#so much has happened since i last wrote for the book club

[crzyimp]

Finally! Enough time to breath and be unhinged over this book! A lot has happened but hopefully I'm back and being consistent now. I'll throw my thoughts on chapters(some more than others) I missed up to the latest!

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

Chapter 11, Burocracy! (the horror)

Emperor Taizong goes to the underworld to explain his case against the 10 kings after promising to save the old dragon but failed too. Promises or giving your word was(and I think still is) a big deal. It's tied to how committed, trustworthy, and reliable you are. It's the intent you give to the other and the strong meaning behind. In some cultures, you can be cursed to a terrible fate if you break it. So Taizong explains his side of the story and the king agreed he tried his humanly best and not in trouble. Which instead of a meeting, this could've been discussed over a letter. The kings tell him he has 13 years left to live, I rather I didn't know but that's just me, and he thanks them. He tours the underworld to see the inter workings and all the men he sent to death or killed. Taizong given a chance to start changing his ways and to save the lost souls who passed before returning to the living. Once the Emperor returns, he makes changes post haste by allowing concubines free and marrying officials, allowing those on death row to visit family and tie up loose ends for one year before their death, and giving offerings to the lost souls so they can pass on. Then he sends Liu Quan to posion himself to offer melons as thanks to the 10 kings.

Chapter 12:

You can't convince me that Liu Quan and the emperor’s sister didn't have something going on. I find it a little to convenient that his wife gets to have the sister's body. Either there was affair or something shady. Anyways, the emperor goes about giving thanks to those who helped him in the living, which leads up to Buddhism being popularize and temples in his name. And our good boy Xuanzang, Child River Float, the man who has many names/titles just like Sun Wukong. He's giving another name, Tripitaka, things and people to help him out his journey to the west.

Chapter 13:

Tripitaka gets kidnapped and watch his men and possibly friends devoured in front of him. The gods are on his side and saves him(literally) from being eaten himself and escapes. He's still in the Tang region and encounters a nice country man who gives him shelter, food, and a guide out of the territory.

Chapter 14:

Wukong back! And Tripitaka frees him out of the mountain after learning who and what Wukong's crimes are. Tripitaka trust him enough since old monkey didn't lie, HOWEVER!, Wukong the sneaky shit didn't mention how he pissed on Buddha's hand. The monk may have pardoned him not knowing that, but I'll always remember his piss crimes(never forget never forgiven!). After Wukong freed and given +1 tiger skin, the dou are actually pretty sweet and nice to each other. Though it might be the high for Wukong being free again and Tripitaka feeling safe against worldly and otherworldly threats. That all changes one winter day when six bandits attack and Wukong murked them. Then the two argued over it and Wukong leaves. Thankfully not mad enough to make the monk into a meat patty, but I could argue and say Wukong got some time to get to know Tripitaka. The two been traveling more than a few days, enough time to start getting to know each other better and forming a bond. So! With that in mind, Wukong goes back to his mountain but makes a pit stop at the dragon palace(maybe a subtle I'm back) for tea. The old kings catch up and the dragon king reminds Wukong he's been given another chance to be a true immortal and on the path of good. Now pre havoc Wukong wouldn't gives two shits and leaves without a second thought, post havoc Wukong however...does care (a little) and decides to go back. Finally putting his all into this journey, even telling a unhappy Guanyin he's going back. He joins up with Tripitaka.....and gets tricked into wearing the headband. Now don't be mad at our monk cause when he stops Wukong does tries to kill him AND left him defenseless and alone. So the two learn some new things about each other and themselves.

Chapter 15:

Lost a horse and gain a dragon horse after the dragon horse ate the other horse. The boys couldn't do much so they called Guanyin, or Wukong convinced them after some talking.

Chapter 16, 17, and 18

(go a head and steal the meme. Share it with your friends and the world)

Running theme or joke that Wukong needs Guanyin help to take care of the problems in the way. Especially in chapter 16 after burning down a monastery and having a rather beautiful cassock stolen. But hey! Guanyin gets a free bear to guard her place.

Now for chapter 18! Everyone favorite idiot, Zhu Bajie!

I like the fact the family might have been cool with Bajie if wasn't eating them out of their homes, letting them see their daughter, actually taking care of her(poor girl was so sickly when freed!), and ya know being upfront with what he is and not lying to them. If he was upfront about who he is and showed he's trustworthy then maybe he could've gotten a wife. (I can see a retelling like this, beauty and the beast ess) But know idiot being idiot didn't do any of that and now got a terrifying monkey on his back. Well until Guanyin shows up while he was hiding from Wukong(that is a horror in of itself). Another party member! Whoo! Still no meat for you Bajie. Be bitchless and get bald like the rest of us. (Not me though, I'm just here for the ride like the dragon horse)

[solkver]

nct wish when you fall asleep in class 𖡎

#%! headcanons under the cut

#%! highschool au, based off of steady mv

content warning! playful teasing, super mild profanity, fluff!

pronouns! they/them [gender neutral]

i. HEADCANONS

oh sion ! you don't really share much classes together, so most of the time he'll arrive at your last lecture and peek by the door only to find you snoozing off 𖡎 he'll take a couple pictures and sit next to you until you wake up on your own 𖡎 biggest belly laugh at the marks on your face from laying on your arm 𖡎 will definitely either give you a piggy back ride or carry your things for you otw home 𖡎 bringing you home = sleepover! he's raiding your home now 𖡎 let's you sleep in and probably skims over your homework so he can help you when u wake up

maeda riku ! you probably only share club activities w him or other extra curricular things so when he finds you dead asleep in the club room or in the storage room of the volleyball court, you just know never to sleep again! 𖡎 an absolute menace, he'll either bang the door loud enough to startle you awake, or he'll tickle you awake 𖡎 can't be caught sleeping around a hyper riku bc he WILL make it a you problem for not matching his energy (affectionately) 𖡎 but he's the sweetest boy ever when he wants to be! 𖡎 he'll drape you with his blazer and snooze off next to you as well, skipping training entirely

tokuno yushi ! like riku, u guys probably only share club activities together, so it's not often he sees you 𖡎 he'll catch you in the corner of the club room laying on the ground, head on your backpack as a makeshift pillow dead asleep and stare at you for a good minute to make sure you're still breathing lmao 𖡎 he does NAWT wake u up, best believe he puts his backpack next to yours and hits the hay 𖡎 the club room has a shrine of both of you's picture lazing off on the floor inside the club room from how often it happens

kim jaehee ! I've always headcanon-ed jaehee to share a couple classes w their significant other so he's around you almost the whole day! 𖡎 it would be you guys' afternoon lecture when jaehee notices you've stopped scribbling on his palm and see your cheek mushed on your notes 𖡎 the first time he witnessed you fall asleep in class had him shaking in his bones bc boy does not want to get in trouble but he'd since learned that he'd much rather get detention than deal with your grumpy ass 𖡎 he definitely stands an open book in-front of your head so your professor doesn't see you asleep bc he's just so sweet like that 𖡎 I love him so bad

hirose ryo ! I just know his ass will not let you sleep in class 𖡎 he'll pinch your thigh or jab you w his elbow real hard to wake you up before your teacher discovers you knocking off 𖡎 he deadass has those anti-drowsy inhalers and shoves one in your nose when he sees your eyes blinking much much slower 𖡎 but when you do doze off and you're already too far into dreamland before he notices, he'll tell your teacher you fill ill so he can walk around the campus w you in a lame excuse of going to the clinic 𖡎 sleeps w you on the clinic beds lmfao

fujinaga sakuya ! his ass IS the one sleeping 😭😭 he's already knocked out before you even get to feel the drowsiness kick in 𖡎 either dead like a log on your shoulder or cheeks squashed on his desk 𖡎 you stay awake as much as u can on periods sakuya is out of touch with the world bc you both know at least one of you should take down notes 𖡎 and whenever you're the one napping in class, he makes sure to rat on you to the prof 𖡎 KIDDING 𖡎 best believe he's taking gibberish notes down bc he's to busy staring at your sleeping face and taking pictures of your drool getting on your open book 𖡎 giggling his face off with his loud ass 'hehehehehehe' when you get scolded for sleeping bc he has not once been caught dozing off in class and somehow you always do

author's note! I wrote this sitting down on the toilet so if this isn't biblically accurate nct wish I apologize I was quite literally pulling this out if the my ass LMAO anyways riku come back home you sexy furry piece of shit

— 明治さん、あなたのサービスで。

© solkver 2024 - all rights reserved. please do not repost, plagiarize, translate, or share my work on other platforms. thank you.

