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apocalypseornaw · 11 months ago

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It's Real

Dean Winchester x Reader

Dean's back from Michael, everything should be ok but he's staying locked up in his room so you make it a point to find out why.

Smut with feelings

Dean was back. Michael was gone and Dean was back but it felt as if he was still gone. The moment he'd staggered in that door it'd taken everything in you to not rush straight to him. Once you were sure it was him you'd nearly dove into his arms. He'd hugged you tight, whispering in your ear “It's ok sweetheart, I'm ok”

Everything seemed ok on the ride back to the bunker, yeah Dean was a little on the quiet side but considering you could understand. When you parked and got out the impala he was even teasing Sam about his beard as the three of you walked into the bunker from the garage. The moment he walked into the war room and Sam was greeted with “Chief” and you with “Cap” you could see the wall slam into place but you weren't sure why.

In the last week you'd seen Dean a handful of times and that was when you happened to be in the hallway when he headed for a shower or the one to make a run into town and he wanted the snacks he'd added to the list.

Every time you tried to talk to him he shut you down and it was driving you insane. Yeah he'd been through a lot and yeah it was his default setting to not talk about his feelings but not with you. Any other time he let you in but not this time.

—-------------

You were sparring with a few hunters from the apocalypse world and had somehow managed to draw a crowd. Ryker and Tyler towered over you in height and Vivian was fast as hell but you were holding your own against the three of them.

You took Tyler out at the knees then ducked under Rykers arm, catching it and using his own momentum to flip him on his back then nodded to Vivian.

You went blow for blow with her but she happened to misstep one time and that was all you needed to pin her. When you offered her a hand up she took it with a grin “Damn Cap who taught you to fight?” You shrugged “I've taken self defense classes mixed with sparring with Sam and Dean along with on the job learning”

She nodded “Think Dean will join us? I'd love to see you two spar” you didn't want to tell her he was avoiding you at all cost so you just smiled “I'll ask” you turned to grab your water bottle then headed to your room so you could grab a shower.

Dean knew he needed to integrate himself with the hunters inhabiting the bunker but he didn't know how many more times he could see you and Sam working shoulder to shoulder, sharing inside jokes with a look and leading an entire squadron of hunters together.

He'd heard a few of the hunters talking about how “Cap” and “Chief” were always together, always worked every lead together, stayed up researching together and “Most of the time end up falling asleep together” one of the younger refugees from the apocalypse world had deemed you two a power couple and that was the straw Dean had to hear to know he needed to resign himself to his room for a while.

He'd lost you. Fifteen years of friendship, ten years of wanting you, eight years of loving you. If he'd just said something sooner, hadn't been afraid of losing you as his friend but now he'd lost you to his little brother and he couldn't even be angry, no matter the jealousy eating at him.

You stepped into the hall and saw Sam had just come out of Dean's room. When he shut the door behind himself he spotted you so you raised your eyebrows “How is he?” He shrugged “He's watching horror movies and has pizza and beer”

You glanced at Dean's door then asked “Why won't he come out the room? He barely talks to me or anyone for that matter when he does” Sam's eyes softened at your words “Maybe it's time you do that thing you always do with us”

You waved a hand, asking for an explanation and he laughed “You never let us wallow for long. He won't react to me, Cas, hell even mom. He needs you whether he admits it or not” you laughed “You mean he needs someone as stubborn as he is to out stubborn him?” He nodded “Exactly”

You looked from him to Dean's door then nodded “Wish me luck” he patted your shoulder “Good luck” then headed down the hall.

—---------------

Dean heard a knock at his door and figured it was Sam again “Sammy, I said I'm good” the door creaked open and your face popped around it “Good to know. Can I come in?”

He tried to ignore the way his chest clenched at your smile. “Of course sweetheart. C'mon” he watched you shut the door then walk further into the room, kicking your boots off before walking over to the bed.

You grabbed a slice of pizza from the table near the bed then climbed in the bed, laying sideways with your head on his back so you could see the TV considering he was laying on his stomach “Comfy?” He asked with a laugh once you'd taken his beer out of his hand and took a swig before turning back to the pizza “Very much so. You're a wonderful pillow”

You shouldn't be in his bed, shouldn't be laying against him. If you and Sam were…well he didn't want to think too hard about it but he wasn't the type of man to take another man's woman, especially his little brother's. He told himself it was innocent enough. The two of you had done this dozens of times over the years even if this time his mind was running a lot faster than normal.

—-------------

You lay like that through the entirety of Halloween two and halfway through Freddy versus Jason before your mouth had a mind of its own “I miss you Dean. For weeks we had no idea where you were then by some turn Michael let you go and now you're home but I still miss you. You're pulling away from me, from everyone and I don't want to lose you again. You mean too much to me”

He looked over his shoulder at you and grabbed one of your hands, giving it a light squeeze “I'm here sweetheart. I just don't want to take up too much of your time. You got a lot going on Cap” you rolled your eyes at the nickname you'd been dubbed with “I've always got enough time for you. Talk to me”

He let go of your hand then pushed himself back so he could turn to face you as he sat up.“I miss you too but this, coming home to this is a lot” “What do you mean? The hunters?”

He nodded “The hunters, you and Sam. You two are a unit, you run this whole operation like clockwork. You've built something and I don't know where I fit now” you smiled slightly “You fit with us Dean. You and Sam are the most important people to me”

He sighed “But you and him are more or it feels that way” you knew the confusion was clear across your face because he just shook his head “Never mind. Can we just go back to the movie?” You nodded “Yeah, sure”

—-------‐—----------

He laid back down on his stomach and this time you laid down next to him instead of on his back. You had no clue what he meant about you and Sam being more? Had someone said something to make him feel that way? You’d been running on damn near empty for weeks, Mary had taken to hiding your car keys to force you into eating and sleeping and when that didn't work she'd bring in the big guns and threaten to call Jody.

Sam hadn't fared much better. The two of you had been doing everything you could to keep each other's heads above water. Dean was the person who raised Sam, he'd always been the most important person to him. As for yourself, you loved the man laying next to you. He'd claimed your heart years ago whether he knew it or not. Your chest had felt hollow knowing the man you loved was being used by some dickheaded angel.

You reached for his hand closest to you, running your fingertips over the back of his hand. He smiled slightly then it was like his mood changed and he pulled his hand away.

“Sorry” you murmured and moved to sit up but he was already grabbing your wrist to keep you on the bed “Wait sweetheart. Fuck” you sat down in front of him and he turned to face you “Just talk to me Dean. Whatever is going on, we can fix it”

—---------------------

He shook his head, hand dropping your wrist. “I know you and Sam have gotten even closer since I've been gone”

You smiled slightly “Well yeah, leading a bunch of wayward hunters and hunting down some douchey archangel to get you back will do that to ya. Still doesn't explain the change between me and you. Dean you're my best friend, you've always talked to me and now you're shutting me out. I'm not used to it and I don't like it”

He hated seeing the pain in your eyes and knowing he was the cause of it. He sighed “I know you're with Sam” your head tilted to the side and you stared at him for a moment before you began to laugh. After a moment you covered your mouth with your hand then took a few deep breaths. He was confused as hell but figured you'd give an explanation “Oh Dean, honey you are so smart at times but so damn dumb at others”

“What?” You shook your head “Me and Sam have gotten closer yeah but not like that. Someone else has my heart and it ain't Sammy” his eyes flew to your face “Then who?” You shook your head again “Doesn't matter just know it's not your little brother”

He reached forward, cupping your chin with his hand “No way are you gonna tell me some lucky bastard has your heart then not tell me who” you wouldn't meet his eyes so he used his grip on you to turn your face where you had no choice. “You honestly have no idea do you?” You sounded almost sad when you asked and he felt his heart skip.

Did you mean him? “You have no idea how hard it's been with you not being here Dean. How many times I cried myself to sleep laying against Sam's chest because I knew he was the only person who could come close to knowing the pain I felt. You're his brother, you've been his parent and protector his whole life and I knew he was only person here who loved you anywhere as much as I do”

“You love me?” He damn near whispered and you nodded “How could I not?”

—-------------------

One moment you were spilling your heart out and the next Dean was claiming your lips in a hungry kiss. You were stunned for a moment then returned the kiss fully, when you felt his tongue slip into your mouth you gasped lightly and he used that to roll his tongue against yours. The heat roaring to life against every inch of your body from just a kiss seemed damn near impossible but this was Dean.

