#up until this ending the book was fucking fantastic 10/10

[muzsmocsing]

Peerless Confusion: the ending of svsss book 3

One second we're in a collapsing cave trying to remove Xin Mo's influence in the most painful way one could think of, causing everyone involved severe emotional AND physical damage. Then I turn the page and boom, it's sunshine and rainbows on Cang Qiong Mountain. Everyone is alive and well the world is restored and the suddenly happy couple rides off into the sunset. Genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, what the fuck happened??

[imagoofygoober]

rivals to lovers with dave lizewski maybe..?? like shes super duper smart and they get paired together on a project and they start bickering because dave is kind of being a dumbass but it ends rlly sweetly!!!

OMG if I wasn't bit busy today,I would've answered you so much sooner!!! I LOVE this!!

Dave Lizewski x nerd!reader

Prompt: rivals to lovers

Warnings: cursing,reader is described to have female parts but no pronouns are actually used,Dave being a bit of a perv,mentions of drug(marijuana) use

Summary: You and Dave always hated each other,or maybe that's just what you both told yourselves.

You and Dave have hated each other since the sixth grade,both for the same reason.You both believe you're smarter than the other.

You were both pretty smart in the same fields,and always end up fighting over who has the right answer.

You also hated his big goofy grin and his stupid glasses,you hated how they made you feel,how no matter where you went he'd probably be there too,and you definitely hated his curly hair.You hated how much you wanted to run your fingers through the unruly locks.

Dave hated all the same things about you,your smile,your eyes,your hair,how he'd see you everywhere.Though,since you both started going through puberty and you started to 'fill out',he kept catching himself staring at you (more specifically your tits and ass) and he absolutely hated it.

So when you were paired for a project together in Science,both of your jaws dropped slightly as you look at each other.

You scoff as you look away,crossing your arms as you slump in your seat.

'This is fantastic.' Dave thought as he looks back up at the teacher,his jaw clenched and his brow furrowed.

_

"You two are pairing up in science?" Todd asks as the three boys into Atomic Comics.

"Yeah,I thought you two like- despised each other." Marty says with a huff of amusement as they sit at their usual booth.

"We do! That bitch Mrs. Parsons paired us up!" Dave says,his voice cracking slightly,sounding a bit like a child who didn't get his way.

You hear the familiar voices from across the comic book section and look up,a bit of a scowl forming on your face as you see Dave.You huff softly and hurridly grab the few comic you had already picked out before heading over to the cashier,paying for them quickly before leaving.

Dave had heard the door but didn't see who it was that left,so he just shrugs slightly and goes back to talking to Todd and Marty.

-

A few days later,you find yourself sitting in Daves room with him at his desk,your eyes scanning the room for a moment,taking in all of the nerdy memorabilia everywhere.

You couldn't help the small flutter in your chest at a few of the things you saw from some of your favorite movies/shows/games/comics.'What the fuck?!' you thought as you felt your cheeks heat up slight when you look at him,utterly confused as to why you were suddenly feeling this way until the blush and flutter vanishes,noticing that he got something wrong.

You point at it,shaking your head slightly. "That's wrong. A hypothesis isn't an explanation for events or facts,that's a theory.A hypothesis is an explanation based on limited facts and the base for certain investigations." You say,looking at the paper.

Dave scoffs softly as he looks at you. "No,you're wrong. You've got it flipped."

You look at him,your brow furrowed. "No,you're wrong."

After about 10 minutes of back and forth 'no you are',Dave huffs and jerks open his laptop and clicks on the search bar,his fingers moving quickly over the keyboard.

"See? I told you." you say after reading the definition google pulled up for hypothesis and theory.Dave huffs again before looking down at the paper,erasing what he had put down.

"Whatever.." he mutters softly to himself,suddenly feeling a bit flustered,his bottom lip sticking out slightly in a faint pout.

You sigh and lean back in your seat as you start looking around,the same feeling from earlier bubbling in your chest again.

_

Over the course of the next week,your hatred for each other slowly dissipates and turns into something else and everything you hated about each other slowly became something that you both secretly loved.Though,the only people that didn't seem to notice was the two of you.Even your best friend noticed,and she isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed,probably because of all the pot she smokes.

She noticed how you all of a sudden wanted to spend time with Dave after years of being openly annoyed and irritated by him,even if it was supposedly just for the project.

"Do you like- have a crush on Dave now or something?" Sarah asks,her eyes red and her voice a little dawn out as she lays on your living room sofa,the room faintly smelling of weed and smoke.

"What!? No,of course not! I just- Don't hate him as much anymore." You say,sounding like your trying to convince yourself more than you are her,your cheeks burning bright red.

Sarah looks at you with a cocked brow,clearly not believing you. "Right.." She says before relaxing into the sofa again.

Maybe you did have a small crush on Dave...

Maybe that's how you found yourself here.In Daves room,not knowing how to act around him now that you're aware of your 'little' crush on him,your cheeks dusted pink.

Dave felt the same way,awkwardly shifting in his seat as you both write things down for your project,stealing little glances at each other.

Though,Dave lets his gaze linger for a bit,letting his eyes roam over your side profile and outfit.His eyes pause though,his cheeks burning a bit more when he notices the amount of cleavage your shirt showing,a familiar stir starting in his jeans.

He snaps his gaze away from you and looks down at the paper as he subtly adjusts himself in his jeans and shifts in his seat,his brain trying to conjure anything up to make him feel less turned on.

'god,get it together man..' he thought as he leans back in his chair and runs his fingers through his hair.He looks at you again,noticing you zoning out,lost in thought.

He reaches forward and gently shakes your shoulder,making you turn your head to look at him. "Sorry.." you say as you lean back as well.

"It's alright.We should probably take a brake anyway." Dave says as he starts to put away their stuff for their project away.

You look at him confused.'He's never wanted to take a brake,why does he want to now?' you thought but you don't say anything,instead you just start putting your own stuff in your bag.

-

It's now been 20 minutes and neither of you have said a word,Daves room filled with an awkward silence,the air so thick with tension you could cut through it with a knife.Dave is holding a comic book,pretending to read it.You on the other hand are just sitting there,staring at Daves hands.

"I can't take this anymore." He says suddenly as he tosses the comic onto his desk and turns to you.

"Take wha-" you start but your words are cut off when Dave grabs you by your cheeks and smashes his lips into yours.

You stay frozen for a moment,eyes wide and cheeks red,before slowly easing into the kiss,gently placing your hands on his shoulders.You feel his glasses gently digging into your cheek and bump against your nose,but you really didn't mind.All you were thinking of was how soft his lips are and how he tasted a bit like the grape soda he had drank earlier.

Dave could taste the hint of strawberry on your lips from your soda he bought you earlier and it took everything in him to keep himself from just shoving his tongue down your throat.Instead,he keeps the kiss going a few seconds longer before slowly pulling away.Your lips chase his slightly before you pull away as well,opening your eyes to look at him.

His glasses were slightly askew and his cheeks were dusted pink,making your lips turn up a bit as you reach up and adjust his glasses,which had visibly caught him by surprise.He had expected you to hit him or at least yell at him,but instead you were fixing his glasses and smiling at him,which in turn made his cheeks burn brighter and that grin that you've grown to love curve his lips.

"I wanna take you out on a date tomorrow..Is that okay?" he asks,smiling more as he watches you nod before kissing you again.

-

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Thailand surprised me

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 eps - I love love love Sol! Pink-haired baby idol blast from the past nursing a crush = absolute catnip for me. This is def my favorite Thai BL currently airing. And it’s probably because it has a sort of odd queer authenticity to both its gayness and its rep of the film industry. I mean, of course it’s sanitized into BL fantasy-landia, but there’s an underpinning of something real, for lack of a better word. Normally I prefer the fantasy of my dumb BL worldview, but in this one I’m kind of liking a little chew and grit.

All of which is to say: this is very fucked up messy gay, which normally I’m not wild about, but for some reason I’m really enjoying this version.

On the other side of the BL coin we have:

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 1 of 12 - And I like it a lot. It’s fun and I’m enjoying it (possibly more than it deserves). I like how it’s a little absurdist. I like that it starts with a one night stand. I like all of the side characters. I love the asexual representation. Bonus LUBE! It’s a fun show. More FUN that GMMTV usually goes for.  

