#sol book recs

[chrisrwarman]

A CONTRACT IN SOL FORNE is the second entry in THE EIGHTH CHANT SERIES.

The story follows Vaelin, a djinn. Her search for a lost artifact lands her in the beautiful city-state of Sol Forne. There, she meets Dorovan, a disaffected youth with a superiority complex, and their fates are unexpectedly sealed together.

The book releases soon (exact date TBD).

Make sure to follow me for updates, and check out the first book in the series SEASONS OF ALBADONE!

[elainemorisi]

til that, although children's books seem to love sticking Merlin or Morgan (apparently usually both! as is appropriate!) into their stories when they need A Magician, there are... slim pickings indeed...? when it comes to actual Arthur legends for (little) kids?

[boreal-sea]

Scifi book recs

If you like stories where the aliens are truly "alien" and inhuman, I have some recs for you:

Embassytown by China Miéville - The aliens in this book can't lie, because their language is instinct, not learned. They can acquire metaphors, but only if someone or something acts out the metaphor first. They also speak with a two mouth two voice system that cannot be replicated by computers; the only way humans can speak to them is if two humans speak simultaneously. The story's main character is a woman who was used to make a metaphor.

The Commonwealth Saga by Peter Hamilton- There's a lot going on in this trilogy: humans have discovered how to become effectively immortal, as well as how to teleport through space with portals. Astronomers discover a Dyson Sphere being suddenly erected many lightyears away and wonder in fear what alien society could construct something like that. Turns out, the aliens are a form of semi-sentient, hive-minded fungus.

The Algebraist by Ian Banks - Gas giants have aliens in them. Not the ones in the Sol system - Jupiter is apparently not very good for living - but other solar systems have them! These gas giant aliens are... really hard to describe physically (wheels? with spokes?) and on top of that they live so much more slowly than humans that humans have to equip special gear to slow themselves down to communicate 1:1 with the aliens. There's another alien species in this book that I won't mention because it's a major plot spoiler, but it is also weird and wild.

The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin - The aliens in this trilogy... I can't actually even describe one of the wildest things about them without ruining a major part of the plot, but it has to do with the fact that they communicate telepathically. I can say that they've needed to adapt the ability to be completely dehydrated during times of trouble (kinda like tardigrades) because their planet orbits in a binary star system. This series involves a lot of philosophy and is fascinating for that alone, and the weird as hell aliens add to it.

Honorable mention:

The Expanse by James S.A. Corey (a pen name for the two authors) - This is an honorable mention because you don't really really learn what the aliens are until like, the very last book. Their influence and what they did is seen throughout the series, but the humans are dealing with the broken remnants of an ancient civilization... it's like the equivalent of ants finding a time capsule that only contains a hammer and a car key and trying to understand humanity's architecture and how they achieved space travel via those two items.

[seekforwarmth]

hello and welcome to this month’s fic rec featuring my favourite works from what i’ve read during the past weeks. as always, please check tags before reading. if you liked the fics please reblog their posts, leave kudos and write a nice comment. happy reading! rec tag | more rec lists

— harry/louis —  

໑ I See You Shiver With Antici-- (SAY IT, SAY IT) by @homosociallyyours (G, 666, strangers, meet-cute, the rocky horror picture show references) Harry has elaborate costumes planned for each night of the Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings at the indie movie theater downtown. The cute guy taking tickets seems appreciative.

໑ Lazy mornings by @lvinlou (spanish, E, 1.2k, established relationship, pwp, morning sex) Las mañanas perezosas eran definitivamente las favoritas de Louis. El sol ya iluminaba toda la habitación y un nuevo día ya había comenzado para otros, pero no para ellos dos. Y Louis presentía que, a juzgar por la mirada hambrienta del ojiverde y la manera en que apretaba su trasero, no saldrían de la cama en al menos un par de horas más.

໑ always tell the truth by anditsonlyforthebrave / @HARRYSC1NEMA (NR, 5k, acquaintances to lovers, dentist harry, patient louis) Harry is Louis' dentist and getting a wisdom tooth removed shouldn't be the end of the world.

໑ You Were Always Mine by GoldenSunflouervol6 / @sunflouervol6 (E, 6k, enemies to lovers, a/b/o au, blood, injuries) Prompt 45: A/B/O fic where Louis and Harry have a lot of mutual friends but they don’t get along (mostly Louis doesn’t like Harry). One day, Louis turns up on Harry’s doorstep covered in blood and asking for help. (Inspiration: Prompt #126 from the BLFF 2021).

໑ Spaces Between Us, Hold All Our Secrets by Whoopsiedaisiesss / @shining-louist (NR, 6.4k, enemies to lovers, anxiety attacks, mean harry) The one where Louis suffers from anxiety. His rivals with Harry makes this even worse. Until one day he accidentally calls Harry duringone of his panic attacks.

Harry just wants Louis to feel better. He always does.

໑ Leave Like The Summer Breeze by @larringiscaring (E, 6.5k, strangers to lovers, farm au, farmer harry, stranded louis) When Louis and Zayn are stranded in Alabama, a farmer offers them shelter. He just asks for one thing in return.

໑ The Writing on the Wall by @stylinsonwritingpalace (E, 6.7, exes to lovers, teacher louis, author harry) When BookToker Louis receives a gift basket filled with all his favorite sweets, wines, and stuffed animals alongside the new Harry Styles book, he's shocked at the story he finds in the pages.

໑ we can follow the sparks by moon_rose25 / @darkinfinity (M, 6.7, a/b/o au, strangers to lovers, scenting, implied omega drop) “I, uhm, this is gonna sound weird, but my friend is an ER doctor and he kinda taught me what to do in this kind of situation,” the man takes a step closer to Louis, “He said a close presence of an unmated alpha and light scenting should keep an omega from dropping, so I, uh, I can help you.”

or

Louis nearly drops in Harry's bookshop and sparks fly from then on.

໑ Muffins & Cigarettes by sweetkalachuchi / @neverforpickles (M, 7.5k, established relationship, rich harry) Louis pouts.