Holy hell this was Dean. You just confessed your feelings and instead of bolting he was kissing you in a way that had the wetness between your legs growing by the moment.

When you were finally forced apart for air he leaned his forehead against yours, both of your chests heaving. “Not what I was expecting” you teased breathlessly and he chuckled “Sweetheart, I've been locked up in this room because the thought of you with Sam…I couldn't take it. You're supposed to be mine. The jealousy has been eating me alive, imagining you with him”

You pulled back from him and grinned “You were jealous?” He nodded “Damn right I was. I've loved you for years and the thought that out of all people my little brother would be the one to take you from me? I hated it” you laughed “In that case, come here”

“No, you come here” he grabbed you by the hips pulling you towards him and turned putting your back down on the bed. He held his weight on his forearms as he hovered over you, catching your lips in another kiss. “Dean” you spoke and he pulled back to look you in the eyes and saw the love and desire there “I want you, please” he smiled “Never beg for me baby. Just tell me what you want” “I want you. All of you”

—----------------

Dean let out a low groan at your words. Fuck, the power you held over him. “You've got me” He promised, catching your lips again. He felt your hands slip under his shirt, silently asking for more access to him. He broke away from your lips long enough to pull the henley he wore off and toss it across the room.

The way you looked at him was like nothing he'd ever experienced. You let your hands trail across his chest, nails scratching lightly “I've always loved your chest, your arms” your praise of his body unlocked something in him. Fuck he loved it. You leaned up to place a kiss at the hollow of his throat and his eyes fluttered shut at the intimacy of the moment.

When he opened them your eyes were on him, a small smile on your face “No more running from me?” He smiled “No more running” he reached for your shirt so you arched your back off the bed to help him remove it. He tossed it behind him and looked down at you “You're so damn gorgeous”

He crashed his lips against yours and felt your hands gripping his shoulders, pulling him closer to you. He rolled his hips into yours and the moan you let out was better than anything he'd ever heard.

—-------------

You broke away from Dean's lips your need for air winning in the moment. He kissed down your jaw and to your neck. He pushed your hair back and attacked your neck, kissing and biting the skin there. Your grip on his shoulders tightened “Fuck Dean”

He moved down your neck, kissing across your clothed chest before looking up at you through those long lashes. He held your eyes as he rolled one breast into his mouth, grazing the sensitive bud with his teeth and enjoying when your breath caught in your throat. His hands slipped under you and you felt the bra give way before he was pulling it off of you and tossing it, giving him full access to your chest.

“Look at you” he whispered, tongue flicking out to tease at one of your nipples while his fingers of his other hand teased the other. Your fingers slid into his hair, eyes fluttering shut at the pleasure coursing through you.

He bit down on your nipple and when your eyes flew open he smirked “Cmon baby I'm just starting. I want your eyes on me” “So damn bossy” you teased and he winked at you “You must like me being bossy” “I love it” you admitted watching him kiss down your stomach.

When he got to your jeans he looked up at you “Are you sure about this? About us?” You rolled your eyes and lifted your hips off the bed as you unzipped your jeans and started to shimmy them down your hips. He laughed lightly before you felt his hands cover yours as he helped you rid your legs of your jeans then slid your panties off as well.

—-----------

“Look at my girl” he whispered in awe. “All yours Dean. What are you gonna do with me now that you've got me?” The look he gave you was enough to make your entire body feel like you were on fire. The promises there, the desire, the love. “Devour you” his voice was somehow deeper than usual, lust driving it down.

He started at one ankle, kissing up your leg then your thighs stopping just shy of where you wanted him. When you let out a rather pathetic sounding whine he just laughed darkly “I've waited long enough to have you like this, let me enjoy it”

He moved to the other leg, repeating the process. This time when he got where you wanted him he glanced up at your face before lowering his mouth to you. The first lick was tentative, teasing but when your hips bucked and a moan of his name fell from your lips it was like a switch flipped. He dove in, a perfect mixture of teeth and tongue working you closer and closer to that edge.

He slipped first one finger then added a second,easily finding that spot inside of you that made your legs begin to shake. When his lips locked around your clit at the same time his fingers found that spot your eyes rolled back and your vision went white. The pleasure was like nothing you'd ever experienced, waves after waves of it washing over you as Dean pulled two orgasms back to back from you.

—-------------

When you weakly shoved at his shoulders he pulled back,leaving feather light kisses on your inner thighs “What's wrong sweetheart? Too much?” You wanted to glare at him but knew it wouldn't be very believable. “How the fuck did you do that?” He grinned “Guess no other man has ever made you come back to back before?” You shook your head and he laughed “Good”

You shook your head and reached for his shoulders “C'mere” he kissed his way back up to your body and when he got to your lips you could taste yourself on him. “Your jeans are still on!” You nearly whined and he laughed “Let me fix that”

—--------------

He stood up and when he moved to unzip his jeans and push them off his hips you stopped him from climbing back onto the bed. You sat up and reached for him. He moved closer and when your hand slipped under the material of his boxers to wrap around his hard cock he swore under his breath. You slid the boxers down his legs and he stepped out of them.

You'd always figured Dean was well endowed but seeing it, feeling it in your hand was different. You lowered your mouth to the tip, licking around the head to collect the precum then pulling more of him into your mouth. Your hand worked what of him you couldn't fit as you swirled your tongue over the vein running up his shaft. His head fell back with a groan, his fingers went to your hair, pushing it back from your face, holding it back.

You could feel the tension in his hips so you tapped his hips letting him know it was ok. He gave a tentative thrust of his hips and when you hollow out your cheeks to allow more of him down your throat he moaned “Fuck you're perfect” he gave a few hard thrusts into your mouth and you took it, swallowing around him and feeling him tense.

“Fuck baby” he pulled out of your mouth with a wet pop, using his thumb to swipe the spit from your chin “That was amazing but I don't plan to come anywhere expect inside of you tonight”

—-------------

You scooted back up the bed and he climbed between your legs settling himself there. You could feel his cock nudging at your inner thigh, he hesitated “You're sure?” You nearly growled “Dean Winchester. I fucking love you, I want this I want you! Now for the love of everything fuck me already”

He laughed lightly and in one roll of his hips buried himself inside of you. You gasped at the fullness you felt, the stretch from how long it'd been since you were with someone else and just how big he was. He left a trail of open mouthed kisses across your jaw.

After a moment the stretch gave way so you let your legs fall apart further before hooking them around his waist. He took that as the go ahead and gave a deep roll of his hips, when the answer was your nails biting into his shoulders he placed a searing kiss against your lips before moving to press his forehead against yours.

There was something so damn intimate about looking into his eyes while he was so damn deep inside of you. “This is real, isn't it?” He asked and you moved one hand from his shoulder to cup his jaw, understanding the underlying question “It's real Dean. You're here with me”

He turned his head to kiss the palm of your hand “I love you” you moved your hand back to his shoulder and he kiss you, this one wasn't as hungry as others but it made down to your toes tingle and he gave a hard thrust hitting that spot inside of you with the head of his cock.

—--------------

When your back arched up, pressing your breasts into his chest his thrusts started to get harder and deeper. “Please don't stop” you begged, the pleasure building in your stomach threatening to steal your vision yet again. “Wasn't planning on it” he said, pulling your legs up to his shoulders and nearly folding you in half.

The new angle had you practically screaming his name. The knowledge that he was strong enough to manhandle you like you were nothing drove you crazy. His cock was so damn big and the angle meant he was hitting that spot with every damn thrust. The pleasure was so intense it was borderline pain but better than anything you'd ever experienced.

His hips snapped into yours and you could feel how close you were. His fingers found your clit, rubbing tight circles “Let me feel you baby. I'm so damn close but I need to feel you”

You felt that pleasure burst as your vision went soft around the edges and a hoarse scream of his name fell from your lips. You could feel his thrusts begin to falter so you gripped his shoulders tightly “Fuck Dean, i want to feel you. Please baby” his face was buried in the bend of your neck and when he buried himself inside of you with one final thrusts the feeling of him coming made a smaller orgasm wash over you, causing your walls to clench down around his cock causing a curse of your name to fall from his lips as well.

