#I wanted to re-read the series first

[bluesadansey]

remembering on my circa 2017 booklr I used to tell people to read Gemma Doyle by describing it as trc but with an all girls boarding school / all girl group in a historical setting… I was trying to do the lord’s work she deserved tumblr fame

#I do think that was an oversimplification of both but. Not totally off base there are some similar char tropes used I’m proud of past me for #the attempt. Also I think I’m going to start advocating for Diviners in that way now that trc fandom is apparently quite miserable post GW #you like gay people doing dream magic? you like witchcraft and ghosts and strong ensemble casts? #you like an ambitious abuse survivor getting a healing arc with learning to control magic/psychic abilities as a metaphor? you like four #book series where the first three books rock and the last book which is named king + corvid is a bit underwhelm who said that? #a positive point in diviners favor is Ling x Wei Mei >>>> RonanKavinsky. Generally find the take on dream magic in diviners more compelling #(although LingHenry + RonanHennessy both being mlm wlw duos who are the dreamers is kinda fun) #anyway. This is not actually a fair comparison because Ling is my fav or at least top two w Theta of the leads and I love Ronan but he is m #least favorite of the trc leads of which there are four all of whom I love so it says nothing bad about him. But it does put me as an #outlier re: fandom priorities.. #on the flip side while I love diviners dynamics sadly I don’t think they ever come anywhere close to Gangsey levels of extreme codependency #so I can not care quite as much…. #from what I remember the girls in Gemma Doyle are a lot more codependent good for them. Would have to reread to compare codependency levels #Ling and Theta are both my favorite in diviners in the same way Blue and Adam are my favorite in trc and Abed and Annie are both my fav for #community. basically one char who I love and overidentify with (Ling/Blue/Abed) and one char I love who in many ways I’m not like #but in a handful of very niche specific ways I also relate quite a bit. And am fascinated with (Theta/Adam/Annie) #s speaks #very off topic from my initial point which was you should read Libba Bray’s books #and in both cases I have a second and a half tier fav (Evie/Gansey/Britta) who I love fictionally but if I was trapped in a room w them I’d #kill myself. with the white blonde women I’d also want to make out w them debatable if that makes it better or worse #but like. I could not stand listening to them speak for that long I know this #Gansey might just die a third time by my hands…

[dourpeep]

WAAH okay I just finished the first ep of season 4 for bsd and I just OTL

I remembered something from the light novel that season 4 is opening with (book 3, The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency), so don't peek if you don't want to be spoiled for those who either haven't read and want to, or want to wait for the anime to release more episodes

BUT MAN I'm so sad remembering this, but seeing it happen and reading is just???? It hits different but in a good way (or as good as angst can get lmao)

but just seeing 14 yr old Ranpo versus 26 yr old Ranpo and realizing that he really hasn't changed-

He knew, when he was 14, that people didn't see what he saw and understood that his 'ability' was something that was unique to him due to his upbringing and parents (both brilliant people--his father specifically being an incredibly well-known detective- so really, it makes you wonder if this influenced his bragging but that's something for another time), but kept himself under the guise that people understood because...

If adults can't see what he can see, then how are they supposed to help him out when he's still a child? A child can't do everything themselves, so the idea that no one would be able to help him just makes his parent's death that much worse

And despite Fukuzawa not really knowing this straight out, it's interesting to see how he handles it

Not sure how to comfort a child whose essentially jaded with a lack of trust towards others and a continually decreasing will because he just keeps on getting beaten down? Oh easy, just tell him that the thing that's been giving him indirect woe is a skill. He only is being affected by his own brilliance because it's something that can't be helped. Give him a reason to be proud of it instead!

Uh but I'm getting carried away.

Anyway-- then we see 26 yr old Ranpo now who, really, has known the entire time that his 'skill' isn't a skill, but instead accepted Fukuzawa's attempt at comfort those 12 years ago because now it's more the idea that...if it isn't a skill, then what is he useful for? Within a group of people so talented--not just due to their individual skill, but their combat abilities and all that--why is he so special that he is a part of them? And why would he be so deserving of everyone's praise if he's just...normal?

