#tolkein deserves better

[missourielephant]

It was already shown that only 37% of American viewers even finished the first season of Rings of Power (it does not deserve proper italics). That was already a hilarious fail, but more numbers have come out. Over the course of 5 days, the viewing numbers for the Season 2 Premier were roughly half of what the Season 1 Premier did in 4 days. This worthless terrible show is one of the biggest disasters in the history of television, which can only be a good thing.

Because here's the thing, the best way to describe this show isn't terrible, or boring, or cheap looking, or failing the source material. It is all those things, but the best word to describe it is hateful. This show is Hateful. The contempt for Tolkien and fans of Tolkien drips from the showrunners, writers, and actors. The number of changes they've made can't be explained in any other way. One explanation is that the recognize the true genius, imagination, and talent that Tolkien had; and lacking those things themselves, hate him for having them. The other is that they hate him for being a Caucasian Catholic Male.

The only other show that seems to have a similar hatred of the source material is Velma. The Acolyte and the most reason season of Doctor Who certainly hated the established fan base, but even they didn't show such blatant disrespect and hate for the source. Kathleen Kennedy on the other hand, does seem to hate everything that George Lucas created.

And the only thing the showrunners, writers, actors and fans can say in defense is "If you don't like this you're a bigot! You're a racist, misogynist, homophobe, etc."

I can only shake my head that entertainment has fallen so far and celebrate the failures of such awful shows made by such awful people.

[onesizedgirl]

Naur because why the costumes in r*p are so horrendous good god what was the budget? Three peas and a leather boot?😭

[lscullzthegreat]

Reading the Silmarillion for the first time part 6

Agajdjjajajakakaklfnhajjajsjshdh

My poor boys my poor, poor boys. God they deserved better.

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

I'm looking forward to people writing fluffy aus about Celebrimbor and Sauron's relationship, just like people have with Galadriel and Sauron. Not because I like Sauron , but because I know what's supposed to happen to Celebrimbor, and he deserves so much better.

I am very angry at Tolkein for making me picture his fate.

Plus, I'm a sucker for "the evil one is domesticated by the hero" type stories.

[rumalumasuns]

Living in a Fairy Tale

What would you do or say to the person you love? Choose a quote and get a fairytale. It's as simple as that.

I do hope you enjoy your journey~

! - All works are purely fictional, and are fanfictions! All vtubers used do not belong to me (obviously - they're from the Nijisanji company!). All fairy tales and stories mentioned do not belong to me either lol. Also release times are all in PST!

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐

"Each day I love you more, today more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow" (Rosemonde Gerard) - With Shu Yamino (Shu Yamino - release 1/16/23)

"I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you will be" (unknown) - With Alban Knox (Alban Knox - release 1/24/23)

𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝙰𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎

"I saw that you were perfect, and so I loved you. Then I saw that you were not perfect, and I loved you even more." (Angelita Lim) - With Ver Vermillion (Ver Vermillion - Coming Soon~!)

"You're the first boy I ever kissed, and I want you to be the last" (unknown) - With Ike Eveland (Ike Eveland - release after Hiatus)

"To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you are the world" (Dr. Seuss) - With Ren Zotto (Ren Zotto - release after Hiatus)

𝚂𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚋𝚢𝚜𝚜…𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐

"You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known - and even that is an understatement" (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - With Uki Violeta (Uki Violeta - release 3/16/23)

"You're not just another person, you're the love of my life" (unknown) - With Yugo Asuma (Yugo Asuma - release after Hiatus)

"I choose you. And I'll choose you over and over and over. Without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I'll keep choosing you" (unknown) - With Sonny Brisko (Sonny Brisko - Coming Soon~!)

"When you love someone, you love the person as they are, and not as you'd like them to be" (Leo Tolstoy) - With Fulgur Ovid (Fulgur Ovid - release after Hiatus)

𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘 𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝙸𝚗 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎

"That's what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable." (Deb Caletti) - With Vox Akuma (Vox Akuma - release April)

"Lots of people want to ride with you in a limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down" (Oprah Winfrey) - With Luca Kaneshiro (Luca Kaneshiro - release after Hiatus)

" I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone" (J.R.R Tolkein)- With Aster Arcadia (Aster Arcadia - release after Hiatus)

"Respect yourself, love yourself, because there has never been a person like you and there never will be again" (Osho) - With Kyo Kaneko (Kyo Kaneko - release after Hiatus)

𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚈𝚘𝚞

"We accept the love we think we deserve." (Stephen Chbosky) - With Hex Haywire (Hex Haywire - release after Hiatus)

"'I trust you' is a better compliment than 'I love you', because you may not always trust the person you love, but you can always love the person you trust" (unknown) - With Mysta Rias (Mysta Rias - release after Hiatus)

"I love you, and I'll love you until I die, and if there's a life after that, I'll love you then." (Cassandra Clare) - With Doppio Dropscythe (Doppio Dropscythe - release after Hiatus)

𝙼𝚢 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝙼𝚢 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘

"I promise to handle your heart with care and treasure it with love." (Mr. Senti) - With Vezalius Bandage (Vezalius Bandage - release after Hiatus)

"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I'm with you." (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) - With Vantacrow Bringer (Vantacrow Bringer - release after hiatus)

"You had me at 'hello'." (Jerry Maguire) - With Yu Q. Wilson (Yu Q. Wilson - release after hiatus)

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛

"Love starts as a feeling, but to continue is a choice; and I find myself choosing you more and more every day." (Justin Welch) - With Claude Clawmark (Claude Clawmark - release after hiatus)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed your journey! Come back sometime <3

[thelaithlyworm]

Writer ask!

What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?

Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

Gonna mash up 18-21 and say: if you wrote another fic in the "all creatures fierce and bright" collective, what would it involve?

Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Hmm.

What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work

Well, if I knew something about their tastes I'd tailor the recommendation, but sight unseen I might try:

Short, dunt need to know canon, a bit funny, a bit sweet, some pretty wordplay and descriptions and a few real feelings under the fluff.

For Podfic I'd probably go for

which is short, funny, and has a widely recogniseable canon. (With the caveat that I recorded it a while back and my voice is a touch better now.)

Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I don't know about "dislike" exactly, but hanahaki has gone from, 'I don't know why people would want to write that' to 'I really should try that sometime.' Something about the complete over-the-top grandiosity of the premise, I think.

if you wrote another fic in the "all creatures fierce and bright" collective, what would it involve?

Probably something early in the timeline, where Xiuxiu doesn't particularly like Hei Xiazi (the common cavalryman who was suddenly taking up so much of her cousin's time and likely the reason he was cursed, was he cursed in all the twenty years she's known him? He was not) but like hell she's going to let Xie Yuchen whistle in the wind so they're going to make this exile and escapade work. And Hei Xiazi doesn't know what to make of this tiny slip of a thing (whose grandmother cursed him, what the hell?) who is now following him around and if she gets hurt Xie Yuchen will eat his eyeballs but he needs someone around for the few times Xiao Hua is lucid so by god and all the devils they're going to make this work. I like V-shaped relationships where the two outer points have to make their own bond, I think.

Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

So "Of Things Left Out" did absolutely terrible numbers by The Hobbit standards but I'm still overpoweringly fond of it. In which Thorin reads Bilbo's journal and realises the little guy has been absolutely roasting him for pomposity the whole way and... gently twits him back by improvising a completely over-the-top praise song for the occasion of Bilbo's birthday.

I liked it for the meta-ness of it. If "The Hobbit" is an in-universe text which the subjects know is being written as they go, how do they feel about it? Do they care for about the silliness Bilbo puts in, how do they want to be described? And, light as much of the fic is... in that frame of Bilbo-the-Chronicler, how fucking raw does it get when the business with the Arkenstone happens. Would Thorin want to be recorded that way? (In my version, he has an answer to that.)

And, I'm always very soft for gentle hurt-comfort fics. And a chance to compose Tolkein-style poetry, hee!

Thank you for asking!

[softmoonlightmelody]

Remember: this is for you, not the near-identical one I made about Linh's preferences.

(also, fintan, do better - you missed a lot of treats, here, in your pursuit of jr tolkein)

I didn't include Prattles and Mood Candy because those are candies, and as thus don't qualify - think of these as things Edaline would bake you after a bad day.

cite: kotlc wiki on fandom

[myfairkatiecat]

Okay so propaganda for the LOTR musical because it deserves it:

Tolkien’s books involved music as an inherent part of the cultures he described in middle-Earth. Characters sing verses all the time, and that was on purpose!

The LOTR musical keeps this spirit. The hobbits generally sing very Celtic-folk-music-ish songs such as The Road Goes On, which is the song they sing when leaving the Shire, or Now and For Always, which is the song Frodo and Sam sing in the middle of their quest. (I am of the opinion that Now and For Always is a common and comforting tune that reminds them of home, and they fill in the verses to a familiar melody starting with the second verse to make the lyrics about their own journey.) The Cat and the Moon is an upbeat song they sing together at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. A lot of the music sounds as though in-universe, it is being sung.

The music sung in the elvish languages is absolutely ethereal. Galadriel’s voice is beautiful. The song Lothloríen has a wonderful and lavish melody, orchestration and onstage production. The instrumentals keep the epic and cinematic style of a fantasy adventure soundtrack while working very well for a stage adaptation.

The only thing that could possibly ever make it better would be if it allowed itself to go on for slightly longer, despite the already ambitious three hour length, but even so the production is beautiful, mystical, and fully encapsulates the soul of Lord of the Rings, if not every single plot point.

I will always be a fan of the LOTR books, and maybe some people never will be. I will always believe that the LOTR musical soundtrack is beautiful and ethereal and always listen to it, and others may not appreciate it or find it to not be a style they enjoy. However, the true genius of the LOTR musical is the way that it takes a masterpiece of fantasy and does it justice as a musical onstage, both in the original Toronto and London productions and the current production at the Watermill (which is an immersive production and one that I wish I could afford to go see)!

So please, whether or not the music is your style, whether or not you’re a Tolkein fan… vote for the LOTR musical. Help it get the recognition it deserves.

[overthinkinglotr]

Everything in the Amazon lotr series makes perfect sense when you learn that the show runners have literally no experience working on tv shows. None. 😂 J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have barely any experience in the entertainment industry. And like if you check their IMDb, their only credits are a Flash Gordon screenplay for a movie that wasn’t made and “uncredited” writing on the 2016 Star Trek movie (meaning they weren’t an official part of the production but talked to J J Abrams every now and then.)

The only way I can praise the Amazon show is the way you’d praise something written by a kid…”like wow this is your first try? Your first time ever working in tv and writing a fantasy story? This is good for a first try! Nice work! Your mom should hang it on the fridge!” The real question though is like, why didn’t they give biggest budget of any tv series ever made to people who had literally ANY experience showrunning ahsjndndnd.

To be honest I’m baffled at people who say this show is “desecrating tolkien” because like…first off, desecrating tolkien can be super cool. He sucked sometimes. Second, “desecrating tolkien” implies they were creating a story that had something specific to say about Tolkien, and they knew how to use their medium to convey what they wanted to say. But like…they didn’t. The Amazon series can’t desecrate tolkien, it’s relying on tolkien as a crutch to tell an amateur story that would be literally totally incoherent without you filling in the blanks with prior knowledge gained from the books and from other better adaptations.

I’m baffled at people trying to act like Amazon is being progressive with this series when its sorta like…the peak of conservative Hollywood nepotism? Two upper middle-class white dudes with literally no idea how to run a tv show because they have never been part of the process, ever, were gift wrapped the highest budget for any tv show ever made— not because they deserved to make the most expensive tv series ever made, but because they were upper middle class white dudes who happened to know famous people in Hollywood. People work in television their whole lives for the chance to be a showrunner and these two mediocre white dudes who have barely done any professional writing were handed the most expensive tv series of all time.

And it shows! It explains why the show doesn’t feel as expensive as it is. The process was “run” by people who literally have never needed to understand how creating a tv show works.

Everything feels so clumsy, unfocused, and generic because it’s being showrun by people who do not have enough experience to know what they’re doing.