—-----------------

He gently eased your legs down, rubbing them gently before pulling out of you. You gasped and he smiled almost shyly “Sorry” you grinned at him sleepily “That was everything Dean”

His smile deepened before he placed a tender kiss on your lips “Let me clean you up a bit” he found his shirt and cleaned you up as best as he could before tossing it at the hamper in the corner.

—-----------

When he climbed back in bed next to you he asked “Do you need anything? Water? Bodypart massaged?” You shook your head and moved over to be laying halfway on his chest “Just need you to hold me” He wrapped his arms around you and kissed your forehead. You were almost asleep before a thought occurred to you and you started laughing.

You looked up to see he was staring at you like you'd grown a second head “Baby are you ok?” You nodded “There's like thirty hunters here that probably heard that”

He grinned “Well at least they clearly know you're mine and I'm yours” you grinned “damn right. Now kiss your girl so we can both get some sleep” “Yes ma'am” he replied pulling you into a kiss.

Tagging those who told me to write it lol @deans-baby-momma @lyarr24 @deans-spinster-witch @daughterofapollo-7 @littlemadamred

#dean winchester smut #dean winchester x female!reader #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester fanfiction

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nellasbookplanet · 8 days ago

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Book recs: monster romance, part 1

Do you prefer your monster relationships platonic? Check out this list instead!

Do you love The Shape of Water and Beauty and the Beast? Do you always find yourself romancing Garrus in Mass Effect? Enjoy movies and tv-shows like Warm Bodies, He is Dragon, Trollhunters and In the Flesh? Are you intrinsically drawn to Imogen and Laudna in Critical Role? Do you like your relationships complicated and maybe a bit fucked up? Then do I have the rec list for you!

Bonus reading: check out these video essays by la'ron readus, lindsay ellis and princess weekes on the subject of monster romance!

A note: the criteria for “monster” are subjective. I mainly separated monster romance from paranormal romance (meaning vampires, werewolves, fey, etc are excluded unless the book does something especially interesting and non-human with the concept). I may have included books you feel aren’t monstrous enough, or excluded ones you feel are sufficiently monstrous but I don’t agree about. Again, it’s subjective.

A (second) note: I do not as a general rule care for smut, and intentionally curated this list to not focus on erotica (though there are some exceptions). The books are mainly fantasy, horror and scifi with romance subplots or romance subtext.

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis*

It’s 2007, and a leak has just confirmed that the US has reached alien contact. Cora wants nothing to do with it, but as her absent father is the whistleblower who dropped the news the media won’t leave her alone. Even worse, she soon finds herself meeting and being pursued by the alien presence itself as it tries to remain in hiding - and discovering that there is a much larger threat on the horizon.

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devastating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. While it does feature human/alien relationships, it also features themes of coercion and consent, so read with caution. This is NOT a fluffy or traditionally romantic.

Bonus: Butler's Survivor also features a human/alien relationship

Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

After having failed to find a nest guardian several Choosings in a row, Zylar has only one chance left to find a mate. Desperate, he uses a matching service and finds a potential partner off-planet. But something goes wrong, and instead of picking up his intended he accidentally abducts Beryl Bowman and her pet dog from Earth. With it being uncertain if she can ever return - and not having much going for her on Earth, anyway - Beryl decides to take part in the Choosing alongside Zylar. Perhaps, together, they can build a new future. Unlike most other titles on this list, Strange Love does feature a fair amount of smut, but it is creative and alien about it.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Sapphic. Rosemary Harper just got a job on the motley crew of the Wayfarer, a spaceship that works with tunneling new wormholes through space. With a past she wants to leave behind, Rosemary is happy to travel the far reaches of the universe with the chaotic crew, but when they land the job of a life time, things suddenly get a lot more dangerous. A bit of a tumblr classic in its day, this is a cozy space opera with an episodic feel and vividly realized characters and cultures. While the romance plots aren't the main focus, there are multiple human/alien romantic relationships.

Cottonwood by R. Lee Smith*

20 years ago, aliens arrived on Earth, neither invaders nor diplomats but refugees. Now they are being kept in integration camps away from the human population, meaning Sarah has never met one before getting a job as a social worker in one of the camps, at which point the true treatment of the aliens at once become horrifyingly clear to her. Sanford, single father, has a decades long plan to flee the prison that is Earth, and maybe with Sarah's help it can finally reach fruition. Includes dark elements such as torture, sexual assault, and pet death.

Bonus: I believe The Last Hour of Gann by the same author is also an alien/human romance

The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren

Gay, manga, eldritch horror. Six months ago, Yoshiki's best friend Hikaru went missing in the mountains. When he returned, he claimed no memory of his time missing, and went right back to his old life. But Yoshiki knows better. He knows that his friend is dead, and that the creature that returned wearing his face and speaking his words is anything but human. But even knowing this, Yoshiki won’t turn his back on Hikaru, whatever he truly is.

East by Edith Pattou

Young adult, retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Rose and her family have been hit by hard times; her sister on the brink of dying from illness, food and money running out, and their farm taken away. When a talking white bear appears at their door, claiming the family's fortunes will turn if only Rose comes with him, she can’t refuse. Taken to a strange and near empty mountain castle, Rose must find out the truth of the bear and what he wants from her - and perhaps save him in the running.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Sapphic, young adult. Soraya may be a princess, but she's also cursed, her very skin poisonous to the touch. When a demon is brought to the dungeons, Soraya hopes to gain from her knowledge of how to be freed from her affliction. Meanwhile, a boy enters her life, not scared of her like others but rather understanding of who she is. Between them, Soraya will have to choose who she is - princess or monster.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik*

Historical fantasy with strong vibes of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. Miryem's father is a moneylender, but his inability to collect on debts has left his family on the brink of ruin. Desperate and ruthless, Miryem steps in to take his place, and suddenly the family's luck has turned. But Miryem's reputation of being able to turn silver to gold catches the attention of the Staryk King - a dangerous creature who seems made of ice in body, mind and heart. In her schemes to survive the King's demands, Miryem's actions ensnare a local farmer's daughter as well as the new wife of the tsar. As their fates are bound together, the three girls may change their land forever, for better or for worse.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Young adult. A retelling of beauty and the beast, where ‘beauty’ is a girl brought in from our world to a fantastical one and the narrative focuses a lot on what actually happens to the kingdom when the royal family suddenly disappears, and whether it’s even possible to fall in love with someone you know is deliberately trying to seduce you to break a curse. While the male lead spends most of the novel in human form, there are some scenes which are sufficiently and intriguingly monstrous that I had to include it.

Curses by Lish McBride

Young adult, reverse beauty and the beast. After being conned into falling in love with a man after her money and refusing to marry the much older man her mother chose for her as a result, Merit is cursed by a fairy godling into being a beast. Her curse will only be lifted if she marries someone who actually loves her or of her mother's choosing before her 18th birthday. Scared of being fooled again, Merit employs the charming conman Tevin to help her choose which of her prospective suitors is most likely to make her happy. Of course, nothing goes to plan.

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

Moon doesn't know what he is. Having lost his family young he lives on the move, shifting his shape to hide his true form. The only ones similar to himself he's ever encountered are the vicious, bloodthirsty Fell, but he knows he cannot be one of them. When chance leads to a meeting with someone like him, he hopes his days of loneliness are over. But his new people stand against a dangerous enemy, and not all of them welcome Moon's help. A departure from other titles on this list in that it features only creatures, with not a single human on page.

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

Beauty and the beast retelling, stays fairly close to the original story but with some interesting twists and well-written characters. After a merchant loses everything to creditors, he and his three daughters move out to a cottage on the countryside, where one of his daughters revives the cottage's rose garden. After he makes the mistake of plucking a rose from an enchanted beast's home and calling its rage upon him, one of his daughter's take his place as prisoner. There, she takes it upon herself to revive a second rose garden.

Bonus: this is McKinley's second batb retelling, the first and more well-known being Beauty

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher

Beauty and the beast retelling, featuring a more lighthearted and modern tone and some hints of horror. After nearly perishing in a snow storm, Bryony takes shelter in a strange magical mansion. Upon leaving, she picks a single rose, putting in motion a dangerous series of events and trapping herself in the mansion alongside a terrifying beast. But the beast is more than meets the eye, and Bryony soon comes to suspect that he is as much a prisoner as she is. Can she figure out and lift the curse that traps them both?