[autisticrosewilson]

Since the Loser Grant au is generating interest I figured I'd tell you guys how it came to be! The idea was actually from @perseus-jackass and they sent me this excerpt from the song Want Me by Baby Queen

And I was so obsessed with it that I wrote a little blurb about their first meeting!

Grant stops short, midway through a joke that no longer matters. His eyes find the boy again, gaze raking over tan skin and the way uniform shorts hug muscular thighs. Perfect dark curls frame a flushed face and when the boy turns towards him Grant can see a sharp grin and crooked nose. There's a smattering of freckles on his cheeks and a scar cutting vertically through his bottom lip. He's the prettiest thing Grants has ever seen, a vision lit by fluorescent lights like some kind of angel. 

"-ant. GRANT!" A voice reaches through the dreamy haze that's settled over him, and he sluggishly glances back to Jade who looks remarkably unimpressed despite being in the same room as a nymph.

"Who's that?" He nods towards his future husband.

Jade looks even more apprehensive when she notices who he's talking about. "Don't start getting ideas Grant, Jason's so far out of your league it's not even funny." She informs him.

Jason... "Not what I asked." He insists stubbornly.

"Jason Wayne, newest ward of Bruce Wayne. Honors Society, skipped a grade so he's in our year, student body president two years in a row, and he attends at least half the clubs on campus. He doesn't do any sports though, he's got some kind of condition that makes him more fragile than others. Probably for the best, if I had to live up to Dick Grayson in the athletics department... It would drive me crazy." She relays with a sigh.

So basically he's perfect. "How do you know so much about him?" Grant squints at her suspiciously. Sure they both have honors Society but that's more than she usually knows about their peers.

She fixes him with a deadpan look. "He's my partner in AP chem and we're both in the gardening club." 

"Is he single?" Surely not, Grant thinks, surely someone has noticed this angel by now. "Is he into men?" He continues.

"Leave him alone Grant, I'm serious. He's a good guy and he doesn't need you to be...weird. We don't want a repeat of last time." She says pointedly.

He hates when she brings that up. It's really not his fault he got caught, how was he supposed to know she had a dog? He's positive it won't happen that way this time. Besides this is different, she wasn't Jason. "Answer the question." He pleads. 

"For your information, I don't know. But I suspect he has something going on with Eddie Bloomberg." She tells him wearily.

Grant narrows his eyes. He'd heard, vaguely, of the guy. A lanky redhead who'd transferred from L.A., some movie producer's nephew or something. The most interesting thing about him is that he hasn't been permanently dress coded for wearing graphic T-shirts under his uniform shirt. A plan starts to form. Clearly, Jason is as in need of Grant's company as Grant is his. He just needs to get closer-

Jason glances his way, the prettiest brown eyes Grant has ever seen brush past him, that perfect quirk of lips is angled his way for just a moment and in that half second everything is right. Something inside him settles even as every nerve is lit up, poprocks under his skin. The moment is over as quickly as it started, Jason closes his locker and adjusts his books. When he starts towards his first class Grant moves to follow, pulled through space by the gravity in Jason's orbit, but Jade's iron grip on his shoulder stops him.

He yelps as he's jerked back, Jade looks more serious than he's ever seen her. "I'm serious Grant. I know how you get, with your...fixations. Jason is a good kid, I don't want you messing with him." She warns.

Grant scowls, shaking her off. He opens his mouth to pick a fight before he gathers his thoughts. With a sigh he lets himself untense. "Okay,"  he concedes, "I promise."

