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duckprintspress · 3 months ago

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My 2025 TBR

@hullosweetpea pinged me (on my personal account, @unforth) to do a "9 books I plan to read in 2025" meme, but I'd been meaning to do a post about the silly method I used to make my TBR anyway, so I'm gonna do that instead.

I've never been good about keeping track of books I've wanted to read, but in 2024 when I really started digging in to read a lot, I came up with a plan - I put together a TBR from recently published books (so, from 2023) plus a few books I'd had lying around for a long time - I had an "imminent" TBR on my nightstand and an older "oops didn't get to these yet" TBR that I'd shoved in a bedside cabinet. I grabbed all the old TBR, mixed them together with the imminent TBR, and treated that as my "real" TBR. I then put it in an order that I thought would help motivate me to read the things I was less enthusiastic about (but still wanted to read!) and set about making myself read them in order. I didn't actually manage that - things got shifted as new more exciting releases came out, and when something I was less enthusiastic about came to the top, I often bumped it until I felt up for reading it. But I actually think my flexibility in approach helped cause it meant I didn't stall, and by the end of 2024 I managed to read every single book that was in my TBR pile at the start of 2024.

Of course, I then had a completely new pile of books that I'd acquired, been handed by my wife after she read them cause she thought I'd like them, or borrowed from friends.

So, given that this method essentially worked, I of course, inevitably, decided to do it even more for 2025! Even though my TBR going into 2025 is already bigger than my pile was going into 2024, I nonetheless decided to go to the deep dark depths of cold storage - I went up to the attic (where our library is!) and dug out about a half-dozen books that I've been meaning to read; some I've had around for 20 years without getting to them. And I took my existing TBR, and these new books, and I made four piles:

(stupid long post about my TBR follows, behind a readmore)

Pile 1: The Books On The Top. These are the books that either I got most recently and I'm excited for, or that have been on my TBR longest, and I decided to leave them as-is. These are the books I'm either most excited to read or most determined to read.

This pile can basically be treated as my answer to the 9 books meme, even though there are only seven of them. It's also slightly out of date - I took this picture a few days ago, I'm now reading top book.

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish by Xue Shan Fei Hu

The Fall of the House of Tatterly by Shanna Miles

The Missing Piece by Kun Yi Wei Lou

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

You're Too OP by Yi Xiu Luo

Babel by R. F. Kuang

Dream of the Red Chamber by Tsao Hsueh Chin

Looking at this pile, I think it's pretty obvious which are the titles I bought and which are the ones my wife handed over to me after she read them, assuming you know anything about my usual reading habits (it's danmei. I read danmei, lmao). I yoinked the Chinese classic off my mom's bookshelves, I want to expand my familiarity with the roots of Chinese lit so that I understand more about what I'm reading now.

Piles 2, 3, and 4: The books I'm excited about (left), neutral about (middle), and the books I'm kinda meh about but still would like to read (right).

I took all the remaining books, both more recent and from the cold storage (literally cold storage, our attic doesn't have much heat lmao), and sorted them into these three piles. A lot of the books I'm actually most excited to read aren't out yet; those I'll add to the pile as I buy them, so the final pile will change. I collated these three piles - alternating things I was excited for, things I was neutral about, and things I was meh about - into a final complete TBR.

This is my TBR for the year - not everything I'll read, by any means, but I'll attempt, by the end of 2025, to have read all these books, plus anything else I come across, thus that by the end of 2025, I'll have once again ship-of-Theseus'd by TBR pile. This entire pile, plus sources:

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish by Xue Shan Fei Hu (bought for myself)

The Fall of the House of Tatterly by Shanna Miles (passed over by my wife)

The Missing Piece by Kun Yi Wei Lou (bought for myself)

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (passed over by my wife - we also have the sequel, though she hasn't read it, and I expect if I like this one I'll probably read that soon after)

You're Too OP by Yi Xiu Luo (bought for myself)

Babel by R. F. Kuang (passed over by my wife)

Dream of the Red Chamber by Tsao Hsueh Chin (borrowed from my mom)

After the War by Stuart Sharp (bought for myself - this is an indie press title from the press I was vending next to at Readercon, it sounds really good!)

Where You Linger and Other Stories by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (another indie press Readercon acquisition, from Lethe Press)

The Fox and the Fallen Prince by Kate East (I traded a badly damaged copy of Aim For The Heart for this book at Flamecon, with a self-pub author who was vending across from me)

Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America by Beth Linker (passed over by my wife)

Most Likely to Summon Nyhiloteph (another Readercon book, an anthology from Ghost Orchid Press)

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (passed over by my wife)

Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women (this anthology was on the take a book-leave a book table at Readercon and looked interesting)

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell (from cold storage, though I've not actually had it a long time; this is from a huge stash of queer books I stumbled upon at Goodwill one day and bought...all of.)

