#wayward son 2019!

[the-modern-typewriter]

Can I ask for your book recommendations / your favourite reads?

I've done posts like this before, so for something a little different even though I'm probably still recommending the same books every time haha, have my favourite few books that I've read every year since 2017.

2017

A Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E Schwab

If We Were Villains by M.L Rio

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

2018

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

2019

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Things We Say In The Dark by Kirsty Logan

2020

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (part of her Wayward Children series, but a lot of them have a standalone novella vibe to them).

2021

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E Schwab

A Spindle Splintered by Alix. E Harrow

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

2022

Salt Slow by Julia Armfield

Dark Rise by C.S Pascat

Honourable mention to the podcast, The Magnus Archives, which I listened to instead of audiobooks for a significant chunk of the year and really enjoyed overall.

2023 (so far!)

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber

Yellowface by R.F Kuang

In The Lives of Puppets by T.J Klune

The Wicker King by K.C Ancrum

Honourable pre-2017 mentions go to...

The Secret History by Donna Tart, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

[yellobb]

My friend from work finished Wayward Son and here are his thoughts:

“I don’t know that Rainbow Rowell has quite figured out how to lead in a cliffhanger ending”

He liked that shep was added since Penny needed some perspective and it broke through some of “the insufferable brooding from our resident vampire” lmao

I said baz is trying his best and he said “nah, neither of them are trying. They kept just ignoring how they felt and not saying anything! They are both idiots!”

“I think we need more of that Chaz character”

“Simon was a statistic before he was magical. He moved through the system, home to home, just another orphan. Watford gave him a family and magic gave him purpose. The change in Simon after losing his magic and leaving Watford as much closer to what we saw after the Vietnam war with soldiers who were told their purpose, forced at a young age to return to a world where that purpose is gone and that doesn’t accept his sexuality”

“Simon is a soldier with no war to fight externally and no tools to fight the internal war going on inside his head” which is SUCH a hard line. Go off king

Then we had a debate about what age Simon and Baz are in WS lol. They’re both born in 1997, but Baz says he’s 22 when talking to Lamb and Simon says he’s 20 at the ren faire. It would make sense to me for them to be 20, since it’s shortly after Carry On, but they drive a 2019 SUV in the book, so apparently it’s been several years since Carry On. Never really noticed the inconsistency

[witchywomanrunningupthathill]

Presume Not That I Am What I Once Was - The King (2019)

Pairing: Prince Hal/Henry V x female!reader

Description: You and Hal fall for each other as both of your realities come crashing down, all at once.

Word count: 801

Warnings: mentions of sex, female anatomy and allusion to pregnancy, supporting character death (?)

A/N: Hiii! Long author’s note warning. It’s been so long since I’ve posted on here. Of course the first fic I write on return is about the love of my life, Prince Hal. Now, for the record, I will always, ALWAYS see Tom Hiddleston as Hal. Full stop. #HollowCrownSuperiority. But yesterday, I was looking at scenes from The King (with which I take great issue, but we aren’t ready for that conversation) and the visuals (read: Timmy’s face) were giving way too much for me not to be inspired to write about such a complex, clever, and conflicted character. Soooooo here’s 800-ish words about our beloved prodigal son/wayward prince turned King of England. Oh, also, right below here is *probably* my favorite Shakespeare monologue. Very revealing (and confounding) of Hal, and what made me fall in love with this character. <3

Henry IV Act I, Scene ii

PRINCE

I know you all, and will awhile uphold The unyoked humor of your idleness. Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world, That, when he please again to be himself, Being wanted, he may be more wondered at By breaking through the foul and ugly mists Of vapors that did seem to strangle him. If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work, But when they seldom come, they wished-for come, And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents. So when this loose behavior I throw off And pay the debt I never promisèd, By how much better than my word I am, By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes; And, like bright metal on a sullen ground, My reformation, glitt’ring o’er my fault, Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes Than that which hath no foil to set it off.

You didn’t know it would be the last time. The last time you would hear the voice he never used around anyone else but you, tender, caring, adoring. The last time you would see him grin like he did when he was too far gone from drink, euphorically gleeful. The last time you would ever be able to touch him. Here, he wasn’t the Prince of Wales; he was Hal.

You weren’t expecting to feel the way you did about him. The way your heart beat faster each time he swaggered into the Boar’s Head Inn. The knot in the pit of your stomach when you’d come downstairs to find Sibyl perched on the prince’s lap with his hand ‘round her waist. You kept your eye trained on him every night, gambling and singing and fucking the night away.

At first, it was just like any other lay with the drunken, unkempt men that passed their time here. Just bodies moving together. Over time he visited Sibyl less and less, and wasted no time pulling you upstairs. He would stay the whole night and hold onto you in his sleep.

