamic, the result is actually incredibly well-built and cosy.

who tries to distract the other during the movie

Leckie. his commentary is constant. the game they play is ‘How Long Can Robert Keep His Trap Shut?’. Hoosier checks his watch when he presses play and times it. current record is 24 minutes and 15 seconds.

who falls asleep first

Hoosier. Leckie keeps himself up with overthinking. it’s nice to lie awake, though, safe and warm beside Bill.

who is big spoon/little spoon

Leckie’s the little spoon. if he wants to hold Hoosier, he’ll do it facing him or with Bill’s head on his chest. when they spoon, Hoosier’s the one wrapping around him, tangling their legs together. he’ll kiss Leckie’s curls and mutter some joke in his ear, squeezing him close and making sure Bob feels like he can’t escape. because that’s the point, to take away a little control. to make Leckie relax, breathe deep, and just let himself be held for a change.

[inglourious-imagines]

Stubborn Lovers - part 2 (Bill "Hoosier" Smith)

Summary: Confessing might be pretty damn hard.

Taglist: @alienoresimagines @floydtab @eugenesmorphine @meteora-fc @real-fans @not-john-watsons-blog @band-of-brothers-cz @tealaquinn @ok-roemanov @mrseasycompany

Part 1

.

.

.

We don't have a lot but we've got each other.

Since the incident with Eugene Sledge, Hoosier hadn't been the same around Y/N. If he was around. Everybody noticed how he distanced himself from the female Marine as much as possible, answering her question with the simplest reply, trying not to stare at her when she laughs and failing miserably. The guys wondered what was going on, this wasn't the Hoosier they knew but rather a little boy who's scared to face the real problem. 

On the other hand, Y/N was frustrated by Bill's behaviour. She didn't know what she'd done wrong or if something happened to Hoosier. She'd tried to talk to him several times, she was always sitting next to him, smiling at him, Y/N was trying her best and still it wasn't enough. Hoosier closed his mind, refused to feel any kind of affection towards the most beautiful and kindest woman he'd ever met.

The problem was, he just wasn't able to close his heart.

"Mind if I sit here?" her quiet voice filled his ears and when she seated herself next to him during one of those rainy and sleepless nights at the island of Pavuvu, he was lost. He was lost so deeply in the rainforest, in the war, in his own thoughts, in her eyes. Hoosier knew he needs her, more than anything. Just like she knows she needs the sarcastic boy with cigarettes stucked in his nostrils. 

"Yeah, sure thing." he mumbled, not even bothering to look at her. If he did, he wouldn't be able to look away. Y/N stole his heart in every way possible, there was no denying that, and he didn't even want it back. He'd literally die for her.

And exactly this was torturing him. Bill never imagined himself to be in this kind of place - with the best person that ever walked into his life by his side and he was very well aware of the fact that he hurt this person.

"Why don't you just tell me what the fuck happened?" Y/N questioned him right away - beating around the bush wasn't her style. She desperately needed answers as well as his blood-stained hands stroking her hair and his deep voice telling her it's gonna be alright. 

"Everything's just fine. Don't you bother." Hoosier sighed lighting himself a cigarette. The smoke escaped his lips and was floating in the air along with the unsaid promises and confessions.

"Fucking unbelievable," Y/N shook her head, "have you gone completely mad? Can't you see I want to bother? I'm tired of running after you, concerned what happened, only to find you being a total asshole telling me to fuck off!"

The tent drowned in a heavy silence and cigarette smoke. Both of them were anxious to touch the other one, but Y/N was too angry and hurt and Hoosier had his pride and uncertain thoughts. Leckie described them pretty much well couple of days ago: "stubborn and it's complicated".

"Why do you bother then?" Hoosier simply asked trying to get a full meaning of her sudden words.

"Because I fucking care about you, you idiot!" Y/N exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. 

This sentence stopped his heartbeat for a second and Hoosier wasn't sure if he's hearing right. He'd been waiting for such a long time to hear those words from her lips and now when she confessed, he was sitting next to her unable to make a move.

"I-" he started but his voice broke as soon as he decided to speak. "I'm such a moron, Y/N. I'm sorry."

"You better be. I never felt anything for Eugene or any other Marine. It's you. It's always been you." she whispered leaning a bit closer to the soldier who broke her heart and yet, was still able to put it back together.

"God, I don't think I deserve you."

"Shut up and kiss me, Mr Smith. Show me that you do."

