Tumgik
#anansi family
maxispremades · 21 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Шушуби!
24 notes · View notes
mayzie-grobe · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
lizzi's birthday !!!
beginning | next
bonus
Tumblr media
when ur bestie screams happy birthday while u were just tryin to eat ur burger.......they never grow up do they 😭
2 notes · View notes
stargazingsims · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Granite Falls Commune Family Portrait
From left to right: Jupiter Lobo, Sparrow Lobo, Thistle Lobo, Alice Kim, Flora Lobo, Grace Anansi, and D Lobo
41 notes · View notes
sweet-vanilla-sims · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Surviving Family:
Simon Bell had three daughters, his oldest, Mary married Jarod Upton and they had three children, Judith, James and Jerome. Jerome passed away as a child. 
Judith is pictured first. Judith had three children of her own with her first husband Gregory who died in the plague. Glen, Sonya, and Annie. Glen married Josian Carlisle and they had their son Clay who is pictured last. Sonya died in the famine. Annie is pictured second followed by her husband Donnie Bailey-Moon. They have their son Sonny who is above Clay in the pictures. Judith remarried but her new husband is not pictured. 
2 notes · View notes
mosimblr · 1 year
Text
SHORT STORIES
#2 Tomax Collette's wedding day
Tomax met Camilla while buying a new wand, and he's pretty sure she cast a spell on him while he was doing so. Because he's never been able to get her out of his head ever since. Now, they live together, in Tomax's house in Glimmerbrook, but they are hoping to move out soon. Especially since Camilla is pregnant! Today is the big day for them though. They are getting married !!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
All of their friends showed up in Willow Creek's tiny chapel. The wedding was a sucess! We can wish them the same for this new life together, with the baby coming soon!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
0 notes
neil-gaiman · 1 month
Note
Hey Neil!
My dad has slowly been losing the ability to focus enough to read books in english (not an illness just getting old). That means he can't read most of the Discworld books because only 7 of them are translated and he read those already (and some others in a few different languages before his issues with focusing). I've been thinking of trying to translate for him one or two myself (probably starting with Eric or The Last Hero).
I have two questions:
- Are there any legal pitfalls I should fear?
- I know sometimes authors write notes for anyone that might translate their work. Do you know if Terry did that/ if I could find those notes? Or just any lists of jokes that I should make sure also work in translation (or just add a comment that this was funnier in the original).
(Since I am already here: Unless I missed one, there are 8 of your works translated in our language. Which my dad read and loved and I mostly read and loved. We also watched The Sandman and Good Omens as a family. My sister is very excited about Dead Boy Detectives and my dad about Anansi Boys)
If you are translating them as a personal thing, you are fine. I hope your father enjoys them.
1K notes · View notes
sugarcain-sims · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
grace anansi randomly came over so she and venessa are just chilling in eloise’s room while mitch takes a nap?
0 notes
doctorcanon · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media
Creatures of the earth, of space, sea and land. I'm Exuma, the Obeah Man.
This version of Ocarina of Time Link was inspired by @phoenix-arts7's @houseofheroesau because he's just...SO PRETTY.
I think I've gotten to the root of why I'm so obsessed with Zelda characters dancing. My grandma lived with us off and on from about 97 to 2001. She'd watch us play video games - particularly Ocarina of Time - and tell us stories. One story in particular I loved about the Obeah Man danced around her village until his feet bled.
Now my Grandmother wasn't Jamaican, or raised in a village and I'm pretty sure she was actually telling an Anansi Story she only partially remembered and it changed almost every time except one part: The Obeah Man danced outside of the village for days because he wanted to protect the village and everytime you see some moving in the corner of your eye, it's him keeping you and your family safe.
Bloodless and Negative Space versions under the cut.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
96 notes · View notes
dailydccomics · 9 months
Photo
Tumblr media
Happy Juneteenth from the Hawkins family Static Team-Up: Anansi (2023)
275 notes · View notes
nobodyfamousposts · 2 years
Text
Why Scarlet Lady Is Better Than Canon: Desperada
Can we take a moment to just appreciate how @zoe-oneesama vastly improved Desparada?