Devotion by Anna Denisch (got this self-pubbed title at the Book and Comic Expo at The Shirt Factory last fall)

The Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman (passed over by my dad)

The Dragons of Heaven by Alyc Helms (from cold storage, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get to it @alychelms I've had it on my TBR since it first came out, oops)

(this one I can't remember the title on and don't feel like going to check, but it's a freebie/teaser that the guy vending next to me at The Shirt Factory gave me)

The Gilded Chain by Dave Duncan (from cold storage)

War of the Oaks by Emma Bull (from cold storage)

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (another Goodwill stash/cold storage book)

The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times by Steven Travers (passed over by my dad; he passes me books about the Mets, in case that wasn't obvious yet, we both love baseball)

Fight Like a Girl edited by April Steenburgh & Christy Lennox (from cold storage; this was my first publication credit! but I've never actually read the whole anthology, oops)

The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson (another Goodwill stash/cold storage book)

Vicksburg: 1863 by Winston Groom (from cold storage; I am not only not-so-secretly a baseball fan, I'm also not-so-secretly a Civil War buff)

Sooo... that's 26 books, including some non-fiction that'll probably be slow going. But hopefully I can read it all this year!

But because that's enough... anyone who pays attention to my monthly reading posts or other posts about what I personally read has probably noticed I read a lot of graphic novels, so I can hear you going, "but unforth, there are no graphic novels on your TBR! where are the graphic novels?" and you are right. Because I maintain not one, but TWO other TBRs (three if you count my Libby account) specifically for graphic novel TBRs; I usually read them while reading other stuff.

Pile 1: physical library books and borrowed books.

I actually read Dungeon Critters last night; this is my current library pile, with the four on the bottom all books I borrowed from @tryslora.

Dungeon Critters by Sara Goetter and Natalie Riess

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods vol. 1 by Takuto Kashiki

Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

Yuri is My Job vols. 8 to 12 by Miman

Ask Me About Polyamory! by Tikva Wolf

Cannonball by Kelsey Wroten

The Flying Ship vol. 1 and 2 by Jem Milton

Signals vol. 1 and 2 by Nika

The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E. K. Weaver

How to Be a Werewolf vol. 1 by Shawn Lenore

That said, I'm going to the library tomorrow, so I'll presumably come back with more. I always do, lmao.

Pile 2: Libby

No photograph for this one, obviously, and I don't feel like grabbing appropriate screen captures, but. I have five libraries on Libby ( @queerliblib, the Japan Foundation of Los Angeles, my local library, the New York Public Library, and the Brooklyn Public Library - all these are free for me as a US and NYS citizen) and I'm mostly using them to read manga lmao.

Current Libby Borrows:

I Hear the Sunspot vol. 1 by Yuki Fumino

Yona of the Dawn vol. 5 by Mizuho Kusanagi

Chainsaw Man vol. 2 by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Too Close to Fall in Love by Akira Nakata

Haikyu!! vol. 18 by Haruichi Furudate

Jujutsu Kaisen vol. 1 by Gege Akutami

Kaiju No. 8 vol 5 by Naoya Matsumoto

Libby Holds (titles I'm waiting for - because they have strict due-dates, they'll jump the TBR line whenever the holds come through):

Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba vol. 4 by Koyoharu Gotouge

I Think Our Son is Gay vol. 5 by Okura

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Spy x Family vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

How to Be Ace by Rebecca Burgess

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

FANGS vol. 1 by Billy Balibally

Pile 3: The Yaoi Stash + a couple other odds and ends

So early last year I got a text from my brother that he was at a thrift shop and they had a pile of books that "looked like my kind of thing" and a photograph of a bunch of book spines, and I told him to go ahead and buy them all at $1 US a pop and I'd sort through what they were. This is most of those; excluded are a couple that weren't yaoi and I wasn't interested in, and a few that are incomplete cause I don't want to get invested in something like that. I haven't yet read any of this yet, I figure if I ever am low on library books or am just in the mood for some yaoi porn, I'll dip into this pile then.

Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores is obviously not yaoi, it's a passed-by-my-dad art book about bookstores. It is, however, a quick read, and I've already read about half of it, so I threw it on this pile too because it had to go somewhere lmao

(blank spine) is actually an art book of MXTX fanart I got at Flamecon

Hero Heel vol. 1 and 2 by Makoto Tateno

New Beginnings by Kotetsuko Yamamoto

A Love Song for the Miserable by Yukimura

Tomorrow's Ulterior Motives by Sakuya Fujii

Love Share by Aoi Kujyou

Love Control by Ai Hasukawa

Star by Keiko Konno

Once Upon a Glashma by Jumiko Sukeane

Passionate Theory by Ayumi Kano

Hot Limit by Akira Kanbe and Minori Shima

Candy by Satomi Suerts

Red by Sanae Rokuya

Anyway. The TL:DR of all of this is I'm anal but if it keeps me reading it's worth it, and that I've got waaaaaaay too much I want to read in 2025.

But anyway, that's the answer to my 9, er, 50-something books I want to read in 2025 lmao.