Jade eyes him suspiciously but nods. "Good." She closes her locker with a little more force than necessary. "Do you have any ideas for the project in bio then?”

~~~~~~~~~

I imagine he got around his promise to her by bringing up that Jason OFFERED to study with him! So it's not HIS doing that they hang out so much!! He tactfully doesn't mention that he's the reason they got paired together to begin with.

[metallica-jk]

Time for cover analysis of Glorious Rivals!

If you've seen my board, you may already know a few of my ideas for the book but if not then here is an essay about it! (mwahahaha)

The Mask- Everyone is talking about the colour of the mask but i think that's only to match the colour of the cover. BUT, if im wrong, i would suppose it means another Masquerade ball? Or flashbacks to it from a different perspective than it was originally written in? (what i mean by that is it was written in like Gigi's perspective and i swear Lyra's??)

The chain- I feel like thats representing Savannah and Rohan. The locket thing on it looks more like a clock though...but my eyes may deceiving me guys so dont trust my words!

The way it clashes with the gears, which in the previous books were on the exit door of the escape room Savannah and Rohan were in, shows that maybe something happens in that room again? Maybe a shmexy little intimate makeout scene? (*evil laughter noises*)

There's a hidden Omega sign that i feel might mean the end of the games? Or the end to something, at least.

The dart- In my opinion, this has either got to do with Brady for some reason, or another challenge in the games. Maybe its a passageway or like in a series of unfortunate events, its poisoned and someone dies? (i pray thats wrong but idk asoue came up when i saw a dart sorry guysss)

Sword connected to chain- Once again, In my opinion, this has got to be Grayson and Lyra. The sword has represented Grayson before, so i dont see why it shouldnt now. Now that i think about it, it could also be a game, or something to do with Gigi's kidnapping. But im sticking to Grayson and Lyra.

Also, to add to that, i feel like the sword is smaller since this book isnt really about THEIR relationship rather than Rohan's and Savannah's.

That leads me to THE DIAMOND- If yall have seen my board, I wrote in capitals "BYE BYE DIAMONDS?!"- what i mean by that is that last book, the cover had the clubs thing on it. And that team lost the game. (Ya'll lost the game too...iykyk) So i think that the diamonds might lose this game. But since Savvy is as much of a sore loser as Rohan, They're gonna make some *Drama*. Like our dear little Savvy said that she will reveal to the world what Avery did, Obviously also our sour british Rohan needs to win to prove himself, but since he loses, he wants revenge. And...BOOM! WE HAVE DRAMA!!! (*Jazz hands!*)

Finally, THE DOMINOES- Mmm maybe they just get pizza? who doesnt love a good dominoes? shit now im hungry...ANYWAY.

To be honest, i have no clue what this could be. Could this be like the dice? everyone gets two and they need to find what it means? Could it just be a gambling game that they do? something Rohan obviously specialises in. It could also stand for a person. But i doubt that.

Ya erm thats all of my little essay/ analysis

Ty if you read it till the end!

Tagging some of my lovely jubbly moots to torture them and make them read this (mwahahaha):

@zuzanna-jadw1ga @shattered-glass-roses @elizaa31 @allofmytoxicity @blocked-zombieartist

[existentialterror]

Light's ARG notes - Dear Evelyn

Dear Evelyn (spotify link) is a horror podcast with a few ARG elements! It's just coming out and it's really good. I know some of the people involved (though don't know anything else about the podcast itself) and really like the other podcast on their network, the Creepypasta Book Club. Check em out! There are also some ARG elements. (It looks like you can listen to the podcast without engaging with any of the ARG elements, at least for now, but it's early on and anyways I love an ARG.)

Under the cut I'm dropping a lot of spoiler notes on Episode 1 "introductions" and Episode 2 "The Attic", which is all that's out so far. Really just my notes on the characters and what we know about everything.

I'm taking a break for this in between working on the shorthand code, which... might take me a while. I know nothing about shorthand and never claimed to be good at codes in the first place. XD

Characters

The Payne family

Sparrow Payne - The voice of the show. Sending recordings to get back in touch with their younger sibling, Evelyn. Their father has just died and they've moved back to the old family house in Keen's Cross, Indiana.

Got emancipated at 16, hasn't been back since. Refers to themself as "the scary one" of the siblings.

Evelyn Payne - Sparrow's younger sister. Was more online at a younger age. Also left Keen's Cross early and has been estranged from everyone. Things are really tense with Sparrow, who doesn't even know their address, which Sparrow thinks is fair.

As a kiddo, really morbid and into scary stuff. Made up and was scared of "Gabe the Cave Monster".

On a post-it note on the wall of Evelyn's room, in her handwriting, is "Pale_Horse1392".

Pastor Roger Payne - Sparrow and Evelyn's dad, who recently died. Was always a hardass but really became a pious dick after his wife vanished.

Naomi Payne - Sparrow and Evelyn's mom, who went missing when Sparrow was - I forget but I want to say like 12 years old.

Into new age stuff, not as into the religious stuff, which was a point of conflict in her relationship with Roger.

Wrote extensive diaries.

Sparrow is pretty sure she's dead.

Other characters

Mrs. Rapperty (sp?): Next door neighbor, lives alone in big dirty house. Recluse. Now maybe has Alzheimer's or something. Said Naomi was so beautiful but that she lost the faith and left the kids - all of which was news to Sparrow. She seems to know something about Naomi.

Jake Petty: Gay kid that the kids knew when they were younger, stayed in Keen's Cross. Closer to Evelyn's age.

Officer Petty: Jake's dad. Cop.

Pastor Drayer (sp?): The new pastor. Was really curious about Evelyn at Roger's funeral, despite having never met either of the Payne kids.

The missing person case

According to news report at the end of "introductions", Naomi was: Reported as missing:

4 days after last seen

3 days after authorities were notified

Reported to outside authorities (like, police in another town) BY one of the kids hitchhiking to a nearby town. Guessing that's Sparrow, since Evelyn was very young.

Sparrow tried to get help and answers as a kid but doesn't seem to have known much.

Since she died, the entire case has been publicized and become infamous online, which Sparrow hates. A lot of stuff like Naomi's journals are digitally available.

Naomi's journals

Naomi wrote some every day, almost.

Some missing ones mentioned in "The Attic", including various years. The journals are indexed with letters.

Also lots of albums, almost all of the mom. Lots with the mom and some baby in places that don't look like Keen's Cross, which is confusing to Sparrow.

A lot of the diaries were made public but not these ones Sparrow just found in the attic.

Sparrow mentions one specific entry - 1992 (May 18) - Talking about Mt St Helens erupting, on its anniversary. Naomi tried to get others to leave town - something bad is happening here too.

An excerpt of one of the diaries, written in shorthand, was shared with the episode description. I'm still trying to figure out what it says.

The Payne House

Dad left the kid's rooms mostly untouched since they moved out.

Bunch of stuff in the attic that is padlocked shut. Wild!

As of "The Attic", at Evelyn's suggestion, Sparrow found the key taped to the underside of Dad's night stand.

The attic contained a bunch of Naomi's things and diaries, mostly untouched in interceding years. Unclear how much of this, if any, the police ever saw. There are sections of the diaries - like in shorthand - that definitely never appeared online, and that Sparrow never saw before.

pale_Horse1392

Right, so in the description of "introductions", there's a link to this image:

The QR code goes to this youtube channel, which contains (at time of writing) only this cryptic video.

So I'm thinking pale_horse1392 is either Evelyn, or someone Evelyn was in contact with as a young person.

Riddle

If you click on the drawing of Gabe the Cave Monster in the episode 2 notes, there's a link to a riddle. I also have not figured out the riddle.

[ask-elland-n-will]

OOC Question:

I am sorry, I am sure you already answered that Question, but how did Will and Elland come to life? 💚

How did you come up with their names and personality?

[I'm gonna call this recent series of ooc asks "Lily rambles while on a walk without proofreading anything"!

Cyrus was first, I cannot begin this conversation without bringing him up. I played him in a DnD campaign for about a year. Elland happened a little while later, but was just an NPC, somebody for the game master to bring up to get the plot going. I switched into playing Elland cause I wanted to give another class a go: Cyrus went home to take care of family stuff, and Elland moved into his friendgroup to help prevent the end of the world. Typical DnD stuff.

Elland is supposed to Cy's foil. Their dynamic was great, their differences stood out more when they were paired up. I wanted a really strong bond.

HL came around — and as I was playing Elland in DnD at the time, I used him in HL. When starting a replay of the game, I went with another archetype I always loved, a talkative cute ginger sunshine boy (we know how he mutated since then 🤣). It was a switch from Cyrus into Will, because Cyrus, being an adult in DnD, was, for the lack of the better word, too horny and abrasive. He didn't fit in a school, and at the time the thought of changing him felt like a monumental task.

So I created another foil for Elland. Will now is so far from his original self that I might as well come up with another cute sweet OC. It always happens like that with my characters. When it feels like one has too much of everything, the character branches out into other characters. Will used to be a coward — and don't get me wrong, self preservation is strong in this one but he knows when to pick his fights and is not easily scared when he can explain things logically (pickle was an exception but he got over that fear after a while). But with time Fred took over the coward role.

Lilith was supposed to be sweet — yet now she's unhinged, strong, domineering — those qualities didn't sit right with any other characters.

Elland was supposed to be more like he is in DnD, this figure making tough choices and not being afraid to get his hands dirty to protect family. But it felt wrong for the HL setting, and thus I have Fyodor, who is even more straightforward. Wherr Elland still can tell a white lie — Fyodor is brutally honest, even if it needlessly hurts somebody's feelings.