There are so many things to love about this episode. Aspik and Viperion's redesigns. Jealous Adrien. Blushy Marinette. Aspik's redesign. Actual follow up on the previous Luka confession in Silencer. Seeing Scarlet taken out by the akuma. Aspik's redesign. Viperion's snek tongue and hilarious expressions. Seeing more family interaction between Jagged and Penny with the Couffaines. Aspik's redesign. There are SO many reasons to love this episode, but there are also reasons it's better than canon and these are in part due to the issues with the canon version of the episode in the first place.
First off, canonically speaking, despite Desperada being meant as Luka’s breakout hero episode and an Adrien-focused episode, we don’t get the necessary focus on either of them as the the narrative ultimately gave the focus and lesson of the episode to Marinette for “choosing wrong” and “not being able to see past Adrien to choose Luka”, which runs counter to the general rule of the series in that she’s SUPPOSED to be choosing Adrien in all things. So ultimately, what should be an Adrien and/or Luka episode feels very watered down because Marinette is thrown into it where she doesn’t need to be to shoulder the blame for anything going wrong.
Secondly, for a Luka hero debut episode, Luka does very little. We see that he’s great with the Snake and was clearly the “right choice all along” to use it. Which is fine. But much like Carapace in Anansi and King Monkey in Partycrasher, there isn’t much in the way of focus on him or buildup to him becoming a hero. In Luka’s case, he’s played off as the second choice to Adrien, which would set the precedent for canon as a whole if canon hadn’t already made that point clear all the way back in Frozer. And that only makes it more depressing how canon seems glued, nailed, and riveted to this as a plot point.
Third and most important in regards to this particular essay, Adrien’s use of the Snake is problematic. He’s shown to be doing it because he’s psyched that Ladybug chose him as a civilian even if that means abandoning her as Chat and LYING to her about it. Other than a few snide comments from Plagg in the moment which could be easily attributed to his own jealousy in the matter, this is never addressed or brought up again. We never see Adrien learning from how things go wrong or learn how to plan accordingly, he just seems to try different random things without considering why they fail only to be surprised time and again when each of his following plans also fail. Because of this as well as his determination, he says he was reliving the same five minute time span for months in a self-perpetuating hell of failure before he finally acknowledges that he isn’t fit for the role. This could have been a great character developing moment for Adrien as he’d have to use his ability as the Snake to actually be the planner for once or gain knowledge about Hawk Moth and Ladybug that can tie into future episodes. But because they focus in on him wanting to prove Ladybug’s faith in him right (and because of Thomas’s “Rule” that Marinette must always be the one to learn a lesson each episode), it comes off as being Ladybug’s fault for choosing him over Luka rather than the fact that it was his choice to forego his role as Chat to be a temp Snake hero—and that between him and Ladybug, HE was the only one at that time who had reason to know why it would be a bad idea.
Ultimately, depending on how you look at it, this results in making Adrien appear either very devoted to the point of codependent or just very foolish and selfish for being so intent on keeping this lie going that he would rather repeat thousands of loops of failure to keep misusing the Snake Miraculous for arguably selfish reasons.
Compare with Scarlet Lady, which has Adrien keep misusing the Snake Miraculous for blatantly selfish reasons.
“But Nobody!” I can hear you say, “Doesn’t that make him worse?”
To which I say, “Yes. Which is why it makes him BETTER.”
As we can see from this comic, Adrien is fully misusing the Snake Miraculous for petty revenge and he is enjoying the HECK out of it.
Is it wrong? Definitely.
Do I blame him? Not at all.
Let’s bear in mind that per Zoe, Adrien has been suffering as Scarlet Lady’s “sidekick” for 8 months by this point. That’s almost a year of having to fight akumas mostly on his own or with unexpected civilian help (which is an issue all its own) while dealing with a bossy and antagonistic “hero” who spends more time on her phone than actually helping with the akumas. Made worse by this girl taking advantage of his state after the fight to give out a false narrative of how SHE saved the day without anyone to point out otherwise.
Dealing with Scar has had such a profound effect on him throughout the series. We can see it in the way that Adrien has been more stressed. His response to Fu upon discovering him. And the way he has been untrusting and resistant to actual help when it finally arrived in the form of Marigold.