In the Vanisher's Palace by Aliette de Bodard

Sapphic beauty and the beast retelling, novella. When the failed scholar Yên is sold to the dragon Vu Côn to pay off her village's debt, she expects to be killed for the creature's amusement. Instead, Vu Côn whisks her away to a dangerous palace in the spirit world, asking her to teach her two unruly children. There, Yên finds herself growing complicated feelings for her jailer.

Providence Girls by Morgan Dante*

Sapphic horror re-imagining of several of H.P. Lovecraft’s works from the point of view of the women sidelined as victims in the originals. Forced to abandon her not-quite-human children to escape a cult seeking to sacrifice her, Lavinia nearly dies from exposure in the woods. She’s saved by the prickly Asenath. The two women find themselves growing close as Lavinia regains her strength. But Asenath’s own dark past is catching up, as she too begins to transform into something not entirely human. Beautiful and unsettling with heavy body horror as well as more human horrors such as emotional and sexual abuse.

Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn

A siren who’s been held captive by a pirate is freed, but too injured to survive on their own as their tail has become paralyzed. Another pirate captain decides to help them out and has to work to win their trust. Fairly fluffy and light on worldbuilding and plot (though there is a bit of a revenge story in there), with a focus on character and recovery. m/nb romance with an asexual love interest.

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Krauss*

In 1960s America, Elisa works as a cleaner in a government facility when a strange fish creature is brought in to be studied. An immediate connection sparks between the two, but the creature's time is running short as plans are to vivisect him. Alongside her colleague and her reluctant neighbour, Elisa must find a way to save him before he's laid under the knife.

Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol*

Horror. A young man fleeing the horrors of war arrives at an isolated island near the south pole, where he is to spend a year as wheater official. His only neighbour is the asocial lighthouse keeper Gruner - at least that is what he thinks, until night arrives and he comes under siege of bloodthirsty monsters from the sea. Now he must find a way to work with Gruner for both of them to survive the year. But as isolation and desperation sets in, sea monsters becomes the least of their worries. Probably the least romantic title of this list. There isn't really any monster romance, but there is monster fucking; do with that what you will.

Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls*

Novella, 1980s classic. After the death of their son, housewife Dorothy and her husband has begun drifting apart, leaving her lonely in her mourning. When a strange, frog-like sea monster appears in her home, having escaped a science institute and seeking refuge, Dorothy is quick to offer him sanctuary. At once tragic, mundane, and beautiful, Mrs. Caliban will make you question what's real.

Monstersona by Chloe Spencer

Sapphic, young adult. After disaster strikes and her town is terrorized by a monster, sixteen-years-old Riley goes on the run with her dog Tigger and her traumatized classmate Aspen. With a conspiracy afoot and air travel grounded, the two girls set out on a cross-country road trip to reach Riley's dad. But Aspen has a dangerous secret, and the two keep finding themselves followed by a mysterious SUV. Will they reach safety before the harrowing truth catches up to silence them?

The Company of Death by Elisa Hansen*

For those who yearn for a death and the maiden type dynamic. A wild mix of genres, where a zombie apocalypse has struck and vampires gather up humans to keep their food source from going extinct, a robot travels across America with a young man she’s tasked to keep safe, and former-vampire-hunter-recent-zombie Emily teams up with Death himself to stop the apocalypse. Features bi and ace characters!

Bonus rec: the author also runs the youtube channel Maven of the Eventide, where she talks about various vampire media. Check it out!

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion*

R is just your average zombie - maybe a bit more philosophical than most. He spends his days hunting humans and eating their brains for a fleeting glimpse of life, and hanging out in the abandoned airport with the horde. But when eating the brains of the human Perry gains him the memories of Perry's girlfriend Julie, R finds himself unable to kill her. Instead, he hides her from the other zombies. The two grows close, but the war between their kinds is threatening to pull them apart forever.

Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer

Sapphic, young adult. Three years after a zombie apocalypse hit, seventeen-years-old Mara comes back to life thanks to a new medication. Still struggling with the guilt of what she did as a zombie, Mara is sent to live with the family of her best friend, who has since turned cold towards her. But with the zombie threat ever-present and one missed dose away from a relapse, public opinion towards the altered is dangerously low, and the two girls' messy feelings are the least of their troubles.

The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs

Living in a land that fears magic, Aren has spent her life quietly hiding her ability as a Seer. But things change when her village comes under attack of raiders - killing Aren's husband and family - and the magic of the wilds becomes unexpectedly unlocked. To save her home, Aren must now not only rely on her own magic, she must also employ the assistance of the newly awakened Hob of the mountain. But the Hob is the last of his kind, and for him to help Aren must first agree to pay his price.

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood*

Sapphic, orc main character. Csorwe was never meant to live. Raised to one day sacrifice her life at the Shrine of the Unspoken, her world is shaken when a wizard appears at the end of her intended life and offers her an alternate route at his side. Leaving her old life behind, Csorwe trains to become his loyal servant, fighting and spying on his orders, seeking the approval only he can grant. But he is hiding something, and with the help of the young mage Shutmili, maybe Csorwe will find out what before her life, once again, reaches its end.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Sapphic, cozy fantasy. Viv is done with adventuring and bloodshed. She wants to try something new, something peaceful, and so she hangs up her sword and opens a coffee shop. But running a business comes with its own challenges, especially in a city that's never heard of coffee before. To succeed, Viv will have to build new skills and new relationships, especially as her old life comes knocking.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't work for me but maybe you guys will like them

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

Sapphic and ace. Fantasy horror featuring a The Thing-like monster. Tries too hard to be fluffy and validating to work for me, but the monster lead is truly creative.

The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist by Ceinwen Langley

Sapphic beauty and the beast, historical young adult fantasy. Again, too fluffy and lacking in conflict for me.

Secunda by Joanne Kwan

Body-sharing and venom vibes, but too much erotica too soon for me.

Transmission Lost by Stefan Mazzara

A human cargo pilot and an enemy alien soldier get stranded on a dangerous planet and must work together to survive. Interesting premise, but frankly I found the writing to be subpar.

The Orc and Her Bride by Lila Gwynn

Sapphic romance featuring an arranged marriage between an orc and an elf. If you enjoy traditional romance narratives more than I you'll probably like it.

Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee

Young adult. Gay retelling of the old Chinese legend in which a snake spirit falls in love with a human.

#nella talks books #monster romance #there is a part 2 of this list in the works! it has several dragon romances on it!

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rebeccathenaturalist · 2 months ago

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Are Cowbirds Invasive?

(Originally published on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/are-cowbirds-invasive/)

When discussing invasive species, we often think of species that evolved far away on other continents. Here in the United States, thousands of non-native species have been brought here since the dawn of colonization; while not all became established, a significant number have since become aggressively integrated into local habitats, much to the detriment of native species they displace or otherwise harm. But sometimes a species will simply encroach upon an ecosystem adjacent to its native home, and then spreads from there, having the same negative impact as other relatively new arrivals. Which begs the question: are birds on the move like barred owls (Strix varia) and cowbirds invasive?

I want to especially look at the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). Like the barred owl, these chunky songbirds have expanded their range in North America in recent decades due to the extensive damage we’ve done to habitats across the continent. Both were particularly affected by the destruction of the Great Plains. Settlers tore up the ancient grasslands with plows, suppressed fires that had kept forests from encroaching, and started a trend of afforestation–planting trees where they aren’t supposed to be–that continues today. In the latter half of the 19th century, the plains bison (Bison bison bison) was slaughtered almost to extinction to make money off the sale of their remains, and to disempower indigenous communities throughout the region who were reliant on this keystone species for their very existence.

The owls hopscotched across the growing number of tree plantations that dotted first settlements, then towns, then sprawling suburbs and cities, and thus were able to reach all the way to the west coast, where they have put serious competitive pressure on the northern spotted owl. The cowbirds, on the other hand, became refugees as all but the last few hundred bison disappeared from the landscape. They instead turned to domestic livestock like cattle for their survival.

(Read the rest under the cut.)

Same Habits, Different Hosts

Brown-headed cowbirds are unusual in that they evolved to migrate with the bison, rather than waiting for new herds to arrive. The birds feed on insects stirred up by the herd’s hooves, along with seeds of grasses and other plants along the way. Cowbirds perching on the backs of these enormous mammals would have been a common sight prior to the bison’s near-extermination, and today they may still be seen watching for prey from on top of cattle, horses and other domestic livestock.