He wasn’t expecting to traipse around Eastcheap only for his mind to wander back to you. Back to the conversations you two shared in that Spartan single-room apartment after it was all over, the both of you laying entangled atop sweat-soaked sheets. He loved watching you gaze at him in the candlelight as he murmured tales of his antics with Falstaff and Poins, almost always punctuated with the faint grunts, cries, and rhythmic banging and rocking from all around, a prelude to another round of lovemaking.

It was the night after his father, Henry IV, had succumbed to the pox. Hal wasn’t gentle this time. He fucked hard, the rocking making you nauseous at one point, not that he would have noticed because he had kept his eyes closed the whole time. You wondered what was going on in his head. You wondered when you would summon the strength to tell him. Hal thrusted and thrusted, but it was all for naught. His moans turned to whimpers. He collapsed beside you; head buried in the crook of your neck as he broke into a sob. 

“Hey, hey,” you said, turning to him and pulling him into you, your hand cradling the back of his head. His breath came out in warm huffs and tears seeped onto your breast.

“My father...” Hal mumbled. You pulled his face up to yours, thumbs wiping the tears from his bloodshot eyes. He looked tragically beautiful. While you cursed yourself for what was to come, Hal replayed his words to his father’s councilors. Know now that you will be watched over by an altogether different king. Hal assumed – no, he knew – his father saw him as nothing but a royal pain. His thoughts were interrupted by your quiet groan. You winced and looked down, hand to your lower stomach. Hal’s eyes followed. You hadn’t meant to let out a sound, jerking your hand back down to the bed. In fact, you had been good at hiding it. Or so you thought. Your eyes traveled slowly back up and you met your lover’s gaze. You’d never seen so many thoughts go on behind someone’s eyes, grief, trepidation, yearning, remorse… You held each other as hard as you had the very first time, a goodbye of sorts. But that was the thing about goodbyes, endings – no one ever shared them for the same reason. 

Snow fell the day Hal became King Henry V of England. The Abbey bells rang out around London. Your hand slid to your belly instinctively and gazed at the city from your window, just barely making out the palace in the distance.

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[this-is-a-nice-show]

I adore any and all Supernatural and Good Omen crossovers because On one hand, you have a show comprised of at least 60% male brooding and emotional heart to hearts with jarring, nonsensical, violent plot points almost always with a devastating season finale.

And on the other hand, you have a show featuring an unlikely pairing who constantly bicker but also would die for each other in a heartbeat exclusively in the most stupid, chaotic, and unnecessary way possible.

They both have extremely established lore in their universes that do not line up whatsoever. My favourite part is someone trying to combine the lore or totally disregard the rules of these universes like a prophet who has heard whispers of the word of god/Chuck directly and is communicating their word to us. And they are beautifully creative every time. Every take is completely different on how the lore is combined and I'm still like "You're so damn right. Cheers, I'll drink to that."

But ignoring the biblical themes of both shows they have so many similarities...

A vintage car is kept in pristine condition and is almost exclusively the main method of transportation. "Get in the car, angel! Alpha Centuri!" - Crowley (2019, colourized). Okay, were you planning on driving to Alpha Centuri??? "Hop in the car, Sam. Time to go on our day-long road trip for the second time this week." For fucks sake, you have infinite money. Buy a plane ticket.

We listen to One Song. A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square. Carry On My Wayward Son.

We will extend our musical selection To A Certain Extent. Queen only. No modern music.

Angst.

Weird Haircuts.

Zombies, Nazis, Witches. Unclear definition of what the capabilities of witches are in both universes. Dean killed Hitler, Crowley killed three nazis.

Female love interest? Ehhh... No, thank you.

Male love interest? Ehhh... No, thank you. I'm rolling with genderless Crowley/Aziraphale. But don't worry because Castiel is happiest when he says he loves Dean. If that doesn't say platonic male friendships, I don't know what does. /s

Dumbass Behaviour. "Yes, I am playing detective searching for Clues for Archangel Gabriel. No, I did not inspect the Clue that he showed up with." "Yes, I have many, many contacts throughout not just Earth but also Heaven and Hell. No, I will not contact anyone for help."

Pornography and Sex Workers.

Risking death and destruction for others. Crowley rescues Aziraphale in France, Aziraphale saves Crowley by getting the photo back from the Nazi zombies. In Supernatural wtf, where to start...

The line between 'good' and 'evil' is virtually nonexistent. However, humans are regarded as 'closer to evil than good' or 'more likely to be evil than good'.

Found Family. "Hey hellspawn, you want two dads? No? Well how about a Nanny and a Brother Francis?" & "Hellspawn #2, tell your dad to fuck off and then bing-bang-boom, adoption complete. Adopted parents are just parents." "Hey hellspawn, you want three dads? No-oh wait, you do? Great."

God/Chuck is treated as a neglectful parent. They still seem hopeful that they'll receive help at some point but understand that they are required to fend for themselves and that can include going up against god/Chuck. It is cannon in Supernatural that all beings project their daddy issues onto Chuck.