I'm rambling at this point haha

Names? Elland — I was in a book club at the time, going through The Mistborn series and The City of Brass. There was a character in the first book series, Elend Venture, whom I liked a lot. When I was coming up with names, I wrote "Elland" and only way later realized why it feels so familiar. I got inspired without knowing.

The second book is fantasy set around the world of djinn. That was the inspiration that made Cyrus a genasi, and de Strontiums in general came from the Middle East (still haven't decided if Egypt or Turkey). There were a few centuries of assimilation both in DnD and HL, so Elland and Cyrus are mixed race.

Cyrus is a name of Persian origin with Greek roots. It meant "sun". With how the boy is burning, it was fitting. And in Genshin there is a guy named Cyrus who is the head of the Adventurers guild. So I had a good feeling about the name.

Their last names, too. Strontium is/was added to fireworks to give them red colour. I've mentioned before that their family came from firework making origins. It's a tradition for them, even when they became nobleman. They branched out into firearms eventually, that's how the majority of their family's wealth was accumulated, helping supply the Crown. In DnD — making weapons for the city guards, and a bunch of other experimental projects that had to do with explosives. Cyrus was reeeealy born for this.

William — always loved the name, no other reason. Abbott — I was looking all over the wiki for a family name that would soften their stance on muggles. I don't remember exactly, but later down the line Abbott's married muggles. Even is Sacred families weren't really a think in HL times (I think?) It doesn't make Will any less generationally pureblood.

For personalities - I'll lump Will and Cyrus in the same category. I needed someone fun. Fun, outgoing, energetic, inspired. And to pair them up for a dynamic I liked, I needed someone calm. Supportive, more empathetic, good listener but somebody with a firm hand to direct Will/Cyrus if they get carried away. W/C should hold E in high regard. E is the kind of person to ground them and make them see things they are too blinded to see.

In practice (roleplay) it's a bit harder to do, so don't be surprised if the characters sometimes do things you didn't think they would do. That, and coming from DnD, Elland especially, Tumblr will just never see some of the sides of him I see critical for understanding his character. Now that I made up my mind about my boys' as OCs lore, the dangerous and unforgiving environment that was HL MC lore and DnD lore — it moved aside.

Elland is a Hufflepuff here only because I couldn't decide between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff because I wanted Puff's commonroom. If I made a choose on behalf of the DnD Elland, he is more Ravenclaw than Puff in terms of personality. A lot of it just didn't come to him until he went to magic academy. And again, bringing up harsh MC lore, now I can't really show off how he operates under pressure and how smart and quick-thunking he is, and how passion can cloud his judgement, especially when his loved ones are involved. Dueling might be the only way for that to slip through.]

[nanuk-dain]

First Line Analysis

Rules: post the first lines of up to 10 of your last fics/chapters posted on AO3 or your WIPs and try to draw some conclusions.

Oh, that's interesting. I've never thought about that... Thank you so much @gorgeousundertow for the tag <3

1 - Mike keeps the 50-cal directed at the field to the right of the victor where numerous distant shapes in desert cammies and woodland flak vests are progressing at a slow pace. (From The World's Smallest Book Club Ch 33)

Okay, so we learn who the narrator is, that it's a military setting and that something is happening, but we don't know what. Those who know Generation Kill will also probably be able to place the scene even with the little intel we have.

2 - Gabe wakes because something is tickling his nose, and the first thing he realises is that he's lying on his ratty couch with his feet dangling over one side. (From Nocturnal Revelations)

What I like about this is that we're wondering what the reason for the tickling is, and we immediately know it's a civilian setting - two things that make it interesting to read on.

3 - "Ah, Ray... Is that Brad dragging the LT?" Ray looks up curiously at the sound of Walt's voice, because it's an interesting mixture of incredulous and concerned. (From Unit Ch 113)

One of the few times I start with direct speech, it seems. And the question itself is so unusual that I think it gets the reader curious right away, while we also know that it's Ray's POV and he's talking about Brad and Nate to Walt who's obviously having a hard time believing what he's seeing. I think that sets up the scene enough to draw the reader in, which is what I was going for.

4 - When Tim opens his eyes, the first thing he notices is that his head hurts, followed by staring up into a familiar face hovering over his own. (From Confluence Ch 1)

We end up smack in the middle of the situation here, and all we know is that it's Tim's POV and that something happened that apparently made him pass out and left him with a head that hurts. Enough to pique your interest, right? ^_^ This is in fact a collab with @mac-and-geese, but I think I can use it since I was the one who wrote the start of our fic.

5 - When Michael 'Budweiser' Brunmeier enlists in the Marine Corps, he knows that he's not straight, and he's okay with that. (From Origins Ch 1)

This time it's again setting just enough of the scene to make you curious. Just one sentence, but we already know there's going to be issues because being in the Marine Corps and not being straight at that time set you on a path of conflict with DADT.

6 - Sleeping in a tactical huddle is not gay. Chaffin knows that. It's a fact. Everybody in the entire military - no matter which branch - knows that. (From Tactical Huddle)

Okay, I notice a pattern here, because it's basically the same general issue set up here as in the fic before. Military, gay, DADT. Except that apparently our MC isn't nearly as okay with it as Budweiser XD

7 - Evan has no idea how it even happened. Because he's not fucking gay, and neither is John. (From Screwing Boundaries Ch 1)

Huh, again with the gay conflict, with just enough intel to get the readers curious. And again the scene's not set much beyond that we know who's talking and what the general issue is. I seem to do that a lot O_o

8 - Brad looks around and can't help feeling out of place. (From Welcome Home)

Oh, finally something a little different XD But again we only know who the narrator is and that something's up. Considering that Brad is rarely feeling out of place, that triggers the urge to know what situation he's in that he does feel out of place.

9 - When Rich returns to his victor after his tour around the perimeter of Alpha's watch posts, the firefights outside the walls of the cigarette factory are still going strong. (From Reassurance)

Okay, yeah, I definitely like leaving people with just enough intel to get curious. This is probably one of the more detailled settings of the situation, and again people who know Generation Kill will know from that sentence alone where we are and what the situation is.

10 - "The former patient rooms will do nicely as accommodation." Brad reports to Lieutenant Fick when they're walking towards the entrance to the large room that has been ransacked to bareness and where the men of Bravo Two are setting up camp. (From Sir)

Another first line that gives just enough intel to know where we are, whose POV we have and who is part of the scene. At least I have two fics that give a little more info than just a tease in the first sentence XD

Conclusion:

Huh... So I guess I like throwing the reader smack in the middle of the situation while also making it clear right away whose POV we're experiencing. Seems I never start a fic/chapter with describing the setting, I just drop my main character into it and leave the reader to figure out what's going on alongside my MC. I never noticed I do that. And I'm not sure what to make of it, either XD And apparently I tend to try to create curiosity in the reader about what's going on, and give just enough of the setting to get you interested. That's kind of a common thread I noticed going over those first lines, and the funny thing is that I actually don't do that on purpose, it just happens...

Okay, since this was such an interesting experiment, I want to give the same opportunity to @anthrobrat, @mac-and-geese, @military-bluebells and @meganmoonlight. Have fun, my friends, and learn something about yourself and your writing ;D

[dyannawynnedayne]

3!

Okay, so I rated six books five stars this year (I am easily won), so let's see, from 1 to 5:

-Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. Like I said in a previous ask, Ash and Huntress by Lo were my gay awakening in my late middle school/early high school lol. Like yeah yeah the internet (which I wasn't really introduced to til like 14 as it was) was all well and good but it was my first time reading a genuinely gay book and it did something to me. So I was primed to like this-- and it was amazing. It was deeply personal and grounded in the very real experiences of the Chinese-Americans in 1950s San Franciscio, while still maintaining the dreamlike vibes that Lo is know for. It's themes regarding being part of a longer chain in time, both in relation to the main character's queerness but also as a Chinese person, were woven in so beautifully. This book started at #3 and the more I wrote the more I convinced myself it needed to be in #1.

-Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle. Never before have I felt so seen as an autistic person reading that book! Creeped me out in a way I haven't been creeped out by in a while also lol And now the more I read from our good friend Dr Tingle the more I'm in love with his work. I am fully subscribed to the buckaroo lifestyle.

-The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. So much happens in this book I'll fight people!! It's so good. So so so good. The worldbuilding was rich the language was beautiful the characters were wonderful. My heart was tugged and pulled many ways in this book. I have a problem with certain books where I struggle to get through them bc I'm so busy taking notes on them, going "THIS is what I want to write!!!!" that I take forever to read them. This was one of those.