"Oh I fucking will, Ma'am."

[ikevampfg]

Ikemen Vampire Suitors- MC asks about their former wife/wives

This would apply for the suitors who had former wives: Napoleon, Mozart, Arthur, Theodorus, Shakespeare, Dazai

Warnings:

Mention of death/Minor depression

Napoleon

Is shocked that she brought up a conversation about his wives Josephine and Marie Louise

Napoleon somehow showed his feelings toward his former wives, especially Josephine whom he considered his true love before he divorced her and she died from pneumonia. Even told MC he weeped for her and did not came out of his room for days on being devastated about her death.

But later on, he hugged MC placing a kiss on her temples reminding her that she is his present love and his world.

"I may not lend you the same title as an Empress such as they did, but I could give you myself and time whole heartedly which I failed to do for them before."

Mozart

He was playing the piano in the music room when MC brought up the conversation about his former wife, Constanze. He suddenly halted from playing, staring at her with a 'Why do you ask' expression painted on his face.

But he figured it out that she only wants to know, so he told her about Constanze. He told her about courting her and he was chuckling when he remembered about his brief breakup with her because he was jealous of a man that measured her calves on a parlor game and the hard part of having the consent of her father so he thought of a way they would let her, and had her moved out with him and requested a marriage day after.

But when he accepted being a vampire and moved in the late 19th century, asked about if they knew what happened to her and he was happy to know that Constanze had remarried and found her happiness.

He reached out for MC and briefly shared a kiss with her, parting away with a smile.

"Mein liebe, I'm sharing my happiness and music with you in my present. And we'll be make our symphony together with our love that grows everyday, always remember that."

Arthur

He anticipated that MC would ask about his former wives soon. So he just went there and told it himself

He told her his story with his first wife, Louisa. He did have a smooth marriage with her and shared happiness at the time he was starting to be a popular writer till things change drastically when Louisa became ill and he have to make a way for her to survive , moving to Switzerland.

And he did become thorned at the time where he fell in love with Jean Leckie, the woman he met with secretly while his wife is ill. He was in grief that Louisa passed but he later had Jean Leckie with him till he passed away with his human life.

"And now I have you to stay with me through ups and downs with our promise of a scarlet thread, entwining us for eternity. They had me before and now you have me in this new life and I had you till the end too." He said, kissing the back of her hand.

Theodorus

He rarely spoke about her since he was busy of the art exhibits and different art trading business he was doing so MC can't brought it up.

But when they shared a tea together at the garden, she finally mentioned about her. She never expected it but he smiled when she mentioned about Johanna.

So Theo told her about Johanna. She was smart and tender and always thankful for her. Though he regrets that he only shared a short life with her.

And when he became vampire, he of course asked about Johanna.Both of them, Theo and Vincent were thankful of Johanna for becoming the key to know Vincent's artworks and how she continued to value it.

"She already had a spot on my heart a long time ago. And here you are, making the new spot more special. You're here now and I'm going to value you much more now." He said giving a kiss on yoir forehead.

Shakespeare

MC was drinking tea with Shakespeare in his villa when she dropped the topic about his former wife, Anne Hathaway.

He was surprised but kept his cool with a smile on his face. He didn't answer much but just told her that she did marry Anne despite her being older but kept details by himself.

"O' my fair lady, thy love one had told already passed through the clock. You, who had strucked an arrow to thy heart could only have it." William stood and pulled her up for a deep passionate kiss, sharing a night of passion.

Dazai

MC had knew about Dazai's brief history from studying his works and biography on her highschool days. She was kind of nervous to ask about it, but she just wanted to hear it from him.

Dazai was open of his life and was reflecting of his works so when she asked about it, he answered her without hesitation.

He told her about the three of them, Hatsuo and Michiko, Tomie as well. He told her how tired he was studying and just ran away with the geisha, Hatsuo instead. They later married and settled before attempting double suicide with Hatsuo and failed then divorced after. Then remarried to Michiko, but abandoned her after he met Tomie and comitted double suicide with her before he became a vampire.

Even Dazai was telling it to her with his usual gentle and cheery tone, she can sense the regret on his eyes. MC couldn't help but to cup his face with her small hands, stroking it gently.

"Ah, my gentle lady. I do have regrets in my life, lots of it really. With all those mistakes I've made that have been a part of my life, only you could have been the best I have did. 愛してるよ." They shared a kiss under the gleaming moonlight, as if they were out from a tale together.