“You can’t pout your way into this, Louis”, Harry said as he was fixing his tie, watch and rings glinting against the soft sunlight filtering through the window.

“Of course, I can. Watch me.”

໑ Please, don’t say you want me by pjinkfleur / @pinapplouis (T, 9.3k, strangers to lovers, a/b/o au, royalty, arranged marriage) Prompt 496: ABO/royalty AU. Where Omega Prince Louis is forced to marry alpha King Harry by his father for the benefit of their kingdom. After the wedding, Harry lets Louis know that he didn’t want a mate and to not expect a relationship from him. Since they are already mated, Harry has to officially reject Louis’s omega to break ties. This practice is so taboo that he doesn’t know the omega has a maximum of a year left to live after rejection. As time goes on, the omega gets weaker and weaker.

໑ Hello, my name is Louis by tedtokat / @tektokatt (M, 9.7k, strangers to lovers, mean harry) Prompt 148: Louis is a scam caller. Now this isn’t exactly the job of his dreams, but it pays well enough for him to continue doing it. Louis is a very anxious person, making it hard for him to talk, so he’s very shy when he inevitably scam calls Harry. Harry ignores the scamming, but after a certain number of calls, he’s had enough. Here ensues mean Harry at the beginning, sensitive Louis who doesn’t know what is going on half of the time, and if the author is up for it, autism-coded Louis too!

໑ is ur mother worried? by @outropeace (E, 12k, acquaintances to lovers, college au, fraternity, himbo harry) In retrospect, Louis should’ve seen it coming. Way before, his ex tried to “spice” their sex lives with a threesome, they simply didn’t work as they should, not just in bed but outside of it too.

From early on in the relationship, it was evident that Leo wished for someone different from Louis, not better or more, just different. And Louis was very aware of this, but Leo was his very first love and no matter if said love was nothing more than a memory, it was difficult to let go.

At the end, Louis didn’t have to do a thing because Leo decided to pull the plug in the worst way possible.

He cheated on Louis with Harry Styles.

໑ we can start a family who will always show love by @lvinlou (spanish, E, 12k, a/b/o au, single mother louis, PE teacher harry) "¿Les gustaría pasar por un helado? Quizás podamos seguir esta charla allí".

Alfa y omega se sumieron en su propia burbuja, concretando el flechazo que sintieron al verse por primera vez. Louis aceptó con un leve sonrojo tiñendo sus mejillas. Ambos adultos se sonrieron, sin reparar en la confusa mirada que les envió el adormilado cachorro, quien durante el viaje a la heladería se preguntó por qué su mami había decidido cambiar repentinamente sus planes habituales de jugar un poco y tomar una siesta junto a él.

Sin embargo, no se quejó cuando frente a él tuvo su helado de fresa y chispas de colores favorito, agradeciendo a su profesor y, ahora, amigo de su mami.

໑ part time soulmates (full time problem) by localopa / @voulezloux (M, 12k, enemies to lovers, a/b/o soulmates au, physical pain) sworn enemies harry and louis are soulmates. everything is going smoothly until the pain hits.

໑ Wait until you're sure by tommilfson / @tommilfson (E, 13k, friends to lovers, a/b/o au, best friends pact) Prompt 465: Louis and Harry are best friends who made a pact. If neither of them has found love by the time they’re 30, then they’ll get married. It was all laughter and fun until Harry realizes they’re celebrating his 30th birthday and in a few months, Louis is gonna be 30 too. So, he struggles to find someone for Louis to avoid being together, but Louis just keeps rejecting all men Harry introduces to him (because he has feeling for him, of course), which really upsets Harry. They argue about that and Louis says something like “wow, it’s that bad to be with me?,” accepting that Harry simply doesn’t feel the same. Louis moves for a couple of months with another friend and Harry has all this time to understand his feelings, realizing that he loves Louis too and wants to be with him. But when he goes to tell him, Louis is already seeing someone else. So what’s Harry gonna do to get Louis back?

໑ Kiss Me Once, Kiss Me Twice by @harriblou (M, 13.4k, enemies to lovers, college au, baseball player harry, physics major louis, arguing) “You’re a fucking brat, you know that,” Harry muttered through clenched teeth, bones already burning with the pure desire and hatred mixing in his body. It was an intoxicating rush of adrenaline and something else that probably came with fucking Louis Tomlinson. He squeezed his neck just a little tighter. “I can’t stand it.”

Their lips were brushing against each other, just moving with the ragged movements of their mouths and harsh breathing.

“You’re a lying piece of shit dickhead,” Louis muttered right back. That was all he did, challenge and nag. He loved to have the last word and Harry let him because he used all his energy to fuck him mindless.

໑ in deep devotion by ifthat / @lovehl (E, 15.6k, friends to lovers, a/b/o au, mistaken identities) “I think the folk here think I’m an Omega,” Harry voices out loud.

His suspicions began shortly after he arrived to Wright. Wherever he goes, this strange behavior follows. That type of treatment reserved for Omegas.

໑ Bend the Rules by @youreyesonlarry (E, 16.8k, friends to lovers, chef harry, video game developer louis) Prompt 588: Lous hires a ‘ghost cooking’ service because his family is worried he’s not eating well and he wants to impress them by showing them what an amazing cook he’s become. The service includes sending a discreet cook to your house and have them get everything ready so that you only serve and take the credit. Problem is, his sisters (can be OCs if that’s more comfortable) get to his flat earlier than planned and the actual cook has to hide in the master bathroom for hours. Louis is mortified. The cook is amused and helps him to clean and well. Gives him a thorough service. Feel free to pick your fave as the cook.

໑ give my heart a holiday by Ashisinlove / @ashisinlove28 (NR, 17k, friends to lovers, university au, bad puns, pining) AU where Louis and someone else both like Harry but Harry obviously likes Louis and is oblivious to the other person with scenes like Harry’s sitting with his legs on the coffee table and the other person wants to walk across and Harry doesn’t see them, so they have to say excuse me, but when Louis wants to cross he doesn’t even have to say anything because Harry sits up, puts his feet down, and gives his undivided attention to Louis.