#unforth rambles #unforth's reads #tbr #unforth's tbr #I've been planning this post for a week which is why the photos are now slightly out of date

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downbadumu · 2 months ago

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even at the best of times, i am out of my mind

༄𓏸ଳ˚࿔⋆ content summary: fluff (i hope), maybe like a sprinkle of angst, a teeny tiny sprinkle of sex and kinky play, the morning after, a somewhat prequel to this and this but can be read as a standalone, reader and caleb are friends/co-workers with benefits, reader is not MC, domestic themes but reader is too caught up in thoughts, dom/sub undertones but very lowkey, all lowercase and formatting might be fonky cuz i half wrote this on my phone so bear with me <3

༄𓏸ଳ˚࿔⋆ word count: 2154

༄𓏸ଳ˚࿔⋆ shanna's note: i literally poured my soul into the ending but tumblr didn't save it so i had to rewrite it and im giving up writing forever

you woke to the sounds of cooking, in your not so tiny studio nothing's quite able to escape you, you tried to take a glance at your kitchen from the comforts of your bed but caleb pulled your curtain divider shut when he left.

it was a rare feat that caleb was making breakfast for you, usually he'd have left before the night ended since it has been an unspoken agreement between the two of you, but maybe today (or last night?) he has been off his meds you reasoned.

you took another 10 minutes to toss and roll around in your bed more before deciding to head out to see if you were the one who should be taking medication for hallucinations.

caleb was indeed in your kitchen wearing nothing but his pants (you hope) and making food, you weren't hallucinating so that meant he was off his meds.

"good morning," he greeted without turning. it's really hard to miss anything in this apartment. or maybe you both were too aware of each other's presence.

"hey," you tried not to offer much, brain trying to connect dots that weren't fully there. but you just couldn't help needing to know. "to what do i owe the pleasure?"

he huffed, flipping your egg on your pan. "is that how you thank someone who's making you breakfast?"

"i'm not sure if you're making it for me yet," you sassed.

"i am," he said so easily you questioned if you were actually dreaming.

"oh," you replied weakly.

you both fell into a somewhat comfortable silence, unsure of what to actually say to each other. you openly oogled at his back, how his muscles flexed and moved as he does; studying him as if he's your next test, you noted the still red scratches you left on his back, you closed your eyes trying to memorise this moment.

"i'd offer you coffee if i knew how to work your fancy machine," caleb said breaking your concentration.

"is that your way of asking me for coffee?"

"i wasn't sure if you'd want to share your precious stash with me," he quipped. "you ran out of your regular stuff."

you hummed, getting off from where you were sat to go around to your coffee machine. "i don't mind."

so you started up your espresso machine, trying not think too much about what you're doing and existing in the same space as caleb doing something like this. you tried not to pay attention to the way he practically synced up with your movements, his hulking figure making way for you and accurately predicting where you'd for reach next. you don't want to remember something like this.

you handed him his cup of coffee once you were done with his, he hummed appreciatively and you cursed yourself for not asking him how he'd like his coffee as if you didn't already know.

you made your way back to your seat quietly. you didn't have to wait long because caleb gentle placed the most delicious and well-balanced meal you've ever seen on your kitchen island. "eat up," caleb told you merrily as he moved away to wash up the pans he used.

"i didn't know i had proteins in the fridge," you muttered poking at the neatly arranged food. "or fresh greens or bread or butter."

"you didn't have anything in your fridge except for eggs," caleb tutted. you watched as he grabbed his own plate with an equally beautiful presentation and a plate of fresh cut fruits. "i took the liberty of stocking your fridge for you."

"you didn't have to."

"i already did."

"well, you shouldn't have."

you meet his glare with your own steely gaze. caleb picked up the coffee you made for him and then joined you at the island. you should’ve been shocked or terrified at how quickly he was able to shift his expression to a soft one if you weren't already familiar with it, you were practically looking into a mirror after all.

"let's not argue, yeah? it's still so early, come, dig in!" his manner was back to his usual puppy demeanour.

you broke eye contact, batting away your negativity and returned his smile kindly. “thank you for the meal, caleb.”

the rest of breakfast went by quietly. you don’t bother offering to clean up after you’re done, you know taking care of everything for you is something caleb enjoyed so you don’t feel bad when he shooed you away to your living space. you were shameless in the way you continued to watch him in your kitchen, and caleb doesn’t bother calling you out on in because you think he liked the attention.

with your head propped up by your hand you leaned forward to get a better view of him as the morning sun filtered in, usually you hated mornings but maybe this one could be ok in your books. your eyes focused on the way the sun catches caleb’s hair, turning it golden in this light, he worked at a moderate speed, he wasn’t in a rush to leave. then you wondered about your dynamic with him, the past twelve hours with him haven’t been bad at all, and maybe this had been the longest consecutive time you’ve spent with him outside of work. maybe they need to double his medication dosage, maybe he doesn’t actually know what he was doing.

you sighed softly, eyes flickering down to feast on the shadows that dance on his skin. there was a faint bite mark right on his ribcage, a reminder of last night for you or him you weren’t sure. his pants hung a little loose on his hips, he hadn’t bother to buckle up his belt yet. it must be uncomfortable to move around in his work pants first thing in the morning, he really should’ve already left already. but a smile tugged on your lips; he looked so pretty there.

you should schedule an appointment to get your brain checked out, you thought.

caleb turned to meet your eyes probably, but you were still busy taking in how his wet hands were so perfectly placed on the counter. “had your fill?”

“uh-huh,” you answered dreamily.

“good,” he smiled. “i have a gift for you, stay there.”

“a gift?”