They drink an extraordinary amount of alcohol and can sober up quickly. Good Omens is self-explanatory. But I've never met a person who can shotgun four beers back-to-back and shoot dead center. They have to be sobering up in between these activities.

They only own One Outfit. Coat/trench coat, waistcoat (optional), tie/scarf (optional), one or more layered shirts, jeans/slacks, and shoes. And of course, you have the accessories. Dean's necklace and Aziraphale's ring + watch. And it is cannon that in Supernatural, the characters (not the actors playing the characters, but the actual characters) wear a full face of makeup. And you can see Crowley/Aziraphale's makeup. Their lip colour changes pretty frequently. The angels in Heaven wear gold lipstick iirc.

Both of their main 'bases' are filled with books. The bookstore (for obvious reasons) and the Winchester's bunker has their hunter's manuals and the fucking Supernatural books.

The actors that play the characters canonically exist in their universes as well as thier characters. Dr. Who exists in Good Omens -> David Tennent exists in Good Omens along with Crowley. There is an episode of Supernatural where the main 3 exist in the 'real world' -> those 3 actors also exist in Supernatural. (There are multiple episodes where this happens without Castiel, but there is only one where Misha Colins plays himself.)

The most glaring difference between the shows is: one is developed starting with the characters and one is developed starting with the plot. Sam and Dean are inserted into a plot that they had no control in creating. Their father placed them into situations, and they were forced to find a way to survive. Crowley and Aziraphale literally started the story. They should understand the concepts of anything that happens in the plot (to a certain extent). As in, unlike the Winchesters, they don't need to do copious amounts of reading to foil nefarious plans.

Dean, Sam, and Castiel are pessimistic and dismissive of help. Other beings have to prove themselves worthy of their trust and usually not the other way around. Crowley and Aziraphale are optimistic and see the good in humanity. They enjoy the simple everyday joys of being human and they had the trust of Hell/Heaven for 6,000 years, up until Michael found the pictures of the two on Earth.

But would Crowley/Aziraphale drink bargain bin beer? Go to the greasiest diner imaginable? Directly commit murder? Participate in hand-to-hand combat? Would the Winchesters/Castiel drink a fancy, expensive wine? Go to the Ritz? Analyze their thoughts from a different perspective? Read a book for fun?

NO, and that is why I love you fanfiction writers and artists. I appreciate everything you do. <3

Something a little sad under the cut

I think the reason why I haven't been able to see more fun? silly? (idk how to describe it) fan fiction of SPN without crossovers is because Good Omens has never made fun of its audience or belittled how much effort goes into making content. When you know that you're actively being mocked by the show you like, you have to be on your Best Behaviour and Don't Fuck Up.

I remember that they were upset that the show attracted an audience of teenage girls. They made multiple episodes making fun of cosplayers, what I can only describe as an "obsessive fan girl", and destiel.

It feels like the people involved in Good Omens actually care about it and give a shit and that feels like putting lotion on a sunburn. Y'know?

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Sussex.com and Archewell rebrand: Compassion Inaction by u/somespeculation

Sussex.com and Archewell rebrand: Compassion Inaction It’s been over 1500 days since they announced Megxit (January 8, 2020).All they have independently accomplished is hypocritically monetizing their Royal connection, whilst simultaneously claiming to have “found freedom” from it.Their Sussex slogan rebrand is: “Show up. Do good.”And they do show up. They valiantly show up to promote themselves for positive PR. For awards, for Oprah, for Netflix, for promotional interviews, for podcasts, for faux diplomatic visits, for press. Most recently, with their own GMA camera crew for Invictus (their same MO as flying their own photoshop photographer Misan Harriman to Invictus Germany in 2023). Perhaps we should applaud Harry’s surprisingly swift recovery from the PTSD flashbacks of cameras clicking that he pityingly shared with ITV back as an actual working Royal in 2019. BetterUp must be miraculous. How chivalrous and heroic of the Suss ex-Royal, Harry, to magnanimously offer through the press yet another version of half-in, half-out while King Charles battles cancer. Apparently, the prodigal son is willing to crawl back into the institutional “trap” for spare change. (Helpful hint: if someone literally escapes your company by flying away in a helicopter, it’s not a good sign.)A cursory glance through their own website bios reveals scant CVs, signifying nothing. Their achievements are metaphorically parallel Meg’s wardrobe: 50 shades of beige. It is especially apparent where Meg is reaching back to pre Harry days, nearly a decade old of one-of TiG-featured ‘achievements’, embarrassingly reminiscent of the trope of the popular girl who peaked in high school. Comparatively, the Wales’s children assisting for 2 hours at the baby bank before Christmas already appears to encapsulate more of the Sussex brand than the Sussexes themselves. The contrast could not be more stark. “Do” is an active verb. Yet what has Brand Sussex actively “done” that focuses on others and not their own self aggrandizement? What have they actually done in a selfless, time intensive, hands-on way (beyond a few grudgingly made donations, which again, is not “doing”)? Any concrete examples? Bueller? Bueller? There have been brief 30 mins or less forays into performative charity appearances in those 1500 overseas days: a few food deliveries during covid (that TMZ and Backgrid all fortunately happened to capture),Meg flew to Ulvade where she wandered into the kitchen to help set up chips for a bit (spending less time than setting up her own photoshoot), a brief visit to Harvest Home charity pop up for pregnant homeless women (wearing a $4000 coat, where she went for lunch afterwards and spent more time with her $18 Caesar salad). If one were to total up their actual “doing” in over 1500 days, it’s laughably less than one average 40 hour work week. How noblesse oblige of the Duchess (or knobless oblige, in the case of our wayward Prince). Yet even Archewell failed to donate to any of these organizations - just like their Form 990 from 2022 proves it hasn’t donated to African Parks, Sentebale, or Invictus. Apparently philanthropy begins at home. All the Harry and Meghan rebrand shows is their only consistent post-Megxit brand: “All grift, no duty” (courtesy of Fleming at the NY Post). Sussexploitation. post link: https://ift.tt/VkHqwdi author: somespeculation submitted: February 17, 2024 at 10:34PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[lutethebodies]