It feels like someone’s first published work because it is. there’s some vague generic theme about being corrupted by darkness but it’s portrayed with all the grace and subtlety of showrunners who have no experience telling stories professionally, don’t understand how to do it, and so are just turning to the audience and flatly saying what the themes are supposed to be in bland boring language. (They couldn’t even find relevant quotes from the books to use instead— at least then it would sound pretty. Tolkein’s language is almost entirely absent from the show. :P)

There’s a lack of specificity— the tone veers wildly from “epic and idealized like the Pj films” to “relentlessly gory and cruel like GOT,” and almost no quotes from the books appear in the show despite language being so important to the feel of middle earth— because the showrunners are too busy struggling to learn the basics of showrunning for the first time to figure out things like “how to set a consistent tone.”

Characters turn to the camera and spoon-feed the audience information like we’re stupid and constantly reiterate exposition from previous episodes because the show runners have never worked on tv shows before, and don’t have enough confidence to trust the audience to understand anything.

The pacing is so bizarre and wonky, and the introductions of important characters/McGuffins is so clumsy, because the showrunners have never done this before ever on any tv show.

The show doesn’t look like the most expensive tv show of all time (even though it is) because the show runners don’t understand how to budget visual effects effectively. Tons of expensive labor is wasted on dream sequences and meaningless one-off plot beats that don’t add anything to the story when they could’ve been spent on the actual important emotional story moments.

And of course the way the show handles gender and race is so hollow because it’s driven by two white male nepotism hires tackling these topics for the Very First Time. They decide to handle sexism in middle earth by making it a world where patriarchy just doesn’t seem to exist(?), but they’re also not willing to actually genuinely imagine what that would look like. so we get a world where “there’s no patriarchy” but most the warriors/leaders are still men, all the women still dress in feminine clothing/hairstyles and all the men have masculine clothing/hairstyles, no women are butch and no men are effeminate, a woman fighting/showing up in battle armor is framed as a big cool reveal, and every single relationship is suffocatingly heterosexual (and there isn’t even the possibility of queer relationships/homoerotic subtext.) They had three POC play some of the side characters but were careless in how they handled them, in a way that’s a disservice to the talented actors— for example the character they marketed as “the first black elf in tolkien” is immediately thrown into a plotline where people are racist to him for being an elf and then he’s captured into slavery and spends a few episodes in chains driven around by white orcs with whips in a way that makes you realize the creators were too white to think about the optics of this. They also don’t tackle the root issues with the way tolkein portrayed race (the idea that different races are different Species with immutable personality traits) and just take his racist assumptions for granted. Meanwhile, every scene where people are “fantasy racist” against white blonde Galadriel for being an elf is handled with all the grace of a white teenager who just realized racism was maybe Bad writing their first fiction story saying Deep Things About Society for a high school assignment. Can you imagine how much more thoughtful writing we would’ve gotten from literally ANY of the far more talented experienced female and poc directors in Hollywood, people who understood how to tackle gender/race in their writing and who understood how to actually run a show? But no, the show has to be handed to two white dudes who have literally no experience writing for tv and no relevant credits, just because they’re white men who are well connected, and we have to trust tHese people to condescendingly explain the importance of diversity to us like we’re children. And then we have to pretend to like it because theres a massive right wing backlash against the show for being “so woke” (when it isn’t). ANSJSJJDJDJD

I just kinda…don’t understand? Why give so much money to people who have no experience and don’t know what they’re doing? People whose only qualifications are being random white dudes who know famous people?

It feels like such a waste of money and resources to throw so much into what’s essentially a training exercise for people who’ve never run a show before. The Amazon series is longer than the first two PJ films but it doesn’t feel that way because the showrunners don’t understand how to use a medium they have never worked in.

Like Peter Jackson had never directed anything on the scale of LOTR, but he had directed plenty of movies (with the writers who later partnered with him on lotr) before he was allowed to make it, AND had spent years pitching his scripts around Hollywood and helping develop the technology used for the visual effects. Heck, Ralph Bakshi had made animated movies before, and Rankin/Bass had worked on tv specials. As much as all those adaptations are flawed like?????????? I genuinely don’t understand why you wouldn’t hire more qualified people for the most expensive tv show of all time. or even just. Anyone who had literally any qualifications at all.

But I guess I’m thinking about this all wrong because…their lack of experience is likely why they were hired. Because of the complicated legal and rights issues happening behind the scenes, Amazon likely didn’t want to hire anyone who would have a coherent vision and a clear idea of how to execute that vision. The show needed to bow to the mandates of Amazon but ALSO the copyright issues (they don’t have the rights to actually adapt most of the stuff dealing with the history they’re adapting), the mandates of the Tolkien estate (who were allowed to make whatever petty changes they wanted to the story at any time) and the mandates of New Line Cinema (who were allowing Amazon to ape the style of their movies to get l publicity for their brand but are also completely willing to enforce copyright and demand change if they felt Amazon was stepping on their toes, and etc etc). Amazon needed inexperienced people who would go along with whatever they were told to do. Someone who had a clear vision and knew how to execute it would fight against the dumb corporate mandates. Someone who has literally never worked in tv before would assume Amazon knew best and do whatever they were told.

I don’t know, I feel the same way I do about the hobbit films where it’s just—it’s such a waste? It’s such a waste. It’s such a waste of time and a waste of labor, on a project that (because of weird corporate nonsense) has no clear artistic vision and only exists to be part of a lucrative Brand(tm.)

I won’t be watching the next season— I assume the the future seasons will be “better” because the show runners have now had their very first season of experience working in television ever (good for them and congrats on breaking into the industry for the first time etc etc), but that doesn’t change what a massive corporate waste the first eight hours were— again, that’s longer than the first two PJ films but it doesn’t feel like It because it’s so directionless and devoid of a clear artistic vision. Idk as long as the only Lord of the Rings adaptations we’re legally allowed to get are massive Mega corporate ones funded off the suffering of all the underpaid Amazon workers who die in the warehouses, you would think the adaptations would at least be good XD. Again, can you imagine what more experienced and talented directors with a long history of working in TV, and who were free to execute their artistic vision, could’ve done with such a giant budget? Can you imagine if corporations didn’t waste an entire season of television as the world’s most expensive training wheels for people who’d never seriously worked in tv before? Can you imagine how much good art we could get if Hollywood was actually a meritocracy? Idk dudes, idk.