“mm-hmm,” and he disappeared behind your curtain divider into your room.

you stayed put; because you knew he’d be pleased that you did, but you told yourself it was because you wanted to see if you were actually dreaming. a beat passed and you willed him to not come out of your room but he did, holding something behind his back.

“is it my birthday?” you pondered out loud, a gentle smile forming on your face like it was natural as caleb padded closer in all his topless glory. he didn’t put on his shirt you laid out for him on your bed because he truly did thrive on attention.

what you were really thinking off was if you had died last night and are now in the afterlife.

“it’s something to convince you to come to the gala tonight,” caleb answered, crouching down to your height where you sat.

“uh-huh,” you don’t bother taking your eyes off him even as he pulled out a medium sized box. you could almost see a tail wagging excitedly behind him, fast but not too fast as if he didn’t want you to know how excited he was.

“i had it custom made,”

how thoughtful.

your eyes lingered on his face then his pecs before you forced it down to his arms then down to the dark purple velvet box he held, thicker than you imagined. if he wasn’t in a rush to get out of your place then you wouldn’t hurry him away.

inside it was a matching set of jewellery; a pair of asymmetrical drop diamond earrings, a necklace and two pairs of bracelets. your eyes darted back and forth the box, the earrings was fine but the design of the necklace and bracelets were unique. you thought about pulling caleb up from his place to sit next to you but he hadn’t made a move yet either.

so, you took your time looking at the necklace that looked suspiciously like a martingale collar. the inverse of it was made of fine leather, the other layer lined in plush white-grey velvet with a –what you think might be— white gold hardware. small diamonds were studded into the velvet to look like water reflecting off the surface of water, there were irregular sized diamonds hanging from the chain at the front of the necklace at different lengths. you imagine it’d looked like water droplets once you put it on. there wasn’t a buckle at the back the necklace, only one tiny heart shaped charm connecting the delicate but sturdy looking chain at the front of the necklace. the bracelets matched the design of the necklace but without the velvet.

you whistled lowly and caleb hummed in acknowledgement.

“where’s the key?” you asked.

caleb chuckled lowly. “you’re a sharp one, aren’t you?”

you hummed, eyeing the corner of the box where a tiny black ribbon sat. caleb’s hand slowly traced the exterior of the box to where you were looking. he gently lifted it and the box clicked revealing the hidden compartment at the bottom.

“kinky,” you scoffed at the small key placed in the middle of the box amongst other things. you met caleb’s gaze just so you could make sure he watched you roll your eyes.

you didn’t look as closely as before you saw the matching martingale waist and thigh belt, the bust harness, the bell on the end of the leash, and bells on the nipple clamp attachments. you’ve seen enough to know caleb had this set custom made to be play proof.

“you’ll definitely come, right?” he purred.

caleb’s hand reached up to your face, firmly making you look at him again. you feigned a disinterested look.

“i suppose,” you sounded nonchalant. caleb’s eyes flickered from yours down to your lips then back up again, fast enough that you couldn’t follow along but slow enough for you to notice.

there was a delight in his eyes that you could only describe as feralness, you want to cross your legs or lean forward to head butt his stupidly attractive head just to test him but there was nothing more you craved than being good in his eyes. you remained still.

in your peripheral, you see caleb put the box up on the couch close enough to where your fingers laid, close enough for you to almost feel the velvet exterior of the box.

"perfect," he cooed, hot fingers tracing your cheeks achingly slow, so close but so far away from your lips. oh, how you wished he had outright said it to your face that you were.

your gaze darkened, face twisted into a scowl. anger flashes through you as fast lightning, mirroring the lust that was coursing through his eyes.

you glared at him because a spark ran up your spine so quickly you almost didn't register it. "you are so fucking ugly, caleb, do not kiss me right now," you growled lowly though you remain unmoved.

he tilted his head curiously, he was drinking you in. if it weren't for the fact that his grip on your cheeks had tightened you wouldn't have known how turned on he was by you. caleb makes one of you wishes come true by tracing his thumb with faux hesitation across your bottom lip. you want to scoff.

"have you been learning reverse psychology?" he asked sweetly, a sharp contrast to the storm that was brewing in his eyes. "you’re sure you don’t want me to kiss you right now?”

"no," you snarled but let him pull you down.

his grip was almost rough on your jaw, you sucked in a breath roughly, you weren’t preparing yourself to be kissed at all, you glared straight into his eyes. you let yourself fall onto your knees, he doesn’t catch you but lets you knock into his sturdy form.

then his warm lips land gently on yours, kissing you in a way that will screw up your life forever.

it lasts for only a millisecond, you thought. too short for your liking which puts you in an even more foul mood. “i hate you,” you want to tell him.

caleb smiled at you gentle but not with the kind of warmth you want. you glare at him as he got up, you trying to strike him down with your mind, make him grovel for your forgiveness; you’re well aware of the heat in your cheeks, however. and you just know you don’t look like how you picture yourself to.

he leant back down to kiss the top of your nose. “i’ll see you tonight then, princess.”