-The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri. My girls!!! I waited a while to read this one. Long enough in fact that I'm pretty sure the third book in the trilogy is out now. People who say they like ruthless women in fiction will like this. Epic fantasy set in a world inspired by the bollywood films the author grew up with, the novels follow primarily two women on opposite ends of an imperial spectrum, but follow others caught in the wave of change that's coming. I love Priya and Malini, the main characters, would kill for them, need more people to read this series and make art of it. It is the big, fun drama I want in my epic fantasies. And, since we're on an asoiaf blog, Ashok is very Rhaegar coded, to me.

-The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec. I kind of expected this to be relatively generic medieval fantasy when I read the description ngl! And it does follow the beats of traditional fantasy-- very traditional. Much and more of the characters are pulled from the Icelandic Sagas, and the author is a frequent re-enactor and scholar of the period. While looking up this book will find you lots of identity-based reviews (this book has a large, diverse cast) and fanfic-based spoilers, this book is deeply not that, and I urge people to skip reviews and just read it.

[besavedbyaperfectkiss]

This is the last thing I'm gonna say and god I hope the person who started this witch hunt for my best friend sees it.

You took one of the most loving, wholesome, wonderful people on this site and tried to make them a villain. And they were seen as a villain since April. Now you're starting it all up again just as it was getting better. That is what I call immaturity at it's finest. This vague posting, "oh i know all their lies" (there aren't any), she bullied all of my friends (no she blocked anyone who she thought was going to trash talk her, her family, friends, etc. all due to a MISUNDERSTANDING which is still happening in your brain because you have no comprehensive reading skills. Read what she actually wrote then get back to me on all your thoughts), several people on here who know her boyfriend irl and actually know he does what he does (he's even my cousin, an actual breathing human!!) including working with a certain singer and yes even talking to her PR manager from time to time (she never once said she talks to Tree directly so get off whatever high ass horse you're on) and everything else she is apparently lying about bc I'm sure all of your dumb evidence will definitely see all of this through and so much more.

You are Not a journalist. This is tumblr dot com. It is Not that serious and yet you want to make others hurt. And congratulations. Molly has left and not only her, but her friends are hurting as well. All because you have some wild delusional list that apparently makes her out to be an evil witch. Try again. Tumblr has never been a place for this. We have moved on. Everyone has. But then there's you. Talk to me if you want actual evidence that you so badly crave. Not people you think might possibly be right. You definitely aren't.

Bottom line stop with the pointless hate, stop with the bullying, stop with the vague posting. I can't not vague post because you blocked me when I never even spoke a word to you.

Be the better person here. We all want to have fun. You took away bingo nights, live blogging with her and her bf, book club, amazing black and white gifsets, a safe space for everyone, a place for great advice, a loving and dear friend to so many, and for what? Your little list? Please.

[myf00djournal]

Out on my morning walk looking like a well matched queen 👸🏻

Thinking about my peers on here doing some reflecting and setting of goals and pondering if I set concrete goals for myself this year. Retrospectively, yes I suppose I did! Things just kind of happened and I guess seeing them through was the persistence.

My brain dump looking back -

👩🏻‍🏫 Work - Hmm. Well I started in a role that will not exist next year which is a shame. I will still be in a similar role, albeit temporarily until the end of the year. Then, I am not sure what’s happening. My HSC class ranked 1st in our system so that’s pretty exciting. I made a lot of connections with my students and supported them through some pretty heavy shit…

📚 Study - …This then prompted me to start my Masters which I am 3 units into. I have been toying with the idea of pursuing this for ten years so that is a long term goal achieved for sure!

💵 Other work - I wrote freelance exam papers and did HSC marking for some side money 💰 I have said no to the exam papers for next year which I am so proud of myself for.

🏋🏽‍♀️ Training - I went to the gym 170 times which seems to average 3-4 times per week. Sounds right. Jan-Sept is hard because of netball, I was lucky to get to the gym 3 times per week during the season. My gym doesn’t open on Sundays either. Sept-Dec was a solid hit out during the challenge. I managed to lose 10kg, making my total loss since September 2022 16kg without any gains back. I didn’t suffer any major injuries in the gym and this contributed to my consistency and ability to push myself more.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Parkrun - I ran 33 parkruns this year. In April last year I set a goal to get back under 30 mins. I did it this year not once but nine times 🥹 all in the second half of the year. This was my biggest running year since 2019 due to lockdowns etc.

🏐 Netball - My rep and club team both finished 3rd 🥲 I had great seasons, particularly for club my shooting accuracy was the highest and most consistent it’s been for years sitting around 85-90% every game. That was my goal ✅ No injuries that sidelined me - except for my dislocated finger 🤣 briefly. Another goal ✅

💵 Monies - Without putting amounts out there it’s pleasing and also a privilege to get through the year comfortably. I got to travel with my bestie at the start of the year, book a holiday with Josh (Wednesday eee) and still save a good amount for my emergency fund, general savings and pay for my units upfront for uni (although 75% is subsidized thanks government). When I cleaned out my wardrobe I was pleased not too part with too much which means I haven’t overconsumed and wasted.

🏥 Health - I had my endo surgery which had been on my mind for about 3-4 years. ✅ I already feel so many benefits from it and regret not having it again sooner (last one was 2009!). Had another iron infusion. Generally, I do look after my health and try to do regular dental, chiro, GP visits etc. I only saw my psych once this year. I could probably have done with a top up because things got very dicey for me around April, but we made it through.

🥂 Alcohol - I stopped drinking between August-November and since have only had alcohol on 5 occasions (I use a dry days tracker). I’m sorting out when feels safe for me to drink and how much control I have. The reset has really helped me understand why I used to drink, sometimes alone, and that I put myself in unsafe situations when this happens. I still have some soul searching to go but I am on the right track.

My brain dump for 2024 -

👩🏻‍🏫 Work - Enjoy the year. Relax a little. Set boundaries. Know where you stand.

📚 Study - Complete 5 units

💵 Other work - HSC marking and that’s it

🏋🏽‍♀️ Training - Keep up with gym, average 4-5 times per week. Bench 60! Be nicer to people at 5am 🤣

🏃🏽‍♀️ Running - Attend as many parkruns as I can. Go under 28 (home PB). Volunteer more. Maybe do a half again in November? Depends on other factors.

🏐 Netball - Have already said no to rep (can you tell I am being so firm with my resources next year?). Will always play club. Goal - Win grand final again. Shoot at 90-95% accuracy.

💵 Monies - We connected with a financial advisor just before Christmas so plan to see that through and have a look at what we can do! Clearer goals will then form. I also want to stop shouting people things. I am overly generous with this and it needs to stop because a lot of the time it’s colleagues who never do a shout so it never comes back to me 🥲

🏥 Health - Find out what I am anaphylactic to on 28/2 😀 and hopefully don’t die during that test! Continue managing my endo and other factors that connect to all of that. Maintain my weight loss in healthy and sensible means (which I am confident in myself I can).

🥂 Alcohol - I want to continue to be mindful in my motives for drinking, how society has normalized alcohol consumption, etc. I want to be safe, feel healthy and not ruin next days for myself.

📷 - My bestie and I need to take more photos together

📱- I really need to reduce my screen time (cruise will help with this!)

📖- I really need to read more (2 books planned for our cruise!)

🧽 - I keep editing and adding to this lol. I want to maintain a really minimal space inside our home. We have done a lot of decluttering the last few weeks and I am really keen to keep it up. We have a council clean up booked for 2/1 and what better way to start the NY! Can’t wait to drag some of our old stuff out and say see ya 👋🏾

[wolfiemcwolferson]

My sweet friend @dm3rv hasn’t been feeling well so I wrote her a little ficlet since I’m doing that right now. 

Carlando & First Kisses. Background Maxiel and Piarles.

Max tumbles through their front door with Daniel in tow on a Thursday afternoon. He’s got an armful of groceries and news.

Lando is glad for the tea, not so glad for the news.

“He’s moving back?” Lando tries to get his voice even when he asks again, even though he heard Max properly the first time and the fourth time. 

“Next week,” Danny says, halfway hanging out of their freezer. “Something about a job and then something dramatic and broody - you know how he gets. Weird bastard.”

“He’s not weird,” Lando snaps at him and then has to watch in shame as Max and Daniel exchange a look.

They don’t know, of course, no one does. Not about the way Lando had been probably more than a little bit in love with Carlos when he left and not how Carlos had nearly kissed him, but then didn’t - apologizing with his words and his eyes and the frantic way he had fled the apartment that night.

They don’t know how much it wrecked him mostly because they don’t know how close the two of them actually were since their friendship had been built in the quite moments in the middle of loud ones. 

Danny dragging them all out to a new club opening and Lando sneaking out the back to get some fresh air, Carlos following and the two of them stealing away to share a plate of food in a tiny shop. 

Carlos calling him in the middle of the night when he was hiding from Max and Daniel on his balcony because only Lando would understand only for Lando to invite him over. Carlos would sleep on the couch and the two of them would eat badly cooked eggs together the next morning before Carlos would slip away.

“It’s only been four months.” Lando says, trying to be more neutral about Carlos. “What happened to his opportunity of a lifetime?”

“Don’t know mate.” Danny shrugs. “Just called and asked if I knew of anyone looking for a roommate.”

Lando nods stiffly, folding the bag up neatly and leaving it on the counter. “Gonna go shower,” he says quietly and then he slips out of the kitchen, but not before he hears Max say softly what the hell was that about.