[missourielephant]

rings of power writers: Yes we understand that by this point in the story, Galadriel had been married to Celeborn for thousands of years. But she's a strong independent woman, so she doesn't need a husband!

also rings of power writers: We're gonna ship Galadriel with Sauron and even say that she loves him. Who cares that he had her brother killed by a werewolf or that he's pure evil. Shipping the heroine with the villain is what you're supposed to do!

These people are idiots. Let me say this clearly, if you ship Galadriel with Sauron then you are disgusting and stupid. Not you have your opinion and I can respect that even if it's different from my own. No, you are simply stupid and disgusting if you ship those two. You gonna ship Ellen Ripley with the Aliens? Laurie Strode with Michael Meyers? Princess Leia with Grand Moff Tarkin?

[separatist-apologist]

What are your thoughts on Tamlin? And You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to.

I honestly feel pity for him. He loved feyre in acotar. And after that it’s like he did a 180 In acomaf. he was definitely wrong for what he did, but there was also a lack of communication on both his and feyres part. he genuinely believed Rhys to be the bad guy and just wanted feyre back. The way he went about doing things was very wrong and there was a lot that he could have done much better in.

But in the end tamlin still helped Feyre and Rhys. He brought his army to help in the war and helped feyre and Azriel escape with Elain. Heck, without him Rhys would still be dead. So yeah, I feel pity for him, but I don’t think he’s a villain.

You know how I'm always like, these books are not Tolkein and do not deserve the level of analysis they get? This ask right here is exactly why. Tamlin has all the building blocks of a really good emotional abuser but he's in the hands of an author who either didn't care to put it all together or never meant to in the first place. I can never decide which. I know the fandom loves to point out the moment between Feyre/Tamlin during Calanmai where he orders her around but that's such typical alphamale behavior for these books that its forgivable AND annoying that the red flag is...that.

I wrote a big long thing and deleted it. Tamlin DID hurt Feyre, regardless of his intentions. And a lot of times people minimize impact in favor of intentions. Was he traumatized? Yes. Did he make assumptions? Also yes. But at what point should we reasonably expect him to listen to her? When Hybern declares them mates? Tamlin, outside of demanding her mating bond be broken because he wants Feyre and refuses to acknowledge the legitimate claim Feyre/Rhys have to each other, had hit her through magic more than once.

And trauma doesn't justify that. A lack of information doesn't make it okay. It wasn't just Feyre, it was Lucien, too and you can acknowledge he was under a lot of stress, that he suffered too, that he wanted to keep her safe as best he could and in that same breath, not condone his abusive behavior. Not saying you do, anon. But I have seem takes that blame Feyre for the abuse she got? When has not communicating made it okay to hurt the person you love? Tamlin has just as much responsibility for asking, and he doesn't.

Its okay to sympathize with Tamlin. I think a better story would have made Tamlin unsettling in ACOTAR and sort of held a mirror to the reader through Feyre. He's handsome, he's wealthy...and he's locked you inside his house. When did THAT happen? He doesn't tell her anything so she's forced to learn EVERYTHING through snooping. He's kind...until you realize his kindness comes with strings.

Some of that is there but its inconsistent. I wish SJM would stop writing about this stuff because she does not do it well. Ultimately I don't have feelings about Tamlin. His redemption was in ACOWAR when he saved Rhys for Feyre. He learned something about love when he did that, and his character should have been put to rest after that.

[hislittleflower-throughconcrete]

I posted 3,588 times in 2021

230 posts created (6%)

3358 posts reblogged (94%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 14.6 posts.

I added 1,067 tags in 2021

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Longest Tag: 139 characters

#but a friend wants me to help lead a virtual retreat that weekend and at first i thought it was a different weekend so i thought i'd be fre

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I need a book entitled “Lent for the Wounded: A Guide to a Gentle, Holy Lent for those who have experienced trauma, struggle with scrupulosity, have mental illness, eating disorders, or have a tendency to damage themselves trying to be absolutely perfect for God.”

Most lenten books, quotes, retreats, etc.  are trying to reach a lax conscience. "Examine your conscience minutely, root out even the tiniest sin, because you are worse than you realize. Don’t be complacent in your sin, you have to strive for sainthood and holy perfection and don’t stop fighting until you get there, meditate on the sorrow your sins cause God, give up big things this year, and just do better.”

That isn’t helpful or my holiness. To a person like me, that is the voice in my head nonstop. It just tacks on at the end “You’re a worthless failure if you can’t stick to your fast and each time you fail is another thorn you are piercing Jesus with.” 

319 notes • Posted 2021-02-11 23:09:12 GMT

#4

"Inauguration day is as sacred a sacrament that exists on our secular calendar"

A sentence I had to hear with my own two ears from NBC when recapping the inauguration day when my mom watched the news this morning. They were remarking why “Amazing Grace” was a fitting tribute at the ceremony.

I honestly have no words because I’ve never seen the idolatry of politics and politicians so blatantly stated. And I thought the people reacting to the capital riot stating talking about how it is a “sacred place” with “hallowed halls” that deserves “reverence” were bad.

We were created to worship, and if we choose something or someone other than God, this is what happens. Enjoy taking selfies with your golden calf.

329 notes • Posted 2021-01-21 16:58:11 GMT

#3

Most Christians think they care about the poor and care about helping the poor.

Do you really?

Most people picture the poor as someone who is kind, humble, and grateful for help, really similar to themselves, just down on their luck trying to feed their families.

What about the smelly poor? The poor who you offer to carry their bag and your arm becomes engulfed in bugs? The rude poor? The poor that believes in “backwards” things? Poor who have voted for someone you despise? The drug-addicted, belligerent poor? The poor who turn to crime? The poor who may yell obscenities at you as you try to help them and love them? If you do not wish to serve “those” poor, your love for the poor is conditional. And that’s something you need to pray about.

541 notes • Posted 2021-07-09 23:52:23 GMT

#2

Lord, please save the souls who dismiss you due to pain rather than pride, 

Souls who hate you because of wounds rather than wrath, 

Souls who write you off because they have a false image of who you really are, 

and souls who feel the brokenness of the world means you cannot exist. 