LTB Tav Tuesdays: Cannor Coth, the Lost Singer (Part 1)

Let's kick this off with my first Tav, based on the first character I made when jumping back into 5e after a ~30 year layoff from D&D. His name is a very loose translation of the Welsh canwr ar goll ("singer lost") or canwr cudd ("singer hidden"). I've spent more time with him than any of my other characters, so I'll try to keep this entry from running long and flesh out bio/backstory details in other posts this week, using the many surveys/memes/prompts on here. His short bio (stripped of all names/places) goes like this:

The bastard son of a disgraced army medic and a wayward noble lady, Cannor was raised in a rebel military camp far from his parents' native land. When his family was broken by that exile army's defeat, Cannor slowly clawed his way from obscurity to infamy, becoming a skilled singer and storyteller who dabbles in diplomacy when the money’s good and his ego is starved. Slightly over the hill but still antsy to be remembered, Cannor’s happiest when creating. Whether blowing blarney, keeping cool, or anything in between, he’s equally at home in lordly courts and tumbledown taverns. Cannor is a cultural sponge with nearly four decades’ worth of travel, soaking up language, accents, impressions, geography, history, and lore. As a younger man, he cultivated community wherever he went and made the world his home, but after being banished from his adopted home city years ago, he’s developed a deep desire for stability.

In 5e, I created Cannor circa late 2019 for my brother's homebrew campaign "Worlds of Aeos," a sailing/islands-based setting that eventually expanded well beyond that. Cannor was originally a College of Whispers bard, armed with a whip and dagger to finesse rather than fight, but as the campaign quickly became more violent and dangerous, I switched him to College of Swords. For a party that began as literally an "oops all bards" power trio (everyone, including the DM, had been in college bands), surviving to level 16 was no small feat. Cannor was effectively the frontman, a saber-wielding singer/storyteller and aspiring envoy who never got beyond the "spying and dirty tricks" bits of diplomacy school.

In BG3, I've run about five playthroughs with him: a FAFO original, a second to refine my playstyle, a third to be as completist as possible, a fourth with my other favorite Tavs as his hirelings, and a fifth that finally graduated from Explorer to Balanced. In each one he balances fights with finesse, taking full advantage of what a human swords bard can do and equip. BG3 rules allow him to be much less fragile than 5e, but I still sort of nerf him by sticking with light armor (the stylish +1/+2 studded leather, dyed black and summer green) and d6 scimitars instead of d8 rapiers/longswords (I wish there were whips in this game). He always romances Minthara, both because she's my favorite companion and because it actually works well with his old backstory (which I'll get into with another post).

For better and worse Cannor is my self-insert/running commentary on how poorly bards have been stereotyped by popular culture, because I hate the "useless fop" and "lecherous swine" bard tropes and I always have. I tried to subvert that a bit by creating a sort-of "spy who sings and strums" character—who leans more on "master of none" than "jack of all trades"—someone who's not utterly useless in a fight, but also not as combat-focused as, say, Gurney Halleck from Dune. It's probably not as original as I'd first thought, but it works for me and that's what matters.

In my own homebrew "Nua" campaign, Cannor was the DM-NPC and lore-dispenser (like Volo, but much less clichéd and much more able to defend himself) who accompanied my players' PCs through one region of the world I made. That worldbuilding was so compelling that I created my own cartography for it, and in 2022 self-published it as an atlas. In 2023 I used Cannor (and his career-killing habit of composing/performing original songs) as a frame for my own longtime music/lyric hobby, writing and recording seven of "his" songs using a mandocello. Thankfully I finished that project before BG3 ate my brain.

Anyway, since this post was much less about the character himself than what I've done with him, I'll add a much longer, story-like follow-up post soon, and I promise future Tav posts won't be so convoluted. But like I said, Cannor's my guy, so he gets special treatment. Part 2 is here.