໑ Wait For Me by cherrygelb / @cherrygelb (E, 17.4k, neighbours, single dad harry, student louis) Moving to a new place always comes with a few challenges. For Harry, it’s trying to start over after his divorce, while still doing his best taking care of his son. Though just like every parent, he is not infallible, so some mistakes are bound to be made, settling into his new role as a single-dad. For his son, Davie, moving means he has to get used to all the changes happening in his life through no fault of his own. Discovering a secret passageway on their new property lets him form an unlikely friendship with the young man and his dog he finds on the other side.

໑ Heart Eyes by @smittenwithlouis (E, 21.5k, enemies to lovers, incubus louis) Harry is a dedicated sentinel with a strong aversion to demons, and Louis is the lovesick incubus who will go to any lengths to win Harry's heart.

໑ Impractical Magic by @crochetsunsets (M, 21.6k, strangers to lovers, curses, witch louis, royal harry) "You're a witch?"

"Yes."

“So all of this–us–it’s all a lie?”

"No."

or Louis and Harry have both been cursed since birth. What happens when they're forced into proximity? Will their curses reign, or will they have their happily ever after?

໑ Death Wish by Speechless / 0__Speechless (E, 22.6k, enemies to lovers, vampire slayer louis, vampire harry, banter) Louis hates vampires, he lives his life trying to kill as many as he can, night after night, year after year.He hates them.Then why the fuck is he kissing one?Again.“I mean it, Harry.” Louis says, into his mouth this time. “You need to get the fuck away from me.”   Based on Prompt 403: If having more chemistry with a villain than with your own boyfriend was a crime, then Louis would be in jail. Or the hero slowly falls in love with the morally grey character AU

໑ There is Thunder in Our Hearts by thecheshirepussycat / @the-cheshire-pussy-cat (E, 39.7k, hellcheer au, acquaintances, cheerleader louis, musician harry) 1986, Hawkins Indiana.

Stoner, nerdy, metalhead Harry Styles sells drugs to the boy of his dreams, seemingly perfect overachiever, head Cheerleader Louis Tomlinson. It wasn't supposed to become a Thing.

OR, a Stranger Things HellCheer au (without all the death)

໑ Define me again by Hazzascul_07 / @hazzascul (M, 54.3k, established relationship, amnesia au, accidents, read tags and author’s notes) His entire life literally flashed in his mind, vision growing more and more weak and he fought unconsciousness. Memories and the picture of Louis lying unconscious in front of him altered and flickered, so rapidly that he felt dizzy with how fast his mind was whirring.

What happens when you die? God he was so, so, so, fucking terrified.

All his senses gave out, last thing he felt was Louis' hand in his and then, everything went black.

໑ the face of love's rage by @outropeace (E, 67k, a/b/o au, royalty au, enemies to lovers, murder, read tags and author’s note) Seven kingdoms, two sinners and one big secret.

— rare pairs / categories —  

໑ In The Dark by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13 (gen, T, 666, haunted house, choose your own character) It’s the dreams.

He’d be fine without the dreams… suggesting things. If he could face all this - whatever this is - with a clear, rested mind.

໑ Crush by @allwaswell16 (louis/niall, T, 1.4k, co-workers, office au) When Niall stops smiling around the office, his co-worker Louis sets out to lift his mood with the help of their office mates.

໑ it's the summer of our love by localopa / @voulezloux (louis/ryan ross, G, 3k, gym bros, sexuality crisis) ryan is in love with his best friend and gym bro, louis. the problem? ryan is straight.

໑ Got My Chaos Automatic by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28 (louis/liam/zayn, E, 3.1k, established relationship, canon) The one where Louis comes home from tour feeling exhausted, yet antsy. Luckily, Liam and Zayn are there to put him back together.

໑ softer than satin by cinnamons / @sunbellylou (louis/joel miller, E, 4k, established relationship, pwp) “Wanna go back to bed,” Louis whispered languidly, voice partly muffled by his boyfriend’s lips on his. “Mm, but we just got up, baby,” Joel murmured. Lips touching softly with each syllable. Hands groping the soft flesh around Louis’ hips, kneading at the skin there and feeling his curves.

໑ Feeling Feline by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13 (louis/niall, T, 4877, magical au, animal transformation) “I’m telling you,” drifts through the cracked door, and Louis’ ears prick, twitching with interest. “There’s something wrong with that cat.”

“Have you talked to Liam?” asks another voice, worried. Louis thinks it’s the tall one with curly hair. Taller one. They’re all tall when you’re ten inches high.

“Not medically wrong,” the blond one says. “But I swear, and I know this sounds nuts, but I don’t think he’s a cat?”

໑ lonely in [paris] by f_ckromeoandjuliet / @louiesonlyangel (louis/awsten knight, T, 5.8k, strangers to lovers, canon au, coming out) Summer flings are complicated and healing comes from the strangest places.//Alternate version of Louis's tour where he's in a secret relationship with Awsten Knight from Waterparks. Based on Awsten tweeting at Louis.

໑ if i'm being honest by @disgruntledkittenface (girl direction louis/niall, E, 22.2k, acquaintances to lovers, falling in love, cats)

Niall is perfectly happy in her dating life, always finding a reason to break things off before her relationships get serious. When she finally gets a chance with Harry, her dream girl, their friend Louis makes her promise to give her a real chance. The only problem is that Harry has a cat… and Niall is not a cat person. Instead of running like she usually does, Niall has to figure out how to live with an adorable menace. And when it starts to feel like love, Niall has to decide: Is she ready for the real thing?

Inspired by Must Be Love.

໑ all tumults and feelings by camilevol6 / @svnflouwervol6 (louis/carlos sainz jr, E, 24.4k, strangers to lovers) The search for euphoria in a world that seems to be spinning out of control is perhaps what drove Louis to visit the heart of a city as vibrant as Barcelona. Everything is warm and bright on his holidays, even at night, where he finds solace in desperate lips and comfort in beautiful brown eyes that break his heart by making him realize that he has always been more fond of emerald tones covering the irises of his lovers.