The road to heaven of narrow, but let your mercy be wide,

Let it open the door of heaven for those beaten down by the world 

And let it heal the wounds that cloud their perception of you. 

787 notes • Posted 2021-08-03 22:25:43 GMT

#1

THIS IS YOUR YEARLY LENTEN REMINDER

If you have an eating disorder, GOD DOES NOT WANT you to fast from food on days of of fasting or avoid meat on days of abstinence. In your circumstance, it is NOT a path to holiness and God actively wills you to continue eating food in a healthy manner. God does not want you to risk your mental and physical health. This is your permission to eat because in your case, fasting is moving away from holiness. 

If you have mental health issues or scrupulosity, GOD DOES NOT WANT you to impose unduly harsh or strict restrictions and penances on yourself. In your circumstance, it is NOT a path to holiness and God actively wills you to be gentle to yourself and focus on rekindling your love for Him in simple, natural ways - not getting hung up on self-imposed rules. God does not want you to risk your mental and physical health. This is your permission to be gentle on yourself because in your case, strictness and focusing on rules is moving away from holiness.

1010 notes • Posted 2021-02-15 23:32:50 GMT

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[mikkeneko]

10 favorite female characters from 10 different fandoms

Tagged by @drowningbydegrees  :) Like her, going with "first ten that came to mind" over any other, like, universal all-encompassing criteria.

I could swear I've done a list like this before, but when I checked to make sure I wasn’t repeating characters it looked like I’d done 10 favorite overall characters, not female specifically. Always nice to have a more specific search term!

1. Cordelia Naismith from the Vorkosigan series

Cordelia has been a favorite character from a favorite series for years, but having her return in Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen to show us how she’s grown and changed in the thirty-five years since we last had her as a POV character really deepened my appreciation for her. Cordelia mostly held the role of the Progressive Expat in the feudal, militaristic and overwhelmingly male-dominated society of Barrayar that she married into, and she spend her entire life fighting to bring more egalitarian and humanitarian perspectives to her adopted culture. Gentleman Jole showed us some of the changes Barrayar worked on her in return; she’s a lot harder, a lot more bloodthirsty, and a lot more tired  at the end of her career than the beginning, although she never lost hold of her core principles. Above all I really have to admire Gentleman Jole  for saying “You know what? Fuck it. Cordelia gets everything she wanted. She no longer has to put her dreams and wishes on hold to try to help her husband or son’s career along. She gets to retire to the planet she discovered and she gets six baby girls and a hot younger boyfriend and a seat on a scientific research committee. No more sacrifices. Cordelia gets everything she ever wanted.” and I for one think that’s extremely good.

2. Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings

Was just having the discussion with my fiance yesterday about how despite the fact that Tolkein is on record as saying he doesn’t know how to write female characters, he did a pretty great job with Eowyn, giving her a full multifaceted personhood with a lovely character arc of her own (which is not, despite first appearances, centered on being in love with a man) dealing with themes and issues that are still  relevant, and  doing so in a way that was specific to the female experience of the society she was written in. So either he underestimated his capacity to write female characters or he was smart enough to listen to the input of a female editor, either way, good job. It would be nice to have more�� characters like Eowyn in LOTR, but no complaints about this one.

3. Vin from the Mistborn trilogy

Sanderson generally writes pretty good female characters, although they don’t always overshadow the male characters in the same books. Going to pick just one from Sanderson’s stuff it was either going to be Vin or Vivenna, and I came down on the side of Vin because she’s just pretty great. I think my favorite thing about Vin is that she became a legend in the world that came after Mistborn,  and that as much as she is admired for her achievements Marasi still points out, correctly, that not all  women should have  to be the Ascended Warrior, there are other valid ways of being a woman (and a hero.)

4. Gideon Nav from the Locked Tomb trilogy

There’s something extremely, extremely refreshing about how pure of a himbo Gideon Nav manages to be, and I adore her for it. Gideon Nav saw a giant skeleton juggernaut with swords for hands and her immediate reaction was “I want to fight that.” Icon.

5. Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle

There are a lot of really great female characters in Diana Wynne Jones so it’s hard to pick just one, but Sophie is one very dear to my heart. Suddenly finding oneself to be ninety years old and taking that as an excuse to fling off all the ridiculous social restrictions of your age and gender? Mood. Feeling like a failure despite your repeated and provable talents as an organizer and your newly discovered talents as a witch? Big  mood.

6. Kiri from Madness Season

I am always at a loss about what happened  in C.S. Friedman’s other books because she can  write female characters well! Kiri and Hesseth prove she can! She just... doesn’t. Anyway Kiri was the best part of The Madness Season,  being an unimaginably old alien from a race of energy-based shapeshifters who mostly regard the antics of the ‘embodied’ species with tolerant fondness. Her species and society rely very heavily on having symbiote partners of an embodied species and she spends most of the book slapping the protagonist character upside the head and yelling “You! I choose you! Get your head out of your ass, get your immortal shit together, because you’ve got to be my partner now!” And he does, and in the process saves the galaxy, it’s rad.

7. Agatha Heterodyne from Girl Genius

Agatha Heterodyne is an absolute Mary Sue of a character, a busty blonde knockout who one day discovers herself to be the secret genius heir of a continent-spanning mad science empire, and people come from all over to swear either loyalty or lifelong enmity with her. And you know what? She’s valid.

8. Miriam from Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver contains a very excellent trio of great female leads, but Miriam is IMHO the best for the sheer spite-fueled power of “fuck the world that’s done this to my family, fuck the Winter King who thinks he can ride in here and walk all over me, and especially fuck you demon-infested tsar who is at least partially culpable for BOTH of these things!” 

9. Parker from Leverage

I didn’t want to leave one of my favorite TV shows off here, but mostly I admire Parker for how much she learned and grew; she starts off the series with an extremely specific set of skills and very narrow set of priorities and over the seasons that follow, she grows to encompass more wants and obligations and dreams and she grows so much  in skills that by the end of the series she’s the Mastermind, and she deserves it.