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[coraleethroughthelookingglass]

Ten Year Fic Favourites

As I mentioned in previous posts, last week marked the ten year anniversary of me posting fic online so as a way to celebrate, I thought I’d put together a little list of my favourite pieces that I’ve written over that time.

2013 - Heart (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Rated G, 7 Chapters, Fairytale AU)

Only a true champion and an act of love can bring back one lost to the snow and ice.

My very first challenge fic, this was written based around Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen (and I think was posted around the same time Frozen came out - and after the multiple times I’d read the original, by the time I saw that film, I was highly disappointed in it)

2014/2015 - From Winter to Spring (Series, Modern AU)

Rush Hour Crush - (Dacey Mormont/Robb Stark, Rated T, One Shot)

Returning to work after Christmas may bring the same rush hour problems for Dacey but it also proves to be a little more interesting than normal due to the red headed man she quite literally runs into.

Sugar Plum - (Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Rated T, One Shot)

Sansa has jitters before performing in The Nutcracker in front of one of her idols, Olenna Redwyne-Tyrell. Luckily Margaery is there to make things better.

The first fics I posted that weren’t for Jaime/Brienne, both are just very fluffy and sweet. The first is a meet-cute, the second more of an established realtionship.

2016 - 33 (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Rated T, One Shot)

A Westerosi Battlestar Galactica AU mashup. One of my all time favourite things that I’ve ever written.

2017 - Found in Forbidden Nights (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth/Cersei Lannister, Rated E, One Shot, Canon Divergence)

And my other all time favourite thing I’ve written, which feels very strange to say given that when I wrote this the GoT fandom was plagued by shipping wars and a threesome with these characters was almost unheard of. I feel very proud that I challenged myself with this fic and came out the other side a better writer.

2019 - Carry on My Wayward Son (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Rated T, One Shot, Modern AU)

The Jaime and Brienne hunt monsters in the Supernatural universe fic no one asked for but I really wanted to write anyway 🤣

2020 - All Veth’s Fault (Caleb Widogast/Jester Lavorre, Rated G, One Shot, Modern AU)

My first, and so far only, step into Critical Role fanfiction, this is a Caleb/Jester meet cute at a modern day music festival. It came after a long period of writer’s block and was something that came together very quickly.

2021/2022 - El Tango De Rose (Rose Tico/Armitage Hux, Rated G, One Shot, Modern AU)

Written slowly during my pandemic writers block but not posted for a long time (since I’d psyched myself out of posting at that time), this is a Dancing with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing AU where Hux is partnered with Rose and has to learn to dance the Tango.

2022 - Poison and Wine (Galadriel/Sauron, Rated T, Part One of Exiles)

My first Haladriel/Saurondriel fic written for this prompt by Scriberated - So… *awkward silence* who’s going to write the fic where shit goes to shit and in desperation Galadriel agrees to marry Sauron to save what’s left of middle earth? This was honestly meant to be my one and only fic for this pairing but clearly I was only deluding myself as I’ve written so much more since!

2023 - The Decurion’s Wife (Galadriel/Halbrand, Rated E, WIP, Roman Era AU. Part of the Time and Time Again Series with my amazing friend @somebirdortheother)

And this brings me right up to date as I’m currently working on chapter 4 of this Roman Era AU. This is the one fic I think I’ve done the most research for and it has been an absolute delight to learn about so many things about Roman Era Britain and the lives of soldiers and civilians up on Hadrian’s Wall.

The likelihood is if I’m still writing in another ten years I’ll have found other ship(s) to explore (or who knows, maybe I’ll have actually written a novel!) but for now this is what I have. And through all the inspiration and writers block, all the tears and laughter, I really couldn’t have kept going without all the love and support that each fandom I’ve dipped a toe into has given me. I know writers say this a lot, but for anyone who’s ever felt weird in leaving a comment on anyone’s fic - please don’t! Even two or three words can mean so much. And that kudos email makes me smile every time I see it. It’s a little thing but it means a lot. I love you guys and I think after ten years, I can confidently say - I AM a writer 😊😊😊😊

[forabeatofadrum]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Hi Dre!

I'm switching it up, cause I think my fave fics that I've written are known to be my favourite (recap: yada yada my big five All the pretty things that we could be, Myosotis series, Mendacious, I’d cry a river just for you, Paradiso) but YOU KNOW WHAT DRE, I have written more stuff that makes me go "aye, that actually slapped" so self-love time to fics that don't make that list!

In no order, sorted by fandom:

Just Some Guy (Carry On, Snowbaz, sorta (and Matt/Leslie??))

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND HIMSELF. No, I'm not talking about Simon "Chosen One" Snow, but about our boi Matty Chris D. He is just some guy. It's Simon and Baz's canon 7.25 years at Watford from a perspective of an OC who couldn't care less about them, which led to some humourous situations. Dre, you actually motivated me to finish this story by giving me ideas for certain situations. I think this is one of the funniest ideas I've ever had and I'm glad with how it ended up.