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 - The sketching in the cave scene was v sexy. And I’m enjoying this BL, but not for any other reason than MaxNat being MaxNatty all over my screen. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 12fin - I don’t know what I feel about this one. Mostly just indifferent. It was meant to be the paranormal Thai BL pulp about vampires that we were all waiting for, and it ended up just being boring. Frankly, I'd rather be pissed off than bored. 6/10

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 4 of 12 - I truly love the naked lust on our side couple's pining friend's face. Usually only Japan get this thirsty.

Book is perfectly cast as Moo's older bro. They even look a bit alike but it might have been a mistake, because he’s so damn charismatic. Stole all the breath from the show for a bit. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 5 of 16 - No report until next week. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 11 of 12 - What a fantastic ep. This show really is killing it. I’m so happy with Taiwan right now. 

Carry on.

Blue Boys (Korea YouTube) 3 of ? - It remains lovely and I remain enjoying it immensely. It’s very Strongberry feeling. That's always a welcome sensation.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - They are so cute and pretty much just boyfriends already regardless of what they each think. I'm scared that next week is the final episode, it doesn’t feel like it’s gone very far.

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - I liked it a little better this week. I guess I’m warming up to this one?

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 3-4 of 8 - Ah poor lonely neglected child. They are all such weirdos. I don’t understand any of these characters or their motivations except they are strange kind of cartoons of... something.

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 9-10 of 12 - The guy who plays the vet should be playing a vampire. That's it. That's all I have to say. 

It's airing but...

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - 6 eps, when it's done, tell me if I should bother?

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - supposed to have started on Friday but I couldn't find it, I also didn't try very hard.

In case you missed it

GMMTV announced the second half of their 2024 line up. I got excited and picked my favorites, details + trailers here.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

5/10 A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you.

5/16 Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Strongberry doing classic BL! Weeee!

5/19 OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead (as it were). But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love a shrimp peeling moment in my Thai BL. (Only Boo)

Unquestionably the best moment in BL this year. FIGHT ME. (Unknown)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[rickktish]

Some unsolicited Harry Potter Thoughts and Headcanons

Ron Weasley is one of my favorite characters. Ron Weasley should have died from the poison in Slughorn's office when he was 16 so that y'all would treat him with the respect he deserves instead of shitting on him and replacing him with Draco in Leather Pants.

The entire reason Dumbledore is so fucked up actually has nothing to do with his sordid past; it comes from the (Doylist) fact that he was a plot device in a children's book until the main characters (and thus the audience) got old enough that it needed to become a YA series, and then had to find ways to justify is plot device-ness after being magically transformed into a character. The justification did not succeed.

Harry and Ginny were fine as a ship. Not spectacular, but fine. But if the series had come out 10-20 years later than it did I would be frothing at the mouth that Harry ended up with Ron's sister instead of Ron.

Draco Malfoy was a victim of circumstance in that he was raised by racists to be a racist. Draco Malfoy did not change his mind about his racism by the end of the series, but he did change his mind about the cult leader his parents had raised him to worship, and he deserves credit for that. Do not give him credit for what we do not have evidence of him doing, namely becoming not racist. No one in his family did that. Don't pretend that they did just to make them look shinier.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all bad friends at different points in the series, but as far as I can recall only Harry and Hermione exhibited actively toxic behavior. Ron had his disagreement with Hermione in book 3 and with Harry in book 4, but he had valid points in PoA (owner of a pet is responsible for that pet's actions) and was operating under false assumptions which he clearly communicated in GoF ("I thought you might've told me if it was the Cloak... because it wouldn't covered both of us, wouldn't it? But you found another way, did you?") before getting his head out of his ass ("Harry," he said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet -- I -- I reckon they're trying to do you in!") Followed by a sincere apology, interrupted though it was ("Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly found he didn't need to hear it. "It's okay," he said, before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it." |"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't've--"| "Forget it," Harry said. Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back.) Ron also apologized after leaving in DH. If anyone can remember a single instance of either Harry or Hermione apologizing to Ron for something they did that was wrong or for direct harm rather than accidental harm they've done, would you please add it to this post? I'm hoping it's just been too long since I did an in-depth read of the series and I've forgotten something, because I genuinely can't remember a time and I haven't been successful in locating one by my cursory searches through my ebook editions. I would genuinely like to be wrong about this, please and thank you.

I believe with my whole soul that the reason Dumbledore didn't get Sirius out of prison was because he was having Grindelwald flashbacks. Person I trusted with my whole soul turned out to be pro-enslavement/genocide? Person my students trusted with their magically concealed location appears to have turned out to be pro-Voldemort (and everything he uses to justify his pursuit of power)? He literally did not believe any doubts he might have held about Sirius' guilt, because he hasn't trusted his own judgement since he was 18 and his little sister died. also he 1) canonically did not know that Sirius wasn't the secret keeper and 2) probably did not know that Sirius never had a trial, so there's also that.

Harry and Ron 100% should have gone to the Yule Ball together. I would forgive their not ending up together so long as they had gone and had a fantastic time. Unfortunately, GoF was written in 2000, and we missed out for it.

Hermione would be an emotionally (and potentially physically) abusive spouse to Ron, not because I feel any need to put her down or bash her in any way, but because she wasn't willing to tell him that she was into him and instead conjured birds to attack him when she caught him kissing another girl. I think with time, effort, and a decent dose of humility, they could work it out, but at some point their kids are going to be chatting with friends and reveal the most casually fucked up shit about their parents' relationship to someone who's going to look utterly horrified and poor Rose and Hugo will have no idea why because to them it will be completely normal.

Childhood is thinking Dumbledore is the good guy and Snape is the bad guy. Angsty teenhood is thinking Snape is the good guy and Dumbledore "raised Harry like a pig for slaughter." Maturity is realizing that Snape did good things for really fucked up reasons like "I'm obsessed with the woman whose husband and child I would have seen killed so I could have another chance to get in her pants but unfortunately she's dead so I guess I have to keep her child who I hate alive" while also actively causing (directed) severe harm to the children under his care, and that Dumbledore did fucked up things for some good reasons like "I can't let this person who tortured animals as a child and committed murder in his teens destroy the world" and for some bad reasons like "I would literally die right now but unfortunately I have shit to do" (I honestly think everyone somehow missed the fact that Dumbledore was suicidal?? in spite of the fact that he committed assisted suicide?? I'm not quite sure how, but I suspect it has something to do with the woobification of Snape, so. there's that) while also causing (mostly indirect) moderate to severe harm to all who were in his care including, but not limited to, the government officials who asked him for advice, the staff and children at the school he ran, and his own family. The essential difference comes because Snape acted as he did toward others because he hated the world and everything in it, especially children, whereas Dumbledore acted as he did toward others because he couldn't make up his mind whether or not the ends justified the means and his life was entirely defined by the practice of both intentional and unintentional self-sabotage.

This absolutely might be giving Rowling too much credit, but I grew up with fairy tales of goblins who stole and guarded gold and didn't learn that goblins were a racist caricature based in antisemitism until I was in my late teens or early twenties by reading a post about how writing goblins as bankers meant that Rowling is antisemitic. I also genuinely didn't believe it at first, because I grew up in a culture that reveres Judaism and the Jewish people as God's chosen and the source for the foundation of mankind's relationship with God, and I had to seriously work to believe that the slightly goofy, slightly gross fairy tale creature I was familiar with could have such a disgusting connotation. I strongly suspect that Rowling herself had no idea until she started being accused of racism, at which point she pulled her classic schtick and doubled down, radicalizing rather than being open to being told she might be wrong. Sometimes you grow up with something being so normal and part of the regular zeitgeist that it never occurs to you that it could have its origins in racism. (I experienced this myself recently from a post about the origin of the popularity of private pools in the US, which I always thought were just a rich people status symbol. Even though I've known about the issue of pool discrimination since my mom, who attended a formerly black-only middle school in Alabama as a child, read me picture books about it when I was in elementary school, I didn't put it together until I read the post.) The quality of your character is determined then by how you respond to the criticism rather than whether or not you knew before the accusations began. The end result is the same, but I feel like holding her responsible for knowledge we have no way of telling if she knew before she started being accused of having it is bad-faith criticism, and I'd much rather hold her accountable for wrongs I know she's committed rather than ones I can only speculate about.