#atp i need to think of backstories and mayhaps a name for this series #i FULLY intended this to be pure fluff but i do not control the words that leave my fingertips #lads caleb x reader #caleb x reader #shanna writes #this was for me and me only i fear #i swear i will refine and give this series everything it deserves once a coherent string of thought forms in the old nogging

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shady-mc-muffin · 8 months ago

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#free palestine #free gaza #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #eyes on rafah #israel is a terrorist state #permanent ceasefire now #eyes on gaza #eyes on palestine #palestine #gaza strip #palestine gfm #palestine fundraiser #palestine will be free #gaza aid #palestine aid

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anavatazes · 7 months ago

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Hi. *shuffles feet* Been a while. Might still be a bit yet before I start posting regularly again. Long of the short? Had a bit of mental break and needed a break. Slowly easing my way back into things. Slowly.

Obligatory picture of Mara, taking the youngest to school. Her favorite thing, next to eating ❤️.

Anyway, heart is still in a stranglehold by Joel. Pedro as Joel is NOT helping, as he does 😏.

And what really prompted this, was one of my original heartbreakers from when I was a teen, in combination with one of my most favorite characters in comics are coming together again to expand on their time together in the Savage Land 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠.

Is it January yet 🤤🤤?

Uncanny X-Men 269, 274 & 275 were my favorites when they came out. Rogue was already my favorite character among Storm and Nightcrawler, but this story really captured her essence. She was depowered, just arrived out of Siege Perilous, no one else around, and is attacked by the Mauraders. She uses Gateway's ability to escape but ends up in the land of dinos, fighting Carol Danvers, and being saved by the missing Magneto?! Who Jim Lee really could draw 🤤🫠. It's a great story, and I recommend it.

And now, this January, they are revisiting that story to fill in some gaps. I do hope they don't do any retcons. There is enough hate from Rogue/Gambit shippers as it is, that if they even get a hint of Magneto anywhere near Rogue, they explode. It's like, dude, fucking chill. Gambit has been the end game all along. We all knew it from the moment the Cajun first laid eyes on her. They are married now. If ya'll don't stop, I'm gonna start hating a favorite couple of mine... and it's not the one you want.

Also, no retcons in this, because, well, Magneto is the king of retcons, and I am tired of it. The major being his children Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Sorry, not sorry, you cannot still draw Pietro like Max, and say Max did not birth that boy. Nope. Even acts like him, still. It's Max Eisenhardt, Jr. So, no retcons. Don't cheapen the Legacy romance nor ruin things in the ROMY world.

Seeing more of Magneto helping Rogue figure out what is wrong with her powers, please! The man is a fucking genius. Self-taught in so much, too! Let the man show off! Part of what makes him so hot 🔥.

I want to see Colossus' son. Other than a blip here and there, we saw him last in the 80s, I think? Even if it's in passing with the tribes Ka-zar and Shanna are helping, just something!!!! The X-Men know he’s there. WTF happened to him?! This would be perfect for it.

Zaladane. More backstory, please. We were never given 100% yea or nea if she is, in fact, another of Magneto's children or what her exact connection to Polaris is. Not sure what I want, other than closure. This is as close to a return for the character as we're gonna get, and I will enjoy every minute.

I read a good chunk of Tim Seeley's run on Nightwing, and he's good. There is hope that this just won't be a wet dream of a scantily clad chick with two half nekkid guys and dinosaurs! Dick Grayson is a pretty complex character, as are Rogue and Magneto, so I feel they are in good hands.

As a few who are reading this know, I've been looking for pre-order information. I still haven't found any. But I did find an exact release date for issue #1 -

January 15, 2025. It's already on my calendar. I will probably blow my husband's mind and buy both digital and physical on this straight away. I always get digital on the Kindle and use the points I earn to buy more digital, which saves me tons of $$$$. Then, I will buy the TPB or individual issues of the books I want. It's rare I go straight in. But I want more Rogue stories, and this is how you get more Rogue stories.

Hope all that was understandable. Thanks to a stupid change in insurance, I am without one of my meds, and I am feeling it. Lack of sleep, high anxiety levels, and a breakthrough migraine that won't stop. I may not have been all that coherent 😄. Anyway, love you bitches. I am making my way back. Slowly.

#joel miller #x-men #rogue #magneto x rogue #rogueneto #rogneto #rogue x magneto #rogue the savage land #magneto #anna marie lehnsherr #max eisenhardt #erik lehnsherr #savage land

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smokefalls · 4 months ago

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Sometimes—no, too often—the cruelty of the real world cut more deeply than a dream.

Jungeun Yun, Marigold Mind Laundry (translated by Shanna Tan)

#Jungeun Yun #Marigold Mind Laundry #quote #fiction #fantasy #magic realism #2024 reads

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ninja-muse · 1 year ago

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March was a productive month, and not just because I read a good number of books. I also started writing again after a bit of a slump, and I managed to unhaul 37 books from my home library, though some of them have not actually left the house yet. The used bookstore I went to didn't take everything so I have to decide which one I'm hitting next. Or if I'm dumping the bulk on a thrift store because let's be honest, most used bookstores aren't going to want what's left either.

Can you tell I got rid of that many? Only if you saw the state of things before. My shelves are neat and tidy with no books wedged on top of other books to make things fit.