Long story short, I just mainly remembered Ranpo's deep insecurity that's rooted in his view of his own competence and the effect of the loss of his parents at an early age and I just wanna grab his cheeks and stretch

ALSO ALSO in season 4's first ep when he's trying to nab a bite of the actress' sweets and she eats it instead that was soiefhoih what a brat

#peep peep #I got carried away as per usual but anyway it's always Ranpo hours-- he lives in my brain (and sitting on a tiny chair on my desk) rentfree #OTL I should re-read book 3 just for the sake of it #AH MAN THAT REMINDS ME SO I'LL RAMBLE HERE NOW #but I highly suggest you read the light novels for bsd if you like the series!! #it's Asagiri's first time writting in a novel form iirc and it's quite nice to see the development of voice and style as well as going from #something that's more directive to more descriptive instead!! #You can really see the effort that was put into them considering the base idea is that manga tends to entirely dialog heavy #so seeing how Asagiri went about it as well and his notes at the end of the novels is cool!! #Especially considering the development of a voice is so drastic between the first and third books if you were to compare! #Ahhhh alright alright that's all- just wanted to touch on this because it's something that I've been very inspired by nodnodnod #bsd #bungo stray dogs #edogawa ranpo

[sisterdragonwithfeathers]

so I just finished The Empty Grave and

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

(overwhelmingly positive, I have so many thoughts, I may have to learn how to draw clothing just for this series, I am going to own it one day)

anyway what should I read next?

no rhyme or reason I don't need something similar if nobody says anything I might start on Dune for the heck of it

#I"ve been reading SO MUCH recently #it's delightful #I'd fallen away from it for awhile #I've read about threee of the murderbot diaries rose daughter percy jackson the little white horse lockwood and co ella enchanted cinder #re-reading the new thrawn trilogy and how to steal a dragon's sword #howl's moving castle castle in the sky the hunger games books the first three books of the queen's thief series the goblin emperor #the hero and the crown the out of time series persuasion #this stretches 'recently' into a decent number of months but still that's more in less than a year than the past two or three years combine #ah it's good to be back #I'm trying a lot of audiobooks too this time around #mostly out of necessity at least at first (it was all the libraries had of some of the books I wanted) #but it has distinct advantages #I can do art at the same time #or minecraft #and the voice acting is often really good #helps add a dimension to the characters that I couldn't have come up with just out of my own head #delightful

[sleepdeprivedweeblol]

SHOULD I START THE PERCY JACKSON BOOKS???

#I WANT TO READ IT SO BADLY BUT I ALSO WANT TO FINISH RE-READ BOOKS FROM 8-9 OF KOLTC FIRST #BUT I ALSO NEED TO RE-READ MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE AND THE MINISTRY OF UNLADYLIKE ACTIVITY TO READ THE NEW BOOK #BUT I ALSO HAVE MORE SERIES TO READ THAT I GOT FOR XMAS #LIKE THIS ALLY CARTER SERIES ABT GALLANGHER HIGH #AND RE-READ THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL SINCE I FOUND THE BOOK I WAS MISSING #(I STOPPED READING AFTER I REALISED I HAD MISSED A BOOK) #I HAVEN'T READ THE HARRY POTTER SERIES OR THE LORD OF THE RINGS BOOKS #I GOT FROM THE NICE GUY WHO BROUGHT THE THERAPY DOG INTO SCHOOL AND TOLD ME I REMINDED HIM OF HIS DEAD DAUGHTER SO HE GAVE ME HER BOOKS THA #COULDN'T GET HIMSELF TO SELL AND GAVE THEM TO ME YO KEEP AND TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO READ THEM SO I CAN TELL HIM IF I LIKED THEM OR NOT #BUT ENDED UP NOT SEEING IN A WHILE BECAUSE SCHOOL IS RUINING MY MENTAL HEALTH #OR THE MAZE RUNNER SERIES #OR THE THIRTEENTH REALITY SERIES #OR THE ALCHEMIST SERIES #OR THE SILVER ROAD #OR THE MIRACULOUS SWEETMAKERS BOOK #OR THE SECRET LAKE BOOK #HELP MEE #si needs help? #kinda #si lore???