Dudley Dursley deserved his redemption. He grew up with the rule "Don't be like Harry" and figured out by the end of the series that Harry was a person, which is better than either of his parents managed. I honestly think a good dose of the real world-- maybe university or something-- would give him the foundation he would need to separate himself from his parents' beliefs and become a halfway decent human being. I wish the best for Dudley Dursley.

Neville Longbottom deserved better. In every possible way.

[the-owl-tree]

Okay, end of live read bullet point time:

I liked the pacing of this book a lot, I think Star is definitely my favorite book from ASC so far even if it's lacking in a lot of departments.

It's a shame the previous books couldn't maintain this pace or outright wasted time. I feel like I got a glimpse of what this arc could have been with just a little more time to cook (and less time wasted with journeying!)

They did a really good job with using their three POVs to make sure that the reader always had eyes in every piece of action, no more clone POVs in the same Clan! Nightheart was good here, I think they should have gotten him into RC earlier.

This book is so close to doing something really special for the series and just fumbles at the last minute in a really painful way that I don't like. I feel like I'm watching hockey and somehow the player keeps missing an empty net.

The books sets up some really good conclusions and just...doesn't see them through to the extent they should.

The theme of my live read was: it's just so close to getting it and then it doesn't get it. It hurts man.

Character wise, I liked how most of the characters were utilized: Frostdawn was fantastic throughout, I really do like how they showed her neglecting herself and being forced to eat and slow down.

I love that she misses her mom despite it all, that when she's scared, she seeks out Curlfeather.

Their confrontation was just so so close to being fantastic, I just wish it didn't end with Frostdawn insisting the status quo was good. Girl!! It wasn't!!!!!!

I really wish her choice to return was, well, her choice. She's essentially ripped from limbo and is just like "oh they do like me :D". RiverClan doesn't really reconcile with how they hurt her, at least not in a satisfying way.

Sunbeam was good, really liked her complicated feelings with her mother. I like how she's come a long way to being a little more mindful, sad that she and Lightleap never reconciled at all. Hurts me :(

Nightheart was good, they finally used his damn POV in a useful way! Until the final chapter. which, well. was bad.

really should've just ended on Frostdawn's chapter, like his character was so disjointed and disconnected from the rest of the plot. It was a bad place to end the book (continuing the theme of the book being SO close to doing it right and fumbling it lol)

probably more thoughts, otherwise uh i enjoyed myself even if i was disappointed.

rating: it's so fucking close to being really good/10

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Buffalo Bill

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Back in 2019, I started Psycho Analysis with a review of one of cinema’s most overshadowed and underrated villains. Now that I’m better at this, I've decided I'm redoing those old reviews, giving them a fresh coat of paint, fitting them into the modern Psycho Analysis style, and updating the scores. I figured there’s no better place to start than with good ol’ Jame Gumb.

Jame Gumb (yes, Jame, he doesn’t have an “S” in his name) is the enigmatic serial killer from The Silence of the Lambs known as Buffalo Bill. He’s left a trail of flayed women in his wake, his motives unknown, and it’s up to Clarice Starling to stop him with a little help from a smarmy cannibal asshole. He’s the perfect sort of twisted, perverted freak you’d hope to find in a grim, gritty detective story. In fact, he almost seems a bit uncontroversial and unremarkable in terms of villains, doesn’t he?

Oh, if only. Unfortunately, there are aspects of Bill’s character that have made him the second most controversial villain of 90s cinema after Ray Finkle from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. And we’re going to discuss all of that, because the big question when discussing Bill ultimately isn’t whether he’s good or bad, but is he good despite the unfortunate implications he ends up carrying due to what is and isn’t adapted from the book?

Motivation/Goals: Bill just wants to play dress up. Unfortunately, his idea of dressing up involves skinning women and then sewing said skin into a woman suit he can wear to dance about in his underground dungeon, penis tucked between his legs. To accomplish this Ed Gein-esque goal, he uses the playbooks of other killers like Ted Bundy to lure in unsuspecting women of considerable girth, traps them in a well in his basement, and forces them through a strict skin care regiment until it’s time to kill and skin them.

All of this is just incredibly fucked up, and also isn’t elaborated on to quite the degree the novel does due to Bill not being a character we focus on to gain real insight into. The full reveal of his plan is a shocking twist, but we don’t have the full psychological scope of his actions that was laid bare in the novel; while it doesn’t diminish Gumb in my opinion, it does leave the door open for some… problematic readings of what he’s up to, which we’ll discuss later.

Performance: While I don’t think I could possibly say he is an actor who manages to achieve the lofty heights of Hopkins, Ted Levine is still absolutely fantastic in his role. He’s an actor who always manages to inject his characters with a sort of unsettling air; just look at his brief appearance in Shutter Island if you need proof of this. Those skills are put to good use here, as he manages to make Gumb truly unnerving, and arguably far more realistic in his depiction of a serial killer than Lecter is.

Final Fate: After stalking Clarice Starling through his blackened basement while wearing night vision goggles, the tables are turned on Bill and the hunter becomes the hunted as Clarice unloads her gun into him. It’s a rather fitting death; as he preyed on women at their most vulnerable, it only makes sense that a woman strip him of all his power when he appears to be in control.

Evilness: I really don’t think there is any good argument against Bill getting the full 10/10. I mean, the man skins women so that he can wear their skin as a suit. How much fucking worse can a person even be in a story like this? It says a lot that Lecter comes off as more reasonable and less evil than the guy (even though this is decidedly not the case).

Best Scene: You know what it is:

And it’s even Jay and Silent Bob approved!

Really gotta compliment the song choice here; Q Lazzarus’ ominous dance tune “Goodbye Horses” forever had its image altered by its use here, but it really heightens the mood and feeds in to the unsettling nature of Bill’s dance. You can’t hear the opening notes of the song without this scene immediately coming to mind. And to think, its inclusion was all because she happened to pick up director Johnathan Demme in her taxi during a blizzard and showed him her demo tape.

Best Quote: From the above scene, Bill drops one of the most famous serial killer quotes in cinematic history:

“Would you fuck me? I’d fuck me. I’d fuck me so hard.”

Final Thoughts & Score: Buffalo Bill is horrendously underrated as a villain, though clearly there are some out there who appreciate him (Seth Green for example, who based Chris Griffin’s voice in Family Guy off of Buffalo Bill’s). That being said, the movie unfortunately ends up dipping into problematic territory as by excising most of the elaboration from the novel, Bill can unfortunately be read as an unflattering depiction of a trans woman.

Now you and I know that isn’t true, and anyone else who has read the book knows it isn’t true, but do you really think the average moviegoer in the early 90s cared about that? They see the freaky man dancing around with his schlong tucked away, wearing a woman’s skin, and find it unsettling and grotesque. It is incredibly easy to see how someone could see this as something akin to a villain in a crappy JKR detective novel, and it really didn’t have to be that way because the book really goes out of its way to not demonize trans people; while a bit outdated by modern standards, the book explains that trans people are not inherently violent and that Gumb is merely deluding himself into believing he is trans as some sort of warped justification for his actions. It even pointing out he was rejected for gender reasignment surgery. The movie has a few lines, but that’s kind of disappointing compared to the original novel, isn’t it? Then again, perhaps over-explaining would lead to the same criticisms the ending of Psycho gets, where laying things out for the audience in a way that tries not to demonize marginalized individuals is seen as tacky and unneeded.

Considering that Gumb was inspired by real life killers and their motivations (particularly Ed Gein, who has a higher number of fictional characters inspired by him than he does victims) and because I read the book, I don’t necessarily find his portrayal all that offensive, but I am a cis guy. If you do find his character tasteless, I won’t exactly blame you. It’s a rather unfortunate side effect of the transition from book to film that we lost the details that would ameliorate the problematic image of the character. With all that said, I still think he gets an 8.5/10. He’s certainly not as iconic as Lecter is and he’s too problematic to score any higher, but he is a very effective villain for the film he’s in and Levine’s performance is chilling and entrancing.

If nothing else, his existence led to the greatest open RP of all time. That’s gotta count for something.

[xiaq]

What was your relationship with HP in your childhood and what did it mean to you?

Warning: long answer is long.

I read the first HP book when I was 10. It felt like coming home. I was a deeply awkward, anxious kid dealing with bullying at school. I felt wrong and out of place and like everyone except for me had a manual for how they were supposed to navigate life; without the manual I was certain I would never catch up.