And I was so, so close to ending the month without buying more books! I really thought I was going to manage it! And then, well, I mentioned the used bookstore, right? I've been meaning to read Delaney but few bookstores stock him, and Lincoln's Dreams is one of the only Connie Willis novels I don't own. (That shop also had stickers, and a cute bookmark I can't show you because whiting out the identifying features would ruin the effect.) Under the Smokestrewn Sky was a rescue, of sorts. Why return it to the publisher when you could just buy it, right?

Anyway, in terms of books read, there were some really good ones! And only one that was not so great. I think I'm done reading and collecting Rat Queens and might need to include those in the next unhaul. And don't get me wrong about the Evie Dunmore. It is a Good Historical Romance Novel. There's just something about it that didn't work for me.

Click through to see everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko, translated by Bela Shayevich and Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse

Portraits and memories of the unsung Russia—the poor, the broken, the marginalized.

10/10

🏳️‍🌈 author

warnings: so many, including but not limited to misogyny, homophobia, genocide, violence, sexual violence, drugs and alcohol, abuse, child death, suicide

reading copy

True North - Andrew J. Graff

The Brechts move to Michigan to restart a rafting business. They hope it’ll save their family, but it might do the opposite.

7.5/10

Menominee secondary character

library book

Sociopath - Patric Gagne

As a child, Patric knew something about her was off and kept countering a lack of feeling with dark acts. As a young woman, she learns the definition of “sociopath” and it changes everything. Out in April.

8/10

neurodivergent author

To a Darker Shore - Leanne Schwartz

When the invention that should have guaranteed Alesta's future fails, her best friend takes the fall and is sacrificed to the demon besieging their kingdom. To rescue him, Alesta must descend into hell, where she learns truths about her society—and her gods. Out in April.

8/10

fat protagonist, autistic main character, major autistic secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters, autistic author

warning: classism, strict religion, autism-related ableism

reading copy

The Temple of Fortuna - Elodie Harper

Amara’s living as a courtesan in Rome but misses her lover and daughter in Pompeii. When she returns to the city, her needs and desires are sent into turmoil—and Vesuvius has started to rumble.

8/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), Ethiopian secondary characters

warning: misogynist society, sexual violence, slave society

Funny Story - Emily Henry

What do you do when your partners dump you for each other? Move in together, of course! Out in April.

7.5/10

Iranian-American secondary character, Black secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic)

warning: toxic relationships, mainly in backstory

reading copy

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan

Tired of fulling expectations, Yeongju opens a bookshop. She’s not the only one to find happiness there.

7.5/10

Korean cast, Korean author

library ebook

Aftermarket Afterlife - Seanan McGuire

The Covenant has started actively pursuing the Prices and their allies, and all Mary wants to do is protect her family.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, gay, bi man), Korean-American secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: canon-typical violence, bigots

library ebook

Knife Skills for Beginners - Orlando Murrin

Paul Delamare is filling in for a friend at a cooking school when a body is found on the premises.

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), Black British secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic)

reading copy

Let Them Tremble - Wolf Epley

The revolution is brewing and both the workers and the government refuse bend. Throw in a destroyed print shop, ghosts, and malfunctioning Shroud devices, and you know things won’t end well.

7/10

major disabled character (partial blindness, limp, hand disfigurement), cast largely of non-racialized colour

won/digital reading copy

The Gentleman’s Gambit - Evie Dunmore

Catriona needs to avoid distractions to write her book but is pressed to help her father’s new colleague around Oxford. Elias needs her help if he ever hopes to smuggle antiquities out of the Ashmolean.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bi woman), Lebanese love interest, Lebanese secondary character

warning: colonial/orientalist characters

library book

Rat Queens, Vol. 5 - Kurtis J. Wiebe with Owen Gieni (illustrator)

Palisade’s problems continue, including hallucinations, a hipster bar, and a sinister wizard.

6/10

major Black character, major 🏳️‍🌈 character (lesbian), 🇨🇦

off my TBR shelves

Children’s Books

Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets - Ryan Higgins

Mittens hogs the bed, eats from the trash, and causes all kinds of trouble—and Penelope didn’t even want them!

Currently reading

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons - Peter S. Beagle

Robert doesn’t want to be the country’s dragon exterminator on the best of days, but then Princess Cerise meets Prince Reginald. Out in May.

reading copy

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 12 Yearly total: 32 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 1 Books by women: 8 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 1 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 1 Books hauled: 3 ARCs acquired: 5 ARCs unhauled: 7 DNFs: 0

January February

#booklr #bookblr #book recommendations #book recs #reading wrap-ups #read in 2024 #my photos

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celadons-penultimate · 3 months ago

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@ Marvel: BLACK PANTHER AND THE AGENTS OF WAKANDA (creative team- my dreams! 😭):

-Black Panther (T'Challa)

-Aja-Adanna / Shuri

-Gold Tiger [Black Panther sidekick from CHAMPIONS variant cover]

-Okoye

-Ayo & Aneka

-Vibraxas

-M'Baku

-Gentle

-Kasper Cole

-Thunderball

-Deadly Nightshade

[reserve roster]:

-Quake

- Slingshot

-Mockingbird

-Wasp / Janet Van Dyne

- Shang-Chi

-Manifold

- 3D Man / Delroy Garrett

-American Eagle

- Ka-Zar the Savage

-Shanna the She-Devil

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oveliagirlhaditright · 6 months ago

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I had a dream that Roxas was, like, a movie star or something... and he ended up meeting Naminé, who was just a normal girl working for him with his current job (like she was somewhere between a secretary and movie editor? IDK.). But while Naminé was clearly the best at her job, everyone she worked with was horrible to her (probably jealous of her and trying to take advantage of her?). And Roxas saw this and was furious about it, and wondered why she took this abuse.