Just because Marigold finally showed up to give him a real partner does not mean that his suffering was over or in any way healed. At best, it gave him someone to share in his misery of dealing with Scar and be a support for him in akuma fights/heroing who wasn’t a civilian. Or more accurately, who wasn’t a specific civilian girl he has a crush on…as far as he knows, at any rate.
What it comes down to is that Scar has been a constant source of anger, stress, and resentment for Adrien. Her treatment of him is downright abusive in every way, and Chat has been in the incredibly unfortunate position that there hasn’t been anything he could do about that. Or at least not anything that wouldn’t end up only working to her benefit or making things worse for himself and the city. Even after discovering Fu and being told she was never actually meant to have been the Ladybug user, he was still stuck dealing with her. He really has no choice but to stick it out and let her continue as she is, because the consequences otherwise would be too dire.
This is why the Snake Miraculous is such a game changer…because it is the one miraculous that lets these consequences be thrown right out the window.
This is his one opportunity, perhaps the only time he has or will ever HAVE the freedom to say and do whatever he wants to Scar and not have to worry about the potential aftermath.
No worries about Scar being unable or unwilling to use the Cure.
No issues of Hawk Moth or the akuma getting the Miraculous.
No fears of Scar throwing a tantrum or doing anything to make him look like the villain to the city.
No concerns of Scar trying to run away and potentially losing the Ladybug Earrings.
Five minutes of pure consequence-free actions, where he can do ANYTHING to inflict a fraction of the torment Scar has caused him, to be repeated as many times as he wants!
Ladies and Gentlemen and People of all types: This is Adrien Agreste with a Revenge Boner.
The introduction of the Snake Miraculous gives Adrien the power he’s lacked in his relationship with Scarlet Lady. And now that he’s on the superior end of the power disparity with the freedom to do and say whatever he wants to her with no consequences, he’s taking full advantage of it.
This is a stark contrast to Canon Adrien and how he handled his time as Aspik. This makes Scarlet Lady Adrien exceedingly more selfish compared to the angst-fest that was Desperada in canon. But it is also more enjoyable because of it.
In terms of the Scarlet Lady narrative itself, this is catharsis for Adrien. After everything Scar has put him through, he’s able to get that sweet, sweet payback and see all the ways he can torment her. This is only part of what all that past mistreatment from Scar has been leading up to. This becomes a matter of both continuity, cause and effect, and character building.
Remember the old writing advice of “show, don’t tell”? Yeah. This is Zoe SHOWING you just how much Adrien hates Scar by this point.
In terms of comparing the two episodes, what we have is a difference between an angst-filled self-imposed helplessness versus the aforementioned catharsis. See, this version works better because it makes it clear that Adrien is the one with full control in the situation and what he is DOING with that control. He controls how long the loops last. How many times he goes back. When he stops looping. And most importantly, what he does in those loops.
In canon, part of Adrien’s angst over his time as Aspik is supposed to be over all the times he tries and fails to save Ladybug, but it’s undercut by the fact that his suffering is almost entirely self-inflicted. Both by lying to Ladybug in the first place and then by putting in so much effort to keep the lie going that he would rather allow Ladybug to be taken out several thousand times than simply tell her the truth.
While the narrative seems to want us to believe that Adrien has no real power in this situation, Adrien is the one with the control in each of the loops. He just using it in the worst ways and CONTINUING to keep doing so even when he knows it won’t work. In this sense, his repeated attempts don’t come off as heroic so much as frustrating. And also hypocritical because they’re trying to beautify his actions to hide that they’re ultimately self-serving. When his “suffering” is self-imposed, the angst comes off as pretentious.
Scarlet Lady avoids this because Adrien has no such angst. He’s having the time of his freaking life. Is he a jerk for it? Yes. Is it wrong? Also yes. Should he be called out for it at some point in the future? Definitely. But this is mitigated not only by the power of Second Chance, but also by the fact that it was implied if not outright stated from the start that he had no intention of actually defeating the akuma as Aspik and fully planned to do whatever was necessary to avoid being called on as a temp hero again in the future. This tells us that Adrien’s actions weren’t planned for a specific victory outcome the way Canon Adrien did. It wasn’t that he actually intended to use the Miraculous against Scarlet Lady from the start, but that he realized after that first time seeing Scarlet taken out that this would be a perfect opportunity to let out his unresolved animosity towards her. The way that a lot of people would do if such an opportunity ever landed in their lap to torment their tormentor and get away with it. This makes Adrien incredibly selfish and it makes him all the more real and human because of it.