10. Wen Qing from The Untamed

Wen Qing deserved better than she got, she was placed in an impossible situation and she did everything she could to protect her family, both immediate and extended, from callous warmongers who wanted to use her. She never lost her pride or her principles even when the world was busy grinding her into the dust, she tried so hard, she got chewed up and spit out by a cruel society and unlike the main character, she never was given a second chance. I cry for Wen Qing.

Tagging in turn @faux-fires, @ushauz, @fairandfatalasfair, @curiosity-killed, @cersee?

[ourlittlebitofnothinguniverse]

fili kili and thorin deserved better than That

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

The Matchmaker: Thirteen

The fire crackled in the hearth and Bucky stretched lazily, half awake. You had really picked a nice couch. Plush and soft. Good for napping. Or, the activities that he’d just been doing on the sofa with you.

He looked down and smiled a little, adjusting the blanket gently to cover your bottom where it had bunched up and was leaving you exposed. He didn’t want you getting chilled.

His belly was comfortably full of pasta, he’d had a few glasses of wine, and he had the love of his life asleep on his chest. It was a nice night. A quiet celebration to mark the last of your doctorate work getting done.  He knew you were worn out when you’d walked through the door.

It had radiated off of you. You looked exhausted and stressed. He always hated that. He looked up from the pasta sauce he was stirring and held out his arms, “Hey, Princess,” he said smiling, “Why don’t I run you a hot bath before dinner, huh?” You make a soft miserable sound. You’re cold and wet and it feels like the sides of your stomach are stuck together. You’d been too anxious to eat more than a couple bites of the chocolate chip pancakes Bucky had tried to get you to eat that morning. And what you had eaten you’d thrown up just from the nerves.

“I just wanna go to sleep,” you murmur, “I don’t even think I can eat.”  You walk into his arms and thud your head gently against his chest. 

He frowns and strokes your back tenderly, “What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”

You shake your head and sigh, “Nothing,” you murmur, “I’m just tired.” 

“At least go put on some dry clothes,” he says softly, “Get comfortable. Let yourself relax a little. Let your body realize you’re not running on adrenaline anymore.”

You nod and take a deep breath, “Okay,” you whisper.

“Good girl,” he praises gently, nudging you towards the stairs, “One step at a time.” He watches you go and shakes his head. He’s a little glad you turned down working for SHEILD. Some types of stress you could handle really well. A frenetic work pace. Lots of things at once, fine. All fine. But prolonged stress, being stressed out for days on end while you unsnarled tangles and had no apparent end to the worrying? Nope. You were built for sprints, not Marathons. SHEILD was constant stress. Constant pressure. He didn’t doubt that you could adjust but he’d prefer you not have to. The effects on your body aside, he wondered what it would do to your heart. 

Bucky listens with half an ear and nods to himself when he hears the shower start, adjusting the temperature of the stove and starting the water for pasta. He knew you’d sworn off carbs for right now, but he also knew that you were miserable. He figured breaking the diet that he didn’t even think was necessary wouldn’t hurt. Not for one day. Not if it meant that you went to sleep with a full belly and he didn’t find you awake at 3am possessed by some manic cleaning demon after an anxiety-induced nightmare vaulted you out of bed. Fully awake and already in a panic. He hated that too. How easily all the shit your older sister had said and done to you instilled that you were never going to be enough. How all the things stupid boys, who didn’t understand you, had perpetually made you question if it was a trap if anyone asked about things you were interested in. It was only now that he lived with you that he really noticed it. 

For a moment he’d thought you had a double life or something. But it wasn’t that. It was a massive, sprawling, fantasy epic you had spent the better part of 15 years writing and refining. There were multiple languages, cultures. All this detail and illustration... It had made his head spin when he’d found the stacks of journals and loose-leaf papers in binders. You’d very cautiously, shyly explained that it was how you’d put in to practice some of the theoretical things you read about when you were first wrestling with it. Without any real-world experience to really draw on. Or access. You’d just crafted one to test things out on. “Like Tolkein but like... Less racist and somehow more pretentious,” you’d told him. You looked like you were waiting for him to laugh at you. He couldn’t really do anything but stare. At least not for a moment. 

“Can I read it?” he asked. 

“No,” you answered hesitantly, hugging the binder you’re holding to your chest, like he might take it from you. Like someone probably had before. 

He hadn’t pressed. He’d simply nodded and very carefully added the journals and binders to the shelf next to your desk. Where you could get to them if you wanted them. 

Your quiet footfalls on the wood floors make him lookup. You’ve stolen one of his t-shirts and found a clean pair of pajama bottoms. Your hair is still dry, but your skin is pink. The water must have been hot. A lot hotter than Bucky liked it.You look better. Kinda. At least less frazzled. 

When your arms wrap around his waist and your cheek rests against his back he smiles, “Baby, I got a fire going before you got home,” he coaxed, “Why don’t you go cuddle up with a blanket... I’ll bring you some dinner and a glass of wine.”

“I still feel nauseous,” you tell him groggily.

He frowns, “At least try, Princess. You need to eat. You might even feel better if we get a little something in your stomach.”

He watches you go as you shuffle through the doorway and frowns. You really do need rest. He can practically see the anxiety and the depression it leaves behind gnawing at you. He knows this is a temporary state. A rudderlessness left behind after your life’s work this far getting handed over. But. He’d much rather drown you in pasta and cuddles until you fall asleep than just let you fall asleep face down on the bed like you are. 

It doesn’t take long to have a couple bowls and a couple glasses of wine put together on a tray. The TV is off but you have the record played on and playing softly. He smiles a little, you’re wrapped up in the fluffy throw off the couch hugging the stuffed dog he bought you as a joke when you asked for a puppy. “Here, Sweetheart,” he said handing you a bowl and a glass. When you take them your hands a trembling just a little and it reaffirms his assessment that you need food in your belly. 

You take them and take a deep breath. “Thank you,” you murmur. Bucky nods and sinks into the couch gently, “I made brownies too,” he said, proud of himself.

You smile up at him and take a sip of wine, “You’re getting pretty domestic,” you tease, “Don’t worry I won’t tell Sam.” Bucky grinned, “Well, I gotta get some skills. You know. Since you’re gonna be a Professor. And a Consultant for the UN... Once I retire I’m practically gonna be a trophy husband. I gotta keep you interested in me somehow.”