.

Max invites him to the dinner that Charles and Pierre host for Carlos’ Welcome Back to London party, but Lando gives a halfhearted excuse and Max gives him another one of the weird looks he’s been giving him over the last two weeks and he and Danny leave.

The night drags on and Lando stuffs it all down - the silence between them and the anger and embarrassment of that last night and the feelings that he can’t seem to get rid of, no matter how hard he tries. 

He eats his cold takeaway from last night and he tries to read a book before he gives up and turns on that show he’s meant to be enjoying and then he takes another shower before pulling on his favorite hoodie, his favorite sweatpants, his favorite pair of socks.

And then someone knocks on the door. 

Lando checks his phone on instinct, assuming that he will see a half a dozen texts from Max about how he and Danny have both left their keys somewhere, but there’s nothing and it’s too late for anyone else to just show up unannounced, but Lando probably has no self preservation because he throws the door open without checking to see who is behind it and then he very nearly stops breathing.

“Carlos,” Lando chokes out, feeling unsteady and angry.

How dare Carlos show up after nearly five months of radio silence looking beautiful and tired around the edges and nervous as he shifts around with his hands in his pockets.

“What are you -”

But Lando can’t finish his question because Carlos takes a big step into his space, arms immediately wrapping around Lando’s waist. 

“Max said you were not seeing anyone.” Carlos whispers against Lando’s neck.

Which is ridiculous. He hasn’t seen him in this long and that’s the first thing he says to him? No.

Lando squirms away and glares and then Carlos - the bastard - laughs. Nose scrunched up and looking far too happy.

“Max said you were not seeing anyone,” Carlos says again, “And so I thought I would come and ask you to dinner.”

Lando’s blink is slow, he tries to give his brain time to catch up to what Carlos is saying to him. “You -” he clears his throat. “You want to take me to dinner.”

Carlos nods.

“You didn’t -” Lando thinks about that last night. How Carlos had pulled away from the kiss just before their lips connected. The way he had fled the apartment. It’s embarrassing and awful.

Carlos’ hand on his cheek and his nose is brushing Lando’s. “I should have.”

“You can take me to dinner,” Lando whispers, feeling warm all over and so so confused, but like he’s exactly where he wants to be. 

“Do I have to wait to kiss you?” Carlos laughs again, but in that awkward way he does when he’s nervous and Lando should say yes and make him wait but Lando has also been waiting months.

It’s nothing more than a press of lips. Lando missing a bit, mostly landing on the side of Carlos’ mouth, but it’s e v e r y t h i n g and Lando melts into him completely, pressed against him fully, readjusting to land more firmly on his mouth, shuddering when Carlos wraps one of his hands around the base of his neck -

“Well, I guess we know where Carlos ran off to.” 

Lando gasps, pulling away as Danny starts to cackle from down the hall.

“I am sorry, Landito.” Carlos mumbles to him before turning towards Max and Danny who are standing at the end of the hall with very different expressions. 

“Is this why you have been in such a mood?” Max points rather aggressively at the place that Carlos is still pressed against Lando.

“It’s why they’ve both been in such a mood.” Danny gasps out between his laughter. 

Lando tries to shrink away, but Carlos’ hand is firm around his waist. 

“Well,” Max drawls, “You will need to come inside and explain why you were just kissing Lando in the hallway.”

Carlos noses against Lando’s hair and whispers. “I missed you. Very much.”

Lando has a million questions, but he’s going to save them for tomorrow.

[bronanlynch]

this one has a muffin recipe which hopefully makes up for the extended discussion on gender in a disappointing YA novel. anyway. happy wednesday

listening (podcast): keeping up with Palisade, where the table friends are as usual entirely on their bullshit. love a story that asks the real questions like, what if you follow some guy into a public bathroom and then it turns out he's in charge of the fucked up evil intelligence organization that used to kind of be in charge of the entire planet.

I'm also going back and listening to the Great Gundam Project episodes on original Gundam, which they did at the very beginning since they're going in chronological order and it is so funny to go from later episodes where I'm like "wow these people are so smart and know so much more about Gundam than I do" to "wow these people are so smart and are doing some incredibly insightful analysis considering they don't know shit about Gundam"

also this was a Media Club Plus week. Jack made lots of fun observations about Killua and his relationship to violence and also Gon that will be very interesting to revisit in like a hundred episodes. god I love dramatic irony

listening (music): for once in my life I'm listening to new music, from a self-described "flaming queer power pop" band from New Jersey called Teenage Halloween (I would say they're more punk than that description implies to me, the lead vocals especially are very classic punk, by which I mean rough and hoarse and shouty in a good way). here's their bandcamp, I think my favorite tracks are Takeaway and Getting Bitter, but they're a fun band and they have a sound that I enjoy. and also for normal reasons I like when people sing about New Jersey and/or living in a shitty suburban town

reading: finally finished Leigh Bardugo's Rule of Wolves (last book in the Grishaverse series). some wild tonal dissonance at the end because it's supposed to be a hopeful ending where the future is going to be better and maybe Ravka as a country can change and be better, except the main characters spent the past two books inventing industrialized warfare and that is not something that can just be undone?? they have missiles now??? sorry but once you introduce missiles to your fantasy setting I no longer believe that the future will be kinder & less violent than the past. also, the gender. it's time to talk about gender again. Nina's love interest Hanne, who has repeatedly been uncomfortable presenting as feminine, kills a guy who sucks and steals his identity, and talks about feeling more like themself because now they're not seen as a woman. this is the part that I like, it's fun and interesting and I think it's cool when trans people do regicide (the guy was a prince). the parts I feel conflicted are the way Nina reacts with such disappointment that Hanne no longer looks how they used to (though she does come around to the idea), the fact that all of this comes from Nina's perspective (when Nina has spent the entire duology waxing poetic about what a beautiful woman Hanne is, when Hanne is explicitly uncomfortable with being seen as beautiful or a woman) with nothing from Hanne's point of view, the fact that this reveal happens at the very end leaving no space to see how this changes their relationship moving forward or to see Hanne exploring what their transition means to them, and the way it ties to something Bardugo said, back between the Six of Crows duology and this one, where she said that the next time she wrote Nina, her love interest would be a woman. and don't get me wrong, I love that Nina's bisexuality is very present on the page. however. Idk. that doesn't seem accurate and it feels clumsily handled like. sorry that's a transmasc butch who deserves a girlfriend who isn't constantly thinking about how pretty they were when they were forced to have long hair

however, in books that I'm enjoying much more, I'm reading The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu, a near-future sci-fi Hamlet retelling about trying to create a scientific cure for death in which Horatio is the AI of the unethical science lab and also (I think, based on what I've read so far) in love with the Hamlet figure. it fucking rules. I'm a known fan of Hamlet & Hamlet retellings, and also when the setting is alive & sentient & loves you, and also relationships between people and like, non-humanoid intelligences (it's kind of like the reverse of a possession romance, instead of the god/robot/etc inhabiting the human the human is the one doing the possession). also, I think the sense of paranoia & claustrophobia from the original Hamlet is done really well here, in a way that works well thematically and also feels. Idk. I'm trying to figure out a way to say this without psychoanalyzing myself on main but it's a very compassionate depiction of the Hamlet figure's mental state that's just. nice to read. anyway. structurally I love that it's framed as though it's someone's thesis about an incident that they've researched, so there are bits that are excerpts from phone logs and trial transcripts and things like that. I'm partway through but it's extremely good so far

watching: continuing to keep up with the TGCF donghua (for once I've seen the newest ep before posting this), which continues to be a good fun time, even if the cr*nchyroll subtitles are pretty awful (both in terms of typos and also the way they sub gege as Lian). but I do like this arc! it's fun! Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are in love!

watched a few more episodes of Hunter x Hunter to keep up with MC+ and I've gotta say, I enjoy Hisoka as a character a lot more than I did the first time I watched this. I am not immune to when a fucked up guy with a cool design murders people with playing cards. however, even though Kurapika didn't do much in the assassin/battle royale bit of the Hunter Exam, Kurapika is still my favorite

moving on to the normal amount of Gundam we watched, we finished Zeta! god. Zeta my fucking beloved. I think the ending pays off a lot of the stuff about Newtypes as a stand-in for human connection, by which I mean it fucking rules that the Zeta Gundam has ghosts in it and that Kamille can defeat Scirocco, who does not form equal partnerships with anyone or listen to their advice, by listening to the advice of his (dead) friends who live in his brain & his robot. also like, I still don't like Reccoa's plotline overall but her confrontations with Kamille & Char do a lot of good characterization work for both of them (Kamille refusing to believe that she's not just really deep undercover! Char uninterested in hearing her reasoning and attacking immediately but still unable to kill her and surprised by that!) and also I love her final fight with Emma. her and Emma killing each other is yuri, to me. on a design note, I think I tend to prefer the mobile suits in 0079, because under no circumstances do you have to hand it to the Principality of Zeon but they knew how to make a grunt suit with some fun shapes in a way that the Federation/Titans simply do not apparently. however! shout out to the Qubeley. what a neat-looking robot