Books were a fucking haven. And THIS book. This book was about a kid that I empathized with so much. Except he's bullied and feels out of place because he IS out place. He's meant to be somewhere better, with people like him, who (for the most part) treat him kindly and with respect. And suddenly he's able to make friends and excel at his studies, and he settles into this fantastic world where he fits, and he's bright and likable and he has a purpose. It was just. God, it was everything I wanted for myself. AND there was magic and a train and a cool castle.

I think the first two books were already out when I started reading and I read the rest as they were released (re-reading them all multiple times in between). The friends I did manage to make also adored the books. I went from "playing Harry Potter" on the playground to writing fanfic to going to midnight book releases and meeting up with friends to see the movies as they started coming out. The final book came out shortly after I started high school, and the final movie came out when I was in college. I went to that midnight showing with a good portion of my friends and we all cried like babies at the end. Because it was over. This thing that had sustained us for so long. This thing that marked our childhoods.

You have to understand that Harry Potter-related expectation was a constant for the majority of my life. Since I was in elementary school there was always a new book to look forward to every year or so. And when the book series was completed, there was the next movie to look forward to. And then it was over (and with such an unsatisfying epilogue). That's when I really got involved in fandom (outside the fic I wrote amongst friends in a the group journal we kept and passed back and forth during studyhall, ofc). And fandom was the most accepting, glorious, place for an anxious queer kid just starting to come out of her shell as college afforded her the freedom to realize that maybe the very narrow (private Christian school k-12) concept of normalcy she'd been afforded until that point wasn't entirely accurate. And it continued to be glorious. I went to cons and got merch and put my House in my online dating profile and 3D printed custom HP cookie cutters and joked about having a HP themed wedding some day and my friends and I loved our nerdy little world that made us happy. Until Joanne ruined it.

And I'm honestly not trying to be dramatic, but when something has been so intrinsic to your life and your social circle and even, to an extent, part of your identify, it's fucking devastating when you find out the creator of that thing is a bigot and actively using her platform to target people you love. I stopped supporting her (buying books/movies/merch etc.) a couple years back, and I was content in embracing the concept of Death of the Author (or, as I've previously termed it, "we've killed the author and are now rifling through her stuff to keep the good bits and throw out the bad"). But now, in light of her continued escalations and the recent TV series announcement, and the conversations I've been having with friends (particularly Jewish and trans friends), I do mean that the very concept of Harry Potter is ruined for me. My, now decades, of nostalgia just...aren't enough to supersede what feels like an irresponsible attachment. Before, I wanted HP's social presence to live on in spite of and without JK Rowling. Now, it's becoming more and more apparent that the entertainment industry is going to squeeze as much money out of the HP world as possible which will, by extension, continue to give her a platform and money with which to actively support her shitty dogma.

So. Here I am, too sad to pick up my HP books for my annual summer re-read, or start the new fic a writer I love has just posted or open the document to work on my own HP fic. Which is not at all a condemnation of folks in fandom who ARE able to keep reading and creating and loving the world while thumbing their nose at her. I just can't right now.

So I'm stepping back and blocking the tags and ignoring the show and trying to let other worlds consume me.

Anyway. That's what it meant to me. Sorry for the tiny violin moment but your ask made me sit down and confront the fact that I'm dealing with an extremely weird sort of grief I haven't ever encountered before.

[traegorn]

You are older than me by atleast 1 whole me, (I think) so I think you're a good person to ask: at what point in this being an adult thing do I start to actually feel like an adult? Like I know something? Like I am capable of literally anything? Because I've been an adult for almost 10 years and I feel like im still 17 and lost and confused and scared and it really feels like everyone else found the secret knowledge of being an adult and I missed it. Like I'm fantastic in a crisis but otherwise I have no idea what I'm doing and I feel so much about it? I know I'm basically an infant in the grand scheme but I'm also supposed to be more put together by now? I don't know

Let me math that... you think I'm in my fifties?!

I'm 43. Like, I'm middle aged, yeah -- but, like, barely.

To answer your question: The secret to adulthood is NO ONE FUCKING KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING. You parents? They 100% had no clue what they were doing when they raised you. The only people you think know what they're doing? Faking it or deluding themselves.

I mean, not always, but probably.

I will say the one nice thing with time is that you gradually get used to doing stuff. Like, I can book myself doctors appointments and shit -- not because of any maturity, but because I had to... and then I got used to it. I know how to fix certain stuff on my car because I drove shitty cars and it was either learn how or not get to work. I know how to do my taxes because oh fuck I need to do my taxes and no one else will do it for me for free.

There's no blanket thing though. You learn everything individually. New things always suck, you just end up having more shit that you're used to (and therefore more comfortable with) as you get older.

And I also didn't get my shit together until my thirties, so, like, don't stress too much about it.

[bonebabbles]

Riverstar's Home Finished

It's a good book in the last 5 chapters. It's a bad book in the first 23.

THE GOOD:

It pumped the breaks BIG TIME on Clear Sky's ridiculous "redemption arc," giving him the space to be the fantastic, greedy villain he functions best as.

The dialogue is written very well. It's been pointed out to me that generally Kate Cary writes good dialogue, and it really shows. There are some excellent lines and quotes in this book.

This scene between Tall Shadow and River Ripple is superb.

Riverstar's arc is handled competently. It's a story about learning to balance peace and self-defense, and not lose what makes him special in the face of Clan pressure.

Night, Riverstar's deputy, is a woman who remains his platonic friend. This is a very low bar but it was cleared.

Arc is a positive portrayal of an adoptive parent, though it is only mentioned briefly. Riverstar thinks highly and lovingly of him.

Gray Wing being angry tutorial tips every time Riverstar died was funny.

Clan cats being able to create rafts and use willowbark as binding is now canon

The ending action is commendable. The struggle over the bridge was compelling, and excellently showcased both Riverstar as a unique perspective who handles conflict in his own way, and Skystar as a xenophobic dictator who uses his religion to justify his greed.

THE BAD:

So many characters come out of nowhere, they are introduced endlessly.

Which especially sucks because those intros aren't terrible, but you don't get the chance to see their traits in action.

A lot of Riverstar's most interesting traits have been removed, or are not complimented by the story.

For example; in Chapter 19 he starts having an identity crisis about who he is and what makes him special; but because he's frustrated and lost about this for several chapters, you just get Grumpy Riverstar until he has his epiphany while fighting Slash.

MOST of this book is recap that destroys a MASSIVE draw of the character by making him less mysterious.

For example; Turns out he couldn't swim until the second book of DOTC, he hasn't been in this territory longer than the other cats, and he spent 6 months locked in a house doing nothing.

It's a real slog and PACKED with filler. God it's boring. The first 18 chapters have nothing to do with the last few and 5 more are dedicated to traveling.

They managed to brutally kill another female character (Flutter) in an arc already notorious for its misogyny, give her no speaking lines before that death, and forced blubbering romantic pining onto a character who was popular in large part because he didn't have that.

His new mate, Finch (later Finch Song), appears suddenly in chapter 24, three quarters of the way through the book, and they fall in love at breakneck pace. She's pregnant 4 chapters later.

Finch also ends up giving up everything she loved, her whole life, including her friends and family, to follow Riverstar home and give him biokittens so he can finally get over Flutter. (they dont even name a kid after her)

Final rating: 4/10 Should have been a novella

It's not as fucking awful as Onestar's Concussion or Leopardstar's Hernia. It is a readable enough book and does have a solid ending, but you could skip more than half of the book and miss nothing.

Fans of Riverstar will probably be disappointed by the pointless retcons, but will enjoy the last 10 or so chapters when he's true-to-form. The original content that's worth reading would have fit just fine into a novella.

If you want to read it but aren't interested in a DOTC recap, I would recommend just reading the Tall Shadow/River Ripple scene I linked above and then starting from Chapter 19 onward. I wouldn't buy this one unless you're a dedicated Riverstar fan, or don't plan to read DOTC and want to use this book as your only experience of the main arc.

[bee-barnes-author]

Writing Share Game

tagged by: @tabswrites

tagging: @johnna-oneal-trash-writer @jezwrites @milkhoney531 @violeaes

fuck it, here's the ENTIRE FIRST CHAPTER of my upcoming book, 'THE BEAST IN THE GLASS HOUSE'.