Because cowbirds have spent thousands of years migrating with their bison hosts, they couldn’t afford to settle in one place for months at a time to raise a nest of chicks, particularly as spring and summer would be prime time for finding insects to eat. It might be weeks or even months before a herd would return to a given area, and without the help of the bison the cowbirds would have had a difficult time finding enough insects on their own, let alone for a hungry nest of babies.

So the cowbirds evolved a rather controversial strategy: brood parasitism. Instead of building their own nest, they find someone else’s and leave a few eggs there for the unwitting owners to raise. Some people anthropomorphize the cowbirds as being “bad”, “lazy”, “evil”, and so forth. And, of course, it’s easy to call cowbirds invasive, too, since they literally invade the nests of other animals.

But nature is amoral; there are no inherently good or evil animals. While we may project our distaste for the cowbirds’ practices onto their value as a species, brood parasitism is simply one of a plethora of strategies animals have evolved in order to pass their genes on to the next generation. If it gets the job done, then it is an evolutionary success. Like the mate cannibalism of some mantids and spiders or animal infanticide practiced by male lions, baboons, and dolphins, brood parasitism may be vicious by our standards, but it is a legitimate survival tactic in the sometimes-cutthroat world of nature.

Are Cowbirds Invasive?

We can certainly call cowbirds invasive when they hop into a nest they didn’t build just to drop off an egg. But are they invasive on a more widespread level? Arguably yes. Not all invasive species were physically transported by humans, but the impact is the same: they have a deleterious effect on one or more other species in their habitat. And unlike coyotes, which only spread to new horizons when their competitors were extirpated by human hunters, brown-headed cowbirds are not filling a niche that was previously taken by another species. they are, instead, an often-unwanted addition to local ecology.

In addition to tearing up the Great Plains and then planting trees there, we also cut down massive numbers of trees in historically forested areas across the continent, leaving patches of fields in which cattle and other livestock graze. This has led to the spread of the cowbird beyond its normal range in the prairies. Other bird species that evolved alongside the cowbirds have developed ways to respond to brood parasitism, from throwing cowbird eggs out of the nest, to building a new nest entirely.

A young cowbird sits in a sparrow’s nest. Note the sparrow egg in the lower left corner that has been pushed out of the nest.

But birds in the cowbird’s expanded territory aren’t always so savvy. That includes species that have seen declining numbers in recent decades due to habitat loss, lead and other toxins, and predation by another invasive species, the domestic cat (Felis catus). Since cowbirds and their chicks will both remove their hosts’ eggs from a parasitized nest, and cowbird chicks may toss their host’s young out or steal all their food, this means fewer numbers of the host species being successfully hatched and fledged. All of which means cowbirds are becoming a serious conservation concern.

That being said, we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss an entire species by calling all cowbirds invasive. Within their native range in the Great Plains, they are an important part of local ecology. And–unlike certain members of our own species–they are not intentionally cruel animals that want to see other living beings suffer. They are simply doing what their ancestors have done for thousands upon thousands of years, and unlike humans they have no capacity to consider the impact on their hosts.

One last note: if you are tempted to remove cowbird eggs from a nest, please don’t. First, it’s an activity best carried out by professionals who have a better sense of what nests should be attended to and when. Moreover, egg removal can not only cause the host birds to abandon their nest and their own eggs, but cowbirds are more likely to attack hosts who remove the offending eggs, and you could be setting the nesting pair up for retaliation from the cowbirds. And brown-headed cowbirds, like almost all native birds in the United States, are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it a federal offense to disturb or harm the birds themselves, as well as their eggs or nests. If you are in an area where cowbirds are considered to be invasive, and you are concerned about another species’ nests, contact your state wildlife department or the closest Audubon Society (some of these societies have changed their names in recent years, but fulfills the same roles as before.)

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

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neristudy · 2 months ago

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Hi, you can call me Neri!

I am a Ukrainian refugee living in Germany. I am taking an integration course and at the same time I want to start learning other languages, a programming language and maybe something else!

I like to play computer games in the languages I am learning, grow plants and write fanfiction. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do for a living, but as my friend used to say - we'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

Right now I'm studying German actively, and I already know a bit of English. Ukrainian is my native language, so if you need some nice little help with it, feel free to message me in DM! x)

My Current Big Girl Goals:

: ̗̀➛ Complete the integration course and pass the B1 exam.

: ̗̀➛ Move away to a new apartment.

: ̗̀➛ Find a stable job, which will also count towards the years lived in Germany for citizenship.

#hello there #text #pin post #text post

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nocoffeeforoldmen · 4 months ago

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Okay, it's time for an updated "meet the Tavs" because I've made it to Act 3 so many times.

So here's part one, I guess:

Orleyana Eltan

{ eldritch knight absolute ass-kicker with a dab of cleric of torm }

Orla, as she's known, is an outcast child of the patriar. She lived her entire youth dreaming of rising through the ranks of the Flaming Fist, studying and practicing for years at the esteemed Verdashir Academy, despite many warnings from her father who was an honorably discharged fist himself. As she grew, Orla worked ceaselessly to better and protect the Gate, only to find herself cast aside and blackmailed by the city she loved so much. All because she uncovered certain unsavory information on the sudden and brutal murder of her mother–a refugee cleric of Eldath from the former settlement of Reithwin.

For many years that followed, she wandered from place to place utilizing the skills she had gained throughout her training in the acquisition of people and things deemed too difficult or dangerous to obtain. Bounty hunting contracts came and went. People drifted in and out of her life, including her beloved father, whose death shook her to her core.

However, a certain large contract had drawn her back to her city: an ancient artefact wanted by a wizard, whose reputation had certainly been expunged since she had last been home, but a certain Nautiloid has other plans for her...

Also she married the shit out of Gale, and now resides comfortably retired in Waterdeep with their daughter, Teadora. Everything is well, and she is finally, finally at peace.

Vivienne Blackmaw

{ gloomstalker ranger with proficiencies in intimidation and animal handling }

Affectionately known as Viv, Vivienne was raised in the city of Westgate in the seedy underbelly. Most of her youth was spent closely intermingled with various criminal organizations. She was their hired muscle. Anytime someone well guarded needed a good "talking to", Blackmaw would be the one busting down their doors to... just talk. But when left to her own devices in the quiet of the night, Viv longed for more than a paycheck and a sniggering pay on the back for another job well done. There had to be something more than the love of her city's stray cats she would share scraps of her food with. Something good that she could earn.

Her talents and reputation preceded her, though, and an invitation was sent her way all the way from Baldur's Gate with a seemingly innocuous golden band enclosed in the note, citing it would allow her entrance into whatever underground organization was hiring her this time.

She would arrive in Baldur's Gate far later than anticipated with far more tagalongs than she would have imagined.

Someday, when they're old and grey living in their cottage with their assorted animals, Viv will refer to Shadowheart as her Jenny. They are deliriously happy. They've earned that much.

Eirian Illykur

{ cleric of eilistraee who settled in the war domain after some unresolved trauma }

Most of Eirian's childhood is murky in her mind. There are vague memories of the western plateau Eryndlyn. Her mother would hold her close and chide anyone who had questions regarding what the girl's lineage was and why her eyes had yet to take on a red hue. All her recollections are littered with threats of the Spider Queen or the Elder Eye or the Masked Mage. Often, she chose to remember the hymns she would be sung as a lullaby, reciting tales of the deeds of Lady Silverhair instead of the nightmares surrounding them.

Much more recently, at least within the last century, Eirian makes her way as a safe haven for those seeking asylum and integration into the overworld society all while aiding in the ailments brought to a local clinic in the lower city of Baldur's Gate. Word of her deeds and generosity had spread in whispers to those specifically escaping the persecution of followers of Lolth. However, mixed with all her good doings was the wretched rumor of the unnecessarily brutal murder of a mother that was said to have refused to divulge where she had stowed her daughter. Little did the crusaders of House Baenre know that a small cache of youths had been stowed away en route to Baldur's Gate not a tenday earlier to avoid the slaughter that otherwise would have been inevitable.

Eirian watched curiously as a pale elf broke his gaze from hers outside the Elfsong Tavern to slink away into a dark alleyway, and the next thing she knew she was awakening aboard a Mindflayer ship.