[svvordsmachine]

"restraining myself from talking about it" Honestly go ahead and talk about it if you want because none of my friends read books like that (or read much period) and so I myself couldn't say much about it aside from the fact that I started reading it in the bookshop out of curiosity, then bought it, and then finished it later that day. One of the best books I've read this year. Still not over the final page.

in one day?!! honestly its short enough i dont doubt that.

but YEAH the ending of it always gets me a bit fucked up, especially with the congressmans (i believe it was the congressman in the last chapter with him?) shock at realizing that hes not in his 20s. being lost without any idea of what to do because so much "big stuff" has already been done, living in the age of "well, what now?" doesnt just stop happening when you hit 30. (especially when you want to feel like youve done /something/) but no the whole end scene, the maybe of him dying coupled with the anxiety of the congressman is something i think about years later.

i dunno!! just really love this book. story wise and i guess technical wise is the best way to say it? i think the style of dialogue only and conveying all the actions through said dialogue is neat, and how different the characters all are help with it. the swapping warehouses hes holding all of them in as chapter changes is so fun too!!

#its been a few years since i last read it so sorry if i mixed a thing or two up re: the end #if you liked your fathers id rec both the circle + the every by dave eggers (the circle first) or anxious people by fredrik backman #<- just discovered that anxious people was made into a series. wont watch it but neat! #also i think the hysteria after his friend was killed is incredibly realistic. you know #ty for the other ask!! if you want im fine w continuing in dms or replies to not flood my friends dashboards #[inbox]

[kingdomoftyto]

October this year has felt kind of vague and adrift for me, no real festive spirit to speak of--or at least nowhere near how last year felt, when it was Year of the Vampire and all.

BUT I am remedying that now with a combined pincer attack of 1) relistening to Night Vale from the beginning on my commute to work and 2) rereading Warm Bodies on my breaks/in my spare time. Things are getting increasingly spooky up in here

#consider this a heartfelt rec for both of the series mentioned #for anyone who might not know: Welcome to Night Vale is a fiction podcast in the form of a community radio show #the host of the show gives news and commentary on the happenings in a small desert town #... a small town that's regularly besieged by cosmic horrors and shadowy government agencies and various other monsters and phenomena #it's extremely chill and relaxing! which is funny to say because it sounds like a joke but it's actually true. #the residents of the town are used to all of this strangeness so it's described in the same tone as the results of the schoolboard election #seriously even ten years later this podcast has me giggling like a maniac every few minutes #it's very funny and heartfelt despite ostensibly being horror themed #and as for the other series--Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is SUUUUCH an underrated book series #the tl;dr is it's a zombie-human love story #there was a movie based on the first book several years back and it was pretty good imo #it plays up the romcom aspect a lot. which is fair but not EXACTLY accurate to the book. as you might imagine lol #the actual book though??? god I'm only two chapters in on my re-read and I had underestimated how much I love the way this protag thinks #it is HEAVY on philosophical discussion and even digs into some societal/political issues later on #and the supernatural/sci-fi worldbuilding is so incredible that tbh I can barely take any other type of zombies seriously after reading thi #it's just. it's good. check it out if you're not afraid of a little gore in your star-crossed romance #(I'd say more but I don't want to spoil the end of the first book! it's a fairly predictable twist but it still feels so good)

[starburstsobsessions]

Yknow what? The longer warriors goes on, the less the characters have going for them. Hear me out I guess.

The first series is so so good. The characters are unique, they’re described, they’re lovable! You do not have that past arc 4. The erins stop telling you about the characters and you are blindly following what some random cat you don’t care about is doing.

I’m being serious???? Even past arc 2, the books lose all of their character. There is no wise Whitestorm, no mysterious villain Tigerclaw, no brave Lionheart, no beloved Bluestar, no honorable Fireheart. Nothing. The cats lose their personality and their uniqueness. All the cats become the exact same. They melt into the narrative and are no longer relevant, leaving the books eventually with a huge mess of fifty+ cats floating around that have NO PURPOSE and no LIFE. Just a name you hear in the book, that has no face.

The possibility of a cat is the ONLY thing behind new names like Fernsong and Birchfall. Who are they? What do they look like? What purpose do they serve?

All these random cats do nothing but work after arc 4. There is no heart between them and there is no moments of peace and there is no cats they care about. They do not care the same, they do not feel the same.