Anticipated release June 10 2025

Trigger Warnings: Misogyny, gore, body horror, graphic descriptions of murder and violence, abuse through controlling food, emotional abuse, emotional manipulation, allegorical rape, abuse of bodily autonomy, rape revenge.

Chapter 1

June

The first time I see you, I fall in love instantly. At the butcher's counter, ignorant to my stare at your back, you ask the clerk, “Can I get a pound and a half of ground beef? Ten percent fat, please.” I can’t pinpoint what it is about you exactly, but I can’t look away.

I’m not finished shopping, nowhere near, but when you take your cart to the cashier, I can’t help but follow along. There’s two couples and their full carts between us, giving me cover so I can watch you. You’re careless with your personal information, and say your phone number out loud instead of typing it into the pin pad. Thanks, in part, to my condition, I have a fantastic memory. This means I don’t need to scramble for a pen to write your number on the back of my hand. 

I pay for the rosemary sprigs and half dozen eggs that are in my cart, and make my way to the parking lot. If you’re still here, I can catch your license plate tag, too, but I don’t want to make a fool of myself by rushing outside. A small part of my brain wonders why I’m so immediately connected to you. It’s not your looks that stole my breath away, though you aren’t lacking in that department by any means.

It’s something about your spirit. Something about the way your energy rolls off of you in waves, and crashes carelessly through others. I swallow down an eager, “Aha!” when I spot you in the parking lot, half folded into the trunk of a white Subaru. You deposit your armload of groceries, straighten, and close the trunk.

The way the sun glints off your hair stops me in my tracks. Then it hits me. You’re my mate. Oh. Of course you are. Finally. I’m on the older end of thirty. Until now, it felt like I would never find my perfect other half. I’m so stunned by the realization that I forget to note your plates as you drive by.

I know how that sounds, okay? It’s not like that—I’m not a freak with ill intent. I am simply a man in love, who has access to a wide variety of resources. One of those resources is a man named Mister Chance. He finds people for me. I don't ask how he does it; I don’t care either. All that matters is that he gets fast results and covers his tracks.

Instead of going back inside the grocery store to get the salmon filets I had originally planned on picking up, I go to my car. Once I’m home, I make two calls. One to Mister Chance and the other to a nearby sushi restaurant. I order a deconstructed sushi bowl with an extra serving of seaweed salad and a large side of fried calamari. My personal chef is off for the evening. I promised Elijah he could enjoy his date without interruption, and I intend to uphold my commitment. 

Mister Chance is quick. Faster than the delivery boy on his moped. I’ve learned your name before I even have my chopsticks cracked open. Freya Moore. It sounds like an alias but Chance promises it’s God-given.

I have your address. The numbers dance across the computer screen as I stare. According to the map, you’re just over thirty minutes away by car. It takes every ounce of restraint I have to stop myself from going to your home right now. I want to discard my dinner and wait outside your window with a boombox like a love-struck idiot.

But I don’t. I eat my dinner and listen to Mister Chance tell me about you. You’re young, but that can’t be helped. Love is love and you’re, quite literally, my soulmate. Fortunately, twenty-two is a perfectly legal age for me to date publicly. I’ll learn to ignore the inevitable ribbing I’m to get from Elijah. Anyone seriously bothered by the age gap can fuck off, for all I care.

Sushi bowl in hand, I pace the length of my third-floor bedroom. My skin itches like it’s the night before the full moon. It’s been a long, long time since I had to battle for control over my instincts like this. I feel like a teenager again. Every nerve inside me screams at the distance between us. I need to be close to you.

My mind keeps rushing to catastrophic disasters that you could suffer while away from the safety I offer. Dozens of irrational scenarios that I can’t stop conjuring. Are you giving me an anxiety disorder, Freya? Is this what loving you feels like? I take a moment to pity your ex’s before I wish death upon them for touching you. No one will touch you but me from now on.

The only exception will be our children. A thrill sings down my spine at the thought. You will rebuild my pack. My perfect human mate. We’ll be the pride of the west coast again. An exemplary family that lycans across the nation will look up to.

My phone beeps. Mister Chance follows up our phone call with an email detailing everything we already discussed and much, much more. Including your work schedule, a digital clone of your phone so I can see everything you do on it as you do it, and access to your desktop computer if I want it. Hell, I can even sit in on your therapy appointments. I shoot a message to my assistant to let him know I won’t be in the office tomorrow.

I’ll be busy learning about you.

I finish dinner reading through medical files from your childhood. You had a suspicious amount of broken bones and emergency room visits all chalked up to youthful clumsiness. Apparently, you grew into your limbs and developed grace around fourteen because those visits stopped. Coincidentally, that was also around the time your father died from taking a nasty tumble down the stairs. They found no signs of foul play. Good for you.

For the moment, I set thoughts of you aside and go take a shower. I do my usual thorough routine, not skipping a step. I’m in no rush. Unless I’ve got a woman with me, I only take cold showers. Men like me, we run hot. Things get sweaty, so I take two showers a day to avoid stinking.

I crawl between my sheets with a smile on my face. Tomorrow, after breakfast, I’ll take a drive to see you.

Goodnight, darling.

***

The next day, blinking against the harsh morning sun even behind my sunglasses, I stand across the street from your place. There’s a Starbucks within eyeshot of your apartment building. I stop by for a black coffee. Of course I pay with cash. The timestamps on your bank statements imply that this is the place you get your morning brew when you’re in the mood for something more complex than black coffee and almond milk creamer.

You’re already two hours deep into your workday at the costume shop by the time I take my first sip. It’s not good but not bad either. I’ve just had better. My machine at home makes a much better cup. 

I’m waiting for your roommate to leave while I read about her on my phone. Cindi Song—twenty-one, about to turn twenty-two in a few weeks—a full-time waitress in a full-time sports medicine program. A hard worker if ever there was one. I appreciate people with work ethics like Cindi’s. Her file mentions she’s in daily contact with her mother. Her mother also regularly sends you two small gifts she finds while online shopping.

I hear the barista's stomach digesting her breakfast. Gas bubbles in her gut. The sound travels like rocks through a tunnel, but I’m the only one that can hear it. Phlegm crackles in the throat of the old woman ordering her drink. The smell of the burned milk invades my nostrils and I take my not-good-not-bad cup of coffee with me to sit out in the sun. Ever since I saw you, my senses have heightened to a painful degree, like I’m subconsciously straining to find you at all times. I feel raw and on-edge. Normally, I wouldn’t give a shit about the mild noise inside the shop, but you’ve knocked me off balance.

Before long, Cindi opens the front door to your shared apartment. She’s in form-fitting athleisure wear with her big backpack protruding over both of her shoulders. She’s pulled her shiny black hair up into a high ponytail that bounces rhythmically as she jogs to her car.

I wait twenty minutes before I get up, toss my mostly full cup in the garbage, and jog off in the opposite direction that Cindi drove. A full block down, I cross the street, then make my way through the back of the complex to your unit. Casually, I walk to the sliding glass door on your patio and test the lock. It doesn’t budge. Good. At least you’re smart enough not to leave this unsecured.

It’s easy for me to grasp the handle with one hand, and grip the opposite edge of the glass with the other. Then all I have to do is lift it and wiggle it for a moment. I glance around as the lock pops open to make sure there aren’t any eyes on me. As far as I can tell, I’m in the clear, so I slip inside and slide the door shut behind me. Blinds and curtains closed, I’m left in a dark living room.

Even from out here, it’s easy to tell which room is yours. I recognize your scent from the dozens I came across at the grocery store yesterday. Your sweat smells like onions and musk. I love onions. Your room is tidy, but could still use a good dusting. I spy your bed pressed against the far wall. It’s dressed with a set of spring green sheets and a canary yellow blanket.

You have two pillows, and a giant stuffed husky dog resting at the top of the bed. Laundry detergent wafts up from the cotton sheets. It’s clear you washed your bedding in the past few days. I sit on the edge of your mattress and take the room in. You have two bookshelves. One is chock full of novels, mostly fantasies and thrillers. You’ve organized them by color. You stuffed the second bookcase with manga, and different gaming devices take up the remaining shelf.

In front of your window is your desktop computer. It’s a cheap gaming rig, but you have decent enough monitors that I don’t feel the immediate need to replace them. When you’re mine, you’ll have the best of everything. While I’m thinking of your shopping list, I decide to buy a sliding door lock and ship it to you under Mrs. Songs’ name.