Eirian finds the pale elf, and he begrudgingly grows to trust her more than... anyone really. He won't admit it, but he's kinder and gentler because of her. That's not to say he won't eagerly and readily join in when she discovers evil that is deserving of slaying.

Once free of their tadpole affliction, there is also the realization that she is, in fact, an incredibly powerful healer. Eventually, he is able to convince her that a try at true resurrection is what he wants. He wants to be free. To walk in the sun again with her.

When he awakens days after their attempt, he relishes the warmth of the sliver of sunlight on his hand as he touches her tear stained cheek.

(I've thought a lot about their post game. Sue me.)

Anyway, this was self indulgent. Thanks for making it this far.

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christian-oc-tournament · 8 months ago

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Please vote based on the picture AND the description!

Thomas Hargrove [@build-a-problem-musical]

17, Celeste’s manipulative, popular boyfriend. He is completely aware that she is taking what little she can get no matter how subpar purely because it means she has something that’s hers, and he takes full advantage of that. While he is making her more popular by association, he also aims to make her dependent on him and cut her off from everyone else. He straddles a fine line between manipulation and seeming kindness; this subtlety to him keeps Celeste from noticing the full extent of her situation.

Tiny [On the Other Side @elsabet-writes]

Tiny runs a small cafe on the edge of reality, at the border where the Otherwhere and the human world meet. Once a powerful enchantress, she lost a hand fighting on the losing side of the fae version of a world war. With her hand went her ability to preform spell work, and she’s had to flee the Otherwhere and hide herself among humans. The cafe she runs is something of a half-way house where refugees of the fae war can find shelter and maybe a job while they integrate into human society. Tiny is a woman with a kind heart and a lot of determination. She may have lost her old life, but she’s built herself a new one, and she’ll help others find a way to do the same.

#christian oc tournament #round 1 #group 8 left side

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yuri-for-businesswomen · 8 months ago

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to preface, i don't agree with redberryterf. white men aren't better than brown men at all. men are men no matter the shade. white men are just as capable and liable to be violent and misogynist as anyone else. its a cultural clash. brown men raised here are perfectly capable of being as normal about women as any male can be. however , it is true that immigrant men are statistically a lot more likely to be engaged in criminal behavior, they are a lot more likely to incite violence in drinking scenarios, they are alot more likely to be turned away from bars because they creep on the women dancing or are entirely inappropriate and won't respect a no from a woman. they refuse to shake hands with women in professional settings showing lack of respect, there is the incident in cologne. they're alot more likely to participate in gang violence, etc etc. It's not a matter of colour, it's a lack of integration, a lack of cultural understanding or cohesion, but it's not a lack of education on our part. it's actually the second generation immigrant males who grew up here, went to school with us who are more likely to be an issue than the first generation who were just working hard and trying to survive.

source? also all immigranted men or certain groups? i would assume that class, education, country of origin, age etc are important here, not race. groups of young men are generally more prone to risky and violent behaviour. this can also be seen in party tourist hotspots like mallorca, where groups of white tourist men go and wreak havoc in holiday season and have been for decades. and also, a lot of crime (specifically gang violence) is poverty related. job market discrimination - which is only enforced by racial bias like this - and the asylum process - which often takes years of insecurity and lack of perspective while not being allowed to take on employment and is also racist if you compare how white ukrainian refugees are treated vs african/southwest asian refugees - keep them stuck in their male dominated, isolated refugee home world. refugees and immigrants who are given opportunity to get an education and employment are usually way better integrated. they need language classes, therapy, access to education, housing and employment, then a lot of crime will go down. in germany, people like to refer to new years 2015 where groups of north african men sexually harrassed and violated women, as if this is not commonplace anytime groups of men get drunk and party. nobody in germany talks about the sexual violence committed yearly at oktoberfest, for example, because its mostly white german men offending.

#ask #racism

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heterotopian · 1 year ago

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The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 434

This week we are showing you some simple buildings that actually don’t look like much. But the work that is done there is definitely worth doing and very important.

The first picture shows a building in Munich that in which social workers give advice to refugees and help them to get the necessary papers, find language classes, help to get a job, etc. Here refugees get help to get started in a new country and hopefully help them to integrate into the new surroundings.

The second buildings hows another help center, this time in Cologne, only for people with disabilities. Again, people with disabilities get advice and a helping hand in getting integrated into society.

While these social workers work with different people, the work is quite similar as it has lot to do with bureaucracy and helping people to get started in a world they are new to or not regarded as capable as „normal“ people.

Puh, that was not that easy to write and I am sure Stephi is way happy that I did this topic.

#photographers on tumblr #original photographers #advice #munich #cologne

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daloy-politsey · 4 months ago

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Saw this on LinkedIn:

I am funding classes for Palestinian refugee kids via our Outschool.org non-profit in partnership with local organizations. I'm proud of this work and invite you to join me by making a donation of $1K or more if you are able (comment for details).

This work is also shaping my thinking of Outschool's vision. Here's some more context:

So far we're helping a little over 100 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Egypt, US and Gaza with English language and AP classes. We have to be selective given funding constraints, and are focused on talented kids most likely to get scholarships to continue their studies. These kids may be the Palestinian leaders of the future and we are giving them hope in a desperate situation.

Here are a few quotes from kids we're supporting:

"My internet has allowed me to attend two classes till now, a calculus class and an IELTS class, both of which were fun. I loved the new way of learning for me."

"It is a very enjoyable experience and the teachers are very kind, but I was very nervous on my first day and I was not completely ready for the lecture "

"The Calculus teacher is very kind, I really enjoy her classes. The level is good for me because math is my love language."

💙

One thing I have learned through this work is that people in war zones yearn for some semblance of normal humanity. The delightful quotes above are from human teenagers who must be compartmentalizing their ongoing trauma. Integration and healing of this mass trauma will be multi-generational work and is part of the job to be done by the future education system.

Outschool's vision of The Global School is more relevant than ever. We are building an ecosystem of organizations that can deliver far more dynamic and flexible learning than in the past, and so contribute to a path towards hope and healing for more and more people.

I am both daunted by the scale of the task ahead and grateful for the role we can play. We have a duty to the future.

Let's get to it. ✊

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the-faramir · 9 months ago

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Niji-iro Midori: The Reluctant Ringmaster

Chapter 6: The Circus of Wayward Wonders

On reaching the Circus of Wayward Wonders, the Celestial Menagerie refugees reunited with their long-lost comrades and met all of the new additions to the circus who had come from other places. The performers met with the ringmaster, Myron “Thunder” Stendhal, to figure out how to integrate their acts with the new schedule, while the support workers found their new assignments. As the circus performances had not yet started, they also reached out to the town of Abberton to take odd jobs to bring in a little income for food and supplies.

Myron and his circus co-founder, Professor Zarlian Kyosophus, warned the Celestial Menagerie refugees not to go around town stealing. “You don’t want to sully the Circus’ reputation. And we refuse to run this show like Dusklight ran hers!”

During downtime, Brondin Stonehammer and some of the existing security guards teamed up to provide basic weapons training to the crew, ensuring that they would be able to hold their own in an actual fight. Bufurug also taught some basics of first aid and healing wounds. Even the Professor took time to educate the group on circus history.

Myron gave Midori the responsibility of advertising the circus in the town, selling tickets, providing information in general, and welcoming audience members to the nightly performances. They even worked out a way for Midori to show off her singing voice, following Myron’s performance introduction with customized songs to introduce the acts.

After a few days, Midori noticed that Bufurug was making no effort to settle in and join the cooking crew. One afternoon, she saw him and some of the others packing up and preparing to go on a journey.

“Apologies, Midori, but I cannot stay. Too much has been happening around the island, and I feel that it is my responsibility to help restore the environment to its former lush glory. I shall be making the pilgrimage to the Hermitage of Blessed Lightning. Harlock Hamdeel is the leader there, and I hope to spend some time with him learning everything that he knows about the aeon orbs’ failure.”

Midori leaned down to give her old friend a hug. “I’ll miss ya. Won’t be the same without ya. An’,” her eyes opened widely, starting to mist over with tears, “well, I’ll also miss your cookin’.”

Bufurug chuckled. “I did hand off some recipe cards to Larry. He will take care of you all, food-wise.”