None of the cats are unique in personality or description. We have had 3 gray female protagonists. I re read the first arc and I was so amazed once more at how much better it is. I love warrior cats, but a change needs to be made in some way. I got so tired of reading about characters I couldn’t even imagine. Cats with no characteristics and with no personality became so tiring. I love warrior cats, but it needs so, so many changes.

#warrior cats #rant #? #it needs way more changes besides that ofc lmfao #I love the first series :( #every wc book is super boring after re reading it #bluestars prophecy is amazing btw #it has SO MUCH LIFE #so much character!!! What I want in the new books!!!! #bluestar and snowfur are... gasp... actually different characters #It’s gone on too long #I’d say a reboot is needed but they’d probably butcher it #survivors and seekers an bravelands suck btw while I’m here LMAO they have this same problem but even worse

[juleworm]

man i have no clue what to read now LOL

#i kinda wanna read more lgbtq books for pride month but i don't know what else i could read #i've been meaning to re-read the song of achilles because i do that like annually and i haven't yet this year so #maybe i could do that idk #i never got a chance to annotate it because i read it for the first time physically instead of on my kindle #and i have like a phobia of writing in/ruining books so #i have a long ass tbr but none of it seems appealing right now #i don't really want to start a series but almost all of the books on my tbr are a part of a series #or at least a series of standalones but i usually read those back to back too #idkkkk man help #i need some recs

[screechthemighty]

Sidebar but if you want a good Moon Knight fic, I read this two-parter a few days ago and it freaking slaps, please read it.

#moon knight #fanfic #there's a lot of canon-typical content warnings that apply since the first one takes place in their childhood #but I'd also give an extra CW for unreality/reality questioning and memory loss #it's a major plot point in both so yeah if that kind of thing doesn't work for you just be warned #but the writing is so good and the second one is borderline a haunted house story but like in a good way #like a mike flanagan way #the haunted house is a metaphor #I need to actually leave a comment on this series I just want to re-read it before I do but yeah please read this #it knocked me on my ass in the best way possible

[mubeardoodles]

:3 <- middle school furry (me)

#mubs.talk #warrior cats kid real #I need more warriors + dsmp content it’s one of my favorite crossovers #like the clans and factions ough combine them now #scourge is cschlatt to me btw no wait I remember wrong tigerstar was the one that died during the clan confrontation in the first series #right? I don’t remember it’s been years I want to re read them so bad but the writing it awful looking back #good for a middle schoolers god awful now (no disrespect I love that series it’s just a different reading level) #I’m not normal about my old hyperfixations I need to read it grr

[blushing-titan]

.

#sooo my friend made me read Tokyo Ghoul:Re because we used to be huge fans of the og series back in the good ol'days #and I gotta be honest - it's been literal years since I've felt so much discomfort when it comes to a fictional piece of work #all because of the Tooru/Torso stuff #this whole plotline was extremely upsetting tbh #I'm not a fan of big and epic fight scenes which is why I didn't want to read the series in the first place #but this storyline was borderline psychological horror and I'm just...idk kinda traumatised? feeling a bit sick?? the discomfort is real #it also reminded me very much of that one Melanie Martinez song called 'tag you're it' and just thinking about it makes me go 🤢🤢🤢 #bye I hate it here #tokyo ghoul re #tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul:re #tg #tg re #tg:re #mutsuki tooru #tw

[exbeaut]

Cruel prince series?? Anyone??