I can’t do that until I have a key, though, so I head out of your room and into the kitchen to search the drawers. The website for your apartment complex stated they give one key per tenant over the age of eighteen, plus one to have as a spare before they charge for extras. I just hope you haven’t already gone through your free copy.

The universe must be thinking good thoughts about soulmates because I find it in the first drawer I open. Glued to the thick cardstock that was stamped with the apartment logo was the very key I wanted.

After I tuck my shiny new key into my pocket, I leave through the same sliding glass doors that granted me entry. With my keen eye for detail, I scan your home one last time to make certain I leave the inside of your apartment as close to the way I found it as possible. Speaking of your apartment, I hate it. As I leave, music pumps from your neighbors' unit, despite it being before noon on a weekday. Marijuana and tobacco smoke stink up the air. You’re surrounded by losers and dropouts. Useless members of society. As soon as I can, I’m moving you into my home. And if I can’t get you to move in with me, I’ll put you up in a penthouse downtown.

Never forget that your mate is a very wealthy man, my sweet girl. I won’t claim to be the wealthiest man in the world, but I know for a fact I’m quite high on that list. That much money gives me access to a frankly obscene level of influence over the world.

And yet my pack is weak.

We are fifteen men strong, but just that- we are only men; even among those chosen few, I’m the only born werewolf. I turned the rest of them over the course of the past decade as they proved their worth. It takes a spectacular amount of self control to turn someone. Vampires have it easy. All they have to do is share blood, stop the initiate’s heart however you please, then bury the corpse and wait for the fledgling vampire to rise in their own time.

Werewolves have a much harder time propagating our species. In order for me to turn a human into a lycanthrope, I must attack them. A single bite won’t do it. They have to be mauled so viciously that their immune systems crash, thus allowing the werewolf virus to infect them. Even then, it’s not guaranteed. The initiate must survive the fever and their injuries.

It’s better to allow the infection to spread over the course of a month, where it will grow to its ultimate form under the light of the full moon. This allows the initiate to adjust physically and mentally to their new bodies and new instincts. As the alpha of my pack, I take the month to bond with my new beta.

I bring them to my family’s estate in the mountains where we once had a very lucrative silver mine. Believe me, the irony is not lost on me. A family of werewolves that owns a silver mine? Ridiculous. Yet, own it we do. Of course, we had none of our kind down in the mine shafts themselves. We kept them above ground where they wouldn’t die of silver poisoning just by breathing the air.

The veins have dried up in the past thirty years, so now the property is used to contain newly turned wolves. Even though it’s only us out there for hundreds of miles, I don’t let my wolves run around, causing havoc. Until they’re under my control, and won’t lose themselves to their instincts, they stay in the mines on full moons.

If they don’t submit by the end of the first night, I break their will before the moon thins. I do not allow any wolf to deny my status. If they are in my pack, they bend to my whim. Loyalty is an utmost priority. If they can’t commit to the pack, I rip their hearts out. Fortunately, I’ve only ever lost one new wolf in such a manner. The fifteen other men I’ve turned so far have become integral to my way of life.

They’re all employees of mine. My driver, my private security team, my home chef, my doctor, my lawyer, and the two groundskeepers that stay year round on the mountain to manage the estate and keep the property in shape are in my pack. 

Born werewolves like me are rare. Our mothers are humans, but come from lycan bloodlines. Meaning they carry the werewolf gene. Then, when combined with our werewolf father's genes, we born werewolves greet the world, kicking and screaming. You don’t seem to come from a lycan bloodline, but deep in my gut, I know you’ll provide me with lycan children.

A handful of blocks away from my destination, I pull a KN-95 mask out of its plastic wrap and stick it on my face. Then I put a plain dark blue baseball cap on. I tie it all together with a pair of thick wire-rim glasses.

As a werewolf, my eyesight is better than the best human's. The lenses are just for show. I don’t want you to recognize me later when I truly introduce myself. I want you to fall in love with a stranger who sweeps you off your feet and leaves you aching for more.

What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart.

I park my car outside of the business next to Costume Avenue. You’re visible through the front windows, even though you’re tucked towards the back of the shop. I have a clear line of sight. That must have been on purpose.

Half the reviews on Google are about you, so I don’t doubt that you’re a large draw for business. It makes sense your boss wants you to be easy for customers to find from the front door. Not many places have a full time historical customer on staff and your work is more than worth boasting over. For example, recently, an up-and-coming starlet wore one of your gowns to the Oscars after-party. 

If you hadn't left so fast last night, perhaps we could have hit it off naturally. Your timing is off, is all. I have to admit, as impatient as I am to be with you, I appreciate the opportunity to learn about you. I didn’t become the rich and powerful man I am today by jumping the gun and rushing into things. In business and in love, I need to keep my wits. 

I can’t wait too long, though. If I’m too slow to act on our soulmate bond, the possessive animal in my blood will lash out. I might wake up one day on your porch, naked as the day I was born, my wolf having brought us there to paw pathetically at your door while I was sleeping.

The double doors of the building are wide open to welcome in both customers and the cool late spring air. There aren’t any heads bobbing around inside aside from yours. You get up from your sewing chair to stretch and take a walk around the building, tidying shelves and racks as you pass them. You stand in the doorway to glance at the parking lot and your gaze passes over me as if I’m not even there. Good.

Your cell phone rings and you glance around for customers. Seeing none, you answer it. Your smile makes you look younger. “Hey! I can’t talk for long. I’m at work. What’s up?” I hear you say as a greeting to whoever is on the other end of the call.

A woman's voice says, “I’ll be quick. Shaun wants to know if I can cover his shift Saturday night, so I was hoping we could have girls' night Friday night instead?”

You tilt your head slightly in thought and make a wincing expression. “Saturday is two for one at the Forty-Five, though.”

“Please, Freya?” The woman wheedles, “I’ve been trying to get an in with Shaun for so long! This is my chance!”

You roll your eyes. “You cover his shift at least once a month.”

“But I can feel this time is different! I’m so close to getting into his study group I can taste it.”

You laugh, and it’s musical. “Okay, fine, but you’re buying the drinks.”

“Deal!” Your friend is grinning. I can hear it in her voice. “I’ll see you there at eight?”

“Friday night. Eight o’clock.” You agree, and the two of you exchange goodbyes before you hang up.

I’ve never been to The Forty-Five, but I’ve heard about it from my men. It’s supposed to be a respectable sort of place, and quite expensive, so I understand your hesitancy to agree to full priced drinks. You won’t have to worry about that, though. I’ll take care of you.

I start my car and drive back to my house. I think it’s time we meet face to face, and what better spot to fall in love than on the dancefloor?

[deadrayg2mf]

Dead Ray's Comfort Series: The Monstrous Series by Lily Mayne

My goal is to be coherent in this review but I've yet to string together a solid readable sentence yet in all the attempts I've made to recommend it to all my pals because I am simply so fucking in love with this series. I love it so much I cannot think straight (pun intended). I'm not going to go over the plot as this is a seven book series with one novella and one short story anthology so far but I am going to rave about it, I'll give my general feelings on it, and I'll rank the books based on how much I liked each.

First of all, this is one of those series where I got to the end of the first book and just kept reading and rereading the last few paragraphs because I did not want it to end, and then, once I did, I sat there lost and feeling as though I had gone through an experience that I will never get to relive for the first time again. I even knew I had more books in the series to read and my first thought was still "What do I do now? Where do I go from here? How do I move on?"

I read one book of the series per day until I got to the final one, Lor, where I tried to pace myself to keep the high running for as long as possible. That's why it's taken me so long to get this out is because I refused to do so until I had consumed it entirely.

The world of this series is insane and amazing and fantastically horrifying and lovely all at the same time. A world where interdimensional rifts opened up and terrifying monsters streamed through and started slaughtering the world's population. Now humans are stuck living in military controlled cities where they can work for almost nothing, join the military or are left to fight for themselves out in The Wastes should they chose to leave.

Then there's the monsters, both the absolute nightmare fuel animalistic ones and the more human ones. Wyn is my favorite, from the very beginning and through the very end. Wyn is the best monster and his and Danny's story have my entire heart.