Midori looked over to Brondin, who was securing his backpack. “Brondin, too? Who will keep trainin’ us?”

Brondin replies, “The security team can help in my absence. I need to make sure this lot makes it through the wilderness without trouble. They’re pretty green.”

Midori turned to Itty-Bitty. “You’re goin’ with ‘em, too?”

Itty-Bitty "I weren't much help back there in the forest with that spinesnapper guy." She rubbed her still-healing shoulder in apology. “I need t’ get better at fightin'. Brondin said 'e'd teach me. So I'm goin' with 'im and Boof. It ain't far, but I gotta lay off performin' while I learn. We'll keep in touch!”

Itty-Bitty picked Midori up off of the ground in a huge bear hug. “See ya, Squirt. Whoo! Yer smellin' a bit ripe. Maybe take a bath or somethin'?”

“Ha ha, what? I just took a bath. Remember? Last week at The Miners’ Den. With a whole bottle o' shampoo and everything!” Itty-Bitty returned Midori to her feet.

Hearing the exchange, Myron came over to Midori. “A moment, please?” He leaned down to her and started whispering in her ear.

Midori nodded and responded as Myron whispered. “Uh-huh.... Yeah.... 'Polite society,' sure.... 'High Gene?' Who is this 'Gene' fella? .... Oh. I see.” Midori’s eyes shifted back and forth from right to left. “Well, see ya 'round, Big Sis. I'll miss ya. Well, now I, uh, have a thing to do.” She turned and sprinted toward the washrooms.

Satisfied with the conversation, Myron straightened up and shook hands with the departing group.

The next month gave the circus much time for practicing and performing for the locals. However, bad news began to filter in. Many of the local crops had begun to die off and fail. The meager harvests were even more meager than the preceding years. Morale around the town was beginning to falter. The townsfolk were certainly in need of some quality entertainment!

At last, the time had come: opening night. The Circus of Wayward Wonders stood ready to start off their first performance! Audience members began to file in through the entrance, filling the big top to capacity, unaware of what was about to unfold….

Chapter 1: We Are On a Diplomatic Mission to Absalom

Chapter 2: The Circus Arrives Without Warning

Chapter 3: Hi-Diddle-De-Dee, a Carny's Life for Me

Chapter 4: Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

Chapter 5: One Does Not Simply Walk Into Abberton

#pathfinder #pf2e #extinction curse #character backstory #original character #kitsune

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justforbooks · 2 months ago

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Marshall Brickman

Screenwriter, musician and director who won an Oscar, with Woody Allen, for the screenplay of Annie Hall

Marshall Brickman, who has died aged 85, was a successful musician, writer and film director, but will be remembered best for his collaborations with Woody Allen on three of Allen’s best movies: Sleeper (1973), Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979). The pair won an Oscar for the original screenplay of Annie Hall, which also took the awards for best picture, best director for Allen and best actress for Diane Keaton.

Allen skipped the awards ceremony, and when Brickman accepted the best writer statuette, he said: “Half of this little piece of tin, if not much more, belongs to Woody, who is probably the greatest collaborator anyone could ever wish for. He does a lot of brilliant work. He takes our script and makes it into what you saw. He picks up my lunch check for about five months, and today he refuses to come out of his apartment.”

That apartment was in New York, which played a huge part in those films. Like Allen, Brickman grew up in Brooklyn, though he was born in Rio de Janeiro, where his father, Abram, a refugee from Poland, and his New York-born mother Pauline (nee Wolin) were leftists, who in 1943 returned to America and settled in Flatbush, where Abram ran an import-export business. They exposed Marshall to the Greenwich Village scene of politics and music; he learned to play folk music on the banjo and guitar.

After high school at Brooklyn Tech, he went to the University of Wisconsin, intending to study medicine, but graduated in science and music, influenced by his room-mate and fellow New Yorker Eric Weissberg, who was also a banjo virtuoso.

The city was the fermenting cauldron for the arts in postwar America. Weissberg joined a folk group, the Tarriers, an integrated quartet who had a big hit with Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat Song (Day-O). When Bob Carey left, Weissberg tabbed Brickman as his replacement. The Tarriers were playing at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village when Allen, a budding standup, opened for them.

Brickman at first thought his jokey intros to the group’s songs might lead him to a comedy career, and he got a job writing for Candid Camera, sharing an office with Joan Rivers. He began writing jokes for Rivers and Allen, but kept a foot in the music world by recording an album with Weissberg, New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass (1963), for which he also wrote jokey liner notes. He then joined John and Michelle Phillips in the New Journeymen, but soon left. Denny Doherty replaced him, and with the addition of Cass Elliot they became the Mamas and Papas.

More importantly, Brickman joined Jack Rollins, who represented Allen, and another joke-writer, Dick Cavett, who got him a gig with Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. He became Carson’s head writer, mostly because the other writers wanted to avoid responsibility for the “five spots”, the sketches Carson performed in addition to the monologue. When Cavett left to host his own talkshow, Brickman went with him. But in 1972, the record he had made with Weissberg was used as the soundtrack to John Boorman’s film Deliverance (although the famous Dueling Banjos was added by Weissberg and Steve Mandell).

The royalties gave Brickman the chance to relax and join Allen in day-long sessions that, although they never actually wrote scenes together, produced the script for Sleeper.

The fact that these were Allen’s films provided a structure for Brickman’s writing. “Jokes are easy,” he said. “Humour comes to me so easily I’m suspicious of it. I secrete jokes like the pancreas secretes … whatever it is the pancreas secretes.” Like Allen, and Alvy Singer in Annie Hall, Brickman preferred New York to Hollywood; not least because he was invited to a party at Sharon Tate’s house the night of the Manson murders, but had another engagement that night in Santa Monica.

Brickman was lead writer on The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975), which introduced the Swedish Chef. After Manhattan, he moved on to write and direct three films, all of which were edited by his wife, Nina Feinberg, whom he married in 1973.

In Simon (1980), a psychology professor, played by Alan Arkin, is brainwashed in an experiment by bored scientists into believing he comes from outer space. Brickman wrote his most Allen-like film, Lovesick (1983) for Peter Sellers, but after Sellers’s death Dudley Moore starred as the psychiatrist in love with a patient, Elizabeth McGovern; Alec Guinness plays the ghost of Sigmund Freud. In The Manhattan Project (1986), about a high-school student who builds his own atomic bomb, John Lithgow stars alongside actors who became stalwarts in TV – Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Jill Eikenberry (LA Law) and John Mahoney (Frasier).

“I pick projects where I don’t mind having lunch with the people,” Brickman quipped, and in the 90s he wrote two adapted screenplays for the director Mark Rydell. For The Boys (1991) is a wartime variant of The Sunshine Boys, in which Bette Midler and estranged spouse James Caan reunite to entertain soldiers in the Korean war. The resemblance of the character (if not the story line) to the entertainer Martha Raye was noticed by many; her lawsuit against the film failed.

Intersection (1994) remade Claude Sautet’s 1970 Les Chose de la Vie, but Richard Gere, Sharon Stone and Lolita Davidovich failed to raise it from melodrama. In 1993 Brickman reunited with Allen, now immersed in scandal around his adopted family with Mia Farrow, to write Manhattan Murder Mystery, which began life as a false start to the Annie Hall script; Diane Keaton replaced Farrow as the star.

Brickman’s final directing came in a 2001 TV movie version of Christopher Durang’s play Sister Mary Explains It All, which starred Keaton as the teaching nun in a sort of American take on Miss Brodie. He then shifted gears, writing the book for the musical Jersey Boys, about the Four Seasons vocal group; it opened on Broadway in 2005, won four Tony awards and ran for 12 years; Brickman also wrote the screenplay for the 2012 film. His Tarriers career helped him understand the quartet’s dynamics, while his musical ability helped his words match the harmonies of the music. He followed up with the book to the Addams Family musical in 2010.

Brickman is survived by Nina and their two daughters, Sophie and Jessica.

🔔 Marshall Jacob Brickman, musician, writer and film director, born 25 August 1939; died 29 November 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Marshall Brickman #in memoriam

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markwatsonsbooks · 7 months ago

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nellasbookplanet · 1 month ago

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Book recs: my favorite 2024 reads

I read over 160 books this year. Let's fucking go.

Note: List excludes re-reads and sequels, I am however not above including franchise novels and tie-ins.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Dystopia. In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all too real possible future.