[kuwdora]

Okay, a late entry for the January posting meme... January 21 - what's one of your favorite fandom related memories? lyntergalactic

I have so many favorite memories, it’s very hard to pick one….. but it is Festivids Eve so I’m gonna talk about my excitement about this vid exchange. Cause it’s my favorite moment right now because I feel like I’m staying up late with milk and cookies waiting for Santa to arrive. I have so many great memories and VID RECS in this long post.

Festivids started in 2009 as a vid exchange for rare fandoms. Which was great because I think a lot of vidders really needed this so we could celebrate and get exposed to a whole bunch of new small and rare fandoms, unheard of media and literary sources that hadn't been really been vidded before.

Each year there’s a guest-the-vidder post, and @bingeling has been great about organizing live watches on discord. Sometimes I miss a few vids here and there during the initial weekend of go-live because it’s SO MANY VIDS, but then I always catch people’s recs or vid posts in the following weeks.

It’s just a joy to keep finding new things that I never realized I wanted and needed in my life because there’s so many interesting media and books out there to make vids for and people’s imaginations and technical skills continue to blow my mind.

Way back in 2009 when I signed up for the very first exchange I got assigned to Sol-se and matched up on the source/fandom that I had introduced her to: Little Mosque on the Prairie. We literally spent weeks months and years talking about Little Mosque on the Prairie, being a fandom of two. AO3 was in its early days yet so there wasn’t even any fic, okay. So when I got matched up, made the vid, the guest the vidder post happened and everyone guessed it was me. Everyone likes to claim that they made all the vids so I said that I indeed did make it, of course I did. Yet I was still able to cast doubt in Sol-se’s mind about whether or not I had made it because?? Who knew, maybe there was someone else who happened to get into the show and make an awesome vid for it. It was very fun hypothesizing with her in DMs about who could have made the vid if it wasn’t in fact me. It all comes back to love.

The first vid I made for Festivids in 2009: All For Swinging You Around.

Little Mosque on the Prairie. Ensemble. LOVE. Y’all I had bought Little Mosque DVDs through the CBC website back in the day and was still learning how to rip things. Aspect ratios. Scan lines. It was a TIME I do not miss. Though I do still have the DVDs and probably could rip them better now.

My other favorite memories from festivids is (aside from all of the vids) are the vids made for ME over the years!

2009 When You’re Strange by colls, a Sanctuary vid featuring music by Echo and the Bunnyman. A++ song choice and Amanda Tapping’s face will always inspire me. Sanctuary did so much with so little and this is such a great vid for a fantastic lil’ genre Canadian show.

2012 Meant to Fly by e-transitions. This is a Modern Family vid focusing on Manny, Gloria and Jay who were my favorite of the extended family on that show. Manny in particular is my favorite! This is Nicki Minaj’s Starships and it’s super sweet and endearing look at family coming together and reaching new heights together. And shenanigans. All of my favorites things.

2013 Fame by chaila (also on tumblr here). This is a vid for the show Transparent and focuses on Maura. Do you know what it’s like to get a gift from someene whose fanworks you have loved and admired for years?? I was so blown away by the cover chaila found for this vid. Mree’s vocals are so evocative and still has this powerful determination in the vocals. It’s really, incredibly moving. I was so lucky to receive a gift like this.

2015 Simple Machine by sol-se. This is for a 2014 webseries called Caper which I can’t even remember how I found. I think I was on an Amy Berg kick and was trying to watch everything she’s written for. The vid focuses on Penny who is an inventor who created a super suit and of course a white dude came along and tried to take credit for all of her inventions and hero’ing, so that’s what this vid follows. The show was incredibly dorky and sweet. Superhero fanfic, low-budget staffed with people who were able to call in a lot of favors for cameos along the way. The show also has Beth Riesfgraf and Harry Shrum, too! Along with a few others.

And of course Solvi delighted in being able to make me a vid for ANOTHER SHOW where we were a fandom of two. :D the vid is great and I have a strong affinity for Guster’s music because I listened to so many of sdwolfpup’s vids with that music when I first started vidding.

2019 I GOT SIX VIDS in 2019. I pretty much cried when go-live happened because??? How??? I guess I just had really appealing requests that year. So let me tell you about them.

Little Lion Leo by turquoisetumult. This is for the AMC version of Humans which is a parallel present/scifi show based on the Swedish version of the show Äkta människor. I had actually vidded Leo for the Swedish version but I really really adored Colin Morgan’s portrayal of Leo Elster. Mumford and Sons is such a mainstay in vidding circles and for good reason: the musicality is so gripping and the vocals area always so intense and lovely. That means it’s perfect for Leo and his angst and pain. THE BLOOD! The feelings. Trying to survive with his synth family in a world that wants to end them.

I just rewatched the vid and I immediately want to rewatch the show now, omg. Gemma Chan was extraordinary in the show and the show had a fantastic approach to discussing the the ethics and actual legal standing of artificial humans that I hadn’t other shows touch upon that well.

Raising Hell by bingeling which is a vid for the movie Ready or Not which was one of my favorite movies from 2019. Samara Weaving and that wedding dress getting progressively more fucked up throughout the film as she fucks up the that shitty family?? Kill the bad rich people, those fuckers.Beautiful. Cathartic. This is on top of the well-known fact that I fucking love Kesha’s music (I’ve vidded Kesha 9 times since 2010). Bingeling’s editing here is punchy as hell and this SONG!!!!!!! It makes me crack the fuck up, especially with the lyrics at 1:49. It’s perfect. My heart. My heart. Kesha! Everyone is trying to murder her and she murders them instead. Badass woman with a wedding dress, bandolier and sneakers.

Pity Party by winterevanesce. This is also for Ready or Not. Phenomenal song choice. I have no idea who the artist is and never heard of her before but that doesn’t matter. This song was made for this vid. The editing on this vid is orgasmic. I literally am slack-jawed each time I watch this vid. I cannot emphasize that enough. I love it when people know exactly what I want and need in my vidding soul.