Time After Time (Carry On, Snowbaz)

Time to go to the other MCD: Major Character Death. This idea had been in the back of my mind ever since Wayward Son got released and we didn't know whether Bazzy was immortal, so I played with it. Simon dies in the White Chapel and is Capital D Dead. No magic can bring him back kind of dead. He and Baz meet every 20 years when the Veil lifts. I think this fic was really challenging, because I had no idea how to end it, but I am glad that it kind of got 2 endings and it works. fatalfangirl on AO3 called this "upsettingly romantic" and I am inclined to agree. There's just this ache of looming heartbreak over the entire fic.

make a fire out of this flame (Carry On, Snowbaz)

Step aside MCD (Matt Christopher Davis), because I think this is the funniest thing I've written. It's a non-magickal textfic. I am a sucker for textfics/epistolary fics so it's wack I've never tried one myself. It's, uh, filled with Little Numbers references because I can. I just loved writing the gang (Penny, Shep, Niall, Dev) being batshit insane at times and I loved adding ridiculous memes and lines to this. Even coming up with groupchat names was a hoot. AND since it's a textfic, I didn't have to worry about typos! Formatting was hell, though, but it was so worth it. Also, Simon/Fish OTP.

All shall know the wonder (Check, Please!; Zimbits)

This is actually, probably, my favourite Zimbits fic that I've written. It's the oldest on this list. I published it in 2020, but I think I started on it in 2019. I had a huge interest in Deaf culture in the late 2010s (I hate writing it like that) and that led to this fic. Jack is Deaf, so never joined the SMH. He still likes to play, though, and he and Bitty, who is on the team, meet at Faber at 4am on a Sunday. I loved writing this fic and I am glad that other people who know more about Deaf culture and ASL (yes, Jack is Canadian, but it's explained why he also uses ASL) also liked it. Oh, and I am a bitch for Camilla Collins, so I am glad I was able to give her a role in this fic. Camilla/Shruti is probably my Check, Please! crack ship.

Ljubim te (Glee, Klaine)

I genuinely love this fic, which is why I am so bummed about the fact that the sequel isn't going as swimmingly. Kurt and Blaine meet in Ljubljana, since I used to live there for 6 months, so it's a great way for me to reminisce over my time there. The story is mostly about comphet and the idea of exploring comphet actually came from Simon/Agatha. In this fic, Blaine and Quinn totally believe they're straight and into each other, ignoring the signs that *narrator voice* they are, in fact, not straight. I loved writing Blaine/Quinn (AS FRIENDS!).

Thanks!

[wyrdsistergoldenhair]

Books Read in 2023

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden (2022)

Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates (1995)

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (2020)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1962)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)

Dr. Mütter's Marvel's: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (2014)

Devil House: A Novel by John Darnielle (2022)

The Shadows by Alex North (2020)

Lucky Girl: How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert (2022)

The Hunger by Alma Katsu (2018)

Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler (1995)

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (2016)

The Troop by Nick Cutter (2014)

The Deep by Nick Cutter (2015)

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (2022)*

Audition by Ryū Murakami (2010)

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway (1937)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins (2020)

The Hunger Games #1: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)*

The Hunger Games #2: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (2009)*

The Hunger Games #3: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (2010)*

The Mist by Stephen King (1980)*

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (2017)

Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke (2015)

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (1764)

I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream: Stories by Harlan Ellison (1967)

Sphere: A Novel by Michael Crichton (1987)

Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydís Moon (2023)

Nimona by N.D. Stevenson (2015)

All the Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce (2022)

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman*

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King (1985)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (1997)*

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (2002)*

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang (2022)

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas (2017)

Simon Snow #1: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (2015)*

Simon Snow #2: Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (2019)*

Simon Snow #3: Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (2021)*

In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens (2021)

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (2021)*

The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell (1962)

The Victorians: A Very Short Introduction by Martin Hewitt (2023)

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle (2023)

The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (2010)

Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane edited by Jonathan Oliver (2012)

[odinsson2021]

Here's the Playlist of my Tonight's Show!

I hope you liked it!

Stormwitch-Rondo ala Turca-Eye of the Storm-1989-(Hot Blood Records)

Kansas-Carry on Wayward Son-Leftoverture-1976-(CBS Records)

Journey-Wheel in the Sky-Infinity-1978-(CBS Records)

Foreigner-Hot Blooded-Double Vision-1978-(Atlantic Records)

Mats Karlsson-Beautiful Life-Mood Elevator-30.06.2023-(MK Music)

Poison-Valley of lost Souls-Flesh&Blood-1990-(Capitol Records)

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons-Bite my Tongue-We're the Bastards-2020-(Nuclear Blast Records)

The Pretty Reckless-Death by Rock ‘n’ Roll-Death by Rock ‘n’ Roll-2021-(Century Media Records)