And when Roxas stood up for Naminé at one point, her bosses got mad at her in wondering why she'd met him at all, like, "How dare you bother him with your presence!" And they didn't know that it was Roxas met Naminé, and inserted himself into her life, upon walking into her office one day.

It was about this time that I woke up. LOL

#shanna dreams #kh #rokunami

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shannadreamgoddess · 4 months ago

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Some announcements!

2 things! First off, I'm opening up commissions! nwn

These are kinda casual commissions - cheap, sticky note only, and only pay if you're picked to be done (so no first come first serve, dont worry).

When I get my tablet in, I'll be doing PMD color/shaded comms - I'm especially interested in doing covers for PMD Stories! ' w ' Find the comm form here <3 Lemme draw your Poke'Blorbos!

Next up: I opened a Ko-Fi! If you'd like to just toss a little bit of money and see some excerpts from future SOA/FAS/WE chapters, feel free to take a look. Every little bit is appreciated <3

Thank you all for your support <3 And, as a sidenote, don't worry too much about these if you aren't interested. This is just a side-hustle - my financial situation is perfectly okay. n w n

#art commisions #pmd #pokemon #kofi

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musingsofmonica · 1 year ago

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February 2024 Diverse Read

February 2024 Diverse Reads:

•”My Beloved Life” by Amitava Kumar, February 27, Knopf Publishing Group, Historical/Literary/World Literature/India

•”Whiskey Tender: A Memoir” by Deborah Taffa, February 27, Harper, Personal Memoirs/Women/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Native American & Aboriginal

•”I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both” by Mariah Stovall, February 13, Soft Skull, Contemporary/Coming of Age/Friendship/African American/Women

•”Private Equity: A Memoir” by Carrie Sun, February 13, Penguin Press, Personal Memoirs/Women in Business/Business/Finance/Wealth Management/Investments & Securities

•”Village in the Dark” by Iris Yamashita, February 13, Berkley Books, Mystery & Detective/Police Procedural/Thriller/Suspense/Women

•”Redwood Court” by Délana R. a. Dameron, February 06, Dial Press, Literary/Coming of Age/Women/African American/Southern

•”Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange, February 27, Knopf Publishing Group, Literary/Cultural Heritage/Native American & Aboriginal

•Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop

Hwang Bo-Reum & Shanna Tan (Translator), February 20, Bloomsbury Publishing, Contemporary/City Life/World Literature/Korea

•”Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit: Essays

Aisha Sabatini Sloan, February 20, Graywolf, Essays/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/African American & Black/LGBT/Anthropology/Cultural & Social

•”The Things We Didn't Know” by Elba Iris Pérez, February 06, Gallery Books, Literary/Coming of Age/World Literature/Puerto Rico/20th Century

•“The Fox Maidens” by Robin Ha, February 13, Harperalley, Comics & Graphic Novels/Historical/Fairy Tales/Folklore/Legends & Mythology Fantasy/Romance/LGBT/World Literature/Korea

•”Hope Ablaze” by Sarah Mughal Rana, February 27, Wednesday Books, Magical Realism, Poetry/Religious/Muslim/Social Themes - Activism & Social Justice

•“ASAP” by Axie Oh, February 06, Harperteen, YA/Romance/Contemporary/Coming of Age/Asian American

•”Smoke and Ashes: Opium's Hidden Histories” by Amitav Ghosh, February 13, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Nonfiction/Historical/Travelogue/Memoir/Family History/Essay in History/Globalism/Capitalism

•”Fathomfolk” by Eliza Chan, February 27, Orbit, Fantasy/Action & Adventure/Dragons & Mythical Creatures/East Asian Mythology

•”Ours” by Phillip B. Williams, February 20, Viking, Literary/Historical/African American/Magical Realism

•”Neighbors and Other Stories” by Diane Oliver, February 13, Grove Press, Short Stories/Literary/Historical/African American & Black

•”Greta & Valdin” by Rebecca K. Reilly, February 06, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, Literary/Romcom/Family Life/LGBT/Cultural Heritage/World Literature/New Zealand/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Russian-Maori-Catalonian/Indigenous/Polynesian

•”The American Daughters” by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, February 27, One World, Historical/Civil War Era/Saga/African American/Women

•”My Side of the River: A Memoir” by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, January 13, St. Martin's Press, Personal Memoirs/Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/Hispanic & Latino/Public Policy - Immigration