The Middle by turquoisetumult. This is a Fleabag vid! Featuring Fleabag and Fleabag/Priest. It’s a poignant cover of the song, too! It’s so sweet and makes me ache so much for Fleabag because heyooo, shit is hard, esp when you tend to fuck things up along the way. I love how this vid makes want her to do better and have better things in her life. That hope! So good.

When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? By starlady. Star Trek Discovery, Mirror Philippa and Michael. This is to Billie Eilish’s song “Bury a Friend” which I had never heard before but it is dark. It is sexy. The tone of the song and the synth-y beats and clicks drive me up the wall with the editing in the vid. Philippa’s sinister competence. That confidence. Starlady and I go way, way back and of course she could make me something that hits ALL OF MY FUCKING BUTTONS. I have long been vocal about how much I love Star Trek and women. And villain women and anti-heroes. Hhhhhnngh. Dark sexy vid of my Empress.

You Should See Me in a Crown, by AurumCalendula. Star Trek Discovery, Mirror Philippa. TO BILLIE EILISH. Because Billie Eilish's music screams Philippa! lmao. Everybody knows exactly what my fucking type is and I AM HERE FOR IT FOREVER. This vid features more of the Mirrorverse episodes and Philippa and HHHHNNGHHHHH. I am so loved by being seen because y’all know me so well. Aurum’s editing always has me glued to the screen. I am also here for Philippa’s face, oh my god. NOTE: Click on the dropbox link in the end notes to stream it. Aurum’s got all their videos private while dealing with some copyright strikes on their account (ugh YouTube).

Those are just the vids made for me. There are many more vids that I have recced for festivids over the years and so much more to come!

The 2023 Festivids Collection currently has 137 fanvids and 111 fandoms right now. A bounty!! Barbie vid! Bottoms1 Cycling RPF?! Vids for books! Hong Kong action films! Janelle Monae and musicals. And more omg.

Festivids. Featuring lots of great fannish memories and great vids. Highly recommend. It's also been a great way for people getting into vidding to make their first vid, too! I love this exchange.

[cora-writes-things]

WLW media plans <3 early 2023 edition

You may have seen my first edition of this post; now that 2023 has begun in earnest, let’s see where I’m at!

Media I’m currently in the middle of consuming:

The 100 (I know that I said that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch this show cuz I’m tired of tragic wlw, but a friend suggested we watch it together, so here I am)

Clear and Muddy Loss of Love (an AMAZING web-novel!!! I can’t stop reading it! Clear and Muddy Loss of Love, original title 泾渭情殇 (Jīng wèi qíng shāng or JWQS), is a Chinese GL web-novel by Please Don’t Laugh (请君莫笑). Read and buy the original here (here’s a guide on how to use JJWXC so you can support the author), and the English translation by melts (@meltesh28 on Tumblr / @meltsmelts on Twitter) can be found here (thank you so much for your hard work, melts!))

Nevertheless (solely for the crumbs of Sol/Ji-wan content, and you know what? It’s been worth it, even if the main male lead, Park Jae-eon, makes me want to throw my laptop across the room. Seriously, JAE-EON SUCKS SO BAD. NA-BI, WHAT ARE YOU DOIIIING. DO-HYEOK IS RIGHT. THERE!!!)

Warrior Nun (I started watching this show both because it has wlw AND because Alba Baptista is so gorgeous that I can’t stop looking at her. So disappointing that it was canceled recently :()

Media I plan to start (or continue) consuming:

A League of Their Own (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Arcane: League of Legends (I’ve seen enough gifs and fanart for Caitlyn/Vi that I ship it and haven’t even watched the show yet)

Batwoman (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Black Lightning (ditto)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS was available on Amazon Prime for a while but is now on Hulu, so I don’t have access to it at the moment)

The Expanse (I’m taking a break from watching the show to read the books, but I’m also consuming a lot of other media at the moment, so I don’t know when I’ll get back to it)

The Half of It (the premise sounds so freaking relatable I can’t wait to feel some type of way about the constant sapphic pining I experienced in high school & didn’t even know about at the time because of comphet yay)

The Handmaiden (I’ve been trying to get into more international media lately, as you can see by some of the other pieces of media in this post, and this movie looks too good to pass up)

Killing Eve (up to the finale but stopping before the end cuz my queer little heart can’t take YET MORE bury your gays in the year of our lord 2023. also the book series. maybe)

The Legend of Korra (once I finish ATLA)

The Owl House (currently waiting for the next episode. Also, I’m still so mad this show was canceled by Disney >:()

Paper Girls (science fiction combined with middle-grade fiction and queer characters? Sign me up!)

Sense8 (for the queer vibes in general)

The Wilds (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Yellowjackets (ditto)

Media I might consume but haven’t decided yet:

Huge shout-out to @femslashrevolution (abbreviated as F.R. in this post from now on) for introducing me to a lot of these pieces of media with active-ish wlw fandoms through their reblogs!

Astrid & Lilly Save the World (I don’t know much about it, but the gifs reblogged by F.R. look promising)

Harlem (I’ve heard mixed reviews about the wlw representation in this show, but there’s also a distinct lack of black queer shows out there, so I’m considering trying it out anyway)

House of the Dragon (partially because I haven’t finished GOT yet, but also because I don’t want my heart to be broken by the tragedy)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (this show doesn’t have the best reviews, but the actresses in it are so pretty that I might watch it anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Kevin Can F*** Himself (seems like an interesting premise, I just don’t know if I’ll personally enjoy the show itself or not)

Legends of Tomorrow (Idk what it’s even about tbh, I’ve just seen a lot of wlw-centric and wlw-adjacent gifs reblogged by F.R.)

Lost Girl (it's included on a lot of rec lists of wlw shows, I just don’t know if I’ll actually find it interesting)

Once Upon A Time (a classic wlw fandom, but Idk if I’ll find it interesting enough to actually watch it)

Orange is the New Black (ditto)

Orphan Black (ditto)

Runaways (ditto)

Supergirl (ditto)

Willow (Idk what it’s even about tbh, I’ve just seen some cute wlw gifs reblogged by F.R. recently, so why not?)