Then there’s the matter of Luka. In canon, he’s clearly chosen second to Adrien and this should be an issue. However, other than the narrative pointing at Marinette being at fault for choosing Adrien over Luka twice in situations that Luka should be viewed as the “clear better fit for”, nothing is done with it.
In Scarlet Lady, Zoe sidestepped the issue of who would play with Jagged while also pointing out the ridiculousness of firing Vivica in the first place over incredibly stupid reasons. It makes what was an episode that made Jagged look incredibly immature and selfish instead appear much more endearing as it was revealed he did it intentionally to spend time with his kids and both his ex and his kids are fully aware of this. Of course, it was still a jerk move of him to do this to Vivica, yes. But it was endearing and I don't feel what likability Jagged had in season one drop like a boulder.
So instead of the canon narrative of Luka never being good enough compared to Adrien and this somehow being Marinette’s fault, Zoe changed the focus for Luka on how Marinette is responding to his confession the previous episode. This works even better in that it shows continuity is a thing, as is character development. It made the side issue of the episode that Marinette doesn’t know how to respond to this—which makes sense in light of her being a girl who has never been confessed to, now being confessed to by someone she considers a friend and she doesn’t want to ruin that. It handled the situation maturely in the end, and Zoe did a wonderful job showing Marinette’s uncertainty and her reactions as her emotions are still a mess while also showing Luka’s concerns when they’re finally able to talk things out. It was a lovely end to the episode that really felt like a step forward: Luka is shown being more proactive in regards to his feelings compared to canon, Marinette is also coming to terms with her feelings, and Adrien fully admits that Hawk Moth is the only reason he isn’t being forward with his feelings for her.
See what this is? Progress. Slow and simple forward steps that make it feel like things are moving instead of being stuck at a standstill until plot requires them to jerk it forward. This is something Miraculous canon desperately needs.
In conclusion: The Scarlet Lady version of Desperada is an improvement to the canon version because it ultimately puts the onus of control in the matter of the “failed loops” on Adrien where it should be (even if it’s played for laughs), takes the responsibility of “choosing wrong” and Adrien’s failures to defeat the akuma off of Marinette (who had limited control of the situation in comparison to him), doesn’t throw in Luka as a second choice for Adrien with no relevance of his own except that he's second choice, and makes the episode as a whole more enjoyable and less of an exercise in frustration.
1K notes · View notes
theerurishipper · 5 months
Note
Idk I always find it bizarre when people shocked that Marinette just let rubble and whatever fell down to Emilie's coffin just so Gabriel move to protect it as if it's smt new. Miraculous can be inconsistent with it's characterization sometimes, but not for Marinette. Her characterization is still strong and constant from s1. Her let the rubble fell to the coffin is her s1 equivalent of taking down Eiffel tower at the Mime episode or s2 when she baited anansi to punch the arc de triomphe so she'd be buried under it's rubble.
What bizzare is the amount of what Marinette destroyed is far exceed what Adrien, as the holder of desruction ever did. Chat Blanc excluded because he was akumatized while Marinette did all that intentionally.
Can't imagine just how much destruction she caused if she were the holder of black cat miraculous instead. Must be terrifying.
I feel like those other two were different because The Mime and Anansi were akumatized villains with superpowers, so they wouldn't die from that or anything, and they could defend themselves just fine. But it's not the same with Emilie Agreste. This is an innocent woman who as far as she knows wanted no part of this. This is the mother of the boy she supposedly loves and is fighting for. And she drops a whole elevator onto her body without a single second of hesitation. That's so cruel. That's awful.