Lily Mayne is a phenomenal writer; she has snuck up on me and planted herself at #1 when it comes to authors (across all genres) I adore. Her perfectly balanced plots with just the right amounts of drama, comedy, and angst come with characters who are loveable and fall across a wide range of personalities. The plot never feels bogged down by too much happening at once and I love that it doesn't feel like the problems that arise have to have life-altering batshit insane solutions... Sometimes when you get kidnapped by a cult you just happen to be able to escape thanks to a disgruntled cult member and then sometimes your half-monster boyfriend sees the perfect chance to thrash your kidnapper in order to free you. As I sit here typing, I'm realizing what I like so much is they are big problems, complicated ones too, but they come with fairly uncomplicated and easy to accomplish fixes which means the story really can focus on the romance and these parts just add to the building of the relationships between the characters.

Okay, I'm starting to lose focus the more I think about them so my closing thoughts are: Holy shit I love this series so much, I immediately bought the physical copies of everything and I plan to spend my time between other books and the release of Lyri (hopefully in December) annotating them, perhaps I will share highlights of my favorite bits on here as I go through them again. Please Please Please Please Please, I will get on my knees, I will do anything if you read this series, I promise more than anything that these books are worth it. 10/10

And as promised, here is my ranking: note, the lower on the ranking doesn't mean I don't recommend it, it just means that these first four were ones I literally almost could not move on from, I will never get over them - but all of these books are stellar and the entire series should be read...

#1. Soul Eater (Wyn and Danny forever and ever, perhaps it's because they were the first ones but goddamn I can't move on from how much I love them and am so grateful they show up so frequently)

#2. Wyn (the novella between books three and four; it's Wyn and Danny so of course it's ranked second)

#3. Moth (Charlie and Moth giving some enemies to lovers vibesss)

#4. The Rycke (hjrfjkdwjkdjklew I am so fucking soft for Aury and Ghost ahhhhhhhhhh they are two precious beanssss)

#5. Lor (It strayed from the main group I had grown accustomed to but god Jugs and Lor are just so good, and it hurt my heart so much, and then it healed it, and it was just ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡)

#6. Seraph (Seraph has got to be the most monstrous love interest I've read about in any series and I adore him and his grumpy little Lilac fighting the odds and everyone around them to be together)

#7. Gloam (RIIIIGGGGG he's such a sweet little puppy and he will literally do anything, anything for Gloam who would do the same)

#8. Edin (Talk about a black cat and golden retriever pairing with Hunter and Edin, these two really make it work, and I hope Charlie did teach Edin the term size queen)

Would I read again? I plan to, I will be annotating these books and they are my treasured possessions now.

Would I recommend? What do I need to do to get this book in your hands right now? I'll do it. I think these are nothing short of a must read!

[sock-to-the-third]

The Meet Cute Diary

By Emery Lee (e/em)

I cried.

Happy crying but I did. I knew coming into reading Lee’s fantastic story that one of the characters used neo-pronouns so it wasn’t a surprise with Devin.

But fuck, fam, like… you never know how much you need to see rep until you see it.

*sighs*

Yeah.

… Moving on. It’s a young adult novel staring teenagers. Admittedly, I haven’t had as much luck connecting with romance focused novels. Nothing against them, they just normally aren’t my cup of tea but The Meet Cute Diary… fuck, is it good.

1. Narrator

It’s first person perspective with Noah (he/him) as our lead. Such an opinionated, bullheaded fucker I love him to bits. Kiddo just kills it stealing the show wherever he goes. From his passion of his trans-love blog to the way he brings out such personality in other characters— it reminds me what a vibe of a time being a teenager is.

2. Trans stuff

Also. Binders. I did not expect a discussion about binders. Got me all nostalgic of my old binder & sports bra so tight it bruised. What a shitty time to be alive watching the clock to make sure you don’t pass the 8 hour mark and break a rib.

It’s so cool how Lee represents trans-mascs. It’s just real matter of fact. I also like how we get to see a trans-masc that isn’t masc-4-masc and super macho. It’s just so fun seeing Noah running around being his little queer self.

Honestly surprised me that there wasn’t some drop like “oh his parents are horrible” or “passable- but kinda dicks.” Weird to see that much acceptance. I kept on thinking “wow, this sounds like wish fullfillment” - entirely forgetting some trans folks just live. Like.. with loving families and I’m like.. noice 👍

Also, the fact that Devin shares eir pronouns without a disclaimer of where it’s okay. I feel old at 26 because you didn’t just blanket “yeah neo-pronouns wherever.” Like, especially if you were baby with pronouns, often you’d only do it around friends awhile. I wonder if the next gen will be like that.

3. Plot twists

I love how Drew’s arc plays out. It has all the corniness of a romance as things slowly devolve. *chiefs kiss*

The two have such awesome banter. Plus the way it devolves is so ouch, love it. I was surprised Drew lied about how long the divorce thing was happening. Thought Lee was going to go a different angle.

Also, totally convinced that Drew was the OG troll and in charge of the article— some wicked mastermind. In hindesight, I’m really glad Drew was less a Moriarty and more just an asshole.

It made the transition between the end of Drew and the start of Devin’s relationship with Noah, realization of love and Noah figuring out a new purpose for the diary to hit home.

It’s not like rom com drama but it hits the kind of beats that makes you shriek and laugh with joy. I’m really happy how it turned out and the surprises along the way.

4. Devine’s Meet Cute

Can we talk about Devin’s surprise for Noah and just how adorable it is? The kiddo had panic attacks and socializing is an ouchy point and the fucker went out, overnight talked to 5 people, one of them a stranger, to set up this elaborate scavenger hunt.

If I didn’t have roommates 🙏 I would’ve screamed that whole motherfucking chapter, it was so dang good!

FUCK! I LOVE THIS GOD DAMN BOOK!

*flips a table*

GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!

…

Anyway, 10/10 book.

[lightningboltreader]

Char, you know I love you, which is why I'm coming to you with this slightly cursed yet topical ask: rank the Twilight movies from favourite to least favourite and justify your answers 💜

Ok, let's rumble (affectionate) -

Twilight

I am a fool for pining and the first book delivers. There's a delicious build-up of snarling, huffing and angst before the will they/won't they collides with lust, infatuation and then danger. I was FED. My paperback barely survived the rereads before I clung to the movie. Then I quickly replaced my hc's with each actor as they were announced and loved nearly everyone. The Cullens are a dream vampire family, their house and cars a shiny bonus. Plus baseball outfits. Iykyk. And yes, the soundtrack still fucking slaps. Supermassive 10/10. We'll always agree there.

Breaking Dawn

I wish I could break this in two. Wait, it's my review. I shall! The first: Breaking, the steamy slayyyy! The literal bed-breaking passionate destruction and oceanfront honeymoon bliss were a satisfying payoff for the build-up in Twilight. This is the fantastical, happily ever after shit my teenage brain craved. The pregnancy experience was about as much as I knew about pregnancy, so perfect level of detail. Bella has to become a vampire to save her family? So relatable. And Dawn: The dawning of a new era, where mother and child learn to love, where mother makes the noble sacrifice, where racing through the woods and hopping off tall trees is suburban bliss, where your friend and former love interest falls in fucking love with your kid. I stg, this was a true testament to my own new relationship. The man who stayed, who listened, who loved me and poured wine for me while I literally SCREAMED and SHOUTED at my teen rated book proved a level of devotion that neither Edward nor Jacob will ever be capable of. Still, I place the whole book at #2 because it conjured far more emotions than "UGH," unlike three and four.

But first, an interlude.

Midnight Sun

Edwards POV, my beloved. While Twilight + Breaking Dawn holds all my teenage dreams, this origin story companion is a fanfic indulgence I imagine Stefanie wrote simply to clear her comment box. "Could a dead, frozen heart beat again? It felt as though mine were about to." It's satisfying because Edward made me swoon but not particularly insightful, unless you're in the market for a little Volvo coupe. The car and driver edition of the series, if you will.

New Moon

My boy drives away, sob! Edward peels out of snowy Forks in a cloud of angst, flinching jaw muscles and puppy-dog eyes in the best interest of his clumsy DANGER MAGNET. He's so dreamy! She's so dumb! I'm so sad! Sweet, furry Jacob lights up our world with his bronzed glow and motorcycle tricks, but the infatuation is short-lived (sweet, attractive boy who only wants your happiness? ew.) because hallucinations of a cute, fanged control freak are better. Until he's slapped around by the Volturi. Love the Volturi though - the name, the aesthetic, the evil popeness vibe - good stuff. If only there were more Volturi and less woe.