and of course, immediately after finishing Zeta we started ZZ so. that also is a thing I watched. the tone whiplash from the ending of Zeta with a bunch of people dying and a kind of bittersweet victory to the beginning of ZZ was wild. Judau is so much more of a plucky YA protagonist, and there's so much more of a tone of, these kids are going to do some wacky shenanigans. like, Yazan goes from horrifying to a comedic figure. which is not to say it's bad! I am enjoying it! but sometimes it kind of feels like an entirely different creative team (which I know it's not, I know this is still very much still Tomino. but there's such a major vibeshift). my favorite thing about ZZ so far is all of the class stuff, it's nice to have that as a lens to view this setting (an extremely predictable thing for me, guy who loves stories about class conflict, to say). but I like having protagonists who are concerned about their own economic stability (though it does raise questions of like, is Bright getting paid?? by whom??? is he getting paychecks from the Federation still/again?? who is paying for Kamille's hospital bills??? Tomino please show me the Argama's budget spreadsheets). my other favorite thing is that Bright is still here, even though he is very tired and deserves a vacation. he has Such big single parent energy now, good luck to him. my other other favorite thing is that Roux Louka exists, she's a lot of fun so far

playing: still working my way through Ace Attorney 5. Aura is back and I love her! also I'm becoming invested in the concept of Clay/Apollo, partially because I am not immune to Apollo wearing Clay's jacket and partially because I love when you go to Aura's lab and Apollo is there talking to her, and he immediately realizes that Aura and Metis were in love even though Aura denies it, and her loss of Metis is paralleled with Apollo's loss of Clay. there's something compelling to me there as a story about queer grief, and mourning someone's loss even when you can't talk about exactly what they meant to you

making: we've made a couple of recipes from the Skyrim cookbook (cheese fondue, glazed carrots) (not at the same time to be clear. those were different meals) and they both turned out pretty tasty. however, the most exciting thing we made was the muffins from this post. they are, in fact, extremely good. we doubled the recipe because what would we do with an extra half a can of pumpkin

drinking: one of Lamplighter's pride beers from this summer was a sour ale with butterfly pea flower & lemon, and I'm trying to drink through the summer beers in our fridge to make room for all of the autumnal ciders. this one's tasty! again, love it when beers are citrusy & floral

writing: still working on a zine fic that I can't share yet, and also the extremely Palisade spoiler-y Integrity fic from a few weeks ago (to be fair I haven't gotten to the spoiler-y parts yet, instead I'm continuing to be possibly the only person in the fandom who cares about Orbit Shard). also, predictably, I've started writing Gundam fic. predictably, it's Emma/Reccoa and instead of getting to the kissing part Emma is introspecting about ideology

[wondereads]

May Reading Wrap-Up

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (10/10)

I love this book so much! I reread it for my book club, through which I recruited to of my friends to the cause. This was my first time rereading since reading The Golden Enclaves, and the foreshadowing is just so insane. El and Orion drive me nuts, I can't possibly be normal about them. This has to be one of my favorite fantasy worlds with tons of great worldbuilding and an incredibly interesting language and physical effort-based magic system. READ THIS BOOK!!

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (7/10)

It took me a while to finish this book, but I got through it. It was a solid 7 for me, which is what I typically give average books. I think it moved way to slowly, and really could not have cared less about Dorian's whole thing, but there were parts I liked. I really enjoyed Manon's perspective—the wyverns are just so cool—I liked Aedion, and Aelin's finale was pretty good, even if I wasn't a huge fan of the build-up. I like that the romance seems to be taking a turn towards a slow burn, which I prefer infinitely to the meet-and-get-together-in-one-book approach that Maas often uses.

Broken Bonds by J. Bree (7/10)

This is technically a reread as well. I really enjoy the premise of this story, even though the plot isn't very strong. It's a great wish-fulfillment romance, especially for anyone who likes a heaping dose of angst. The substance is...nonexistent, but I still enjoyed it and sped through it.

Savage Bonds by J. Bree (8/10)

The second in the series, this one gets into it a little more. It feels like things actually happen in this book, and the cliffhanger is much better! There's significant developments in the romance, and a lot of the previously one-dimensional characters get some death. There's definitely still a lot of round-aboutness and frustration, but it's improving.

Blood Bonds by J. Bree (8/10)

I pushed through this one last night so I could include it in the post. I will say that I hit a block with this one. It starts out with a ton of action and then it just kind of stalls in the middle. Oleander expresses frustration about being protected and doing nothing, and I was right there with her. Honestly, a lot of the action is starting to feel recycled in this book; the Resistance has like one plan of attack. The huge upside is Oleander's bonds. We're finally getting to properly know them, and North in particular has a miraculous redemption arc. As of right now, my favorites of them are Gryphon and Atlas. The reason this book is an 8 instead of a 7 is an absolutely crazy, jaw-dropping, insane plot twist at the end.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (7/10)

Suzanne Collins really wrote a book from the perspective of her most horrible villain and it worked. Collins does a great job of balancing reader investment with reminders about Snow's true personality, and it was so interesting to see the Games be shaped to what they are in the original trilogy. That being said, I did find it very slow; there was a lot of unnecessary detail that really slowed down the plot, especially in the third part.

Island of Silence by Lisa McMann (8/10)

The first book of The Unwanteds is firmly average. It's fun to read, but it lacks something that makes it stand out, especially considering when it was published. That all changes in Island of Silence. While the first half of the book is just okay and there are some character choices that irk me, the second half is just batshit insane. All sorts of things are happening, including some great worldbuilding developments, and there's a huge plot twist at the end. It definitely makes you want to read the next book!

Code by Kathy and Brendan Reichs (8/10)

I really enjoy the Virals series. It's a candy series for me; not exactly great quality but so much fun to eat. The mysteries in these books are always so well-planned and researched; it's obvious the Reichs put a ton of effort into writing these. If you ever want to know some facts about Charleston, just read these books. I'm a fan of Tory Brennan, she's a relatable and likable protagonist, and I loved that the romantic subplot was getting more attention in this one. My one major complaint is that Tory seems to be shifting more and more in not-like-other-girls. In the first book, she at least had one other girl she was friends with/looked up to. Now most of her female interactions are limited to her dad's well-meaning but frankly idiotic girlfriend and her school bullies, which doesn't really make for an incredibly feminist narrative.

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System Vol. 4 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (10/10)

This book is after the main story has ceased and is a collection of short stories and extras that are basically just fanfiction. I loved it. It was cute, silly, and...steamy at times. I feel like after the third volume, which while great doesn't really have the time to delve into the main relationship, it's the perfect addition. It's pretty adorable to watch them become more comfortable around each other, and there's also some development for the secondary relationship and some side characters such as Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan. I enjoyed myself supremely.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (9/10)

This book has been hyped up to the moon and back, so I was a little nervous going in, but I really enjoyed it! This book was packed to the brim with action, and I loved the romance. It is fundamentally a fantasy romance with the romance taking precedence over logic occasionally, but it was just so enjoyable to read. There's always something going on, I absolutely loved the worldbuilding, and the dragons, both their magic and personalities, were engaging and likable. Also, Yarros does a great job foreshadowing twists without over-compensating, which is an issue I run into frequently. I refrained from giving this book a 10/10 for two reasons. First, it is pretty cliche, and second, while I liked Violet and her skills, her personality is kind of cookie-cutter for NA romantasy protagonists.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

This guy is really cool. I've had this podcast episode downloaded since it came out a couple of months ago, and just got to listening to it today. It's the podcast of the coolest comedy club in the world, interviewing Oliver Double, who runs the British Stand-Up Comedy archive at the University of Kent.

I have obviously browsed the online catalogue of that archive quite a bit - you can also do that, if you like, it's here:

Oliver Double has written several books that I very much want to read. One called Getting the Joke, which is a history of stand-up, and looks absolutely fascinating. Its second edition was in 2013, and it covers all kinds of stuff, according to the reviews I've read. I've not actually acquired it, because all the ways I've seen to do that would cost a massive amount of money in things like shipping fees, to get it in Canada.

He also wrote a book more recently called Alternative Comedy: 1979 and the Reinvention of British Stand-Up (Cultural Histories of Theatre and Performance), and obviously want to read that. It's that thing Stewart Lee is always banging on about, the many godfathers of the alternative comedy movement, a thing I know some stuff about but feel like I should know far, far more than I do, and I'm pretty sure this book would tell me. Though it has the same issue - can't get it in Canada without paying huge fees.