Media I've already finished consuming:

Couple of Mirrors (SO GOOD!!! A (sadly heavily censored, but still very well-done) GL-based Chinese drama that is slated to get a second season depending on the support, so please go watch and support it! It also has a manhua (read the original here and the English summaries here))

First Kill (campy with pretty horrid music choices, but I still enjoyed the watching experience even though the show was kinda bad. Who doesn’t like a little bit of camp every now and again?)

Girlfriend Project Day 1 (cute, short little fake dating GL K-drama that is slated to get a second season if they can raise the funds for it! Watch it here)

More than or Equal to 75 Celsius (≥75°C) (short GL K-drama, very aesthetic, and the actresses are beautiful! Watch it here)

Zero Photography (short spin-off GL Thai drama that features Ink & Pa from the bigger BL series Bad Buddy. Definitely worth the watch!)

Have I missed any must-watch/must-read/must-consume pieces of wlw or wlw-adjacent media that y’all love? Please let me know in the reblogs and give me your recommendations!

[cometchasr]

fic recs from many fandoms (MILD SPOILERS)

these are based off my likes personally and are in no way any form of review i suck at reviews

WoF

the dragon and the scavenger by wobblywyvern. one of the first fics i ever read. unfortunately unupdated since sep 2020, and im still crying over it. cliffball best ship.

finding peace by warrior of spectra. another one of the first fics i ever read. finished, very good, raging over cliff/peacemaker not being real but thats me.

different threads by firehawk1100. darkstalker/indigo. i like it better than shadow of the mind (his other fic, winterwatcher). just. beautiful. i suck at reviewing but its good trust me

diamonds fall and fates change by fabokraken. our first ao3 fic, woo!! the others except finding peace are also on ao3, but i found them on ffn and thus that site goes first. its adorable. its fucking adorable. i love arctic and foeslayer so much. i love not-evil darkstalker. i love everything. darlie is my beloved.

wings of fire: changing seasons by fatespeaker. actually a whole series. winter, therefore automatic win. the characters and the plot just... interact so well. the intrigue. it all.

Warriors

tinystar's beginning by twilidramon. i havent read this one in forever but. scourge!! my beloved. its good, i remember.

second chances and a scourge upon fate by deerlyqueery. more scourge!! we love our edgy boi. and we love making him gay!!!!

a spark from starclan, rusty's skyclan and collars and claws by salmonfang. theyre completely separate, and you should read their other works too, but these are the ones i read (albeit in diminished form because. lazy ykyk). there is, something. about this writing. beloved

blackfire: book one by xenonex. theres art, its adorable and fluffy, its also filled with drama, rarepair, everything

exile by mallowstep, aerial-jace and kudossi. something that holds terrible and beautiful memories for me (personal reasons). but just, the whole idea. the emotion, the vibes. the it all. this is the one that spawned the way i style my works, because i fucking vibe with the vibe so much, and ive turned it into a very different beast, but here it is. the core, one great part of my writing story. read it its so good

The Dragon Prince

(only 2 because ive read about zero tdp fanfics, it doesnt actually have any dragons smh)

the devil you thought you knew by strangefake. aaravos. AARAVOS. MAGIC EXPOSITION. PHILOSOPHY. BLURRY GOOD AND EVIL. DELICIOUS. wonderful as hell holy shit

sun fueled rage by photoniccyclone. sol regem takes over the world and we have to stop him. ungodly long chapters, lots of scenes, angst, angst, angst, angst, angst.

thats it but i know newt wouldnt let this list go without me adding my zanrex fic, the stars were forever bright for us, which im actually somewhat proud of. the cracks are showing, but they always do. also, you, the reader of this post, make some tdp dragon-centric fanfic. we're fucking starving.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

the history of this fandom and its works is long and expansive and storied and i have so many recs i would never be able to fit them here (mostly because i havent read like all of them). needless to say, we've started making our own content in overdrive at the lack of new shit.

the entire pmd writer's union collection. im in this server. fics are top-notch, environment is top-notch, except when it isnt for me and me personally. if one wishes to join i may or may not be allowed to give you a link. anyways, the ones ive read are down below, and are all in the collection (duh!)

warped skies by team ion. linked is the arc 1 rewrite, the original is here. its beautiful. its a trainwreck of emotions, and i havent started on arc 3 yet (thats the good shit). the chapters are extremely long, the characters are extremely good, i shill it everywhere, i love this fic and i havent even gotten halfway through. its the other main influence on my writing, although more in ambition and inspiration than in actual style like exile. hell, i started DoP because of it. the post is out there somewhere. its just. it is. it is, it is. i think you can see a common theme with my ineptitude at describing fics, but. read it. read it. masterpiece

daily life in pokemon paradise by kitsu-19. gates slice of life. beautiful characters. the moguls and swift and it all. its. its so interesting, and full of life, and you fall in love with the characters. it feels so much more alive. i cannot describe shit. read it, youll get what i mean.

royal replacement by turkeyuwu. gay. politics. legal document(s?) (just the one so far). great masquerade. untrained alolan vulpix uses light that burns the sky. plot inspired by a chinese webnovel, so you just know its gonna be batshit insane and ridiculous. i find myself incapable of describing shit at the moment. read it

My Little Pony

fuck it, we're going all in.

equestria at war, by EaW dev team. unlike all the others, this one requires about $200 to fully unlock. its a hoi4 mod, and its beautiful. griffonian empire best.

changing expectations by kkslider. buggos!! buggos!!!!! more importantly, actual mlp fic with gay in it! long, so many plottwists, phasma is our beloved slightly traumatised changeling king, actual history and lore, alcoholic celestia, pictures!! READ

afraid of the light by binibean. celestia trauma from all that bullshit. angst. somethings not right. i love these stories.

night wing by gravity012. guy gets SIed into a big immortal magic birb. stuff falls apart, he goes on adventures with celestia and luna, changelings and thestrals are very cuddly. so fluffy. until it isnt.

then it becomes very sad.

(also he freezes the tree of harmony for making nightmare moon happen. badass)

this is a fucking long list.