Eclipse

Danger, Danger! Victoria wants to kill Bella and destroy the Cullens. But worse than that, Bella has to decide between Jacob and Edward. Is she IN LOVE or does she just like-like supernatural dudes who want to make her their property? Who loves her more? Is it like, too embarrassing to get married at graduation? Do I like have any friends? Like, oh my god, what should I do????? Is there anyone on earth with harder decisions to make? CRINGE. She's insufferable and I lost centimeters on my molars in the repeated gnash. The worst.

The End!

[fuckkbrunch]

First off, I hate lemon with anything hot. In my book, lemon belongs in deserts and drinks only. When I said I'm a picky bitch, I really wasn't kidding.

Shoved full of thyme and lemon wedges, and a few dry bay leaves. The recipe calls for fresh a bay leaf but I've never seen these in a store in my life, so dry will have to do. The butter looks ridiculous at first but really does moisten the chicken well. There's some under the thigh skin too.

Listen, I followed his direction and timing to a T. But to me, that chicken needs more time. Like at least ten minutes more. The breast was suuuuper tender and moist, but the legs were a little bloody for me. I forgot to photograph the sauce made from the chicken drippings, but it was on the watery side. Tasty but wet. Needed more reducing than was stated in the book.

The chicken recipe clearly states that this must be served alongside. These intimidating freaking potatoes.

Always practice safe mandolin handling. I stole this glove from an old job and it's finally come in handy (lol).

Two layers of potato slices here. 7 whole potatoes. He called for 10-12, but I didn't think they would all fit in my pan.

So pretty. Giving me Ratatouille vibes. If you look closely, you'll see that I even ground my own black pepper, in a freaking mortar and pestle. Now just potato, butter, season, repeat...

Definitely should have over filled the pan with raw potatoes, they shrunk pretty significantly. He says to bake this off beforehand, then gently reheat it in a 300 degree oven alongside the roasting chicken. So that's what I did.

In the end, I couldn't do the iconic flip out of the pan. I couldn't even slice it cleanly to plate it straight from the pan, the potatoes were just too tender. Julia Child would be ashamed.

They still tasted fantastic, but were a complete structural failure. They were absolutely swimming in butter. I would have scalded the shit out of myself if I attempted the flip. Suspiciously, there's no photo of a Pommes Anna in Tony's book, just the recipe. Take from that what you will.

At least the chicken breast looks nice...

| Roast Chicken with Lemon and Butter & Pommes Anna |

Taste is a 4 out of 5. Not too lemony, but very moist. A good contrast to the butter heavy potatoes.

Difficulty is a 4 out of 5. The potatoes are tedious and prep heavy.

Time was around 3 hours. A lot of oven juggling.

I know this could have been a 5. I have to redeem myself from this. I have another whole chicken in my freezer, and a bunch of potatoes left.

After dinner, I decided to heat the potato pan back up on my stove until the bottom potatoes were crisp, then broiled it in the oven to try to crisp the top...

Welp. Yeah. Delicious, but fucking ugly. The French are going to hunt me down with torches and pitchforks.

I don't exactly have time to be repeating recipes if I want to get the whole book done by years end, but I'll squeeze in this redemption round sometime soon...

[syn4k]

What is your favourite trope? What was the worst book you have ever read?

Also the last one that was about giving 3 book recs :3

character that believes they deserve nothing and are utter scum of the earth being cared for and loved against their will until their tired eyes and hands finally turn towards hope and reach for it. i have written this into various works of mine so many times you have no idea

tempted to say Twilight and i don't think that My Immortal counts but uhhhhhhhh. there was this one really flimsy paperback book my parents bought me when i was like 12 called "so you're gonna be a teenager" and it was christian and detailed some things that teenagers should expect and get used to it and my queer ass, who already firmly believed in the progressive way of things at that point, flipped through it and saw that it talked about abstinence and made a bunch of points about no sex before marriage and then at one point it talked about having sex and clarified, in brackets, (with someone of the opposite gender of course) and at that i saw red and physically ripped the book in half with my bare hands. that was the only book i've ever destroyed and i do not regret it. twilight comes second

my book recs:

All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr- a masterclass in plot and 10 years of research in the writing, it's historical fiction following the paths of a young blind French girl and a young German boy who end up on opposite sides of the war but they somehow meet four years later and teach each other kindness

This Is How you Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar (i think i spelled that right orz)- time travelling enemy to lovers lesbians. as Bigolas Dickolas on twitter dot com said, don't research it don't look it up online just get it and read it all in one go. it's only 200 pages and it is fucking worth it.

this is a series not a single book but The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson is a kid-aimed fantasy series that comprises of four books and an extra story compilation. don't let the kid-friendly bit fool ya- this is an incredibly well written series with some easy to understand, fun, but still well thought out worldbuilding and some themes near the end of the series that permanently rewired my brain when i finished it for the first time. also, all of the books mentioned have some fantastic illustrations included, drawn by the author's son!

[izzyspussy]

Tagged by @ceph-the-ghost-writer to answer these 15 questions about a character. I'll be answering for Eddie, the main character of Curse The Messenger ("witch noir").

1. Is she named after anyone?

Yes, Eddie is named after Eddie Valiant from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In-universe, no she's not named after anyone.

2. When was the last time she cried?

Eddie cries often, but only when she's asleep. Awake, she's too numb to cry.

3. Does she have kids?

No, and she doesn't want any.

4. Does she use sarcasm?

Not really. Occasionally maybe, but it's not typical of her or her go-to. She's a very straightforward kind of person.

5. What's the first thing she notices about people?

Whether they are a witch or not.

6. What's her eye color?

Dark brown. Unlike Fred's and Angel's, it doesn't change.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. Eddie reads classic romance. The only time she'll really enjoy a horror movie is if it's scary enough to give her nightmares, since if she's having those she's not having her regulars lmao. It's really hard to scare her though, because of Everything. RIP.

8. Any special talents?

Besides the premonitions? She's really great at math, she has an excellent sense of direction, and she's very analytical. She's also handy with a soccer ball, but since she's never had a team to join I can't necessarily say she'd be a good player.

9. Where was she born?

Barnes-Jewish children's hospital in St. Louis, Missouri USA.

10. What are her hobbies?

If I'm being very generous, I'll say the aforementioned romance books and soccer. If I'm being less generous, I'll say drinking 'til she drowns.

11. Does she have any pets?

Not yet! She has an extra small and discreet entourage of cats, but they are Familiars not pets and they're not hers besides. She's honestly afraid of most animals anyway, because at one point or another she's had a premonition featuring everything native to her area. She tends to be pretty anxious about plants and new foods for this reason too. She's particularly afraid of dogs. But Jessica has two Dobermans so she's gonna have to get over it lmao. Again, RIP.

12. What sports as she played?

I already mentioned soccer, and that's the only one. But like I said she hasn't technically played the game, because she's only ever played by herself or two-on-one with little her and Fred against Angel and then one-on-one against Fred when Angel was gone until she got too fucked up to play anymore.

13. How tall is she?

5' 2"

14. Favorite subject in school?

Tbh, she wasn't in school long enough to have a favorite subject and was misfit to the system that she likely wouldn't have developed one. But in an absolutely perfect world, Eddie would be a STEM girl.

15. Dream job?

She's got it, baby! She co-owns Watchtower Investigations with Fred. At the beginning of canon she's fucked up enough that she hates it, but she doesn't want anything else either. She's just doing real bad altogether. And she's bored with it too, and is deeply angry and pessimisstic about the craftism (fantastical bigotry against certain types or subtypes of witch, in this case Clairvoyants) of some of their clients. But by the end of the first book, Eddie is beginning to Get BetterTM and is more present and starts enjoying her job again.

"witch noir" taglist: @girlfriendsofthegalaxy @haectemporasunt @jezifster @blackhannetandco @fearofahumanplanet @godsleftarmpit @littlehastyhoneydew @rainbowabomination @antihell @isherwoodj @marrowwife @ashen-crest @wildswrites @ceph-the-ghost-writer @garthcelyn @muddshadow @cohldhands Sign up here.

To answer the questions, I tag @written-in-gold @icarusisstillflying @lend-your-lungs-to-me @kyofsonder @cwritesfiction, and any writers in the taglist who want to.