This literally proves why Marinette is so unsuited for the role she occupied in the finale. She has no connection to any of this. The whole Agreste arc was built on their family drama and the emotions they have for each other. We're supposed to feel something for Emilie Agreste, regardless of her lacking presence in the story. And here comes Marinette, who cares fuck all for any of them, treating this innocent woman like a prop in her fight, literally dehumanizing her in order to get an advantage over Gabe. There's no consideration for Emilie, from the narrative or the characters. Gabriel had to be the one to save her from Marinette.
And I am a proud "Emilie Agreste was an abusive parent" truther, but that doesn't excuse this. At the end of the day, she was an innocent in Gabriel's supervillainy, and Marinette threatening her life as part of a strategy to defeat Gabe is awful. And like I said, this shows why it's so counterproductive to have her take the central role in the resolution of this conflict. We're supposed to watch Emilie's heartfelt words reach Gabriel, as if she matters, when Marinette just treated her like an object and almost killed her (not sure if she's already dead or just in a coma, but my point still stands). The emotions are all gone. Nothing matters expect Marinette being a girlboss (which is literally the stated reason for why Bug Noire happened, so that Marinette could look cool).
Like, can you imagine if Adrien was here? Could you imagine how he'd feel watching his partner who supposedly loves him using his mother as a tool to defeat his father? Could you imagine how he'd feel to see his mother's body be almost destroyed, to see his mother be killed because Ladybug wanted to beat Gabe's ass? How would it feel to see that Marinette doesn't consider his mother a person more than she thought of her as a prop to get an advantage over Gabriel?
But no, treating Emilie Agreste with any kind of dignity is secondary to letting Marinette be awesome and cool ig. Removing the character who is the emotional core of the story removes all emotion from the finale, who woulda thunk it.
Thank you for your ask!
113 notes · View notes
mayzie-grobe · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
transcript under the cut
i love coming back to this house. it's such a reset for me, not for junior though 🎄 and now introducing, rainn and lily's newest little one, riven !! ✨
beginning | next
-
[Yuna]: Yeah, so the doctors are saying it's pretty much up in the air. At this point.
[Edward]: He is eighty.
[Junior]: Eighty three.
[Yuna]: Right, so, all things considered he's in good heath.
[Yuna]: Especially with the drinking. It would've happened at some point. I'm just glad I was there when it did.
[Edward]: I'm glad you were too, kiddo. I'm sorry to hear about it.
[Luke]: Hey, give someone else a chance to hold the baby why don't 'ya.
[Junior]: Oh, sorry.
[Luke]: Nah, don't sweat it. I'm just pulling your leg. You doin' okay?
[Junior]: Y'know...
[Luke]: Same old, same old?
[Luke]: I hear that. Well, uh, if you ever need someone to call, y'know—
[Junior]: Thanks Luke. Really, I'll be fine.
3 notes · View notes
stargazingsims · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Granite Falls Commune Family Portrait
From left to right: Thistle Lobo, Alice Kim, Daydream Lobo, Grace Anansi, Jupiter Lobo, Flora Lobo, and Forgiveness Lobo
50 notes · View notes
richincolor · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
New Releases for January 30, 2024
The four new releases we found this week are filled with poetry, murder, romance, and a little more murder of the fantastical variety.  
Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology edited by Amber McBride Taylor Byas, & Erica Martin HarperCollins
Starring thirty-seven poets, with contributions from acclaimed authors, including Kwame Alexander, Ibi Zoboi, and Nikki Giovanni, this breathtaking Black YA poetry anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin celebrates Black poetry, folklore, and culture.
Come, claim your wings.
Lift your life above the earth,
return to the land of your father’s birth.
What exactly is it to be Black in America?
Well, for some, it’s learning how to morph the hatred placed by others into love for oneself; for others, it’s unearthing the strength it takes to continue to hold one’s swagger when multitudinous factors work to make Black lives crumble. For some, it’s gathering around the kitchen table as Grandma tells the story of Anansi the spider, while for others it’s grinning from ear to ear while eating auntie’s spectacular 7Up cake.
Black experiences and traditions are complex, striking, and vast—they stretch longer than the Nile and are four times as deep—and carry more than just unimaginable pain—there is also joy.