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

Horror novella. What starts as a drunken seance between friends ends with one of them chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors. Following that night, the formerly shy Fernanda has changed. While her family calls for priests, claiming her possessed by a demon, Fernanda’s friends believe what has taken up residence in her is something decidedly older. A quick read featuring female rage, desire and empowerment, this is a different twist on the typical possession story.

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

Science fiction. A strange child lands on an isolated planet, scaring its inhabitants into handing him over into the hands of Nia Amani. As captain of a transport ship, Nia is not only the planet's only contact with the outside world, she is also a woman out of time, years compressing into months as she travels through space at high speeds. Now responsible for a child who doesn't speak and in a galaxy that wishes them ill, she must rethink exactly what she wants to do with her life, and what she's prepared to give up. Features multiple major queer characters.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine's mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

Cottonwood by R. Lee Smith

Science fiction romance. 20 years ago, aliens arrived on Earth, neither invaders nor diplomats but refugees. Now they are being kept in integration camps away from the human population, meaning Sarah has never met one before getting a job as a social worker in one of the camps, at which point the true treatment of the aliens at once become horrifyingly clear to her. Sanford, single father, has a decades long plan to flee the prison that is Earth, and maybe with Sarah's help it can finally reach fruition. Includes dark elements such as torture, sexual assault, and pet death.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Historical fantasy. Emily Wilde is a professor who prefers the company of faeries, dangerous but bound to rules she can understand, to that of humans, who she finds inexplicable. Working on her faerie encyclopedia, she travels on a research expedition to the faraway Hrafnsvik, hoping for some solitary months of study. Her hopes are dashed when Wendell Bambleby, rival scholar and possible faerie in hiding, arrives on her doorstep. But Wendell's aggravating presence is far from Emily's only problem, as the Hidden Folk of Hrafnsvik turns out to be far more dangerous than expected.

Mass Effect Andromeda: Annihilation by Catherynne M. Valente

In a ship carrying 20 000 colonists on a centuries long trip to the Andromeda galaxy, something has gone wrong. A small contingent of crew representing the various races on board has been woken up to find out why colonists are dying in their sleep, but the situation quickly gets worse. Soon a pathogen is spreading and jumping species, threatening the entire ship before it has even reached its goal. Tie-in novel for the Mass Effect games; while I love it a lot, you're unlikely to get the full experience unless you've also played the games.

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings

Two ships have gotten stuck in a rift in space, isolated outside of time. One of them is the Jonah, a ship dodging a generations long war against an alien species, carrying a small crew of smugglers, an unintended passenger, and a hijacker. The other ship is the Gallion, which arrived from 150 years in the future carrying an alien ambassador - and whose crew is awestruck at meeting the heroes of the Jonah, known to have ended the war. As the two crews struggle to understand each other's timelines, they must also work together to leave the rift before they're stranded forever. Multiple queer characters, however the main romance plotlines are m/f.

The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

Young adult horror. Clare has recently been put through a successful exorcism, but rather than help her, it has left her miserable. Clare's demon was her closest friend and had been for years, and without her Clare is left alone and lost. Set on getting her friend back, Clare starts seeking clues her demon seems to have left her, and in doing so starts finding dark, old secrets buried in the history of her home town.

Such Sharp Teeth by Kim Harrison

When her pregnant twin sister is left by her boyfriend, Rory decides to go back to her home town and stay with her for a time. But the town is also the home of old childhood trauma, and something wild is roaming the woods. When she gets attacked and mauled one night, Rory's successful life is changed forever. Lycanthropy used as a metaphor for female rage, trauma, and bad coping mechanisms.

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

Sherlock Holmes retelling, historical fantasy. After having been injured fighting a war against fallen angels, Doyle returns to London to survive on only a veteran's pension. To afford a place to live in the city, Doyle finds a housemate in Crow, an eccentric angel with a great curiosity for humans and a knack for solving crime. And London needs its protector - supernatural beings walk the streets, and a someone going by the name Jack the Ripper terrifies the citizens at night.

The Spider and Her Demons by sydney khoo

Young adult fantasy. All teenager Zhi wants is a normal life (and possibly for her harsh aunt to be a bit nicer), but it’s hard when she’s half spider demon. Every day she must conceal her true nature and hide in human guise. When she slips up and eats a man in front of her rich, aloof classmate Dior, Zhi thinks her life is over. But Dior has secrets of her own, and she is dead set on making herself a part of Zhi's life.

A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin

Urban fantasy. Two years ago, sorcerer Matthew Swift was killed. Today, he woke back up. And he isn't alone in his body, but rather in the company of the blue electric angels, who lived in the telephone lines and are now experiencing the world for the first time through him. Now, he seeks vengeance not only against the one who killed him, but also against the one who brought him back. Absolutely buck wild unique take on switching and merging pov betwen singular and plural.

The Fall that Saved Us by Tamara Jerée

Sapphic romance. Cassiel is of angelic heritage, raised to fight and kill demons alongside her family. But Cassiel has left the hunt and her family behind, wanting a normal life. For three years she's built a life for herself, cut off from her family, but now a demon has found her, sent to collect her soul. Except, the demon isn't any more interested in following the orders of her family than Cassiel is. Can they work together to free themselves from the expectations placed on them?

Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Fantasy. A small band of heroes prophesied to defeat an evil king must follow the "spider's path"; to find the way they seek the aid of dangerous, man-eating giant spiders. As spiders don't keep maps, their mage turns one of the spiders into human guise, forcing it to lead their way if it is ever to return to its true form. Both dark and immensely funny, Spiderlight is at once a love letter to classical heroic fantasy quests and a deconstruction of the idea of 'evil races' in the fantasy genre.

Providence Girls by Morgan Dante

Sapphic horror re-imagining of several of H.P. Lovecraft's works from the point of view of the women sidelined as victims in the originals. Forced to abandon her not-quite-human children to escape a cult seeking to sacrifice her, Lavinia nearly dies from exposure in the woods. She's saved by the prickly Asenath, and they find themselves growing close as Lavinia regains her strength. But Asenath's own dark past is catching up, as she too begins to transform into something not entirely human.

Amatka by Karin Tidbeck

Dystopia with especially creative world-building and a sapphic romance. In a vague past, something caused a group of humans to become trapped in an alien world, where the laws of reality themselves react in hostile ways to humanity's attempt at life and stability. To survive, strict rules and censorship are put in place, with harsh punishments for any overstep. Vanja is sent to the distant colony Amatka to do market research. In her research, she starts finding out the truth of the laws she chafes under, and begins to wonder whether life is really worth living if change isn't made.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Having grown up on the heavily militarized Gaea Station, Kyr has spent her whole life training to become a soldier, aiming to bring power back to humanity after Earth was destroyed in an alien war decades ago. But when she is relegated to the nursery to birth future sons and her brother is sent on a suicide mission, Kyr breaks the rules for the first time in her life. Breaking out an alien prisoner and working alongside her brother's asshole friend, she flees Gaea Station to save her brother and bring glory to humanity. But along the way she finds out there’s much she doesn't know, about Gaea station and her own family both.

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Alternate history. In 1952, history changes when a massive meteorite hits the Earth, killing thousands and kickstarting a global climate change that will soon make the planet uninhabitable. To save humanity from extinction, the world begins to come together to bring us to space before it's too late. Elma York, WASP pilot in the war and expert mathematician, is hoping to become one of the astronauts, but finds that she and her women friends have to work harder than anyone else to be given room in the mission.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Young adult fantasy. Anequs is a young indigenous woman in a land ruled by Anglish conquerors. When Anequs finds a dragon egg and bonds with the hatchling, she is forced to travel away to attend an academy for dragon riders as one of only two indigenous students. Pulled between the traditions of her family and the ideas of the conquerors - many of which want her out of the academy no matter what - Anequs must find her place in the world as a dragon rider.

What Doesn’t Break by Cassandra Khaw

Fantasy, character study. You’re unlikely to get the full experience of What Doesn’t Break unless you’re also a viewer of Critical Role. It follows the backstory of Laudna, undead sorceress and warlock with the ghostly presence of the necromancer who once murdered her keeping residence in her mind and tugging at her strings. For thirty years, Laudna wanders the outskirts of society, forced into a lonely existence by her visibly undead status, and tries to understand what she wants to do with her un-life.

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