UPDATE: I FORGOT TO GIVE A LINK TO BLACKFIRE @xenomane FORGIVE ME

[bellysoupset]

Soup, Soup, how are you doing? It's not been that long, just 5 days, I know, I just miss hearing from you. I was reading this book yesterday and it was driving me insane how much better your writing was than that book, tbh. You ruined my standard for writing. 🙈 Just checking and hope you are doing okay. <3

@writing-whump

😅 Sol, I'm so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth!

That's the sweetest compliment, I hope I keep ruining books for you! Also you're such a bookworm, I'm always seeing your recs on the dash and I fully trust your taste! Any spooky recommendations?

[sanzu-sanzu-sanzu]

hello! your works continue to send me to a happy place and i’m grateful you’ve shared your writing :) breakfast with ran continues to be one i think of when washing the dishes and songs about toxic people one that keeps me up at times just thinking about how detailed it is. songs about toxic people, each piece and section felt like a breeze. the kind you feel when you’re outside and have a moment to be present yet u feel a lot and some of it is nostalgia. this makes zero sense and it all is meant as a compliment from the bottom of my heart. essentially if for me it’s comforting to hear wind chimes ringing with autumn breezes, then that’s how i find your writing to be. i would love to know if u have any literature, movie, or song recs if you don’t mind sharing. take care 💓

this message is so sweet 😭💖 i'm very happy my writing brings you to such a happy place 😭😭😭😭😭 i also find it very hard to explain how my love for something makes me feel haha and i think as long as it makes sense to you, it shouldn't matter however you express it! hehehe it makes me happy either way 💖

also, i'm so sorry for answering this so late, but i hope you still get to read this now! here are some media recs from me:

(i'm just gonna list my top 5/top 10 so it isn't overwhelming haha)

MOVIES

crouching tiger, hidden dragon

millennium actress

memories of murder

little miss sunshine

the beach

TV SERIES

midnight mass (horror)

succession

mad men

the haunting of hill house (horror)

the midnight club

(bonus) white lotus!!!

edit: and omg how can i forget: CHERNOBYL

LITERATURE

100 years of solitude (gabriel garcia marquez)

her body and other parties (carmen maria machado)

klara and the sun (kazuo ishiguro)

story of your life and others (ted chiang)

the haunting of hill house (shirley jackson) - trust me the book is a whole different experience

(bonus) the solitude of prime numbers (paolo giordano)

MUSIC (i’ll just list down my top favorite artists hehehe + my fav album/s by them!)

asian kung-fu generation (sol-fa)

my chemical romance (the black parade)

fall out boy (folie à deaux; so much (for) stardust)

yoko kanno (cowboy bebop soundtrack)

radiohead (in rainbows; hail to the thief)

alt-j (an awesome wave; this is all yours)

nujabes (modal soul)

paramore (brand new eyes; after laughter)

florence + the machine (lungs)

chopin in general!!!

i hope you're having a nice day!!!!

[justahappycloud]

@duquesademiel tagged me to share my top 10 books (1) of the year so here they go in no specific order bc i read a lot this year and if i think too much about it i will combust (it's dec 30th, it's illegal to think too much)

but since it's still me, you also get a loose synopsis and we can pretend this is also a book rec list, okay? it's a win-win, i know.

📚 Babel: An Arcane History by R. F. Kuang

a postcolonial view of steampunk magic England from 1982. revolution and all its ugly but powerful reality. long, but really worth it.

📚 Cenizas de Carnaval by Mariana Travacio

a collection if short stories focused on the fragility of life. read it in august i think but i still think about the stiry of the man and the glue

📚 Under The Whispering Door by T. J. Klune

magic and grief and gay and death and gay and life and GAY. loved it. not as much as the house in the cerulean sea, but really loved it

📚 Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

reading this with sand under my feet and the sound of the ocean was one of my best ideas, ngl. interesting story, not one of my faves, but it was good

📚 A Spoonful of Murder by J. M. Hall

murder solved by retired teachers. 10/10

📚 The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield

the story of the life of marie antoinette and her sister charlotte except they can do magic. what are you waiting for??? go and read it!!

📚 Operación Masacre by Rodolfo Walsh

non-fiction retelling of the events that occurred on july 9th, 1956, when 12 civilians were arrested in Argentina before being illegally executed

📚 Orlando by Virginia Woolf

mock-biography of the famous poet of the 17th (and 18th, and 19th, and 20th) century, Orlando.

📚 The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl

fairytale retellings with a macabre twist, very focused on friendship and #girlpower [part of a duology]

📚 Nosotros dos en la tormenta by Eduardo Sacheri

historical fiction about two friends from opposing revolutionary units in 1975's Argentina

📚 A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

fantasy historical fiction about two members of the bureaucracy who represent two different worlds (that of magic humans and normal humans) who must work together when the imposition of one world over the other puts all of them at risk. [part of a series]

📚 The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

invented sports. found family. mafia. gay and ace. it reads like a fanfiction both derogatorily and affectionately, so read at your own risk, but i did read all three books in three days

📚 El Juguete Rabioso by Roberto Arlt

alternatively titled "Silvio Astier Tries To Be The Most Successful Thief Of Buenos Aires And Fails Spectacularly At It (HAPPY ENDING)"

📚 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

not a synopsis bc you know what the book's about but just a note to say that i had this books since my last year of highschool and only now i got to read it, so yay me, tying loose ends from the worst period of my life

📚 Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhis

a prequel to jane eyre told from the point of view of bertha mason, previously known as antoinette cosway

📚 A Mercy by Toni Morrison

1680s story about a family of misfits and what happens to this group of slaves when the man who enslaved them dies

open tag bc if you made it this far i want to know what you've read so i can get recs for next year 👀

(1) sol fucked up so you get +10 recs, but you don't have to be insane like me and you can o it the normal way

[seradiary]

navigate my archive

📖— mochi reads :: fic recs/what i’m reading right now

💭— in my head :: what’s going on in my noggin

✍🏻— prompts :: writing prompts for inspo

🆕— new post! :: promoting new posts on @justmochi

🥲— crying​ :: crying over anything and everything

🪻— therapeutic :: posts that are in some way healing for me c:

🌿— way with words :: poetry, quotes, beautiful words, etc.