Featuring an all-star group of thirty-seven powerful poetic voices, including such luminaries as Kwame Alexander, James Baldwin, Ibi Zoboi, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks, this riveting anthology depicts the diversity of the Black experience by fostering a conversation about race, faith, heritage, and resilience between fresh poets and the literary ancestors that came before them.
Edited by Taylor Byas, Erica Martin, and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner Amber McBride, Poemhood will simultaneously highlight the duality and nuance at the crux of so many Black experiences with poetry being the psalm constantly playing.
Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill
Delacorte Press
Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.
Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.
Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.
Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.
To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.
Just Say Yes by Goldy Moldavsky Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Jimena Ramos had no idea she was undocumented.
Now she’s seventeen, and she needs to figure out a way to stay in New York City, the only home she can remember. There’s only one possibility that will get her a green card quickly enough: Jimena is going to find an American to marry her.
She’s got one excellent candidate: Vitaly, her next-door neighbor and friend, the only person she trusts with her secret. But Vitaly’s got his own plans for the future. He’s a definite no.
So Jimena tries online dating. She decides to approach this marriage like a business transaction. She figures out a plan that just might save her and make her a citizen at last.
But of course, she can’t stop thinking about Vitaly.
These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
A teenage sorcerer’s apprentice must solve her boss’s murder in order to prove her innocence in this twisty, magic-infused murder mystery perfect for fans of Knives Out and The Inheritance Games .
Being an apprentice for one of the world’s most famous sorcerers has its challenges; Tabatha Zeng just didn’t think they would include solving crime. But when her boss, the infamous fortuneteller Sorcerer Solomon, predicts his own brutal death—and worse, it comes true—Tabatha finds herself caught in the crosshairs.
The police have their sights set on her and Callum Solomon, her murdered boss’s youngest son. With suspicion swirling around them, the two decide to team up to find the real killer and clear their own names once and for all.
But solving a murder isn’t as easy as it seems, especially when the suspect list is mostly the rich, connected, and magical members of Sorcerer Solomon’s family. And Tabatha can’t quite escape the nagging voice in her head just how much can she really trust Callum Solomon?
Nothing is as it seems in this quick-witted and fantastical murder mystery.
25 notes · View notes
himboskywalker · 3 months
Note
Thank you so much for these many recommendations, i will definitely read some of them. I finally ordered lord of the rings, always wanted to do it but I finally did it.
I would love a separate rec list of less new books and overall classics. If you have the time of course. I always have a hard time finding new books for myself or to gift to other people.
Sure! And I'm ecstatic to hear you bought lotr! Another one to be welcomed into my fold! This list is decidedly less organized, but here's a list of more classic/ older works I always recommend or gift to people.
Anything written by our beloved Neil Gaiman. He's most well known, especially in this sphere, for "Good Omens" cowritten by Terry Pratchett, and rightfully so. If you've never read anything by either author, it is absolutely worth the hype, and even if you've watched the tv show, it is so incredibly funny and wonderful. "American Gods" is also phenomenal and very well known from its tv show now, but my personal favorite of Gaiman's is "Anansi Boys." No one does urban fantasy like him, and his works will always be the gold standard for me for this genre.
The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. There's 41 books in the series so it's a mighty undertaking, I myself haven't gotten through all of them yet, I think I have about ten books left. They are so wonderfully funny and philosophical and witty. I don't recommend reading the books in the order Pratchett wrote them, rather there are collections in the series you'll want to read in order. The Death collection and City Watch books are my favorites but there are many more than that you may like better.
"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman. This is one of my favorite books of all time and while the movie certainly gets the vibe, it's a whole different animal. It's just so incredibly funny and fun and smartly written, and I've given it to many family and friends for Christmas and birthday presents.
"The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch. This is commonly regarded as a fantasy genre must and I often vehemently disagree with what's considered a "classic" but I have to side with the powers that be in the lit community on this one. It's just damn well written and character driven in the exact kind of way I love in stories. If you start reading it and think "oh look morally gray thief characters doing a heist" just remember, Lynch published it in '06 and pretty much wrote the template for everyone who has copied him since.