You laugh softly, “Well I appreciate the efforts. Even if you are gonna make me fat.” Bucky rolled his eyes, “Baby, you’re perfectly healthy. Fuck that magazine. You’re healthy. You work out more than I do. You can eat whatever you want.” You sigh, “I know. It’s still not nice to read while I’m trying to get groceries.”

Bucky nodded, “I know, Sugar.” He kisses you gently and smiles a little, “But let’s not worry about those assholes now, huh? Just relax and let me take care of you. You worked hard. You deserve a treat.” You nod and take another sip of wine, “Okay,” you sigh, “This actually looks really good... Food Network?”

“Facebook,” he said grinning. 

____________ 

He managed to coax you into most of the pasta and a brownie between two glasses of wine. You unwound slowly and Bucky felt better. He hated it when you had yourself worked up. 

It also hadn’t taken long for him to work you back up again in a completely different way. He applied considerable efforts into getting you sleepy and relaxed. He figured a slow, snuggly round of lovemaking would probably be just the thing. When he had you naked and squirming under his hands, he pinned you gently to the couch and lavished kisses down your body, nuzzling your stomach affectionately. There wasn’t much talking but there didn’t need to be. He knew what you liked. You knew that in the back of his mind, he was thinking about how pretty you’d look growing his baby. 

“I love you,” you’d panted, your legs wrapped around his waist to pull him closer. 

“Who doesn’t?” he teased, kissing you hungrily.

After he’d spent inside you and you were pleasantly tired instead of mind-numbingly exhausted, he’d held you. You’d snuggled into his arms and hid your face in his neck. 

It hadn’t taken long for you to fall asleep. The comfort of a full stomach, a gentle orgasm, and a warm body to cuddle paired with the sweetness of Bucky humming along with the record he’d put on had you fast asleep in a few minutes. 

Bucky felt like he was in heaven, drowsing there in a hazy, twilight state. It was a level of comfort he never thought was possible. He never knew it was possible to be this content. This blissed out. 

He adjusted the blanket over you gently and stroked your hair. This was home and he couldn’t wait to be a trophy husband. 

Tags: @lancsnerd​ @stevieang​ @golddaggers​ @blameitonthecauseway @qxeen-of-hearts​ @process-pending​ @xmarveled​ @beautybyfire, @etherealwaifgoddess, @mschellehitt, @mistressoftorture @thorfanficwriter, @ctinadiva, @innerpaperexpertcloud @amalthea9  @cdwmtjb8 @notyourtypicalrose

[dysphoric-dumbass13]

All of the bookish asks. I hate you. And your stupid fucking face. Im so tired dude i stayed up ridiculously late to finish that

Hey I stayed up ridiculously late to finish mine too. Well not ridiculously late because me and then I couldn't fall asleep anyways but whatever. And you literally love me you jackass.

1. (what book did you last finish? when was that?) Willingly? Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, in July. For school? Of Mice And Men. I didn’t care that much, and I forgot to finish A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but I still finished my project fine without any issue whatsoever and should get at least a B, if not an A. But whatever.

2. (what are you currently reading?) The Odyssey, for school. But also I’m like ¾ of the way through What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. (what book are you planning to read next?) Well for English it will have to be A Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass by Fredrick Douglass, Night by Elie Wiesel, Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, or Lord of the Flies by William Golding. However, I really want to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. And I’m also trying to get a hold of the Harry Potter books because I haven’t read them since I was 7, and I was a compulsive moron so I read them out of order based on length and the title. I did that a lot.

3. (what was the last book you added to your tbr?) I don’t fully know what it means by that, but I’ll give this a try. The last thing I remember actively seeking out that I need to read again (for writing purposes, and the fact that I’m a nerdy bastard) was the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

4. (which book did you last re-read?) Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, I loved it so much that I read it twice in one month. I also re-read Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli twice before moving to the former.

5. (which was the last book you really, really loved?) Again, Leah on the Offbeat. I loved that book so much oh my god.

6. (what was/were the last books you bought?) I actually bought 3 books in September (after I got all my books for English), which were Leah on the Offbeat, Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda, and The Song of Achilles.

7. (paperback or hardcover? why?) Paperback. The hurt less to hold while reading, and they’re cheaper so I can buy more of them. But I do love a hardcover book if the cover is really intricate and beautiful.

8. (ya, na, or adult? why?) Idk. To me it doesn’t matter all that much as long as it’s a good book. I really like anything that isn’t racist, sexist, super heteronormative, transphobic, or hating of any particular religion (except like if it’s vaguely poking fun at catholicism and christianity because we deserve it)

9. (sci-fi or fantasy? why?) Fantasy. God I just fucking LOVE fantasy. I wrote a 20,000-word oneshot that was of the fantasy genre. I just love it too much.

10. (classic or modern? why?) Idk. Doesn’t really matter, again, as long as it isn’t racist, transphobic, against a religious group, or too heteronormative.

12. (political memoirs or comedic memoirs?) Idk man. But I hate politics in every way, shape, and form, so I’m gonna go with comedic memoirs.

13. (name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaptation) Um………. idk. I’m gonna go with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire simply because of the fact that they cut so much out and, sorry not sorry, if the whole series was written by someone not transphobic, homophobic, and antisemitic it would be better. It’s great, but it could be so much better.

14. (name a book where the movie/tv adaptation was actually better than the original) Again idk. I’m gonna say The Princess Bride because that movie is so fucking good guys.

15. (what book changed your life?) I know it’s not technically a book book, but Unknown Colors by Gabriels_Wings on Wattpad. It got me into reading again and that’s only benefitted me so far (except for distracting me from homework, but who cares).

16. (if you could bring three books to a deserted island, which would they be and why?) Well, obviously, Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat (ok I’m gonna some up with abbreviations now, LotO for the latter and SvtHA for the former), and the last spot would be between The Song of Achilles and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Because they’re good books. And I’m gonna end up dying on said island and I need my gay fix with me.