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skygemspeaks · 7 months ago

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so i'm on chapter 24 of telepath right now

new thoughts:

it's really nice seeing amber and forge develop a genuine friendship now that her weird obsession with him has dissipated. it's nice that she has a tie to her teen years, and i like him a lot more now that it's become obvious he himself hasn't done anything malicious. i'm so disappointed in shanna though

finding out that amber had been kidnapped as a child was a really cool reveal, especially because we had already been given all the pieces in the past! we knew that people who had been through traumatic experiences would have their memories altered to help them heal, so when she started talking about having been outside even though she didn't remember when it had happened and there were no records of her ever having been outside, i'm sure a more observant person than me would have been able to figure it out lmao. these kinds of reveals are always more interesting when you can look back and see all the hints that had been there from the beginning that you had missed

the theory that the person who had kidnapped amber as a child had been from another hive is really fascinating. it would explain why they had never been found and had never re-entered our hive - they had simply gone back to their own

iirc amber's recurring dream about forge takes place with her outside and being very terrified - current theory is that this person who had kidnapped her back then was a telepath, and they had chosen that opportunity to implant her obsession with forge in her mind, as well as the dream. the only question is why forge, out of all the children in the hive? what will be his part to play in all this?

on an unrelated note, it's always fun reading about emergency runs. janet edwards has this really great talent of coming up with really fascinating scenarios/jobs for her protagonists. while reading the portal future series, i always love reading about jarra's excavations too. i don't know how she does it

one thing i've noticed is that there are lots of similarities to portal future. not in the lazy copy/paste way, but more in terms of seeing which themes janet edwards seems to enjoy exploring/writing about, interesting character dynamics and story threads, that kind of thing. so it still feels refreshing and new, but also familiar and comforting in a way. not sure if i'm explaining that well.

i continue to really enjoy the writing style in this series more than the one in portal future (though i do still like portal future more as a whole, which isn't a surprise given that first i'm only like 2/3 through the first book of hive future, and portal future has a sprawling, intricate extended universe and i've read the main trilogy countless times already to the point it's become embedded in my psyche permanently). it seems to be aimed towards an older target audience than portal future was, and the dialogue especially tends to be a lot more natural than in portal future

#hive future #hive liveblog #janet edwards

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strawberry-metal · 1 year ago

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The group of girls arrive at the building the party is taking place in. They share a look between eachother, acknowledging the importance of this investigation. Rose speaks up, turning her head to look at her sister.

"Ok. We will separate for now and each do our own investigations. We'll meet up back here later and share the information we've gathered. Shanna, you're with me."

"As the older twin, I should be saying that."

"Give it a rest, will you?"

As soon as they speak and separate, a woman dressed in cosplay emerges, flashing the twins a peace sign. "Rose! Is that you? You brought your twin sister? You both look amazing!! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Nanami-san, it's good to see you. I'm happy to of made it. Your Miku cosplay looks wonderful." "Really? Thank you so much!"

"Moreover, there's actually something that's kind of bothering me that I'd like to bring up with you." "Yes?" "I appreciate the invitation, and the extra invites you allowed me to have. But is now really the time for a party? There's been disappearances happening in this neighborhood recently. Surely you're aware?"

Keeping a hand on her hip, the Miku cosplayer responds, "Of course I'm aware... I actually threw this party because everyone's nerves are on high alert, and I was hoping this could help cheer everyone up and help them to stop worrying for awhile. Also... strength in numbers, yes? It's safer to be in groups like this."

The older twin dressed in red chimes in. "That makes sense to me." She holds her hands up, tilting her head. "I'm sorry to bother you with more questions but... have you by chance heard anymore rumors?"

"Heard anymore?" The other woman raises a finger to her bottom lip in thought...then she too, tilts her head, eyebrows upturning in worry. "Wait, why? Are you actually trying to investigate this? That's dangerous! You should leave it to the cops!"

"Oh. No, not at all." Shanna lies. "We just merely want to make sure nothing else has happened as of late. I mean... sure we look pretty composed but in all honesty, we're worried too. The cops haven't found out much themselves yet, and are just ruling things a missing persons case..."

Nanami stares for a moment before speaking up once more. "I haven't really heard anything new that you two wouldn't already know, but I have heard that people have seen a mysterious, winged creature at night recently. Like... it's humanoid shaped but it has wings? It's just like... wandering around and then it takes off flying into the night sky. It's just another silly Halloween rumor though, we get those every year."

Rose blinks. It sounds like nonsense but perhaps she should remember this for later, just in case. "Thank you, Nanami-san. Sorry for the questions, we didn't mean to make you uneasy."

"Oh, it's ok. You two have fun, ok? Don't separate! Safety in numbers!"

"Right."

Kazuno gazes among the crowd, eyes narrowing, her sister giving her a confused stare. "I can't see the end of the horizon."

"HATSUNE MIKU!?"

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Gosh if I haven't been using pose data for the majority of the pics today I wouldn't even be halfway done with this post.

Shanna and Rose models: Me

Kazuno and Kazeko models: Kazekothestrange

Kikumi model: caffeinated-chaos-bean

Miku model: TDA and Nito164

Stage: はぎの

Skydome: MMDAnimatio357

Effects:

Autoluminous4 and SvSSAO: Sovoro

Pixeledgeblur: Otamon

Dream Shader: Ianami

Kazu, Kaz, Sha, and Ro's poses: MijumaruNr1

Miku's poses: MMDMikuxLen

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