A friend of mine in London has actually been in contact with Oliver Double, because he's the coolest fucking person I've ever met (actually because he offered to donate some stuff to the archive), and there was talk of setting up a meeting when I was in London last year, to go to the University of Kent and see the archives and Oliver Double would let me buy his books in a way that definitely saves on shipping prices, if I get them directly from the author. There was talk of this but it didn't happen, as my time in England was limited, and Kent was several hours on the train away from where I stayed in London, and it didn't end up making sense.

Listening to Oliver Double on that podcast, however, has reminded me of how very cool this is and how I am definitely going to schedule that in for my trip this summer, when I'll have more time than I did last year. I'll pick a day when I'm London; I can get the train there and back in one day, even though it's a long way. I really want to look at that archive. He said on the podcast that anyone can show up and look through their physical archive in the university, though I think they have to email and make an appointment. I'll figure it out. Have to figure out the books too.

Anyway, that podcast episode was fascinating. You know how I joke about being a Britcom historian? Oliver Double actually, for real, is the thing that I joke about being. And it was so cool to hear him talk on the podcast about how he does his work, where he gets his information, the actual process of proper comedy history research. He mentioned the WayBack machine, which Barry Ferns (podcast host) hadn't heard of, and that made me laugh, because as a pretend historian, the WayBack machine is the backbone of my research tools. I'm very pleased to hear it is also commonly used by real comedy historians in the same way.

While I was laughing at silly Barry Ferns for not knowing about the WayBack machine, Oliver Double mentioned that he uses it to look at old versions of Chortle, and I cannot believe I've never thought to use it that way myself. So I'm not so smart after all - I don't think I've ever thought to just browse old Chortle on there. I pretty much only use it when search for specific things.

So that's going to keep me entertained for a while, just looking at old comedy news. Anyway, God bless all the nerds, near and far.

[andromedasummer]

wow your reply on media studies was super informative, thanks so much! can i ask what uni you studied at? cause those courses sound really interesting. the uni closest to me doesn't really offer much in that realm, and journalism is probably my main interest within this area. also just out of curiosity, what made you pick media studies and how did you know this is what you wanted to do?

victoria uni would be the best for media studies, it has the biggest voices on media in nz and more specialized courses. its like how you would go to otago for archeology (only place you can study it in the southern hemisphere), nursing or law. auckland for it and technology. down south for engineering etc. vic is just more suited to social studies and the arts, esp kelburn campus (though pip campus known for law and a big law presence)

as for why i picked it, i did it in year 13 after my friends said it was fun in year 12 and i wanted to pick a subject i could share with my friends in our last year. i ended up really enjoying it because i could talk about subjects of representation and the effects of social media, which i already had read about on tumblr lot. i decided to pick it up as one of two minors when i thought i wanted to major in classical studies. i didnt enjoy classics at all. the way it wanted me to write didnt mesh with me. from 2017-2018 i tried to press on but hit my breaking point. a bunch of shit happened and i dropped out for a year to work on my mental and physical health.

during my study the only things i really enjoyed and did well at were media studies and english. so i decided to change my degree to major in media studies and minor in english in 2020, and graduated within 3 years. i nearly got a double major (one course from an english major!) but didn't want to have to do another trimester because i was over it. that degree was the best decision i made. loved doing my media stuff and i could follow special interests in my english courses on shakespeare, popular fiction, indigenous lit, literature in journalism, postcolonial lit and science fiction literature.

i'd recommend going onto the vic site and going through the course lists for subjects you like, see if theres a pattern of interesting courses you could turn into a specialization (i knew people focusing on narrative in writing in english, kids books, etc and ppl in media focusing in advertising, on breaking into the tv medium). vic has a lot of cool stuff, like midwifery which you cant find anywhere else and a new dedicated psychology degree. its such a cool uni that a friend i met through a fanfic i wrote years back actually moved here from america to study!!! one of my college friends i did classics with actually became a lecturer there, which is wild cos ive known them since i was 13! i wasnt the most social person, but i enjoyed participating in the media society and theres solid clubs, so if you find its a good fit for what you want to study, defo give it a look.

the other option for journalism would be a bachelor of communications, which you can get at vic as well but there also weltec, our polytechnic school, which is known for being a very very good place to get a communications/journalism degree. i have friends who went to polytechs and it was by far the best decision for them. my best friend did a web design diploma one year and graphic design the next and after 2 years of study immediately went into the industry with a job just like that. as you can imagine her student loan is tiny compared to mine (which is esp inflated after my dud first 2 years).

definitely look at their site if a comms degree sounds more up your alley. both weltec and vic have pdfs you can download as like, primers on their degrees and specializations i think? i have a physical copy of the comms one from a few years back so i know they exist. good luck and i hope you can figure out what place suits you! and if you change your mind you should know changing your degree is as easy as making a meeting with a course admin. 1 hr and boom i was in a new degree.

[bvnnyl0v3r]

can we talk abt my first oc's lore? Bc that ship was DEEP deep (and lowkey weird at some parts)

anyways I don't know how I remember this much but ngl if u wanna see the oc's I made (I still have some pics I drew/made in gacha/made in picrew) or the actual texts I wrote bc I wanted to write and actual book I'll post them bc I have nothing better to do

so like she (comawolf) grew up with her father (night) and her mother (hekima) and she has an older brother (mikey) and twin brother (david) and a little sister (wonderland (don't ask how I cam up with those names)) so like they were happy family :D

and then the mother died (I never knew why like omg she was jst dead) so the dad couldn't handle it and like abused them, gave her a massive scar, he killed the twin brother and like then the older brother and little sister ran away and she ran away too but to her grandma who wanted her to be the perfect lady (this plays in the 16th century or smth fantasy shit old times thingy) and she basically abused her :D

so then she ran away again and met some demon who gave her INFINITY COOL POWERS TRAVELS UNIVERSES AND TIMELINES JUMP across the multiverse (this was before I knew the multiverse media existed yknow marvel, dc stiff like that) and then she ran into her old childhood friend (zora) who has a (not mentioned) sister named lemon and a (not mentioned)brother named leon. Lemon is heir to the sun clan since their parents are both statues from night bc he cursed them after his wifey died. Zora has a friend (luna) and she comwolf falls in love with her but also has a little crush on zora so like lesbian love triangle :3

zora gets kidnapped by night, luna and comawolf are alone in a forest and luna is revealed to be a half wolf and she cries and yknow wolfs can smell half wolf tears so they have to run even though it's the middle of the night and so coma is PISSED at her and they try to save luna and both get locked in. Then in the cages night reveals that he is coma's father and zora is shook because, what? Her bestfriend is a bitch? (No idea how she didn't relalize that her childhood best friend's dad who she saw like every week was also the evil mastermind ESPECIALLY since they have the same name and all call him by that name) anyways they escape bc some old friends from the other clans (I think there was twelve) help them and it turns out the castle they're in was a trap so like everything breaks together and they go home to their base

then they make this club and david gets ressurected or smth bc he's suddenly there again but now he has wings (gacha 2020 crying child style) and mikey is also there (i'm only now realizing how big my fnaf era mist have been) so like david gets a boyfriend from the wing clan, who adopted luna some years back because luna is the last of the eye clan bc they all got turned to stone and yeah.

if you're wondering what happened to wonderland, if you didn't all ready guess she went to wonderland!!! (Who would've guessed) how did this happen? Well coma said "child you have trauma. Go to wonderland there it's all happy people and you die if you come back! :3" and then wonderland slowly turns unto weirdcore mothers world like you can enter mothers world at 3:33am 59 second real time but in mother's world it either feels like 3 seconds, 3hours, 3days, 3 years, 33 years (you get the jizz like if wonderland is in mother's world for 24 hours it's around 24 minutes in the real world OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT) so anyways comawolf visits every night ofc but for wonderland it feels like she visits like every 3 years or smth. Marilyn is a girl that lives in mothers world who later on turns out to be somewhat inlove with comawolf. (Even more lesbian love interest I could've guessed i'm gay back then) so like comawolf promises that she'll visit as often as she can.

they defeat night or at least he realizes he's wrong and coma is ofc still pissed but mikey thinks it's all alright so he tries to convince her that he's cool again and he forces her to this family dinner where they all somewhat make up. Also happy news, hekima is back! Yayyy....

luna and coma end up dating but reakize they actually don't like each other like that so luna and zora start dating. Marilyn and coma end up together, wonderland gets back to the real world and while comawolf is keeper of all universes or smth marilyn is keeper of mothers world (wich is basically all weirdcore locations + backrooms levels + scp places.... you get the jizz)