17. (if you owned a bookshop what would you call it?) Oof, that’s hard. Probably….. Narnia. And it would be a very gay place with beanbags and a small coffee shop inside and it would be like this one place my mom went to all the time where you could buy a book and if you wanted to you could bring it back and they’d buy it back for slightly less than you bought it for. It was a great place. And my bookshop would be amazing.

18. (which character from a book is the most like you?) Toughie. I’m gonna go with… Blaise Zabini from Harry Potter or Abby Suso from SvtHA and LotO. Because Blaise is very gay and sassy (idk if he actually is in the books but hey, fanfiction) and Abby is a bi disaster and relatable af.

19. (which character from a book is the least like you?) Idk. Hannah Abbott? Because she’s a Hufflepuff? Idk man.

20. (best summer read?) LotO.

21. (best winter read?) Been a while since I actually remember reading a book in winter. I remember when I was in 5th grade I really loved reading Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin. That was good. But I think The Hobbit would be good too.

22. (pro or anti e-readers? why?) Pro, it makes reading at random places so much easier. Plus, I can then read gay fanfic at my christian grandparents’ houses.

23. (bookdepository or amazon?) I’ve never used Book Depository, but I looked it up (omg Kass you aren’t going to believe it, I googled something on my own!) and it seems smaller and cooler because it’s just books. So I’m gonna go with that one.

24. (do you prefer to buy books online or in a bookshop?) In a bookshop without a doubt, you can browse for hours. I love bookshops

25. (if you could be a character in a book for just one day, who would you be and why? bonus: any specific day in the story?) Simon Spier. From SvtHA. On the day of the carnival fair thing. Because zqawxsedcrfvtgbyhnujmikolplomiknujybhtvgrfcedxwszqa

26. (if you could be a character in a book for their entire life, who would you be and why?) Again Simon Spier. Because infdjfcdncewhfiubdkjcnsoawehfwedscnsaoufgrwiofbv cisahcsoainh

27. (if you could change one thing about mainstream literature, what would you change?) NO. MORE. DISCRIMINATION! And I swear to god people, quit idolizing authors who are racist or sexist or transphobic or homophobic or against certain religions or anything else because I swear they don’t deserve it! No more discrimination in the media guys.

28. (how many books have you read so far this year?) A lot. Idk the actual amount but a lot. Especially if we’re counting fanfic.

29. (how do you sort your shelves?) I don’t actually own enough books to sort lol. But I assume I would sort them alphabetically by author. And if I had a ton of books, I’d sort them further into genres.

30. (who’s your favorite author?) Becky Albertalli.

31. (who’s your favorite contemporary author?) Idk. I’m not that smart, I don’t put authors into genre categories.

32. (who’s your favorite fantasy author?) See above.

33. (who’s your favorite sci-fi author?) See above.

34. (list 5 otps) Oh god, here I go. Pansmione (Pansy Parkinson x Hermione Granger from Harry Potter), Wolfstar (Remus Lupin x Sirius Black from Harry Potter), Sabriel (Sam Winchester x Gabriel from Supernatural), Johnlock (John Watson x Sherlock from Sherlock), and Merthur (Merlin x Arthur Pendragon from Merlin).

35. (name a book you consider to be terribly underrated) What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.

36. (name a book you consider to be terribly overrated) Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck.

37. (how many books are actually in your bookshelf/shelves right now?) 19, including a book I accidentally stole from my 7th grade LA teacher (sorry), and a college workbook I stole from my dad on lifesaving first aid for heart problems. + 1 movie (Love, Simon), 5 comic books, and an adult coloring book because why not. I also have 2 full boxes downstairs full of kids books (about half of which I've never read or have any interest in reading) from when I moved.

38. (what language do you most often read in?) English because I’m a dumb bitch and don’t know other languages well enough. I might be able to stumble through a kid’s book in French, and I could read a basic novel in Spanish.

39. (name one of your favorite childhood books) Goodnight Moon was one of my favorites. I also was obsessed with Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin, and when I was about 5 my mom would read The Hobbit to my brother and I when she got home from work if she was working a half day, or she wasn’t held up too late on a normal day. Ah, some actually decent childhood memories.

40. (name one of your favorite books from your teenage years) SvtHA.

41. (do you own a library card? How often do you use it?) Yeah, and decently often.

42. (which was the best book you had to read in school?) The Outsiders. In 7th grade.

43. (are you the kind of person who reads several books at once or the kind of person who can only read one book at a time?) Multiple at once. I kind of have to if I want to read for fun while I’m in school.

44. (do you like to listen to music when you read?) Honestly, my mind is like an iPod I can’t fully control, I was laying in my bed half asleep singing What I Got yesterday morning for no reason, so I don’t have a choice. There’s more of a choice if I’m listening to music, so yes.

45. (what is your favorite thing to eat when you read?) Nothing? I don’t really like to eat when I’m reading, unless I’m reading on my phone and then it doesn’t really matter. But when I'm reading I usually forget to eat.

46. (what is your favorite thing to drink when you read?) Tea. Without a doubt. If I’m not too lazy to make it, that is.

47. (what do you do to get out of a reading slump?) Well, I do one of two things. I either try to convince Kass (@eyeforaneye-toothforatooth) to write something for me, or I’ll write (because I know I have to read over it a bajillion times, and I write too much for anyone’s good)

48. (where is your favorite place to read?) In my mind palace. I have a little place in my mind palace that I go when I’m reading or writing, and it changes. Sometimes it��s in a cottage at night with the only light a fireplace that I’m sitting in front of, sometimes it’s leaned against a tree. Three of my favorites are leaning against a cherry blossom tree looking out at a river, on a beanbag in a cozy, quiet bookshop/library, and on a beach in Roatan, Honduras. Other than that, it’s curled up on my UFO couch in my front living room, in front of the gigantic window.

49. (when is your favorite time to read?) It actually depends on the season. In the summer, always because I don’t want to go outside because it’s too hot. In the winter it’s during the evening. Spring it’s early in the morning. Fall it’s around sunset.

50. (why do you love to read?) Because you’re taking yourself and delving into a different universe, where nothing you know exists and only what you’re reading does. It takes me away from the world and all of my struggles, and puts me somewhere where that doesn’t exist. It’s refreshing. I hate you too