#if yes can we discuss Holly black #bc I’m almost done book of night and like yes I have found myself reading the book in one day but #I feel like #I’m not reading it in one day bc it’s SO GOOD AND I CANT STOP #it’s more just like yeah it’s good it’s decent but if I didn’t love the cruel prince series I prob wouldn’t like it #just bc of having read cp series many times I’m used/can accept her ‘style’ of writing #and like by style I mean the annoying things about it like how she describe clothes they are wearing down to the brands #like I thought the cringed ass descriptions in cp of like Jude wearing converse and a star tshirt were due to the times like 2013?? or whate #but now in this brand new book she is describing her wearing the black tee and vans and I’m like?? do we need to do that #but like I’m used to/and expect that like cringe wattpad type descriptions LOL u know not wattpad but u know the vibe it’s like ifykyk #but anyway I’m not saying book of night is bad bc I do like it I’m enjoying the book and read like 2/3rds of it at work today #it’s good don’t get me wrong but it’s not like omg insane I can’t stop I’m addicted and need to know what happens #basically I’m not hyper fixated on it LOL #but anyway idk what I’m saying rn but it’s good?? but not like OMG GOOD GREAT AMAZING #anyway if anyone is feeling these things or has read/fixated on cp series talk to me about it pls #but also just want to state that I wasn’t like OMG I LOVE THIS SERIES with the cruel prince series like I read all three books in a day #like a day and a half idk it was like a weekend I had half off so like after 4pm Saturday until Sunday night #but then re reading it twice (??I think twice might be 3x tho)since the first time it’s like yes now I am obsessed and love cp series and #Jude and Cardan 😭😭😭😭 #but anyway what I’m saying is that I knew from the first time I read co the first Holly black book I had read that her writing was well... #something I had to adjust to and force myself to ignore the cringey aspects of it and it’s just like cringey in my POV u know like everyone #is different #but anyway I am rambling sm rn I make no sense but I’m just trying to make it clear I don’t dislike Holly or her writing but I’m just #admitting that her books that I consider favs of mine are considered it more bc I had fun and felt things while reading it and less bc of #like idk the intellectual quality of the prose of that makes sense

[pagesofkenna]

your favorite and/or least favorite dragon age npc

or if you don't wanna do dragon age then assassin's creed

so I broke the rules on this one and did my most/least favorite DA companion characters, AND my most/least favorite AC main player characters (i don't remember hardly any AC NPCs but I can tell you my least favorite is Charles Lee. hate that man)

#ask meme #i have Strong Opinions about the men from these series that i hate #also i forgot to change the indicator color for DA man I hate lol #i... really dont like him... and i have read a lot of fan meta about why i shouldnt have him and basically have come to the conclusion that #it doesnt matter i hate him regardless and nothings gonna change and its fine hes not real i can hate him however much i want #also re charles lee you want to know how funny it was when i listened to hamilton for the first time #and that line 'instead of me he promotes charles lee' #and i was like INSTANTLY like BOOOO HE SUCKS I HATE THIS real historical figure who SUCKS #anyway i forgot to mark Cole as my Blorbo #also lol at carrying desmond around in a bag like a small dog but also literal tears

[showyoumyfavoriteobsession]

RE4make alternate VHS cover designs from my halloween gifset

#vgedit #resident evil 4 #re4edit #blood tw #body horror tw #my gifs #special secret extra gifset for the re4 tag lol #idk why i got hung up on this one in particular but this was by far the gif i made the most versions of #i liked the idea of the first one but thought it was maybe a little too gory (and didn't read super well in the vertical format) #i liked the composition of the second one but it was too boring #i planned to use the third but the more i looked at it the more i wanted a more dynamic scene #re is kind of a nasty gunky action series! didn't feel right to have a completely bloodless gif #and i liked the funky top-down angle i got on the fourth gif it fit well in the vertical format #anyway. i ultimately like all of these but only one could go in the gifset so y'all get a peek behind the scenes ig

[rackartyg]

when i was 14, i stopped reading books. i’ve always put it down to being humongously depressed at the time, which isn’t, like, untrue, but a much more significant reason was that the time i previously spent reading, i now spent on social media.

i was allowed to get my first smartphone when i was 11, started saving up for it for, and then actually bought it when i was just shy of 13. then i got tumblr and youtube and started spending more and more time on there, and my reading time decreased until it was nonexistent, and it stayed that way for years.

then the pandemic hit and i started reading again, just a little, and then more when i switched to e-books, because it made my book as accessible as social media. it’s been a bit touch and go since then due to my mental health, but i am actually reading again, and i love it. but i’m still spending too much time on social media and these last few weeks i’ve come to realise that i don’t even enjoy it that much, really, so why am i doing it?

so i’m going to put hard screen time limits on tiktok, reddit, and twitter, hopefully for the whole summer but we’ll see how it goes. and a soft limit on tumblr. i won’t do anything about desktop because i don’t waste time in the same way there. but i’m putting limits on my phone and tablet. actually i don't know if the screen time thingy on apple lets you put hard limits but i'm going to go find out now!