The New Roses-Can't stop Rock ‘n’ Roll-Nothing but Wild-2019-(Napalm Records)

Night Ranger-White Knuckle Ride-Hole in the Sun-2007-(Frontiers Records)

Skew Siskin-Life's a Bitch-What the Hell-1999-(Steamhammer Records)

Skid Row-Youth gone wild-Skid Row-1989-(Atlantic Records)

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy&The Conspirators-April Fool-4-2022-(Snakepit Records)

Slaughter-Reach for the Sky-The Wild Life-1992-(Chrysalis Records)

Tyketto-Sail Away-Don't come Easy-1991-(Geffen Records)

Gloryhammer-Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost-Return to the Kingdom of Fife-02.06.2023-(Napalm Records)

Helloween-Eagle fly free-Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. II-1988-(Noise Records)

Primal Fear-I am Alive-Metal Commando-2020-(Nuclear Blast Records)

Frozen Land-King's a Bitch-Out of the Dark-16.06.2023-(Massacre Records)

Helstar-Conquest-Remnants of War-1986-(Noise Records)

Herman Frank-Eye of the Storm-Two for a Lie-2021-(AFM Records)

Savage Grace-Barbarians at the Gate-Sign of the Cross-05.05.2023-(Massacre Records)

Night Legion-The Hound of Baskerville-Fight or Fall-30.06.2023-(Massacre Records)

Hellryder-Sacrifice in Paradise-The Devil is a Gambler-2021-(Rock of Angels Records)

Burning Witches-World on Fire-The Dark Tower-05.05.2023-(Napalm Records)

D.C. Cooper-Dream-D.C. Cooper-1999-(SPV Records)

High Tension-Hot Legs-Under Tension-1986-(Hot Blood Records)

Metal Church-The Dark-The Dark-1986-(Elektra Records)

Blind Guardian-Mr. Sandman(Single)-1996-(Virgin Records)

[corruptedforce]

ultimate media consumption: 2022 faves

reads of the year-

Revenge of the Sith (Matthew Stover, 2005).

Attack of the Clones (R.A Salvatore, 2006)..

Vader Comic (Greg Pak, 2020)

Healing after the Loss of your Mother (Elaine Mallon, 2008)

Motherless Daughters (Hope Edelman, 2014)

watches of the year - (getting me to watch anything is like pulling teeth)

Yankees Baseball

Awake (2007)

Justice League - Snyder Cut obviously (2021)

Midsommar (2019)

Smile (2022)

Little Italy (2018)

Revenge of the Sith (2005) - it's a constant

Life as a House (2001)

earworms of the year-

Say Something - A Great Big World

Intoxicated - Martin Solveig

I should Go - Levi Kreis

Hotel California - Eagles

Give You What You Like - Avril Lavigne

Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard

Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy

Running Up that Hill - Placebo

All I Need - Wicked Temptation

Dark Side - Kelly Clarkson

Already Gone - Kelly Clarkson

Take me to Church - Hozier

Carry on my Wayward Son - Kansas

Goodbye my Lover - James Blunt

Am I Savage? - Metallica

Everyone Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears

The Popular Art of Bed Making - The Fynches

Absent Words - The Fynches

Losing Your Memory - Ryan Starr

Plus all of my mom's classic rock is on my spotify wrapped too

Sons of Anarchy Volumes 1-5 Soundtracks

binges of the year-

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

The Clone Wars (2008)

Yellowstone (2018)

Mayor of Kingstown (2021)

The Sopranos (1999) - We do this at least every six months

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: MTT (2006)

The Umbrella Academy (2019)

Tagged by: @mayxthexforce

Tagging: @petitsdieu, @desireandduty, @exitiosae, @talesofshadowandlight, @xx--ofmanythoughts--xx, @bchemianrhapscdy anyone else who wants to.

I'm really really bad at this one, because I watch - baseball and only listen to what people say oh hey, listen to this.

[jenroses]

I flounder at the conundrum we live in right now. I'm 51, and grew up doing EVERYTHING, like my parents were young and I had so many ridiculous lessons and they built a family kayak at home and we went fishing on the regular and then camped across the country for a month. I had girl scouts and piano lessons and we moved when I was a kid to a small bit of acreage where I had a horse and we planted an acre of tomatoes and raised animals and we kept a sourdough starter alive for years.

In my life I have helped start multiple things which thrived for a while and then failed later, after I'd moved on. I've traveled and tried new foods and at one point I knew that almost anywhere I could possibly go I could probably find a friend to crash with because there were that many connections to be made.

And in 2019 we took our 7 year old child to Dublin. He got to try new things and met new people and see places he hadn't seen before.

I used to be the parent whose house was always open--my eldest is 30 and for a long time my house was "Jen's home for wayward queer youth" to quote one such youth, where their friends would come and sometimes stay for a while. The space in my heart wants to say "there is always room for one more."