🎭— dramas :: dramas i’ve watched

🤣— good laughs :: funny stuff lol

👗— fashion :: clothes i like

🎮— games :: stuff from games i play

📚— books :: books i’ve read

📋— help :: helpful information

🗝️— wip :: what i’m working on right now

♥️— always :: stuff that reminds me of eunmin

♡ :: dk aka the love of my life

floofs

freesia

kayla

sol

[chrisrwarman]

Had an amazing conversation with Tori about our books, the co-authoring process, and the relationship between writers/readers/reviewers.

[ladyniniane]

BOOK RECS ASK GAME : 38 & 68 s'il te plaît ! :)

Salut et merci pour les questions :)

38) Your favorite series

Sans hésitation Le Dit de La Terre Plate de Tanith Lee. Cette saga m'a permis une première fois de m'évader pendant des moments difficiles. Je l'ai relue récemment et certains passages sont vraiment très beaux.

"Chuz abaissa les yeux, ses yeux sans pareils. Lui qui était un magnifique seigneur des ténèbres tenait maintenant entre ses bras une femme mortelle. Ainsi que l’avait découvert Ajrarn, c’était comme d’étreindre les marées de l’océan, les vents du ciel. Les montagnes s’élèvent, massives, tandis que, tout près du sol, le sable souffle. Le sable souffle sans cesse. Puis il n’y a plus de montagnes, absolument plus, le sable les a fait disparaître par ses baisers et ses chuchotements. Et le sable continue de souffler."

68) Your favorite piece of classical literature?

Les notes de chevet de Sei Shônagon

Bon allez je vais changer un peu haha. Vu que c'est visiblement considéré comme un classique : La prisonnière des Sargasses de Jean Rhys.

J'avais beaucoup aimé Jane Eyre en le lisant pour la première fois à 16 ans, mais cette réécriture m'a donné un tout autre point de vue sur l'histoire en me faisant ressentir beaucoup de sympathie pour le personnage de Bertha.

Book recs ask game

[so2uv]

hi hi hi sol 🌞

i was writing an ask to jj cuz we share songs with each other and i was like omfg … would sol appreciate a poetry / book rec … so now i’m here ‼️

i’ve been reading please look after mom by shin kyungsook and it is so insane… literally leaves me shivering each time i finish a chapter like goddamn 😭 i’ll leave my fav quote here :

to you, mom was always mom [ … ] it hadn’t dawned on you that she was a human being who harbored the exact same feelings you had [ … ] from then on, you sometimes thought as mom as a child, as a girl, as a young woman, as a newlywed, as a mother who had just given birth to you.

fucked me up fr ‼️‼️‼️ where the mommy issues at .. no fr it is such an incredible book.. basically the mc’s mom goes missing and it feels very much like a study on child - mother relationships it’s just amazing and mind blowing i wish i could read it in its og language 😭 cuz so many little things get lost in translation… meh

love u !!! i hope u have a good day !!!

OMG OMG hi yes hello book and poetry recs are mwah mwah i love getting them :DD

that sounds so good 😭 i have a feeling im going to start crying if i read that, and i don't usually cry when reading, so im definitely saving that and keeping in my brain archive. my relationship with both my parents is err iffy ig now that've grown up. little me wrote to my future/now self that "you can scream, disagree, and bicker with my parents all you want but at the end of the day, never say you hate them." it sounded easy at first, and i don't hate them at all, never could, but seeing eye to eye is getting harder sometimes. it's going to hit hard but i think i'll enjoy it very much so thank you <33

the plot sounds amazing. as much as i love fantasy and dystopia, i love novels that are more on relationship studies sob sob and i feel you on the go language thing... could go on a mini tangent on language translations when it comes to writing specifically but that's for another time 🫶

[newjenns]

Sol I’m turning 21 tomorrow !!! I am going to get a drink with my sober parents and then going shopping for books. Idk if you drink but if anyone has any first drink recs (yes it’s actually my first drink) that aren’t Too sweet that would be cool :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANON !!!!!! i don’t really drink that much but i do like malibu rum !! add some fruity juices to it and it’s awesome

[sabrondabrainrot]

IT'S YOU!! HOMIE!!

I've been reading the same stuff you have we're basically book club buddies now!!!

I can attest to everything here. I've read "Where do we go from here" and that fix actually changed how i perceive certain situations thank you for the link cause MMM I CAN LEAVE ANOTHER COMMENT

That fic is heart wrenching 💖💖💖

I've read all the what ifs too!!! I was so sad when I reached the end. I did have to skip some because I love angst but I'm actually a baby when it comes to it. 100/10 heartbreaking and haunting 😭✨

"Peine fort et dure" is actually pretty exciting to read. I had lots of fun reading that one when I found it!! Good taste!!! 👏👏👏

I'm scared of Anima Sol 👁️👄👁️. If I read it you'll pay my therapy bills

Rage break took my heart and soul!!! I love Lunar and Sun bonding! It's so sweet and the characterizations are peak. I haven't read this one yet so I read it the moment I saw a new rec!

I hope you're ok with me sliding some in!

100/10 short and sweet. Moon being a sweet brother to Sun in a vulnerable moment. It's a gen fic and light on the angst but a good read.

Another cute gen fic that balances angst and familial love. Moon being a good brother and making things up to Sun. Poor Sun got sick. But I adore it.

This is another more recent gen fic where Moon is just being a better brother and doing his best. Sorry I keep recommending these ones but when Moon is being a good brother there's just so much angst to feast on.

Cool art and lots of good angst!!!!

This is still ongoing but the angst is so delicious. Absolutely unwell over this fic. Adore the writing and characterizations!

This is like THE FIC I recommend to even non tsams fans. It's rated T because of it's setting/violence so if that's not your thing mind the tags, but it's SOOOOOO GOOODDDD

I want more people to read this is so so GOOD. it's an au crossover type story where tsams cast is basically now hazbin hotel/helluva boss and it works so WELL.

The angst is so immaculate you would not believe the amount of trauma this fic has.

i need..

.. angst