#she speaks #arctic is an ex bookworm #met up with a friend and talked books and realised. wow i know a lot of books and what happens in them. #but i read them like. years ago. and that makes me sad #i want to read more now because books are great i love books #we're going to (hopefully) do an asoiaf book club over the summer!! but i'm a much faster reader so i'll need to read something alongside i #i'm 90% through two books rn and i've stopped reading them because i think i was unsure of what to do once i was done with them #because both are the first of a series and i'm not sure i want to continue. but i don't have to! i can just read the first! #it's fine! i get to decide what i read and if a book isn't working yeet that bitch #i do wanna finish them though. and one of the series i want to read. just not the other #the other would be a re-read and that series just isn't good enough to re-read. i just randomly got the urge to read the first book #and maaaybe the second but now. probably not #the other would also be a re-read except for the final book because it came out during the Great Reading Drought #it's also like. for middle grade readers lmao #but i liked it!! and i never finished it!!! i wanna know how it ends!!!! #and while the story doesn't really have much to offer to adult!me the language is just fantastic i love it so much

[tagasaing]

i have to get this out of the way, re: dungeon meshi discussions

major spoilers ahead, obviously.

you know for a series that focuses so much on platonic and familial relationships it’s weird that dungeon meshi has attracted so much useless ship wars though. the most important driving force in the story is two sibling relationships (laios’s search for falin, thistle’s search for delgal) and one of the central themes is how loving others way too much can lead to your downfall (thistle’s desperate attempt to keep his loved ones leads to his mental state deteriorating so much he starts torturing people he claims to protect, marcille’s fear of losing her friends leads to her being easily manipulated by the main antagonist)

even with regards to falin. thistle wants to bring the ‘brother’ he raised back at all costs, he saw a young human woman as nothing more than a dragon, his tool. marcille wants to bring falin back at all costs, she didn’t care about the repercussions of using monster meat instead of animal meat even though she was an expert at ancient magic and should know why it’s such a dangerous practice.

each and every single one of the major characters has some form of tragedy with their family one way or another: the toudens, marcille and her dad. chilchuck and his wife. senshi’s entire backstory. izutsumi’s hidden desire for a mother. namari’s father. shuro and his family. kabru and his mother(both tallman and elf). mithrun and his brother. thistle and the melinis.

even some of the minor characters: flamela and her dead twin sister. the twins and the floke couple. kuro being the closest mickbell has to a family. etc etc

as someone who has reread this manga several times by now, i wonder if people just… read it once as fast as they could and act like they’re some sort of authority on fan discussion. i’ve seen people brag about reading the entire thing in one sitting as if it’s something to be proud of. this manga isn’t meant to be read that fast, that’s how you get people claiming that laios doesn’t reaaally love falin as much as marcille does.

to these people, laios just gets in the way, as if it wasn’t his idea to go down the dungeon in the first place, it wasn’t him who said his pain doesn’t matter because falin suffered more than him, it wasn’t him who felt immense guilt for leaving falin behind, it wasn’t him who found her skull, it wasn’t him who killed her to save her from her chimera form. i feel like people forget about the ‘too’ part when marcille said “i miss falin too”

marcille knows how much falin and laios love each other. that’s why she asked him if she’s allowed to resurrect her and didn’t act on her own. that’s why when both times a shapeshifting monster copied marcille to trick laios, it was what she looked like at the time she was reviving falin.

as someone who DOES ship farcille, none of the romance is canon. this isn’t meant to be anti-farcille. one of the post-canon comics is about falin gently turning down shuro because she wants to travel the world, “you can’t tie a dragon down” after all. she wants to travel the world and find herself because she doesn’t know who she is outside of marcille and laios. even marcille, who was hoping she’d reject him, tears up because of how beautiful and tragic it was.

there are a lot of ship teases because what author doesn’t like a good ship tease. but to say that dungeon meshi is a romantic love more than it is a story about family(both real and found) is a great misinterpretation of the text.

#delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #delicious in dungeon spoilers #dungeon meshi meta