But I'm immune compromised. And the pandemic. And our lives have narrowed to the point where I can't risk air travel.

And my son has to ask if he can bring a friend over in advance because some days I absolutely cannot cope with the sensory issues of wearing a mask in my house, the logistics of figuring out food around having someone in our space. I can't invite his friend to stay for dinner though in the past I would have in a heartbeat because there was always room for one more...

But yes, everywhere is somewhere and everyone is someone and every car you pass on the road has someone with an entire existence and set of motivations and the plot of their own story and it is sad to me that the more connected we become, the more isolated we get.

My youngest will probably not be able to just spend weeks at a time shuffling between our house and his best friend's house the way I did when I was a kid.

At age 11 I was riding a horse around our neighborhood completely unsupervised. For him at 11 we're waiting for summer for me to maybe, at last, see if I can overcome the executive function barriers (mine) to teach him to ride a bike.

We realized in the shoe store the other day that he'd never actually learned to tie his shoes because he's never had tie shoes. So I taught him, then and there. And then the salesperson brought over little doohickies that slide up and down the laces and negate the need for bows. Which is safer, really, but...

My eldest drives stick. My youngest probably never will. They're 18 years apart in age.

The notes on a recent post got me thinking

By nature, I’m a fan of having 2 beers and meeting strangers at a bar somewhere you’ve never been, which is a thing that we don’t do in 2023 between COVID and being afraid of one another because of the prevalence of gun violence and regular violence and misdirected road rage and the million other little deadly social erosions of the past 10 years or so.

You have got to let go of this idea that any place is a complete nothing-burger full of nothing-people.

You have to.

Its vitally important that you navigate that airport with a stranger in Denver and realize he’s got a tattoo of lyrics from your favorite song. To sing House of the Rising Sun with four people you’ve known for 2 hours (and somehow managed to get into the DNCs private bar with) in the back of an Uber in DC when it’s pissing rain and entirely too cold for your southern blood. It’s important to cooperate and solve problems together and go about it laughing and singing. We are silly little creatures that love a puzzle and a story.

It’s also important to flee a tornado in the back of a shitty red pickup at pride in Oklahoma City and feel the sky break wide-open against the lazy /tick-lok/ /tick-lok/ of the windshield wipers while racing down what once was Rte 66. Its important to know that in the face of creeping fascism that place, of all places, has entire gay neighborhoods. It’s important to wake up in an apartment high, high up in NYC and watch the sun through the buildings and boulevards and watch the glorious great goddamn of that impossible number of people all cooperating and all not. To say Hyoo-stun, that way, on purpose just to get a rise of your born and bred NY friend who does NOT think you’re funny but will make coffee for you.

You need to see a beach full of people cautiously approaching and flinching away from a floating, dead horseshoe crab on Tybee Island, Georgia the way any troupe of wild animals approaches an unknown alien thing. Cows in a field, fish in the ocean flinching from a diver. Little children squealing and wide eyed behind their parents legs. You need to be the person that walks out and picks it up and watches the rest of the crowd creep in to investigate.

I don’t get to travel a lot in the way that most people do, when I go to a place it’s usually because something bad has happened there, but I have found it universally true that most people just want to tell you a story or show you a picture on their phone of the craziest thing they’ve ever seen and they don’t particularly care who you are or what your accent is. Sometimes they do, and those people suck, but those people are not the majority.

Sometimes if you let an old redneck talk he’ll tell you everything you never wanted to know about forensic accounting. Sometimes you’ll meet someone in the middle of the biggest city in the US who knows everything about show pigs. I’ve been to the smallest Kansas towns and the biggest cities in the US and I’ve found none of them were full of nothing.

[daggersandarrows]

weird, weird realization that the europa launch was one of the things i put on my list of things i had to live through (and therefore i was not allowed to kill myself). other items on this list included the release of the force awakens (2015) and thor ragnarok (2017), the once on this island broadway revival (2017), the end of wolf 359 (2017), wtnv's tour of glow cloud (2017) and then later their tour of a spy in the desert (2019), the publication of wayward son by rainbow rowell (2019), and the end of critical role campaign two and the beginning of campaign three (2021). europa launch has been on there so long that i forgot i had the list. most of these items went on in 20 fucking 12. it was a sort of last ditch addition, a "fuck it, 2025 isn't even a real year, i don't expect this will work anyway".

what a fucking world

[denimbex1986]

'...The next few months promise big-budget glossiness in spades: from Kristen Wiig in the period drama Palm Royale to Andrew Scott going all Machiavellian in Netflix’s Ripley...

Ripley

This one has been a long time coming (it was first announced in 2019)… and now, Andrew Scott’s Ripley is nearly here —surprisingly in black and white.

Scott plays the infamous conman of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, and this very loose adaptation follows him as he scams his way to riches in 1960s Italy. Hired by a wealthy tycoon to bring home wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), Ripley instead inveigles his way into Dickie’s life with tragic consequences.

Netflix, out April 4...'