Anything by Ursula Le Guin although I read the "Earthsea" series first and would recommend starting there as well. She just really is that bitch, it doesn't get better written or more observant of life than her. Outside of Tolkien I don't know if there's anyone I admire more as an author than Le Guin. Her prose are not only stunningly gorgeous, but line after line after line hits like a sucker punch to the side of the head for how she makes you see life and yourself in new ways. “Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky.”
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques! I love them so dearly, they're fun and beautifully written and full of adventuring that only forest animals with swords are capable of. I do recommend reading them in order, or at least the original "Redwall" before you dive into the rest of the series, but "Taggerung" is my favorite.
This is a more divisive rec nowadays but Kurt Vonnegut. If you read "Slaughterhouse Five" in school and hated it I don't blame you, it's not my favorite of his and not what I urge people to look to if they want to fall in love with him like I did when I was a teenager. My favorite Vonnegut is "Sirens of Titan" and "Breakfast of Champions." Do look at content warnings for "Sirens of Titan" and I've seen a lot of vitriolic reviews of the book in recent years by younger readers, but I absolutely think it's worth the read and the shining glorious example of what I mean when I say protagonists aren't meant to be liked or morally right.
And speaking of squicky divisive recs! May I tell you about our lord and savior of "oh god I don't know if I can get through this" Margaret Atwood? Most people know her for "Handmaid's Tale" but I first read "Oryx and Crake." Seriously, read the content warnings, but Atwood is known for writing the best of speculative sci-fi for a reason.
Anything by Octavia Butler. My intro to her was through "Bloodchild" which I highly recommend, and I think is the perfect introduction to her brand of unnerving brilliance. She is most well known for "Kindred" and rightfully so.
"Perfume" The Story of a Murderer" by Patrick Suskind. It's weird, by god it's weird, and it's one of my absolute favorite "classic lit" novels. In 18th century France a weird little freak of a guy with a super sense of smell winds up murdering a bunch of people to make perfume. It's fantastic and the quintessential, I will not morally justify this, but boy am I enjoying reading about this little creep.
"Trainspotting" by Irvine Welsh. I also love "Filth" and "Porno" by him. I think Welsh is brilliant at characterization, especially when most of his characters are morally bankrupt and terrible. But what he does best is make you feel for these characters who have often put themselves in these terrible positions. They're just people, and life is shitty, and I don't think anyone writes that better than Welsh.
"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. O'Brien made a career of writing fictionalized recounts of his time in Vietnam. I love everything he's written, he is one of my favorite modern lit authors, but "The Things They Carried" is his best known work and what I first read of his. It's brilliant and beautiful and sad, and it was the first time I ever had to put a book down and read in chunks because it affected me so emotionally.
Cormac McCarthy, any and everything he has ever written. He's best known for "The Road" of course, and it's certainly worth the read but "Blood Meridian" is my absolute favorite of his. His stuff is brutal and wry and full of the dry irony that only the bleakness of reality offers, and by god is it well written.
And finally I'll leave you with a single nonfiction recommendation. I try to keep those minimal when I know that's not usually what people are looking for when they ask for reading recs. But since I'm giving a list of books I have often gifted, I can't NOT include this one. "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl. I read this at 18 and it had a profound impact on how I think and view life. Any time someone I love has gone through a difficult time I've bought them their own copy.“For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth - that Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.”
21 notes · View notes
metisket · 6 months
Note
book recs request ❤🖤❤🖤 🙏🙏🙏 in this case, book recs that you feel have inspired your writing style, or inspired your fics somehow?
Hmmm...this is a fun one but a tough one, because I'm not sure I'm really self-aware enough to know the true answer here. But I'll try! A lot of books/authors I believe shaped my writing style did it when I was pretty young, so we're getting some YA over here.
Robin McKinley
I must have read The Outlaws of Sherwood a dozen times between ages 10 and 15. I love me a hero who literally doesn't want to be here and got conned into this by pushy, well-meaning friends. Marian was the most badass Marian I'd ever encountered. Random, complicated, weird side-characters, my beloved. Cecily somehow speaking directly to whatever was unhinged about my own childhood feelings about my gender. Flawless, 10/10, should really re-read to see if it holds up.
This is not to minimize the ridiculous number of times I read The Hero and The Crown, The Blue Sword, Beauty, and Deerskin, because I also read them So Many Times that they've probably become a part of my psyche. Literally none of her heroes want to be heroes. But they've been informed that they are. Apparently. Ugh. Love to hate that for them.
Lloyd Alexander
I also re-read The Chronicles of Prydain at least once a year for many years. It has almost certainly messed with my mind. I was especially unhinged about The Castle of Llyr, because Princess Eilonwy. The best, the worst, the angriest princess. Love and respect. Taran I could take or leave, particularly during his Taran Wanderer phase (I was less sympathetic to his growing pains than I was to Eilonwy's), but The High King was a fantastic payoff, loved everything, no notes.
...Damn, I need to reread this series, also.
Lois McMaster Bujold
I didn't read The Vorkosigan Saga until college, but it immediately hit my brain hard. Fantastic characterization. The way she writes trauma and recovery from trauma, amazing.
Miles. What a character. What a mess. What a problem. He is only a little guy, literally and figuratively, and he's going to do his best to convince you that he didn't mean to offend that guy, set that building on fire, or end that empire. You know. Like a liar.
Sarah Rees Brennan
My number one fanfic influence--her style of writing is so delightful that, particularly when writing Harry Potter fic, I'd sometimes find myself paraphrasing her. I had to Sarah Rees Brennan-proof my fic to make sure I wasn't being an accidentally plagiarist, because her turns of phrase would just go subliminal in my brain. This honestly may still be happening, and if it is, I'm so sorry, Sarah, it's not on purpose.
My favorite of her books is In Other Lands, the story of a boy who is whisked away to magic school in magic land and is extremely annoyed to find himself there. Like why. Why is the plumbing medieval. Why don't phones work. Why is this magical Sparta.
...He's not wrong, is the thing. But he won't bend and he won't break and he won't leave, so apparently he's just going to have to fix the world himself. God help everyone! Love him. Love his friends. Love the entire world and setup and every single side character.
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
I have been informed that you can see the Pratchett and Gaiman influences in my writing. I think this is a lie people have told me to make me feel better, but you know, I Want To Believe. So I'll include them.
Pratchett: Love for virtually the entire Discworld series, with an especially fondness for the Watch books and Susan. Still obsessed with Vetinari after all these years. What if Machiavelli but chill, though.
Gaiman: Lost track of how many times I've reread Sandman. The characters, the coolness, the weirdness, the meta! Especially obsessed with Death. Just someone being very calm and collected in the face of all kinds of horrifying nonsense. I admire that. Love nearly all of his books, but my favorite is probably Anansi Boys. Bet your stupid family drama doesn't involve gods. Or at least. I hope it doesn't.
Erin Morgenstern
I'm cheating by including her, because she didn't actually influence my writing, I just WISH SHE HAD. She can't, sadly, because my outline game will never be that strong. I know my limits. But DAMN. ENVY.
Both of her books are without flaw, but I did love The Night Circus just that little bit more, probably because I am weak to a circus. I firmly recommend The Starless Sea also, though, because it features an Unhinged Library. The characters and settings and descriptions--delightful.
But the best part is the WAY the stories are told. They're not chronological--they're like little intricate puzzle-boxes, where you open one panel, and there's a story, and you open another panel, and there's a different story, and by the fifth panel, there's a story that connected to the first panel, but also a little to the third panel, and--
LOOK, I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE IT. It should be confusing, but it isn't. It's perfect. Just the right amount of information at the perfect time connecting to other pieces of information in a complex, interesting, deeply satisfying way. I would kill to be able to do this. Kill. I actually tried to do this in 'Mirror Image', and I had to give it up, because the level of incoherence was off the charts. ffffffffffff howwwww does she dooooo eeeeeet.
Anyway, I think those are the big ones. Special mentions to: Tom Holt, a deeply weird writer who strongly influenced one fic in particular (Some Confusion, DGM), Patricia C. Wrede, because Dealing with Dragons in general and Cimorene in particular got to me, and Dennis Lehane, because a) his historical fiction is inspiring, and b) I love his handling of The Unhinged Friend in the Patrick and Angie books. The best unhinged friend. He booby traps his own home. Love him. What is wrong with him? We'll never know.
28 notes · View notes